Making the Menu

July 4th Celebration with Cynthia and Kent

Good friends, Cynthia Schwenk and Kent Hackmann, former college professors, took off their formal paraphernalia and substituted their college caps with toques for a July 4 cookout. Who can have an Independence Day salute without the requisite hamburgers? Not me. Along side the burgers and toppings were Grilled Vegetables, Potato Salad and a Layered Salad with lettuce, green peas, bacon and lots of parmesan. Bordeaux added to the experience. Dessert was a Lemon Sponge Pie. 

Grilled Vegetables and Burgers

Grilled Vegetables ready to eat.

Layered Salad

A pretty table and ready to toast Independence!  Where's the Bordeaux??

Dining out in Highlands, NC

One lunch was at Wild Thymes Gourmet in Highlands. My Butterbean and Tomato Salad had a really good flavor as did the salmon BLT. The salmon was not over-cooked as it often is. He had a wild rice salad that passed the good flavor test, too. I can also attest to the quality of the cookies!

 

Butterbean and Tomato Salad with a Salmon BLT

Wild Rice Salad with the Salmon BLT

 

Our big anniversary dinner was to be at On the Veranda Restaurant and I made reservations 2 days in advance. When I called to confirm, they said “we’re closed all day.” Bummed! All was not lost; we discovered Lakeside restaurant. The food was average, but the place attractive and the service attentive. The restaurant food in Atlanta is far better but we didn’t expect more than we received. The prices in Highlands remind me of “we’ve got you here, so now we’re going to charge you big prices.”  The food is not as good as the prices are high. Can you imagine a $35 corkage fee?? Why?? Because, they can?? All in all a great week-end since we’d didn’t take our own wine….to the restaurant! 

Diamonds? Maybe next year.

 

Red Snapper (top) Crab Cakes (bottom)  

Anniversary Week-End in Highlands, NC

With the temperature in the 90’s in Atlanta, an anniversary week-end to a great “cabin” (vrbo #180645) in Highlands, NC, was just the solution. Usually, you can depend on the temperature in Highlands to be about 10 degrees less than here and the weatherman smiled upon us with cooler temperatures in the mountains. We arrived there about 7 PM after a late start for the 2 plus hour trip. Rather than eat out, we were prepared for dinner “at home.”

With the salmon we bought enroute and the ingredients we found in our new “home” I created Salmon with Gingery Mustard Sauce.  

Just mix a little Dijon with some ginger preserves and a dab of low-fat or light mayo. Then, line the pan with foil for easy clean up, (it will burn because of the sugar in the preserves). Spread the salmon with the sauce. Top with cracker crumbs (or not) and bake it at 425 for about 20 minutes. 

Ready to go into the oven.

Ready to go into our mouths.

Black beans, a salad and zinfandel were all we needed for a nice dinner. Since the cabin included music, we enjoyed that, too. No dancing, however, he’s not that romantic.

He made omelets for breakfast. I’m not used to this since I’m usually a bowl-of-cereal girl. To lower the fat and cholesterol, he uses 1 whole egg to 3 egg whites and fills the omelet with reduced-fat cheddar (Cabot), chopped spinach and red bell pepper.

Omelet on the way!

    

Ready for breakfast.

To be continued.......dining out.

Dinner at Marlow's in Midtown Atlanta

One of the Atlanta Marlow’s restaurants is within walking distance of where we live and, for that reason we go often. I’ve given up (after a year) of trying to get really good French fries there, but the outstanding Gibson, the manager, Jeff, makes is a reason to return! They also have craft beers that my husband likes. Their burgers have been consistently good. Some of their other (than burgers) menu items are good for bar food and some aren’t so hot.

Something good has happened in the kitchen lately. New chef? New cooks? The last time we were there, I had a new menu item, Honey-Chicken with Potato Skins and Corn on the Cob. In the interest of my waistline, I sub’ed the corn for Grilled Asparagus. No hassle. All in all, I had a really nice meal for $16. Husband had the corn and gave me a taste. Good! 

 

Lunch at Market restaurant at the W Hotel (Buckhead)

Lunch out two days this week is not usual, especially having one of them after my weigh-in at WW’ers. (For me, lunch is usually a bowl of soup.) It’s just a lucky week. First, the food at Market: one of my litmus tests for lunch food is “how are the French fries?” My answer for Market: average. I like McDonald’s better. As for the grilled chicken sandwich, the chicken would have worked better on the bottom of my shoe. However, the lettuce, tomato and avocado were quite good. My lunch partner, Cathie Koch, Arby’s Corporate Communication and PR person, had (and liked) the Lunch Box meal with Pea Soup with Parmesan Foam (you won’t see any foam in the 7-Day Menu Planner) and a Shrimp Salad. I tasted the soup and thought it was too salty, but I’m on a little nutty about over-salted restaurant food.

 

And, as far as women friends taking fries from my plate, Cathie took not a ONE. I ate six.

 

Cathie's lunch

 

And, mine. 

            

Lunch at Pacci Restaurant

Today, I had lunch with friend, Molly Taylor, Business Development Manager, Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, at the Palomar Hotel’s Pacci restaurant. After I dragged myself 90 degrees into the circular, velvet-covered booth to be close enough to talk, I had a good lunch of a chicken pressed sandwich. She went for the Toscana Sandwich. French fries called to me, and of course, I listened. I always order them since I know my women friends will eat them off my plate (and won’t order them). Molly ate three; I did better than that. I brought half my sandwich home for later since tomorrow is my monthly weigh-in at Weight Watchers. The old me would have eaten the whole sandwich. The best part of the meal: a brown bag cookie to go. I’ll be back!

 

My Lunch

And, Molly's.