Guess where I was last weekend?

We’ll get to last weekend’s travels later, but I’ll start with sharing an odd/interesting note on my sleep. After a night of fairly restless sleep, I woke this morning and realized I had been dreaming about baking. I do love food- thinking about it, working with it, sharing it, but I don’t know how often I’ve dreamed about it. Maybe because it wasn’t a great night for sleep, I was actually kind of awake. But all I know is that I now have a new recipe for scones that I’m going to try this weekend. If it works well, there will be further testing and a recipe to publish in the coming weeks. Let’s see how this dream recipe goes.

Things I Cooked

• Monday and Tuesday were chilly and rainy, not June-like at all. Weather like that makes me think of soup, so that’s what we had on Monday. I made a pot of veggie-pork soup that simmered for most of the afternoon. The aroma of the soup filled the house with some warmth and made for a healthy dinner to start the week.
• On Wednesday we had a Greek-themed dinner, complete with lamb meatballs, tzatziki, and roasted zucchini, artichoke hearts, and grape tomatoes. Of course, there also was pita bread to dip in the tzatziki or to transform the meatballs into a sandwich. Homemade pita would have been great, but time didn’t allow for it this week.

Places I Ate

• We were on the road again last weekend. We spent last Friday night in Milford, Connecticut, stopping there on our drive to Monmouth Park. We found a nice restaurant, Citrus, near the downtown. I had the Grilled Chicken Caesar Wrap with a side of sweet potato fries. Although not an adventurous order, it was well done and satisfied both my hunger and cravings for a little healthy and a little splurge-y.
• After spending Saturday afternoon at Monmouth Park watching the races, we were looking for something near our hotel. We actually were driving for a place we’d found online when we drove by Houlihan’s. There seemed to be a decent crowd, so we went there. We started with the spiralized beet chips, which were yummy. I followed that with a sandwich and side caesar salad. The interesting thing is that the salad came with a dinner roll. I set it to the side, as I had a sandwich. After dinner I tried a nibble of the roll. I then discovered that their rolls are amazing. If I go there again, I’m ordering a big salad and a side of rolls!

Things I Did

• I spent 11 out of 48 hours last weekend in a car, driving with my husband to Monmouth Park and back. Although it wasn’t grueling (especially since I was the passenger and not the driver), I can’t imagine making that trip on a regular basis.
• The best part of that trip was going to the stables on Sunday morning. We got to visit a handful of our horses during which time I learned their eating preferences. One horse would have eaten a dozen peppermints, if I’d let him. The other horse not only spit his out but made the most disgusted face I’ve seen a horse make. I’ll try carrots with him next time. I also got to visit with our new two years olds. The one (pictured above) is the not yet named Sky Mesa filly.
• For the other hat I wear, we are nearing Demo Day for the AFRL Spring 2017 cohort, which means we have weekly pitch practices. What I find interesting is how proud I feel when I hear them pitch; I’ve worked with them for months and to see and hear their growth makes me feel genuinely proud of what they’ve accomplished.

Here’s to a weekend with weather forecasted to be in the 80s and 90s. Welcome to summer!