Warning: vacation photo dump

We have returned, TRIUMPHANT, from New Orleans. We now have only our memories and about five extra pounds of body weight and also a bunch of pictures that I personally feel like looking at again right now, so here we go:

Jackson Square: if you squint it's almost like we went to Disneyland but with more fortune tellers

Why yes I do allow my children to choose their own vacation outfits

Ghost hunting at Jean Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop

Why yes I do allow my children to choose their own French Quarter tour props

Ivy has never been as happy about anything as she was about the abundance of rainbow flags #pride

Making friends at the aquarium

Also staring down enemies

This was my breakfast *at the hotel when we were too lazy to venture out*

I recommend this swamp tour so highly, it was my absolute favorite part of the trip

Big big donuts at District Donuts

...and small small sliders

First trip to Jacques-Imo's

Still thinking about this sauce

Impossibly beautiful sunset over Oak Street

Slightly worn out by the time we hit the Tulane campus

Communing with nature in Audubon Park

GUMBO

PO' BOY

So, in good news for my daily workload but questionable news for the direction of this blog, I probably won't need to eat again until late summer. Probably just pictures of cats until September. Should be great!

Being away from home burns a lot of calories, I think

As much as I was enjoying our stretch of summer nothingness, we have temporarily escaped to New Orleans for some low-key somethingness. We got here Sunday afternoon and hit the ground eating--within a space of about 26 hours we made it to Camellia Grill, Cafe du Monde, Central Grocery, Mother's Cafe, and the Bayou Bar at the Pontchartrain Hotel for multiple pieces of Mile High Pie.

We are champions.

And we still have two days to go!

They'll never tell their therapists they were over-scheduled

Two pieces of very good news this week, 1) the page of Martha Stewart Living I opened to had appetizers on it, and 2) I can make appetizers for dinner if I want to and no one will even try to stop me.

I certainly invite you to make an attempt, but defeat is assured

I was mostly excited because the celery calls for "everything bagel seasoning" WHICH I OWN, YAY

We had almost nothing going on this week. It was the best.

Time to pull the shades and hunker down

Gonna kick it off with a couple of uncharacteristically nice, straightforward Father's Day pictures because the world is pretty bad? But baked chocolate French toast is good.

Great job on the fathering this year, Dan 👋🏻👋🏻

Anyway, I had two cavities filled yesterday morning because I chew multiple pieces of Super Bubble every day like an unsupervised child, so it seemed like soup was in order for dinner last night.

Chilled Red Pepper and Carrot Soup with Yogurt except my version is not chilled because I did not give myself enough time to follow this recipe as written I just like hot soup, okay?

I also added croutons? Which defeated the purpose of the soup, kinda? Always cooking against my best interests.

Anyway, today is the longest day of what has already been kind of a long year. We're embracing it. Or barring our teeth at it, hard to say.

The performing arts elementary school is paying off in spades

My recent strategy for meal planning has been: open the Rachael Ray magazine to the middle and pick a couple of recipes from that page. Let's see how it worked out!

First, Summer Spaghetti with Zucchini and Mint. This was quick and easy and pretty good, although I object to the recipe insisting that an "unexpected herb" like mint is preferable to basil. Basil is already perfect, that's why we have put it with pasta forever, Rachael. A recipe isn't better just because you made it taste slightly weird!

However, I have a ton of mint in my garden and no basil, so, 8/10

Next, Ricotta Omelet Soufflé. It was a pain and it came out ugly but I'll give it this: it caused my children to happily eat several spears of asparagus as an alternative to eating any more of the soufflé than necessary.

Also, Anna's long, low "wooooooooooooooow" of dismay was kind of entertaining.

Dinner and a show, 6/10

Anyway, I have tasked the oldest with teaching the youngest to read some sight words before kindergarten starts while I read the Washington Post, everyone cross your fingers for me.