Summer strawberries?

Ol had a school holiday today, so we've been busy. Read: I am now pooped, and we've been down a man since Jack stays for chess on Wednesdays. Yo! The party is just about to get started. At some point this morning, we headed to the market (I don't live there despite how it must sound) and were thrilled to run into what look to be actual farm strawberries; fresh, local, just-picked. I'm sure some of that description is a romanticization, but you know how agri-companies' (Driscoll's, etc) berries are giant, uniform, lacking in scent, too white near the stem, and have no flavor? Well, these don't look, smell or taste like that. Also, local berries means enough warmth has finally trickled into our area to ripen these babies to maturity. Yippee!

I can't wait to get going on these and am thinking strawberry-rhubarb pie jam!

Kale odor, nose slam

Oh my god, y'all. I am in my car in the school pick-up line, heard my name, thought my window was more open than it is, swung my head out and BASHED the area where my nose meets my under-nose area. Throbbing! Red! I feel like an ass, and I was not the Emily being sought. Good god. Earlier, I was hungry and really wanted something, probably a Vanilla Bean with kale, from Purée. It's been a while since I indulged there so I went and got the VBwK. The juicer and I started talking kale, and he asked, "have you ever smelled plain, juiced kale? It's pretty revolting." I had not and next thing I knew, I was inhaling a kale shot. In fact, it is beyond revolting. Oh.my.god. Never smell a kale shot unless you have to.

Pappa and a cake

What a nice and productive day it's been so far. Jack  and I went to his class open house this morning so that I could see lots of what he's been working on. We played a math game, he showed me his journal and a report he'd done on Cousteau. It was darling and fun and then two of my dearest pals and I hung out in the parking lot for at least a half hour, freezing but in hysterics. Fun. I headed home with a mission to bake, frost and freeze a Reine de Saba (Julia's chocolate-almond cake) so that I could check that off my to-do list for the party we're having for Mom and Dad next week to celebrate their 40th anniversary. In the meantime, I made a pot of pappa al pomodoro just because it sounded delicious. And it was!