Auf Wiedersehen!

 Sometimes when you are all set to visit your first granddaughter, and fate deals your daughter a blow in the form of storm damaged plumbing, you have to pacify yourselves with different behavior to distract your heart from disappointment.  Yesterday, Hubby and I hit the backyard and garden area with a vengeance, hacking away at the lush weedery, provided by the stormy month we are now preparing to file in the history books..
Today, we were able to visit the Farmer's Market, http://www.orangecountyhomegrown.org/markets.html.  We were able to score a pink gooseberry bush and two tiny pots of Eyelash Begonias.  I have had about every kind of begonia, angel wing, perennial, dark leaf, but never, ever have seen Eyelash Begonias.  Adorabley beautiful.
 A trip to our local Walmart in Paoli for basic gardening supplies, brought us to lunchtime and decisions to make.  Of course, I'm always ready for a trip to Lost River Coop and Deli, http://lostrivercoop.com/ ; Hubby, not so much.  I was up for something different and Hubby suggested the new German Restaurant down a bit from Walmart's exit.  How very convenient for something different to be so near by!

  The German Cafe is remarkably different for this area.  In counties known for home cooking involving lots of Sysco Supplies, good eatin is generally thirty to forty five minutes away.

 Well.  At least it used to be that way...
.Finding fresh ingredients and personal service from the non chain eaterys, is akin to hen's teeth.  The vibe for this restaurant is a kitschy collection of personal memorabilia mixed in with German artifacts.  Each table is decorated differently and I got quite caught up in the eclectic style that the owner used for this wee little restaurant.

Our spontaneous luncheon in quest for something different, took us to the most amazing food that we have ever experienced....
Our sweet little server, fresh from Georgia, and the owners, authenticly German and highly talented, provided Hubby and I with a most enjoyable meal.  The Schnitzel was by far, the best we ever experienced, anywhere.  The tenderloin was tender (we could hear it being pounded in the kitchen from where we sat), the light breading, the pan fried skill that few can do well, was fighting over worthy.  I ordered a platter of salads of all kinds (and served in a wonderfully vintage sectioned tray!) and the plan was to share the HUGE tenderloin with my numerable salad sides.  Both Hubby and I were so involved in our own offerings, that we had to remind each other to share.  Even their tea was grand.  Hubby, eager to try a dark lager German beer, nearly forgot that gout frowns upon most alcohol. Well, one; and recovering from NoVivien-Disorder we thought he might as well indulge.

When Sweet Server offered their very famous Dream Cake or German Chocolate Cake or the Lemon Tart, we simply groaned and made a very prominent mental note for future visits....

If you are reading this in Southern Indiana and points nearby, do yourself a favor and contribute to small business and local owners and enjoy the best German food ever.

 (I do believe my Grandmother's Gutzweiller and VonKoenig would have felt right at home; I thought of them the whole time we were there....).

Okay.  We are still sad about missing Miss Viv, but it sure did help......

Happy Memorial Day!

Yummy Lemonade Time

Let us just pause and drink this in.  Let us just think about 8 degrees.  Let us revel in the wind chill factor that we so rebuffed in the gales of winter. Ah.  Refreshment....Lest we forget....

Now that we are all cool, let us see what we do with lemons: Unrelenting Heat Wave and Temporary Home Displacement.

 Eldest/Admin is thrilled with a bath remodel in her lower level.  As goes all redos, there is pain before progress.  Concrete jackhammered, water turned off and plumbers in and out. Air Conditioning turned off to keep just cleaned ducts sorta clean.  Plaster dust and (gulp) old mold is stirring up things that asthmatics oughta not be breathing...

So they pack up quickly and high tail it to Mimi's House.  Mimi's has it's share of allergens, dust bunnies alone never mind animal hair, but we do have functioning a/c (thank the Lord) and good company.

What ever do we do to have fun at Mimi's?  We eat eggies for breakfast.  We warm Mimi's heart by calling her name when nighty time is over.  We make BLT's with the best homegrown maters ever. (Thank you Lovely Lisa!)

We try on Mimi's baby shoes, the very ones that she walked in 56 years ago...And they fit!  We go to Lost River Deli and Markethttp://lostrivercoop.com and sit in a regular chair like a big girl, eating good and singing along with Mimi, The Rainbow Song while mama and Mimi shop in the wonderful store.

We shop at The Little Closet and find dandy finds.

We take walks at night with Mimi's doggies, when the temperature is not yet napalm but far from temperate .

We curl up in bed with Mimi and Papa while mama showers in peace and quiet and play with Mimi's Bedside accouterments.

Mama works on the cutest little bean bags that are here: http://chezbeeperbebe.blogspot.com/2010/01/tutorial-and-pattern-counting-bean-bags.html while Mimi gets to rock and sing me to sleep.....Bliss....

We laugh and talk and sit and swing and enjoy each other's company immensely....

Sweet Lemonade from The Crazy Lemons of Summer......

Stay Cool!

Of Lettuce and Lunch

Really had nothing obvious for lunch.  The one leftover was just a bit too Left Over.  Groceries have been intentionally diminishing due to the Big Electrical Update this coming weekend.  Didn't want to overload Youngest Son's Cottage Refrigerator. So we are literally tried to eat through our fridge before the Big Four Day No Electricity Extravaganza This Weekend.

Started to explore the pantry. (Remember the Makeover on this Neglected Area this past Winter?  I still like to look at it and admire my handiwork.  End of Life Query:  'So Mrs. Cory, exactly what was your lifetime's most prized accomplishment?'  With my last labored breath, I summon the strength to eke out the words, 'Well, there was that one winter that I re lined and re organized and cleaned my pantry.....') 

Anyway. :D

The pantry did not look hopeful.  Soup?  Really?  In this heat/humidity?

Then I saw the albacore tuna that I purchased recently and the Lunch Ball got rolling.....

Got out my favorite Elk Bowl.  Only I get to use this.  Everyone knows this.

I drained the can of tuna, making sure I left enough in the can for Stella the White Cat to lick the remains.  She was ever so happy.

I added the rest of the pickle relish. (yes!  Another thing used up from the Ice Box!) Oh Dear! No mayo opened!  Do Not want to open another.  (See beginning of post).  Grabbed my Lite poppy seed salad dressing.  Added some dried onion.  And celery seed.  And tossed it all merrily together.

Oh, I didn't I see in the pantry some of those Rosemary and Olive Oil Triscuit crackers?  And I must get rid of the cottage cheese as well.

Then I saw it.

My most favorite new invention (to me) and the Best New Product Award (from me):

Living Lettuce!

I saw it at our wonderful co op not too long ago, http://lostrivercoop.com, but then I would expect it of them.  But two weeks ago, I saw at my local grocery, not known for it's producial assortment.  Small town, you know.  And there it sat.  I used some Sunday night with extraordinary impression. Now, Two Days Later, it still was living up to it's freshness promise.

You must check this out!  http://taproduce.com

Then ask your Produce Manager to stock this wondrous product!  The bib lettuce was a great complement to the Tuna Spontaneous Salad.  Fresh, and still fed from the special recyclable, watered root system packaging.  Amazing.

Don't I get excited about the strangest things?