The Thyme for Ladybugs.

I saw a stray ladybug appear on the outside of my window today. Okay, now the cavalry shows up.

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The summer sunlight has caused dramatic growth in my plants, but they still remain temperamental. Moody. Random. It's like we're dating.

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A few weeks ago I flew to Houston to meet-up with my two best friends since junior high. One lived there and the other was visiting on business. We went out for breakfast and all ordered this French style meal. It consisted of eggs, a croissant, and a fancy type of hash browns. I love hash browns to begin with, but these were amazing. The best I have ever had. My two friends concurred. The restaurant dubbed them, potatoes galette. When I returned home, I did some online searches and while some recipes alluded to potatoes galette, they all seemed to be tangentially related. I ended up collecting the main attributes from the various recipes and Frankenstein'ed my own. I whipped them up and they tasted fantastic. Not only did they turn out well, but they tasted just like those at the Houston restaurant. The ingredient that gave them their distinctive taste was simply thyme, an herb that grew frantically in my mini-garden.

If you're curious, my recipe is as follows.... Shred potatoes and Monterey Jack cheese. Throw them into a bowl along with the aforementioned thyme (a lot), chopped green onions, and some fresh garlic (a little). Mix it all together with your hands. Press them into patties and throw them into the skillet. Then wait twelve hours for the potatoes to cook. Why does it take so long?

Bon Appétit.