Dinner By Deisn Food Review

As promised, here is my review of the Thai Chicken Pasta Salad & Coconut Mahi-Mahi from Dinner By Design in Crystal Lake.

We had the Thai pasta salad for lunch. It was fantastic! Very flavorful and a little bit of zing! Don't get this if you are allergic to peanuts!

The Mahi-Mahi was for dinner. We served it with brown rice and spicy greens from Trader Joes. It was great, but next time I will not make a vegetable with a sauce on it. It was competing too much with the dipping sauce from the Mahi-Mahi.

More to come!

Dinner By Design

Char and I went to a "make your own dinners" called Dinner By Design. This is a kitchen in Crystal Lake where you can prepare your own dinners by combining pre-cut ingredients and following the easy to make recipes. You start by picking the meals you wish to make on their easy to follow website. We picked:

• Steak Chimichurri
• Thai Chicken Pasta Salad
• Maple-Dijon Pork Chops
• Spinich Basil Stuffed Pork Tenderloins
• Coconut Mahi-Mahi
• Chicken Piccata

We had a blast. The both of us teamed up together and each added an ingredient. The staff was super friendly, there was music playing and we had alot of fun interacting with the other people making their own meals. Each meal is made at a different station and all the ingredients are laid out in front of you with all the necessary measuring devices. After making the meals, you place them in a refrigerator until you are ready to leave. It's best to bring a cooler to transport them home with you.

I think this is a great family bonding experience and the price is very reasonable. Try it, I think you will like it. They have them all over the place, check their website - dinnerbydesignkitchen.com. We are going to have the Thai Chicken Pasta Salad for lunch today, so I will report back on it later.

Classic Car Night is Back!

Downtown Crystal Lake is having Classis Car Night once more! It starts June 15th. Click on the link below for more information.

http://www.downtowncl.org/Calendar%20of%20Events/classic_car_cruise_night.htm

What I am Watching:

The Vanishing - Excellent Movie. From 1993, worth the watch!



What I'm Reading:

Secret Fun Spot

a Secret Fun Spot

Check out this website for a fun nostolgic look at novelties and toys!

Let's Go Back To Those Thrilling Days Of Yesteryear!

Those grand old days of radio. Where everyone gathered around the great big radio and delighted to the sounds of "The Lone Ranger", "The Aldrich Family", "Jack Benny". I was too young to participate in those rituals, but I have heard all about them from my mother. I have listened to episode after episode of Arch Obler's "Light's Out Everyone". Many of these old time radio shows are available to listen to on CD or tape. Do a google search on "old time radio" and you will finds tons of spots to purchase them. There are still some programs on the radio that feature these gems of yesterday.

Should these programs be revived? I think so. I think new versions of the old programs would be great to listen to. It would be the re-invention of the "Theater of the Mind". Listen to one of the old shows and see what happens. Your mind is opened up to envision what you hear going on. What better way to spark the imagination of our youth. What a novelty, a family night sitting around and listening to the radio munching on a bowl of popcorn and laughing together. Isn't this a better way of life than having your son in his room playing "Grand Theft Auto", your daughter talking on her cell phone and you and your spouse plopped in front of the TV watching some reality show.

Try it one night a week for an hour and see the difference.

Here are some links for you!

Radiolovers.com
The Antique Radio Collector

Dreary Weather

I've got lots of wonderful items on Ebay. Check it out!

Ebay Items - Click here!

The weather here in the Greater Chicago Metropolitan area has been cool and wet. I call it dreary! Although all the flowers are blooming and the trees are sprouting their leaves, the weeds are poking their nasty little heads up. I'm not reading anything new or watching anything new. I did however see the band Chicago on TV and they sounded great! Just like the way they used to in the 'Old Daze". The horn section is back in full force! They have a new album out:



My Favorite TV Shows as of now (in no particular order)

Little People, Big World
Survivor
Apprentice
Flip This House
Ghosthunters
King Of Queens
Two And A Half Men
Seventh Heaven (now off the air)
Living Fresh
The Gym
Sopranos
Lost

Spring Is Here

The weather has been very nice as of late. Although the allergies have been killing me on and off. Not much new to report, life has just been moving along. I just had another birthday on April 25th, that makes me 47. I remember when I thought that was old. Looking forward to going to the Dole Mansion/Lakeside Legacy Center tomorrow for the First Friday event. This is a lot of fun. They have music, food and local artists showing their craft. We went last month and enjoyed it. Come on down and join us for the fun. Click on the link above to go to their web site. It runs from 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm. Suggested donation to get in is usually $6.00 and you get door prize tickets with that.

There is a new phishing scam going on, so beware. It looks like a purchase verification from PayPal, saying you purchased some high ticket item like a $350 cellphone. Of course there is a link to disbute the charge, which brings you to a phishing website and not PayPal. Bottom line, if you did not order something like the email states, forward the email to Spoof@Paypal.com. Do not click on the link!

What I'm Watching:

Constantine with Keanu Reeves and Rachel Weisz .

Bizarre movie with some interesting thoughts. The effects are great!

A Night At the First Friday

Char and I went to a local event last night called First Friday. It's also coincidently held on the first Friday of every month. It held at a place called the Lakeside Legacy Arts Park in Crystal Lake. It's a combination of live music, antiques, hand crafted items, paintings and sculptures, etc. The suggested donation is $5.00 and you do get raffle tickets with your donation. I highly recommend it for a fun Friday night.

What I'm watching:

Living Fresh - A great show about organic living on FitTv. The host is Sara Snow. Check it out!

Get involved in your community, meets friends, help people build character... Volunteer!