Steak!

I had steak last night. Haven't had that in about six months. It was good. Went to my favorite steak place and also had salad, loaded baked potato and an appetizer.
The good news is I had nearly all my salad, four bites of potato and half the 7 ounce steak. I was absolutely stuffed.  I also had half the appetizer.  But seriously, no way another bite could get in there!
Is this what they mean by having your cake and eating it too?  If I can have a little steak every six months or so, I'm happy :-)

Cheese, Congestion, and the Migraine

This has been an excellent week for the great dairy experiment!  I've had lasagna, cheesecake, pizza, potato salad, chicken strips, and saucy things that I KNOW have HFCS (high fructose corn syrup), and who knows what else.

The night I had lasagna I got super congested, and got a migraine. 

The day I had cheesecake, pasta, and cold cuts, I got a migraine.

The day I had chicken strips with bbq chipotly sauce dipped in ranch dressing, I had some tummy distress.

Today I had pizza with feta as well as pizza cheese, and I had a bit of potato salad, and guess what....MIGRAINE!!!!

I truly find this facinating.  It's very interesting to watch how my body responds.  I doubt I'll ever give up these tasty treats completely, but it's nice to know I need to plan ahead.

Comfort Food

I went to a wake today for a man who loved to cook - no, create culinary explosions of delight - for those around him. He fed me my first plate of Lobster Newburg.  It was like nothing I'd ever tasted. He made award winning New England Clam Chowder. He could roast potatoes and make them magical.  Corned Beef and Cabbage was an event.  He was a culinary genius.

I will miss him. He was a grandfatherly figure for me. His humor and zest for life reminded me of the best parts of my grampas, who passed on a long, long time ago.  He was full of stories and he loved his wife, truly, in the most wonderful and sweet way.

In true style, his children hosted "refreshments" after. He would have loved the biggest, cheesiest lasagna I've ever seen. A platter of pasta salad that could feed a third world country. Chicken, antipasta, beverages, and a dessert table filled with snickerdoodles, cannolli, and mini cream puffs, eclairs, and petifores and more I can't remember. And pies. Lots of cheesy, sweet comfort food. Did I mention the cheese? 

I buried a little sorrow in lasagna, chicken, and pasta salad. I treated myself to a mini cream puff and eclair. I drank a lot of water.  It felt comforting, warm and embracing. My head is now sore, I've become congested, and my tummy is dancing, but the cheese was well worth it. Sometimes a girl needs comfort food.

I'll never eat lobster, be it boiled with butter, bisque, newburg, or on a roll, again without remembering him. Prime rib and roasted potatoes will make me smile with warm memories.  And I'll never forget the Bourbon Pumpkin Pie he made with me in mind one Thanksgiving day. It was the most spectacular pumpkin pie I'd ever had.

Tomorrow I'll return to juice and salad and natural, healthy fair. Today I will remember with comfort food.