use real butter

I had a pulled pork sandwich piled with coleslaw today. Oh boy, that is good. So good.

pulled pork and coleslaw sandwich

At last, we were able to find a day when we could get Madge and Bondy up to our place for dinner. Unfortunately, Marcus and the kids went camping, so we missed them – but I thought it was more important to grab the opportunity to see Madge and Bondy who seem to be infinitely busier than all of us combined.

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We had invited some of our closest friends in Boulder/Ned to dinner this weekend, but had actually picked a bad weekend since some were out of town already, others were going fly fishing, some had visitors, and one was sick. That’s okay, because we’ll try to catch them for the big hoo-ha party later. And it meant more to me to schedule it for a weekend when I knew Beth and Nicole would be around… because they’re my best pals here and I love cooking for them.

appetizers
shrimp pot stickers
dinner
grilled marinated salmon with lemon and dill
green salad with dried cranberries, feta, candied pecans in balsamic vinaigrette
sweet corn cakes
sautéed asparagus and garlic
dessert
flan
fruit salad with lime syrup
truffle sampler

What a lovely feeling it is to prepare a meal in my own kitchen without that diss hanging over my head. It’s a subtle difference, but a happy one.

fresh and luscious berries

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savory bread pudding
The recipe I tried looked pretty good on paper. I have made several bread puddings that are sweet which I love, but I tend to like savories more than sweets. I thought it would be a hit. The flavors this recipe calls for are asparagus, swiss, gruyère, parmesan, marjoram, parsley, and green onions. I added some sautéed crimini mushrooms. The rest of the ingredients are the standard bread, eggs, and milk.

i prefer to rip the bread rather than cut it

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