First cold of the season

On Saturday morning, after Steve’s party, I woke up with a sore throat. Felt kind of flu-ish on Sunday and Monday, and wah lah by Wednesday evening, it had turned into a full blown gluggy runny nose sneezey head cold. But at least felt less like having the flu.

I’ve been trying to get excited about fall food. I tried to submit the recipe for the squash and tomato gratin I always seem to make in late September to a Food52 contest, only to discover that I had only ever submitted one recipe there before, and it was also for a squash dish, squash & goat cheese tart.

I went to Chicago Tuesday for our first CSO – Muti conducts Strauss & Bruckner. It was a really good show, although the Bruckner is efffing long. I had a meeting in the morning, then I drove to Harvard and got the train. Worked the whole way down. I got in at about 3:30, and we were trying to plot some way for me to go up north and see John & Megan’s new apartment, and have a quick visit. John called me a little before 5:00, and said he was working at this gallery near the Gage on Michigan Ave., and he had his car, so I could meet hm, and we’d drive up to his place. All I could think about was how we’d just spend 45 minutes inching thru traffic then I’d have to get on the El back down for the symphony. So I said, “why don’t I meet you at the Athletic Club for a beer?” He allowed as how he’d rather do that. I texted my friend Kevin who works nearby to see if he could join us, but he turned out to be in DC.

Megan came too, so it was a nice visit, and just a few steps to Orchestra Hall.

I foolishly drank a cup of coffee at intermission, so didn’t sleep all that well. But I made the 7:30 train, and had an egg sangwich for breakfast. Made it into the office by 11:30, and class went better then Monday, when, after planning for one lab all weekend, I decided to do something different at the last minute.

I had thawed out some shredded pork, and I bought a bottle of barbecue sauce. When I got home from work I mixed up the meat and the sauce and stuck it in the oven along with an acorn squash (that was my part of my take home from the cooking class I taught about 2 weeks ago – I also got some broccoli and the potatoes I put on my demo focaccia Sunday). I went for a little walk to return a library book, and by the time I got back, everything was ready. we ate the BBQ on rosemary focaccia that I made with the dough I brought back Sunday.

I’m not doing too good on photographing food – here’s the paper from the muffin I had for breakfast at work and tonight’s dinner: sort of a riff on Colcannon, sauteed bok choy and scalloped potatoes with bacon. Greens and potatoes.