2005-07-05 - 4:09 p.m.

It was a Good Weekend in general, but definitely a Good Weekend food-wise.

FRIDAY: I stopped by the Stah Mahket to pick up corn for a Fried Chicken Party. Success! There was a lot of corn, and it was on sale. But, tragedy! The corn was surrounded by three women who were grabbing all of the best ears and *husking them in the store*. And they certainly weren't employees. They were just buying a metric ton of corn and... husking it there. I don't know.

The dinner was fantastic - fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, sauteed squash, biscuits, the aforementioned corn, watermelon, and MASHED POTATOES. When I die, I want to be buried in a grave of MASHED POTATOES.

SATURDAY: Cooked a dish with crumbled tofu, egg, milk, soy sauce, sugar and a mixture of shallots and chives (to make up for not having any scallions). It was super-tasty and also light, which prepared us for going to Finale Desserts and ordering the Chocolate Euphoria for two.

Have you ever dreamt of a restaurant and built up the whole experience in your mind, and then gone and had your dreams shattered because it didn't live up to your expectations? That was not the case here. My experience at Finale was absolutely perfect. Each dish was five-star fantastic, with no flaws. Even the coffee was great. I'll admit, when I first walked in, I had the minor fear that I'd be "found out", as I do whenever I go to a Nice Restaurant - "Hey, she's not rich! Get her outta here!" But the food - oh dear lord, the food - it was so magnificent that all my fears were demolished.

SUNDAY: Homemade pizza and spinach salad for dinner, as is par for most Sunday nights. But it's always good. I like to put a thin layer of pesto on my pizza before spreading the sauce. It gives the pizza an insouciant, devil-may-care taste. Or something.

MONDAY: We had a cute Fourth of July dinner - corn, oven-fried potatoes, salad, and tofu dogs. Now, despite not really being vegetarian (I love grilled eel and bacon cheeseburgers too much), I haven't so much as touched a hot dog in over 15 years. One day, I just suddenly didn't like them. But these tofu dogs - fantastic. I put sauteed onions on mine.

Accompanying the meal was Stone Brewing Company's Ruination IPA. Be forewarned - the beer does indeed kill your tastebuds as advertised. I'm glad I waited until halfway through the meal to try it. But that wears off after a while, and you can enjoy the intensely bitter, hoppy, slightly fruity taste.

Dessert: S'Mores (with help from Mr. Microwave and Mr. Kitchen Torch).

I've grown from being a picky eater to being someone who really enjoys food.