catered affair
2004-06-27, 4:03 p.m.

8:00 AM

Ooh, I have a bit of tummy ache today. Too many cherries, I guess. I bought a big bag yesterday, and they are just so good! I did my errands yesterday, including stopping at W & T�s to ask them if they�d like to do the dinner thing. They are delighted and looking forward to it.

I�m doing baked salmon fillets with balsamic glaze for the entr�e, served with two types of risotto--porcini mushroom , and asparagus. For the vegetable, I�ve got an eight vegetable medley, with broccoli, carrots, baby corn, water chestnuts, mushrooms, sugar snap peas, red peppers, and pearl onions. With that combo, all you really have to do is steam it. The dessert will be Two Berry Cobbler, with blackberries and red raspberries, served warm with vanilla bean ice cream. I�m hoping it goes well! I made my glaze first thing this morning, because you can do it a good bit ahead and get it out of the way. And since the process of reducing it deposits a fine mist of stickiness all over my stove, it gives me a chance to clean up. I tell you, if you want to really open up those sinuses, boil balsamic vinegar, chardonnay, and lemon juice! Whew--poor Raj was ready to run away from home.

Spouse called yesterday afternoon and asked me to run over to Wally�s and check to see if they have the recliner-style covered yard swing clearanced to $75, like they do in Michigan. I believe I�ll call, instead. I really don�t care to go over there and beard the white trash in their den. And I�m not terribly interested in a yard swing, anyway. I�m tempted to skip it altogether and fib to Spouse, but I think he really wants this thing. Probably looking for a shady place to sit and smoke his cigars. I did finally get him to admit that he should have planted a shade tree in the yard when we moved in ten years ago. It is quite nice out there in the morning, when the neighbor�s trees provide quite a bit of shade, but awfully bright in the afternoons when the sun shines.

I�m also providing the entertainment this evening, as T has never had the opportunity to enjoy SCTV. I watched some more last night, and I think that the disc to watch is #3. But I�m working on a Comprehensive sketch list for the whole set, which will help us figure out what we want to see.

I�m such a geek.

4:00 PM

I called Wally�s, and to no one�s surprise, got absolutely nowhere on the phone. I suppose I�ll have to run over there tomorrow night. Grrr.

I finished the sketch list for SCTV--it came out 15 pages long! Lots of stuff, and I double spaced between entries for ease of use. Right now I�m steaming the cobbler to finish it off as the filling didn�t finish before the topping did. I hope this double-boiler method works. And soon. It�s almost time to go over there, and I need to walk the dog before I go.