Food, Glorious Food

Two posts in one day?! This whole blog thing is turning out to be more fun that I had thought. Thanks to Emily for her inspiration and her help. (If you want to read a blog written by a REAL writer, you need to check out The Swallow Flies.)

This is just a quick catch-up on what I've been eating, and to show you some treasures I have found.

Two days ago we had to attend another funeral home visitation. This was for the mother of a friend who died peacefully in hospice at an advanced age, surrounded by her family. Everyone should be so lucky.

Afterwards, we went to Jam's - one of our favorite local restaurants - with some friends. (Note: as much as possible, we try to eat at locally-owned restaurants. As long as we're spending our money, we want to keep it in the area. And the food is usually w-a-y better. This is not to say that a trip to Bonefish or Fletcher's is out of the question....) But back to Jam's. I had already planned on having wine, and luckily for me, we ordered a bottle (and then two and then three) of my second-favorite wine, the first being Seghesio Zin. (Another note: I only had a glass-and-a-half. Really.)

And check out what Steve ordered for an appetizer:

I did not eat one. It was a moral victory. (But strangely enough, I wasn't even tempted. I guess when I'm in the mindset, I CAN say no!)

For dinner, I ordered an appetizer as my entree, the agave shrimp tostada. The menu describes it as "tequila lime glazed shrimp with Santa Fe vegetable salad and ancho jack cheese." I describe it as fabulous. I actually had this the other week when I met my friend Genola for lunch, and it may be my go-to item on the menu. Prior to this, it was the fish tacos.

After we had finished dinner, we were joined by two other couples who had been at the visitation but had arrived at the restaurant at different times, so a third bottle of Prisoner was ordered. Oh, and did I mention the first bottle of the night was Sexy Beast cab by Two Hands winery? So the waiter was opening the FOURTH bottle of wine when Dwight leans over and whispers, "Are you okay to drive home?" After assuring him that I was most definitely okay to drive, we sat for another half-hour or so, just visiting and laughing. As we were getting in the car to leave, Dwight said, "As far as visitations to, this was pretty fun." And it was.

Last night for dinner I made an old family stand-by: linguine with capers, olives, tomatoes, basil, and feta. I have been making this for several years now, and would love to credit the source, but I can't remember where I got it. If I had to guess, it would be Better Homes and Gardens. I would make it when I knew someone was coming home from college, as it is good served hot or cold. It serves 8 people generously, and since the temp doesn't matter, leftovers got eaten quickly.

why yes, that IS a piece of Trader Joe's pretzel bread

Here's the recipe. For the pasta, not the pretzel bread.

Linguine with Capers, Olives, Tomatoes, Basil, and Feta

1 pound linguine (I use whole wheat now)

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (I use less, just enough to sauté the onions)

1 small yellow onion, diced

2 T chopped fresh basil

1 bay leaf

16 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, pureed

salt and pepper to taste (I find I don't need to use these at all)

4 Roma tomatoes

1 T capers (I love capers, so you can bet I use more!)

2 T kalamata olives, pitted and chopped (but you can use any kind of olives)

4 oz. crumbled feta cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions and drain. Heat skillet, add olive oil. Sauté onion until translucent. Add basil, bay leaf and pureed tomatoes. Simmer 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Add Roma tomatoes, capers, olives, and pasta. Toss to coat, and garnish with cheese. Serve hot or cold.

(Nutritional data: 296 calories, 11 g fat, 44 g carbs, 7 g fiber, and 10 g protein)

I found these little treasures at Super Target earlier this week. They are almonds (good protein!) coated with dark chocolate (antioxidants!)

And check out this serving size! It's 210 calories, but half of this serving is more than satisfactory.

And one last note and then I'll quit for the day. I have been reading about the benefits of Ezekiel bread for several years (no flour, just sprouted grains, low glycemic index) and finally bought some at Trader Joe's yesterday. I figured it would go well with my peanut butter for breakfast. I thought it was really good, but kinda wanted to add salt. Weird, I know. I'll have to wait and see what my husband, The Bread Guy, thinks of it.

And that's it!

TTFN