Potatoes in the Mist

We got a fish. It's a boy, but Zoe wanted to name it Lily anyway. Hopefully it won't have a gender identity crisis.

I got back from Ireland a few days ago, and I find myself missing the veggie burger at Salt N Pepper. Slathered with mayo, plus a side of "regular chips," it was pretty much perfect. The Bailey's hot chocolate wasn't bad, either. And a long ramble on the remote island of Inismor, full of cows and roses, sea and sky...

About to finish The Little Bookshop on the Seine by Rebecca Raisin. Cute story, and I learned some new things about Paris. And it's part of a series.

I just finished The Identicals by Elin Hilderbrand. It was fantastic. She is probably my favorite author.

I just watched Before Sunset. I'm not sure how many times I've seen this movie, but I love it just as much as the first time.

Zoe and I had strawberry Nutella crepes in Central Park today...

I finished The Stars Are Fire by Anita Shreve...very good.

I went on a field trip with Zoe's class today. At the butterfly conservatory, one of the butterflies decided to adopt me.

Trump removed Bannon from the National Security Council. This is definitely good news. Bannon was a bad influence on him.

One day, when I picked Zoe up from school, she told me, "Today was the best day ever. We went to Gristedes as a class. We got popsicles and ate them in the park. Then we played in the park." I really like her class. The kids are sweet, though they keep getting lice. Zoe has escaped it so far. I've already found "Hair Fairies" online, where they take care of it for you. And I cut her hair shorter recently, which makes it easier to take care of, and also looks cute. I looked into other lice solutions. Apparently, using an ordinary hair dryer will kill 97% percent of them. Also, you can coat the child's hair with Cetaphil (a facial cleanser that I have), then blow dry the hair, then shampoo it 8 hours later. Apparently doing this once a week for 3 weeks will take care of it, and you don't even need to remove the nits. Although Hair Fairies is probably easier.

Another music discovery - case/lang/viers. iTunes recommended them to me because I was listening to Aimee Mann's new music. It's uncanny how "on" these recommendations are sometimes.

I made broccoli cheddar soup today. I made one tweak to the recipe, which made all the difference. Because Eric is such a chef and loves shopping at Whole Foods, we had a full, fresh container of buttermilk in the fridge. I added a half a cup of buttermilk at the end, instead of the milk/cream/water that the recipe called for. So much better.

Now I've finished all of Sarah Jo's books. I hope she writes another one soon. She does seem prolific.

Just finished Goodnight June by Sarah Jio. I'm sad it's over. Such a good book. It made me see Goodnight Moon (and its author) in a whole new light.

I made one of my improvised slow cooker soups today and it came out very well. I started with one cup dried yellow split peas, salt, pepper and some water. After letting them cook alone for a while, I added some sliced carrots. Near the end, I added two cloves sliced garlic, 1/2 tsp tarragon, 1/2 tsp thyme, and a little more salt. I like it a lot. I modeled it loosely on a recipe in Vegetarian Planet , but I didn't use any white wine because I didn't have any. I didn't miss it.

I just finished Three Sisters, Three Queens - the first Philippa Gregory book I have read. I enjoyed it, though the ending was a little strange. Henry VIII was a lot like Trump - "vulgar and showy," rewriting reality.

I stopped eating desserts on November 4, 2015, after learning that I weighed 30 lbs more than I thought I did. I lost the weight, but I continued to avoid desserts. You really do feel better if you don't eat much sugar. (I have small amounts in yogurt, and a little brown sugar on my oatmeal, but that's it.) Fast forward to today. We were all at lunch and Eric ordered red velvet yodels. I'm usually not even tempted by desserts anymore, but I tried some. Then my stomach got really upset. I was in a cab later (with a plastic bag in my purse, just in case), and then I threw up in the bag. You really do feel better afterward. But this cements my decision to avoid desserts. My stomach can't handle the richness anymore.

I've been reading Joanne Fluke's cozy mysteries for years, and I've never made a recipe from them. A friend asked me if I had. And now, her newest book, Banana Cream Pie Murder, has a number of interesting recipes in it. Corn chowder - this was a little heavier than I expected, including whipping cream and creamed corn, as well as regular corn. Beer muffins - I really don't know if this would work or not, but it sounded interesting. You have to use a pale lager and cheese. Peach muffins - these would be the most likely candidate, though I've basically cut out sweets in the past year and a half. You put together a regular muffin batter, and add drained sliced peaches from a can. For the streusel topping, you melt some butter in the microwave, and add flour and brown sugar.

I had a writing teacher who said writing was most like acting. I know what he means, in terms of the characters, but I think it's more like painting. With words instead of colors.

If I moved to Florida, my vote would really count. It's definitely the most palatable swing state.