well fed, then to bed

I notice that a longing to be in bed asleep is becoming a recurring theme in these posts!  I suppose that's the product of writing them just before bed -- and of burning my candle at both ends.  Edna St. Vincent Millay used that image in a poem, but surely the turn of phrase pre-dated her use of it.

My candle burns at both ends.
It will not last the night.
But ah, my foes and oh, my friends,
it gives a lovely light.

 I believe her world was lit with early electricity and relying on candles to work or play by would have been in the decline.  My favorite part of the poem is the playful vowels of "ah, my foes and oh, my friends."

I am well fed tonight thanks to my co-worker Phyllis, who had some 30 people to dinner... all the staff and spouses, and numerous volunteers who did huge amounts of work for the parish this past summer.  I had two helpings of a wonderful salad which, if it magically appeared before me each day with no effort on my part, would cause me to eat WAY more salad than I currently do. (Spring greens dressed in light, sweet vinaigrette, full of surprising little bits of flavor -- fennel and golden raisins and pine nuts and sweet onion-- and topped with sauteed scallops). Mmmm mmmm mmmm mmmm mmmm.

The Sambuca anise liqueur which was served as a post-meal  digestif  is a favorite of mine on the rare occasions when I have a liqueur.  Depending upon how much of a purist you are, you will either be intrigued or appalled by the creative use I made of it -- as a topping for my dessert of vanilla ice cream and orange sherbet.  I found it very tasty, and -- yes -- if as a child I had ever consumed a Dreamsicle while chewing Black Jack gum,  that's what it might have tasted like!

Creative food combinations.  New trends have to start somewhere!