Fresh Tart

Ah, the post-Valentine's Day aura still surrounds me, and in it, I bask. Nice Friday, NICE! Dinner at Lurcat last night was as romantic as we could have hoped for - sparkly-dim chandeliers, tables scattered with rose petals, raspberries afloat in festive flutes of champagne, ridiculously young couples sprinkled prettily hither and thither, live jazz, and a cozy window seat for Johnny and moi, private and snug. Rather ridic in its perfection, in fact, but we ate it all up - the dreamy setting and especially the hot, crispy pommes frites dipped in creamy Bearnaise (oh dear me, we way overate them and somewhat ruined our appetites...John stressed on it, I rejoiced; therein lies the difference between us, ha). But also silky mushroom soup alongside itty bitty crispy grilled cheese sandwiches. And then slices of rich, tender pot roast in a deep ruby wine sauce, with a side of roasted cauliflower to make us feel as if we'd eaten "a vegetable." And to finish, a dessert we couldn't even eat (shame!), profiteroles filled with cherry ice cream and doused in warm chocolate sauce. The only thing that really traveled well home was the pot roast...

...which made a small portion of The Kill Hash for my lunch today, dang it was good.

Dinner tonight, nothing but warm, salty tortillachips, guacamole, and cold beer when I met Baseball Mom Beth (she of yesterday's lucky listen to Chef Philip on Cities 97) for a Happy Hour brewskie at McCoy's. It was packed - St. Louis Park is hoppin', who knew? Thank goodness Beer Is Food and guacamole is loaded with monounsaturated fats! (Those chips? Call 'em whole grain and forget about 'em! Hey, moderation is in the eye of the beholder, didn't you realize?)

Have a great weekend!

La La Lucia's! It has been awhile since a stop by my favorite restaurant, so when John had a last-minute suggestion to slide in last night, I said (screamed) YESSS! I was really tired, and not at all in the mood for cooking (I had planned exactly nothing for dinner), and it was cold and blustery outside...in my book, the perfect recipe for a lovely night at Lucia's. I ducked into the warm, cozy front room, full of happy people, sipping perfect wine and eating pretty things, and thought, ahhhh, I am home. What? I'm not home, what a weird thing to think. I sat down, became one of those happy people, sipping perfect wine and (thinking about) eating pretty things, and it hit me - BAM - why I had the "I am home" feeling. Lucia's is...my WIFE! Or the wife I wish I had. You know, the 1950s version who has a delicious dinner ready for me at the end of the day, in a warm, cozy room, with a nice glass of wine. What a fabulous thought. I smiled, ordered a thick pork chop, sipped my wine, and waited for my husband while I enjoyed my wife. NICE.

Then tonight, I was out the door again, this time to hook up with the Baseball Moms at McCoy's. We were a pretty small group this time, but it was of course way fun to sip beer, howl, and talk it to death with Beth, Bobbi, Sonja, and Brage. Thanks for the fun night, ladies!

Definitely time for beddy bye, bye, bye... G'night!

Girls, girls, girls! Not in a Motley Crue kinda way (at which point I have to admit, I love me some Motley Crue, esp. Dr. Feelgood, on my iPod as I write this, no lie), but in a Suz + Baseball Moms kinda way. First up, Friday Morning (afternoon) Coffee with Suz, on her patio, with a naughty chocolate-chip brownie no less (yeah!), I was as happy as a clam talking it all to death with my Susie-Sales, Heavy-Metal Minx, woo hoo!

Then I took off for Baseball Moms at McCoy's, this time to celebrate Beth Collins' 40th Birthday - woo hoo again! Happy Birthday Beth! As usual, I had a great time, chatting with Bobbi, Suzanne, Bridget, Jen, and Gayle and meeting Lynne and Maria. And snacking on mushroom-brie pizza and the killerest - sweet potato fries with a side of ranch dressing, rarrr... Yeah, gooooood stuff. Man, we Baseball Moms have had a lot of fun over the years. Hallelujah Little League, even (especially!) when baseball season is over.

Whew! A bit of a crazy week, but the good kind of crazy, girly, girly, girly. After opening the week with a late Monday-night baseball game (a guaranteed dose of feminine laughs and chat in the stands of Nathan's baseball games!), I met my friend Chris for dinner Tuesday night at Luci Ancora. Delicious food, as usual. And always great to see Chris! I had a salad and their chewy-cheesy-garlicky house-made ravioli with arugula. What's not to like about home-made pasta? Uh, NOTHING, duh!

Wednesday night was Girls Night In, with Suz and The Maven here at the hacienda for snacks, drinks, and chat. I reprised my grilled bread dinner from last week, spread out picnic-style on the living room coffee table, with shaved ham, sundried tomato spread, and roasted red peppers. Olives and almonds. Roasted cauliflower. And strawberries, chocolate, and coffee for dessert. I love having my girls over! (And staying up until obscene hours of the morning!)

Last night was dinner with Kathie at McCoy's. And a surprise visit from Nathan, because he'd left his backpack in my car (and I'd left my cell phone in same car), so his grandpa (very kindly) drove him over to get my keys! Hearing "Hi Mom!" in the middle of evilly cackling about some such person or thing was so out of context, I'm sure I looked completely confused, it was pretty hilarious. Luckily he knew I was at McCoy's, and found me, and was on his way, backpack in hand, soon enough, while Kathie and I continued on with dinner. I had what I always have at McCoy's - the black bean burger, topped with guacamole, pickles, lettuce, and tomato. Man I love that thing, delicious. I eventually mosied on home and almost had to go to bed at 8:30 I was so tired out from all my socializing! I'm WIPED today, ha - but in a very good way. I'm just old is really more like it. I've always needed alot of sleep and that doesn't appear to be changing anytime soon...

So, I'm making a light, healthy dinner tonight. Little breather, before we launch into a big, busy weekend. A simple salad, Nicoise-esque with tuna, capers, butter lettuce, hard-cooked egg, cherry tomatoes, and a few new potatoes. No green beans, but that's OK. Perhaps I'll sneak a few pickled beets into mine (John HATES beets, that crazy kid), mmmm, beets.

Happy Friday y'all!

If you're looking for casual, healthy, tasty eats in St. Louis Park, the black-bean burger at good ol' McCoy's is pretty damn hard to beat. I met my dear friend Kathie for dinner there last night and we each chowed one down, topped with guacamole, tomato, lettuce, pickles, and onions. We skipped the cheese (unnecessary with all those other goodies) and the top bun (ditto, especially since it's toasted white bread) and agreed we enjoyed them as much if not more than a burger-burger. Like all of the best goodies, it's got it all - spicy, crunchy, creamy, salty, chewy. YUM! And with a side of broccolini (they do it nicely, tender-crisp) it's damn healthy too. Perfect in my book. Yeah, baby!

I was ready to return to healthier eating after my uber-indulgent weekend. After buttery veal, mashed potatoes, cheeses, white breads, pasta, birthday cake - holy hell, I was feeling rather sluggish on Sunday. Much better today after a few days of the usual veggies, veggies, and more veggies, raw and cooked, supplemented with fish, raw nuts, whole grains, legumes, and fruits. It is amazing what eating whole foods (as well as fresh air and lots of water) does for one's energy level and skin. Even after 24 hours I look and feel more like myself. Whew.

It's nice to have a spot of sunshine and warmer air as well. It's not exactly Spring-y, but it's in the air, I can feel it and smell it. Puts a little bounce in my step. Sweet.