Vacation!

Vacation food has a special set of rules and regulations and requirements. Depending on how you were raised, you were:
A. Allowed to eat with abandon at every meal..."We're on vacation! Of course you can have a hot fudge sundae after breakfast! "
B. Allowed a special treat..."We have a lot to see, you may have a hot fudge sundae on the last night. Now stop hitting your sister."
Or
C. Completely disinterested because your family took vacations involving something athletic..."After we hit these rapids,trail mix break!"

My adult vacations are a mix of A & B. The C usually involves a brisk walk to find food.

AnonyMouse and I just spent a perfectly glorious week at the Jersey Shore followed by a road trip through the mountains of Western PA. I love car trips. I love planning the route, driving on backroads, and rest stops. Rest stops are my A. When I see REST AREA 1/2 MILE I forget that the words healthy, guilt, and salad exist. Fortunately, the stops are brief, and not much damage is done.

This vacation in particular had an unprecedented mix of food highs and lows. The lows are not what you really want to remember. But when a meal is that bad, you savor it. A bad meal today = a good story tomorrow.

The highs, however, are what really matter. Steamers, clams, and tuna on the grill. Dark and Stormy's overlooking the bay. Ice cream cones at midnight by the ocean.

A little abandon, a little restraint...now that's the perfect vacation.

Three Dream Vacation Meals Paired With Three Actual Vacation Meals
Tasting menu at the French Laundry in Napa and Wings and beer at Nardi's Jersey
Bellinis and carpaccio at Harry's Bar in Venice and A short stack at IHOP Unionville, PA
Pan Con Tomate in Barcelona and Spinach artichoke dip with tortilla chips at Summit Inn Farmington, PA

Sundays

Sunday wins the award for best day of the week. In the fall and winter it means cooking. In the spring and summer it means cooking.
Many people like to read or exercise on Sundays. Running seems to be the most popular. I don't run. Ever.
Well, actually... I do run on Sundays. I run errands. The errand running usually involves food shopping, which brings me back to cooking on Sundays.
Sunday seems to get a bad rap for just being the day before Monday. Weekend is over. Work starts to creep in to the relaxation. I don't think that's fair. Cooking on Sunday is energizing, thoughtful, and creative. When was the last time you were any of those things on a Monday?

I'm not the girl who whips up a sauce or stew for the week. That would be wise and frugal. I don't have that kind of brain. My brain likes the instant gratification of planning, shopping, cooking, and eating all in one day. Today alone, I have already done three out of these four. At one point AnonyMouse looked up from his prone position on the couch and commented that he hasn't seen me have this much fun cooking in quite a while. I'm happy, he's happy. He's happy because he will be the recipient of much culinary goodness in a few hours.

I'm very happy being right where I want to be. In the kitchen, making Sunday magic.


Three Sunday Dinners Paired With Three Great Sunday Night Shows

Roasted chicken with potatoes and True Blood
Eggplant parmigiana and Iron Chef America
Ginger Pork Loin and Family Guy