Lost Time, and Time for LOST

Oh, Beth... where has the time gone lately? I've missed you. Truthfully, it has been very difficult lately to find any motivation for inspired cooking, much less the time to write about it, between caring for my mother-in-law (who is picky and difficult to please with food, especially when she's not feeling well - which is more and more often these days) and the recent discovery that Analisa is intolerant to dairy. We l-o-v-e dairy around here, especially cheese, so that's been a really challenging adjustment to make.

It's been so long since I've written anything here. Would a cute picture of one of my kids with one of her recent play-do concoctions help make up for it? Here's Analisa with what she calls "Volcano Cake":

The recipe: "Some collard greens, a little bit of chocolate, some spices (like pesto), noodles, and that's pretty much all." Uh... yum...?

I guess I have managed to cook a little over the past few months. I've certainly thought about sharing a recipe here every now and then, I just... haven't. Hmmm, let me think about what we've eaten around here lately that has turned out pretty good, and maybe you can tell me if you're interested in any of the recipes.

Let's see: Cake balls? The-most-amazing-ever red velvet cupcakes? A highly adaptable cheesy (or cheese-less) vegetable soup (courtesy of a recipe from my good friend Tamra)? Dr. Seuss's Pink Ink Yink Drink? Mexican chilaquiles? (MIL liked that one.) Sesame-almond crusted tilapia? Strawberry and radish green salad with a honey-balsamic dressing?

Let me know if anything sounds good and/or interesting; I'd be happy to share the recipe. I might even be able to dig up a crappy iPhone picture to go with it.

In the meantime: are you ready for tomorrow night's LOST series finale??? I'm just not ready to let go yet. "We have to go back!" I wish we were having a big party and that you and Daniel were here to join us; sadly, it will be just Oscar and me, while we send the kids upstairs to watch movies (I figure they don't need Smokie-fueled nightmares). Still, we plan to see the show go out in style, with great food to match the occasion. Our menu includes LOST inspired dishes, such as Locke's Smoked "Wild Boar" Tenderloin, and Sun's Garden Fresh Salad with a Mango-Coconut dressing. I don't have actual recipes yet; I'm just planning to figure it out on the fly, but if everything turns out yummy, I'll certainly share recipes. What about you? Are you hosting a LOST shindig? What are you having?