Granddaughter Anna-14- captured and texted me the Thanksgiving Feast Aftermath StillLife
A perfectly illustrated Transformation
Tag: dinner
Delicious Dinner With Friends and a Crazy Surprise Ending
*Plan for the New Year 2017– contact friends you haven’t seen in awhile and make time to get together
I met two friends/former colleagues from Greenfield School Tuesday evening.
The first photo is my view as I waited for them to park after battling rush hour.
Forrest was our attentive and knowledgeable waiter who guided us in our selections.
Piccolo Forno in Lawrenceville
Bruschette butternut squash and greens with mint chevre, cannellini bean spread with basil pesto, and red pepper tapenade
Polpete Toscane baked meatballs of beef and pork with a fresh herb green sauce
Gratinato di Cavolfiore cauliflower, brussel sprouts, spinach and leek gratin with toasted breadcrumbs
The appetizers and the BYOB bottle of dry red wine that Lara and Joz brought to share
Cappuccino Gelato Panna Cotta and a wild brownie with Cayenne Pepper in it- zing!
Thanks Joz for taking our photo with the nice young man Jeffrey who brought out the Greenfield Shirt I’d left on my chair in the restaurant.
Turns out the he was our former student at Greenfield School in 1997
(cool that he could still recognize us)
I taught him art and Ms Evans was his third grade teacher.
Spaghetti Arugula
Thanks to my neighbor for giving me the arugula.
Spaghetti Arugula.
Steve brought home the olives and fresh pasta. A recipe from the excellent chef Anna Flevola formerly of La Cucina Flegrea. Garlic, olive oil, a bit of red onion, pine nuts, walnuts, raisins, red pepper flakes and a ladle of pasta water -topped with the rocket/arugula and freshly grated Parmesan.
Ready to serve
This should be photo four but having WP posting issue w photos tonight
Three Mountains with Snow
The Salzburger nockerl. A dramatic finish to our dinner. Laura and I ordered one to share and couldn’t finish the three mountains of soufflé. I asked how many egg whites and was told six but it seemed like more. It was immense! The server suggested taking a picture right away if we wanted one -before it deflated -but it seemed to remain at full volume for quite some time.
With elegant flourish, we were served a mountain peak, embellished with warm berries from underneath and told the story of the signature dessert.(see link above)
It was like eating clouds. Laura said it was like angel food cake without the cake.
Here’s the story of the rest of our adventure and how we came to be in the fanciest restaurant in Salzburg.
After a lengthy walk in a torrential downpour, hungry baby in tow, we finally arrived at a restaurant our hotel had suggested.
Uh-oh, the Kellar was closed.
Sunday night!
But wait, there’s another restaurant on the sixth floor! A fast ride in the mirrored,sparkling elevator. Yes, we ended up in probably the loveliest restaurant in the city,Imlauer Sky Bar and Restaurant. I was reminded of Pittsburgh’s LeMont where Mark snd Erika had their wedding reception. Floor to ceiling glass walls with a city view, white linen cloths, a hushed quiet ambience but-
Charlie was really crying at full pitch and beyond eager for his dinner. He’d had it. The entire staff was so welcoming to us, took the stroller to the cloak room, hung our soggy coats, the borrowed umbrellas and seated us as if they didn’t mind our appearance or loud, hungry baby, or that we didn’t have a reservation.
They extended gracious hospitality to us and acted as if it was no problem at all. We’d travelled all day on two buses and three trains as the train borders were closed.
A few well dressed diners glanced our way as we were seated, I like to think with empathy, but once Charlie started his dinner and we awaited ours, all was quiet. It really wasn’t the type of restaurant, one would take a four month old infant.
We started with a cream of carrot and ginger soup with delicate slivers of ginger root. Delicious. A basket of two kinds of bread. We ordered, sighed with relief we were dry and so grateful to be served delicious food.
When we ordered the dessert our waiter said it would take twenty minutes but all was quiet so we went ahead and ordered.
We were able to get a large bottle of water for “take away”, too.
They never rushed us or made us feel we shouldn’t be there at table, in the loveliest restaurant in Salzburg.
Dinner Out Coincides with Millvale Days Once Again
It was Thursday night. Steve and I met our friend V at Grant Avenue Bar in Millvale for a casual dinner and saw the road was blocked off and a banner overhead announced MILLVALE DAYS 2015. We were there!
This exact experience has happened to me and Steve before, three years ago (see post). But there wasn’t any wrestling going on this evening.
After dinner we walked down Grant Avenue, listened to a couple of live bands, checked out the vintage cars and ate a piece of Yetter’s chocolate. Unexpected fun. Of course, I’d left my camera at home!
And there’s a to-go container of tapioca in the fridge downstairs. Looking forward to breakfast.
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Breakfast for Dinner After Swim Practice
Whole Foods in Upper Arlington.
Farm Breakfast is five bucks.
Kids eat free on Wednesday with an adult eating. Good deal!
(Michael’s book is either the American Revolution or the Civil War.) 
Feeling connected to family in Ohio tonight.
Old Grandma got almost everyone to cooperate for a quick pic as they sat down.
Missing a few family members but because of retirement, I can be with family on a Wednesday night, right in the middle of the week!
Unexpected Offering from a Culinary Student Down the Hallway
Destiny brought me a plate of Shepherd’s Pie. (She is one of the knitters, too)
It was delicious.
All after school activities have been cancelled due to icy rain and slippery roads.
Welcome winter sustenance.
What Hundreds of Years of Teaching Thousands of Students Looks Like
Greenfield Elementary School, Pittsburgh PA Veteran’s Day Dinner.
Breaking bread together. It’s an annual event. One that former prinicpal BJ (Brent Johnson) looks forward to all year.
Lots of conversation,good food, catching up.
Here’s the group. Photographed by our server Daniel McCormick at Mitchell’s Fish Market, Waterfront, Homestead PA. November 5, 2014
The youngest member has taught at Greenfield for 25 years already and is still teaching third grade.
I was the art teacher for 9 years.
There are just four of us in the trenches still, two at Greenfield now. See below.
All of others have retired although a couple go in to substitute. And there are a couple of spouses in the shot.
Thanks Daniel for photographing us after the dinner. I’ll get an exact total of years taught.
Lara and Josie still at Greenfield K-8.
Lahma bi Ajeen at Joan’s Thursday Night
Steve and I drove across the Highland Park Bridge to Joan’s for dinner. You’ve seen Joan’s spools of thread and checking out where she used to teach.
Since I went out of town on my birthday, we made a plan for when I would be back in town and when we could get together
Joan made James Beard’s recipe for Lahma bi Ajeen. The fresh tomatoes, cucumber and peppers,Baba Ganoush, Hummus, Yogurt Sauce with Fresh Dill from her garden, and wonderful olives.
The Lahma bi Ajeen recipe from Beard on Bread cookbook (A well used page)
Buttermilk Pound Cake from World of Baking by Delores Casella topped with fresh rhubarb sauce. Rhubarb from Joan’s garden- we ate outside.
Thanks for a nice dinner and good conversation, Joan. Everything was delicious
Joan inside her doorway keeping the dogs inside.
Uncle Matty Sings the Christmas Blues
Everyone is happy that Matthew is visiting from Zagreb. He’s either playing the guitar or the piano, telling big brother-little brother stories to his nephews as they fall off to sleep or trying to beat Mark’s Father-in-Law Donald at 360XBox College Football. He helps wash the dishes and keeps us laughing and entertained.
Here are some Matthew moments for the blog followers in Croatia, wondering why he isn’t on the blog!
I hope to get a photo with him before he leaves. We’ll see. It feels good to have everyone together, even for a short time.
Singing the Christmas Blues – Erika’s Mom Marlene on the floor by the tree
Christmas morning. He likes his new hat, fresh off the needles.
Playing with the new Turkey and Fox Puppets with niece Anna (10)
With sister Laura and her husband James at dinner last Saturday night- Spinach Pie on the right
When we were working on the Awkward Photos
Matty with Mark and Laura Christmas Night right before Laura and James went home.
And Matthew wasn’t keen on being the main feature of the blog. So here is one more photo of the grandchildren on Christmas Eve to share the post.
Maura Anna Jack and Michael