Dining Alone

Dale's back up on the Island again for the summer. I ordered from our local Chinese take-out place a couple days ago and got the sweet and sour shrimp, one of my favorites. I always order a bit more than I need so I have some leftovers, which I ate tonight. 

Dining Alone - Tuna Noodle Hot Dish

Dale's on the island and I told him that I would be doing more cooking for myself this summer. Today I experienced success! Turkey noodle hotdish is not one of Dale's favorites but I quite like it. It was delicious although it would probably have been better with some crumbled potato chips on top and maybe a little mustard mixed in with the cream of mushroom soup for some added zing.

Dinner to Go

Grilled vegetables, macaroni and cheese, and beef medallions all from Kowalski's. Pick a main and two sides and for $9.99 you're good to go.

Blueberry Tart from Kowalskis

It was so wonderful it deserves its own post. The filling was lemony and it worked very well with the blueberries. Fancy that.

Grazing Tray

Haven't made a grazing tray since New Year's Eve. Grape tomatoes. Shrimp with cocktail sauce. Grapes. Pepperoni, cheddar cheese, and crackers. Apples. The blueberry tart was for dessert and, thus, not on the tray. It was mostly a great success although I will say the grape tomatoes, although very good, just didn't work with the other stuff. The grapes were a bit to ripe. 

Dining Alone 2014 Part 3

My dessert last night. And only 150 calories each. I ate two. Chocolate and peanut butter flavored.

Dining Alone 2014 Part 2

Dale's up on the Island again and when he's gone I usually go for ease when it comes to cooking. One quick meal is cold fried chicken, a twisty roll, and a wedge of cored pineapple (no, I didn't eat in one sitting what's shown, only the part which is missing)). All are from Kowalskis. Dale would probably be on me for not having vegetables but when he's gone I like to take a break from them. Absence will make my heart grow fonder for broccoli and asparagus.

Dining Alone 2014 Part 1

With Dale out of town this weekend to help a friend move,  I decided to order Chinese from Xin Wong. I usually start with the wonton soup (top) and always get egg rolls (bottom). My favorite entree is the sweet & sour shrimp and I'm also fond of the broccoli with garlic sauce. I made the shrimp and broccoli last for two meals. Last summer while Dale was on the Island, my friend Warren and I would order a lot from Xin Wong. 

Grazing Tray

Dale's up on the Island so I'm eating for one. I like putting grazing trays together for something a little different. Note - The bowl on the bottom left contains raw sweet potatoes, not carrots. They were delicious.

Dining Alone Part 3

With Dale up on the Island I haven't been eating like I usually do. I haven't been eating poorly just differently - lots of sushi, rotissere chicken and beef from Kowalski's, cheese and crackers, herring and crackers, salads, and lots more fruit than usual. Anyway, the stuff I've been eating hasn't required much preparation so yesterday I decided to try something that called for a little more effort. The recipe I picked was Spaghetti with Fresh Tomato and Anchovy Sauce from Jacques Pepin's More Fast Food My Way. The dish was really quite simple to prepare and very delicious for how easy it was to make. Ingredients including chopped tomatoes, petite peas, baby bella mushrooms, garlic, anchovies and red pepper flakes are mixed together and then combines with the spaghetti. The the anchovies and the oil they are in really give the dish a kick. Cilantro and parmesan are used to top it off just before it is served. I think this is the first time I've ever grated my own parmesan cheese. It really added a nice sharp flavor.

Dinner On My Own

When Dale is out of town I usually indulge in my favorite simple meal. Rotisserie chicken and a pretzel bun, both from Kowalskis, and a salad. This salad is hearts of romaine with Annie's Goddess dressing. Sophie looks intrigued. Dessert was a slice of truffle roulade from Kowalskis (of course!).

Dining Alone Part 2

The tastes in last night's smoked salmon pizza were fantastic. Not a bad evening for having to dine alone. Of course, the only thing that would have made it better would have been having Dale here with me...

Dining Alone

"Solitary dinners ought to be avoided as much as possible, because solitude tends to produce thought, and thought tends to the suspension of the digestive powers. When, however, dining alone is necessary, the mind should be disposed of cheerfulness by a previous interval of relaxation from whatever has seriously occupied the attention, and by directing it to some agreeable object."

-Thomas Walker, 19th-century writer

OK, it's difficult to avoid dining alone lately as Dale has been on Madeline Island for the last 2 1/2 weeks and has about 3 1/2 left to go. The most recent events to occupy my mind have been a lower body workout at the gym followed by visits to Lunds and the former Ken & Norm's Liqours. I am now helping to make my mind cheery with a Bombay Sapphire martini. Kay Salter has said that "solitary dinners are inevitable and, far from being avoided, can be pleasant, providing you like your own company." I find myself to be mostly tolerable (and somewhat pleasant with a martini under my belt) so I'm going to try to make eating alone tonight an event.

When Dale and I are together, dinner is usually a joint venture. Except for our Golden or Silver Hours (basically a mid-week Golden Hour with less to drink and a part of a chocolate bar instead of a full dessert), meals are mostly low frills. Dinner is made together and eaten in front of the TV. Sometimes the entertainment is a show on HGTV. Sometimes its a reality show, Family Guy, a DVD, or what have you. In addition to sustenance, it is also equally important the event of preparing the meal separates the events of the day from winding down for the day.

Tonight's music is Trip Tease by Tipsy (just downloaded from iTunes) and the dinner will be a smoked salmon pizza from Jacques Pepin's most recent cookbook More Fast Food My Way.