Food blogging

I have had a lovely couple of days away in Little Town. Long drives on Saturday to get there, and today to get back, - much longer than the way the crow flies, because of some geographic features in between CwP and Little Town - but since it was so spectacularly gorgeous, there is no complaining.

R hasn't been in CwP for long - about 24 hours, because of our little excursion to Little Town - but she feels an ambivalence about it that matches mine, I'd guess. So far, she says she thinks it needs to have a sign that says "Sponsored by Viagra." Too, too true.

Anyway, there'll (maybe) be more about that later. For now, I feel the need to food-blog, since I have eaten so, so well over the last four or so days. Beginning with the dinner I made on the first night R was here, which involved everything fresh and local: a salad of spicy greens and roasted beets and local lavender-and-other-herbed goat cheese we'd picked up at the goat-cheesery (where we visited goats), and really spicy puttanesca sauce using some of the best tomatoes I've ever eaten.

But really, what needs to be blogged is the meal we ate on Saturday night in Little Town. It was at one of the best restaurants in the province. I tell you, my friends, it was surely one of the meal highlights of my life. First of all, we sat on this hidden little patio under an enormous, gently covering tree...For an appetizer, I had goat cheese and pear baklava (I'm all about the goats and their cheeses, apparently...) Oh. my. freaking. god. I ate it so slowly, ever so slowly, trying to make it last forever. There was a hole in my life when it was gone. For a main course, I had some kind of "risotto" involving fresh peas and orzo and wild rice and loads of the most aged parmagiano. And then for dessert this insane pecan pie that was, basically, a maple orgasm. I don't even know what to say about it. It was lewd, it was so delicious.

So, yes. Oh so good food. Happiness.

Everything we ate, in fact, was good. Even cheap dinner in Little Town last night, which we ate at a diner, and which involved this crazy-good mint-infused spanakopita and really spicy caesar salad.

And right now I'm having a gin and tonic with cucumber instead of lime, which is my new favourite thing, I must say...

So this is food-blogging. Everything is good...Tomorrow I have a day-long research orientation (so they can really drill into us how important that is at this place...) and then R and I have dinner with a colleague and her partner. It is nice to be back here, to be able to just have a few days of regular life in CwP, so that she can see it...

Hope you are all having good weeks of first days and last days and all the rest!