A bit of beauty in food and sky

I should have finished packing by now but instead am procrastinating like it's my job. Have I mentioned to you that I hate packing? Loathe it? Yes, likely a million times. 

In any case, I've got underwear, business cards, a nightgown and toothbrush packed, so clearly I'm in good shape. If BlogHer has changed significantly and all we do is hand out cards from our hotel rooms whilst dressed in pjs.

Alas. It'll happen.

Keeping this short because of the above, but I wanted to share a few bits of beauty with you. The sky some nights back, and last night's dinner: my lovely Manchego and Rosemary Risotto. 

manchego and rosemary risotto

On tap for tonight, the always divine Caramelized Shallot, Cabbage and Tasso Tart. Gotta leave T with some leftovers because #men.

Harkening back to pre-child days

Y'all, I am blissed out right now. Positively floating on air. The luxury of having no schedule to consider is difficult to articulate. Last night, I stayed up reading until midnight because I knew I could sleep as late as I wanted to this morning. I finished three sections of the paper in one sitting!

Today, I painted another stripe on Ol's wall and was then seized by a wild urge to dress up and go shopping. So I did. I bought a pretty dress for BlogHer and had the lady at the makeup counter teach me for the 67th time how to apply eye shadow because I'm an imbecile in that department. I strolled around aimlessly, free as a bird, a smile in every exhale.

Afterwards, I talked to my sister for a full hour and brought a piece of cake to a friend. Now, still bedazzled from the neck up (because really, why stop with eyes when an enthused artiste has makeup brushes in hand?), I'm in pajamas and on the couch next to snoring pets.

I simply don't think I could be happier. 

Perhaps you're wondering how in god's name I could be living such a life right now. Because the children are in Louisiana with my parents for the annual Big Boys Week. Everyone is thrilled.

For five glorious days, I don't have to be rested and ready to go by 6:15am. I don't have to pack lunches and get slow-moving kids to camp. I don't have anyone to pick up, and I'm not hosting any play dates. No arguments, spills, tears, Pokemon or appointments. Thoughts aren't chased away by chatter and demands. Books come back to life as more than dust-gatherers. It's so quiet and still. 

The joy I'll feel when I see my boys again on Sunday will be immense, but until then I am relishing this time and space. I am grateful for every second that I get to slow down and listen to my self and do just what I want.

A sit-down dinner for two

It has been long, too long, since I cooked a full and thoughtful meal for T and me. Tired after travel on Saturday, I agreed to ordering in Indian. Last night, we grilled a pizza, per our Sunday tradition.

But today, I contemplated dinner for hours, and while I exercised, marketed, cleaned and organized, I considered what would best pair with what based on the main I'd chosen from an underutilized cookbook: David Lebovitz's My Paris Kitchen. 

Lebovitz's chicken with mustard sauce sounds basic, possibly even banal, but it is anything but. It is a perfect recipe really, with no superfluous ingredients. I'm quite certain it'd be delicious with standard chicken and mustard, dried thyme and average wine, but if you go just a bit above and beyond -best-quality chicken, French mustard, fresh thyme, wine so lovely you almost hate to deglaze the pan with it- you will be richly rewarded. The sauce alone could be slathered atop dirt and still be well received. 

David Leibovitz's Chicken with Mustard Sauce (from My Paris Kitchen)

I saw, today at the market, one of my favorite fresh pastas: spring pea tortelloni. Wouldn't that be lovely alongside the chicken? Yes! And how about some sautéed snow peas too? Indeed. I tossed both (cooked separately of course) with lemony brown butter and mint, white pepper and salt, and they served as hearty and light and healthy accompaniments respectively. 

For dessert, a lemon-lime glazed cake. Refreshing, summery and the perfect fit for my new cake stand, a beautiful piece I've been coveting for some time. I bought it with some of the money I made from my last canning class. It is such a delight to earn my own money and spend it on small extravagances for myself and others.