This is it. We are moving this week. Come Thursday we will no longer be San Diegans…it’s off to the Bay Area we go! Nate will be doing a post-doc at Stanford and we’ll be starting a new life in Northern California. I am SUPER excited about all the great things to come and about living in the Bay Area. But I am definitely sad this week…about leaving San Diego, which is an amazing place to live, but more about leaving our dear friends. But, as one of those friends pointed out to me, if you weren’t sad when you left a place, THAT would be sad.

Yes, that’s my studly surfer husband coming in from a sunset surf. Seriously, how could anyone NOT want to live in San Diego?!?!

Since I am in the throes of packing, it’s pretty much impossible to cook. Here’s my “menu”.

MONDAY:
- Maybe eating at Lindsay’s depending on how the day goes

TUESDAY:
- Eat out

WEDNESDAY:
- Eat out

THURSDAY:
- Pizza, to feed the slaves, I mean friends, loading our truck – ordering from Regents Pizza, which is AWESOME by the way

FRIDAY:
- Unloading the truck…who knows?!?!

SATURDAY:
- Eat out?

SUNDAY:
- Eat out?

Geesh, this is worse than when I had a baby! Please post your menus for one another. I’m so grateful I have such amazingly supportive readers who always post menus. You guys rule.

To all my San Diego friends…we’re gonna miss you!

I’m sure you all have this week’s song on your iPods already, but that’s just because it’s awesome: Inaudible Melodies by Jack Johnson.

I drove to Phil’s BBQ last night and turned on Brushfire Fairytales for the ride. The very first chord of the very first song, Inaudible Melodies, immediately transports me back in time…back to our first years in San Diego, back when we were younger and MUCH cooler, back to days at the beach, back to those fun times before you have kids and can be a bit more spontaneous, back to when Nate surfed all the time, just back.

Fun story…Jack Johnson was playing at UCSD years ago and we had tickets. Nate went out for a surf that morning before the show and was late coming home. I, of course, was annoyed we were going to be late…Nate wasn’t worried because he knew Jack was going on later…how did he know this? Jack told him. Yup, he totally ran into him out on the water and talked with him between waves. Needless to say, I wasn’t so mad when I found out WHY Nate was late.

This is definitely the kind of music I need to listen to this week. First off, I have so many happy San Diego memories tied to those tunes. More importantly, it’s CALMING, which is what I need right now. “Slow down everyone your moving too fast.” That’s right, Jane – slow down & enjoy your last moments in this beautiful city.

For Easter we had asparagus as one of our side dishes. Lindsay sent me this link to a roasted asparagus recipe. I gave it a try and it was great, so time to share it with you!

Easy Roasted Asparagus

Since videos on YouTube don’t always stick around forever, here’s a quick run down of what to do. Super easy:
1. Spread your asparagus on a cookie sheet – a big enough tray that they aren’t crowded and touching too much.
2. Drizzle olive oil, salt & pepper (I used Onera seasoned salt and pepper)
3. Toss the asparagus with your hands to evenly coat.
4. Roast in 400 degree oven for 20 minutes (although, my asparagus were very skinny, so I only did 10 minutes…I don’t like overdone asparagus)

That’s it. Easy and yummy. I’ve been using Onera on asparagus for a long time and love it. I usually saute, but I think the asparagus seemed less oily when it was roasted and it was easier, so I’m roasting from now on. Thanks for the link, Lindsay!

I think it’s about time for a Fab Fave…or two…or three. I’ve been wanting to do a little plug for 3 sites that belong to 3 really great people in my life. Please visit them and enjoy!

The Rebuttal
So, my little bro is the web wiz kid in the family. He and his friends are always coming up with great company ideas, website ideas, salsa club ideas…you get the point, he’s full of ideas. One of his latest ventures is The Rebuttal, an online political cafe where bias is the name of the game. It’s new and they have big plans for the site…but it’s pretty darn good already…they already have bunches of smart, entertaining writers. If you like politics, or even if you don’t, this is a fun site to read.

Voices In My Head
My good friend (who shall be referred to here as Big Bahama Mama) writes this great little blog. It’s nothing fancy and it doesn’t need to be…it’s just her thoughts on her life. She’s a great writer and dang funny (one of the reasons I loved her so much in person). I’m happy that even though we live miles apart, I still get to enjoy her quick wit whenever I want. You’ll love her too.

A Place for Everything
My friend Linn is a professional organizer. Yup, there are such things as professional organizers and, yup, their kitchens are ALWAYS spotless, no matter when I happen to drop by. Linn knows what she’s doing, folks. If you want to get more organized, read her blog.

We just finished a WONDERFUL day. I won’t bore you with details, but it was perfect in so many ways and I feel abundantly blessed. Happy Easter!

I have dirty laundry to clean, empty boxes to fill, moving trucks to reserve, farewells to make to good, dear friends…cooking is honestly the last thing on my mind (let alone finding time for food shopping). I’m just planning on using up food in the freezer this week. I still can’t believe we’re moving. Wow.

MONDAY:
- Eating at our friends’ new home!

TUESDAY:
- Easter leftovers

WEDNESDAY:
- Chicken Cordon Bleu (in the freezer)
- Rice
- Salad

THURSDAY:
- Chicken Masala (simmer sauce from TJs, with garbanzo beans added)
- Rice

FRIDAY:
- Goodbye party thrown by friends

SATURDAY:
- Goodbye party with Book Club

SUNDAY:
- ????

Now PLEASE post some real menus.

For you San Diegans out there…while I have your ever so rapt attention – and since it’s my blog and I can do what I want – if you want a decent, used car, buy ours! Click here for info.

This week I’m feeling a little classical…so I’ll share my most favorite classical music CD. I don’t know why I love this album so much, I just do. It’s beautiful, I love Mozart and the music sounds, well, happy. Perfect for a spring day. Perhaps I’ll have it accompany our Easter dinner tomorrow…

Here it is: Mozart’s Violin Concertos Nos. 3 & 5, featuring Itzhak Perlman (violinist), James Levine (conductor) and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Click here or on the title of the album above to listen to and/or purchase the MP3s!

What a neglectful food blogger I’ve been! Easter is a mere 2 days away and I’ve barely breathed a word about it. And, to be honest, I still have no idea what we’re doing for our Easter menu on Sunday…that’s what the last minute is for, right?

Since I’m not providing any helpful information, I’ll guide you to my menu from last year (click!). And, if you haven’t already posted your Easter feast plans on this week’s Menu (which many of you have – thank you!), please leave a comment on this post telling us what you’ll be cooking and/or eating on Sunday! Again, I’m relying on YOU for the inspiration. And please share recipes if you have them!

Now, have a Cadbury Mini Egg on me!

Wait! I just remembered…I want to share a quick recipe with you. Reader Michelle posted this last year for Easter – SUPER EASY, SUPER DELISH. There, I feel like I’ve done my job.

CREAMY HOLIDAY POTATOES
From TWFD reader Michelle
If you are looking for a yummy potato recipe, we have one we use for holidays that is divine. Buy frozen, shredded hash brown potatoes, put a layer in a baking dish, sprinkle salt over the potatoes, continue layering potatoes and salt until dish is 3/4 full. Pour heavy cream over all until potatoes are not quite covered. Bake at about 300 degrees for several hours until done. They will be golden brown and a little crunchy on top but creamy and yummy under the crust. If you are using a dish the size of a 9 x 13 cake pan, you will use about 3 cups of cream.

Nate is officially Dr. Maynard. Woo-hoo! Congratulations, Nate!

Monday and Tuesday were a blast with all the defending and celebrating going on. Sadly I am now sick. I’m starting to feel better and wanted you to know I have some posts planned…but today just needs to be a sick day.

But who am I kidding? Food is NOTHING the week your husband gets his PhD.

I usually go crazy on St. Patrick’s Day…all of our food is green…green french fries, green salad, green fruit dip, green mashed potatoes, green rice krispie treats, green punch…you name it, I’ve turned it green…although, I’ve yet to figure out green corned beef!

This year, however, St. Patrick’s Day is also graduation! Tomorrow, Nate will have the luck o’ the Irish on his side as he defends his PhD Thesis, “Allele-specific Gene Regulation in Humans.” What? I’m sure it will be fascinating and I am so excited for him! We’re going to have a little dessert party tomorrow night with friends…where I’ll pull out the green desserts, of course. Go Nate!

I can’t even think about menus right now. Which is why this week’s menu is LAME. I need to start packing since we’re moving so soon…maybe I should pack my kitchen first so I CAN’T cook. Last night, Nate was saying that me having a food blog is like him (the scientist) having a painting blog. Ha ha ha ha…

MONDAY:
- Going out to a restaurant to celebrate!

TUESDAY:
- Lentil Soup (click on the link and scroll almost to the bottom…a delicious and easy recipe)

WEDNESDAY:
- Leftovers (which means, more soup.)

THURSDAY:
- Pizza

FRIDAY:
- Pasta

SATURDAY:
- Eat out

SUNDAY:
- Easter Sunday…I’ll post the Easter dinner menu later this week!

PLEASE share menus the next few weeks. I need you to inspire each other since I’m a loser.

Okay, one more time…Go Nate!!

First off, I didn’t realize how powerful my word is…after I made Hallelujah the Song of the Week, it became the #1 downloaded song on iTunes. Wow. I’m amazing. Okay, maybe American Idol is the reason it hit #1, but maybe not…

This week’s Song of the Week is actually a whole album because I just can’t settle on one song! If you haven’t listened to ‘The Last Kiss’ movie soundtrack, you should! I’ve had it for quite a while and, for some reason, have only shared it with Nate in the last few weeks. He likes it just as much as I do. It’s gotten me through many a night slaving away in the kitchen. And, yes, Zach Braff is on the cover of the album, just like last week. The dude has good taste in music, what can I say?

I WILL tell you which songs I especially like on the album.

MOST favorite songs:
Warning Sign by Coldplay (which appeared previously as a Song of the Week and is my most favorite Coldplay song)
Paper Bag by Fiona Apple (which I loved before I got this soundtrack)
Paperweight by Joshua Radin & Schuyler Fisk (this song is BEAUTIFUL…albeit a bit “romantic,” if you catch my drift…)

Second most favorite songs:
Chocolate by Snow Patrol
Hold You In My Arms by Ray LaMontagne
Star Mile by Joshua Radin

Nate’s favorite song on the album:
Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk by Rufus Wainwright

I honestly like every song on the album, however. You should listen to them all! (Click here and scroll down a bit on the page to preview all the songs.)

Quick note: For some reason you can only buy this soundtrack on CD through Amazon, not as an MP3. SO…if you want to get the whole album in MP3 format in one fell swoop, you’ll have to go to iTunes. However, all of the songs listed above (except Paperweight) WILL link to individual MP3s on Amazon.

Quick note #2: I haven’t actually seen this movie, so if you decide to watch it because of this post and it stinks, it’s not my fault.

Now – GO LISTEN! These songs are great.