The day opened with the Sunday Times and a freshly made latte, a la barista Tom, spread before me. Bliss.

I read until my yen for apple cider muffins grew too great; only then did I remove myself from the couch and go make some. Happy am I that I did. These muffins are the absolute yummiest. I love them. Everything about them. I love their crumb, and I love the subtle fragrance and taste of nutmeg in every bite. I love the tender apple chunks studded throughout; they manage to taste gently poached and perfectly steamed. And I love that I finally took a fine photograph of them as you may know just how long I have struggled to do so (if you need a good challenge, try to take a pretty pic of muffins; go ahead, see if you want to eat what you see in your pics!).

Afterwards, T asked if I wanted to go to the gym together. Alas, no, my love. I do not. "I am going to park myself on the couch in front of the fireplace, light a fire and get my reading on." And that is what I have done. I'm still there even though he came home and is now back out. Maybe it relaxes him to run errands on a Sunday but I do enough of that every other day, with the kids, thank you. What I never do is read on the couch in a quiet home.

So anyway, we're both happy, and that's nice. Oliver went to a good buddy's birthday party this morning (thank you carpool who picked him up and dropped him back off at my in-laws' house), and three different mothers texted/emailed me this story: after eating two slices of pizza and wiping his greasy mouth, little O, folded his used napkin up into a flower for me. I've got video and photographic evidence of this most darling act. Could you die?!

I'm starting to get very excited about seeing my munchkins though I am less excited that they don't have school until Wednesday, and during that time Jack is having two cavities filled. Hmm. I'm almost nausea-free and am tonight making T a dinner from the Gramercy Tavern cookbook: baked clams; puffed potatoes. Asparagus on the side. And German Chocolate cupcakes (he didn't want a whole cake because he is trying hard to stay on his health wagon), some for us, some for my trainer whose birthday is tomorrow. I love her, she also doesn't want much in the way of birthday dessert, so splitting a half-recipe between the two of them seems like the way to go.

Now I'm hungry again...off to make those cupcakes!

Long title short, last night's dinner was fantastic. It totally hit the spot. My chicken was wonderfully seasoned; every bite was a starburst of flavorful, chickeny perfection. Though I had wildly under-salted my bread, it was beautiful and made a great platform for olive oil and butter. I never got to the "color" in our meal, but the roasted celery root was golden and good. Look at this perfectly marbelized chunk. Gorgeous, eh?

We have a wildly busy day ahead: Tae Kwon Do, a birthday party, exercise sessions and we're hosting a second grade potluck tonight. It's a gorgeous day outside though, and I've started things off right with a fresh batch of Apple Cider Muffins. These are spectacularly good- make some for yourself soon!

PS- Did y'all see this Wes Anderson-inspired skit on SNL last weekend? Priceless! Brilliant!