Stony Brae for a New Year's Dinner

The husband and I have definitely had a tumultuous year so we are welcoming 2013 with open arms and decide on Stony Brae for dinner.

We've been spending quite a bit of time together during the holiday season and I actually worry for a minute that we will be that couple that doesn't speak during the meal.  Does it happen?  Do two people just ran out of things to say?  Or do they decide to coast?  Coasting leaves people stranded.

We're not going to make it if we coast.

The outside of the restaurant is seasonally decorated.  It's warm and welcoming.

Tasteful decor continues inside with a simple table arrangement.

The real icicles outside the window perfectly accent the corner tree.
 

The holiday menu is Prix Fixe with five courses.  Everything looks and sounds fabulous.

We begin by sharing stories about what we remember from the past 29 New Year's we have celebrated together including our own house party and many we have spent at my husaband's good friend's house.

Our culinary adventure begins with a simple warm "bread biscuit" on a wooden board with chilled butter.  The crust is firm but not crumbly and yields a soft and doughy center.

"Remember when I hollowed out a loaf of Italian bread and threw the little balls of dough at people at our party," my husband laughed.

"Yes, and I remember you doing your best Saturday Night Fever dance moves.  I have the pictures to prove it.  I also remember you being in bed for 2 days after the party."

The crab cakes are lush, sweet and tender as well as a generous portion.

I begin with the bacon and chive tart topped with carmelized red onions.  A savory start that sets the tone for the rest of the meal.

The other diners are a mix of couples like us and groups of four or six.  Laughter.  Stories.  The unspoken hopes for the new year.  A new start.  Another chance.

The salad is dressed and while I prefer to eat mine without dressing, it is light enough to still taste the actual vegetables.

Soup.  The hug of a meal.  An embrace from the inside.  I love soup.  His, the French Onion of course and mine, the Butternut Squash - also no surprise.

Mine is silky and smooth.  The creaminess is offset by the two croutons and in a way, I wish for more of the crispy bread.

"What do you look forward to in 2013," we ask each other.

More physical activities like bicycling, he would like to change careers, I would like to sit still and be disciplined enough to finish writing the book I have started.  We agree we want to be together.  A fine start indeed.

A classic roast chicken with potatoes and asparagus for him.  The poultry is succulent, the potatoes are crisp and the asparagus just tender enough.

I ordered the Brontosaurus, I mean pork shank with orecchiette and I am drooling just to look at it in the deep bottom plate.  The bark is well seasoned and crisp, the flesh is fork tender and sweet.  I am overwhelmed by the sheer size of it but smiling from my satisfied soul by the taste.  I gave it my best effort but had to ask for most of it to be packaged for home.

A pot of tea.  Talk of the future and what our life may look like when our sons are out of the house.  What will we be like as empty nesters?  What do we want it to look like?

If he has dessert it is almost always an apple pie, crisp or crumble.  Tonight is no different.  We know what we like.  We know what we want.  I also know I am full.  I try a spoonful of his but that is as much as I can handle.  Well, that is as much food as I can currently handle and so we ask for my dessert to go.

We laugh our way home, watch a bit of television and have some champagne.  I finally decide to taste the eggnog bread pudding with vanilla ice cream.

We continue to make plans for our tomorrows together and days we will decide to stay together and be Fed Well.

Preparing for 2013 and Home Made Ice Cream

With a mom and a sister, we rotate hosting holiday meals;  I host Thanksgiving, my mom Easter and my sister Christmas.  Other celebrations may be held by the one who simply wants to and this time my Mommy wanted to have a Sunday family dinner with a touch of post Christmas and a splash of pre-New Year.

We begin with a simple plate of cheeses, pepperoni and crackers.  Thing about simple or classic, if the ingredients are delicious that is all that matters.  The Colby and Cheddar were creamy and sharp respectively and a perfect start.

 

My mother asked for a volunteer to carve the turkey and I admit, I secretly (or maybe it's not really a secret at all) love to carve meat.  It is like a personal challenge to have the slices come out just the right thickness and the same.  Here's how it went this past Sunday -

The trick for me is to remove the breast meat from the turkey itself.  So yummy.

Can you tell this is my mom's stuffing and not mine from Thanksgiving?  Is it the classic or vintage Pyrex?  Doesn't matter.  It is delicious, loaded with sausage and a comfort food I count on.

Mashed potatoes.  Real mashed potatoes.  May seem like no big deal to some, but really, it's carbohydrate heaven.

When the meal is consumed, everyone finds some entertainment as I take my first attempt at home made ice cream with my younger nephew.  I bought him an ice cream maker for Christmas and neither of us has ever used one.  Classic Jenga helps keep us amused as the paddle whirs the ingredients together.

After a time the canister with the mixed dairy products, sugar and vanilla is placed in the freezer where it will never set up in time for us to eat it the same night.  We pull it after a time and scoop out the small bits of solids for everyone to have a tasting.  We all agree it tastes like a luxurious melted milkshake.  My sister will take home the canister for an overnight freeze and I did find out my nephew enjoyed the results.

This year my mother gave all of her grandsons red socks for Christmas and explained it was because she saw Sherlock Holmes wearing them in the movie.  My sister asked the boys/men to wear them to Sunday dinner and of course I took some pictures.  I generally try to keep their faces out of the blog but here's a peek...

And so today is a day for new beginnings, fresh starts, a new year...how will you be Fed Well?

Old Friends and Storms

You know that friend you have, the one you've known since elementary school?  Well, my husband's longest time friend, his wife and the two of us all went out to dinner in the middle of a post-holiday snowstorm.  Luckily it was at the restaurant less than 2 miles from our home and we were fine in our 4 wheel drive truck staying well under 30 miles per hour.

We have seen each other during the lowest lows and the highest highs.  After a bit of turmoil and personal storms this year, I thought it would be grounding to reunite with them for a meal.  Unfortunately, my husband's friend recently witnessed the loss of another friend who had suffered and lost his battle with cancer.  Listening through the hard times are one way to show support.

I smile as the friend's wife orders for herself and her husband.  He trusts her implicitly.  They spend their days together at work and she is his number one fan in his recreational pursuits.  

While I do not order for my husband I very well could have predicted his choices.  French onion soup followed by Chicken Marsala.
 

He can certainly provide detailed reviews of area restaurants by their French Onion soup.  It should never be too salty, the cheese should be moderately stringy with a nice size serving of toasted bread at the top.  For him the onions should be a bit on the sweet side and it should always be molten lava hot.

The rest of us begin with salad.  Salads are quite personal I have learned.  One friend only likes lettuce and tomato while our male friend is disappointed by the limited amount of cucumbers and tomatoes.  I prefer my salad naked as I have mentioned in previous posts.  Growing up I remember my favorite tossed salads including the entire produce section; mushrooms, celery, broccoli, etc. and once I discovered salad bars I would try to heap a little bit of all the offerings onto one plate.

The prime rib topped with shrimp scampi served with a baked potato and broccoli for the gentleman.  His lovely wife mirrored his dinner but with the scampi on the side so her dear hubby could have the second portion as well.  I love a couple with a plan and a method.

I did offer assistance though (or butted in, depending on how you look at things) when my husband placed his order.  He asked for pasta with his Chicken Marsala but I have learned from the past that he does not mean he wants it under the chicken in the Marsala sauce, he wants it on the side with marinara.  I ensured this snafu was cleared up.

My plate was one of the specials.  Crispy chicken with creamy garlic risotto topped with roasted red peppers.  The chicken was an enormous portion of breaded and fried breast with melted mozzarella and the risotto was tender without being mush.  I also ate all of my broccoli.

I also must add, this restaurant does indeed serve the best Cosmopolitan and it is served the same way each and every time I order it.

The time passes quickly, our meals are cleared and dessert is ordered.  For our lady friend, a cheesecake while I follow our male friend's lead and have the chocolate molten cake with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream.

An evening with "old" friends - part of the holiday season, part of welcoming in the new year, part of life.

I bring home a to-go order of crispy chicken Cesar salad for our younger son and am happy to see it is indeed crisp and fresh.  All is well.  No, all are Fed Well.

The Classics are Always in Style

Lunch with all four of us home becomes a bit more like a family dinner.  We all eat together and some foods are simply crowd pleasers.

Today, bacon is on the menu.  I decide to bake it.  Yes, bake it.   We were forced into this cooking method 2 years ago on a family beach vacation because the kitchen in our rental house did not provide proper pans to use the stove top.  

Sea Isle City, NJ

It was a great vacation.  The four of us, my mother, his mother and the family dog as well as a few days with my sister and her sons.  The weather wasn't perfect, but we still had good food and fun.

The strips still require turning and once they are removed from the pan I drain the bacon fat into a glass measuring cup (it is later strained and reserved - I may use it to cook venison in) then the strips are placed on paper towels to drain.

The flavor doesn't change, the kitchen still smells like bacon, the crispness is still there, but the clean up is significantly easier.

Fresh lettuce leaves are rinsed, torn and placed on a plate.

 

Tomatoes are a bit of a challenge.  It is the dead of winter but the grocery store does carry hydroponic and other varieties.  The real issue?  I don't have any on hand but am not willing to change from BLT's to BL's so I slice our grape tomatoes in half and hope for the best.

 

White bread toast.  Sort of the black turtleneck equivalent of the dish - always classic.  Each component can be swapped out for a more modern or healthier ingredient of course, but for this family lunch we stick to the basics.  A bit like laying around in our old sweatpants.  I am enjoying my memories of the beach as I look out the window at the newly fallen snow.

 (This view is not right outside the window, but not far from home.)


We are a family and this classic comfort lunch, with little fuss but well prepared individual ingredients, leaves us feeling Fed Well.

Healthy Snack for the New Year

Here's a tough schedule:  3 consecutive days of holiday eating, one day of rest and then, the annual physical.

On the day of rest from holiday eating, I ate holiday left-overs but, I did manage to pull the treadmill into an operating position and trudge through two LOOOOOONNNNNG miles for a walk.

It felt ok.

At the physical, yes, the first stop is the scale.  I always offer to remove my shoes as if they will easily erase all evidence of my non-stop food fest since Thanksgiving.  Wrong.  The nurse actually laughed and said, "We just mark the chart that you weighed in fully dressed and allow for 2 pounds."

Two?  Only two?

Clearly my boots are two pounds on their own and everyone knows how HEAVY jeans are - right?

Fine.

The day after the physical I face off with the treadmill again and log another two miles.  It is a bit easier and I throw in some inclines and faster speeds.  Problem is - I am starving afterward.

Healthy snack in preparation for the new year?  One slice of double protein bread topped with about a teaspoon of peanut butter and 1/2 sliced banana.

I believe I have managed to stay away from sweets for a full 24 hours.  No chocolate.  It seems a bit sad, but I will be back when I can be in control.  It is time to claim a healthier combination of activity and healthier eating in combination to keep me feeling Fed Well.

Teal Plate Special

A day off from work with my younger son and we have to go grocery shopping.  Not one of his favorite chores but he does see the advantage in picking out foods and items he will want if he goes with me.  Additionally, I offer lunch at the local diner as a further bribe.

One of my friends is a waitress at the diner and I ask that we are seated in her section.  She prides herself on knowing customers drink orders and other details.  I am brought an unsweetened iced tea.  Crisp, clean and certainly one of my favorites.

 

A diner menu can be intimidating to say the least.  They can be volumes of choices and most times all choices are available all day.  Do I want breakfast, lunch, an appetizer, a salad...

I leave the menu closed and force myself to chose from the single page of lunch specials.

My younger son opts for a classic Reuben.

I begin with the New England Clam Chowder.  I have to say the soup tasted far better than the photograph portrays it.  Even in person, the appearance did not match the flavor.  The broth was the right consistency with a garlic background, the clams were sweet and tender with soft potatoes.

My friend and I chat a bit when she can in between bringing orders, to-go boxes and drink refills.  We make a tentative plan to eat at a Mexican restaurant I have not yet tried.  

Fish and Chips - a blue plate special.  The three of us talk for a minute about Christmas and for my friend it was a crazy few days with her children and grandchildren that left her a little shell shocked between hearing, "Grandma," over and over to picking them up and playing and just the overall atmosphere of small children - holiday overload.  Our holiday was spread out over time with far less hustle and bustle than usual.  In fact, it took 4 different visits for us to be able to see most of our extended family and we are still making plans to finish seeing friends.

Back to the fish and chips - funny thing is all of the elements to make the meal just a bit better were certainly within reach.  I diced up the pickle and added it to my tartar sauce, I removed the lemon slice from my iced tea and squeezed the juice onto the fish, an extra shake or two of salt and I was happy.

Of course free dessert is included with the special, but I have to take my order of rice pudding to go.  I am off to the grocery store with a full belly and my younger son.  Hugs all around as we head off into the cold.  Living in and growing up in a fairly small town does indeed leave me feeling Fed Well.

Post-Holiday Leftovers - Mish Mosh and the Snow Storm

One last time we raid the fridge still brimming with holiday food.  I line everything up on the island in the kitchen with a stack of plates though I heat the soup in a pot on the stove.  Everyone can take what they like in the amount they prefer then top with a glass lid and into the microwave.

The snow falls and my older son's girlfriend calls from work at the end of her shift.  At first she believes she will be just fine driving home and so they hang up before his phone rings again a few minutes later.  Would he mind driving her home?  Both sons head out in the 4 wheel drive truck.  Older son will drive her car and younger son will follow behind before picking up his brother and they both return home.

With just a few hours sleep, older son leaves in the middle of the storm to report for work where he will clear snow for about 12 hours.  Yikes.

About those well done green beans - my mother-in-law does not like any crispness or crunch in her vegetables so on Christmas Eve I blasted a helping to ensure they would be soft.  When putting away leftovers, I combined the crispy and the well done but honestly, I don't mind mixing the two in my mish-mosh plate.

The Chicken Cordon Bleu, camera shy on the holiday, now makes an appearance for the camera.  Each of our four plates look very different but we all leave the table feeling Fed Well.