Was it the toxoplasmosis talk?

Let's see, where were we... a group of coworkers out to lunch at http://www.haciendadonmanuelny.com/

Hacienda Don Munel

Again, I have a regular favorite and rarely venture out to order something else.  I LOVE the beef burritos!

We start with warm and crispy chips served with chunky, fairly zippy salsa.  We are all careful to pour our salsa into a separate dish to avoid double dipping (which happened in the past, but the offending colleague has since moved to Thailand).

Ah, the beef burritos are heavenly.  The meat is tender, well seasoned and soft.  The shredded beef can be the subject of food dreams. 

I also love a second helping of chips with the guacamole and sour cream.  I rarely eat the rice and beans but bring them home to a son who loves them as a late night snack.

One coworker orders the vegetable quesidilas.  They are not what I expected, but she is happy and though she is not a vegetarian loves the feeling that she is making a healthier, guilt-free choice.

Chuletas a la Diabla - well, I don't like too much heat in my food, but for one coworker, spice is a perfect choice.  She requests the sauce be served on the side so she can control the amount both for flavor and sogginess purposes.

And for my vegetarian friend and next door neighbor co-worker, the vegetable burritos. 

We talk about the spicy pork chop diner moving into a house in the area with her boyfriend.  She shares stories about the various wildlife she has seen including devilish groundhogs, deer and the former residents honey bees.

Somehow the conversation segues to the parasites found in cat feces and how toxoplasmosis is considered to especially be a threat for pregnant women to be concerned about though none of us are pregnant (that I know of).  My vegetarian buddy recites a bit of news from the Internet on the subject which basically includes this bit from Wikipedia, "Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic disease caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii.^[1] The parasite infects most genera of warm-blooded animals, including humans, but the primary host is the felid (cat) family. The parasite spreads by the ingestion of infected meat or the feces of an infected cat, or by vertical transmission from mother to fetus. A 2001 study found that direct contact with pet cats is probably a less common route of transmission to human hosts than contamination of hands with cat feces by touching the earth, and that "contact with infected raw meat is probably a more important cause of human infection in many countries"  (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxoplasmosis)  How fun!!  Yes, cat poop is perfect lunchtime conversation... 

Simultaneously, the pair of men at a nearby table ask to move and relocate to the far side of the restaurant from us.  Was it the toxoplasmosis talk?  Were we laughing too much?  How could we have possibly offended them so much that they felt the need to move across the room?

The empty table with chips is where our nearby neighbors started but all the way to the far left corner of the photo, against the wall a slice of arm is visible to where they repositioned themselves.

The deviled pork chop loving coworker couldn't resist asking the waiter why the men moved.  Turns out, they were simply cold.

Street Fair - Food and Fun

A local town, a street fair and the guarantee of food truck cuisine - my Mommy and I were in!

Though it was a brutally hot Saturday, we made our way through the crowds and kept an eye on the ever darkening, cloudy sky.  Crafts, leather goods, designer impostor bags, jewelry, toys, face painting, rides, all lovely but none of it was anything that really interested us.

For whatever reason, I am drawn to the heart shaped stones.  Not sure if it is necessarily for romantic purposes or simply the idea of a heart shaped stone.

I have never before seen "Soggy Bandannas" for sale.  While I am no grammar expert, does anyone see anything wrong with the sign?  Doesn't matter.

Moments before deciding we must need a bit of fuel, I spotted a fresh lemonade truck - a small was $5.00.  Am I cheap?  I decided I didn't need a designer impostor lemonade and kept walking.

Soon my mother came upon a home made fudge tent.  She recognized the proprietor and happily made an immediate purchase.

A few more feet and we found the falafel/gyro stand.  Woo hoo!  One of each please! 

Beef Gyro for Mom and falafel for me.  We walked to my Aunt's yard for a bit of a picnic and were both quite happy with our lunch choices.

A friend of my Aunt's soon arrived with two plates of "cheese ribbon fries."

Designer handcrafted potato chips drizzled with melted orange cheese sauce.  The chips were as crisp as they look and though quite tasty, I'm a sucker for more salt.

And what better way to display bottled water for sale than with a platter of freshly cut lemons and limes as well as ice.  I didn't buy it, but it made me want to as I told myself I wasn't thirsty as much as I was attracted to the "fancied up" display!

We were at the far end of the Street Fair when the fat and juicy first rain drops began to fall.  Car Show participants scrambled to put up soft tops and some left immediately.  I protected my camera the best I could and headed for home with Fed Well memories.

The Return of Scallion Pancakes to Jade in Suffern, NY

http://www.jadebistro.net/

When I first started working with the 300 +/- people at "The Company's" Global R & D, I welcomed the vast differences of coworkers backgrounds, ages, education levels, life experiences and cultures. I was introduced to foods and traditions I would never have any other chance to experience and while the simple Scallion Pancake may not seem like a life altering event to many with various simple Chinese take-out restaurants in their neighborhood, I was one to sort of stick with the items I was mostly familiar. Branching out may mean trying a different version of Four Seasons or Happy Family.


One day, a group of us went to lunch with our Director who often shared stories of her past employment in food related industries including Kraft and Pepsi (ok, she somehow worked it in to every conversation) and she ordered Scallion Pancakes to start.

I couldn't wrap my head around what was to come. Would they be like a potato pancake, a breakfast pancake, a knish? Would they have shoots of green onion sticking out? Aaackk!

When the plate was set in the middle of the table and my nose not only accepted but welcomed the warm blend of aromas from gentle oniony to the familiar whisper of fried food.  I waited to see what the proper etiquette would be for eating the new found treats - did one pick them up or use the fork?  Well, the jury is still out as my table mates were divided about the correct procedure.  However, the one thing I knew for sure was that I had found a new top 10 favorite food.

The Director has since left.  The restaurant underwent a major renovation and revamping of the menu which eliminated our beloved appetizer.  We would still go, a smaller and smaller group, and find new favorites.  I am guilty of having the shrimp with rice noodles (that I eat with a spoon and fork in a quasi-Italian fashion) so frequently that the waitress simply brings the spoon without my request.

This past Friday, a smaller more intimate gathering of myself and just 2 coworkers ordered a plate of Scallion Pancakes.  Our lives have changed vastly.  I am going through the most transition right now and try to walk a balanced line between a wildly and ever changing range of emotions.  I find comfort eating with my friends and being reunited with a wonderful food.

Rehearsal at Stony Brae

A special time, a special occasion and the eve of a special day requires celebration.  The tradition of the wedding rehearsal dinner is alive and well, the experience is personalized and tweeked to suit. 

The feeling of a custom made event should be required for all of those preparing to enter into marriage as the needs are as individual as the union itself.

Yes, the location was incredibly convenient from the church...

 http://www.cragsmoorstonechurch.org/

But, if need be, we certainly could have traveled.

The entrace and walk way were welcoming and well kept.  I wanted to go in, wanted to know and see more, to continue, to dine and start making a new memory.

And so, our party of 13 is seated in the upstairs dining room, We are family and friends, longtime relations and new acquaintances joined by a religious man and his wife.

We were given regular menus and the listing of specials. 

http://www.stonybraeatcragsmoor.com/Menu.html

A cocktail to begin - the Cragsmoorpolitan - not just a dressed up girly martini, but one with meaning for the area.  Cragsmoor was once known for its blueberries and so to offer a drink with a nod to the area's history is more than appropriate and so I make my selection.

 

The bride and her future mother-in-law decide on the Castaway.  We are all happy with our decisions. 

I offer a toast of happiness and we peruse the dinner choices.

I decide to skip an appetizer as I hope I will instead be leaving room for dessert.  However, my older nephew, seated on my left, opts for a fresh Caesar salad. 

Conversation ranges from one end of the table to the other and the edge of sitting in the middle allows me to let my attention wander from one topic to another.  The young men at the left speak with the religious man about his birthplace (Southeast Asia), the lack of ethnic variety in restaurants in the nearby geography, tattoos, professional athletes in baseball, football and basketball, moving from New York city to the country and the beauty of the area we are currently dining.



My homemade Tagliatelle is not for the whimpy of apetite.  The dish is hearty and filling with ample amounts of mushrooms, red bell peppers and topped with a bit of micro greens.  Quite a successful plate of which I am forced to take half home in order to leave room for sharing a dessert with my younger nephew.

He orders the cheesecake with caramel sauce on the side (he's not sure what it will taste like).  The cheesecake was prepared in an individual mold and so the shape is a pleasing change and makes the portion size a bit more manageable.  I am only able to have a few forkfuls before pleading of being absolutely full.  He did dip a forkful of cheesecake into the caramel sauce but the verdict is still undetermined.

A lovely local spot to which I am sure we will return, but not without remembering The Rehearsal Dinner. 

Not Hangover or Bridesmaids - reality at Torches on the Hudson

The tradition used to be for the future groom to gather up his male friends for a night of drinking before the wedding.  Over time, brides-to-be wised up and asked the gentlemen to move the bachelor party celebrations away from the wedding date to ensure fewer hangovers at the alter.  As evolution continued, women began to embrace this custom for themselves and movies like "The Hangover" and "Bridesmaids" pushed the envelope for creative outings with as much debauchery as possible.

Doesn't mean that is what everyone wants.

My sister, a few friends and our mother went out for a nice meal and a few drinks.  Simple.

The menu included a long selection of beverages and one of the specials of the evening was the Pear Cosmo.   Here is the menu description:

Torches Grey Goose Pear White Cosmo:

Goose Pear Vodka shaken with Cointreau, fresh lime and white cranberry juice

served with a pear slice.

Sold!

Smooth and delicious.  Not too strong and alcohol tasting.

To start for 3 of us - the Seafood Chowder with crispy garlic croutons.

I never imagined it would be a giant, seemingly never ending bowl of luscious and creamy silkiness.  While I very much enjoyed the croutons, I may have preferred smaller cubes as they were difficult to halve with the spoon and a whole one felt like I was cramming too much food in my mouth.

I seem to order an appetizer as an entree more and more.  Since most restaurant portions sizes have grown, and Torches is no exception, more than enough food is offered and sometimes it can cut my expenses in half.

The Filet Mignon Quesadilla described on the menu as:  Filet Mignon tips, melted onion, shaved cremini mushroom, Swiss cheese and horseradish dip was perfect.

The beef was tender and soft, the blend of onion, mushroom and Swiss is classic and familiar as a take on a Philly Cheese Steak and the zippy sauce kept things interesting!  After about half my serving, I simply opened the tortilla, peeled it away and simply ate the filling.

The night continued further along the waterfront.  Stories were shared, the ladies wished the future bride well and no one lost a tooth, had their face tattooed, found a baby or a tiger, but memories were made just the same as the ladies were all Fed Well.

Not Just Any Friday Night

I met my sister for one of her last wedding dress fittings and tried on my matron-of-honor dress as well.  We decided that although we will be getting together with a few others tomorrow for a "Girls Night Out," we went out for dinner, just the two of us.


What to have?  The menu is pleather bound and full of pages of choices and yet like a woman's overflowing closet, somehow seemed empty.  I had reviewed the white board of specials before we were seated and had decided on the crab cakes appetizer as my entree with a salad.

Though the crab cakes seem a bit small in the photo, they weren't a bad size for an appetizer.  Full of real lump crab meat which made the difference for me.

My sister's meal was a cajun pasta dish with chicken, mushrooms, scallops and shrimp.  The photo, well, either I need a new cell phone or it needs a tremendous cleaning.  I don't understand why some shots are just ok and some are simply horrid.  Sort of like life, some days are great, wonderful, fabulous and others well, not so much.  True, both are memorable and sometimes you get both in one day.  This week I have been hanging on a swinging pendulum riding from the lowest low through simply content and then all the way over to pretty angry.

Nice to unwind and share it all with an understanding sister who patiently listened.  Cheers to sisters, the first best friends...

It's a Whiskey Sour and though I can never finish it, it was the perfect cocktail.

Spontaneous Lunch Date with the Mr.

For the first 20 years or so of our marriage, my husband rarely called in sick to work.  Though he does work for the U.S. Government, it is not the postal branch so I could never understand his devotion to making it in regardless of blizzards, illness, etc.  It has only been fairly recently that he has felt comfortable taking days off (and he has banked hundreds of hours of paid leave) and so on a recent day when I worked until noon we met for lunch at "that Italian chain restaurant."


The Mr. typically avoids chain restaurants.  We only went to one for a time when our younger son worked there but I will never see the inside of many unless I go with friends.  Luckily we have a wide array of privately and corporately owned eateries in the area and once in awhile I can coax him into the seafood chain because I can't help the way I feel about those amazing little biscuits!

We looked over our menus and I skimmed it at least three times before realizing nothing was screaming out, "Pick me!  Pick me!"  I go with an old classic - the soup and salad.  For the Mr., the chicken parmesan with spaghetti.

Pasta e fagioli.  Pasta and beans.  The waitress is trained to describe it back when ordered, "That soup is like chili with pasta."  I assume this is to help clarify for diners who are shocked when they receive their soup?  I just love soup and this style is clearly in my top 12 favorites regardless of the season or that it is a beautiful pre-summer day.

Ah, the never ending salad bowl.  Some love the dressing and I'm not saying I don't like it, but as readers may remember, I prefer a dry salad.  The crisp, fresh vegetables are what defines a perfect salad so I try to take my serving from the top and leave the wet bits behind for the Mr. who prefers his a bit on the drippy side of the scale.

Breadsticks.  Warm.  Sinful carbs.  Bits with the soup, pieces with the salad and though I am full, I still eyeball the basket.

After lunch a quick trip to his second least favorite place on earth, the mall.  I need pretty shoes for my sister's wedding.  Mission accomplished.

Though this lunch date may seem a bit every day, the special part was being able to call him at a moment's notice and simply meet for a meal.  And by the way, we used a gift certificate thoughtfully given to us by our nephew and his fiancee.  Thank you both.

With the mall errands behind us, we arrived home and pulled two chairs and an ottoman from the patio set down into the shady part of the back yard and talked a bit while the clouds rolled by.