Bread pudding and Real Time

Did y'all watch Real Time with Bill Maher this past Friday? The primary panel guests were Lawrence Krauss, Martin Bashir and Josh Barro and others featured were Julian Assange and Tina Brown. Great group, lively discussion, funny as balls. If you have time to watch Bill's closing monologue about the ridiculous lawsuit Donald Trump has filed against him re: "my father was Fred Trump, not an orangutan," please do yourself this favor as it is priceless. Meanwhile, can I just tell you how flipping wonderful the bread pudding I made Friday is? We ate most of it last night with pals, but it is absolutely sublime, and my will-power goes to the dogs whenever I pass the fridge. It's there, beckoning me like the most alluring of sirens despite its gloopy visage.

My baby has moved into a big boy bed. Yes, he is almost four and it does, for some arbitrary reason, seem time, but this was a boy who looooved his crib. Loved his bumpers, loved the ties that held them to the railings. He told me, quite recently, that when he was a grown-up and was a builder, he would build a crib big enough for an adult, and he would sleep in it, and he would be so happy. It was so darling I almost cried. It was, thus, whiplash-inducing when he declared about five minutes later that he was ready, and could I order the bed and would it arrive the next day.

As you can see, he's thrilled.

Lovely morning for the market

It is such a pretty day here. We DC-area folks needed it, so thanks to the weather gods for a lovely atmosphere outside. I had no takers for my invite to join me at the farmers market earlier so enjoyed a quiet hour there by my lonesome. Bliss. It's smaller this time of year, both in purveyors and patrons, but I like it. You can take it all in in a slightly more relaxed way, you've got a bit more space in which to move and observe. I headed first to Eco Friendly Foods for some chicken breasts, but found that the stores are empty, not to be replenished until the spring chickens are ready in March. I love these reminders of the natural order of things, adherence to organic cycles of life rather than ones we impose for our convenience. I'm happy to wait another month really and was happy my lack of luck in things chicken forced my eyes to take in and consider the other offerings.

Smoked turkey breast? Love it and will take two packs. Real tasso ham??? Do mine eyes deceive me? What a find; it's not easy to procure tasso outside of Louisiana so my jambalayas are always slightly less than authentic. I make do with smoked andouille but tasso, a spicy smoked pork made from the shoulder butt of a hog, is the real deal and I snatched up a fat chunk. The woman helping me, who had lived in Louisiana for a number of years, said it was super authentic, and I'm really looking forward to trying it. I also picked up some smoked ham hocks -red beans and rice, peeps!- and this gorgeous cured pork belly and some bacon. I must have looked like Mrs. Pig, but it's exciting to find a spread of best-quality, specific products like this. Once again, a big thanks to Eco Friendly!

Next to Bonaparte for some beautiful bread, then to the kinda scary apple lady for a big haul of her pommes. She's strict but does have a great variety, and the pink ladies today were absolutely delish.

Some golden beets here, a watermelon radish there, a head of radicchio...all the while a lovely composed salad was taking shape in my mind. So, we'll see where all this leads tonight, but for now, off to class.

Beignets and cafe

Doesn't get much better!