the great pretenders

Mr. Beeton and I have a knack for pretending (see "surf's up"). That's what we did this past Saturday when we walked around Brightwood, imagining that it was already March 24th. We parked in front of our soon-to-be home on Quackenbos (love that name!), got out, and walked Ella (who hadn't yet been officially introduced to her new neighborhood) around such sites as Whittier Elementary School, Coolidge High School, and the Takoma Community Center (known to Brightwood insiders as Healthy U).

And last night, we ate gazpacho. The sun has been feeling a bit warmer these past few days, and the birds have been chirping with joy now that the mounds of snow are slowly melting. It is starting to feel like spring. So, I jumped the gun a bit and made one of our favorite summertime meals. I tasted the farmer's market, endless hours of reading, and sun in every bite.

Gazpacho

• 3 1/2 cups tomato juice
• 8 plum tomatoes, seeded, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 1 cucumber, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 green onion, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced, seeded jalapeno chili
• 2 garlic cloves, minced

Combine 1 cup tomato juice, half of tomatoes, half of cucumber, and half of bell pepper in a blender. Puree until smooth. Pour into large bowl. Stir in remaining tomatoes, cucumber, and bell pepper. Add onion, cilantro, parsley, lemon juice, green onion, jalapeno, and garlic. Transfer 1 cup mixture to blender. Add 2 1/2 cups tomato juice to the blender and puree. Pour back into large bowl and stir to combine. Thin with additional tomato juice, if desired. Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Cover; chill for 2 hours... though we usually can't wait.