With the warm, sunny days of late January upon us, I am feeling the strong desire to dine outdoors again. So quickly gone are the days of hot cider and mulled wine, and present are the cravings for homemade lemonade and freshly brewed iced tea. The creek in our backyard is still roaring from last week’s rainstorms, and how perfect would a dinner beneath twinkling lights be, with the sound of rushing water below?
Tuesday Night Dinner on Wednesday (new, revised name due to scheduling conflicts) is at my house this week, and I have been happily engaged in one of my favorite rituals: the cookbook study. After climbing onto the counter and standing on my tiptoes to reach my cookbook shelf (after which, Matt walks in reaches up and easily hands me the last few books, then scolds me for not asking for help) I heave the precious books into the living room--6 steps to be exact--and carefully stack them on the couch, the coffee table, the floor. Then, planted on the couch, glass of wine in hand, I pour over the piles of cookbooks, searching for inspiration for this week’s menu. I think I have finally found the secret for how Giada de Laurentis stays so thin while cooking Italian food—she must have a full library of cookbooks that she performs this sacred ritual with!
After deciding on a basic outline for my menu, I draw up my list of necessities to prepare our deck for outdoor dining: strings of small lantern lights, broom, mop, candles, ladder, one husband to help his vertically-challenged wife hang the lanterns so that she doesn’t fall off the ladder into the stream below, table and chairs.
The menu will be my next entry--I don't want to ruin the surprise too early!
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