BeeZee

If you have a Trader Joe's market near you, they have several unique nut combos that incorporate spices. Since their stock rotates in and out, hard to tell you what to look for, but they are featuring one now that has dried rosemary if you like that flavor. And they seem to have cashews featured in a lot of the mixes (which is a good thing in my opinion).

Just had some of that flavor 2 days ago...didn't taste any spinach, very faint artichoke, but also found it too oily. I like the hoummous with pine nuts the best.

A sail sounds lovely. Did you pack a lunch or dinner? 7/4 doesn't have to be bbq. I have fond memories of my time in D.C. and planning the picnic dinner to accompany the National Symphony concert on the Capitol lawn before the fireworks. No bbq. Always my mom's potato salad, with eggs AND bacon. We bring supplies to make lunch out on the water...couple of types of bread, sliced roast beef and turkey, coleslaw, tomato, chips...snacks when back in dock at the end of the day...no dinner after all that! My parents have a nice boat with a refrigerator so we can load it up with good stuff.

Hubby and I were sailing on the 4th so we lit the inaugural flame (so to speak) on the new grill on 7/5...tuna steak and sweet white corn grilled...salad of chopped tomato and avocado. A nice summery meal after a late afternoon round of golf.

3 months later...I watched what I ate a little more carefully, increased fiber intake, and have taken a natural plant stanol/sterol supplement every day. Cholesterol dropped from 210 to 203, not huge, but a move in the right direction. My "good" cholesterol level is good, so I'm fine for now.

When I was a kid and getting interested in cooking, my parents let me make baked alaska for them and another couple they had over for dinner. My first foray into something that seemed "exotic"...obviously not terribly complicated, but I remember being pretty proud of the result. For a kid, the concept of putting something with ice cream into the oven is pretty dramatic.

My favorite healthy snack these days is Lundberg's brown rice cakes. Good base for various toppings, and they actually have a little flavor, not totally styrofoam-like.

I did in fact make this for Mother's Day and it was easy and tasty. They meyer lemons at the supermarket were terrible (packaged in plastic mesh sacks, each one had at least one rotted lemon) so I used 1 part orange juice to 3 parts lemon and it was still very lemony/tangy. Served with sweet cherry compote. Had some leftovers and it did not "weep" for me, either.

I appreciate all the great ideas, everyone. Since we let the Grad make the call (it is her day...) she wants to go to the Moshulu because she thinks its a neat idea. I'm not going to exert my will on this one, I'm just along for the ride, so to speak. It's hard to bite my tongue when there are so many better options, but I don't want to be the control freak stepmother (this time). However, it is good for me and DH so we have some new places to check out thanks to your suggestions. I am also obsessing over the idea of the smoked salmon reuben, Katie!

Thanks for the rec, will def check it out another time.

I can only imagine the madness of working in a nicer restaurant in the vicinity of Penn on graduation day... We have a reservation at the Moshulu, Grad's choice. Oh well, at least the weather is supposed to be nice

Very tempting offer, Katie...unfortunately the Grad's boyfriend doesn't like fish. Or apparently even being next to someone eating fish so we'll avoid torturing the lad this time!

Stepdaughter graduating from Master's program at Penn and it's on Saturday morning. Having a hard time finding someplace open for lunch on Saturday. She and her boyfriend are not very adventurous eaters, don't like spicy foods. Hubby and I have no such restrictions We are thinking that staying out of the University City area is a good idea, so any ideas for Old City/Society Hill/Center City ?

good to know, thanks

did you make it same day to serve? I'm thinking that would be good for Mother's Day dinner for my Mom, but I might need to make it a day before and I know sometimes yogurt "weeps"...

heard that they were stocking the shelves the other night, so wine should be ready for purchase this weekend (if not already today).

Bonefish Grill-I've had their grilled fish, not their fish+chips. Just a comment that they, for a chain, prepare fish pretty well so I made a conjecture that their fish+chips might be acceptable.

Bonefish Grill does fish pretty well for a chain...they show fish+chips on the menu online (haven't tried them).

Favorite sandwich - toasted chewy bread (your choice, I often have a bagel) smeared with hummous, topped with sliced avocado, lettuce, tomato. Onions optional. Creamy avocado just blends so nicely with the hummous...

Liz - You could use a little oil to prevent sticking. I sometimes toss with soy/sesame/garlic and bake that way also. Reynolds Release aluminum foil is my best friend. Absolutely nothing will stick to it, no oil needed (except if you want a little sprayed on for browning like you mentioned).

Tonight's dinner was polenta lasagne which had been mocking me from the top shelf of the freezer since it was put there in December. We had what was hopefully the last cold, raw day for a while and it was the perfect antidote!

Makes sense since I've seen the instruction to open the bag (break the seal) to defrost, also.

I'm tasked with bringing a "starchy" (as opposed to vegetable) side dish...and happy to have confirmed that Quinoa is OK for Passover (it's a seed), the Trader Joe's brand passes muster because it is processed in a plant that has no grain products. So at least one dish on the table will be light, flavorful, and healthy.

The interesting byproduct is that this has made me really think about what I've been eating. I eat more healthfully than most people, but I have "fallen off the wagon" with not paying attention to whether the sandwich I grabbed off the platter had mayo and/or cheese, not getting enough fiber and drinking enough water. Since I spend so much time in my car (I don't work out of an office) I've gotten healthier items which I can keep in the glove box for my "emergency" snack stash. Sometimes a wake up call (or gentle reminder) is a good thing.

Well, saw Doc today and he wasn't overly concerned with the numbers. I told him my intent to better watch my diet and try the natural plant sterol supplements, he thought it sounded like a good idea. Scheduled a follow up for 3 months out, check blood work again to see how it's going. Easier to nip it in the bud early.