Happy Holidays

Spend time away from electronic gadgets, get in the kitchen, be with friends and family and enjoy a day or two of simply being Fed Well.

Treats from England

Last month my older son went to England for just over a week.  It was a tourist/pleasure trip and he was lucky to go with a friend of ours who happens to have a son as well (our boys/men pretty much grew up together).

Thanksgiving night he showed the family a wonderful slideshow of pictures and talked about the places he had seen, the adventures he had and yes, the food he ate.

The first pictures I received while he was across the big ocean were of his first meals including an Indian plate that wasn't very well received.

Among the treasures we received as souveneirs from the excursion were Cadbury chocolates and some unfamiliar sweets.  Why does my mind wander off to Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka?

Of course I am fooled by the name of these candies and assume they are similar in some way to our version of Smarties (which I do not like), however, my son assures me they are more like our M & M's.

The cardboard tube is a lovely packaging idea and I notice it is designed to be opened and closed, not simply ripped off and tossed aside.  Ah, reading the package - the serving size is 2.  I'm sure most consumers here would simply tear into it and enjoy, but I like this idea very much.  Sometimes after a meal I simply want something a little sweet.  I blame it on being an ex-smoker and needing something to take on the job of those old after dinner cigarettes.

The candy seems to have a thinner, crisper, yet more flavorful shell.  Again, I think of Willy Wonka explaining the flavored, lickable wallpaper, "The snozzberries taste like snozzberries."  Why, the orange candy shell actually resembles a citrus taste, not just chocolate.  How wild.

Most readily available chocolate from the grocery store here has become somewhat flat and waxy tasting to me.  Not sure if the chocolate itself has changed or my palette, but either way, the Smarties have a deeper, richer taste that could almost be accused of having a better quality.  The nerve.

My son had a lovely adventure and a fabulous time.  He enjoyed the change of pace at breakfast with a table that included eggs, tomatoes and mushrooms as well as baked beans (which he doesn't eat) and yes, he had fish and chips.  It was not the culinary adventure that left him feeling Fed Well so much as the overall experience.  Back home, we were happy he shared some sweet bits with us and that we could enjoy his stories and photographs of a wonderful week in England.

Feliz Navidad Lunch on Apocalypse Eve

A small group of us headed out for one of our last lunches together for 2012 and we decided Mexican food was the way to go.  Coincidentally, it was also Apocalypse Eve but we paid no attention.

With drink orders placed we discuss wine.  What is every one's favorite?  One prefers reds and dry whites, one must have wine that is sulfate free while two of us love the sweet stuff including Riesling and for me Moscatto.  Wine has nothing to do with lunch but we do watch another group enjoy their Margarita's... we never indulge on a work day.

The complimentary chips and salsa arrive quickly and it is funny how childlike I feel waiting for them.  

The guacamole cart arrives shortly after and as the ingredients are mixed I can tell how creamy the avocado is and again can hardly contain myself when it is placed on the table.

The background music suddenly becomes our main focus as one of the group compares the song to a Polka.  A Mexican Polka?  Well, it was unusual and not very Mariachi nor Christmas so it was quite unexpected.

The guacamole is quite perfect.  I am the reason we do not have peppers in our order.

I have 2 shrimp tacos and they are more than enough since I prefer to load up on crunchy nachos.

My 3 companions all have shrimp quesadillas.

We are quite happy with the way the shrimp is prepared.  Fabulous.

I notice the festive decorations...

We aren't worried about the end of the world.  In fact, none of us even brought it up.  

The walk back to work is brisk, cold, and windy.

At the end of the day, we wish each other well and as one of my friends wishes me a Merry Christmas I return the sentiment then stop walking. "Oh," I said.  

I turned and walked to her desk, "Happy Birthday," I smiled.  Her birthday is December 25.

I know some of her stories surrounding the pitfalls of sharing your birthday with a major holiday and have decided to surprise her in some way this year to celebrate.  That is what friends do - they wish you well and do what they can to ensure you feel Fed Well.

What Goes with Fried Frog Legs?

Meeting a friend for dinner at the restaurant less than five minutes from my house.

Hubby:  "Aren't you tired of going there?  You meet someone there once a week?"

Me:  "No.  I love it and I have something different all the time.  Why risk a new place?"

I also love not being far from home on a work night.  I am able to spend much more time with my girlfriend and concentrate on having a nice time instead of watching the time to make sure we both get home in time to get a good night's sleep.

So, I put  it out into the universe that I will try something new and when I scan the menu I am a little surprised to see "Fried Frog Legs with Horseradish Dip" as an appetizer.

I've never had frog.  I've never thought about having frog.  Tonight, I will try frog.

Did it taste like chicken?  Not exactly.  I understand why people give that answer though because the texture and appearance of the meat was very similar.  It was white flesh and could be peeled away from the bone.  It was soft and succulent but the actual flavor is a little hard to describe, maybe because other than the taste of the deliciously fried skin, it wasn't really all that "tasty."  Not that it was bad, just kind of non-distinct.  If you blindfolded me and offered me frog meat, I don't know that I could identify it.

My friend did not want to try it.  At all.  Not even a little.

We did agree on my favorite cocktail - The Cosmopolitan.

Love a well prepared Cosmo!

For a main course, my friend and I also agree on the Eggplant Tower.  It is listed as an appetizer, but  for us, it is plenty of food for an entree... well, ok, I added on to the order.

The Eggplant Tower is layers of eggplant with mozzarella cheese and roasted red peppers topped with fresh tomatoes.

I added one of my favorite sides - French Fries!

They are golden, crispy, salty and just plain delicious.

Somehow my friend starts to joke about suing people who have wronged her in the most minor of ways.  She runs into a friend and threatens to sue her for not sending her a Christmas card.  Though the friend doesn't understand where the threat is coming from, it makes it that much funnier and sillier for us.  

Laughter.  Frogs Legs.  French Fries.  A Cosmo.  Laughter.  Friends.  Fed Well.

All Full at the Office

This is where it all begins - the office.  I don't eat breakfast at home because I take a medication which must be taken on an empty stomach and so I begin my feeding frenzy at work.

Readers know I love the office cafeteria for breakfast!

The holiday season also offers a never ending buffet of treats at the office.  We have a designated treat sharing area which in just one day, looked something like this:

Cookies from a Supplier:

Cinnamon Buns from a co-worker:

Treats brought back from a co-workers work trip to Brazil:

and in my Supervisor's Office, the left over candies from our department holiday party:

Regardless of how much self-control and restraint you may think you have in the morning, but mid-afternoon you are likely to visit one of these sweet stations and hate yourself just a little bit for the ride home.

However, I have discovered a new favorite this year in addition to my all time love - Snickers; the Ghiradelli Peppermint Bark.  It's just perfect for an after lunch treat.

Wonder how many of us will be asking Santa for elastic waistband pants this year since we can all find plenty of candy to leave us feeling Fed Well...

It Takes a Weekend for the Christmas Tree Set Up

Here's how Christmas tree shopping has evolved...in the old days, a long, long time ago, we went as a family, in the cold dark night and searched through the lots in the cold (did I mention it was dark?) and try to find a tree that would fit our budget, meet our grand ideas of what a tree should look like in fullness and height and end up with something fairly close.

For the past few years, our sons have opted not to join us and in fact, I have learned to simply stay in the truck, let the husband look around and most times he would bring a tree within viewing distance of the truck and give it a spin for my thumb up or down vote.

Love that system.

This year we went in the daylight.  A first.  I picked out the tree.  Not sure if that is a first, but it is quite rare.

Onto the truck it goes.

Many area tree sales are held at nurseries which now include visits with Santa and other holiday themed activities.

Since we switched our tree shopping to daylight hours we were able to take in this sunset at the grocery store parking lot.

Sometimes I simply do not know how much food to prepare for dinner, who will be eating and how they prefer certain food items so I made venison/beef meatballs (baked in the oven this time without sauce),

 
along side sausage and peppers (also prepared without sauce - but don't worry sauce is served on the side) - some like these items alone, some prefer mixed together, as a sandwich or over pasta... a regular buffet.

For me, I like the whole mess over pasta and especially a nice firm Rigatoni.

The tree spent a day in the stand in the family room and then a night with lights only.  The next day, we decorated and ended up with this...
 

Every year I feel grateful.  Every year I am Fed Well.

Dorothy Parker Breakfast

One of the great modern Internet inventions - Pinterest.  One of my favorite discoveries on Pinterest - almost everything!  I have a board dedicated to my favorite author, Dorothy Parker.

Pinterest

For those who do not know what Pinterest is, well, it is basically a world of images that may or may not be attached to websites.  The image may be just that a photo or cartoon or a link to a website or blog.  

When I found Dorothy Parker quotes, I could hardly contain myself and the best part for me was finding quotes I had never heard or seen.

"This wasn't plain terrible, this was fancy terrible, this was terrible with raisins in it."

LOVE!

The way I have noticed the universe to operate (can you tell I have read, "The Secret?") is that when one thought is put out to the universe, others may follow and so after having found that quote, was it sheer coincidence that I decide to try the cafeteria's Raisin Bread French Toast with sausage?

Maybe.

Anyway, you can see one side of the bread has the look of a scrambled egg coating, but you know what, it was fine.  The bread was crisp enough to stand up to the syrup and while I thought I couldn't eat the entire 3 slice serving, I managed to make it all disappear.

Have I ever told you I am a charter member of the Clean Plate Club?

Mind, body and soul were Fed Well with one serving.