When I lived in Boston with my friend Jane, one of our favorite girls to spend a night on the town with was Katie.
Katie was our partner-in-crime, always all in for whatever adventure Jane and I would conjure up. She was (and still is) very pretty, full of laughter, an excellent dancer and a karaoke rock-star. In other words, someone who was pretty fun to go out with.
One evening, after what may have been more than a few drinks, the evening was about to end. It was much closer to sunrise than sunset. Sleep seemed like the wisest next step for all of us.
“It’s time to go home,” Jane said, encouraging Katie towards the door.
“No!” Katie said, stomping her feet. (Ok, I don’t think she actually stomped her feet but in my retelling of the story she does.) “More fun! I want more fun!”
Jane and I burst out laughing. “No, no more fun tonight,” Jane explained patiently, helping Katie make her way towards the cab that was going to take her home.
“More fun!” became a mantra for many years, even as our idea of what was fun mellowed quite a bit.
Right now, I kind of want to stamp my feet and holler at the calendar, “No! More fun!”
You see, as I have mentioned, I love summer. I am happiest in sundresses and sandals. Warm weather and barbeques and farm share deliveries and every other single thing about summer makes me sing. I love strolling on my morning walks, instead of hurrying along to get back to the warmth of the house. I love having daylight on my drive home, no matter what time I leave the office. I love having the windows open and the fan on, air flowing over me as I fall asleep on top of the sheets.
It’s true that there will be plenty more warm days this year. It’s not usual for temperatures to top 80 degrees in Colorado during September and October — but the summer season is over and no cries for “more fun” will bring it back until next June.
Luckily, I had a lovely end-of-summer weekend. I lounged out with Matt Friday night. Saturday, I went to a delightful wedding that was so pretty and fun I felt like I was in a movie. I caught up with our old neighbors for dinner Sunday and hit the trail at my favorite park for a run with my good friend Kelly Monday morning. And then I spent some quality time with my buddy Tour as we grilled out Monday afternoon.
This recipe has been one of my simple favorites this summer. There are a lot of liver recipes out there that proudly claim they can convert non-liver lovers. “You can’t even tell there’s liver in there!” This is not one of those recipes. If you don’t like liver, you won’t like this. But if you do like liver, you are in for a treat. The grill is a fun and flavorful way to cook it — and, seriously, who doesn’t like grass-fed butter and garlic? (If you don’t do any dairy, you can still make this. Just use ghee instead of butter. It’s just as tasty.)
Liver with Garlic Herb Butter
Grass-fed liver, 1 pound
Ghee or grass-fed butter , 2 tablespoons
Flat leaf parsley, 1 teaspoons chopped
Garlic, 1 teaspoon, diced (about 1 clove)
Salt and pepper to taste
- If the liver is not already sliced, slice it into pieces no more than ½ inch thick.
- Pre-heat grill to 350 degrees. Place liver slice on the grill. Let it cook for about 2 minutes, then flip. After 2 more minutes remove from the grill. The liver should be cooked through (but you can cut into it to check.)
- In a small saucepan or the microwave, melt the butter (or ghee.) Then stir in parsley, garlic and salt and pepper.
- Brush liver with butter mixture. If you have any left, use if for dipping as well.
I ate it along with a plate of raw veggies with a splash of red wine vinegar.