So...whats for dinner?
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Not sure what dinner will be
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Dinner? I want fresh french bread with butter and brocolli? Am I pregnant at 56 hope not DH says grilled fish. If he does not melt. It is in triple digits. We are hurling toward the sun for sure.
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We bought a lovely piece of swordfish which we will grill. A potato will go into the small toaster oven, and I will make a green salad with some kind of vinaigrette; mustard or garlic/shallot. Depends on what appeals as I start to make it. The temperatures are just plain high for us. There is a hot wind coming from the West bringing all those nasty midwestern dusts, pollens, and weed seed that make me sneeze. We will have to succumb to air conditioning in the bedroom [only room with such a thing] in order to get a decent night of sleep.
*susan*
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It was supposed to be triple digits here today too but we woke up to a surprise rain storm that left two inches and cooler but steamy (I mean STEAMY) weather.
I freeze hot dogs in two packs also. I buy the Costco all beef quarter pounders (unless I can find Vienna beef -- a rarity.) I either make buns or get them from a bakery here. I try not to eat them often, but I do love them.
Tonight is chicken cacciatore with a tomato cucumber salad from the garden. The tomatoes, what few I have, are starting to roll in all at once.
I'm sitting here drinking coffee and watching one of our butterfly bushes in the garden, which is in full bloom. There are so many butterflies on it, it looks like it's moving. I wish they would go pollinate my squash plants. Looks like I'm going to have to get the q tips out if I want any squash. Another year without bees!
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Monica, the grands are getting so big!
We are dog sitting our granddog Olivia next week. That should be interesting.
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Local news said it was the hottest day of the year where I am
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Nancy & Mary, hope you had the happiest of birthdays!
Shortest TSA line ever at O'Hare--shorter even than when I was using a wheelchair. Only hitch was having to be wanded after the circular-scanner beeped due to my tibial hardware. Very nice flight on Alitalia. Their Premium Economy is what Business Class used to be. (First class has all but disappeared on most sit lined except for high-rollers willing to shell out private-jet prices for ultra-luxury). Food was meh, but we were greeted by name and offered champagne (not prosecco) as soon as we were seated. Even though that cabin had only 21 seats, it was so empty that Bob & I got our own rows. Unfortunately, the armrests don't fold up (they contain the tray tables, air bags and electronics), so we couldn't lie flat to sleep the way biz classers can. Speaking of which, we were offered upgrades for $500 each (a relative steal), but we didn't bite. Turns out that whole section had ONE passenger. They could have fit everyone from our cabin in there!
Passport Contol at FCO was a fustercluck. EU passport line breezed through. Not so we non-EU-ers. Wonder if the British voters had fully thought this Brexit thing through--first time they have to fly to the Continent after leaving the EU, there's gonna be hell to pay. Took over an hour. Walked to our hotel only to find our room wouldn't be ready till late afternoon. So we left our bags with the valet and took the free shuttle into the Centro Storico. We visited La Bocca Della Verita (remember "Roman Holiday" with Grant & Hepburn?) and Hadrian's crypt. Then we walked into the Ghetto and had lunch at Piperno--where we wanted to eat in Dec. but it was closed the days we were in town). If I could have their carciofi alla Giudia (artichokes Jewish style) every day I could be a happy vegan. Their deep-fried stuffed zucchini blossoms were awesome. The spaghetti alla vongole was delicious, but a tad too al dente even for me (and I am a stickler for al dente pasta). Dessert was wild strawberries with lemon essence. We were exhausted by then, so we took the shuttle back to the Airport Hilton, power-napped, had free happy hour stuff for dinner (cauliflower bisque, cheese vol-au-vents, cold risotto with tuna, salumi & cheeses and salad. Pinot Grigio, sparkling water and espresso to drink. Free breakfast was scrambled eggs, prosciutto, green beans, herring and cappuccino.
Today before our Vatican tour, we had Caprese pizza, Pellegrino, and (despite the place being a high-volume tourist trap eatery) the best espresso I've ever had in Italy. The Vatican tour was awesome--we had a private docent!--and we were happily exhausted and starving. But rather than grab a gelato, cab it back to the shuttle and have room service dinner (we have an insanely early morning tour tomorrow) we grabbed the first cab we saw just outside St. Peter's Sq. and took it all the way back here. Dinner was free happy-hour food again: pizzas Margherita and alla funghi, mostaccioli with pesto, insalata Caprese, smoked salmon, Pinot Grigio, Sangiovese, and espresso. Tomorrow we see the Forum, Colosseum, and the newly-excavated ruins of Caesar Augustus' home; then on to Trastevere for lunch (jonesing for cacio e pepe or bucatini all'amatriciana), craft-shopping and gelato.Sorry no pix, but I'm typing this on my iPad and I haven't transferred the shots from my phone to my iCloud account yet. I didn't bring my MBAir, so I'm hoping I can insert photos here from a mobile device. (Typing & surfing BCO on my phone would drive me nuts)
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It was only 90 today.
I am passing out meds and germs and have been back to work for a week. Three "emergencies" here today, actually only one, involving benadryl, an epi pen an ambulance, and stay in the hospital for the day, a fainting, and an overreaction.at the lake
Moon, lovely picture
For dinner salad with cottage cheese, olives,tomatoes, lettuce, radishes, chick peas, kidney beans and dressing.
I want to go back to RI and go to Newport, go on a lighthouse cruise, maybe Block Island,
I'm over the landlubber thing.
I start my next job at a university 10 days after I finish here on Aug 13th. It is for the school year. Or forever
I'm thinking that by next summer I will be a grandmother hopefully, or in Thailand. I think that I might like to do that for a few months if I am not a grandma.. I don't know where I get these crazy ideas
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They look happy, Moon. :-)
Happy Birthday HappyHammer.
Once you got past the security and passport stuff, it sounds like it was pretty good. Chi.
Bedo, epi pen...hmmm....I can think of better things. I looked at one with the nail...errrr...needle...extended...Damn... But it's better than the alternative.
All the dinners sound good. I didn't eat anything. At work, I found the safety feature that keeps one from taking the transmission out of "Park" until the brake pedal is pressed...broke. I had to crawl under the car, disconnect some stuff and put the car into gear from underneath so I could drive home. I got home OK and the weather was "nice" enough (only 105F degrees and dark) that I worked on it instead of eating. I just bypassed the safety thing with a small chunk of wood. Tomorrow I'll put all the plastic dash stuff back together before heading to the bank to work on more stuff of my mom's.
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Bedo, I grew up in Newport. Wasn't born there
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Bedo, you really must write a book about summer camp. Keep those crazy ideas coming.
Oh Sandy, your food adventures continue to be awesome.
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Had a very early morning tour, so grabbed only a cappuccino and a cornetto in the hotel lounge before cabbing it out to the Colosseum for our tour. (Too early for the free shuttle). This time there were 16 of us, but it was still wonderful (albeit very strenuous and 97 degrees by the time it was over at noon). Our guide was an archaeologist (yesterday's docent for the Vatican tour was an art history major and architect). We went through the Colosseum (more properly called the Flavian Amphitheatre), seeing all levels open to the public plus some of the subterranean "backstage" area. Then we passed under the triumphal arch (commemorating the sacking of the Temple in Jerusalem, which treasures completely financed the Colosseum after Nero's obscenely huge estate was angrily demolished). Made me remember my trip,up Masada years ago and the sad story of those who, having lost their holiest place and all their property, chose to commit suicide rather than be captured by those who'd destroyed their lives and future and desecrated their faith. We climbed Palatine Hill for a breathtaking panorama of the Forum and modern downtown. Then we got our own exclusive tour of the newly opened ruins of the houses of Caesar Augustus and his beloved last wife Livia. Amazing how so many of the frescoes survive to this day. It was hotter than blazes whe the tour ended; our guide showed us a ramp down towards the exit so we needn't deal with banister-less steep stone stairs. Unfortunately, we got stuck down amid the ruins trying to find a similar gentler way out and up to the 21st century street level.
After retracing our steps many times, and nearly spraining my ankles or stubbing my toes on the paving stones despite using a cane (should have brought sneakers rather than orthopedic loafers & sandals), my wrist suddenly started buzzing like crazy: 10,000 steps, before lunchtime! Gasping for breath (and having downed two bottles of water and still dry-mouthed though drenched in sweat), we made it up to the street. We saw what looked like a mirage: a trattoria complete with shaded arbor dining area. To our delight, it was very much real. Angelino AI Fori dal 1947. Large menu, crowded, but looked inviting. After what seemed like an interminable wait (10 min., in reality), we were seated. Here goes nothing, I thought: tourist trap, probably overpriced, catering to an exhausted captive clientele. Fully expected yesterday's Cafe Vaticano experience.
Was I ever wrong! Great brut rosė. Bob had a green salad and house-made veal ravioli in vodka sauce. I had tonnarelli (sort of like bucatini, but freshly-extruded rather than dried, squared-off and no center hole) cacio e pepe (one of Rome's official specialties--olive oil, black pepper and lots of pecorino cheese). Perfectly al dente. Against our better judgment, we caved and had dessert (it was starting to rain and we didn't want to miss the 3 pm shuttle, rather this kill another 2 hrs trolling for gelato and having to catch the 5 pm). Bob had vanilla custard ice cream "drowned in whiskey." I had the tartufo cioccolatto: deep dark chocolate gelato, like black velvet, studded with brandied cherries, covered with dark chocolate sauce and chocolate shavings, and topped with whipped cream. If I had to give up sugar for the rest of my life,and was allowed one dessert on my deathbed, this would be it. Two espressos--and the bill came out to less than what we'd pay for lunch in the nicest trattoria in my neighborhood.
Siri led us to Piazza Venezia and down the hill to our shuttle bus. The rain was picking up and so was the wind. Got back to the hotel, napped, and went to free happy hour dinner: mostaccioli with pesto, torta rustica (mini quiches with handmade crusts), green salad, prosciutto, fresh pea soup, sun-dried tomatoes, cold orecchiette salad, feta, and chocolate panna cotta with strawberries. Sipping my leftover Sangiovese as I type this. Tomorrow we have an afternoon tour of the Borghese Gallery and Villa, so will look for a good restaurant up there (shopping district NW of Trevi fountain), reserve online right now and report back Monday morning.
Oh, and 14,000 steps!
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Sandy- tr4ip is souding perfectly lovely. So happy for you and Bob.
Eric- love the "nail" reference for the epi=pen.
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Grr Lost a post. But I think it's hitting a magic key on the keyboard that tells the browser (Firefox, in my case) to back up a page.
Chi. That's a lot of walking, especially up and down uneven stairs that probably aren't nicely spaced. The food descriptions sound wonderful. I'm smiling at the "probably a tourist trap" thoughts with your descriptions of how it actually turned out.
I was digging through the freezer this morning and found some top round steak that had been in the freezer for about 6 months. It made a good London Broil style meat. I sauteed mushrooms in butter and some cheap red wine for one side while Sharon made some pasta salad. All of this was done on the grill/side gas burner outside. I had thought about some rolls but I decided against it (didn't want to heat up the kitchen).
I think I'm done with the local bank stuff. Now it's the banks that don't have local offices, insurance companies and investment houses. The utility companies were surprisingly quick--I have only one utility left. And I hoping the CPA I contacted yesterday will take on the work of dealing with the "fun" stuff regarding taxes/mandatory payments surrounding paying mom's caretaker.
I didn't get much done on the car. It's 8:30pm and it's still over 105F degrees and the humidity is higher than comfortable. I can drive it, so that's all that matters to me right now.
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ChiSandy, your trip sounds wonderful, though I am feeling quite full reading about those meals. Glad you made it out from the ruins successfully, and congrats on all those steps!
Lately we have been involved in so many road trips, that I get a kick out of my Apple Watch buzzing me that it's "time to get up and move around for a minute" every hour. Not gonna happen since I rarely make stops on road trips! However, I was happy to be congratulated by my phone this week when DH and I walked over three miles, enjoying beautiful Vineyard scenery, to and from Allies General Store....and plenty more steps later on South Beach. But not even close to the walking one does in Rome!
Your "steps" are bringing me back to those I made almost two years ago there. I think I mentioned here that I was particularly impressed with our hotel staff packing us a "breakfast to go" on the day we had a very early vatican tour...before their breakfast buffet. While I am not particularly oriented to really early morning tours, it was so worth it since our Sistine Chapel visit included less than 20 people in the whole space. Definitely the way to enjoy the beauty of that space!We are now home, if briefly, .....beautiful ferry ride from the Vineyard, after a very loud storm laden night...tho in comparison to our lake house, the boomers didn't quite compare. I think up North, the storms get caught between the mountains....and the sound echoes in a totally terrifying way.
On the drive home, we stopped at a sports bar for a quick "linner" of sandwiches and a coffee for me since I was getting drowsy driving. It was hot here upon our return, tho probably nothing like others who are dealing in triple digits! I was glad to be relieved of dinner duty!
Here are some pics of our dinners at Chilmark Tavern:
ISmoked mackerel toast (Susan, I might expect Erbaluce to offer this!)
Mussels for DH's app
Island fluke in razor clam broth for my friend...she raved about it.
DH's scallops (which I did not have since the dish included one of my allergy foods)
My Moroccan lamb meatballs...delicious, but the things that look and tasted a bit like the bottom of a tortilla chip bag were a disappointment at this nice restaurant...I forget the grains serious name. I didn't take a pic of the wonderful baby kale caesar salad I had first, but it was perfect in taste and texture!
Side of collard greens ordered by DH. I didn't even know I'd love collard greens so much! How can a kale and chard lover be so silly! I am sometimes nervous to try new green veggies due to my allergies...but this was a great discovery for me!
Beet side. On a ricotta cheese bed...very nice!
So, it was a good meal....and for the record, "Bruce's" pork chop choice was probably the best one on the menu. It was carried past our table to him looking delectable .....after our orders were in! Tho I did not feel envious since I am still remembering the most unbelievable pork chop I had at Joon Bar and Kitchen in P-town......but I do go on....
I wish cooler weather for everyone.
Happy Vineyard visitors, over and out.....
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Oops, sorry....I reduced the food pix size but it obviously didn't "take"!
Eric, I was beginning to worry about you. So glad to see you enjoying a real meal! Pardon my Italian mother coming out....
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At the risk of further boring you, I found out what the tortilla chip crumbs on my plate with the lamb meatballs were....papadum. So I educated myself this morning:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papadum
Carole, I hope you are enjoying a really meaningful visit with your mom. She must be thrilled
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Slept in past breakfast, so gulped an espresso as soon as the lounge reopened and we got on the noon shuttle into the city. The bus was full to the gills because several flights to JFK and ORD had been cancelled, so the airlines put them up at the airport Hilton. Their rooms weren't ready, so they rode into Rome (as we did the day we arrived).We knew that there would be no nearby cab stand at the shuttle stop, so we went across the street to Hotel 47 and had a lovely lunch in their rooftop restaurant. Salade Niiçoise, spaghetti cacio e pepe, and a glass of Vermentino from Sardinia. Had the concierge call us a cab and off we went to our tour of the Borghese Gallery and gardens.
Lots of stair climbing, but I managed. Walked down into the Piazza del Popolo and went trolling for gelato--found an artisanal gelateria, Gracchi, a couple of blocks down a quiet side street. I had dark chocolate and zabaglione, and Bob had Grand Marnier dark chocolate and hazelnut. Amazing--and ai later found out it’s Anthony Bourdain’s favorite gelateria. Walked back to the piazza, then some more down the slightly livelier Via del Corso, ducked into a farmacia to replenish our sunscreen supply and pick up some Voltaren gel and a Ventolin inhaler (back home, both require Rx and cost several times more). We'd planned to stroll leisurely and window-shop before dinner, but it began to rain, so we ducked into the first non-touristy restaurant we saw that didn't display pictures of its food. Turned out to be a combination restaurant and sculpture gallery! We split linguine frutta di mare (clams, mussels, shrimp, and calamari with grape tomatoes). Bob had octopus salad and I had "sea bass," which turned out to be an entire baked branzino which I had to fillet myself--but I did it rather easily. It came with an arugula-radicchio-tomato salad. We shared a bottle of a Sauvignon Blanc from Friuli. We didn't want to miss our 9:00 shuttle, so we declined coffee and dessert and hightailed it back toward the taxi stand at the piazza--but managed to hail one along the way.Got to the shuttle stop and had 9000 steps on my Fitbit, so I walked around the block--the bus came just as I hit 10,000!
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Oh wow Sandy & Lacey. After your fantastic meals I hate to even share my pedestrian fare. I want the chocolate gelato w/brandied cherries, dark chocolate sauce & whipped cream. Lacey - thanks for posting the picture. Fun to see you both. Eric - you just inspired me with your London Broil. I have an aging half a round steak in my freezer. Hmmm - or maybe slice thinly & sauteed with mushrooms, wine & sour cream? Bedo - I agree with Nance. You must write a book 'adventures at summer camp from a nurse'. Interesting juxtaposition - 'I'll be a grandmother or be in Thailand'. Not sure how those relate. Susan - hope the latest "guests" are interesting. What is your chemo schedule? Has your body decided to cooperate more during the first week of the cycle?
Had a fun weekend at my friend Pat's house in Walden on Lake Conroe. (Pat says hi to Susan & Lacey). We saw a little theater production of "Legally Blond" in an old theater built in 1935 as a "movie Palace" & for live vaudeville shows. Play was funny & restored theater is truly a palace. The lady who was supposed to make the dinner reservations for the 5 of us at the local Italian place screwed up so I missed out on Veal Dama Blanca. We went to an Asian Fusian place called Akashi. I had a combination of Japanese & Chinese: miso soup, vegetable roll w/asparagus, avocado & cucumber, and cashew shrimp. My friend & I don't get to see each other often & were having a great time visiting Saturday night when we discovered it was 4am. Eeek. Needless to say Sunday was more laid back. We went to a fish restaurant in The Woodlands. This is a very upscale community & the area is the new home of Exxon. We split "mini lobster bites" that were lightly fried so the 'meat' was still moist. The salad was mixed greens with a dressing reminiscent of remoulade. Yum. It was served in a huge bowl for both of us along with good garlic bread. Pat had fried shrimp. I had a lovely broiled Mahi Mahi. We were way too full for dessert so we went back to Pat's, got some wine & walked over to the lake to watch a gorgeous sunset over the water. The wine was Owl's Lair - a very nice cab/syrah from Mendocino made from organically grown grapes. Maybe a bit sweet, but this was an after dinner treat.
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After touring the Jewish Museum and Synagogue, we crossed the Tiber and ate lunch at Tiberio on the isle of the same name. We shared sous-vide tuna with tomatoes, basil and balsamic, and an Argentinian entrecôte (sliced strip steak) with grilled radicchio. Bob had a local draft beer and I had a Nero Buono (local red wine). Then we walked over the island into Trastevere, the artsy neighborhood (sort of like Greenwich Village meets Berkeley). Suddenly began storming, so first we ducked into an artisanal gelateria--Fior di Luna, another highly regarded one, arguably the best on that side of the river. We had fig gelato and Madagascar dark chocolate sorbetto (they also had Peruvian--first time I'd ever seen single-origin chocolate sorbetto or gelato, much less a choice between the two). Walked some more and then when it rained some more we sat under the canopies of an enoteca--Bob had Chianti and I had a metodo Classico (I.e., not a Prosecco, which is made by bulk tank fermentation) blanc de noir sparkler. Then we walked the mile back to the shuttle stop. Dinner was in the hotel lounge--spinach salad, corn chowder, torta rustica ( like a flat quiche) and apricot torte. Off to Tuscany in the morning
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Minus, my best regards to Pat also! It sounds like you had some delish meals, and a wonderful time catching up. Happy for you!
Last evening I made gazpacho which we had before grilled chicken breasts with a harissa marinade, and a salad with my favorite "salad bowl" lettuce we picked up at the FArmer's Market.
Tonight, leftovers from last night, which was good since we returned home from the gym well into the dinner hour.
Still hot here, but I can only imagine how awful it must be for you Midwesterners and Southwesterners.
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So, it is hotter than Hell-o here. Trying to cook in the mornings and then just re-heat anything that needs to be warm or hot at night. Last night we had a delish new recipe- Cheesy Shrimp and Grits casserole...full of lots of fresh tomatoes, peppers, onions, and local sausage along with some of those great SC shrimp Kevin got last week. Tonight I grilled pork chops and paired them with fresh corn on the cob, broccoli salad and sliced tomatoes. Dessert was local watermelon. It was so cold and good!
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All of the food on this thread, foreign and domestic, sounds so good! Tonight was Greek salads and a glass of blackberry sangria followed by a 3 mile walk!
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Special - I would have wanted to take the blackberry Sangria on the walk!!
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minus - we were walking too fast to drink out of a glass, lol! I need one of those beer hats with tubing so I can drink and walk - or maybe put sangria in a Camelback!
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Blackberry sangria does sound enticing!
Still pretty hot here, especially since I just helped DH finish up trimming our suddenly overgrown corner lot hedge...too much sun!! LOL Clearly our gym exercise and weight efforts allow us to manage that onerous task, but I will be happy when our landscape guy returns our calls. Not sure what has happened to him since he's usually very reliable. He may also have decided that it's just too damn hot!
Now I am off to look for some annuals to bring to NH tomorrow so our house there can look a bit loved! Wish me luck at this late date!
No idea what we'll do for dinner aside from finishing up the gazpacho.
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It;s hot here too! Low to mid 90s tomorrow
For dinner, the worst wrap ever on the way back from RI, A "Caesar Wrap" which turned out to be Caesar salad wrapped in a pita, nothing else.
Minus the connection is, when I become a grandma, I'm not going anywhere anymore, as I won't want to miss a minute. They are "trying'
I think that we all need a little truck that drives through our neighborhoods and plays
Mariachi music and we can all run out and pick our favorite margarita flavor, like ice cream, only margaritas. A friend emailed me this on face book.
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Checking in from the condo in Borgo alle Vigne in Selvatelle, Tuscany, before we leave for a walking tour of Terraciola this morning. Will make a Caprese with salumi for lunch; then take a winery tour when it starts to cool down again. Supermarket we went to (Conad--rhymes with gonad, making it the ballsiest grocer in town) had a full cafe and bar. Produce so gorgeous it made me weep. They even bake their own matzo in-house! Dinner at DaCarlo was antipasti, linguine with black summer truffles, seafood mixed grill (branzino filleted table side, giant prawns, squid and octopus), salad and zuppa inglese for dessert. Tasting size portion (which turned out to be a large glass) of a local white from the vineyard next door was 3 euro. All our meals this trip have been about half what they'd cost in Chicago.
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OK, ChiSandy, I think we may need a pic or two of those fab meals. The seafood grill would be DH's dream. When we were flying out of Pisa two years ago, (and staying there the night before due to road work next to our residence in a small mountain village) we scouted out a neighborhood restaurant that provided him with the most amazing fish dish in a crusty bowl. He was delirious! And sated!!
We have finally returned to the lake! For a whole week! It is really hot here, but should get tolerable overnite with our trusty fan. They had some bad wind storms (and maybe rain?) in our absence, judging by the tree limbs all over our property. We sweated bullets cleaning off the deck. Now my many flowers (Home Depot had some good deals!) are sitting, unplanted, on top of the planters they will inhabit. Ahhhh color!!
After all the cleanup, I decided I was going to "princess" the dinner and order out. So we are eating from a local Greek restaurant which has totally inedible (crust like wonder bread) pizza, but other good basic meals. So....baked haddock with two vegetables, spanikopita with Greek salad, and two baklava.
Bedo, once again I am reminded of the difference between daughters and sons.....there would be no way that I would be made privy to my sons' "efforts" to procreate! Tho, I do recall my DDIL sharing their plan. Best of luck to them!
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Guys, your food post just make my day. I'm on a strict diet due to my digestive issues, and eat only boiled meat and vegetables, mostly cabbage and zucchini (blah!). I haven't had chocolate or ice-cream for more than three years now. I follow your food posts while eating my bland meals, they make my food taste better! I'm all in my head, and ones or twice I was craving chocolate so badly, I imagined eating it in a smallest detail, and fell asleep happy, with a chocolate taste in my mouth. Call it sick, but I sometimes ask my daughter to describe me how good food tastes, and she does it over the phone . (My husband eats tiramisu ice-cream in front of me shamelessly, and not a word on how it tastes, so I cannot join the feast.)
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