A new coffee maker, a new way to make coffee!

So the eldest Hinkelgruber son brought his new "Aero-press" coffee maker over this morning and I had two cappuccinos and a cafe Americano. Wow, were they good! I can only hope the caffein wears off some before I go to my movie today! And, that means, I'll be buying my own maker.

I spent yesterday creating a most beautiful French Strawberry Cake for today's dessert. I must say, it is delicious (we taste-tested it after watching the Belmont Stakes horse race). But, there is enough to feed everyone today and send some home with people.

As the sun shines through the dining room window, I am reminded why I live in this town. No better place to live in the summer - when the weather is really summertime weather!

I think summer may be here...

Ok, so the weather doesn't seem to indicate that it's summer, but as I told the strawberry vendor today, "It doesn't matter what the calendar says, or what the weather shows, when your stand opens up with strawberries, summer has arrived!" And, I got the first flat of the season and that's what dessert will be this week - strawberries with whipped cream! Mmmm....

The dining room finally got finished (well, the walls and ceiling textures) and this week will be spent putting the house back together so that people will stop asking if we're moving. The nice thing is, when folks see how fruit-basket-upset it all seems to be, they tend not to stay and chat.

Mr. Hinkelgruber is in a class all week long, and so the menu shows lots of old favorites - with hopefully, very few leftovers. (They're buying his lunch all week.)

We made our first sojourn of the year up the gorge to wine country yesterday and have our summer supply. Now, all that's really needed is some hot weather...