Weekend Fine Dining; or, Fine Weekend Dining

Some tasty food this weekend, for those of you who check in on "Pensive? No, Just Thinking" just to find out what the Mobergs have been eating:

Friday night
Susan's aunt Kathy was kind enough to babysit for us so that Susan and I could go out to eat before attending City of Angels, a musical presented at Dickinson State University. We chose Sanford's and started with some beverages of the adult variety and some Buffalo chicken strips for an appetizer (with, sadly, the mildest ever bleu cheese dressing as a dip). We chose to share a meal, too, and ordered a steak covered in garlic and bleu cheese chunks (this time very flavorful), garlic mashed potatoes (instant--yuck!), and black-eyed peas. It came with a delicous mini-loaf of bread served with honey butter. It also came with soup, and we ordered an extra bowl and shared both: cajun clam chowder and cheeseburger soup.

Saturday night
Per my request, Susan concocted a wonderful meal of perfectly pungent and robustly flavored dishes: French onion soup, bruschetta, and garlic shrimp Caesar salad. The house was filled with the smells of sautéing onions and fresh garlic and basil all afternoon and evening. The provolone cheese melted over the toasted French bread crusts atop the rich beef and onion broth in the ceramic ramekins was perfect. Susan brushed more slices of toasted French bread with sliced garlic bulbs and then heaped each with the fresh tomato, herb, and balsamic vinegar mixture for the bruschetta. Abigail and I shelled the shrimp for Susan to cook in butter and herbs, and I tossed them into the bowl with the romaine lettuce, croutons, and Caesar dressing and then grated fresh parmesan cheese into the salad. The wine that didn't go into the soup went into drinking glasses for Susan and me--the perfect accompaniment to the meal.

Sunday noon
After church [where we were welcomed as new members today!], we went out for dinner at Country Kitchen. (Suzanna isn't feeling well, and she thought that soup and mashed potatoes and gravy would make a good meal for her sore throat.) I stuffed myself with a Big Country Burger and definitely the best French fries I've had in a very long time. Hillary gobbled up her chocolate chip pancakes, and Abigail and Susan shared a tasty chicken sandwich and soup. Very affordable and delicious.