Dining week!

For the past few summers our dear daughter has gone to Disney World with her BFF and family for anywhere from 4 or 5 days to  a week this year.  It is a great opportunity for her and gives her Dad and Ia "taste" of what it will be like when she goes off to college.   Traveling with Mom, Dad and her little brother, no matter if it is NYC, the Virgin Islands or Maui can not compare to a week at Disney with your best friend. She loves her "Disney" family.

While she is gone hubby, the little man and I go out to eat each night. This is what we call "dining week".  Hubby and I started off dining week at P F Changs while little man had basketball  practice.  Ginger chicken, Mongolian Beef and Crispy Fried Beans  were on the bill for that night.  I love Changs, but lately I can't seem to find the dish that works for me.  However, who could pass up "fried green beans".   Our next night out was to Cantina Laredo for a little Mexican.  It was flavorful and something completely different than our normal dinners out.  My son and I had been there last year, but this was hubby's first time.  Chicken Enchilada's, shrimp enchilada's and chorizo tacos were the fare that evening.  The big hit for us were the tortilla chips and salsa!  We probably ate too much of them before our dinners came.

The following evening hubby was out of town so the little man and I treated my sister to Pasta's.  A great local spot that serves up wonderful homemade pasta and sauce.  You start off your meal with some great stretch bread and hot tomato oil.  We followed that up with two orders of basil pesto with portobello mushrooms and and order of Fettuccine Alfredo.  It was delicious.  Our little man had wanted to go there for his birthday dinner but a number of things were against us - did not take reservations, Mother's Day weekend and college graduations.  When we arrived that evening there was a 2 hour wait!  

Our next night out was also at the request of our son.  He loves another restaurant downtown.   He is a big fan of their calamari and loved their burgers in the past, however there was no big burger that night.  It was time for a little pizza.  We made reservations using open table, but when we got down there we would not of had any issue getting a spot.  The choice was given - dine inside or out on the patio out back.

You guessed it.  The only thing lacking that evening was a little music during dinner, but we had a solution. We used hubby's iPhone and a  Pandora.  A little Michael Buble made it a perfect evening.  I choose another gourmet pizza on the menu and hubby had the scallops appetizer super sized as an entree with roasted Brussel Sprouts.

Dining week was winding down when we were invited to a party and our little man wanted to spend the night at Grandma's for a little baseball, Yahtzee and pizza.  Our foodie friends cooked up a storm of great appetizers.  The hit of the evening was Deep Fried Italian Olives.  Giada strikes again!

And, so we closed out dining week at our favorite Italian spot nearby where we feel like part of the family!  It is time now to get back in the kitchen because our little princess is on  her way home from the Kingdom!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/italian-fried-olives-recipe/index.html