Afternoon pick-me-up, cake done, Creole done, gumbo thawing, stink-stank bread to be made

Do you have an espresso maker of any kind? If so, and if you find yourself in need of an afternoon jolt one day, do this: Make 1-2 shots espresso. Mix with 1/2 - 1 T sugar, 1/4 - 1/2 cup milk, and 2 ice cubes. Stir briskly until sugar is dissolved and drink is cold. Discard ice cubes. Indulge in your caffeinated fun. My sister calls this something like a Shakiraka which reminds me of Shakira but might actually be Italian (or made up; she is an actress). In any case, it's delish.

I just finished up the lime cake base. The batter is sublime!! Oh my lord. I could sink my face in this cake. Alas, it is not for me. Anyway, I'm going to ice it in the morning after all this divine lime syrup infuses the cake.

Off to set my table. The Creole is 99% done, the gumbo is done. I need to wash the lettuce, get the garlic-butter ready for the stink-stank garlic bread and get my rice out. We're going to have homemade pickles (beets, chard, okra) to start as well as Port Salut and Tabasco jelly. Now that is a match made in heaven!

Your Saturday Om, cleaning shrimp

People, peeling shrimp doesn't much bother me, especially if they're already headed, but deveining and depooping them is really a loathsome task. Blech. I just did half of them and foisted the remainder on Tom. Why do some recipes call for just deveining? As if veins are less palatable than intestinal tracts??? Courtesy of my yoga teacher, here is some Om for your afternoon: "We are born with a certain amount of breaths; the faster we take them, the shorter our lives." She opened class with that for reflection during our practice, and indeed, I slowed down. It also helped me take with yogic love the man next to me who was a very noisy breather and moaner. I'm really not a fan of orgasmic-type exhalations during yoga, but to each his own I suppose.

Installation success, lots to cook today and how

Well, the microwave is up and working. It's so nice to have the hole in the wall patched and full of something functional. Also, I reclaimed a good bit of counter space. Yay! O said, "I love ya new microwave, Mom." Hah! And now it's box is a terrific fort/submarine for the boys. Jack installed two "sensors": "the one on the left helps me steer, and the one on the right...well, it comes in handy when I need to check the water pressure." Hilarious! Too bad their play then devolved into full-scale, code red, psychodrama whining and crying. Sigh. I'm about to get started on the shrimp Creole- as with most saucy dishes like it, time is its friend. So I'd like to get it cooked this morning and then let its flavors muddle together throughout the day.

I am also going to be baking a Lemon-Lime Cake as I received my first order for Em-i-lis Catering. So exciting!! I've added a number of items to the catering menu, and Em-i-lis Recipes is about to reach 100 yummy options. So check it out, get cooking, have fun in the kitch.

I'm off to get started!