April Showers Bring:

• The first gin and tonics of the warmer months--I'm fancying mine these days with Hendrick's gin, Fevertree tonic water, and cucumber slices instead of lime.
• The first radishes of the season at the Saturday farm market--dipped in a pile of mixed kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. I also plan to eat them the French way--with good butter and fleur de sel.
• The gobbetti with kale puttanesca sauce I apparently need when it's overcast and a bit chilly (well, compared to the 90-degree weather we had last week).
• Fifteen pots on our balcony this summer brimming with herbs, lettuces, and vegetables (fingers and toes crossed).
• Fast-moving, ominous, gray clouds outside my windows--really, why are they moving so fast, and why do they seem so low in the sky? It looks like something out of The Wizard of Oz right before the twister hit.
•  The Thai New Year (today actually), which makes me salivate just thinking about one of my favorite soups: tom yum goong.