Symposium, more beach

I cannot believe such a spontaneous idea has materialized into a workable event, but this girl heard just last week about the Mid-Atlantic Food Writers Symposium to be hosted in Richmond on June 20-21 and is now officially registered. I am very, very excited. Thank you friends C & M as well as my MIL for making my trip possible.

But back to the present. We enjoyed another day including two trips to the beach sandwiched around an enormously intense and wonderful rainstorm. By 6p, the boys were not acting as their best selves so we did a hasty march through ye olde bedtime routine and called it a Monday. I made a simple caprese and a roasted Meyer lemon and parsley garnish that we could use atop the salad or on the seafood linguine Pete was whipping up.

All good and satisfying, and then I came to my room and found this precious boy sawing logs.

I'll tell you one thing. Gangly though he is, J is getting awfully heavy. My heaving him up from my bed and relocating him to his was not a pretty sight. But it was awfully dear.

Aah, the beach

I'm always surprised how tired a day on the beach can make you. The boys were pooped tonight as am I and all the adults here. Tom certainly is because he invented The Beach Sled, a terrifically fun (but exhausting for him) ride for the boys. Click IMG_6073 to watch this hilarity (I hope you can at least; it's pretty funny).  

It was a spectacular day- breezy, no humidity, just the right amount of warmth and cool. Three of us got injured by a rogue body board but otherwise all was well: the kids came home with bathing suit bottoms full of sand (and Oliver made a "boob" by filling his rash guard pocket with even more sand); they each caught a fish; we learned Rummikub; and generalized mayhem wriggled in and out.

As such I am soon off to bed, but I had to share a few things:

1) I found the most stunning calla lilies at the market today. Called flamingo callas, they stand about as tall and the pink is utter perfection, yes?

2) In reading about the food scene in Charleston, I came across this cocktail served at The Ordinary. Does this not sound like something you want to shake up right now?

"Delfino Fizz — a crisp mix of Lillet rosé, blood orange liqueur, grapefruit and soda water..."

and 3) My brother-in-law, Pete, and I cooked a heck of a meal tonight: perfectly spiced shrimp and grits (Pete); a warm cabbage salad with spring onions, corn, bacon, Meyer lemon zest and Parm (moi); lemony Grouper (Pete); and, wait for it, a plum tart (moi). We all ate much and well, and now it's time for bed!

The Black Sheep, round 2

That lunch couldn't have been more satisfying! If ever you're in or passing through Richmond and are in want of good food, go to The Black Sheep. Jack has been such an amazing traveler during this very dull and long drive (we're entering hour 7), so I told him he could order a real Coke of he wanted. You have never seen a little boy light up quite so intensely.

"Really, Mom? The whole thing can be for me?"

Bless his heart. He ordered that thing before the waitress could even say hi, and good for The Black sheep, they import theirs from Mexico where they're made with real, delicious sugar rather than crappy high fructose corn syrup. Real Coke is awfully good.

J then opted for the gingersnap-crusted French toast and a side of bacon; T chose the Sultana sandwich (lamb, cucumber, sultanas, some kinda sauce); and I ordered the vegetarian wabash sandwich as well as the grapefruit, fennel, arugula salad with hibiscus vinaigrette and spiced pecans.

It was an outstanding salad, just perfect: fresh; pretty; full of zip and zing. I ate it and half of my equally delicious sandwich which was half of a great-quality baguette cut down the middle and stuffed with grilled artichokes, parsnip-white bean dip, pickled red onions, feta, romaine and tomatoes. I took the other half to go and am about to dig back in. SO good.

Tom adored his sandwich, and J had a bit of French toast with his coke. It was topped with some wonderful warm fruit compote but was, admittedly, extremely sweet so I was glad he maintained his good judgment about knowing when to say when.

Back on the road but then the restroom called so we stopped at a Cracker Barrel as I knew J would go nuts in their gift shop. True enough, he thrilled to the bins of candy and treats, and we left with a plastic dart-shooting crossbow, "a lifelong dream."

Good stuff!