Camp Food

This is the wunderkind's first year in Girl Scouts.  She's a Daisy, to be precise.  I wasn't a Girl Scout, but got extensive cookie sales experience when my sister had a stint as a Brownie.  She was all jacked up to sell the most cookies so she'd be able to go to camp for free.  Turns out, sales really isn't her bag.  So, I walked her around the neighborhood and sold cookies, then turned the order form loose on mom's company and dad's too.  She won.  She went to camp for free.  She had a scavenger hunt for her breakfast.  She hated it.  She never returned.

The Godfather of Bacon

I've admitted to you all before that I am an unabashed fan of bacon.  I love it.  I admit it and I'm not ashamed of it.  If I'm ever in a coma, please just advise the nurses to start cookin' up some bacon and I'll wake up in a flash.  

Today, the Vivvo and I joined my parents for lunch at the Gourmet Shop.  Viv loves to eat here for a few reasons:  1) our friend Brandi manages the place and always comes over to talk to us (Viv thinks that means we're VIPs) 2) One time, the owner let Viv go with her behind the counter and pick out any cookie she wanted (complimentary... of course it took a few conversations for me to make her understand that we don't get free cookies every time we go there) and 3) She loves croissants. I mean, really loves croissants.  She's actually developed her own "usual."  She orders a croissant with raspberry jam, butter and honey and a glass of milk.  Every time, without fail.

Like most people in Columbia, I usually order the chicken salad.  I mean, it IS what makes the Gourmet Shop famous.  One of their staff shirts reads "Peace, Love and Chicken Salad."  But, today, I decided I was up for a change of pace. There are lots of other dishes that I love at the G.S., but I decided on something new, well, new in the sense that I've never ordered it. The BLT.  OMG, call the BFF about the BLT, it's the BOMB.

You can't see the tomato, but trust me, it's in there!

This is the bacon lover's dream sandwich.  It is packed to the gills with beautiful bacon.  I mean, see that pile of it to the left?  It was just spilling out.  And this wasn't paper thin Waffle House bacon; no, no this was the real deal.  And, under all this dreaminess were two nice slices of bright red, beautiful tomato.  A little mayo completed the package.  And, as you can see, it's served on a croissant.  The waitress did ask if that was the bread I wanted, but I just don't like sandwiches like this on multi-grain because I think it's too sweet and the baguette can simply be too tall for me to bite.  I ordered the pesto pasta salad as my side.  This is a great pasta salad...fresh tasting pesto, bowtie pasta and green peas.  Today, however, I could only have a couple bites because of my monster baconator!

Since my big tomato breakthrough last summer, this is the best BLT I've come across so far.  Next time you're in Five Points, pop in there and see what you think.  If you get a really sticky table, chances are Viv was sitting there with all her honey and jam!
  

Asian slaw that hits the spot!

I didn't have much time for dinner prep tonight.  Had chicken marinating in teriyaki; always a good thing. Already had some leftover green beans in the fridge, only in need of a little heat-up.  But what else?  I am one of those who believes any proper square meal needs a main dish and two sides.  I guess technically that's a triangle or maybe a circular meal.  Anyway, that's just how I am.  Once in a blue moon, I've served a dish with just one side.  No one died. No one walked away emotionally scarred.  But, I must admit I didn't feel right about it.

So, you see my dilemma right?  I have teriyaki chicken, I have green beans, BUT WHAT ELSE????

Neil's "burnt out buds"...a tragic tale

Getting tonsils out:  It's not all fun and games!

Those of you who deal with me on Facebook are well aware that my beloved recently underwent a tonsillectomy.  Leading up to this event, I got lots of advice, warnings and war-stories from friends, friends of friends, the doctors and everyone else I can think of about the horror that was about to take place.  You see, adult tonsillectomies are notorious.  Adults take longer to heal, the pain is greater, the incidence of getting sick while recovering is greater, and the list goes on and on.  As the wife of a man who, well, let's just say is a real "joy" to care for when he has a common cold, I was armed for bear. 

Happy Happy Joy Joy

I'm not much of a buffet girl.  Especially not a Chinese buffet.  But from time to time I guess we all end up at one.  But, as a general rule, I stay away from buffets.  Although the champagne brunch buffet at the Hotel Coronado in San Diego is pretty flippin' amazing!  But usually buffets are picked over, tired looking and just not very exciting.  

A few days ago, my mom ran into her former neighbor.  They chatted a bit and he said each week he takes his mother-in-law to lunch and that quite often they go to this Chinese place that they really like.  He went on to say that it's the ONLY Chinese place he goes to.  Why?  He knows someone who served as a missionary in China and this is the ONLY Chinese place that he will patronize. And <<gasp>> it's a buffet restaurant.