I got crabs!

Got your attention, didn't I?!? Actually, it was confirmed today that the Greek Orthodox Church throws the best, the absolute BEST fundraisers in the world, ever! In the fall - the Annual Greek Festival; complete with full lamb dinner and enough baklava to choke the largest Greek goat! Then, today we discovered their latest and greatest event:  The 23rd Annual All-You-Can-Eat Crab Feed! 23-years? Seriously? We've been in the neighborhood 28 of those years and this is the first we've heard of it.  (But, rest assured - it won't be the last time we attend!) Have you ever eaten 1-1/2 Dungeness crabs at one sitting? Well, I have and if I had been willing to eat myself sick, it would have been more.  I've discovered the "crab-coma"!

This week, the music room gets a new ceiling and re-finished walls.  The house is, by-and-large, a disaster, but the endgame makes it worth it!

Tiramisu...or Terrible Misery?

According to a local chef, tiramisu is Italian for "pick-me-up." We'll see, as I attempt to make one for this Sunday's dinner. I've already made my own mascarpone cheese (yep, you read it right - I made it!), and now I just have to make the Italian sponge cake and assemble it. If nothing else, the flavors will be terrific.

I was awakened this morning by what I thought was rain, but turned out to be squatters (read:  rodents) in the ceiling of our bedroom. They have one more week to find the bait boxes and feast themselves silly before Mr. Hinkelgruber goes in after them. (I'm rooting for the feasting!) In the meantime, I've got to find a podcast that will drown them out.

Valentine's Day and other phony holidays...

Ahh, such a fantastic hoax the floral and confectionary industry has perpetrated on American consumers!  But, since I don't want anyone to be disappointed, you'll notice a very special dessert on Sunday's menu - chocolate souffle!  Apparently, chocolate is the international flavor of love!?! I watched Giada DiLaurentis prepare this on The Today Show, and decided that's it for Sunday!  We'll see if it's really as easy as she made it look.

For those of you wondering about my "to-do" list, the front windows have been painted and the new shutters are to be installed on the 25th of the month.  My goal is to have the ceiling and walls of the music room done within six weeks, but we'll see if my plaster guy has the same goal.

The long and winding road...

Did you miss me? Well, last weekend's absence is the last in a while (until April, and that's all I'll say about that!).

I went to the beach with a group of women friends, and while I did enjoy it, six women in one place is a lot of estrogen.  (Regardless of the fact they're all either menopausal or peri-menopausal!) The weather was beautiful four out of five days, and despite the tsunami alarm system going off at the condo (due to high winds and rough bar conditions the one bad weather day) it was quite remarkable for the end of January on our coastline.

This week's menu features some old favorites as well as a few items that are sure to become favorites.  My theory?  Mr. Hinkelgruber is lonely for some of you to have dinner with us and is coercing you here!