today's menu

I have a tough time going out to eat post-surgery.  Not because I can't find anything to eat, but because I've become very cheap with food and tend to just order soup all the time.  Even though I could order a meal, bring 90% home, and get another 3 meals out of it, I just can't see paying for a whole dinner when it's just not necessary.  Food has become more like fuel, the way it's supposed to be, rather than something to do when I'm bored or a way to celebrate, etc., so I don't really place much emphasis on it anymore.

Bob and I were out most of the day today.  We got up at 4 am to go to the casino, but decided to wait until later in the day after my hair appointment.  Of course we couldn't fall back asleep so we got up and went to the Bridgeport Flyer Diner in Devon (my favorite diner!).  This time I ordered a whole breakfast, rather than ordering a side of hash (that's actually for Bob) and stealing some egg off of Bob's plate.  He wanted hash so I ordered the hash and eggs.  It came with two eggs, potatoes, toast and a big pile of corned beef hash.  I scooped almost all the has onto his plate, ate one egg and a few potatoes, and Bob ate all the toast.  And there was still a lot on my plate to bring home.

So, I then came home and took care of the bills, and then I went to my hair appointment.  My hair has been growing like crazy, because of all the protein I have to eat.  My hairdresser happens to be a family friend so it was a great appointment.  I got beautified and enjoyed great conversation.   I drive all the way to Hamden from Stratford to see her.  I love her!  If anyone is looking for a new hairdresser, her name is Marie Racalbuto.  Her number is (203) 430-2247 and she's at Daniella Marie Hair Boutique.

After that Bob and I decided to drive up to the military surplus store in Newington.  He's former Army so he likes to look around and buy certain things.  I did my duty and went into the store with him.  Then we drove up to Southbury to look at a house we saw online.  I like to do a drive-by before we decide to ask for a showing.  Sometimes a house looks great online and then when you drive by you see it's at the top of a really steep road, or it's very close to the road, or it just isn't what you thought.  We really liked it, though, and plan to ask for a showing.  It's in a hilly area, but there's a fabulous three-level deck on the back of the house, which includes a stone patio with a fire pit and a built-in outdoor kitchen.  It's close to shopping and the highway.  And Southbury is beautiful.  It would be a one-hour commute (depending where I'm working), but I'm OK with that for the right house.

Dinner was at a diner in Shelton.  Tonight I decided to order the blue cheese bacon burger without the bun. This was my first burger since surgery.  It came with fries, coleslaw, and a pickle.  I wasn't impressed with the burger.  It's surprising how much a bun hides; you don't realize what you're actually eating until the bun is gone.  The hamburger was a thin, frozen patty.  It was cooked to the right doneness, but it was pretty greasy. The blue cheese wasn't crumbled.  It was a slice of blue cheese and it was obviously a cheaper, processed variety.  I'm not a food snob by any means, but certain things, like blue cheese, should be real and of good quality.  It's just not the same if it's not.  Compounding the greasiness was the bacon.  I gave it to Bob and he said it was very good.  I think if I got it with the bun it would have soaked up the grease and been just fine.  The fries were very good.  The coleslaw was good, too.  The pickle wasn't a real pickle.  To me, pickles are dills.  I'm not a fan of the sweet pickles.  So I ended up eating a few bites of the burger, the cheese, about 12 fries dipped in gravy, one forkful of the coleslaw, and one forkful each of Bob's mashed potatoes and meatloaf.  I walked out full so I was OK with that.