So...whats for dinner?

In the past three days, I have spent my time with [counting fingers] 18 relatives.... first cousins, first cousins once removed, and a few second cousins twice removed. Sunday Kim and I went to brunch.... haven't seen her since 1995! It was like we never stopped hanging out. And then, all the other ones were in one place, and it was wonderful. For dinner last night I brought a roasted beet salad with blue cheese and walnuts, some pickled radishes, and a cucumber and poppy seed salad. Nick, one of my favorites, made the rest of the meal, and way over did. His Mom thinks he was competing with me! How funny!

Tomorrow I see a long-lost friend who has reappeared thanks to the internets. And then on Friday, a big family dinner with more cousins. Yes, they are coming out of the woodwork this week.

Tonight I made BLT's for the two of us. The tomatoes were not perfect which marred an otherwise lovely sandwich. We did arrive home from NH to our own tomato plants with TURNING fruit. Only a matter of days now.

*susan*

Carole, hope the vertigo passes soon.

Susan, sounds like a fun week! No wonder your cousin way overdid! Anyone even trying to compete with you would have to....but, alas, would still not measure up.

Today we were drawn to the sea again...went to Westport, where the atmosphere stayed foggy for a long time, the beach was crowded, but the waves were high yet perfectly gentle with subtle undertow. So we enjoyed swimming. Looked for a fish store we used to know there, but it was gone. Fortunately we ran into a local who steered us to another fish spot. We bought lovely sole and some shrimp. On the ride home, (I drove), I assigned DH with the task of googling options for dinner using those ingredients.

We settled on sole provincal, which we had with red russian kale sauteed with garlic, onions and baby bella mushrooms, and a baby spinach salad with pear and red onion and dijon vinaigrette. Decided to cook up the shrimp and save it for tomorrow night. The sole was delicious.....hee hee....even tho I accidentally dropped it on the kitchen rug before cooking it and had to rinse it off really, really well since I was so skeeved. Thankfully, we didn't taste the rug, and the fish tasted so fresh!

Tomato report from here...I may have one tomato that matures.....so pathetic. I hope the chipmonks don't leave their signature bites on it, like they have done in years past. Am guessing the feral cat who hangs out near our deck might take care of them. Ah....the pecking order of nature......

Wow Carole - 26 miles on the bike.  Sounds like your dizziness has receded.  Glad to hear that.  I always feel like such a slug when I hear your activities.

susan - I vote for a change from pizettes, which to me sounds like female pizzas, to pizzalings.  And yay for more cousinpalooza!  I am sure whatever you make, or how many courses you include/exclude, it will be a memorable meal!

Susan, I agree with Special that however many  or few courses you prepare, the meal will be memorable. Glad you enjoyed your luncheon with long time friend. Such renewed relationships can be so nourishing!

Carole, I'm also impressed with your 26 mile bike ride! I toy with the idea of getting back into biking, but need a new bike with wider tires than my old racing style one....and I really hate wearing helmets, but would if for no other reason than I'd feel like a hippocrite for criticizing the many NH motorcyclists who wear none.

Today after upping my work out regimen at the gym, I decided to head to Volantes to get some garlic and dates ( they carry very fresh ones from a Cali farm). Was chatting with another customer about the slow   tomato season, and somehow we related it to BLTs. She told me what great BLT's she gets from Volante's deli......so, I marched over there and ordered one! In the process, I ran into the owner/farmer, a good friend of DS2, who chatted with me about DS2's girlfriend, and how much everyone likes her. Apparently, in January they are traveling with his good buddies who are all married now and vacation together. This poor gal has really had to meet a zillion people here, and she has more than passed muster. And you are right, Susan, Chicago is a great city with a fabulous food scene, but it does require some air travel....or a long flat car trip after PA. . I keep remembering DS2 telling me a few years ago that Chicago was the only other city he could imagine living in. Oh dear......time will tell......

Anyway, the BLT was great! I took it home and had it for a 4PM dinner since DH was off golfing and dining with those friends.

Tonight I wrapped all of DGD 's birthday gifts, and tomorrow will pack for this next car trip. Apparently the birthday girl is starting to show her age in spades.....major oppositionality. This will be a riot! She is so verbal, she must have no trouble asserting herself in clever ways with the many adults in her life. LOL

By the way, has anyone seen the Huffington Post article about Trader's "two (or is it three now?) buck chuck" wine. Yikes! Pretty scathing and creepy production description! I can post the link if anyone is interested.

Garden, if you see what this author contends goes into the wine, you might be tempted to pump your stomach! Lest I tease, here's the link.....

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/quora/so-thats-why-trader-joes_b_5648730.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000063

You must have quite the garden, Garden, given all that canning.....feeling some envy here.

I think all of you could bike with us on these nice paved bike paths.  And we started off the summer biking shorter distances between villages.  It's 6 miles from Park Rapids to Dorset, so 12 mi. total.  We also have nice bikes with tires that are a little bigger than the skinny tires on the "serious" bikes.  Our posture on our bikes is more upright, not leaning over the handlebars.  We wear bike pants with the padding but my pants look like shorts. 

Most of the time it's fairly social on the bike paths with other recreational bikers who smile and greet us.  There are also some of the "lean and mean" variety of biker who whiz past us.  Yesterday we spoke to a couple who were riding a double bike.  They went pretty fast with two sets of legs pedaling away.  There are families with children.  We see a few of the low recumbent bikes. 

Susan, count me among those who are certain that the cousins are in for a wonderful meal.

Lacey, it sounds like you've met your future DIL. 

Celery blue cheese soup is the soup of the day at the White House!

susan - look at you!  I love your dress, it looks very current!  Congrats - I am right behind you, we are 31 years this year, but I didn't look as cute as you on my wedding day! We got married in Guam, no family, the weather was hot and steamy and made my hair ridiculous, and our reception was in our apartment with a bunch of people I had only met a few times - but, hey - it seems to have worked, right? I love the way your DH is looking at you.

Carole, your bike excursions sound absolutely delightful! I may ask for a consultation before making the move to  get a new bike.

Susan, what joy in that lovely wedding photo! You both look so adorably sweet, young and innocent.  Were you twelve?? .

Our small wedding was truly  "our own"....the ceremony in Cambridge with immediate family and close friends, with a reception at DH's apt in Back Bay. Very little planning involved, except for a back up clergy person in case our original person (close prof of DH's from NJ college) didn't make it. The back up refused to honor our plan for an ecumenical service, so we gritted our teeth when learning there was a cargo crash at Logan (Boston airport) that morning, but number one person got there, which I learned when I reached the altar, and he said, "I'm glad we both made it!"      "It's always something....."

Special, I guess our weddings suggest it's not size of celebration that determines marital longevity. We are heading to 41 years in Nov. 

No formal photos of ours, but if I can sometime rustle up one of the few snaps (and make my way to my real computer), I'll share.

Happy Anniversary Susan and Mr. 02143!!

Leftovers and corn today....probably early or late since we are scheduled to join some church folk for a social justice march in town around rush hour. Hoping the forecasted thunder storms bypass....

Happy Anniversary Susan and Mr 02143.

Eric

Love all the wedding memories....so reflective of the times...although I did attend lots of very traditional big event weddings back then too. 

DH and I wonder what our son will do if he and Chi girl tie the knot. He has spent the last ten of his 33 years going to his wide swath of friends' bachelor parties and weddings, yet I'm not sure how they would swing having all those people, unless they do a destination wedding which would help people self-select attending, thus bring the numbers down. He is waaaaay too socially connected, both socially and through work. I understand Chi girl is less so, but in either case, they will have a lot of deciding to do about how and where. Wonder what her parents are wondering......tho she never returned home after college, so I suspect she will be in charge of whatever she does....like I was. We'll see.....

Our wedding photos were supposed to be taken by a guy with whom I worked. He showed at the chapel a bit high (early 70's mind you)...so fortunately, an older more responsible co-worker had his camera with him, so we got a few photos. It was like being given gold when he brought them to work that week. Talk about different times......;) Now the photographers have to fight off the people with their phones.

Lovely pic Susan, congratulations!

OMG - I love her hat! Her expression is priceless!

hahaha ours was our 2nd for both of us. We wanted as little as possible anything for our wedding. We flew to Vegas and got married by a JP.  We didn't even take our children along.  We'd been together for 12 years at that point. 24 more since then.  It's been a good time. I love him more every day. He's my rock.

Susan that's a fantastic pic. And you have such wonderful memories.  

Garden looks like your memories are great too. 

Lacy you are one busy lady. I love the egg pizza comment.  

One Hollywood couple was asked how the managed to stay married so long (over 27 years) said "be willing to have a few bad YEARS" that is true for me! LOL sometimes a few months aren't enough to fix things. LOL.  

Much love to all.