Category Archives: Food and Drink

October Trip Day 3….

Posted on by
Reply

I was actually expecting granddaughter to be knocking on our door by now (8:45 a.m.), but she did expend a lot of energy yesterday. Today’s plan is for the kids to have a “date day” as we take granddaughter to the Air and Space Museum annex near Dulles. That’s the reason for staying on this side of D.C. For those not familiar with it, the official name is the Smithsonian Institution Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. The Air and Space Museum in D.C. has far more items than they can display and there are physical issues with being able to expand. Many years – okay, decades ago – there was the idea to build an annex out close to Dulles where a facility could be constructed to hold the famous SR-71 – the “Blackbird” supersonic spy plane and even a space shuttle. That was obviously a major effort. I don’t recall now when it opened, but the kids have visited it once and Hubby has wanted to for quite some time. There are of course restrictions now as to capacity, so tickets are issued for timed entries. We’re at 10:30 so no one had to rush around. Will report after.

Good exhibits even with a number of really cool ones closed because of COVID restrictions. Kept granddaughter’s attention for 1.5 hours and the trip through the museum shop was reasonable. In discussing potential careers like engineers, astronauts, etc., learned granddaughter’s intent is to be a vet so she can take care of puppies and llamas.

Moving on to next unexpected travel irritant. Turns out there is no housekeeping. Process is beds don’t get changed (not an issue as we take that option anyway when it’s only a few days), towels can be delivered when you ask for them as are other amenities. Trash is to be placed outside and is picked up. No actual cleaning provided until after checkout. In sorting through that logic, it would have been nice to have been informed of this on their website before booking or certainly as least when we checked in.

October Trip, Day 2…..

Posted on by
Reply

Okay, have philosophically accepted the drawbacks of very limited amenities. In the final frustration of the night the Italian place the front desk gave us a menu for did have a nice menu. Ordered pizza – usual Friday night fare. The 45 minute delivery time wasn’t an issue; at least until 1.5 hours passed. Call to the place assured Hubby it was out for delivery. By 9:00 (2.5 hours), I went to the front desk and explained the situation. The young lady did apologize and I selected two cold turkey club sandwiches and chips from the limited options available by that time. Who knows what happened to the pizza or what the guy told his boss. At least we had been planning to pay cash so there was no credit card charge. The sandwiches were good although hardly what had intended.

The weather is pleasant and we got a walk in this morning. Daughter-in-law and granddaughter arrived for us to visit a bit, let Grandpa give her the camera he’d bought. It is rated for up to 30 feet underwater so naturally it went with granddaughter and I when we headed to the pool. Since she didn’t have mask and fins there wasn’t much “swimming”, but almost an hour of playing around. We had the pool to ourselves which makes it nicer as not all adults enjoy sharing a pool with small children. At graduated depths to five feet, she can now stand in the 2.5 and 3 foot water with a little to spare. It was not what would call totally comfortable from a temperature perspective, but inside meant there was no wind which really helps.

Dinner at McCormick and Schmicks was the usual excellent meal with the complete package of ambiance, good food, service, and granddaughter hung in with no issues. The only drawback is the promised plummet in temperature was noticeable when we came out and headed to the parking garage. Ah well, no rain is forecast.

Day 1 Oct 2020 Trip….

Posted on by
Reply

In deciding to make the trip to the D.C. area for son’s 40th birthday (yeah, I know), I was aware of certain limitations in traveling. I’ve already posted about the surprise in discovering we couldn’t fly direct at any sort of reasonable time. I also knew we would have to pretty continuously be in masks. (10 hours as it turned out)

Now, traffic to the airport was like it used to be and I’m not going to complain about that. After all, we have access to the American Express Lounge which is a pleasant place. Except I forgot to ask the direct question and it’s closed. It would have been nice if they had posted a sign before we walked all the way down, then back past our original point to get to our gate. Okay, we get on the flight. And now we learn there will be no complimentary beverages, but hey why not have paid extra for those particular seats anyway. Our layover in Charlotte allowed plenty of time for a leisurely lunch with a couple of adult beverages. Except, the terminal our connecting flight was in has no such service and since Hubby is hauling my carry-on (no wheels) and his backpack, I’m not going to ask him to haul us back the 7+ minute walk to the other terminal. Okay, on the plus-side, the weather is good and no flight delays to this point. More to follow as we arrive.

Okay, a delay, but not too bad. Now for more frustration. We are at a hotel I will not name, but let us say it’s a nice one. So, the granddaughter was “cheated” out of the complex pool this summer due to COVID. The idea was we picked one of the three hotels in the correct location that has an indoor pool. We’re bringing the kids out tomorrow after they get off work to spend Sat and Sun night and we fly Monday morning. We will take possession of granddaughter Sunday to allow kids to have a “date day” – that also happens to be son’s actual birthday. Good plan. When I went onto the hotel website to see the restaurant, bar, and pool, there was a notice about some services might not be available. I of course immediately thought of the pool and called about that. I was assured that yes, it was open. However, knowing that things can change, I explained to the kids we would check on the pool when we arrived.

What I didn’t think to ask about was the restaurant and bar. Indeed, neither are open and by the way, there’s no ice either. Ah, and no glassware; plastic only. Shall we say, I was not happy to discover all this. Okay, Plan B. Call the Kiddo. When you come tomorrow, bring cooler, ice, bourbon and perhaps scotch. And yes, the pool is available.

Fish Vera Cruz Style and Other…..

Posted on by
Reply

Hubby had a Camera Club gathering in the Everglades Sunday afternoon. While he expected to be back around 7:30, our regular dinner time, they do sometimes get caught up in post-gathering discussions. We’d already planned to do swordfish, but rather than grill as usual which meant waiting for him to get home to start, I mentioned we hadn’t done Vera Cruz style for a while and we did have a can of tomatoes with green chilies in the pantry. We agreed that was the way to go.

He had a good time with the Camera Club and called me with his estimated arrival which did happen to be close to 7:30. In putting the finishing touches on dinner – used some leftovers for sides and made the usual salad, I commented on the first time I had snapper Vera Cruz – snapper being the most common fish used in the dish. In a moment of digression, being raised in a small town in Northwest Louisiana in the 1950s-1970s, Mexican food was Tex-Mex and seafood was not in the mix so to speak. Our part of Louisiana is 230 or so miles north of the Gulf and local restaurants carried only freshwater fish and frozen, breaded shrimp. Someone would occasionally bring in a load of fresh shrimp, but it wasn’t common then. Anyway, when I was in California for a few months while on a special assignment in the Army, it didn’t occur to me there was a difference in Mexican food. Was I in for a surprise. A pleasant one of course and snapper Vera Cruz was one of those first dishes I tried. Shredded beef instead of ground was also different as was a heavier use of cumin and a couple of other spices. Being here in Homestead with lots of Mexican restaurants, I was happy to see they have a variety of regional choices depending on what mood we’re in.

Birthdays and Hurricanes…..

Posted on by
Reply

We generally don’t make a big deal out of birthdays anymore although they can be an excuse for something like Hubby wants a new piece of dive or camera equipment and it gets claimed as a birthday present. The big Australia trip coincided with our 60th birthdays and 25th anniversary all rolled in together. (Okay, we played a bit with the timing, but they did all occur in a three-month span.) My standard birthday celebration is to dive in the morning, then go next door to Shipwrecks (wonderfully funky place) for lunch and later have a nice dinner at home. As sometimes happens, diving wasn’t feasible yesterday, so we’ll go early next week. That led to having a nice dinner out and in this case we went to Snook’s in Key Largo. They have one of the best sunset views, the food is good and it’s priced no higher than similar places.( If I’d felt like us driving another 30 minutes south we’d have gone to Chef Micheal) Anyway, it was a delicious hogfish meal with a lobster tail added in (we shared that). We also shared a chocolate peanut butter pie.

A fair amount of the day had been spent checking Facebook and a text from one cousin about the status of family and friends in Louisiana as Hurricane Laura slammed in at a Cat 4. It did drop quickly to a 3, but still lots of damage. It was a Cat 2 as it moved north. So far, other than losing power and a lot of lost sleep, everyone seems to be in pretty good shape. Actual damage assessment can start today. We’ll wait for the reports and to see who need what help in recovery. My sister in Houston said it was far enough east not to affect them.

Small, But Tasty Farmer’s Market…..

Posted on by
Reply

Being in an agricultural area includes having access to farmer’s markets. As I have mentioned in other posts, we have two growing seasons here; “regular produce” like corn, green beans, strawberries, tomatoes, etc., and exotics of avocados, mangos, starfruit, and more. Some of the farmers markets close during the summer, but some do stay open combining local produce and products with those trucked in from no farther away than the Carolinas. There is also local brown eggs, honey and bee pollen if you’re into that. Between my friend and I we picked up green beans, tomatoes, romaine, eggs, and honey. They’re competitive price-wise as we paid $21 for one 16 oz honey, 2 pounds to tomatoes, a pound of green beans, a dozen eggs, and a head of lettuce. It is a curbside business for the time being. You pull up, check the posted list, give the lady your order and she selects your items and brings them to the vehicle. The address is12690 SW 280th Street, Homestead, FL 33032; Tel: 303.257.2005 (I paid cash and did forget to ask if they took credit cards.) They are open 7 days a week, 10:00-6:00 p.m.

You can see the whole product list and order on-line through the service at https://yourfarmers.org They also have deliveries a couple of day a week. For those who may not have read the previous post, Redland Community Market is part of a wonderful organization, Redland Ahead. “Redland Ahead, Inc. is a 501-C3 non-profit organization formed to support agribusiness and provide services and opportunities to veterans and under served in South Florida. The non-profit organization also currently manages other operations and small businesses focused on supporting and growing agribusiness with a strategy to stay small and expand once the generation of operating capital proves effective. Specifically, Redland Ahead, Inc. provides:

  • Support for the training of under served populations and Veterans to become farmers & explore careers in Agriculture business in programs offered by FIU and UF (TREC).
  • Support to the FIU’s AgroEcology program in South Florida in conjunction with the expansion of FIU’s Hispanic Land Grant University status.
  • Support for training to improve the profitability from existing or future crops through university and private development of incubators, commercial kitchens, and other ventures in the Redland and South Florida communities.”

Good people, good food, good cause.

Balsamic Onion Topping….

Posted on by
Reply

I don’t remember if I’ve mentioned before that for odd reasons, here were are in South Florida 18-20 miles from the Keys (depending on which measure you use) and we haven’t had a dedicated seafood restaurant for several years. We do have a Red Lobster and while I appreciate it for what it is, that’s not the same thing. Most of the restaurants do have seafood on the menu, particularly yellowtail snapper and mahi, which are the most common catch. Anyway, back when we did have the one restaurant, they served a dish of tuna balsamic. It was grilled tuna (lightly seasoned) topped with a mound of onions sauteed in balsamic vinegar.

The other day Hubby said to remind him next time we had tuna and he would try to duplicate the dish. We did so last night and it was indeed as we remembered. Now, obviously one must enjoy onions for this to be a suitable dish. It is, however, incredibly simple and would work nicely with chicken or pork. Here you could

One medium sweet onion – your preference. Thinly slice the onion, saute on medium in olive oil until caramelized; approximately five minutes. Add 4-5 tablespoons of favorite balsamic vinegar, equal amounts of white wine (can use stock of some type if preferred), and several grinds of black pepper. There is no need for extra salt unless desired. Cook on low for approximately 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes. There should not be much liquid at the end, but depending on how your stove cooks, small amounts of water may need to be added during the cooking time. Don’t add more balsamic or broth because that will alter the flavor balance. It will also keep for several days if there are leftovers.

 

Some Things Better From A Restaurant….

Posted on by
Reply

As I have posted on numerous occasions, cooking is something Hubby and I enjoy. While we have certain specialties and of course I don’t even know how to light the grill, we share in preparation unless one of us has to be otherwise occupied. If he is grilling, I’ll take care of the salads and probably the sides. If I am doing veal paprika for example, he’ll handle salads after having done all the prep chopping for the main dish. One of the “givens”, is he adopted true “chef” techniques for chopping, has the specialty knives, and not only enjoys it, but cringes when he watches me chop in the same old-fashioned way I always have. Despite all of this, there are simply certain dishes we don’t bother with. Ribs fall into that category. Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day are times when burgers, brats, chicken, or ribs are really what one should have. Fried fish can be okay and yes, if one lives in New England, lobster is common.

Although ribs can be cooked in different ways, slow cooked for many hours no matter what seasoning one chooses is the correct method. Period. Ten to twelve hours is the minimum proper time and fourteen is even better. Duplicating that at home comes with far more effort than we wish to expend and we have no shortage of places in town offering excellent ribs. I personally go for the dry rub and Hubby is often torn, but generally goes that way as well.  We don’t have a strong preference as to cut even though baby backs do have a slight edge. Pork, not beef, as much because of his Georgia roots as anything. Granted, other boiled crustaceans,  few things are messier to eat and extra napkins and wipes are required. That, however, is worth the extra effort.

Days of Instant Coffee…..

Posted on by
Reply

A post to Twitter brought this old memory to mind. My mother did not drink coffee, so Daddy mostly drank instant. As I think I posted some time back, I didn’t start drinking coffee until I was in the Army. I did, however, work behind the fountain at the Rexall Pharmacy with one of the big silver electric coffee urns and had to learn to make coffee in it. I also learned what happens when one doesn’t make it to suit the taste of the regulars and it didn’t take long to correct the “too weak or too strong” errors. Since this was in the years before Mr. Coffee type drip pots became popular, I had the home percolator for those who are of an age to remember such things. But, since I was rarely home enough to drink more than a cup, I still often used instant.

Somewhere in the process, a couple of coffee makers introduced coffee bags – the same thing as a tea bag. For me, they generally produced a more reliably smoother taste than most of the granulated since the amount in the bag was pre-measured. The  solution to single cup dilemma was the Kuerig type machine and who knows, maybe the inventor was faced with the same issue of wanting “brewed” coffee, but only one cup at a time. Not to mention, having all sorts of choices available depending on which cup/pod is selected. The drawback of course is trying to make coffee for a group. I have been told there is at least one manufacturer who has a combination machine; one side is a regular drip maker and the other the single serving type. This is why free markets and capitalism are so great. We will probably check this out the next time our drip maker needs to be replaced.

Growing Hyrdoponics…..

Posted on by
Reply

For reasons I’m not entirely sure of, there seems to be a surge of Facebook promotions for growing your own hyrdoponics. We do have at least two local places I know that have these on a commercial scale – well, not like really huge – but enough to provide goods at some of the farmers’ markets. We, in fact, had the indoor Aero Garden for I guess it was two years or a little longer. What it comes down to is we were successful in the growing and the lettuces were delicious. The problem was the volume. With the single machine, the yield was not very large and the seed pods we ordered were expensive enough to where we couldn’t claim we were doing this from a “saving money” perspective. (There was an option to get seeds from a store and create your own pods, but we never did that.) It was interesting and the set-ups I’ve been seeing on Facebook are for outdoor. Unless you have some sort of greenhouse protection though you will have a specified growing season. As I have mentioned in previous posts, ironically the year-round ability to grow here does not include items like lettuces for the summer because it is too hot. Now, it has been a while since we’ve done this so I suppose there could be some hot-weather variant available that I am simply unaware of.

Cost of goods won’t be a factor for some people as much as the pleasure they get in growing their own and the certainty of knowing the source.Once again though, I’m not sure about quantity of yield and how many plants it would take to have enough lettuces. We each have a salad for dinner every night we eat at home except Friday (pizza night). I usually have a salad for lunch if I’m home. I’ll keep an eye on Facebook posts and see if any actual people discuss their experience.