You Got Portland in My Minneapolis...You Got Minneapolis in my Portland!

So, as you can well imagine, family events and the resulting exhaustion have severely hampered my cooking efforts. And, I wouldn't have it any other way. To be there with and for one's family is always the top priority, and I was proud to be a part of a grand send-off for my uncle. I could NOT believe the turn out - the Basilica was extremely well-inhabited and George's oldest and dearest friends had such lovely things to say about him. I wasn't surprised by this, but was blown away by the eloquence and affection with which people spoke. Very cool.

SO, the next meal I cook will of course be George's, and we have planned on Thursday for this to occur. My maids of honor will be here from Portland and I'm looking extremely forward to our engagement party this weekend. It's nice to eclipse the sadness with something fun and light! I think we could all use it! Last night, Megan and I housed two bottles of Shriaz at the Happy Gnome. Tonight, I get to scoop Shana from the airport and join the NE Mpls Dabys for dinner. Tomorrow, I am hoping to spend some Lake Minnetonka time with the Kenneficks and then on to cooking with TST in the evening. Friday I'm guessing will be recovery and eye-bag abatement in time for the engagement party Saturday. Life is hard but then it gets good, and so it goes, right?

I can NOT wait to use my new cookbook holder (from P.J.) for Thursday! It has a slop-guard, which I've dubbed as such because when I cook, I don't splash or spill...I slop. I also am looking VERY forward to using my new cutting board from sister-in-law Holly which she swears by and which I'm already quite fond of. I also have my official Rusciano-Rossetto kitchen towel from Holly which is bright and fun and says "Good Luck" which we all know I'll need. I must admit, along with the unforeseen delays, I'm beyond intimidated by most of the recipes in this book. Why didn't I pick "Lydia's Kitchen" or one of Giada's? Because I'm impulsive and arrogant? Perhaps. Because I just wasn't thinking clearly? Well, that's a given. But I suppose it will be just that much sweeter an accomplishment when I've got a few more successes logged. This weekend I was all "These recipes are really, like, hard! They're not modern! They're not simple! They're not designed for people with extremely demanding jobs and dogs and zero baking ability!" My Aunt Frannie was like "DUH. It's called, uh, cooking from SCRATCH!? Hellooooo!?!?" Well-stated and let me contribute another resounding "DUH!" and round that out with a "NO DOY!"

So, we press on...my friends have witnessed me fail in the kitchen before, after all (glue pasta, unpleasantly crunchy ground beef caserole; sad, tired turkey "pucks" off the grill, etc.) so it's not like our worlds will shatter if something doesn't turn out just right.

Keep reading and I promise this will get more intersting. FALL is the season to COOK and even though I'm agressively seeking part-time employment waiting tables (referrals SO welcome), the 100% lock-down on all out-of-house dining for the sake of the wedding budget is just on the horizon and life should settle down enough for me to get into a routine. I am actually looking forward to hunkering down and cooking my way through the winter. I hope you're still planning to join me!

P.S. Feel like you're getting sick? Get thee to Whole Foods for a bottle of Oreganol, or oil of oregano, which will knock it out of your system if you take it right away. Sure it's a test of your fortitude to hold the noxious stuff under your tongue for as long as you can stand before swallowing it down and yeah, the thought of oregano in any food is about enough to make me toss my Lean Cuisine, but it worked. I thought I was headed for a massive sickness and just like that, Oreganol reversed it. Brilliant!

P.P.S. I am dog whispering my way to a content, "obedient" and delightful Bryan. Turns out that physical threats and intimidation are NOT the most effective means of training your puppy. Viva Cesar! Calm and assertive energy...calm and assertive energy....