I had been having a serious pancake jones all week, so we got out for a late breakfast at a local restaurant known for said meal and comfort foods, Key's Cafe. I had an omlette the size of a football and stuffed about four inches high with everything yum, and a single but plate-sized pancake. It was delicious and absolutely hit the spot but unfortunately I have a complaint. I HATE cheap flatware, and at Key's, it's straight out of your high school cafeteria. It's horrible, and it really dawned on me for the first time how intensely this affects my eating experience. The forks are sharp edged, bent up and wonky, and the make the most disgusting screech when rubbed against the stoneware plate that's slightly coarse from years of heavy use. They're just not pleasant to hold or to put in one's mouth. Such a strange (but, now that I think about it, obvious) way to detract from what is always an otherwise excellent plate of chow. I might have to start bringing my own.

After some happy homeowner activities at the house site, I made one of our favorites for dinner...Weeds Salad, as boy calls it. A simple plate of mixed baby greens, dried cranberries, blue cheese, nuts and freshly grilled chicken topped with my delicious homemade balsamic vinagrette. There's something about this flavor combination that just sings, and I could happily eat this salad every day. Served with a warm mini nine grain loaf and some soft butter, it was a satisfying and delicious spring meal.



On another food note, I baked off the few remaining almond croissants yesterday with very low expectations as they had been hanging out in my freezer since I first made them over a month ago. To my suprise, they turned out perfectly and tasted as delicious as the first ones...really, really good. Now that I know how well they do with freezing, I'm definitely going to make a double batch for freezer stock next time. I can't say enough how satisfying it is to be able to have fresh, homemade croissants on demand. After the dough-making event, I shaped the entire batch, froze them on trays and then tossed into a freezer bag. As I've now discovered, they can just be plopped on a sheet tray to thaw and rise for a few hours before baking as usual. It's SO cool!
Looks like I'm off to the store to buy more Plugra.