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After a few months of looking, I bought a house! Assuming it passes all inspections tomorrow, I will close on 6/20. Ranch with fully finished basement and awesome sunroom and deck. Will be an adjustment to get used to a smaller place after so many years in huge places, but it will be a good place for this little old lady. Still in Kansas City area. Will be a couple of months before I move--still downsizing and packing, but I will start taking things over gradually. Excited to be entering this new chapter of life.

Closed on my house today. Now the work begins. Have various service people scheduled over the next week (electrician, plumber, carpet, Google Fiber) and then cleaning!! And after all that can begin to finally start moving things gradually. Will be a couple of months before I am completely out of this place, but may be able to start staying there before. At the closing this afternoon with my realtor. I'm the old one.

Well, here’s an interesting thing that happened. I was coming out of my building and saw the M14A bus starting to pull away from the stop. I waved and tried to hustle, but I am not very speedy, and the driver either didn’t see me or (more likely) ignored me. And then a teen on a bike got in front of the bus, forcing it to stop. I saw him point in my direction. This gave me the time I needed to reach the bus door - which I had to knock on, because the driver was still ignoring me. Once she opened the door and I got on, the teen rode off. “Was he holding you for me?” I asked. She said “Yeah, you got to be at the stop or I leave.” “I know,” I said, “but I was just coming out of the building.” “Then you wait for the next bus,” she said. “Or some nice kid buys me time,” I said, and then I walked quickly all the way to the back, because she was pretty pissed. TL;dr The kids are alright.

FWIW, I never don't pay - I feel as if it's my civic responsibility.

With the kid away at camp the spouse and I got to have one our first leisurely date night in over 11 years. Theater, followed by dinner and then a movie - because why the hell not? Normally, we do one thing and run home.

Not the best night of the year to let the oven braise short ribs for hours but they were very good, and damn did those carrots yield. I get one star just for that.

isn't that exactly what you'd say if there were dead bodies?

Sweet cheese and sour cherry babka. It's not the prettiest looking thing I've ever made.

Today in unexpected food behavior. I had some pizza dough in the freezer (made with sourdough discard), and I thought I'd make some flatbread out of it. I'd parbaked the stuff before, so I figured things would go according to plan. But no! It pita'd. No problem, squished it down, slapped some fava bean / lemon / mint / feta on there. Served with a side of balcony lettuce and homemade ranch. How green was my dinner.

I know. Same. And earlier the same day, the driver of a different bus I was on took some time to give detailed directions to a confused passenger, which annoyed me 'cause I was running late. But this is less about me delaying the bus and more about a good Samaritan kid.

The glory of a busy borscht.

Snap peas with balcony mint, lemon, walnuts and parm. Monkfish with balcony mushrooms and parsley. Those mushroom compost blocks are the gift that keeps on giving!

Marcella's Penne col Sugo di Funghi Coltivati. Okay, it's Penne with Mushroom Sauce, a dish I've been cooking ever since I bought the book it's in - which looks like 1987. The book is not in great shape; the recipes still are.

hubby and i visited a mexican supermarket in the mission i don’t remember the name, only that it was huge. supposedly there was a cvs or walgreens that was about to close, and the folks behind the supermarket took over the lease. they got a really great deal. anyway, we made a huge vat of pozole and some guacamole. the guac has lime, white onion, green onion, tomatillos, jalapeño, cilantro, salt, and some tabasco. it’s amazing and it’s going to be my go-to. and the pozole has ancho chilies, pork shoulder, hominy, garlic, onion, bay, cilantro, lime, and other good stuff. served with cabbage, lime, guajillo chile powder, radishes, onion, mexican oregano, and tortilla chips. and fruit salad for dessert. the recipes for both are from the nopalito cookbook.

Accept no substitutes! (Or at least call the drink something else).

Dad made 5 cheesecakes for the synagogue. I think he's sick of cheesecake now.

I have. Probably once every two weeks or so. Not always on the M14, but it’s not that uncommon.

And now for something completely disgusting.... https://ny.eater.com/new-york-restaurant-news/399924/ample-hills-ice-cream-chicken-burger-restaurant-ramblin-chicken-brooklyn

N got into a mood for strudel after our trip, so she used our homegrown apples and marionberries, plus frozen filo dough, to make some on Friday. For some reason, the strudel recipe on the filo box calls for a lot of breadcrumbs, more than I expected, so to me it's a little disappointing. She also used our blueberries (and homemade applesauce--the woman was really busy) to make Maida Heatter's blueberry-applesauce tea cake for a potluck/house party yesterday. The recipe makes 2 loaves, so we got to keep one for ourselves. Next up: I get to do some baking--a sour cherry chocolate torte for N's upcoming birthday.

I always pay, but my neighborhood has a rowdy band of senior citizens who never pay on their way home from the senior center. They hold the back door and board. Many times they’ve invited me to join them. I always thank them and refuse the offer.

I enjoyed the "free bus" pilot program the few times that I got to use it in southeastern Queens, especially on days when my journey would have been a double fare involving 3 buses. The ride was much faster and people were much nicer about giving up their "free seats" to the disabled and elderly. Also, it's not really free because taxes. It's also nice to feel like you're getting something you already pay for, at no additional charge. I do not believe that people who can benefit from free buses are the equivalent of dog shit, but your mileage may vary. The kids probably had school transit passes and many bus drivers prefer that they just go through the back door because it's faster, less annoying to the people in the front and the kids like sitting in the back, anyway

I wish I could cook coppa without Barry Manilow entering my head, but the coppa from Foster Sundry in Bushwick is so delicious. I am sure I pictured it up thread. A little tied half-pound roll, browned in the pan, then roasted for 25 minutes. A few carrot batons went in the pan. Juices finished with butter and wine. Followed by Bleu des Basques and fresh raspberries. One of those better than many restaurants meals.

Is it possible that Eater is getting worse? To whit (from their "Best Pizza"): First they write that a third location opened on the lower east side. Then they write a third location is on the upper west side. In the same paragraph. I guess what they don't really know is that the third location is, as Lucia's web site notes: On the fucking upper east side! Why I even bother to read this shit is beyond me.

Got ripped off big time by a taxi driver in Vienna, just going from the main train station to our hotel (which was not all that far from the station). Not thinking clearly or I would have seen the scam right away. (N didn't spot it either.)

Or to fear. Or to dread. Or to hide from.

Not the best night to stand over a stove, double cheeseburger from the bar around the corner, skilfully migrated to a low carb croissant.

My first lunchbox!

Just curious -- will you be changing your name on the board? "Maison Deux"? "Maison Nouveau"? Congrats! 🏡

Congratulations!!

Mazel Tov!

I finally sat down and binged "Chewing Gum" and "I May Destroy You". So well worth the time.

Billed as "One Last Orbit [Maybe?]"

The boy said the same exact thing.

Mission / Bowein has been one of the most inconsistent dining experiences for me. The highs have been very high…but other nights the same dishes would be drastically under-seasoned or inedibly over-salted, seemingly at random. During the Dimayuga era on East Broadway it seemed to be the most consistent. Curious about the latest iteration, though I think I’m more excited about the new Hakata Tonton next door.

Gemelli pasta with sausage and broccoli.

Coq au Vin. Mashed potatoes.

Last night's freezer-cleaning find was bacon cheese potato soup.

Despite it being a very rainy spring and struggling to get games it, plus it being quite cold and wet yesterday, the boy's baseball team played two games of baseball including a 19 -2 blowout in the final to win the West Side Little League's Majors title. Kid went 2 for 3 with a walk and scored 3 runs in the final and his last AB of the season was a scorcher through the middle. After a hockey game this morning, the spring sports season has concluded. Now we get a well deserved break until hockey camp.

We're not in jail, though, so that's something.

Just a wacky end to a very long day. Morning at the Schomburg Center to honor its 100 years, afternoon taking two hours to walk 16 blocks, something about no kings. Finally home and changed out of my drenched hoodie I decided I had won a beer. Stepped out of the building and heard a guy screaming something that sounded like "Freeze!" Oh, now I am in an NYPD shoot out? I peeked cautiously and the guy screaming was running flat out in pursuit of a cute little dog I assume had got off it's lead. "Someone grab the dog!" he shrieked. Maybe the dog's name sounded like "freeze." Well there's only me, so I crouched in front of the oncoming beast and although he avoided my grasp I slowed him enough that his owner caught him from behind. I went for my beer. Memorable New York day, may there be many more.

Curiously absent from this discussion is Bob Dylan (84) and still touring.

Bucatini with shrimp and homegrown summer squash in a light cream sauce with dill, parsley, and feta.

Stir-fry of pork, broccoli, carrots with Szechuan flavors. Can you use too much ginger?

Mayoral debate calls for pizza! And drinks! Beaucoup drinks.

Congrats. Looks like a lovely deck. And being in a ranch is a smart move.

One of my favorite barbecue restaurants anywhere is (re) opening in San Francisco, at fisherman's Wharf. https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/oakland-based-soul-food-staple-to-open-at-fishermans-wharf-in-sf/ Back in the day (let's see, I lived in the Bay Area from 1978 - 1994), when both the 49ers and Giants were playing at the dearly departed Candlestick Park (man, could it get cold in that place!), E & J on 3rd St. was often a stop after a game...warily. I believe that location closed after the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989, and on subsequent trips to San Francisco over the years, we'd always make sure to get to the Berkeley branch, which remains open and I'm sure remains delicious. Seems like there are a bunch of changes happening at the Wharf, as Alioto's (closed for the past 5 years) will finally be coming down, and that area will be made into a pedestrian plaza. You really can't go home again.

There is still a selection, if not full. At a family meal in honor of my wife, and her major research award from the Smithsonian (she snuck in with her astronomical work days before their mission was shifted from human knowledge to "american glory", and Lonnie Bunch, their Director who handed her the prize, was to be attacked by that great intellectual, Steven Cheung), I put out three generations of Vivace, and two each of Bloomsday and Dairyerre.

If it's the one in South Africa I'm thinking of, it's definitely real.

My mother had (and may still have) the Lee Su Jan cookbook! I think she got it after taking a cooking class.