pasta with mushrooms & goat cheese

I got a fun new kitchen toy. This doesn't happen often anymore because 1) I have a pretty solid arsenal of tools already and 2) I live in an exceptionally tiny house. While the kitchen is actually pretty roomy, it is nearly devoid of useful storage. Therefore, any tools I'm not using on a weekly basis are kept in clear plastic storage bins in the basement. And to get to the basement, you either have to go outside (great, it's definitely raining again), or crawl through a trap door in the floor of the closet and shimmy down a ladder. That's not an exaggeration. So I'm pretty selective about acquiring new things, and pretty darn good at donating or selling old ones.

sicilian pasta with shrimp & almond cream

I made this recipe before the Olympics and I'm just now posting it. Isn't that terrible? But what was it about the Olympics that was so captivating this year? Despite my relative lack of interest in watching sports on TV -- except Notre Dame football, of course (*cough*GoIrishBeatMichigan*cough*) -- I found myself glued to the television every night for two weeks while the athletes were competing. Track cycling quarter finals? I'm on it! Badminton at 3am? Count me in! Sometimes I even found myself staying up late to watch athletes from countries that I'm not entirely sure I could locate on a map. Seriously -- Burkina Faso? Djibouti? (Don't lie -- you know you wouldn't do any better.) Apparently I wasn't alone, though, since two-thirds of the American population tuned in. I think for me, this was the first Olympics where I was really able to understand -- and even relate to -- the kind of effort it takes to be successful at that level. With so many make-or-break, almost-doesn't-count moments, I could barely tear myself away. What kept you watching this year?

linguine with clams & mussels

I'm acutely aware that there are certain luxuries I can only enjoy at this point in my life. Take today, for example: I got up, took a shower, and then took a nap. I'm pretty sure that's not the morning routine of a woman who is married with children. However, it was fabulously relaxing, so I'll continue to enjoy Saturday mornings like this while I can.

spinach and orzo with gruyére

I have an addiction. Not one of those I-can't-live-without-it substance abuse kinds, but an I-want-to-and-there's-no-one-here-to-stop-me kind. So what indulgent behavior am I referring to? Sleeping -- on the floor.