Don't Forget the Brownies!

She'd come all this way. Alone. I couldn't possibly let her leave without baking for her at least once!

I don't count waffles with mixed berry compote and whipped cream in my baking. That's "just" breakfast. Bwahahahahaaaaa!

Val is about to leave us all alone again, after we spent the last several nights staying up waaaay too late talkin' smack and bein' silly; went gaming with the gang (Three of my tallest girlfriends in the room together at the same time - intimidating!); watched Batman Begins and then went out to see The Dark Knight; grabbed some tea at my favorite tea shop; strolled through my insane garden; cooked up zucchini, crookneck squash, green beans and finally...finally!...a caprese salad.

Caprese salad at last! Caspian Pink and Persimmon tomatoes with fresh basil (All three straight from my garden.), buffalo milk mozzarella, a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, a sprinkle of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

We even went out to the farm and did a modicum of work after the rain stopped. Lots and lots of rain.

Apparently she brought Kansas weather with her when she came. Two and a half straight days of rain. Temperatures that went from 90 degrees on Monday all the way down to the 60s. Incredible!

Obviously, there had to be brownies in there somewhere!

All we were missing was some vanilla ice cream. We made do with whipped cream instead.

It's always hard to say goodbye, so I'm trying not to. Brownies are my last ditch effort to convince her to stay. For that matter, the entire week was one long food-laced bribe: "Move baaaaack to Colorado!"

You know she wants to.

Doesn't look like she wants to return to Kansas to me!

There are brownies, after all.

And me!