Weekend Shenanigans

This was the last weekend of the boys’ spring break and jam-packed with fun (more for the adults than the kids this time around!). On Friday night, I joined my delightful friend Maggie for an amazing dinner at the Art Museum for their Art at the Table event with Dee Ryan from Sauce Magazine. I was delighted to meet Dee and her humble gratitude for being asked to host the event — seeing women rise up and accomplish in St. Louis (especially in the food scene which is primarily male-dominated) is truly something special and I was touched by her experience. Also, the food was amazing (the grilled asparagus with frisee and toasted pistachios with a champagne hollandaise sauce was my favorite of the dishes) and I got to spend the whole evening chatting with Maggie. Wandering around the Art Museum at nighttime was wonderful, and I promised myself to come back during the slow daytime hours to spend some more time taking it all in. I’m kicking myself for not having spent an entire morning there in all the years we’ve lived in St. Louis!

And though I didn’t take any pictures of the kids this weekend (sometimes it’s better to just leave the camera out of it), we did enjoy some cozy time indoors as the weather was very chilly again. It even snowed early Sunday morning! Here, one good March recipe if you’re in the thick of the last throes of winter: 

Gougères

• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 8 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 cup flour
• 4 eggs (at room temperature)
• 1 cup Gruyère cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 425. In medium-sized saucepan, bring milk, water, butter, and salt to a boil over high heat. Add flour all at once and stir rapidly until dough forms. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring dough constantly with a wooden spoon until slightly dried, about 2 minutes. Transfer to mixing bowl and beat in one egg at a time, incorporating each before adding the next, and until dough is smooth. Stir in cheese.

Drop large tablespoons full of dough onto parchment-lined (or use a silpat) baking sheet. Place in oven and immediately reduce heat to 375. Cook for 15 minutes, then switch top and bottom racks for even cooking. Cook for an additional 15 minutes and remove from oven when tops are golden brown. Best eaten right out of the oven, even better when paired with a delicious white bean, spinach, roasted chicken soup for lunch!

Saturday night we got a babysitter and went out with our neighbor friends (all 8 of us!) to Pin-up Bowl on the Loop, where we bowled and laughed and drank too much and stumbled home to one of the neighbor’s houses to round out the evening with more laughter and shenanigans. Walking, not driving, was a necessity, ha ha! There may have also been mass consumption of Cheez It’s, too many emotional toasts with champagne, and a very slow Sunday morning. A good way to finish off spring break! 

The snow is gone already, and I look forward to a week of writing, gardening (going to get those lettuce and kale seeds in the ground!), reading, ballet, plenty of laundry, and some exploring around St. Louis this Tuesday, as the weather is supposed to be beautiful. Have a wonderful Monday. I hope your day is full of sunshine!