SOFT PRETZELS

Phil and Timory came over for dinner last night. I made soft pretzels using Alton Brown's recipe. The key was to boil them in baking soda water and coating them with egg yolk, it gave them that dark brown color. I'm going to try making bagels using this same technique soon. We also had pork that had been braised in tomato sauce and wine, cipollini onions in balsamic vinegar, and brussel sprouts with pancetta.

O'CONNELL'S

It's hard to find a normal fitting shirt these days, they are either too stylish or too boxy. Since I've lost a lot of weight I was looking for some new shirts. Mark suggested O'Connell's in Buffalo. They have a whole section of new/old shirts and the ones they make themselves fit like a shirt used to.

TAKEOUT

Last night Stacy brought me a steak from the Strip House. It took a lot of will power not to eat the whole thing, but I knew it would have caused a lot of pain if I had. For breakfast I had leftover steak and a fried egg.

RUSSELL MOCCASIN

About six months ago I ordered these shoes from Russell Moccasin to replace a pair that is getting worn out. Danielle calls them my aging hipster shoes. Russell Moccasin sends you a pattern where you trace your foot and provide a number of other measurements. They keep this paper on file and whenever you want they'll make a new pair of custom shoes for you, but it takes a while.

CHEMOTHERAPY IS OVER

Tuesday was my last day of the second nine week cycle of chemotherapy. Phil and Kelly joined me. It is such a relief to have the pump removed and not have to carry it around day and night. It was great to say good bye to all the hard-working nurses that have been helping me for the past few months.

To celebrate, I made dinner for Kelly, Kim, Goldie and Myrna. It's a new favorite, at Wong, a new place in the West Village they call it Cha Ca La Vong. I sautéed mahi mahi that had been dredged in flour, turmeric and salt. Put it on top of rice noodles with basil, cilantro, dill and scallions. It's topped off with some fried shallots and peanuts. There is also a light sauce of lime juice, fish sauce, chiles and garlic.

I'm still learning how to eat without a stomach. Mainly I need to eat very small portions very slowly to avoid pain. Now that I'm done with chemotherapy my goal is to gain weight. I have a PET scan scheduled next month that will show if we've gotten rid of the cancer. I'll keep you posted.

HAPPY SOCKS

For the past ten years or so I've been wearing Falke socks, they come in normal colors and there are left and right versions for your respective foot. They fit great. But lately I've been switching to Happy Socks. I like them because they also fit well (no left and right versions however) and they come in interesting colors and patterns. They are also about half the price.

ENGLISH MUFFINS

Sometimes there's nothing better than an English Muffin. I love the toasty smell, the combination of crispiness and softness and the melted butter. They are great just like this and also as a means to sopping up egg yolks.