Meals 144-150

05/23 i'm playing hookie from work today to spend a little more time in chincoteague with my boo. this place has clearly come a long way....it has a taco truck! and one run by hipsters!!! this place was within easy walking distance to our little rental cottage. and the taco combinations here are intriguing and delicious. i had already scoped the place for lunch, and very much enjoyed their falafel taco with candied mint, and their scallop taco with grapefruit salsa. tonight, for my meatless monday dinner, i went back to get their cauliflower taco. like any good taco truck, the lines here can get a little long, but if you are ever in the area? it's worth the wait. they make their own tortillas in house, and it makes all the difference.

http://www.picotaqueria.com

05/24 apparently i didn't get my fill of crabmeat while at the beach, because tonight....there's more! a simple crab salad stuffed avocado. crabmeat tossed with yogurt, cilantro, scallions and a little lime juice. placed in a perfectly ripe avocado. and that good people, is all! a simple, quick, and very tasty meal!

05/25 tonight my office hosted a dinner at a nearby restaurant, american tap room. this is a great place for a crowd. the menu has enough variety that anyone can find something they like. and the beer selection is extensive. fancy enough to be appropriate for a business dinner or date (it was one of tony and mine's first). but casual enough for a good happy hour (as i have attended a handful of times). we had a group of 8, and a wonderful time. appetizers of pretzels with cheddar ale dip and lettuce wraps. and a meal of scallops on creamed corn. the scallops were wonderful! and i never gave much thought to creamed corn before, but i was very much impressed. i'll have to add this to my list of "recipes to try"!

http://americantaproom.com

05/26 it was an abnormally late day at work tonight, so there wasn't anytime to go to the store, never mind time to put together a meal. luckily i had a beautiful assortment of cheeses in the fridge, and some fresh fruits. which was perfect for throwing together a simple cheese plate! a whisky cheddar, a roquefort, a jarlsberg, a pecorino, and goat cheese with pepper jelly. just a little sample of each. quick. easy. and a perfect way to unwind after a looooooooong day.

05/27 tomorrow is my dear friend shannon's wedding. at which i am most honored to be a bridesmaid! so tonight was the rehearsal dinner. this is my first time being an attendant at a catholic wedding, so i REALLY needed the rehearsal. it's like calisthenics. stand. sit. stand. kneel. stand. sit. stand. kneel. bow. i feel like i need one of those charts that football coaches draw up. with lines and x's and squiggly marks. *fingers crossed* i'll remember it tomorrow!

the post-rehearsal dinner was at a restaurant near the church. a lovely restaurant, "black bear bistro", with a basement room set aside for the family/bridal party. they set up a buffet with some of their customer favorites. shrimp and grits. pasta with sausage. and a "sweet tea chicken" served over mashed potatoes. it was very similar to a chicken marsala. a wonderful sweet and savory sauce with mushrooms. everything else was good. but this was amazing. and mashed potatoes!! i'll have to come back here and check out the rest of their menu....

http://www.blackbearbistro.com

05/28 today was the wedding! it was a lovely day. the weather was sunny and warm. the ceremony was sweet and charming (and relatively smooth with the choreography). the reception was held at a local winery. "the winery at la grange" is actually one of my favorite in this area. it has gorgeous grounds. overlooking rows of grapevines that surround beautiful historic brick homes. they had set a tent up for the wedding party against one of the tasting areas.

the catered food was an absolutely adorable spread of sliders and mini sandwiches. perfect for an afternoon outdoor reception! here's my plate with a taste of everything. potato salad. corn and avocado salad (yum). a little biscuit with ham. a chicken salad lettuce wrap. roast beef and arugula on brioche. and......mini lobster rolls. yes, i grabbed two. i love lobster rolls! maybe it's because i never have them? so they're a novelty? i may have ended the night with sneaking a couple of these home....no judgement.

of course there was cake. a unique vanilla cake with blueberries and browned buttercream. it was delicious. really it was. but....that was not nearly as exciting as the fact that there was a coldstone truck set up!!!  here are three of us bridesmaids with the lady of the day enjoying our sweet treats. shannon let us each pick our own style of dress. she asked that we wear "light grey", "knee length" and "bright shoes". the rest was up to us! i think it ended up being a very fun look for us all. and the bride's dress? the dress that really matters? was gorgeous. light and airy and whimsical.

and of course a wedding at a winery means....wine! cheers to all!

05/29 tomorrow i'll be up at the compound celebrating my dad's 75 birthday....and i know the meal there won't be a "meatless" one, so i'm swapping out tonight's meal for a meatless option in it's place! more fritters! these are sweet potato and corn cakes. with a side of mango avocado salad. the sweet potato is seasoned with cumin, chili powder, garlic, onion powder and oregano to give them a "southwest" flavor. tossed with the sweet corn, scallion, cilantro, bread crumbs and a beaten egg. cooked in a skill with a little olive oil. just until golden. if i've learned nothing else from this year's experiment, i have learned you can never go wrong with fritters for a meal!