Just returned from beautiful respite week in the Hill Countr

Lucy · Post by **Lucy** » Thu Nov 10, 2005 12:02 am

Liz,

I'm with you on the taste of the food we prepare for ourselves. I've gotten sooo spoiled since I've been getting the best quality of raw materials to put into my meals.
It's almost as if I don't need to do anything special to prepare the stuff, just cook and eat simply, and it's delicious.

When I went to the mountains of north Georgia last year, we had the most ideal cabin, and among other amenities, it had a nice grill on the porch, so we took fresh steaks that we'd purchased in a Whole Foods in Alpharetta or that area north of Atlanta and prepared them in the evening after sightseeing all day. Wow, I'm making myself hungry now -- need to prepare my little grill here at home, and start using it while the weather's nice and cool. It just tastes sooo much better grilled, doesn't it?

Know what you mean about it being nice to just relax in the evenings after travel, however, I would hate to have missed my two dining experiences on the RiverWalk in San Antonio last week -- so pretty at night, especially when the Walk part is not so crowded and you can look at the lights on the water, and see the boats go by. Still nice in the day time, I really enjoyed the lovely evenings there this time.

Wow, I'll bet you could come up with some yummy ideas for catering all gf, etc. foods!
Guess I didn't realize that you were a food expert. What kinds of things did you specialize in?

Yours, Luce

Liz · Post by **Liz** » Thu Nov 10, 2005 1:12 am

Hello Luce

Grills are my favourites, fish, beef, chicken, or lovely little lamb chops, it is always good on the grill. I alway wanted to try goat meat & there is a butcher near my docs that sells it. I recently bought a few little cutlets, marinated them and grilled them. delicious

Going to try a roast next. Robert was not so keen, said they did not have a strong enough taste, but I loved them.

I love the mountains & it would be my second choice to live. We live within stones throw of the beach in a little town on Moreton Bay. We have a lovely view of the water from our lounge room & also part of the kitchen area. It is beautiful but I love to go for a drive up to Maleny or one of the other places in the Sunshine Coast hinterland. The view is magnificent.

I have catered for heaps of functions from weddings & engagement, sit-down & buffet, Xmas & birthday parties etc. Apart from my own catering engagements & assisting my brother who was a chef, I was also for some years Providor of my Bowls club & organised & cooked for club functions & events, visits from other clubs, meals in the dining room for club members & guest & functions for people who had hired the club for weddings ect. I used to love doing buffets or smogasbords, decorationg the table & such. Unfortunalely those days are over, the old legs have given out & my health is not as good as it might be. It is very hard work.

We used to have parties pretty regularly as well. I used to have about 40 of our friends & family here for my birthday each year. It was a good excuse to get everyone together & have a good time. It became a sort of annual ritual. Once agaibn I am not up to it now & the last party that we had was for My 60th birthday & although I did most of the preparation, the family did the rest. Not interested in any more parties until our 50th wedding anniversary in 2010

Love

Liz

starfire · Post by **starfire** » Thu Nov 10, 2005 2:49 pm

WoW, all that sounds wonderful, Liz. I'm really impressed. I can't imagine cooking for such large numbers of people. Don't forget we have a recipe room here (hint-hint)

Shirley

Mars · Post by **Mars** » Thu Nov 10, 2005 4:15 pm

Hi Lucy!

I just wanted to drop in and let you know that I really enjoy reading your posts, you make me feel like I am right there with you!

Liz,

I agree with Shirley, hint-hint - I love new recipes!

Liz · Post by **Liz** » Thu Nov 10, 2005 4:27 pm

OK OK, I can take a hint

I will see what I can do. Maybe not today because I am finishing off a special table runner for sister & brother-in law for their anniversary. Have to get it finished today It has given me a hell of a time. I am using silk dupion & if I had known how it was going to fray I would have used anything but. Anyway, I think I have managed to almost finish it without it unravelling before my eyes. Will post a pic as soon as it is finished.

Got a really busy weekend ahead too. Am coaching tomorrow (Saturday) morning, party for anniversay at night & I have to be up bright & early to go over to Bribie Island to run a full day coaching clinic for about 25 bowlers. Don't think I am doing anything Monday I hope. Not game to look at my dairy to find out. Robert is having a colonoscopy on Tuesday so we will both be on a low residue diet for a few days now. Don't know what food is planned for the party but I expect we will manage.

Love

Liz

starfire · Post by **starfire** » Thu Nov 10, 2005 6:40 pm

Bless you Liz - your plate is pretty full right now. Put off the recipes until you have a little more free time - OK.

Shirley

Lucy · Post by **Lucy** » Thu Nov 10, 2005 8:48 pm

Why thank you, Margie, but perhaps you'd better not encourage me -- I might write even more! Haha! Sometimes I just get carried away when I get into a conversation, but then, this has to be my chat room, at least as long as I'm not on a real computer.

Just one more thing to Liz -- did you know that we've had quite a large no. of chefs among our group starting from a long way back on the old board? They are a pretty special bunch of folks, just as are you, and they did contribute some awfully good ideas for cooking within our limitations as we knew them to be at that time.

Wow, and if you didn't have enough talent, you bowl too, and coach, no less!!! That'll keep you young!

OK, will close this one til next time.
Yours, Luce