Jazzie Mae's and my garden

So it's been almost two weeks since I last showed up here with a recipe. The problem is, it's the time of year when I don't spend any real time inside until 10 or 11 p.m., between work and the demands of the hounds. I promise, for what that's worth, to get some good new food up here this month - I have a couple of recipes rolling around in the kitchen.

But here's the important news in my veggie world - Fargo has a new vegetarian cafe, called Jazzie Mae's. When I heard a veg place was opening up (and just a couple of blocks from my place), I was excited, but I assumed the place would be ovo-lacto...which is still a vast improvement over Famous Dave's and Perkins and the rest. But check it out - the whole menu at Jazzie Mae's is vegan!

The cafe is just great - one of the many places in Fargo that you can't quite believe are in Fargo. I mean that in the most affectionate way for this town. Their menu has a ton of great looking items - I had a delicious and colorful Mediterranean-themed wrap sandwich - and I am excited to check out the rest of their dishes, including pizzas and ice creams. A veggie shop/boutique shares the store, with lots of interesting odds and ends. I picked up a box of vegan peanut butter dog biscuits for Otter and Maya, which they are loving. I'll bring my camera next time I'm at Jazzie Mae's and get some photos up here - they clearly care about every aspect of their business - the food looks as good as it tastes. Anyway, I'm no restaurant critic, but I wanted to express my gratitude at having a place like Jazzie Mae's in our Fargo. I wish them the best of luck, and I can't wait for my next stop.

In other news, I finally have a garden. This is the first summer since I've been in Fargo when I am reasonably sure I'll be around here most of the time, so I borrowed my neighbor's roto-tiller and dug up a nice little garden plot in the backyard of the big white house here. I'll plant this week, and subject you to endless reports from the garden over the summer. Eggplant, squash, kale and other greens, tomatoes and peppers of all colors, fresh herbs - this is going to be lots of fun. My garden...it's been too long since I've been able to say that.