So...whats for dinner?
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We arrived at the little village of Dorset last night to have dinner at LaPasta. Closed. Walked across the street to the popular Mexican restaurant. Closed. The Chicken Shack was open, benefitting from the reduced hours of its neighbor restaurants, so we ate there. I had the California burger with lettuce and tomato (the only "dressed" burger in these parts) and it was delicious. The meat patty was juicy and perfectly cooked. The fries were crinkled but fried crisp. I ate a few of them.
DH had a broasted chicken meal. We both thought the amount of food was skimpy.
John ordered a meal that seemed way too ambitious for a restaurant of Chicken Shack's caliber, but he liked it. I'm sure the mushroom ravioli came from a food supply truck.
At this time of year when the lake summer people close up and go home and high school and college workers go back to school, restaurants reduce their hours and then close after Labor Day. A few restaurants stay open year round.
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Think I'll head to Mariano's for a smoked chicken half or leg quarter (unless Bob comes home early enough for us to go to Cellars, where I'll have the roast half chicken, no gravy, double veg.). Gotta replenish the crisper--out of red peppers & romaine. (I love Little Gem--perfect for mini lettuce wraps--but not willing to have to buy a "clamshell" with three varieties of frisee to get it). Gonna be away most of the weekend (playing a folk festival, then going to Ravinia for a concert), but lettuce should keep. Have an abbondanza of tomatoes--and counted 16 green ones of varying sizes still on the vines. Hot weather today should accelerate them.
Big possible dilemma. The best Italian joint in town (Spiaggia, possibly one of the best in the country) is sponsoring a chef/owner-led tour of Northern Italy this fall or early winter: 9 days in Milan, Verona, Venice & Florence. (I spent 2 hrs in Verona and only an evening & half-day in Venice back in 1996--never been to Milan or Florence). Now, I know a Southern Italian tour could go heavy on the seafood & veggies and be more diet-friendly; but the North will be heavy on the pastas & breads (though I could still do meats, salumi, cheeses and Venetian seafood). Worth it? They haven't firmed up the dates yet (might have to miss some Bar Show rehearsals).
Just got Bon Appetit (or is it Food & Wine--I get them both and they sort of run together). Its feature is "The Best Restaurants in the World," and I've been to the one on the cover--St. John in London--twice (and twice had the signature dish of bone marrow, parsley salad, & crostini). And two others are in, respectively, Savannah and an "honorable mention" in Charleston (which are doable if we go to Hilton Head Island. Another is a no-reservations-taken fishmarket joint in SF.
Decisions, decisions....
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Floridians, stay safe! (Calling my cousins in Hollywood, Aventura & Cocoa Beach to make sure they'll be okay).
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chisandy - my DD is driving through Jupiter now on the way to Titusville over on the east coast of FL for work before she heads back to Tampa on Saturday and I just spoke to her after she dropped the first of my MIL's recipe books to one BIL, dropping the other tonight to the other BIL. She is reporting that some of the gas stations, and this is about 6 miles off the I-95, are already out of gas. Hoping that they will get deliveries before the end of the weekend, but if Irma is any indication, they may not. She is trying to stay topped off in her huge pick-up truck so she can make it back home on Sat, but it may be tough to do. Hope your cousins will be ok - I am worried about everyone over there - both of my BILs are staying put - ugh...
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Yes. Stay safe, everyone in FL. A couple of medical teams were sent to Puerto Rico, but they, fortunately, were not needed, so they are being moved back to the mainland where they won't be in any danger, but, if needed, can get into FL relatively quickly.
Dinner tonight was a stir-fry with lots of Serrano peppers. My mouth has a nice tingling feeling. :-)
There was a thunderstorm here last night that dropped quite a bit of rain on us. This morning, when I started my 3-1/2 mile run, the nearby weather station was reporting 87F degrees and 93% relative humidity. I had to mop the floor after I came inside from the run. :-)
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Last night was leftover chicken enchiladas heated in the microwave and a romaine salad with additions. Easy and satisfying. Have I mentioned (a hundred times) how much I like chicken enchiladas. The roasted hatch chilis and jalapeno added such a good taste. I need to get to the supermarket for more hatch chilis if they're still available.
Cool weather is nice but our weather has been too cool and windy for outdoor happy hour in the late afternoon.
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No hatch chilis here, sadly. I love chicken enchiladas too Carole, I like green sauce, DH likes red. When making them, I usually do half and half. When in New Mexico, I always order "Christmas."
Last night was a baked chicken and rice dish using the royal rice blend (brown, red and wild rice), it was fairly good although it seemed to be lacking salt.
I may grill a bone in ribeye tonight with a baked potato and another Caesar salad.
Special, hope you and yours are safe from the storm!
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Last night we had fresh ling cod, which I just pan seared, with heirloom tomato caprese salad.
Tonight will be leftover chile verde or lamb barley soup. (Whichever we don't eat goes in the freezer.). And a green salad with grilled corn and tomatoes.
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Tonight was salad night: heirloom (Cherokee Purple) Caprese salad, Caesar (no croutons), and an antipasto plate of capacolla, prosciutto, smoked tuna, olives, marinated mushrooms and aged sharp Provolone. (I love supermarket olive bars)! Mariano's had an "artisan lettuces" clamshell with three mini-heads of Little Gem (one red!) and one of red oak. Good thing...frisee is getting kind of old.
Tomorrow night will be whatever the tavern next to the motel (Comfort Inn) serves that I can eat. In years past when I was low-carb on Labor Day weekend & the Fox Valley Folk Festival, it was bratwurst & kraut for dinner and whatever egg dish the motel breakfast buffet served. But the festival's green room has cold cuts, cheeses, & crudités to distract me from the vegan chili and all the breads & sweet stuff. Coffee & bottled water, too. I perform tomorrow morning and again at 1pm. If the Songwriters' Collective needs me to emcee Mon. morning, I will head for home as soon after noon as I can to be able to make the train to Ravinia for our dinner res and Steely Dan. No idea what I'll eat Sun. night--maybe go into town for bunless burger or something, or have an Atkins bar, string cheese & celery in my room.
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Last night I made a chicken balsamic stir fry with onions, zucchini, carrots, and yellow squash, which we had with rice pilaf spiced with saffron, and the side of a green salad. Tonight we had leftovers of that, while I also cooked up slices of chicken sausage and roasted a whole chicken. Those last items are for a pasta casserole I’m bringing to tomorrow evening’s Labor Day beach party.
Weather here has also cooled down considerably, Carole. As a matter of fact, the young gals who are organizing the beach party have labeled it a Hawaiian luau theme. However, I suspect that any Hawaiian designed clothing will be under warm parkas once the sun goes down! And...my casserole is not going to be remotely Hawaiian!
My good friend in South Florida is sweating out the hurricane’s delayed arrival. She’s been spending the last couple of days in lines for water, gas, batteries, etc., and since they have no storm shutters, she is in a panic about staying or leaving their house. Last year they lucked out with a large downed tree just missing their house. At this point the changing track and speed of the storm makes it hard to know what will happen. I sure hope you and your family will be safe with no damage, Special.
Eric, are you still on the deployment list for such weather crises? Or are you retired from such duty?
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Going to make thin spaghetti with bacon crumbled into an Alfredo sauce, salad and garlic bread for dinner.
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When you ask your chef friend to cook.... 😋
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looks delicious illimae! As the old somg says "that's what friends are for!"
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Thinking of you Lacey
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The dive boat that caught fire off of Santa Barbara.... The school that DD attended, each year, chartered *that* boat for a week long 8th grade marine biology trip during the Labor Day weekend.
This year the trip was moved to next week and is obviously now cancelled.
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Yike Eric!
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eric - too close for comfort! It’s a scary situation for sure. That water is very cold, spending any time in it is problematic.
We are hanging out, worrying about family and friends on the east coast. We tried, in vain, to get the West Palm brother and fam to come over here. The other brother has a cinder block home they are renovating further inland so they have a place to go as their primary home is right on the water.
Had patty melts on rye with sweet potato fries last night. Took some unfrosted cupcakes out of the freezer, just in case we lose power, lol! Not really... Frosted them and ate them for dessert. Have been freezing empty large jars/juice bottles for use in coolers if need be. DD has a lot of fishing friends/resort owners in the Bahamas - she is bummed out by what has happened and worried for them. Waiting the storm out has left me doing in depth cleaning to burn off nervous energy, which has in turn made me need to use my LE pump because my arm is aggravated. Bleh. Compared to what others are experiencing, or are going to, it’s an inconvenience - nothing more
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Nance, a work of art!
Eric, just saw about the boat fire on the noon news. Apparently there have been deaths but no details available at this time. Heartbreaking, and even more so when one has connections (mine are having lived in that area for a number of years).
Special, prayers for all impacted by Dorian...
For dinners this holiday weekend, I purchased food to serve 10, and 6 could not come (they were sharing the "school just started bug") so we are eating and freezing a lot of keftovers! Thurs evening, GD2 arrived from North Africa and we had her favorite, orange chicken with brown rice and broccoli. Friday evening GD1 joined us and we had salmon, roasted green beans, roasted squash, and corn on the cob. Saturday we were 4 instead of 10 so cooked only half of the sweet chili chicken and spicy beef fajitas (leftovers consumed for Sunday lunch) and froze the rest of the fajitas and tortillas. After GD2 left for college Sunday morning, Sunday night was baked chicken breasts and thighs, a big green salad and garlic bread. Today, DH is taking GD1 back to college in Waco and should be back in time for us to make a mutual decision about what leftovers to have tonight!
Anyone who is potentially in the path of the storm, please be safe!
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Fingers crossed for you and yours Special!
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The hurricane just essentially stopping only adds to the misery. :-(
I was on call for August, but yesterday I got a call asking if I could remain available.
DD just walked in the house. :-) :-)
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Amazing how just a change of date one way or the other can make all the difference in one's destiny.
Last night to reward myself for sticking to my diet at the folk festival (lettuce wraps with roast beef & turkey, crudités, guac & almonds) I went out to a steakhouse and had the "skinny cut" (10 oz. after cooking) of perfect prime rib with steamed asparagus and a crouton-less Caesar. After trimming away the fat, I still ate only half of it, froze the leftovers in the hotel room fridge overnight and brought them home this morning.
Tonight we're about to leave to see Steely Dan at Ravinia, and eat at the park's "Tree Top" buffet restaurant--seasonal chef's tables of regional foods, much of it healthy enough to divert me from the no-nos. Taking the train up & back, so drinking won't be much of an issue,
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Sandy, have a great time!
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Thinking of all in harms way with Dorian. Special, I hope your family stays safe.
Sandy, dinner sounded delish. Hope the concert was equally enjoyable.
Dinnet tonight was homemade Cheese Manicotti and a large green salad with lots of veggie goodies in it.
We are working on my weight loss and trying to move hubs diabetic numbers down so I made this as light as possible. It was kind of a test too to see the effect on DH blood sugar. He did pretty well as part of an overall better eating day and including an after dinner walk.
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Dh's brother from Chicago area has been visiting a couple of days, a stopover on his way to Montana. Yesterday was blustery and overcast, definitely not an outdoors day. We went to breakfast at West Forty, did a little tee shirt shopping in downtown Park Rapids, and then drove to Walker and stopped in at the casino for the first time in nine years. We actually located a tiny non-smoking section, unusual for Indian casinos where the smoke smell hits you when you walk in the front door
Dinner was delicious broasted dark meat chicken, take out from nearby Clancy's restaurant, boiled new potatoes with butter and an arranged salad of sliced tomato, cucumber and onion.
BIL moves on today. DH plays golf with the Wednesday group at the golf course. I take a deep breath and enjoy my own company. Maybe do some laundry. It's supposed to be a nicer day with temperatures rising into the mid 70's. It was 49 degrees when I got up a little before 8 am.
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Oooooh, Nance, be still my heart and salivary glands! How absolutely beautiful, and, I'm sure, delicious! Good thing I'm only seeing a photo! I am working on getting back to healthier eating after a “too full summer" of food and wine meals. I decided that a good fibrous start to the day would be helpful, so re-started my smoothie breakfasts. Pix below....
We are working to button up the lake house since we're not sure about getting back here in the fall due to lack of certainty of DH's hip replacement date. Will head home tomorrow. Carole, we've had similar weather to yours in MN. Today, tho we are dealing with some intermittent sudden thunder showers. Seeing a last performance at the Winnipesaukee Playhouse tonight, Neil Simon's California Suites.
Carole, I totally appreciate your savoring some alone time after company. I've really experienced that same need this summer even when friends I really enjoy spent overnights here. I think my energy level for entertaining is lower as I age...
Thinking of all those in The Bahamas, so tragically impacted by Dorian, and hoping that the East Coast folks are spared serious damage. I read a suggestion on Facebook that the cruise lines could/should bring their ships to the Bahamas (where they generate so much of their profit) to offer support with basic needs of the affected people on the islands. Great opportunity for corporations to do something good for humanity! It's pretty daunting to think about such hurricanes being a regular occurrence, given the degree of destruction they cause.
Back to fluff....Before and after pix of my return to smoothies....
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lacey - cruise ship thing already happening:
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That’s great to see.
Thanks, Special
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Made a really good Beef Stroganoff tonight. My first for this recipe and yum! (I added the spinach, not in the recipe)
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lacey - I think it will still be a long, ugly process, but its a start. There is some lawlessness and piracy going on, unfortunately - DD has some connections and is directing aid to the Bahamas from outdoor companies who sponsor her, and there have been reports that this is going on.
illimae - looks yum!
Tonight is salad with shrimp on top - romaine, shredded carrots, thin sliced onion, celery, goat cheese, shrimp, Greek dressing. I had a late lunch of a combo steak/chicken Thai bowl with lots of mango over yellow rice with a friend after a shopping expedition, so this salad is for DH and packed up for his lunch tomorrow.
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The stroganoff looks very appetizing. I had forgotten about this dish--again.
Last night's dinner was the result of a last-minute invitation to a birthday celebration for Wayne, a new Pine Hollow Resort resident. It was windy so the meal was in the recreation room half of the garage. Broasted chicken, pasta salad, dinner rolls. Cake and ice cream for dessert. All brought at a supermarket. Afterwards we played a dice game until dh and I ran out of dimes.
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