Yes folks, it's a boy. Stuart Mark Birn is due April 27, 2007, and those who know such things inform me that he is healthy and well and developmentally on track. We give thanks to God for this blessing, and covet prayers for continued health.
Ultrasound pictures are forthcoming.
BTW - I think little Stuart would look really cute in one of these (and for those of you who were sure it was a girl and wanted to order one of these, remember, Stuart might have a sister someday :-) )
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Monday, December 11, 2006
Mmmmmmmmmm. Let's eat.
Well, well. You've all done very well. Your suggestions for local eateries all sounded good, and were mostly within the boundaries of the rules. I was pleased to see some of my favorite spots recommended, some more than once. As I said, I figured this out earlier. But.... now I've rethought it several times. So the revised list goes as follows:
Breakfast: Now this is hard. I happen to love Wolfgang's Eggs Benedict, and though I've never tried them at Real Food Cafe or the Red Geranium, I'm sure they're scrumptious there as well. Still, all things considered, I'm going to stick with Brandywine. The Brandy Benedict is amazing (loaded with chicken, spinach, tomato, and cheese - yum), and comes with potatoes. Since I'm boring and only drink water when I go out, my total here is $7.50.
Lunch: Again, I am conflicted. I love the Cottage Bar (no one else in town makes better burgers, except of course my dear Mr B), enjoy Two Choppers (the almost Soup Nazi-ish style of ordering is worth it when you've got a yummy gyro to show for it), and am partial to the Real Food Cafe (I'm convinced they make everything with a stick of butter. How bad could that be?). I have to give a shout out to Russ' here, and say that as long as you don't order the hot turkey sandwich, most of the sandwiches are delightful. However, I had a big breakfast, and want something light. Therefore, a trip to Marie Catrib's is in order, where the hummus and tabbouleh pita is delish. I can't remember exactly how much that costs, but I'm going to guess it's in the neighborhood of $7.00.
Snack: A little slice of happiness in the form of Arnie's Dutch Chocolate Torte. It's dark chocolate, so it's good for you. Yeah. Costs somewhere around $3.00.
Dinner: San Chez is really really good. So is Tre Cugini. So is Pietros. And One Trick Pony, and Yen Ching (though sadly, as noted before, the good Yen Ching is closed), and Osta's and so many more. But right now I'm in the mood for chicken vesuvio, and no one makes it better (if they make it at all) than Olive's in East GR. The large portion goes for about $14.00, and comes with yummy potatoes and artichokes.
Dessert: The only no contest question. Any of the yummerific confections at La Dolce Vita, taking out that last $8.00. Yes, I know I got cake for snack. Shut up. It's good cake and I ate a light lunch. And La Dolce Vita is not to be missed. It's fantastic. Seriously.
Total cost:
$39.50
I think I want cake now. In fact, I think I need cake. The baby needs cake. Mmmmm....
Breakfast: Now this is hard. I happen to love Wolfgang's Eggs Benedict, and though I've never tried them at Real Food Cafe or the Red Geranium, I'm sure they're scrumptious there as well. Still, all things considered, I'm going to stick with Brandywine. The Brandy Benedict is amazing (loaded with chicken, spinach, tomato, and cheese - yum), and comes with potatoes. Since I'm boring and only drink water when I go out, my total here is $7.50.
Lunch: Again, I am conflicted. I love the Cottage Bar (no one else in town makes better burgers, except of course my dear Mr B), enjoy Two Choppers (the almost Soup Nazi-ish style of ordering is worth it when you've got a yummy gyro to show for it), and am partial to the Real Food Cafe (I'm convinced they make everything with a stick of butter. How bad could that be?). I have to give a shout out to Russ' here, and say that as long as you don't order the hot turkey sandwich, most of the sandwiches are delightful. However, I had a big breakfast, and want something light. Therefore, a trip to Marie Catrib's is in order, where the hummus and tabbouleh pita is delish. I can't remember exactly how much that costs, but I'm going to guess it's in the neighborhood of $7.00.
Snack: A little slice of happiness in the form of Arnie's Dutch Chocolate Torte. It's dark chocolate, so it's good for you. Yeah. Costs somewhere around $3.00.
Dinner: San Chez is really really good. So is Tre Cugini. So is Pietros. And One Trick Pony, and Yen Ching (though sadly, as noted before, the good Yen Ching is closed), and Osta's and so many more. But right now I'm in the mood for chicken vesuvio, and no one makes it better (if they make it at all) than Olive's in East GR. The large portion goes for about $14.00, and comes with yummy potatoes and artichokes.
Dessert: The only no contest question. Any of the yummerific confections at La Dolce Vita, taking out that last $8.00. Yes, I know I got cake for snack. Shut up. It's good cake and I ate a light lunch. And La Dolce Vita is not to be missed. It's fantastic. Seriously.
Total cost:
$39.50
I think I want cake now. In fact, I think I need cake. The baby needs cake. Mmmmm....
Friday, December 01, 2006
Let's all play $40 a Day!
Those of you who read my husband's blog know that he recently posted about our fascination with and loathing for tv cook Rachael Ray. It would be as well to say here that we do occasionally use her recipes and certainly her general ideas when creating the daily gourmet feast known as dinner at the Birns. However, the queen of perkiness does grate on the nerves after not too long. Why do we watch? Clearly we're sick. Shut up. We can stop whenever we want to. Yeah.
Anyway, where I'm going with this is: amongst her many shows, Rachael Ray hosts a program entitled $40 a Day, wherin she visits different cities (usually American, though she has gone to Europe). The gimmick is that she has a budget of $40 per day (duh) with which to feed herself (breakfast, lunch, and dinner, sometimes with a drink or snack thrown in). She patronizes only local establishments, and often supposedly gets the opinion of the yocals as to where the best places are.
SO... my question is this, where would you go here in the greater Grand Rapids area* with $40 to blow? Now, in order to play this little game of mine, you have to give recommendations for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (if you think you'd have monies to spare for a snack or drink, please share where you'd spend them) . If you have favorite dishes at your restaurants, please name them, and better still, if you have a general idea of cost, include that. You don't have to figure in tips - Rachael Ray only does when it suits her. No going out of your way to impress me with your thriftiness either. If you happen to come in severely under budget, so be it, but the point is to get the most out of your forty bucks. Local chains are allowed, but no national chains or big box eateries. Them's the rules, baby. **
Where would I go? I figured it out earlier. I'll tell you later. I want to see if other people have the same ideas as I do. In fact, I'm really looking forward to seeing where y'all would go. Mostly because I'm nosy, but also because I'm hungry, despite a very delish lunch at a place that may well show up on some lists here.
Isn't this a fun game? We can all sit and think about food. Not much better than that, I'm thinking.
*To those reading outside GR that would still like to play, go ahead. I'll have no choice but to trust your recommendations. :)
**A note to certain wise guys who work at a certain local chain who may or may not be related to me - entries listing breakfast, lunch, and dinner all deriving from the same local chain (even if they are different locations) are considered invalid. Nice try.
Anyway, where I'm going with this is: amongst her many shows, Rachael Ray hosts a program entitled $40 a Day, wherin she visits different cities (usually American, though she has gone to Europe). The gimmick is that she has a budget of $40 per day (duh) with which to feed herself (breakfast, lunch, and dinner, sometimes with a drink or snack thrown in). She patronizes only local establishments, and often supposedly gets the opinion of the yocals as to where the best places are.
SO... my question is this, where would you go here in the greater Grand Rapids area* with $40 to blow? Now, in order to play this little game of mine, you have to give recommendations for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (if you think you'd have monies to spare for a snack or drink, please share where you'd spend them) . If you have favorite dishes at your restaurants, please name them, and better still, if you have a general idea of cost, include that. You don't have to figure in tips - Rachael Ray only does when it suits her. No going out of your way to impress me with your thriftiness either. If you happen to come in severely under budget, so be it, but the point is to get the most out of your forty bucks. Local chains are allowed, but no national chains or big box eateries. Them's the rules, baby. **
Where would I go? I figured it out earlier. I'll tell you later. I want to see if other people have the same ideas as I do. In fact, I'm really looking forward to seeing where y'all would go. Mostly because I'm nosy, but also because I'm hungry, despite a very delish lunch at a place that may well show up on some lists here.
Isn't this a fun game? We can all sit and think about food. Not much better than that, I'm thinking.
*To those reading outside GR that would still like to play, go ahead. I'll have no choice but to trust your recommendations. :)
**A note to certain wise guys who work at a certain local chain who may or may not be related to me - entries listing breakfast, lunch, and dinner all deriving from the same local chain (even if they are different locations) are considered invalid. Nice try.
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