Mongolian Beef Me, Please

Well, it has been a hell of a rough couple weeks in CNLand. Post-funeral last week, I found out that my car insurance had lapsed, a friend of mine is the guy who fell off the Ovation yesterday, and I had to go to the ER last night (I will spare you the details).

Needless to say, when the Boy and I finally had a chance to catch up today, comfort food of some sort was in order. We needed to debrief and both were starving. Enter our most recent spot close to my parents' place and en route home from work for him - done and done.

Won ton soup (a new fave of mine ) - 

. . . seared potsickers (a lifelong fave and theirs are so good and full of pork) - 

And the Mongolian Beef. Sometimes, you just gotta go with the basics.

Classic, yummy and quiet enough that we could talk about some serious stuff. Two thumbs up for Chin Chin in Brookhaven!

Yours,

Love Bites,

Carrie Neal

Southern Style when Times are Rough

Well, y'all. It's been a rough week + in CNLand.

A dear family friend took his life last Thursday and we had his service yesterday. I am a sad, sad girl. See - my first memory of him is when I was seven and our family moved into our house in Brookhaven next door to theirs. It was June - I had chicken pox - my grandparents who usually took care of us any time needed couldn't because (oddly?) neither of them ever had them - and our AC wasn't working. So the very nice lady next door insisted I come over and lay on her sofa and watch TV (our cable wasn't working either- geez, moving is fun!). And from that day, when their oldest son brought me Cokes and paid attention to me - what 15 year old boy puts up with a random little girl his mom has stay over? He was that sweet. 

At the service yesterday, I was happy to hear the (note: very young) minister mention the same things I remembered about him: he was kind; he loved music - his bedroom was on the side of the house next to ours and often he'd play the keyboard or piano and have his window open and I remember hearing it at night; my dad's 40th Surprise Birthday Party and my brother and me, and his brother and him making our appearance then going to hang out in their carriage house, which I thought was so cool; dinner with our families every Christmas night (after my grandparents left for B'ham to see my uncle, aunt and cousin, and before they left the next day for their family in AL also- it's how I learned to make good white rice, from his mom); my wedding day brunch his parents threw . . . I could go on . . .

Southerners - maybe most people - like to comfort with food. So you find things like this at a visitation:

Cucumber sammies, pimento cheese, fruit plates - it's how we roll for grief in the South.

I couldn't eat a bite - even when one of my mom's (and his) very sweet friends tried to get the Sweet Man and me to sample something, but in a horrible situation like this there was something comforting about the spread that had been set out.

I pray none of you have to lose anyone to suicide. It is truly seminal. When a grandparent dies - when someone who's been terminal dies - those are things we can (almost) wrap our heads around. When it's a kid, or a brilliant person who takes their life . . . so much harder. What do you say? What do you do? I don't know. But at least we know how to make some good food. And then, hopefully, know to keep tabs on the people truly devastated - family and closest friends. My prayers are up and my memories are fond. It was a truly hard day and will continue to be hard for all who loved him. 

Still, yet again - I say that food plays a part in all the significant events of our lives. Love + Food + Relationships. They endure.

Yours,

Love Bites,

Carrie Neal

Gone Fishin'

So, last night was a joint labor of love - using leftovers from the Mexican fajita lunch The Boy and I had Saturday and adding my own ingredients, I made dinner for both me and Dad when he got home from golf.

See, J doesn't usually take leftovers home and if I do, I usually don't eat them (though we eat out all the time - not to sound too wasteful, we're really pretty good about ordering and sharing so as not to have leftovers; however, when I don't feel well, he ends up eating what he wants and stuff is leftover . . .as happened Saturday). 

I spent the day at home and had some tilapia I wanted to cook. Hmm, I thought - what to do?? Fish tacos! I had cheese and fresh tortillas, and leftover (and awesome) veggies and a little steak from our previous day's meal (which I added to Dad's version), so I prepared what I thought - and Dad thought, when he was pleasantly surprised upon returning home from golf - was quite a tasty repast . . . 

Pan-seared tilapia - I have various recipes but just did an egg/panko crust seasoned with s&p and garlic powder this time . . . message me if you love tilapia too and need ideas!

After making the fish, I heated some large soft tortillas - 

And juiced up the leftover veggies with some fresh ones, and made some new rice - 

Portabellas, red pepper, zucchini, squash - so good!

And voila, homemade fish tacos. Thanks to The Boy, time on my hands and wanting to make something nice for my dad, a lovely dinner was had. Resourceful, that's me! Happy tummies, that's we!

Creativity rocks, in the kitchen and everywhere else.

Yours,
Love Bites,
Carrie Neal

Crescent Love

Last night, my dad had an event to go to and, as I'd promised, I was home early - really early, like 6pm vs, say, midnight - and had the house to myself. 

See, I'm still bunking at my parents' place and am trying to be tidy and well-behaved (for my mom and dad's benefits, respectively). It's been a little rough but I think it's going much better. My room looks pristine and the laundry is (mostly) done, etc . . .

So after Luke and I enjoyed "Pretty Woman" and before my dad was home, I decided to make him a treat. A small little act of love - I thought he might enjoy these delicious ham and asparagus crescent rolls, as a change from his usual breakfast or lunch of things like hard-boiled eggs and the like - 

So good and so easy! Steam asparagus, wrap with ham, spread Dijon on rolls and bake at 375 for 11-13 minutes. Yum!

A little gesture of food and family love. Hope he likes them! Happy Sunday, all!

Yours,

Love Bites,

Carrie Neal

A bushel and a peck - a biscuit and . . .

Well, y'all . . . 

Staying at my parents is interesting to say the least - my mom and I have different ideas of "good housekeeping" - but I try my best in their place since they are kind and generous enough to let me bunk here post The Great Tree Debacle.

And The Boy is out of town - only briefly - but it interrupts our usual rhythm of meals and seeing each other daily, so I found myself compelled to make biscuits this morning - one of his favorite "food products," as he refers to them - 

I made biscuits in his honor - of course, I then added cheese and bacon!!

Adding the cheese and bacon made it perfect - I even ate mine with a knife and fork as he does  "sandwiches" - and only set off the smoke alarm briefly (good thing Dad is up early when I called him pre-7am to figure out how to turn it off!!). 

 

Gosh, so much about love, life and happiness revolve around food - I miss my boy, I need assistance with utilities, so to speak, I think of people I love and what I can provide for them, sustenance-wise - hmmm . . . food for thought!

 

Happy Monday, y'all!!

Yours,

Love Bites,

Carrie Neal

Lawdamercy, Y'all . . .

Lawdamercy, y'all. 

Really, that pretty much sums it up right now.

See, a huge tree fell on my apartment building two days ago and it's basically a condemned space with no power - indefinitely - from which the four units in my little section were evacuated with extreme haste. Fortunately, no one was hurt (APD and AFD said it was lucky no one was killed!) and it's the first time I've been truly grateful I live on the ground floor (what's a little noise from upstairs neighbors who walk in heels on wood floors when your apartment is NOT the one that gets a tree in the living room, right??).

We can go back in to collect things, but don't know when we'll be back for real. This is incredibly inconvenient (especially when, like me, you have a pet and need to find suitable temporary accommodations) - and wasteful when you've just filled the fridge. The awesome Boy and I are going to clean out the fridge and freezer this morning - before, you know, the cranes come to complete the tree removal - and get me some stuff for at least three to seven days . . . Sigh.

And my fridge was looking so nice just before the fall . . .

First world problems, I know . . .

Yours,
Love Bites,
Carrie Neal

Food. Is. Love.

Food. Is. Love.

Indeed.

In many ways - some good, some not so much - it is.

I've been a bit distracted in various ways recently but when I realized it had been almost a month since I posted here, I realized that one of the things that anchors me - even when I'm not feeling well, or I'm busy or stressed or - whatever - is food. It's likely been this way my whole life, growing up Southern as I did, or having dealt with eating issues or eventually expanding my palate extremely and developing a love for food and related adventures that truly inspires me . . .

Which leads me to the original premise: Food. Is. Love.

I was reminded of this yesterday, when I had a rough morning and the sweet Boy met me for lunch after. I can get easily annoyed when orders are some version of wrong (that's material for another post) but he is exceptionally patient with me when I get "that way." His hand on my knee when our (not-very-good) waitress brought out something a little off - it calmed me, and all was right. I more needed to commune with him conversationally - though he did enjoy the repast.

A little fried zucchini and I was ok - I do still have that leftover pasta . . .

Ultimately, the food (this time, at least) was a backdrop to our connection. No waitresses or staff were harmed in the visit, and CN was talked down from the ledge. For that, I owe him thanks -he fed me, in just the way I needed then.

Food for thought.

Yours,
Love Bites,
Carrie Neal