Flying alone clears my head. I can’t sleep. At dawn, I prefer to watch over an endless sea of clouds. If I stare long enough they become a vast jagged glacier – well, a vast glacier that is my 10 miles of visibility… Underneath this glacial blanket, my world in Texas sleeps. Who but God creates such moments? Pink, silver, white, stillness, quiet. There is a daunting comfort in a scene so completely unscripted.

At my house today, homework is done, allergies are tended, numbers are crunched, meals are cooked… I’m thinking about you, Family, even as my focus shifts, as it must…

I’ll meet my sister in Tampa, and we will drive to my folks’ place in Venice. We will eat icecream and caramel corn, wish for air conditioning and always wear our cover-ups at the beach! We will invade my parents’ quiet world and hustle them around until they are ready for us to leave (and take our weird modern food with us!).

But, I did not forget to leave a tub of egg salad in the fridge – it’s old-fashioned and dreamy, kind of like the week I’m about to have! And did you know, it’s one of the dishes my mom used to make. Although she did not bake bread, it is something I really enjoy doing. The bread you see is Classic 100% Whole Wheat, from King Arthur Flour.

PS – Thanks for the bluebonnets along the runway. Still smiling.

Gather Up:
10 eggs
1/3 cup finely chopped celery
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
Pinch of sea salt
Pinch of freshly ground white pepper

Place eggs into a large saucepan in a single layer. Add enough cold water to just cover the eggs. Bring to a rapid boil over high heat (water will have large rapidly breaking bubbles). Remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 15 minutes.

Drain eggs. Run cold water over eggs and place them in ice water until cool.

Peel eggs by gently tapping on countertop and then rolling in the palms of your hands. Peel off eggshell starting at the large end.

Chop eggs and place in mixing bowl. Mix in celery, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, dill and seasoning.

Serve with a hearty brown bread, toasted if you like! Egg salad is also great in a wrap with fresh greens or on seeded crackers!