Fresh Tart

Turns out this is one of those rare Sundays that I won't be cooking. Weird, huh? I love to cook on Sundays, especially in the fall, oooh: cool air + time = soup or stew or roast or bread or vegetables or, or, or... But not today, man, our fridge is bursting with tasties, a food bomb ready to explode, BAM! Don't worry, we'll defuse carefully, a meatball here, some clam chowder there (I had a meatball for breakfast, in fact, yum).

Why so much food? Wellll, turns out I was solo for dinner on both Thursday and Friday nights, so the big ol' pot of Manhattan Clam Chowder I made on Thursday is still pretty big, and the shrimp cocktail I made on Friday is still untouched by John. And then last night we had Suz, The Coreman, Vivian, and Sullivan over for a Break-from-UnpackingSpaghetti Dinner (recipe posted in comments, below), with meatballs and garlic bread and salad and Cake-Eater Chocolate Cake. Uff. One of the more filling meals I've made in awhile, although sometimes a homemade meatball really hits the spot, you know? Kind of like a matzo ball. Random... Anyhow, we have lots of meatballs, and pasta, and bread, and cake, and whipped cream...oh my, you get the picture.

Excess! Bursting! No cooking! And we'll enjoy every bite...

Moving Day! No, not for me, heavens no, but for Susie. So, instead of Friday Morning Coffee with Suz, it was Load Up My Car with Suz's Stuff, ha. It was...fun! Yes, fun! I've given her and The Coreman all sorts of crap about being too old for a do-it-yourself move, but it's all actually worked out fine. (Well, almost fine, there have been a few of the typical scheduling snafus, but so it goes when one moves, as we all know. Moving! Uuuugh...). No one (so far) has thrown out a back (knock on wood), or ruined any furniture (knock on leather), and they're looking shockingly settled in the new digs.

And the new digs are GREAT! Wooded and spacious and absolutely lovely, reminds me a lot of Debbie & Stu the Wine Genius' beautiful home. So Suz is now a Cake-Eater. Wow. I don't know how one achieves Metal Cake-Eater status, but somehow she's done it. Look out Hornets, Suz is RAWKIN' Edina! Yet, Elegantly...

Me? I'm solo for dinner tonight, I'm rawkin' (ha) leftover Manhattan Clam Chowder, and that's about it. Perhaps a bath. Perhaps a twilight walk around the 'hood. And then early to bed, it's just that kind of Friday, ya know? Enjoy yours...

It's been a Cooper-ish couple of days, or is about to be, lucky for me! Nothing like a dose of Cooper Cuteness to brighten one's day. He's really into cheesy, buttery quesadillas right now, it's great fun to make one for him and hear his "mmm" when he takes a bite, ha. His reactions are so pure - if he hates it, he spits it out. If he likes it, you get the "mmm." You always know where you stand with a one-year old, I love it.

Hanging with Cooper has been the extent of my socializing these last few days and that's just fine with me. Whew. I am officially partied out. What a ride it's been! Veeeery fun, yet very not moderate, and even I - hard to believe, I know - reach my limit with fine food and good cheer. All I want now is time for long walks, simple food, lots of tea and water, and plenty of good, solid sleep. Nice.

In that vein...soup? Soup's always appealing at this time of year, especially when I'm wanting to hole up at home a bit. Fish? Fish is my go-to restorative, it makes me feel healthy and back-on-track. Perhaps Manhattan Clam Chowder would fit the bill - satisfying but not too heavy, great with nothing more than crusty bread. Hmmm...stay tuned...

Yes, even the darling Maven of Mischief has (almost) finally joined us old gals in the Over-40 Club. Yuck, not a club I aspired to join, but there it is, nothing to do but accept it. Still catches me a bit off guard - 40. Yeah. Forty, Kim! Forty and fabulous, you are, my dear! (Especially in her "I'm 40" ring, on her all-important finger, see above.)

We celebrated tonight with a dinner here at the hacienda, Kim, Suz, and me, which is just how Kim wanted it - waaay low key. No surprises, no crowds, no big parties. I set out some brie, pate, and radishes with Hope Creamery butter to nibble on while we had a champagne toast. To 40! To life! L'chaim!

So we sipped and noshed and giggled (and drove John into the other room, ha) while the chicken finished roasting - yes, yet another roasted chicken, I can't stop making the damn things. This time I prettily framed the bird with lots of carrots and potatoes, to soak up all the buttery pan juices and slowly brown and crisp alongside the peep. Worked nicely. To cut all the rich buttery-ness I made a green bean and last-tomatoes-of-the-season salad, seasoned with lots of last-tarragon-of-the-season dressing. Au revoir summer, kiss, kiss.

For dessert I made simple cream puffs and filled them with coffee whipped cream. Add wine, and hot coffee, cheesy 70s tunes on satellite radio (for junior-high slow-dancing, of course), and plenty of pathetic, shriek-worthy beefcake courtesy of God's Gift, and we called 'er a birthday dinner, yes indeed.

And now, g'night to the Birthday Girl! Sleep tight and well! You know, before the hot flashes of menopause set in! Aaaaaaaaaaaaagh...

Oops, I Did it Again! Somehow I accidentally slow-roasted another pork shoulder, this time an Italian version (think fennel seeds, tons of garlic, oregano, and thyme). Same technique as carnitas, same silky, porky result. Rarrrr, LOVE it. Nice to have sitting in the fridge over the weekend, ready to eat as is, or toss with a bit of rigatoni, or enjoy alongside creamy polentaaaaah, or stuff into a warm, soft roll, with thinly sliced onions and pickles, for a killer sandwich. None of those options suck and I'm glad to have them all. Yeah.

I met Susie Silpada Sales for a last-minute Friday Morning Coffee with Suz today (both Kim and I were busy on Tuesday, so Tuesday Morning Coffee with Kim & Suz had to wait for next week, boo). So fun! So necessary! Nothing like the elixir of girly chat (and Almond Joy candy bars - Suz brought Almond Joy candy bars! My very, very favorite, yay!) to wrap up a craaaaz-ow week. What to tell first? About Nathan's new school? Driving through a hailstorm? Eating delicious, strange animal parts, barefoot, in front of a television crew? Cooper's vomiting all over Stacey's car? My parents' new home? My accidental flashing of the Metal sign at a religious event?

And then, what to listen to first? About Suz's impending move? Her kids' new schools? Her new Susie Sales job? Her new kickass fur vest and totally Metal boots? It was too much, there's just too much going on. Life is wild right now, in a good way, guess we'll just have to get together again (hee, hee) - like on Monday to celebrate The Maven's 40th! Yes, that nauseatingly young beyotch is about to join the ranks of us cougars. Hope she can handle it... I'm cooking and haven't quite decided yet what I'm making. Stay tuned...

Holy Storm, Batman! Whoa, whoa, whoa. What a night! First, let me explain why I was foolishly driving around in what basically amounted to a pre-tornado. My Bizarre (Foods) friend Andrew Zimmern invited John and me, as well as our friends Aaron and Carol Mack (although only Aaron could make it), to join him this evening at Chef Lenny Russo's Heartland Contemporary Midwestern Restaurant to tape a segment for his Travel Channel series, Bizarre Foods. Zim's been taping all around Minnesota recently, landing at Heartland this evening, and I was (am!) so excited to be a part of his amazing show! (Won't air until April - but believe me, I'll be pushing the date when the time comes!)

Let me back up a bit. Not being an experienced TV personality (HA), I was a bit nervous about the whole thing (those of you who heard me horrifically giggle my way through a brief interview on Andrew's Chowhounds radio show a few years back will not be surprised). I watched the weather anxiously, not worried about whether it would hamper my ability to get over to St. Paul (which is what I should have been worrying about), but whether the foretold rain would cause my hair to frizz/over-curl. (Good to know I had/have my priorities straight, urgh...) But as the storm forecasts rolled in, I did start to worry about leaving Nathan home alone for even a minute, given how the weather could hold up his dad (who was picking him up) in traffic.

So, after much weather-monitoring, hair-fixing, and consultation, Nathan and I set out to meet his dad part-way between our house and his, to hopefully pare their travel time a bit, eliminate any time alone time for Nathan, and to put me on a less congested route over to St. Paul. We ended up sitting on Highway 100 near 394 witnessing one of the more spectacular - and truly scary - storms I have ever seen in my life. I was actually grateful that we were in parking-lot traffic...no pressure to try to drive in blinding lightning, rain, and hail. We watched black wall-clouds move in, and road-litter begin to swirl eerily around us (shiver), before the heavens broke open and wind rocked over us, gusting rain and hail over the cars like a car-commercial demonstration of aerodynamic engineering. Whoooooooooosh. It was more-than-slightly unreal. Eeek.

We finally made our way to meeting up with Nathan's dad, and when they were safely off, I turned toward St. Paul, already almost-late for our filming at Heartland. I wound my way through downtown Minneapolis, then across I-94 and into the Highland Park neighborhood of St. Paul, all the while feeling my way through torrential downpours and flooded streets. I pulled up across from Heartland, scoped the street-turned-river, and realized I was going in barefoot, baby, no reason to put shoes into that current. So, handbag, camera, and shoes in hand, as well as umbrella overhead, I made a barefoot run for it. And heaved into the restaurant to find a camera waiting for me in the entryway, as well as John, Andrew, and Aaron already merrily eating, a delicious glass of crispy white wine at my place, and pats of Hope Creamerysweet- and snowy-white goat-butters, just calling my name (into which I immediately stuck my finger - oh, how I love Hope Creamery butter!). Ahhhh, and just like that, I was fine, happy, happy.

From there, all I can say is that I had an amazing meal. Wow. Andrew did his thing (very fun to watch), we all ate lots of bizarre (!), delicious tasties (tune into the show, in April, to see/hear the specifics), had our usual lively chat, I strangely didn't feel nervous at all, and it was an absolute blast. Chef Lenny Russo is a lovely and talented man, deeply committed to his mission of serving the best of locally sourced ingredients, beautifully prepared. And what a result, truly scrumptious. Quite a meal, my friends, unforgettable! What a crazy night! Whew! I'm glad to be home, pleasantly (but not overly) full, gratefully dry, and SAFE. Thanks to the Chef and his talented staff, and to his wife for the lovely wine...bon nuit!

Perfect, we had a perfect dinner at Restaurant Alma last night. Cozy, fun, delicious. I love a restaurant that serves high-quality, beautifully-prepared food in appropriate (!) portions, so you walk out feeling fantastic, not stuffed, not ill. I love that about Lucia's, and now I love it about Alma.

I opened with a small celery root souffle, browned and puffy, with a hint of curry, fantastic. I followed with rigatoni with fennel sausage, chewy and spicy and positively lusty, I damn near licked the bowl clean, ha. I even splurged on dessert, an adorable little cupcake topped with lime curd and a flirty, swirly meringue, alongside a decadent crumble of a buttery coconut (!) cookie studded with whole, toasted, sugar almonds with a dollop of whipped cream. Yeah. The crunchy-meringuey-cakey-buttery-tart-creamy combo was absolutely delightful, it's not easy to hit all those notes on one plate. But zing ca-ching! It so worked. Could have licked that plate clean too. A lovely meal, no misses for me.

And oh yes, the company! Spot on, as always, when we get together with Ana & Rudy and Debbie & Stu. We sure do have a hell of a good time together! Ana & Rudy just had dinner in Las Vegas with our friends Andrew& Rishia Zimmern. Rudy joked about Andrew stealing the spotlight (people recognizing him from his Bizarre Foods show on the Travel Channel), since it's usually Rudy people are recognizing (from his Smart Travels show on PBS). (I joked that the only person anyone recognizes from my little ol' blog is Cooper Cuteness! Totally true!)

And oh yes, the wine! Lovely, as always, when we get together with Ana & Rudy and Debbie & Stu. Burgundies from Rudy's cellar were the star last night. Incredible. Our friends share amazing wines with us, we are very, very lucky.

So, another blast with Team Napa. Nice (NICE!) way to start the week, I'd say. Left me a little confused about what day it was when I woke up this morning, but I'm not complaining. Let it rain. Let it be Tuesday. Let it be time to fold some laundry and eat boring things like oatmeal. I'm still riding the wave from last night and I'm feeling fiiiine.

Update! No Nick and Eddie's tonight, some sort of permit didn't come through for the opening (?), so we're heading to Restaurant Alma instead. I'm not complaining, Alma is lovely and I've been meaning to go back for way too long. Thanks Rudy for quickly finding us a new res!

So the bling is donned, as are the purple open-toe pumps (uh, I'm technically not putting those ouchy mothers on until we are literally walking out the door), a smudge of purple eyeliner, and a spritz of Parfum de Therese. I'm ready for a bit of par-tay, I am. Woo hooooo!

Details in a few...

Ditto Day! More roast beef (this time in a sandwich), more hiking in Elm Creek Park Reserve (so glorious yesterday, I whipped right back up there today), more warm sun/cool breezes (aka prrrfect September weather), all good, all good.

Tomorrow night, dinner at Doug Anderson's (formerly of Bakery on Grand and A Rebours) brand spankin' new digs, Nick and Eddie's, on Loring Park. With Debbie & Stu the Wine Genuis, and Ana & Rudy, should be our usual groovy time. Can't wait! Stay tuned for the tasty details!

And with that shockingly brief note, I bid you all a good night.

What's not to love about a September day like today? Cool, clear air, warm sun, it's out of control! John and I were going to head over to Lucia's for one of our fabulous Saturday brunch dates, but after the Cocktail Jewelry party on Thursday night, with all the treats and wine, and with a big Stu-Debbie-Rudy-Ana dinner coming up on Monday night, I thought I should perhaps go for a long hike instead of a big brunch. And you know what? On a day as gorgeous as today, a hike is just as nice as a brunch. I enjoyed myself thoroughly, losing myself in lovely Elm Creek Park Reserve. Dappled sun, autumn wild flowers, pheasants, fat bumble bees, and a nice cool breeze. I turned my iPod off and just listened to the sound of my feet crunching in the dry grass. An hour and half flew by in what seemed 15 minutes, amazing.

On my way home I swung by Byerly's and picked up a beef chuck roast. Nothing fancy, just a typical pot roast, seared and then slow-braised alongside potatoes, carrots, onions, and garlic. When it's fall-apart done (around 6:00?), I'll let it rest while I crank up the heat on the potatoes to brown them a bit and turn all those yummy pan juices into some kind of fabulous sauce. One of my very, very favorite cool-weather meals, can't wait.