Scraps and Whatnot

The co-blogger (who hasn't blogged in so long that he's probably forgotten how) is out of town this week so it's up to me to determine what I'm making for dinner.

Last night I went out with my coworkers after a very cool ballet performance of Carmina Burana to a downtown Nashville place known for its steak and spaghetti combos. Oy. Their bread and salad were pretty tasty but I didn't care for the entree I ordered. Canned mushrooms in a butter sauce will garner no kudos from me. Icky.

Tonight I surveyed the sorry-looking fridge and pantry and mama mia, pasta again! I sauteed olive oil, crushed red pepper, garlic, roasted red peppers, broccoli and a rapidly wilting bag of baby spinach, over some leftover egg noodles from Scott's recent beef stroganoff success.
To plug a friend's recent blog post, check out the many reasons to pig out on pasta.

Tomorrow night some friends and I are dining at Germantown Cafe, which is donating a portion of its proceeds to an HIV/AIDS charity. This may be my chance to break free from the noodles that bind me!

Other random stuff:
Lately we've given our blender a workout with fruit and yogurt smoothies - so yummy and perfect for the sultry weather blanketing the South. Seems like Spring done sprung and gone.
My favorite combination right now is about a cup of frozen blueberries, one banana, one-half cup of Stoneyfield Vanilla Yogurt, and a big glug of orange juice.

For our second wedding anniversary, Scott and I dined at a local steakhouse that's been around forever and is apparently steeped in so much old-time southern tradition that it forgot to tell its hiring manager to, ahem, "diversify the help."
I've been uncomfortable about it every since I stepped into the restaurant and noticed it, but here's my "beef" with the place: all the waiters wear old-school white jackets and they are all black and middle aged. I found it disturbing. I hope someone else reading this could maybe shed a little light on why they do what they do over there.
Anyone?