Outstanding carbs needed to enable our limp across the line

We have fortified ourselves with extremely satisfying dishes of pasta and grits and bread throughout the past few days as we've limped towards the finish line that I feel we just crossed by closing two tired boys' bedroom doors.

The time has come, the bags are packed and T and I are wiping the sweat from our brows.

Amen, friends. We are back to school!

A few nights back, we had pappardelle with corn, fresh herbs and ricotta. Then came my springtime shrimp and grits, and last night the grand prize: my pasta with caramelized shallots, Brussels sprouts and speck.

Of.the.gods. Tonight, carb-fest continued as we grilled pizzas and called it a day. I am going to throw myself in my bed right now and read away my sadness at having finished All the Light We Cannot See by jumping into The Girl in the Spider's Web, the fourth installment of Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo et al) though, naturally since Larsson is now dead, written by someone else.

In the Spider's Web, David Lagercrantz, also a Swedish journalist and writer, takes the helm of leading us back into the labyrinthine world of Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist. Nervous but hopeful that this one is a honorable follow-up to the original, thrilling, enticing series.

Mother's Day eve

Last night, and because I had just bought shrimp anyway, I made ricotta and then used the whey to make a batch of my Springtime Shrimp and Grits. It really is so bright, satisfying and good, and we really enjoyed it. I also shook a vodka gimlet -hard! because then you get delightful, paper thin shards of ice floating around on top- because really, why not. It paired winningly with the shrimp.

We were up and at 'em early this morning and after a close, competitive game of Clue in which Ol and T just beat me, we took advantage of the early time by driving out to Poolesville, MD, for an open house at one of the summer camps the boys are attending. I am more excited for them than ever now, and frankly, very jealous too. While there today, we held a chicken (the nicest chicken ever!), petted baby goats, canoed, watched the launch of the just-built and very large war canoe, ate fresh carrots and sugar snap peas from the camp's farm, and watched other kids ride ponies and climb the rock wall. It's going to be such a great, old-fashioned sort of experience for the kids, and I suspect they'll be brown as beans and completely tuckered out, in the best way, by the end.

I want a goat soooo badly. But it'd eat me out of yard and garden so for now, I'll just have to make do with visiting farms and such on occasion. Just two days ago I had to seal off the one hole under a fence in our yard because I saw a very cute bunny but immediately knew he was the culprit behind all my snipped-at-the-ground tulips. Grr, bunny, grr.

Tonight, a friend and I are going to Politics & Prose to hear Molly Wizenberg (Orangette blogger, author, fab cook) present her new book, Delancey. I'm so excited!

Shrimp, grits, jam

I was so pleased to see that my Springtime Shrimp and Grits was chosen as a Community Pick on Food52 this week in the Your Best Scallions contest; the review is very flattering, and if Sam Sifton ever tried and liked one of my recipes, I'd be over the moon. Whilst reveling in that bit of praise, I made some rhubarb-ginger jam. I'll be teaching this recipe on May 17 in Fairfax so wanted to do a trial run and also replenish my personal stores which have long been gone. It is such a lovely jam, in both color and flavor, and I feel ever so excited about the advent of summer, in part because it's such a mad season for canning!