More Ready-to-Eat Entrees + Beauty

We are continuing to explore easy to prepare meal items.  In this edition, there were no losers among our selections, although we do have favorites.  Goal = meals with little, zero or minimal preparation... Snacks count too!

We bought this pack of 18 Stonefire Mini Naan Originals at Costco... As described by Stonefire Authentic Flatbreads, these mini naans are "delicious, fluffy, versatile and downright unforgettable, it's made to upgrade every meal, from breakfast wraps to midnight snacks".  Laurie and I concur and we've already used them with breakfast eggs, garlic dip, Bar-B-Que and more

Instant pulled pork!  The downside is that there isn't any 'bark' from smoking the meat.  The upside is that you have 2.5 lbs. of pulled pork to do with as you'd like.

Del Real's carnitas/pulled pork is not strongly seasoned so the good news is that you have multiple options with the 'right' addition of seasoning or sauces.

For this meal, Laurie paired some of Del Rio's pulled pork with one of Stonefire's mini-naans, adding a simple salad as her side.  She used BBQ sauce with her pork and she liked it a lot! 

We've enjoyed a couple other meals using Del Real's carnitas/pulled pork.  No surprise that I toasted a bun, covered it with shredded cheddar cheese, nuked it in the microwave and then slapped a couple of over medium fried eggs on top!  Great breakfast!  This product was purchased at Costco.

I don't know if its any healthier or worse than the salty snacks that we usually go for, but lately we have kept some sliced stick salami and pepperoni in the fridge...along with sliced sticks of cheese.  Cabot Creamery's 3 year naturally aged cheddar is one of our 'go to' cheese options. It has a distinctive flavor and it holds up well when sliced in 'sticks' or strips.  Yet another Costco purchase.

We have never found a garlic dip that was worthy of the name...until now!  Most anything labeled as containing garlic here in East Tennessee barely qualifies as 'garlicy' in our estimation.  A bit of Toom Garlic Dip and we knew that we had a cure for those pesky vampires.  I'll bet you can guess where we bought it!

Yes, this bag of Daphne's Beef and Lamb Gyro Slices was indeed purchased at Costco.  It contains 2 packages of meat.  I chose to heat up the meat in my frying pan with a little butter and pepper.  We both like a little char on our gyros.

It is hard to find gyros, (lamb and beef combined), anywhere here in East Tennessee.  We were very happy with the way that Daphne's gyros turned out.  Laurie plated her gyros on another one of those mini naans with mixed greens and cherry tomatoes.  The tzatziki sauce was very nice but lacked the garlic hit that we were used to back in Chicago.  We'll add garlic to the sauce/dip the next time.  The brand was Hannah's Tzatziki - Greek Style Yogurt Dip.

I thought that I'd end this post with a non-food photo.  That very pretty and delicate looking flower above is from a Spotted Wintergreen...a native wildflower that some bird...or more likely the wind, probably planted for us.  This small perennial evergreen herb is native to eastern North America and Central America.  Lucky for us, this plant is very tolerant of acidic soil and shade...both of which describe much of our backyard everyday.  The Creek Indians called it "pipsisikweu", which translates to "breaks into small pieces".  This was because it allegedly had the ability to breakdown gallstones.  Another use by Native Americans was to use it's leaf tea to treat rheumatism and stomach problems.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Memorial Day - 2025

 In Memoriam

Ronald Allen Myers

Born on April 2, 1911

Killed in Action on May 6, 1945, 80 years ago this month.

World War II in Europe officially ended on May 8th, 1945. 

Staff Sergeant Ronald Myers in a column crossing Germany just a little over 3 weeks before he was KIA in what was then Czechoslovakia.

This local memorial for my Dad is located in the Pilsen area of what is now the Czech Republic, near the town of Tesov, where he was killed.

Ronald Allen Myers' final resting place is in the Lorraine American Military Cemetery near Saint-Avold France. (Rest in Peace Dad)

God Bless America and as well the millions of men and women who have fought and died for our freedom!

This flag was used on D-Day at Utah Beach as American forces fought their way ashore.  It is part of the Smithsonian collection.  It stands as a testament to the lives that have been sacrificed for our freedom...

Home, Stuff and Food...

After looking at my photos, I either had to label this post as "Miscellaneous" or, as I ended up doing, "Home, Stuff and Food".  I also considered "Angry, What to Do, Scary and Experimental".  In any case this post is an mix...a mongrel...with a variety of different issues and challenges. 

Home ownership is an investment, a significant cash drain and a source of frustration.  Our home was built in 1999.  Our neighborhood is built on rock...mostly limestone.  Issues arise with older homes.  Example: When one of our HVAC units needed attention, the good news is that despite its age, the problem was resolved for a relatively modest sum of money.  However, the owner of the HVAC company told me that a replacement unit for this particular Air Conditioning/Heat Pump, would cost $7,900.00!  Nuts!  

Anyway, back to the photo shown above.  We have a home inspector/builder who is doing some work for us.  Unrelated to his work he spotted some beginning separation of some foundational cinder blocks at one corner of the house and suggested that we should have someone come out and fix it to keep it from getting worse.  We checked around and contracted with AFS (American Foundation Service) to fix the problem.  It was not inexpensive!  In any case, despite specific warnings from my better half, the AFS crew not only made a mess, but they also severed our sprinkler system's main line.  We had a 2-story fountain until they figured out how to turn the system off.  Now we have mud everywhere with the broken line directly under that rock.  Laurie is all over AFS to have the repairs made, with a meeting with them scheduled today as I compose this post.  Aggravation!

On to more "fun", this time related to our upcoming garage sale.  

We keep finding things that we forgot we had and that we've been carrying around for many years now.  One recent 'find' was this Mrs. Stevens Candies Antique Christmas themed round tin box that is just packed with embroidery thread or floss, as it's sometimes referred to.  Pricing it for the sale is going to be a guesstimate at best. 

When I first moved to East Tennessee, I did a bit of fishing.  Before that, Laurie and used to take fishing vacations to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and up into northwestern Ontario in Canada.  It was a cabin in Michigan with a fishing boat...cook your own meals, etc.  In Canada, it was an all-inclusive deal...cabin, meals, guide with a boat and, in one case even a float plane fly-in to an isolated lake. (The pilot was no more than 19 years old)

So now our fishing days are over... How to price this this tackle box full of all kinds of gear and a plethora of lures for our garage sale?  

The same question applies to this tackle box and an even greater assortment of lures!  Then we also have a couple small tackle boxes, a small suitcase with more gear in it including a couple of reels...and let's not forget the 8 fishing rods with reels all ready to go fishing!

Next we have a family related note to report on... Unless you live under a rock by now you have heard about the tornado that came through St. Louis Missouri.  Major damage at the iconic Forest Park and the St. Louis Zoo.  The core group of Laurie's family lives in the St. Louis metro area.  Her sister Bonnie and Bonnie's husband Bill rode out the storm in a parking garage near their home.  This was to avoid hail damage to their new Subaru.  They live about 3 blocks from the area where the heaviest tornado damage was evident.  Even so, they were without power for almost 72 hours.  They transferred perishable foods to coolers or to the refrigerators/freezers belonging to their kids.  Laurie's other sister, Karole and her husband Bob were in Kansas City when the storm hit St. Louis.  When they returned home, the power was still out and they had to throw away all of their perishables.  Scary...but lucky compared to some.  No major issues...just threats of major storm damage here in East Tennessee. 

Now onto some food items...

We continue to try out/test the 'fast food', prepared food items from Costco.  We're looking for winners that we can rely on.

Caribbean Food Delights Jamaican Style beef patties/turnovers in a flaky cornmeal crust were not spicy...not by anyone's definition.  The 'ground beef' had a mushy texture with close to zero flavor.  No amount of the 4 different sauces we tried could save this product.  This is not a 'food' product that we would ever purchase or eat again.  I rarely throw food away, but I made an exception with this item!  Bye Bye!

The next item on the prepared food menu was this 'new item' that we bought at Food Lion.  This Shrimp Penne Pasta comes in individual servings.  Laurie liked it quite a bit and I thought that it was a decent meal.  There were enough shrimp in each of our dinners, one could pick up the bacon flavor and the pieces of jalapeno gave it a modest little pop of heat...just enough that you knew it was there.  To me it was a bit like an upscale mac 'n cheese with shrimp.  It had enough going for it that we will purchase it again... There was plenty of food for almost any level of appetite.

I didn't take a photo of the pack of thin sliced salmon that we'd purchased from Costco so I can't tell you the brand name.  Actually it was a twin-pack of salmon...almost too much salmon for two people to consume in a relatively short period of time.  On more than one occasion we had salmon in a swirl and salmon on crackers or thin sliced bread with and without crackers and capers.  Then I finished off the second packet of the salmon with the above breakfast entree.  My very enjoyable and satisfying breakfast consisted of a thin slice of rye toast, smeared with cream cheese, topped with 2 or 3 thin slices of salmon and topped with an over easy egg.  This is one time that I didn't use Tabasco with my fried egg. 

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

A Favorite Restaurant Re-opens!

It was well over a year ago when we learned that a close by and the most reliable American style restaurant in the area had sold their property to the local hospital and they were closing.  The good news is that they also promised to build a new restaurant to replace the earlier one...

It was open for a few weeks before we decided to try it out.  I personally like letting new restaurants have a little time to 'get their act together' and for the initial rush of customers to slow down a little...before we check them out. 

One of our friends from Maryville Tennessee drove down to Loudon County Tennessee for a visit.  It had been a while since we'd gotten together but we knew that he really liked the Aubrey's Restaurant in Maryville so our first foray to this local chain's new location in Lenoir City Tennessee was a natural.  When we arrived, the parking lot was crowded with vehicles...a good sign for the restaurant as it was almost 1 PM and the early lunch crowd had moved on.

Aubrey's was quite busy but it is a large restaurant and they can serve a large number of diners at any given time.  The 'open' industrial ceiling style that is so popular now is now worn out from my point of view.  It does save cost though.  Like the previous Aubrey's in Lenoir City, there are a lot of windows.  Actually the floor plan and the overall 'look' of this new restaurant is very similar to the one that was sold to the hospital. 

As with the previous location, the bar with additional dining is just to the right after patrons enter the restaurant.  Again the layout of this area hadn't changed much design-wise.  The one notable difference is that there are partial glass partitions separating the bar area from the lobby space.

The kitchen and service area is located to the left of diners as they are led to their seats.  It is more open than it was in the former building.  This transparency gives customers the feeling that the restaurant has nothing to hide...

Now on to the food!

   

All three of us treated our lunch as if it were the evening meal so we ordered substantial items and we all took food home with us for later consumption.  

Laurie ordered the Seafood Pasta, shown above. ($16.00) It consisted of shrimp, Pacific white fish, sugar snap peas, red onion and bowtie pasta with cream sauce.  I was a little surprised as she normally goes for the Haystack Pasta with grilled chicken, sauteed mushrooms, linguine, parmesan and mushrooms in a cream sauce.  However, she was very happy with her choice.  FYI, there are two other pasta options on the menu. 

                              

Our friend Glen ordered his usual, which also seems to be his favorite.  This is Aubrey's Fish + Chips and, as you can see, it is a generous platter of food.  This entree includes plenty of nicely breaded fried fish plus those thin sliced fried potatoes...which are a meal in themselves.  He was very happy with his fish!

The Fish and Chips is a house specialty.  Other specialties include North Carolina Catfish, Boston Scrod, Barbeque Ribs and a Chicken Finger Platter.  All specialties come with one side...and there are 15 different sides to chose from...

There was one more specialty on the menu and it was my choice for lunch.  This is Aubrey's Buttermilk Fried Chicken...a double battered buttermilk marinated chicken breast, which is deep-fried and then smothered with homemade white gravy. ($17.00) I chose the 'smashed Yukon golds' as my side.  I actually took about half of the potatoes and 40% of the chicken home for leftovers.  This entree always was my favorite and it still is...

Aubrey's menu also includes a section entitled "Favorites" with 8 options, plus there are 8 different sandwich offerings plus soup and salads (5 are dinner salads)...and I also skipped over the 7 small plates or appetizers and we managed to avoid the 5 dessert choices.

Aubrey's is a regional chain operating in East Tennessee. They currently have 16 locations stretching from Bristol to Cleveland.  The Aubrey's Restaurant in Lenoir City Tennessee is located at 375 Town Creek Parkway (right off US Hwy 321, very close to US Hwy I-75) Phone:865-412-4178.  Website: https://aubreysrestaurants.com/lenoircity/. 

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

What a Mess! A Challenging Event!

Everyone encounters challenges in their lives... This post is tied to the challenges presented by our accumulation of 'things', 'stuff', and 'excess' that we've gathered over 46 years of marriage.  Adding to our 'excess', are items that came from my mother many years ago.  In an effort to declutter a bit, we decided to participate in our local neighborhood garage sale.  So much effort already...and so much more to do before the sale in early June.  Hopefully our marital union will survive the stress and trauma!

The first step was to post larger items on Facebook Marketplace just to clear space for all of the other 'stuff' we want to sell.  We posted 6 larger items... 

First there was this 'loveseat' sofa.

Then there was this large buffet that came from Rich's Department Store in Atlanta.

Plus there is this antique cherrywood rocker that we purchased many years ago.  It's from the late 1800s.

This solid oak possum belly baker's table and hutch was purchased at the same time at the cherrywood rocker.  Both purchases seemed rational at the time...

This more rustic antique rocking chair came to us through my mother's estate.

While we have had a couple of inquiries about the baker's table/hutch combination, that's been all the action we've had in the first 3 or 4 days on these furniture items.  We have managed to sell three of the larger items so far.

Neighbors purchased two of these types of almost never used deck lounge chairs.  They were used once or maybe twice and had spent the rest of their life with us in our storeroom.

A master gardener who has done a lot of work for us snatched up this dresser as it filled a need for her.

If you've ever been to an estate sale or an auction, you will have noted that no one wants chinaware.  We have had this nice set of Mikasa for more than 40 years.  It was rarely used and since we retired and moved to East Tennessee it hadn't been used at all.  As expected, we didn't get very much money for the set, but we did manage to sell it through Facebook Marketplace.

Then there is the rest of the 'stuff' that needs to go...to find a new home.  It's an eclectic grouping of odds and ends, collections and past activities or hobbies.  

For years we've been moving and storing this assortment of dolls and doll clothes that my mother had acquired or actually made.  

For several years in a row, Laurie and I headed to Northern Michigan or Ontario Canada for backwoods fishing adventures.  It had been 20 years since we headed north to go fishing although I did go fishing here in Tellico Lake many times earlier in my retirement.  We found the slickers and wet suits in a box we'd been moving from place to place.

I have very little hope that we'll find buyer for these remnants of a set of Czechoslovakian china that my great aunt had willed to my mother...at least 65 years ago.  I suspect that we'll end up just tossing it out.

Antique canning jars, a nicely framed print, folders, a classic candle holder, a pair of painted antique candlesticks, a signed Brooks Robinson baseball, a collectors plate, a set of German steins, a Tiny Tears doll and boxed toy trucks for kids or collectors.  These are just further examples of the mish mash we'll be offering at the sale.

In the preceding photos you will note a couple of items that were also in other photos.  We keep moving things around looking for the 'right place' to display them for sale.  Disorganization is still our condition...although we have priced more than half of what we're going to try to sell.  I still haven't addressed my fishing tackle (4 boxes) or my 9 fishing rods and reels.  Then there is our golf equipment!  At least 4 bags with golf clubs, balls, etc., plus extra clubs.  In addition, there will be a lot of clothing offered for sale.  The question is, how much can we sell vs. how much do we end up delivering to local charities?

Just click on any of the photos...

Thanks for stopping by!  Wish us luck as we'll need it!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

A New Dining Experience - Even Better, It is Italian Cuisine!

Laurie and I are always looking for a new dining experience within a reasonable driving distance of our home.  'Reasonable' is of course a relative term, but in our case we define the word as about 30 - 35 minutes, with 40 minutes pushing the envelope.  Of course, if we're out exploring an area or shopping somewhere further from home and its time for a meal, our 'reasonable' definition doesn't apply.

We now have several good to very good 'American' and Mexican restaurants in the area, a nice Thai dining destination and, most recently, a reliable Indian restaurant was added to the mix.  What we've really needed is a good Italian restaurant.  As luck would have it, a new Italian dining destination recently opened in Lenoir City...about 20 minutes from home. 

Fork and Vine took over the space previously occupied by Joe's Italian Cuisine.  Joe's had shown promise but the consistency of both food and service was an issue.  Just how new is Fork and Vine?  There is a sign on US Hwy. 321 but the only Fork and Vine sign on the building at this point is that very temporary one above where Joe's sign was located.   

Outdoor patio dining is available at Fork and Vine.  It's surrounded by trees on 3 sides and its far enough from US Hwy 321, that traffic noise isn't too bothersome.

Fork and Vine is not a huge restaurant.  As you can see, the dining arear is long and narrow.  Seating is a mixture of 2-seat tables, 4-seat tables and bar stools in front of both the bar and the stone pizza oven.  We arrived early for dinner but before we left, Fork and Vine was very busy.  My only negative is that the 2-top tables are a bit too narrow to be really comfortable.  Another 3 or 4 inches in width would make a truly positive difference.  

Do you remember when any semi-upscale or fine dining restaurant automatically offered bread without charging for it?  Well, Fork and Vine does!  The bread was crusty and nice and the oil and herb mix was excellent.  It was so good that we were given a second helping of bread and dipping oil.

Before I get into the food itself, I thought that I'd provide the introduction provided by Fork and Vine as regards their menu and approach to Italian cuisine.  Will the restaurant live up to their introduction?

"Inspired by generations of Italian cooking, our menu features handcrafted dishes prepared with passion and authenticity.  From rustic, wood-fired pizzas to perfectly seasoned seafood and savory pastas, every plate is a celebration of flavor and tradition.

Experience the rich tradition of homemade Italian cuisine, where every dish is crafted from scratch using time-honored recipes and the finest ingredients.  From fresh, hand-rolled pasta to slow-simmered sauces, every bite is a taste of Italy's culinary heritage."

Given all the bread and oil, (another reason restaurants don't offer it gratis any longer), I skipped the appetizers but as this was our 'early' Mother's Day dinner (by two days), Laurie ordered a cup of the Italian Wedding Soup...with meatballs, spinach, pasta pearls and broth. ($5.00 cup/$9.00 bowl) She really enjoyed it!  I tasted it and I thought that it was very nice...

There are 9 'shareables'/appetizers on the menu.  They include: Burratta and Ciabatta with roasted tomato jam; Drunken Mussels with vodka, white wine, basil, garlic, tomatoes, onion, banana peppers herb butter and sliced Ciabatta, and; Clams Casino, baked clams topped with bacon crumble and lemon herb compound butter.  Six different salads are also on the menu with a couple of them being 'dinner salads'.  One of them is The Palermo with mixed greens, fresh mozzarella, banana peppers, black olives, croutons, tomatoes, ham, capicola, pepperoni and salami tossed in Italian vinaigrette.

On to our entrees.  This was Laurie's Vodka Di Gallo with Italian Sausage. ($16.00 without the sausage and $22.00 with it) It is fresh Creste di Gallo pasta with pink vodka cream sauce, onions, basil and mushrooms.  Chicken, meatballs and shrimp are also options with this pasta. Laurie really enjoyed her entree although she thought that the sausage would be cut up and in with the pasta.  Still...winner, winner!

Laurie had a tough time deciding what to order.  One of her other options (perhaps next time) was the 1809 Risotto...creamy parmesan risotto, mushrooms, seared scallops, limon wine cream and herb broccolini.  If Laurie's sister Bonnie and her husband Bill were here, Bill would definitely have ordered the Ciopinno Lenoir...with mussels, clams, shrimp and fish simmered in a robust tomato broth served with grilled Ciabatta.

My entree was the Pistachio Chicken. ($24.00) This included fried chicken cutlets (a whole breast), goat cheese, pistachio crumble, and lemon wine cream sauce, served with risotto and herb broccolini.  The chicken was moist, the breading just right and the lemon wine cream sauce put this dish over the top.  I'm not supposed to eat greens but I did consume 4 pieces of the tasty broccolini.  The one downer for me was that the risotto had mushrooms in it and I just don't like mushrooms.  They should be listed in the description. I'll have to see if any options are available on our next visit.  In any case I was very content.  I actually took half of one of those breasts home for breakfast the next day.  I also scored one of Laurie's sausages!

In total Fork and Vine offers 10 pasta dishes, 8 entrees and both 12" wood fired pizzas and assorted flatbreads.  Plus there are a number of Chef's Features.  The current specials included 2 more options for an appetizer and 3 "Main Courses", one of which was the Warm Langostino Lobster Rolls.  I was surprised that Laurie didn't chose this for her entree...

It was Laurie's Mother's Day treat and she wanted dessert.  She chose the Tiramisu...made with lady fingers, coffee and marscapone. ($10.00) She really liked it.  I tasted it and concurred with her, it was very good.

I was going to skip dessert.  Options included Peanut Butter Explosion, Red Velvet Cheesecake, a Tuxedo Bomb and a Fried Strawberry Cheesecake topped with white chocolate, kiwi lime and raspberry sauces.  The 'explosion' and the 'bomb' were loaded with too much chocolate for my taste and I'm not into cheesecake.  Many of you are probably saying "How can there be too much chocolate?!"  

In any case, as Laurie was waiting for her dessert, the chef stopped by and asked about the food.  When I told him that I was skipping dessert for the reasons stated above, he pointed out that the "Chef's Features" included a dessert.  Shown above, this was my Limoncello Marscapone Cake. ($12.00) It was excellent and my opinion was supported by Laurie too...

Service was competent and pleasant.  The chef stopping by was a plus.  The food was very good, some of the best we've had in the Knoxville area in recent years.  We will return...and we will bring others with us.

Fork and Vine is still waiting for a liquor license but you can bring your own adult beverage for the time being.  The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday (11 AM until 10 PM) and for brunch/dinner on Sunday (10 AM until 4 PM) This restaurant is located close to I-70, right off US Hwy 321 at 131 Kelsey Lane in Lenoir City Tennessee.  Phone: 865-317-1098.  They do not take reservations.  Website: https://fnvlenoir.com/, or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/p/Fork-Vine-Lenoir-City-61568667290284/.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave