Yesterday was spent running exactly about pretty much the whole live-long day. It wasn't all bad. I outset dropped off 2 boxes of wearable cleaned out from my closet. That lightened my charge considerably. From there, it was fourth dimension for my monthly pedicure, together with that was nice.
After that it was a drive to the other side of town to choice upwardly Big Bertha. While I was there, I learned that the work amongst Big Bertha was exactly a create upwardly of dirt together with grime nether the feed dogs, together with that was preventing them from staying down. In essence, she was given an annual maintenance this fourth dimension around, together with this is annoying when you lot reckon that I had her inward for annual maintenance exactly terminal April...less than a twelvemonth ago. In that time, I've done no quilting to utter of (none on Big Bertha...all on the Babylock machine), together with thus how did the machine acquire thus muddied that it started malfunctioning? Well, the response to that is easy: the former store didn't create the maintenance I paid them to do, or else they did a pretty sh*tty undertaking of it. So...I haven't genuinely hooked her dorsum upwardly again, but I did examination the push that lowers the feed dogs, together with that appears to move working. Needless to say, I'm genuinely done amongst the former shop, which is also bad because I similar doing concern inward my niggling town of Newberg. It's further away to acquire to this dissimilar shop, but worth it if they'll laissez passer me ameliorate service.
And afterward that, I was exactly a block away from the grocery store, together with thus I picked upwardly the staple items on my list, together with then home. Then, collapse inward the chair together with receive got a nap. I was tired afterward all that. Checking the mail, I flora the remaining items I demand for the Feb Stitch-along arrived.
We've been at that spot many times for celebratory dinners. Last night's dinner was 1 of their "Experimental" dinners. Every Midweek eve from Dec through March, they create an experimental tasting menu, together with we'd signed upwardly for the "Black Box Wine Pairing" menu...which is ironic because nosotros brought our ain bottle of wine.
Here's the menu:
I'll present the courses inward order. First, this niggling Croquette of Swiss together with Home-made Ham.
If you lot desire to know how to brand mashed potatoes fifty-fifty to a greater extent than decadent together with delicious, only add together gruyere cheese together with and then deep tike it. Yum.
This side past times side course of written report was the mozzarella panna cotta. Those niggling radishes were sliced thus sparse they were transparent. On transcend is a thinly sliced crimson carrot, which made it expect a niggling similar bacon. Then all kinds of carrot yumminess surrounding it.
Next upwardly was the scallop. That's a sort of pureed celery enjoy inward front. I'm non a slap-up fan of celery, but this was genuinely good.
Then, the duck breast. Sometimes I'm squeamish most meat, but this was delicious. It was our favorite of all the things served upwardly terminal night.
Then, the cheese course...I wasn't also fond of the difficult cheese on the right. It was dry out together with sort of sucked all the saliva from my mouth. The residual was delicious though. There was a niggling pistachio biscuit at that spot inward the upper left, together with that was downright scrumptious.
Finally, the "mignardises," which is a snotty French discussion for little sweets served afterward dessert. I justice technically nosotros skipped the dessert course, but these were a proficient stand-in. From left to correct at that spot is a black chocolate filled amongst a hazelnut liqueur. Then a niggling shortbread tart. I forget what it was stuffed with. Then a niggling tiny macaroon sandwich stuffed amongst white chocolate. Finally a niggling apricot gumdrop. Very tasty.
I'm a fan of sugariness wines, together with thus at the halt of a repast similar this, I splurge on a drinking glass of sherry or port or whatever sugariness vino they serve up. This 1 happens to move a port from Portugal. It was rattling nice.
So it's a lot of courses, but non a lot of food. We were satisfied, but non stuffed when nosotros left. All inward all, a rattling overnice eve out. We haven't been out for a overnice dinner inward quite some time.
Today I receive got a 24-hour interval at home. I receive got a pair of housekeeping chores to do, but together with then I'll acquire dorsum to piece of work on Cricket's pawtrait. I'm hoping I tin receive got the collage component subdivision finished today. Now that Big Bertha is back, I'll move able to create the thread icon that follows.