Errand day.
You know what I particularly enjoy about taking these 4 day weekends? That I don't have to cram ALL my errands into one day; I can do some one day, others later. That takes the pressure off.
Today I went to get the permit I need for the fence repair. Aaaannnd of course I can't get it all taken care of in one go - oh no; that would be too easy. They bounce you between a couple of offices, but things were slow, so it wasn't like there was a big line, then they tell you that you pay the filing fee NOW, but there's another charge you pay LATER, after they've looked at the repairs and found them satisfactory. They'll send me a card - which I must bring in to them and pay the remainder then.
God - so I have to come BACK to your damn office? Wasn't once bad enough? Methinks I'm gonna deal with that during my lunch break while I'm on jury duty next month.
Then I went to one of my crack purveyors favorite grocery stores, Global Foods, to buy ground lamb. I knew there would be lots of other things I'd get while I was wandering around, and I was right. First I grabbed some shiitake mushrooms and baby bok choy; I didn't have these on my "must get" list, but I'll use them in a frittata for breakfasts next week. One thing planned!
Then to the deli for some freshly-sliced prosciutto. This means I now have what I need to make prosciutto-wrapped salmon with lentils. Another recipe ready to go!
Grabbed the ground lamb; used it tonight for a meatball curry. Mine didn't come out like the picture, but it was still yummy. Realized halfway through the prep that I am now OUT OF ONIONS! *DAH DAH DAAAAAH* This is a tragic thing, and should never happen in my house. If I had known that before the shopping run I'd have picked up more at the store. *grumble*
Always have to buy something new when I'm there. This time I got a package of Thai tea. I would never have paid any attention to it if I hadn't just watched a show where a chef talked about it and showed how to fix it. I'm gonna give it a try; the traditional serving looks a lot like Vietnamese coffee - wanna try it with me, the_geoffrey ?
Also grabbed a bottle of pomegranate wine. I want to see how it compares with the stuff we make.
Finally, I realized that I enjoy having a tiny bit of chocolate each day. It makes my healthy eating routine an actual comfortable lifestyle; just a little lets you indulge, and there's no denial/deprivation/guilt/frustration. I have a small jar of Hershey's Kisses at work that my boss gave me for Xmas, and I eat 1 or 2 a day. 50 calories is nothing. I didn't have something equivalent at home, though, since I'd finished the chocolates I got from the Weeble a couple of weeks ago.
Now Global has a Wall of Chocolate. Seriously; it's up front, next to the bulk bags of rice. A huge section of nothing but fancy chocolate bars. Yes, pricey - but I'm only eating a square or two a day. I decided to start with just one, and chose a Lindt dark chocolate bar with almonds and orange bits in it. It's delicious, has ingredients I can recognize, and NO corn syrup. Mmmmm.
I considered buying some of the boxes of chocolates - mixed truffles and the like, but I've got to be able to see what's in them, not just the nutritional info. Unfortunately, some of the items that looked interesting were written only in Russian, or had no ingredient list. Rats!
Final errand: I had asked the nearby liquor store if they would carry a particular brand of sweet tea vodka I had seen an article on (Firefly). They said they would, so I went to pick up a bottle. Grabbed a bottle of sparkling rose on sale, and some hard cider w/blackcurrant juice added, then went looking for the vodka - and got a shock. There are several brands of sweet tea vodka! Who knew? Not I, that's for sure. They have flavored stuff out the yingyang these days.
I love that liquor store; yes, the prices aren't as low as Lucas Liquor, and they don't sell a lot of the low-end brands there, but they have scheduled tastings every Saturday (you can see what's upcoming on their whiteboard), quite a good variety of odd things like meads and ciders, and the writeups under some of the bottles are so funny! I saw one, I think it was for a pear liqueur ($55 bottle - yowsa) that said, "Nectar of the Gods". Underneath that was, "Seriously. It's awesome."
When I got home, I decided to taste the vodka. Wow. I've never had anything I would consider a sipping vodka before, but a bit of this, either neat or on the rocks, would make for a very pleasant evening. Actually, I think I'm going to do that right now. BRB.
Mmmm. Sweet, yes, with notes of molasses (strong) and raisin (not as strong) A little vodka bite on the end, just so you remember it's not tea. Think of liquid rum-soaked raisins; that's what this tastes like.
Today I went to get the permit I need for the fence repair. Aaaannnd of course I can't get it all taken care of in one go - oh no; that would be too easy. They bounce you between a couple of offices, but things were slow, so it wasn't like there was a big line, then they tell you that you pay the filing fee NOW, but there's another charge you pay LATER, after they've looked at the repairs and found them satisfactory. They'll send me a card - which I must bring in to them and pay the remainder then.
God - so I have to come BACK to your damn office? Wasn't once bad enough? Methinks I'm gonna deal with that during my lunch break while I'm on jury duty next month.
Then I went to one of my crack purveyors favorite grocery stores, Global Foods, to buy ground lamb. I knew there would be lots of other things I'd get while I was wandering around, and I was right. First I grabbed some shiitake mushrooms and baby bok choy; I didn't have these on my "must get" list, but I'll use them in a frittata for breakfasts next week. One thing planned!
Then to the deli for some freshly-sliced prosciutto. This means I now have what I need to make prosciutto-wrapped salmon with lentils. Another recipe ready to go!
Grabbed the ground lamb; used it tonight for a meatball curry. Mine didn't come out like the picture, but it was still yummy. Realized halfway through the prep that I am now OUT OF ONIONS! *DAH DAH DAAAAAH* This is a tragic thing, and should never happen in my house. If I had known that before the shopping run I'd have picked up more at the store. *grumble*
Always have to buy something new when I'm there. This time I got a package of Thai tea. I would never have paid any attention to it if I hadn't just watched a show where a chef talked about it and showed how to fix it. I'm gonna give it a try; the traditional serving looks a lot like Vietnamese coffee - wanna try it with me, the_geoffrey ?
Also grabbed a bottle of pomegranate wine. I want to see how it compares with the stuff we make.
Finally, I realized that I enjoy having a tiny bit of chocolate each day. It makes my healthy eating routine an actual comfortable lifestyle; just a little lets you indulge, and there's no denial/deprivation/guilt/frustration. I have a small jar of Hershey's Kisses at work that my boss gave me for Xmas, and I eat 1 or 2 a day. 50 calories is nothing. I didn't have something equivalent at home, though, since I'd finished the chocolates I got from the Weeble a couple of weeks ago.
Now Global has a Wall of Chocolate. Seriously; it's up front, next to the bulk bags of rice. A huge section of nothing but fancy chocolate bars. Yes, pricey - but I'm only eating a square or two a day. I decided to start with just one, and chose a Lindt dark chocolate bar with almonds and orange bits in it. It's delicious, has ingredients I can recognize, and NO corn syrup. Mmmmm.
I considered buying some of the boxes of chocolates - mixed truffles and the like, but I've got to be able to see what's in them, not just the nutritional info. Unfortunately, some of the items that looked interesting were written only in Russian, or had no ingredient list. Rats!
Final errand: I had asked the nearby liquor store if they would carry a particular brand of sweet tea vodka I had seen an article on (Firefly). They said they would, so I went to pick up a bottle. Grabbed a bottle of sparkling rose on sale, and some hard cider w/blackcurrant juice added, then went looking for the vodka - and got a shock. There are several brands of sweet tea vodka! Who knew? Not I, that's for sure. They have flavored stuff out the yingyang these days.
I love that liquor store; yes, the prices aren't as low as Lucas Liquor, and they don't sell a lot of the low-end brands there, but they have scheduled tastings every Saturday (you can see what's upcoming on their whiteboard), quite a good variety of odd things like meads and ciders, and the writeups under some of the bottles are so funny! I saw one, I think it was for a pear liqueur ($55 bottle - yowsa) that said, "Nectar of the Gods". Underneath that was, "Seriously. It's awesome."
When I got home, I decided to taste the vodka. Wow. I've never had anything I would consider a sipping vodka before, but a bit of this, either neat or on the rocks, would make for a very pleasant evening. Actually, I think I'm going to do that right now. BRB.
Mmmm. Sweet, yes, with notes of molasses (strong) and raisin (not as strong) A little vodka bite on the end, just so you remember it's not tea. Think of liquid rum-soaked raisins; that's what this tastes like.