How do you know it has been a great weekend?

Happy Father's Day to all the men who make a positive impact on children young and old!  I have been blessed with a father who taught me to be self-confident, a problem solver, head strong and stubborn.  The greatest impact my father had was providing me a shining example of how fulfilled a person with a strong faith can be, no matter their circumstances.  I have acquired a fabulous father-in-law.  Of course, my spouse is a GREAT father to our offspring.  I can't imagine our lives without the offspring and the joy (and trials) of watching him grow into a young man.  Love you honey!

So, back to the question at hand.  How do you know it has been a great weekend?  At our house, a solid sign is running a full dishwasher three times in two days!  It has been a wonderful weekend of family time and food.  (These two generally go hand-in-hand at our house.)

I baked a loaf of Italian Hearth Bread in my covered baker.  We grilled some of the bread with our dinner last night (grilled chicken tenderloins, grilled corn, grilled squash, grilled bread).  Leftover bread was used for grilled provolone sandwiches for lunch (with fresh peaches and raspberries).

Today's dinner included roasted pork loin (seasoned with Northwoods Fire), roasted tri-colored potatoes, capress, and banana cupcakes.  The potatoes were thrown together and wonderful!  I cut the potatoes in half (or quarters for the slightly larger ones) and placed them in a gallon ziplock bag with a generous slug of extra virgin olive oil.  I combined (approximate proportions) 1 T white wheat flour, 1 T cajun seasoning, 2 t dried mustard, 2 t kosher salt, and fresh ground pepper.  I tossed the seasoning mix in with the potatoes then dumped them in a shallow baking pan.  I roasted them at 350F in a convection oven for approximately 50 minutes.

The banana cupcakes were very good.  I thought the buttercream frosting was a bit much, but the day's honoree wanted a lot of frosting.  His thoughts: "They taste like fluffy banana bread."  I think a sprinkle of chopped walnuts would be a nice touch on the frosting next time.

News from the needles:

I finished a pair of Hedera in Jojoland Melody (colorway MS29).  I quite like them.  There is another pair of socks on the needles for a "walking around project" in my purse.

In the meantime, I am in the mist of some spinning.  I'll update more when it is finished.  It is nice to finally have the time to pull out my Louet Victoria.  I have missed spending time with her.