I hate to be one of those boring people who go on about the weather.  And I guess the fact that I’m still writing about it pretty much shows that the long, cold, wet, boring winter addled my brain a little.  Only this literary purging will set me straight.  Plus, I’ll throw in a wine recommendation and a recipe, just so you know that I know most of you don’t really care about the weather in Lawrence, Kansas.

Yesterday worked out wonderfully well.  I followed my plan with only a minor hitch.  The wine shop was out of my Moonbuzz Chardonnay.  No problem.  I got a bottle of Evolution 12 Edition, which is a really interesting wine by Sokol Blosser winery in Oregon.  It’s a blend of 9 different grapes, pressed separately, and each bottling has a slightly different tilt.  I actually wrote about it on another blog two years ago (there’s your handy review!), when I first discovered an earlier edition.  The creators of Evolution have by now become a little cagey about which 9 grapes they use, but I did find out that the 9 kinds of grapes (listed in my old posting) have not changed as each new edition comes out.  So I think we can trust the info I dug up in 2008.  Anyway.  I hadn’t had it since last summer, and remembered immediately why I like it.  Trust me, it’s good.  Try it.

So today the great weather continued, and I again took full advantage.  Once more, I was able to increase my body’s level of healthy, cancer-fighting vitamin D by soaking up some sun on the patio.  I took a run in the sun, and then went to the gym with Snacky.  I walked Princess (our beautiful lab-rottweiler) around the block four times.  Ate a salad.  I’m usually a person with healthy habits, but today I’m feeling uber-healthy.  So I also had a very virtuous, and nonetheless delicious, dinner tonight.

Seared Shrimp with Asparagus and Lemon Juice

I have 2 dozen peeled shrimp (tails still attached, because I like the tails) and 10 spears of asparagus.

Steam the asparagus until just tender and crisp.  Maybe 5-6 minutes.  But check to be sure.  Mushy asparagus is really not fun to eat.  When the asparagus is done, toss the spears into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.  When cool, remove from the water, dry it, and chop into bite-sized pieces.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet until it is very hot.  Toss the shrimp in and let it sear for 1 minute on one side.  Turn the shrimp over and cook on the other side for 1 minute.  Remove pan from heat, cover, and let the shrimp continue to cook off the burner for a few minutes.

Add the asparagus to the shrimp, then spray both with the juice of one lemon.  Add about 1 tablespoon melted butter to thicken it up.  Toss.  Serve either alone or with some rice or couscous.

Tomorrow promises more of the same warm and sunny weather.  I’ll restrain myself from writing about it.  And I suppose I’ll stop acting like I’m on vacation — for at least part of the day — and get something productive accomplished.

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