My hair is now this color:That won’t seem weird at all to show up for my second interview with a completely different hair color than the first interview, now will it?

Moving on…

We had a small family reunion (second cousin sorta thing) this weekend, and I made my Western Washington-famous Smoked Salmon Spread. This is SO ridiculously easy and is always a big hit.

I made two batches but the better of the two included

• Smoked salmon
• Whipped cream cheese (Plain but Onion & Chive works too)
• Fresh dill
• Bacon (Hormel pre-cooked)Throw everything into the Cuisinart (you can probably use the mixing blade, but I lost mine and only have the slicing blade) and pulse until blended.Scoop back into original cream cheese container ‘cuz I’m classy like that (and it won’t all fit so you’ll now have to keep some for yourself). Downside is you’ll have to explain 200 times that you made it yourself, but that’s easier than explaining to your second cousin that your aunt is NOT your mom (and this was not the first time I’ve had to explain this).Serve with crackers or fresh veggies!

After basking in my Salmon Spread popularity, countered with strange looks brought on by drastic hair color, at least we got to drive home with a great view of Mt. Rainier in the distance.

Does it look a little pinkish to you?

Update: with all due respect to Tina Louise, I realized that my hair is really THIS color, and it was important for you to know that.

Courtesy of Kinaesthesia

And that’s AFTER a second coloring with a chocolate mahogany color! Damn my colorist for running off to San Francisco in search of a happy life!

PS. MOC is coming into town 7/19 so posting will be spotty. Mostly I’ll be spending the week answering the question, “Is that really your hair color?”

Isn’t it funny how you just come up with your own names for things? When Cady suddenly pulls up lame (as we used to say in the horse show world, a lifetime ago), we call her Limpy Lulu. Kinda like how we call Derby “Mr. Cakes.” I have no idea how it started. Anyway, for whatever reason, Cady’s Limpy Lulu this week:Scuse the blurry photo but, even limpy, it’s hard to get her to stand still.

I inspected the injury but could find nothing wrong. I suppose she could have stepped on a honeybee.Isn’t that the saddest face you’ve ever seen?

So I let her rest while I joined friends over the weekend at the Ballard Seafood Fest. Ballard’s a great little neighborhood in Seattle, but, apparently, they’re a little short of blockades for events like this.I think we can all agree that summer came late to Seattle, but there certainly wasn’t any snow last weekend. In fact, for one whole weekend, it was really nice weather (though I carried a sweater, just in case).

We DID NOT grab a snack here:They used a scary font. ‘Nuf said.

I did indulge in my new $10/week addiction, goat cheese from here:I love the Mt. St. Helen’s that somehow incorporates ash from the mountain itself in the rind. I don’t eat the rind – it’s just not my favorite part.

Since it was a friend’s birthday (Happy Birthday, Rylee),we stretched out the day and finished with dinner at Citizen. Rylee got a screaming deal on Living Social where she got 6 meals for 2 (two per month for 6 months) including wine, beer or Mimosas for a total of $38! Our one meal alone was $31, and all we owed was tax and tip. If that weren’t enough, they serve delicious crêpes! I haven’t had a crêpe in ages but I had the Citizen Crêpe (bacon, spinach, avocado, homemade crème fraiche), and it was terrific.Cute place. I’d go back in a heartbeat.

Hopefully this weekend will have great weather too as I have a family reunion, and Chris will be relaxing after his business trip.

When’s the last time you ate a crêpe?

It does not get any easier than this, and it’s Mia approved:1 cup fresh raspberries

1 cup (or more) VitaZero Lemonade

1 scoop Jay Robb Vanilla Whey Powder

Smidge Guar and Xanthan gums

small splash of Torani S/F raspberry syrup

4-5 ice cubes

Whip up in blender or Vitamix and enjoy the taste of summer!

(To be honest, I was out of spinach, but I have to say I LOVE the pinkness. It’s a nice change from green)

Meet my new love:

Introducing Mr. Carbzilla

We never would have met if it hadn’t been for Chilaquiles. Who? Chilaquiles are a traditional Mexican dish of eggs, tortilla chips, cheese, etc. It’s like breakfast with a hint of lunch, and I LOVE it!

Before I met Wing Sauce, my Chilaquiles looked like this:Eggs, chips, BIG hunks of avocado (I usually do cheese or avocado, sometimes both). I had a crush, for sure, thanks to the addition of these:I’m a big fan of these chips because they’re not too salty. That’s my biggest peeve about tortilla chips – most are too salty and unsalted ones taste too blah.

But then I fell head over heels:

Behold, my love.

That’s Canadian Bacon (not a traditional Mexican ingredient, I know. Call me crazy with love), cheese, eggs, chips, and the Medium version of Wing-Time Sauce. Holy Moly, this was delicious. I think I licked the plate! I also love that this dish keeps you full long into lunchtime. As y’all know, I like to be full, and I HATE being hungry!

Like the Cougar phenomenon, Wing Sauce/Chilaquiles love seems to be spreading…Heather seems to have caught the fever as well. It’s so good, so right. I had one date with Sriracha, and an ongoing fling with Taco Sauce, but this, my friends, is true love. Carbzilla + Wing Sauce = 4Ever.