The crocuses just a bit later, mushroom heaven

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Look how lovely the crocuses looked when I returned home a few hours after snapping them still asleep earlier this morning. Hello, Day! I don't think I'd like these little floral gifts so much if they didn't completely remind me of The Runaway Bunny, that darling children's book in which the bunny hides in a crocus but of course his mommy finds him. Also, I am thankful that this intrepid flower refuses to stay put underground, even when spring seems as if it will never come. crocuses in my garden

After a much-needed work-out, I went to the market and came across this gorgeous display of mushrooms. I got a sampling of all but the black trumpets and might make my brown rice risotto with them later tonight. We've got some fantastic Humboldt Fog cheese (have you discovered this delicacy? WOW) that would pair beautifully with them.

buffet o' mushrooms

Allllllmmmoooost over the edge

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Today was positively summery- I wore capris and flip-flops if you can believe it. Something is afoot in our climate, yes? I think so. 60+ in December? When I picked J up at school - who, by this time had shed both hoodies and was down to his t-shirt- he sighed dramatically and said, "I guess it's going to be another warm winter." Poor buddy, he's probably correct. It's not normal, peeps, not right.

Although mostly good, today just felt extremely long. Oliver was plagued by an interior-butt itch that commenced before school this morning and which still required intense scratching tonight. Ultimately I said I could not handle any more scratching or conversation about butt-itches and get in the bath. Now. Too, one would have thought the children were in training to be negotiators, walking folks off ledges both figurative and real. And I finally decreed that what I said goes as I just could not be pushed back on one more completely inane thing like, "can't I please wear my entire Spiderman outfit to bed?"  "No, Mr. Just Has Completed Nighttime Potty-training, you cannot, because the Spidey suit velcroes up the back, and I'm not coming to get you out and back into it in the middle of the night." As a Spidey aside, yesterday J went to a friend's birthday party and there, a terrific face-painter was on hand. J refuses to let paint come near his face so always opts for arm-painting instead. Look at these fab web-shooters he came home with- wow! 

The tart and handpies I made for the catering order looked absolutely perfect and scrumptious; some that got away so to speak. But that's OK because I decided to make a taleggio polento cake onto which you could serve as much kale or mushrooms as you want. It is Meatless Monday, and I did have all this gorgeous stuff from the FM yesterday. Et voila! The shallot-tarragon-cream sauce didn't look pretty around the polenta (which is why you won't see a picture of it; looks like a dead body of some sort) but it did taste yummy. I liked this. A lot.

PS- I did muster the will to make the shrimp pie last night and it was fine but too ugly (in a soupy savory-pie way to publish any photo; suffice it to say that pureeing leek confit and cream is good stuff).