Roast that Chicken

Over the weekend Frank came down and we made a "Honey and Lemon Glazed Roast Chicken using a "Patagonian" recipe from Food and Wine magazine. It was very easy, which we like, and very tasty.
The recipe serves 8, adjust as needed. We fixed one chicken for the two of us.

INGREDIENTS

1. 1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon honey
2. 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
3. 2 tablespoons soy sauce
4. Three 3-pound chickens
5. Salt
6. 9 large rosemary sprigs
7. 9 garlic cloves, quartered
8. 1 lemon, cut into 12 wedges
9. DIRECTIONS
10. Preheat the oven to 450°. In a small bowl, combine the honey, lemon juice and soy sauce. Set the chickens on a large rimmed baking sheet and tuck the wing tips underneath. Season the cavities with salt and stuff each one with 3 rosemary sprigs, 3 quartered garlic cloves and 4 lemon wedges. Brush two-thirds of the honey glaze over the chickens and season lightly with salt. Roast in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes.
11. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°. Rotate the chickens in the pan and brush with the remaining glaze. Roast the chickens for about 45 minutes longer, until the juices run clear when the thighs are pierced; turn the pan halfway through roasting. Transfer the chickens to a carving board and let rest for 15 minutes. Carve the chickens and serve.

We also met our friends Rich and Craig for dinner at P.F. Changs last week - nice to see them. 

For lunch one day,  I met my friend Bob at The King and I, a nice Thai restaurant in downtown St. Petersburg. 

And finally, Frank and I made a return visit to Primi Urban Cafe. I had the always tasty Wild Mushroom ravioli in a wild mushroom, butter and sage sauce. Yummy.

Restaurant Weekend

Finally, I am regaining my appetite thanks to the magic Dr. W's elixir. I saw more restaurant interiors this past weekend than I have is a long time - that is all good. So here is a quick run-through beginning with an at-home dinner on Friday. Frank came over and made his famous "retro" burgers (my term). They are simple, and always delicious. 
Saturday we revisited an old favorite, Primi Urban Cafe. We have not dined there in a long time, partly due to a change of ownership, but we found the food equally as good as we remember. I had the ricotta ravioli with bolognese sauce which was delightful and tasty. I don't remember what Frank had, (feel free to add a comment...)
Sunday, Carol from Mount Dora arrived for a couple nights stay after dropping off her Brit friends and a couple from Mount Dora, at the Port of Tampa cruise docks to catch a 3- week repositioning cruise. It is always good to see Carol, and I didn't even make her cook this time. For dinner on Sunday, Carol and I went back to one of my old standbys - Cafe Alma. They have a nice variety on their menu including tapas, from which I selected a Tomato and Mozzarella Salad and a very good, tasty pair of Lump Blue Crab Cakes. If memory serves me correctly, (not always the case), Carol ordered the Seared Ahi Tuna Tapas. (Carol, any help would be appreciated.)
Monday we wanted to go to the Chihuly Collection (Carol had not visited the collection before, but she has been to more Chihuly exhibits than any one I know. Before visiting the collection, we stopped for lunch at 400 Beach Drive Seafood and Tap House.  Carol ordered the grilled grouper sandwich and I selected the Shrimp BLT which included Blue Cheese, Applewood Smoked Bacon, toasted pumpernickel and more. I am going back for another one.
Finally, Monday evening Carol, Frank and I tried Grazzi, recently relocated from Bay Walk plaza after a 2 to 4 month delay. They took over the old Pacific Wave space on 2nd St. South. I ordered the Chicken Marsala, which was tasty, but wasn't a Marsala sauce. While good, it is always disappointing when you get something pretending to be something else.
Whew... that is a long post, obviously I haven't been posting, but I thought you might find this restaurant wrap-up interesting. Do not expect a repeat this weekend. 

Good Friends

This past weekend our good friends from Atlanta, Liz (as in "Never trust a skinny cook" blog fame), her gracious husband Henry, and their oldest son, Andy, were in town to watch a couple spring training games. Well, Henry and Andy were here for the spring training games, a long time wish for Henry. Liz claimed she was here researching the Tampa restaurant scene. I will let Liz summarize her findings if she cares to do so. I do know we had a lovely dinner on Saturday at Vino e Pasta, as you know is one of my favorite restaurants.


We had a lovely evening reminiscing about the "old" times and catching up on new happenings. It is always a fun evening when you are out with Liz and Henry, and it was nice seeing Andy after far too many years.


Thanks guys for a lovely evening.

Lobster and More Lobster

We do not eat lobster very ofter, but this past weekend found me dining twice on lobster. My dear cousin, Shirley, shipped two lobster tails and two steaks from Omaha Steaks. This was a very kind and generous gift. So, Saturday, Frank and I fixed the two tails with asparagus. They were excellent, very tasty and just the right size. Of course in my normal eating mode which I haven't recovered yet, I would have been tempted to do surf and turf. But the lobster was more than enough, especially since lobster is the best way to get melted butter to the mouth. Thank you Shirley for a lovely meal.


On Sunday we decided to go to 400 Beach Seafood and Tap House. It was a beautiful day for outside dining so we took a sidewalk table overlooking Straub Park and the bay beyond. But let's get back to the lobster. The first time I ate at  400 Beach I had the lobster roll and found it lacking in flavor. That was over a year ago, and since I already had lobster breath from the night before, I thought I would give it another chance. While this time it had slightly more seasoning, it still was fairly bland. No more lobster roll from 400 Beach for me. It was a far cry from Legal Seafood. (Among others I've had).


Quick Health Update: I continue to improve, but it seems far too slow of a recovery for me. But I am going in the right direction. I just need more energy. 

Celebration

To celebrate my outstanding scan results, I decided a nice dinner out was in order. So on Saturday night, Frank and I headed to Roy's in Tampa. While Roy's is part of the Outback Group of restaurants, it is based on the concept of Roy Yamaguchi's original Hawaiian restaurant with Hawaiian Fusion cuisine. We had wonderful dinners in a very nice setting. 

Frank opted for the three course prix fixe options, selecting the Poached Pear and Pecan Salad, an entree of Olive Oil Seared Mahi Mahi, and Roy's Melting Hot Chocolate Soufflé for dessert.

I skipped the salad course, and ordered the Polenta Crusted Scallops for my main course. And not being able to resist, the Chocolate Souffle for dessert. 

We had a very enjoyable dinner and a nice celebration.

More Good News

While I continue to recover from the research trial in early January, the results are in. Both the MRI of the brain and CT scan of the torso so significant regression in tumors. This is really good news. That is two set of scans in a row with no new growth and regression in those that are there. It also means I don't see my oncologist for four weeks, (I really like my oncologist, but a break from our frequent appointments will be a welcomed break). 


Oh, I am still cooking, but nothing significant. Just simple stuff with limited work effort.


That's all I'm saying.

Back in the Kitchen

I usually judge my treatment recovery by when I feel ready to return to the kitchen and prepare a meal. Well, after weeks of having good friends prepare meals for me, I finally hit the kitchen last Monday. The meal wasn't fancy but it was a good feeling to be hovering over the stove top again. My dear friend, Deirdre, arrived from the Philadelphia area earlier in the day. I decided I would prepare dinner with her assistance. We fixed tilapia in a lemon butter sauce, and green beans. Simple, but tasty. And a major accomplishment in a long road to recovery.

Slow Return

The month of January has been a blur, more like a blur in slow motion. After the first two weeks in the research trail at Moffitt including an extra week trying to get some of my results stabilized, I spent the rest of January resting, (as in sleeping) and just laying around the condo. I am finally starting to increase my activity level (not a lot) and eating much better. The appetite that had totally disappeared in January is finally returning. Obviously I must be feeling better if I am blogging again... unfortunately nothing interesting yet. So that is my update for now. 


I would also direct your attention (and mouse) to "Paul & Libby's World of Travel" on the right side bar. They depart on another cruise journey, this time to South America and Antarctica,, this time with their 1 year old daughter. Paul's blogs are always interesting and fun to read. Take a look.

Clones

Maybe our friend Carol was channelling my cell transfer when she created this photograph. Check the billboard on the right. Those who know us may recognize a couple characters from the movie (NOT).

Cool I say. And thanks for the smile, Carol.

Come Back to Daddy

I usually don't post medical updates on my blog, leaving that for personal email "blasts" to family and friends. But I am making an exception today.

I am at Moffitt this week for the next research trial, called TIL. Last July one of my tumors was removed and cells harvested, grown in the lab and frozen until I was ready to have them transferred back to the my body.

Well, today is they day the cells come home. The cell transfer is scheduled for later today. This will be followed by a series of high-dose interlukin 2 treatments.

I don't expect to be making any further blog updates until I recover from the IL2 sessions, but I wanted to let you know why I was missing from the blogosphere.

Ciao for a week or so.