Saturday night RT and I went to a special occasion “date night” cooking class at our local Viking store.  It was our first - and definitely our last - date night at Viking.  The menu included lobster bisque, stuffed filet mignon, mixed greens with a great dressing - all the food exquisite.  The complete menu is listed at the end of this post - except there was no champagne.   The chef who led the class was okay - although way too talkative and full of himself.  He spent about 20 minutes explaining how to butcher beef to get the filet mignon.    I doubt if anyone in the class really plans on butchering their own meat.  And I don’t know about you, but watching a chef handle and cut a big old slab of meat isn’t exactly my idea of a “romantic” evening.

The chef/instructor also pointed out people’s mistakes.  Once I opened the oven to put the potatoes in.  He saw what I did and said, “I noticed that some of you aren’t opening the oven ALL the way” and went on the explain why we MUST open the oven door all the way.  Of course I was the only one opening the oven at the time.  It was obvious who he was talking about.  RT and I laughed about it, and it didn’t bother me.  Still, though, it was a stupid thing for him to do.   Another time he pointed out that RT had committed the sin of seasoning BOTH sides of his filet prior to putting it in the pan.  One must season one side, put the seasoned side down in the pan, and THEN season the other side.  There was only one way to properly cut an onion.  Only one way to properly peel a carrot.  Only one way to properly skim fat from the top of the lobster bisque.   We were there for a date night, for Pete’s sake - not to learn some uptight chef’s anal-retentive compulsions.  However,  I’m too harsh.  He wasn’t all that bad.  He was generally pleasant and informative.  The chef/instructor was not what turned us off “date night” at the Viking store.

The “date night” classes are for couples only and each class is limited to six couples.  The spoiler, though, is that out of the six couples, two couples aren’t able to work together.  Of course they don’t tell you that until you get ready to cook the meal.  They have six couples but only four work stations - a perfect example of disregarding their customers in order to make more money.  So two couples have to split up.  That sucks for those two couples.  After all, they are on a “date night” and yet they are separated for the evening.  It sucks for the other couples, too, because their “date” is unexpectedly made into a threesome with someone they don’t know.  RT and I were together last night, but we shared our evening with a guy named Jay.  Jay was uncomfortable.  We were uncomfortable.  We joked around with each other - but Jay mentioned that he’d had no idea there was a chance that he and his date would be split up all night. 

Maybe lots of people enjoy stuff like that.  I don’t.  I wanted a date night with Ron  not Ron and Jay.  Viking needs to add a little “truth in advertising” to their class descriptions to make sure folks understand that even though they will pay a couple hundred dollars for a date night, they will either not be with their date all night, or they’ll have a stranger in the middle of their date all night.

Here’s the Viking ad for the “date night” that RT and I attended Saturday night:

Special occasions call for a special menu. Enjoy lobster, filet mignon, champagne and cheesecake – the ultimate culinary date night. Experience decadent gourmet dining while cooking up a little romance in the kitchen.

SKILLS AND TECHNIQUES Cooking lobster; making a classical bisque; whipping cream to perfect peaks; stuffing, wrapping, searing and roasting filet mignon; making a wine reduction sauce; roasting potatoes.

Lobster Bisque with Brandy Cream

Baby Greens with Candied Pine Nuts and Champagne Vinaigrette

Pancetta-Wrapped Filet Mignon stuffed with Spinach and Boursin Cheese

Roasted Shallot-Merlot Demi-Glace

Oven-Roasted Truffled Frites

Sample Recipes: White Chocolate Cherry Cheesecakes for Two

“Cooking up romance in the kitchen”?  I don’t think so.

I wanted to show a progression of our new home. I plan on making a progressive collage to frame to display in our home. This was one of the most fun times of my life - and now that we’ve moved in and are mostly settled, it is even better. So here is my online progressive collage:

RT and our son have gone to west Tennessee with some friends this weekend to hunt ducks.  This is the third weekend in a row that they’ve been gone duck hunting - in Arkansas or west Tennessee.  Duck hunting season will be over soon, so I am happy for them to go and enjoy being together doing all that manly stuff.  It gives me the opportunity to take care of some things at home without any distractions.

Sweet Stuff was over here awhile ago with her mom and little sister, Sunshine, on a mission to sell me some Girl Scout Cookies.  Her mission was a success, to put it mildly.  However, I intend to send most of the cookies I buy to soldiers in Iraq.  I think they’ll enjoy some Girl Scout Cookies.  But back to the purpose of this post.

I was chatting with Sweet Stuff’s mommy and very proudly told her about all the things I’ve done today - fed my bread starters, did laundry, started cleaning out and straightening up the garage, cleaned toilets, worked on my cookbook, did a bunch of dusting, sweeping and vacuuming.  And of course I look just like the illustration here when I clean house.  Hrmph!  I swear! 

Sweet Stuff’s mommy told me all about her Saturday so far, too.  About that time, Sweet Stuff, who had been listening to the conversation declared,

“PawPaw needs to stay home and help you clean!”

I wish I had a recording of that!  I laughed till I thought I’d cry.  Out of the mouths of babes. 

You might recall that a few weeks ago I wrote about playing my mother’s piano while I was visiting her at Thanksgiving.  RT listened to me play the piano then, and just a couple days later my son sent me an email telling me about how much he enjoyed listening to me play the piano when he was growing up.  So pianos have been on our minds lately.

This morning I heard a truck drive up in the driveway, and I told RT’s mother (who’s spending a couple weeks with us) that I hoped it was the things I’d ordered from Lands End.  I went outside, and RT was there.  He smiled at me, and said, “Merry Christmas.  Here’s your Christmas present.”   The men on the truck brought out a beautiful piano which they brought inside the house and set up in the library. Below is a photo I just took of my Christmas present.  It’s a wonderful Baldwin piano.  I immediately played “Silent Night, Holy Night” which is the only song I have memorized.  Then I spent about an hour going through boxes in the barn until I finally found the one with my collection of hymnals.  And I’ve played the piano off and on all afternoon.

I called my daughter to tell her about the piano, and Sweet Stuff answered the phone.  Her mom was in the shower and so I told Sweet Stuff to tell her mom that PawPaw had given me a piano for Christmas.  I told her that when she comes to visit she can play it.  I taught her one simple song a few months ago, and she still remembers how to play it.  My daughter called me later to tell me that Sweet Stuff was beside herself with excitement.  She plays the simple little song I taught her whenever she visits anyone who has a piano.  She wants to take piano lessons now that she can practice on my piano. 

RT wanted dessert after dinner tonight, and so he looked around to see what was in the pantry, and he came up with his own recipe which he christened “Nilla Nipples.”  Very appropriately named, I might add.  More important than the name is the fact that they’re really tasty, too!  After the third or fourth batch, I decided to take a picture to post here.  That’s the photo above - shortly before the Nilla Nipples were devoured.  RT says that if we had bananas, he’d put a slice of banana under the chocolate chips - and that sounds mighty tasty, too. Then we’d have “Nilla-Nana Nipples.”

Nilla Nipples

Nilla Wafers (I guess any vanilla wafer would do, but I prefer the Nilla Wafers brand)

chocolate chips (whatever kind you like.  We had milk chocolate chips tonight)

Place Nilla Wafers in a single layer on a microwave safe dish.  Place several chocolate chips on top of each Nilla Wafer - with the points up.  Microwave on high for approximately ten seconds.  Enjoy your Nilla Nipples.

(Dictated entirely by R.T.)

Here’s my recipe for turnip greens.  I made it, I ate it, and I liked it.  Nobody else had none, but they sure were good, and I wanted to share it with you.

Spirited Turnip Greens

Select fresh leafy turnip greens.  They may become soggy in the cooking process, but it is always best that they are crisp when started.  Wash to remove all grit.  Remove large stems.  Place turnips in a large saucepan.  Cover with cold water. Season with your choice of salt, ham hock, chicken boullion, beef boullion, and/or bacon.  Bring to a rapid boil and then cook your turnip greens.  Prior to serving, add a shot of Jack Daniels or Jim Beam.  You will be amazed at the rich, fullbodied flavor that your choice of bourbon or whiskey brings to your turnip greens.

RT felt pretty bad all day yesterday, but last night was the roughest night I’ve ever known him to have.  He said his throat hurt the worst he’s ever experienced and he ran a fever until the fever broke sometime this morning.  So we are off to the doctor in awhile.  I will drive him there - and I’ll probably get my own throat checked while we’re at it.  I don’t have a sore throat, but I also don’t feel wonderful.  I’ll bet RT has strep throat.

Scalawag (our 29-year old son) and his wife, Mia called a couple hours ago.  They were on their way home from having Thanksgiving Dinner with Mia’s side of the family.  They knew that RT had been sick all day, and so they had prepared two plates for us from their own Thanksgiving feast.  Actually there were FOUR plates - two containing all the side dishes, one of appetizers and one of turkey and SWEET POTATO SOUFFLE’.  Yes, I said sweet potato souffle’ - the one thing I’d been yearning for all day.  I had written earlier today about how RT and I had celebrated Thanksgving in our own minimized way because he woke up sick this morning.  There was only one thing that was missing - and that was our wonderful Sweet Potato Souffle’ - the very best dish we always have for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  And Mia had made this sweet potato souffle’ herself following our family’s recipe.  It is wonderful.

As soon as Scalawag and Mia left, RT and I enjoyed a few bites of turkey - so tender and juicy - and an accompanying few bites of Sweet Potato Souffle’.  There is simply nothing that compares to it.  Our Thanksgiving is now complete.  AHHH! 

Who would’ve ever thought TMS would go gun-shopping, but that’s exactly what I did today.  Right after we took the grandgirls back to their parents this morning, RT and I headed to a skeet range where we had shooting lessons.  I’ve shot skeet before, and it really is fun - along with being a challenge.  I did okay, too - I probably was about 50% - hitting as many as I missed.   At one point, the instructor said that he liked working with women because they generally haven’t shot enough to need to un-learn incorrect ways of shooting.  He then jokingly said that the worst students are guys like RT - “Old guys with bad habits.”  I loved it!  Now anytime RT does something not quite up to par (i.e. leaving his dirty clothes on the floor, not putting away his dishes), I can just remind him that he’s an OGWBH. 

After the shooting lesson, we had a quick lunch, and then it was off to the gun store to buy a gun for me.  Lord have mercy!  Have you ever been in a gun store.? First of all, it was a huge place.  Second, it was crowded.  Lots of people were looking to buy guns.  I ended up buying a “youth” 20-gauge shotgun because my arms aren’t long enough to handle even the smaller adult shotguns.  The salesman called me “petite” which is a word I’ve never heard to describe me.  I guess my hands and arms are on the short side, though. The shotgun we bought felt good in my hands and against my shoulder.  I think it’ll be easier and more accurate to shoot than the instructor’s gun I used during the lesson this morning.

I had to fill out all kinds of information in order to buy the gun - fill out a questionnaire (which seemed silly because would an illegal alien check that he was indeed an illegal alien? Or a person who has had a restraining order against him, admit it?)  I had to give them two thumbprints - and they had to call and do a quick background check on me.  I passed all the checks, and left with a new shotgun, shotgun case and a shell holder to put on my belt.  This afternoon RT and I will practice skeet shooting again.

All in all an enjoyable morning.

This is a day that RT and I have been looking forward to for a long, long time.  The grandgirls are sleeping over tonight.  Their room and bathroom were the first rooms we completely decorated.  The walls are a pale, pale pink, there’s a little pink chandelier, a pink princess nightlight, and there are pink and white striped towels in their bathroom.  There is a beautiful quilt - white with light pink and rose crocheted flowers - for their bed.

Their mom (our daughter) and dad brought them over this afternoon, and we will take them back home tomorrow morning.  It has been such fun!  At the supper table, we took turns telling what we’re thankful for.  Then we had chicken fingers (homemade) and rolls (Sister Schubert) - and lots of cinnamon apples for dessert.  No vegetables in there, I know - but I just didn’t get any vegetables cooked.  They were STARVING (or so they said - repeatedly) so I just got the chicken and rolls on the table and let ‘em eat.

After dinner we made some videos using my new web camera.  I guess I need to open a YouTube account so I can post some of my videos.  I wouldn’t post one of the girls, of course.  I never post pictures of them online. The girls loved making the videos and became quite dramatic.  I never realized they were such hams!

Then it was bathtime.  They wanted to use the shower (Sweet Stuff) and the jacuzzi (Sunshine) in the master bath rather than the tub in their bathroom.  So I sat on my vanity stool while they took their merry time with their shower/bath.  They just chatted away and were in such a good mood.

Then it was bedtime prayers and I tucked them into bed.  They wanted the TV on while they fell asleep.  Terrible habit for children to get into - and I wish their mom and dad didn’t let them do that.  However, both my children have spouses who have to have the TV on in order to fall asleep.  Is that a common thing?  A TV keeps me awake rather than puts me to sleep. 

The grandgirls are asleep now, though, and the TV is off.  My only concern is that in this house, the guest room is on one side of the house, and the master bedroom is on the other.  I’ve lit the way with night lights, and I’ve left the doors open.  Before they went to sleep, we went over what they should do if they need us during the night (i.e. Come to our room and wake us up).  I’m just afraid I won’t hear them if they call for me.  The guest room was immediately across the hall from the master bedroom at the cabin.  So that was never an issue.  I’m sure everything will be all right - just first night worries, I guess.

It has been a wonderful evening.  In the morning I’ll make them pancakes - in the shape of their initials, and in the shape of a girl or a bear - or whatever shape they tell me they’d like.  We’ll have a good time together, and then we’ll take them home.  Our pastor, Pastor Tom, is in the hospital for surgery, and the girls want to draw him a picture before they leave in the morning.  So we’ll make time for that.

Life is good.