Food, Part One (of Two)

So, it's been over two months. Almost three. Is there hope that I'll get back to doing this regularly? I CERTAINLY HOPE SO!

On a complete tangent, I've recently become addicted to dooce.com, which has caused me to begin writing a bit like her. Basically, anytime I'm emphatic about anything, I note this by USING ALL CAPS and completely taking away any visual landscape. I apologize for this. Also, read her blog. She's hilarious. Or, at least look at the pictures of her dogs, they are freakin' adorable and hilarious.

Anyways. Clearly, I've eaten a lot of food in the past two-and-a-half months, but since I haven't updated on dinners since JUNE, I'm going to list the dinners (mainly for my own purpose, should I need to recreate them) and then go more into all the BAKING that I've done recently. So, without further ado, here's the special dinners (that I noted and / or can remember) from the past four months!

7/7/09 - Guacamole, Big Bowl of Mexican, Banana Chimichangas.

7/19/09 - (M3) Enchiladas.

8/11/09 - Gazpacho, Grilled Cheese, Peach Cobbler.

8/16/09 - (M3) Phyllo Pizzas, Orange-Cranberry Crepes.

8/23/09 - (M3) Guacamole, Polenta-Stuffed Peppers, Pineapple-Upside Down Cake.

8/25/09 - (Salads from the 101 List), Tofu Joy, Rootbeer Floats.

9/8/09 - Potato and Bacon Pizza, Chocolate-Peanut Butter Bread Pudding.

9/15/09 - Caesar Salad, Ravioli with Apples and Pecans, Oreo Panna Cotta.

9/20/09 - (M3) Caesar Salad, Garlic Bread, Mushroom and Sage Pasta.

9/21/09 - (S) Mashed Potatoes, some chicken dish (?), Cheese Puffs, Meringue. Probably so much more, but I can't remember!

9/22/09 - Home Fries, Banana Pancakes, French Toast.

10/4/09 - (M3) Mexican Wontons, Tortilla Soup, Peanut Butter Cookies.

10/6/09 - Ratatouille, Gnocchi, Apples with Caramel.

10/11/09 - (M3) Salad with Apple Vinaigrette, Roasted Asparagus and Potatoes, Butternut Squash Ravioli, Apple-Caramel Bread Pudding.

10/13/09 - Guacamole, Big Bowl of Mexican, Banana Chimichangas. (Sounds familiar...)

10/25/09 - (M1) Salad, Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Vegetables, Macaroni and Cheese, something chicken.

10/27/09 - Puffs Stuffed with Brie or Boursin, Gougeres, Pasta with Roasted Vegetables, Cream Puffs.

10/31/09 - (S) Gougeres with and without Butternut Squash, Focaccia Bread, two Risottos, Roasted Red Pepper Soup, Pumpkin-Orange-Cranberry Cookies, Coconut Crisps.

11/3/09 - Roasted Chickpeas, Tomato Soup, Grilled Cheese, Coconut Cream Pie.

11/8/09 - (M1) Salad, Roasted Vegetables, Rolls, Mashed Potatoes, Applesauce, meat from a crock pot, Cherry Pie.

11/10/09 - Guacamole, Black Bean Soup, Jalapeno-Cheddar Bread.

AND... That brings us to now! I'll follow (soon!) with a post on all the BAKING that has gone on recently... Really psyched!

Salads!

I know I am due for another "catch up on food" blog (as I've still got July and August to talk about. If I can remember any of those, even...) However, I wanted to show my vast reader base [pause for laughter] some interesting salad recipes. My friend, S, found these; Mark Bittman, author of the How to Cook Everything series, writes a column for the NY Times called "The Minimalist." While I haven't read too many of these, I can only assume that he's trying to get people truly back to simple, delicious food. So, without further ado, please visit Bittman's 101 Simple Salads for the Season. And then go make some.

S and I declared Friday night "food night." Original plan was to make some salads, then go see Food Inc. (Clearly we had to eat before seeing the movie, as the movie was going to make us feel terrible about everything we eat. And we're vegetarians...) Between an addition to our duo and some wine, the movie changed (to Julie & Julia,) but the salads remain.

So, I bring you: Five of a Hundred-and-One

[Also, apologies on the poor image quality... I was tweeting, so I used my phone to take the pictures.]

No. 2

"Mix wedges of tomato and peaches, add slivers of red onion, a few red pepper flakes and cilantro. Dress with olive oil and lime or lemon juice. Astonishing."

And "astonishing" it is. S has actually made this a couple of times recently, but it's just so fresh and delicious, we couldn't NOT have it at salad night. (We used lime juice, and, lacking red pepper, added a bit of cayenne.)

No. 7

"Grate carrots, toast some sunflower seeds, and toss with blueberries, olive oil, lemon juice and plenty of black pepper. Sweet, sour, crunchy, soft."

This was such a WEIRD combination. But it worked. SO GOOD. I joked through the meal that I kept trying to pick a favourite and couldn't; while this is true, this was one of my top three. (Of five, but whatever.)

No. 9

"Chop or slice jicama (or radishes or kholrabi) and mango and mix with coconut milk, lime juice, curry powder and cilantro or mint."

By default (lack of certain produce at Shaw's,) we used radishes here. I love love love jicama, so I was a little bummed at first. However, the little heat that radishes bring worked perfectly with the mango, curry and lime juice. Kind of inspired me to want to do more with radishes - they're so good, but vegetables that I wouldn't normally think of... (Another top three.)

No. 10

"Cook whole grape tomatoes in olive oil over high heat until they brown lightly, sprinkling with curry powder. Cool a bit, then toss with chopped arugula, loads of chopped mint and lime juice."

Again, with the lack of selection at Shaw's, we bought baby spinach instead of arugula. Then, getting nervous that spinach and mint wouldn't do well together, we made two versions - one with spinach, one without. They were both lovely. And, the tomatoes cooking in the oil smelled amazing.

No. 39

"Yukatecan street food as salad: Roast fresh corn kernels in a pan with a little oil; toss with cayenne or minced chilis, lime juice and a little queso fresco. Cherry tomatoes are optional."

And, the final of my top 3. Instead of queso fresco, we used smoked fresh mozzarella. (Queso frsco = fresh cheese = fresh mozzarella?) Which was amazing. Going forward, I'd add some black pepper. But, this was just so good...

And, there ends the Friday night of salads. There shall be more to come (salads with strawberries or cherries??? Yes, please!) But, if you decide to try any out, let me know how they go!

Food, May Massive Update.

Here's the deal: I have well over a month of food to post about... But, frankly, my memory isn't that good, and I apparently took very few pictures. SO. It's going to be quick and dirty. Also, breaking this into May-and-June and then July, lest I get bored and don't finish ;)

Tuesday 5/26/09: White sangria, empanadas with roasted red pepper sauce.

Okay, this one, I happen to a) have pictures of and b) want to write the recipes out because it was so frickin' good. Since this was so long ago now (whoops,) I've actually been talking about these and plan on making them again - TOMORROW! So, here we go:

White Sangria

I've experimented with sangria a bit this spring / summer. Honestly, it's kind of difficult to go wrong.

Whatever "white" fruit you can find (apples, mangoes, oranges, lemons, etc.)

3 oz. brandy

2 oz. Triple Sec

1 c. OJ

1/3 c. pineapple juice concentrate

[Combine the above. Let sit - in the refrigerator - overnight.]

Add 1 c. ginger ale and 1 bottle sparkling white wine shortly before serving. Enjoy!

Black Bean Empanadas

[GO MAKE THESE NOW.]

2 sheets, puff pastry (I use Pepperidge Farm...)

1 egg

1 T water

1/2 onion, diced (small) - I tend to use "red" onions.

3/4 c. corn

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 red pepper, diced (small)

1/2 c. tomato sauce

1 t cumin

1 T chili powder

1/2 t crushed red pepper

1/2 c. "Mexican" cheese

15 oz. black beans, rinsed, drained

2 T cilantro

1. Thaw pastry sheets (about 40 minutes.) Preheat oven to 375. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Stir egg and water together in small bowl.

2. Saute onion, corn, pepper, garlic until tender. Add tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder, red pepper; reduce heat to low, and cook for 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in cheese, black beans and cilantro.

3. Unfold pastry sheets on a lightly floured surface, and cut each sheet into six rectangles. Put ~1/2 c. filling, folder over, press edges with fork to seal, and brush with egg mix.

4. Bake 18 minutes, until golden. Serve with GUACAMOLE. And sour cream, if that's your thing. And salsa. And red pepper sauce [see below.]

[This recipe is something of a combination of this recipe, and a meal I had at Border Cafe.]

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Red pepper - Roast by cutting, seeding, and roasting at 450 for 30 minutes, turning once.

1. Place pepper in airtight container till cool; peel skin off.

2. Food process the heck out of the roasted pepper.

3. Add garlic, salt, pepper, cilantro, balsamic vinegar and cayenne pepper.

This was one of my favourite meals. Writing about it makes me SO EXCITED about tomorrow.

Sunday 5/31/09: Asparagus risotto, garlic bread, strawberry rhubarb pie.

If there are recipes to come, they're going to have to come from M3, as I have no idea. Particularly loved the rhubarb pie - my mom introduced me to this vegetable (fruit?) early, and I've (surprisingly) always liked it!

Sunday 6/7/09: Black bean burgers, potato salad, corn, guacamole.

M3 used the black bean burger recipe that I posted here (and we've used it a few more times since - a true keeper!) Otherwise, memory fails. M3: What potato salad recipe did you use??? (For those of you unaware, I hate mayonnaise, so I'm constantly trying to perfect a non-mayo potato salad recipe.) (HATE mayonnaise. Cannot emphasize this enough.)

Tuesday 6/14/09: Mimosas, stuffed French toast, hash browns.

Total repeat of this meal!

Sunday 6/21/09: Bruschetta, caesar salad, ravioli.

M3, was this the meal that you made that black bean sauce for??? (Clearly, can't remember. However, I can't hate anything that involves caesar salad.)

Tuesday 6/23/09: Bread with oils, garlic bread, pasta with roasted tomato sauce, panna cotta.

HA. I was looking for all these recipes - they've all been done before - and they actually all came from ONE post... A long one, but still!

Saturday 6/27/09: Red sangria.

Okay, this wasn't a meal, per say, but, as noted above, I've been playing with sangria this summer, and I think this one came out really well! (This was made for the pirate ship adventure, noted here.)

Red Sangria

Package of frozen mixed berries

Apple, sliced

2 c. Cran-Raspberry Cocktail

8 oz. Chambourd

2 oz. Triple Sec

2 T confectioner's sugar

[Combine the above. Let sit - in the refrigerator - overnight.]

Add 2 bottles red wine. Pour over ice. Enjoy! (And make sure to eat the fruit!)

Sunday 6/28/09: Garlic bread, pasta with sun-dried tomato / pesto sauce.

Fail memory. Mmmm, food.

Tuesday 6/30/09: Veggie lasagna, garlic bread, strawberry shortcake cake.

This was in celebration of UJ's half birthday! Lasagna was the first Tuesday dinner I made. However, this cake is truly amazing! It's so light and fluffy - I've made it a couple of times now, and I always feel like I could eat the whole thing myself... Luckily, this hasn't happened... YET. (And, I didn't change a thing!)

Okay. That's it for tonight. I've been watching Code and Lyle play all evening, and I may explode from the cuteness, so you can expect something on that soon!

Oh... And food from July! Goodness!

Lyle!

So, I believe that I've declared myself a dog person before here... And I'll hold to that.

However, my roommate recently got a cat. And he is SO FRICKIN' CUTE. Even though his new favourite game is to swipe at toes with his talons. SO FRICKIN' CUTE:

K named him Lionel. However, when she told me this, she threw out, "It's kind of like 'Lyle,'" which sealed that I would call him Lyle forever. See, one of my first memories of living with K was one evening, we were watching the Discovery Channel (we're cool, srsly,) and a show called "Walking with Dinosaurs" was on. In this show, we were introduced to the Liopleurodon, who was killed by some other giant, prehistoric sea monster. But, we called him "Lyle." We then proceeded to go to work the next day and try to find him online. Googling "Lylepleurodon" resulted in nothing, which clearly meant that I was going to figure out what this creature was called. Obviously, successful, and K and I sometimes still bring up our sea monster friend, Lyle.

Lyle, the prehistoric sea monster, Lyle, the kitten, whatevs.

He and CodeDog seem to be getting along okay. Sometimes Lyle hisses at Code, but it's all in good fun. This is my favourite picture of the two of them (so far):

Lyle: Too fast for the camera!

Ummm... Hello?

Riiight... Remember when I was proud of blogging for several days straight? That clearly went to hell. BUT, trying to get back into it. I only have a few moments right now (totally owe someone a letter of recommendation...) but, as I haven't blogged for, what?, well over a month, there's a decent amount that I can randomly spurt out in just a few sentences!

Therefore, I give you, notable parts of my past month-and-a-half:

1. First food. Wait, no, that'll get its own post. I'll summarize it by saying: I ate a lot.

2. 5/25/09. Memorial Day was spent in S'ville with S, M1 and UJ. Mojitos, tons of food and sitting on a deck.

3. 5/30/09. We finally had our Nostalgia Party. Between the awesome prom dresses (see below!) and the photo albums and home videos (featuring M1 at the zoo, M3 cheering, UJ singing "I'm a Little Teapot," etc.,) it was a hilarious evening!

4. 6/7/09. There was the Week of Baseball. M3 and I got work tickets to a Sunday afternoon game, then we went to the Tuesday night Yankees game (which we won,) and then we went to a Diamondbacks game in Phoenix on Friday! Loved each and every game.

5. 6/12/09. I went to Phoenix! First time in Arizona. M3 was going to visit her sister, and M1, M2 and I tagged along... You know, across the country... Was a weekend full of food, hanging out, playing with sister's dogs, baseball, tubing - lots of fun!

6. 6/19/09. I had dinner with a high school friend. Not that this is incredibly noteworthy, but I hadn't seen Meredith in, literally, years, so it was cool to catch up with her.

7. 6/20/09. Then came Movie Week. So, I saw two movies in a week, not that notable, but I don't see movies that often, and we went to Cambridge, 1 before both. (Love that place. Possibly I go to movies because of Cambridge, 1.) Saw The Hangover - hilarious - and My Sister's Keeper - total chick flick, exactly what I was hoping for.

8. 6/25/09. I got an iPhone! Turning into a true Mac-lover. Certainly love my new phone. At least till I dropped it and broke it. Luckily, the lovely people at Apple replaced it without question! Winner!

9. 6/27/09. Pirate Ship! Last year, for M1's birthday, she organized an outing involving a pirate ship. Basically, you bring the drinks / food / whatever, and this ship totes your around Boston. Despite the mist and chilly weather, I had a blast!

10. 6/29/09. NEWEST. BIGGEST. TATTOO. I'm getting a half sleeve. I had the first three hours done last week, and I'm so frickin' excited about it. I'm going to save pictures for later, as it, frankly, looks unfinished (I actually have had a couple of people say "It's not done yet, right?",) but it's going to be awesome. Next appointment is in less than two weeks.

11. 7/3/09. Movie Day / BBQ. It was discovered that UJ hadn't seen Step Up, and I hadn't seen The Departed. We remedied this all in one afternoon, and then headed to the N. End for a BBQ with some of UJ's friends. Lovely.

12. 7/4/09. Happy Birthday, USA! Per usual, we went down to the Esplanade, convened with the masses. After finding our nice little spot in the grass, we broke out the sangria and food, played Hearts for a few hours, and just enjoyed the weather and people-watching.

13. 7/5/09. Happy Birthday, M1! Three-cubed! Woo! To celebrate, we picniced in the Public Gardens. Again, fabulous weather! (Knock on wood.) Everyone brought food, and, once again, I stuff myself. It was awesome.

Okay, that's the quick and dirty. Lots of food to come, as well as (hopefully) some interesting stories... Till then, just know I'm alive!

Something New! Food!

... Oh?  Food's not a new topic?  Well, whatever...

So, I haven't babbled about the lovely meals that M3 and I have made recently.  However, there have been a fair number of dinner cancellations due to conflicting plans.  Here comes summer!

Anyways, here we go!

Sunday, April 19th

Guacamole, Taco Salad, Strawberry Shortcakes.  After a bit of a stressful search for taco bowls, M3 settled on adding tortilla chips to salad...  And it was delicious.  Lettuce + black beans (with chili powder) + tomato + corn / onion salsa + magical chipotle dressing.  Yum!  Later, there was strawberry shortcakes...  Which just remind me of summer...

Tuesday, April 28th

Salad, Bread with Oils, Strawberry Fettuccine Alfredo, Trifle.

I was trying to determine what I was going to cook for this week...  Luckily, I was having drinks (at The Globe - love it) with M1 and S, who had just returned from hanging out with her family for a week.  S's mother is a pretty phenomenal cook, and it's definitely worn off.  In between planning the restaurant that we're going to open (?,) S went through the meals she had cooked while home...  One including a fettuccine alfredo with, ready?, strawberries.  Neither M3 nor I had done an alfredo yet, so I figured it was time to try!

In keeping on the strawberry theme, I started with a salad - spinach, strawberries, red onion and pecans.  Simple.  As a spin on garlic bread, I roasted some garlic and mashed it in olive oil, with some oregano; there was also a spicy red chili oil, which was awesome (though this came directly from a bottle, so I can't take any credit there.)

The, the fettuccine alfredo.  I didn't really make any edits to this...  So, obviously, it was incredibly healthy.  (I can feel my arteries clogging again, just thinking about it...)  I don't know how impressed I was.  It tasted really good, but I was fairly unsuccessful in getting the cheese and cream to mix, resulting in hunks of cheese.  (I mean, there are worse things in life...)  I felt a little better about this after M3 talked to her chef sister, and Chef Sister said that it was tough, or you had to use crappy ingredients...  One thing I will note: I would not advise reheating in the microwave - there was distinct butter-cream-cheese separation.  Ew.

And, to end the theme, I made trifle.  Basically, layering chocolate cake, vanilla pudding, Cool Whip and strawberries / raspberries.  Mmm...

[Sunday, May 3rd]

I just have to note this night, and retell the stories that M3 related to me.  I ended up with a company ticket to the Bruins game this night, so I wasn't able to make it to M3's this night.  (First family dinner I ever missed!  Sad!)  However, my absence opened a whole new world to M3: Meat.  Apparently, this was a little more overwhelming than I ever considered.  Upon proposing this to Chef Sister, CS responded with "All I can think of is hunks of meat.  Like steaks and pork chops.  Meat."  Same thing went to J, who responded "Chunks of meat."  I'm not entirely sure what resulted (I think it was steak,) but I doubt there were less than three types of meat in the meal!

Tuesday, May 5th - Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Burrito / Taco / whatever-you-want-to-call-them, Banana Chimichangas.  Cinco de Mayo fell on a Tuesday, which means everyone came over and drank margaritas!  For food, I basically just made lots of "Mexican" things and let people put them together as they pleased.  So, there were chips, salsa and guacamole to begin, then black beans, tortillas, cilantro, cheese, onion, sour cream and corn were added.  (Possibly more?  I can't remember...)  To round out the night, I made Banana Chimichangas again!

Sunday, May 10th

Caesar Salad, Fire-Roasted Tomato Pasta, Garlic Bread.  M3 put together everyone's favourite Italian dishes.  I was a little hesitant on the caesar.  Don't get me wrong - I love, love, love caesar salads.  However, this means that I have extremely high expectation of caesar dressings - I have been disappointed more than my fair share in the past.  However, M3 found a delicious caesar dressing - from Brianna's.  (This brand also makes a delicious vinaigrette - I highly suggest you try them both.)  She then had a recipe for a fire-roasted tomato pasta sauce from a magazine; it was from an ad for McCormick, so I was able to find it here!  Just mush these up a little and serve with pasta - Yum!  (Add garlic bread, of course.)

(As usual, there may have been dessert, but I cannot remember!)

Tuesday, May 12th

(Guacamole,) Tofu Joy!  This dinner had been a long time coming...  It just had to come to me!  S introduced this to me years ago, back when she used to be an honourary roommate when I lived in Quincy.  The results are delicious, but it's also incredibly fun to make.  Basically, these are just fresh spring rolls, wrapping all ingredients in rice paper.  As I actually had to call S to be reminded of what we put in these (it had been awhile since I had made them,) I figured I'd go ahead and write a rudimentary recipe:

Ingredients: bell peppers, cucumbers, peas, tofu, apples [all julienned,] mint, Thai basil, lettuce, rice noodles, peanuts

1. Cook rice noodles, and rinse in cold water.  (All ingredients in this recipe, with the exception of the tofu, should be cold.  I think.)

2. Saute / heat / cook tofu strips in Hoisin sauce + duck sauce + a bit of soy sauce.

3. In a large pan, filled with hot water, dip the rice paper till it is soft (but not too soft...)

4. Wrap whatever you want in the rice paper!  Dip in sweet chili sauce, or Hoisin sauce, or duck sauce... Or some combination thereof!

Tuesday, May 19th

Bruschetta, Pizza, Panna Cotta.  I realized we had never done pizza, so that obviously needed to change.  I also think I had in my head that I wanted to make panna cotta, so I needed something kind-of Italian to go with it!

First, bruschetta.  I love bruschetta.  I used this recipe, with a few edits...  I made the tomato mixture ahead of time and refrigerated it overnight.  (I think this allows the flavours to combine a little.)  I added two cloves of minced garlic to the tomato mixture, as well as doubling the basil, and adding some salt and pepper.  I brushed my bread with olive oil and toasted it ahead of time, then rubbed it with a clove of garlic.  Yum!  One thing, I used a crusty baguette, which I wouldn't really recommend - it got a little on the hard side.  Stick with a thicker, softer Italian bread.

Pizza!  I made a crust, using this recipe.  My recipe came from a magazine, so here it is:

Pizza crust

Zucchini

(Plum) Tomatoes (~7)

salt

pepper

16 ozs. Fresh Mozzarella

olive oil

fresh basil

1. [I actually made two pizza from this, but only one with zucchini.]

2. Roll out crusts on cookie sheet.  (Sprinkle sheets with corn meal first.)  Let relax for five minutes.

3. Add zucchini, tomatoes, sprinkle with salt, pepper (and minced garlic!)

4. Bake at 400F for 15 minutes.

5. Top with cheese, and bake for 5 minutes, till cheese just melts.

6. Drizzle with oil, top with basil, and pop back into oven for just 1-2 minutes.

7. Enjoy!

[Note: This involves a lot of wet ingredients, so try to drain them as much beforehand as possible.  I'd also suggest tilting the pizzas to drain when pulling them out of the oven.]

Finally, panna cotta!  M3 and I made this for Thanksgiving last year (take that, Pumpkin Pie!) but I hadn't attempted it since then.  In the end, this is way easier to make than I originally thought.  You can find the base recipe here...  And then do whatever you want with it!  At Thanksgiving, we added Oreos to it.  This time, I made a simple berry sauce to pour over it.  (Heat half berries with 1/3 c sugar and 1 t vanilla.  Blend.  Back to stovetop, plus rest of berries.)  I find this smooth and creamy and delicious...  Far and away my favourite dessert in recent history.  If only heavy cream and half and half were healthier...

And, that's caught up on family dinners!  Suggestions for  next Tuesday???

Erm... And Peter's Graduation

Remember when I was good at blogging?  Oh, okay, maybe I was never good, persay, but I did ramble more than once every other week...

Even about food!  I haven't babbled on about food for awhile now...  And you know there have been some dinners since last time.  But, I'll save that for "next time."

This time, I'd like to congratulate my littlest brother (who doesn't read my blog) on his graduation from college.  Congrats, Petey!  This is my lovely family with the newest "adult":

Simon, the middle child, and I reminisced about some Peter stories over the weekend.  I won't spend too long on them, but here's a taste of why we're so proud of the youngest sibling...

Fourth Grade - In Virginia, we have standardized testing.  I'm not sure if it's changed since I was in elementary school, or if there are earlier tests, but the Iowa tests are in fourth grade.  Or they could be called something else - it doesn't really matter.  Every fourth grader takes these tests.  The Iowa tests (as I am going to call them) have several parts, one of which is an essay.  During his year, Peter's essay questions was something along the lines of "You have a box.  What's in it?"  Simple prompt.  Kid could have written anything.  A new toy, a puppy, a helicopter, a computer, an original raft from "Oregon Trail"...  Anything.  What does my brother do?  He turns in a blank piece of paper.  When the teacher discovered this, she pulled him aside - heaven forbid he hurt the school's average test scores - and asks him what was going on.  His reply?  That he didn't have a box, so how was he supposed to know what was in it?  Even after the teacher explained again that it was a creative thing, he wouldn't write anything.  Eventually, they called my mother in, and she walked him through writing the essay.

High School - Peter didn't like English or Social Studies.  (I can totally respect this part!)  I'm not entirely sure what prompted him to fail his first class, but, after doing so, and then going to summer school, he realized that summer school was way easier than normal school.  Obvious thing to do?  Fail all the classes that he didn't like, take them in summer school and get better grades than he would have during the normal school year.

And in what did this all culminate?  Peter now has a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Virginia Tech.  And he graduated Magna Cum Laude!

... And the rest of the family exhaled loudly...

Comment That Made. My. Day.

Walking Code down the sidewalk, same old, same old...  There is a woman with two fairly small children (under five years old) coming, so I pause Code, cross my fingers that he won't bark at them, and wait for them to pass.

As they're approaching, one of the little boys goes, "Whoa!  That is a big dog!  ... And he has claws!  Like a dinosaur!"

Cody got compared to a dinosaur.  LOVE IT.

Thank you, small child, for making me smile.

Boston + Sports + Jennifer

Dear Boston Sports Teams,

Why, more often than not, must you lose when I actually attend a game?  I've seen tons of great plays and cool games on television...  But when I am actually there?  Nada.

I can cheer pretty loudly.  I'd just like for you all to have the opportunity to experience that...

Love, true love,

Jennifer

Springtime in Boston!

I. Love. Today.  It is finally Spring!

There were teases of it before (and perhaps this 80-degree day is also a tease,) but I absolutely love the feeling I get each Spring when the weather finally becomes warm and sunny.

And the people come out in droves!  Code and I are going to go join them!