This has been a very low key trip which is great because as much as Steve works it's nice to have time just to hang out and be with each other. Steve works from home so you might think we are with each other all the time but that's not how it works. Even on the evenings when we have time to go out he is often answering business calls and emails. It is hard for us to get a break of uninterrupted time.
Yesterday we spent the morning listening to the sales pitch for the Hilton property property where we are staying. The reason we took this trip was we had a great offer from Hilton to come stay at this new vacation club property for next to nothing in return for listen to the sales schpeel and considering buying into the property. Not a bad exchange for a few days in the sun.
We headed back to Anh Hong for lunch yesterday. We shared a green papaya and Vietnamese beef jerky salad and a bowl of pho. Anh Hong is more along the lines of Vietnamese home cooking as opposed to restaurantized food. They don't use MSG in their pho which meant I was able to enjoy a bowl of it without a reaction. If you don't react to MSG it's hard to explain just how frustrating it is to have MSG reactions. I stopped eating pho a few months ago after having a reaction to Superior Pho's broth. I just learned that Bac does not use MSG in their broth and I am looking forward to trying it when we get home. Anyway, one of the highlights of our lunch was the house-made chili sauce. This chili sauce is phenomenal, like maybe my favorite ever. The heat level was fairly tame but the flavor and balance of the sauce were spot on. I liked it so much that I ran next store to the Vietnamese market and bought an inexpensive sauce in a glass jar and the folks at Anh Hong emptied the jar, washed it out and filled it with the chili sauce for me to take home.
After lunch we bummed around a little. We hit the Brazilian bakery we like for cheese puff balls and this wonderful, not too sweet chocolate cake to keep for breakfast this morning. When we got back to the hotel I spent an hour on the treadmill and Steve spent time in the hot tub.
Dinner last night was at the Ravenous Pig. Our friend told us about the RP two years ago and we loved it so much we had dinner there two nights in a row and both still talk about how much we enjoyed it. To tell the truth, yesterday we were so into being lazy we considered not going to the RP. Fortunately, that thought only lasted a few minutes. We had a most wonderful meal of oysters (Onset) served with tiny cubes of a porter gelee and an au point mignonette and stone crab with a perfect mustard, lemon mayonnaise or as the menu said "appropriate sauces". We shared a salad of frisse and other young greens tossed with house smoked lardons, a caesar dressing and topped with a poached egg, a common enough salad but done perfectly at RP. We also shared a house-made pretzel with a Taleggio & Porter fondue and for dinner shared a pasture raised veal chop which was accompanied by a side of slivered trumpet mushrooms with slightly larger than brunoise bits of potato and what was almost like a beurre blanc. As wonderful as the veal chop was the trumpet mushroom accompaniment was the star of the show for me. For dessert we had an incredible butterscotch creme brulee and a glass of Tokai which our server recommended that was not on the current list of offerings. We were surprised and tickled our sever remembered us from our previous visits even though they were two years ago. He took great care of us and it is always nice to see such longevity in the restaurant biz.
This morning we lolled around in bed until noon. That is not something we do at home and it was nice. We had our snacks from the Brazilian bakery for breakfast and I enjoyed my tea with no rush to be anywhere or get anything done. After noon we came down to the pool and here we are, enjoying the sun and the few more degrees of warmth over yesterday.
Tonight we are headed to the Vineyard Grill for dinner. The Vineyard Grill is a steakhouse at the Ritz Carlton. I had dinner there on my own a handful of years ago when Steve was dining with conference folks and we were staying at the JW Marriott/Ritz Carlton property. The following year my uncle happened to be in Orlando for a golf outing the same time we were here and we enjoyed a meal at the Vineyard Grill with him and Steve and I dined there together another year. It is rare for me to enjoy a steakhouse and since Craftsteak closed there isn't a steakhouse I know of that I would go out of my way for other than the Vineyard Grill. Unfortunately, the beef is commercial corn finished beef but Steve likes that from time to time. They also have wonderful raw bar, fish and seafood options and the salads and sides are outstanding. That's why I like this place as much as I do, for the sides. I prefer to throw my own steak on the grill and while I may make a great salad to go with it I don't spend time making things like smoked cream corn or creamed spinach to go with the steak.
Our dinner at Grapevine was wonderful. It was a great date night.
Our last morning was spent lolling around then we packed our bags and hung out at the pool until it was time to leave.
All in all a wonderful time away with my husband.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Orlando
I'm trying to live up to my promise to myself to make at least the most basic record of my travels. I'm way behind. I have Italy from last fall to write about and a recent NY trip let alone Mexico from last winter.
I started this blog as a way to help me remember experiences from my travels and I feel like it is especially important now because my memory is not what it used to be. Just today Steve and I were discussing a place and I was 100% positive this place was in Miami while Steve thought there was a chance it was in Orlando. On top of that as we were driving around this evening in Orlando there were things Steve mentioned that I had trouble remembering.
So, even if the entries are brief I'm going to try to be better about making them.
This morning at 9 AM we left an icy cold Cleveland and arrived in sunny Orlando two hours later. Warm Orlando? Not really. It was about 65 degrees this afternoon so not very warm but Steve and I were both happy to see the sun!
From the airport we headed to the Vietnamese part of town for lunch at Lac Viet. This is a place I read about on Chowhound but had not before been to. I was concerned when we drove up and saw a big sign on the sign of the building that read "Voted Best Vietnamese in Orlando" or something to that effect. We thought it was OK but not special. In fact, I would say that of all but one of the dishes we had we prefer the preparations of the same dishes at other Vietnamese restaurants in Detroit. We had one new dish that we have seen but hadn't had before and that was Banh Xeo which is a crispy rice crepe folded like an omelette and filled with bean sprouts, shrimp and pork. I was glad to have tried it but have a feeling it may be better prepared elsewhere.
Before we left Lac Viet we asked our server if there were any places around that served fresh pressed can juice. He directed us to Ahn Hong. On the way there Steve said he thought this was the place I was so thrilled about on a past trip because of their wonderful cane juice with kumquat zest. I was 100% certain that the plce he was talking about was in Miami. Well, when we got to Anh Hong I realized that he was right. My concern about my faltering memory was soothed by a big icy glass of fresh pressed cane juice with kumquat. I love this stuff and even have fleeting moments of thinking about opening a sugar cane bar in Cleveland or anywhere for that matter!
After that we headed to our hotel to check in. We dropped our bags of in the room and headed down to the pool. I was not in to going to the pool in 65 degree weather but Steve really, really wanted to so I joined him. It was chilly! After a little time in the hot tub we returned to our room for a nap.
Dinner this evening was at the Nile Ethiopian restaurant. We've been to this place once before on a previous visit and while neither of us thought it was the best Ethiopian we've ever had we both enjoyed it. Tonight the thought of lentils and veggies instead of a big meal was appealing so the Nile it was.
We had a nice first day here in Orlando.
I started this blog as a way to help me remember experiences from my travels and I feel like it is especially important now because my memory is not what it used to be. Just today Steve and I were discussing a place and I was 100% positive this place was in Miami while Steve thought there was a chance it was in Orlando. On top of that as we were driving around this evening in Orlando there were things Steve mentioned that I had trouble remembering.
So, even if the entries are brief I'm going to try to be better about making them.
This morning at 9 AM we left an icy cold Cleveland and arrived in sunny Orlando two hours later. Warm Orlando? Not really. It was about 65 degrees this afternoon so not very warm but Steve and I were both happy to see the sun!
From the airport we headed to the Vietnamese part of town for lunch at Lac Viet. This is a place I read about on Chowhound but had not before been to. I was concerned when we drove up and saw a big sign on the sign of the building that read "Voted Best Vietnamese in Orlando" or something to that effect. We thought it was OK but not special. In fact, I would say that of all but one of the dishes we had we prefer the preparations of the same dishes at other Vietnamese restaurants in Detroit. We had one new dish that we have seen but hadn't had before and that was Banh Xeo which is a crispy rice crepe folded like an omelette and filled with bean sprouts, shrimp and pork. I was glad to have tried it but have a feeling it may be better prepared elsewhere.
Before we left Lac Viet we asked our server if there were any places around that served fresh pressed can juice. He directed us to Ahn Hong. On the way there Steve said he thought this was the place I was so thrilled about on a past trip because of their wonderful cane juice with kumquat zest. I was 100% certain that the plce he was talking about was in Miami. Well, when we got to Anh Hong I realized that he was right. My concern about my faltering memory was soothed by a big icy glass of fresh pressed cane juice with kumquat. I love this stuff and even have fleeting moments of thinking about opening a sugar cane bar in Cleveland or anywhere for that matter!
After that we headed to our hotel to check in. We dropped our bags of in the room and headed down to the pool. I was not in to going to the pool in 65 degree weather but Steve really, really wanted to so I joined him. It was chilly! After a little time in the hot tub we returned to our room for a nap.
Dinner this evening was at the Nile Ethiopian restaurant. We've been to this place once before on a previous visit and while neither of us thought it was the best Ethiopian we've ever had we both enjoyed it. Tonight the thought of lentils and veggies instead of a big meal was appealing so the Nile it was.
We had a nice first day here in Orlando.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Past Few Days
This has been a pretty laid back trip which is good with me. Jenny is already on maternity leave so we've been able to do what we do so well, just hang out.
Wednesday I went for my long walk. I have several walk/hike paths that I like to do when I'm here: one is hiking the gorge, one is about a three mile walk and the long walk is about 4 miles. Jenny lives in the mountains so each of the walks/hikes involves some serious climbing but most of all the long walk is killer steep uphill. I wish I knew what the actual inclines are but suffice it to say they make me work, hard. The long walk is so steep uphill that the first quarter of the walk takes me to the top and the remaining three quarters is down hill, maybe one third and two thirds but, something like that. I was a little frustrated with myself for how slow I had to take it going up the hills but as I climbed I began to remember that this path is so steep that I always have to take it pretty slow. Just when I thought I couldn't take it anymore I reached the top and started the descent. I love to jog downhill. Laugh if you will but my jogging pace is most people's walking pace and jogging downhill uses muscles that jogging on a flat surface doesn't use. I found my pace right away today and it felt great. I jogged about 1.5 miles which I was very pleased with given that I haven't jogged in 4 months. It also felt great to find my pace so quickly.
Thursday I got going early and went to Manor in the morning then the latterie in Blonay then spent the afternoon cooking.
I had a brisket from the farm which I cut in half.
One half went into the fridge with a steak sauce marinade. The marinade (really more of a steak sauce as there is no acid) recipe came from my friend Dave. He used it a few weeks ago on a hangar or flank steak which he then grilled. It was amazing. So anyway, I emailed him for the recipe but I had almost none of the ingredients so I did a lot of improvising. I used about a half cup of ketchup, a tablespoon of worcestershire sauce, sliced ginger (in place of horseradish) a few splashes of soy sauce, a tablespoon of course mustard (in place of Dijon style) a tablespoon of honey, paprika (in place of ancho chili powder), salt and pepper. I am going to try grilling the brisket mid-rare over charcoal tomorrow. I have read mixed things about how brisket eats at a rare temp and I am curious to see how it works out.
The other half of the brisket got rubbed with paprika, salt and pepper then went into a pottery roasting pan with an chopped mix of fresh mushrooms (a mix from the store with a bit of everything: chanterelle, shitake, morel and cremini), a can of chopped tomatoes, about 2/3's the can worth of water, three cloves of garlic and a sliced small hot red pepper. This all got covered with foil and went into a 300 degree oven for about four hours then out of the oven to cool and into the fridge over night.
Once the brisket was taken care of I made two batches of crust and quiche filling. One batch of crust is for a double crust apple pie that I will make this weekend and the other batch will make two quiche, one for while I'm here and one that went into the freezer along with filling so Jenny can have an easy meal when the baby arrives. For the quiche filling I used the same mushroom mix as I did for the brisket but for the quiche I quickly sauteed them on a high heat, set them aside then slowly caramelized an onion. The mushrooms, onions and some cubed fresh vacherin were added to eggs along with a bit of milk, salt and pepper. I've never cooked fresh vacherin so we'll see how that works. I've actually never had fresh vacherin until this trip. Though vacherines are some of my favorite cheeses I didn't know they were eaten in their fresh state. The texture is somewhat like tofu and the taste is very mild, almost like cream cheese but without the slight tartness.
Once I cleaned up the kitchen Jenny and I headed to Vevey to meet a group of her friends for a pizza dinner. There were about 12 or 14 of us (all ex-pats from various countries) and we had a great evening.
Today Jenny had a morning appointment with her midwife and while she was there I had a quick visit to the brocante that I like. After I picked her up from the midwife's we made a stop to get some art supplies for Nico then went to the Hermitage museum in Lausanne to see an Edward Hopper exhibit. I thought it would be neat to see his work in a European exibition and it was though I wasn't thrilled with the way the show was hung. The Hermitage has gallery rooms on four floors. Some of the notable pieces that I think strongly exemplify Hopper's esthetic of portaying that something about America in the 30's and 40's in that sparse, pared down way, were hung in the basement while the first floor had a room and a half of his works from Paris which are somewhat impressionistic and not strong (IMO) relative to all his other works. I thought it was interesting that these paintings hung on the main floor.
After the museum we headed back to Vevey and had massages: Jenny a back massage (while laying on her side) and me a foot and leg massage. I love foot massages and wish we had a place in Cleveland that understood the reflexology and foot massage. The foot massage was wonderful and one of the most relaxing massages I've had. I really went to another place and floated around in peacfulness for about an hour. Jenny treated me as a thank you for the party I had for her when she was home in the spring. That was a nice treat and a nice thank you! I am still hoping to get to Geneva before I leave for a repeat of the foot massage I had last year. It was different from today's massage in that it was more intense work on the foot muscles and pressure points. After being on my feet all summer for often 12-14 hours a day I have wayyyyyy been looking forward to having this particular foot massage again.
Wednesday I went for my long walk. I have several walk/hike paths that I like to do when I'm here: one is hiking the gorge, one is about a three mile walk and the long walk is about 4 miles. Jenny lives in the mountains so each of the walks/hikes involves some serious climbing but most of all the long walk is killer steep uphill. I wish I knew what the actual inclines are but suffice it to say they make me work, hard. The long walk is so steep uphill that the first quarter of the walk takes me to the top and the remaining three quarters is down hill, maybe one third and two thirds but, something like that. I was a little frustrated with myself for how slow I had to take it going up the hills but as I climbed I began to remember that this path is so steep that I always have to take it pretty slow. Just when I thought I couldn't take it anymore I reached the top and started the descent. I love to jog downhill. Laugh if you will but my jogging pace is most people's walking pace and jogging downhill uses muscles that jogging on a flat surface doesn't use. I found my pace right away today and it felt great. I jogged about 1.5 miles which I was very pleased with given that I haven't jogged in 4 months. It also felt great to find my pace so quickly.
Thursday I got going early and went to Manor in the morning then the latterie in Blonay then spent the afternoon cooking.
I had a brisket from the farm which I cut in half.
One half went into the fridge with a steak sauce marinade. The marinade (really more of a steak sauce as there is no acid) recipe came from my friend Dave. He used it a few weeks ago on a hangar or flank steak which he then grilled. It was amazing. So anyway, I emailed him for the recipe but I had almost none of the ingredients so I did a lot of improvising. I used about a half cup of ketchup, a tablespoon of worcestershire sauce, sliced ginger (in place of horseradish) a few splashes of soy sauce, a tablespoon of course mustard (in place of Dijon style) a tablespoon of honey, paprika (in place of ancho chili powder), salt and pepper. I am going to try grilling the brisket mid-rare over charcoal tomorrow. I have read mixed things about how brisket eats at a rare temp and I am curious to see how it works out.
The other half of the brisket got rubbed with paprika, salt and pepper then went into a pottery roasting pan with an chopped mix of fresh mushrooms (a mix from the store with a bit of everything: chanterelle, shitake, morel and cremini), a can of chopped tomatoes, about 2/3's the can worth of water, three cloves of garlic and a sliced small hot red pepper. This all got covered with foil and went into a 300 degree oven for about four hours then out of the oven to cool and into the fridge over night.
Once the brisket was taken care of I made two batches of crust and quiche filling. One batch of crust is for a double crust apple pie that I will make this weekend and the other batch will make two quiche, one for while I'm here and one that went into the freezer along with filling so Jenny can have an easy meal when the baby arrives. For the quiche filling I used the same mushroom mix as I did for the brisket but for the quiche I quickly sauteed them on a high heat, set them aside then slowly caramelized an onion. The mushrooms, onions and some cubed fresh vacherin were added to eggs along with a bit of milk, salt and pepper. I've never cooked fresh vacherin so we'll see how that works. I've actually never had fresh vacherin until this trip. Though vacherines are some of my favorite cheeses I didn't know they were eaten in their fresh state. The texture is somewhat like tofu and the taste is very mild, almost like cream cheese but without the slight tartness.
Once I cleaned up the kitchen Jenny and I headed to Vevey to meet a group of her friends for a pizza dinner. There were about 12 or 14 of us (all ex-pats from various countries) and we had a great evening.
Today Jenny had a morning appointment with her midwife and while she was there I had a quick visit to the brocante that I like. After I picked her up from the midwife's we made a stop to get some art supplies for Nico then went to the Hermitage museum in Lausanne to see an Edward Hopper exhibit. I thought it would be neat to see his work in a European exibition and it was though I wasn't thrilled with the way the show was hung. The Hermitage has gallery rooms on four floors. Some of the notable pieces that I think strongly exemplify Hopper's esthetic of portaying that something about America in the 30's and 40's in that sparse, pared down way, were hung in the basement while the first floor had a room and a half of his works from Paris which are somewhat impressionistic and not strong (IMO) relative to all his other works. I thought it was interesting that these paintings hung on the main floor.
After the museum we headed back to Vevey and had massages: Jenny a back massage (while laying on her side) and me a foot and leg massage. I love foot massages and wish we had a place in Cleveland that understood the reflexology and foot massage. The foot massage was wonderful and one of the most relaxing massages I've had. I really went to another place and floated around in peacfulness for about an hour. Jenny treated me as a thank you for the party I had for her when she was home in the spring. That was a nice treat and a nice thank you! I am still hoping to get to Geneva before I leave for a repeat of the foot massage I had last year. It was different from today's massage in that it was more intense work on the foot muscles and pressure points. After being on my feet all summer for often 12-14 hours a day I have wayyyyyy been looking forward to having this particular foot massage again.
We came home and had the roasted brisket for dinner. I was pleased with how it turned out and Jenny and Nico were too. I love cooking for them as they are always very appreciative of my cooking.
We spent the rest of the evening relaxing and watching videos on the computer.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Day One and Two
I landed in Geneva around 9 AM Sunday and took the train to Montreux. Jenny met me at the station in Montreux and I cried and cried when I saw her pregnant belly. It's hard to describe how it feels to see my sister pregnant. I never really imagined either of us having kids and now that she is on the way to that it's kind of strange to see her pregnant. I am so excited for her and she looks incredibly beautiful.
She was adorable getting in and out of the car.
I got to feel the baby move. I thought I wouldn't be able to stop touching her belly but really what it is is that I can't stop staring at her.
Yesterday we hung out around the house for a while. I fought taking a nap. I didn't sleep on the plane as I usually do so I was way having a hard time keeping my eyes open.
We ran out and got a nightie for her for when she delivers and then went to a little Thai place for dinner. When we got home we watched an episode of Weeds on my computer and I went to bed before we could start the next one.
Today I got up at 9 and went to the market in Vevey to get lake perch for a fish fry. They had no lake perch and there were far fewer vendors there today than there are on Saturday so I headed home without any goodies.
I cleaned out the fridge and defrosted the freezer as I usually do when I come visit. After that I went to the farms to get meat for the week and veggies and milk. I adore the milk we get from one of the farms here. The milk comes from Simmental cows, a variety commonly used for dairy in Switzerland. I would say the milk is similar in taste to the Holstein milk but while I don't love Holstein milk I love Simmental milk. The raw Simmental milk from this farm seems a bit sweeter than the raw Holstein milk I've had from a few different farms around the Cleveland area. That difference may in large part be from what they cows are fed (these are all pasture) but I think it is also just a difference between the cows.
For dinner I made simple pork chops that I browned in a pan then finished in the oven and sauteed red cabbage with onions and sauteed pumpkin.
Jenny and I watched two more episodes of Weeds after dinner and are now eagerly awaiting the next available downloads for the upcoming episodes.
She was adorable getting in and out of the car.
I got to feel the baby move. I thought I wouldn't be able to stop touching her belly but really what it is is that I can't stop staring at her.
Yesterday we hung out around the house for a while. I fought taking a nap. I didn't sleep on the plane as I usually do so I was way having a hard time keeping my eyes open.
We ran out and got a nightie for her for when she delivers and then went to a little Thai place for dinner. When we got home we watched an episode of Weeds on my computer and I went to bed before we could start the next one.
Today I got up at 9 and went to the market in Vevey to get lake perch for a fish fry. They had no lake perch and there were far fewer vendors there today than there are on Saturday so I headed home without any goodies.
I cleaned out the fridge and defrosted the freezer as I usually do when I come visit. After that I went to the farms to get meat for the week and veggies and milk. I adore the milk we get from one of the farms here. The milk comes from Simmental cows, a variety commonly used for dairy in Switzerland. I would say the milk is similar in taste to the Holstein milk but while I don't love Holstein milk I love Simmental milk. The raw Simmental milk from this farm seems a bit sweeter than the raw Holstein milk I've had from a few different farms around the Cleveland area. That difference may in large part be from what they cows are fed (these are all pasture) but I think it is also just a difference between the cows.
For dinner I made simple pork chops that I browned in a pan then finished in the oven and sauteed red cabbage with onions and sauteed pumpkin.
Jenny and I watched two more episodes of Weeds after dinner and are now eagerly awaiting the next available downloads for the upcoming episodes.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Dust Off The Blog
Wow, it has been over a year since I last posted.
Steve and I have enjoyed some travelling together and had other fun adventures in the past year but I neglected to record them in my travel journal.
I've never been good about keeping a journal... how many times as a young girl or young woman did I try keeping a diary...that always lasted about 2 or 3 days.
Well, here I go again.
I want to be more diligent about recording my/our travels and adventures for myself. Having the blog to look back on gives me a way to relive and enjoy our past travels that relying on my memory does not allow for.
Today marked the first leg of my vacation travels.
I spent the morning making 100 jars of elderberry and elderberry/verbena jam and syrup then I finished packing for a week in Switzerland to visit my sister and 12 days in Italy and a weekend in Cincinnati for my cousin's wedding.
I left Cleveland shortly after 2 PM to drive to Cincinnati. The idea is to fly in and out of Cinci so Steve and I won't have to get in the car and drive down here the day after we return from Europe. The added bonus is that I get to spend this evening and tomorrow morning with my Uncle Jack. I'm looking forward to seeing my cousin Craig, his wife, Gretchen and their son Ben tomorrow. Unfortunately, Hanna won't be here too as she is with her mom for the weekend.
Uncle Jack made a lovely dinner and we sat and visited like we haven't done in way too long. I know the wedding weekend will be hectic so I am appreciative of this time for the two of us.
After the frenetic pace of making pies all summer this respite is already much appreciated.
Steve and I have enjoyed some travelling together and had other fun adventures in the past year but I neglected to record them in my travel journal.
I've never been good about keeping a journal... how many times as a young girl or young woman did I try keeping a diary...that always lasted about 2 or 3 days.
Well, here I go again.
I want to be more diligent about recording my/our travels and adventures for myself. Having the blog to look back on gives me a way to relive and enjoy our past travels that relying on my memory does not allow for.
Today marked the first leg of my vacation travels.
I spent the morning making 100 jars of elderberry and elderberry/verbena jam and syrup then I finished packing for a week in Switzerland to visit my sister and 12 days in Italy and a weekend in Cincinnati for my cousin's wedding.
I left Cleveland shortly after 2 PM to drive to Cincinnati. The idea is to fly in and out of Cinci so Steve and I won't have to get in the car and drive down here the day after we return from Europe. The added bonus is that I get to spend this evening and tomorrow morning with my Uncle Jack. I'm looking forward to seeing my cousin Craig, his wife, Gretchen and their son Ben tomorrow. Unfortunately, Hanna won't be here too as she is with her mom for the weekend.
Uncle Jack made a lovely dinner and we sat and visited like we haven't done in way too long. I know the wedding weekend will be hectic so I am appreciative of this time for the two of us.
After the frenetic pace of making pies all summer this respite is already much appreciated.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Senator Edward Kennedy 1932 - 2009
Family's Statement
“Edward M. Kennedy—the husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle we loved so deeply—died late Tuesday night at home in Hyannis Port. We’ve lost the irreplaceable center of our family and joyous light in our lives, but the inspiration of his faith, optimism, and perseverance will live on in our hearts forever. We thank everyone who gave him care and support over this last year, and everyone who stood with him for so many years in his tireless march for progress toward justice, fairness and opportunity for all. He loved this country and devoted his life to serving it. He always believed that our best days were still ahead, but it’s hard to imagine any of them without him.”
Thank you for your service Senator Kennedy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60AChuvfzUo
“Edward M. Kennedy—the husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle we loved so deeply—died late Tuesday night at home in Hyannis Port. We’ve lost the irreplaceable center of our family and joyous light in our lives, but the inspiration of his faith, optimism, and perseverance will live on in our hearts forever. We thank everyone who gave him care and support over this last year, and everyone who stood with him for so many years in his tireless march for progress toward justice, fairness and opportunity for all. He loved this country and devoted his life to serving it. He always believed that our best days were still ahead, but it’s hard to imagine any of them without him.”
Thank you for your service Senator Kennedy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60AChuvfzUo
Sunday, July 26, 2009
What A Weekend
This was an amazing weekend filled with many great local food treats, great music and most importantly time with my husband, friends and family.
Friday night was dinner at my house to celebrate the birthday of my very good friend. We started with bacon wrapped cherries and savory puff pastry treats that the birthday girl brought for hors d' oeuvres. For dinner we had delicious grass fed ribeye steaks from Millgate, local corn, cucumber yogurt salad with local cukes and green onions and Great Scott's cupcakes for dessert.
Saturday morning it was a joy to see a bustling crowd at the Coit Rd. Market. The Shaker market was quieter than usual but I was pleased to see a new family there selling local, pasture raised, heritage pork and beef. I also got the chance to chat with a friend who just came back from a trip to Italy where he and his sister visited family in the town from which their parents came. This was his first trip to Italy so listening to his enthusiasm for the trip and what they experienced was a real treat.
After the markets I had a wonderful surprise. Several dear friends arranged a surprise lunch at Gerracci's to celebrate my 40th birthday that had happened while Steve and I were in Europe this spring. It was quite a surprise! It took me a minute to realize that it wasn't a funny coincidence that my friend and I ran into other friends at Geracci's but that they were actually there as a surprise for me. I keep laughing at the delay in my figuring that out (it was the balloons that finally gave it away)! We had a completely wonderful time visiting and lunching and guess what we had for dessert? Great Scott cupcakes for my birthday! Ha! I highly recommend celebrating ones birthday after the fact, as it was great fun. I felt very lucky and very special. The past week was a difficult one and this surprise was just what my heart needed.
Between the cupcakes Friday night, the half a cupcake I had for breakfast Saturday and the cupcakes at lunch, that was 3 meals in a row with Great Scott's cupcakes!
After lunch I went home and packed a picnic lunch to have that evening at Blossom. I made three kinds of sandwiches with imported meats, cheeses and trimmings from Gallucci’s on a rustic Italian bread from the new Blackbird Baking Company. Steve and I and another good friend had the sandwiches, lupini beans and castelvetrano olives along with a nice bottle of red before hearing the Cleveland Orchestra at Blossom. Steve is very fond of Rhapsody In Blue so the outing to Blossom to hear the orchestra’s program that included that piece was my surprise for him. The whole program was wonderful, great American pieces, performed at Blossom on a July evening, that is the epitome of summer. Oh, and don’t tell anyone but I had half a GS cupcake when Steve and I got home that night. 4 meals in a row!
Today was the Rocking BBQ at Beachland Ballroom followed by a visit to my Dad’s to sit in the park that is his yard and visit with him and my Step-mom then a late evening visit to Honey Hut for a kid’s scoop of honey pecan ice cream with salted pecans and hot fudge that served as dinner.
Life is good.
Friday night was dinner at my house to celebrate the birthday of my very good friend. We started with bacon wrapped cherries and savory puff pastry treats that the birthday girl brought for hors d' oeuvres. For dinner we had delicious grass fed ribeye steaks from Millgate, local corn, cucumber yogurt salad with local cukes and green onions and Great Scott's cupcakes for dessert.
Saturday morning it was a joy to see a bustling crowd at the Coit Rd. Market. The Shaker market was quieter than usual but I was pleased to see a new family there selling local, pasture raised, heritage pork and beef. I also got the chance to chat with a friend who just came back from a trip to Italy where he and his sister visited family in the town from which their parents came. This was his first trip to Italy so listening to his enthusiasm for the trip and what they experienced was a real treat.
After the markets I had a wonderful surprise. Several dear friends arranged a surprise lunch at Gerracci's to celebrate my 40th birthday that had happened while Steve and I were in Europe this spring. It was quite a surprise! It took me a minute to realize that it wasn't a funny coincidence that my friend and I ran into other friends at Geracci's but that they were actually there as a surprise for me. I keep laughing at the delay in my figuring that out (it was the balloons that finally gave it away)! We had a completely wonderful time visiting and lunching and guess what we had for dessert? Great Scott cupcakes for my birthday! Ha! I highly recommend celebrating ones birthday after the fact, as it was great fun. I felt very lucky and very special. The past week was a difficult one and this surprise was just what my heart needed.
Between the cupcakes Friday night, the half a cupcake I had for breakfast Saturday and the cupcakes at lunch, that was 3 meals in a row with Great Scott's cupcakes!
After lunch I went home and packed a picnic lunch to have that evening at Blossom. I made three kinds of sandwiches with imported meats, cheeses and trimmings from Gallucci’s on a rustic Italian bread from the new Blackbird Baking Company. Steve and I and another good friend had the sandwiches, lupini beans and castelvetrano olives along with a nice bottle of red before hearing the Cleveland Orchestra at Blossom. Steve is very fond of Rhapsody In Blue so the outing to Blossom to hear the orchestra’s program that included that piece was my surprise for him. The whole program was wonderful, great American pieces, performed at Blossom on a July evening, that is the epitome of summer. Oh, and don’t tell anyone but I had half a GS cupcake when Steve and I got home that night. 4 meals in a row!
Today was the Rocking BBQ at Beachland Ballroom followed by a visit to my Dad’s to sit in the park that is his yard and visit with him and my Step-mom then a late evening visit to Honey Hut for a kid’s scoop of honey pecan ice cream with salted pecans and hot fudge that served as dinner.
Life is good.
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