Hard rains in autumn on the coast of Maine are LOUD rains…it has rained the last two nights and the rain pounded on the deck, the side of the house, the roof…today, the rain is slow and steady, but the wind is howling and the waves are crashing! Lazy/lucky me, I am tucked in under my comforter for an October afternoon snuggle with Puppy Boo,watching football.
Hus and I haven’t been to the movies together in ages, maybe even years. He sees movies on airplanes, I see them on TV years long after they open. But yesterday, it was cold and rainy, it was Saturday and we felt like it, so we hid out in the theater for a 4pm showing of a movie we both wanted to see, Moneyball. As Red Sox fans, it had special meaning. As the granddaughter and daughter of men who played the game longer than most, and the daughter of a man who was knew a National League manager and a National League umpire (can we say great seats to Dodger games when I was growing up?) and who was an unofficial scout for the San Diego Padres (I think that’s who it was for…Dad?), how could I say no to a baseball movie??? We both liked it…I didn’t care about factual discrepancies, I thought the movie was well-paced, Brad Pitt isn’t hard to watch, the guy who played “Peter Brand” was entertaining and I am in love with the young lady who played Billy Beane’s daughter and the song she sang. Post-movie, we went out for a drink and a bite to eat…a nice, early evening…maybe we’ll make date night a regular happening?
My Katy and her husband are off on a wonderful, once-in-a-lifetime vacation…funny how I still feel a bit empty even though we have lived apart for more than a decade…maybe because she is even farther away than she usually is?
I’m trying to put together a menu for next Saturday night’s dinner…my brother-in-law and his wife are coming to visit from New Zealand. If you have ever flown from New Zealand to New England, you know it is a killer flight of way too many hours. Plus, they are bringing friends who are flying in from Spain. So, I want to have dinner waiting for them, made ahead as much as possible. One gluten-free vegetarian, the rest omni. I’m thinking of starting with a meat, cheese and veggie plate, followed by mozzarella/tomato/basil/balsamic vinegar salad, followed by…hmmm…I have gotten that far yet…any suggestions? I would make spaghetti, but I’ve never tried gluten-free pasta…taste, texture? Anyone know?
A nice roasted chicken or even a turkey would be a good hardy meal for them. But I guess that wouldn’t work with the vegan?
I would normally do a big ol’ roast chicken…great minds!
Another good gluten-free staple is quinoa – we use it a lot in our house – but that makes a nice side dish with a chicken and sweet potatoes or yams too – so much better than regular rice or starchy white potatoes. My son’s a personal trainer so I’ve learned a lot from him.
Great idea!
Also consider hummus as an appetizer, a vegetarian at work brought that before and it was suprisingly tasty. And for dinner, consider eggplant lasagna? I made that once and it was fantastic. And I’m a meat-lover. 🙂 The sauce had spinach and mushrooms and I roasted the garlic first.
Oh, that is a GREAT idea! Thank you so much!