There were lots of fun decorations. And sombreros.

Jack zoomed around the backyard and investigated every bug and old baseball.

The Boyfriend played soccer with my little cousin.

My mother dropped the plate of hamburgers and hot dogs as they were about to go on the grill. We dusted them off and ate them anyway.

We had chicken and pasta salad and grilled CSA veggies and cake and white sangria.

Many fabulous presents were opened.

It was loud and and crazy and everybody ate too much.

It was perfect.

Thanks, family!

Anyway, renowned chef Dale Miller, owner of an Albany restaurant by the same name, did a cooking demonstration for us GenNEXTers followed by some shmoozin’ and boozin’ (my term, not theirs).

Yours truly is on antibiotics for a sinus infection so I skipped the booze part of the evening and made some new friends instead. While the conversation was great, the highlight was Dale Miller’s demonstration. It wasn’t anyway mind-blowing; he prepared a simple salmon filet with a miso glaze. But I love watching people cook, food nerd that I am, and he was a quiet yet funny guy. He reminds me a lot of one of my best friends fathers: short, sweet, and wonderfully corny.

The glaze was simple: sake, oil, sugar, miso paste, all simmered together in a pot. We sampled small portions. It was delicious. I’m a little biased though, because I love salmon but never have it unless the Boyfriend cooks it.

I was most surprised to learn that miso applies to our fifth taste. You know the four: sweet, salty, bitter, and sour. Apparently scientists have recently identified a new taste: umami. It could also be called “savoriness.” I’m clearly not a reliable source on the matter, so follow the link for some better information for you. From Wikipedia. Of course.

The following appeal to our umami tastes: miso, mushrooms, ketchup, and cured pork. Go figure.

After the demonstration and before bidding us adieu, Chef Miller left us with one more corny tale. While he was visiting Japan, the tour guide reminded them how important it is to chill out every once in a while and “lerax.” “So tonight, don’t forget to chirr out and lerax,” he instructed us.

Fair enough. Between umami and lerax-ing, tonight was just about the craziest Wednesday night I’ve had in a while. If you’re in the Albany area, check out Dale Miller or the soon-to-be-reopened Sperry’s in Saratoga.

Like Chef Miller, I’m keeping this post short and sweet because it’s sweltering in our office. The Boyfriend insists he did NOT break the ceiling fan when he crashed into it during a victory jump over the U.S. win during the World Cup preliminaries today. But I know better.

Save the Greens!… Wilted lettuce can be saved, thanks to this helpful tip from Noshing Confessions.

Are Cupcakes the Perfect Food?… While you ponder, peruse this crazy cupcakes from mental_floss. I’ll take one of each, please.

Slow Down… Videos of sneezes, golf bolls, lightning, and more — all in slow motion. These clips are CRAZY.

To Get Ready for Swimsuit Season… don’t make this Oreo pretzel fudge.

My Boyfriend Has This Tattoo…. Not really, but… soon, I’m sure. Also, can we talk about how this website is called Bacon Today? The content is strictly business with headlines like “People In Canada choose bacon over sex” and “Bacon Marriage Proposal.” You’re welcome.

Toppings: CSA scallions, tomatoes, tempeh, cheese, broccoli, mushrooms.

Trust me: fresh is BETTER.

Tee Hee Hee.. These dioramas of little people on giant produce reminds me of the book Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs. Not the movie, people, the children’s book. Go to a library, for heavens’ sake.

Homemade Pop Tarts… I mean, come on now. As if I’m not going to make these.

How Does Your Garden Grow?… Fruits and vegetables that grow easily even in small apartment gardens. This still doesn’t fulfill my dream of growing bananas and whole apple pies on a tree right in my own backyard, but it’s s start.

I Can Haz Cheezburger Candle?… Apparently it’s National Cheeseburger Month. I celebrated accordingly at a BBQ on Wednesday night. I won’t be celebrating by purchasing this cheeseburger candle from Whitecastle, but perhaps you will.

Has LOST Lost Its Meaning?… If you watched LOST you were probably as upset as the Roommate and I over the last episode. Flavorwire examines how the show may be unraveling the culturally diverse web of characters it’s been weaving over the past six seasons. It’s a shame.

Boxes filled with movies and books, my beloved treasures. (Although I’d also treasure a bottle of that Chardonnay right about now.)

I ran out of boxes, leaving with me with a nagging feeling of unproductivity and a messy house.

Le sigh. Now I’m just complaining to no one in particular.

On the plus side I sent out a bunch of Mother’s Day cards today. I have a godmother and a quasi-mother-in-law who deserve some recognition, after all. My own lucky mother gets two cards. She’s had to put up with me the longest.

-Dinner at Jack’s Oyster House with my mother

-Hiking at Thatcher Park

-Cutting The Boyfriend’s hair. For the first time. (And, honestly, it looks great!)

The warm weather has been beautiful and I feel like spending my free time outside while the high temperatures last. But fear not, I am taking three days off from work to catch up on blogging.

All lies. I AM taking three days off, but it will be to spend them with The Boyfriend here:

Can you guess where? Details soon!

I also fixed myself a mug of green tea to soothe a sore throat.

Celestial Seasonings has this to say about recycling:

Interesting point. I certainly feel a little better, considering we consume about 1,000 tea bags a week in this apartment.
Speaking of consuming vast quantities, I’ve had about eleven of these today.

Maybe only three, but they are addicting. Key lime bars, oh, yes indeed. These are from last night, as well, and they shan’t last long!!
Aside from pondering the negative effects of tea-drinking on the environment, the rest of my riveting night will be spent doing a bit o’ laundry, paperwork, and blogging.

With Sid.
Don’t you always sleep better knowing tasks have been crossed off the to-do list? That’s what I’m aiming for so I can get a solid night’s sleep.
Sid, who has been “helping” me write this post by attacking my fingers with each stroke of the keys, wishes you all a good night.

And he would like to remind you that three-hole punches make excellent pillows.