Tag: food

Life Topics

Breakfast for Dinner

Jo McLaughlin

Wikipedia defines Croque-monsieur as a hot ham and cheese (typically Emmental or Gruyère) grilled sandwich. It originated in France as a fast-food snack served in cafés and bars. More elaborate versions come coated in a Mornay or Béchamel sauce.

Why do I care about a fancy French sandwich definition? I really don’t, but it got me thinking…

I was at the seafood section of the grocery store the other day, and a mom said to her two young sons, “Dad’s making Breakfast-for-Dinner tonight.” I asked myself while scanning the price of scallops (13.99/lb!!!!!), “Is there anything better than having Breakfast-for-Dinner?” I love that there’s no planning involved, just grab a box of cereal or the frying pan. Quick and easy. And, I believe that every time a dad cooks Breakfast-for-Dinner an angel gets their wings.

Later that night, after a dinner of Tilapia ($4.99/lb), Jamie asked me if I liked Panini’s. We had just watched a commercial for some drippy obscene meat-filled grilled sandwich, commonly known today as a Panini.  It didn’t really appeal to me. After a minute of though, I said, “Yeah, I like Panini’s, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to have one”.

We both looked at each other and realized that grilled cheese IS the original Panini!  This sandwich of melting goodness reins at the top of my comfort food pyramid, right next to mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, an of course, anything prepared for Breakfast-for-Dinner.

Sandwiches, when I was growing up, were your basic bologna & cheese, peanut butter and jelley, cream cheese and jam. I don’t remember my parents every making grilled cheese, but I do remember when all options were exhausted, you could slap a couple of cellophane wrapped “cheese products” between bread in the skillet. The aroma that comes from the pan is almost as good as the taste. You can see the melting cheese ooze from between the bread, and know that in moments it’ll be ready, and in seconds it will be devoured. And, let’s not forget the role of butter in this equation. The taste is enhanced depending on how much butter you slather on the bread, and, well ……..forget about it!!!!

Yesterday morning we had friends over for breakfast, and had left over French toast. So, when it was time for dinner, Jamie put together a grilled cheese sandwich with French toast, cheese (from the deli, not cellophane) and prosciutto. I don’t think he’s ever heard of a Croquet-monsieur, but that is what he made. A gilled cheese on steroids, if you will.  His perfect storm of a Cheesy-Breakfast-For-Dinner-Panini was a mouthful of culinary comfort. Ooooh La La.

Clarence, are you there?

Life Topics

Dipstitch Podcast

Jo McLaughlin

Hello Dilettante Life followers, it’s been a while since I’ve written anything.  Time to get back in the saddle soon.  I miss my blog.

However, the reason I’ve been absent for so long is I have found a new passion I wanted to tell you about…

I have a new podcast!  It’s called Dipstitch,  a 15-30 minute episode of “sisterly conversation” brought to you each week.  What is sisterly conversation?  Well, my sister Susan and I talk about food, family, faith, dogs, knitting, jobs, holidays, parenthood and EVERYTHING in between.  I know you might be thinking, “this is a chic podcast” but it’s not. Most topics are very relatable and entertaining.  We have some laughs along the way and even have a guest every so often to join in the fun.

Won’t you have a listen?  Our audience is fantastic and makes the podcast worthwhile.  But, we’re looking to grow our fan base by inviting you to listen.  Dipstitch is available on a number of podcast platforms, but the easiest one to use is podchaser.com.

To become a loyal listener, go to podchaser.com and in the search box type Dipstitch.  Our podcast page will come up and have a green “Follow Podcast” button on the right side of the screen.  Click on it, and you’ll get an email when a new episode is uploaded.  It’s that simple.  And, if you scroll down, you’ll see Recent Episodes with a link next to it, to “View All”.   One stop shopping.

Thank you so much for being a loyal follower of Dilettante Life.  I hope you will enjoy Dipstitch as much, and become a follower there as well.

Warm Regards,

Jo

 

 

 

 

 

 

Life Topics

The Octapus and the Squid

Jo McLaughlin

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.

Food

The Octopus or the Squid? – Repost

Jo McLaughlin

Foodie Saturday Field Trip (FSF): Wegmans

Jamie and I decided to reduce our cabin fever by taking

Colin grills an octopus
Colin’s grilled octopus

a ride to Wegmans in Northboro
yesterday.  It was a foodie Disneyland!
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,

For the "He Man"
For the “He Man”

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.

Jamie ponders sushi
Jamie ponders pate

Our first ride was at the sushi
counter. The color of the
sashimi was so bright, it was
like twinkling lights, without
the twinkle. 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.

How convenient
Salmon on the go

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.