Tag: restaurants

Dragon It, It’s Friday

Good morning! Happy Friday!! Happy Year of the Dragon!! Today is a New Moon. Today is one of the first new moons of the new year. New Moons are a great time to think about what you want in the new year. I saw this quote this week and I think it is an excellent reminder: “When writing the story of your life, don’t let someone else hold the pen.” – Harley Davidson Use your own pen to write your own story. Today is your fresh new start.

Fridays are for my favorites! Favorite things are what makes life sing. I was visiting with dear family members earlier this week and I was treated to the most fabulous oranges which I have eaten in a long time. I was told that the oranges come from a wonderful farm in Florida, who ship their citrus all over the country. When I was devouring these oranges, I had one of those moments when you say to yourself, “Oh yes, this is what oranges are really supposed to taste like.” You can order many different Florida citrus offerings from Countryside Family Farms here: www.countrysidecitrus.com

Speaking of delicious food, yesterday morning when I got my coffee, and I glanced at my calendar, I saw a reminder that I had a reservation for lunch at a local high school’s Culinary Academy restaurant. I had made the reservation several months ago, as these reservations are limited and hard to get, and it was the last reservation available for the entire school year. (Yes, I went by my lonesome.) I admit that I wasn’t thrilled at first, when I saw the appointment on my calendar. I have a million things on my plate this week, and so truthfully, I even considered bailing. But my curiosity and my conscience got to the best of me, and so, I went. And it was fabulous! My three course meal was a great deal better than a lot of restaurant meals which I have had lately. Seniors in high school, who plan on pursuing careers in the culinary arts, and who run the whole show, from hostessing, to serving, to cooking, to setting up seating and creating ambience, and finally do all of the clean up, were so obviously passionate and excited and proud about what they do. I was wildly impressed. It was a great reminder to me, of all of the talent that exists right in your own neck of the woods, coming from people of all different ages. Local high schools put on wonderful drama and musical productions. They have amazing art exhibits, marching band events, robotics/science demonstrations, and of course, every sports game imaginable to watch. Put something on your calendar this year which supports the different “goings on” at your local schools. You will be amazed with what you experience. You will be impressed. You will be rejuvenated. You will feel good supporting the kids in your community, and you will feel a whole lot better about the future. (You’ll take a little notch out of your cranky, getting older, “the world is going to hell in a handbasket” point of view.) At least that’s what I got out of yesterday, besides an incredible, delicious lunch for only $15.

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.

Here is the question of the day from 3000 Questions About Me:

970. Do desperate times call for desperate measures?

Bread Pudding and Curly Fries

My daughter asked us to explain what “bread pudding” was the other day. In explaining it to her (I don’t serve it typically, because frankly, I don’t like it), I started to think about the origins of food and how there are certain dishes that have been around forever, but in reality, some cook, somewhere, had to make to the first version of it.

When I looked up the origin of bread pudding, it turns out that it started in the 11th or 12th century, as a frugal cook’s way to not let stale bread go to waste. It was called “poor man’s pudding” in England for centuries. I grew up in Pittsburgh, where pierogies were a popular dish. The “poor man’s pudding” reminded me of a friend who used to slap mashed potatoes in-between lasagna noodles and exclaim, “There! “Poor Man’s Pierogies!”

When I was in high school, my friend’s parents owned a restaurant and sometimes they would let us take their tickets for the local “food show.” I never turned those tickets down! It was at one of those food conventions that I experienced “curly fries” for the first time. After eating my sample, I knew that they would be a hit with me and with everyone else, for the rest of my years!

Food is such a vital part of a community’s identity. When you go to certain parts of the country you just have to eat their local specialty, i.e. Philly Cheesesteaks, Chicago Deep-dish Pizza, Texas and Carolina BBQ, San Francisco sour dough bread, etc. And then when you go back home from a fun trip, full of food breaks, you desperately try to find a local restaurant who can best duplicate the original specialty cuisine. What’s your favorite Greek restaurant, Italian restaurant, Mexican restaurant, and/or Chinese restaurant? I bet we can all answer that question.

I guess I must be hungry right now to be pondering food so much. We have been celebrating birthdays and life with a lot of caloric gusto lately, so last night I told my husband I was just wanting to feast on some salad. So we split a nice, green-y salad and then we decided we might as well split a lobster BLT with some onion straws, for good measure. (We live in a part of the country that is known for good seafood.) Oh, well, baby steps . . . . into the kitchen . . .