Eating With My Family

I was in such pain from a muscle spasm in my back that wraps around to my side, that I made an appointment with my Chiropractor this morning. He used moist heat and then adjusted my back. I was able to get some relief but not enough so that I could walk my 2 miles today. I will have to make up for that when the pain is resolved. I don't know how I hurt my back either, just gradually getting worse since last week.

Dolores, Aaron and I helped my Mom hang some mirrors and some other chores, and then we all went out to lunch at Johnny's Chop House in Antioch. This is our favorite restaurant. They are known for their steaks, seafood, pasta and burgers. The food is always excellent and I highly recommend it. In fact, Aaron and I renewed our wedding vows on May 16 this year and our reception was at Johnny's. It was so fun to get married all over again with all of my new family members present. I was looking for something healthy on the menu so I ordered 6 raw oysters for my fat free protein and I had the veggie melt on multigrain toast. If you know me well, I am no where near a vegetarian so this was an experiment. It was absolutely delicious. They grilled tomatoes, green peppers, onions, zucchini and put it on toast with 2 different kinds of melted cheeses. I was very pleased. I ordered a glass of Crossings Sauvignon Blanc which goes so well with oysters!

We came back to the house and watched a movie together - Almost Famous. An old favorite of ours. We only had about 10-15 kids come to the door for Halloween and Aaron was on candy detail since my back hurt so bad. I kept to my vow of not having any candy.

For dinner we had chicken breast sandwiches on pumperknickel bread with a small amount of olive oil mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato. (I had an open-face sandwich) I also enjoyed 4 reduced fat Cape Cod potato chips so I wouldn't feel denied. Since it's Saturday, I sipped another glass of wine.

Food For Thought:

At lunch today we were discussing the Mediterranean diet and all that I'm learning. I've been reading about Parmesan Cheese. The book states that "there are 2 types, Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano, but the former is infinitely superior. A really fine Parmesan may be aged for up to seven years, during which time it matures, becoming pale golden with a slightly granular, flaky texture and a nutty, mildly salty flavour. Always buy Parmesan in the piece and grate it yourself."

We reminisced about the time that one year for our anniversary we decided to order 2 pounds of Parmigiano Reggiano from Parma, Italy. It was shipped along with a cheese knife and packed in 2 1-pound sealed bags. This cheese was the most delicious cheese we have ever tasted. It was hard but also creamy and nutty, salty and grainy like stated above. We didn't have the heart to grate it so we kept flaking off pieces and eating it with different Italian red and white wines over the next couple of weeks. We shared it with our friends and family and everyone was taken by how delicious it was. We're all used to Kraft grated Parmesan cheese but this is definitely no here near this American favorite. If you want to make a memory that will last the rest of your life, try ordering 1 to 2 pounds of Parmigiano Reggiano from Parma, Italy. It's a little pricey, but it's worth it.

(9:09 pm)