Swimsuit Nirvana?

My SI swimsuit model days are over -- oh, who am I kidding, I never did swim in that gene pool!

And this former bikini devotee (a tan bod and a white belly -- oh, the horror!) finally popped out a couple of bundles, so, short of starvation and vino prohibition, my belly will probably never be bikini worthy again.

Tankinis are now my bathing best friend! A reasonable compromise between itsy-bitsy and suits with skirts.

I had no plans to add to my swimsuit collection this summer, then I put on two of my older suits and discovered the girls just weren't getting the support they deserved.

So onto Athleta and Title Nine I ventured to check out this year's crop of "bra sized" suits.

I discovered these bathing beauties a few years ago and was hooked from my very first purchase. Finally a suit that fits my no-longer teenage figure! Suits for sporty gals sportin' C to DD cup fillers! Sure, the suits are a bit pricey, but they last! I have one Athleta suit that's entering it third season of serious use and it still looks brand new! And sometimes you can make a good sale score.

This year's purchase was from Athleta's Bolsa Chica Swim Series.

I must admit, I wasn't head-over when I tried this suit on at home, but the "like" was sufficient to make it a keeper.

Then I hit our little beach club at the lake a couple days ago and, well, like turned to LOVE when three fellow Moms offered up unsolicited compliments and "where'd you get it" queries.

Is this the suit!? The suit that's cute factor is sufficiently high to overshadow my "wobbly bits" (as Miss Bridget Jones called them)?

Hallelujah! I've been saved! 

Shit! Publishing this post means the handsome husband will know I've been shopping, again! Oh well, I feel it's my duty to share my new love with my beach-goin' buxom sisters!

Cheesy Dreamin'

This story begins many years ago, while I was living in of all places, Stamford, Connecticut.

You see, Stamford is where I first discovered the pleasure of truly "fresh" mozzarella.

It was a tiny, dark, hole-in-the-wall Italian deli that actually made glorious, glistening orbs right in their back room. It was a quirky little place (à la the Soup Nazi) -- come too early in the morning and the mozzarella might not be ready, come too late and it would probably all be gone. You could get a one or two pound ball, salted or unsalted.

This mozzarella was like nothing my recently-transplanted California taste buds had ever experienced - creamy, sweet, a little salty, it was so fresh you could barely call it cheese. 

A thick white slice perched on my finger tips, the salty brine running down my palm, a sprinkle of kosher salt -- OMG! Heaven!

The deli also carried an amazing over-sized, doughnut-shaped "pizza" bread from NYC's Arthur Avenue that had just the right texture and density to hold up to what became one of my very favorite summer treats -- pile fresh-that-day mozzarella, sun-ripened summer tomatoes, a liberal sprinkling of kosher salt, just picked basil leaves, and a drizzle of EVOO around the bottom half of the pizza bread loaf. Replace the top, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and let it sit in the fridge for an hour or so. The bread soaks up the cheese & tomato juices and EVOO, but remains firm enough to slice into lovely wedges for serving. 

Since arriving in the Boston area, I've been searching for a nearby maker of mozzarella, confident this would not be a major challenge in an area rich with Italian heritage. I queried fellow foodies and was directed to multiple gourmet food purveyors, but, alas, none have been able to fulfill my need -- if their white balls of cheese were made somewhere else it's not the cheese I seek.

I do live less than 20 miles from Boston's famous North End and it's amazing dining, delis and bakeries, but its parking challenges make it an unreasonable option for routine mozzarella acquisition.

While doing a little research today, I did discover Fiore Di Nonno ("my grandfather's flower") in Somerville, where Lourdes Smith continues the cheese-making tradition her great-grandfather brought with him when he immigrated from Italy back in 1908. (I'm thinking I've found another destination to add to my culinary crusades list!)

I love this photo of Lourdes Smith's grandfather's cheese shop in Hoboken!
Can't wait to sample her cheeses!

With summer officially arriving at 7:28am yesterday (I can't help wondering how "they" determine the time so precisely, maybe someday I'll have time to kill and will surf about to find out) my need for truly fresh mozzarella hit fever pitch.

My basil is growing to an impressive size, and soon the famer's market stalls will be full of a kaleidoscope of tomatoes -- and, in my most humble opinion, these gifts of summer deserve only the very best partners -- high-quality EVOO, a dense, chewy & flavorful loaf of rustic bread and the very freshest mozzarella.

My latest obsession, my holy grail, my new kitchen challenge -- making my own mozzarella!

I know, it sounds crazy, but the other day, when I found myself with 40 minutes to kill (What?! I almost didn't know what to do with myself!) I chose to squander the time sipping an afternoon latte and googling "mozzarella" on my iPhone. I was stunned to discover that making mozzarella at home is totally possible! Who woulda thunk!

I've read several blogs, downloaded several recipes, watched a few videos on YouTube, researched cheese making books on Amazon.com and requested what look like good potential resources from the library (no need to invest in books 'til I know how this quest will turn out).

 

A little more reading, some supply requisition, and I should be ready to commence "Operation Mozzarell". I'll keep y'all posted on my progress!

So does anyone else have a hair-brained scheme they're undertaking this summer? Please do share with the class!

P.S. I just noticed the Fortuitous Housewife has "13" followers. Now I'm no triskaidekaphobic (that's the HH's issue) but "13" certainly ain't fortuitous, so please, somebody become a "groupie" quick!

Fly Away...

This morning we dropped off kindergartners, this afternoon out flew our 1st Graders, wings and all!

There were hugs for beloved teachers, play date promises, and even a few tears.

What a mad mix of sweet sadness & excitement -- for kids & parents. 

Now let the summer games begin!

Calgon, take me away!

There have been last soccer games (in the rain at 8am!)...

 

And last Little League games (on a damp, dreary & cold evening!)...

There are yearbooks and class scrapbooks to assemble, teacher gifts to buy and collections to contribute to, and a calendar-clogging list of school pageants, plays and picnics to attend.

This end-of-the-school year flurry has got me thinking of an iconic poster...

Hang in there, Baby

Yep, that's right gang, the very summer vacation I was recently fretting over, is now the thing I am longing for! 

How nice it will be to have a few consecutive mornings to let everyone sleep as late as they want, then laze around watching a movie or playing Wii...wasting time and not caring! 

No rushing to get out the door...no pleading, no begging, no yelling before I've finished my first cup of coffee!

Oh, who am I kidding! 

The past two weeks I have been waking two very sleepy little men at the last possible moment, then rush around the house and out the door and through the streets of our idyllic 'burb like a maniac, trying to get everyone to their appointed destination somewhere close to "on time", but I am quite certain, come Monday morning, they'll both wake before the sun or Mommy have risen and proceed to squabble (at a migraine-inducing pitch) over what show to watch, which Wii game to play, or whose Bionicle is cooler. 

It's Murphy's Law of Motherhood!

So what are your plans for the first week of unscheduled summertime? Shipping the kids off to camp? Getting away on a family vacation? ("family vacation"...there's a concept to contemplate in a future post!) Running away under the cover of night while the family is sleeping?

My plan...a second cup o' Java and hanging in my jammies 'til lunchtime, or at least until the boys start dismantling the refrigerator.

National Doughnut Day!!

Fortuitous Housewife has a confession...

My very, very, very favorite treat is a perfectly fried, fluffy & sweet honey-glazed doughnut! Plain & simple perfection! No chocolate frosting, no sprinkles -- I am a doughnut purist!

Yep, that's right, a plain ol' raised-glazed is my idea of treat nirvana! Give me a Diet Pepsi (yes, I know, it's a tad contradictory) and I am one happy gal!

My favorite doughnut -- the classic Krispy Kreme. Hot off the conveyor belt...it just don't get any better!

I'll never forget the morning I introduced the Handsome Husband to my big culinary secret. He was reluctant to stand in the lengthy Saturday morning line, but I would not be swayed. 

"What's the big deal, it's just a doughnut?"

Then a KK staffer came around with a tray of samples, and the HH was duly impressed when she handed him a whole, warm doughnut, not just a bite. 

He was stunned when I ordered three dozen, reminding me "there are only two of us". When I had consumed three doughnuts before we had even pulled out of the parking lot he began to understand the depth of my obsession.

Years later, during my preggers days, living in upstate New York, there was a KK shop conveniently located a mere 5 minutes off my route to the OB. The angels of gestation where looking for me!

There was a time when the 5-hour trek between my home and my college roommate's home was highlighted by the mid-journey KK shop. I'll never forget the day she arrived at my house with four dozen doughnuts, a bag of groceries and a recipe for Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding!  Heaven in a pan! Though a syringe of insulin should be the garnish on that dessert plate.

Now days the nearest KK shop is 70 miles away...pout!

Recently, thanks to a dear friend that knows of my secret love, I arrived home to find a white bakery box sitting on my back doorstep. The imprint on the box...Anna's Hand Cut Doughnuts. The doughnuts inside -- raised sugar, powdered sugar cake, cinnamon-sugar cake -- were all wonderful. She later apologized for the three missing doughnuts (she couldn't resist) and the lack of plain glazed (they were already out by the time she got there that day). I told her not to worry, it gives me an excuse to drive on over to their West Roxbury location to check Anna's out for myself.

Maybe I'll run over tomorrow AM and pick up a dozen glazed to throw on the grill this weekend. I recently got the idea from a post on Rodale.com 7 Strange but Delicious Grilling Ideas and am now determined to give this a try.

And thanks to Boston.com, it looks like my doughnut obsession will have plenty of fuel -- Boston's best independent doughnut shops. Is it wrong to plan family field trips around doughnut shop locations?

So what's your favorite doughnut?

 

Monet Moments in the 'burbs

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"I love this time of year, when there are Monet moments 

on a simple walk home from school."

Fresh & Funky Toes for Summer!

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"Freshly lacquered toenails, one of my FAV little indulgences.
Lovin' the silvery lavender shade!"