Dec. 27
Breakfast: My husband and I took a short drive to scout out the location of a future hike, and observe the insane mansions of Potomac, MD. We enjoy the latter, as it never fails to make us feel morally superior. You can see some examples here. While in Potomac, we breakfasted at a random spot called the "Tally Ho" Restaurant, where the food was exactly average, and the service strangely obsequious for a casual joint where you bring your checks up to a register to pay. I had poached eggs on an English muffin, with a surprisingly hefty quantity of bacon and a smallish quantity of home fries. It was fine.
As usual on Sundays when we eat breakfast late, there was no lunch. I grabbed some coffee at a Potomac Starbucks before we headed home.
Shopping: (at New Grand Mart) "American Basil," "Regular Mint" (a huge quantity of each), $4. (At Whole Foods): unsalted beef stock, half gallon whole milk, half gallon Lactaid 2% milk, quart of half and half, large bottle of Spectrum canola oil, Whole Foods brand olive oil, 3 rolls Seventh Generation toilet paper, organic whole wheat elbow macaroni, unsalted butter, salted butter, heavy whipping cream, smooth dijon mustard, whole-grain mustard, large can of plum tomatoes, spaghetti, extra-wide egg noodles, large bag of pecans, light brown sugar, 2 cans cat food, light corn syrup, 1 small Fage plain Greek yogurt, 6 assorted flavors Fage Greek yogurt, 2 prepared mushroom quesadillas, a small tray of assorted sushi rolls, cage-free brown eggs, house-made multigrain bread, ricotta salata, 3/4 lb. prepared brussels sprouts, organic hazelnuts, 2.25 lbs. grass-fed stew beef, bananas, gruyere cheese, two packages Cabot extra-sharp white cheddar, 1 lb. grape tomatoes, shallots, house-made shrimp dumplings, chicken breasts, yellow onions, organic carrots, organic arugula, organic romaine hearts, white mushrooms, 2 organic zucchini, 2 large organic eggplant, bag of navel oranges, $230. Jesus Christ.
Dinner: Mushroom quesadillas from Whole Foods, roasted brussels sprouts from Whole Foods. Whole Foods does not have a very good track record with me for prepared foods, but this time both items were delicious, a nice surprise.
Snacks: 3 cups regular coffee, 1 cup decaf. The first cup of regular and the cup of decaf were made with whole milk and whipped cream, because I was out of half and half. The other two cups of regular, from the Tally Ho and Starbucks, were made with half and half. A little chocolate here and there. Eggnog with rum in the evening.
Dec. 28
Breakfast: Leftover green peas, leftover pork with cranberry sauce, leftover pumpkin pie with whipped cream. Back to work.
Lunch (home from work, 3:45): some refrigerated sushi rolls from Whole Foods (2 tuna, 2 salmon, 2 avocado, 4 cucumber). 6 shrimp dumplings from Whole Foods, reheated in a pan.
Dinner: Spaghetti with No-Cook Tomato Sauce and Hazelnuts from Bon Appetit, salad of arugula, sprouts and red onion with red wine vinaigrette. "Mm, delicious rabbit food," said my daughter of the salad. And that's pretty much how we feel after Christmas. The pasta was not perfect, but ended up better than I expected. Part of the problem was that this is a summer pasta, and the grape tomatoes of December do not have any flavor compared to the cherry tomatoes of August. The sauce was also overly watery-- I'm not sure why we were asked to add 1/4 c. of reserved pasta-cooking water to the no-cook sauce, but it didn't need it. However, the large amount of basil combined with the added hazelnuts and ricotta salata (I used more of the latter than the recipe suggested) created a light pesto flavor (with less oil, a good thing after Christmas!) that was fresh and pleasant. One thing I didn't get about this recipe was the grated zucchini, which was said to add "texture" (it certainly didn't add much taste), but mainly seemed to add even more water. I would leave out the water and the zucchini, replace the zucchini with a different vegetable (blanched broccoli? chard? asparagus?), and then make this again.
Snacks: almost 4 cups of coffee, 2 regular, 2 decaf, with half and half. The first cup of decaf, which I was drinking at work, couldn't quite be finished as business picked up throughout the morning. 3 or 4 Ferrero Rocher truffles before and after my 3:45 lunch, due to being starving and exhausted. Eggnog with bourbon after dinner, watching the Downton Abbey forever finale. 1 Ghiradelli dark chocolate square, same context.
Breakfast: My husband and I took a short drive to scout out the location of a future hike, and observe the insane mansions of Potomac, MD. We enjoy the latter, as it never fails to make us feel morally superior. You can see some examples here. While in Potomac, we breakfasted at a random spot called the "Tally Ho" Restaurant, where the food was exactly average, and the service strangely obsequious for a casual joint where you bring your checks up to a register to pay. I had poached eggs on an English muffin, with a surprisingly hefty quantity of bacon and a smallish quantity of home fries. It was fine.
As usual on Sundays when we eat breakfast late, there was no lunch. I grabbed some coffee at a Potomac Starbucks before we headed home.
Shopping: (at New Grand Mart) "American Basil," "Regular Mint" (a huge quantity of each), $4. (At Whole Foods): unsalted beef stock, half gallon whole milk, half gallon Lactaid 2% milk, quart of half and half, large bottle of Spectrum canola oil, Whole Foods brand olive oil, 3 rolls Seventh Generation toilet paper, organic whole wheat elbow macaroni, unsalted butter, salted butter, heavy whipping cream, smooth dijon mustard, whole-grain mustard, large can of plum tomatoes, spaghetti, extra-wide egg noodles, large bag of pecans, light brown sugar, 2 cans cat food, light corn syrup, 1 small Fage plain Greek yogurt, 6 assorted flavors Fage Greek yogurt, 2 prepared mushroom quesadillas, a small tray of assorted sushi rolls, cage-free brown eggs, house-made multigrain bread, ricotta salata, 3/4 lb. prepared brussels sprouts, organic hazelnuts, 2.25 lbs. grass-fed stew beef, bananas, gruyere cheese, two packages Cabot extra-sharp white cheddar, 1 lb. grape tomatoes, shallots, house-made shrimp dumplings, chicken breasts, yellow onions, organic carrots, organic arugula, organic romaine hearts, white mushrooms, 2 organic zucchini, 2 large organic eggplant, bag of navel oranges, $230. Jesus Christ.
Dinner: Mushroom quesadillas from Whole Foods, roasted brussels sprouts from Whole Foods. Whole Foods does not have a very good track record with me for prepared foods, but this time both items were delicious, a nice surprise.
Snacks: 3 cups regular coffee, 1 cup decaf. The first cup of regular and the cup of decaf were made with whole milk and whipped cream, because I was out of half and half. The other two cups of regular, from the Tally Ho and Starbucks, were made with half and half. A little chocolate here and there. Eggnog with rum in the evening.
Dec. 28
Breakfast: Leftover green peas, leftover pork with cranberry sauce, leftover pumpkin pie with whipped cream. Back to work.
Lunch (home from work, 3:45): some refrigerated sushi rolls from Whole Foods (2 tuna, 2 salmon, 2 avocado, 4 cucumber). 6 shrimp dumplings from Whole Foods, reheated in a pan.
Dinner: Spaghetti with No-Cook Tomato Sauce and Hazelnuts from Bon Appetit, salad of arugula, sprouts and red onion with red wine vinaigrette. "Mm, delicious rabbit food," said my daughter of the salad. And that's pretty much how we feel after Christmas. The pasta was not perfect, but ended up better than I expected. Part of the problem was that this is a summer pasta, and the grape tomatoes of December do not have any flavor compared to the cherry tomatoes of August. The sauce was also overly watery-- I'm not sure why we were asked to add 1/4 c. of reserved pasta-cooking water to the no-cook sauce, but it didn't need it. However, the large amount of basil combined with the added hazelnuts and ricotta salata (I used more of the latter than the recipe suggested) created a light pesto flavor (with less oil, a good thing after Christmas!) that was fresh and pleasant. One thing I didn't get about this recipe was the grated zucchini, which was said to add "texture" (it certainly didn't add much taste), but mainly seemed to add even more water. I would leave out the water and the zucchini, replace the zucchini with a different vegetable (blanched broccoli? chard? asparagus?), and then make this again.
Snacks: almost 4 cups of coffee, 2 regular, 2 decaf, with half and half. The first cup of decaf, which I was drinking at work, couldn't quite be finished as business picked up throughout the morning. 3 or 4 Ferrero Rocher truffles before and after my 3:45 lunch, due to being starving and exhausted. Eggnog with bourbon after dinner, watching the Downton Abbey forever finale. 1 Ghiradelli dark chocolate square, same context.