The Silver Screen Oasis

Allison,

I always get the 85% Dark Chocolate to make brownies, frosting, and hot chocolate for the family. Going to back in the late 70's and early 80's ... I get funny reactions from people from all walks of life seeing a 17 year old male shopping for my family. I had lists, coupons, and a separate wallet for money for shopping and gas. It was a learning experience for me and I for one carried it today. I did a lot of cooking back in those days and I often done it by myself.

It wasn't easy to me ... and when I turned 17 ... my bedtime went from 9pm to 11pm overnight because I had extra responsibilities for my family and it wasn't easy juggling many of my activities on a daily basis. Thanksgiving and Christmas Cooking was a major challenge for me ... when I was 19 year old ... I brought the entire Thanksgiving Dinner (with the family monies) and its took me 1 hour to shop for it. I pulled a cart and carried a small basket to cover everything.

One time, I went shopping ... and I did not say anything to her (my girlfriend at that time) ... but she was shocked seeing me shopping for groceries and by the way, I even took Home Economics in High School in my Junior Year ... Did the entire year of Home Ec ... and got a B for it.

It sounds like you learned for yourself and did it all well, kingme. Good for you!

Andrew and I went out for dinner last night at a local seafood place on the water called The Dogwatch. The meal was just OK, but the beginning and the end were great... next time I'll simply get an appetizer and dessert and skip the entree.

The appetizer was scallops wrapped in bacon, they were the large scallops, not the bay. To top it off, they added a pile of micro greens in the center of the plate, with fresh parmesan grated over them and a maple vinaigrette drizzled over the greens, enough to flood the plate a little so you could dip your scallops into it. You'd never think that Parmesan and maple would go together, but it was heavenly.

For dessert we shared a flute limoncello. This was the lightest of confections served in a champagne flute. It tasted like heavy cream whipped to a froth with sweet lemon gelato, then frozen in the glass and at the last moment, drizzled with ice cold limoncello liqeur, which was more of a syrup than an alcohol. The flavor got more lemony as you got to the bottom of the glass, where the gelato and liqeur had melted a bit and settled. Oh my GOSH! it was so good I want to go back tonight and have another, and every day after that for maybe about 2 months. I'm thinking about learning to make it myself so I can have an endless supply.

JackFavell wrote:For dessert we shared a flute limoncello. This was the lightest of confections served in a champagne flute. It tasted like heavy cream whipped to a froth with sweet lemon gelato, then frozen in the glass and at the last moment, drizzled with ice cold limoncello liqeur, which was more of a syrup than an alcohol. The flavor got more lemony as you got to the bottom of the glass, where the gelato and liqeur had melted a bit and settled. Oh my GOSH! it was so good I want to go back tonight and have another, and every day after that for maybe about 2 months. I'm thinking about learning to make it myself so I can have an endless supply.

Instant addiction! How did you manage to share it?

I've had that kind of experience twice in my life, both while traveling. The first was in a restaurant in the old section of Montreal, where I had innocently ordered poached halibut in a white truffle sauce. As the white truffle hit my palate it jolted all the pleasure centers of my brain. What a job it was to finish that meal -- the pleasure was so strong it was almost painful!

The second time was in Honolulu on the terrace of the Royal Hawaiian hotel, where I ordered a glass of iced tea. Now, we all know that good, even great, pineapple is to be had in Hawaii, served often and everywhere, but some is better than others; and of course the Royal Hawaiian would serve the best of the best vine-ripened harvests. My innocent iced tea was served with a spear of pineapple inside the glass -- one bite of which made me think it would better be eaten in the privacy of one's room. Talk about brain-candy!

We went out to dinner last night with two other couples. The restaurant was a bit crazy as they had the Orioles/Yankees game on. Everyone really enjoyed their dinners. I only had cream of crab soup. The Bride told the waitress I was to get the bill. The young lady came over and told me what CA said and told me she thought it terribly unfair as I only had the soup. It was a fine evening.

Cream of crab soup can be a comfort food indeed, especially as it is made in Maryland. Lucky you!

Years ago there used to be a Stouffer's hotel on the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, where I had stayed several times. They had a great dining room. One time I ordered the cream of crab soup as a starter. Served in a bread bowl it was so satisfying it could have been a meal by itself. Luscious. Sigh.

Now the bread bowl would have been a nice addition. I hate to think what we'd be known for here if it weren't for all the crab variations you can get.

Oh all these descriptions are making me hungry again!

I've never had white truffle sauce, nor been to Hawaii, but both experiences as you wrote them make me want to soon!

Cream of crab soup sounds to die for.

Years ago, while I was still a pup, Campbell's made a cream of crab soup that you found in the frozen foods. Being landlocked, we thought it was divine. Hey, Chris, I'll swap you a KC strip sirloin for a bowl or three of that soup...

JackFavell,

Your dessert experience may have looked something like this:



Here's a recipe which you may be able to adjust to more closely match your local restaurant's.

Nancy, you're on. Now to only work out the details.

Ooooh, that's exactly it, PT! Yummy. I am drooling just looking at it!

JackFavell wrote:Ooooh, that's exactly it, PT! Yummy. I am drooling just looking at it!

Same Here ... Looks fabulous PT!

I ordered a pizza. Not exotic, but you can eat in your underwear!

Sorry about your trip to Aldi's, MissG. I too was surprised at how little fresh food they had, but a few things were worth the trip. Ours is a very small store too. If it were closer to us, we might make it a permanent stop for a few staples, but it's just a bit too far to go there often, plus with the kidling, the junk food is just too prominent.