It was a balmy 20 degrees when we did the afternoon chores, Zinnia chased Fate for a while, then gave it up to start at the beautiful sky. Maria and I have been cooking for four hours now, and we were laughing at how we tend to always too much when there’s the option of doing little or less.

We just got into this cooking bug.  Maybe we overdid it, but our guests will eat well.

I’m excited about the new thin and light and graceful pizzas I’m making. One has a thin layer of mascarpone with a layer of fig jam, some dry garlic powder and some thin strips of prosciutto.

Thanks to our wonderful friend (new for me) Ellen Stimson, who introduced me to this new way of making pizzas that are light and delicious.

The second pizza is a thin layer of mascarpone with peas and powdered garlic on top, sprinkled with Parmigiano-Reggiano on top. Maria and I made some quiche with spinach eggs and cheese in small dough gups, she wants to make some sausage in a blanket.

She also has some beautiful dark chocolate with pistachio and berries woven into the chocolate. We are tired, for sure, but it was fun, and I hope the snail talk is fun also, two of her new fish have died, which is not that unusual, but sad.

I’m wondering about the many fish I sent off to Virginia on Friday, I hope they made it all right.