Signing Off for the Weekend

As I've already mentioned, we're heading off to the beach this weekend to celebrate 40 years of wedded bliss. This morning I was perusing an old photo album looking for an image to accompany this post. I came across this one from our wedding day. I think the expressions on our faces tell you all you need to know:

He chased me until I caught him, and then...uh-oh. What do you suppose he's thinking here?

Today I'm packing up a few things. Weekend trips don't require an awful lot of work, but some. We haven't used the trailer since last September, and so I need to figure out what needs replacing and what doesn't. I can tell you one thing: the jeans I put in that trailer when we purchased it nearly ten years ago are going to have to be replaced for a different size. I'll let you guess whether the numbers get larger or smaller, but here's a clue: Desserts for Two. Actually, it isn't the Desserts for Two that have caused the problems. It's the Desserts for a Crowd that you have to watch out for, especially when your crowd consists of two people. Which brings me back to Desserts for Two. It's a little like the circle of life. Can there be life without dessert? I doubt it.

Today I am going to make another dessert for two, in addition to all my packing responsibilities. Today I'm going to try the Lemon Creme Brulee. Christina Lake posted about it on her website a couple of weeks ago, and I was sold. I'll have to tell you more about that when I come back next week.

Last night I knocked off two more items from my CSA share. I made this Roasted Beet Crostini.

(image source)

The recipe appealed to me because it used the whole beet, including the greens. I already had the oven on for dinner, and so I stuck the beets in the oven and roasted them at the same time. When the beets are roasted and cool enough to handle, you chunk them up and add 3/4 cup (to be honest, I added a whole cup) to your food processor along with a 4 oz. log of goat cheese and some pepper. Whirl that around until it's pureed and spreadable. Meanwhile, you've sauteed the chopped up stems and leaves of your beet greens in some olive oil and sherry vinegar and you've got yourself a really nice concoction there. The greens would be good served up just like that. For this dish, you spread the beet spread on some toasted baguette slices, top it with the greens, and oh my. Who would have thought beets and greens could be so delicious? Obviously, I did, because I loves me my fresh beets.

Also, I tried another recipe for the bok choy. It has potential, but it needs a little work. I want to try it again, only with a few changes. If I can come up with a good recipe, I'll be sure to tell you all about it. The recipe I tried last night was fine, but Mike and I agreed that a few added ingredients and changes would make it much better. More to come on the bok choy front. I know you'll be waiting with bated breath for that, so just cool your jets for a week or two, and I'll be back with the thumbs up or the thumbs down. Does anyone doubt that bok choy is going to show up in that CSA share again?

With all that cooking yesterday (not to mention the associated grocery shopping), I had no time for sewing. And don't you know I cried my eyes out having to go a whole day without paper-piecing. Today I need to do some laundry since neither of us has any clean clothes to wear this weekend. And then I need to finish packing. I'm hoping I'll have at least a little time to sew because I'm chomping at the bit to get back to those tulips, let me tell you.

And all of that to say that I won't be blogging this weekend, although I might post a picture or two. I'll be back on Wednesday next week to tell you all about it. The weather is forecast to be cloudy, but only a 10% chance of rain. That's a pretty good forecast for the Oregon coast in May.

I hope you enjoy your long weekend!