I knew somewhere in the back of my mind that Adam and I were keeping up less with the new hot and trendy restaurants, but nothing put that fact in a more glaring light than the email I received from my friend Tami suggesting a list of places we should meet them at for dinner last night.

Of the list of 9 places, I had been to two, recognized two, and was completely unaware of the rest of them!

How fun was it to peruse all the different websites to see the menus!

In the end I couldn’t resist the menu at The Slurping Turtle. I love Asian food. And this menu had a great mix of it.

In Asia, restaurants are set up a bit differently. If you want sushi, you go to a sushi place. If you want ramen noodles, you go to a noodle shop. In Chicago, and perhaps America in general, they often combine all these concepts in one place. Sometimes in America they combine entire countries. I still have a hard time seeing Japanese and Chinese food together on a menu.

The Slurping Turtle stuck to Japan. But it was a combined sushi restaurant, noodle shop and yakitori grill. There was a lot of small plates so we got to try a lot of different things. Including an unusual sparkling sake. There wasn’t anything we tried that I didn’t love, but I would give a special nod to the Tartare of Hamachi in Taro Root Taco, the Pork Belly Snack (sort of a reconstructed Cha Siu Bao or Sweet BBQ Pork filled Bun), the Slurping Noodle (the broth was incredible, the noodles cooked just right), and the Caramel Soy Macaroon (I was expecting the Jewish ones, but found out later from Tami that they were the French ones. A small, meringue like cake).

The Slurping Noodle

Another trend in dining out that makes me feel old is the growing rate of shared tables. This restaurant had one long shared table in the middle, booths on the side and individual tables on the second floor. I was worried when they led us to the shared table. Would my one night out this month be ruined by some idiot trying to spew his political views next to me? Luckily after we were led to the shared table we were moved over to the booth instead. Perhaps we looked as old as I felt.

Once again I’ve blogged so much that I missed a Fresh Picks delivery. So, I’ve combined them in this blog.

August 29th we received True Lemon Cucumbers, Baby Bok Choi, a Red Pepper, Chard, Plum Tomatoes, Fennel and Sage.

Both the Lemon Cucumber, Red Pepper and the Plum Tomatoes made it into various salads. The Lemon Cucumber had a tough outer shell so after the first use I peeled it before eating.

Sage was warmed with salted butter and tossed with store bought tortellini and steamed carrots. It was delicious. I served it with a spinach and strawberry salad tossed in balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Yum.

The Chard was sautéed with olive oil and garlic and served as a side dish one night with Grilled Chicken and Rice.

Bok Choy was also prepared similarly to the Chard, this time is accompanied Grilled, Asian Marinated Portobello Mushrooms, Teryaki Salmon and Brown Rice.

Finally the Fennel. I had big plans for it, sliced and topped with parmesan and baked. But by the time I got to it, it had wilted. Maybe next time…

For September 12th, I received yellow cherry tomatoes, Chinese Eggplant, Kale, Romaine, Red Frying Peppers, Edamame and Sweet Potatoes.

Romaine and Tomatoes were lost in salads various salads (See my A Week of Salads and Another Week of Salads posts.)

The sweet potatoes were whizzed into baby food. Yes, we are almost at that stage.

The Edamame was nuked with some water and sprinkled with kosher salt for a side dish one night. That night we also had stir fry Chinese Eggplant and Red Frying Peppers, Garlicky stir fry Kale, Miso Cod and Brown Rice for dinner.

Did anyone like reading about my last salad post? If so, here’s more.

Chopped Salad

 Romaine, Cherry Tomatoes, Red Pepper, Chick Peas, Feta, Red Onion, Mint, Parsley, Chives, and Basil. Dijon Mustard, Red Vinegar and Olive Oil for dressing. Adam likes sliced Salami on top. You could also chop up some left over Chicken to put in.

Asian Cole Slaw

Cabbage, Shredded Pickled Carrot, Ribboned Cucumber, Mint, Mung Bean, Spring Onion, Celery, Soy sauce, Lemon juice.

 Sushi Salad 

(From my Appetite for Reduction book)

Romaine, Cucumber, Shredded Carrots, Brown Rice, Edamame, Sesame Seeds, Chiffonade Nori, tossed with a Miso dressing.

Grilled Peach and Spinach Salad

Spinach Leaves, Crumbled Goat’s Cheese, Candied Pecans, Grilled Peaches. Balsamic and Olive Oil. I’m going to miss this salad now that Peach season is ending.

Avocado and Mango Salad

(My mother mailed me these avocados from neighbor’s tree in Florida. She calls them Hass, but I think they might be Yamagata because they are so big.) Avocado, Mango, dressing of lime, balsamic, olive oil. Salt and Pepper.

Last week I received an email letting me know my friend Sara is having two hip surgeries in the next month and would I like to sign up to bring her dinner?

They used a website called Meal Train. It is such a clever idea, I wish I knew about it after the birth of the twins. People could have organized with each other, without me involved at all! There were many people who wanted to bring food but felt awkward or didn’t want to push it on me. And I never pursued it because I was too tired. Also didn’t want to push back on them. It seemed wrong to say, “Hey, what about that dinner you promised me?”

As a busy mom of four, every single action I do requires that I do something else at the same time. So, how can I multi-task cooking dinner for a friend?

Well, when deciding on a date, I picked the evening that Adam had invited someone over for dinner from work. Cook for everyone at the same time!

Kebabs, Herbed Quinoa, and Grilled Peach Salad