Recharging my Batteries

Life has been very crazy in the Whisks & Needles household. Knitting has been done, torn out, redone, blocked and there are projects in all stages of un-finish. I have been spending record time in the kitchen, trying to tweak and pefect recipes, feed Psycling and myself, and make sure the grad students at Georgia Tech have their weekly goody tray. With all this, keeping up with a puppy in heat, doing the regular "real job," I guess it's not surprising that I feel like I am always on the go, and never really have the time to rest and recharge.

This evening, after spending all day in the kitchen (literally, all day...I started baking around 9, and didn't finish til after 5), the last thing I wanted to do was cook dinner. So I called my dad and told him that if he could supply dinner, we'd supply dessert (the fruits of my all-day baking). He agreed, and a couple of hours later, my dad and brother were over, along with Moe, my brother's dog, and there was pasta cooking on the stove and salmon fillets going on the grill. As we sat down to dinner, I felt compelled to take pictures. Not necessarily because everything was plated to gourmet presentation standards, or because it was an unusual or complex meal. But because sitting down to a home cooked meal with my family reminded me of what is really important.



We had sliced heirloom tomatoes drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and sprinkled with fresh ground salt and pepper. Dad picked up a roastd garlic ciabatta bread from the store, which we dipped in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and grated parmesan. We had a pasta salad with grilled salmon and fresh basil tossed with a lemon vinaigrette. And we enjoyed all of this with a nice crisp Pino Grigio that went very well with the salmon and pasta. It was a wonderful meal shared with loved ones, laughing, telling stories and jokes, and generally enjoying each other's company. Even Moe got in on the action! I realized as I enjoyed this homecooked meal that it was exactly what I needed to help recharge my batteries and rejuvenate me. Though still exhausted and ready to collapse at bedtime, I was content. I felt more centered than I have in a while. I felt ready to close the weekend and head into a new week. And really, what better way is there to end a weekend than to share it with the people (and dogs) most important to you?