Here we are, Little League baseball season once again, the third time since I started this blog - time flies, eh?! I have to say, it feels good to be back in the fresh air and warm sun, eating a little dust, catching up with the Baseball Moms (outside of McCoys, ha), and watching my nephew Cooper Cuteness running all over the place, thinking he's ready to play some ball. "I want to go in there!" says Cooper, age just-2, pointing over the fence at the Big Boys, the cool ones, the ones hitting and throwing the ball as hard as they possibly can... Eeek!

We had a game yesterday too, an appetizer of sorts before the dinner I made for Dad, Susanna, Stacey, Cooper, John, and Nathan. We all ended up here by four or so, in time for Jake (my parents' dog) to take the inaugural '08 swim in the pool (splash!), while I pulled together some (real) appetizers and Cooper and Nathan ran around chasing Jake. We vegged out - literally - with sauteed artichokes and roasted asparagus, followed by a first course of thin fresh pasta with favas and morels (hey, what can I say, 'tis the season) and a dab of creme fraiche. Oh, don't worry, we beefed up plenty - a whole beef tenderloin roast, rubbed with minced garlic, herbs, olive oil, and coarse salt, grilled crusty and served over slices of grilled bread with sauteed cherry tomatoes, spring onions, and Brussels sprouts. With zabligione for dessert, oy we were stuffed, daring to ring in spring with a truly spring-y meal.

Today, due to a lovely, sunny visit with my friend Kathie, I actually achieved sun rash, itchy and bumpy and...completely welcome. Hey, I'll take any sun at this point, especially on Kathie's pretty patio, especially in comparison to gray clouds and snow. Rash on!

Moderate it: roasted vegetables make delicious - and not overly heavy - appetizers. The goal is to set out a nibble, not fill everyone up before dinner.

How to lift the gloom off of life in a black-n-white photograph? Well, for starters, be very, very grateful that it's above 25 degrees outside. Big smiles there. I took advantage and went for a walk/run this morning, including some serious hills, which just a few weeks ago was a nice, invigorating workout but today, after weeks in the deep freeze, had me sucking wind like a 3-pack-a-day smoker (which I'm very much not), man, what a total bummer. I know I'll be back to normal in no time, but it is a bit humbling to know how quickly the ol' wind disappears now that I'm in my 40s. Nice little reminder, just in case the various sags, lines, and other disheartening signs of 'a life well-lived' didn't pack enough punch. Uff.

Well. A pretty Saturday Luncheon Salad lifts the gloom as well! When the only color out the window is the occasional red car (I'm unfortunately totally serious, blah), chop up some pale green lettuces, deep green spinach, a few ruby-cherry tomatoes, and set it all off with chalky-white goat cheese, cracked black pepper, rosy bacon, and crackling, roasted asparagus. A nice combo of warm/cool, soft/crunchy, salty/sweet. A little spring-y tasting. And filling but not filling. In other words, all good. A spot of hot green tea to finish, as well as a warm shower (I'm thinking a splash of Naturopathica lime shower gel/Thai herbal body lotion could lift the spirits by stirring fragrant memories of the heavenly Miraval Spa, sigh...) should have me cheered up a bit as well.

And if not, I'll be sure to complain about it. Wouldn't want to disappoint anyone by writing out of character, you know.

Rain, rain, go away! Especially on a Monday, sheesh. I stumbled out of bed, pulled on my walking clothes, pulled my hair back, brushed my teeth, made my way out to the kitchen in the dark, turned on my coffee...and then realized it was pouring and I was going exactly nowhere after dropping Nathan at his bus stop. Damn, I hate when I do that. It's like waking up early on Saturday by accident. And once I'm up and dressed...meh, I'm up. So here I am, complaining instead of walking, ha. Sorry.

Busy week coming up! My aunt Mary for lunch...neighborhood women's association get-together...Cooper Cuteness...Susie's open house...celebrating our upcoming 5th anniversary with the kids...work on the house...homework, homework, homework... And so, a busy food week as well. With the weather so back-n-forth, I'm having a hard time finding my cooking groove. Am I grilling or braising? Am I prepping cool, crisp appetizers, or warm, cheesy bites? I guess the answer is all of the above?! Instead of feeling cranky and out-of-sorts, I should embrace the diversity of options, right? Right?

So today, since it's cooled off pretty dramatically, perhaps a roasted something-or-other. Hmmm. For sure an acorn squash, with a sprinkle of salt, nuts, cinnamon, and brown sugar, yum. Oh, I've got cauliflower too, that would be pretty kill. (To keep things on the healthier side, I try to start with my veggies and plan from there.) Perhaps a simple soup, call 'er dingdangdone. Stay tuned...

Mya-man, mya-man! That's Cooper-speak for Spider-Man, whom thanks to Nathan, Cooper now loves. Stace and Nathan donned expired Halloween costume masks for maximum Spideyness, leaving Cooper alternately excited, confused, and a little scared (as you can see in the pic). Mya-man!

Cooper calls me Ne-uh-nee, totally adorable. For the longest time there was only Mama, Dada, and Nay-nay (Nathan), but now I've proudly joined the mix. YESSSSS!

Once again, I've got a foil packet full of veggies on the grill - it's turned out to be Summer 07's signature vegetable preparation. Tonight the packet is full of summer squash, carrots, dill, and onion. Chopped then drizzled and tossed with olive oil and coarse salt before they're enclosed in foil for a 30-minute pass on the grill (flip half-way through), they turn out lovely every time. And could not be easier, which is the best part of all. Yay for veggies on the grill! Yay for veggies every way!

Smokin' out there, hooeeey! That's Minnesota for you (us), from mid-60s one week to mid-90s the next, with nary a lovely 70s in between. Sigh. So I'll forgive you (me) for complaining that one week you're freezing your butt off and the next yer sweatin' like a frizzy-haired pig. Or something. Damn!

Good for the veggies, though. I could technically have a baby arugula and frisee salad for lunch (with a simple vinaigrette, lots of freshly ground pepper, and a few fat shaves of Parm) - we'll see. I may hold out for greens from my first La Finca CSA veggie share pick up of the season, later this week. Can't wait!

I guess the heat is appropriate to mark the first day of summer - Nathan is officially done with 5th grade! I'm excited to have more time with him, I love hangin' with my boy. This week is nice and low-key, before the sports (driving) begin. Our plan is to snag some time at the pool, get a few projects done around here, maybe see a movie or two, have some friends over, get some exercise. You know, summer-y stuff!

We kicked off summer break with a lovely dinner at Dad & Susanna's last night, with my sister Etta (in from NYC), Stace & the Coopster, and Nathan & John. Burgers (not the fast-food variety, but elk burgers, given to Dad & Sus by their hunter-friend Ron), roasted veggies, pommes frites, and cake (mmmm, caaaake, Stace made it, white cake with chocolate icing and raspberries, rarrr), after which Nathan announced he'd had the perfect day. School's out, pizza for lunch, and burgers for dinner. That's my boy, measuring his days on the Scale of Tasties!

Hey, I'm back, quick report on the rather feast-y day we just spent. First, we earned our feast by running steps over by Minnehaha Creek - tough work on a hot day, we were pretty sweaty when we were done. Then an impulse stop by Turtle Bread in Linden Hills for a quick lunch. Icy cold gazpacho with fresh crusty bread, now that is a hot-day's lunch. In fact it was so good, we bought lots more gazpacho to take home, and a loaf of bread, and of course an oatmeal raisin cookie, and some honey-toasted peanuts to boot. Then, after some serious swimming (including with John, who snuck in a long lunch to get some time at the pool with us), we headed over to Byerly's and picked up trout fillets for the grill. So...nice healthy feast, eh? Grilled trout, gazpacho, fresh bread, sauteed broccoli (from the fridge), and ripe peaches - oh yes, peaches are officially good, woo hoo! (Buy organic if possible, "regular" peaches are very high in pesticide residue...)

I also whipped up a batch of tender turkey meatballs for the freezer - quick protein for busy nights. (In a toasted whole-wheat pita, with a little olive spread and arugula? Or crumbled onto a corn tortilla with salsa and avocado? Don't even get me started...)

Nice ways to kick off a healthy summer vaca - man, I love me some summer.

Snow, snow, go away? It hasn't begun yet, but supposedly we have another doozy of a storm on our doorstep. Yeah. Yay. Hey, at least I'm not hosting a party tonight...or sick any longer... Bring it on. I guess.

Thinking we're not venturing terribly far for the next couple of days, I made sure to swing by the store to grab some tasties. That's me, always planning ahead - at least when it comes to food! (Although I did fill my gas tank today too, food for my car, as it were.) Steaks, roasted potatoes, and roasted asparagus (I don't roast them together - the kids would freak, ha) for din tonight, mmm... Shrimps with a big salad for dinner tomorrow. Hey, I'm hungry, I'd better go make dinner! Have a good night!