Starting Over

August 2, 1012

“The Retired Cook’s Diary”

Starting Over

By Suzette Pennington Munson

Starting over is a heavy title, but it is not that hard to start over at anything if you set your goal and figure out a plan, then implement the plan step by step.

So here goes! 

7 years ago I had Lap Band surgery.  It was a life-changing event and made such a change in my lifestyle that I was almost fanatical about what, when, and where I ate my meals.  This is what made my surgery a success.  Being absorbed in being successful….that is what is important for any life changing event….absorbed in positive steps to be long term successful. 

What changed?  LIFE!!

I was the caregiver for my elderly father and the chief cook for my husband.  In my spare time I baby sat grandchildren, took care of the farm and animals, and tried to maintain my life style change while balancing two households.  I did not realize how hard it could become until I was setting in a hospital cafeteria looking at the food offerings realizing that there was nothing that was not based in carbohydrates with minimum to low protein offerings. 

It is surprising how the only food that day on the menu with protein was a goulash product made with pasta and hamburger meat.  For people who do not have Lap band it was probably a good item, for me a nightmare!  I have to have 60 grams of protein a day.  I can get it thru protein drinks but that is not the best way to live.  Pasta, lettuce, bread, potatoes and rice are fillers.  If you have kids you have to “fill” them up and this is a good way to do that.  I have 1/4 of a stomach to fill up and I do not need “filler”, I need the good stuff. 

Salad is always a choice for dieters, but not for a Lap Band patient.  Salad is filler, we need the good stuff.  Sweet Potatoes, squash, some fibrous vegetables and vegetable protein if you are in to Soy products are all good options.  I tend to lean toward lean red meat, moist cooked chicken, bacon, fish of all kinds, moist cooked pork and venison.  I definitely eat more meat than veg and for me it works.

During the time my Dad was ill, I was eating food that would go through the band rather than eating to feed the body.  Cheese and peanut butter are good but not on a daily basis in the place of sometimes 3 meals.  That is just foolish….and yes I was eating that way….I would rush home to try and fix dinner after driving from the metroplex and when my husband would say, let’s just go get something at the restaurant, of course I jumped on it….big mistake.. During this time I gained about 20 pounds.  Not an excuse, it was just the way it was.

I have had two years to think about this and when my daughter, Jennifer DeMoss, decided to have the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy (aka: Gastric Sleeve) surgery this summer. I decided it was time to “re start” my life style.  Jennifer and I are attending a Lap Band/Sleeve support group at Baylor Trinity Hospital in Carrollton.  It has helped me realize that I can “start over” and become successful a second time.

I know there are a group of people in our area that had the Lap Band and have never “done anything” about using it as a tool to lose weight.  There are probably lots of reasons, but here are some I am familiar with. 

Don’t want to throw up

Don’t want to give up soft drinks/caffeine

Don’t have time to think about what I eat

Don’t want to give up “Fast Food”

Don’t want to cook

There are so many coulds, woulds, won’ts and don’ts that I could write a book, but instead of finding excuses I hope to help make things do able for myself and others.

I don’t plan on giving up eating out though I gave up fast food, soft drinks and not watching what I eat.  I have an opportunity to change my “thinking” and hopefully share that “thinking” with others.

By tapping into resources on the internet and thru the support group I hope to offer options and provoke thought to those who want to join me on this adventure.  I will be sharing recipes and techniques to help make eating on the program easy, instead of a challenge.  We will also talk about portion control, eating out and how to make our life style change permanent instead of and option.  Join me as I write about the successes.

Finding Hidden Treasures

Published 9/11/2011

Finding Hidden Treasures

The Retired Cooks Diary

By Suzette Pennington Munson

Hello everyone, after a long hot summer we have returned from vacation and finally after September 1, we are beginning to settle down to a regular routine.

I know everyone has been excited to enjoy a few days of cool weather. After all it is Texas in September and frankly, it may be fall everywhere else but it is still summer in Texas.

Recently I looked thru the new telephone directory. Amazed that they still print one since everyone is going to Cell phones for their primary phone, I was in search of a Chinese restaurant that I had been hearing about in Bridgeport. The listing did not give directions so I placed a message on Face Book and low and behold I found the location.

One of the things I look for in a restaurant is whether or not they understand their clientele. Of course the food is the star of my research, but I want to know if they do what they do well and don’t spread themselves all over the map with a complicated menu and failure to make good food.

The location I visited was the EXXON Truck Stop 99 on Us Hwy 380 and Hwy 101 in Bridgeport.

All the local truck drivers recognize this address I am sure. Rock truck and long haul drivers of all shapes and of all colors were pulling in to fill up their trucks and their stomach.

Meeting Cindy and John Tak was a pleasure. Cindy explained that she and John had been working in Bridgeport for about 4 years. They do not pretend to be anything other than a “Fast” food place. They offer all the usual truck stop variety of quick, carry out and eat in a hurry food. Everything from a Breakfast menu which includes biscuit sandwiches and pancakes to a lunch and 24 HOUR hot menu including Deli Hamburgers, Blt’s , Fajitas , burrito’s and of course my favorite, Chinese Take Out.

The Chinese Menu is limited to the things which most locals recognize. Chicken Teriyaki, Spicy Chicken Teriyaki, Beef Teriyaki, Chicken Chow Mein, Shrimp Chow Mein, Fried Rice of 3 varieties and of course egg rolls.

Now don’t go expecting gourmet Chinese food. I am not sure you could go that far, but all the ingredients are fresh, there is no MSG and everything is cooked while you are waiting. No hot on the steam table food here. The menu is limited but what they do is excellent! I have not had Fried Rice as good as the Tak’s outside of the metroplex.

Talking to Cindy I realized that she and John are doing what they do right and meeting the clientele on their level. Knowing what people will eat and eat a lot of, is important in this day and age. It helps the little guy stay in business for the long term.

John and Cindy are Korean by origin and I love Korean food. May be one day they will add a little kimchee or Korean Spicy Steak to the menu. If they don’t it doesn’t matter I will go back again for the Shrimp Fried Rice or the Chicken Teriyaki.

So if you are in Bridgeport or have the time to drive over, take a stop at the EXXON and try the hidden treasure in their deli section I know you will enjoy anything on their menu.

Off the Beaten Track

Published 8/19/2011

Off the Beaten Track

The Retired Cooks Diary

By Suzette Pennington Munson

Vacation is over and we are back home in Alvord. Doug and I flew to Utah to visit our son JR and daughter in law Adriane. I think we tried to visit every historical monument in Salt Lake City and the surrounding area. From the Great Salt Lake to Park Cities in the mountains we thoroughly enjoyed the trip.

To give you a taste trip thru Utah is a difficult task. The foodies are not as prevalent as they are here in Texas. Granted there were restaurants on every corner but finding authentic taste was more of a challenge. I wanted to learn what food made Utah stand out. To my disappointment there weren’t that many outstanding places that were “native” to Utah.

We traveled into the mountains the first Saturday morning we were in the area to a place called the Silver Fork Lodge. This place has been in operation since 1949 and honestly had the best breakfast I have had in all the time I have been writing this column and beyond!

The setting was a log café building that was weathered with age and the original area was probably 20 feet wide by 20 feet long. The booths were cut from local wood and showed the distinct marks of having been used for 60 + years. The dining room that we sat in was almost three times the size of the original café and had a deck with about the same square footage. The temperature was around 59 degrees and everyone was sitting outside…not this Texan, I wanted a jacket and lots of hot coffee.

This spot was so picturesque and a wonderful place to start our trip, having wonderful food in a beautiful atmosphere is what vacation is all about.

We met our Adrian’s family who are native Utah folks and had a wonderful family meal with cooks that had traveled and lived all around this country. Thank you to all of you for your hospitality and wonderful meal.

On Sunday after church service we traveled into another canyon for lunch at Ruth’s Diner.

Ruth’s has been the spot to go for all the locals and tourist since 1942. We waited in line for 45 minutes to find out what the excitement was all about. Doug is not one to wait but since it was noon on Sunday we would not have had much choice anywhere we might have chosen so wait we did.

The weather here in Texas that day was 112+ I am sad to say the temp in the mountains was 78. Needless to say we sat out on the shaded patio and enjoyed the music being played by two local artist Maggie Beers and Julie Mark. They have laid back tones and folksy music that was really worth the trip. They are local musicians that teach at an arts academy. They made the wait worth the time spent.

What can I say about the food…well if you travel that far, and like to see the area, Ruth’s is a neat place to visit. The Onion Rings are excellent. The Burgers are good, but the Meatloaf burger that they claim is their signature dish leaves our Texas Pallet without much to say! If we go back I would skip that one and stay with the regular burger.

The last place I will talk about was my choice for the Best Taste in the time we spent in Utah, sadly it was not local fair but Mediterranean!

Adrian’s grandmother Ilene invited us to dinner at O’fillafil, her favorite place to eat. Now Ilene is a funny, generous lady and we were excited to get to spend time with her so off we went in search of this restaurant. Hidden in a neighborhood near the University of Utah, O’fillafil was just a “hole in the wall” but packed with folks taking out food. The owner was a friend of Ilene’s so he had pushed tables together for us and instead of sending us thru the fast food line he took our orders then proceeded to come and sit an chat with us, explaining each dish and how it was made. I enjoyed a Lamb Kebab on a bed of rice with a yogurt dip make with dill and cucumber. Doug had Lamb, Chicken and Beef Kabab. We also had appetizers of humas with a spicy salsa type sauce and a pureed eggplant dip. Hot fresh pita bread was used to dip the appetizers.

I asked if Pita bread could be made at home and how. I have a recipe that says it can be. The best answer was NO! The ovens just can’t get hot enough and if you look for good pita bread ask for Lebanese or Palenestinen style pita. Obviously, what we get at our local super store is not one of these.

We were surprised with a unique dessert. We were served the fruit of the cactus. Loaded with seeds it taste much like a cantaloupe. We were told not to chew the seeds as they were bitter just to swallow them whole. This was a fun way to end the meal and a story we can tell for years.

We visited many other restaurants and I will write of them in other columns but these were the best of the best that we found on our trip. Going native is always the best way to find out what is really popular and fun when you are traveling so I hope you get off the beaten track and leave the chain restaurants behind and find some exciting places to eat even if they are local.

I’ll Tell You What I Won’t Say

Published 7/24/2011

I’ll Tell You What I Won’t Say

The Retired Cooks Diary

By Suzette Pennington Munson

When I began this Diary I said that I would not write negative reviews about restaurants that were mention within the column. So today I will tell you what I won’t say about a particular restaurant and then you can make up your own mind.

Friday night after a wonderful Vacation Bible School program at Silver Lakes Church in which three of our grandchildren participated, Doug, our Daughter Jennifer and Son in Law Ronnie, I and three children chose to go to Sweet Boys Restaurant in down town Bowie. We chose Sweet Boys because it has a kid friendly menu.

Well I have reviewed Sweet Boys before and mentioned that they were new, going thru growing pains and had great potential. I think they still do. Now I will tell you what ”I Won’t Say” about them.

I won’t say that they are continually striving for customer service. Why, you say, because after waiting 1 hour and 15 minutes and asking about what was taking so long the “Cook” or “Manager” I never could find out which, told our server, “Their order has ONLY been in for 33 minutes!!!! Now I won’t say that waiting for handmade, gourmet food is not worth waiting for BUT really now, we are talking “truck stop” level food at best!!! 33 minutes, what happened to our server, she took our order and never came back to the table. Two other servers ended up taking care of us. I won’t say we were the only table in the place, because we weren’t’ it was busy and that is a good thing. Friday night and every table was jammed.

Friday night was all you can eat fish night and that is always a great way to get customers in droves, add to that “Free Beer and Margareta’s” (Bowie is a dry ) you have the potential for a great draw. I won’t say that you also have the potential for a nightmare of too much business for say, your kitchen to handle!

The table next to us was a table of four who came in probably 15 to 20 minutes after us when their food, with the orders mixed up came, we realized the time. (They happened to be readers of this column and knew who we were!) One of the girls said jokingly, “Do they not know who you are? As if it would make any difference, and I do not expect it to!

When our food did arrive it came in “bits and pieces” first 2 adults, then 2 more adults then the teen’s food but the seven year old and the three year old were still without food and folks it was by then 8:45. These two little guys are usually in bed by 7:30. I was duly impressed by the children they weren’t acting up our complaining which is unusual but they did really look at the lady bring their food. Especially when after serving all the adults and bringing the seven year old a plate to “split” a meal with her Granny then taking another 10 minutes (now 9:05) to bring her a bowl of macaroni and cheese. Now at my house she makes her own pre-fab mac and cheese in less than 5 minutes and believe me she knows pre-fab from homemade. So I won’t say it was the worst dining experience but I definitely won’t say it was at the top of my list!

If we had been at Chili’s or I hop or may be even Yesterdays I think the Management staff would have been out on the floor correcting any mistakes and making sure the old premise that “The Customer is always right” was happening so that they would have return business. I won’t say that the Manager came to our table, and he/she did not apologize for the poor service. The Wait staff however did, though they were not the wait person that started the whole problem. There was no discount or coupon to try and get return business. NO there was a $75.00 check, which I will say I put a note with asking them to read this column, TACKY? May be! But I don’t charge for my opinion, and my opinion is don’t go when there is a crowd. That means if there are more than 4 cars on the street in downtown Bowie don’t try Sweet Boys!, I won’t say that I think they can’t handle a crowd, I won’t say that all you can eat anything is a bad idea, I won’t say that free alcohol is a bad idea, I will say that if there is no crowd they are a pretty good alternative to Dairy Queen or Sonic but that is as far as I will go!!!

Summer is for Catfish

Published 7/11/2011

Summer is for Catfish

The Retired Cooks Diary

By Suzette Pennington Munson

Summer fun when I was growing up included Catfish Fry’s and homemade Ice Cream and wonderful cakes and fresh fruit pies. With diet changes caused by health needs we have eliminated cakes and pies except for special occasions? Excluding Catfish from summer is one thing that Doug and I will probably never give up. We may give up white potatoes, white rice, white pasta and white bread but fried Catfish will not happen in this family.

Saturday night Doug and I drove to Wichita Falls to go to a movie and make a stop at the “Catfish Grill” at 1505 Southwest Parkway. The location is not close to the mall and if you are in a hurry to go south toward Henrietta you might miss the restaurant. It is at the last stop light heading out of town from the mall, or the first light coming into town. It is on the south side of Southwest Parkway and is in a strip mall next to a pool hall. Be sure to take time to find the restaurant because it is one of the best Catfish places in North Texas.

We happened on the “Catfish Grill” about a year ago on our way out of Wichita . We had spent the day shopping and had decided that the “pre fab” of the chain restaurants was not what we wanted for our last meal of the day. I had noticed the grill on the way into Wichita Falls and we were taking our time leaving, looking for the restaurant. IT was packed!!! That was a good sign!

The “Catfish Grill” has an extensive menu. Everything from Appetizers of chicken fried bacon (?) wet wings (?), burgers, salad bar, Chicken Fried Chicken, Steaks of all kinds and of course Fried Catfish and my personal favorite, Oysters. Fried, or fresh they have them and not even the best chain fish places offer Fried Oysters.

The owner Anthony Scott has done it right. He has good fast service and items on the menu for every taste. Though every time we have been there all I see people ordering is the Catfish. I would say that this is probably their most popular menu item.

We have been to many places claiming to have “fresh” fish and many fall short. Two that have hit the top of my list are the “Catfish Grill” in Wichita Falls and “Go Go Gumbo” in Boyd. Both have extremely fresh fish and though they are on opposite ends of the restaurant spectrum they have one thing in common……they do it right! They do it fast! Most of all they are affordable and family oriented.

Doug and I ordered the “All 3 for Dinner” it consisted of Fried Catfish, Fried Shrimp and Fried Oysters, with a choice of French fries, Sweet Potato Fries, Fried Okra, with hush puppies and cole slaw, needless to say we brought food home and enjoyed leftovers the next day. This whole meal was $15.99. For two adults that is reasonable for that much food $15 each is the most usual the price at better restaurants. So for just down to earth economics “Catfish Grill” gives you more for your dollar than the chain restaurants and with money as tight as it is, this is pure value.

When gas is $3.50+ a gallon to drive out of your way to eat it is a must that the food is Excellent, service must be Fast and the price Reasonable. “Catfish Grill” meets all of these requirements. So if you do go to Wichita Falls on business or pleasure, take the time to find the “Catfish Grill” it will be time well spent.

4th of July Weekend

Published 7/5/2011

4^th of July Weekend

The Retired Cooks Diary

By Suzette Pennington Munson

The 4^th of July is always a favorite weekend in our family. My birthday is a couple of days after and when I was a little girl we always had Birthday Cake and Homemade Ice cream on the 4^th so I thought that was my birthday. Until I was in school I thought the fireworks show was for my birthday. What a bummer to realize it was for our Nation’s Birthday instead of mine. So we still celebrate on the 4^th even if I have to share by birthday celebration!!!

Doug and I were fortunate to be able to go to Toledo Bend Lake this 4^th. Doug’s brother Randy and his wife Sue live on the shore of this beautiful reservoir. Although the drought has taken its toll on the Hemphill & Lufkin, the pineywoods is always a beautiful place to visit. We did see evidence of the forest fire that plagued the area earlier this spring. It was sad to see the devastation that fire and drought can do to the beautiful landscape.

Doug and Randy were able to fish around the brush piles just off shore they did catch some Sunfish (crappie) and a Big Mouth Bass. The fishing was not very good but they seemed to have a great time catching up with each other and “Playing” at fishing.

Sue and I kept close to the air conditioning. We did venture out one evening to fish off the pier, and that was after the Sun had begun to drop below the horizon. The Sunsets were beautiful and we were really moved by the drama the clouds created over the lake.

On Sunday night we decided to try to find a place to go out to eat so we drove across the bridge that spans the reservoir. Again we saw a beautiful Sun set.

Randy had called the “Cypress Bend Resort Restaurant” to see if they were open and they were. This is a brand new Resort that has been built by the State of Louisiana on the East shore of Toledo Bend. It includes a Golf Course, Spa and Conference Center. I would have never expected such a beautiful Hotel in such an out of the way place. Many, Louisiana, for those of you who don’t speak Louisianan it is “Man eee”. And is probably a town of about 400. So this resort is a real boost for the area.

We were seated in the Cypress Dining Room which is one of two eating places at the resort; the second restaurant being the Cypress Café which is in the Clubhouse on the green of the golf course.

The menu is pretty limited compared to most of the places we eat out here. They offered the usual appetizers, salads, burgers, sandwiches steaks and what makes them different is the entrées that are fresh Louisiana seafood, Crawfish, Shrimp, Red Snapper and several other types of fish. Randy and Sue decided on a chicken dish, Doug went for the Angus Beef Burger and I had to try the Red Snapper with Crawfish sauce. Needless to say the food was excellent. The service was good and the surroundings were beautiful. I would have loved to speak with the Chief but he was not available. I would have loved to know what all was in the sauce that I enjoyed.

Sue and her daughter Debbie had been to the Spa for a day and were totally impressed. She said that it was as good as any in Dallas.

So instead of taking off to Florida Beaches, or the coast of Texas think about a trip to the beach at Toledo Bend either on the Texas side or to the resort on the Louisiana side. Taking the trip to East Texas is a trip into a historic area and if you do a little research you can find some fun interesting places that don’t cost a fortune and are a whole lot of fun. Like Doug and I you might take a drive down the historic “Camino Reale’”, there is also the Historic Nacogdoches area and Angelina National Forest for site seeing and camping.

Our weekend was wonderful and I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe weekend.

If you have any recommendations for restaurants for us to try out and comment on please let me know.

Email me at suzettemunson77@gmail.com

Father's Day and a Sad Good Bye

Published 6/20/2011

Father's Day and a Sad Good Bye

The Retired Cooks Diary

By Suzette Pennington Munson

Father’s Day was a wonderful Day. The church service at First United Methodist Church in Alvord was an enlightening message that stayed with me all day. Pastor Johnny talked about a young man that was handicapped but never lived his life with restrictions. He lived every day to the fullest and with gusto.

I wonder how many of us really live our lives to the fullest. Do we wait till we are ill or facing our mortality before we start on our “bucket Lists”? I hope not.

We took part of the family out to lunch after Sunday service. My oldest son Damon and his wife Daniella and two of their four children were able to be with us yesterday.

Thru the last few months we had taken all our children and grandchildren who live within driving distance to our favorite restaurant in Bridgeport, The Italian Café. We have enjoyed Sal and Abby Bazi’s Italian Café since their opening and it is with a heavy heart that I have to say “see you later” to a good friend.

Sal told me Sunday after our meal that he was closing permanently Sunday evening. The economy took its hold on another fine business. I give Sal and Abby kudos for maintaining the quality of their menu thru to the end. Sal also told me that he will be back in business again and that when he is he will let us know where to find him. I am looking forward to continuing our friendship and wish Sal and Abby well in whatever endeavor they pursue. They are wonderful people and produced a fantastic product.

Sal is one of those that pursues his dreams and after talking to him yesterday even though this endeavor wasn’t being successful, he knows that it can, and will be, another time and another place.

Good Luck and God Speed to good friends.