Many people, myself included, work a slightly later shift, getting off at 6 or 6:30. I commute to Quincy, usually walking to and from Quincy Adams (unless I'm going to the library or the grocery store). With the walk, my commute is just about an hour. I don't drive, and there is no such thing in my life as an early dinner.
Last night was no exception. I stopped by the grocery store to pick up my missing ingredients for the hacked caprese salad from Smitten Kitchen. I knew I was going to be working on desserts last night, at least a couple of things, and wanted to minimize the time I needed to spend in the kitchen working on dinner. I bought some beans, a ton of mozzarella, a loaf of roasted garlic bread as an alternative to a fun sourdough, and a couple of ingredients unrelated to dinner.
I got home around 8 p.m. Even a quick trip to the grocery store last night was not the ninja experience I try to make it.
I cut four rounds of bread from the loaf and put on a pizza pan to toast in the oven at 250F, set the timer for 10 minutes and started chopping away. It took me 11 minutes from start to finish, and my hubby got home from the library only a few minutes after I had put it in the fridge to chill. Not for a quick dinner.
Last night I made the base for the Grape Sorbet from the Perfect Scoop. It is waiting for me to transfer it first to a big old freezer bag and then into an ice cream maker. It's currently taking up a metric ton of refrigerator space as it is still in the big pot I used for the boiling of the grapes. It will get churned tonight along with the Lemon Buttermilk Sherbet that I will be finishing off tonight, having just made the syrup this morning. Two desserts down and one more ice cream to go.
I'm off Friday, having requested the time so I can cook for a friend's party. It should be a fun time, though it looks like we will be cramped in our house (and unable to use the big yard). It's hurricane season, and they are expecting another one to blow through New England this weekend.
