dinner / movie

L - Nikon D60 / T - Nikon D40x

The drive home was so pleasant tonight - a nice breeze was in the air. I got off work at the normal time for the first time this week and was looking forward to getting out of heels and into flip flops. When I walked in the house there was the wonderful aroma of onions cooking - Taylor was busy in the kitchen, the table was set and all I had to do was fill the water glasses. Taylor had prepared Chicken Succotash for our dinner with my parents (our schedule was off because of me working late Tuesday). So to say the least, I am happy that Taylor is staying home this summer instead of in Athens like she had originally planned. / i kind of like doing the grocery shopping when i have a specific list in hand. tonight i cooked for our weekly dinner with my grandparents, but i was disappointed in the way the sugar snap peas with sweet onion vinaigrette recipe turned out. it did add the needed 'green' to the plate however. (i learned this from my grandmother - she always makes sure there is something green on the dinner plate.) tonight i'm going to the drive-in theatre with friends.

together / 3 of us

solo post - L, Nikon

I had my parents for dinner tonight. It's nothing out of the ordinary - it's something we do every Tuesday and they have me for dinner on Monday nights. I feel lucky that my parents are close enough that we can do this and glad that we made it a routine a long time ago. Plus I know I'll get a great meal every Monday night. : ) Living alone I don't do a lot of cooking for myself. Tomorrow night I'll probably just have a bowl of soup. : ( But Dad will call and let me know that they have extra homemade pizza on Friday if I want some. : )

hearts / love

solo post - L, Nikon, iphone

A simple dinner alone, eaten at the kitchen counter. That sounds so sad and pitiful but it's OK. She went back to school last night and the house is quite and I am alone once again, but there is a calm and I'm ok - really. We had such a great holiday together and the gifts haven't stopped. I got something in the mail just today - a Christmas gift from Taylor that was late in arriving. And I love it. It's a very cool leather camera strap from an etsy artist. Don't you love it when someone knows just what you'd like?

fancy / treat

solo post - L
I'm a spoiled rotten mother. I have a daughter that has dinner on the table when I get home, that cleans out the dishwasher, cleans out the refrigerator and keeps her room clean. Many times I come home to fresh baked goodies – like these raspberry crumb muffins.

Several years ago we started a tradition of having my parents over one night a week for dinner. Many times Taylor would be the one to cook. When she was younger, 11 yrs. old, she decided those night would be real special – "welcome to the Pepper Cafe" she would say (Pepper was her first cat) and would give them a hand drawn menu for them to choose from (options for beverage or dressing, etc). Generally there was a theme ie. seafood, mexican, etc. The best part of it was she dressed up for these dinner nights, and I don't mean just cleaned up – she dressed according to the theme. Her seafood one was one of the best. She wore goggles and flip flops to serve dinner in. This is making me laugh out loud now as I'm writing this, thinking back on those creative years. (I would love to show you a photo but I know how embarrassed she would be if I did that – she'll probably be upset with me for mentioned this much.) She even had the waitress apron and note pad and pencil to take their orders. Anyway, it was a treat for my parents and she cooked some really nice meals - always something new and different.

These days she uses Everyday with Rachel Ray's $10 spot recipes and does the shopping but she no longer takes orders on a pad. And even though she no longer dresses up special for the occasion she does present the dish looking as if it came from a fancy restaurant. And it taste even better.

I tell you it's a treat, and I'm one lucky mom.

Last night she cooked Salmon Cobb Burgers . It was one of her simpler meals but she had cleaned the entire house and did the shopping that day as well. Can't beat coming home to a clean house AND dinner on the table.