Goodbye, summer!

Ah, summer was grand, and no sooner was I back from visiting my son and family near the ocean in New Hampshire,  it was off to visit some of the lakes in the Minneapolis area.

After days of rain in August, Lake Nokomis overflowed onto the broad swaths of brilliantly green grass - which attracted at least a hundred wild ducks, all shoveling up mud and weeds, worms and grass.

And a visit to the beautiful Lake Harriet on Frankie's birthday was simply stunning.  The water sparkled and rippled on a very mild September afternoon , and a charming regatta silently circled the center of the lake .  The grandkids leaped gleefully into the water .  

October has been wonderful walking weather, and my light fleece jacket has only finally come out of the closet in the last week - bliss!  Finally unpacked, I'm itching to get back to baking and cooking.  Moving always leaves me discombobulated for at least a month !

             I moved back to Minneapolis at the end of July - and I have a real kitchen!

exploring Minneapolis

We had the most wonderful field trip the other day, visiting one of the hottest pizza places in Minneapolis - and after one bite, I understood why - Punch makes the best pizza I've ever had.  Their wood-fired pizza oven maintains a temperature of 800 degrees , so your order is done in minutes.  Unlike my homemade pizza, their pies are very light and thin, with a few delicious charred bubbles of cheese and dough.  

After lunch, we meandered to Nicollet Island - a tiny island in the middle of the Mississippi river, with a charming Inn and lots of parkland to wander through .  We met up with a family friend, who was fishing there (below) - he didn't catch anything, but the fish were leaping and splashing just a few feet away from us.  What an amazing place!

And here is Frankie at one of the farmers' markets - wearing his butterfly wings:

                                                 Have a great weekend!

jamie's red pepper pasta sauce with lemon, parsley, and ham and Saturday sightseeing

I love exploring this new place!  Saturday we visited the St. Paul Farmers Market, just over the Mississippi River, which was packed with shoppers and visitors, like me.  Lots of herb and flower plants, which made me feel a little wistful, as we have no garden space here - yet.    Flowers were everywhere, making for a very colorful market, and we picked up some gorgeous Italian parsley and fresh basil for our dinner recipe (and two small baskets of red and yellow shallots, for $3!)

On the way home we happened to pass this stunningly gorgeous French villa, and I made my daughter stop so I could take pictures.  Putting down my camera for a minute, I saw a poem inscribed in the sidewalk beside the house, such a surprise and a joy.  

And that night we made Jamie's wonderful red pepper pasta with Parma ham and lemon, tossing in a handful of bright, fresh broccoli we had picked up at the market.  I opted for a chunkier sauce than Jamie's - I'm sure it's just as delicious either way.  Amazingly, all three children (2,4 and 9) loved it!

Happy rainy Monday to you all....

Minneapolis!

Here I am!  New town, new neighborhood, new everything!  I've been exploring this sweet little neighborhood , most of which are small, cozy looking houses, with bright flowers , tidy lawns, and lots of stucco, adding up to great charm.  And the people are just like me - striking up conversations from their yards to me as I walk to the stores.  The small market I walk to has beautiful, huge pots of planted edibles and herbs, and there are flowers everywhere.

  See the blackberries (not quite ripe) below?  Someone has planted huge walls of berries along the sidewalk so people walking by can pick a few to eat as they stroll by.  I love that spirit of sharing.

And it's wonderful to see Izzie, Frankie, and Noah for more than an hour or so -!

Wishing you a wonderful 4th of July!