OMeGa-3 Night

Last night was an OMG dinner for me. And apparently it's one of Grandpa's most requested meals, so I'm glad to know he's consistently suggesting this one.

For starters we had an array of smoked delights: scallops, salmon, halibut and salmon collars with crusty bread and a soft, pungent cheese. Ted made me one of my favorite cocktails, a fresh-squeezed greyhound (that's grapefruit and vodka), but I had to remind myself to drink it. Once I sat down by the apps (yes, I sat down specifically by the apps), the blinders went on and I honed in on all the tasty bites of OMeGa-3 bliss.

As I took liberally to the hors d'oeuvres, the smell of garlic filled the kitchen. My motto is that you can never have too much garlic (thanks dad) and when it comes to PAN-FRIED OYSTERS (!!!!!!!!!!!), that sentiment holds true. Two cast-iron skillets simmered away as the butter, grape seed oil, garlic and oysters bubbled to perfection.

Seriously, guys. FAVORITE MEAL of all time. I could do this one every day and die a happy, happy lady.

Anyways, back to it. As the oysters finished up, we migrated to the table and laissez les bon temps roulez. With all the Mardi Gras chatter on Facebook on Tuesday, I was having a serious po-boy craving and last night's dinner was about as close as I could get without hunting down the Where Ya At Matt New Orleans food truck.

Crusty bread + pan-fried oyster + hot sauce = Family dinner po-boy

Accoutrements included a big green salad, brown rice and a couple bottles of white wine. We had a small group this week with Grandpa, Ted, Johnnie, Jessie, Eddie, Matt and I so the conversation was lively and the full group was chatting over the candlelight.

Hot topics included, but were not limited to Oregon hot springs, gossip for 10-year-olds, proper work attire, how not to cry at a staff meeting, Charlie dog's ability to sniff out the park while in the car and a few blocks away and the virtues of being lucky vs being good, particularly in relation to gambling.

Jess had a busy week so our self-proclaimed Dessertie was in charge of picking out a sweet treat. Lucky for us Grandpa went to Larsen's Bakery and got two Kringles - Apricot and Raspberry. If you are like me and didn't know what a Kringle was, here you go:

The Kringle Story

The Larsen’s Kringle is made in the original Danish way, where the pastry is made out of layers of flaky, buttery crust, enclosing a filling of almond paste and raisins, then topped with sugar and sliced almonds and finally twisted into the traditional pretzel shape.

The Kringle was brought to Denmark by Austrian bakers who were hired to replace Danish Bakers during a strike. Danish bakers were on strike as they wished to be paid in money rather then bed and board. When the Austrians left, they also left behind, the methods of rolling butter between the layers of dough, then letting it rest before shaping and baking.

Danish bakers who immigrated to America brought the Kringle with them, where it has become a favorite pastry. Larsen's Bakery has become renowned for their version of this culinary treat.

In conclusion, I'm pretty sure I went way over my caloric budget yesterday, but in doing so I got a healthy dose of Omega-3s, zinc, iron, laughter, love and hooch.