Recently I had dinner with several friends and inevitably we talk about the cost of dining out. I began to mention various local restaurants that offer special dining options at affordable prices. My one friend said I should blog about it, so here it is. The places I’m mentioning is where my husband and I have eaten. I’ll also mention other local restaurants with special menus, however, we have not eaten there recently or not at all.
 
If you’re looking for a simple meal out with great food you should try Black Swan Public House in Asbury Park, NJ. On Wednesday evenings they offer 2 for 1 burger. You get a burger topped with muenster cheese, onion, lettuce, pickles, Marie Rose sauce on a sesame seed bun along with steak fries ($25). If you’re like my husband and I, get there before 6 PM and enjoy 50% off all alcohol (except bottles of wine). Dinner for two including alcohol beverages (I love an old-fashioned with Buffalo Trace bourbon) costs us about $60 before tax and tip.  On Thursday night they offer several pasta dishes for $25 with a wine special. We haven’t try this yet. ​

Next week marks the end of the 2024 CSA season from Dreyer Farms. It has been a truly wonderful experience trying the variety of produce that our box holds each week. I’ve tried not to repeat recipes, but to find new ways to prepare the old standards sprinkled with exciting flavors.
 
Such was the case with the apples that came in our last few boxes. Unfortunately, I couldn’t tell what variety they gave us and after eating one or two, I realized they would be better baked. My husband enjoys breakfast baked oatmeal casseroles that I’ve been preparing. I came across one recently on “The Southern Living Magazine” website for Baked Oatmeal with Apples, Cranberries and Pecans. For the recipe you’ll need eggs, whole milk, vanilla extract, apple pie spice, kosher salt, light brown sugar, melted butter, an apple, uncooked old-fashion rolled oats, pecans (I substituted walnuts as that’s what I had) and dried cranberries.

​I started this post by making sure I had remembered all the items I prepared last week,  but I got sidetracked by looking through my Instagram feed. Sometimes, I need to bury my phone so I can focus on the task at hand.
 
Many years ago, when I was an aide for a first-grade teacher, a young girl gifted me some delicious sugar cookies. They were so good, I asked for the recipe. Now you would think I would have made them immediately, but 27 years later, I finally made them. I’ve made Neapolitan Cookies from “The Vanilla Bean” blog, however, my cookies were coming out too flat. After several tries, I pulled out my former student’s recipe to adapt to a Neapolitan cookie.