It's all melting

Hello.  Remember me? 

Yes.  I’ve been away awhile again.  It’s partly because I had been busy and partly because there really wasn’t much to say.  I’ve been exceptionally unadventurous lately and haven’t tried any new recipes in quite awhile.  I feel like a delinquent in that respect. 

I had a horrible outing just last weekend that is worth mentioning, though.  A friend had a birthday celebration at a bar in the city, so several of us decided to have dinner downtown before heading to the bar.  This is how the conversation between my friend Jess and I went about the restaurant:

Jess: We’re going to Harry Caray’s, is that okay?

Me: Yea, sounds good.

Okay, so I’m not sure if that was exactly how it went, but that is the gist.  So I went to the online menu for Harry Caray’s Restaurant.  It was definitely workable.  When we got off the El and found the destination, it was smaller than I expected and the inside was more like a bar, the kind where you sit at an empty table and the waitress brings you a small menu if you ask for one.  Well, that’s because it was Harry Caray’s Tavern.  There was nothing on the menu for me except for chips.  Not even a veggie burger.  There were grass fed beef burgers and organic turkey burgers, but no veggie burgers.  Go figure.  So I ordered the caprese panini without the cheese…a balsamic tomato sandwich.  I have no idea if the bread had egg or milk in it and I have no idea if they used butter or oil on the bread to grill it.  And I ate a lot of chips. 

Later at the bar I kept eyeing the dreamsicle martini.  I haven’t had a dreamsicle in ages and hadn’t thought about having one in at least seven months because, well, another name for a dreamsicle is a creamsicle.  But this martini had no creamy ingredients listed.  It seemed perfectly innocent.  So I ordered it.  When it came it looked creamy and frothy.  I was skeptical, but the ingredients listed were innocent.  I tasted it and of course it tasted creamy…it was dreamsicle!  It was delicious but I felt so guilty.  I must have been wrong about something in there.  I stopped halfway through because it was drying my throat and causing a tickle (all in my head?) but dammit the ingredients! 

On the bright side, I’m excited for Passover.  I know you don’t hear that often, especially from a vegetarian, but it’s always been one of my favorite Jewish holidays and the latest issue of Vegetarian Times has an entire article on a vegetarian seder.  Holy Moses!  I plan on bringing mock chopped liver and a quinoa dish as well as flourless chocolate cake (unless I come up with something better).  Quinoa, I learned, is not actually a grain but a relative of the spinach plant.  Duuuuude.  We can eat quinoa on Passover!!! 

I also found a recipe for matzo meal pancakes.  Pancakes and I have a special relationship.  This will be a happy Passover. 

Until then, chow down!