Monday

Re-entry into this week was like the Space Shuttle hitting the atmosphere at the wrong angle and skipping, hotly, across the surface. This has not been my best day.

There had been some brief discussion between the wife and I to make a mock BBQ chicken - braise/poach the chicken, shred, add sauce and serve. With a zucchini gratinish kind of thing I made the other night - I'll post that one when it works right and not before. This was edible and ok...just not what I had envisioned. I scrapped the plans and we wound up having omelets and cheese grits. Not ordinary omelets - sweet omelets. I warmed two tablespoons (give or take) of Duerr's lovely strawberry preserves and placed it in the middle of my omelet - standard for me is two eggs and two tablespoons of water, whisked thoroughly, and then cooked in my egg pan. I topped mine with some leftover Feta cheese from the other night...there was a great flavor contrast - the eggy of the egg, the sweet berry from the preserves, and the briny sharpness that only Feta can bring to the party. I could envision this redone with some Maytag bleu - A Bleu Berry Omelet mayhaps? My grits are another matter - I bought some on our honeymoon from Nora Mill Granary in Helen, Georgia. "Georgia Ice Cream" is what they are called. I made them according to their directions - 4 cups of water to 1 cup of dry grits. Bring water to a boil, salt lightly, add grits and stir very well. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until grits have absorbed most of the water. You'll know what it looks like - it goes from corn floating in water to paste really fast. I think we added about 2-3 ounces of supermarket sharp cheddar cheese (please feel free to step out here. I love grits with fresh thyme and fresh chevre, or Montgomery's cheddar, or even "Red Cow" Parmesan and lots of pepper (maybe a drizzle of well aged balsamic for a little something really special). I also added my own creole seasoning (salt free) which I lovingly took from NOLA Cuisine and added my own twist - smoked paprika for regular. It just adds a subtle smoky sweetness. It was good just to sit and talk to my wife and share a meal together. I'm planning something special for Friday night date night...if she reads this (I can honestly say I don't know) I won't reveal doodle until I serve it up.