happenings

well, we've finally been reunited with t after almost a month of separation. he flew here yesterday, and s celebrated by pulling out the front tooth that's been dangling for a few weeks. now she has that toothless grin so cute in kids this age. the tooth fairy came, yada yada.

today on the beach while swimming in the big-but-dangerous waves, what did the girl find floating in the surf? a full can of beer. and it hadn't even expired yet! but alas, it was a busch. almost undrinkable. well, it was a good find anyway. she was proud of herself. here's a strange photo of her 2 big things:

h built an army of sand yesterday then invited the kids next door over to help destroy it. good times.
and LAST but not LEAST... my mom paid s $5 to pit 3 quarts of cherries to make cherry pie for a special treat for t. she diligently put each cherry on the pitter, pushed the plunger, and placed the pitted cherry in the bowl until the whole lot was done. it wasn't until we all started to eat our delectable slices of homemade cherry pie that we realized almost none of the pits had actually been removed! we giggled and giggled, blaming that darn batch of cherries that "grandma" had pitted. s promised to teach grandma how to do a better job with the pitter. s counted the pits on each of our plates to see who had "won." grandma won with a record 9 cherry pits in her piece of pie. we were just glad we hadn't invited company! oh, and the pie was heavenly. wish y'all could've had a slice (with the winning number of pits).

fried smelt 'n' figs

two of my favorite things, both of which i only am able to have once a year.

imagine my joy when today i was able to have both together! what a combination! gourmets of the world are taking note, i'm sure. oh, and i washed it all down with a vernor's ginger ale.

fried smelt i only get when i'm visiting my parents in michigan. for those who are unfamiliar, smelt are little fish with the heads chopped off, rolled in batter, and deep fried. you eat the whole darn body... spine, fins and all. a few years ago i did a post on bortell's fresh fish market south of ludington on lake michigan.

figs i can usually only find at whole foods market in chapel hill. but today at the meijer store in ludington, there they were... 2 packages for $4! i was moronic with delight. the produce shoppers must have thought i was nuts.

so, on the way home from our shopping trip, i savored each bite of my lunch. it was heavenly.

you can go vomit now.

comfort food

when your mind wanders, do you ever ask yourself those "what if" questions? as in, what if i went back to school, what would i study? or what if i opened a store, what kind of store would it be? how would it be decorated? what products would i carry?

the entrepreneurial part of me is thriving, however i don't have the drive to be a small business owner, and dreaming is all i am able to do. the main ponderings i do are about restaurants, and what kind i would open.

after years of careful daydreaming, i have decided that i would open a restaurant called "comfort food" (and yes, i was born a cancer). the decorations would be warm colors, woods and plushes. a couple of roaring fires would invite folks to eat their dinners on easy chairs at a coffee table. it would be small and quaint so as to reduce hustle and bustle, and would smell like mom roasting turkey and baking apple pie at the same time.

the menu would serve breakfast all day. breakfast is one of my favorite comfort foods. eggs, hash browns, bacon, toast, benedict... you name it. all day. a fully stocked oatmeal/grits/cream of wheat bar would be in place where you could choose your own toppings for stirring in. lunches would be mostly creamy soups and thick stews (not from a can) with buttery biscuits and a selection of hot teas... infused of course, no teabags.

dinner would feature bubbly casseroles and sauteed vegetables... primarily squashes and such. roast beef or turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy would always be available. my favorite idea would be that patrons could request THEIR OWN comfort foods from the chef. if the idea is chosen, it would be a special of the week for everyone to try... maybe to become a comfort food for them, too!

dessert would be a focus on pies and puddings. possibly apple, pecan and pumpkin pie, a cheesecake thrown in for good measure, with bread pudding and rice pudding as staples.

i know it's a brief description (must wake children. must shower. must go to dentist), but what do YOU think? what would YOU want to see at a restaurant that featured comfort food? which foods do you turn to? it's easier to ponder with the weather outside being frightful and all... :)