I think I'm brilliant

These are the kind of meals my husband cooks. Wanna come over some time? Thomas spoiled Pauline and me with a roasted rack of lamb dinner with bright green wilted spinach and mashed blue potatoes. Meals that look like this happen pretty often which means I am either very spoiled by this man or incredibly brilliant for choosing him to cook my dinners for me.

My dog

Hi. Hello. I'm Henry and I love you.

Idle and indolent

Ha! Hardly. My mother-in-law has been visiting us for the last two weeks and while I'd like to be able to groan about how she lays around all day and I have to feed her chocolates and caraway seeds and bring her endless cups of coffee, that just isn't the case. Pauline has been churning through project after project around our house. The biggest one was these new curtains. We bought them at IKEA in the fall and never took the time to hang them, and now I know why. It took her two whole days. But they look amazing. I absolutely love them. Thank you, Mummy!

Grilled to greatness

Being in California, avocados are available nearly all year round. But they can be a real challenge. Sometimes they're too hard to eat and then you put them in a brown bag to ripen and promptly forget about them. At least that's what I do. Often. Then I remember them and they've passed their prime.

But now I have the solution... Grill them! Well, marinate them then grill them to perfection. They turn bright neon green and taste spectacular.

Grilled Avocados
4 firm avocados, halved and pits removed
1/2 c olive oil
1/4 c lemon juice
1 tsp red pepper flakes
3 cloves garlic, crushed

In a large bowl, combine avocado halves with remaining ingredients. Cover bowl with cling wrap and let rest at room temperature for at least 1 hour.

Heat grill or grill pan on medium heat. Place avocado halves flesh side down onto grill and cook for 6-8 minutes or until avocados feel soft.

Remove avocado halves to a plate and allow to cool for a minute or two. Scoop flesh from skin and serve as a side dish or on a fresh salad.

Enjoy!

Daily dog

We had some leftover pasta from last night's dinner so we decided to feed it to the dogs. Lola was adorable while trying to catch the squiggles in her mouth and sit still all at the same time. Henry on the other hand just looks like something out of a horror movie!*

*No fingers were lost in the making of these photographs.