We went to Border’s this afternoon to get Shaun a new book to read.  He got Drive by Daniel Pink.  I saw Dan Pink talk a week and a half ago at work and this book is right up Shaun’s alley.

I knew as soon as Shaun said he wanted to go to Border’s that we would be going to T.G.I. Fridays.  We don’t really go to many chain restaurants but about once every six months Shaun likes to go to Fridays.  Every time we go he says, “I feel like we’re in the land of gluttony” and every time we get our food he says, “This isn’t as good as I remembered it.” Finally, every time we get the check he says, “This is more expensive than what I remembered.”  Tonight he said a great one that I hope becomes part of his repertoire, “This isn’t as good as your food.” No matter, he likes his Friday’s fix, so we go twice a year.

To start, the service was NOT good.  They forgot about us for about 15 minutes.  Thankfully, Lu was really good.

I finally asked a passing waiter if we could get some help and he was EXTREMELY apologetic and took our order right on the spot.  I got a glass of not so good chardonnay-I thought maybe it was corked.

Right before we started eating, I was handing my camera to Shaun and we knocked the entire glass over.  I wasn’t sad since it missed us and the camera and I didn’t really like it to start.  Two waiters came running to clean it up and they brought me another glass of wine, on the house. Turns out it wasn’t corked, it was just gross wine.

Lu had milk: 

And Shaun had 22 ounces of Sam Adams.  He wanted me to take a picture of him drinking so you could see how big the glass was.  He told me to tell you that he’s not a little person-the glass is just really big.

After the initial wait, I was worried about a Lu meltdown but thankfully the food came fast.  She got a burger with a side of mandarin oranges.  She had shared 2 mandarin oranges with me earlier in the day-the ones I got from the farmer’s market-and LOVED them.  She didn’t like the canned mandarins-I worry that I’m creating a total food snob!  She ate ALL of her burger though.

I got a southwest chopped salad with chicken, black beans, tomatoes, corn, avocado, olives, and tortilla strips.  I had them leave off the cheese and instead of chipotle ranch dressing, I had them bring me salsa.

It was okay.  I ate a lot of lettuce, since my daughter was evidently ravenous and ate more than half of the goodies-I’m not joking.  She had almost all of my avocado and olives and then about half of  the chicken and beans-she wasn’t a fan of the corn though.  I wasn’t very full after I was done.

Shaun got a New York Strip steak with mashed potatoes (oh Lu had about a fourth of those too), and cole slaw.  He wanted me to take a picture while he cut into it (he’s silly, but I’m thankful that he supports me!):

He really liked the sides and the steak was “good” but he also said that the steak I make is MUCH better-SCORE!  I’ll share my secrets soon ;)  They did actually cook his steak medium rare which doesn’t happen that often at chains.

For dessert, Shaun and Lu shared a brownie with vanilla ice cream and chocolate and caramel sauce.  I had 2 bites of the brownie but Lu and Shaun demolished that thing.  I forgot to take a picture of it.

I may still make a No Cook Oatmeal Treat but we’ll see.  I need to look at my monthly menu and make my grocery list for next week.  You will be seeing a how-to for cooking artichokes and beets soon.  I promised BethT and Stacy!

Lastly, after watching Julie and Julia last night I was curious about Julie Powell and if she had done anything since writing the book.  Her new book came out in December.  It’s called Cleaving: A Story of Marriage, Meat, and Obsession. It’s evidently about how she and her husband had multiple affairs and how they’re trying to get their marriage back and her obsession with another dude.  Seriously?!?!?!  That makes me so sad and makes me NOT want to read the book. Here’s part of one (of the many) horrible reviews from the link above:

“If you are someone who believes in the sanctity of marriage, of civility, or even in simply basic respect for other human beings, this is NOT the book for you.
Throughout the book, Powell is consistently despicable. I know that’s harsh, but it’s true. Julie Powell cheats on her husband: first in college before they’re married, then again, and again, and again during their marriage. She returns to her husband, promising fidelity, only after her situation forces her to return – and she has no intention of honoring her promise of fidelity. She only stops seeing her boyfriend when HE breaks it off, and even then she (by her own admission) stalks him for several months. I’m not a traditionalist when it comes to marriage, and I respect and appreciate that different people are in different situations that may not always involve monogamously living happily ever after. But Powell wants it both ways. She wants a traditional marriage. But she also wants her husband AND boyfriend to both dote on her lovingly and exclusively, with no jealousy or repercussions…”

And another:

…If you read Julie and Julia, you probably came away really liking the author and loving how she found meaning and stability in a regimen of cooking every Julia Child recipe in Volume 1 of MtAoFC. For God’s sake, don’t read this book and find out what’s been going on since in Julie Powell’s life…

That makes me sad :(  Boo.