We Interrupt This Blog Silence

Well, I've been pretty scarce around these parts lately, haven't I? Let's see if I can catch you up on some of the more interesting things that have been going on besides the overly ambitious work schedule I managed to arrange for myself this month. 

I won a Twitter contest! And that meant that Andy and I got to have dinner out at Lumière. It was lovely—and extra-special because it was a midweek treat. I went for the special local/in-season menu: Roasted Local Carrots with Cranberry-Maple Chutney for a starter, followed by Tagine of Vermont Veal, Local Root Vegetables, and Maine Golden Eye Beans with Dried Local Apricots and Lumière Preserved Lemons. Delish. For dessert it was a Lanni Orchards Apple Crumble with Maple Sugar Ice Cream and Molasses Caramel, which was right up Andy's alley—just as well, as I was stuffed. 

Then, for our (24th!) anniversary, we went as usual to Mistral, which never ever disappoints. I started with the Butternut Squash Tortellini with Brown Butter and Sage, which was heavenly. And, as I so often do there, I followed up with the Roasted Duck with Wild Mushroom Risotto and Wisconsin Dried Cherry Gastrique. It's perfect, and Andy likes when I order that, because I can never finish, and he gets the rest for lunch the next day. I could barely see straight after that, but Andy persuaded me that we should share a Warm Chocolate Torte with Vanilla Ice Cream and Sauce Anglaise. OhMyWord

Let's see, what else.... Oh, I don't think I told you about our last book group. We read The Submission by Amy Waldman, which we all enjoyed, although some more than others. This is a novel that imagines a contest being held in NYC after 9/11 for artists and architects to submit designs for a memorial to be erected at Ground Zero. The submissions are anonymous and the winner is chosen by a panel of artists, civic leaders, and so on. And what if the design that was chosen just happened to have been submitted by an American Muslim? You'll have to read to find out. The characters were really believable, and all sides were presented so well that I found myself quite unsure where I stood on the various issues. Very thought-provoking. Next months we're doing The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa. Anyone read either of these?

I do have other things to talk about, but I'd better hit PUBLISH now before I get side-tracked. Maybe I'll post yet again this week—wouldn't that be something?

Comments

[Wendy]

Happy Anniversary! Food sounds great, despite dearth of oxtail! Shall I read The Submission? I can be very cranky . . .

[Katy]

Yum! Lanni Orchards is in the town I grew up in :)