Dressing and Dinner

My two biggest accomplishments today, were getting dressed to go to the pool, and making dinner. Since I spent the night trying to sleep with Frankie downstairs, and did not have any luck, my actual snooze time took place between 7 and 11:30AM. None of that was Frankie's fault. I just couldn't get comfortable on the air mattress. Once again, I chose an ensemble that would be easy to get in and out of. Although it's hot outside, the aquatic center has the shower temperature set to scorching, and they are not really cooling the locker room either. If my clothes aren't easy to get back into quickly, I will leave the facility in a serious sweaty state. I made my wardrobe choices based on my top, which is lightweight and easy to change in and out of. Same with the sneakers. All thrifted, of course!

I found a cheap Oster blender at an estate sale for three dollars a few months back. It included an extra blade assembly! While we already had a good food processor (estate sale), Vitamix (expensive QVC), and two immersion blenders (estate sales), I wanted a traditional blender too. The blade assembly is not removable in the Vitamix. The blade assembly of a traditional blender is. Best of all, it fits the mouth of a mason jar.  This has been a great way to make salad dressing! Tonight, I used a bunch of odds and ends in the refrigerator, plus a dollop of yogurt, cottage cheese, some EVOO and fresh squeezed lemon. The dressing was seasoned with fresh herbs from our garden. I had to return some parsley I cut because I noticed it had caterpillars on the leaves! I brought them back to the original plant, and found the whole thing covered with them. Luckily, I have parsley growing in multiple locations. Last year, they devoured my dill. Luckily, I planted that somewhere else this year. So far it is safe!

This is the big ass salad I made. Lots of fruit! The strips of meat are julienned chicken sausage from the package I air fried last night. All this colorful goodness is sitting on a pile of baby spinach. Baby spinach has been disappointing lately. Anytime I buy a container, there are wet or rotting leaves toward the bottom. I love it, but it's not worth it if you throw a quarter of it away.  The salad was delicious, and well worth the hour it took me to make.

Dinner was a broccoli pizza made with various light-colored cheeses kicking around in the refrigerator. We have not been consuming enough cruciferous veggies as of late, which is why I bought broccoli. This pie only used a small head. There are two more, which I will use to make veggie lasagna. We plan to enjoy Shakespeare in the Park tomorrow night (Twelfth Night), so dinner will be reheated pizza and spanakopita.  I'm planning the lasagna for Saturday.

Frankie is now on a reduced sedative regimen and doing very well. She has been so unhappy to not have access to the big bed that Tommy insisted she sleep there tonight. He will lift her on and off. When I had her with me in the early morning hours, reading on the couch because I wasn't sleeping, all she would do is stare at the stairs, waiting for her daddy to come down. It was really pathetic. I put the air mattress away and will let her have her way because she is being a good girl.

We are really enjoying our al fresco dinners, are you dining outdoors this summer?