Category: Slice of Life

The Zucchini Solution

It’s zucchini season. I am not fond of zucchini. Or yellow summer squash. I prefer the heartier winter squashes. But TV Stevie likes them, so periodically I try to find a way to cook them that isn’t too disgusting. I think I created a keeper. And I was clever enough to write down what I did immediately after supper that evening.

Pour about a quarter inch of olive oil in a large skillet.

Add boneless skinless chicken breast that has been cut into bite-sized pieces.

Season heavily with McCormick Grill Mates Montreal Chicken seasoning.

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Cook over medium heat.

When the chicken is is done, add chopped onion and garlic–I used a lot of chopped garlic–to the pan.

Cook this for a few minutes, until the onions are translucent.

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Add 1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced, and 1 medium summer squash, thinly sliced.

Season well with Mrs. Dash Grilling Blends for Chicken.

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When the squash is thoroughly cooked (15-20 minutes, stirring often)

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add 1 14.5 oz can of petite diced tomatoes.

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Cook for several minutes.

Drizzle in some balsamic vinegar.

Cook for several more minutes.

Transfer to glass baking dish (I use a round quiche pan).

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Top with shredded mozzarella

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and microwave for 1 minute (or until cheese is melted).

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That’s it. Yes, it’s heavy on the seasonings, but one of the reasons I don’t care for summer squashes is their lack of flavor. They are all texture and no taste.

I Love This Bar?

If you read my blog at all, you know I’m a bit of a Toby Keith fan.

I was stunned when Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grill opened in the local mall.

toby keith bar and grill 2The chain doesn’t have that many locations, and my poor, rust-belt city isn’t exactly the kind of market I would expect a place like this.

I’d heard rumors about tax issues–as in, the restaurant isn’t paying its taxes and isn’t long for this world here.* So one night, I convinced TV Steve (not a country music fan) to go there for dinner. I mean, I had to experience the place once. Right? Actually, I think TV & I negotiated the outing, with him probably bribing me along the lines of: “If you’ll go to the mall with me, I’ll buy you dinner at Toby Keith’s.”

So we went. It was a Tuesday night. The mall was dead. The restaurant was dead. It’s a huge, echoing barn of a place. Texas line-dancing lessons were happening over by the stage. No one sat at the bar. Only one small section of the dining room was open. It was about half full. There was a twenty minute wait for a table. So we waited. 

Once we were seated, another ten minutes passed before anyone asked if we’d like something to drink. I ordered Purple Cowboy wine because of its name. We read the menu. Several times. Another ten minutes passed. Someone asked if we’d been waited on. Um, no. Finally our drinks were delivered and someone–not our assigned waitress–took our food order.

We made the mistake of ordering pulled pork sandwiches. Why was that a mistake? We live in Dinosaur country, home of one of the top barbecue places in the USA. Why did we bother?

Our assigned server eventually found us, but was too late to change our impression that it’s a restaurant on a downhill slide.

Toby Keith: I don’t love your bar & grill. Sorry.

*Rumors only. I have NO idea if they are true or not.

The Things in a Writer’s Mind

Twenty-six years ago, I was on my honeymoon in the Adirondack Mountains of northern New York State.

With 6.1 million acres, the Adirondacks comprise the largest park and the largest state-level protected area in the contiguous United States, and the largest National Historic Landmark (copied from Wikipedia, but it’s all true). This, not Manhattan ( 22.96 square miles ), is the true New York.

Lake Placid, where we honeymooned, has been the site of not one, but two Winter Olympics. The Adirondacks were also once the summer destination of such people as the Vanderbilts, Oppenheimers, Rockefellers and other wealthy folks who built their Great Camps looking to escape the heat of the cities.

Twenty-six years ago, my new husband and I did the same thing. So did a certain physician and his wife. I never learned their names, but I will never forget them. As we drove home on the serpentine roads, up hill and down, we passed lakes and small towns. When we came to White Lake, we stopped. The evening before, there had been a seaplane accident on the lake. The physician and his wife were both killed.

The plane was still in the lake. Suitcases had popped open, and the contents drifted on the water.  A straw sunhat with a gaily flowered band floated as if it had not a care in the world. That hat got to me in a way the other articles of clothing or the half-submerged plane did not. The doctor’s wife had planned to wear that hat while she puttered in her garden, while she relaxed on their boat, while she enjoyed cocktails on the porch with her neighbors. Now, it was just a piece of detritus bobbing in the ebb and flow of the waves.

Every once in a while, that memory comes back, sharp and poignant.

And that is one of things in this writer’s mind.

Getting Organized

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I’m a klutz. I can’t seem to find an electronic/on-line/computer based organization system that works for my writing. Works for me.  Back when I worked in local TV, I had a Day-Runner, and that book managed my entire life–my broadcasting responsibilities, my children’s social lives, school-related stuff. Thank goodness I never lost that book. I would have been up the creek without a paddle. And you know which creek I mean, too.

So I started looking on-line for refills for my Day-Runner. And guess what? No one makes them anymore. Oh, you can buy calendar refills, telephone/address refills, and generic blank pages, but the forms I used to use to manage projects, finances, and a dozen other things no longer exist. I went into my local office supply store, and they went on line for me, too. Nada. Not from Day Runner, Day Timer, or Franklin Covey. FiloFax comes close.

Actually, I did find some amazing things–at Levenger. And you know what Levenger calls these lovely forms? Apps. I think that’s really funny. I’ve always loved Levenger product. Unfortunately, my wallet does not.

It seems the world has moved to electronics. Don’t they understand? Technology fails!

Things I Don’t Get

I am a writer.

I am also an introvert.

I have never learned the art of small talk. I don’t “get” it. Either you have something to say or you don’t.

But as an author in the early part of the 21st century, I am expected to self-promote. OK. I get it. I just don’t get how. I think if I post in all the Facebook book promo groups, it’s spam and it’s reaching only other authors.

Experts say to “engage” on social media. That’s asking introverts to do something they don’t understand.

Small talk is only one of many things in life that baffle me. Here are some others:

Camping: a lot of my friends and family love camping. Why can’t you do the same thing at home? It would be cheaper, warmer, and there is indoor plumbing.

Cars as more than transportation: as a former co-worker once said: “I’m driving it, I’m not living in it.”

Going out to bars/clubs: I did this for a couple of years when I was very young. I was never comfortable. It’s loud, overcrowded, and the action doesn’t start until past my bed time.

The need for noise: I know a lot of people who have to have the television or radio going for background noise. I don’t understand the need for that. Silence is golden.

Movies as a first date (thank goodness this is behind me): Why? You can’t get to know someone sitting in a movie theater. A first date should involve the ability to converse. Unless you don’t understand the art of small talk. Then you have a problem.

Not “getting” something is not the same as not liking it. I hate football but I get it. I loathe eggs, mushrooms, and green peppers, but understand why people eat them.

How about you? Is there something in our society that you just don’t understand?