Tag: Food

After we finally left town for our honey-night1, Ariesna nodded off and went to sleep for most of the drive. Once we got to Davenport, I got a bit too caught up in looking for street names and went past the place we were staying… a couple of times. *sigh* I’m convinced I’ve got less direction sense than a rock. I can learn an area so I know where I’m going but it takes me a fairly long time and even after years of living in this area; I tend to turn down a street only to be surprised when it joins up with a different street I’m already familiar with. All this is building up to say that I ended up having to tell Ariesna where we were staying before we found the place2. I did so want it to be a complete surprise. *sigh*

Any hoo, the place we stayed at is called Fulton’s Landing. It’s a late 19th century house that has been beautifully maintained and is decorated with many a wonderful antique. When we finally arrived, Ariesna & I walked inside but found ourselves faced with a small problem. There was no sign of the proprietor! After a bit of shouting hello and ringing the doorbell, I went back outside and started walking around the grounds to see if I could find somebody. Later Ariesna confided in me that just after I’d gone searching that she found a small note saying that our hostess could be found painting the front porch.

After locating Pat, our gracious and charming host, we headed back to where Ariesna was waiting and then up to our room. Ariesna was thrilled and while I did find it to be a lovely room; it was a bit pink for me. We freshened ourselves up a bit and then went to a nearby Japanese restaurant that we are familiar with from previous visits to the area. Their yummy rolls weren’t as good as the ones we’d had back in Kansas City once upon a time, but the Hawaiian rolls were fantastic3! Then she had the Shrimp Tempura and I had the Chicken Katsu. Both dishes were delicious and much larger than I remembered from previous visits. After eaching our fill, we headed back to Fulton’s Landing.

Just a brief side note for the single folks who read this blog: when you get married some day; make sure to eat a good breakfast and/or hide some sort of energy bar in your pocket/purse for later. That way you don’t starve as your wedding guests are likely to keep you so busy that the serving staff will remove your food before you get a chance to eat any of it!

We did get back to Fulton’s Landing without any troubles and had a very pleasant evening relaxing… and doing those things that newlyweds do. The next morning, we had a marvelous breakfast with the other guests: a couple from Nebraska with their daughter from Brazil and a writer from England. Apparently, he writes a column called “The Best…” for The European; this has him gaunting around the world finding the best places to stay, best foods to eat and writing all about it for his clientelle. After listening to him talk for a few minutes, I’m became convinced that I’m in the wrong profession. 🙂 After breakfast, we checked out but Pat allowed us to leave our car parked there so we could go for a walk around the area. There are many gorgeous houses over there, a few of them for sale –and quite undoubtably out of my price range–. It ended up being a longer walk than we had really thought we were in for, with a good chunk leading us up-hill but it also very enjoyable. Particularly once we left the housing area and got back down by the river with the cool breeze coming in off the water. Hmm, that was soo nice.

Then it was time to retrieve the car and head for home, which we spent just quietly enjoying the day & each other’s company. Later in the evening, Ariesna’s parents came up and we unwrapped all the wedding loot. It was a good haul. Heck, there were even gifts in there that were aimed more towards me than they were towards the bride. Don’t misunderstand me, there were plenty of gifts that were definitely picked with the bride in mind! And of course, there was also a nice selection of checks and cold, hard cash as well. All in all, I think Ariesna & I should get married more often if it’s going to bring in this kind of loot.

1 Due to time & financial constraints, we didn’t get to do a full honeymoon right now but we hope to do one later. Since it was just a night away from home, I’m calling it our honey-night. 🙂
2 For the record, she’d already noticed the sign for the place a couple of times before I broke down and told her.
3 For those unfamiliar with Japanese cuisine, these rolls are actually types of sushi.

The Monk
You scored 18% Cardinal, 58% Monk, 47% Lady, and 35% Knight!
You live a peaceful, quiet life. Very little danger comes you way and you live a long time. You are wise and modest, but also stagnant. You have little comfort, little food and have taken a vow of silence. But who needs chatter when just sitting in the cloister of your abbey with The Good Book makes you perfectly content.
Monk
My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:

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You scored higher than 9% on Cardinal
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You scored higher than 84% on Monk
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You scored higher than 70% on Lady
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You scored higher than 17% on Knight

Link: The Who Would You Be in 1400 AD Test written by KnightlyKnave on Ok Cupid

Here is a very tasty recipe from my Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2001 (page 74). It doesn’t create a big mess.

Chicken and Broccoli Teriyaki with Noodles

    Ingredients (serves 4)

  • 1 regular size foil oven bag
  • Cooking spray
  • 1/3 cup low-sodium teriyaki sauce
  • 2 Tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger (powder works too)
  • 1 Tablespoon sugar
  • 1 pound skinned and boneless chicken breast cut into 1/2-inch bite size pieces.
  • 1 cup fat-free less-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil
  • 2 (3 ounce) packages chicken-flavored ramen noodles
  • 4 cups of broccoli florets (about 11 ounces)
  • 1 (8 ounce) package of mushrooms sliced
  • 1 (8 ounce) can of sliced water chestnuts, drained
  • 1/3 cup chopped green onions
    Directions

  1. Coat inside of oven bag with cooking spray. Place bag on a large shallow baking pan.
  2. Combine teriyaki sauce, ginger, and sugar in a zip-top bag. Add chicken to bag; seal. Marinate in the refrigerator 2 hours, turning occasionally. Remove chicken from the bag, reserving the marinade: add chicken broth and cornstarch; stir with a whisk. Stir in oil and 1 flavor packet from the noodles (discard remaining flavor packet). Set aside.
  3. Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
  4. Break each noodle package into 4 pieces. Place noodles in prepared foil bag. Pour broth mixture over noodles. Add broccoli, mushrooms, and water chestnuts. Top with the chicken. Fold the edge of the bag over to seal. Bake at 475 degrees for 30 minutes or until chicken is done. Place bag on a platter. Cut open with sharp knife (be careful of steam) and peel back foil using oven mitts. Sprinkle with onions.

This recipe is from my Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book, (page 248).

Hamburger Pie (a.k.a Shepherd’s Pie)

    Ingredients (Serves 4)

  • 1 10oz. bag of mixed vegetables
  • 1 pound of ground beef
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1 can of tomato or cheese soup (10.5oz – 11oz). I highly recommend using a cheese soup!
  • 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
  • 1 package of instant mashed potatoes (enough for four servings)
    Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
  2. Run cold water over vegetables to separate.
  3. In a large skillet, cook meat and onion till meat is brown. Drain.
  4. Stir vegetables and 1/4 cup water into skillet.
  5. Cook, covered , 5 to 10 minutes or till tender.
  6. Stir in soup, Worcestershire sauce, thyme and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Transfer to a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish.
  7. Prepare potatoes according to package directions. Drop in mounds (potatoes) atop the hot mixture. Bake in an oven for 25 to 30 minutes or till hot.