What A Weekend!

Hubby Tony left Thursday late afternoon for a retreat, and he got home today.

I made plans for lots of activities while he was away, but many of them were outside and Mother Nature had other plans. The weekend was gloomy with periods of rain, which put the kabash on several things. Despite the weather issues I still had a great time.

Thursday

As soon as Tony left I started thinking about what I was going to have for dinner. After poking around the kitchen I decided toasted cheese and tomato soup sounded good. However, there wasn't a can of soup soup in the house so I made my own by pulling out the blender and pureeing a can of chopped tomatoes, garlic, onion, a spoonful of tahini, and a fig (for sweetness), then simmered the puree until the flavors melded. It was even better than the Campbell's would have been.

Pixabay

Friday

After a mid-morning meeting, instead of coming straight home I had extra time to pop into stores that caught my attention. The light drizzle that wouldn't go away made my hair barometer go full frizz, but I didn't mind.

In the evening I had dinner plans with Son Donald. He asked if I had a place in mind or if I wanted to go to something from his list of restaurants on his phone that he wants to try. Adventure always sounds good to me, so we ended up at Stews Food & Liquor in the Soulard neighborhood.

When we got there the sky was filled with clouds, and we both brought our umbrellas. All the inside tables were filled, but the host offered us a table for two under the building overhang. Halfway through the meal it started drizzling, and by the time we got the bill there was a light but steady rain.

We shared an appetizer and two entrees: T-pockets (a mashup of toasted ravioli and crab rangoon), Stew's Way Chicken (buffalo sauce, red chili paste, Mozzarella, and crispy rice), and Cold Curry Udon (red curry with coconut milk, peanuts, cilantro, and a scallion emulsion). There was enough of the entrees left over for each of us to bring some home.

Entrees

After leaving the restaurant we walked around the neighborhood. The steady rain meant that my sandals got wet and my feet were sloshing around in them, but the conversation was so good I didn't mind. I dropped Donald off at his house and came home. Pimento the foster cat wanted to know where I'd been.

Saturday

The city of Kirkwood sponsored a Route 66 Cars and Guitars Festival, which included a vintage car show, two stages of music, a few vendors, and food and drink stands. The main event started in the late afternoon, but in the morning the fire department and Rotary Club held a Carbs Guitars Pancake Breakfast. 

After my cycling class at the gym I walked over to the firehouse, where a pancake cooking station, serving line, banquet tables, and a trio of musicians had replaced the vehicles inside the building. My carb-filled breakfast gave me energy to get things done. I came home and did laundry and straightened the condo. I thought about visiting an art fair in Webster Groves (the city just to the east), but when I looked outside it was raining again.

When it was time for church in the late afternoon, I researched masses that would make it easy to go back into downtown Kirkwood for the main part of the festival. After church I was hungry; when I drove by a Sam's Club I decided that a piece of their food court pizza sounded good. It was, and I had money in my pocket for the rest of the night.

The festival always brings in a big crowd, so I knew to park several blocks away. I carried a water bottle and a rain jacket. I walked around the car show, listened to a couple of tunes from a cover band, and got some swag from the booths. It started drizzling. 

I decided I was ready to go home. But on the way back to the car I remembered I would be passing right by Clementine's Ice Cream. I got a 'Nice" scoop of Midnight Pleasures dark chocolate and a "Naughty" (with alcohol) scoop of Pink Champagne Sorbet. It was a great combination.

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