June, 2017 ~ What's for dinner?

Yesterday Andrea & I invited Lyn to join us for a Girls' Day Trip to Mt. Dora, a little place about 45 minutes from here with tons of cute little shops and restaurants, situated along the banks of Lake Dora.  We went to Pisces Rising for lunch and killed most of the afternoon ~ what the heck, we weren't on any kind of schedule!

We also visited a couple cute kitchen and wine shops....fun stuff that you don't find just anywhere.  They had a tea towel I wanted to buy for Andrea but she said to just take a pic of it instead:



She was more inclined to buy one for my sweet granddaughter, Tori ~ because when SHE gets hungry (especially after a long soccer match) she's a little less than cordial:



So, for lunch.....



Lyn & Andrea both got the Summer Salad ~ Caramelized Watermelon, Heirloom Tomatoes, Avocado, Cucumber, Mozzarella w/Balsamic Tarragon Vinaigrette (Lyn got grilled chicken added to her's for a full meal):





We also got some of the House Focaccia with Guava & Sesame Butter ~ The butters were really good with the lightly toasted bread ~ Just whipped butter with a tiny bit of sesame oil and some sesame seeds and the guava butter was a sweet guava paste whipped with the butter.  Sometimes the easiest things contribute to a great taste!



For lunch I had the Fried Green Tomato Salad ~ Fried Green Tomatoes topped with Serrano Ham, Pickled Egg, Pea Shoots, Red Onion Relish, Grilled Peaches with a Mustard Vinaigrette ~ Really, REALLY good!



Andrea had the fresh fish of the day ~ a Grouper Sandwich with homemade potato chips:



And just because we couldn't resist, we shared a Chocolate Mousse for dessert ~ Presented in a thin chocolate shell, the mousse was very light and not too sweet, buried underneath was a bit of a heavier white chocolate/cream cheese....topped with chopped fresh strawberries, little merangues and baby pansy flowers (does anyone REALLY eat them?).

No Father's Day celebration here. My sons are not fathers, their father is gone, but I was invited to my daughter-in-law's father's day party for her father yesterday. Pizza, wings and salads. Yumm! I had not had a piece of pizza since February.

Happy Fathers Day to all the dads, Jimmy, Norm, Dane...

cookingirl wrote:Happy Fathers Day to all the dads, Jimmy, Norm, Dane...

Thank you Cindy.

Niagara Visitor wrote: Pizza, wings and salads.  Yumm!  I had not had a piece of pizza since February.  

Isn't it amazing that you really do OK on avoiding certain foods when you're trying to drop some weight......but then the opportunity arises for you to have something like pizza and you remember WHY you enjoy it so much? I'm that way with something we pulled out of the freezer last night....the olive bread. Andrea made a bruschetta type topping to go on the slices of toasted kalamata olive slices....I knew I could eat the whole half loaf but I also knew if I was good and just savored ONE small slice I would also be happy. Personally, I would have liked butter slathered on the toasted bread instead of the olive oil....but, hey, the bread was enough of an indulgence without going overboard.

yes, Happy Fathers' day to all the dads!

Even though we just had this same supper recently, Andrea said it sounded good to her so here's a repeat....but this time the corn was roasted on the gas grill to get a bit of char on it (which is my personal favorite).

I love the way you make the bacon for BLT's. They probably have good tomatoes by now at the farmer's market. I'll have to remember to make some of those.

You are lucky that you can go on day trips. Out here, the traffic on the freeways dictates where you can go and how long you can stay. A 45 minute trip with no traffic can take 3 hours when the freeways are full which is usually all of the time. We may have good weather but really bad freeways.

Joe and I picked up a Traeger pellet smoker at Costco. I had a 3" ribeye steak that has been sitting in the freezer, so I decided to smoke it. We used a bag of mixed pellets that were maple, pecan and something else. Although it is used for beef, I didn't really like the flavor. Next ribeye I will try something else. We also did a small New York steak that was much better suited for the type of wood.
The ribeye took twice as long as the recipe stated. I did a reverse sear at the end. It was moist and done just right. The smoker was easy to operate and didn't over-smoke the meat. That is good for a newbie. In the future I will try some chicken, ribs and fish.

The fact that you got something edible first time out with a new smoker is impressive to me. Congratulations! I would think there would be a huge learning curve on the types of wood smoke each person likes used for chicken, beef, pork and fish....oh, and cheese ~ don't forget to try cold smoking some mozzarella or gouda (if you like that). Have fun experimenting!

NormM wrote:I love the way you make the bacon for BLT's.  They probably have good tomatoes by now at the farmer's market.  I'll have to  remember to make some of those.

Thanks, Norm. Now that I've made the woven bacon for sandwiches on a fairly regular basis, Dane expects it! LOL He likes that the bacon stays in his sandwich and doesn't fall apart on his plate.

I usually get 5 from a package of bacon....be sure to use thin sliced or it'll take FOREVER to bake off. Then I cut it in half and weave on a rack over a foil covered sheet pan (because I hate the clean up - this way the foil gets tossed and all I have to do is soak/wash my racks and just a quick soapy swish to clean up the tray.) I also place another rack upside down (smooth side down) on top of the bacon weaves to keep them flat. It usually takes about 45 minutes in a 350° oven but that can vary a lot depending upon the bacon, how thick it is and your oven....so watch it carefully the first time or so. I only let it get done to the point that it's 'sticking' together and most of the fat has rendered out. Then after they're cooled I can wrap & freeze if I'm not going to use them all.

Just before serving I place the pre-cooked weaves between some paper towels and microwave on high for about 35 - 45 seconds to crisp them up.

NormM wrote:I love the way you make the bacon for BLT's.  They probably have good tomatoes by now at the farmer's market.  I'll have to  remember to make some of those.

I'll have to try to do the bacon like that next time in my volunteering in the hospital coffee shop. We make a lot of BLTs, the bacon is pre-cooked partially and I think it will be pliable enough to do that. When the BLT goes on a bagel, it tends to slip out sometimes.

Thanks for the directions.

I did a test run on the braided bacon. I only did one and I have a bacon press that I used. I only have thick bacon at the moment and I cook it in the oven (unbraided) on foil @ 450º for 20 minutes. This one cooked for 25 minutes at 450. I can see it isn't done yet but I am going to try finishing it in the microwave later.

At least it is sticking together.

Looks like you got it, Norm! Hope you and Charlie like BLT's made with it as much as Dane & I do.

No supper tonight. Since Andrea was leaving this evening we went out for a late lunch at Hemingway's at Havana Country Club. Of course, since it was pouring rain I was distracted and forgot all about taking pics. (Lamebrain!) Andrea had a roasted beet / goat cheese salad, Dane had a Cuban sandwich with house made potato chips and I had their double slider (chicken salad & egg salad on mini croisants) and Cuban Black Bean Soup....EXCELLENT.

Andrea just texted to say she's at the airport, through security and about to go looking for a sandwich while she waits a couple hours for her flight. Since she's traveling alone she didn't want to take any chances on being late so she left early enough to allow for any traffic delays or problems.

We had such a good time with her on an unexpected visit. In a couple weeks Robin will be here with Ben and grandson Jacob....who gets to stay for the month of July (we hope). Having a teenager in the house for 4 weeks might be a challenge but it should be loads of fun.

bethk wrote:

Crybaby wrote:
Laughed, as I just re-read your message, Beth, and saw that you recognized the other stuff on the table!  So sorry.  Write my confusion off to computeritis!!!

I mentioned to Andrea about my mystery salmon meal post and she said she remembered when I made the meal......she was surprised because she knows I like salmon as much as she does.....LOL  And she thought it was quite a sacrifice on MY part to make something that her dad likes.  Guess that says quite a bit about ME, huh?  Hahahahaha!

Well, at least the mystery is solved and "someone" remembered!!! Pulling your chain, Missy. I hope you told her how many carbs you adore that you've been doing without 'cause of her dad. When I did almost all of the cooking except grilling and smoking, I'd ask Brian occasionally what he'd like me to make (usually meaning of the things we had on hand). He'd usually say whatever I felt like doing. When I pointed that out to him one day, he said that no matter what he said he wanted, I usually convinced him what I wanted to make was a better idea so he just figured he'd go with that from the start. I had to laugh as I almost started to object to that but then, after thinking about it for a bit, I realized that was EXACTLY what I'd do to the poor man. So I stopped asking. Just kidding, just kidding. I tried to get better about it and if I had a reason for wanting one thing over another, I'd tell him that up front (such as I'd really like to use that ground meat while it's fresh from the store and tastes so good).

UNCLE JIMMY wrote:I was here thinking. You sound like Angela Lansbury, in Murder She Wrote! .....    

Do YOU have any books out there? I would be the FIRST to read it if you did.  

I swear, Jimmy, when I read this message of yours, I laughed so hard OUT LOUD that I woke Brian up (who was snoozing next to me in bed while we're supposed to be watching LSU play Oregon State in the College World Series)! You cracked me up. I re-read my message and realized how freaking crazy it sounded and I laughed some more.

That little "thingie" rolling on the floor laughing just added to my laughter, too! Thanks for making me laugh at myself. Rather than sounding like a book, I sounded like a complete idiot!

UNCLE JIMMY wrote:Mother Superior, was out and about today, and she stopped for an ice cream, and she had been throwing up all afternoon. I told her she may be dairy intolerant. Poor thing!

It was funny; watching the three cats looking at her, and waiting for her hair ball to approach. I could read their primitive, but accurate minds ( Is that what  WE  Look like when WE get sick? )
F   U  N   N   Y  

You did it again, Jimmy, as you literally had me yucking it up and waking up sleepyhead next to me again. I could just PICTURE the cats sitting there looking at Tina, oooh, I mean MOTHER SUPERIOR! You're killing me tonight!!!

I just had to wipe my nose as I literally cried I laughed so hard -- my nose always starts leaking when I cry. Whoopie -- I needed to laugh, too. Thank you, James!!!

I posted this before but I don't see it. You can delete it if it is a double post. Dinner tonight was some chicken salad with pecans and red grapes. I added some chopped apricots too.


I had it in a bread bowl.