I have so wanted to go out to dinner the past two nights, but our new austerity plan forbids it. Only our vow to stay within our budget (and my work’s inability to pay me in a timely fashion) has kept us at the table here at home. Last night was Valentine’s Day, so even though I just wanted someone to take my order, I whipped up a paste of rosemary, parsley, garlic, olive oil and salt to spread over some luscious Costco lamb chops. Mashed potatoes and carrots did the rest. But what really irked me was my lack of foresight. We had a bottle of champagne in the fridge, and I volunteered that we open it on Sunday night to celebrate the blizzard. So here it was Valentine's Day and no champagne.
Tonight was hardly different. The Girl and I drove to the Hastings station to pick up The Husband, and all the way there I kept thinking how nice it would be to just pick him up and go to Ardsley for some Thai food. We could be there in a flash, and I was already so hungry from only having an economical peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a banana for lunch today. When The Husband got in the car I tested him out: "How about going out for dinner tonight?"” He agreed without hesitation, and that, somehow, made it easier for me to confess that the dinner I had at home would be a snap and would take less time than going anywhere else. I mean really, how long does it take to heat up some smoked pork chops, boil up some egg noodles, and steam some broccoli?
And in the long run it all worked out for the best. The Girl was full of stories about her first 100th day of school, which she reported was the greatest day she's had at school yet. And then of course there's the issue of tomorrow night. The Husband will be at his studio to paint, and The Girl and I have an invitation to meet Desirée and her daughter Sarah for dinner at Haiku in Bronxville. I have already said "yes."
4 comments:
Sounds like a great family Valentine to me!
Yes it's true it was. It's just the fatigue. Dinner out tonight was not bad either: Vietnamese salad and tempura shrimp roll.
We should be on the austerity program, too.
So here's a question for you, oh Cooking Goddess.
What are some take-along lunches that are more exciting than PB and banana? I am clueless but want to quit spending 8 bucks in the cafe for a mediocre lunch.
I hate packing lunch. Poor Esme has probably eaten her weight in pb&j sandwiches this school year. I have to take them too when I'm going to be in a school where I don't have access to a fridge.
One of our more fun lunches though is a kind of picnic: some ham, crackers, cheese, nuts, dried fruit (or real fruit). Evan takes leftovers, though sometimes the bag gets left on the counter. Es is also a big fan of black beans, so I warm some up and put them in one of those little soup thermos containers.
Hope this at least kind of helps.
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