Hey y'all! What's for dinner?


Well, for the first time in about a year I started my work-week on Monday like the majority of the country, and I have to say, it feels fantastic! There's something precious about having a Saturday AND Sunday off consecutively, waking refreshed and recharged Monday morning ready to tackle the work week with gusto.

I kicked the weekend off with making a biga for my favorite bread recipe; Cook's Illustrated's recipe for rustic Italian loaf bread. This is by far my favorite loaf; it is quite time consuming (house-bounding) to prepare but creates the most delicious tasting loaf in my repitoire (and it really isn't that hard to bake). In the book that I'm reading, 52 Loaves by William Alexander, the author struggles to create a loaf that has both a crunchy crust and a bubbly interior. Well, this loaf produces just that with a moist, chewy texture that makes me salivate just typing about it!

When I wasn't baking, I was out in the garden picking sugar snap peas and raspberries as often as they would allow me. I started a batch of liqueur from a cup of the berries and am honored to report that Bod-ers loves to eat sugar snap peas, especially if he picks them himself! We went biking to the park, swung on the tree swing and even spent Sunday on the lake, fishing and swimming. We relaxed, kicked-back, launched bottled rockets and flew balsa planes. We sipped margaritas and sampled figs (still questioning whether I like figs). We fell asleep early and slept in late (later then normal, 7:30am). I recharged my batteries after two long weeks at work. I went to work today a different woman. I had a little pep in my step (especially since I took a day off of bike commuting) and a smile on my face.

So, here we are on a Monday evening. Where I sit in the living room I can see the sun beginning to set through the maple in our front yard. The sky is dotted with clouds, hopefully allowing for a pretty sunset. Maybe if I feel motivated after dinner Harper and I will go for a walk over at Heistand and watch the sun set over the frisbee ...

Speaking of which. What's for dinner?

After a moment of pondering, I realized I have everything for the perfect summer salad. Romaine, raspberries, sugar snap peas and Italian bread. All I have to do is whip up something to dress the salad with and dinner will be done!

Comments

  1. Judy LivengoodJuly 13, 2011 at 12:02 PM

    Valerie you are the perfect homemaker, you can see how much you enjoy it. You word things just right. It is a joy to read your work, it always puts a smile on my face. Figs taste awesome in jam...just put a box of your favorite gelatin (strawberry is mine) and you would never think it was a fig. I was introduced to figs in Georgia by a wonderful friend, Ms. Christine.

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