Infusing grandeur into otherwise drab Monday mornings with five things/ideas/events for the week:

I.  Isolated thunderstorms throughout the week in Lake Tahoe gave me an excuse to spend time in the kitchen last night prepping a batch of Morning Muffins to combat the gloom.  When I woke up today, I divided the batter into mini-muffin tins and after a few minutes in the oven, the entire cabin filled with wafts of cinnamon, vanilla, and molasses.  These breakfast treats are unexpectedly healthy given the bran and wheat germ, yet utterly delicious when perfectly paired with your coffee and (likely digital) newspaper.

II.  Tonight we will be treated to several dozen shooting stars.  From midnight until a couple hours before dawn, particles from the Delta Aquarid meteor shower will enter Earth’s atmosphere traveling at speeds of more than 90,000 mph.  As they pass through, friction will create incandescent columns of gas that we will see as streaks of light.  This meteor shower will be particularly luminous because the moon is in a new phase, which will produce a darker sky.  If you can get far enough away from the city lights, up to 20 meteors an hour will be viewable before sunrise.

III.  This weekend I was reminded that everything tastes better with bacon after sampling the new featured dish from Panda Express - Orange Chicken with Bacon.  Discussing the updated entree with a friend, I mentioned that even chocolate is improved with the favored ingredient.  My friend hadn’t heard of this and didn’t believe it existed, which required an immediate trip to Whole Foods to pick up a Chuao Maple Bacon Bar (described by the confectioner as “crisp bites of bacon drizzled with delicate maple and a sprinkle of bonfire smoked sea salt bathed in milk chocolate”). Continuing the trend, I decided to make chocolate covered bacon at home tonight using this ridiculously easy recipe.

IV.  While perusing shops in Mill Valley, I recently discovered Seven on Locust.  The adorable store carries art, home wares, lifestyle products, clothing, and jewelry.  Heavily influenced by boutiques in Paris, owner Nadine Curtis curated an eclectic mix of style, products and price points. If you aren’t local, you can still order amazing pieces, like this Gold Patina Octopus Cuff, on the shop’s website.

V.  As a long time city-dweller, I was shocked to learn that the San Francisco Asian Art Museum offers free admission the first Sunday of every month.  I haven’t been since my law school days at Hastings (around the corner from the museum), so with this Sunday being the first, it’s the perfect time to rediscover the 17,000 piece collection.

Have a wonderful week!  xx tt