Roller Coaster and a Recipe

SIGH.

We got back from our honeymoon on April 6th. Today is April 23rd. During that time, I’ve been home to sleep in my own bed 7 times. I’ll let you to the math…

Where have I been, you ask? If I was more talented and more rested I could probably fit this into that Johnny Cash song, “I’ve Been Everywhere.” But since I’m not, you get a list:

Rockford, IL
The weekend after we got home was Easter, so we went out to my hometime to visit my parents and grandma. The band that played at our wedding was actually doing a set at a local bar so we went dancing one night and got photographed by the local paper (interesting since we’re not locals).

My mother and I whipped up a fabulous dinner for Easter, which I’d originally planned to photograph in great detail. But by the time the meal was ready I was so hungry we just sat down and ate. We had smoked ham, green beans with toasted pine nuts, scalloped potatoes, amazing homemade dinner rolls (someday you WILL get that recipe) and, for dessert one of my favorite cakes.

Orange Pudding Cake. The cake is made by folding whipped egg whites into a heavier batter then baking in a bath of warm water which results in a texture thats like half souflee and half custard…with a light, citrus flavor. Light, refreshing, creamy and utterly perfect for Spring. I’m a sucker for those edible flowers sold alongside the fresh herb packs and some supermarkets and they were such a pretty accent for this dish. It just makes me happy.

This is a recipe from Gourmet and its relatively easy if you have a stand mixer. I didn’t change much on this one except add a dash of vanilla and replace fresh squeezed juice with bottled OJ. And since I’m feeling lazy, I’m just sending you to the link. Give it a try and you will not be disappointed.

Virgina Beach, VA
Sadly, a happy weekend in Rockford was cut short after a phone call from one of my best friends — a bridesmaid from my wedding. Tragically, her 18 year old brother, Isiah, was shot to death on Good Friday as he was waiting in his car for his girlfriend to get off of work. This was a random shooting that took away really good kid; someone I’d met on several occasions. Though I did not know him well, my heart was broken for my friend and all the people touched by this tragedy.

Last week, along with our other best friend, I flew to Virginia Beach to be with my friend through a horrific week. We went with her and her family when they viewed Isiah’s body for the first time at the funeral home. We stayed with them for 7 hours during the wake; drove her to the funeral. We did dishes, went on food runs, passed out Kleenexs. And finally, I went with them to the funeral home to pick up his ashes. My heart has never hurt the way it did when the nice lady at the funeral home handed Mr. & Mrs. Jones their son’s ashes, packed in a glass jar and tucked in a velvet bag.

Connecticut and New York City
After 4 long days in Virgina, I was excited to spend some time at home…but that didn’t last long. This week, I’ve been travelling for work — a very exciting trip and a wonderful opportunity — just sort of poor timing for me personally. I started with a trip to Connecticut, someplace I’ve never been before. After two nights there, I woke very early to take the train from Hartford into Penn Station in NYC — a beautiful trip at dawn by the way. As I write this, I’m sitting in my company’s New York office overlooking Time Square. I spent part of my day at CBS studios and even got to see where they film part of 60 Minutes. Its all been very exciting, but I’m happy to be heading home tonight. Which reminds me….I need to scoot to make my flight.

Promise to share more (RECIPES!!) soon when I get home….to my husband (yep, its still fun to say).