Fresh Tart

Ah, the parties are over. In the last week, we've entertained almost 100 people (30 on Tuesday, 70 on Saturday), and I have to say, it all went off without a hitch. Whew! And both were really...FUN, which is the point of course. Reconnected with old friends, met a lot of new ones, ate good food, drank good wine, and in preparation, really got our house in order. Feeling good. Next big one: Thanksgiving, woo hoo!

I luckily didn't have to prepare food for 70, since Saturday's party format - parent party - had folks bring either an appetizer or dessert. You know what that means - WAY more food than everyone can eat, but lots of fun tasties to try! I did make a few things, to get the party rolling, including gougere (cheese pastry puffs), a platter of cold sliced beef tenderloin surrounded by couscous, and a plate of toasts topped with ricotta and roasted tomatoes (I'm into them lately, what can I say?). I was even able to take leftover ricotta and tomatoes, puree them together, and make a quick-n-lovely pasta for dinner last night. That's about as far I was willing to go with 1) prep, or 2) clean-up, no surprise there.

Today, back to reality. Few things to put away, but not much (thank you John and Nathan, my official clean-up crew; thank you also to my extremely polite guests, who tossed almost every plate and napkin and deposited every bit of glassware in the kitchen - if that's Minnesota Nice, I'll take it). The pool gets put to winter-sleep this week, so it's time to think about putting away patio and porch furniture. The lights and lanterns have come down. Flower and herb pots will soon be emptied (I've still got a few tomatoes coming in, although they are the obviously the very, very last). Yes, the parties are really over. Sniff.

Guess I'll just have to cheer myself by...going out for dinner with Kim & Suz! To celebrate Kim's birthday - Happy Birthday Maven of Mischief! Look out, True Thai, here we come!

Moderate it: there's nothing like hosting a huge party to get a good workout. I'm not kidding! I hauled around four cases of wine, 100 bottles of water, 80 lbs. of ice (up and downstairs a couple of times), furniture, trays of glassware (I rented wine glasses), not to mention all the groceries and trash. I felt it in my lower back, for sure!

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!

Where have I been all week? Sorry, it's been a bit crazy 'round these parts, what with wrapping up the school year, getting some time with my nephew Cooper Cuteness, preparing for a big upcoming trip, and working on the house. Throw in a few parties (the beginning of summer fun!) and even a little gift-shopping time with Susie (I kinda sorta hate shopping - but of course I had a blast with Suz!) and someone is a little behind on sleep. Oops.

Some good healthy eats help the energy level. Like last night's ridiculously, scandalously expensive Copper River salmon. I was extra careful not to overcook it since it was dear and the only piece we'll be having this season. Too bad - despite the fact that it's seriously overly hyped, it is outstanding. Silky. Unctuous. I enjoyed it completely over a quick saute of fennel, spinach, and (already boiled) new potatoes, seasoned with lots of fresh dill.

Tonight my neighbor Amy is stopping by for a glass of wine and some nibbles. I found a perfectly ripe cantaloupe at the store yesterday so am setting it out, cubed and tossed with a tiny bit of vinaigrette (just a little olive oil and red wine vinegar whisked together), salt and pepper, a scattering of minced scallion, and a few shreds of prosciutto. Alongside some grilled bread, olives, and marinated artichoke hearts, it is so pretty and delicious. The goal is to sit on the screened porch but with the gale-force winds we've had all day, I don't know if we dare! It's bad enough to have tree seeds and pollen thick in the air without the wind driving them literally up your nose and into your eyes. I discovered in rather short order that it is not a lip gloss day, yuck.

Tomorrow I'm having lunch with my mom and sister Stacey (to visit her newly adopted English Cocker Spaniel, Levi Sizzle!) at Stacey's house. I'm bringing a big couscous salad, basically just whole wheat couscous tossed with dill vinaigrette, sauteed red peppers, green beans, toasted pine nuts, and a pulled apart rotisserie chicken. I love couscous for just this sort of dish - a quick addition of any assortment of vegetables and protein makes up the tastiest, healthiest salad. Good stuff.

Moderate it: I can't say enough about how much I love Neutrogena tinted lip balms. They come in a range of beautiful sheer colors, with SPF 20, and they're nicely glossy without being sticky. Definitely good on a windy day. Unforch require re-application after eating a meal, even a healthy one - but at $5 a pop (Walgreens always has a good selection), it's cheap and easy to stash 'em all over the house and in every bag and pocket, ready for a post-meal swipe. NICE!