Wow. What wonderful, thoughtful comments. It's such a big part of what I love about this whole blogging thing...that it's not in a vacuum. That it's a conversation. That we think about things and carry on a conversation. This nourishes me as much as any meal I make. And thank you so much for each kind and thoughtful comment you made. For nourishing me. Shoshana, I'm so glad you said something about being a dork, because you so strike me as so not-a-dork. Come on, you guys have ice cream night for dinner! Fully! Sanctioned! So not a dork. I guess we all do what we can.

I've been remembering other meals too. Corn fritters. Breakfast for dinner. Sarah, when we were driving across the country and stopped to stay with you guys for a few days, you made us a chicken enchilada casserole with slices of avocado, carrots and grape tomatoes. And corn. It was Nebraska, so I feel sure there was golden yellow corn. It was deep summer, and that plate of vibrant jeweled colors was so beautiful and so delicious. A perfect meal. I wish I had a picture. If only I'd been blogging back then.

And Ellen, your comment was so sweet and reassuring. It reminded me of something Sarah and I would say all the time, "If I'm not going to be hard on myself, who will?"

Neel and I made the tortilla pizzas together last night. Try cooking with a scientist sometime. All the time he was saying "Scientists are great at improvising," he was also freaking out because he couldn't find the dried basil or the sauce wasn't boiling. Oh Mr. Clean-Genes, it's a tortilla pizza, not rocket science. And there's a pot of fresh basil right outside the back door. It'll be fine.

And you know, it was. Paired with a simple green salad tossed with my same favorite dressing, it was a great dinner. The rain came down, our first real rain in months, and Callum told some great stories. That's what it's all about right? More than just knowing what we're going to have for dinner. Dork or no, dinner or no, it's the time together that counts.

But Megs, don't think I'd forget you, dearest. As requested, Leek Custard.

4 to 6 thin leeks, cleaned, sliced and then chopped to the pale part of the green
2 1/2 T butter
1/2 onion
1t sea salt
1 C half and half
3 eggs
freshly ground pepper
2 ounces goat cheese
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in a skillet. Use some to brush four 1/2 cup ramekins, then add the leeks to the skillet. Add 1/4 water or white wine and onions and cook gently over medium low heat until soft, 12 minutes.
2. Add half and half and heat until warm but not boiling.
3. Beat eggs well and stir in leeks. Season with salt and pepper and stir in cheese.
4. Divide among ramekins; place in a baking pan and surround with a hot water bath. Bake until custards are set and a knife inserted comes out clean, 30-35 minutes.

Now, if you really want, I could give you the recipe for tortilla pizzas as well, but seriously, they're tortilla pizzas. Not that hard. Tasty, but not difficult.