WEATHER REPORT

from

CHICAGO and BROOKLYN

very SUMMERY 
with a few antidotes to beat the heat and be a tourista

#1 Read Olen Steinhauer's "The Tourist" instead of the guidebook while flying the unspirited, not cheap Spirit Airlines (big thumbs down) 
to the windy city
It eases the pain of all the delays and extra fees (including for the seat!) 

The Chicago Art Institute  
#2 Spend some time with the Alberto Giacometti's and Jean Dubuffet's in the new modern wing

Millennium Park
#3 Escape most of the masses in Lurie Gardens 

Firecakes
#4 Give up the ghost and eat one

and 
#5 take a walk by the river with your Dad

go to a  
WEDDING 
on a  
farm, 
on a  
roof 
in  
BROOKLYN

 

Brooklyn Grange
#6 Antidote for wearing too high high heels: concentrate on the views instead of the feet

stay in the studio 
and 
work 
on 
wedding 
commissions

I can only show bits of these as the lucky couples haven't received them yet! 
No need for antidotes here

A piece of a wedding painting

a piece of a wedding platter

another piece of a wedding painting

 finish the last of my 8 Washington DC bowls

#7 celebrate the completion of the project by
 seeing  Christopher Boffoli's "PORTION CONTROL"
then take a walk on the HIGH LINE in the rain (it's emptier!)
with your brother

Pete's photo

 antidote #8 for the now sultry, sticky and sweltering summery weather is:
Have a bunch of friends over for dinner in the backyard

grilled sword fish from Blue Moon
green salad with fresh raw English peas
and 
Ophelia's Rosewater Pistachio Cake
with a glass of rose
and laugh a lot

#9
Eat as many strawberries as you can while they last  
Maxwell's Farm, Evolutionary Organics, Bradley Farm or Locust Grove
I've taste tested them all!

FINALLY
If you are anywhere near Prospect Park Brooklyn,
keep your eyes open for Rosie the cat  CLICK ON THE LINK TO SEE HER PHOTO 
and get details
She's still on the loose and Steph, Ruby and Alex want her back!

 WEATHER REPORT

from BROOKLYN

it's a

HEAT WAVE 

of ROSES

No one ever promised me a rose garden, especially Mr. C, so I planted one myself.

When I first moved into this house I ordered 13 rose bushes from Pickering Nursery in Canada.
I chose them for their scent, age and color.
13 years later 4 of them are still in the garden and thriving.  In fact, I need a chain saw to trim one of them, towering almost 2 stories tall! 
My favorite is Reine des Violettes, as it's name suggests, a mauve rose with no thorns and recurrent blooms.

More Reine

The real thing

Fish of the Week

SEA BASS

 Freezer Lady is one of our favorite fish customers. Every Wednesday she tells us what she has in her freezer, and shares some of her special recipes. Her absolute favorite fish is 
sea bass

SEA BASS with a GIN MARTINI

Put the sea bass fillets skin side down in an iron skillet
Squirt with fresh lime juice 
add a couple pats of sweet butter
throw in the oven and broil at 400

Pour two fingers of BOMBAY gin into a cocktail shaker
look at the bottle of vermouth
add ice
shake wildly to Club des Belugas
HIP HIP CHIN CHIN CLICK HERE!
(she's secretly taking ballroom dancing lessons to become the next Latin champion!)

pour into a chilled martini glass
add two castelvetrano olives
and sip until fish is to your liking
EAT
Freezer Lady prefers a little green salad with her sea bass

Next time:

The Wedding Issue
(well.... it is JUNE)