And on Sunday, she rested.....

Not really.

But I didn't have to leave the house and do anything. And for a weekend day, I consider puttering around the kitchen and doing a couple loads of laundry pretty close to resting.

Yesterday was busy, and expensive. Our DVD/VCR combo died on Friday night. When you can hear the thing trying to spin the DVD, it's not good. I knew it was coming and had already been researching our options. On Saturday, I was going to Costco anyway, so the big decision was whether to get the $90 basic one, or the $300 with all the bells and whistles that can also copy things to DVD.

We got the fancy-schmancy one. Or, I should say, I got the fancy-schmancy one, because this weekend was the comic book convention and the man was consumed with all thinks geek this weekend.

After braving Costco yesterday, I also hit Crate and Barrel, Williams Sonoma (when Crate and Barrel didn't have any biscuit cutters), Staples, the regular grocery store and the produce mart.

One very interesting find at Costco - Maple Leaf Farms roasted half duck. We both love duck, and I make it every New Year's Day, but man, it can be fickle. I was overjoyed at the two pack of these things... all you gotta do is throw them in the oven for 15 minutes and you are rewarded with some nicely done roast duck. It couldn't have been any easier. I might even try to get back to Costco to pick up some for the freezer, just in case these don't make it as a "regular" item.

This morning, it was up early and I made a run to McD's for breakfast. It is usually a tradition of the hubby to eat McD's for breakfast one day during the comic book convention (actually, it's how we "met" the first time before we met for real... a week before we hooked up, he was getting his McMuffin fix during the comic book convention, and I was the one who rang up his order). Pulled into McDs, and there were a bunch of fire engines in the lot. Um, ok?

Don't know what was going on, but the place was crawling with firemen that were obviously doing something, but they were still operating for business.

And, it's a sad day when you're in a fast food place ordering coffee and you have the following conversation...

McDs Dude: How many creams and sugars do you want for your coffee?
Me: Just make it light and sweet.
McDs Dude: Um.... how many creams and sugars do you want for your coffee?

Seriously?? If I was going to be that much of a control freak about it, I'd have just answered the question telling you how many creams and sugars I wanted.

I did make some pickled cherries this afternoon to go along with the duck. They're from the French Laundry Cookbook and are actually served with foie gras in the recipe, but they are also awesome paired with duck. The sweet/vinegar really goes nicely with the richness of duck. Also found two containers of peeled garlic cloves in the fridge in addition to the one I bought yesterday, so I made a load of garlic confit. I know I can use some of it this week.

As far as cooking plans for this week, tomorrow with be the steak/flounder I planned to make yesterday, before the hubby announced he wanted Chinese food. I picked up Gordon Ramsay's "Fast Food" at Costco, and there is a pork chop recipe and a chicken recipe I want to have a go at this week. And that will take us through to the holiday. I do also have to get cooking done for the 4th... the brother-in-law's house is on the opening corner of the parade route, so they usually have people over. Last year they tried a proper brunch-type setup, but between the parade and everyone coming and going, it didn't work so well. So, this year, it's just bagels & coffee cakes and munchie type foods. I'm going to do some mini-quiches and a version of Ina Garten's Easy Cheese Danishes (and I'm also going to do some apricot ones).

Garden is doing well. I actually had to tie down some of the tomato plant branches during the week, they're just going nutbusters. A couple of good sized, but still green, tomatoes on my patio tomato plant, dozens of green tomatoes on the cherry tomato plant, and lots of little green tomatoes on the other two. Yay!

And... while out watering the plants today, I was turning off the house and looked down in to the window well that is right over there... hey, that looks like a frog down there. Holy crap, that is a frog down there! I ran back inside about as quickly as I could. Worked up the courage to go out again in a couple minutes and looked again.... yep. Froggie was likely jumping and didn't figure it was there or didn't figure it was as deep as it is, and you could tell he couldnt' get out. The hubby was "oh, he can get out". I was all "I don't think he can, and I don't want to deal with a DEAD frog in our window well." He ended up putting a long pole down there so Froggie could climb out. Don't know if it's worked. Too chicken to go out there and look or even look thru the basement window. Yeah, I'm a girl. I do not like frogs.