Yesterday was a day of preparing for our upcoming trip to Utah.  Since we do not shop at Wal-Mart, we headed of to Target.  My sister always finds great things there.  We needed things like paper plates and citronella candles.  I am not really happy about using disposal  plates, but I have been seeing commercials for a recycled plate from Solo.  I thought that would be something Target would have in stock.  Nope.  The other day while reading Cook’s Illustrated I realized that I have not replaced our Tupperware since the world learned of BPA.  I saw another commercial for storage tubs, which have lids that attached to the bottom for organizing and stacking.  Perfect item for Target, right?  Nope.  They did have citronella candles and a camping chair (but I even hate the color). So in the end, I came home and ordered everything on Amazon.

Before heading home though, we wanted to get some lunch.  We have never eaten at The Globe (drank, but not eaten) and the afternoon World Cup match of Camaroon vs. Denmark was about to start.  So we stopped in for a sandwiches and a couple of pints.  It was fun to watch the match out and we ended up staying for the whole thing.

At home I put up what we did get and ordered what we didn’t.  The I started making dinner.  I decided to make a pizza with the chanterelles and found a recipe for a Chanterelle, Radicchio and Pancetta Pizza.  I was slightly afraid that I might be smothering the mushrooms or at least not showcasing them very well.  They really stood up to the cheese and bread and were the centerpiece of the final product.  I saved a few mushrooms for my eggs this morning, so I think I will end this post here and go make them.

I guess I am a post short, even with the day off. I told myself when I started this blog that I would not feel guilty about not posting. I always am giving myself a guilt trip and knew if I started doing that with this blog, I would eventually abandon it. In fact, I have given up posting for a few short periods, but always came back (so far) It’s called perfectionism and it’s a disease. The idea that if I am not doing something perfectly (i.e. posting every single day) than it is a disappointment and should be avoided. Anyway, I am fighting it and here’s is my imperfect post a day late.

So on Sunday I made Denver omelets and roasted potatoes. I used the new technique on the potatoes and they were wonderful. Nothing special about the omelete except for the locally grown veggies and the Vermont Cheddar. If you currently buy big brand cheddar, stop it, you are cheating yourself. Go out and find some cheddar that was made on purpose. For drinks Darren made My Psychosis, a drink of his own authoring including but not limited to Rhum, Sparkling wine, Orange juice, and Amaretto.

After the Steelers, plundered and pillaged the Vikings. Darren fired up the grill and cooked the other rib-eye that he purchased on Friday. This time the steak had been salted and resting in the fridge for two days. A concept I learned from my new Zuni cookbook. It made all the difference, not only did we get the added flavor from the grill, but IMHO the steak was more tender. I had bought a pound of unshelled butter beans and two ears of corn from Athens Locally Grown. During the football game we shelled the beans, taking the advice of a grower at Athens Farmer’s Market and shelling while watching sports. I made succotash, a scrumptious dish that did not reveal itself to me, save through Yosemite Sam, until I moved to the south. I also baked an enormous sweet potato which Darren and I split. Isn’t that steak perfectly cooked? Darren rawks da grill.

Tonight I wanted to use the kale that we got from ALG. In the past I have made a sausage, kale & bean pasta. Since we had lunch at Inoko Sushi Express, we were right next door to Kroger and decided to shop there. I think today I crossed a threshold. I could not bring myself to purchase any type of pork at Kroger. I even tried to rationalize Boar’s Head, but even they don’t make any promises about the way they raise the pork and I have learned if the aren’t bragging about it, they aren’t doing it. So I got some veggie Italian sausages and they were not bad. I will happily substitute them for any weeknight meal or when in a bind.

Here are the photographs from our Super Bowl trip as taken by the photographer of the family. I think you will agree that these are much better than mine.

Our neighbors at Super Gate II. They were from Pittsburgh. They shared their TV and Hennessy, which was nice.  Plus, The Steelers won in the most heart stopping fashion.  Go Steelers!

We went to Tampa this last weekend to tailgate at the Superbowl. My folks loaned us their RV(Thanks Mom & Dad!), so we rented a spot at Super Gate II. The bus to the Stadium picked up right outside our camping spot. Husband and I went down to check out the scene and to see if anyone was selling tickets (they weren’t and we couldn’t afford it if they were). It was a blast to cheer on the Steelers surrounded by so many of their fans.