
Well, we indeed did a big
salad last night...right before I pulled a luscious, unctuous
Gruyere souffle, studded with paper-thin slices of
mushrooms and
leeks, from the oven.
Sooo good with a glass of
LittoraiPinot Noir it was damn near illegal. Why
souffle? Well, it's easier than it seems, gorgeous to behold, a lovely dinner for two (no timing pressure), The Kill to eat, and just plain fun to make and devour! I mean savor.
Savor! Party in a pan, a
souffle, party in a pan. (Recipe posted in comments, below.)
Tonight, party on the palate, bringing on the heat with
Quick Chicken Gumbo. Not as hot

tonight as the first time I made
gumbo, oh so many years ago - with 1/4 cup (!) of
cayenne pepper (major inexperienced misread of that recipe, ouch) - but hot enough to tingle, just right. I sauteed a little pan of
okra separately as well, to keep it crisp, and used it as a garnish. Nathan looked at the
okra very skeptically, but gave it a try, decided it was delicious, and dug in. YESSS when kids try new foods! Especially vegetables!
I have to confess I wasn't uber-hungry for dinner, after catching a late lunch with my aunt Mary. She was 'round these parts for a visit with our joint

hair guru, Nisa at
Spalon Montage. We met at
Beaujo's Wine Bar in Edina, with
lots of craziness to gossip and cackle about while digging into yummy
lentil soup and
chopped salads chock full o'
roasted beets, blue cheese, pine nuts, and
red onion. Beaujo's always delivers delicious, simple food, and a tasty
wine list... Perfect fare for a cozy post-movie nosh, or much-needed sustenance in the midst of some pretty killer shopping.
And of course for a post-hairdo luncheon! Yay for my aunts getting their hair prettified here in the Minneapple!