It's My 100th Post, and I Celebrated (in Advance) by Going THERE Again

I just couldn't resist.

Armed with a coupon and accompanied by a couple of colleagues, I visited Fishs Eddy today. For the upcoming chicken pot pie experiments, I bought another four French onion soup bowls (which are very similar to four other bowls/bakers I bought months ago; these new ones are just a bit bigger).

I also bought a very interesting fruit platter. With about a dozen circular indentations, the platter is pretty cool looking. I also purchased a large white serving bowl. They have tons of these at the store and they're selling them for a pittance ($5.99 each).

With the coupon I got 20% off and three free Christmas ornaments. Unfortunately, my ornaments are less than satisfactory; instead of getting one each of a mini mug, teacup and saucer, and double-handled bowl, I got two bowls and one mug. Adding insult to injury: the mug has a rather large chip in it. I'm going back tomorrow to see if I can get a better set.

I lugged the bowls home, but the platter, large bowl, and ornaments are still at work. As soon as they make it on the long slog home via NJ Transit, I'll take and post pictures.

Dinner Update:
Tonight we had the herbed crepes with a simple tomato "relish" made from the last of the Roma tomatoes from my plants (I have no idea how these last few tomatoes ripened off the vine, but they did). The relish was made from two small Romas (diced very small), olive oil, dried basil leaves, Kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper. I mixed this all together and spooned it over the warm crepes. We also had a nice tossed salad with balsamic vinaigrette.

I Bought Too Many Dishtowels and Other Horror Stories

I admit it: buying housewares is a weakness. I should just avoid stores like Fishs Eddy (and the occasional foray to Williams-Sonoma) altogether. But Gail finally agreed to go to Fishs Eddy and see what all the fuss was about. She bought a few juice glasses and a lasagna baker; everything in her basket was on sale so she spent less than $20. Meanwhile I bought two small Central Park-themed oval dishes, a little bowl that should be perfect for mixing small batches of vinaigrette or other dressings, and six new Hall bakers (this adds to those that I bought back in May). For the sake of pot pie enthusiasts everywhere I will evaluate all the bakers (there are four different styles) when the weather turns crisp enough to make a long hot day in the kitchen seem like a treat.

The bakeware was on sale and a bargain compared to the four dishtowels I bought. I couldn't help it though: one was Alice in Wonderland themed (like a platter I already have), another was blue (matching my kitchen) and had the alphabet printed on it, and the other two were topical and instructive: one lists "Cooking Temperatures" and "Measurements" and the other "Cold Storage" temperatures for foods in the fridge and freezer. The Alice towel and the blue alphabet towel were super soft--suprisingly so because they're made of bamboo fiber. For those keeping track of my spending (people like Gail) they were $10.95 each. The other two towels were more pricey, but they're educational...so they're entirely worth it.

A car accident, a missed CSA shipment, plus some wrestling with the Russian Consulate and my Accounts Payable Department rounded out this week quite nicely. Because it's related to work, the Russia-AP story has no real bearing on this blog (except for my availablity and mood), but suffice it to say: even after all the problems I went through to get my Russian visa this week, my trip is still up in the air because of the current political situation between Russia and Georgia. As always, I'm praying for world peace, but at this point, my prayers are primarily for selfish reasons; with peace, I get to go to Russia, without it I have to miss the trip entirely.

The car accident: Poor "Bob." This is his second accident this summer. Both were within a mile of home (at least he's statistically correct) and both were not his fault. Our next car should be a bumper car at this rate. Because "Bob" was on his way to pick up the CSA share when it happened, he never made it. He called our organizer and left a message telling her that he'd been in an accident and that they should put aside our share so we could pick it up later (this is standard operating procedure of the CSA). Well, we drove by the organizer's house, and no shipment awaited us. They didn't even call to see how he was after the accident. I bet there was more corn this week. Darn.

So, this week's menu, which I will get to tomorrow, will not involve any new produce from the CSA. We have a few squash to eat--no surprise there--and some carrots and beets and a few soon-to-be pickles. We might even get through some of those chicken pot pies still in the freezer.

Fishs Eddy Expedition

Since the chicken pot pie we ate tonight was only "individual size" in name only, I went to Fishs Eddy at lunch today in search of true single-serve ovenware for baking future pot pies. At this very quirky housewares store, I bought six dishes: four (two oval-shaped bakers with tab handles and a set of two smaller oval dishes without any handles) were made by Hall ($2.99 each), and the other two (round with tab handles) were from Syracuse China ($4.99 each). The store didn't have many of the Syracuse dishes left (there were only a few marked up ones remaining), which means, given my luck, those will probably work the best for my pot pies. Feeling guilty about the number of paper cups I use for coffee at work each day, I also bought a large "notebook" design mug. Visit Fishs Eddy at 19th and Broadway for all sorts of interesting dishes and glassware or online at http://www.fishseddy.com/.

One last note: I haven't been including the nutrition information for the last few recipes I've posted. It takes time to calculate that information, so it will be posted later this week when I have a bit more time.