Chicken Pot Pie

Monday, November 22, 2021

Yum

Back to Standard Time - The Golden Hour

Sunday, November 7, 2021

Back to Central Standard Time. It's nice to have that extra hour back. Dale went on a bike ride and I sat out back with a couple of different little cigars. The first was a Macanudo and the second a Romeo y Julieta (pictured above). Both were nice. 

After his bike ride Dale joined me in the back yard for cocktails with music. 

We made a chicken pot pie for dinner and Dale made some Brussels sprouts with bacon and maple syrup. 

And had pumpkin pie for dessert. 

Fall-like dinner even though it doesn't feel like fall outside, at least for November. 

Dinner with Mike & Charisse

Sunday, May 30, 2021

Dale and I had Mike and Charisse over for dinner. We all sat in the back yard and Mike and I smoked cigars. He loves these La Gloria Cubanas. As do I. So nice to catch up. Dale hasn't seen Charisse in over a year. We all mentioned how nice it is to see each other now that we're vaccinated and this Covid-19 pandemic seems to be winding down. 

We ordered Chinese from Xin Wong over on Nicollet and watched Red Garters. Mikey loved it. 

Brunch at Red Stag

Sunday, May 30, 2021

Dale and I hit the Red Stag for brunch again. I started with a Bloody Mary. 

I got the corned beef hash and Dale got the vegetable hash. So delicious. 

We talked about school winding down for me and him gearing up to go to the Island. It's such a hard time for both of us and it feels like it's on steroids this year due to the exhaustion where experiencing from the pandemic. 

Brunch at Red Stag Supperclub

Sunday, May 16, 2021

We couldn't help ourselves. Back to Red Stag for brunch. 

Dale had the vegetable hash and I had the fried chicken on a waffle. 

Dinner and a Movie

Saturday, May 15, 2021

Dale grilled tonight. We're both very aware of how little time he has left before heading up to Madeline for a couple months and are trying to experience the kind of weather Minneapolis gets in late May and early June before he heads off. Let me say we were both so easily spoiled from his not having to go up last year due to Covid. 

Anyway, we sat out in the backyard and enjoyed the lovely afternoon while having cocktails. I indulged in a cigar as well. 

We had hamburgers and asparagus on the grill and some leftover potato salad. 

During dinner we watched Send Me No Flowers starring Doris and Rock. Dale and I both fell asleep about halfway through it. We were just THAT tired. Ah well, we'll finish it tomorrow...

Mother's Day 2021

Sunday, May 9, 2021

Dale and I took Mom to Red Stag for dinner tonight. She was excited to go to a restaurant for dinner. When she goes out with friends it tends to be for lunch. 

I, of course, started with a brandy Old-Fashioned while Dale and Mom both had merlot. 

We started with a relish tray which featured their pickled vegetables. I was leaning toward ordering the fried chicken for dinner which is their Sunday night special however I went with the prosciutto carbonara linguine which was simply divine. Dale ordered the chicken breast and Mom got salmon. They both said their entrees were excellent. 

Dale and Mom shared some carrot cake for dessert. Red Stag has the BEST carrot cake. It's dense yet very smooth tasting. I got a Pink Squirrel. This is the first time I've gotten one there that wasn't very good. It wasn't blended well (lots of big ice chunks) and not very flavorful.

Weather-wise I don't think we could have gotten a much better day for this time of year. It's always nice to see the sun and I think it made it to the lower-60s today. Mom said Sam and Pete both called her this year so all-in-all I think she had a pretty lovely Mother's Day. 

Dale did too!

Brunch at Jax

Sunday, May 2, 2021

Today we headed Nordeast for brunch at Jax. It's been just over a couple months since restaurants opened up for in-person dining back in February. 

Started with a Bloody Mary. I love their mix. Dale went with coffee. 

Masks are required while not eating or drinking and of course when moving about the restaurant. Tables are still distanced due to Covid regulations. The patio was open and the trout stream had water in it but no trout so Captain Jack was nowhere to be seen. 

"The Polish," which is scrambled eggs, a Polish sausage, and pierogis is what I ordered. Quite yummy if I do say. Dale had the Waldorf salad. I would have loved to do their brunch buffet but that's a no-go due to Covid regulations. 

Our server told us she had a tough week and had devised a plan to deal with people who are driving her crazy. We asked if we were on the list and she told us we were nowhere close. Thank goodness! Her plan wouldn't have ended well for anyone subject to it. 

Cocktail Hour, Cigar, Dinner, and a Movie

Saturday, May 1, 2021

Cocktail with Dale in the backyard. I had a cigar. 

Very lovely day today. It actually got up to 88 degrees. Dale grilled hamburgers for dinner. We also had potato salad and a broccoli salad from Kowalski's. 

We watched Grease which I haven't seen all the way through in a number of years. 

Mom took me so see it back in the summer of '78 just after my 6th grade year. She thought it was a little raunchy. It's tame by today's standards but this viewing made me realize how much went over my head as a kid.

Overall lovely day today. So nice to feel warmth and spend some extended time sitting in the yard. 

Mikey

Saturday, April 17, 2021

Mike texted early this afternoon and asked if I wanted to get together for a cigar. I said yes because we've been trying to set something up for a few weeks without things working out and also because it's supposed to be pleasant into the late afternoon. 

We sat out in the back yard and listened to jazz. It's been 6 months since we've seen each other and it was fun to catch up. I asked him if he wanted to stay for dinner and GMN and he accepted. 

Dale made chili and we watched The Women. 

The Day After

Sunday, March 7, 2021

Woke up this morning feeling like HELL. Headache, body aches, nausea, and a 101 degree temperature. Advil was my friend. Had lots of fluid too. They weren't kidding around when talking about getting hit hard the day after the second dose.

Was on the couch most of the day. Had a view of this very cute dog. 

Didn't eat a lot today. Had some cereal in the morning and some soup at lunch. I was starving by dinner time which I took as a good sign. Was craving pot pie all day so we had the leftovers from last night for dinner. Symptoms reduced by bedtime but still had a slight fever. Decided not to go to work tomorrow just to be on the safe side. 

Vaccine Day

Saturday, March 6, 2021

Got my second shot of the Covid-19 vaccine this morning at 11:00. 

Glad to be done with it. It's a tangible sign we're moving away from this pandemic. 

I hear lots of folks have a strong reaction to the second dose 12-15 hours after it's administered. I'm going to take advantage of feeling well while I can. 

Smoked one of the little Cohibas Warren brought back from Havana for me. 

And listened to some jazz. 

For cocktail hour I had an Old Fashioned sweetened with maple syrup. Delicious. 

Dinner was a pot pie. 

We watched North by Northwest during dinner. One of my favorites. This is one of the first movies Dale and I watched together when we first met all those years ago. I remember watching it at his old apartment on Harriet Avenue.