Summer Has Arrived!

After a few false starts ,Aei which I missed - summer has finally arrived in Seattle. This weekend reached the 80s, a fabulousness that I love (I need to write about being in the NYC heat wave, and how Tracy and I keep saying "it's warm, we LOVE it"). It means that not only am I warm - after a long, long winter that started on September 5 and just ended - but that I can open all of the windows and most importantly, really start to grill.

For example, Sunday night's dinner: a grilled t-bone and veggies with grilled lemon vinaigrette. And perfect with the very tasty and chewy 2006 Chono Cabernet from Chile,Aeos Maipo Valley (wherever that is).

Here's how to cook everything, courtesy Cooks Illlustrated.

For the T-bone, salt heavily and let sit at room temperature for an hour. Add some pepper, grill for 6 minutes on each side with the tenderloin facing the cool side of the grill (I use a gas grill, so leave the middle burner on high and turn the outer burners to low, translate properly if you,Aeore on charcoal, which I,Aeom thinking will produce an even tastier steak). Leave on the grill if you like your steak cooked more than rare/medium rare, and even though I object to meat that isn't pink, it still is delicious on the well done spectrum (as I discovered when I made this recipe a few weeks ago after a bit too much wine). Rest the meat for ten minutes, slice up and enjoy.

For the veggies, cut up, and olive oil, salt and pepper the veggies up. Before grilling, slice a lemon in half, grill the cut sides about three minutes, then let cool while the veggies are grilling. Mince a shallot, (I used a spring onion), then add to olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper and juice from the grilled lemon. Once the veggies come off the grill, pour the dressing over, and let sit for as long as necessary, or while the steak cooks.





Oh, and I also baked a chocolate zucchini cake, using this recipe. Even though I think the heat did something to the glaze, it won rave reviews at the office.



By the way, warm summer weather also means lots of great wines. Tonight, I made a salad with early summer lettuce, sliced strawberries, goat cheese and a balsamic dressing. The flavors were a perfect balance, accentuated with a Domaine Sorin Rose from Provence, a bottle which I had just been itching to drink while waiting for the sun to appear. Fun to drink - bursting with the flavor of ripe cherries and strawberries, and perfect with my summer strawberry salad.

Other wines: a very excellent Sur de los Andes Torrontes from Argentina and a not so excellent (tasted of peaches, which I absolutely hate) Simonsig Chenin Blanc from South Africa.

Linen Sheets, from Linoto

About a year ago, my friend Jason, a designer of the clothing sort in New York, officially launched Linoto, selling linen bedding. I finally took the plunge and bought myself a set,AePand am kicking myself for waiting so long. The sheets are absolutely beautiful. Soft, comfortable, delicious to sleep in and elegantly crafted.

When I was in New York a few weeks ago, Jason, Gabe and I talked about the sheets. I never realized, but quality linen sheets are pricey (Jason,Aeos are fairly affordable, and considering the time we spend in bed, shouldn,Aeot we have nice sheets?). And linen sheets tend to be frilly, with scallops and embroidery, things that make them appealing to only a very small demographic (i.e., women in the 50s and 60s). In retrospect, there is something timeless about linen; Jason pointed out that it,Aeos not a coincidence that tablecloths and napkins are referred to as ,Aeulinens,Aeu, because in the not too distant past, we were surrounded by linen. After looking at what was available, hating the quality and the price tag, Jason made a set for Gabe,Aeos birthday, and Linoto was born.

Jason runs Linoto with a strong emphasis on quality and experience. My sheets took a while to arrive - the fabric quality did not pass Jason,Aeos standards and we had to wait for better quality fabric. Carefully packed, the sheets were washed and soft and ready to go on my bed.

Fabulous!

Sex and the City

Accompanied by two girlfriends and two gay boyfriends, wearing my sparkley gold shirt and new fabulous patent leather ballet slipper flats, I hit Sex and the City, the movie, opening weekend. I felt like I was hanging out with four friends whom I hadn,Aeot seen in a while - I miss Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha.

Highlights for me: conversations over meals, the fashion, the raw and harsh portrayal of the devastation of a broken heart; cosmos at the end (why did we stop drinking these?); and the sheer energy created by four best friends. Lots of hits, a few misses, and Carrie,Aeos wedding dress was not as tacky as it seemed in the after pictures leaked (although what was up with the bird?). Oh, and I adored the bridesmaids dresses.

It,Aeos not entirely unusual to hear me reference moments from the series, particularly when discussing the single/dating life (I also reference Seinfeld too, which I guess tells you that my brain remembered more in the 90s and early 2000s than today). It,Aeos always interesting to gage people,Aeos reactions when I drop a reference. Those that made it into their 30s single nod in agreement, often adding their own perspective along the lines of ,Aeuthe same thing happened to me,Aeu. Those that didn,Aeot make it into their 30s single generally seem a little perplexed, as in ,Aeuhow could this be true? It was an entertaining show, but that,Aeos about it,Aeu.

I don,Aeot know if it,Aeos a fun fact or a sad fact or something in the middle ,Aei but some things in show have happened to me. Not just the general theme of hanging out with other single friends, but dating disasters, interactions with singles and non-singles, bad and good break-ups, happy and sad. Call it a badge of honor.

In celebration of the final episode four years ago, I made Caroline dinner (pad thai and spring rolls, if I remember correctly). This time, before the movie, I made margaritas and guacamole. After, Hilary, Lisa and I had dinner at Quinn,Aeos, where I consumed a Manhattan (their special Manhattan is excellent), a cosmo (not so good) and a tasty, tasty espresso martini (which is the new ,Aeuit,Aeu drink, I,Aeove had in both London and Seattle). And we talked about the movie, and of course, dating.

The next day, Carrie and I spent about 30 minutes discussing the movie. Apropos, I was drinking wine. I also informed her that when she gets married, she needs to take a cue from Carrie Bradshaw in her choice of bridesmaids dresses.

Broadway Farmer's Market Time

Look at this - goodies from today's Broadway Farmer's Market!



In this picture: cherries (peaking from the back, the first crop of the season), asparagus, lamb's quarter, spring lettuce and mint (accidentally cut out of the picture). Some of it will make tonight's dinner: salad with sauteed asparagus and goat cheese, and topped with a balsamic-lemon juice-shallot-honey-sour cream dressing. For reasons that I can't figure out, I've been craving salad a lot lately. Luckily, it's spring and early summer salad time at the farmer's market. I'll accompany with a Chateau Font-Mars Picpoul de Pinet, from Languedoc, of France. Intersting fact: the grapes grow on top of a field of fossilized dinosaur eggs!

The seasonal market, which is 3 blocks from my house, opened in mid-April. I've been trying to go every Sunday (when I'm in town, that is). It's a great social scene, I usually run into friends and neighbors. More importantly, the high quality produce and foodstuffs. Almost all seasonal, the food has all essential things that I love: fresh, grown by small farmers and truly, really organic. Beyond produce, other good stuff: flowers, eggs, meat (I may even buy chicken, a food that I try to avoid, because, well, most chicken is pretty bad), fish, chocolates, honey and ice cream, with more rotating in and out over the summer.

Does anyone have ideas for lamb's quarters? I remember a spectacular meal years ago with lamb's quarters filled ravioli, but not really ready to tackle that. The seller said it was like spinach, so I'm thinking about simply chopping up and sauteeing with garlic and a splash of lemon juice. Ideas are appreciated.

A bonus picture: baked tomatoes stuffed with couscous with basil, parseley, pine nuts and parmesan, tomatoes a la the farmer's market. I'm thinking that they are hot house grown, and extremely delicious. Oh, and also free of that nasty salmonella strain (a by-product of our industrial food chain, of which I could spend many hours ranting about its evils, but won't).