Return to Normalcy...

Now that the memories of the trip are pretty much locked in the locker, we can return to "real life" and more this and that’s, events, rants, and general stuff around the ‘hood..

This’s and That’s:

I hear the McDonald’s on the intersection of Millstone Landing and 235 (home of the stoplight demons) will be relocating out by Five Guys, not sure why. Maybe the demons will go with them.

Apparently the Doo Dah Deli in Leonardtown has closed (again). The “new one” never quite got up to the standards of “the old one”, IMHO. Just didn’t have a good feel. Waitstaff was spotty..

And while some close, some open. Our newest chain restaurant, the Olive Garden, has opened with the expected hordes of people ready for the never ending salad bowl and (air)bread sticks, and “Being Family” while they’re there. People line up and double park in order to be there when they open. I’m not sure I get it. I seldom do. Is it because it’s “new”, (which it isn’t because I can only imagine it’s a cookie cutter for their million other stores), or are there those out there that can’t wait for the food? I would imagine that you can get some reasonable facsimile of most of their stuff around here, so it’s not really all that unique. I just don’t get it. Scene and be seen? “When I saw…..at the Olive Garden last night”. I just don’t get it..

Speaking of food outlets, in our cross country trip I saw a new burger chain I hadn’t seen before. It’s called “Whataburger”



A little websearch showed it apparently started in Corpus Christi, Texas around 1950, featuring a big burger to which people allegedly exclaimed “what a burger!”. It's mostly a southern corridor phenomenon, sort of along Interstate 10 cities. We never stopped at one.

Events worth noting:

Friday there will be a Brian Ganz piano recital at noon in the usual venue, Auerbach Aud in St. Mary’s Hall. There were some reports that it was in the evening, but it has apparently been moved to the luncheon hour as the students are ready to hit the road for spring break. I’ll try to be there. Always worth while to listen to Brian play and enjoy his commentary.

Also Friday will see the opening of the annual Friends of the Library Book Sale in the Fairgrounds over by Leonardtown. It will occupy three buildings this year, devoted to Fiction, Non-Fiction, and Children’s Literature. It’s a wonderful chance to find some lost and new treasures, that little cookbook with intriguing recipes, the “how to” books on all sorts of hobbies and stuff. While helping to sort stuff, I found all sorts of those little “auxiliary” type cookbooks, with comb bindings that are done by churches and schools containing recipes for real food from real people. Friday night is “members only” night, but if you’re not already a member and want first crack, you can join on the spot. Free and open to all Saturday and Sunday. Come on over and browse!

I also spotted a book called “Marathon Training for Dummies”; Aptly titled, methinks…(sort of like that TV show called “The Biggest Loser”)

It’s the little things that get you:

When I began messing around in the kitchen, all the little spice bottles used for garlic salt, dried spices, cayenne, etc., had shaker tops on them under the lid. Need a little onion powder in that? Unscrew the lid, couple of shakes and you’re good to go. Well, the fiendish packaging engineers have come up with a new design. There’s still a cap on the bottle, but the shaker holes are revealed by flipping up a little tabbed lid on that cap. Old habits die hard. While the dish is cooking and tasting reveals it needs a little dash of Thyme, grab the bottle, unscrew the lid, couple of shakes…… and you have half the bottle in the pan. Progress isn’t always good..

So, after you start over and finish the dish again, you can

DFD