two days.

two mornings of bagels. the second, at la bagel delight, ended with the italian rainbow cookie or tri-color pastry, which casey had never had before. it's an almond extract-laden cake surrounded by chocolate. of course michelle had to make sure he had one immediately. she's a good one, even if she thought it made sense to move to LA.

the shake shack 'shroom burger: a huge mushroom stuffed with melty cheese and deep fried and then put on a soft bun with special sauce of who-knows-what. we ate ours with fries and a rootbeer on a lovely upper west side bench while doing some good people-watching. mainly kid-watching. those museum-going kids are funny ones.

yes, we had already consumed the meal when i snapped this photo. we'd also been awake since 4am.

fancy water fountains that TALK TO YOU on the highline. we received advice on hydrating and skin care and social anxiety.

it was imperative that i consumed a people's pop on that hot hot hot day. i ate mine so fast i cannot remember what flavor it was (it was pink and delicious), but i know casey had a blueberry-chai. holy hell. i am going to have to step my pop-making.

shroom, again.

i think i have a little crush on the guy who sells the mushrooms. this week, i got shitake. and a million other things.

shroom.

the fancy mushroom that looks like a sea creature from saturday has a short life. i had to use it fast.

last night, i chopped and cooked it with a little olive oil and garlic salt in a pan. i toasted a baguette and sliced some raw cheddar and fresh basil onto it, and topped it with the mushroom. delicious.

home, always so exciting.

i have made a lot of really good meals lately. for some reason or another, i have not written about them. i think i need a smartphone, and then i photograph from the phone and write the posts on the train. i don't know. then i might never read anything.

so, yesterday, the bounty. while elizabeth very generously cleaned the entire hallway, living room, and kitchen, i made breakfast. we began with a salad of strawberries, basil, and mozzarella. i created a vinaigrette of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.
i pre-cooked the potatoes by boiling them a bit. they already have so little nutritional value that i don't mind this process. then, i cooked them in the cast-iron pan with fresh garlic, onion, and yellow oyster mushroom.
of course, fried eggs. what is a saturday morning without fried eggs? i put the baguette in the pan with the egg so it would toast a little. of course, i got a little olive oil on it. and both elizabeth and i ate the egg on the bread anyhow. this was one of the best breakfasts i have had in a while. really.

horn of plenty.

or cornucopia.

i went crazy yesterday in the farmers' market in grand army plaza. i was awake way too early and had a pocket full of cash. i followed my nose around the market, so i, of course, ended up with basil and arugula.

but also, some fancy mushrooms. and a baguette.
i think this is a maitake mushroom; it's from madura farms. i have been doing some "mushroom experimentation," trying as many as i can.
this is a yellow oyster mushroom, also from madura.
2 quarts of organic strawberries for $9. this was exciting. they are so expensive generally, and i have been holding out. last week, $6 per quart. i made a strawberry, basil, and onion salad to take to april and adam's house. yum. (there are also a handful of baby red potatoes in that bag.)
what? more? yes. carrots, asparagus, broccoli, onions.