I came in here to say that I made the best potatoes ever tonight. It's not bragging. It's just facts. Potato sliced thin and layered with salt and pepper, a little xsharp cheddar, a little shredded pecorino, a good bit of herbed goat cheese, fresh tarragon, white wine & cream. baked for about an hour.

Seriously good.

mmm, that does sound decadent and delicious, lisah.

I can't believe I'm considering buying bacon salt just so I can try it on popcorn.

All your Daisy Jane will belong to me as of Sunday! Woot! We're having our own F2F.

Dana, that meal sounds fabulous. It makes me wish my father could cook for me this weekend. It's not the same if you cook it yourself.

hazelnut gelato.

Nocciola gelato has to be the MOST PERFECT GELATO KNOWN TO MAN. All other gelatos bow down before it. I have been known to run over little children in pursuit of a brioche filled with hazelnutty goodness.

In England I used to be addicted to the cornetto

That was my ice cream novelty of choice as a child in Italy. I'd beg my Zio Mimi for a thousand lire to go down to the bar next to his house and buy one. Then I'd eat it while watching the regulars play briscola or scopa (card games played with Neopolitan cards).

Prior to last year, I probably hadn't had one in a good ten years. Somehow it wasn't the same. I had to pay for it myself, in euro, and there were no grumpy but benevolent old men throwing cards down on the table and occasionally knocking over a wine glass in their enthusiasm.

sara, all I have to say about your maintenance folks probably can't be repeated in polite company. I hope today ended better than it began.

meetings after 5 on Fridays is just wrong.

Wronger than Shrub being elected president-for-life. But at least you didn't get email at 11:30 pm from your boss. I hadn't silenced the BlackBerry so I felt compelled to respond.

Perkins, I'm sorry Friday's done you wrong. That should be outlawed.

Potato sliced thin and layered with salt and pepper, a little xsharp cheddar, a little shredded pecorino, a good bit of herbed goat cheese, fresh tarragon, white wine & cream. baked for about an hour.

Yum. Not your run of the mill au gratin potatoes. Beats the hell out of the BLT I had for dinner tonight.

Oh, and YAY! for your gentleman friend. I'm glad there's fireworks. (I actually think we were in Chicago at the same time last week. I had no gentleman friend however. DH would probably object.)

Potato sliced thin and layered with salt and pepper, a little xsharp cheddar, a little shredded pecorino, a good bit of herbed goat cheese, fresh tarragon, white wine & cream. baked for about an hour.

Oooooh. Lisa, you know Seattle is REALLY PRETTY in the summer. In fact, rumor has it that we don't even need air conditioning. (I don't know if that's true, but we certainly haven't YET!).

You should come visit and cook me things. And I will make you cupcakes. And the GILF and I will dance for you, and you can smack her for me. And then we can look at all the pretty things in Seattle, and play with Jilli and Plei, and I'm sure there's good music here or something, and go sing karaoke (I know a great karaoke bar!) and and and....c'mon!!!!

[EDIT: Um, I'm hungry right now. And, uh...ChicagoBob can come too!!!]

lisah, I want procedural details about those potatoes.

Prior to last year, I probably hadn't had one in a good ten years. Somehow it wasn't the same. I had to pay for it myself, in euro, and there were no grumpy but benevolent old men throwing cards down on the table and occasionally knocking over a wine glass in their enthusiasm.

When I was in Kenya a few years ago they had DIY cornettos. I chalked them up to better than nothing, considering a lack longer than a decade.

Man, that sleeping thing had been going *so* well. I'm trying not to be pessimistic about the ER tomorrow.

When I was in Kenya a few years ago they had DIY cornettos. I chalked them up to better than nothing, considering a lack longer than a decade.

t ponders heading out for a cornetto

scopa

Now there's a memory! I learned to play scopa on a field project in Sicily in 1994. I was assured it was a Sicilian game, though!

Nocciola gelato has to be the MOST PERFECT GELATO KNOWN TO MAN.

I agree. I double-checked with them when my dessert arrived to make sure they hadn't accidentally given me the coffee caramel gelato.

Nocciola gelato has to be the MOST PERFECT GELATO KNOWN TO MAN.

yes. there was this little gelato place in the Piazza San Marco in Italy that was amazing. We were there twice a day. I would always get a scoop of thhe nocciola and something else.

I discovered Edy's Lemonade popsicles this month, so I can comfort myself when you all start discussing gelato.