Meeting a Friend at Marcellos and Confirming I need a New Cell Phone

Marcello's Ristorante - Suffern, NY

We make friends in settings such as school and work and then when life shifts and we are no longer in the same circumstances we sometimes lose touch but mostly the feelings of friendship remain.  *Luckily, we now live in an age that may allow a simple Google search to put us back in touch or in this case Facebook.

*In this case the ability to find and be found via social media has a happy ending.  Unfortunately, this is not always the case.

I have reconnected with a friend from high school and though we were never "BFFs" I think we always enjoyed each other's company - ok and truth be known, smokers in high school had some kind of inexplicable bond.  I gave up the stinky smoking years ago, but I am happy to have found a long lost friend.

The two of us live far enough away from each other that meeting in a restaurant after work made the most sense since I work a mere 10 - 15 minutes from her job and so Marcello's is our restaurant of reunion.

After listening to the enticing specials, meeting and talking with Marcello himself, our orders are placed.  For me, the roast vegetable soup which was pureed veggies including squash with a toast round floating in the center with melted cheese.  My friend started with an appetizer of ricotta cheese wrapped in mozzarella (Burrata) over a bed of arugula and mushrooms.

Stories are shared, the plates are cleared and our entrees arrive.  No rushed feeling and no feelings of being ignored - the pace is enjoyable and suits our social agenda.

For me, the braised short rib stuffed ravioli with "hand picked mushrooms from the Catskills."  I smiled inside as I live in the Catskill area and find it funny when my area is a selling point for a meal that is prepared about one hour away.

My friend's meal was dark meat chicken with a small side of greens, perhaps spinach, and what looked to be lovely and crispy shoestring fries.

I took photos with my phone of my soup as well as both of our entrees and the results were a disaster.  I knew I needed a new phone and though I had been to the cell phone "store", I had been given so much information I hesitate to decide.  Today, I am fairly sure I will be reviewing the iphone once more as it has jumped to the top of the list.  In fact, it was among the topics of discussion over dinner.

Another unexpected treat during our meal was the annual parade complete with Santa Claus.  The lights and sirens from firetrucks filled the dining room and though a small percentage of the diners were interested in Santa, everyone loves a parade, right?

The plates are again cleared and we return to our life sharing.  My companion chooses the chocolate flourless cake.

I select the lemon tart.

It was a lovely meal indeed.  We feel Fed Well and caught up, a hug and the promise of another meal soon with maybe a few more guests at the table.  I am looking forward to it.

Holidays at the Office and a Fabulous Handmade Chocolate Gift Box

Office holiday traditions can be tricky to see the least.  At my current day job we have decided that if someone wants to celebrate their birthday, they are responsible for bringing a snack to share with the group. Some one's feelings were horribly hurt in the past when no one brought her a cake so this may seem strange, but at least no one's special day is forgotten.  As an added bonus, since it is your birthday, you get to pick the treat.  Some bring in bagels or even fruit instead of cake.

So for the December holidays, many choose to bring a special food item to share.  The first to arrive was this beautiful box of handmade goodies.

These yummy chocolate works of art are created by the giver's niece and are also available to buy/order.

It was such a feast for the eyes, I scooped the box away and put it on my desk to photograph before it could be disturbed.  Problem was, the giver had no idea what happened and thought someone ran off with her group gift.  :) 

Luckily once she figured out it was me, she understood my need to photograph it for Fed Well.

With all the time co-workers spend together it is comforting to know we are able to not only work together, but enjoy a few bites of culinary joy as well and feel Fed Well in the workplace.

Unusual or New Kitchen Gadget Gift Ideas

I must be a lazy gift giver.  Please don't tell my family.  For the past million years of gift giving I have been simply either directly asking what the person would like for their Birthday or Christmas or I need not so subtle hints thrown at me, circled in catalogs or sent to me as an email link.  To them, I apologize.  I am going to learn to spend a little more time and effort to find things that seem to scream your name to me.  For now, I am going to share a few links to things that screamed my name.



Unusual and High Tech Kitchen Gadgets



Good Housekeeping Kitchen Gadget Gift Ideas





MORE Kitchen Gadgets*

*Please note: It seems the Halo Heating Spoon pictured is a concept only and not yet available for purchase.

Do I need many of these "uni-taskers" as Alton Brown refers to them with disdain?  Probably not.  But honestly, I'd love to give the heated spoon a test ride. Who wouldn't love some of the other fabulous kitchen gadgets seen in just these three links?  They won't make me feel any more Fed Well since that comes from the soul, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't give a sense of joy and happiness to the user.  Take a breath, have a snack and dream a little dream of a happy holiday.

5 Holiday Gift Ideas (under $20) for Those Who Love to be Fed Well

As a tea lover, I love my electric kettle!  It boils water quickly and I've also used it to give pasta water a jump start before dumping in the pot on the stove or to heat water for the base of a double boiler or warmer for use with aluminum sterno pans for holiday buffets.


An Electric Kettle

Anyone in the kitchen can always use pot holders - square or mitt style!


Pot Holders - Square or Mitt

For the grill master or the carver - heat resistant gloves to handle hot meat.  These gloves will allow the wearer to pull pork or securely hold a turkey breast for slicing.





Heat Resistant Gloves for Grilling or Handling Hot Meat

Everyone is challenged by someone who is "difficult" to buy for and personalized gifts offer a solution.   This branding iron is unique in itself but to be able to spell out whatever is appropriate - what a nice touch!





Custom Branding Iron for the Griller who has Everything

And while we are personalizing...


Personalized Kitchen Towels

Happy Holidays to all and to all a season of being Fed Well!

A Holiday Treat on a Plain Old Saturday

My older son's girlfriend made a tasty breakfast treat this past Saturday morning.  These popular cinnamon buns with frosting are typically only prepared one morning a year in this house - Christmas morning.  Why?   I'm not really sure, but it is one of the few traditions my husband started.  Grocery shopping for the holidays one year he put the popular cardboard tube in the cart and simply pronounced them to be Christmas breakfast and so, a tradition was born.

I have seen and heard others share more involved breakfasts and traditions but this has become ours.  Also, when I prepare them, I cram them all in a circular pan so they are touching when they bake.  I prefer this "new" method of separating them on a large pan so all edges can crisp a bit.

What are your families own holiday food traditions?  How did they start?  Have they evolved?  Culinary traditions always leave me feeling Fed Well and are an important part of holiday memories.

Venison: It's What's for Dinner and Paleo Friendly

Before reading this post, please know it is about venison.  Specifically, this meat was taken from deer that my husband did indeed hunt, kill and have butchered.  While I understand vegetarian's turning away from this topic, I do not share the feelings of meat eaters who simply do not like the idea of harvesting deer for food.  Cows, pigs, sheep and BABY anything are all cute, yet people eat burgers, ribs, chops and VEAL cutlets without a second thought.  It is not the intention of this post to be preachy or defensive, just stating up front where I stand on the venison argument.

The most enjoyable, tender, and flavorful cut is the backstrap and rather than save it for a special occasion, we decide to indulge.  The meat is simply seasoned with just kosher salt and pepper than rests on the counter while the grill heats up, onions and mushrooms are sauteed and quinoa is prepared.  The venison is then placed on a fairly hot grill for about 7 minutes per side then allowed to rest before slicing.  It is a true thing of culinary beauty.

The meat is slightly sweet which may be attributed to a hormone/injection free diet of simple corn from the cob and beans. It is soft, delicate and simply fabulous.

We offer a serving to a guest who has never sampled venison and she is quite surprised to learn she likes it.

My older son avoids the quinoa arguing it is simply not part of his Paleo diet.  He tries to very strictly limit ALL carbohydrates while living more simply on meats, vegetables and fruits.  While his preferences cannot always be accommodated, this particular meal is more than acceptable and quite satisfying.

Future plans for the rest of the venison include mixing the ground meat with beef for meatballs, meatloaf, chili, and tacos.  The steaks will be grilled and the roasts prepared low and slow in the crock pot.  The ground sausage is likely going to be found in soup or tomato sauce for pasta.  Venison may seem like a non-traditional protein source but leaves us feeling Fed Well.  

And by the way, I prefer to avoid eating any veal because I cannot get past the image of slaughtering baby cows - calves that are staked to the ground so they may be killed fat and tender for human consumption.  Not all points of view may make sense, but these are my feelings on the subject.

Office Field Trip to Crowne Plaza

Info about The Crowne Plaze in Suffern, NY 

I love field trips or working offsite or whatever the current acceptable phrase is for getting away from the daily routine while still being paid.  However, when I first learned where we were going, I had to laugh at an old memory.

In the late 1980's my first car was the Rustang.  A 1974 Mustang that had been on fire twice, the hood could randomly fly open, the hatch had to be propped open with a stick, the heat didn't work and was simply in a general state of constant disrepair, but it was mine and I loved it.  

My boyfriend and I (he's now been my husband for 25 years) decided to drive it approximately one hour to his aunt's house for Christmas Eve.  Yes, it broke down on the highway.  Yes, we had to walk to a payphone, in the lobby of the "hotel" my office was scheduled to hold their offsite event, to get help (imagine - no cell phones!) and we were stuck in the dark, on the side of an onramp on Christmas Eve.  For whatever reason, I assumed my boyfriend's father was coming to rescue us and was quite nervous when all of a sudden I noticed a very tall man's silhouette running toward us in the dark.  When I grabbed my boyfriend's arm in fear, (ok, I may have even shouted a little) he laughed - it was his sister's boyfriend (they have also been married forever now) who is closer to 7 than 6 feet tall rather than the 5'10" or so, stout, 50ish man I was expecting to see.  The rest is history.

My ride to the Crowne Plaza for this event was uneventful with a fabulous coworker.

We arrive with one of the Vice-President's who thinks it perfectly natural for me to be snapping photos of the frozen fountain with my cell phone.  Or does she?

Inside we are a little surprised to see a newly remodeled and modernized atrium.  Organizers of the event give us maps, agendas and we enter our names for a raffle.

The major disadvantage to taking photos with my camera phone is my camera phone.  After seeing some of the results I am convinced it is beyond time to upgrade.  Either that or we experienced a mild earthquake while I was taking pictures.

Though we did not utilize the restaurant space, one of the raffle prizes later in the day was a gift certificate for lunch for two.  Smart marketing.  Well played.

The Koi pond had a sign advising guests not to throw food or coin into the water.  The Koi made me realize they can be a bit scary themselves - sort of like clowns and mimes. They just seem a bit unnatural.

The back side of the Koi pond and plant wall stayed still long enough for me to get a little better image.

Lunch was already set up on either side of the room.  I wasn't necessarily hungry but wanted to see what we were being offered and take some photos while everything was still full.

The funny thing that happens when I photograph food, either I offer an explanation or someone I am with tells the servers or employees that I have a food blog or that I simply like taking pictures of food.  Is it socially acceptable now?  I love the idea of this large salad with the toppings sort of separated.

Potato salad for some reason screams summer and on this cool fall, almost winter day, it seems like breaking the rules, but I have to admit it made me want to try some and I was quite happy with my choice.

How do you dress up tuna for buffet presentation?  Well, I guess you have to try.  Do they offer hotel 101 classes for this very situation?  How do you think Crowne Plaza plated the tuna?

Honey Pepper Chicken is what I was told this dish was and though it was juicy and well prepared, I hate to admit I did not taste either honey or pepper.

I'm still not sure what the name of this cooled pasta dish could have been - Penne Prima Vera I guess.  I have an aversion to Parmesan cheese and so I was very careful to scoop this gently from the side only.  When I was ready to eat it, the pasta and vegetables were neither hot nor cold so I'm not sure what the intention was for diners.

The culinary star of the luncheon was the Seafood Chowder.  OH MY!  It was creamy, with a hint of silky sweetness, chunks of fish, seafood and potatoes.  The perfect balance of hearty and delicate.  If I could have taken a gallon to go, I certainly would have been willing.

Wraps.  The thing about wraps for our group is they are often offered as part of our cafeteria's regular lunch options and are ordered in when having a working lunch meeting so they may or may not have been a popular choice.

With full bellies we broke off into groups.  We were able to brainstorm with a number of different topics.  Some were led by peer facilitators, others worked independently.  I love again the attention to presentation by having "Mints Under Glass" on the conference room tables.  So cute.

Our next reward...Cocktail Hour.  Platters of cheeses, fruits and grilled vegetables were placed on the buffet.

Our bar included red/white wine, sodas and beer selections.

Winners of the raffles were announced with prizes that also included an overnight stay for 2 at the Crowne Plaza.  Love marketing.

As more of a mixed-drink-kind-of-gal, I always struggle at wine and beer time.  I like Riesling or Moscatto but those are never choices at grown up events.  I ask for a white wine spritzer, heavy on the spritz - sort of the Shirley Temple of wine drinks.

By now, I have a killer headache.  I enjoyed the blend of work, food and social time.  I sit for a moment and observe the large group of coworkers buzzing in the room and realize how lucky I am to be working full time in a job that will never allow me to complain of having too much money, but for the moment I can admit  I feel Fed Well at work.