Summer Journal: Week 6

The weather has been reliably hot and dry for weeks and weeks. It's exhausting, but I'm not complaining. When I think back to last summer, I think I can easily say this one is better. For one, I'm not suffering from insomnia. For another, I'm having a really fun time.

On Thursday, I left work early to head up to Priest Lake. We stayed where we always stay: with friends at their family cabin. It's good to know people with A Place on the Lake. But truly, it's just as much about seeing them as it is spending time in one of the most beautiful places on earth.

Falling asleep/waking up to the sound of rippling water, nothing better.

Cruiser the dog gets special treatment. As he should.

We took a boat ride to someone's beach and spent the better part of the afternoon there.

This family knows how to cook. Every night is something special. I consider myself lucky if I can lend a hand to the production.

We were back in Spokane on Saturday, and something about all that relaxing gave me a killer stiff neck, so I spent most of the rest of the weekend taking it even easier. It's starting to feel better now but it's been a literal pain to deal with. One thing I could do was go to the movies, to see Dunkirk, which didn't do much to ease any tension though it was good. I recommend it if you can handle war movies.

We took Luna to cool off at the Spokane River. Lots of people floating.

Saturday night found us teaming up in the kitchen to make homemade, hand-cut herbed pasta (pappardelle) with a parsley and garlic sauce. We added grilled chicken for good measure. This was a recipe I'd saved from the New York Times several months ago and it was a perfect way to use up some wilting herbs in the fridge. I'd never blended herbs into pasta dough before and it was worth it!

The pasta dough used up a bunch of egg yolks, so I saved the whites and made lemon meringues.

On Sunday night Joel made pork chops with a red wine and grape sauce. It was incredible. I threw a bunch of kale and potato onto a roasting pan and was pleasantly surprised with the results. All in all, it was a great weekend for food.

...and then I made something a little weird. I'll share the recipe with you later. But for now, be intrigued.

Carwash, desperately needed.

As if I needed another appliance, I bought one. I'm overwhelmed with the options. Maiden voyage this weekend.