Tag: dishes

Life Topics

Pitfalls

Jo Toale

My attention span is short at best.  Like a dog, if I see a squirrel, I immediately divert my energy.  I find myself scrolling through Facebook and all the “squirrels” have me bouncing around.  I’m noticing that I get caught up in all kinds of nonsense.  I can pass by the pleasantries and the sappy, yet poignant posts, the quotes and life lessons with an occasional share.  I’m not that insightful really.  Why not share something I never would have posted myself, like children are a treasure, believe in yourself, live in the moment, etc.?  Instead, where do I usually go?  To the visual pitfalls of lazy curiosities.

Don’t show me a recipe video or I’ll be hooked from start to finish, deciding if it’s too trailer trash to make.  Well, if the main ingredient is tatter tots and cheese it might spike my interest. How easy, I could make that.  Could I really serve it?  Probably not, but I have to see it to the end.  There might be an all-important secret to this delightful dish, as only I could master.  As it builds, adding more and more ingredients, I start shifting and make a mental note of the full list of items added.  Way too much work.  Plus, I have to remember that I don’t really like cooking.  I like to eat.
Next.

Oh, there’s a video showing someone fold napkins 200 different ways.  Perfect, I need to see that.  A swan and a flower, who knew?  Beautifully printed fabric napkins were used to create an amazing table to impress the most discerning guest.  If I practiced, I might be able to pull off a swan, I think to myself.  I was looking for the easiest elegant one to try.  Then I remembered that my paper napkins are always an afterthought thrown on the table at the last minute.  No heavy lifting there.
Next.

Hey, a video of someone refinishing a piece of furniture.  Need to get a refresher in this skill.  I’ve refinished items in the past, but it wouldn’t hurt to get more tips.  I like how they speed up sections of the tutorial which makes it seem less arduous, but I know the truth.  You need a lot of patience to undertake these kinds of projects. And even more patience to stay interested from start to finish.  When they put on an ugly piece of hardware or stain, I’m out.  The final product is something I wouldn’t put in my house.  And, if I did display it, I’d have to consider refinishing it.  Here we go again.
Next.

A one-of-a-kind cleaning product.  Yes, interested!  Show me how this works.  Spray on any surface, and voila, like new.  No scrubbing. I like that.  It cleans toilets, pots and pans, sneakers, sinks and furniture.  It’s a miracle, tell me more.  Maybe it could be a dessert topping too, like shown on Saturday night live.  I wouldn’t be surprised.  Heartfelt testimonials follow, showing an undying commitment to the product.  They seem so happy and complete with this find.  And as luck would have, it’s on sale.  Easy payments.  I almost push the button when I realize I don’t clean.  We have a cleaning woman, so we just mindlessly write a check.
Next.

Scrolling, scrolling, hmmmm.  I’m only seeing birthday and news posts.  No videos I can get into at the moment.  Where are the infomercials on building a tree house, 100 ways to braid your hair, or how to remove disgusting black heads?  I feel like there’s nothing left for me to watch today.  I’m tapped out.  Maybe it’s time to put the phone down.

Ooooh a squirrel!

Life Topics

The Octapus and the Squid

Jo Toale

Foodie Saturday Field Trip (FSF): Wegmans

Jamie and I decided to reduce our cabin fever by taking a ride to Wegman’s yesterday.

It had everything the heart desires, where dishes come true.  We loved the amazing selection of seafood and meats.  And, don’t get me
started on cheese, which my son once said, is,”like heroin for women”. I may need to go to rehab.

I had eaten a couple of Eggo waffles before take-off and was somewhat satisfied. I’ve learned the hard way, not to go shopping on an empty stomach. But, this wasn’t shopping, it was a food fantasy. If I hadn’t eaten, it would have been pure gluttony.  This crossed my mind at the checkout, as I realized if I was hungry, the bill could have the potential to challenge the national debt.

Our first ride was at the sushi counter. The color of the sashimi was so bright, it was like twinkling lights. The only time I’ve seen sushi that fresh was when a store most likely bathed it in sulfa. This was the real deal. There was a silent stand-off between getting the tuna or salmon, which ended in compromise.

We were ready to tear ourselves away from the sushi station when a little girl, maybe 9 yrs old, said to her mother, “look Mommy, a
squid.” I turned and gave Jamie a gourmet-smirk, and cued eye rolling.  There in the case sat a fresh octopus, clearly
marked in black magic marker lettering (on a piece of wood for authentic presentation) OCTOPUS.  Don’t get me wrong,
I love children. I especially love children that can read.  But my youngest son wasn’t much older than her when I brought an
octopus home for dinner. He was like a little Shackleton, braving the tentacles and figuring out how to not only cook it, but survive the
experience.  He cooked it, ate it and loved it.  I chickened out.  The dog ate the head.

Artisan Delights
Someone should dust off the merchandise

The alluring light emitted from the hundreds of cases was almost too much to handle. It was like the opposite of a magnetic force field. We spent some time examining the different kinds of pate. Jamie is going to make a Beef Wellington, and a pate lined crust is critical.  Each pate looked like the other, but I felt the need to look like I was discriminating. They didn’t have what he was looking for, and we both found ourselves looking at the section below pate, to the caviar. He asked me if I wanted caviar, and again, I felt an air of snobbiness come over me. “Not really” I said. I thought that if you were going to buy caviar, shouldn’t it come from Moscow, Paris or New York? The packages looked fancy enough, but I pictured myself in a cashmere cape, strolling into a little shop in Paris taking samples, and politely ordering a generous quantity for a dinner party with a few of my classy French friends.  We slowly backed away from the pate, and let the crowd lull us to our next target.

There is so much to write about the experience, but I encourage anyone who is feeling frozen and hold-up in their house to go and check it out. You don’t have to be on a pate mission, or looking for anything you can’t pronounce. Just have fun, pick up dinner, and most importantly DO NOT GO ON AN EMPTY STOMACH.