chocolate cake

Giada needs me to turn on the light so she can change her baby. The floor is littered with toys. There are things all over the kitchen counter ready to be thrown together for Sunday dinner. Although I know it will be up to me to make sure it is all tidy before hittin' the hay tonight, right this second, I don't care. We've made it to the muddy season. Any other time of the year, I would sigh and recall how many times I had to clean the floor and take extra care to wipe the dog's paws extra good but today, I am thankful for the soft ground and rainy skies.

We celebrated Kristopher's birthday yesterday by going to our favorite restaurant. We went for lunch so Giada could come with us too. Yummy doesn't begin to describe our food. When it was time for dessert, I asked Giada what she'd like and she said, "Chocolate cake!" You'd think that she ate it all the time the way her eyes lit up. I told her she could have it if she could find it on the menu. What a little smarty...without missing a beat, she points to the Tortino di Cioccolato.

Today stared slowly and we headed to the market to get some fresh goodies for the upcoming week. I absolutely love a fridge full of fresh food and the promise of some amazing meals to come. We had to fight our way to freshness today when we discovered as we pulled in, that there was a garden show going on. Lightly, this translates to a million more people than a normally busy day would bring. It took us some time but we made a decision on what we'd be having for dinner tonight and in the coming days. After a good hour and a half we headed back home. As Giada rested for a bit, Kris and I wrapped ourselves up in a little rainy day tradition of ours, wine and cheese in the middle of the day. Some pecorino romano, some Ouray from Sprout Creek Farms, and some Camembert from Old Chatham. Add in some olive tapanade and Cline's Four Whites and you've got one heck of an afternoon snack.

As I mentioned, Giada is enjoying her toys and I'm wrapping up this short post so I can fully immerse myself in Jack Johnson playing on Palladia and enjoy the lobster ravioli with arugula and fava beans Kris is cooking for dinner. Enjoy the evening, friends!