Man, when it rains, it pours...literally and figuratively. Certainly with yesterday's storms, there was plenty of the literal wet stuff - much needed and quite welcome, actually. But the figurative type, not so much, at least not in the form of the fallen tree that crushed part of our fence (thankfully nowhere near the house) and a couple of plant beds. With hail damage from a few weeks ago (to both house and John's car), not to mention my own car breaking down, and a new, fun discovery today - chipmunks in our garage, trying to get into our trash and raising all sorts of chipmunk hell - I'm so ready for the storm to be o-ver. (So is our insurance adjuster!)

Luckily I had Michelle here last night to cheer me up. Michwheat! I love it when business brings friends and family to town - Bartley, Niko, Tom, Matthew, and now Michelle, yes! Nice to have an excuse to make dinner, open some wine, and have a good, long chat. The grilled salmon with couscous and grilled tomatoes/red onion worked quite nicely, especially with peach-blackberry pie - from Turtle Bread - for dessert. For an appetizer I sauteed wild mushrooms and finished them with lemon, fresh herbs, and creme fraiche. On top of slices of grilled bread, washed down with sips of prosecco, pretty damn tasty.

For the weekend, very low key. My LaFinca veggie share included bok choy, kale (yay!), scallions, lettuces, broccoli. And oh, how could I forget, perfect strawberries! So pretty, I'll save them for later this afternoon when I'm hungry for something sweet. Gosh, real strawberries, what a treat.

Moderate it: buying just a few slices of dessert is a nice way to enjoy a treat without leaving tempting leftovers lying around the house. No pie calling my name, just grilled salmon and whole-grain couscous - no problemo!

Is it...Spring? Dare I say the word? Oh, it's still colder than a witches you-know-what out there, brrr. But the snow-rain mix has ceased, the sun has peeked out, and the forecast is for sunshine! Sweet, warm, sunshine, well into the week. I think we may have had our last snowstorm. I think I may have pushed my last soup post (not that I won't be making soup, but you know, not all weekend). May you feel the warmth of sunshine on your shoulders, and may it make you happy. (I'll stop with the corniness there, don't worry. Lalalaaa!)

So, let's see, what to make on a Promises-to-be-Spring Sunday? Hmmm... Spring = lamb in my mind, but that won't work for tonight (and anyhow, I'm saving my lamb card to play at an upcoming dinner party). But I have to admit, some chops, rubbed with minced garlic, olive oil, and salt, grilled to crusty perfection... Yeah, that sounds pretty incredible.

Oh! I just had a lovely idea. There's a gorgeous Spring menu in Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Menu Cookbook, simple and elegant. (I've never had the pleasure of eating at the restaurant - someday! - however, enjoy this blogger's terrific post about dining a la Alice; photo of the restaurant is from the post.) I'm including the three savory dishes from the Spring menu; any one of them would be lovely for dinner (and of course, altogether, they would be stunning). Her intro:

Wild Mushrooms on Croutons
Thin Pasta with Spring Vegetables
Charcoal-Grilled Salmon with Grilled Red Onions

When I think of spring, I immediately think of salmon - those first young delicate-fleshed fish that seduce everyone in the dining room. This menu is meant to directly complement the salmon; little croutons with the last of the fresh morels; the first peas and asparagus with very delicate thin pasta...

Suggested wines: This menu calls for new, young wines - perhaps a fresh Bourgogne Aligote and a Beaujolais with the grilled salmon.

Sheesh, just reading the recipes feels like a warm, fragrant breeze. So nice. (Recipes posted in comments, below.)