September has arrived - that in-between month. There is still that residual warmth from summer but also the breezes have a new chill that reminds you of something else to come.  But today is lovely, and tomorrow it will be 88. Time still left to enjoy the warmth of summer if you missed it.

 

Labor Day was most welcomed and pleasant.  I did make that all American potato salad and must admit I enjoyed it very much.  Which leads me to ......how many of you know what a cornichon is?  The recipe called for 4 or 5 cornichons diced for the salad!  It's French for marinated baby Gerkin cucumbers!  Wouldn't it have been easier to have ust said pickles?  Anyway, I went with Martha Stewart's recipe and was very pleased with it. I typically don't add hard boiled eggs or dried mustard to my salads but it gave it a nice little zing. I had the last of it with the last of the London Broil yesterday and as I was eating the salad, started thinking about the changes in cooking over the years. Today foods seem to be bolder in presentation and taste.  Things are diced much larger and spices much more pronounced so that you are tasting things in a different way. 

 

When I was an adolescent (high school and college student,) I helped my mother who was an independent caterer.  Everything was finely diced or chopped so that you could taste it but not identify it.  It didn't matter whether it was a sit down dinner, a buffet supper or  hors d'oeuvres and party sandwiches, they were always highly complimented affairs. Anyway, I learned to make good gravies while working for her. I wouldn't think of making a leg-of-lamb, roast chicken, prime ribs, the dinner would be a failure if it didn't have a great gravy. And yet today, many things are prepared without thought to gravy. Everything is seasoning and olive oil. Good, but different than what I learned early on.

 

I spent sometime working on my iris bed.  They need to be thinned and it is just too warm and dry to start shifting them around. But we repositioned some of the larger rocks and I ordered just a few new ones so that I'll keep cycle going to add new ones each year.  So I'll have to plan a few more days working on them when it is cooler and we've gotten some rain.

 

I've started a new book which I suggest that if anyone has the time......please read it. "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson. A truly great book.  Please ad it to your reading list.

 

Well.....do enjoy your day.  Blessing from the northeast.  Bittersweet