Fregola with clams

Yesterday was a "go to town day", and for us that's Asheville. The car needed servicing which took longer than usual since the battery needed replacing as well; and there was some food shopping to do and a stop in Black Mountain for lunch at the German restaurant.

It was a beautiful day and enjoyable drive with all the lovely spring flowering trees - Japanese flowering cherries, Bradford pears, Redbud trees and all the daffodils and forsythia. I made an easy dinner with fregola pasta, and the fresh clams I got at Earth Fare. It was pretty light, tasty fare after a big lunch and Jim brought up a lovely Frank Family Chardonnay to go with it. I had never had fregola pasta before. It's interesting, with a texture not unlike cooked barley. It was a very warming, brothy, comfort food, kind of dish, which I think would work well with canned clams if fresh aren't readily available.

Our Japanese cherry tree came into full bloom today and the Japanese quince has started to bloom as well. I did a quick garden check and noticed more perennials like the hydrangeas, are coming to life. It was too cool earlier to work in the garden, so I spent my time baking (banana bread), plant care and household and computer chores. Most of the tomato seeds, cosmos, basil and artichokes have sprouted but the bell and hot peppers are being a bit stubborn! Ron, if you're reading this, I have some hot chili pepper seeds from Peru I can share with you.

Some freshly made pots from two days ago will need tending tomorrow; but they're well covered till then. I made a couple slab plates using the method in the Cory Lum video I posted a while back. I just ordered a larger wooden block drape mold from ebay so I can make some larger ones. There just wasn't time for the studio today and this evening is spoken for with Friday night dinner with friends.