Oct 3-9 2010

I went to Blowing Rock on Tuesday, Sep 28 and got ready for some good friends to join me for the weekend.  On Thursday they arrived:  (from left to right below) Patty Lynn Ellis from Los Angeles, Marcia (Mar'-cee-ah) Stone from San Francisco, Donna Amundson from Minneapolis/St. Paul,  and Chris Wright from Cincinnati.  We had a fantastic time in BR!  I love you all!

I drove back home on Monday the 4th and Walter was supposed to return from his meeting in Las Vegas that evening.  Alas, his flight was cancelled so I was on my own for dinner that night.  That means I had crackers and ice cream!  The rest of the week was business as usual.

Tuesday 10/5/10
  
Cider-Glazed Chicken with Browned Butter-Pecan Rice
   from Oct '10 Cooking Light
Sauteed Portobello Mushrooms
Salad of Iceberg Lettuce, Argula, Baby Bellas, Shallots

     This was a big hit with Walter.  I used walnuts instead of pecans 'cause that's what I had.  The mushrooms, shallots, and iceberg lettuce were leftovers from the girls' weekend.  I took a plate to my neightbor, John Glass.  I'm doing dinner for him this week as his wife, my friend Dotsie, is at the beach on her own girls' getaway!  He liked it, too.

Wednesday 10/5/10

Spiced Pork Tenderloin with Sauteed Apples
    from Oct '10 Cooking Light
Spinach Salad
  
     Fantastic flavor for these pork medallions and the sauteed apples were yummy.  This is a keeper.  For the spinach salad I just used a container of Organic Girl and added some Herbs de Provence goat cheese from Ripshin Goat Dairy in Lenoir, NC (but any good goat cheese will do), chopped shallots and crumbled bacon.  I splashed in a bit of white balsamic vinegar.  Pretty good.

Thursday 10/6/10

Loaded Potato Soup
   from Oct '10 Cooking Light
Bread - at least I meant to have bread, but got busy and forgot to go to Panera :(
 
     I put the soup together on Thursday morning because I planned to be away from home most of the day and because I think soup is better if it can meld for a little while.  It came together very quickly, went into the fridge and I was off!  The soup that evening was good, even if the weather did become unseasonably warm, not quite soup weather.  The salt and pepper in the ingredients weren't enough for us, and I don't like a lot of salt (Walter does!)  I have another recipe for Potato Soup that is almost identical except it uses leeks instead of onions.  I'll have to make it soon and do a taste comparison.