These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things. . .

Supper, Thursday May 16: bagel sammich (smoked sausage, gouda, cheddar, rosemary and olive oil bagel); mixed fruit with yogurt.

Alexis' shift has changed so that she works 9 to 9. Those are weird hours. It's a little strained trying to work meals in. We have decided that unless she is running late that we will have breakfast together. I will pack her a lunch. We will have something relatively light for a late dinner. Maybe a snack in the late afternoon if either of us is getting hangry. 

I like fruit. Alexis not so much. She's OK with strawberries, blueberries, and pineapple. She eats the pineapple with scorpion chile bbq sauce. Huh? She barely tolerates the rest except melon. Nope, no melon. Oh yeah, the favorite things: sausage; cheese; bagels.

I learned a trick recently though. Those "water enhancer" drops are a great way to flavor plain yogurt. the large tubs of plain yogurt are a lot cheaper than the small serving size cups. Plus you aren't adding sugar. Of course if you have a thing about artificial sweeteners. . .

Oh Boy Do I Have Some Catching Up To Do

Breakfast Monday May 13: mixed fruit; shrimp sauteed in butter, scramble (eggs, cheddar, baby bellas, ramps).

Ramps you ask, what are ramps. They are a type of wild onion with a small bulb and broad tender leaves. They are also notoriously odiferous. They smell like a combination of a very strong onion with garlic. They are not for the unsophisticated palate. In our part of the country they are available in the spring. They can be found at farmers and tailgate markets for a few dollars a bunch. They can be used in place of garlic or onions or as a centerpiece to a dish. I like to use the whole plant. The leaves are very tender. 

Diner beware: If you eat too many, you will smell like them. Seriously. I think it comes out from your pores. 

Not Alexis, But Gotta Share. . .

Friday, September 07, 2018 Reuben and Tots

This is a bad photo. Sorry, dark bar and I wasn't considering this for a post. 

We went to a patient conference on my disability in Louisville KY. Of course we hit a few distilleries on the journey as it is close enough for us to drive there. The previous 2 years the locations were San Diego and New Orleans. Not road trip-able for me. When we attend this annual event we plan a little extra time to see a little bit of whatever city the conference is in. Louisville is a happening place. We found some great food very near the conference on "Wiskey Row" (Road? I don't remember.) 

Anyhoo, I bring this all up because I really like a good reuben, and as the joke goes lots of places serve up something that is definitely not like a good reuben. The reuben is my hot sandwich bellwether, meaning I judge an establishment by their reuben. The sandwich I had that day at a pub on wiskey row was one of the best I have ever had. The kraut was grilled and there was just enough dressing. The bread did not turn to mush. I believe the meat was cooked in house. It was not the oversalted precooked affair. 

Didn't hurt that they had Tots as an option. 

Oh, yeah, that is Willford, my companion manatee.

Meat Is Our Number One Ingredient. . .

In The Garden

I bet you have seen one of those commercials that compares the family dog to a wolf. I suppose it is intended to feed some desire in pet owners to see the manatee nee bulldog beside them on the couch as a noble predator, stalking his quarry. . . Bit of a stretch.

Yes dogs are decedents of wolves, but how? Prevailing theory now is that proto-dogs self selected in the garbage heaps near ancient human communities. So dogs are opportunistic omnivores. 

The picture above is our dog in the garden nomming on a discarded ear of corn. To my knowledge he has never been given corn right off the stalk. He found it, brought it out of the picked over stalks, peeled the husk back, and ate the nibblets off the cob. Opportunistic omnivore. 

Oh, yeah. He loves crabgrass too. 

Everything Is Better With Pizza Sauce

Breakfast, Wednesday September 05: pizza omelet (egg, jalapeno, red pepper, onion, mushroom, bacon, mozzarella, pizza sauce); garden tomato; banana.

As far as Alexis is concerned everything is better with pizza sauce on it (coleslaw?). So when I said I would saute some veggies for eggs her demand was "As long as mine has pizza sauce on it." We had sauce on hand because I was out of town for a few days. "What's that got to do with it?" you ask. If I am not going to be home I usually make sure she has stuff to make herself flatbread pizza. It's not that she is incapable of cooking for herself. She works 12 hour shifts. When she gets home she is tired, but usually has some chore(s) to tend to in my stead: pick beans; water plants; tote boxes upstairs; other housework; etc. So I try to make it easy for her to make herself some comfort food.

Ed's Diner

Supper, Tuesday September 04: meat and three (pork barbecue, sweet corn, yellow Italian beans, cauliflower and cheddar).

Over the years I have had many people tell me "You should open a restaurant!" I always graciously thank them. What I don't tell them is that I worked for some time in that industry in both the corporate and independent versions.  I've done more or less every job in the restaurant business. (No I can't say that I have been officially a Poissonnier, but very few restaurants in the world have one). I can therefore say with all certainty, it is really hard work. I mean REALLY hard. Not only that, the hardest job is owner/chef of an independent restaurant. 

I cook at home or for guests for my own amusement. I do not want it to be my job. Beyond that I would also note that just about the only thing that cooking at home and running a restaurant have in common is that both use food somehow. That's about it. 

It's Octopuses

Weird road food edition

So we were traveling home from our beach condo and planned on making a stop in Savannah to eat. Alexis is always down for Mexican but I wasn't feeling it. I was more in the mood for Thai. While I was looking on the Google I was reminded of a sushi place we recently tried and liked. So I was like "What about that sushi place?" Then she was all like "Hells yeah!" So then I was like "OK then make a left up here."

Yeah, not a fan of the quotative "like." Say or say not, there is no like.

The place has a baby octopus "salad." I guess it's a salad 'cause it's got sesame seeds, soy, and sesame oil. Really it is just a bowl of chewy yumminess (assuming you're into that sort of thing). Anyhoo we shared the "salad" and some sushi and soup. A great way to start the trip.

Oh, yeah. octopuses always sounds weird to me. I have always wanted it to be octopi. Cactus? Cacti. Alumnus? Alumni. Octopus is not a Latin word. It's Greek. So it is octopuses. My position though is that we are using a Greek word in English that sound Latin-ish. Do we really need to adhere to the original plural form? We should make it an honorary Latin word. Octopi forever!