At one of the local grocery stores the meat department had packaged 'fixings' (lettuce, sliced onion, and sliced tomato) stocked next to the ground burger patties. The packages had a hefty fee added for convenience, but there was also no waste if you were only making a couple of burgers.
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Six retired Irishmen were playing poker in O'Leary's apartment when Paddy Murphy loses $500 on a single hand, clutches his chest and drops dead at the table. Showing respect for their fallen brother, the other five continue playing standing up.
Michael O'Conner looks around and asks, "Oh, me boys, someone got's to tell Paddy's wife. Who will it be?"They draw straws. Paul Gallagher picks the short one. They tell him to be discreet, be gentle, and don't make a bad situation any worse.
"Discreet??? I'm the most discreet Irishmen you'll ever meet. Discretion is me middle name. Leave it to me."Gallagher goes over to Murphy's house and knocks on the door. Mrs. Murphy answers and asks what he wants. Gallagher declares: "Your husband just lost $500 and is afraid to come home."
"Tell him to drop dead!", says Murphy's wife."I'll go tell him." says Gallagher
Five years ago: Smooth!
The Food and Drug Administration thought they had identified the source of the outbreak-shredded iceberg lettuce from Central Mexico that came from one specific supplier-but it turned out to be a false positive result and the hunt is still ongoing.
In the midst of all this I found this great infographic about things that are safe and not safe to eat until the outbreak is under control.
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Things to avoid, or only eat cooked: Raw berries (like raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries); soft-skinned fruits (like peaches, plums, nectarines, and grapes), raw leafy greens (like fresh spinach, romaine lettuce, and greens); prewashed salad mixes (like bagged kits and precut greens); precut grocery fruit bowls (anything including melons or berries), and fresh raw herbs (like cilantro, basil, and parsley).
If you live in the United States, how much have you been affected by the outbreak? Have you made any changes in your diet?Although Tony traditionally cooks dinner on Sunday I told him I would take care of it tonight. There was some kale in the refrigerator that had to be used up, so I made Cookie and Kate's Farro and Kale Salad with Goat Cheese, which also includes toasted almonds, dried cherries or cranberries, and a flavorful vinaigrette. That healthy dinner meant that we could celebrate today's "holiday", National Ice Cream Day, by going out for dessert.
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Five years ago today: Stopping The Burn
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Five years ago: Twosome Traveling
At my last checkup appointment the doctor asked me if I had a designated medical power of attorney, someone who could make medical decisions for me if I become too sick or injured to make them myself? And if so could I bring a copy of the legal document in to the office?
The answers to her questions were both 'yes'. I sent myself an email to remember to find the document, but that message got buried in my Inbox. Last week when I was deleting old emails I found the message and asked Hubby Tony to pull out the paperwork for me so I could make a copy.Leafing through it, I discovered a problem. All of the basics were still correct, but many of the details were not. The contact information for Tony and the alternate attorneys (my boys) reflected where they lived 18 years ago and the phone numbers they had then. Not surprisingly, some of the other estate planning documents also had the same issue.
Tony did some research and found out a notarized addendum with the correct information was all that was needed to make simple changes. This morning we went to the bank with our addendum paperwork and took care of the last step. Fifteen minutes later we walked out the door with notarized sheets and I can take the copy to the doctor's office next time I see her.
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On the first day of summer my post included a poem by Shel Silverstein. Victor S E Moubarak of Time For Reflections and The Christian Lounge left a comment on that post that in addition to prose and poetry, Shel Silverstein was also was a song writer, including the song "A Boy Named Sue", made famous by Johnny Cash.
I had no idea, but Victor's comment sent me down a rabbit hole of research on Shel Silverstein.
If Shel Silverstein hadn't died in 1999 I wonder what else could have been added to his list of accomplishments?
Five years ago today: Fun With The Families
I immediately unplugged the device and thought about my next step.
The dead blow dryer predated my move to the condo, so it was at least six and a half years old, a good lifespan for a small electronic. It was the ideal device - enough watts to dry my thick hair, easy to move into different positions, and quality attachments that made the job easier. Over the years I had developed the perfect hair drying routine with it, and I wasn't excited about figuring out something different.As one does in this internet age I started my search online. Ten minutes later I was doing a happy dance when I realized I could order the exact same model on a big box store's website and pick it up later in the day.
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I was processing a pineapple today. When I was done there was a bowl of pineapple chunks and another bowl of waste- the outer peel, core, and crown and I started wondering if any of the waste had another use.
A little internet research told me that I should just toss the crown, but the peel and core could be turned into a drink. I used the recipe for Pineapple Skin Tea at PlantYou.I washed the peel well I chopped it and the core up, tossed everything in a pot, then added water, fresh ginger, a little powdered turmeric, and a bit of maple syrup. The recipe called for a cinnamon stick (which I didn't have), so I substituted powdered cinnamon.
After the mixture came to a boil I lowered the heat until it was simmering and ignored it for an hour, then used a colander to drain the liquid. The tea had a light, refreshing pineapple taste, but I didn't enjoy the cinnamon dregs in the bottom of the cup . If I ever made this again I would definitely use a cinnamon stick or strain the liquid with a fine mesh sieve.Five years ago today: A Prayer for Dealing with Difficult People
Today is the last day of our project. It's been fascinating to discover facts about the country and how the states all tie together. My set for the day, and the facts I learned, were:
This time I decided that my inspiration ingredient would be sweet potatoes, the state vegetable of North Carolina, and easily available at the grocery store. Thinking about cooking options for the vegetable, I decided I didn't want fries, and I didn't want a Thanksgiving-inspired dish. Instead, I made a pan of enchiladas with sweet potato and black bean filling. They were very good, and as a bonus the recipe made enough for leftovers.
Five years ago today: A Happy Coincidence
Tony had an interesting collection of states today, and came up with some interesting facts.
This morning before church I drove along with Tony to Bagel Union, where he got traditional New York bagels to serve as part of dinner. His first choice was an Everything bagel. When he said he also wanted one that was non-savory I suggested Honey Buckwheat. Tony added an individual serving of cream cheese to the order. I was intrigued at what he would come up with
At dinner time Tony served up large bowls of vegetable soup with lentils (northern Idaho produces a large portion of all lentils grown in the USA) and a half of an Everything bagel for each of us. In my opinion, nothing beats a good New York bagel with its crispy crust and a chewy interior. This one was perfectly toasted, and the onion, garlic, poppy seeds, sesame seeds and kosher salt was the perfect seasoning for a savory dish.
For dessert, Tony toasted the second bagel and served it with cream cheese mixed
with huckleberry preserves, because huckleberries are Idaho's state fruit.
Today is the Fourth of July, the day the United State's Declaration of Independence was officially adopted by the Continental Congress in 1776. It is also Day 8 of our project, and my turn to come up with facts about five states and a food item from one of them.
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Tony and I didn't have big plans for the day, mainly due to the excessive heat that's been around for the past week. Neither one of us wanted to be outside for hours.
I knew I didn't want to cook today, and would have taken the day off from the project except for the fact I knew that if I chose something from Louisiana there were a number of Cajun and Creole restaurants in the area that would be happy to fill our stomachs. We decided to go out for lunch. I researched which were open on the holiday and gave Tony a list of three to choose from. After some discussion we decided on Sister Cities Cajun.We got there just a few minutes after the restaurant opened, and the chef was in the dining room. When we told him it was our first time there he told us a little about the restaurant and what the most popular items were. We ended up ordering both of them.
My Smothered Catfish had a freshly-fried filet on a bed of white rice and was smothered in shrimp and crawfish etoufee. (I was able to sub out the shrimp for extra crawfish). A piece of cornbread was perched on the side of the plate.
Tony's Dirty Chicken started with a smoked chicken breast on a bed of dirty rice, all smothered in seafood gumbo. It also came with a piece of cornbread
Another day, another set of states (and food items) for Tony. He always does a great job of coming up with interesting facts:
Tony also did a great job coming up with a meal. I always appreciate having breakfast for dinner, and his Montana potato hash really hit the spot. He fried potatoes, onions and bell peppers in a cast-iron skillet, added corn kernels, and lima beans, and topped each serving with a fried egg.
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You may notice that the above photo includes a jar of huckleberry preserves, Montana's state fruit. I knew nothing about huckleberries, but Google told me that the berries primarily grow in the mountainous regions of the northwestern part of the country. They cannot be commercially cultivated and must be hand picked in the wild.
I had some preserves on toast, then went back for more. Thank goodness there's still a large portion of the jar left, because I see more huckleberry preserves in my future!
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Margaret (Peggy or Peg too) left a comment on my last post saying when I wrote about Texas she'd be down for joining us for some brisket. I would have been down for that, too, but at dinner time the 'real feel' temperature was 105 degrees and I decided it was too hot to leave the house. Instead, I settled for tortilla chips and salsa (which was officially designated as the Texas State Snack in 2003).
Today Tony's states were:
In honor of Connecticut, Tony chose to make New England style baked beans. He served the dish with corn on the cob and sauteed zucchini. Originally corn bread was part of the menu, but we only have one oven and the hot baking temperature for corn bread didn't jive with the 'low and slow' bean baking temperature, so Tony substituted slices of wheat baguette.
We always have several different kinds of beans in the freezer, which made
putting together the main dish easy. New England beans get their flavor
and color from molasses, but Tony also added brown sugar and mustard. In lieu of
the traditional salt pork Tony used smoked sausage, which he pan fried before
adding to the pot. Since he only made two servings of everything there were
no leftovers.
Five years ago:
Just A Teenage Scavenger Trying To Eat In Peace
The project was back to me today. This is what I learned about my set of states:
After coming up with my facts it was time to think about a food item. Although I adore anything covered in New Mexican red or green chile (or both, called Christmas style), after seeing what was in my freezer and pantry I decided to do a riff on Brunswick stew, a tomato-based dish simmered with meat, vegetables, and potatoes most likely created in Brunswick County, Virginia around 1828.
The original dish relied on whatever meat the cook could procure, usually small game like squirrel or rabbit. Today chicken is the most common protein, but I didn't have any chicken in the house. However, there was some sloppy joes in the freezer, left over from Tony's poker event a couple of weeks ago. I decided to 'procure' that and use it as the base for my dish.Although I chose an unconventional meat, the rest of the dish used more conventional ingredients... chopped onion, tomatoes, corn, lima beans, and potatoes. Because the meat was already cooked and seasoned all I had to do was saute an onion and chop a potato, then add it to the pot with some broth, tomato puree, tomato paste, frozen corn, and limas. When the potatoes were cooked I added the thawed sloppy joe meat and some sweet and tangy barbecue sauce, then simmered to meld the flavors.
I served the stew with cole slaw and bread. A Brunswick Stew purist would probably balk at sampling mine, but Tony and I thought it was pretty darn good.
Today it was Tony's turn to research again. He came up with these interesting state facts:
Tony had a jam-packed schedule today, including dinner out with a friend, so we agreed that he would prepare his food item for lunch. That item ended up being a frozen pizza from Imo's, the original St. Louis style pizza, which opened their first restaurant in 1964. The frozen pizzas were rolled out in 2022.
St Louis style pizza has a cracker crust and is topped with Provel cheese (a processed blend of cheddar, Swiss, and provolone). In the restaurants the pizza is cut into squares. Today Tony chose to cut his freshly-baked pizza into the more traditional wedges and serve it with a green salad.
This was my first set of states. I found out that by doing an internet search for "fun facts about [State Name] there were multiple websites with information I could choose from.
Fresh cherry season is short and I try to eat as many as I can while they're available, so when I learned that fact I knew cherries would be my food item. Coincidentally, right after that I got an email from a local grocery story that cherries were on sale and then a recipe for Cherry and Fresh Herb Salad with Coconut Chipsshowed up in my feedreader. Just like that I had a plan!
I had to make some last minute adjustments to the recipe, which called for pitted cherries and sliced celery on a bed of chopped herbs, mixed with a lemony vinaigrette and topped with toasted coconut strips. When I was assembling the dish I realized I didn't have enough fresh herbs so I supplemented with some spinach/arugula salad mix.
Five years ago: You Never Know What You're Going To See At The Mall
Today Tony kicked off our project with the first five states. He came up with multiple facts for each, but his favorites were:
Tony made a complete dinner featuring fried pickles, first served in 1963 at The Duchess restaurant in Atkins, Arkansas. He paired the tasty cornmeal-coated dills with ranch dressing and a tasty chickpea salad with lots of vegetables and chopped herbs.
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We divided the 50 states into random groups of five and decided to alternate back and forth. The person who is in charge will come up with one new to them fact about each state and one food or drink item associated with any of that group of states and share both.
The project starts tomorrow and Tony said he would take the first group. I can't wait to see what he comes up with.The text ended with "Let me know if you'll be attending for food prep." I took that to mean he needed a head count, not that he was counting on me to come and put the meal together 🤣.
Because the class I usually take at the gym on Wednesday had been cancelled my entire morning was free. I walked at the mall before the stores opened, then came home. Since I didn't know how long the event would last I did some dinner preparation before changing my clothes and walking out the door.The luncheon was scheduled for 12:30, which is when I used to serve the Wednesday meal when I worked there. It was held in the basement of the parish office, and I had fun seeing the office staff I used to work with and introducing myself to a couple of new people.
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The associate priest made his deep dish pizza, one of the pastor's favorite meals. There was also salad and fruit salad. One of the new staff members brought in a beautiful cake his wife had made.
I needn't have worried about how long the event would take. Right at 1:30 the current employees hour-long lunch break ended and they all left to go back to work. Shortly after that I said one last goodbye to the people who were left and headed out myself.Five years ago: I Told You So
Of course, if you're not a fan of extended daylight, after the longest day of the year it will start getting incrementally shorter every day. The poem "Here Comes" by Shel Silverstein speaks to me abut how fast time seems to fly by.
Once on the other side, some of the geese stopped to see if there was anything interesting in the grass. Others hung out on the concrete. Tony was very patient with the procession, but when a couple of them showed an interest in perhaps stepping back onto the road to head to the other side again he slowly and cautiously started moving. That deterred them long enough for us to get past.
Five years ago: Cool!When the class started Brian Pelletier, the owner and chocolatier, started the evening with an explanation about tempering chocolate (which the process of melting, cooling, and reheating to stabilize the cocoa butter fats) and why it's so important (it stabilizes the cocoa butter fats and gives the finished result a glossy finish). Next we watched the tempering procedure in action.
There was already a batch of melted dark chocolate in a tempering machine on the counter. The machine's agitator automatically stirred the contents. When the machine beeped that the contents had come up to temperature a chunk of chocolate called a 'seed' was added, which cooled the contents down. The machine beeped again when it was time to take the leftover seed out, and the machine continued to agitate throughout the rest of the evening.
There were three activity stations. Each couple made, and took home:
WEDNESDAY
Wednesday's port was Kinderdijk, a UNESCO Heritage site known for its preserved 18th-century windmills. Holland is flat and and has a low elevation. Between a quarter and a third of the area is below sea level, reclaimed via a series of dikes to hold back the water and windmills to pump accumulated water out to canals to carry it away.The ship wasn't scheduled to arrive in Kinderdijk until 4 pm. In the morning the program director asked passengers to meet in the lounge to hear details about the day's excursions and the next day's disembarkation. That segued into a presentation about The Netherlands as a country.
After lunch, even though the day was cloudy and blustery, I decided to take a walk on the ship's upper deck. The path was short, but I enjoyed watching the scenery go by as I racked up the laps.
Shortly after the ship docked Tony and I joined the rest of our tour group in the lounge, charged-up audio devices around our necks.
It looked like rain as we left for the walking tour, so I picked up one of the provided umbrellas. I was hoping that my action would mean that the rain would stay away, but a steady drizzle started when we were halfway to the first stop on the tour. There our guide explained the history of the area and how the windmills worked. I learned that except for the museum we would be visiting all the rest of the windmills were still in use. People live in them (after passing a certification test) and there is a waiting list.
We left the workstation to walk to the museum windmill. The rain was coming down harder, and a stiff breeze made it hard for me to keep the umbrella up straight. In an effort not to poke anyone with an umbrella rib I got in the rear of the tour group, but (maybe because of the weather?) my audio device wasn't working well and the guide's voice kept fading in and out. Holding the umbrella also made it hard to take photographs.
Inside the windmill it was very cramped. The guide said that for many years very large families lived there (sometimes with as many as 12 children). I couldn't imagine. After navigating one set of steep steps up to the second floor and another back down it was time to move on to the third section of the tour. However, the rain increased so much that the tour was cut short, ending at the gift shop for those that were inclined.The rest of the group headed back to the ship. I hadn't planned on changing for dinner, but I couldn't wait to take off my and wet pants and shoes.
THURSDAY
Shortly before dinner the ship left for Amsterdam, our disembarkation port. It was docked there when I woke up. After packing up the last of our things Tony and I went for one more breakfast in the restaurant. Instead of lingering over coffee we finished up quickly so we could set our suitcases outside the room to be picked up.
We had allowed Viking to arrange both our flights home and transportation to the airport. The whole process was seamless. At the appointed time we found the gathering place for our shuttle, and when asked to move outside verified that our luggage was loaded on the bus before boarding.The first part of the drive to the airport was on city streets. I knew that bicycle culture was a big part of Amsterdam, but I was still amazed to watch hundreds of cyclists going about their business.
Eventually the bus got on the highway, navigated a little rush hour traffic, then dropped us off at the Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, which was the fourth busiest in Europe in 2025 according to Wikipedia. There, a guide led us through the huge facility, dropping each group off at the correct check-in desk.
Our traveling group had two flights to get home...first from Amsterdam to Montreal, and then after a long layover another one to St. Louis. Total time including layovers was about 17 hours, and to reset my internal clock back on home time I tried to sleep as little as I could. My own familiar bed never felt so good.
Five years ago: Monetary Motivation
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According to the ship's daily newsletter "Strasbourg is the cultural center of France's Alsace region. The well-preserved town is enclosed on all sides by the little Ill River."
Our walking tour of the city started on a bus, which shuttled the group over the river. From there, our guide took us through the La Petite France district, filled with canals and 16th century homes and the Grande ÃŽle city center, a UNESCO site.
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Our next stop was the Notre Dame Cathedral, which was the world's tallest building from 1647 to 1874. Today it is the sixth-tallest church in the world and the tallest structure built entirely in the Middle Ages.
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Five years ago: One Of A Kind
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This afternoon I am having oral surgery, which is an unattractive New Thing for me but strongly suggested by my dentist.
When I called to make the appointment with the oral surgeon the receptionist asked if I wanted to do the procedure with or without sedation. I chose the first option. That means I need to fast from food and drink after breakfast.
Hubby Tony will drive me to the oral surgeon's office, read his book while I'm having the procedure done, then drive me home afterwards. This oral surgeon is the only one in our insurance plan, and I have done the same thing for him. I know that in addition to prescriptions and instructions I will go home with a cup of Ted Drewes frozen custard.
My friend Google told me that most people resume their normal routine in 3-5 days after the procedure. Not knowing where I would fall in that time frame I have made several sets of contingency plans. There are plenty of soft foods in the kitchen, and Tony will pick up anything I didn't. I can use a jaw wrap with refreezable packs that Tony received for a similar procedure several years ago for swelling. There are books if I feel like reading, and TV if I just want to chill out.
I am ready....bring it on!
It's always amazing to me just how old some of the European buildings are compared to something "old" the United States, which means something built after the late 1500s. The castles on the Rhine were constructed hundreds of years before that. At first I was sitting with Hubby Tony and our friends on the terrace, but the sun got too hot for me and I moved into the lounge, where I found a couch I could spread out on. At the end of the presentation we nabbed a table in the shady part of the terrace for an al fresco lunch.
After lunch we went back to our rooms and gathered our things for our walking tour of Koblenz. The city was founded more than 2,000 years ago as a trading settlement.
The guide took us to:
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| Wilhelm I monument |
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| Basilica of St. Castor |
After the tour the four of us took a cable car ride over the Rhine to the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress. There were several museums in the complex, and although most of the displays did not offer information in English, there was still enough to make the visit worthwhile.
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Once again the city had a noteworthy cathedral. The High Cathedral Church at Cologne is a huge, twin-spired Gothic cathedral which took over 600 years to build. It was constructed to house the Shrine of the Three Kings, believed to contain the bones of the Magi that visited the baby Jesus. After an explanation of the building's outside the guide gave us twenty minutes to explore inside. I barely touched the surface of everything there was to see.
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| Cathedral (rear side) |
Every tour guide we had personalized the experience by inserting personal anecdotes and thoughts into the presentation. This one emphasized the difference between a 'local' bar and a 'tourist' one and gave examples of how you could tell one from the other in case we wanted to visit one in our free time. He also pointed out the best places to buy the original eau de Cologne perfume.
It sprinkled on and off throughout the whole tour, and close to the end it started to rain. Viking provided large golf umbrellas, but not everyone had picked one up as they got off the ship. When the guide said his goodbyes, instead of finding a good bar or souvenir shop our group went back to the ship for lunch.In the afternoon, some of our group went to the nearby Schokoladenmuseum Köln (in English, Chocolate Museum). We decided not to buy tickets for the museum itself, but browsed in the large gift store. Tony and I bought some goodies for the kids, grandkids, and ourselves.
