A belief in generosity

Friday night I went out with the girls. I should say women because we are grown up, but when we get together we giggle like girls. We went to a student English association meeting that was supposed to start at 7, but they started the meeting at 8, which thoroughly annoyed me. By 8:30 I was done, even though the meeting wasn't, and grabbed my bag and my friends and left. We stopped at another bar and had a couple more drinks. We hadn't seen each other in about a month and in that time period so much had happened in our lives that there was barely time to catch up. It is so hard to coordinate schedules, but so important to do so because these ladies give me a boost up when I don't even realize I need it.

Saturday S went to go look at a boat. He and his boat partner are thinking of selling Nautibits and buying a bigger boat. He wants me to go look at it to make sure that I like it, but I don't need to because it has a working toilet and that is all I need! Luckily when he got home we did some talking and it amazes me the capacity we have to love each other and hurt each other. Saturday night we went to my friend MB's annual party and had a wonderful time. It is so fun to meet other people, especially MB's people because she is so smart and witty and she attracts a good crowd.

Sunday we cleaned house because his parents were coming over for dinner at 2! Yes, 2PM in the afternoon. S ran out to Sears and bought some tools for work. While he was gone I made my favorite Zucchini Chocolate Cake. I had bought a couple of paper bread forms from Sur La Table so I could give a small loaf to our neighbor. This is one of my favorite and no fail recipes. I even left S in charge of making sure it got out of the oven in time while I ran to Lane Bryant and bought a pair of the new Chelsea pants. They have very wide legs and when worn with the shirt I bought I feel very much like Katharine Hepburn. Here is the recipe which I got from a woman I worked with almost ten years ago for Northern Illinois University in Dekalb.

Zucchini Chocolate Cake
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup oil
1 3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 t vanilla
1/2 t cinnamon
1 t baking powder
1/4 cup nuts
1/2 cup sour milk
2 cups grated zucchini (I like mine with the skins on)
2 1/2 cups flour
4 T cocoa
1 T soda
1 T salt
1/3 cup chocolate chips (or more if you like)

Cream butter, oil and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla and sour milk. Blend. Stir in sifted dry ingredients. Blend. Add zucchini and blend well. Pour into 9 X 13 cake pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and nuts (I usually skip the nuts). Bake 325 degrees for 40 minutes.

To make sour milk add 1/2 T of vinegar to 1/2 cup milk and let sit for 15 minutes. I adjusted this from the recipe I found that said 1 T of vinegar to 1 cup of milk.

When I worked in Dekalb people would bring in their excess Zucchini, tomatos, peppers, and basil to the coffee room. I lived on this produce for most of the summer. Friends knew that they could stop by my house at any time and be guaranteed a meal. I would mix all the vegi's together and throw them over pasta. I baked so many loaves of zucchini bread that even I got tired of it. That is why the addition of chocolate broadened my zucchini repetoire!

I wrapped a loaf in butchers paper and tied it with rafia (leftover materials from when S bought me flowers), put a lotta lansdotter sticker over the logo on the paper gift bag I was reusing and hung it on our neighbors door with a thank you note tucked inside. I've learned from other friends example how important it is to say thank you.

We went for 'dinner' to Francesca's Forno. I've had a few meals there and really enjoy how fresh the ingredients are and how well everything goes together. Their brunch menu is a great mix of sweet and savory with plenty of vegetarian options and meat-eater options. S and I got a bloody mary and it was good. It also came with a beerback, which is a small glass of beer. Who can argue with that.

By the time his family left I was more then happy to lay on the couch and watch Desperate Housewives. I didn't get anything crafty done this weekend, but I had a lot of fun and was surrounded by people. Plus S and I have put our feet back on the relationship path.