We were seated in a room with a large party, which wasn't ideal, as it got quite loud at some points, however, the service at the restaurant more than made up for this fact. Our waiter was not only polite and attentive, he was also knowledgeable, both about steak (which you'd imagine being that The Keg is a steakhouse) and about wine.

My husband and I almost always order the same thing when we eat here - the Filet Classic Dinner. The great thing about the classic dinner is that it includes a Caesar salad as well as your meal. Just a nice touch, in my mind. Given that this was a special occasion, we also ordered escargot to start. I'll be honest - it was not the best escargot I've ever had. It was tasty, sure, but came out REALLY hot (yes, I understand it's baked, but still!) and had a distinct curry flavor, which I found...odd. I'd chalk that up to overseasoning.

Onto the Caesar salad. Perfect amount of dressing, delicious croutons, and shaved cheese - not grated. This is a particularly important thing in my mind. I find with the grated cheese, you lose that lovely, sharp Parmesan flavor. it's cheesy, but just barely so. With the shaved cheese, you get a lovely Parmesan zip in every bite of salad. It compliments the tanginess of the dressing as well as the crisp mellowness of the Romaine lettuce.

As for the steaks, they were fabulous. Both my husband and I enjoyed the filet mignon, medium rare, wrapped with a slice of Applewood smoked bacon. The bacon really sets this steak apart - the smokiness accents the steak so well, it's unbelievable. The steak was cooked perfectly, and was so succulent and tender that it was almost like butter. Served with garlic mashed potatoes (wonderful and perfectly creamy) and an assortment of vegetables (mainly mushrooms and peppers), it was a fantastic meal.

To drink, we enjoyed one of our favorite bottles - a Liberty School Cabernet Sauvignon. It's a bit more mellow than traditional cab sauvs, with a bit of a fruity taste. I'm a self-professed Pinot Noir lover, so this is right up my alley.

All in all, it was a typically wonderful meal. The Keg Manor is a great place to go for a special dinner. It's not cheap, but the ambiance, service, and fantastic food makes it worth every penny.

Have you dined here? Where's your favorite steakhouse? Do share!!

Throw some kosher salt and white pepper on the cod. In a hot pan and olive oil, place fish skin down, pressing down firmly to ensure good contact with the pan. Hold for 2 to 3 minutes until skin is crisp. Another 2 to 3 minutes per side to cook the rest of the fish.

For spinach, prepare olive oil and generous amount of lemon/orange peel in a hot pan. When peel starts to curl, add the spinach and fry for 3 minutes. Salt to taste. Shape into a ball.

Nothing special about the mashed potatoes--a little butter, milk, salt & pepper to taste. I added some raw shallots, too. 

Garnish with some paprika, lemon zest. Simple & healthy. Good luck!

Share on Facebook

Instead, I bought a piece of tilapia. I prepared it as if I were making Tilapia Piccata. At the moment, I only have a white merlot open in the fridge, and I didn't want to open a bottle of white wine just to make the tilapia. So instead, I just dragged the fish through a little flour with some salt and pepper mixed in, and put it in the frying pan over medium-high heat with a little bit of melted butter for two minutes or so on each side.

One thing I still haven't quite figured out is that how to time cooking different things without one getting cold. The fish was done before the potatoes, even though I started the potatoes first. I ended up having to boil the potatoes for a bit longer than the recipe calls for (it says 13 minutes - I think I left them in for closer to 20 minutes). I also wasn't sure if the skin was supposed to be left on. (Since the recipe didn't say otherwise, I left it on.)

The potatoes also gave me a chance to break out my beautiful new Pyrex bowls. I bought them months ago, but due to organizational issues in my kitchen, I had nowhere to put them, so they've been living in a box. But organizational issues seem to have been resolved, thusly, they no longer live in a box. Hooray!

I decided to throw some minced fresh rosemary in there, too, since I've got a lovely rosemary plant out on my porch that I don't use nearly enough. I probably could have thrown a little more in there, since it didn't flavor the potatoes as much as I hoped. I also added some garlic powder in after I mixed everything together, since the 1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic the recipe calls for didn't seem to be as garlicky as I would have liked either. (I am, on the whole, a huge fan of garlic.)

When I first looked at this recipe, I was psyched, because for the first time EVER, I found a recipe that was only one serving. For once, I didn't have to do sixteen mental equations to figure out how to make an appropriate amount of food. However, either the scale at the supermarket was off (when I bought the potatoes), or the recipe is wrong - I ended up with what was probably closer to 2 servings instead of one.

I was surprised how easy this recipe was. I've never made mashed potatoes from scratch before, and I don't own a potato masher. At first, it took a little bit if slicing the potatoes with a spoon, but they mushed together well enough in the end. (If you boil the potatoes a little longer, like I did, they'll probably mash a little easier. The recipe says you can use a potato masher, fork, or spoon - I used a teaspoon without much trouble, though I probably should have used a tablespoon.)

I'm definitely going to make this one again (with the skin on - it adds to the texture nicely), though I might add more minced garlic from the beginning, and I'll definitely use more rosemary. This one is also a good quick recipe that would work well for a weeknight, if you're pressed for time.

If you are going through hell, keep going.

I've been thinking about that quote all week. Not just in terms of running, but in life in general.

We had a crazy run the other day at the Hill of Life. I think it was about 6 miles ... mostly giant rocks. Mid-run I had to pee. I ran around looking for a good tree to squat behind. I couldn't find a good one, so I decided to hold it. When I finally finished, I didn't have to pee anymore. What's up with that?

Abrie said that I probably sweated it out, but that doesn't sound logical to me. Did I pee on myself and not notice? I don't think so.

Anyway, I mentioned my privacy issue to Gabe and he recommended constructing a shower curtain costume like Daniel-san's in the Karate Kid movie. Can you picture me running though the woods wearing this?

I also mentioned that those electrolyte candy things are a hard to get used to. I read in a magazine that one ultrathon runner buys mashed potatoes and gravy from Boston Market (where everyday is Thanksgiving) and he puts it in a pastry bag and he eats that during races. Yummy.

Gabe suggested that I pack fried pickles and ranch dressing for my carb recovery. What do you think?

Potatoes, milk, butter and salt taste great together. It looks like shit but trust me it's fucking delicious.

This i the cute oven I use. I think one of my family members pick up from our void deck 1.

The cherry tomatoes look beautiful, but they tasted like shit actually. Shouldn't have gotten those cheap china ones.

The meat was a little overcooked, but still quite tender and juicy. Crust is made of breadcrumbs, parsley, cinnamon powder, parmesan cheese, and abit of olive oil and lemon juice.

I won't say that we felt shunned per se but we did only have a two person Thanksgiving Dinner. It was quiet and quaint. As well, I pretty much had complete license to do whatever I wanted cooking wise. Needless to say, I took advantage, and whipped up:

• Cornish Game Hen - Rubbed down with butter, lemon pepper, salt, pepper, sage and rosemary, with garlic cloves and lemon wedges stuffed inside the bird

• Garlic Mashed Potatoes - Red potatoes, boiled, mashed up with fat-free sour cream, butter and lots and lots of garlic
• Green Bean Casserole - Nothing you can't find on the can!
• Hen Drippings Gravy - Basically drained the liquid from the cooked hens, mixed in some cornstarch and whisked till it was the right thickness
• Cherry Pie - Honestly, all I have the recipe for is the crust, the filling came pre-canned
• Stuffing - Walmart brand to the rescue!
• Flax Seed Buns - Literally a general white bread recipe plus about 1 cup of flax seed (this is a great way to add nutritional value and fiber into your white breads!)

All-in-all, I think my husband and I now have a new tradition of cornish game hen for Thanksgiving Dinner. They were much, much more tasty than turkey, easier to prepare and cook and we used the leftovers in many more ways than I would have for turkey meat.

Since a great Thanksgiving feast isn't complete without pictures...pictures for my audience!

]]> http://hotbiscuits.wordpress.com/?p=1428 Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:51:43 +0000 sweetBeats http://hotbiscuits.wordpress.com/?p=1428
(Art via Me)

That last mash-up by ELLIOT + QUIX was remarkable, truly remarkable. This Coldplay Vs. T.I. remix seemed to be a fitting follow-up, but I've been informed that the REAL follow-up is yet to come. So consider this a precursor...

Coldplay vs. T.I. - What You Know, Scientist? (ELLIOT vs. QUIX)

Beats™

Such was the situation for most of the time I was at dinner, so I have no photos to post. Sorry. But since this aspires to be an all-purpose blog, I’ll bore you by telling you what I ate.

The first course was a small salad, with your basic lettuce, cherry tomatoes and croutouns. There was also far more salad dressing than necessary, in the form a bowl full of those oversized packets you see at deli counters and supermarket salad bars.

Salad was followed by a herbed roll with butter, and then a choice of four main courses: baked chicken with rice, tilapia with rice, vegetable lasagna or steak with mashed potatoes. As meals are included in the cost for sleeper car passengers, I went for the steak. The grandfather-granddaughter combination across the table from me got macaroni and cheese for the younger half.

Speaking of the table, Amtrak makes a very clear point of stating that the dining car is a community-seating space. If you have a group of four you can get your own table, but any fewer than that and you’re going to have to sit with someone you don’t know.

That was fine by me, as it was for the other three people I sat with. The grandfather and granddaughter were from Silver Spring, Md., en route to Chicago, while the fourth person was a woman en route back home to Toledo from visiting relatives in New Jersey. We had plenty to talk about, especially when it came to swapping tales about train travel.

Given that the steak was prepared in a train galley by a chef who was working on his own to cook for all seven seatings in the dining car (5:30 to 8:30 on the half hour), the meat was pretty good. It was cooked plenty well, but it had some juice and spices on it to make it tasteful. The mashed potatoes were a bit lighter than I like, but that was no surprise. And I even ate the green beans that came alongside, albeit with some help from the leftover salad dressing.

Time came for dessert, and once again there were choices: vanilla or chocolate ice cream, cheesecake or a chocolate cake that I was told had a strawberry flavoring in the middle. I decided to go for the option that at least nominally had fruit in it, and nominally turned out to be the correct word. The cake tasted fine, but the strawberry flavoring turned out to be just some dye that made the cake red instead of yellow.

I came back to find myself without internet access, and settled down to write this post. I had to do it as a WordPerfect document (I much prefer it to Word) instead of on the blogging platform, but that got the words out of my head right away without having to save them for later.

The train gets to Pittsburgh a little bit before midnight and we have a 10-minute or so layover (depending on how late we are). If I’m still awake, I’ll try to take some pictures. Other than that, it’s back to waiting for a strong enough signal to upload what I’ve already got.

Good Idea, Rage Cage. Ha, what is that from? Amazing. This track is a tasty jam indeed, brought to you by ELLIOT in collaboration with QUIX. A nice little mash-up of Wu Tang's "Da Mystery Of Chessboxin'" and Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London". It really takes a lot for me to appreciate a mash-up because a lot of times people don't put any time into them. I'm used to hearing a weak hip-hop acapella layed over a weak instrumental, but this is quite solid on the production and execution; you'll dig it.

Warren Zevon vs. Wu Tang - Werewolves of Chessboxin (ELLIOT Scratch Mix)

Beats™

Mashed Potato Surprise

• 2 or 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• instant mashed potatoes big box
• sour cream
• 2 cans mixed vegetables
• 1 can green beans
• 1/8 cup parmesan cheese
• worcestershire sauce
• fried onions

Okay so here goes. Take the chicken (thawed preferably) and throw it under the broiler checking it at regular intervals (don't burn it like I did the other day) and let it cook till the center is done. I love doing chicken this way because it keeps it soft and moist instead of crispy and dry. (even when you burn it) While thats cooking get your big box of mashed potatoes and make enough for the 12 servings (this will feed a crowd of 4 or 5 hungry men, if you want less, make less potatoes and use only one can of veggies). Cook the potatoes according to the box, but add in the parmesan cheese while the water is boiling. Once you've got the potatoes and chicken cooked, its simple from there. Cut the chicken into bite sized chunks and add the chicken, vegetables, green beans, about 1/2 cup of sour cream, and about 4 or 5 tbsps worcestershire sauce and mix them all in. Top this with the fried onions like you would green bean casserole and serve with shredded cheese. Its easy and good, the picky ones enjoy the veggies, and leftovers are good too. A quick note about seasoning. I use about 1 tsp salt and then add a good measure of onion powder to the mix, but you can season however you choose. I also cut up a crookneck squash, sauteed it in a little smart balance, and added it as well- good way to get some fresh veggies in the mix in a hurry. Bon Apetit!

The potato recipe is quite simple.  Bake (or microwave) whole russet potatoes, about 1 potato for every 2 servings.  When they are fork tender, run them through your potato ricer.  This step is optional, but it’s the only way to guarantee lightness and fluffiness.  Mix in some butter, heavy cream, salt, white pepper and blue cheese.  Then, load the whole mixture into a pastry bag with an extra-large tip and pipe the potatoes around the salmon, directly on individual cedar planks.  Grill until the salmon is done, then serve directly on the planks.  Your guests will love it!

Old drivers – These drivers are never safe to be around.  They can often be seen with obnoxiously large sunglasses, funny hats and something plaid on.  Since gravity has taken its toll on their bone structure they are often not tall enough to actually see over the steering wheel.  In the words of Jerry Seinfeld, all you might see is “a hat and two knuckles”.  Not only will they be going below the speed limit, but they will erratically change lanes without regard for human existence.  They are often on their way to dinner around 4pm at some sort of buffet because “they like the mashed potatoes” and insist on telling their waiter every time.  If you ever see an old person smiling while driving it is because they just thought about putting walnuts in their brownie recipe or they are thinking about the good old days when the races were separated and Eugenics was in fashion.  That or they’ve finally decided they can’t stand wearing Depends anymore because of the nasty rash it gives them and they’ve decided to go out in one final, thirty five mile per hour blaze of glory near the kitten store.  Stay away.  Driving around old people is like trying to snuggle with a pit bull.  You might be all right or you might end up seeing untold carnage done to your persons. 

Young drivers – Young drivers are tricky because they are often varied in their results.  Some of them can handle the responsibility of a vehicle and some cannot.  These are the following subcategories.

a.)    Timid:  These poor unfortunate souls are either in Driver’s Education, fresh out of it, or simply are not ready to be in the cutthroat world of automobiles.  They look at highway and react much like Will Ferrell in Talladega Nights, “Those are other cars?!”  Their fragile mental state does not allow them to handle the reality that things are moving quickly, know what they are doing and will eat you alive if you fuck around.  Not unlike a roaming pack of velociraptors.     

b.)   Average:  These young drivers have a natural aptitude for driving probably because they are not fucking morons.  They realize that going five over the speed limit is socially acceptable and work their way up from there.  They are comfortable with many of the normal functions of driving such as switching lanes, merging and not endangering others on the road.

c.)    Dangerous:  This category alone is why car insurance for people less than twenty five years of age is as high as it is.  When you look at a sixteen or seventeen year old with their baggy pants, their hip hop and their MTV, do they really look trustworthy?  You can see these drivers going upwards of ninety miles per hour weaving through traffic all the while high-fiving their friends and listening to 50 Cent’s new album entitled, “Money, Bitches, and the Pursuit of Happynezz”.  These kids are dangerous and rack up a hefty death toll every year.  If an average human can discern this about these younglings, why can’t their parents?

Father:  Honey do you think Timmy is ready for his own car?

Mother:  Of course.  He received a D+ in Physics.  He understands the responsibility.

Father:  Say where is Timmy?

Mother:  I believe he’s outside torturing squirrels.

Father:  Oh that little rapscallion.  He’s such a bucket of sunshine.  I can’t wait to give him a piece of machinery that is capable of going excess of one hundred and fifty miles per hour and taking countless human lives if improperly used.

Mother:  Me neither dear.  Let’s go to IKEA.

Drivers oblivious to lane responsibilities – The right lane is for…. Driving.  Well done children.  And the left lane is for…. Passing.  Nice work everyone.  That’s pretty much all of your responsibilities.  However, without fail you will see some jackass in the left lane just cruising around five miles an hour above the speed limit listening to Vanessa Carlton’s “White Houses”.  Look dude, I understand the song has deep symbolic meaning about her first sexual experience as a young woman and the piano melody brings you back to a time in your life when you were bright eyed and exploring your sexuality like that time when you and your fraternity brother touched penises in a hot tub but swore never to tell anyone or even speak of it again, but get the fuck out of the way.  People who fall in this category frequently fall into the next one as well…

Driver while on their cell phones – We understand that the NASDAQ is down 150 points and you need to get your broker on the line.  And you know what?  I don’t think it’s a bad idea for people to be on their cell phones while driving, but sweet gentle Jesus, get out of the left lane if said cell phone conversation will slow your progress to beneath the travel rate of other drivers.  Stop driving Miss Daisy and move (This is not a comment on the race of the driver, but rather a comment on the leisurely and plodding nature of their pace). 

I think someone should introduce a bill to Congress that all citizens of the United States (and those visiting on work permits), should be legally obligated to ram other cars if they are caught going below the speed limit and conversing on their cell phones.  That or they should be shot or prevented from reproducing.

Drivers who took The Fast and the Furious too seriously – You know these people.   They have their orange Honda Civics with fluorescent lights, a large spoiler, terribly loud exhaust pipes that sounds like an elephant is farting, and chrome racing rims.  Not only does your car look like the automobile equivalent of an acid trip gone wrong, but none of this shit makes your car any faster.  These drivers will be seen unnecessarily zipping around their small town where no street racing takes place and pretending like their penis is over two inches long.  

Drivers with sound systems – This is pretty self explanatory.  These drivers can be seen with windows down in February in St. Paul, Minnesota so that everyone can hear their 15 inch sub woofer, or their totally bitching Alpine speakers.  Nope. Stop.  Girls don’t like it.  Guys think you’re obnoxious and your parents stopped loving you.  Your sound system costs more than your car?  Good idea.  You should have saved your money to put a down payment on having a fucking clue.

Savvy drivers – These drivers know what’s up.  They drive ten miles an hour over the speed limit, change lanes responsibly, understand all the rules and can handle it.  You would probably want to have a beer with this individual.  They probably have really burly stories about that time they went to Thailand.

Drivers with infants – These drivers are new parents who fall into the speed category of old drivers, but have the skills of savvy drivers.  They understand they have precious cargo and take the appropriate steps to ensure its safety.  They should be respected and given space unless they are yuppies from the 1980’s who drive blue Volvo station wagons with “Baby on Board” stickers.  These people should be corralled by a roving band of vigilante bike riders who distribute highway justice.  Social services should then be alerted so that they can start training the shrink who will be dealing with this child in fourteen years.

Fast drivers – They drive fast, are sometimes safe, and feel that shaving five minutes on their arrival time is adequate compensation for a potential $500 ticket and a point on their license.  These drivers also play a lot of KENO and bet on horse racing quite seriously

Drivers picking their noses – These drivers have been known to have an insufficient understanding of the fact that their car does not make them invisible.  I personally see nothing wrong with picking one’s nose in general or even while driving, but there is a certain level of discretion that is involved in doing so.  “Car” does not equal “invisibility”.  These drivers have been known to shirk their lane responsibilities in search of “buried treasure”.  We understand your need, but just move over.

Drivers who really like their music – These are often white people who enjoy treating their steering wheel as a set of drums or turntables.  They can be seen shaking their heads out of rhythm, gesturing wildly and not caring how many people on the road are silently judging them and taking videos of them with cell phones.

Drivers who think their sunglasses make them important – You’re not a Terminator.  You’re not in The Matrix.  You’re not a secret service agent.  You’re not Blade.  You are just another driver among many who hates it when sun slaps them in the retinas. 

Drivers who are eating – As long as they are not eating something sloppy like a burrito, taco, or massive sub, they are safe to drive near.  However, if they are eating something that looks difficult to eat, or that it should involve two hands, such as NY Strip steak, a salad or any of the above mentioned culinary delights, back off.

Drivers who don’t understand four way stops – It is not always your turn.  No matter how much you want it to be, it is not.  These drivers cannot grasp the concept that they are not revered by other drivers as being the most important vehicle in traffic.  They will frequently cut other drivers off, give the finger and drive away shaking their heads.  The make the same face that people who support the Iraq War do when they are in disbelief that people don’t believe there are WMD’s.  “I can’t believe those guys.  Don’t they get it?”  Oh we get it.  You’re a fucking idiot.  These drivers are also aspiring sociopaths.

Drivers who are women – I’m not even touching this.

Drivers getting road head – Other male drivers can live vicariously and be happy for the common good of males, but be careful for they are quite dangerous as the driver might become unpredictable while in the throws of violent coitus.

Drivers who need a cigarette – They are the drivers above only four to six minutes in the future.

Drivers from New Jersey – Don’t make eye contact, pull a U-turn, and contact the Vatican.  You’ve just witnessed a miracle.  It is quite uncommon for someone to survive an encounter with a New Jersey driver with their wits and limbs about them.  Driving anywhere near a New Jersey driver is like snorkeling with piranhas:  You might be able to survive for a little while, but things get increasingly dangerous the longer you are in the water.

So that’s it for the types of drivers.  Good luck profiling and taking the vehicular steps necessary to ensure a safe, fun, piranha filled driving experience.

*Thanks to Cioppa for his contribution on the old lady fantasizing about walnuts in her brownies joke.

hearing the children pray
mashed potatoes + chicken fingers
shelli
connor learning to sing
swimming for hours each day
playing nerts
eating ice milk
laughing too much
trying not to cry
engagement presents
tommy fike
kaitlyn making a new best friend
the gorgeous weather
jeff being so near so constantly
seeing the best in people
job offers
watching my former campers become adults
leaning on others
being so loved (all 4 of us)
explaining the wedding plans
feeling like a family
knowing how close the Lord is, all the time

...the cicadas

"There's plenty of room for all God's creatures. Right next to the mashed potatoes."

I love Canadians. As you'll see over the next few days, they have all the best signs.

It's not actually Barbecued chicken.

BBQ chicken is a new Korean fried chicken chain that recently opened on St Mark's Place. What makes their chicken different from most other fried chicken is that they fry it in olive oil which leads to a much lighter, less greasy chicken that is unbelievably delicious. I am not usually a fried chicken person but this is so delicious that I am very anxious to try other Korean fried chicken places, most notably Bon Bon and Chicken and Beer.

BTW The biscut was just okay and the mashed potatoes were quite close to awful. Stick to the chicken and you'll be fine!

2 piece meal which includes biscuit, side and soda - $6.99

BBQ Chicken - 26 St Mark's Place (Between 2nd and 3rd Avenues) NY, NY 10003, 212-982-9616

Lately I've heard more about Girl Talk and his shitty mash-up's than ever before, and I have to tell you... It's annoying. There are, however, good mash-up's in the world of music and AutoRock is one of the dudes responsible for them. I was starting to lose hope in the whole "good mash-up" thing, because people are all raving like crazy about bad ones (GT).

So, without further ado, check out the quality original remix "This Is Golden" with a side of DC mashed potatoes!

AutoRock - Low (AutoRock Anthem Remix)
AutoRock - This Is Golden (Feat. Jurassic 5)
AutoRock - Where Did Our Love Go? (AutoRock Remix)

Beats™

Cowboy Pot Roast

I found this recipe in an old Southern Living cookbook that I had inherited from my paternal grandmother many years ago. I think it came out pretty tasty, and Mark gave his seal of approval too.

2.5 - 3 lbs. beef pot roast, trimmed

1 (14.5 oz) can petite-cut diced tomatoes, drained

1 can Rotel tomatoes, undrained

1 onion, cut into large wedges

2 T. chili powder

2 (16 oz) cans pinto beans, drained

1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained

Salt & pepper to taste

Place roast in Crock Pot; salt generously. Pour tomatoes and onion wedges over the roast; add chili powder. Cover and cook on high temperature for about 5 hours. Remove roast from Crock Pot, cut into large chunks. Add beans in the Crock Pot and place the chunks of roast back into the Crock Pot as well. Lower temperature down to warm until ready to serve. This would be a nice dish for chilly autumn and winter days.

Mashed Potatoes

Everyone has their own unique way of making mashed potatoes, and this is mine.

5-6 large russet potatoes, washed, peeled & cut into cubes

1 stick of butter

1 small container of cream cheese with chives and onions

Milk

Salt & pepper

Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender; drain and return to pot. I use about 3/4 of a stick of butter, a few dashes of milk, generous salt and pepper, and 2-3 large dollops of the cream cheese. Mash well until smooth.

 I served the pot roast on top of the mashed potatoes. The natural gravy from the pot roast and beans was excellent on the taters. We also had a nice mixed greens salad with the roast.

I think I slept in again. Which was very customary, given the late nights and late mornings. Basically I woke up at around 11 PM, showered, ate a variegated and ample breakfast, usually consisting of oatmeal, cereal, toast with orange marmalade, and more ... (yes, more...) and kind of sat around until Ashleigh and Amanda so graciously came 'round the house again to pick me up.

We went to Dromore High School for the biweekly Scripture Union and then back to Lorraine's just to chill our for teatime. By the time I took my first photo that day, it was already the late afternoon - surprised?

Amanda Fawn Witzer presenting ... a hodgepodge of delectable eats (about to be popped into the oven) - including onion rings, an assortment of frozen-but-pre-grilled vegetables, and indian onion things of which I forget the name .... (I know that the word ends in "i")

I am the walrus, coo coo kachoo.

She Came In Through the Bathroom Window...

Two Of Us

I've Got A Feeling ... that this bread is really yummayummayumma.

It Won't Be Long ... before I sneeze and watch bread crumbs parasail out from my lips.

Oh! Darling, I am a crazy mad man (Look at Ashleigh's large bottle of sweet and sour chili sauce).

"I Want You!"

Hallelujah. I Love Her So, and I'm gonna feed her a scoop of mashed potatoes.

You've Got to Hide Your *Face* Away.

Do You Want To Know A Secret? I'm Irish and Tasty.

Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

I'm Only Sleeping

So I'm tired of writing those captions ... but yes, there was a pattern. Figure it out, and you will if you are a fan of four...

Starting to get delirious...

And weird.

Help! Neville being the wacko he is..

On the right there's mashed potatoes, peas, garlic bread and a smart dog. On the left there's a fruit salad with grapes, cantaloupe, and strawberries. There's also a little container with raw almonds.

Anyway I made the simplest of dishes yesterday with leftover stuff that I had -

I called it Grilled chicken with Kelamata Olives - why olives? that's the jar I have - and I bought the wrong ones too - I wanted pitless olives but I bought the pitted ones instead and it's a pain getting rid of the stone on each one of them before serving it - so I did not use alot of those that time. Now I had  a opened jar of olives languishing in the fridge. I also had a can of chicken stock half used from this weekend, in the fridge and that needs to be used up asap. So...

Ingredients:

Chicken pieces (a couple of huge pieces) I prefer dark meat, bone in and some skin on - I happen to have 2 huge pieces of chicken leg in the freezer. Thawed them out in the microwave.  

1 bottle of beer (whatever that's in the fridge)

(leftover) chicken stock (about 1/2 a cup that I had)

(leftover) jar of pitted olives (juice and all)

Grill seasoning

garlic powder

Preheat oven 400 deg F. Meantime pour beer, chicken stock and contents of olive jar into oven proof pan - put in chicken pieces (bone side down), sprinkle garlic powder and grill seasoning to coat the exposed side of the chicken. Cover pan with aluminium foil. When oven is ready - put it in and bake 45-1 hr (depending on size of chicken pieces).

The timing is approximate - when I took it out after an hour - almost all the liquid is gone and the chicken is falling off the bones. Normally, I take the dish out of the oven to check once in a while and I found out that it's best (for me) to check the dish the 1st half hour to see how done they are and then go from there. Yesterday, I just let it left it in there and really was taking a chance! If I waited longer, they may have dried out completely but that's not really an issue, because if I wanted more juices from the ingredients, I just pour water (or stock - stock is better of course) in the dish. 

Now I had dinner for both yesterday and today. What a great way to use the olives and stock, huh?

 I complemented the chicken with mashed potatoes from the box. DH loved it!