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A Trip to Paris

January 26, 2012 by Karen of Scottsdale

A few days ago we celebrated 13 years of marriage! Norm took me to Paris for lunch. Well, not really, but it sure seems like we went to Paris. We visited Au Petit Four which is a French café and bakery newly located in Old Town Scottsdale. We happen to discover it last week while making a quick trip to the bank, which is right across the street. I told Norm that’s where I wanted to go for our anniversary.

It was a delightful lunch and it felt like we were in Paris because the owners and staff were speaking to each other in French and French music played the whole time we were there. Norm had a quiche and a field greens salad and I had a Panini and a simple pasta salad. All of it was quite tasty and fresh made. Then we splurged and had some kind of chocolate ganache dessert from the bakery. I don’t remember what it was called, but it was rich and tasty!

Check them out yourself!

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Giving Off That Vibe

December 21, 2010 by Karen of Scottsdale

Red Robin French Fries

When I asked my husband, Norm, what he would like to do for lunch today he responded right away with, “let’s go to Red Robin.” It’s one of our favorite places for lunch and from this photo you can see how delicious looking the french fries are. I forgot to take a picture of our burger, probably because I was so engrossed with eating those french fries.

Before the food came I was playing with my iPod Touch. One of the servers who knows us saw me playing with it and stop by our table to chat. Seems that everyone is talking about Christmas preparations and plans for getting out of town. Then he asked me a very strange question, “do you know of a good cigar store nearby?” Do I give off the kind of vibe that says I know about cigars? No. I don’t think so. I suggested he check his computer and look for cigar deals online. Maybe I give off an air of Internet savvy? Norm thinks I do.

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Well, It Sounded Good

September 22, 2010 by Karen of Scottsdale

Corn dogs have always been a favorite ever since I can remember. There is just something delicious about cornbread around a hot dog on a stick slathered with mustard. Remember those places at the mall called Hotdog on a Stick? Yummy!

The other day I saw a commercial on TV for new breakfast product using Jimmy Dean sausage. It looks just like a corn dog only it’s a pancake wrapped around a sausage on a stick. Three minutes in the microwave and you’ve got breakfast. I’ve had one three times now in the past month and every time I eat it my brain gets my mouth confused. When you bite into it is sweet, like a pancake. However, my brain is expecting the taste of cornbread. It’s all I can do to keep from putting mustard on it! LOL

This product is marketed to adolescents as a quick breakfast before going off to school to avoid the unwanted consequences of going without breakfast. I wonder if it has an hgh releaser? Lately it seems I’m growing, but maybe that’s not why.

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Breakfast

July 30, 2010 by Karen of Scottsdale

Are you a fan of breakfast? I must admit that I am not. Everyone says it’s the most important meal of the day, but I find that I’m not that hungry early in the morning. Generally, I need a very small breakfast to keep me going until lunch. My breakfast habits very according to my mood, but I’ll consistently take my vitamins.

This morning I had Trader Joe’s granola with almond milk instead of cow’s milk. I don’t like regular milk nor do I like soy milk. The other day I had red grapes and almond crackers with spreadable Swiss cheese. Sometimes I enjoy pomegranate and blackberry yogurt with some crackers on the side. Oh, I do enjoy scrambled eggs for breakfast once in a while too.

What’s your favorite breakfast?

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Second Chances

July 30, 2010 by Karen of Scottsdale

Patsy Grimaldi’s Pizza in Old Town Scottsdale is one of our favorite places to eat. I think they have the best pizza I’ve ever had. A couple of months ago we went there and had a bad experience. We thought it was a fluke because 90% of the time it’s great. We went back a week or so later and it was slightly better but not the best we knew it could be. We decided to not go there for a month or two and then see what happens.

The other day I got a craving for their delicious pizza and so we decided to give them a second chance. I’m so glad we did because it was delicious! It tasted like the pizza we remembered and it was baked just the way we ordered it.

While we were there we ran into someone who works in the building. We hadn’t seen her for several months and she was excited to see us. I remarked that she looked great and asked if she had lost weight. Thinking that she had found one of those diets that work, I was surprised when she told me what happened. A couple months ago she had a severe gallbladder attack and after a several tests her doctor decided to remove the gallbladder. She attributed her weight loss to dealing with the surgery and eating a lot better.

Note to self: eat better to avoid gallbladder surgery.

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Simply Delicious

July 10, 2010 by azNorm

A few weeks ago I was in the mood for ice cream which is rather unusual because I’m not a big ice cream fan, unless it’s very hot out. It’s the middle of summer in the Valley of the Sun so it is very hot out. We found some Dreyers peanut butter cup ice cream at the grocery store. Oh my! It’s simply delicious.

Norm likes it as well. We have been buying the snack size cup portions since still we’re dealing with a torn up kitchen these days and it’s easier if we don’t have dishes to wash. Norm got the crazy idea to buy a whole dozen of them one day. He promised me he wouldn’t eat them all at once, and he hasn’t, but he does know that he really should cut back so he doesn’t gain his weight back. He told me thinking of trying weight loss drinks. I don’t think he’ll like them unless they have a Coca-Cola flavor.

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Tucson or Tuscan

July 8, 2010 by Karen of Scottsdale

Ever notice how people confuse Tucson and Tuscan? Tucson is a town in southern Arizona and Tuscan refers to the Tuscany region of Italy. Lately the word Tuscan is used to describe furnishings or food associated with Italy or the Mediterranean area. When you live in Arizona and you see that word on a food label it easy to be confused and think it has to do with Tucson. For instance, the other day we were at some restaurant and I was perusing the menu. I noticed in the appetizer section there was something called Tuscan hummus. Basically it’s white beans puréed with sesame, garlic, lemon and spices and it’s served with pita bread for dipping. Oh, that sounded delicious. I showed it to Norm on the menu and I think he thought it was regular bean dip from Tucson. We ordered it and it was so good!

A couple of days later we are shopping at Trader Joe’s and in the refrigerated case I see a container of Tuscan hummus. The squeal of joy I let out made Norm think I had found a way to get cheap car insurance. We bought some and it’s better than the one I had at the restaurant. So, if you’re in the mood for bean dip I highly recommend Tuscan hummus as a nouveau alternative.

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Thirsty Diner

April 25, 2010 by Karen of Scottsdale

We go out to eat quite a bit and for the most part I usually enjoy my dining experiences because of the good food and good service. A good server will come around and ask if everything is okay and check for refills on your iced tea or beverage of choice. Lately it seems that refills are hard to come by. The server will come around when you first get your drinks and right after your food is delivered to see if everything is satisfactory, but then they disappear. Just today we went out for lunch and our server came by several times early on in the meal, but at some point he disappeared and we weren’t offered refills on our beverages until he shows up with the bill for our meal. Where was our server when we needed him? For all I know he’s back there talking with the rest of the serving staff about the best hgh supplement or how the Diamondbacks are doing. I need a drink refill during my meal not after I have finished it and am ready to leave.

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