Summer food, mostly. Rach has been here since Monday. I’m trying to remember Monday night … It was freezing at the beginning of the week. Usually I wash my hair and in the summer, shave my legs, on Sundays, but I didn’t get around to until till Tuesday this week – it didn’t matter, because it was so cold I wore leggings Monday, anyhow. Oh I remember – Rach wasn’t getting here until after dinner, so Mark and I had sandwiches, I had the crazy summer sandwich, and he made a more traditional ham one from his supplies upstairs. And leftover pasta salad from our German house guests visit, and chips on the side.
Stuffed squash
On Tuesday, I spent the day biking back and forth across campus in and out of rain to get to four site visits for my students. The first one was at the downtown Madison Public Library, then Ag Hall on campus, Forest Products Lab, and finally UW System Administration. Then I came home and made stuffed squash. Really simple filling – used some Italian sausage from Pecatonica at the market, leftover rice, and onions.
On Wednesday I had class, and I was planning to come home and make a microwave s’more for my supper, but Mark had returned from his day in Chicago, and gotten pizza, so I had two slices and the last beer from the fridge downstairs – Wisconsinite, from Lake Front.
Thursday I was going to make the zucchini & chicken casserole from my Pittsburgh Great Tomato Patch cookbook –
– but I just got home too late. It’s a recipe that I’ve kind of un-packaged-food-ified. It’s supposed to have stuffing mix, and cream of chicken soup, and margarine. I use home made croutons, or cubed bread, and sauce with a roux, usually chicken or mushroom. As I was biking home, I was thinking, “Now what do I have and what should I buy? – should I stop at Trader Schmoes and get some hunk of meat or fish?” In the end I stopped at Joe’s (Regent Market) , and bought a small can of corn, and a jalapeno. I made kind of calabacitas, the New mexican side dish, with zucchini, corn, onions, jalapeno, all sauteed together. I put in chile powder, and we rolled it up in flour tortillas with grated mozzarella, and that was a pretty good dinner.
Friday was one of my work at home/vacation days – I am not going into the office on Fridays this summer. I biked over to E. Wash to meet a contractor, to see about getting some some odd jobs done over there – although one of the jobs is turning into a deck rebuild, instead of just a fix it up quick. So I got in a nice long bike rid to start the day. I’m having trouble seeing out of my current Warby Parker glasses, and they’re making grooves in the sides of my head. I called the eye doctor and she said I probably just need new glasses, and I should try getting them made at the Physicians Plus optician that;s connected tot eh eye clinic. So Mark and I went out there to look at glasses, and of course I ordered a pair that’s going to be almost $600. John was in an accident with the Outback in Chicago on Tuesday the 9th, someone ran into him, and it took a little while, but their insurance is going to pay 100% so I am getting my deductible back. Completely faulty logic, but made me feel like I had the money for new glasses.
We also indulged in a little Costco shopping – Mark got an iHome for the Chicago apartment, I got stuff like skinless boneless chicken & hamburger meat for the freezer. Warning – theme arising here – Deb buys food, other people buy other stuff. Came home, did a little more work, put together the zucchini casserole, stuck it in the oven on timer, then off to get Rach for our girls’ afternoon out. We hit up Greenway station, J.Jill & DSW, got iced coffees, didn’t see much we liked. We stopped at Willy St. for the bathrooms, and of course I picked up a few groceries there, too. Then came back towards home for the sidewalk sales at Hilldale. I must’ve looked at 20 pairs of shoes, but the only thing I bought was the groceries. Rach got an orange shirt she’d been coveting for days. I went over to give her girlfriend approval for the purchase – it really fits perfectly – so I was in the store when she was getting rung up for the shirt, telling the saleswoman we were out shopping and I got groceries, she got the shirt. And I felt like, “Yea, Deb looks like she got the groceries, you got the clothes.” I was wearing a white t-shirt over a play skirt, and looked much closer to dumpy then svelte.
Home and ate the casserole for dinner with Mark and a salad – it came out a bit soggy because of using bread instead of croutons, but an OK dinner nonetheless. And decided NOT to go do anything else that evening – a big Friday for the middle aged.
On Saturday, I bought two pairs of shoes from Zappos, to make up.
