July 5,2019

This Friday, we went to a favorite restaurant Gus’s. The restaurant has been here for many years and was always crowded. I always wanted to try it and never managed to do so. When I finally did go, I was sad that I didn’t go sooner. After we had lunch, we went berry picking at Happy Day Farms.

As you can see it has an extensive menu, like most diners. Unfortunately, I don’t have a list of the lunch specials, which is what we had.

Chicken Francaise
Colleen had the Chicken Francaise, she orders it every time it’s on the lunch special menu. She enjoys this very much, because the chicken is tender, so tender you can cut it with a fork. The sauce is lemony and rich.

Fried Flounder and Potato Salad

I had ordered the potato salad instead of the fries. I like the fried flounder, it is very crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. The potato salad is yummy.

Happy Days Farm
We went berry picking, something we tried to do last year but arrived too late. There are many fun things for the kids here, like a giant rocking chair. A little girl was there with her mother, she was so cute dressed in a straw hat and brown dress, carrying sunflowers. Her mother took pictures of her sitting in the giant rocking chair. I imagine those pictures will bring be adorable.

Sunflowers
You can pick sunflowers there, but it’s a bit pricey.

Fresh raspberries and blueberries
I see some delicious smoothies in my future.

Food for thought

I often wonder, I guess about silly things, like I wonder who first tried various fruits and vegetables. Was it out of desperation from being hungry or curiosity? I heard somewhere that cavemen learned from animals, but not everything animals eat, we can. My bunny eats wood, talk about fiber! I’m sure it wouldn’t be good for us. I, also, wonder about what the caveman would think about all the food preparation that goes into our food. When people complain about something being too salty, would they be disgusted with us?

Lately, when I read about someone having an ailment in a magazine, there is a pill suggested. Some sort of herbal supplement, that will cure it. In the future, will we be just surviving on pills? If you could live without disease and have a long life by just taking pills and no food, would you? I think of food as one of the great pleasures in life. Really, it’s one of the few luxuries that many can enjoy.

June 28, 2019

This Friday we went to Great Adventure. We’ve spent many a day here with our children, but this time it was just us. It is close to our homes and with season passes, it is a good way to get fun exercise!

Beef and Lamb Gyro
Colleen had the gyro, it comes with fries. You can get it with the meal plan and it was surprisingly good. Not Greek Festival good, but better than you would expect from Great Adventure.

Chicken Gyro Salad
I had the salad, it, also, comes with meal plan. It was tasty and better than you would expect.

Lions
We visited the small area of animals they have in the park. These are brothers, they will soon go to the main animal area.

Pink Flamingo
Also, part of the area of animals in the park

We went on the Merry go Round. I haven’t been on one in years. I picked one that was low to the ground to get on. When the ride ended, it stopped at the highest point. I have short legs and I was trying to reach the ground stretching my toes as far as I could, but I couldn’t reach the ground. So, I had to go for it. Then my other leg got stuck on the board I used to get up! Graceful is not my middle name. Colleen was laughing the whole time.

We went on the Houdini ride too, that was fun. We had to leave after the short visit and got lost in the parking lot. Of course, when we had a good spot, we had to blow it by going farther than we were.

June 21, 2019

Today we went to one of our favorite restaurants The Turning Point. We have visited this restaurant many times since it opened.

Wilbur Skillet
Colleen had the Wilbur Skillet. She was disappointed, it was good but it used to come with a fruit cup. It’s those extras that make a restaurant go from good to great.

Atlantic Tuna Melt
My personal favorite at the Turning Point. Colleen says she hates tuna, but it looks so good she is tempted to try it! It is good, for those who like tuna, it’s doesn’t have that fishy taste that sometimes you can get with tuna. The tuna has finely chopped carrots in it. You can’t taste the carrots but it adds a flavor to it. The salsa you get with it, is excellent.

Food for thought

Many times people try to improve things, but sometimes if it works don’t fix it. Both of our daughters went to the same school, the principal there was the best. Everyone was happy, the teachers loved him. He would write notes of encouragement on test days and leave them in their mailbox. The parents loved him, he ran the school flawlessly. He had fixed the middle school, it was very large and he had put the children in different time frames where the halls wouldn’t be overrun with children. This saved the school from lots of chaos. The children loved him, he knew their names and would sometimes stand in line with them, pretending to be one of the students. They, also, respected him. He left. I heard that it was because of the board of ed. If something works, leave it alone. So, Turning Point return our fruit cup! It was a refreshing addition to the meal.

June 14, 2019

Real life took over again. So……….story time!

This is how Colleen and I met.

Colleen grew up in East Brunswick and I grew up in the next town over in Spotswood. Spotswood is a small town and East Brunswick is much larger. I loved going to the library and Colleen did too. Spotswood had an agreement with East Brunswick that we could use their library. Every weekend, I would go to the library and Colleen went there often, but we didn’t meet there.

We both went to the Brunswick Square mall because growing up that was where you went as teenagers, but we didn’t meet there. We both went to various other places growing up such as the Middlesex County fair, but we didn’t meet there.

We both had moved out of our parents home, she lived nearby me. We both went to the same supermarket and various stores, but we didn’t meet there.

We both had a daughter within a year of each other. We went to the same park, but we didn’t meet there.

We both moved later on to the same town in Manalapan. We both took our daughters to storytime and crafts held at the library and the rec center, but we didn’t meet there.

Both of our daughters went to the same school and finally in third grade, they were in the same class. Finally, fate jumped in and at the end of the year we went on a class trip and we both were the parents of our group of my daughter and her daughter. We met at the Philadelphia Zoo. Over the years, we would arrange playdates Great Adventure for our girls and we got to know each other. We both try to watch our weight and we would go for walks together. It has involved to our Friday is Funday, where we go and try new things and restaurants. We, also, revisit some of our favorites, too. Fridays leave me feeling revitalized when life gets too hard, I can’t imagine not having them. Thank you fate!

June 7, 2019

This Friday again we had the pleasure of Colleen’s mom, Helen, with us. Today we went to Charlie Brown’s Steak House. Charlie Brown’s has a chain of restaurants in New Jersey.

Charlie Brown’s has an extensive salad bar. I didn’t take pictures of the whole salad bar, but this is a good sampling of the variety.

This is our creations of salads. As you can see, the possibilities are endless. It is one of the best salad bars we go to.

Salmon
Colleen and her mom, both had the add on salmon with the salad bar. They said it was good.

Coconut Shrimp
I had the add on Coconut Shrimp. It was fine, it reminded me of the coconut shrimp you can get at Sam’s club. I don’t think you should expect great seafood when you come to a steakhouse. Just like you can’t expect great steak at a seafood restaurant.

Topic of discussion

Actually this is an old topic, one we have discussed many times in raising our children. I wish when you have your child they could take a DNA sample and give you a manual. The self-help books that authors write, may work with your child. What works with one child, doesn’t work with another. Some children need constant prodding, while others will crumble under the pressure. You think that your child is a little you, what you needed as a child you will give to your child. It rarely works out that way. I don’t think there are any easy answers to raising children.

May 31, 2019

This Friday we went to my favorite restaurant, 618 in Freehold. We, also, had the pleasure of Colleen’s mom joining us. The reason this is my favorite restaurant is, of course, the food but it’s not the only reason. You can see the care and thought that went into this restaurant. The staff is friendly and welcoming. There is even a shelf when you come in with little plaques with people’s names on them. They hold the tables for people who have eaten with them over 25 times.

618 is tucked back, you may not know it’s there, off of the road. You have to look for it.

The ceiling has the industrial look carried throughout the whole restaurant.

You start off with some nice bread and butter.

Granny’s Meatball
The best meatballs in my opinion. They are so light.

Cajun Shrimp and Grits
I never had grits before this. They are good! Colleen tells me not to base my opinion on these grits, it seems not all grits are created equal. The shrimp are tasty and not rubbery.

Granny’s Meatballs and Bucatini Pasta.
Colleen’s mom had the delicious meatballs. The spaghetti is very fat and fun to eat.

Short Rib Ravioli
Colleen and I both had the raviolis. When they ask what dish would you have if you were deserted on an island, this would be it for me. This is my favorite dish. Sometimes I watch Top Chef and I wonder what they are talking about. This dish helps me understand. The short ribs are so tender and full of flavor. The pasta is homemade and cooked to perfection. The cream sauce has just a touch of sweetness to it. The tomatoes help balance the sweetness. The peas are cooked just right, not mushy, and not hard. The mushrooms add a bit of bite to the meal. Every bite has just the right amount of ingredients, not too many peas, etc. As you can tell, I kinda like this one 🙂

Soon to be topic of discussion

I was going to write about something different, but I’m annoyed with America’s Got Talent. They replaced Mel B and Heidi Klum with Gabrielle Union and Julianne Hough. I don’t understand why they replaced the blond and African American with a younger version. They could’ve gone with a different mix. They even went so far as to place them in the same seats. Now it looks like Howie and Simon are two middle-aged men with the newer model of their wives.

May 24, 2019

This Friday we went to Solo Bella in Jackson.

Bread with an olive oil dipping sauce
The bread was tasty. I think I ate more bread than I intended.

House Salad
We both had the house salad. It is the typical salad with Italian dressing. The Parmesan cheese was very good.

A side of meatballs. We had to try them because on their sign they advertise Spaghetti and meatball night.
They were very good.

Rigatoni Sicilian Style
I had the rigatoni. The sauce, cheese and eggplant is in layers, I think it’s better when mixed together. So I suggest mixing it. THE SAUCE though is the best I have ever had. The tomato taste is so rich, full of flavor.

Pan Fried Chicken Cutlet
Colleen had the chicken. She said that it was the best chicken cutlet she ever had. The chicken was tenderized and fried which makes all the difference. She even sopped up the every last drop of sauce with the bread.

People seem to think that you need to reinvent the wheel to make it big in the world. I applaud those who bring new flavors and ingredients to our world. Their innovation is surely needed. There something to be said, though, for those who just make a better wheel or the best sauce!

May 17, 2019

OPA!!! This Friday we went to the Greek Festival in Piscataway. We had the pleasure of having Colleen’s mom with us. She is so sweet and adorable. She has a way of making everyone feel like they are important.

The smell coming up to the festival is intoxicating!

This menu is from last year, we try to go every year since Colleen introduced me to it.
We go on Fridays but on the weekend it has more of a festival feel with dancers, etc.

Greek Salad
The salad has a light dressing but it is very wet, sort of like a light pickle. The feta cheese help cut through the dressing and gives a nice balance to it.

Tiropites
Crisp phyllo with cheese. It is really good.

Gyro
I am not sure how they make gyro meat, it might be interesting to find out. This gyro was made with a combination of lamb and beef with spices and roasted on a spit. I love the tzatiki sauce so creamy and refreshing. Colleen says it’s the best gyro meat she has ever had!

Combination Platter
Colleen thought the Mousaka was yummy, especially the topping, so light and fluffy! The Spanakopita was enjoyed by Colleen’s mom. She’s feeling extra strong now because she ate her spinach 🙂 The Pastitsio was a surprise of yumminess! Colleen really enjoys bechamel sauce and its made exceptionally well at the Greek Festival.

Galaktoboureko
Crisp phyllo dough with a drizzle of honey and filled with a custard. I had this dessert at a different festival it was not as good. This is delicious!!!

Some say the best thing about being American is freedom, that can be debatable. I really think it’s the food. We have people coming from all over the world and they bring their food with them! I feel like we are spoiled that way. I, also, think it’s why we have trouble with our weight. Soo much good food from so many different nations. Food brings people together. OPA!

May 10 2019

Friday is not funday 😦 Real life took over.

May 3, 2019

This Friday we celebrated Colleen’s “28” birthday. I cannot emphasize this enough Colleen LOVES LOVES elephants. So we went to the movies and saw Dumbo. We awed at Dumbo and rooted for the bad guys to get their due.

I, also, want to mention the father I saw with two toddlers. They kept leaving during the movie, I think he took them out of the theater when the movie may have been too frightening for them. He’s a good dad.

Sometimes I wonder if it would be possible to have an elephant of your own. Many animals are in zoos and with evolution being what it is, could they become domestic losing their wild instinct? Elephants are used to having vast expanses of land being confined in a much smaller space, will they soon become smaller. That being said, can one day you have a small elephant in your backyard?

We had flatbread at the movies, it was surprisingly good!

Later, that night we went to Heirloom Kitchen. This was my first time trying fine dining, I would say that it is an experience. Same as going to a concert is an experience for music lovers, this is for food. Our meal took two hours and I got to try many flavors that I never had before.

We started with an amuse- bouche. That is a bite supposed to whet your appetite. I forgot to take a picture. I think the waitress said it was smoked kohlrabi with cashews. I never had kohlrabi before and I wonder if I could make it because it was really good.

We both had the ribs for the first course. So tender, the meat just fell off the bone. I really liked the “slaw”, it helped to cut the richness of the meat.

Colleen had the halibut. I think she really enjoyed it. She said the zucchini was especially good.

I had the gnocchi. The gnocchi were so light and the pesto was so good! I enjoyed the pea tendrils, I did not know you could eat pea tendrils, but I did not like the thicker stalks. The crispy potato skins left me wanting more. I was searching for more of them. So yummy!

The birthday girl had the Masala Chai Cake to go. She is so good. They brought it out though with a candle for her.

I had the Bamboo Rice Pudding. Colleen got her dessert to go, I was not so good. I ate my dessert and it was yummy! I’m not sure what the herb is, but it was tasty. To the left is a meringue cookie, and under is citrus. It added sweetness and richness.

We received a mint with the bill. It was yummy.

The chef of Heirloom kitchen is David Viana. He was a James Beard semi-finalist and contestant on Top Chef, Kentucky. The differences that I noticed between fine dining and the average restaurant are there is no hurry to get you out. Good food takes time and everything is made fresh to order. There is no salt and pepper on the table. It is more an experience than getting just something to eat.