Life was still briefly a little more “normal”…I hate that word now. I don’t want normal. But, I do like being able to pop into my local grocery store. And I like not paying all those delivery fees that come with a total lockdown situation. And at this point, numbers had started increasing and we were talking about locking things down again but had not yet done so. And yes, I’m writing this post retrospect, as I am really behind on my posts. So let’s just dive in.
Thursday (7/29) – This was just another leftover night.
Friday (7/30) – I hit the jackpot. My friend and I have been doing in-person happy hours every other Friday at local bars and restaurants that have patios and are dog friendly because she has a new puppy that she doesn’t leave at home. We went to my favorite neighborhood bar. I have to tell you some of what makes it a favorite. This is just one example. I get there and check-in for a table. One of my favorite servers is at the podium and tells me it might be half an hour wait. I tell him that is okay. He offers me an indoor table, reminding me they have all the windows open. I tell him I just am not comfortable with it. He says okay and takes my phone number to text when our table is ready. He then puts in my name (without having to ask it) and says he’ll be right back with a glass of wine. While we are waiting on the curb outside, the manager comes by and offers my friend who had arrived by then a glass as well. That is just fantastic service. Anyway, we get to our table, and I look over and see one of the best sights in town…chicken flautas. Now this may not seem so exciting to you, but that just means you haven’t had these flautas. They used to be on the regular menu. However, after Covid hit, the restaurant had to redo their menu due to supply issues, and frankly, I’m sure cost. So now, they appear randomly as a special. I usually find out the next day on Facebook. So I got to eat the flautas, and that made me very happy. The husband made the pesto pita pizzas for him and the kid.
Saturday (7/31) – I made my stir-fried wild rice. I had several veggies that needed to be used. I did forget to add the toasted pine nuts this time. I know! How does that happen? I’ll just tell you that the pine nuts really make a big difference. It was still good, though very red due to the addition of beets, but it’s definitely better with the nuts.
Sunday (8/1) – We started the day with a beautiful (not to brag) spinach, feta and tomato quiche. It was hearty and delicious. Adding spinach always makes me feel like I’m making the dish healthier. But you know, when you add a pound of cheese, I guess maybe a little less so. But some fat is good for you, right? For dinner, we just did leftovers again.
Monday (8/2) – I had some nice, ripe tomatoes, so I wanted to recreate a dish I’d had in Spain. It’s a simple tomato salad. I changed it up a bit because I minced the garlic really fine and let it sit in salt for about 15 minutes to really pull out the juices. I served it with roasted broccoli and stir-fried black beans. I guess now that I think about it, it was a bit of a weird dinner. We had the vegetarian kid an extra night, and so I was really just winging it.
Tuesday (8/3) – Ya’ll know what day it is. This week we did simple soyrizo hard tacos. And I did cheat and get store-bought guacamole and pico de gallo. I’m really starting to drop the ball on this taco Tuesday deal. August is not a big month for me and cooking. It’s hot. And we’ve had a couple of weeks of the weather I moved north to get away from.
Wednesday (8/4) – We had a leftover night again. This doesn’t happen often on nights we have the kid, but I just had too many random pieces taking up space in the refrigerator. So there was roasted cauliflower, soyrizo tacos, black beans, and quiche. I know, kind of random.
It’s August! Schools are opening across the country. Our youngest starts at the end of the month. If I were her, I would miss the hot lunches at home. She likely is grateful for that part, as she has a thing about leftovers, and that’s what I feed her most weekdays. Honestly, I think she’s mostly getting used to the idea. And every once in a while, I throw in something like a grilled cheese. Anyway, on to next week.
Foodie's Delimma 
Lots of good food ideas in your post. Also, if I lived near you that would be favorite bar too!
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Thanks! And everyone needs a good neighborhood hangout!
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