The Hungry Dog returns

Well, sort of.

I've been missing you guys, and though I wouldn't presume that you have been missing me, or wondering what I've been up to, I thought I might dip a toe back in the blog water. All of a sudden, summer is over, Halloween candy is in stores, and Thanksgiving plans are being made. Guess I missed a whole season.

I've been doing things, though. Like for one thing, I started taking a painting class. I've been enjoying it, in spite of being very poor at it. I think I've discovered one of the cool things about getting older: I don't mind if I'm not good at something. I used to feel bad if I wasn't good at something I attempted, but I don't feel that way about painting, even though I carry the baggage of being the daughter of a painter. It is enough that trying to paint gives me the sensation I was craving--the feeling of pushing everything else out of my mind, which is otherwise crazy 24-7.

This made me realize that it was OK if I was terrible at it, as long as I found it fun. Fortunately, I'm good at other stuff, things that I also enjoy, as well as some things that make money. You don't have to excel in every department.

In addition to my art class, we've done some other groovy things this summer, such as attending the Giants' Dog Days game.

Soph enjoyed that, not only because it was a good old fashioned fun day, but because it gave her a break from a certain ankle biter named Emma we've been spending time with. Emma is our friends' new puppy. She is stupid-cute and completely obsessed with Soph. "Ankle biter" is literal in this case.

Poor Soph, I don't think she misses having puppies!

There's been plenty of food stuff, too. For example, we've been digging this place and have spent way too much on casual but decadent lunches there in the last few weeks. I mean, wine on tap...? How can I not love it?  But, we've also had some thrifty backyard picnics.

In case you're missing a caption, that's a tomato and arugula salad; leftover fried chicken from Wayfare Tavern (eaten cold, natch!); Hawaiian mac salad in the tupperware; and a good basic chianti.

And, I've been making crostatas, like I always do. This one was with nectarines.

 And this fig and almond cake.

 And today, I got some kiwi berries in our CSA box. Here they are in a tiny colander!

They are the size of kumquats and taste like a hybrid of kiwis and blueberries. I can't decide what to do with them.

We also bought a grill, which has revolutionized my cooking. For one thing: fewer dishes! For another: the husband mans the grill! We've been grilling maniacs: grilled chicken, grilled steak, grilled pork tenderloin, grilled vegetables. But I don't have any photographic evidence. You'll have to trust me.

And finally, we are on the verge of our Paris trip. PARIS! Man, I love that place. And, I'm in desperate need of a vacation. Who isn't, I guess. But being self-employed makes me want a vacation in a different way than I used to. While I don't have a routine or a grind to get away from, I am also never fully detached from my work, unless I am out of the country. So, with it being one year since we went to Italy, I'm bouncing off the walls a bit.

I regret to say that my French remains as awful as it was the last time we went in 2011, despite my braggy claims right after that trip that I would be conversational by the time we returned. C'est dommage, non? Two and half years go quickly when you're sitting around doing nothing.

So, have a lovely few weeks, my friends. Be good.

Time out

 

Trying to decide the future of this blog and I think it requires a little break.  My interest in blogging has changed (and ebbed and flowed) a good deal since I started The Hungry Dog in 2009 and I'm not sure this is where my creative interests lie anymore. Maybe I just need some time out and I will return, refreshed and inspired. In any case, thanks for reading all this time. Those of you who have read -- and especially those of you who have commented--have made this blog a lot of fun, and, at times, very rewarding. Happy summers to you all! I'll see you when I see you.

The Hungry Dog gets a summer

While I remain largely afraid of pie crust, I've developed a certain level of comfort with the free-form tart, whose beauty lies in its rustic appearance. "Rustic" is also sometimes used as a synonym (in my house) for "patchy," ""shaggy," or "sloppy," but that's a little bit the point, isn't it?

Whenever I tell the husband I'm going to make a crostata, I'm guaranteed an enthusiastic response.  I think it might be his favorite type of dessert, although he's rather fond of crisps and crumbles, and I'm fairly sure nothing can beat a really good chocolate chip cookie. But in the moment--and that's all there is when it comes to dessert--the crostata (or galette, if you're feeling Frenchie) reigns supreme.

Speaking of French...we'll be headed to Paris this fall, the sequel to our 2011 trip in which we wondered what the hell we'd been doing all our lives, lollygagging around the US of A while a place like Paris existed. I mean, come ON. Paris is the best place on earth--with the possible exception of Kauai.

Anyway, we're heading to Paris, where we will once again unleash some abominable French on unsuspecting locals while eating as much bread and cheese as is acceptable without being asked to leave. Oh, there might be some wine, too. We're also looking forward to returning to some of those lovely museums we enjoyed. But mostly, we plan to settle into our Marais apartment for 10 days and pretend to be Parisians.

Anyway, I digress. The purpose of this post is to share the crust recipe from which this fabled crostata earns its stellar reputation. Don't judge...but it's a Giada recipe. It would be much cooler if it were Dorie Greenspan's or Julia Child's, but what can I say: I've probably made this dough 30 times and it works like a charm every time. As for the filling, I just use whatever I have. All you have to do is add as much sugar as you want, maybe a squeeze of lemon, a dash of cinnamon or cardamom if you're feeling froggy, and you're golden.

Not long ago, I made the strawberry and blueberry tart in the photo above. That was popular, and it might be a nice idea for your 4th of July. More recently, I made it with apricots and raspberries.

This, too, received excellent reviews. I actually preferred it to the mixed berry version, but I'm partial to desserts that are a little on the tart side...especially when there's vanilla ice cream involved.

I expect lots of y'all are having some hot weather and for a change, so are we.  Last night we sat outside for dinner without jackets on! If you don't live in San Francisco, you may not understand how weird and rare this is.  (As a point of reference, earlier this week we were running the heat.) It's even projected to be hot through the weekend, which means people will put on shorts, get in the water at Crissy Field, and sunbathe in questionably appropriate swimwear at Dolores Park.

So, happy summer and happy 4th of July. I have to say, given some of the Supreme Court's decisions recently (though not all), I'm feeling moderately patriotic these days. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't move to France in a heartbeat.