Fresh Tart

Humid. Humid air makes humid armpits and humid hair (evil, frizz) and for me, a dangerously humid mood. I know, I know, I blather about the weather (and its effect on my mood, hair) almost more than I blather about food. What can I say? Perhaps it's the farmer in my blood, even if three generations removed...but my mood mos def bends with the breeze. (The pic is from John's parents' home in EH, which since it's beachy can generate humidity...almost like Minnesota. And so I ask - without ocean, why on God's humid earth does is get so friggin' humid here? Man, talk about pain with no gain, damn.)

Humid moods are not helped by car trouble. I was just plain lucky to make it home today as my car completely freaked out on my way back from a (humid, sweaty) walk - tomorrow morning it's being towed to the shop, sniff.

Oh look, it's now raining, just as I'm about to step onto the deck to grill a couple of trout fillets. The ones John had to pick up on his way home because...I don't have a car. Despite it's obvious wetness, I won't really complain about rain since we quite need it.

Back to the trout...I'll serve it alongside (drum roll), more new potato-green bean salad. Can you tell that I made quite a bit of it? Hey, waste not want not, even if the fam (and frankly, I) is (am/are) a bit tired of new potatoes + green beans. Tonight I'll dice the pieces a bit smaller and saute them in a small amount of olive oil until just-browned. Already seasoned with onion and fresh basil, they should make a tasty accompaniment to simply grilled fish. Nice? Yes. No complaints about trout, potatoes, and green beans for dinner, but of course.

OK, time to take my humid self to bed. Tomorrow, The Maven and Metal Mommy, aka My Minxes, with their mini-me daughters in tow, are coming to swim. It was either tomorrow or a day in August - the only two days this entire summer that worked for us all to get together! Luckily we were also able to sneak away for din last night, to Luci Ancora in St. Paul, just the three (er, maxi-me's) of us. With lovely food (polenta, pastas), and lots of time to chat, pool time tomorrow is just icing on a fabulous cake.

Even if I don't have a car (grumble). Sleep tight!

Moderate it: you know, I've tried every anti-humidity, straightening hair product on the market... None of them work completely, although a few help - Phytodefrisant, Kiehl's Heat-Protective, Silk-Straightening Cream, Graham Webb Stick Straight Gel. Apply one, two, or even all three (yep, I've done it) before grilling trout in the rain. Good luck.

Spring unsprung and a sick son (bad cough), yet doing our best to keep chins up. Good thing we Minnesotans are hardy, yah, otherwise we might complain or something. Ahem.

I'll stick to the highlights.

Saturday night, John and I attended a fundraiser. Wha? Alright, I admit the term fundraiser doesn't usually conjure images of hilarity, but Suz and The Coreman (our wisely chosen guests) know how to put the fun in fundraiser, baby, I highly recommend them for your next gig. (Dial 867-5309 to hire them. Just kidding. If you don't get it, click through the link. If you still don't get it, you're too young/old, which you should feel good about, so no big. Apparently, cold weather dorks me right out...) Somehow there were four bottles of wine on the table for the four of us (I bought two, not sure how that happened), which meant leaving two bottles to waste, rather a bummer. But since I'm not complaining, and it was for charity...hopefully someone enjoyed both bottles.

Sunday night, Stu the Wine Genius + Hijinxing with My Minxes = FAB! Yes, Susie, Kim, and I hosted good-sport Stu (pictured here with his wife, Debbie) on Feminine Hijinx for a wine tasting. Because he chose the wines, they were incredible. Total. Blast. Yum. (Wines forthcoming, I lazily didn't write them down, but will have links soon...)

Monday lunch, Minneapolis Clubtomato soup and foodie chat with new friends Gary Johnson and Rebecca Monro, covering health, co-ops, vegetarianism, lentil varieties, and achieving the perfect split-pea puree. That's my kind of lunch.

Monday dinner, a chewy, hearty rigatoni with spicy cauliflower sauce for John and me, as well as fava bean salad with Parmesan and spring onionspour moi (I finally got to those favas). Delicious.

Tomorrow we'll celebrate Nathan's birthday, cough be damned. Sunday night a farewell dinner for my parents, I've got several tasty possibilities spinning 'round my head.

Next week, a Wednesday launch party (that we can't attend, noooo!) for Rudy Maxa's new PBS series, Rudy Maxa's World. But, never fear, we're hosting a dinner for Rudy& Ana Scofield, Stu (The Wine Genius) & Debbie Williams, and Rishia & Andrew Zimmern mere days afterward, that we can attend (since it's, er, here at our house). Oh yeah, serious food and wine will be had (although, I should mention that I'm the one cooking, so I can't guarantee how serious the food will be, but between Stu & Rudy, I know the wine will be great.) I'll most certainly give the menu my best go, so stay tuned...

Terribly tricky to be moderate at Broadway Pizza, arguably the best 'za in the Twin Cities. An old-fashioned, no-frills, thin-crust pie, with just the right amount of lightly-spicy sauce and molten cheese. That melty-over-crisp thing is what pizza is all about (to me), stirring happy college memories of heavenly, perfect after-bar slices, wolfed down at 2 a.m. like it was the first food I'd had in weeks (even though I'd probably had a burger, or even pizza, for dinner). OK, perhaps not that dramatic these more sober (!), grown-up days, but still... So Damn Good, especially at the flagship shop (Broadway and River Drive in North/Northeast), which even at five in the afternoon is a-humming. I indulged along with Stacey, Cooper, Nathan, Mom, John, and Sasha, celebrating Mom and Sasha's joint March 21st birthdays - Happy Belated Birthday Mom and Sasha! We all happily ate too much (even Little Cooperstar had four pieces!) and scattered for various Sunday-night activities. Including...

...hijinxing with my minxes, woo hoo! Nothing like following up a salty pizza feast with wine and salty chat courtesy of Kim & Suz! I find hooting, howling, and shrieking with the girls particularly good for the digestion (not to mention the soul) and recommend the strategy highly.

Unforch, despite earlier-in-the-day efforts to balance out the pizza we knew was coming (a nice amount of exercise, water, and a light breakfast and lunch), I am a salinated puffball this morning. It's a green tea, fresh fruit Monday for me! BIG time, ack. And I'll be taking that tea on the hot side, given the snow falling as I write this. March - in like a lion, out like an a**hole (snarl).

Cooling the food jets today, power-down... It was a big, BIG food weekend, whew. And great fun, what with our Create Catering dinner on Friday, It's Greek to Me feast on Saturday, and last night, wine and coffeecake with my minxes at Susie's. Incredible coffeecake. Super-secret-recipe coffeecake, unforch, or I'd slap it up here in a flash. Streuselly, but not too heavy or rich, with a perfectly soft crumb... Rarrr. Hit the podcasting-shenanigans spot! Wish I had some right now!

But no. In fact, I declare today salad day. No matter what we end up with for dinner, it's going to include a giant, restorative salad. Chopped romaine and spinach, scallions, perhaps some crunchy prosciutto (bake paper thin slices of prosciutto in a hot oven until browned; cool and crumble), chopped fresh parsley or dill, perhaps chopped green pepper or radishes, few small pieces of soft goat cheese, sprinkle of coarse salt, and lots of freshly ground black pepper. All it needs is the most basic vinaigrette - 2/3 c. best olive oil, 1/3 c. red wine vinegar, 2 smashed garlic cloves, generous 1 tsp. salt, several grinds of pepper, 1/2 tsp. of dried thyme. Or tarragon. Whatever you like. Shake in a jar, dress the greens lightly, toss and toss and toss some more, store the rest in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Happy Salad!

Well, no empanadas after all. In fact, I experienced temporary Food Disorientation as our plans shifted from mmm Latin/Caribbean (El Meson - too busy), to mmm Japanese (Fuji-Ya - too busy), finally settling upon mmm Greek (It's Greek to Me - where were just able to slide in). Despite the cold and bluster, Lake & Lyndale was hoppin'!

And so were we - in fact, we were flat out running - as John, Stacey, Nathan, and I dashed from the crowded, warm (!) Flanders Gallery, over ice and through evil, bitterly cold wind, and tumbled into the marvelously crowded, warm (!) It's Greek to Me. Whew. As we slowly thawed - gingerly peeling off layer after layer of wool, fur, and fleece - we ordered a veritable feast of plates to share... Melitzanosalata (eggplant spread), kopanisti (spicy feta cheese spread), spanikopita (spinach pie), moussaka (beef and eggplant pie), gyro with tsitsiki, mountains of warm pita bread, and heavenly galaktoboureko (custard in phyllo drizzled with honey) to finish. Opa. Uff. Major, garlicky, warm (!) fullness. Delicious meal, excellent service, It's Greek to Me is a jewel - and on a cold Minnesota night, as warm as Greece itself! (OK, maybe not quite, but we take what we can get this time of year and cherish the heck out of it...)

John kindly retrieved the car so that Stacey, Nathan, and I could just slide right on in, ahhh. Nice husband, thanks honey! After safely delivering Stace to her snug home, we made our way here to ours, rolled our ridiculously full selves in piles of thick blankets, and called 'er a night.

And so today? Sunny, crisp (-12 F), and breezy (windchill -25 F). Ah, Minnesota. What can I say? I could pretend that I'm heading out for a walk today, but in reality - no friggin' way! Definitely more of an eek-out-some-exercise-downstairs-then-read-by-the-fire kind of day. Followed by a feast of Greek leftovers! (In fact, Nathan and I already hit the pita, eggplant spread, and gyro pretty hard for a late, savory breakfast. Nice!) I may even whip up a late-afternoon batch of easy, delicious Greek Egg Lemon soup to add some warmth to the offerings. It is most definitely a Soup Sunday.

And tonight, some hijinxing with my minxes, Always Warm, Always Fresh! I'm quite sure we can convince The Coreman to throw a coupla logs on the fire for us chicas. Sip some red, giggle with my girls, I can handle that. The only downside is that I have to leave my house! Thank goodness for heated car seats, one of the best inventions evar, evar, evar. Warm Buns, Happy Heart!

I love the peppery bite of watercress, in salads, on sandwiches, and very much in soup, where it tastes like spring, mmm. Oh, I know that we are very, very, very (sigh) far from spring (in this neck of the woods, anyhow), but what better reason to slurp a breath-of-fresh-air little soup-tasty, spring-inspired but still completely cozy, creamy, and warm? I've included a recipe from the lovely Sunday Suppers at Lucques cookbook, by Suzanne Goin, perfectly appropriate since it's, well, Sunday, and you might be looking for an idea for, well, supper! And since watercress (and other fresh herbs) are now available year-round at almost every grocery store, why the heck not? So here it is...McGrath Farms' Watercress Soup with Gentleman's Relish Toast - crispy, salty anchovy-toasts afloat in a classic,creamy watercress soup. Delightful. To be really decadent, grill up a few small, crusty lamb rib chops and eat 'em right off the bone as a little appetizer. Lick your fingers. Sip a Pinot Noir. Savor your creamy, peppery soup. Lick the spoon. Nibble a piece of soft cheese with slices of ripe pear for dessert. Kiss your sweetie. Ouch. Man, if that won't chase away the January blues, I don't know what will. (Recipe posted in comments, below.)

Oh wait, yes I do! A girlie, giggly late-afternoon cruise with Suz and Kim! Yes, one more birthday celebration (tee hee) coming up later today. A long, lazy drive over to St. Paul, along the creek, over the river, down stately Summit Ave, ending at Sweeney's Saloon. Yep, I chose a burger-beer outing to celebrate with my minxes, followed by a long-overdue Feminine Hijinx session. We have yet to podcast in Suz's new home! No more sipping wine and cackling from the "naughty pine," sniff, we'll have to rechristen our new recording space. Stay tuned...

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!

You know, sometimes I get a hankering for good old fashioned spaghetti with meat sauce. Reminds me of the Kraft spaghetti-in-a-box we used to eat when I was kid, you know the one, with the packet of herbs to stir into tomato paste with water? My mom used to make that sauce with ground beef for a quick, filling dinner and Stacey and I LOVED it. With lots of Kraft Parmesan cheese. And lots of bread toasted with butter and garlic saltand cut into small squares - aka garlic toast. YUM. I'm of course not using that mix (does it still exist?), but the end result is pretty similar. At least I think it is - maybe these days I couldn't even choke down the mix, who knows? And who cares? As long as it tastes like I remember, that's all that really matters. Ah, Food Reminiscing, two of my favorite pasttimes combined... Noshtalgia...

After our tres gourmet feast, I'm heading over to Suz's for yep, Feminine Hijinxing with My Minxes. How perfect and adorable is this Cartoon Suz, created by Kim's brother Pat for Susie's podcast music-writing venture, Mod Pod Music? When I can't pull off Friday Morning Coffee with Suz, I'll just pop this cutie up on my screen and play the latest Feminine Hijinx! Sometimes Susie's laugh is just what the doctor ordered - in person, or via podcast.

And so. Allow me another moment of noshtalgia. I've had plenty the past few days, remembering time spent with my stepmom Susanna's unforgettable mother, Shirley Hopkins Taylor. Shirley passed away on Tuesday, at age 83, in Billings, MT, after what can only be said was a life lived well and fully. I was 12 when I met Shirley - always hungry (already 5'7" with four inches yet to grow) yet picky is how I would describe my food self at that age. I was a little terrified of her, as was everyone, I think, because she was no wallflower, Mrs. Taylor. No. Clever, very charming, funny, opinionated, industrious, and yes, quite bossy, Shirley was a master entertainer and their beautiful ranch home in Kirby, MT, saw a steady stream of visitors from all over the world. Happily well-fed visitors, I might add. Raised as a privileged Chicago city girl who, with her New Yorker husband Walt ended up improbably yet succesfully running a Montana cattle ranch as well as her own thoroughbred horse-racing business, she created this unbelievably cool (my word, not hers, ha) East-Meets-West setting, at once rustic as well as refined. Shirley was a famous eater - she loved great food. Oh, the amount and variety of food the W Lazy T Ranch has cranked out over the years, for ranch hands and family and guests alike, I can hardly imagine it. Lots of rare beef (of course!), buttered veggies, and deep, dark chocolate, her favorite dessert. Privileged or no, Shirley was a daughter of the Depression and nothing - nothing - went to waste in her kitchen. Sunday'sglazed ham showed up as Monday's ham sandwiches, Tuesday's ham casserole, Wednesday's ham salad, and Thursday's ham soup. Ditto the Thanksgiving turkey (which resulted in my first taste of both turkey salad with grapes and turkey tettrazini, yum).

Shirley would never have thought about it, but she had a big, big impact on my interest in food and cooking - in my adolescent exposure to food at her elegant table (I was scared of half of it, but boy I learned alot, from what to eat and how to politely eat whatever was served to me, to how to properly clear away the dishes - no stacking! - when all was done) and of course via her daughter, my stepmom Susanna, who taught me how to cook everything from Asparagus to Zabligione (literally A-Z). Shirley will rest in peace next to her husband Walt, at a beautiful site on their lovely W Lazy T ranch. And that will sadly be the end of an era.