So...whats for dinner?

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.

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.

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!

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!

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.

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!

Oh, Tatiana, I feel for you! As a teenager I had ulcerative colitis and bland, no-fiber was the order of the day (and the onset of my weight problems). Last year when Bob suffered a perforated colon after a botched colonoscopy--with three "medical management" non-surgical admits plus courses of Flagyl before he demanded a hemi-colectomy--he was limited to 2 gm of fiber per meal and absolutely no alcohol, caffeine, chocolate, acids, or spices. He reported that vanilla ice cream, buttered noodles and potato bisque got old pretty quickly.

OK, back to food. Our free walking tour of Terriciola (an ancient Etruscan village surviving in modern form) included various samples from local purveyors: breads, pastries, salumi, cheeses, fruit, chocolate and coffee. After our lunch back in the condo, we went to La Spinetta winery in Casanova--we bought a mixed case to ship home, so they threw in a free bottle of Sangiovese and charged us for only one tasting. The tasting was accompanied by prosciutto, mortadella, salami, and pecorino cheese from across the road--and local olive oil and bread as well. Tuscan bread is unsalted, both to serve as a neutral vehicle for oil and other condiments and for including in recipes once it gets stale. That night we went to Locande Della Streghe--a popular family-friendly spot. In the summer heat of Italy, everyone stays out past midnight, even the smallest of kids. We started with ribollita (bean-and-bread soup), grilled octopus, a green salad, Napoli pizza (irregular, hand-stretched crust reminiscent of New Haven style), semifreddo, and limoncello (the waiter matching us shot for shot).

Yesterday morning we had leftover pizza topped with eggs I fried in olive oil, plus insalata Caprese and salumi. Made a Moka pot of pseudo-espresso (what Italians usually have at home rather than going the "prosumer" hobbyist barista route). The resort had a coin-op Nespresso pod machine in the lobby-- commercial Mylar pods, rather than Originaline or Vertuoline capsules, to prevent gaming the system by bringing their own. We had been advised to visit San Gimignano after lunchtime and Volterra for a 6 pm walking tour (Rick Steves-recommended guide) and then have dinner before heading back. We knew cars aren't allowed inside them walls of either town--but to our dismay, ALL the parking lots and garages surrounding the towns were full! There went my Fitbit steps. So we headed back, stopped for water in a small inn, and made a reservation for I Locandiere--a restaurant behind an enoteca, which had been the last stop on our Terriciola walking tour. It was amazing. No screaming kids or table-hopping toddlers. Just a tranquil outdoor garden with the wonderful smoky scent of the ubiquitous wood-burning grills (some of the wood being grapevines). Simple hearty Tuscan "cucina di Nonna" cooking: spinach sauteed in olive oil and Pernod, topped with grated pecorino Toscana; tagliatelle with a ragu of beef, veal and wild boar; and locally-caught rabbit cacciatore. Wine was a Sangiovese from just down the road. Dessert was cantuccini cookies and Vin Santo for dipping, plus of course limoncello.

Today we headed to the Pisa airport after I made breakfast & coffee and checked out. Our flight was nearly an hour late, so we were starving by the time we landed back here in Rome. Napped, hit happy hour in the executive lounge (squash soup, arancini, Caprese croissants, caponata and fennel-orange salad). Tonight we sought out a Michelin-starred restaurant, and it was amazing. I'm too bleary-eyed to write about it now. Will post in the morning.

Camp Log day 1,000

Influenza, strep and some viral illness have moved through camp. Impetigo is on the rise

The cat has joined the fun and vomited on my pajamas. I shouldn't have left them on the floor on my way out.

For lunch. Surprise. More salad. There is not enough vinegar on the pickled beets

Tomorrow I meet my daughter at my new place to pick out furniture on line. My furniture will arrive when I do. Plus some from storage

A friend and I have booked a trip to Thailand next spring to see the temples, elephant sanctuary, floating markets and eat Thai food.

It will be a retirement trip, as she is 3 months younger than I and we are in the same field. We cannot wait until full retirement, there is so much else to do

I will miss the little ankle biters here a summer camp.

Sandy your menus sound delish

Dragonsnake I'm sorry I don't have any good food to report! Your diet sounds very Irish from the little I know about Ireland. Maybe you should plan a trip and at least enjoy the land? I will post good food when I go back to RI. I hope you like seafood.

Bedo - Glad you made it to day 1000. I know you're excited about a new place & a new university job. I can hardly wait to hear about all the seafood.

I am sorry to report I had to throw out lots of fresh produce because I took off to see my friend for a long weekend. I had fruit salad to finish that I had taken with me. Also the spinach/artichoke dip from Costco. Nance - you're right it's good but WAY too much. And then I got waylaid with hot dogs.

So I've been eating salvageable veggies & leftovers all week. Last night was a piece of leftover T-bone sliced very thin & heated in mushroom/brandy cream sauce over pasta. It was the last chance for the mushrooms. Lunch was deli sliced oven roasted chicken shredded on a tortilla, nuked to melt cheese on top, dosed with serious green salsa & rolled. And the last edible chunks of watermelon. Tonight will be the last piece of leftover T-bone along with red lettuce, cucumber & onion w/sour cream & dill, and maybe some radishes &/or shoestring beets. Tomorrow I have to find something creative for the last of the mushroom sauce. Maybe a baked potato. Maybe Rice. Probably more pasta.

I have had a brainstorm

The cat shall have all the chicken he wants from the salad bar, and beef too, I don't know if he eats beef, but he was delighted and cried for the chicken tonight.

I know that you are all happy that he is well and enjoying his food.

Minus you would have made my Mom proud. Waste not, want not, was her favorite message (along with "you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar")

Dragonsnake, they should make chocolate mouth spray.

The cat is having some sort of breakdown so I have to go... or maybe it's the 12:20 crazies. He is attacking a large plastic bag for some reason, and meowing. I think that he has also succumbed to Camp Fever.

Where is Susan? I miss your B+B posts and your meals, although I cannot cook like you do.

Chocolate ice cream and booze, yes please!

Bedo, I love when you talk seafood to me.

We developed a verb many years ago for the cat crazies - "derving" as in whirling dervish. All anyone has to say "...the cat is derving" and we all know what's up. My new cat, who is kind of a teenager since he is not yet one, derves at odd times, has not settled into any pattern other than he feels the need to investigate my bedside table at about 5am. I have had to put all the detritus (reading glasses, pen, any small item) into a box so he can't knock it off the table. He doesn't want to play with any of it, just push it onto the floor. We have a granite top on our closet peninsula/drawers and my husband keeps his Special Operations coin there and wallet and security badge, and I put whatever jewelry there I have taken off at the end of the day - his coin is missing and so is a ring of mine. So, apparently the cat is planning to pawn our stuff and make his escape.

Last night was boneless pork chops, sautéed carrots with thyme, and some brown rice and red quinoa. DH is off on a week-long trip today with his new General, and DD gets home late tonight from fishing in the Keys. She managed to kill her phone, even with a Life Proof case, so I am stuck at home awaiting the UPS man with a new one I have to sign for. I probably won't be doing much cooking this week as DD has a protein shake for breakfast and a salad for lunch at work since it is hot, that is all she wants. She doesn't get home until 8:30 due to summer hours. She just applied for a job as a TSA Explosive Detection Canine Handler, so everyone cross their fingers that she gets it! It is double the money she is currently making - she turns 27 tomorrow and really needs to not be living at my house, lol! Every time I talk about that job I reverse the order and it sounds like the dog is exploding - gotta work on that!

Saturday was our sightseeing “last hurrah:” Big Bus tour, Trevi Fountain (too crowded to throw in a coin, and we did that in Dec. anyway), Piazza Navona, and Pantheon. Had a (very) leisurely lunch at the restaurant of the Accademia Hotel en route to Trevi. Lots of rococo decor, but very nice (and air-conditioned, which the crowded & cheap touristy News Cafe and the unrelated Accademia Cafe--where we ate last time--were not). Had house-made spaghetti alla vongole (wonderful tiny clams, pasta perfectly al dente) and a no-cheese tuna-and-artichoke pizza, which was delicious. After some walking around (and souvenir & drug shopping--Voltaren gel and Ventolin inhalers, both of which require Rxs and cost a bundle Stateside), we went into Don Nino for gelato (Valentino may be higher-rated, but Don Nino just won the Gelato World Cup). Delicious--deep dark chocolate and ricotta cannoli flavors. Bob had the chocolate and creme bruleé. After we walked to the Pantheon (breathtakingly beautiful, still redolent of incense after Mass) and Piazza Navona, we caught the free shuttle back to the hotel. Free exec. lounge dinner buffet was orecchiette pasta alla vodka, grilled eggplant, deep-fried stuffed olive arancini, baby greens salad, tomatoes and cheeses. Waiter kept refilling our glasses with Sangiovese and would not take “no, grazie” for an answer.

One thing I neglected to mention: the one boring (except in the hotel) food we encountered in Italy (Rome and Tuscany) was “insalata mixta,” or green salad. Bob insisted on it. Meh. Mostly iceberg lettuce, sometimes romaine, shredded carrots, red onion and a couple of tomato wedges. Oil & vinegar on the side. I guess Italians prefer their veggies either grilled or sauteéd, or raw greens aren’t an integral part of their diet the way pasta is. (They rarely snack and walk a lot more than we do, though). I make a better mixed green salad than we had over there.

Yesterday morning, grabbed a coffee in the hotel before walking (painfully--plantar fasciitis, possible stress fx or cuboid syndrome in R foot) to the terminal. Lunch was airplane food--shrimp salad & beef stew, dinner a mediocre calzone. But hunger prevailed, so I ate--and had a glass of prosecco and one of red wine, plus surprisingly decent espresso & instant cappucino from the galley, and lots of water. Got a wheelchair for the “long march” at O’Hare--Bob didn’t get embarrassed (as he usually does if I ask for assistance) because he could see the swelling. Breezed through Border Control & Customs.

Cabbed it home--to find a sill lined with tomatoes in varying degrees of ripeness (our housekeeper had had to give the ripest ones to the neighbors because she has her own bumper crop, and our son hates tomatoes--don’t know where he got that gene). So after rescuing the slightly ripe ones still on the vine as well as a huge hard green one that fell to the deck as I watched (in order to keep them safe from the squirrels, who’d nabbed 5 while we were away), I sliced up the ripest ones (about to rot) and garnished them with olive oil, sea salt, pepper and lots of basil (those plants are going wild) for dinner. Defrosted a grass-fed NY strip to grill, because Bob wanted to open the Chianti Riserva the winery gave us to take home while we await the case to be delivered later this week. Seasoned the steak with kosher and espresso salts and several grinds of black pepper. Also made a blueberry balsamic/lime olive oil/walnut oil vinaigrette for the last of the arugula and mini-lettuces. No starch--we both ate way too much pasta in Italy. Dined al fresco. No dessert either. We hit the hay before midnight and slept in this morning. Needed every last “z” we'd caught.

Forgot to say that you look marvelous in the picture, Lacey.

OK--taking a vote as to what to make for dinner tonight: pan-seared salmon (they had Coho fillets on sale at Whole Foods yesterday) or spiralized zucchini “cacio e pepe” (they also had a little remnant of cacio sheep-milk cheese)? Asparagus and tomatoes on the side, regardless. No wine--had way too much during vacay--just seltzer in a wine glass.