I'm sorry I didn't have write-ups for the recipes last week. They were both fine meals - nothing spectacular. And, both evenings, I had other things I really needed to do after I had the kitchen cleaned up.

Tonight's meal, although seemingly basic, was spectacular. The boys got home from school and when I asked them what they wanted for dinner, Alex said, "You haven't used the fryer for awhile." So, I decided to make French fries. Naturally, they don't call them "French fries" in France. They're steak frites. I found this recipe in the terrific Les Halles Cookbook. It seems a little elaborate for "just" fries But damn, they were good. Back in June I bemoaned my inability to properly fry potatoes. These possibly couldn't have been any better.

I used up the last of my Tellicherry pepper on the hamburgers and they were spicy and delicious. I grilled them with swiss cheese and served them on pumpernickel rolls with fresh tomatoes from my parent's garden and a pickled hot pepper. Alex said this was the best meal that he's had "in weeks."