Dinner for 1 (or 2?)

T had a cocktail-based event that started at 5. I'm not sure when or in what state he'll be home, but in any case, I felt like a delicious dinner. Made enough for us both but will otherwise enjoy this solo. Presently, I'm enjoying these quick-seared pea tendrils with lemon, EVOO, salt and red pepper and a cold glass of Rosé as an app. Actually, there won't be any of the tendrils left as I'm devouring, but...the early bird catches the worm. Anyway, how fab does this half pollo rosso look?! It's really hot and humid tonight, and in thinking about what to do with this gorgeous find from the farmers market, I thought: BBQ! So, I rubbed the bird with some Bone Suckin' sauce (seriously, my fave BBQ sauce when I'm not in the mood to make my own) and grilled/smoked him at about 350 for a while. Gorgeous!

I'm also making an endive/zucchini/peach/goat cheese salad and am pretty psyched about it too.

I also meandered around the yard and got some gorgeous shots. Doesn't everything look healthy and verdant? And, BTW, that spinosad worked wonders on the kale-chomping worms. None to be seen and no holes in my greens' leaves either.

Doing too many things at once?

Hmm....as I look back over yesterday, I realize just how deeply into the sprint of productivity I really was. Damnation! I ended up tasting and enjoying one of those tartlets so brought the rest, packed cozily in a strong Pyrex dish, to a faculty meeting. Oliver fell asleep in the car on our way there and I tried to get him out of his carseat without waking him. Success. But in my attempt to then get my purse and the tarts, a strap caught the lip of the Pyrex lid and the whole thing went crashing, smashing to the ground. Large shards and paper-thin slivers of glass spattered the asphalt like crystals, and in the midst of all the mess lay my tarts, sad and ruined. Boo! After getting the boys to bed last night, I fixed dinner and canned the rose jelly concurrently. Everything looked and tasted just lovely, however, when I woke this morning and checked the jars, I found that the jam had not set one bit. Hermetically sealed rose soup was what I'd ended up with. Shit. So, I just redid them all -such a waste of time and canning materials, but ah well; will hope for gelling!

Suffice it to say that I believe I was attempting to do too many things simultaneously.

I have a sneaking mom suspicion that Oliver is getting sick: he isn't eating like a starving chow-hound and was willing to nap, so you can imagine why I might suspect ill play. Boo again.

At least the sun is (mostly) out!

Cold, gray Saturday

Look, I know we had a lovely few weeks preceding this last one, but we enjoyed a fire in our fireplace this afternoon, and in my opinion, that should NOT be thus in DC in almost-May. My pasty, fish-belly colored skin is in desperate need of some sun, my garden knows not what to do, the grayness is grimness all around. In tandem with the challenging week I wrote about yesterday, today's chill makes me just want to call it a day and hibernate for a while. I feel subdued in a way that is disquieting because for the most part, I'm a peppy kinda gal. I went to yoga this morning, and T and I got to go on a date this afternoon which was so nice. I have found that daytime babysitters are the way to go for so many reasons, not least that we are super tired by 8p so really, we should go out well before then and if you leave before dinner and bath-time, you don't have to manage either! Sweet. Anyway, as we had a serious snack while out (is 2Amy's not the BEST?! if you are not from DC, please come for a visit and head straight to 2A's) so T's "dinner" will probably be an extremely light one. I've got a bit more room to play with fortunately as my snack -amazing caponata crostini and a sliver of rapini-goat cheese tart- was actually a snack, albeit a generous one but I did have a light lunch- but no set plans yet. Dessert simply must happen. And I think a cocktail in a coupe should accompany our viewing of last night's Bill Maher. It's all looking up!

Let's give it up for Sierra Leone finding Charles Taylor guilty. He is a horrible, truly evil human, and I hope they lock him away for a long while, even if they are sending him to a British jail- hope it's a really shitty one.

Do y'all ever look at Motherlode, the NY Times parenting blog? I like it!