(Chicken & Dumplings – The Trishas)

Richard has been wanting to have chicken and dumplings in a restaurant so I decided to try it as one of my southern recipes.

First, as usual, we were off to our gym workouts plus our regular Friday vinyasa yoga class. I think I’m getting worse instead of better. My left knee doesn’t want to cooperate. Seems it doesn’t want to bear any weight on it during lunge and warrior poses. Getting old isn’t great.

Then we decided to do something we never do – we went to Burger King. We had seen an ad for 10 chicken nuggets for $1.00 so why not. Richard also had a vanilla milkshake but I was a little bit better. I had a light limeade (and a bit of his shake -sigh). I try.

Back home and together we started a list of possibilities for next week: meals and places to visit. Hoping to get to Fort Morgan tomorrow and Mobile on Sunday. Richard’s going to Mobile again on Tuesday in search of records but I’m having him drop me at Tanger, the outlet mall in Foley. Suits him and really suits me.

Southern Meal #5

Chicken and Dumplings

Even though I’m showing a picture of the chicken & dumplings dish I did serve it with a side of green beans and a cabbage/carrot coleslaw. The recipe suggested serving it with a side of warm corn bread but I felt we really needed veggies.

Although neither of us was overly fond of the dumplings (they are not like the dumplings we’re used to) we really enjoyed the tasty soup or stew whichever you call it. I searched online but couldn’t find a definitive answer. Regarding dumplings, we’re used to fluffy, drop dumplings and these were flat ones. And no, I didn’t mess up. Mine did look like the ones in the recipe. The recipe base called for chicken broth. Rather than use bought chicken broth I chose to make my own by boiling the chicken breasts with some onion and carrot. This created two delightful outcomes: beautifully flavoured chicken stock plus chicken breasts that easily shredded. Now to decide about next weeks’ southern recipe. I’ve already received the suggestion of jambalaya (thanks Heather) and that’s on my list of to do’s. If anyone else has some recipe ideas please comment. That would be a huge help.

Nite y’all 😴

(Hair (Hair) – Gerome Ragni, James Rado, and Galt MacDermot)

I had a hair appointment today at 11:00 so I was up really early (6:00) to first get my gym routine done: treadmill, bike, and Pilates.

I’ve been stressing over this hair appointment for at least the last week. Richard doesn’t help by suggesting I’ll have to get a scarf to cover my hair afterwards. Those who know me know I’m extremely particular about my hair. Jason Arsenault from The Style in Summerside is fabulous. He takes such care colouring, cutting, and styling my hair. He gave me the colour formula and took pictures of my hair to have for a stylist down here. Thanks Jason.

I called so many salons down here to see if they carried Redkin products with no luck. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do till Richard found one last salon. I called and hallelujah they were a go.

So off I went today. Naomi was my stylist and she was sweet. She even asked if I had pictures before I had time to mention them. It’s funny. You get so used to how your stylist does things. Of course this stylist did things differently but achieved the same result. Whew. Thank goodness. The only thing that was a bit wonky was their hot water wasn’t working and wasn’t being fixed until the afternoon sooooo my hair was washed etc. in cold water. That sure wakes you up. Brrrrrr ☃️ I left being ok with my hair so I’m good with that. No disasters.

I finally got back home to enjoy this beautiful day 23C. Sweet. Rushed right out to the deck to read and sun. Later we went for a lovely beach stroll.

Richard made a yummy peanut stir fry (with a side of yogurt as the stir fry was spicy) which we enjoyed while watching this stunning sunset.

A good day!

Nite y’all 😴

(Friends and Neighbours – Billy Cotton & His Band)

We had our next door neighbours plus a visiting friend of theirs for dinner.

We were up early and got the house cleaned prior to going to the gym. Knowing I’d probably have a bit of wine tonight I did a little extra at the gym: treadmill, bike, and yoga. I’ve never sweat so much at a regular yoga class. There were a few younger women in today’s class and Richard feels the instructor always does a more intense class when they’re in the class. I was exhausted after but it felt good. A quick stop at Starbucks for his coffee and my matcha green tea latte and then back home for meal prep.

We decided to serve Thai Chicken and Cherry Red Curry with rice

plus a lovely light dessert of greek yogurt, kiwi, mandarin oranges topped with a sweet drizzle.

I set the table as good as I could as we’re using the dishes, glassware, and cutlery that are in this house. It didn’t look too bad. How sweet that I actually found cloth serviettes in one of the kitchen drawers. Score one for me. They look so much better than paper ones.

The neighbours are from Michigan and are lovely women. It’s so enjoyable to meet people from different places and learn about their experiences.

Richard cooked the meal and it was absolutely delicious. The guests said the same. He is a great cook. That’s a good thing. There was no lack of conversation. They’re retired teachers so I have that in common with them. They’ve come here for years and have lots to share with us.

It was a wonderful evening and hopefully we’ll have more of them.

Nite y’all

(Florida Twist – Bill Haley and His Comets)

Up and on the road today. One of the restaurants on our list of places to eat was The Lodge at Gulf State Park. It’s only about a fifteen minute drive from our place. Perfect. It’s a Hilton Hotel and offers a breakfast brunch in one of its three restaurants. Who doesn’t love a breakfast brunch. As you can see the brunch was quite extensive. And it was everything I could have imagined and more. Absolutely scrumptious! Needless to say I ate way too much but I have no intention of eating any other big meals today. So that counts, right?Hmmmmmm. Probably not.

After breakfast we went for a long, leisurely walk along the raised Gulf State Park boardwalk through the wetlands. To get there we stated at The Lodge and crossed over the pedestrian bridge to get to the complete boardwalk. There were lots of other walkers, bicyclists, and even some on Segways. I just had to show you the sign we saw by the water. It was a first for me. I promise you I did not feed or aggravate them. In fact I didn’t even see any. One other walker said he hadn’t seen any there since October. We are hoping to see some before we leave. And Richard really wants to see an armadillo.

After our walk we continued on our drive. It was a lovely day. After about a fifteen minute drive we saw this:

Our destination was Perdido Key. Again going on our neighbours recommendation we stopped here and did some grocery shopping (less tax here) and also some wine and Scotch (no tax here). You have to take a savings wherever you can get it.

We were back home in time to sit on the deck for a few hours. It was 20 degrees Celsius. Finished with a sunset stroll on the beach.

It was a soothing end to a splendid day.

Nite y’all 😴

(Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya – Dr. John)

Off to the gym bright and early. Saturday I go alone as Richard uses his tablet to watch his soccer team Nottingham Forest play. I got there early enough to get some treadmill and some bike in before my Pilates class. Into the class I went with great trepidation as it was a new instructor and I was unsure if I’d even be able to make it through. Whew! She was great. Even though she said she was doing an intermediate not a beginner class I was able to keep up. According to her we’d probably feel our abs tomorrow. I’ll let you know.

Southern Meal #4

Chicken Andouille Sausage Gumbo

Our next door neighbours suggested that if I was making southern meals then one I had to include was gumbo. (Another was jambalaya but that’s for some other week.) Sounded good to me. Read recipes on Pinterest and found one that seemed like it would be easy to make plus taste good. As I’m allergic to shrimp I chose one with chicken and andouille sausage. The local meat man at Publix pronounced it an-doo’-ee. When I searched the pronunciation online that’s not how it was always pronounced.

He also chose for me the best authentic andouille sausage. I took his word for it as I had no idea.

All in all it wasn’t difficult to make. Took a few cutting boards, bowls, and pots so lots of dishes to wash afterwards but that’s ok. I was going to try cornbread from scratch this time since my last cornbread baking from a mix was disastrous but since the gumbo recipe called to serve it on top of rice I decided to leave the homemade cornbread for another day. I promise I will make it before I leave.

Richard and I loved the gumbo. It was delicious. This sausage is spicy which I loved and it didn’t bother Richard so that’s a plus. I like my food spicer than him. Richard even said he’d have it again which is a positive. It’s also a blessing as we had leftover gumbo (even though I cut the recipe in half).

If any of you have suggestions for southern meals please comment and let me know. I’d love to hear from you.

Nite y’all 😴

(Day Tripper – The Beatles)

We took a day trip today to Fairhope, Alabama. Neighbours had told us it was a must see and they were right. What a cute place. Every street is lined up and down with flower beds.

Fairhope is a city in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States, on a sloping plateau, along the cliffs and shoreline of Mobile Bay. The 2010 census lists the population of the city as 15,326. Fairhope is a principal city of the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley micropolitan area, which includes all of Baldwin County. In 2016 Fairhope was named the best small town in the South by Southern Living magazine.

We had a lovely time walking around and seeing everything even though it was cool. I was so thankful Richard had suggested bringing warmer clothes with us as shortly after arriving we both changed into them. It sure made the day much more comfortable.

There were lots of antique stores plus clothing shops that were both new and resale. My fav resale shop was Back on the Rack Upscale Resale. I usually have a difficult time in thrift stores because I hate sorting through bins or stuffed racks of clothes. This one was so much better. It was nicely set up so their items were easy to find plus they also had designer clothes, purses, etc. I bought a beautiful red Dooney and Bourke purse for an unbelievable price. Lucky me.

When we were driving into Fairhope I had noticed a store called Dr. Music. On our walking tour we stopped in on the off chance they might have something. Richard spent time searching through the store’s 7″ records and purchased quite a few. It was a good find and he was happy with his purchases.

While walking we also stopped and looked at many eating establishments and their menus but finally decided on Thyme. http://thymebythebay.com/

On their website they state:

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE FOOD

Richard had Chicken Croque Madame: Grilled chicken breast, ham, Havarti, swiss fondue, fried egg, honey mustard, served open faced on toasted sourdough. He said it was the best meal he’d had in Alabama. I’m sure he means besides the meals I’ve cooked, right? 😉😉😉

I had Cashew Chicken Salad: Mixed greens, crispy sweet chili chicken, shredded carrot, red cabbage, shaved Brussel sprout, red onion, ginger-sesame dressing. It was also very good. Plus I had a side order of their home cut fries. After seeing how many were on Richard’s plate I certainly could have shared his but oh well.

Of everything we saw today my favourite part was seeing all these flowers in February.

What a great day trip and a wonderful way to while away a cool day.

Nite y’all 😴

(Pound, Pound, Pound – The Pointer Sisters)

Today I went to the gym and did my usual treadmill and yoga but I decided to be brave, or foolish (you decide), and try a new class. It’s called Pound Fitness. Now you might have heard of it but I hadn’t. The class description in the gym’s brochure reads “a full-body cardio jam session, combining light resistance with constant simulated drumming”. Sounded interesting and fun so I thought “why not”. I’m so glad I did. It was all that and more. I loved it.

Could I do everything? Nope.

Could I keep my legs up in the air as long as they did? Not in this life time.

Could I keep the drum stick patterns? Of course. All the years of music paid off. 😉

Here are some pics and links regarding Pound. These aren’t from my class but ones I found online to give you an idea of what it’s like. I think it would go over really well back home if the fitness centres offered it. Just a thought.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJAwDBDQR8U&feature=share

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FIlTuW7Tks&feature=share

After gym we did the regular groceries and Starbucks. Then, as it was 2:30, we decided to combine lunch and dinner and eat out.

We went to Fish River Grill #3 right here in Gulf Shores.

They describe themselves as “A Funky, Junky Redneck Joint where the locals love to eat.” Sounded like a good endorsement to me.

My blackened white fish came with swamp soup, okra, fries, hush puppies, and cole slaw and all for $12.99. It was very good. Richard had the Bleu Cheese Bacon Burger with swamp soup and fries for $10.99. The burger was so enormous I don’t know how he got it in his mouth. Swamp soup, for those wondering, is soup with greens and beans in it. Very tasty. One thing we’ve noticed is that the restaurants we’ve been to have this on their tables. Interesting. We haven’t tried it yet.

We decided to splurge and shared a dessert. Look at this.

Delicious! It was small but we were glad we decided to share it as it was very, very sweet. But very yummy. 😋

Glad I did this first.

So another good day in Gulf Shores. Hope you had a good day.

Nite y’all 😴

(Pearly Shells – Burl Ives)

A better day today. There is light at the end of the tunnel. My cold is getting better so back to a more normal routine: yoga, treadmill, groceries and back home.

It was an absolutely beautiful day. Although it only hit a high of 17 degrees Celsius it seemed much hotter.☀️ Late in the morning we sat on the deck reading. and then early in the afternoon we went for a long beach walk.

Divine.

The beach walk precipitated my photo of the day. There are so many shells on our beach. (Sadly no sea glass, but I keep looking.) We collected a small sample of the available shells.

Since Richard is an “idea man” he thinks we should be making crafts with them. So I’m throwing this out to all of you for your creative suggestions for crafts/jewellery etc. we could make. I know you’ll have many more marvellous ideas than me as I’m not that crafty. I’m open to all ideas. Please comment with your thoughts or even send photo examples. I’d love to see all of them. Thanks.

Can’t wait to hear from you.

Nite y’all 😴

(The Three R’s – Jack Johnson)

Day 4 of being sick.

Since the most activity I’ve done today is walk from the couch to the kitchen I decided to write about something that’s been bothering me since we arrived.

Trash. Garbage. Waste. Whatever you want to call it.

At home in PEI, Canada we have quite a detailed waste management program.

https://www.iwmc.pe.ca/

As you can see it is quite extensive. I have to admit there are times when I grumble and complain about having to sort, cut and bundle corrugated cardboard, or take specific items to the depots. But I realize that this is a necessity. What we all need to do.

Were my eyes ever opened when we arrived here for the winter. There is no sorting! None! Everything goes in the garbage can and it is collected twice a week.

I couldn’t believe it.

So PEI here’s to you.

Bravo on the wonderful job you’re doing to help our planet.

Nite y’all 😴

(Food on the Table-Alabama)

Southern Meal #3

Red Beans and Rice, Sautéd greens, Fried Green Tomatoes, and Boiled Peanuts.

I decided to try a few easy southern recipes today. The boiled peanuts weren’t difficult to make but they take a long time. Boiled for over five hours. They were good but I’d never bother making them again. The rest of the meal was easy to make and we enjoyed it. We’d had fried green tomatoes already in a restaurant but I really wanted to try making them. It went well. Tasty meal.

Day three of being sick. I don’t like it. And I don’t understand it. I haven’t been sick in years. Can’t remember the last time I had a cold/sore throat it’s been that long.

After missing going to the gym the past two days I finally hauled my butt there this morning. Did my treadmill and then a 60 min. Pilates class. Apparently being sick makes me sweat when I exercise. (I don’t normally sweat.) Guess that’s a good thing. Trying to look at the glass as half full.

When I got home Richard had found a hair salon online that looked good. KM Hair Studio. I messaged them and low and behold they use Redkin products. Hallelujah. Every other salon I had contacted didn’t use them. He made an appt for next week and I made one for the following week. I’ll update you on how it goes.

This afternoon was delightfully sunny so read on the deck.

Fingers crossed 🤞🏻that I feel better tomorrow.

Nite y’all 😴