Yesterday kind of sucked. I had to wake up at the crack of dawn – it was still dark out – to prepare for an appointment with my dentist to get two fillings. Note to self: no matter how “small” or “surface” the dentist says my cavities are, get the novacane. Just do it. Do not fear the “small shot”…fear the multiple spinning, drilling tools, weird suction devices and very, very sensitive teeth.

After paying what seemed like a larger-than-fair amount for the medieval torture I had just endured, I proceeded to fumble my iPhone in the parking lot. It bounced on the ground a few times, and landed face down. Fearing the worst, I said a few prayers to the spirit of Steve Jobs, and flipped the screen to find a giant spider-web shatter. Great. Gmail alerted me to a new email shortly thereafter. “Oh good, my new iPhone case has been shipped and is en route.” Perfect.

After a weekend of attempting to install our new gas range, only to discover that the existing gas line was not only ancient and the wrong size for the updated appliance, but was not up to code, I received a text from Miek announcing a successful install. A giant sigh of relief. All I could think about was this recipe highlighted by Emily from Cupcakes and Cashmere, some arugula salad, an apple/pear/raspberry pie and some aged gouda. Once I got home, I lost myself in chopping, stirring, peeling. Melted cheese is a lot cheaper than therapy.

xo Al