As summer comes to a close...

Yeah, I know - there's still officially another four weeks or so of summer. But you can't tell it by the weather. Every morning, it feels like school is starting tomorrow! Cool enough for a jacket or sweater and by the afternoon, you're wondering why it is you wore that wrap?!?

We attended the first niece's wedding yesterday - and what a beautiful one it was! The weather was perfect (not too hot, not too cool) and the setting in a friend's back yard was spectacular! In two weeks, another wedding. But before then - Vegas, baby!

You'll notice my favorite dinner is on for Friday night. I told Mr. Hinkelgruber if he wants to guarantee that I won't ask to go to a restaurant for dinner, all he has to do is put pasta with garlic and eggs on the menu - so simple, yet, so delicious!

Sorry I forgot the menu!

Mea culpa, mea culpa...Mrs. Hinkelgruber apparently (no apparently about it) - I forgot to post last week's menu - so sorry! This week's will be delayed also - Mr. Hinkelgruber has been out of town this weekend and hasn't even decided if we're eating, let alone what!

Julia Child's 100th birthday was this past week (August 15) and as a result, I'll be making her chocolate cake as a tribute. The recipe appeared in our local paper and I kept ALL the recipes they paid homage to her with. I also have to make some popovers for my baking blog.

September will be a busy month for the Hinkelgruber (well, Mrs. Hinkelgruber, at least) with a trips to Vegas and Seattle, and a brief cruise from Vancouver, BC to Los Angeles. And, then, my favorite season: fall arrives! Cooler weather: crisp mornings, beautiful afternoons and Halloween...what could be better?

It's Wedding Season!

The weather has been lovely - warm days, cool nights. I've been knitting frantically - and with the Olympics airing, I've been able to justify the sittin' and knittin'. How about that women's 4X100 relay team?!? I loved watching them run - it was like watching a well-oiled, humming machine. They were beautiful!

I have to find something to do with a bunch of egg-whites...angel food cake sounds likely. Maybe with some fresh berries...

This month begins the Hinkelgruber family wedding season. There are six nieces in the family and 1/3 of them are being married between now and mid-September. So, it's party season for us.

Hot enough to fry eggs on the sidewalk!

Wow! Complain about the weather and Mother Nature will bite you in the butt! Yesterday it was 102 degrees - and today? 95 degrees! Talk about out of the frying pan into the fire!

I cooked dinner yesterday. Yes, you read that right - I (Mrs. Hinkelgruber) cooked dinner! My assignment for my baking blog group was to make a berry galette and the dough made enough for two. So...the recipe also said you could use it for a tomato-cheese galette, so that's what I did. I baked it in the morning, let it cool, and we had it cold for dinner. Delicious! Oh, and the berry galette was good, too, but its crust was too thin and it leaked all over the baking pan, leaving a soggy crust. Oh, well, better luck next time!

Can't help it - have to post a big congrats to Michael Phelps and his 22 Olympic Medals. Oh, as the mom of two 20-something boys, I have to say, I know how proud his momma must be. And he really does seem to be a very nice boy. Nice job, Debbie Phelps - that's a fine boy you got there (and, boy, can he swim)!