Oh, do I have a penchant for working under pressure. I'm not the type who can let a free summer weekend go without contriving some event to fit inside it. What I mean is, on the rare weekends where we have no plans, I invent plans. I am gifted with conjuring, in no time at all, the exact mileage estimates to a nearby water park (and the picnic lunch we'll eat in the state park en route), the perfect new color to be applied to closet walls, and the five-course menu for a lavish midsummer meal. Something in me rallies against unstructured time. I just can't face it, even after jaunting halfway across the state for a concert where gauzy skeins of potsmoke obscured both the stage and the massive crowds.We arrived home early Friday afternoon, and I got right to work.
The MenuPeach salsa with Garden of Eatin' Sesame Blues corn chips
Roasted Tomato-Pepper Gazpacho (recipe to be posted tomorrow!)
And the meal? Well, it was good. It was good, but strangely, I felt I hadn't worked hard enough for it. I felt like I didn't deserve the accolades, or the title of "hostess with the mostess." Turns out, I only really feel entitled to praise when I'm sporting microplane-shredded knuckles, a sauce-splattered countenance, and an aching, aching back. I felt like I didn't work hard enough!What is wrong with me? What new and undiscovered strain of crazy have I found?I'll leave Patrick to solve that riddle.
In the meantime, I'll pause and be thankful for bread machines and freezers, cold soups and the oscillating fan that made standing by the stove much more bearable on a ninety-degree day. And above all, thanks to my family of foodies, both sets of parents who really know how to appreciate a meal.And for Sunday mornings, and cool creek waters and leafy trees.
Photo by Patrick. He's good, isn't he?
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10 comments:
reading your blogs (especially about food) is sometimes like looking into a mirror. that menu sounds delish! did you have most of the ingredients on hand from the garden, or did it involve a dash around the shops?
Karen, I had green beans, snap peas, tomatoes, scallions, and fresh herbs on hand. The melon, corn and figs were purchased. Thanks for your comment!
I was crazy in a self-driven sort of way this weekend, too! Was the concert air laced with something??? Had so much fun with you!
Tell me more about that fig pizza...it sounds soooo yummy. But, again, I would have to eat it myself. Way too many vegetables for John!
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!
I think you should come live with me, so I could eat yummy food all day!
Kami, the fig pizza was pretty tasty. The sweetness of the figs and the carmelized onions went really nicely with the chevre... and it was pretty easy, too. You can always buy pizza dough at the store and sing "Amore" while you stretch it out. Good times.
Lisa Marie, while I'm supportive of people eating yummy food as much as possible, I think my husband might have some objections to me living with you. So sorry. :)
While I am absolutely drooling over the granita, I must say that I love the pic of the mushroom (is that what it is). It's the perfect 'shroom for imagining a little bug world where a lady bug lives inside.
Yes, it's a mushroom. Actually, it's one of the more poisonous mushrooms-- a fly agaric. Eat one, bang, you're dead. They are cute, though.
where is that delicious looking, beautifully flowing body of water?
That's Salt Spring state park, naturally. :)
Yeah, so I googled "bread-maker pizza dough" today, and found the recipe for the fig pizza. And then I realized where I saw it before...HERE!
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