I switched headgear a few months ago from a feathered fascinator to general contractor’s hard hat, and since then I haven’t had nearly as much time in the kitchen as I would like. And no, this isn’t some twisted chef’s hat version of YMCA, although if you keep reading, things do get kinky.

As you either know or can imagine, building a house is full of interesting challenges, and in the case of our current remodel, we’re less than halfway done. I wish I could give you a glimpse into the progress, but well-built concrete support walls in the crawl space or metal plates on the ceiling that will eventually house hydronic heating tubes don’t exactly make for riveting reading or viewing.

The point is, housemaking, unlike babymaking, is hard work. And I don’t know about you, but after a long day spent digging a hole in the yard as big as four graves so that we can bury a propane tank the size of a baby whale in it, I’m in great need of a cocktail three cocktails. Read more