April

I blink and all of a sudden, it's Spring. Or, more accurately, after months of staring at my laptop, I look up and see the sun shining.

A few highlights, starting at the top left corner:

• We had friends over for pork and festivities last weekend. A salad of grapefruit, orange, radishes and apple (which was supposed to be jicama) was a big hit with the ladies. Less so with some of the guys...but I thought it was great.
• Mario Batali's version of chicken saltimbocca is not the healthiest weeknight dinner I've ever made but it was both delicious and easy (even if it did involve a trip to the liquor store for vin santo...for which I subbed a Washington state dessert wine).
• Instead of pork on sandwiches, our smoking season kicked off with pulled pork tacos topped with cilantro cream, cheese, guacamole and sauteed onions. Plus, a few apples and radishes from that salad. The tacos were good.
• Dixon and I spent yesterday in DC, at the Museum of Natural History and the Air and Space Museum (and also at lunch with Erin). We got on a MARC train at 9 am and didn't arrive back in Baltimore until almost 5. It was exhausting but totally fun.
• I have written a ton of articles about oysters this spring (none of which have appeared in print just yet). I've learned a lot and had a great time doing it. The highlight was a photo shoot with in the Sun studio, featuring oysters from Ryleigh's and Thames Street Oyster House. Afterwards, I got to take home some of the leftovers, which Cooper and I demolished on a sunny Friday afternoon.
• It is crush season again. Finally. (That's what we drank with the pork.)

Not pictured: the fun and surprisingly good lunch I had with my friend/former Canton roommate at MaGerk's in Bel Air (a spicy shrimp wrap that was really nicely cooked and served with a side of edamame) or the amount of time I spent considering the Sun's 50 best restaurants list (I didn't help with it but after much thought, I don't disagree with any of it...and it reminded me that I really need to get to Bottega).

And no Easter is upon us, which means Dixon and I have some egg-dying to do today. Considering how long it took to arrive, this spring certainly is flying by.