Making my famous minestrone in the crockpot today. Delish...

 

OK. Back to PB&J for a little bit...

So, obviously I'm eating more at home that I used to. Breakfast was often at the caf at work, lunch the caf or out, dinner in about 4-5 nights and out 2-3 nights.

I get up earlier than Cindy usually so I just go down and make breakfast. A rotation of oatmeal, cream of wheat, eggs or cereal.
For lunch, I head to the kitchen, where her 'office' is setup. "Cin- what am I having for lunch today?" She knows the options - its leftover dinner, some frozen ravioli, a Dagwood sandwich, tuna, or PB&J. Sometimes, there's something else, especially if I just went shopping. She knows I don't like the same thing repeatedly. Yesterday was a Dagwood sandwich. Today- the answer was PB&J....

Now, here's where the dilemma starts.. I'm not quite a small guy. I normally have 2 sandwiches. One with grape and one with strawberry.

I look and there's 2 slices of bread left plus 2 heels. Yuch, the heel! They should remove them at the bakery! One of the heels is pretty thick, the other isn't so I slice off a little of the thick one- it's almost like a regular slice now. I make a club sandwich - strawberry jelly facing the PB, then the grape on the other side of the middle slice, and PB on the other slice. As I'm eating it... the middle slice keeps sliding around. WTF? Does anyone have any suggestions here?

Then we have this conversation:

Cindy: "Last week, when I made the sandwiches, you asked if the knife (remember that whole debacle? -- knife/spoon!) that I used to do the grape touched the strawberry?"
Gary: "Yea"
C: How can you have them on the same sandwich.
G: Think like this: If you're having grapes, and then bite into a blackberry - you're in utter shock. You're not expecting it. You're expecting a grape.
C: She's just staring at me now...
G (Continues...): If I was having fruit salad, I'd expect randomness, but not if I'm having one thing. So, if I'm expecting grape jelly and get strawberry, not good. BUT, if I have them both on the sandwich and I know about it, then it's fine, its like a medley of flavors.
C: She turns to her laptop and just starts reading emails.

/end of story

 

Did not realize PB&J could be so complicated. Just back from the bakery run. Got two loaves of bread - challah with raisins and an oatmeal/whole grain. Also could not resist all the really yummy bad stuff entirely, so got a sticky bun. We started going there as a way to keep businesses afloat in the area, but have now made it permanent.

 

In honor of the chillier weather, I am making chili today, minus the bison. Have y'all been cooking more since March, or just ordering in/picking up a whole lot? I was cooking a lot before, so not that much change for me, except now ordering in/picking up instead of eating out. Only been out to a restaurant (outdoor seating) three times.

 

I'm cooking constantly I have been eating all my meals at home. I went out to eat a few times this summer but wasn't too crazy about it. I've been pretty much eating a rotation of the same things. I eat a lot of protein on the days/nights that I work and on days off I eat more unhealthy foods.

 

I'm a chef so I basically live in a commercial kitchen 55-60 hrs a week & I get to create all kinds of different food since I am the one who comes up with the daily specials. Last nights meat special was a grilled 8oz filet mignon served over king crab Boursin whipped potatoes & haricot verts(French baby green beans) with Au poivre sauce(brandy peppercorn). Fish was a sauteed black grouper with a white truffle cream sauce & garnished with crispy shitake mushrooms. Crazy part is that since I create & taste all kinds of flavors at work I like to eat simple tasty food on my days off like a good cheeseburger, BBQ & Asian food like Pho, Bahn Mi & of course sushi.

 

Seems like your customers are not on a diet.

 

I love Grouper, I only get it when I visit Florida though, never see it in our parts. My son loves peppercorn sauces with his steak, I've grown to really like that too. Those recipes sound great.

 

I could eat Minestrone many times a week, one of my favourites .

 

It is my birthday tomorrow so I have to make our home made lasagna for me , my wife, and our son. It always turns out great, and it beats anything you can get from a restaurant or take out, we don't make it very often though just special occasions.