Fresh Tart

Snow Day! Woo hoo! No school, so Nathan's home with his dad (playing outside, I'm quite sure) and John's working here at home. My plan is to snowshoe - of course! - then head out with John for a La La Lucia's Lunch. How fabulous!

It feels like a baking day, although I admit I won't achieve it. But what a nice day to bake foccacia or challah, huh? I love the idea of sitting in front of the fire with a book while waiting for the dough to rise. And to smell baking bread mingled with woodsmoke? Heavenly! Freshly-baked bread with a steaming bowl of garlicky cabbage soup, sprinkled generously with melty gruyere, yeeeaah. Or even a quick version of simple tomato-garlic soup or black bean soup. Wow, any of those sound damn good. (Bonus: toasted challah, or French-toasted challah, The Kill, for breakfast tomorrow... Or warm foccacia sandwiches for lunch...) Have a cozy day!

Hey, me again, just have to report on our romantic Lucia's luncheon feast, groan. We each opened with plenty of fresh, warm bread and perfectFrench salads. Then tucked in to hearty walleye gratins - pieces of tender walleye and diced potatoes napped in a decadent sauce and run under the broiler until crispy and browned. To finish? The best damned piece of truly evil devil's food cake I've had in years - check out the guilty resignation on John's face as he's forced to dig in, ha. And then...yes, there's more...we stepped next door to grab some items from Lucia's To-Go. Uh, yeah, that should do us for the day. Enjoy yours!

Snow, snow, go away? It hasn't begun yet, but supposedly we have another doozy of a storm on our doorstep. Yeah. Yay. Hey, at least I'm not hosting a party tonight...or sick any longer... Bring it on. I guess.

Thinking we're not venturing terribly far for the next couple of days, I made sure to swing by the store to grab some tasties. That's me, always planning ahead - at least when it comes to food! (Although I did fill my gas tank today too, food for my car, as it were.) Steaks, roasted potatoes, and roasted asparagus (I don't roast them together - the kids would freak, ha) for din tonight, mmm...Shrimps with a big salad for dinner tomorrow. Hey, I'm hungry, I'd better go make dinner! Have a good night!

Well, what can I say? Several didn't make it to my party tonight, but most did, so how honored am I that my dear friends and family braved snow and wind to be here to celebrate with me? VERY!!! It was a fabulous night, with fabulous people, amazing food from Vincent's, and plenty of wine and good cheer. And the service from Silver Service catering - unbeatable, truly. Both the chefs from Vincent's and the servers from Silver Service were here early, despite the crummy weather, ready to go. I just can't say enough about their level of professionalism.

The tasties included tuna tartare on potato crisps, roasted tomato and caramelized onion tartlets, mini-croque monsieur sandwiches, roasted vegetables, smoked salmon with creme fraiche, steak with chimichurri sauce, chicken and red pepper skewers, imported cheeses with freshly baked baguette, and assorted cookies and truffles. Oh my gosh I had a great time, The Best. I'll post more pics tomorrow, but for now, I'm toddling off to bed, full and happy and so grateful for the company of my brave guests.

And, Happy Birthday Jen (chillin' here with Jon Brown and her husband, Steve Katz)! Tonight may have been my party, but it was Jen Leopold's real birthday!