Flowers, Littles, Whales and Sauteed Spinach with Garlic

Yesterday I spent the day at the beach with two of my favorite people.

Hannah, age 4 - doing a "mermaid sea" dance for me.

And Jillian, age 2 - just being happy Jillian

They are small, but mighty. Speaking of mighty, we were lucky enough to see a whale; about 300 feet off shore he (or she) happily breached a half-dozen times for us before swimming away for deeper waters. I hope my littles will be blessed in their lives and see many, many more of these magnificent creatures. I guess it really is up to us, isn't it?

When I got home I was again blessed to find that my lilies had bloomed.

My shasta daisies should be next. Littles, whales and flowers. How lucky can one girl get?

I have a huge bunch of spinach from last week's CSA share. Since I also have an abundance of mixed greens (and the family has forbade me to make salad today) I decided to cook this bunch, rather than salad-fy it.

Lightly sauteing the spinach allows it to retain some of its crunch, the addition of garlic gives it a punch. I hope you find happiness and lucky sightings in your daily adventures.

Sauteed Spinach with Garlic (serves 4)

2 BIG Bunches of fresh spinach, rinsed well and torn free of the largest stems
6 cloves garlic, peeled, sliced in half if large or left whole if smallish
2 tablespoons olive oil
splash of balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons Pecorino Romano Cheese, freshly grated (or freshly grated Parmesan)

In your largest saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic cloves and saute for 2 minutes or until fragrant and just getting golden. Add all the spinach and toss around to coat. Smash a lid down on the spinach and cook for 1 minutes. Check for wilt. Toss around the spinach and cook for 1 more minute. The spinach should just begin to wilt.

Spoon everything into a bowl, splash with vinegar and sprinkle with cheese.

A Cook's Notes: I am serving this tonight with simple grilled shrimp, a loaf of bread and a bottle of wine. Bon Appetite!