Feeling a bit stronger this morning, not quite as woozy and better able to navigate. I’m meeting my friend Anita for coffee at 12:30pm and I’m soooo looking forward to it. I haven’t gone out and played with friends since before I got sick and I feel more than a little bit like a hermit!

I love grownup play dates. Anita and I ended up chatting for well over two hours, until the coffee shop’s owner was probably wondering if we would ever leave. I have another play date lined up with my friend Bonnie on Thursday that may or may not involve canvases and paint, so that should be fun as well.

I told Rory I would fix dinner tonight but Leyna groaned at my original plans, so I popped online to look for recipes for leftover steak and ended up making a sort of beef stroganoff, only without the mushrooms. I caramelized the onions first but then went a little off-script and added a quarter cup of brandy/bourbon. I thought at first that I would just reduce it in the pan but then I had the idea of igniting it. I’m glad I wore a long-cuffed kitchen glove while holding the match because the resulting fireball nearly singed my eyebrows! AWESOME. Pyrotechnics in the kitchen. The liquid reduced almost immediately and the onions were left coated in a wonderful thick savory-sweet glaze. And I didn’t burn the house down. I’d call that a win! The meal ended up being a hit so I’ll definitely be adding the new recipe to our collection.

I’ve got this weird sore spot on the top of my right foot, on the right hand side just behind my toes. It was a bit sore yesterday but I just chalked it up to a pulled tendon or something. Now the spot is a bit red and swollen. I’ll try to keep it elevated today and see if that makes a difference. No idea what the issue is. I didn’t smack it or drop anything on it so I’m a bit mystified.