Besides the fact that it's Friday and that we have a grilled leg of lamb on the menu tonight, what else is making me happy today?
1. Finding a ridiculously easy way to frost the ridiculously easy mud cake I make for every birthday. The one above was for my dad's 75th -- don't worry, I eventually added the "birthday," part. (Scroll to bottom for recipe.)
2. Holding a first draft of Dinner: A Love Story, the book in my hands. A very positively extremely roughly rough first draft, but a draft nonetheless.
3. Conjuring up image from last weekend of daughter flying down sideline with soccer ball.
4. Holes, by Louis Sachar. Note: it makes me happy to read such a well-written book. The book itself, which I'm reading to both girls (ages 9 and 7), is actually creepy and cool and not happy at all. At least not yet.
5. The large batch of granola that is baking as I type, and that will be ladled into cellophane bags for school teachers, piano teachers, soccer coaches, and Father's Day honorees.
6. Getting real in the Whole Foods parking lot. So freaking genius. (Thanks, Grid!)
7. This promising development out of Palo Alto.
And now a few from Andy:
8. This story on Disney World, where we have never been, which is totally my fault, but something about it just kind of scares me.
9. The latest, crazy good, crazy funny piece of fiction from George Saunders, in this week's New Yorker.
10. The fact that Louis CK's show is about to start again -- which we liked okay the first time around, but which showed glimmers of greatness and we love him so much, we're betting it'll work out.
11. This song, because... just because. I mean, please.
12. More good kid books -- 12 a year -- coming down the pike from McSweeney's. Soon to be reviewed on DALS!
Ridiculously Easy Chocolate Glaze
Dump a small bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips (about 6 ounces) in a heatproof bowl. Meanwhile heat 1 cup of heavy cream so it's bubbling but not boiling. Pour over chocolate chips and let sit about 2 minutes without stirring. Whisk together and pour over a Rosa's Mud Cake that has been set over a cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet that has been lined with foil or parchment.
