ktmoomau

So I am through one week of Weight Watchers, whew! I have found a few friends who are doing it, which has made it easier to do and more fun. The first week was fine. This week I am a bit more like- ok, I am sick of salad what am I eating. My system has also just been adjusting to all the extra dietary fiber. I pretty much bought out the frozen vegetable noodle, riced vegetable situation at Giant, just because I will eat things like Indian food or boar ragu over that and be pretty happy. Anyway, I do like that I can choose when and how to use my extra points, that makes the week more manageable. I saved all mine last week to be able to eat Bao Buns and drink wine over the weekend. Meals I have made/am planning this week: Fajitas with carb smart whole wheat tortillas, kale white bean and chicken sausage soup, chicken breast topped with sliced tomato and mozzarella cheese. A packet of TJs jaipur veggies, with riced cauliflower for me (rice for Hubby) and a serving of these thin whole wheat flatbreads in the freezer section at Lotte (and any leftover chicken and veggies from the fajitas will be tossed in with this).

Last night was chicken breast, topped with mural of flavor seasoning, a tiny portion of crumbled parm and olive oil, baked then topped with sliced tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. A side of potatoes roasted till crisp, also sprinkled with some parm.

Ok- I am just going to put this out there...... (and before anyone jumps on me for this, I actually was raised by an Amish nanny on an Amish farm for most all of my non-school time weekday childhood, with her children) I see Amish chicken on menus all around- and I don't for one hot second believe they are all buying their chickens from the Amish. To me it is a term that refers to a home style type of simple roasted bird. Generally served with a gravy and mashed potatoes. It is a marketing term with no real meaning. I am also going to say that being on an Amish dairy farm and living myself on a beef farm, I saw little to no difference in the way they raised their animals than any other small producer on the East Coast/Appalachian area. Now all farmers are different, but let's suffice it to say- they all are not getting certified organic, hormone, antibiotic free. But I think people *think* that is true.

A few pics, there are more coming from others. Rolling out the good dough, spicy chicken filling, and steamer- which Dan put in a frying pan- a great technique I had never done, but it was way easier to lift the bins!

Well Bao buns were pretty much a success! We had one dough failure (Ansons Mills will be getting an email/comment about their recipe), but the Woks of Life Bao dough https://thewoksoflife.com/steamed-bbq-pork-buns-char-siu-bao/ was a lot easier and a big success! DanielK made pork char sui filling. I made a fairly spicy chicken filling in the instant pot- 2 large chicken breast, 1 shallot small dice, 3 cloves garlic finely chopped, a splash (about 1 1/2T) of: Dark soy sauce, xiaoxing cooking wine, black vinegar, homemade chili oil (If you use store bought I would add some fresh pepper like jalapeno or serrano), j toasted sesame oil, 1 teaspoon five spice powder, 2T grated ginger. On normal pressure for 10 minutes. Let the chicken cool then cut, reduce the sauce and add a roux of cornstarch and add chicken. (It won't be near as spicy in the buns.) Thanks to Becca and Curls for telling me what videos to pull up to watch rolling and pleating! (Binging with Babish Bao). The company was so great, I loved doing this. Someone pick up the torch and carry it to the next class!!

So I saw a lot of posts about Weight Watchers in the Fit For Summer Challenge Thread and Losing Weight... One Man's Problem Thread. But I thought it deserved a dedicated post (Hey Moderator, can you add this to the index under Specialty Diets). Weight Watchers has always been touted by experts as being the healthiest, most sustainable diet you can be on to lose weight of the diet programs, so I thought I would try it out. This thread is for tips, tricks, good things to eat out, good things to cook, all things to help make Weight Watchers a little more fun and manageable. And if you need a little support, this thread is for that too.

Don, There are outdoor tables throughout the Wharf, and they have a covered pavilion right there, but not chairs and no inside- so I think it is more carry out, but a huge amount of people in summer at the Wharf go there and eat on the stairs at the Wharf right there. It is a weird no man's land of- I think they do a lot of business for people who eat it right there. That is part of their menu above, they have a whole other huge amount of items on another board that include sandwiches, soups, other combos of things and specials. Just FYI.

I am not a big fan of the Costco model itself, I think it likely contributes a lot to food waste. I don't really love the rotisserie chicken you get in grocery stores. They all seem dry to me. Which is odd, there is a store in Garrett County called Arrowhead that had a wall of actual rotisserie chickens roasting, I think they might still have this. The smell was delicious, as was the taste, I am not sure why these were so different. I do get them every now and then, mainly when we are not feeling well and need something basic or the fridge is real empty, but it isn't often. I can see why other people do though. Most of us on this board have the luxury of being able to afford better, which is a nice option to have.

Not sure if this should go under the Stores Guide or Restaurant Guide? http://www.captainwhitesseafood.com/ Menu is best found by searching for images. Last night we went to Captain White's to pick up some food to eat before a concert at the Anthem. We got: Fried shrimp, hush puppies, MD crab soup and fries. I thought the Maryland Crab soup was the win of the group. It had really good flavor, I should have just gotten a large and some hush puppies. The hush puppies were fine, I think they are likely better on a day that things are hopping down there, due to the weather it wasn't a prime choice last evening, but they weren't bad. Hubby wanted some melted butter with them, I thought they were fine plain. I think he prefers smaller hush puppies, but he is more into them than I am, I like plain cornbread, so I am fine with a large hush puppy. The fried shrimp were fine, nothing bad, nothing special, fine, a nice portion for the price, fried fresh to order. The I think Ken's brand cocktail sauce they give you is really sweet- I normally make my own, so maybe commercial cocktail sauce is sweeter than I expect. Anyway, we got our meal and went up and stood at one of the tables up by the falafel shop, which worked well. We weren't really in the mood for a sit down meal, and this worked well so we could get in and get good seats for the show.

DMing attendees with my address. If you don't get a DM from me, send me a message and I will respond.

Well man, I went into beast mode this past weekend for Autumn Glory. I made: 10 batches of cookies, 5 dozen empanadas, 3 dozen mini ham sandwiches, 4.5 dozen pepperoni rolls, I sliced cheese and meats. I pretty much went house to house prepping for large dinners or parties for people. Last night I had an odd craving for broccoli salad, so I made one with red onion, gouda, baked salami (I didn't have thawed bacon), greek yogurt ranch/mayo/vinegar dressing and sunflower seeds. I know weird craving, but I literally ate a bowl of broccoli salad for dinner and was really happy. I am going into fall redux, and I joined Weight Watchers for 3 months, so my dinners might get a little boring. Tonight was terriyaki salmon with riced cauliflower stir fry from TJs. It was so few calories I got to ball out and have a snack of goldfish crackers.

Yes, so sorry my condolences. Someone should start planning the next one, and hopefully you can attend.

To finish up: Coyote Cafe: This was a nice somewhat fancy dinner. The restaurant is really modern- we didn't have a chance to drink at the cantina. But those who got a margarita were very impressed with the egg white salt foam on the top. The rolled Caesar salad looked really cool from across the table. They also had some non-green chile type dishes with homemade pasta and seafood that looked delicious. For dinner, I wasn't up for a starter, so I got an elk tenderloin with potatoes, morels and peas (it was much fancier than it sounds) and it was really delicious after all the enchiladas and etc. The duck leg confit looked great, I didn't have a bite. I did have a bite of the huge tomahawk pork chop Hubby got which was also very good. We split a dessert at the table of the caramel bread pudding tamal. It really wasn't a tamal, but was a really delicious bread pudding. El Farol: We had dinner here so we could see the Flamenco show. Again, a nice break for the fam from New Mexican food, which I don't think they appreciate quite as much as me. We ordered about every tapa on the menu, and there was nothing bad, nothing that stood out as exceptional for which we were fighting for the last bite either. We did finish the garlic shrimp before anything else. The Flamenco was actually really good, and our parents really enjoyed the show, so that was great. We had drinks here another night on the big patio in the back. This seems like more a touristy place to go, or somewhere to eat if you are sick of tacos. But it was fun! Plaza Cafe: Hubby and I had lunch at the Plaza Cafe, he got stuffed sopapillas, I got the fry bread taco with squash. My fry bread was ridiculously large. I am glad I got the vegetarian filling, it was very tasty and made me feel better about the overwhelming amount of chili, cheese and sour cream. It was really good though. I didn't have a bite of Hubby's as ours were pretty similar in concept but his was stuffed inside instead of on top. We also had the trio of salsas, which were really good. The smokey red chile salsa was quite good. We had drinks at: The Crow Bar (not quite a dive bar, but kind of feels like it), Blue Corn Cafe, Inn of the Anasazi (it was open when other things were not). We had a wine tasting at Gruet tasting room in Santa Fe, which was fun. I like Gruet and get it here, so we enjoyed that. We also went on an architectural walking tour- this was fine, but going on any history/architectural tour with a Hubby who works at Mount Vernon and FIL obsessed with Thomas Jefferson is a challenge for any tour guide trying to talk about historical architecture. We also enjoyed Meow Wolf, well Hubby and I did. I am not so sure other people really got it. I was so sad to miss Tent Rocks. I found the shopping in Santa Fe to be pretty expensive, although once you get outside the plaza and tourist sections it does get better. I did buy a piece of jewelry made by a local artist for my Mom, and a handmade and painted dish and bowl for myself.

I just invited someone to Thanksgiving, so I guess it's on.

Tonight was venison, beef burgers, honey sriracha slaw, grilled potato wedges, and our guests made a really nice apple crisp with ice cream. Last night was a pork tenderloin, stuffed with garlic, herbs, basted with a mustard, truffle sauce. On the side was mashed potatoes and butternut squash on the grill that was marinated with lemon, oil and white balsamic vinegar.

Wow, long time no posts, well I will add some flavor, I will do a second report later with more places: Santa Fe Blue Corn Cafe: This place is casual, but the food is good. I think they put a tiny more care in their ingredients than some other places. I got a shrimp tostadas that were really nicely spiced and flavored. Other had tacos that were good- not per se super special, but very good, Hubby said the homemade tortillas were quite good. We also liked their beer- Hubby had an amber and one other, I had their sour, and a apricot wheat. I enjoyed both. They also made a good margarita. This is a good stop right in the center of town for a meal that isn't super high end, family friendly, not as hard as some other places to get in, good for big groups, slightly lower on the budget side. I can't remember what everyone had- a few salads, green chile stew I think, generally people liked their meal. Geronimo: This is up on Canyon Road and more fancy, very clean interior with lots of curtains. I had a beet salad to start that was very good, the beets were excellent. But Hubby's tuna appetizer was definitely the winner with these really good little Buttermilk scallion pancakes, and two type of tuna and multiple sauces. For entrees, he had the elk and was a little disappointed as he felt the preparation had really taken out the gamey flavor of the elk and it tasted like steak. I had the prawns with rice cakes- and those were really good, but the entree was a big portion, it could have been smaller, I couldn't finish it. They were large prawns with a sweet and spicy sauce that was a nice balance of flavors. The prawns were maybe a touch over done, but still very good. The rice cakes were crispy on the outside, the rice was pretty much perfect to me, not too wet, not too dry, nice crisp and texture to hold up on the dish. We didn't have room for dessert. I think everyone liked this restaurant, but I don't think anyone would peg it as their favorite. La Fonda French Cafe: I forget the name of the french cafe in La Fonda, but they have large pieces of quiche that are great to take to go- I had green chile mushroom. They also have pastries, coffee, crepes, etc. I wouldn't really recommend this place, but if you are staying at La Fonda and need a take away option and can't run down to Cafe Pasqual's for a to-go breakfast burrito, this will do. Eloise: This was maybe the most ambitious menu for the family trip. It is very modern inside. The main complaint with the starters, is despite having small plates they weren't very sharable, and some were more entree in nature- I think smaller, lower price would be better, but that is just me. I had the Zuni Tamal- which was a tamal with smoked trout mousse and horseradish crema. This was interesting. It tasted good, and was a nice soft but firm texture. But there are better tamale fillings in the world. I think Hubby had a calamari special, with peppers that was good and nice to share. I think most of the family had one of the safest items- burrata salad. For an entree I had the lamb chops, they had a lot of good entrees- the seafood stew, duck confit tacos, chile braised brisket, etc. The lamb chops were nicely frenched and delicious, I like the side accompaniments of squash. The chile stuffed with black beans and crema was interesting, it didn't need the dairy. Hubby had the brisket which was very tender, but still had some texture. The entrees here were delicious, I just didn't think the first of the menu really went with the second half. Tia Sophia's: As a note they are first come, first serve, which is nice for breakfast, but also hard for a large group, if you don't get in fairly early. This was diner breakfast. Not bad, not overly good, just as you would expect from a diner. Fast and friendly. I had the breakfast burrito vegetarian smothered in Christmas. It was huge, and hit the spot before a long day of hiking. They also have things that don't have chiles if you are sick of that. Cafe Pasqual's: This was by far and away my favorite spot of the whole trip- I would have liked to have gone twice. I had chorizo red chile mole polenta with poached eggs- which was just delicious. We also got the cheese blintzes, which were worth every calorie, but could have had less sour cream on top. Hubby got a really delicious omelet with sundried tomatoes and I forget what else, I think pesto, it was delicious. And the homemade wheat toast, which seemed to have a little cinnamon sugar on it that came with his meal was a really good bread, I might try to make something similar at home. The blackberry jam with his toast was also great. I am glad the portions here were big so I could steal some bites of his food. This should be on your definitely go list. It is a pretty small place, and gets busy, but the line moves fast and if you go first thing it is easier to get in. We couldn't get in with the whole party, so we went on a day that we only had part of the group, as they only have one big table. Go here. The Shed: Old Historic little place right in the center of town that is buzzing. Good margarita. The food is pretty normal for the menus around town- tacos, enchilladas, etc. There are some sandwiches and not chile items. I had a tamal and the Caesar salad. The dressing on the salad was super addictive, I think it was very lemony in a good way. The veggie tamal was good, but again re-assuring that I make a pretty darn good tamales myself. SIL had a salad with house dressing and we were both going on and on about the dressings. They serve the meals with texas toast style garlic bread that was good for soping up salad dressing. Hubby had tacos that again looked really good. Abiquiu The Abiquiu Inn is supposed to be good; however, if you want to do a quick stop or picnic, Bode's General Store has burritos that despite being in the pre-made hot case, are great- better than Chipotle any day IMHO, tamales, nachos, hamburgers, and a large variety of sandwiches. They also have a large selection of snack and drinks. They have salamis and cheese- items that could be vegan, vegetarian. This is a great picnic lunch stop in this area. General Notes: We REALLY enjoyed the home and studio tour of Georgia O'Keefe, in Abiquiu, I would highly recommend that, the tours can fill up in advance due to the small numbers, so reserve in advance. Also note, that it may be cheaper to become a member (and then your whole group gets the discounted rate and this also gets you into the museum), so potentially explore this option, especially if you are in a group of more than two. And if you are going to do it, I would do it before the Museum in Santa Fe. Going to Ghost Ranch was a bit of a let down. It was really small and not what I thought it would be. It was worth seeing some of the landscape perspectives that O'Keefe painted, but think of this more as a good place for a quick stop if you want to stop. I also loved Bandelier National Monument. The main hike is really very easy- the path is well maintained and the whole trail back along the creek is very flat. The only difficult thing is climbing to Alcove House, which is only difficult if you are afraid of heights. Again, well worth it. I had never been to cliff dwellings, these had some you could go in and it was a lot of fun. I wish we could have fit Tent Rocks in, but it was a family vacation, with different interests to meet. La Fonda in Santa Fe is really a nice hotels, the rooms were very spacious. Cleaning staff could have been better, but it wasn't bad, just not the level of service I expect from that sort of hotel (for instance they didn't take away Hubby's old breakfast, we had to sit in the hall, one day they just stacked new towels in the bathroom without putting them away, they would roll the carts down our hall super early in the morning and be quite loud (6:30 am)). The pool and hot tub were nice, the rooftop bar closes WAY to early. The restaurant in the hotel smelled delicious and opens quite early which is nice if you want to get out of town to hike/explore. We had a seating area and desk which was nice if one of us woke up and needed to work. Everything in town was only a couple blocks away which was just great. I didn't know the history of the Harvey hotels or Harvey girls, but that was fun to learn. Conceirge was helpful. The Georgia O'Keefe museum in Santa Fe is quite small, worth a gander. The Native American Museum of Modern Art was also small, but had a nice collection and was something to-do on the day it was supposed to rain. We also did the New Mexico Museum of History which I thought was very well done for a small museum. Canyon Road was quite fun if you like art, we went up on one of the Friday nights that some galleries are open later with wine and etc. The Road Runner between Santa Fe and Albaquerque is a very affordable option, and good for groups, it doesn't run all day, but does have a fair amount of times, but you can get an Uber between the two places for about $92 if you need a quicker option and don't want to rent a car. You don't need to reserve the Uber in advance, it is a pretty frequent route.

The restaurant 10-3 at the top of the tram just opened (there was a previous restaurant that closed, and a new owner rebuilt a new one). The restaurant is quite good, and has a lovely view. We had green chile stew that was tender and had a nice kick to it, served with fry bread. I also had a really delicious kale Caesar with anchovies and roast butternut squash. The salad was a big portion, and the stew was a bowl (we should have split this). But it was all very good. The tram is fun, has a nice view and we did the hike up to the cc stone cabin after which was beautiful on the day we went. For dinner we went to Old Town just because people said we should see it. Agree we don't need to see it- very touristy. We ate at Church Street Cafe which is in a very cool building. The food was fine, but nothing special. The plates of food are huge though, so order less than you otherwise would. Plus they give you sopapillas at the end for dessert that you want to save room for. I had a combo platter- enchilada, chile relleno, tamal. The tamal was to me dry- I make better at home, much to my satisfaction. The chille relleno was the best of the three, and next time I would get just that. The enchilada was fine. Neither red or green were hot. Our first Uber driver recommended Monroe's (more hole in the wall, but good) or Capo's. Both of those looked popular. We just were already downtown and at that point too tired to worry about going somewhere else, but then we ended up passing both on the walk back to our hotel. Oh well.

Well that will be an interesting one to follow- it doesn't seem to be narrowly tailored enough to me, plus given he was terminated, but who knows...

So now they have more for sides than just cole slaw and fries?

https://www.lasierrarestaurantinc.com/ Ok, this review requires an OMG for Annapolis. I will say this place was good, not just Annapolis good, this competes with the DMV, there isn't anywhere I have been in NOVA this good for these dishes, not that I have been everywhere. It is very different than Sin Frontera, it doesn't have quite so many unique different dishes, but it has a lot of staples and specials that aren't in your normal Mexican place either. This restaurant is off Riva Road in a little strip mall by Pho5Up (which I had no idea was there). The staff was so nice. The chips were super crispy and the salsa while close to normal just had something really good about it that made it just a touch better than your normal joint. Mom got Carnitas platter, which looks fairly normal, but the meat was really delicious, and I got Arracheres- thin steak grilled with green onions, poblanos, jalapeno, guacamole, refried black beans and tortillas. Both were juicy, the grilled vegetables were really good, the beans were seasoned really well. Seriously, I have only had one dinner here, but really good. If I had room in my stomach I would have eaten the whole plate, which was huge, and bigger than it looks in the photo. Anyway, if you are in Annapolis and are not trying to eat downtown, this is a good place to try.

Last night was ribeye on the grill, sautéed carrots, roasted onion and pepper. Matt put my previously made potato wedges on the grill with some butter.

I haven't been to Oak Steakhouse in Alexandria, but have heard good things, and it looks very cool. Maybe someone else has been?

Dinner last night was cheese and 2 cookies at a meeting. But I did make myself a homemade pate bahn mi for lunch at least.

So excited for Dean and Kay on their next chapter, hope it is great. Best wishes to all the employees and staff on whatever is in their future too! Thanks for the memories!

Really nice last dinner last night. Delicious meatballs, eggplant parm, pasta, everything. It was nice talking with a bunch of DR members.