Breakfast - a great beginning!

I saw the best commercial last evening while I watched the opening ceremonies of the London Olympics. It opens with a voiceover, "Why is it every race is remembered for its ending? We think it should be remembered for its start." Flash to a little girl sitting at a kitchen table waiting for mom to put a bowl of cereal in front of her and then a simple banner "Kelloggs".

Weekdays, breakfast is my responsibility and Mr. Hinklegruber suffers through a simple bowl of cereal. Come the weekend, though, I'm treated to a $18 - $22 breakfast every Saturday. We live in an over-the-top-popular breakfast town, but my choice is always our own dining room. This morning? Two poached eggs on toasted french bread, with a crumbled bacon topping and a broiled tomato with a bread crumb stuffing. And, I didn't have to wait to hear my name called. Oh, those folks standing in line at any number of breakfast joints are wasting their time!

Between the Summer Olympics and family weddings, I can tell summer is beginning to wind down. That pie has to get baked today (I have my marching orders!) and then I intend to plant myself in front of the telly for the Games. (Who knew the Queen was a sky-diver?!?) What a weekend!

Is it time for that "pie" workshop I always thought about?

Got to find some ripe nectarines...nectarine-blueberry pie...that's the next recipe for Tuesdays with Dorie. And, yes, I am considering a pie workshop just so I may perfect a pie crust. Yesterday, our baker neighbor brought us blackberry muffins and two blackberry crostadas - mmm, mmm! Boy, can that girl bake!?!

This next week will see our house completely back together (well, there are those who would tell you it already looks pretty good!). By next weekend, the pictures will be hung on the walls and the books in the bookshelves. A major project completed!

Grown-ups live here!

Remember the ransacking thieves of last week? And my D-day of July 23? How about a new D-day of July 18? And the Hinkelgruber home looks fantastic - just like I said it would! All that is left is a quick painting of the hallway and some touchups of a few spot, and people will believe that grownups live here.

I haven't had anything to complain about with the weather. Even this morning's drizzle doesn't upset me - I've soaked enough sun to make it through the next couple of days. I'll be baking bread Monday for my "Tuesdays with Dorie," group and then I've begun a new knitting project that's a "Mystery" shawl. The idea is that you have no idea what the final project looks like, but by following the posted pattern, it reveals itself to you.

Have I told you lately what a good cook Mr. Hinkelgruber is? We've been dining as though a professionally trained chef visits us nightly, and I'm the beneficiary. Yes, we're going out Friday, but what that really means is the Mr. Hinkelgruber and I haven't visited a favorite haunt in a while, so it's time.

OK, so it looks like a bomb went off....

Well, maybe not a bomb, but how about like a pack of thieves broke in and ransacked the place? Having two rooms and a hallway painted simultaneously seemed like a good idea at the time...right now, not so much! There's furniture in the dining room, in the music room, in the living room - oh, yeah, there's more paint ready for application than a small paint store would require. Ahh...and the wafting smell of oil-based paint. OK, ok, ok - enough bitching...it's gonna look fantastic, when it's done (d-day: July 23).

Do you remember how much work it is to buy a car? Mr. Hinkelgruber and I were reminded and the youngest Hinkelgruber lad got to experience it for the first time, as we bought his college graduation gift: a brand-new pickup truck. It's been a long time since we've seen him light up like the proverbial Christmas tree - but he certainly did. So, need to move? I know a guy with a pickup!

We had a terrific time in "Lost Wages" - plenty of food, booze and gambling - there's a reason that city is nick-named "Sin City" - sinning is the rule of the day. Oh, and yes, my feet did get warm; 108 degrees will do that to them!

This week's dessert is very simple and common: Rice Krispie Treats - too hot to turn on the oven!

Are you a crunchy or a chewy?

Summer begins July 5. Ok, ok, ok - I know the calendar says the first day of summer is June 20, but the elder Hinkelgruber son reminded me that honestly, summer begins here on July 5. And since that's the case, Mr. Hinkelgruber and I are going to Vegas July 2. We'll come home July 6, which means we'll be back for the full onset of summer.

I tried two different versions of biscotti for dessert today. Most of you know my theory about people: they're either chewy or crunchy. And, biscotti is definitely for the "crunchy" set - of which I am one. I have learned, however, that when you put dried fruit in biscotti, it becomes an odd amalgam of chewy and crunchy - chewchy, if you will. I don't think I'm a fan of the "chewchy".

S'mores, s'mores, and more s'mores....

The closest I ever get to camping is s'mores. And, today we'll be trying to make s'mores in the oven. Yep...the oven. If they work, oh, it'll be a whole new way to enjoy a delectable treat.

This week, painting of the dining room, living room and hallway begins. Turns out that the dining room has been the hardest one to decide the color of. I still don't know if I've gotten it right, but we'll see.

Have you ever seen the HBO series, True Blood? I'm hooked! In addition to deciding colors for those rooms, I've spent the last week watching the past four seasons so I might be caught up to the most recent one. Wow! Gorgeous men, beautiful women, sex and, well, oh, yeah, violence. And, funny!?! Who knew the supernatural had such humor.

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!