Lovely morning, compost salad, dinner for the grands

El, Michele and Mom treated me to a wonderful anniversary dinner last night - shrimp risotto, seared turkey breast with sage, asparagus, lots of wine and champagne - which we capped off with that scrumptious pie. There were only 2 slivers left because I promised the boys I'd save them some. We sat outside, enjoying each other's company and laughter, and T made it home just as we were wrapping up. This morning, Mom, El and I went to Pilates and then to one of my dearest pals (a woman I met in this very Pilates class) house (with our Pilates teacher, also a great pal) for tea, treats and more fun. It is just the best to sit around laughing with a cool and beloved group of women, you know? Awesome. Then to the market and then home as I needed to get dinner ready for my sweet nonagenarians. Tonight they'll enjoy a zucchini, yogurt and beef casserole, roasted asparagus and a sweet pumpkin cheesecake for two. Doesn't this look yummy?

While it cooked, I made a good old compost salad. They never get old and I love that it enables me to clean out my crisper drawers. Oh dear, I'm about to be late to get Ol. More later.

What a wonderful night- hiLARious

I am telling you what... There is nothing like an evening of slap-your-ass girl laughter to improve life, be it good, bad or average to start with. I had a perfectly fine, though relatively harried day, but come 6:30 when the gal-pals arrived, all was well in the world. We really had so much fun, and the food was divine. As if we were meeting on some weird hormonal or psychic plane, all of our dishes incorporated yogurt in a primary way: Evi (fifthfloorkitchen.wordpress.com) brought zucchini fritters with a yogurt-cuc sauce; Jess (mostly, but not only, at www.feastie.com) brought a yogurt pie with an apricot glaze, and yes, the three of us finished all but a sliver; while I supplied the aforementioned mujaddara with spiced yogurt and some champagne. The three of us met only a few weeks ago, but, and this is something I've noticed repeatedly since my later-twenties, when you meet someone (people) you know you like and with whom you connect, you really do just know. It's a different ballgame when you're post-college, well into your third decade, more comfortable/confident with who you are as an individual. Some of the initial BS falls away, no one has to be perfect, you can just meet others and get a sense that yes, (s)he is someone with whom I'd like to be friends. We might all have had some basic anticipatory queries tonight: were the group dynamics of a foodie conference such that we liked each other just for being there? will our connection still be thus? would tonight be fun or a bit stilted?

After nearly five hours, I believe concerns were put to rest, beyond the bummer that one of us is moving out-of-state in the near future. And that is a good lesson in why dormancy is never good. Stay alive, remain dynamic and open, welcome others, don't be afraid to close doors when needed, put yourself out there. You never know, and that's cool.

Dinner from tonight...delish!

Radish fritters with pistachio yogurt sauce

Do y'all remember several months ago when T was out of town and I decided to try the radish fritter recipe I'd found? How it was so disappointing and completely unmemorable? I was sad about that because I love radishes but, like celery, often wish for a greater variety of ways to serve them. In salads, lovely. Seared with anchovy butter on crostini, a la Melissa Clark? Beyond! With butter and salt a la Le Français? Oui, oui. But still. There must be another way. I have found it.

This week's food52 contest is "your best radishes or turnips" and I'm still grooving on that pistachio-yogurt that accompanied my fava shoots at Ripple on Saturday night. What about a fritter of my design served alongside my interpretation of Ripple's yogurt sauce? Oh my lord, y'all. This is fabulous and has surely made for a decadent lunch for me today. Mamma mia!