Date Night

I have been cultivating a closer friendship with a woman I have known for years by sending and receiving cryptic text messages and having dinner together.  We laugh and laugh, share from the gut and I think she thinks my choices in food are questionable.  In support of her point of view, I have had fried frogs legs and now a mussels in garlic cream sauce appetizer as my entree.  Although she does give me a few points for introducing her to Cosmopolitan's.

I know, seafood of all varieties are not for everyone.  I hate to admit to her that I have even had escargot (and liked it).  To keep things balanced, I also ordered a side of french fries.

My friend, almost predictable, ordered the Eggplant Tower appetizer.  I have had this myself on more than one occasion and I have to say, it's a winner and tastes even better than it looks. However, that melty, gooey, cheesyness is fairly well represented.

We laugh and laugh through dinner, about her recent life experiences and I have to admit, it was great to see her light up.  This is a woman who says what is on her mind and appropriateness be damned.  I love it!

I really do not have room for dessert, but to keep our table and the conversation going, we share a slice of cheesecake.

We have agreed our next dinner will be at my house and I can't help but wonder if she has had a second date since I saw her last.  Girlfriends, no matter what our age, always keep a woman Fed Well.

Lunch on the Edge

Each of our paths has smooth and bumpy road with stretches of both magnificent and wondrous views as well as darkness and scary storms.  Part of the positive outlook is in noticing we are not all in the same position at the same time and so we can listen to one another during the hard parts and talk each other through to the other side.  Even if we are feeling surrounded by gray and storm clouds, sometimes someone simply has a tougher journey.  Sharing a meal and either listening to them or chatting about other things to take their mind off of the serious bits can help everyone feel Fed Well.

A group of us went out for a Mexican lunch.  

A sizzling platter of what may have been a vegetable fajita (I'm not quite sure since it was ordered in Spanish and I wasn't really paying attention)...

One in the group has two children who were both recently in separate car accidents.  A fairly serious one involving a hospital stay and a less serious one that has its own set of complications.  And so just when a person thinks it really can't get any worse, it begins to rain and the family dog is sick and generating hundreds of dollars worth of medical bills on top of the medical and legal bills resulting from the accidents.  

Deep breath.  Smile.  Talk of movies, conspiracy theories, turning left overs into an omelette and a little venting about work related situations along with more chips for the guacamole and we start to feel a few rays of sunshine on our faces.  I hope the one of us who needs it the most can feel the positive energy we try to send and that it is felt until they come back to the next smooth stretch of the journey.

To Go Orders - A Mixed Review

After a long day at work and mostly through the work week, sometimes a family opts for take out.  Ordering from the specialized take out menu from a local restaurant is a nice substitute for pizza and we really do try to limit fast food from the burger places whether double arch or royalty (even though you will see burgers and fries here)

For my older son, the Cowboy Burger above was ordered without bacon.  I thought it strange at first, but he explained he loves bacon, just not on burgers.  Fair enough.  For him the key is preparing the burger a fairly red medium-rare.  Mission accomplished.

Ah, sweet potato fries. Where were you for the first half of my life?  I am so happy to have found you.  I like them in all versions; thin, fat, wavy, doesn't matter.  Lovely.

My regular/standard burger was fabulous as well.  I prefer steaks medium-rare, but burgers, I like more on the well side.  A toasted bun was a nice touch.

Younger son decided on the crispy chicken Cesar salad.  Greens were fresh and clean and he was quite happy with his choice.

Here is the less than stellar aspect for the Mr.  A mixed Italian combo hero.  The ingredients in and of themselves were tasty, the disappointing aspect for him was the amount of bread to meat ratio.  It appeared to be a substantial amount of bread but the thickness was more like a chain made deli sandwich.  

Wasn't sure about naming the restaurant.  Would you?  Overly critical review of the sandwich?

Sunday Dinner

Piggybacking on the post Sunday are for Low and Slow, I seem to be establishing a winter weekend trend. I prepared another huge lump of beef in my magical red dutch oven and served it on a platter with garlic asparagus.  The meat was fall apart soft, the onions were also tender and sweet.  What is on the menu for this Sunday?  Maybe it is time to switch things up?  Or, perhaps don't mess with a good thing?

Hoping you are Fed Well this weekend and always.

Barnaby's Steak House in New Paltz, NY

Barnaby's Steak House - New Paltz, NY

Hudson Valley Restaurant Week

Going out to dinner may not be considered a hobby, but honestly, it is one of my favorite things to do.  I am not a fan of clothes shopping, I am not really familiar with designers, I do have other hobbies like reading, writing and photography, but the best part about going out to dinner is I can combine many loves.  I am with someone I care about, I bring my cell phone which of course has a built in camera, I enjoy the food, the atmosphere and later blog about the experience.  Restaurant week is the cherry on top!  I am doubly motivated to try a new restaurant while my wallet appreciates the price.

First on the list this season was Barnaby's Steak House.

Honestly, we don't visit steak houses often since my husband's favorite foods are a short list of chicken dishes with marsala his favorite.  I previewed the special event menu and was happy to see a chicken option so thought Barnaby's would be safe.

I am not a wine lover. I am not a wine hater, but honestly, I have had some pretty fantastic headaches while drinking reds, I prefer sweet whites or actually prosecco or sparking wines/champagne.  I do love Cosmopolitans and many martinis.  I ask our server if the restaurant offers any specialty cocktails and I am brought a separate menu from which I select the Pear Martini.

Happy.  A warm hug can be sipped from a martini glass.

To start, my husband surprises me and orders the lobster bisque.  I would have lost a bet if I predicted his entire order for the evening and this is just the beginning.  My choice for him would have been the bruschetta, but perhaps even he tires of his favorites.

The soup portion is generous and though we did not discuss it, I think he is happy to see his favorite oyster crackers on the side.  Though he hesitated about the corn and tarragon relish, when I asked, he said it was "good."  For the Mr., the translation is something like this, "I am really enjoying this but why expand when a short answer is all you need."

I sample a few spoonfuls and love the balances between sweet, savory and the textures of creamy with the bites of relish.  The tongue has no opportunity to become bored either in flavor or mouth feel.

Not just any fried goat cheese salad will do for Hudson Valley Restaurant Week, but one featuring Sprout Creek Farm fried goat cheese.  The salad is dressed with what was described on the menu as a honey lemon herb vinaigrette, but I know I tasted maple.  Our server confirms I am not culinarily challenged and yes, it is maple.

The cheese has a perfect amount of tang and creaminess.  A challenge I often give myself is to create a perfect bite on each forkful by trying to have each of the elements at once.  The fresh, tart apple, the crisp green, the smooth and hot cheese...

The flow of the meal has a fairly quick rhythm without feeling rushed.  Plates are cleared and it feels like just a few moments until the main course arrives.

For the Mr., another surprise, a Petite Fillet Mignon for the poultry man. The beef is prepared medium-rare as he requested, topped with Gorgonzola and horse radish.  Writer or not, I sometimes struggle to find just the right word to describe something and hate myself when I pick "amazing" or "wonderful" but this steak was soft (not mush, but easy, yielding/plush) with a pure beef taste.  It simply had a perfect flavor and texture.  Amazing.

Though it is not the custom to accompany a topped steak with both Bearnaise or Au Poire sauces, we were offered a sample of both.  I am a dipper and so when the Mr. surrendered a forkful, I would take it and dip in one of either sauces.  If it were my dish, I also would  have dipped my mashed potatoes.  By the way, the beef was served with silky mashed potatoes and velvety creamed spinach.

My dish...ah, my dish.  I love when I hesitate to pronounce full names of dishes and instead rename them to my server.  In this case, I asked for, "The pasta with mushrooms please?"  Actual name, "Tre Funghi Ragu."  Orrechiete pasta with mushrooms, asparagus, and creamy garlic sauce...what doesn't sound perfect about this meal?  The scene stealing star though was the crispy, salty bites of pancetta in between the mouthfuls of toothy pasta.  The basil's perfume rose from the steamy bowl and I simply tore it into bits so I could enjoy the fresh herb as part of the experience.

With experience, I have learned the only way for my stomach's space and desire to eat well can both live peacefully is to sample each course and take home portion's for the next day.  Otherwise I would be full after the appetizer, barely able to sample my main course and not able to even try my dessert.  My strategy has been fairly successful and it is quite satisfying for me to be able to relive the experience the next day though I will admit the reheating process is not quite the same as when it is brought to me from the chef.

The Mr.'s Hudson Valley Apple Strudel:

For me, the Chocolate Lava Cake:

Both were quite delicious and the vanilla ice cream was decadent and creamy.  The Mr. is an apple pie purist but the strudel was satisfying.  Our warm and accommodating server, Alex, did ask Chef Anton to come out front and we thanked him for an "amazing and wonderful" meal.  We have added a new to us restaurant that left us feeling Fed Well during Hudson Valley Restaurant Week.

Simple + Fresh = Amazing Guac

I was a medium picky eater as a child.  If my father ate it, I wanted to try it.  If my mother said she didn't like it, I would likely avoid it.  If I never saw it before, I was quite hesitant.

As a mother, I tried to expand my children's culinary world.  As an aunt, I push the envelope even a little further and overall try to offer a wide menu to my family. I remember my sons not only loving fresh fruits and vegetables, but seafood (which I didn't try until late teens) and seemingly exotic ethnic foods I'd never even heard of until I was an adult.

Preparing foods I may not be altogether familiar with is also tricky but forces me to stretch my culinary muscles.  I confess, guacamole has only become a fairly recent favorite of mine and so preparing my own had been a trial and series of experiments until I think I have perfected a blend my family enjoys.

First and most importantly is to begin with fresh, ripe produce.  The avocados have a small window between soft and creamy before they are overripe.  They also prefer to not be really rushed in their ripening process.  The tomatoes I used were hydroponically but locally grown and a small amount of onion, very finely chopped is what this gang prefers.

Once the magic three (I used 2 avocados to half a tomato with the little bit of onion shown) are blended in a mixing bowl, I squeeze in the juice of 1/2 a fresh lime.

A bit of chopped cilantro, salt and refrigerate a bit before serving.

Served with mutli-grain scoop style chips, the guacamole was "all gone" by the end of a special nephew's birthday meal.  Tacos were the main dish and a fancy home baked chocolate cake with berry filling and a selection of ice creams were the final course.

A family birthday dream...

So lucky and grateful to be fed so well with fabulous food and a wonderful family.

Mid Week Madness

Unpredictable Northeast weather predictions, a long day at work with an hour drive each way, an even longer day for the Mr. who had to work 16 hours yesterday then turn around this morning after a few hours rest and report in for another 8 (plus about 3 hours commuting).  No, this is not to feel bad for us, just to help explain how some recipes are born.

Sunday night's roast chicken leftovers

Sunday night's green beans

Sunday night's gravy

Fresh carrots & mushrooms

Served over.....yes, spaghetti

with Italian Bread

It used to make me a little crazy to hear Rachel Ray talk about "stoups" the combination of not quite a stew and not really a soup, but honestly, it is exactly what I have prepared for dinner.  Simple, warming, satisfying...we are happy, together and Fed Well.  Go ahead, bring on the snow!