Granted, that doesn't sound like an epicurean delight... or does it?
Given the price of those mushrooms, it certainly doesn't seem a likely dish for such an experimental assay.
I'm not particularly a fan of either foodstuff, so I know I would not venture to concoct either a dessert or an appetizer from those two items.
Sure, with all the chefs of the world combining unlikely comestibles in search of new taste sensations, I would not doubt that someone, somewhere, would have tried this one.
All I'm saying is this: 'tweren't I.
So, what am I talking about?
They're down from Michigan, as I may have mentioned yesterday, and I was invited to crash their lunch engagement with Scott.
Very nice!
I haven't seen him in months!
Even nicer was that the day was warm and we dined on the sunny patio at Truffles in Bluffton.
That place was new to me, so that was a bonus... and it gives me a new entry for my tripadvisor reviews.
Very nice!
Best of all, we flummoxed the new waiter from Chicago by ordering the same dishes.
Well, not all four of us getting one item, but two of us getting one thing (the Curry Chicken Salad for me and for Jeff) and two of us getting another thing (the Pimiento Cheese Sandwich with French Onion Soup for Amy and for Scott).
How do I know that the waiter was perplexed?
He happened to mention, sotto voce, as he brought the two sandwiches, "oh, yes, this is the table where they all ordered the same things".
Very funny!
What a treat to share a leisurely luncheon with these three favorite people!
Thanks, Jeff and Amy, for treating me to this outing!
I'll enjoy the rest of my salad another day, and think of y'all as I do.
(smile!)
So, that takes care of the mushroom reference... and maybe the other as well?
After all, Scott is a big-time baseball fan, and he and I have been to some Savannah Bananas games together, so perhaps I was obscurely tying that in?
Good try, but not quite!
The local team is involved much more directly than that.
Today, Grayson Stadium hosted a sunset "coach reveal" announcement party and all the fan members were invited.
I had rsvp'ed last week, so I was there!
After all, I had to report back to Mister Willie on their latest shenanigans, n'est-ce pas?
Most certainly.
As it turned out, I reported back to Scott, too, as he missed it.
So, pay attention and don't rely on the photos alone to tell how it went down!
First, that's Bill LeRoy, my favorite catcher of all time, in the middle, with him fortuitously looking to the left as a child points.
Now turn your attention in that direction: that fellow is Eric Byrnes, the new coach for the new World Tour of Banana Ball.
The MLB left fielder is going to be perfect as the spokesman and promoter of that wacky form of baseball!
(Hold on, proof is forthcoming.)
The rightmost photograph has Bill celebrating by dancing with the Banana Nanas to KC & The Sunshine Band, as well as some other top tunes for moving to the beat...
so I was dancing, too, just not part of the line!
Now then, what was it I said about not relying on the photos for the story?
That's because this was not the order of events!
That middle picture was taken as I arrived, around 5:40.
The one on the right occurred about fifteen minutes later, as the deejay started a five-song prelude to the "reveal".
The 'first' photograph, with Eric after busting through the entry banner, and with Jesse up in the cherry picker after his opening spiel, was not taken until about 6:06 PM.
Still, it sure makes for a nice sequence, right?
I totally agree!
Oh, and I have a funny story about that, too.
I had been so excited to get to talk to Bill about the smiling bunny on his back...
you know, that photo that I have as the cover on my phone...
and which I joyfully showed to him there in front of Grayson Stadium...
and, although he recognized at once - at once! - that the photo had been taken at the final Championship game...
he knew naught of the smiley face on his butt.
Seriously.
Now, he probably thinks I'm a stalker, especially as I have the photo on my phone.
I'm not, of course... I just like the smiling bunny face.
I'm going to continue to regard it as an inside joke with Bill, too, just because.
Maybe he'll choose to regard it that way as well.
(smile!)
Here's the setup: that's Eric Byrnes sitting atop the pit of water in the dunking booth.
Yes, that's for real: post-sundown, with the temperature already dropped at least ten degrees from the high at lunch, the man was sitting on a lever, in his brand-new Bananas uniform, waiting to be dropped into the chilly water below his feet.
That was the vantage point from which he answered fans' questions about his expectations and goals with his new job.
The fan would then toss a baseball at the sweet spot to try to dunk him.
Seriously.
Kyle Luigs, star pitcher for the last several years with the Bananas, now their pitching coach, was the first up.
What was the question?
I don't recall.
I was too excited in anticipation of what came next.
So, query asked and answered, then Kyle wound up for the pitch...
took a step as he would on the mound in a game...
and released the fast ball!
Nothing happened.
We all heard the smack of the leather on the designated pad, but no dunk occurred.
Seriously.
Three others followed him, each asking their question, getting the thoughtful reply, and taking their shot at the target...
each with no rewarding splash.
Eric must have thought he was getting off easy.
One of the Banana Nanas must have thought so, too, as she walked up to the sweet spot and gave it a push with her hand.
That did it!
Down he went into the water, spluttering as he rose from its chilly depths!
Hahahaha! Hahaha!
I went on home afterward, not wanting to hang out in the chilly air for the photo and autograph session to follow his change of clothes.
The only food at this event had been popcorn and that had only whetted my appetite for something more substantial.
My lunch salad had not been the only leftover I'd brought from Truffles: I also had half of Scott's sandwich.
Now, what to have with it?
Tomato soup would fit the bill nicely, but I had none.
Well, I would make my own!
A can of diced NSA tomatoes, smashed by the potato masher...
a cup of Lactaid milk...
some Italian seasoning and a hit of olive oil...
with a pinch of saffron on top -
magnifico!
And absolutely perfect with that cheesy sandwich and Smitty's leftover ham!
Hopefully I'll remember this recipe for another time!
(smile!)
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