How to Move Beyond a Not-So Great Restaurant Experience

First, let there be smoke.



Then, spend the next 6 hours patiently tending the coals, and sopping this fat, juicy batch of ribs. Careful, pardner: don’t let that tantalizing scent tempt you into opening the lid once too often.


Finally, after all those patient hours, and a brief period of resting, the ribs were rarin’ and ready to go. DucCat decided to do something a little different, utilizing a newly discovered Asian glaze from Costco, along with judicious amounts of garlic-chili paste. The ribs were sticky and delightfully juicy. Every time he makes a new batch, I tell him they’re the best yet. These truly were.

The coleslaw was the perfect accompaniment, cooling down each spicy mouthfull. I used a variant of MizzNezz’s Harvey House Coleslaw, which is similar to what my mother-in-law makes.


Mmmm, look at that tasty smoke ring. Why don’t you make some coleslaw, and join me?

A Variant of Harvey House Coleslaw

You should really do your best to make this the day before, but if you run out of time, it’s still great made just several hours ahead of time.

1 large head of cabbage
1 large onions
1 sweet pepper
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon celery seeds
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup apple cider vinegar
2/3 cup vegetable oil

Shred first three ingredients in order listed; do not stir.
Dump into large serving bowl. Combine remainder of ingredients and bring to boil.
Pour over cabbage while still hot. Do not stir- refrigerate overnight.
Toss before serving.

Twenty-Three and Five

The meme has wandered on over here, via Anna. And quite frankly, I'm still a little stunned that I've enough posts to complete it! Here's the deal.

Here are the instructions for the meme:
1. Delve into your blog archive.
2. Find your 23rd post (or closest to).
3. Find the fifth sentence (or closest to).
4. Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions. Ponder it for meaning, subtext or hidden agendas...

Tag five people to do the same.

My twenty-third posting was "DucCat Woos s'kat With Cheese and Chorizo".
The fifth line in the entry: My eyes widened: "What's for dinner?"

After my last post, this really seems quite appropriate. DucCat is always doing clever, thoughtful things, like making an off-the cuff, insanely good surprise meal. I started this blog to chronicle our eating and drinking habits, and that post certainly exemplifies my idea of a great evening. May our kitchen long be a happy and warm place...



Okay, is there anyone left out there who hasn't been tagged by this?? I'll try Nick, of I'm Cookin' Here.

It all began with a photo...

Somebody recently asked how DucCat and I originally met. Since it naturally involved food, wine and photography, I’ll share the story here.

I’d begun frequenting a restaurant by the name of Aria 51, just as they were starting a monthly wine tasting program. Clutching my ‘new’ Sony Mavica FD-73, I asked the owner for permission to photograph the tasting. He had no problem, so I wandered about, wine glass in one hand, camera in the other.

A couple were talking, looking rather prickly and bristly; you could practically see the ice crystals forming along the edge of their words. They were also in perfect profile, framed just so against the windows, and I whipped out the camera to grab the shot. At the last moment, a man stepped into the background, looking right at me.

I checked the LCD, and there he was in the photo, making direct eye contact, and looking rather frosty himself.


I glanced up to see him still making direct eye contact, not smiling, just looking. I blushed, and he walked over.

“Can I help you with anything?” he said, in a rather intimidating manner.

I laughed it off, telling him that the owner had already given me permission to take photographs of the event. He didn’t seem convinced, but we still made small talk for a few minutes. I would discover in the future that there had been shady dealings going on around the restaurant, and he wasn’t certain if I had some part to play in it.

He abrubtly set his glass down and excused himself, saying he hoped to see me at the next tasting. I still didn’t know his name.

One month later, I was back, but terribly late. He came up to me almost immediately to say hello, and ask if I’d join him in the tasting. Since there was only about 20 minutes left to do the tasting, I told him I didn’t want to pay the $25 ticket price for such a short amount of time.

I excused myself to the restroom, and when I came back out, he held out an empty wine glass towards me. “Your ticket’s paid up, so let’s drink some wine!” We did, and chatted, and laughed, but soon he had to leave. He asked me to join him at dinner that night; I told him I’d already eaten. He asked about the next night- I had plans. He asked about the following night- I didn’t have any excuse for that night, so we agreed to meet back at the restaurant in two nights time for dinner.

He asked for my phone number, and I tried to give him my email address instead. DucCat doesn’t dig on the digital side of life, so it was no wonder that his eyebrow shot skeptically upwards.

The gentleman politely accepted the paper, slid it into his pocket, and bade me goodnight. I stared out the front window for quite some time, without a clue as to where this would end.

Birthday Dinner, Part Blue

I'd already had one birthday dinner earlier in the week, but as promised, it was a week full of celebration.

A friend was also getting ready to celebrate her birthday, and since the Blue Talon Bistro was also honouring their one-year birthday, it seemed the natural choice for a proper feast.

We came into the restaurant, and were greeted with a dizzying roar of motion and conversation. The hostess took us to our table, tucked into the side of the rear dining area.

After several minutes of menu-studying, DucCat flagged down a runner to see if we could get started on the wine. Fairly shortly, our waiter arrived to take the order. He plastered a fake and pained smile upon his face as he wrote down our selection. Turning, the smile slipped right away, his mouth perfectly in synch with the dead look in his eyes.

[Let me apologies here for the blurry pictures. I was seated on the aisle side, which jetted out into the middle of the dining room. I kept feeling like people were brushing past me all evening.]




A cute pair of little girls were working their way steadily through a balloon-studded dining room. One was dressed like a waiter, and politely offered a spoonful of jelly bellies. Her partner was dressed, as you can see, like the cutest little chicken that you can imagine. Her beak didn't quite cover her giggles.

Our waiter returned and stoically took our orders, with the same plastic expressions that vanished the moment he turned away. It was just creepy. I have to wonder if the man wasn't dealing with some catastrophic personal event, and simply was unable to bow out of work. At any rate, it was disconcerting-.

We settled back with our Lalande Chardonnay, and watch the frantic activity all around. There was a guy dressed up in medieval clothes who appeared to be doing magic tricks at tables; a roving couple were festively playing violin and accordion; the chicken-girls finished their rounds, and returned to the kitchen. DucCat called over the musicians, and asked for a birthday jig for the birthday girls, and they happily complied.


Runners circled the table, and our appetizer were delivered.

Both of us girls were unable to sway from the call of Classic Escargot.It arrived piping hot, and reeking of garlic. Oh, the escargot was good, but the garlic was a bit over-powering. As we plowed through the dish, it was eventually all that I could taste.


Typically, the French Onion Soup here is very good, but my friend said that tonight, it was only average.

My next course was the Roasted Tomato Tart, and it was the best plate that night. The tomato had a great depth of flavour that was perfectly picked up by the creamy goat cheese. This was truly a pleasure to eat.





As our main courses were arriving, we drank a Rex Hill 2003 Pinot Noir. It was berry-licious, but not a fruit-bomb. It was light in body, with a nice finish of cherries.









For my entree, I ordered the Calamari Salad. The calamari was slightly doughy and cold. The salad was extremely light on the dressing; I stirred vigorously to spread the flavour around.

I didn't photograph this, but one of our friends was served pommes frites that were icy cold, like little block of ice. Once again, a waiter had to be waved down to correct this- luckily, the next batch brought out were piping hot, and delicious.


Finally, dinner was over, and the frantic pace of the restaurant was slowing down. Our waiter, still looking pained, took our dessert orders.
Apparently, every table that night received a complimentary birthday cake. It was chocolatey, and an appropriate accompaniment to the port that I ordered.


My friend took the liberty of ordering some truly lip-smacking choux-pastry-type thing. I can't remember what exactly it was... banana cream, maybe? But it was quite delicious, far better than the cake. Just look at those chocolate drizzles...





We paid up, and left as the restaurant was finally clearing. DucCat and I have been very lucky, in that our previous visits have always been good ones. We've heard from other people- actually, quite a few other people- who have had less than exemplary service and meals. Since we usually dine at lunch, or on a weeknight, perhaps we've just managed to avoid the crowds.

In the future, we'll definitely stay away from 'Amateur Night' on the weekends, or any sort of event here, really. When Blue Talon has the time to work its charm, it really does- and we're grateful to have that atmosphere here in our little area.

When it's a really busy night... perhaps they need another year's practice on keeping service smooth and flowing. Blow out the candles, and make a wish...

Chicken Two Ways in One Week

We've been trying to use up the last of some chicken that's been frozen, and had made good headway with a couple of rounds of Kung Pao Chicken. You see, there are really only a few ways that DucCat enjoys chicken, and that tends to involve some type of frying stage, before being coated in a sauce.

Our next chicken dinner hearkened back to his days of bachelor-hood: Bourbon-Marinated Buffalo Chicken Strips


Oh, such buttery-spicy goodness! There's a reason that you don't eat something like this too often... and there's definately a reason that you should make room for it every once in a while. This recipe was from some wonderful person on Taunton's 'Cook's Talk' Forum, although I've forgotten their name.

Bourbon-Marinated Buffalo Chicken Strips with Maytag Blue Dip
4 servings

For the chicken
1/4 cup bourbon
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs (you can also use breasts, but of course, thighs just have that lovely rich flavour)

For the dip
1/4 lb maytag blue cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions
1 tablespoon finely chopped flat leaf parsley
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 pinch cayenne

For the sauce
1/4 cup Crystal hot sauce (or another brand of cayenne hot sauce such as Frank's or Durkee, but not a fiery sauce like Tabasco)
4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
1/3 teaspoon coarse salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch, mixed with
1/4 cup water

For finishing the dish
vegetable oil, about 1 quart (for frying)
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 celery heart, cut into sticks
carrots, cut into sticks

Marinate the chicken:
In a large ziploc bag, combine the bourbon, soy sauce and lemon juice.
Trim and discard any visible fat on the chicken thighs; cut each lengthwise into 4-5 strips. Add the strips to the bourbon mixture; cover and refrigerate for no more than 24 hours.

Make the dip: Blend half the cheese with the mayonnaise in a food processor until smooth. Add the sour cream and vinegar, and process until the mixture has the consistency of a creamy mayonnaise. Add the scallions, parsley and dill and process again briefly. Add the remaining cheese and process very briefly (the dip should be slightly chunky), remove from the food processor, and season to taste with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Wrap well and refrigerate up to four days.

Make the sauce: In a small saucepan, whisk together all of the ingredients. Heat while whisking constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. The sauce should be smooth and slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and keep warm.

Finish the dish: Heat the oven to 250 degrees. Pour enough oil into a wok or deep, heavy pot to reach about 2 inches. Heat the oil to 365 degrees or until the oil shimmers.
Meanwhile, drain the chicken well and pat it dry on paper towel. Season with the pepper, then dredge each piece in flour, shaking off any excess. Carefully fry the chicken in batches until golden brown, about 7 minutes. Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels while frying the remaining chicken.
When all the chicken is cooked, place it in a large bowl, pour the sauce overtop, then toss to coat. Spread in a single layer in a shallow dish, and heat in the oven for about 5 minutes, so the sauce is absorbed.
Serve immediately with the dip and vegetables.
~~~

A few days later, there were only a couple more breasts to go. And why order Bad Chinese, when you can make great General Tso's Chicken at home?

This recipe come's from Mean Chef, and is truly fantastic, better than any take-out. The fact that it is so easy and quick makes it a weeknight no-brainer. Recipe reproduced below, with a couple of my substitutions.

General Tso's Chicken Recipe

1 lb chicken thighs, boned and cubed
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup cornstarch, plus
2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 bunch green onions, chopped

2 tablespoons rice wine
1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons garlic-chile paste
sirracha, a judicious amount!


In a large bowl, thoroughly blend the 1/2 cup of cornstarch and the eggs; add the chicken and toss to coat.

In a small bowl, prepare the sauce mixture by combining the 2 tsp cornstarch with the wine, vinegar, sugar and soy sauce, garlic-chile paste, and sirracha.

First-Stage Frying: Heat 1-2 inches of peanut oil in a wok to medium-high heat (350-400). Fry the chicken in small batches, just long enough to cook the chicken through. Remove the chicken to absorbent paper and allow to stand (this step can be performed well in advance, along with the sauce mixture, with both refrigerated).

Second-Stage Frying: Leave a tablespoon or two of the oil in the wok. Return the chicken to the wok and stir-fry until the pieces are crispy brown. Add the chopped green onions and the sauce-mixture to the wok, tossing over the heat until the sauce caramelizes into a glaze (1-2 minutes).

Serves 4, along with steamed broccoli (or not, if you're DucCat) and rice.

The Gunslinger's Pizza

It was a Saturday night, and DucCat and I were swimming around in a peculiar state of weekend blues. After going through the motions of the day, we decided that it was time to have our Monday pizza night a couple of days early. Between that, and an intriguing neo-spaghetti Western feauturing Harvey Keitel and David Bowie, the evening suddenly showed promise.


DucCat went with a pie graced with chicken andouille, spicy Italian sausage, Kalamatta olives, chopped red onion, fresh mozzarella and a hearty touch of feta.


I'd had veggies on my mind all day, so after sauteeing some zucchini, summer squash, and mushrooms, I rounded it out with garlic, fresh mozzarella, roasted sweet pepppers, Kalamatta olives, and thinly sliced red onions.

After plucking our pies from the oven, and giving them the appropriate amount of time to cool off, we plopped down- like proper American folk- in front of the telly, and had our Saturday supper, Gunslinger's Revenge-style.

Since pizza is, of course, the perfect wine-pairing partner, we took the oppportunity to give it a whirl with the newly-purchased Vina Alarba 2004 Old Vines Grenache. For a paltry $7, this went fabulously with both types of pie. The colour was plummy, the nose was raspberry, and it was enchantingly swimmy in the mouth; very well-balanced, with a clean finish. I'm returning to the Cheese Shoppe tomorrow for a case.

Ooops! Almost forgot the basil.

A Random Saturday, Part One

DucCat had made the run earlier in the day to George's Cheese Shoppe. He returned with a fat wedge of Piave, a supplemental Morbier, a new-to-us Chaource Lincet, and a fresh rasher of Usinger's liverwurst.

One would think that we were full-on ready to tackle a leisurely evening of cheese and wine out on our back patio, in the enticingly less humid conditions that were beginning to prevail.

I looked at the happy selection little cheeses, and the enchanting tube of liverwurst.
DucCat caught my expression and mirrored it.

Almost in unison, we sighed, "There's just no neo-pimento cheese..." Everything was promptly tucked away, and we sped on over to Cowboy Syd's.


Now that's the good stuff. A nice, big, fat pile of Syd's maddeningly addictive neo-pimento cheese, with housemade crackers, tenderly pickled okra, and just because he knows we love the stuff, slices of his carefully cultivated bread.

That's a platter to behold, but something was still missing...





Ah, yes. A Ridge 2003 Three Valleys. An excellent and quaffable partner for such a fine cheese.

This is a rich, deep, well-balanced wine, full of yummy fruit and a luscious, well-delivered body. It's really just pure grooviness. Since discovering Ridge, I've just loved loved loved them. And the fact that it goes so well with the fabulous neo-pimento cheese is just a plus.


The evening lingered, and so did we. I will not be ashamed to point out here DucCat's shirt, signed by Ducati's Eric Bostrom and Neil Hodgson. Not that he's bragging that he met them, or anything. The quietly fading night, the fabulous wine and cheese, and the intoxicating company kept us seated and chatting just a bit longer.

DucCat's Mom, a proper Southern lady, says that Syd has some of the best pimento cheese that she has ever tasted.

I would not disagree.

One Meme/Two Tails

It seems that the Wine Chicks have tagged me to be next in line for “The Best in the Last 30”, stemming orginially from Basic Juice’s 1 Meme/2 Tails .

"The Best in the Last 30"
I want to ask my wine friends to think back and recall the best bottle (or glass) of wine they've sampled over the past 30 days.  To my foodie friends, I ask you:  What is the best,  wine-friendliest dish you've tasted over the past month?

As it so happened, I was already planning on making what I consider the penultimate food-friendly wine dish; the humble pizza.

Now, enough of the eye-rolling, and don’t think I didn’t hear that snort. Pizza can be varied upon the whim, from the 'mundane' and much-loved pepperonni, to an ultra-thin crusted affair topped with roasted figs and gorgonzola.

DucCat raided the freezer for a good dose of Florimonte’s meatballs, and one quickly-thawed ball of dough. Meanwhile, I scrounged the depths of the cheese drawer for some interesting tidbits, and got to chopping veggies.
DucCat’s pie had to be cooked naked for a few minutes to handle all the ingredients. Coated with smooth eddies of tomato sauce, just the right amount of fresh mozzarella, and those garlicky glorious meatballs, it was truly a sight to behold.

Hounded by indecision, I finally decided to just make two small pies.
The first was my ‘usual’, thinly coated with tomato sauce, thinly sliced tomatoes, roasted pepers, red onion, and, of course, basil when plucked from the oven.
This little guy also had tomato sauce and a bit of onion, but then was covered with a mixture of Morbier and Piave cheeses , freckled with diced chorizo, and hit with a touch of chopped fresh rosemary.

It’s tough to say which one I liked better, but I think that the mini-chorizo took the edge when paired with the wine: a 2002 Protocolo

This inexpensive little red hits you with black cherry and dusting of cocoa. The body is smooth, the tanins comingling nicely with the wine. It’s fine for right now, and stood up well to the spicier meatball and chorizo pies. However, I look forward to tasting this again in 6 months, to see how it changes.

Of course, not everybody at the table was impressed with the pie or the wine.
You can’t please everyone.

So, let’s keep this baby rolling.

For the wine-side of things, we’ll check in with the girls over at Every Day Wine Pairings, who always seem to come up with something interesting.

For the food side of things, I’ll choose birthday girl Violet of and the dish ran away with the spoon. Hopefully, she'll be pairing something interesting with a good wine anyway tonight.

Good Luck, Anna!

Best of wishes to Anna of Cookie Madness!. She's on her way through the air to Birmingham, Alabama, for the 2005 Southern Living Cook-Off. There's just good karma floating around this one...

Stay frosty, and smack that Tyler Florence on the ass for me!

The Birthday Dinner, by Syd and DucCat

Earlier in the week, I'd caught DucCat plotting with the Cowboy himself, regarding certain birthday feasts. I knew my birthday dinner was going to be something special, but I had no idea what lay in store.


We arrived at Cowboy Syd's on a very quiet Tuesday evening. DucCat and I were both gussied up, and I toted along the pink Barbie balloon that my mother had given to me earlier in the day.

With much fanfare, we were led to our table, where a fresh bouquet of flowers sat between two over-sized, specially made menus. I can only reproduce a very tiny portion of it here, due to the extravagantly hilarious ADULT nature of almost each and every page. Suffice it to say- DucCat and I both howled through the menu.




Our favourite waiter, Tony, provided water just the way I like it (no ice), and our first bottle of wine for the evening.

He's fuzzy in this image, since he's always in action; in this case, preparing to pour the Hendry Bloc 9 & 21 Chardonnay.

The Hendry is a wonderful little chard, full of tropical fruits in the nose and a great mouthfeel... there's enough oak to keep things interesting, and a lingering finish that makes you want to go back for more. Oh, yes, this is indeed a good start to the evening.



The above shot is the ever-ripening vat of 'Cow-nilla' that sits on the side of the cook's station. As you can see, there is a picture of our own beloved Syd with the Man In Black Himself, Mr. Johnny Cash. Just one of the many little funky artifacts floating around the restauant.


The Starting Course featured SMOOCHIE BEAR HAM, NEO-PIMENTO CHEESE AND BRIOCHE BABY SANDWICHES, WITH PICKLED OKRA, TWO TYPES OF FIGS AND DUCK SALAMI. It is safe to say that DucCat and I have a new, go-to cheese sandwich. Duck salami? I've never had it before, but I will again. It was absolutely delicious, rich and smooth just like you think it would be. Oh, and this is only the second time I've had okra- it's a new favourite, and wasn't in the least slimy, like I've heard rumour.

Next course: "BIG ASS GULF SHRIMP WITH MY COWBOY SPONGE COATIN SITTING ON FRESH GARDEN TOMATOES WITH SPICY TOMATO SYRUP".

And the shrimp, they were big, and juicy and bodacious. The syrup was like a katsup, and definately held a tingle of spice. Just a glorious little plate, and I devoured it down to the tails.




We'd finished the Hendry, and it was time to move onto something else. Henceforth, the garishly-altered bottle of Shafer 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon, a very big, very bold wine. It demanded to be eaten with bracingly raw steak, or a large, insouciant bistro burger.

Instead, we had it with the following.


Earlier that month, DucCat happened upon the Cowboy having lunch at the restaurant, his plate was brimming with deep-south fried chicken. This very same poulet was his request for the s'kat birthday dinner meal, and boy, was it ever delivered.



Syd brined a whole chicken, and slapped it around a succulent, tangy little batter that held a dollop of spice on the back-end. The staff chuckled behind the counter as Tony brought our plates out. "I hope you're hungry!" Sara laughed.

They had every right to, as the plate was heavy with FRIED CHICKEN (complete with SKIN and PIG CRACKLIN'), FRIED OKRA, and a FRESH CREAMED CORN SAUCE SITTING BY A TIMBALE OF ORGANIC GROUND YELLOW GRITZ. The chicken was delectable. When asked why he didn't put it on his menu, Syd replied, "It's the only thing that people would order!". John T. Edge, you need to pay a visit, and put another notch upon your belt, brother.

My entree was also quite delish.

Pre-selected by my thoughtful husband and Syd, there sat before me a plate of FRESH LINE CAUGHT COHO SALMON SAUTE MEDIUM RARE WITH CRISP FRIED 'MY GARDEN' BASIL ON TOP OF BIG ASS DIVER SCALLOPS TOPPED WITH OLIVE AND HERB COMPOUND BUTTER PLUS (oh delight) A FOIS GRAS PANCAKE.

I have had fois gras once before, a fois gras'a'trois, actually, at a tapas restaurant in Duck. The first of the menagiere was steamed; DucCat actually had to spit his out into a napkin. I swallowed (ha-ha), and then took a hearty chug of water, then wine, then more water. It was terrible, and I've never thought kindly of it since.

It is safe to say that my position has been reversed, as the fois gras pancake was a wonderful little thing. There was lots of happy, typically pancakey-type dough that was studded with chunks of fois gras. It was actually quite sausage-like, caramelised at the edges, and so- succulent! I am so fond now of this fois gras pancake-thing. They just make life happy.

The rest of the plate didn't let down, either. The scallops, as promised, were big ASS fat juicy little baubles of the deep. I usually don't like salmon ('tastes too pink!'), but this was different. The taste was distinctly 'fresh fish', and with the compound butter oozing into every little flake, intimate and gratifying. I've never liked salmon so much as I did this night.

DucCat and I pushed our plates away, chugging water, and gasping for breath, but it wasn't over just yet.


LAST BUT NOT LEAST COURSE: A CHOCOLATE PUDDING CAKE WITH MAJOR CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM SITTING ON A WHITE CHOCOLATE ANGLAZE AND IS TRULY BEYOND THE TRELLIS DEATH BY CHOCOLATE STUFF .

Okay, maybe that last lil' bit was my own, but there you have it.

It really was the best chocolate dessert that I've ever tasted. Chocolate crust, chocolate tart, chocolate ganache-anglais with chocolate-chocolate-studded ice cream. I thought I was full, yet couldn't stop tasting each wonderful little bite. It was rich, yet not overbearingly so. I have had the perfect chocolate desert, and this was it, SO EAT THAT MARCEL.

Oh, there was a little wine that accompanied the dessert course: a 2001 Ridge Petite Syrah Essents. It was like a light port; the sweet depth barely held its own along the intense chocolate, but that would be a big order to fill for almost any digestif. I'd still say that it went quite well, with enough raisin-y sweetness to hold hands with the incredible bitterness of the chocolate.

It was a weeknight, so this fabulous dinner had to be compressed into two hours. We walked out, achingly happy, and took a surprise walk around the block after arriving home.

Barbie stayed at the restaurant, and drank another glass of wine with the staff. That bitch.

Reflecting on the week

Saturdays with sausage and biscuits,





eggs and mimosas, and even some yellow tomatoes;





Mondays with friends, and still cuckoo for Kung Pao, and three-pepper slaw;













Busy weeknights with happy little fingers of steamed grean beans, dressed in sesame and soy;



And off to bed now, little one, with cheerful thoughts of a perfectly grilled flank steak drifting through your head...

~~~


I'm still gearing up to write up the Big Birthday Dinner that was on Tuesday. However, it will just have to wait until after tonight's Slightly Smaller, Dual-Big Birthday Celebration Dinner with friends.

Thank goodness I run.

Prezzies!!

Along with the joy of awakening to another great year of life, I cracked my eyes open and saw that I was surrounded by presents.

My loving cats had apparently been saving their allowances for some time, and gotten me cute little grumpy kitty pins, kitty mugs, and even some entertainment. I was just blown away by their thoughtfulness.

DucCat got me something nice, too. As always, his taste in jewelry remains exquisite and impeccable.


There was one other gift as well, which brings us full circle back to the food bloggin’ business:


It’s been a long time since I’ve owned a blender, so I’m very excited and proud to have one again.

What to do, what to do?

Perhaps it is time to attempt to re-create my favourite frozen coffee drink from Harbor Espresso ... then again, fall is just around the corner, which means hearty, blended soups are almost a reality.

Hmm, whatever shall I make with it? Time for a cuppa while I think this one over.