How I slept through last night's storm is beyond me. This morning, however, I saw the deleterious effects of its torrential rain and gale-force winds. We are SO lucky to have power right now- hundreds of thousands of folks in DC/Northern VA/MD are without, and it is nearly 100°. Yesterday's temp of 104° -not including the heat index- set a record. I feel very grateful and concurrently, extremely concerned for all people and animals who are without adequate shelter, lost power, are stuck in any way. I also feel fortunate that we didn't lose power because I had 7+ pounds of poached salmon in my fridge, and the aftermath of that not staying chilled would have been totally revolting. All was and is well, and the bridal shower turned out beautifully. A tip of my hat to that crew because they were without power and running water but remained festive and zen. And, as I heard later, they ate all the food. You go girls (and the few men who were there)! Awesome work!

The poaching liquid for this salmon was gorgeous- Chardonnay, juniper berries, fennel, basil, peppercorns, bay leaves, lemons and a few other treats. It was served with a dill-dijon cream which was lovely, light and full of flavor.

Aren't my little fleur butters cute? I knew that silicone mold would be good for something! And I really wanted to eat this (horribly photographed) grapefruit tart so might have to make myself one soon. Great recipe!