Robb + Jessie Married & in the Badger State
New York Strip Steak
As a thank you and a wedding gift, Brian sent us some tasty steaks directly from Texas. They arrived in a huge styrofoam box with plenty of dry ice to keep the steaks frozen during their treck across middle-America.
Robb grilled up two of these suckers for dinner last week. Simply delicious.
We have two more in the freezer. Cannot wait to savour some more tasty beef.
Thank you Brian!
Trip of a Lifetime
Location: Madison, Wisconsin
Last month two of our good friends, Sean and Brian, made their way to Wisconsin from Seattle and Texas, respectively. They flew into Milwaukee as it was about $200 cheaper than flying into Madison. Robb and I picked them up and enjoyed the sights of Wisconsin we hadn’t seen yet. The 80ºF weather and humidity was a bit of a shock for Sean but for Brian, it was a cool breeze. It’s amazing how a difference of a few degrees makes you feel.
Anyway. American Airlines literally lost Brian’s suitcase. Not just that it was still in Dallas. They actually had no idea where it was. How sad is that? It reminded us of Meet the Parents when Greg’s luggage (with the diamond engagment ring) go missing:
Pam The airline lost his bag.
Dina They didn’t! Oh.
Pam Yeah. Yeah, they did.
Jack What about you, honey?
Pam Oh, no, no, no. I carried on.
Jack That’s my girl.
Dina It’ll turn up, I’m sure.
Sean carried on his bag. Brian’s arrived on our back-doorstep on Sunday night (not the covered entry way to the apartment complex) during a torrential downpour. Poor Brian.
Their original first sights of Wisconsin were nothing special. But once we took them to the UW Memorial Union Terrace, bought them some tasty beer and watched the sun set while listening to a sweet jazz band – they began to enjoy Madison.
The next morning we biked to the huge Dane County Farmers’ Market that actually shuts down all the streets around the capital and is packed with shoppers and venders. The boys got to pet cows and sample their first, fresh cheese curds.
(Sean learns that all cows are girls.)
After a hearty grilled cheese sandwich from the farmers’ market, we biked over to the free Henry Vilas Zoo. The animals were quite active that day, probably because it was so hot.
Not to mention, there were a few wild orangutans running about.
That night, after a lot of cool drinks, ice cream from Babcock Dairy (my home away from home – honestly, I work/live there), and installing the air conditioning unit in our house, we went to the Barrymore to see Ingrid Michaelson and Greg Laswell preform. I highly recommend seeing both of them.
On Sunday. It rained. A lot. In the time it takes to get from our front door to our car (1 min) we were soaked. On the way to church, we drove through flooded roads (over two feet of standing water). We felt like we were fording rivers on Oregon Trail:
But we made it. With two surviving oxen. And Jenny didn’t die of dysentery.
This shelf cloud was bringing a lot more rain. So much so that everyone hid in their homes until the storm passed. And, one of Wisconsin’s famous lakes, Lake Delton is now an empty basin. Also, a lot of people lost their homes.
All in all, I think Brian and Sean very much enjoyed their trip out here.
And you should too! I’ll even give you a cookie…
Comfort Food
Tuna noodle casserole.
Did you flinch? Oh I’m sorry.
What is with the aversion to this dish? Is it the cream of celery or cream of mushroom soup? If so, then I heartily agree with you. Yuck!
But get this. It’s really good if you make it from scratch.
I, of course, used my ‘Joy of Cooking’ for the recipe. I like to tweek it by adding rainbow fusilli pasta and vegetables (I used corn and peas which were on hand). For the breadcrumb topping, I smashed up some Caesar salad croutons and sprinkled them on top. Also, I used a mix of cheese: sharp cheddar and parmesan.
And it hit the spot for comfort food.
On the menu
Robb and I are revamping our eating life right now. We’ve had one too many brats and now that our garden is starting to flourish, we are looking to use some of our fresh, organic vegetables.
When I walk home I generally ponder what I will make for dinner. Or at least, what will be the main source of protein. For instance, yesterday I wondered I considered eggs, tofu, chicken, beef, pork… The latter three are in our freezer, and I didn’t want to go through the defrosting cycle, so I settled on tofu. I have only recently begun experimenting with tofu. I have learned there are many different ways to prepare it, but I have mostly stuck with pan frying.
I checked out my trusty recipe website, Allrecipes.com and searched for tofu. To my surprise, the second recipe listed struck my fancy. Chinese Shrimp and Tofu Soup. I just happened to have a half of bag of shrimp left over from when I made shrimp and pesto pasta last month. (Frozen, cooked shrimp from Trader Joe’s).
The only ingredient I was missing was fresh ginger. Instead, I used my Chinese five-spice powder and mixed it with the chopped garlic. I sautéed the shrimp (mostly defrosting them) and then added the tofu to increase the flavor as other reviewers had mentioned it being bland. I also increased the amount of peas and simmered the soup for about 15 minutes (or until the rice was finished cooking). Then, the secret ingredient, cilantro fresh from our garden. Robb and I were very satisfied.
Then, we enjoyed watermelon for dessert while the cake Robb made was baking (that is another story).
Happy Independence Day!
Madison is unique because it has a main 4th of July fireworks display the weekend prior to the event. Robb and I biked to the Union Terrace and watched the fireworks across the water. A lovely display with a so-so music accompaniment (Sound of Music Medley?). Biking prevented us from sitting in traffic for 40 minutes after the event, but I think next year I would like to spread a blanket out on the grass and look up at the fireworks overhead. That is the best way to watch the fireworks – after all, that is how we did it when I was a kid in Chico.
But Madison also has multiple smaller fireworks displays on the 4th. We might check one of those out. And we might treat ourselves to a movie. WALL•E anyone?
Here is a fun thought. Last year on 4 July, Robb and Andrew came back from Europe! We picked the boys up from the aeroport entirely jet lagged and tired. Brynn, Andrew’s girlfriend, and I dragged them to Gasworks Park to meet up with the Stankey family for the best fireworks display. (I wanted to find an uncopyrighted photo of the Chinook Helicopter flying over with a huge American flag before the fireworks were lit on a barge in Lake Union - but alas! Enjoy the Flickr photo pool from last year.)
P.S. I think Robb and Andrew fell asleep during or before the show started.