Done and Dusted

The drop off was successfully completed this afternoon with precision timing! I called 5 minutes before pulling up.

My nephew was standing at the appointed place when I pulled up, just as we had planned. The ice chest sat next to me in the passenger seat. He reached in, pulled it out to the sidewalk, and closed the car door. I was off and away from the curb in less than one minute!

The whole thing round trip took a little more than 30 minutes. Woo hoo! It was such a rush.

I finished! It felt like such an accomplishment, such a relief. And mom will receive her food by evening, enough food to last her for the next 10 days or so. Each container has enough food to last her at least two meals, sometimes three, salads and soups even more.

The final menu:
Cream of asparagus soup (1quart)
Coq au Vin/onions, mushrooms and carrots/roasted potatoes (3)
Seared scallops in puff pastry with champagne beurre blanc sauce, asparagus, and parsleyed potatoes (3)
Tilapia/green beans almondine/sweet potatoes (2)
Chicken salad (1 quart)
Spinach fritatta (8 servings)

I couldn't find the pearl onions for the Coq au Vin, so I had to settle for regular sweet onions. I'm sure it tastes just fine. The beurre blanc was made with champagne vinegar. It has a sweetness that is divine.

The scallops are the most delicate dish I made this week. I probably won't make that again for a while. But I saw Tyler Florence do the ultimate seared scallops in puff pastry and just had to make it for mom--mom adores scallops. I think she will really like Tyler's version.

I am a taster. I always taste what I cook for seasoning and obviously to see if it's edible. The one thing that is frustrating to me as the cook is that with the meat and poultry dishes, I can't taste my work. I really don't know how it tastes when it leaves my kitchen.

If my honey is home when I'm cooking, he tastes for me.  The rest of the dishes passed the taste test. But today, I don't know how the chicken tastes or the chicken salad.

It's a great feeling. Mom has food and she will enjoy eating. That thought is very happy making. :)