Along with all my other tasks to be performed each day, I now have my 'greenhouse' to tend to. The first morning was a slightly chillier one, and my 'clean up' on Sunday afternoon had been slightly in vain. The wind, although not particularly strong, had brought in a lot of unwanted debris, and I stood and stared at my plants, admiring their hardiness. I was going to don the wet suit, again!
The office air conditioning had been restored by mid morning, and despite the temperature outside being that bit cooler, inside was still rather warm. We did not need the fans, however, and there was a time when I reached for my cardigan, but all in all, the surroundings were rather pleasant. I had little appetite, which was not a good thing, as we planned to go out for Samantha's birthday, and we were going to the Brazilian restaurant. Suffice it to say, I chose to opt for the salad bar, which in itself offers far more than many buffets! I was feeling slightly more hungry by the time we arrived at the restaurant, but I did not relish the thought of waiting between courses. The service is usually good, but I only eat a few items on offer. Although I would enjoy all, when all is available, I find it best to go for favourites and not fill up on everything else. Suffice it to say, (again,) my choices do not always come out first, and I do like to have everything on my plate at one time. After munching through half a country garden worth of vegetables, a year's worth of dairy products, and half a salmon, the meat started to arrive. Of course, as the saying goes, it was 'Murphy's Law'. If it could go wrong, it would. Bread always falls to the floor butter side down; keys are always dropped near (and down) a drain. I could go on! My favourites arrived after filling to the brim with the salad bar options, and they arrived all at once. I had no option but to stick to my original plan, and watched, and smelled the delicious temptations pass me by! However, there was always dessert! Monday night at this particular restaurant, is 'free' dessert night. Of course, after eating enough to feed a third world country for half a year, gluttony goes from being one of the seven deadly sins to a word that means 'throw caution to the wind'! There is always, always room for dessert, until there is not! It had nothing to do with feeling guilty for being able to go out and eat all I wanted, nor did it have to do with the fact that I thought better of it and was being sensible, I simply could not fit any more in! I opted to take mine home. I chose the 'flourless chocolate torte'. "Gluten free, light and delicious", the menu read. Again, the choice had nothing to do with a healthy option, but more to do with a curiosity. The chocolate roulade I make is 'gluten free', (rather than glutten free, which it certainly is not,) and I was very curious. Once it came out, it certainly did not look like anything 'roulade'. It was not 'moussey', but then again, it did not look particularly light. I did not venture to try any as I did not want to walk out with a mouthful of cake, because my throat simply refused to oblige and swallow!
A cup of tea was enough to end the night! I have become my parents! Although I do not have milk in my beverage, as did they, it has become somewhat of a ritual to partake of the good old English tradition, and enjoy a cup of tea at night. I can hear the shouting now, as to all the reasons why I should not drink tea past eight o'clock, or even seven thirty, but I listen not!
Cheese pastry was on the list for Tuesday morning, as was a batch for the Lemon Meringue Pie base. I made both, and left both to stand. As Jerry's birthday was today, I had to get it rolled and cut. However, as mentioned, I lost momentum, and was really not in a particularly artistic mood. That being said, the simplest method was actually rather artistic once completed. I cut out a tree! I wondered why I had never thought of this before! There was no 'cutting round', re-rolling of dough, or waste. There were some 'cut out' bears, however, as I had to add an animal or two. I had planned to be cryptic, and make a pastry 'e' with an 'x' through it, and then put an 'o' next to it, to make it 'boar', which is what Jerry sometimes hunts, but then I remembered, the cryptic version was last week! The 'waste' was made into grass, and I had the 'outskirts' of a ranch! It baked, and all was well!
Not quite as simple was the pie crust! Had I looked at the recipe, I would have seen that the egg in the ingredients was used to 'bind', using 'as much as necessary', but I had fallen at the first hurdle, so to speak, and lost concentration! It is amazing how there are some things that are done in 'auto pilot' mode, for years and years, and then one day, your mind goes blank, and you forget the plot! The pastry was so sticky, instead of rolling it, (or adding more flour which would have been a sensible idea,) I just punched it down into the dish and hoped for the best!
Jerry was delighted with his 'tree' and the 'ooh's and 'ahh's I received put a smile on my face. Everyone ate a branch or two, and the bears disappeared, never to return to their 'chairs'. It did not take long before the 'outskirts' of the ranch became nothing more than a blank scene!
The chocolate flourless torte was devoured by me. I was going to share it, but Dana let me eat and eat. I rarely eat the dessert that I bring home, should I be offered dessert. I normally pick something that I can 'take or leave', and that my husband enjoys. He always defers to my preference, so this is my way of paying him back! This time, I tried to curtail my gluttony, but the fudge like filling was just too good. It is now on my 'to do' list!
Playing truant on Thursday was delightful and again took place around food! I met my neighbour (and friend) Cathleen and we went to the local eatery. The 'special' for the day was 'meatloaf', and whilst I do enjoy a decent 'meatloaf', it is what I call 'proper food' and not something that I eat when I am at a restaurant. The traditional American fare in the traditional diners, is quite often, what is referred to as 'comfort food'. It is (or perhaps with the focus on 'healthy eating' was) the preference of many. I do not do 'comfort food', as that is what I make at home. 'Proper food' is what is often on the menu as 'comfort food'. I chose the quiche. "That's a good, healthy choice", said Cathleen, to which I replied, "Nothing to do with healthy, just something I don't get much of here!" Again, although I make it at home, it is not 'staple', and perhaps that is what I mean by 'proper'. Quiche, when I was younger, was considered slightly exotic. Of course, 'flan', which again is something completely different here, was just like a quiche, but was not a 'proper' dinner in my mother's eyes. As a child, I was brought up with 'meat and two veg', and anything differing from that, such as 'egg and chips' (fries) was considered a delicacy. However, I digress into the realms of my memories, which although delight me, are probably meaningless to anyone else! Back to the quiche! It was delicious. Cathleen had the meatloaf! The meatloaf, by all accounts, was also delicious! We sat and put the world to rights, and before I knew it, the clock stuck four thirty, and I had to go back to finish off the work I had left on my desk! Time truly does fly when you are having fun!
The lemon meringue pie was a success, and the pastry was 'awesome' by all accounts! I liked it too!
As Saturday was going to be 'unusual', Samantha and I took off on Friday lunchtime to hit the warehouses. Ollie had called us before we left, and we took him on a shopping spree! As we rounded the first corner at 'Sams', a lady offered us some 'chips and guacamole'. "What's that?" he asked, seemingly surprised that someone in the 'supermarket' was giving us food to eat. Then there was coffee, then another snack. After a slight altercation with the lady at the check out, who did not understand, "I want to add some money to the gift card", and proceeded to take it off the gift card to apply to the bill, and then added it back on, charged for the addition to the gift card, and then did not add it, and who finally had to call a supervisor because she did not understand that she had overcharged, and said supervisor getting cross with us because we double checked the receipt before we left, all went according to plan! The customer, nowadays, is rarely right, even when they are! From there we went to Costco, where we enjoyed several more snacks, and then came back to the office!
With the air conditioning on, the weather cooler, and the week coming to an end, I started to flag by the time Friday afternoon came around. I went for a swim, decided that the afternoon exercise would soon come to an end, due to the temperature of the water, and read some of my book. I could have quite happily fallen asleep and probably would have been out for quite some time! However, I did not, and I came back to the condo, where my babies in the greenhouse were awaiting water, and those outside were waving at me through the glass!
Saturday morning was quite busy. Samantha had to get home to prepare for her evening soiree, and we also had 'Dogtoberfest' to attend! It was fun! The dogs appeared to enjoy it, one being the centre of attention, as always, and performing for everyone, the other happily sniffing the pavement, even with treats being thrust under his nose. The smaller dog ate his treats, his brother's treats, and when the vendors took out another treat for the larger dog, the smaller one having scoffed them both, he kept his head down, sniffing the pavement, and the smaller dog ate the third treat. However, they both seemed happy! We came home with an armload of treats, samples and toys!
Sunday morning was pleasant, but the drizzle kept the temperature down. It had been a particularly draining week for some reason, but I felt relaxed and somewhat refreshed. As the nights draw in and the days are getting shorter, the end of the year once again looms. The shops are full of Christmas decorations, having somewhat veered the Halloween costumes almost to the clearance aisle, still giving shoppers the illusion that they have a couple of weeks still to buy. Thanksgiving accessories are intermingled between other two sets of encouraging baubles.
Looking out the window, there is a grey sky which is slightly undermining my ability to sit and do nothing in the sunshine. However, not a lot stops me from sitting outside and enjoying the fresh air, and starting yet another new book. Which book will I choose? Not really enough to tempt anyone with ........... another story!
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