7 Quick Takes Friday

1.

I love the album One Quiet Night by Pat Metheny.  I was a nanny for a summer sometime in college, and the family had this CD, and that summer I think I played the CD every day.  When I went back to school, I bought it, and ever since, it is has been the most reliable way I know of to go to my happy place.

2.

I can't believe that this is the last weekend of summer!  Next weekend is Labor Day, college football starts, and even the last hold-out school districts will be back in session.  The days are getting markedly shorter, and there are already apples at the farmer's market.  I'm holding out until it's actually September for those, though.  I'm still plowing through a few pounds of peaches every week.

3.

Sliced tomatoes are an unbelievably delicious meal right now.  By themselves, they are pretty much enough.  With a little fresh mozzarella and a drizzle of olive oil, or roasted and tossed with heirloom beans and pancetta for a salad, they are out of this world.

4.

What are you doing for back-to-school?  For me, September is a more compelling time to make resolutions than January.  Maybe it's because my birthday is January 2, so any resolutions I make about eating better are instantly foiled by birthday cake.  Or maybe it's because I always loved going back to school.  Brand-new shiny notebooks, freshly sharpened Ticonderoga pencils (what, don't you have a favorite brand of wooden pencil?), new books filled with exciting new things to learn.  Now that I'm out of school, I still try to give myself self-improvement or learning projects.  I'm trying to figure out what I will do to send myself "back to school" this fall.  What about you?

5.

I just want to tell you about these muffins again.  You should really make them before all the millions of zucchini are gone from gardens and markets.  I took one from the freezer this morning for my breakfast, and it was even better than I remembered it.  Make them.  You have a whole weekend to do this for yourself, and you deserve it.

6.

Tonight, I'm not cooking.  Instead, we are heading to our friends' house to take care of their baby boy while they have a date night.  We're going to order Thai food and watch the Kenneth Branagh version of Hamlet.   Well, maybe not the entire thing.  But we will start it.

7.

Coppertop Guy's birthday is next week, and in order to celebrate, I will be cooking seven of his favorite dinners... in a row, starting tomorrow night!  There will be a lot of meat.  There will be pizza and burgers and cheesecake.  It will be well-documented, and you will want to be here.  So I hope you'll come back over the next seven days and celebrate with us!  We are sending this summer out with a bang.

Have a fantastic weekend, and head over to Jen's for more quick takes!