Good Food Tuesday

I'm declaring today good food Tuesday, because I ate this yummy sandwich for lunch and it is all I can think about right now. Let me tell you about it so you too and enjoy the last bit of freshness that is summer. Because this sandwich tastes like summer.


It is so easy. It has no name, at least that I know of. Correct me if there is a name, please?
Here is what you need:

Sourdough
Fried egg, from my chickens in my backyard of course.
Tomato
Avocado
Bacon
Spinach (should you desire a vegetable in the sandwich)
Mozzarella cheese

Toast your bread, add a little bit of mayo and layer it on. Give a little shake of some salt and pepper and voila. I heart this sandwich so much.
And last but not least, dearest Cass. Asher has gone down from a nap so Cass feels like he can emerge from his hiding spot in the laundry. Good thing I did whites yesterday, so that a hiding place could exist. Now on to the colors.

Fruits of my labors

I bought a hiking backpack for my boy this week. I'm really excited about it because those suckers are expensive. I got mine used and had been looking for a while but I never seem to show up to consignment sales early enough to get the goods such as this. But someone just wanted to get rid of it and I snatched it up. It's in great shape and I think we'll be hitting up the Shenandoah's pretty soon for some family hikes! And Asher seems to like it...so far.
I made this delicious pizza last night for dinner. Let me tell you, it was simply delicioso! I made fresh pesto from the basil in my balcony "garden" and those tomatoes came from...costco. But they were pretty good - campari tomatoes.
But wait, look, what is that I see? 2 little tomatoes growing their little hearts out!
Soon they will be on my next pizza, as or whatever else I decide to make. Or maybe I'll just eat them like an apple, like the good ol days.
I picked a lot of basil last night and my plants still look very full. Need more recipes that call for copious amounts of basil. I'm taking suggestions.
And finally, have you all seen the new food pyramid? This is it. Looks pretty good right? My only complaint is that the vegetable portion is so big and the fruit portion is so small. Can't it be reversed? Why is is so much harder to eat vegetables than fruit? They didn't even include any fat into the diet, so where does my peanut butter snickers fit. Protein section?? My dietary guideline plate has a salad plate off to the side for dessert - it's on the other side of the dairy.

Celebrity Sighting

Bill and I went out to dinner last week. It was delicious! Anyway, while we were eating, Bill kept turning around because President Packer was there. Cool hu? Then we got a better look of "President Packer" as he was carrying a martini and glass of wine from the bar to his table.
It wasn't him. What a disappointing Mormon celebrity sighting.
But, the garlic brioche monkey bread with prosciutto was delightful. I've been thinking about it all weekend.

Naha

Photo is not from dinner but oeuf a la neige is that piece of foam in the middle

Last night, we went out to dinner with a partner from Bill's firm who is in Chicago for on campus interviews for the next summer interns. He told Bill to find a place to eat that was nice. So Bill pulled out the Zagat guide and tried to get reservations to Topolobombo, but alas, we had to have made reservations a while ago to get in on a Tuesday evening. So we tried Naha.
It. was. amazing. I tried some new things that I don't normally see on menus. My appetizers was: Organic Carnaroli Risotto, Spanish Chorizo and Montelerraina Cheese, Red Rib Dandelion Greens, Confit Garlic and Tarragon. It was pretty dang good, however, the Spanish chorizo, which I've had chorizo before, was different than I expected. Not dense like a sausage would be. I can't even explain it, but it was pretty tasty. My entree was this succulent piece of meet: Wood-Grilled 18 oz. Prime Ribeye of Beef with a Saute of Roasted Tropea Onions, "Rose Finn" Potatoes, Tender Spinach, Bacon "Shards" and Flowering Thyme, Rich Oxtail Sauce and Murray River "Apricot" Sea Salt. I really wanted to try the oxtail sauce, so that was the reason behind this dish, and it did not disappoint. Bill opted for the roasted squab. Pretty good, but there is something disconcerting about have a dish served with feet. And finally, my favorite part of any meal, was dessert. Oh my, so many options. Lets cut to the chase, they had the most exotic ice creams and that is how I picked my dessert solely. I chose this: "Oeufs a la Neige" and Locally Grown Blueberries with Olive Oil Ice Cream, Polenta Custard and Balsamic Caramel. For real, olive oil ice cream, I've heard of it but never seen it. It did not disappoint! It was interesting and pretty tasty. And, who would have thought of using polenta as a custard. I think I"m going to have to try to make that myself. I made Bill get this: Almond Brown Butter "Financier" Cake served warm with Sweet Corn Ice Cream, fragrant Local Plums and "Popcorn". I wanted to try the sweet corn ice cream. It was good, but mine was better. And the last dish that I couldn't really pawn off on the partner that I wanted to try was a Spanish bread pudding with Saffron ice cream. It was drenched in a liquor (no surprise) so I opted out. I would go back just for dessert. Well, dessert would be about the only thing we could afford, so I guess that is that.
*Too bad no pictures, I thought it would have been tacky to pull out my camera phone during dinner. Boo.
*Is selling your soul to the firm bad, because it sure does taste good?
I know my fonts are messed up, I've tried to fix it. I'm over it.

Julie/Juli@ Project

Bill and I went and saw Julie & Juli@ last weekend. I liked it. Or maybe I should say, I liked Amy Adams and Juli@ Child. I mean, who doesn't like the woman who brought French cooking to servant less American women. I remember seeing her on TV, and unfortunately, I ignored her. She was kind of weird, had a weird voice, and it seems like it came on right after my other least favorite show, This Old House on Saturday mornings. But alas, after seeing this movie, I was inspired. So I picked up the book (that the movie is about) and I've discovered, as much as I like Julie's writing style, I don't like her. All the narrations in my head are by Amy Adams. I think it is time to move on to Julia's book asap. But in tribute to Julia, Bill and I are cooking a fine gourmet dinner. Frozen pizza and deep fried oreos. I'm sure Julia would be rolling in her grave.

Bon Appetit!

Kinder Bueno Heaven

One of the doctors that I work for just got back from Copenhagen. She brought me back this sweet delight. It is deceiving though, it looks like one Kinder Bueno, but it is really a big box with 16 individually wrapped bars. Oh, I'm in heaven. Is this day the best day of my life? Very possibly!

Ummmmmm.......Falafel

Last week, Bill and I went to this new restaurant called Chickpea. It is a Palestinian restaurant and it was might tasty. It was good for so many reasons.
#1. The falafel sandwich was delicious and only $4.
#2. They have movie posters all over the restaurant all in Arabic. (See picture of Bill with Coke sign in the background, this was the only non movie poster, but it was fitting for Bill).
#3. Free pinball machine...........for real.
#4. The restaurant chef is the mother of the owner. She came over and chatted with us for a bit.
#5. The lamb kabob and Tabbouleh were really good too.

Okay, that is enough for now. But the place was tasty and I feel the need for falafel ASAP. I'm just spreading the word, because the bird is the word, and this place was great.

Check this out

and for more fun with peeps check out this.