So - go figure! - I am calling this my "Lost Summer," owing to the stupid bullsh*t psoriasis crap, and THIS is the summer that Hubs figures out that "Hey! We've got a GREAT yard for parties! Let's throw some!"
It's all good... Really, it is! Except that "throwing parties" involves going to the grocery store, and procuring party-foods, and prepping finger-foods, and making dips, and marinating meats and whatnot. All of which requires the Ability to Freaking Stand (and, maybe, Walk?!).
And... Even though "Man Cooks With Fire" (with much flourish!), c'mon Ladies, we all KNOW that the Prep-Work is probably the bulk of a BBQ - Am I right?!!
No, I am NOT b*tching about this - because I LOVE to have people over! And yes, we DO have the Ultimate Party Yard! And I'm glad that we are finally SHARING it with friends and neighbors!
So we've had four parties, so far, this year - including TWO this past weekend! That's TWO days in a row, folks!
So THAT'S why I couldn't do my "Gushy Tenth Anniversary Post" on Friday - I was running my @$$ ragged with grocery-store runs, and dip-making, and cake-destroying and all that good stuff!
I *am* getting increasingly lazy, however... Now I'm purchasing the pre-cut Veggie Trays (excuse me Crudité Platter! We are CLASSY, ya know?!). Seriously, though... ANYTHING to cut back on the prep-work is worth it to me - these days!
Annnnnd... Since this last couple of parties were held with closer, more familiar, friends - this time around I willingly took them up on their offer(s) of "Do you need any help?!"
No "Hostess with the Mostess" Delusions for me! I gladly accepted assistance - especially on Sunday - after I managed to slice-off the tips of my right thumb and index finger whilst slicing tomatoes and onions with my mandoline! Oooops! (Funny story there: When I bought my mandoline-slicer off of Amazon, there were a bunch of negative customer reviews from ppl complaining that "the blade is REALLY sharp and you could CUT yourself!" Like "DUHHHH!! Isn't that the whole point behind a mandoline-slicer?!") (No, I won't be posting a negative review on Amazon b/c I WAS AN IDIOT and neglected to use the safety/veggie-squisher/holder thingie!).
Anyway, both parties were very casual and fun... And I didn't feel awkward about accepting help when it was offered... And a Grand Time was Had by All!
No pictures from this party - although I think there were a few posted on Facebook (LOL - Pretty-much we were all communicating via Facebook Post throughout Sunday's Party!)... It was basically "same as before" - kids in the pool (although these kids were young adults!), and people clustered around the Tiki Bar.
Fun-Fun-Fun!
This coming weekend, we have our fifth (and Final) party scheduled. Couple of Hubbie's Deadhead Friends are coming down for a BBQ and Swim. I hope the weather holds out! I have to (sadly) admit that there *is* a touch of Autumn in the air (BooooooHooooooooo!!!!!!!!)................
But I am still holding out hope that (soon!) my tomatoes will "rally" and give me BUSHELS of fruit so I can get to work canning AWESOME home-made pasta sauce!
We shall see...
Showing posts with label Parties. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Parties. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Monday, August 20, 2012
A Decade of Fun, Cake Mishaps, and a Whole Lotta Rambling!
I really wanted to put up a nice gushy post on Friday... But... Friggin' Real Life (and work, and errand-running, and celebrating) got in the way...
So just pretend it's last Friday, k?
'Cuz 10 years prior.......
Okay, everyone say "Awwwwwww!!!"
Actually, we had a surprisingly classy Garden Wedding. It was one of those "Package Deals" which was handled by Freedom Hall. I highly recommend them if you want to have a nice wedding, on a budget, and don't want the hassle of having to coordinate EVERYTHING yourself.
Sure, we could have done a very nice "Destination Wedding" in some Tropical Locale (we actually did consider it), but since hubs and I had been single for sooooo long (I was 39 and he was 45 - and neither of us had ever been married before!); and we had so many friends that would not have believed us! - Well, we opted for a semi-formal ceremony where everyone could attend and witness it (and/or prepare for Armageddon) themselves!
Anyway, it was a very classy ceremony - for a couple of bikers! We even opted for live chamber music (a trio with harpsichord, violin and cello) - SUPER classy! And a former boss of mine, who was an amazing opera singer, sang for our wedding as well. I still get a little verklempt thinking about it!
After the ceremony, we did the whole "picture thing" with the photographer. A friend of hubs spent the night before - scrubbing and polishing his Harley (a Softail Springer) the night before so that we could use it for the photo shoot. My mom was absolutely APPALLED that I was going anywhere *near* "that filthy bike" in my beautiful Princessy lace-and-beads-with-the-super-long-train wedding gown!
"Damn straight I am! Oh, and don't forget my black leather jacket, k? The one with the fringe?!"
God bless mom. She realized that resistance was futile and - if you can't beat 'em, you might as well join 'em! She ALSO brought along a large white bed-sheet that we could drape over the bike BEFORE I sat on it!
No, I did not get any grease spots on my dress! (Hell, the bed-sheet was still spotless afterward!)
Anyway, we had a very nice ceremony with all of our nearest and dearest friends (and voyeuristic disbelievers!) in attendance. Followed by a VERY fun party with a live DJ and the usual stuff. Our biker friends stayed 'til the very end (and were very proud to announce that they got "86'd from our wedding reception!") (only because Freedom Hall had another ceremony scheduled after ours - lol!)
Now, ELEVEN years prior, Hubs (then boyfriend) and I had gone out for dinner at our local Outback Restaurant. Big huge wait for a table, so we sat out on the porch, out front, waiting for our name to be called. Hubs (who was still a "Shy Boy" at the time) was behaving strangely nervous and fidgety. Now we had been together since... March? April? I think I semi-officially moved-in in April, so let's call it April!
August 17th 2001 is when he "popped the question" and he actually worried that I might say "No!" How precious is that?! Now, he was too shy to do the "bended knee" routine - especially with all those people around! But that's okay.
Ummm... I did say "Yes!"
Annnnnnnmyyyyhooooooo... Ten years sure flew by quickly! It's been a roller-coaster ride, for sure! We've had some ups and downs (as do all couples, I'm sure!). For as many things as we have in common, we have just as many where we have to figure out how to "Agree to Disagree!" He is an A/R Engineer-Type, and I am a "Que Sera-Sera" Psycho-Gemini-Type. He is über organized and, well, I'm not! He balances his entire portfolio - to the penny - every day. I write checks until I think "I should probably stop!" And I do *glance* at my portfolio - from time to time!
Like I say, even with the differences (which keeps things "Interesting!"), I wouldn't change 'em for the world!
Love ya, Babe!
Now... Part of my running-around on Friday included picking up a replica of the top tier of our wedding cake - from the very same baker that made our original wedding cake (and yes, we *did* eat the original top tier on our first wedding anniversary).
I was very pleased to see that they were still in business and willing to bake us a 10th Wedding Anniversary Cake. Unfortunately, they had lost their database with all of the details from 10 years ago, but if I sent them a photograph, and flavor selections, they would be very happy to re-create it - for a princely sum!
Ahhh... But it's our 10-year anniversary, right? I'll pay it!
True Confession: I *know* I still have every contract, every note, every snippet of paper related to Wedding Planning in a box in the back of our shed - and yes, I readily acknowledge that there is absolutely NO reason to hold onto that sh*t! Well, except for times like these, right?!!
Well, except for the fact that with temps in the mid- to upper-90's, the thought of ransacking the (NOT air-conditioned) shed was... For lack of a better word: "Not Gonna Happen!"
Screw it! I'll scan a photo of our wedding cake, check-out their webpage for flavor-selections and choose something tasty - "Hubs ain't gonna remember!"
So just pretend it's last Friday, k?
'Cuz 10 years prior.......
...a couple of not-so-young, but very crazy bikers got married!
Okay, everyone say "Awwwwwww!!!"
Actually, we had a surprisingly classy Garden Wedding. It was one of those "Package Deals" which was handled by Freedom Hall. I highly recommend them if you want to have a nice wedding, on a budget, and don't want the hassle of having to coordinate EVERYTHING yourself.
Sure, we could have done a very nice "Destination Wedding" in some Tropical Locale (we actually did consider it), but since hubs and I had been single for sooooo long (I was 39 and he was 45 - and neither of us had ever been married before!); and we had so many friends that would not have believed us! - Well, we opted for a semi-formal ceremony where everyone could attend and witness it (and/or prepare for Armageddon) themselves!
Anyway, it was a very classy ceremony - for a couple of bikers! We even opted for live chamber music (a trio with harpsichord, violin and cello) - SUPER classy! And a former boss of mine, who was an amazing opera singer, sang for our wedding as well. I still get a little verklempt thinking about it!
After the ceremony, we did the whole "picture thing" with the photographer. A friend of hubs spent the night before - scrubbing and polishing his Harley (a Softail Springer) the night before so that we could use it for the photo shoot. My mom was absolutely APPALLED that I was going anywhere *near* "that filthy bike" in my beautiful Princessy lace-and-beads-with-the-super-long-train wedding gown!
"Damn straight I am! Oh, and don't forget my black leather jacket, k? The one with the fringe?!"
God bless mom. She realized that resistance was futile and - if you can't beat 'em, you might as well join 'em! She ALSO brought along a large white bed-sheet that we could drape over the bike BEFORE I sat on it!
No, I did not get any grease spots on my dress! (Hell, the bed-sheet was still spotless afterward!)
Anyway, we had a very nice ceremony with all of our nearest and dearest friends (and voyeuristic disbelievers!) in attendance. Followed by a VERY fun party with a live DJ and the usual stuff. Our biker friends stayed 'til the very end (and were very proud to announce that they got "86'd from our wedding reception!") (only because Freedom Hall had another ceremony scheduled after ours - lol!)
Now, ELEVEN years prior, Hubs (then boyfriend) and I had gone out for dinner at our local Outback Restaurant. Big huge wait for a table, so we sat out on the porch, out front, waiting for our name to be called. Hubs (who was still a "Shy Boy" at the time) was behaving strangely nervous and fidgety. Now we had been together since... March? April? I think I semi-officially moved-in in April, so let's call it April!
August 17th 2001 is when he "popped the question" and he actually worried that I might say "No!" How precious is that?! Now, he was too shy to do the "bended knee" routine - especially with all those people around! But that's okay.
Ummm... I did say "Yes!"
Annnnnnnmyyyyhooooooo... Ten years sure flew by quickly! It's been a roller-coaster ride, for sure! We've had some ups and downs (as do all couples, I'm sure!). For as many things as we have in common, we have just as many where we have to figure out how to "Agree to Disagree!" He is an A/R Engineer-Type, and I am a "Que Sera-Sera" Psycho-Gemini-Type. He is über organized and, well, I'm not! He balances his entire portfolio - to the penny - every day. I write checks until I think "I should probably stop!" And I do *glance* at my portfolio - from time to time!
Like I say, even with the differences (which keeps things "Interesting!"), I wouldn't change 'em for the world!
Love ya, Babe!
Now... Part of my running-around on Friday included picking up a replica of the top tier of our wedding cake - from the very same baker that made our original wedding cake (and yes, we *did* eat the original top tier on our first wedding anniversary).
I was very pleased to see that they were still in business and willing to bake us a 10th Wedding Anniversary Cake. Unfortunately, they had lost their database with all of the details from 10 years ago, but if I sent them a photograph, and flavor selections, they would be very happy to re-create it - for a princely sum!
Ahhh... But it's our 10-year anniversary, right? I'll pay it!
True Confession: I *know* I still have every contract, every note, every snippet of paper related to Wedding Planning in a box in the back of our shed - and yes, I readily acknowledge that there is absolutely NO reason to hold onto that sh*t! Well, except for times like these, right?!!
Well, except for the fact that with temps in the mid- to upper-90's, the thought of ransacking the (NOT air-conditioned) shed was... For lack of a better word: "Not Gonna Happen!"
Screw it! I'll scan a photo of our wedding cake, check-out their webpage for flavor-selections and choose something tasty - "Hubs ain't gonna remember!"
Original Cake - Aug 17, 2002
I chose to have it recreated with white cake and chocolate custard filling (Can't go wrong with that, right?!). And the gal called me to confirm my order (and obtain my credit card info). "Yes, I'll get my own purple flowers/grapes/ivy to place on the top of it." "Yes, I still have the cake topper, should I bring it to you?" "Hell, it'd be easier for me to transport without the cake topper, I'll just put it on myself, that's fine..." "Why yes, it IS heavy. It's made of pewter!"
She, evidently, made note of it in her contract because - supposedly - for *heavy* cake toppers, they have to do something different to the top of the cake so it's stiff enough to support the topper, right?
Wellllllll... EVIDENTLY... Somebody didn't "get the memo!" The cake, when I first brought it home (to our HEAVILY air-conditioned house - after a brief ride in my HEAVILY air-conditioned car), looked simply gorgeous.
Well, about an hour before hubs was due home (and, appx 2 hours after I'd picked it up), I figured I'd set it up on a pretty cake-stand, in front of the GORGEOUS bouquet of roses and lilies he'd sent me. So I got it all set-up, all pretty-like, right? I gently set the HEAVY PEWTER cake topper on top of the cake and it immediately fell backwards, effectively f**king up the frosting!
"Sh*t!" Oh well, I guess I'll stick some grapes there.
So then I smushed the cake topper into the top of the cake a little deeper...
Sumb*tch STILL fell backwards!
"Well f*ck!" I guess I'll add a sprig of goldenrod as well...
I smushed the friggin' cake topper down til you could only see the top half of it AND grabbed a bunch of toothpicks in an ill-fated attempt to build-up some kind of scaffolding/support around it. "Jay-ZUS Criminy!"
I did manage to snap ONE picture in the midst of the destruction:
Re-created cake - "Before the Fall"
Now, I'm not sure if you can notice, but on the front side - kinda to the left and right-ish sides - the middle of the cake is starting to kinda "pooch out?" They look almost like bubbles on either side of the frosting grapes... Well, the "pooching" started even BEFORE I started the Cake-Topper-Squishing. :::sigh:::
Honestly, I was pretty upset over the whole thing at this point. But rather than get all worked-up over it I figured "WTF - It'll still taste good" and I ended up removing the cake topper (leaving a big ol' gaping rectangular hole in the top of the cake) and piling more flotsam on top of that (Cakewrecks-style!).
Like I said, it'll still TASTE good - after we remove the bunch of grapes and wads of flowers that I crammed on top of it. And, in fact, it DID taste good!
"But wait! There's More!"
So hubs and I decided to celebrate our 10-year Wedding Anniversary (and 11-year Engagement Anniversary) at The Scene of the Crime: Outback Steakhouse. We enjoyed a lovely surf 'n turf dinner and opted out of dessert because, well, there's CAKE at home!
So we each had a slice of cake and - as I'm sure I've mentioned - I don't eat much sugar as a rule. The freaking buttercream was soooooo sweet, it made my teeth buzz! (Srsly! And no, I do NOT blame the baker for that - I am pretty sure that is 100% normal and I am just NOT sugar-tolerant anymore) (and I have to laugh and shudder at the same time because - when I was a kid - I would look to scrape off THE biggest buttercream rose and gobble it up with glee!). So we thoroughly enjoyed the cake (even if I had to scrape all the frosting off and throw it away!), and then we left it sitting, overnight, on the dining table (in our HEAVILY air-conditioned kitchen)...
Well, the next morning, half of the cake had, literally, COLLAPSED! We're talking full-on Avalanche off the side of the cake platter, down onto the table, glooped over hubbies cigarettes and enveloping his cigarette lighter (rendering it inoperable)!!!
I probably should have taken pictures - just for the comedic value - but I didn't!
In retrospect, it was pretty funny. We did end up cramming what-was-left-of the cake (which was still standing, at that point), back into the cake box and sticking it in the fridge for future enjoyment. And - even after that - it has CONTINUED to deteriorate! It's basically just an amorphous blob of cake and chocolate custard, glued to the sides of the cake-box with white buttercream! Yes, it STILL tastes good (teeth-buzzing nonwithstanding), but I daresay, had we been planning a Formal 10-year Wedding Anniversary Party with friends, I would've been extremely p*ssed-off!
As it stands, it was just the two of us, and we can kind of laugh about it. But I think I will be sending an "I was extremely disappointed" email to the baker. Not for a refund or anything like that - but more as an "FYI" so that other couples don't have to experience this. And yes, you may have noticed a LACK of a link to the Wedding Cake Baker's website. Honestly, we were EXTREMELY happy with the Wedding Cake itself, but the Anniversary Cake was bad enough that I don't feel I can recommend them...
Anyhoooo... It was a Very Nice Anniversary, and hubs and I exchanged Very Nice Gifts, and - honestly - it's been a pretty F**king Awesome 10-years!!!
"Who'da Thunk It?!!"
Monday, August 13, 2012
Par-tay!!!
I know I've posted random pictures of our yard on this blog... As well as my "original" (hopelessly-outdated) personal webpage IMQTPI.com (Yard-specific stuff here). Honestly, those pages haven't been updated for several years (Blog is much simpler - but, admittedly, tougher to search through!).
Anyway, we are on a quarter-acre lot in Early-70's South-Bay Suburbia. When you view our house from the street, you would never EVER expect to find a Tropical Oasis out back.
And, when I say it's like a Resort? I'm *really* not kidding!
Now, this is only during the summer months, mind you. Come wintertime, it is barren and cold and downright depressing after we stash the Summer-Gear in the shed (I don't even want to think about it!)! But summertime? This really is the Ultimate Party Yard!
Trouble is, we don't have an over-abundance of "friends" to have parties, as a rule. We used to do a big "Family Bash" every summer (for my family) (Hubs' family - what's left of it anyway - is East Coast). But now that mom is gone, and sis and I are "estranged" (which is OK. Really!), well, we don't have the Annual Family Bash any more!
We do have a small handful of "Couples" friends that we get-together with, from time-to-time...
Generally speaking, I do consider myself to be a fairly Sociable Person, and I *like* the idea of having parties and get-togethers in our backyard! Hubs? Not-so-much, unfortunately.
Although, to be fair, throwing a Big Bash really is a LOT of work (especially now that I'm experiencing a lot of these bullsh*t health issues - Grrrr!).
Annnnnyyyyyywaaaaaayyyyy, about a month ago, we had Hubs' new Sailing Buddy and his wife over for a low-key BBQ. We're talking grilled burgers, dogs, chicken-breasts, pre-packaged 'tater salad (::::gasp!:::), chips 'n veggies 'n dips. It really was low-key, overall, except I DID serve home-made Fresh Cherry Pie for dessert! Everybody (but me!) went swimming, and guzzled Adult Beverages (My Fresca-Ritas were, surprisingly, a Huge Hit!)
And this past weekend, we had both sets of neighbors over for a similar low-key BBQ. I have to say, ours is not what you'd call a super-tight-knit neighborhood (we only know the names of folks' 1 house away: next-door and across the street!). Beyond that, it's pretty much a nod and - maybe - a "Hey howya doin'" wave. But the neighbors on either side of us are very nice - and I *know* I could call on them if I ever needed help with anything (and, in fact, I *have!*). And both of them have young families (kids ranging in age from 18 mo's to appx 6 years). We keep *saying* we're gonna have 'em over for a pool party, right? Well, last weekend, we finally DID!
Final Turnout was: 7 Adults, 6 dogs (our 3 dachshunds + 2 pomeranians + 1 border-collie), and 3 kids. Now I always thought we had a huge yard with ample seating... And, in fact, we do! Tiki Bar with 5 bar-stools; 6 poolside lounge-chairs; Dining table with seating for 6; and a Bistro Table (with two chairs) under the gazebo, next to the dining table.
Well, I have to say we pretty-much maxed-out last weekend! But it was All Good! Seems that folks "took turns" at the Tiki Bar (moms' mostly sat at the pool's edge to watch the kids!), and - at different times of the day - moms or dads disappeared to run next door and change diapers!
Anyway, it was an awesomely fun party. Everybody had a blast.
Sadly, no home-made pie for this party (I just-plain ran out of energy!), but fresh-sliced watermelon was *almost* as good!
Next weekend: Another couples' party on Saturday, followed by sailing on Sunday (if I can manage it). Then, hopefully, another small get-together a week-or-so after that!
Hard to believe that summer will be winding-down soon ("NNnnnnOOoooooo!!!!"), but I'm hoping we can maximize our enjoyment AND share it with friends!
Anyway, we are on a quarter-acre lot in Early-70's South-Bay Suburbia. When you view our house from the street, you would never EVER expect to find a Tropical Oasis out back.
And, when I say it's like a Resort? I'm *really* not kidding!
Now, this is only during the summer months, mind you. Come wintertime, it is barren and cold and downright depressing after we stash the Summer-Gear in the shed (I don't even want to think about it!)! But summertime? This really is the Ultimate Party Yard!
Trouble is, we don't have an over-abundance of "friends" to have parties, as a rule. We used to do a big "Family Bash" every summer (for my family) (Hubs' family - what's left of it anyway - is East Coast). But now that mom is gone, and sis and I are "estranged" (which is OK. Really!), well, we don't have the Annual Family Bash any more!
We do have a small handful of "Couples" friends that we get-together with, from time-to-time...
Generally speaking, I do consider myself to be a fairly Sociable Person, and I *like* the idea of having parties and get-togethers in our backyard! Hubs? Not-so-much, unfortunately.
Although, to be fair, throwing a Big Bash really is a LOT of work (especially now that I'm experiencing a lot of these bullsh*t health issues - Grrrr!).
Annnnnyyyyyywaaaaaayyyyy, about a month ago, we had Hubs' new Sailing Buddy and his wife over for a low-key BBQ. We're talking grilled burgers, dogs, chicken-breasts, pre-packaged 'tater salad (::::gasp!:::), chips 'n veggies 'n dips. It really was low-key, overall, except I DID serve home-made Fresh Cherry Pie for dessert! Everybody (but me!) went swimming, and guzzled Adult Beverages (My Fresca-Ritas were, surprisingly, a Huge Hit!)
And this past weekend, we had both sets of neighbors over for a similar low-key BBQ. I have to say, ours is not what you'd call a super-tight-knit neighborhood (we only know the names of folks' 1 house away: next-door and across the street!). Beyond that, it's pretty much a nod and - maybe - a "Hey howya doin'" wave. But the neighbors on either side of us are very nice - and I *know* I could call on them if I ever needed help with anything (and, in fact, I *have!*). And both of them have young families (kids ranging in age from 18 mo's to appx 6 years). We keep *saying* we're gonna have 'em over for a pool party, right? Well, last weekend, we finally DID!
Final Turnout was: 7 Adults, 6 dogs (our 3 dachshunds + 2 pomeranians + 1 border-collie), and 3 kids. Now I always thought we had a huge yard with ample seating... And, in fact, we do! Tiki Bar with 5 bar-stools; 6 poolside lounge-chairs; Dining table with seating for 6; and a Bistro Table (with two chairs) under the gazebo, next to the dining table.
Well, I have to say we pretty-much maxed-out last weekend! But it was All Good! Seems that folks "took turns" at the Tiki Bar (moms' mostly sat at the pool's edge to watch the kids!), and - at different times of the day - moms or dads disappeared to run next door and change diapers!
Anyway, it was an awesomely fun party. Everybody had a blast.
Tiki Toonz Outdoor Speakers
Kept us entertained with my "Resort-Party-Mix" of music!
Friends and Neighbors hangin' at the Tiki Bar!
These kids did NOT get out of the pool the entire afternoon!
They were wrinkled like little prunes by the end of the day
(and I bet they slept like babies that night!)
("You're Welcome" neighbors! ;-)
This li'l one had never been in a pool before!
He loved it!
Dinnertime!
This was when I suddenly realized that we should
probably limit ourselves to 6 guests or less (Oops!)
Some ate at poolside (and I didn't hear any complaints!)
Sadly, no home-made pie for this party (I just-plain ran out of energy!), but fresh-sliced watermelon was *almost* as good!
Next weekend: Another couples' party on Saturday, followed by sailing on Sunday (if I can manage it). Then, hopefully, another small get-together a week-or-so after that!
Hard to believe that summer will be winding-down soon ("NNnnnnOOoooooo!!!!"), but I'm hoping we can maximize our enjoyment AND share it with friends!
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
More Radio Silence... (aka Weekend Fun - Followed by Whining)
Yeah, so a couple weeks ago I whined a bit about my psoriasis woes. Then, about a week later, everything cleared up (purely coincidentally - after seeing a new dermatologist. We hadn't changed anything with the pharmacological stew I was taking).
So then I had, like a WHOLE WEEK where I was able to walk and function like a Normal Human Being (Hey!!!).
News Flash: I *like* walking and functioning like a Normal Human Being!
Welllllll... Unfortunately, that didn't last nearly long enough. It *did* last long enough for me to eradicate the rotting plum population from the garden, thereby sparing our party guests from having to swat flies away from their BBQ dinners (Yay!).
And I *did* manage to prunify 15# of plums - and learned that "prepping" tart fruit by soaking in a lemon/water mixture results in even TARTER fruit. Yuk! Not sure what I'm gonna do with the resulting plums, but I might try soaking them in a Sweetener/Water solution to "reconstitute" them before using them in various recipes (i.e. maybe pork roast? Stuffed chicken breast? Dunno yet!). But they are decidedly *not* Snack-Worthy!
Annnnnnd.... In the meantime, I have ALSO discovered that they do make "Plum-Pitters" / "Plum-Stoners" - similar to Cherry-pitters, only larger. I bought this one on Amazon. Too late for this year's harvest, but maybe it will prove useful NEXT year! If so, there will be MORE jam (and - maybe - less b*tching) next year!
Annnnnnd... I made ANOTHER Orgasmic Cherry Pie! This time, I followed my recipe EXACTLY (including cutting back on the Almond, and bumping up the Vanilla). FAN-F**KING-TASTIC!!! Even our BBQ Guests raved about it (and I *hope* they weren't "just being polite!"). Another addition? Clear Sugar Sprinkles on top of the pie (basically coarse granulated sugar - but it's in the "sprinkles" section of the baking aisle of the grocery store). Made it even "prettier!" Shame I didn't take a picture, huh?!
Anywaaaaayyyy... My hands/feet held-up pretty well and were "flare-free" until around Friday afternoon. I managed to get my grocery-shopping done in a semi-hobbly fashion. But by Saturday morning (the DAY of the party), I was starting to feel like a friggin' mess (which p*ssed me off - more than you can imagine!).
I was really-really glad I hadn't overestimated my Hostess-With-the-Mostess skillz. I did opt for pre-made Macaroni and Potato Salads (and - to be fair - Smart and Final does sell a most delicious "Sliced Home-Style" Potato Salad).
I kind of regretted "passing" on the pre-made/pre-chopped fresh veggie platter - but I had a 'Frigerator-Full of fresh organic veggies! And, besides, pre-made Ranch Dip totally sucks - out loud, even!
So my June Cleaver Duties were limited to prepping burger fixin's (lettuce, tomatoes, onion slices); making fresh dips (Ranch for the veggies; Onion for the chips); Chopping fresh organic veggies for the crudités (which is Fancy-Schmantzy French for chopped-up carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower and zucchinis!); and the Pièce de résistance: Fresh-baked Orgasmic Cherry Pie!
Everything else was pretty-much Grab 'n Go: 3 bags of potato chips; couple cans of Bush's Baked Beans; pre-formed burger patties (fresh, not frozen!); a package of kielbasa, and some boneless-skinless chicken breasts. And buns, of course!
So Saturday morning was spent on the aforementioned prep items: Stand for 15 minutes to do some prep-work, then sit for 20. Stand for 15, sit for 20. Lather, rinse, repeat!
There was "Outdoor" prep-work to be done as well: Windexing the table and bar-tops, sweeping leaves, and general "Straightening-up" but I was conserving the "Finite Number of Footsteps" I was allowed that day. And I think hubs *might* have given me the 'Stink-Eye' - a time or two - when he caught me "sitting!" Oooops!
Anyway... Long Story Short (Too Late!): The party was a success. Hubs' friends are super-cool, super-fun people and they swam in the pool. Then we laughed and drank, and ate, and sat around socializing til late into the evening! We even got to use our Propane Patio Heater (no clue if it's the same kind or not - we've had it awhile!). It did a phenomenal job of keeping us warm, anyway! (We *don't* get pleasantly warm summer evenings here in No' Cal!) (But - OTOH - we don't get eaten-alive by skeeters either!)
As they were getting ready to leave, I glanced down at the kitchen table and spotted: "Oh sh*t! We didn't eat any pie!!!" So I made everybody sit down and eat a slice and - like I say - got Rave Reviews!
So yeah - fun party! And I really wish we did this sort of thing more often. In fact, we DO have a "Neighbor Party" on the calendar for mid-August. And I'm thinking of setting up another "Couples Party" at some point in the not-too-distant future because - Seriously! - It *is* a lot of fun to have people over (Yeah, it's WORK too - but! Totally worth it!) - and we have the Ultimate Party Yard so it seems a shame to waste it.
I'd LOVE to go back to throwing big "Themed" Parties - like I used to do when I had a Family. (We'd usually do Hawaiian/Luau Themed Food and such). But Burgers and Dogs seem to work just fine, too - and not NEARLY as much work!
Nevertheless - even though we kept it pretty low-key - I totally "paid for it" on Sunday. My friggin' feet were a mess-and-a-half, and I was confined to the recliner all day - just so I could keep my swollen feet propped up. :::sigh::: (And I'm *still* pretty ouchy - even today!)
Oh well. Whaddya gonna do (besides p*ss and moan, right)?!
It really does suck, though. On the Plus (?) Side: We are back to "being robbed of summer" so I don't feel too terribly awful about not spending Every Waking Moment outside. OTOH, it's starting to be Harvest Season and that is the Absolute Best Part of Gardening: Wandering around the garden, every afternoon, checking on your harvests, picking what's ready, and *hoping* it makes it into the house. Trouble is, it hurts too damned much to wander out that far :::sigh:::
Sorry - I think I said that this blog is s'posed to be my Happy Place and - well, right now, I'm not doing a very good job of it, am I?!
Here's hoping that the latest batch o' Toxic Drugs will have better results than the last batch................
:::sigh:::
So then I had, like a WHOLE WEEK where I was able to walk and function like a Normal Human Being (Hey!!!).
News Flash: I *like* walking and functioning like a Normal Human Being!
Welllllll... Unfortunately, that didn't last nearly long enough. It *did* last long enough for me to eradicate the rotting plum population from the garden, thereby sparing our party guests from having to swat flies away from their BBQ dinners (Yay!).
And I *did* manage to prunify 15# of plums - and learned that "prepping" tart fruit by soaking in a lemon/water mixture results in even TARTER fruit. Yuk! Not sure what I'm gonna do with the resulting plums, but I might try soaking them in a Sweetener/Water solution to "reconstitute" them before using them in various recipes (i.e. maybe pork roast? Stuffed chicken breast? Dunno yet!). But they are decidedly *not* Snack-Worthy!
Annnnnnd.... In the meantime, I have ALSO discovered that they do make "Plum-Pitters" / "Plum-Stoners" - similar to Cherry-pitters, only larger. I bought this one on Amazon. Too late for this year's harvest, but maybe it will prove useful NEXT year! If so, there will be MORE jam (and - maybe - less b*tching) next year!
Annnnnnd... I made ANOTHER Orgasmic Cherry Pie! This time, I followed my recipe EXACTLY (including cutting back on the Almond, and bumping up the Vanilla). FAN-F**KING-TASTIC!!! Even our BBQ Guests raved about it (and I *hope* they weren't "just being polite!"). Another addition? Clear Sugar Sprinkles on top of the pie (basically coarse granulated sugar - but it's in the "sprinkles" section of the baking aisle of the grocery store). Made it even "prettier!" Shame I didn't take a picture, huh?!
Anywaaaaayyyy... My hands/feet held-up pretty well and were "flare-free" until around Friday afternoon. I managed to get my grocery-shopping done in a semi-hobbly fashion. But by Saturday morning (the DAY of the party), I was starting to feel like a friggin' mess (which p*ssed me off - more than you can imagine!).
I was really-really glad I hadn't overestimated my Hostess-With-the-Mostess skillz. I did opt for pre-made Macaroni and Potato Salads (and - to be fair - Smart and Final does sell a most delicious "Sliced Home-Style" Potato Salad).
I kind of regretted "passing" on the pre-made/pre-chopped fresh veggie platter - but I had a 'Frigerator-Full of fresh organic veggies! And, besides, pre-made Ranch Dip totally sucks - out loud, even!
So my June Cleaver Duties were limited to prepping burger fixin's (lettuce, tomatoes, onion slices); making fresh dips (Ranch for the veggies; Onion for the chips); Chopping fresh organic veggies for the crudités (which is Fancy-Schmantzy French for chopped-up carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower and zucchinis!); and the Pièce de résistance: Fresh-baked Orgasmic Cherry Pie!
Everything else was pretty-much Grab 'n Go: 3 bags of potato chips; couple cans of Bush's Baked Beans; pre-formed burger patties (fresh, not frozen!); a package of kielbasa, and some boneless-skinless chicken breasts. And buns, of course!
So Saturday morning was spent on the aforementioned prep items: Stand for 15 minutes to do some prep-work, then sit for 20. Stand for 15, sit for 20. Lather, rinse, repeat!
There was "Outdoor" prep-work to be done as well: Windexing the table and bar-tops, sweeping leaves, and general "Straightening-up" but I was conserving the "Finite Number of Footsteps" I was allowed that day. And I think hubs *might* have given me the 'Stink-Eye' - a time or two - when he caught me "sitting!" Oooops!
Anyway... Long Story Short (Too Late!): The party was a success. Hubs' friends are super-cool, super-fun people and they swam in the pool. Then we laughed and drank, and ate, and sat around socializing til late into the evening! We even got to use our Propane Patio Heater (no clue if it's the same kind or not - we've had it awhile!). It did a phenomenal job of keeping us warm, anyway! (We *don't* get pleasantly warm summer evenings here in No' Cal!) (But - OTOH - we don't get eaten-alive by skeeters either!)
As they were getting ready to leave, I glanced down at the kitchen table and spotted: "Oh sh*t! We didn't eat any pie!!!" So I made everybody sit down and eat a slice and - like I say - got Rave Reviews!
So yeah - fun party! And I really wish we did this sort of thing more often. In fact, we DO have a "Neighbor Party" on the calendar for mid-August. And I'm thinking of setting up another "Couples Party" at some point in the not-too-distant future because - Seriously! - It *is* a lot of fun to have people over (Yeah, it's WORK too - but! Totally worth it!) - and we have the Ultimate Party Yard so it seems a shame to waste it.
I'd LOVE to go back to throwing big "Themed" Parties - like I used to do when I had a Family. (We'd usually do Hawaiian/Luau Themed Food and such). But Burgers and Dogs seem to work just fine, too - and not NEARLY as much work!
Nevertheless - even though we kept it pretty low-key - I totally "paid for it" on Sunday. My friggin' feet were a mess-and-a-half, and I was confined to the recliner all day - just so I could keep my swollen feet propped up. :::sigh::: (And I'm *still* pretty ouchy - even today!)
Oh well. Whaddya gonna do (besides p*ss and moan, right)?!
It really does suck, though. On the Plus (?) Side: We are back to "being robbed of summer" so I don't feel too terribly awful about not spending Every Waking Moment outside. OTOH, it's starting to be Harvest Season and that is the Absolute Best Part of Gardening: Wandering around the garden, every afternoon, checking on your harvests, picking what's ready, and *hoping* it makes it into the house. Trouble is, it hurts too damned much to wander out that far :::sigh:::
Sorry - I think I said that this blog is s'posed to be my Happy Place and - well, right now, I'm not doing a very good job of it, am I?!
Here's hoping that the latest batch o' Toxic Drugs will have better results than the last batch................
:::sigh:::
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Raclette Party
In an earlier post, I'd mentioned that Rog picked up some raclette cheese for me while he was in Germany.
Well, this weekend, we broke out the Raclette Grill and invited our neighbors over. They'd been wanting to see the kitchen, and we had a ton of food, and this seemed like an ideal excuse to have a Get-Together...
They've got a 2-1/2 year-old daughter. Real cutie - and really precocious (although I can't understand a word that she says! I don't sprechen sie toddler!). They've been over here before - for a pool party/bbq - so I knew the dogs were "okay" with Ariana. In fact, Dynah seems completely smitten with her "Little Human Friend!" Although this time we were stuck indoors, so I thought it best to integrate the dogs into the party one-at-a-time. That worked out well.
And Dynah is *still* smitten - which is cute as hell!
Anyway, Raclette is a swiss semi-soft (and - let's say - "aromatic") cheese. It is typically melted and poured over other foods, like boiled potatoes, or slices of baguette, or meats, or veggies, or whatever.
One method of serving it is to use a Raclette Grill. Ours is a T-Fal with an electrical element, a teflon-coated grill-top and 8 individual serving trays that rest under the grill (under the heating element) and are used for melting the cheese. You can either melt the cheese on it's own, or you can add different stuff (sliced potatoes, thin-sliced meats, whatever) and melt the cheese on top.
It's a really fun, kinda "different" and relatively simple way to host a noshing get-together!
Today's menu (not entirely "Authentic" for a Swiss-style Raclette meal!) consisted of Tossed Salad; A couple different baguettes; Thinly-sliced Black Forest ham (the traditional salty bacon-looking kind - not the imitation variety you can pick-up at the grocery store!); Prosciutto; Sliced yellow squash and zucchini; Sliced red onions, fresh mushrooms and bell peppers; Steamed cauliflower, broccoli and carrots (lightly steamed to al dente - still fairly crunchy); and Boiled potatoes.
For the grill-top, I chopped up some boneless, skinless chicken breast (small - say stir-fry sized); thinly sliced steak (mine came as "fajita meat" - I have no idea what cut of meat it was). I marinated the chicken in Teriyaki sauce and the beef was soaked in some Lawry's "Tenderizing" Marinade solution (came in a "Just add water" kind of envelope from the spice aisle).
Cheeses: Thinly sliced Raclette Cheese; American; and Grated Cheddar - since I wasn't sure if everyone would like the raclette - I was mistaken! (Although Ariana clearly preferred the American cheese!) They were initially put-off by the - well - stinkiness of the raclette cheese. But once it's melted, there is nothing quite like it! Very smooth and "buttery" with a delightful flavor!
So I spent, maybe, an hour slicing and prepping everything. I basically put everything out on paper-plates on the counter. Figured we could do it "Buffet-Style" since our kitchen table is waaaaaaay too small! We had stoneware plates out on the table for the actual eating - but paper-plates for "gathering" stuff to grill (especially the raw meats, for obvious reasons!).
The raclette grill was set in the middle of the table - along with a variety of spices (Poultry Seasoning, Garlic/Onion Seasoning Salt, Salt & Pepper) and a spray can of Olive oil. And everybody basically cooked whatever they liked/however they liked it!
And THAT'S the cool thing about Raclette! You can prepare lots of different things and folks can pick and choose what they like. They can eat as much, or as little as they want. It's an excellent way to entertain without having to worry about who-likes-what. Plus it's fun and informal, and gets everyone talking!
Best part of all: Minimal clean-up! Most of the clean-up involved throwing paper plates in the trash! Yes, kinda wasteful, I'll admit. But we really don't have a lot of space for lots of serving dishes in the kitchen.
Oh, other Helpful Hints:
- If you have any "Little People" joining the party, you'll want to sit them far away from the electric cord and, hopefully, keep them far enough away from the grill that Little Hands won't get burnt!
- Since the cooktop is Teflon, you don't want people jabbing their food with metal forks while cooking. You can buy little wooden raclette spatulas which are fairly handy for moving food around on the grill, and scraping the melted cheese from the serving dishes.
- We also had a full-sized plastic spatula ready, as well as a pair of silicone-tipped tongs (the tongs saw the most use!).
- After cooking for awhile, you'll start to accumulate some black, burnt gunk on the grill-top. That is easily scraped off using one of the wooden spatulas, and following up with a quick wipe with a paper towel.
Other Uses for the grill:
- I've heard of folks doing "brunch" type parties using raclette. You could easily cook eggs, omelettes, pancakes or bacon on the grill-top. I'd stick with fast-cooking and thin-type foods b/c it really isn't all THAT hot, and things can take awhile to cook...
- Another use is for Fajita Parties (it's actually pretty ideal for that)
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Pool Party, BBQ and "The Morning After"
Ultra-Cool Annie
The Pool Party and BBQ was a success. Although I'm not sure if having one other couple over for dinner really counts as a "Party!" Nevertheless, it was fun.
C & D have been friends ever since Rog and I met. Actually, Rog has known them longer. D was Roger's smoking buddy at work - and, if there are any smokers out there reading this (we're a dying breed, ya know?!) - you'll know the importance of "Smoking Buddies!" Anyway, Rog used to lament to D about how he "couldn't find a girlfriend" yada yada. So every time we get together, we get to re-visit "The Old Days" and Rog gets reminded of "How lucky he is - to have met me!"
(And that ain't a bad thing!!!)
I didn't go completely "Hog-Wild" with food prep this time (the last time we threw a party - 8 ppl, so that counts! - I started food prep at 6:00am. And continued non-stop 'til the guests arrived around 2:00pm! I was exhausted!). No, this BBQ was pretty low-key. We ended up cooking enough food to feed a small army, however. I don't know why! Even when I know that folks "eat like birds" I have this insane fear of running out of food!!! Or it could be that I just don't know HOW to prepare recipes for ONLY 4 people!
* * * * *
HA! Segue into "Picnic In the Park:" Back in '01, when Rog and I went on our second date, I had suggested we have a picnic in the redwoods - I would take care of everything. Back then, I still lived on the boat where galley-space was extremely limited (considering the ENTIRE living space was 180 SF, and the galley was maybe 4'x8' - and counterspace was maybe 2-1/2'x2' - I'd say that's a gross understatement), add to that the fact that I could only run one appliance at a time (15amp AC circuit to run everything on the boat), well, I was faced with a challenge...
I opted to go to Trader Joe's. I think that's mainly a California Thing (Nope, I Googled it, they're sprinkled all over both coasts - but mid-continent folks are somewhat lacking in the TJ Dept). Anyway, for those *not* familiar, Trader Joe's is a Super-Cool, Definitely-Unique, Gourmet kinda grocery store with all kinds of tempting goodies. Most of it is ideally suited for picnic fare (though they've got plenty of "Cooking Required" stuff as well). Basically, this is one of those stores that you simply CANNOT walk into and come out with only ONE thing, okay? (And yes, I still *hate* to shop - but when one is trying to make a Good Impression on a Potential Suitor...)
Bottom Line: I came out of there with an Honest-to-Gawd FEAST. Gourmet cold-cuts, a veritable U.N. Assortment of Cheeses that represented every continent on the planet, Fancy-Fru-Fru Breads, all kinds of exotic munchables; Organic Veggie Chips and Crackers, Assorted fresh veggies, Various dips and spreads. Basically, if it looked good, into the cart it went! I'm sure I must've even dragged the wicker picnic basket out of storage (with matching heavy-duty plates, real-metal cutlery, LINEN tablecloth and napkins). Hell, I probably had candles as well! I don't recall all the specifics (and this was before we had digital cameras - fortunately, or unfortunately!!).
Annnnnywaaaaaay... Suffice it to say that when Roger met me at the park, I had enough food spread out on one (entire) picnic table to feed a good dozen (or more) people! There was sooooo much food, even passing hikers and horsebackriders gasped in amazement. In fact the equestrians even called down as they rode past "Got enough food down there?!!"
Well, I must've made the right impression b/c we ended up getting married, right? ("The way to a man's heart..." and all that!)
So this "We Must Not Starve" thing is nothing new!
BTW - Today is our sixth wedding anniversary, so that kinda explains the "Waxing Nostalgic" digression!
* * * * *
So anyway, back to yesterday's get-together: Weather was perfect. Upper 80's. Everybody DID wear swimsuits and actually got in the pool! Beer and wine and margaritas were flowing...
The Hounds were entertaining. Annie was a hoot, in fact! When C swam laps, splashing across the pool, Annie "raced" him from shore - running and barking furiously the whole way! Back and forth, back and forth! We did have Dynah outside for awhile (imprisoned in her tiny playpen), but she was a bit too vociferous in her protestations, so she had to go back in the house, unfortunately. Tazz welcomes all guests (including hired-help, complete strangers, door-to-door salesmen, burglars, mass-murderers, Jehovah's Witnesses...) by bringing her Tire Toy over to be thrown. Again and again and again and again and again and again, ad nauseum. The tire ended up getting locked in the shed!
As far as the food goes: D brought a delicious salad with mixed greens, olives, avocado, mushrooms, beans, and a whole bunch of other yummy stuff. I picked fresh tomatoes which were served on the side (since D can't eat tomatoes). We skipped the Insalata Caprese.
We had italian-style veggie kabobs and fresh, sweet corn on the cob (Hint: If you boil the corn, which we did - due to lack of grill space, add a couple of teaspoons of Splenda [or sugar] and a splash of cream to the water. It enhances the sweetness!).
We also cooked up two big London Broils. It was one of those situations where I wasn't sure if one steak would be enough for 4 people and two steaks is definitely too much! Nancy Method: "Err on the side of too much!" (besides I can nosh on leftovers all week!).
The steaks were marinated for about an hour in Lawry's Meat-Tenderizing Marinade (Envelope of powdered stuff - found on the spice aisle) to which I added about a tablespoon of olive oil, a splash (probably a teaspoon) each of worchestershire sauce, and liquid hickory smoke (from the BBQ sauce section of the store). Ours is a gas-grill (unfortunately, it doesn't have a smoker box), so we don't get that smoky flavor unless I add it! Rog cooked 'em perfectly to Medium/Medium-Well. The steaks were DEEEEEE-LISH! And I'll definitely use that marinade again!
Side dish (Rog insists on carbs with every meal) was - don't laugh! - Country Crock "DELUXE" Cheddar Broccoli Rice. Nuke it for 5 minutes and you've got a tasty side-dish! Actually, it was surprisingly good (and I hate rice - which is good b/c my diabetes won't allow me to eat starches).
I was feeling guilty for my lack of "Culinary Creativity" - what with serving pre-fab/nuke-able food! Although D says she appreciates my low-drag approach to entertaining "You're a REAL down-to-earth person and that's what I love about you!" Either she's being super-nice, or super-truthful and she's deranged! (I vote for 'B'). Anyway, I went out yesterday morning and picked a whole slew of peaches off the tree and I *did* bake a couple of fresh peach pies (using pre-fab [but not nuke-able!] pie crusts, of course!).
I think peach pies don't get much fresher than that. "Peaches were on the tree this morning and now they're dessert!" In fact, the pies had *just* come out of the oven when they arrived!
I used an "Amish Peach Pie" recipe I found via Google (on RecipeLand.com). Super simple. The main ingredients for the filling are peaches (duh!), sugar (in my case Splenda Sugar Blend - halved the quantity b/c the peaches were plenty-sweet on their own), and tapioca. I also added a tsp of cinnamon for a little extra "zip." Pie was positively orgasmic!
BTW, a few weeks ago (when the white peaches were ripe), I made pies using a "standard" peach pie recipe that used flour as a thickener. Not bad - but not spectacular. Tapioca-thickened peach pies are MUCH, MUCH, MUCH better IMHO...
Well, I daresay nobody went home hungry!
* * * * *
Unfortunately, I did kinda overdo it in the Carb Realm. "My" case of diabetes is particularly annoying in that I have almost ZERO tolerance for carbohydrates - in any form. And I get to take MASSIVE quantities of insulin (and even at that, I have a helluva time keeping my blood glucose down). I try to keep daily carb intake around, or below 50g. Anytime I go over 100g, I "pay for it" for the next day or two.
Yesterday, I not only ate a PEACH and a handful of GRAPES (GASP!!!), but I also allowed myself 2 TABLESPOONS of the cheddar and broccoli rice, AND I ate 1-1/2 slices of PIE. Today's Fasting Blood Glucose was well over 200 and I'm feeling pretty Slow-Mo... I'll be living on Protein Shakes (and insulin) all day. No solid food. No carbohydrates. Well, at least until dinner since we ARE going out tonight... Gotta de-tox now :::sigh:::
I do allow myself to go Off-Plan on rare occasions, but I know I'm gonna pay for it. Oh, well!
Good Friends and Good Times... Hey, at least it was worth it!
C & D have been friends ever since Rog and I met. Actually, Rog has known them longer. D was Roger's smoking buddy at work - and, if there are any smokers out there reading this (we're a dying breed, ya know?!) - you'll know the importance of "Smoking Buddies!" Anyway, Rog used to lament to D about how he "couldn't find a girlfriend" yada yada. So every time we get together, we get to re-visit "The Old Days" and Rog gets reminded of "How lucky he is - to have met me!"
(And that ain't a bad thing!!!)
I didn't go completely "Hog-Wild" with food prep this time (the last time we threw a party - 8 ppl, so that counts! - I started food prep at 6:00am. And continued non-stop 'til the guests arrived around 2:00pm! I was exhausted!). No, this BBQ was pretty low-key. We ended up cooking enough food to feed a small army, however. I don't know why! Even when I know that folks "eat like birds" I have this insane fear of running out of food!!! Or it could be that I just don't know HOW to prepare recipes for ONLY 4 people!
* * * * *
HA! Segue into "Picnic In the Park:" Back in '01, when Rog and I went on our second date, I had suggested we have a picnic in the redwoods - I would take care of everything. Back then, I still lived on the boat where galley-space was extremely limited (considering the ENTIRE living space was 180 SF, and the galley was maybe 4'x8' - and counterspace was maybe 2-1/2'x2' - I'd say that's a gross understatement), add to that the fact that I could only run one appliance at a time (15amp AC circuit to run everything on the boat), well, I was faced with a challenge...
I opted to go to Trader Joe's. I think that's mainly a California Thing (Nope, I Googled it, they're sprinkled all over both coasts - but mid-continent folks are somewhat lacking in the TJ Dept). Anyway, for those *not* familiar, Trader Joe's is a Super-Cool, Definitely-Unique, Gourmet kinda grocery store with all kinds of tempting goodies. Most of it is ideally suited for picnic fare (though they've got plenty of "Cooking Required" stuff as well). Basically, this is one of those stores that you simply CANNOT walk into and come out with only ONE thing, okay? (And yes, I still *hate* to shop - but when one is trying to make a Good Impression on a Potential Suitor...)
Bottom Line: I came out of there with an Honest-to-Gawd FEAST. Gourmet cold-cuts, a veritable U.N. Assortment of Cheeses that represented every continent on the planet, Fancy-Fru-Fru Breads, all kinds of exotic munchables; Organic Veggie Chips and Crackers, Assorted fresh veggies, Various dips and spreads. Basically, if it looked good, into the cart it went! I'm sure I must've even dragged the wicker picnic basket out of storage (with matching heavy-duty plates, real-metal cutlery, LINEN tablecloth and napkins). Hell, I probably had candles as well! I don't recall all the specifics (and this was before we had digital cameras - fortunately, or unfortunately!!).
Annnnnywaaaaaay... Suffice it to say that when Roger met me at the park, I had enough food spread out on one (entire) picnic table to feed a good dozen (or more) people! There was sooooo much food, even passing hikers and horsebackriders gasped in amazement. In fact the equestrians even called down as they rode past "Got enough food down there?!!"
Well, I must've made the right impression b/c we ended up getting married, right? ("The way to a man's heart..." and all that!)
So this "We Must Not Starve" thing is nothing new!
BTW - Today is our sixth wedding anniversary, so that kinda explains the "Waxing Nostalgic" digression!
* * * * *
So anyway, back to yesterday's get-together: Weather was perfect. Upper 80's. Everybody DID wear swimsuits and actually got in the pool! Beer and wine and margaritas were flowing...
The Hounds were entertaining. Annie was a hoot, in fact! When C swam laps, splashing across the pool, Annie "raced" him from shore - running and barking furiously the whole way! Back and forth, back and forth! We did have Dynah outside for awhile (imprisoned in her tiny playpen), but she was a bit too vociferous in her protestations, so she had to go back in the house, unfortunately. Tazz welcomes all guests (including hired-help, complete strangers, door-to-door salesmen, burglars, mass-murderers, Jehovah's Witnesses...) by bringing her Tire Toy over to be thrown. Again and again and again and again and again and again, ad nauseum. The tire ended up getting locked in the shed!
As far as the food goes: D brought a delicious salad with mixed greens, olives, avocado, mushrooms, beans, and a whole bunch of other yummy stuff. I picked fresh tomatoes which were served on the side (since D can't eat tomatoes). We skipped the Insalata Caprese.
We had italian-style veggie kabobs and fresh, sweet corn on the cob (Hint: If you boil the corn, which we did - due to lack of grill space, add a couple of teaspoons of Splenda [or sugar] and a splash of cream to the water. It enhances the sweetness!).
We also cooked up two big London Broils. It was one of those situations where I wasn't sure if one steak would be enough for 4 people and two steaks is definitely too much! Nancy Method: "Err on the side of too much!" (besides I can nosh on leftovers all week!).
The steaks were marinated for about an hour in Lawry's Meat-Tenderizing Marinade (Envelope of powdered stuff - found on the spice aisle) to which I added about a tablespoon of olive oil, a splash (probably a teaspoon) each of worchestershire sauce, and liquid hickory smoke (from the BBQ sauce section of the store). Ours is a gas-grill (unfortunately, it doesn't have a smoker box), so we don't get that smoky flavor unless I add it! Rog cooked 'em perfectly to Medium/Medium-Well. The steaks were DEEEEEE-LISH! And I'll definitely use that marinade again!
Side dish (Rog insists on carbs with every meal) was - don't laugh! - Country Crock "DELUXE" Cheddar Broccoli Rice. Nuke it for 5 minutes and you've got a tasty side-dish! Actually, it was surprisingly good (and I hate rice - which is good b/c my diabetes won't allow me to eat starches).
I was feeling guilty for my lack of "Culinary Creativity" - what with serving pre-fab/nuke-able food! Although D says she appreciates my low-drag approach to entertaining "You're a REAL down-to-earth person and that's what I love about you!" Either she's being super-nice, or super-truthful and she's deranged! (I vote for 'B'). Anyway, I went out yesterday morning and picked a whole slew of peaches off the tree and I *did* bake a couple of fresh peach pies (using pre-fab [but not nuke-able!] pie crusts, of course!).
I think peach pies don't get much fresher than that. "Peaches were on the tree this morning and now they're dessert!" In fact, the pies had *just* come out of the oven when they arrived!
I used an "Amish Peach Pie" recipe I found via Google (on RecipeLand.com). Super simple. The main ingredients for the filling are peaches (duh!), sugar (in my case Splenda Sugar Blend - halved the quantity b/c the peaches were plenty-sweet on their own), and tapioca. I also added a tsp of cinnamon for a little extra "zip." Pie was positively orgasmic!
BTW, a few weeks ago (when the white peaches were ripe), I made pies using a "standard" peach pie recipe that used flour as a thickener. Not bad - but not spectacular. Tapioca-thickened peach pies are MUCH, MUCH, MUCH better IMHO...
Well, I daresay nobody went home hungry!
* * * * *
Unfortunately, I did kinda overdo it in the Carb Realm. "My" case of diabetes is particularly annoying in that I have almost ZERO tolerance for carbohydrates - in any form. And I get to take MASSIVE quantities of insulin (and even at that, I have a helluva time keeping my blood glucose down). I try to keep daily carb intake around, or below 50g. Anytime I go over 100g, I "pay for it" for the next day or two.
Yesterday, I not only ate a PEACH and a handful of GRAPES (GASP!!!), but I also allowed myself 2 TABLESPOONS of the cheddar and broccoli rice, AND I ate 1-1/2 slices of PIE. Today's Fasting Blood Glucose was well over 200 and I'm feeling pretty Slow-Mo... I'll be living on Protein Shakes (and insulin) all day. No solid food. No carbohydrates. Well, at least until dinner since we ARE going out tonight... Gotta de-tox now :::sigh:::
I do allow myself to go Off-Plan on rare occasions, but I know I'm gonna pay for it. Oh, well!
Good Friends and Good Times... Hey, at least it was worth it!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
