Fresh Tart

Two down, one to go! Woo hooooo, we are party central again this weekend! Friday night we were invited to dinner by a family at Nathan's new school. So fun - cool people, lovely home, great kids, and delicious wine and food. Salmon, fresh herbs and vegetables, a drizzle of lemon juice and olive oil, all wrapped up in foil and passed over the grill. We opened up the individual packets to find perfectly moist and fragrant fish, with lovely juices that flowed handily over to the pile of rice waiting patiently on the other side of the plate. Yum. I baked and brought a Cherry Tart with Almond Crust, with fresh cherries as well as fresh peaches and blueberries. Good stuff.

Then yesterday, another pool-and-wine party with Debbie and Stu The Wine Genius (Rudy and Ana are in the Hamptons, poor souls, ha). Sooooo fun, a gorgeous, hot day, perfect for floating and sipping. And eating! Stu and Debbie brought two Turley wines, in honor of our Napa trip (and stay at Larry Turley's home), both delicious. In the pool we drank the white, a 2003 The White Coat, a rich blend, quite golden and delicious. With dinner we drank a 2004 Lodi Zinfandel, from the Dogtown Vineyard (not the one we overlooked), fantastic. Tasted just like Napa, sigh.

After a quick shower, it was time to get some food on! I started by grilling bread for a quick appetizer, served alongside hard salami, roasted peppers, and olive tapenade from the deli. For a first course I made a red cabbage salad - red cabbage sauteed until wilted and then tossed with crispy bacon and a warm shallot dressing and topped with a warm, breaded goat-cheese medallion. Crunchy, creamy, salty, gorgeous - all the good stuff (recipe in comments, below). And for dinner I grilled a couple racks of lamb chops, cut into two-chop pieces before smearing them with a mixture of minced garlic, mint, oregano, rosemary, and tarragon (the herbs on my deck) bound with a bit of olive oil. Alongside I grilled Potatoes on the Grill, or more accurately, La Finca Veggies and Potatoes on the Grill, because I threw in carrots, fennel, green pepper, and onion, all from my veggie share this week. For dessert I had baked a Lemon Picnic Cake (lemon cake soaked in lemon icing, yum; recipe in comments, below), withwhipped cream and raspberry sauce. Uff, we were stuffed as we chatted in the dark, watching the pool lights shimmer eerily off the trees, while Nathan took a pre-bedtime dip.

So! Now it's Sun-day, and time for a Baseball Moms and Players Swimming Party! Another hot sunny day, perfect for grillin' some 'dogs, eating lots of salty chips and appetizers, drinking ice cold beer, munching on cookies and bars, and chatting the afternoon/evening away while the boys raise hell in the pool. Yeah, baby!

There is nothing moderate about this heat, yowza! Hellish (96 degrees), humid (dewpoint in the 70s, that's tropical, my friends, yuck), scorching (nary a cloud to cast even a bit of shade), and stifling (just a whisper of muggy breeze would be better than nothing). Basically it's dripping, nasty, ugly HOT. A salad day, or ooh, a gazpacho day, both sound lovely, although I had neither. Meh, the heat makes me feel like I'm swimming in more of a fog than usual, so while I made it to the grocery store, I didn't actually prepare anything with the ingredients. Lame! I know! Perhaps I'll be more inspired tomorrow, when I get my veggies on. And, I picked up a pork tenderloin at the store today that I plan on grilling tomorrow with lots of barbecue sauce for quick pulled-pork sandwiches. (Nowhere near as gorgeous and decadent as the pork shoulder I slow-grilled last summer, but pretty damn tasty nonetheless.) In fact, I'll do it in the afternoon, before things get crazy in the evening, so we'll be good to go for a couple of days. Yeah, that'll put me back on track! I need to get back into fighting form for the weekend - I'm bringing a dessert to a dinner party on Friday night, Stu The Wine Genius and his wife Debbie are coming for dinner on Saturday, and Sunday the Baseball Moms and their boys are coming for a big swim. Woo hoooooo, it's gonna be a HOT one!

Date night, woo hoo! For me, date night's appeal is threefold. Time with my Johnny, of course. A chance to sample the tops in Minneapolis restaurant offerings. Aaaaaand a reason to spiff up a bit, straighten the ol' hair (or not), put on lots of mascara, don the bling, dig a little further in my closet for dresses and blouses, spritz on one of my beloved fragrances (right now it's Azuree Soleil, a limited-edition Tom Ford for Estee Lauder fragrance, aka Summer in a Bottle, yummy, yummy), and slip into mile-high heels. Sheesh, with that description, John and the restaurants are losing out a bit, sorry guys. What can I say? I'm a grrrl, I love the girly-girl accoutrements, love 'em all. Like these walk-only-from-valet-to-table sparkly purple beauties. Not one bit comfy (in fact, ouch), but fabulously par-tay, they're tonight's stilts of choice. Stay tuned for details on the Mexican tasties at Masa...

Masa, Masa, mui bueno indeed, man I am as stuffed as the fat little chicken enchilada topped with crema and pickled jalapenos I just downed, ole, baby. Whew. We opted for al fresco tasties and sangria(sparkling sangria, no less, aka Hot-Humid-Day-Elixir), which meant bye-bye straightened hair, sigh, but it was worth it for the people-watching on Nicollet Mall. I soothed myself with carnitas (good Lord, whoever invented pork slow-fried in its own fat was a lovely, twisted soul) and sopas (more tender chicken, this time napped in a creamy, spicy sauce, topped with avocado, and piled into a two-bite-sized, sizzling hot fried masa boat). After a few bites of tres leches cake (one of my all-time fav desserts) and feathery-crisp churros dipped in gooey melted chocolate, I was DONE. I am done. Soooo done. Yeah. It is bedtime for this chica, hope y'all sleep as well as I'm about to...

I achieved a mini-escape yesterday with a hike through lovely Elm Creek Park Reserve, one of the many nature-in-the-city havens known 'round these parts as the Three Rivers Park District (formerly Hennepin Parks). We Minnesotans are blessed indeed with an incredible system of well-maintained parks, picnic grounds, beaches, hiking trails, and bike paths, many of them interconnected via the Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway and regional bike trail pathways. Free parking, peace and quiet, wildflowers, birdsong...and when you're done with solitude and near the picnic areas, some of the best food- and people-watching in town. I witnessed some serious barbecue action yesterday - lots of delicious smoke, cold beers, and tables groaning with homemade salads and desserts. And a volleyball game starring every body type, from shirtless guys with rock-hard abs to a very tan, 300-pound woman in a teeny-tiny bikini. Minnesota RAWKS!

From my walk, I headed straight to the movie theater to see Waitress, a movie I've been dying to see before it left the theaters. Loved. It. Loved it. My kind of movie. Unbelievable food scenes (pies, glorious, gorgeous pies, savory and sweet and everything in between), just unbelievable. And a great story and characters and style. Loved it. Sigh.

And then my date with myself was over, and I headed back home, for a little time at the pool with John, and then the Brown family. Easy, easy dinner - grilled chicken in tortillas with avocado, roasted tomatoes and onions, cheese, sour cream...all the good stuff. And potatoes on the grill made spicy by a few shakes of ancho chili powder. And that's it. (No pie, darn, I sure had/have a hankering for pie...perhaps today...) Dinner on the deck, a little more swimming for the kids, then the Browns moseyed on home and the Levys declared bedtime. Another summer's Saturday, gone in the blink of a squinting eye...

Hello? Moderation? Anywhere? Anywhere?

After a lovely date-night feast (such as at Mission on Tuesday night), I would normally shoot for a much lighter day the next day(s). With lots of exercise. You know, to balance it all out. Moderate a bit? Ha. So I took off yesterday morning for a brisk (and insanely, miserably hot) walk/run. Off to a good start, even though I felt like I'd been hit by a truck. For lunch, one of my beloved black bean burgers, in one of my beloved French Meadow sprouted grain tortillas, with peppers, avocado, arugula, and salsa. Sublime. Healthy. All good.

And then...a very snacky afternoon (which happens once in awhile and I usually just go with it; I figure if I'm really listening, and eating from true hunger, my body knows better than I do when it needs some extra fuel). Followed by a thunderstorm and power outage, which fizzled our healthy dinner plans and sent us scurrying out the door for lights-out treats at Bacio. Despite all their lovely salad options (that place knows how to make a salad), I was truly starving for major, beefy protein, so I had...a brrrgrrr. Not just any burger, but the (whisper) Bacio Burger (I didn't read the menu carefully and thought I was getting a plain burger with the usual sides - lettuce, tomato, raw onion, pickles, etc...uh, nooo). Topped with some amazing creamy sauce, and cheese, and sauteed onions, and tomato, on a toasted bun no less - could you find more ways to add fat to a burger? - it was one of the most decadent, delicious burgers I've ever had. Dang, it was that good. Naughty, killer good. Ouch! The whole experience totally wiped me out and I was asleep by 9:30 last night, sensory overload, bam.

So today, let's start again. A day full of lovely vegetables and fruits is in order, with a long bike ride, and lots of water. Basically an Un-Bacio-Burger Day. Enjoy yours!

John and I achieved another lovely date night last night - this time dinner at Mission American followed by a drive around the University of Minnesota and the Riverfront District (the dinner + drive combo is our fav). Mission sits in the old Aquavit space (sniff, loved Aquavit) in IDS Center. Playfully chic interior, pretty good scene for a Tuesday night, Doug Flicker from Auriga (sniff, loved Auriga) in the kitchen, and delicious food on our table, including a perfectly cooked piece of halibut. It's not easy to attain halibut perfection (I've decided that I've been preparing it without nearly enough fat, so I love to eat it in restaurants, blissfully unaware - don't tell me! - of how the chef achieves that fantastic crusty/creamy deliciousness of a well-prepared halibut filet). Also delicious -and deadly - were good ol' fashioned fried shrimps, in this case cornmeal-dusted rock shrimps. No question about the fat used to prepare those crispy little bombs, ha. Man I love 'em, smokin' hot and dipped in a genius double-dip combo of garlicky aioli + fiery red pepper sauce. Rarrr... We skipped dessert, jumped in the car, rolled down the windows, cranked the tunes, and had ourselves a gorgeous drive home, scoping out potential al fresco dining spots for our next date night...

Cuteness time! As I mentioned earlier, Nathan is with my sister Stacey and her baby Cooper, having a blast visiting my parents in Montana. Stace just sent these sweet pics today so I thought I'd share them for a few smiles. Coop's red-haired self looks pretty little in the shadow of those mountains, fabulous. Hey, that cool table has a fun history - it was buried in the pool house of my stepmom Susanna's parents' home, pretty beat up. Her mom had it restored as a gift and voila, it emerged beautifully to meet its table destiny - looking lovely and welcoming, enjoying a sweet view (!), ready to bear many a pretty plate topped with delicious food. It does its job quite well and in return, table happiness.

With everyone gone (Nathan now, John and my stepdaughter last week, all of us the week before), our poor dining room table is lonely, lonely. Perhaps tomorrow night we'll be back on track. And I'll have to get back into the groove of cooking for the whole fam. I've had a nice little reprieve here, cooking just for myself or for John and me. We definitely won't be eating as much grilled fish and seafood...other than shrimp, I can get the kids to eat grilled shrimp...yeah, it's been a nice (healthy) run.

Oh, Friday Morning Coffee with Suz has officially become Tuesday Morning Coffee with Suz and Kim! Started today, in fact. Yes, The Maven has a new job, which will mean Tuesday's off, so she'll be joining us for our sipping and chatting. We only steal about an hour but that hour makes my whole week, love it. Today I biked over to our coffee spot, whew, it's a HOT mother out there. I had to mop myself while we chatted, yuck. Luckily my friends love me even while I drip. Stay cool everyone.

And, rest in peace to my friend Mary's mother-in-law, Kathy Pappas.

More cucumber raita tonight (it's so good, I made it again today; it's my new favorite cucumber salad), this time alongside king crab legs. Can you tell I was needing some new grill subjects? The tandoori turkey breast tenderloinlast night was scrumptious, definitely a keeper. Tender and flavorful, John and I had an awful lot of fun eating it with said cukes and the peach-ginger chutney, on the porch, with some tunes and a nice white. Goooood night.

So, back to the crab, if you haven't grilled king crab legs before, it's an ocean breeze. Slash through the shell in several places (to make the eatin' part a lot easier) and grill 'em on a hot grill for a total of about 10 minutes. Perhaps less. They don't take long at all. And that is it, they're that easy to prepare. Get crackin' (along those slash marks you made) and you'll be in heaven. I don't even bother with butter or sauces - the meat is so sweet and tender, it really needs nothing at all. Except perhaps a side of cucumber raita, ha. I'm making a small tomato salad as well. Ah, summer food. Another goooood night.

Lookin' for something to grill tonight? Me too, something other than steak or shrimp, so I flipped through my latest Cuisine at Home magazine for inspiration and decided on the gorgeous cover meal - tandoori turkey with peach chutney and cucumber raita. How fabulous does that sound? I am all over the spicy, sweet, salty, creamy, crunchy combo of all three elements together. The recipes are a breeze - a bit of chopping up a few fresh ingredients, stirring together a quick marinade for the turkey, and passing the turkey tenderloin over the grill for about 15 total minutes. (There's also a recipe for "naan" flatbread, using pizza dough, but I'm going to skip that part to keep the meal on the lighter side. Plus, Byerly's sells delicious naan in their bakery which is amazing grilled). I'll use my favorite plain yogurt - Greek-style Fage - for the raita and marinade. Can't wait for dinner! (Recipes posted in comments, below.)

I have to confess to having enjoyed eating alone the last couple of days - John and my stepdaughter have been in the Hamptons visiting my in-laws and our friends the Bryts, while Nathan is with Stacey and Cooper visiting my parents in Montana to celebrate my stepmom's 60th birthday - TODAY! - Happy Birthday Susanna! Last night I grilled myself a piece of mahi-mahi (also known as dorado) and it was delicious. All I ate alongside was a pile of raw pea pods - what can I say, I love the crunchy-sweet-vegetal taste, they taste like a garden to me. It was nice to not have to cook them, or make a pan of rice, or set the table. Just me and my mahi-mahi on the deck. Peaceful. Nice.

Tonight John will be back, so I won't be eating tandoori turkey alone, ha. And that's nice too. But once in awhile, a little solitude is a mighty nice thing...

Double the pleasure, double the fun! With...two salads for lunch (sorry, not all that titillating, ha). First up a fresh plate o'bounty thanks to my LaFinca CSA veggie share - salad greens and arugula studded with chopped kohlrabi, onion, pea pods (love 'em raw) plus peppers and avocado from the grocery store.

Followed by a fruit version, nothing more than a bowl of gorgeous berries (LaFinca raspberries) and ripe peach drizzled with just a bit of cream (yum). Colorful, filling, and delicious. I figured after pizza, beer, and sweet potato fries for dinner last night - ha! - I'd better moderate my bad self right on back to plenty of fruits and veggies today. Done!

Later: uff I'm tired, bone tired, too many late nights for me again, ack. Even after my uber-healthy lunch, I had to drag my sorry ass through a few kettlebell exercises and a walk through Lowry Hill. I came home and lay around watching Sex and the City (on demand) until I finally forced myself into the shower to perk up enough for tonight's hijinxing with my minxes. Man, it's been way too long! We're all just so busy! Not even cackling with Kim & Suz could wake me up (they're wiped too, what a trio we are, ha) so here I am, going to BED! G'night!