Truth be told, these are my favorite types of meal Truth be told, these are my favorite types of meals… platters where you can just pick at them while sipping wine and catching up with a friend. Chances are, if you come over for a meal, you’re getting an assortment of things to nosh on, maybe a mix of homemade appetizers… but just an array of deliciousness you can snack on whilst enjoying the evening. 

I’ve been wanting to make a lox platter for awhile now, so here we are. I sprinkled some Everything But the Bagel seasoning onto smoked lox and then added sliced cucumbers and radishes to the platter along with sliced bialys and crackers. Dipping items are a must so I included hummus and tzatziki. A fun platter just to nibble from, but a bialys sandwich with everything stuffed in it was pretty perfect too. Hope that gave you a little bit of inspo for something you can easily whip up too!
I had planned another type of post tonight, but in I had planned another type of post tonight, but in light of today’s news, it just doesn’t feel right. Some days it can be hard to find the sunshine, especially a day like today. I can’t make sense as to why things like today continue to happen while people spend copious amounts of energy worrying about banning books and drag shows. Make it make sense. Just make it fucking make sense. It doesn’t. You can’t. Until it does, use your voice. Show up to meetings. Sign the petitions. Text ACT to 644-33 to get involved (I did). Be so loud that you can’t be ignored, until things change. Thirteen school shootings this year. When is enough, enough?
Weekend photos in review, old school edition. Cont Weekend photos in review, old school edition.
Context: 1) Lola has zero chill in the car, 2) fulfilling request for Chicken Parm Penne with Vodka Sauce, 3) Sunday vibes 4) my favorite porchetta sandwich 5) from @butlerandtheboard 6) affirmations, 7) the sun was out today
Just like the moon, you’re whole no matter what Just like the moon, you’re whole no matter what phase you’re in. ✨ Got this one back in September and it’s one of my favorites. I sometimes forget it’s there until I get a random flash of it.
Happy #NationalPuppyDay to these two. I used to ca Happy #NationalPuppyDay to these two. I used to call Clifford an asshat, because he basically was. But there’s a new asshat in town… 🙄 Clifford is now a freaking rockstar. His tumor and age have slowed him down a LOT and he virtually never misbehaves, and we are seriously so proud of him. Lola, on the other hand, is still full blown PUPPY. Tonight I’m assembling a gate to replace the wooden one she ate through. 😂 Berners love wood and she is OBSESSED with being in the kitchen. So one new metal gate coming right up as soon as I can figure out how to put it together.
Last week when I met the owners of the new French Last week when I met the owners of the new French bakery in town, I told them how happy I was that they were opening … because now I had an endless source for gifts for my mom’s future birthdays and Christmases. She was born in Paris and we’ve grown up with a healthy appreciation for French things … starting with their pastries and baguettes, but so much more. My daughter took her first trip to Paris last year and thoroughly enjoyed the croissants there and she deemed the ones at @chocolatinenj just as perfect. No surprise there since the owner is a French pastry chef! If you’re local and haven’t been, do make a point to stop in and visit. They’re open Wednesday through Sunday and have a wide selection of sweet and savory items and a few French retail selections as well. We’ve tried the macarons, the Croque Monsieur, the croissants, the tomato tarts, the baguette … basically we’re working our way through their display case in due time. Don’t miss this one - enjoy!
People complain about how much time is spent on ph People complain about how much time is spent on phones sometimes, but if it wasn’t for phones. I wouldn’t have these awesome little snippets of them growing up. I only wish I had more. Appreciate and document the little mundane things, for they are the very fabric of your life.
happy Spring, friends! Y’all know how long I’v happy Spring, friends! Y’all know how long I’ve been waiting for the seasons to change and I’m so excited that Mother Nature was on board today! ☀️ There is nothing like the energy from the sun and it makes me happy. Hope you got some today!
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Sweetnicks

Food and Life

Week in Review

August 12, 2005 · Narrative

OK, finally got my computer back and it seems to be operational, albeit even a little faster, so I’m going to catch up a bit on some photos from the past week.

Here’s Nicholas and his girlfriend on Sunday, feeding sheep at the farm:

Here’s the HOMEMADE macaroni and cheese that I made for Nicholas that he refuses to eat … not even one stinkin’ taste!

The Coconut Shrimp Ceviche I made the other night, from a recent Tyler Florence Food 911 episode:

Here’s the Teddy Bear and the Elmo Nicholas made earlier in the week at Build-a-Bear store:

Nicholas’ nails from the “Beauty Day” at school yesterday. Hard to tell from the picture, but each nail has a small blue and white circle on it.


Beauty Day

Today we ended up getting take-out and taking care of things around the house. It’s so hot outside, neither of us felt like going out. Nicholas was at my parents’ house for dinner, so it gave us a chance to catch up on a few things. We have officially had the worst take-out dinner ever, so far. And I guess, by tonight’s standards, if this is as bad as it ever gets, then we’re doing OK. Getting food like this just makes me want to open up my restaurant NOW.

You know how restaurants always make perfect looking wraps? So perfect that you wish you could replicate it at home? Not this restaurant. I couldn’t decide what I wanted, and finally settled on the Bleu Cheese Chicken Wrap. First, there was not one speck of bleu cheese in this wrap, nor one iota of bleu cheese dressing. Secondly, you could not pick this dang thing up. It fell apart as soon as you did. And lastly, it was so fiery hot that I couldn’t eat it, and The Husband ended up giving me half of his Chicken Parm sub as a trade.


Chicken Wrap… Yeah, Right!

Next we have bruschetta. The bruschetta I am familiar with is usually a slice of toasted bread topped with chopped tomatoes, a little diced onion, some basil and olive oil … no? This was a slice of bread (not toasted), topped with balsamic dressing, BIG pieces of tomato, slices of red onion and white onion, big slab of melted mozzarella cheese and finished with tortilla strips that were doused with more balsamic dressing. Now please enlighten me … what bruschetta is topped with tortilla strips? Maybe one at a Mexican restaurant … though not a Mexican food, I could understand the tortilla strips there. But at an Italian restaurant? The concoction was edible, though I wouldn’t order it again. It’s just not bruschetta.


Bruschetta?

And lastly, the Cannolis. I love cannolis. I have found the best ones in town, and they come from another Italian place (no delivery). These arrive and they seem to have missed the point of the ricotta filling. It’s called filling because it FILLS the cannoli shell. See anything wrong with this picture? It’s all over the bottom of the pan, and the shells are mostly empty. Now lest you think this is a “but it’s 90 degrees outside, it must’ve melted problem” — not so. I’ve had them once before in the Winter, same end result. Then, I chalked it up to it being a new restaurant, and a very young, inexperienced waitress.


Poor Excuse for Cannolis

Ugh.

Another long week is finally over. Not sure what’s on tap for the weekend yet … getting a pair of glasses (I know, we live on the edge of excitement, right?). The exciting part is it’s a mystery shop, so someone else picks up the tab. Since I only wear glasses at night, I hate spending the $$ on them myself. This works out nicely. A favorite reggae band of Nicholas’ (Verdict) is playing at IKEA on Saturday afternoon, so we might head out for that. After that, this weekend is anybody’s guess, so tune in to see what develops. Until then…

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Posted In: Narrative

Comments

  1. Jeff says

    August 12, 2005 at 2:44 am

    Wow, those dishes look horrible!! I’ve never seen anything that looked so bad. Sorry!

    On the bright side….LOVE the picture of Nicholas with his build-a-bears! That’s sooo cute!

    Reply
  2. Joe says

    August 12, 2005 at 3:20 am

    Sorry to hear about the bad experience at the restaurant. Thats pretty awful! Too bad the dessert didnt make up for it!

    Reply
  3. Punky says

    August 12, 2005 at 10:23 am

    Don’t you hate when take out turn out to be such a disappointment? I am glad your computer is up and running again, and Nicholas is absolutely adorable.

    Reply
  4. Randi says

    August 12, 2005 at 2:41 pm

    wow, i hope you complained about the food. how do you get to mystery shop?

    Reply
  5. Cate says

    August 13, 2005 at 1:18 am

    Thanks, Jeff – you can tell he’s into posing!

    Joe – thanks. I made up for it tonight. :)

    Punky – thanks, Punky! I think he’s pretty cute too!

    Randi – sigh, no I didn’t complain. Most of it was objective, you know? Not like, ew, this is disgusting, more cosmetic stuff. For mystery shopping, go to http://www.volition.com and click on the Get Paid link. There, you’ll find an alphabetical listing of companies you can sign up with, and a forum with mystery shoppers. Have fun!

    Reply
  6. Anonymous says

    August 13, 2005 at 2:34 am

    I would’ve given those cannolis back to the waiter. How horrid! Yikes – and that bruschetta! With Tortilla Strips??

    I definitely would never go back there again.

    BTW, my son, at 9-3/4 still won’t eat homemade mac n cheese. He tried something in Greenville, SC but because there was nothing else. Also, he ate one serving of a recipe I made when we returned from the south and only because it was the recipe from a friend. He wouldn’t eat the leftovers – guess who did?

    So don’t feel bad that you went to all that work and Nicholas didn’t eat it. I’ve been there before – for at least 7 years of my sons life. He just prefers the box. Don’t know why.

    RisaG

    Reply

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Truth be told, these are my favorite types of meal Truth be told, these are my favorite types of meals… platters where you can just pick at them while sipping wine and catching up with a friend. Chances are, if you come over for a meal, you’re getting an assortment of things to nosh on, maybe a mix of homemade appetizers… but just an array of deliciousness you can snack on whilst enjoying the evening. 

I’ve been wanting to make a lox platter for awhile now, so here we are. I sprinkled some Everything But the Bagel seasoning onto smoked lox and then added sliced cucumbers and radishes to the platter along with sliced bialys and crackers. Dipping items are a must so I included hummus and tzatziki. A fun platter just to nibble from, but a bialys sandwich with everything stuffed in it was pretty perfect too. Hope that gave you a little bit of inspo for something you can easily whip up too!
I had planned another type of post tonight, but in I had planned another type of post tonight, but in light of today’s news, it just doesn’t feel right. Some days it can be hard to find the sunshine, especially a day like today. I can’t make sense as to why things like today continue to happen while people spend copious amounts of energy worrying about banning books and drag shows. Make it make sense. Just make it fucking make sense. It doesn’t. You can’t. Until it does, use your voice. Show up to meetings. Sign the petitions. Text ACT to 644-33 to get involved (I did). Be so loud that you can’t be ignored, until things change. Thirteen school shootings this year. When is enough, enough?
Weekend photos in review, old school edition. Cont Weekend photos in review, old school edition.
Context: 1) Lola has zero chill in the car, 2) fulfilling request for Chicken Parm Penne with Vodka Sauce, 3) Sunday vibes 4) my favorite porchetta sandwich 5) from @butlerandtheboard 6) affirmations, 7) the sun was out today
Just like the moon, you’re whole no matter what Just like the moon, you’re whole no matter what phase you’re in. ✨ Got this one back in September and it’s one of my favorites. I sometimes forget it’s there until I get a random flash of it.

Pinterest

Truth be told, these are my favorite types of meal Truth be told, these are my favorite types of meals… platters where you can just pick at them while sipping wine and catching up with a friend. Chances are, if you come over for a meal, you’re getting an assortment of things to nosh on, maybe a mix of homemade appetizers… but just an array of deliciousness you can snack on whilst enjoying the evening. 

I’ve been wanting to make a lox platter for awhile now, so here we are. I sprinkled some Everything But the Bagel seasoning onto smoked lox and then added sliced cucumbers and radishes to the platter along with sliced bialys and crackers. Dipping items are a must so I included hummus and tzatziki. A fun platter just to nibble from, but a bialys sandwich with everything stuffed in it was pretty perfect too. Hope that gave you a little bit of inspo for something you can easily whip up too!
I had planned another type of post tonight, but in I had planned another type of post tonight, but in light of today’s news, it just doesn’t feel right. Some days it can be hard to find the sunshine, especially a day like today. I can’t make sense as to why things like today continue to happen while people spend copious amounts of energy worrying about banning books and drag shows. Make it make sense. Just make it fucking make sense. It doesn’t. You can’t. Until it does, use your voice. Show up to meetings. Sign the petitions. Text ACT to 644-33 to get involved (I did). Be so loud that you can’t be ignored, until things change. Thirteen school shootings this year. When is enough, enough?
Weekend photos in review, old school edition. Cont Weekend photos in review, old school edition.
Context: 1) Lola has zero chill in the car, 2) fulfilling request for Chicken Parm Penne with Vodka Sauce, 3) Sunday vibes 4) my favorite porchetta sandwich 5) from @butlerandtheboard 6) affirmations, 7) the sun was out today
Just like the moon, you’re whole no matter what Just like the moon, you’re whole no matter what phase you’re in. ✨ Got this one back in September and it’s one of my favorites. I sometimes forget it’s there until I get a random flash of it.
Happy #NationalPuppyDay to these two. I used to ca Happy #NationalPuppyDay to these two. I used to call Clifford an asshat, because he basically was. But there’s a new asshat in town… 🙄 Clifford is now a freaking rockstar. His tumor and age have slowed him down a LOT and he virtually never misbehaves, and we are seriously so proud of him. Lola, on the other hand, is still full blown PUPPY. Tonight I’m assembling a gate to replace the wooden one she ate through. 😂 Berners love wood and she is OBSESSED with being in the kitchen. So one new metal gate coming right up as soon as I can figure out how to put it together.
Last week when I met the owners of the new French Last week when I met the owners of the new French bakery in town, I told them how happy I was that they were opening … because now I had an endless source for gifts for my mom’s future birthdays and Christmases. She was born in Paris and we’ve grown up with a healthy appreciation for French things … starting with their pastries and baguettes, but so much more. My daughter took her first trip to Paris last year and thoroughly enjoyed the croissants there and she deemed the ones at @chocolatinenj just as perfect. No surprise there since the owner is a French pastry chef! If you’re local and haven’t been, do make a point to stop in and visit. They’re open Wednesday through Sunday and have a wide selection of sweet and savory items and a few French retail selections as well. We’ve tried the macarons, the Croque Monsieur, the croissants, the tomato tarts, the baguette … basically we’re working our way through their display case in due time. Don’t miss this one - enjoy!
People complain about how much time is spent on ph People complain about how much time is spent on phones sometimes, but if it wasn’t for phones. I wouldn’t have these awesome little snippets of them growing up. I only wish I had more. Appreciate and document the little mundane things, for they are the very fabric of your life.
happy Spring, friends! Y’all know how long I’v happy Spring, friends! Y’all know how long I’ve been waiting for the seasons to change and I’m so excited that Mother Nature was on board today! ☀️ There is nothing like the energy from the sun and it makes me happy. Hope you got some today!

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