Guess what Harv and I did yesterday?

Went out for Valentine's lunch... to one of our favorite places.

This wonderful little place is in what appears to have been a house in its past. It's cozy and decorated in a homey way.

We haven't officially met the owners, but our faces are familiar to them so imagine how pleasant it was to be greeted with warmth and cheer -- as if they were happy to see us again. (The Rhody closes every year from about November through January and the owners travel to fun places and get rejuvenated and refreshed as they head back into the busy season...It's always kinda sad when the Rhody isn't an option for dining and always kinda exciting when they re-open.)

We began our meal with a delicious Ugni Blanc wine -- which I had never had before, but now I want again.

(Another pretty glass of wine...Maybe I should make a poster!)

One of the fun things about the Rhododendron Cafe is that their menu changes monthly. This month is Mediterranean month (makes me happy!).

Harv ordered the Moussaka which is roasted eggplant layered with ground leg of lamb, marinara and feta.

The Middle Eastern Chicken Salad sounded delicious to me -- and it was!

As usual, we were not disappointed. I cleaned my plate and so did Harv.

And, because we ate ALL of our lunch, we treated ourselves to some DEEEEEEEEEE-licious ice cream. 

Salted Caramel and Belgium Bittersweet Chocolate!

'Course, if we had wanted to and if we had had more room in our stomachs, we coulda had all KINDS of yummy desserts!

Before we drove home, I waddled over to The Rhody Too -- a cute little boutique with artistic jewelry, scarves, purses, home decor, stationery and more. I love to go in there. I almost never need anything from there, but I always want something. Yesterday I found a little gift for a friend. Love it when I find something spontaneously and just right -- just 'cause.

We left The Rhody full and happy and we are lookin' forward to goin' back. 

If you haven't visited, you should go! Seriously.

(You can find them on facebook or at their website.)

A Very Good Sandwich... I'm not kidding!

Yesterday, Sarah and Hannah had an early release day so Harv and I decided that the four of us should go out for lunch... (I told you I like to go out to eat!)

So, we picked the girls up and we drove to.... 

  

When you walk in, it just kinda FEELS "old-world." The wooden floors look like they have endured some historical foot steps. The brick walls look like they've heard some interesting conversations. (Perhaps they still are!)

While I was waiting for my sandwich, I perused the wine section. The owner asked if I needed help and I replied that I'm on a rosé kick...even if it's NOT the season. He told me that they're on their way over from France and it'll be soon-ish. We had a fairly intelligent conversation about rosé (he was intelligent; I was fairly intelligent) and our preference for light colored rosés. I am lookin' forward to the arrival of the French rosés and I will be headin' down to Old World Deli to check them out. 

As for the food, they have quite a few choices on the "regular" list and then they had these daily specials.  (And, oh my goodnesss! Look in the bottom right-hand corner of the specials board! I just noticed it...a happy hour! Doesn't THAT sound fun?!!!)

 

I had the House Sausage with Braised Kale sandwich. Yes, it was delicious!

 

Harv had the Italian Sub sandwich. He really enjoyed it, too.

 

And, we got funky, fun sodas.  One must also have good chips with a good sandwich. So we got those, too.

  

 Sarah and Hannah shared a Chicken Pesto Panini. 

They seemed pretty happy with their choice, too, don'tcha think?

Next time I go, I'm 'onna check out the grocery items a little better. There's quite a selection of those, too.

Old World Deli -- it's just the place for people like me who like the adventure of good food.

Fun, New Ways with Food

When I get up in the morning, I usually check NPR.org for the news and interesting articles out there...

One of the features I like is the food sections.

Today there was an article in "The Kitchen Window" all about porridge. Various types of porridge.

Click photo for article

And, when I went to that page, there were links at the bottom of that article for lots of other interesting articles. Like the one below all about different ways to use chocolate.

Click photo for article

And, this one on an idea for a Valentine's Day Menu

Click photo for article

Food is so much fun. And, I just love finding fun, new things to do with familiar foods.

Where do you like to look for fun food ideas?  In what unusual ways do you use familiar foods?

Please share.

Happy eating!

Happy Hour

I go out to eat too often. I take myself to lunch. I meet friends for lunch. Sometimes I meet friends for appetizers and wine. Sometimes we go out as a family for breakfast or lunch or dinner.

I'm a little bit embarrassed that I eat out so much, but I also really like it.

Yesterday I met friends at a new-ish place called Redlight. It was fun. And, my favorite type of wine was available.

$4.00 off 'cause it was happy hour

Check out this generous fruit and cheese plate.

Pretty sure I will go here again. It's convenient. It's low-key. It's tasty.

Coffee

When I started drinking coffee, I'm pretty sure I felt like I was splurging when I bought this kind:

And, then... I moved to the national coffee region where there are coffee drive-throughs everywhere. At first, I'd just order a coffee with cream. And, then a barista (a word I'm sure I had never heard of until then) suggested that we order an Americano because it would be fresher and hotter and more delicious. So for a few years we ordered Americanos and added our own cream.

That was fine.

For a while.

Next, we got hooked on this:

 

The thing I liked about it was that I could count on my coffee tasting the same from one Starbucks to the other. If I was in Bellingham, I could generally count on getting the same tasting coffee that I'd get in Atlanta. I thought people who didn't like Starbucks were just being coffee snobs.

And, then, I tasted this:

I had no idea that my lattes could taste so delicious. I began to understand the coffee "snobs" of the world. Not only did it TASTE delicious, it was BEAUTIFUL. 

Pretend like the photo isn't blurry.

The sad thing about my first delicious coffee was that it was in San Francisco. Where in the world would I get a cup of coffee that good in Bellingham?!

Despair.

Until I discovered this:

I'm pretty positive that this is Bellingham's best cup of coffee.

They are not as quick as Starbucks but the drinks are made with care and attention and creativity.

What I'm finding in my "old age" is that the food and beverages I love the best are those that are made not just for sustenance, but with thought.

I think that's what my mother did with the food she prepared. And, so here we are again...back to where it all started for me.

My mama.
♥
Very thankful.

Dinner Tonight

I'm pretty sure I never stop thinkin' about what we're gonna have for dinner. If I figure it out for one day, another day comes along and I have to come up with something again.

I was looking through some of my photos and found this one.

And, I thought, "Dinner tonight!"

Masa cakes with with chorizo, salsa, green onions, cilantro (from my Dandelion Organics produce bin) and cotijo. With a serving of tortilla chips on the side. A recipe for the masa cakes (also called sopes) can be found here.

My favorite store-bought chips.

I'll probably go to the Meridian Cost Cutter for the cotijo -- and perhaps some other interesting things. They have an extensive selection of Mexican food.

Yeah. 

Friday night. Downton Abbey. Masa Cakes.

Veggie Bin!

Yesterday I received my bin of veggies from Dandelion Organics. Isn't it beautiful?!

I used the potatoes and the collards in my dinner. Potatoes, I just roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper.

I found a recipe for collards online here. I substituted craisins for the raisins 'cause I had those and craisins go well with orange juice.

My family is not big on greens, but this recipe gives 'em a more subtle taste. I think they'd be good cold, too.

Romanesco was included in my bin. Have any of you cooked with that before? Any interesting recipes to share?

It's kinda fun to plan dinner based on what's in the bin.

What are you cookin' tonight?