Fresh Tart

No game tonight! Supposedly the temp reading, on the field, late afternoon, was 117 degrees in the sun...that's insane! So the game was cancelled, due to dangerous heat. Indeed. Not to mention the humidity. Man, I could have almost slow-cooked a pork shoulder at that temp, mmm hmmm... But no, instead, we had our baseball Team Party tonight! It was originally scheduled for tonight, but then postponed because we had a game, but wait, the game was postponed because of the heat, so we went ahead with the party! All VERY last minute, nothin' like a little spontaneity to get things rolling... Funny thing, everyone was free tonight because they were planning on being at the game, ha. Kids swam (parents too!), we blew off making dinner and just had snacks, and drinks, and chat, and it worked out beautifully. In the shade, with the breeze, it was more than bearable out there. Ninety degrees at dusk? Piece o'cake, feels refreshing compared to a hundo! Add some tunes, and good company, and we were jamming!

Now, time for bed, my friends. There's a bit of lightning flashing out there, we may get some rain tonight. GOOD. We all NEED it, badly.

The Laukka-Rempfer Floridians prevailed today, thanks to smokin' hot pitching by Nick and sweaty, dusty catching by Owen. We are now guaranteed at least second place, which is the best we've ever fared in AAA or Minors Little League play - very exciting! The fans so lucked out with cloud cover and a nice breeze, which made the 90+ degree heat and humidity seem somewhat bearable. I dare say more than a few of the parents were thinking it would be, well, fine if we lost today and were done. But no! We're back tomorrow, on another heat-advisory-hot day, to play the only still-undefeated team - you know, the one that just happened to stuff us on Thursday night. Ouch. And if we somehow beat them tomorrow, we'll play them again on Monday for the championship. And we'll have to move our team party, to be here at the hacienda, from Monday to Tuesday night. Ouch again. Lots of potential Little League drama, so stay tuned...

We all followed up the game with a trip over to PT - aka Park Tavern - for a healthy lunch of cheesy thin-crust pizza and hot-out-of-the-fat onion rings, fries, chicken strips, and wings. I love good bar food, I do, especiallly when washed down with tap beer (for the parents!) and soda (for the kids!). Aaaaaahhh...now I need a NAP! Time to pad on out to the pool, I think... More sun? Eh, what the hell...

Seven o'clock on a hot summer's Friday night, what are you doing? Hot date? Steaks on the grill? Latest 'vie in a blissfully air-conditioned theater? Cold beer and guacamole on the deck? None, some, or all of those lovely options? Then VOTE online for Kim & Susie to be the next Discovered Divas in FM 107's Undiscovered Divas contest! After 7 p.m. tonight, start voting here - you can vote as many times as you want! So please, vote, vote, and vote again, and tell your friends to vote as well. If they win, my minxes will have a two-month, weekly two-hour radio show with yours truly calling in as a guest to talk about...yes...FOOD! How fun! They're very excited - and deserving! - so here's to Kim & Suz kicking some diva ass! Yeah baby!

When I'm done voting, John and I will be eating fish tacos for dinner, mmm... I got the idea yesterday from Suz, who was making them for her family last night. Crispy white fish (I bought tilapia), garnished with chopped raw cabbage, tomatoes, onions, sliced avocaaaaahdo, and a creamy, spicy sauce, all wrapped up in a warm, soft tortilla - NICE, huh? Washed down the throat of a tanned face, with an ice-cold beer, on a 100-degree day, sheesh, is this SoCal or what? Minnesooooota, you say? But of course! Gnarly, dude...

Fish tacos - simply a must do. Wow - why the hell have I not made them before? (Recipe posted in comments, below.) I've certainly enjoyed the fast-food version at Baja Sol, many times, over several years. Damn they were good - so good that John said, don't talk to me!, while he was wolfing one down. What a nice (NICE!) Friday - sick hot, but made cool by a swim, shower, beer, and fish taco... Come on, top that, I honestly don't know that it can be done. Except by...a trip to bed, into cool, clean, crisp sheets, ohhhhh, yeah,good, good, GOOD.

YUM! Undiscovered Diva Suz and I had lunch at YUM Bakery today, what a treat! I ran into two former Park Nicollet girlfriends as well, Sonya and Laura, having some yum of their own. Suz loved her grilled veggie foccacia sandwich, I had a yummy (!) warm chicken club with a real summer treat - cool, crunchy gazpacho, topped with a bit of crab. Too-licious (as Baby Nathan used to say). Next time I go I'm absolutely having it again, what a perfect light lunch...and light is key so you have room for their decadent and clever desserts. Suz and I split a chocolate cupcake, an actual real-food, good-tasting version of a Hostess cupcake, cute. And oh, one of my favs, coconut cake. Dense, moist, and super-coconutty. Prrrr... Lurved it.

Tonight, more baseball, my friends, more hot, sweaty, dusty baseball! The Floridians won last night, we'll see how it goes tonight. Cooper was his usual sweet baby self at the game, totally chill as we all passed him around and cooed like complete idiots trying to get him to smile (it's not very hard, he is such a happy little guy, so heavenly, sigh). Pa David graciously sweat it out in his lawyerly office clothes - and of course walked away looking crisp and tidy. He always pulls that off and no one knows how. I'm actually showing up at the game in something other than a tank top since John and I are planning a post-game din at the fabulous 20.21 - yay!

Oh my, oh my oh my oh my, dinner was just incredible. Their seared foie gras and lobster with fried spinach are two of the finest dishes in Minnesota, hands down. I was ho-hum on ordering pad thai, thinking pad thai, schmad thai (or something like that), I've had enough pad thai for awhile... But John went ahead anyhow and thank goodness - I was wrong, so very, very wrong. The crispy shrimps and fried tofu that ring the perimeter, OMG, completely caught me off guard. Zowy powy zing! As a result, we're stuffed, with plenty of tasties for tomorrow to boot. It's a wonderful restaurant, it truly is. A gem. (And, they deserve a blue ribbon for booking online reservations through www.opentable.com - uh, 112 Eatery, are you listening???)

PS The baseball game, sigh, none too good. You could cut the tension with a knife - cranky coaches on all sides, a battered ump, stressed kids... Tough, it was a tough one. Yes, the Floridians are down, but not out - it's a double-elimination tourney, so we're back, chewin' gum and spittin' seeds and oh yeah, playing some ball (!) on Saturday morning... (Lord, I'm starting to sweat just thinking about it, it's too damn hot for anything but floating in the pool...)

Undiscovered Divas, Kim and Suz, debuted at 6 p.m. on FM 107 tonight! I'm kicking myself for not posting earlier, before they were on, but this day got completely away from me. I myself only got to catch about the first five minutes - Nathan had a baseball game tonight, and Dad, Stacey, Bowen, Cooper, John, and A all came, so I knew I couldn't hang with all of them (i.e. play with Coop!), watch the game, AND listen to the radio. But what I heard sounded fantastic - very relaxed, very laid back, it was so natural to hear them on the radio! Woo hoo! Undiscovered Divas is a contest - 10 other pairs are competing as well - and voting for the winning pair begins this Friday at 7 p.m. I'll be reminding everyone to vote for them on Friday - if they win, they get a two-month, weekly stint on FM 107. Check out the website to hear a sample of their tryout... Go Grrrlfriends, Go!

Well, turns out I did indeed sand- and slaw-wich myself out yesterday (not a surprise, ha). So, no Zabar's corned beef on rye for lunch today. Just slaw-as-salad, sliced garden tomatoes, and a few last bites of the grilled pork...sniff, sniff...we miss it already. That was a true summer treat, mmm hmmmm. You know, I never did eat it with barbecue sauce (John and Nathan happily did, however), it was so good right off the grill that to me, it didn't need it. I'll look forward to repeating the whole smoky, porky, slow-grill thang next summer...

Tonight I'm thinking I'll make pasta with broccoli (same idea as pasta with broccolini) - I still have some from last week's CSA veggie load. Lots of garlic and parm, of course. NICE.

Well, almost nice, I ended up eating completely alone (nice dorky pout, however, huh? Thank goodness I didn't try to be an actor...) while John was at work and Nathan at baseball practice. I held out 'til 7:45, then dug in... (Actually, not so bad at all, I'm actually quite content eating solo...)

Oh! Nathan's home now, and just brought me an unsolicited scoop of Ben & Jerry's Coffee Heath Crunch ice cream in a little bowl - how sweet! And delicious, wowee - I try to skip the desserts, since I'm so obviously into the dinners (no!), but damn, that is some goooood ice cream. G'night!

Ouch, ouch! It wasn't just the pork shoulder that got smoked over the weekend, someone carelessly got waaaay too much sun yesterday. Not moderate, Stephanie, not at all! It started innocently enough - a soft, gorgeous morning, cerulean blue sky, warm (not hot) sunshine... I thought I'd head out for a quick swim. Well, two hours later, I finally moseyed into the house, changed clothes, and head out for Nathan's baseball game. Despite a very exciting game (first playoff game, which they won, by the skin of their teeth, woo hoo!), I could feel my arms and legs sssssssizzlin' in the afternoon's now-hot, full-on sun, whew, it was powerful. All I needed was a dry spice rub and I too would be cracklin' golden brown (see below photo). Instead I ended up sort of pink, exhausted, with a crushing headache. Duuh...

In fact, I damn near forgot about hijinxing with my minxes last night - NO! Nathan and I came home from the game to find John and A swimming with the Brown family, here for a Sunday visit. A little more time outside, chatting, laughing, watching the kids swim, ahhh, I was so relaxed... The Browns took off and I casually came up to prepare coleslaw to accompany my long-anticipated, pulled-pork sandwich (see last two days' posts!). Quick glance at the clock, 6:35 p.m., hmmm, why do I feel like 6:30 means something, something...? Oh holy shit! I'm supposed to be at Suz's! Quickly called Suz, I'm on my way, girlfriend! Then rushed to the fridge for a bun and some pork, slammed a sandwich together, nuked it, and ate it in the car. Sans barbecue sauce, sans cole slaw. And it was still KILL. Ha. Just smoky, garlicky pork in a soft bun, baby. Sounds kinda naughty and tasted that way too. Now, today, I will make the slaw, and enjoy it for lunch, and finally complete my weekend pork vision. I'll check back in with the moans, and recipes, ha.

Ooooh, the 'wich was fantastic. Crunchy, creamy, tangy slaw, delish on its own but sublime in a bun. Definitely worth the wait, woo hoo! (Recipe posted in comments, below.) Perhaps I'll continue my slaw-wich run with Zabar's corned beef on rye for lunch tomorrow (I have a little stash in the freezer, heh, heh, heh).

Tonight I think I'll use the rest of the pork on one of my (other!) favorite sandwiches, a Cubano: crusty bread (baguette unless you, unlike I, have a line on fresh Cuban bread...) lined with a few thin slices each of roast pork, ham, Swiss cheese, and pickle. Toasted and pressed in a hot pan, under a weight of some sort, until crisp, melty, and salty... OMG. While a salad on the side is fine, no slaw goes on this sandwich, nor tomato, mayo, lettuce - a true Cubano (sandwich) is meant to be enjoyed pure of heart (and condiments; recipe posted in comments, below)...

Oink, oink! I'll be earning my nickname - Smokaaaay - today, oh yes I will. The pork shoulder is on the grill, I repeat, the pork shoulder is on the grill. Butterflied, pricked and stuffed all over with slivered garlic, dry-rubbed with lots o'spicy spices, now slow-smokin' over (a foil packet of) hickory chips. I'll keep the heat very low and cook that baby all day long, until it's just about falling apart. Then I'll wrap in foil to cool, pull it apart, and slather it in barbecue sauce - that part tomorrow, actually, we're having chicken tonight - to eat on buns with slaw. Woo hoo! Although I probably shouldn't celebrate until AFTER it's done, and I'm actually eating it. So stay tuned...

Now, out to the pool before it clouds over. I can swim while a haze of porky hickory smoke drifts over the pool...aaaaaaahhh...

Pool was lovely, quite, and the smoke drifting over the pool was too. I just pulled the pork off the grill - eight hours later! - and wrapped it in foil. At 250 degrees (that's what I kept the grill at), 3.5 lbs of pork took that long to become fork-tender. Wow. Glad I put it on when I did or I'd be up rather late. It'll all be worth it tomorrow, based on my "sample" tastes (cooks prerogative, sample tastes, yep, that's the best part), it's all lookin' goooooood.

Chicken drummies were good too - roasted in oil and salt, this time without parchment paper, in the oven, 'til crispy. I made a pan-sauce with the drippings, which I don't usually bother to do. Wow. Good stuff. I started by sauteeing diced cucumber and zucchini in butter until brown (recipe posted in comments, below). Removed browned veg from pan with a slotted spoon, then added minced shallot, chopped garden tomato, and chopped fresh tarragon to the pan and sauteed until the tomato started to break down. Set that aside until the chicken was done, poured off the fat from the roasting pan, then added broth to the pan to deglaze and simmered a bit. Stirred the defatted broth into the tomato mixture and voila, a lovely sauce. Served alongside the crispy chicken drummies, with rice, and the buttery zucchini/cucumber saute....mmmmm...

Looking forward to dinner at Luci Ancora tonight, with Stacey, Bowen, Cooper, Dad, and Stacey's awesome friend and neighbor Caroline. I'll check back in after a bit with the yummy details...

Picked up my La Finca CSA veggie share - this week's treasure includes Walla Walla onions, basil, garlic, and a few early tomatoes, as well as salad greens, cabbage, beets, pea pods, and kale. I think cabbage this week will become not soup but slaw with buttermilk dressing. Oh, oh, I know, maybe I'll slow-grill a pork shoulder to go with it! Pulled pork sandwiches with a side of buttermilk slaw (or, my true preference, piling the slaw right into the sandwich, so you get the killer combo of hot, tender, spicy pork and cold, creamy, crunchy slaw, on a buttery, toasted roll, all in the same bite)? Come ON, that sounds good. Rarrr... We'll see what the weekend holds, foodwise, I haven't nailed 'er down yet. Heh, heh, heh...

A lovely Luci Ancora dinner for all of us. Dad ordered best, he had Cooper, oh wait, I mean a beautiful, melty short rib served in brodo with herbs, potatoes, and carrots. Simple perfection. (I love how this pic turned out, a little blurry, with the glow of the evening sun, and Dad's Montana-burnished face, Cooper's copper-burnished hair, and the earthy-toned wall all playing off each other. Plus I also love how Dad can't help but laugh at Coop's tummy hanging out above his seer-sucker pants while he seriously works one of his chubby carrot-shaped fingers... Oh Coop, you're so sweet...)

Back to food, of course, I was very happy with my homemade ravioli, filled with chewy cheese and topped with a bit of rich, beefy ragu. Fabulous. Caroline had a pretty cantaloupe soup for a first course, pureed with a hint of hot chilies and cream. Reminded me of a similar cantaloupe salad I've made with vinaigrette and lots of freshly ground black pepper, I'll have to pull that recipe out yet this summer. Soon. Stace had steak, Bowen pasta with salmon and capers (I snuck a few out of his bowl since he was sitting next to me, lurve capers), and they split a fresh raspberry tart for dessert. Aaaah, great company, great food, my very favorite way to end the week... Happy Friday!

BLTA&B. Not to be confused with GLBT (ha), it's a bacon, lettuce, tomato, avocado sandwich with an ice-cold beer. Mooooaaaan, it was soooooo good, a lunch my dad would definitely appreciate. I meant to take a pic, but unless I shot it en estomac, it's way too late. I inhaled that baby, couldn't help myself. Ah, not moderate, except in the preparation - smear of ripe avocado instead of mayo, only two slices of bacon, lots of L&T, on toasted whole wheat. I justified the lightning quick consumption by thinking, hey, I want to enjoy this while the bacon and toast are still warm... Damn, it was good. Sometimes - no, often, in fact - the simplest things are the best.

And speaking of the best...I had the best morning at Suz's! Coffee (decaf, she now keeps decaf on hand pour moi, isn't that sweet?) and chat, my favs! I feel like I haven't seen her forever! Boo. Everyone's summer days are so busy - hers with puppeteering for vacation bible school...yes, this Warbride-singing, Scion-driving Metal Mommy does not just sing in the choich choir, she also acts out bible stories with an Elmo puppet. Even when her back hurts. Oh, how I love my friends... I brought her some frozen cabbage soup and fresh tabbouleh salad prepared (mostly) by Nathan - but I forgot to bring her some of my tomatoes! Duuuuh... Next time.

And speaking of tomatoes (subtle segues, eh?)...I'm making a Greek salad loaded with tomatoes (and dill, feta, and onions) for dinner tonight, along with grilled loin lamb chops (smeared with lots of garlic and mint) and warm, soft, grilled pita. Oooh, can't wait. Opa!

Aaaah, a sensualist's dream pre-dinner, summer shower - a long, cool, sudsy affair. Followed by a spritz of Frederic Malle's Lys Mediterranee (aka summer in a bottle). Wet hair in piggies. Bod in clean, light, soft cotton. And dinner I was ready to make, per above description. John and I ate on the deck, poured a nice St. Innocent Pinot Noir, and argued about how long one should linger outside on a night as beautiful as this (he maintains that on a work night, no matter the weather/season, TV at the regular hour is a must-do relaxer; I insist that one should sit outside as long as possible on these rare, gorgeous Minnesota evenings, smelling the soft, perfumey air, admiring my potted herbs and tomatoes, ha, watching birds and bats and bugs flit around...) I eventually lost that argument and instead we drove over to Trader Joe's for his fav chocolate chip cookies. We're home now and, I have to admit, BOTH ready to settle in for a looooong summer's nap.