We had our regular grilled salmon tonight (Jay was here for dinner), but instead of marinating in honey (along with garlic, soy sauce and green onion), I used maple syrup. Larry and I both think honey works better. We had potatoes and salad leftover from last night, and I decided to try something different with the rest of the Brussels sprouts that were still in the refrigerator. Everyone liked these. I didn’t have pancetta, so I used Niman Ranch cured bacon – which was a fairly significant change to the recipe, but it was still pretty good. Oh, and I didn’t add the water at the end of the recipe. I had all sorts of problems with these cookies. I really wanted them to turn out, because I had something similar from Central Market the last time I visited Amy in Austin. The dough was way too dry – I reviewed what I did, and don’t see anything different – except I weighed my flour like I usually do, instead of measuring. I usually calculate 5 ounces per cup – maybe that was too much? Larry thought these tasted just like the tops to my chocolate pot pies. The spice is very subtle – I’d like to add a bit more pepper.

• Grilled Salmon with Garlic, Green Onion, Soy Sauce and Maple Syrup
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Garlic and Pancetta (Gourmet, January 2001)
• Smashed Red Potatoes with Basil and Parmesan Fine Cooking #70, March 2005, p. 51)
• Spinach & Basil Salad with Tomatoes, Candied Walnuts & Warm Bacon Dressing (Fine Cooking #70, March 2005, p. 55)
• Spicy Chocolate Cookies (Real Simple, November 2004, p, 258)

Wine: David Bruce 2000 Brousseau Vineyard Pinot Noir (Chalone, California). Oh, so yummy. Much more full bodied than last night’s Pinot, but still had hints of cherry.