Weekend plans gone awry

My camping plans for this weekend fell apart. *sigh* I guess that opens the weekend for me, though. Tomorrow, we’ll be going to the Shrewsbury Renaissance Faire. We’re going to meet some people there at 1pm. I haven’t been able to attend for a few years, so it will be fun to dress in garb and frolic. Since we have to pass through Corvallis, I was thinking of stopping there for dinner on the return trip. I may even have something to go on the way up for lunch from Nearly Normals. Since my boys are all about the meat, I doubt they’d want to sit for a meal. *sigh* I’d love to experience the two tea salons up there, but they are both closed on Sundays.

Today, I’m not so sure what will happen. I suspect we’ll go for a bit of a walk and then maybe lunch at Saturday Market. Maybe I’ll bring G to tea with me this afternoon and prod the staff for information on why the owner is closing the salon section of her business.

Tonight, I suspect G wants to see Mr. and Mrs. Smith at the movies.

If anyone has other suggestions for my time today or tomorrow evening, I’m listening.

Well, I am part Belgian, after all.

When we went to Saturday Market today, we passed a man selling Brussels sprouts. G had never seen them on a stalk before and he asked me what they were. Then he asked me if they were any good. I explained that I have never met a Brussels sprout I liked. I figure, as a vegetarian, I’m allowed to not like a couple of veggies. No one can accuse me of not making an effort to eat my veggies, after all. The vender overheard us and asked why I didn’t like them. When I explained, he offered me a deal. He said he would give me a $3 stalk of fresh, organic Brussels sprouts, the instructions on how to prepare them his favourite way, if I promised to return the next Saturday I was able, to tell him how I liked them.

Have I mentioned how much I love Eugene?!?

I can’t remember the name of the farm, but the man’s name is Pat. He sells the Brussels sprouts, artichokes and a few other veggies on the side street where the corn truck and plants are sold. He is very cool and, if you’re in the market for Brussels sprouts and artichokes, I highly recommend him.

How’d it work for me, you may ask? I heated a bit of olive oil in the skillet, washed and peeled the first layer of leaves from each sprout, then cut them in half. I chopped onion and garlic, and then tossed everything into the oil. I use very little oil, so they were more steamed than stir-fried. I tried one, and then added a bit of ground pepper and Braggs. I served them like that just to see how I liked them and, while I didn’t jump up and down proclaiming my great love for them, I didn’t dislike them at all, either. I think that the next half of the stalk I cook will be done a bit differently. I would like to steam the artichokes in a bit of lemon juice. Then I’ll stir fry the onions, garlic, Braggs, pepper, a bit of wine and some rosemary together, then add the sprouts at the last moment, and serve. I really think they cry out for lemon and rosemary, for some reason.

So, naudiz, while I don’t see myself popping frozen Brussels sprouts in my mouth like popcorn any time soon, I have now eliminated the last of the veggies I knew I didn’t like. Even peas have been raised from a Ten Pea Limit to a Twenty-five Pea Limit, if they are cooked correctly. Dag nabbit, I can’t think of a single vegetarian food I dislike enough not to eat at all (providing it’s cooked appropriately or not at all). Well, there are my food allergies… but that’s them disliking me, not the other way around. Hey… I was happy eating them. They decided to pick the fight, not me. They started it! MOM!!!