Writing a book sucks huge chunks of time out of the writer’s life.  Add a full time job on top of that process, and it is easy to completely disappear for long periods of time.  It seems like just yesterday, I was telling all of you about my lovely trip to the Met and now I “looked up” from my storyline and realized that more than a month has passed.  In the blogging world, that might as well be an eternity!   (I hope you can all remember me )

Speaking of the book – I am please d to report that I have completed Thirty-Nine Chapters, which leaves me mid-way through Part Three of a Six-Part novel – about 40 percent.  “Whew” (wipes brow).   Who knew it was going to take this much work!   There are times when I can see the story so vividly that I am compelled to sit and write it down as though I were reporting eye witness testimony.  And, then, there are other times, when I have to really think about what and where I want the story to go.  I have to put myself into the mind of each character in the scene – not just the protagonist – and then try (really hard) to check for historical accuracy.  The research is perhaps the most fun, and the most tedious part of the process.

So, in all this time, you may wonder, what about the FOOD?!   Well, I am sad to report to you that my kitchen has only seen sporadic bouts of action these days.  BUT – I have made some fun and interesting stuff in the process.  

Flounder Pouches with Grilled Summer Vegetables
I wanted to create a dish that I would enjoy eating without stressing over calories (I confess, I am dieting too) – a balanced dish with complete protein.

The veggies:  I sliced some zucchini and summer squash and cleaned and prepped some baby carrots that I picked up at the farm, then tossed them all in a marinade of EVO, aged balsamic, sea salt and black pepper.  I covered the whole thing and let it sit in the fridge for a few hours.

The fish:  I cut a flounder fillet in half and wrapped each half in leaves of swiss chard with sliced garlic, lemon juice, dill, EVO and black pepper (touch of salt).  I placed the two flounder pouches into the steamer basket of my rice cooker, and filled the rice cooker with a mixture of basmati, whole grain, brown and red rice and set it to cook using a mixture of jasmine tea and water.

While the rice cooker did its thing, I strung diver scallops onto skewers with pieces of the marinated zucchini and drizzled some of the marinade over the skewers, allowing them to soak for about 20 minutes.  

At this point, I fired up the gas-grill and placed the veggies and skewers onto the heated grates, flipping them after about six-ten minutes.  

When all the components of the dish came together,  I photographed the finished plate:


All in all, it turned out to be quite the satisfying and guilt-free dinner.


I have also discovered a new local favorite spot!  It’s a BBQ Joint (and I do mean ‘joint’) located on Route 17N in Sloatsburg, NY called Hog Heaven.   The owner is a delightful man that combined his expertise in small business ownership and passion for football tailgating into a deliciously simple and sinfully satiating roadside BBQ spot.  For less than $10, I can pick up (or eat there) a pulled pork sandwich with melted cheese and onions.  For less than $20, I can entertain a friend with a ½ rack of melt-in-your-mouth ribs, homemade French fries (yum!), and/or a plethora of other wonderful from-scratch sides!   However, Hog Heaven deserves it’s own blog with photos and complete story … so Stay Tuned!