Its that time of year. Do you put the space heaters and electric blankets up yet or wait until June?! My friends and I say all the time “Only in Oklahoma…” will you have the air and heat on all in the same day. I’m quite sure there are more places that have the same issues, but its something to laugh about!
I have to admit I have not been cooking much lately. Its hard to have motivation some days to cook for just one after being on your feet all day at work. I justify my microwave “cooking” by saying that one day I will not be able to eat Lean Cuisines and cereal every night. The Stockyards City Cookbook definitely has plenty of amazing recipes to cure the cereal kick!
Since it was dreary and cool today I decided to go with the Cheesy Chicken Soup. This soup is hearty and easy to make.
Cheesy Chicken Soup By Kim Stewart
2 cans lowfat cream of chicken soup
1 can lowfat cream of mushroom soup
2 chicken breasts cooked & shredded (I boiled mine)
2-3 cans water (2 was enough)
1 can Rotel (I used Spicy, it was yummy)
2-lb. block of light Velveeta cheese
1 chicken bouillon cube
If you are trying to lose weight and are a chocolate lover I think you probably want to avoid this recipe. When two people submit the same recipe to a cookbook you know it has to be good! And let me tell you it was. I ate this delicious chocolate cake pudding right out of the oven, with ice cream, for BREAKFAST! Don’t tell my husband, he probably wouldn’t approve. This is a very easy recipe to prepare and the nice thing is, you mix it up, pop it in the oven and forget it for the next hour. That is if you can ignore the wonderful chocolate smell that will be wafting through your home. Continue reading Chocolate for breakfast anyone?→
Now that lambing is wrapping up, Sue and I are able to get away from the farm for more than just critical errands or to go to work. A couple of Sundays ago, we stole away to the Rock Cafe in Stroud for a leisurely Sunday breakfast. Our friends Lisa and Linda from Living Kitchen Farm in Depew met us there, and we proceeded to pig out. Reviewing the Rock seems a little unfair since it is one of my favorite places, dive or otherwise, in this part of the state. However, I want y’all to know what a great place it is so you can visit yourself.
The Rock Cafe is right on Route 66
The Rock Cafe has been a Route 66 landmark since it opened in 1939. The current owner, Dawn Welch, got it listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002 after four years of hard paperwork. In 2008, it was badly burned in a fire, but reopened almost a year to the day later, completely restored. It’s been featured in television shows and in the movie Cars. Before the Turner Turnpike opened, it was a Greyhound bus stop. Today, it’s open seven days a week, serving up breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Without a doubt, breakfast is my favorite. The fare is not just standard Okie-diner-ham-and-eggs.
Beignets, Rock Cafe style. YUM!
No trip to the Rock Cafe for breakfast would be complete without trying the beignets. They aren’t exactly standard New Orleans style–more like biscuits meet Bourbon Street–but they are scrumptious. We had an order with our coffee while we waited on the rest of our breakfast to arrive. As luck would have it, each of us ordered something different from the menu. Sue was in a mood for crepes, Linda got the pancakes, Lisa had french toast and an omelet (she has a hollow leg, I swear), and I had the burrito.
Look at all this food! Yeah, we licked the plates clean, I promise.
Our food arrived so quickly, there were still beignets left in the basket. All of it was hot and fresh. After looking at Lisa’s french toast, I wish I had tried it, but I really liked the burrito. It was grilled, making the tortilla wrap crispy and creating a contrast between the crispy outside and the warm, mushy ham-and-cheese center. Sue raved about her crepes, Linda’s pancake stack covered her plate, and by the time we were done, her plate was clean along with the rest of the ones at the table! All of us agreed it was one of the best meals we’d had for a Sunday breakfast in quite a while. Continue reading “Red Dirt Dives” Reviews: Rock Cafe, Stroud→
Wow! Thursday sure came fast this week. It could be because I have been busy the last 8 days helping my husband install some antique pine flooring, helping strip the sealer off the kitchen floor and resealing/sealing it. Why is it that what you think will be a small job turns into way more than you have time for? All that aside, there is nothing more rewarding than being involved in a project that you are proud of when it is completed.
The recipe I am reviewing this weeks is: Easy Chicken Rice by Evelyn Gray
1 3/4 Cups uncooked rice
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup; 6-8 Chicken breasts
1 can Cream of Celery Soup
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup; 1 stick of Butter
1 can of Water
Melt butter in saucepan, add soups and water. Heat. Put rice in oblong cake or casserole dish. Pour 1/2 soup mixture on top of rice. Put chicken on top of soup and rice. Pour remainder of soup mixture on top. Bake at 225 for 2 hours and serve.
As I was flipping through the Stockyards City cookbook, looking for a healthier option for a desert, the baked apple recipe caught my eye. What an easy, healthy option for getting your friends and family to enjoy fruit!
Baked Apples
By Annette Trammell
4 med. apples
1/2 c raisins
2 T brown sugar
1/2 T cinnamon
1/4 T nutmeg
1/3 C apple juice
Core apples and peel a strip from the top. Place in small baking dish. Mix sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, and raisins together. Fill each apple with the raisin mixture. Pour apple juice all over. Bake at 350 for 40 min or until apples are tender. Serve warm. Can serve with drizzled cream or cool whip.
(I doubled the recipe and added extra brown sugar and apple juice. I also added Marzettis cream cheese fruit dip on top.) For my tantelizing photo gallery covering this recipe, click the “read more” link below…
About Thursday at noon last week I realized that even Queens of Multi-tasking have limits. Actually, I think it was 11:45 a.m. when I stopped and wrote three e-mails. All of them canceling appointments I had previously set up because “I was going to be running errands around town for my daughter’s wedding and might as well take care of (X).” I took off my multi-tasking crown and tossed it somewhere into the back of my SUV; it landed alongside three bags of clothes (dry cleaner, gym bag, sack of clothes I had to buy because I forgot my gym bag last week), four boxes of Mason or Kerr canning jars (drinking glasses for the wedding), six wedding presents for my daughter and her fiancee’ I had collected from church and friends over the last week, school books (both teaching and learning) and five crumpled pieces of paper. If unwadded, lists of 10-15 things “to be done before the wedding” would be revealed on each of the paper balls. They rolled to and fro on the floor of my car as I drove madly around town, forward when stopping and backward when I took off again.
Five days later, the crown is still resting haphazardly in the back and I’m not quite ready to don it again. Rather, I’m still thinking about all the seeds planted in my Life Garden last week: memories, new friendships and relationships, a new marriage in our family and, well, more memories. I’ll talk about those in just a minute. First I want to honor this post by reporting on my garden.
“My Little Victory Garden” was neglected most of the week. I took solace in the fact that our neighbor’s sprinkling system was watering my seedlings nightly. Evidently last summer during a long hot week, Dennis (my neighbor to the west) told Mick that he was watching after my garden by adjusting two of his sprinkler heads to rotate 360 degrees, thus also covering my garden as well as a portion of his yard. Nine months later, I thanked him in my head for that little gesture by commenting to myself, “Well, at least the garden is getting a little water at night. You rock, Dennis.” Continue reading My Little Victory Garden: Entry Four-Ever, I DO→
Have you ever looked at your watch and realized it is dinner time? You haven’t started dinner much less decided what you are going to fix and someone walks in and asks “what’s for dinner Mom?” It seems like this happens to me more often than not. I have tried to plan ahead and buy my groceries for the week, but life gets in the way, dinner gets cancelled and the next thing I know the meat has to be thrown out. So I go to the grocery store several times a week to at least purchase meat. These trips usually occur after 3:30 and most days closer to 5. My family is shrinking and planning meals seems to be getting harder instead of easier!
If any of this sounds familiar, you will love this week’s recipe. From start to finish you can have dinner on the table in 30 minutes or less.
Crumble beef in a 2 qt. casserole. Microwave on high for 5 minutes. Drain the liquid off the meat and top with onion and tater tots. Mix two soups together and put on top of tater tots. Microwave on high for 15 minutes. Sprinkle paprika on top.
I have to admit that I was hesitant to eat this. I’m not very adventurous when it comes to food. I tend to find something on the menu, at restaurants we frequent, that I like and stick with it. Why? Two reasons, one it irritates everyone that I am always the last one to make up my mind and two I know when I get my food I will like it! Continue reading What’s For Dinner Mom?→
Yukon Gold potatoes ~ the debate remains on whether or not you need more than one "eye" per chunk when you plant.
I was talking to my dad on the phone Saturday, sharing with him that I was getting ready to plant potatoes. He said, “You’re not waiting until St. Patrick’s Day?” I didn’t even know that was a THING. (Later, I felt slightly better when Mick told me ‘the sign said sometime between February 20th and March 15th.’ Heck, I wasn’t even being risky if we were using the sign’s standard!)
I wonder how many THINGS I don’t know? I found out another THING while on the phone with him. He recalled for me that my grandmother Porter (Julie At The Ranch’s great-grandmother as well) used to peel her potatoes fairly thickly, then simply plant the peelings, saving the core to cook for a meal. Then he, my mother across the room speaking “through” my dad, and I had a third conversation: How many eyes do you need per chunk of potato planted? She said two, he said probably just one. Knowing me, and my inability to identify exactly what constitutes as a bonafide eye, I’ll probably plant three or more. It’s one thing for roots to be growing forth from the potato, hence easily identifiable makings of a plant. However, are the little dents with tiny dots in them ALL eyes? Who knows. My potato chunks may have four eyes or more due to my lack of experience.
So, earlier that morning, prior to speaking with my dad: I was feeling a little guilty having only purchased three seed potatoes from the feed store. I looked around a bit more and found a packet of last year’s cucumber seeds for fifty cents. A discussion ensues…this time with Mick.
Mick: “Don’t you want to buy THIS year’s seeds?”
Me: “Why? Don’t you think LAST year’s will grow?”
Mick: “I don’t know. It’s better to be safe than sorry.”
Me: “Okay, first of all – that’s silly. Of COURSE they’ll grow. Secondly, I’m simply trying to find something to add to my potato purchase so the total will be over a dollar. These are nice people and I’d like to spend more than eighty cents with them!”
Ever have a craving for chips and dip? I’ve decided that’s a staple in my diet…I would suggest adding some fruit and veggies in the mix though.
I recently moved salons, from Western to Casady Square, where my friend also followed and received the position of executive assistant. (We don’t like to use the word “receptionist”) 😉 The traffic flow is amazing in that area so we decided to have a Stella & Dot Trunk show Monday night. (If you haven’t heard of the jewelry line check out stelldot.com/jennifermanning….its amazing!) Anyway, I volunteered to make some appetizers to take. Can I please tell you that I made 4 in less than 30 min! If you don’t like to cook at least give some of these a whirl! Its easier than opening a jar from the grocery store and putting it in a bowl to take it somewhere. You know we all have done that! Most of the items in the dips you could easily have/keep at home for a quick homemade appetizer!
Crab Dip
By Rose Davis & Keri Hale
1 (6oz) can crab 3oz cream cheese 30z cream cheese with chives (might be hard to find, I used 1 6oz container cream cheese and added chives) 2 T. mayo 2 tsp. lemon juice (easy to keep the little lemon shaped bottle in your fridge to add to any recipe) 1/8 tsp. hot pepper sauce (I used chipotle tabasco sauce)
Mix all ingredients. Bake at 350 degrees 15-20 min. Should be bubbling and brown.
(Great dip, looks fancy but is easy to make but fishy so not for people wary of seafood!)
I added a sprinkle of cayenne on top for a little extra flavor and color
I have made something similar to this in the past, but I called it Rotel Spaghetti and it had fewer ingredients. Basically my recipe consisted of Rotel cheese dip with spaghetti and chicken mixed in. This is a little “fancier” version. I must say I have only cooked one or two things that my family did not like. This recipe they loved. It is great for a busy school night where you don’t have a lot of time between, school, work, and extra curricular activities. I have included a tip to make this an extra quick dish. So, let’s get cookin’!
CHICKEN SPAGHETTI
by Kim Mask
16 oz. box of Velveeta
1 can Rotel
12 oz. Thin Spaghetti
2 large cans of Chicken
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
Cook Spaghetti as directed on package. While spaghetti is cooking cut Velveeta into cubes. Drain Spaghetti, combine all ingredients in a 9 x 13 inch dish and bake for 45 minutes at 350.
Cooks Tip; If you are in a hurry you might want to speed this up some by melting the Velveeta mixed with the Rotel in the microwave, mix in the rest of the ingredients and pop in the oven until hot.
Daily Harvest - This one was from September 26, 2010.
Gardening means so many positive things to me that I was having a hard time finding just the right phrase to title my new series. I gave serious consideration to “Kelly Does Dirt,” “Dirty Fingernails Are Nature’s Perfect Manicure,” “Fresh Veggies Are Better Than Making Whoopee,” …well, you get the picture. In other words, I was having a hard core creativity block.
When I gave up brainstorming and closed my laptop, the title “Victory Garden” popped into my head. I realized I didn’t even know the history of the term. So, I “Wikied” it. *I’m guessing I utilize the resource at least once a day. Here’s what I learned:
Victory gardens, also called war gardens or food gardens for defense, were vegetable, fruit and herbgardens planted at private residences and public parks in United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Germany[1] during World War I and World War II to reduce the pressure on the public food supply brought on by the war effort. In addition to indirectly aiding the war effort these gardens were also considered a civil “morale booster” — in that gardeners could feel empowered by their contribution of labor and rewarded by the produce grown. This made victory gardens become a part of daily life on the home front.
What a gift! History had at that moment handed me what I needed. It seems that there has been somewhat of a resurgence the past few years in private residence and public community gardens. Further, my gardens have been my own personal morale booster; they truly have helped me feel empowered by the contribution to our family and health. The “reward of labor” comes almost daily at the height of summer’s harvest.
My first garden's carrots, ready the last week in June, 2009.
As I was sitting around with my friend Amanda, waiting on an appointment, we flipped through the Stockyards City Cookbook. I decided to let her pick the recipe for the week.
I usually steer more towards deserts because April usually has the main course planned ahead for girls night. Amanda loves banana pudding and we decided that Banana Pudding Pie was a nice twist on the recipe!
I have to say it’s not the healthiest desert ever…the girls on Weight Watchers about booted me out of the house after I told them it had heavy whipping cream in it ;)… but it sure did taste good! This is a very rich recipe and some of my girlfriends shared a piece. The whipped topping definitely helped balance out the heaviness of the pie. I also bought the pre-made crust, the one that is slightly bigger and offers 2 extra servings.
A whole fried chicken for under 10 bucks? Sign me up!
Editor’s Note: We are happy to welcome Nancy Osborn, a lifetime okie and owner of Cordero Farms, to the RDC. She’ll be contributing a series she’s entitled the “Red Dirt Dives” approximately once a month. Glad to have you on board, Nancy!~ RDK
***
Sometimes you try a restaurant because a friend has recommended it. Other times it’s because it’s close to where you live or where you are the moment you get hungry. Still other times something pulls you there, like the billboards every five miles on I-90 in the middle of South Dakota praising the virtues of Wall Drug. In the case of a little barbecue joint on Douglas north of Waterloo, it was the sign: a big yellow sign on Waterloo proclaiming “Railhead BBQ.” I loved the name and am a sucker for barbecue, so it was a no-brainer—Railhead BBQ immediately became our lunch destination.
What we found when we went 2 miles east and a half-mile north of the Waterloo exit was a low slung, rust colored concrete building that contrasted with the McMansions across the road. The parking lot in the back was empty, so Max had plenty of room to pull a 180 and park the truck and stock trailer. Inside, there was a room with two TVs blasting sports, each on different channels, and fifteen clean simple tables laid out in a grid. We grabbed a seat and started to dig into the menu. In addition to the standard barbecue fare, they featured a whole rotisserie chicken, a whole fried chicken (eight pieces, “a la Eischen’s”), and a selection of burgers and sandwiches. I really wanted the fried chicken but the menu indicated it would be a minimum of 20 minutes to prepare. I chose barbeque instead, thinking it would be faster and knowing Max needed to get home by 2. I ordered sliced beef, Sue ordered a two-meat combo with ribs and pulled pork, and Max also got the ribs. We all ordered sweet tea, a primary barometer of how I’m going to judge any restaurant.
How young did Gov. Boren look back in 1975?
As we waited for our baskets, I looked around. The décor tended towards the railroad theme with a 35 year-old railroad map of Oklahoma on the wall below a chalkboard train bulletin from the old Marlow station. But there were also pictures of sports and rodeo figures, some autographed, some not. Combined, it created some interest in what was otherwise a pretty basic room. I had lots and lots of time to look around, because it took almost 20 minutes for our dinners to arrive at our table, and by then, I was wishing I’d gone ahead and ordered the fried chicken! Even though it took awhile, it was sure worth the wait…
Have you ever thought about making something for your sweetheart for Valentine’s day? It is next week you know! I’m not talking about cheesy crafts. How about a candle light dinner? Why not make it a tradition and have a candle light dinner for the whole family? It’s crazy trying to eat out on Valentine’s day, much less find a sitter for the kids.
How about this year you plan a special family dinner and a fun family night at home before your kids get old enough to have their own plans? Then you and your sweetie can go out for a quiet dinner for two a day or two after the actual holiday. Today I am going to share a very simple cookie recipe that is quick and even includes a “kiss” just for Valentine’s day. I hope you like it as much as my family and I do.
Well I have to agree with my mom…there are a lot of reasons besides watching football to get together for the Super Bowl. I do like football, but I prefer college over NFL so I really don’t have a team to root for. I love to cook and entertain and can’t wait to have a place big enough to have more get togethers!
I decided to try out some hearty recipes for entertaining as well. My menu includes:
GW’s Deer Chili
Black Bean Salsa
Sausage Stars (not in the cook book)
I am thankful for guy friends who like to hunt otherwise I’m not sure where I would find deer meat!
Yumminess cooking
GW’s Deer Chili
By Katy Davis
1 lb. ground venison
1 link venison sausage
olive oil
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 c. chopped onion
2 jalapenos , minced
1/2 c chopped red and green bell peppers
1 c. smashed tomatoes (or diced)
chopped cilantro
2 tsp. chopped garlic
1 can kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
4 c chicken stock
Heat the oil in a large heavy pan over medium/high heat. Add the ground venison and brown. Add chili powder, cumin, salt and cayenne pepper. Break up the meat. When meat is browned and seasonings well mixed, add the onions, bell peppers and cook until vegetables are soft. Add the tomatoes, cilantro, jalapenos and garlic. Cool for 5 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients. Bring the mixture to a boil, turn heat to low and simmer. Cook uncovered until the mixture begins to thicken, approximately 45 minutes .
I only had the ground venison and that was enough meat…I also added alot of extra cayenne pepper (my mom told you we love cayenne!) so it was spicy!
Editor’s Note – When we began this Stockyards City Cookbook Cook Through, I asked Jani and Whitni to tell it “straight up,” so our readers would know whether or not to try the recipes. It looks like we’ve hit a few “don’t try” recipes, and I think that’s good to know…Thanks, Jani, for publishing the good AND the not-so-good!
Is the Super Bowl really about football? Hold the phone!! I know there are some diehard football fans that have already disagreed with me or else stopped reading. But think about it – if it were really just about football and nothing else, we would be happy to sit in our homes and watch the game without all the fanfare. Right? I personally think it is about so much more than football. Of course it is about football, but it is also about food, fellowship and lets face it, the commercials!
Now that I have established that February 6 is more than just a football game it is time to start planning your menu. So for the next two posts Whitni and I are going to share some recipes out of the Stockyards City Cookbook that you might want to serve at your Super Bowl Party.
Here is our menu for this week;
Slow Cooked Ribs
Great Potato Skins
Chex Party Mix Microwave
Chocolate Chip Cookies (with Bisquick)
So, lets get started.
Slow Cooked Ribs by Celeste Rule Nelson
3-4 lb. Browned Country Style Pork Ribs
1 (12oz) Bottle Chili Sauce
2 T Worcestershire Sauce
2 T Hot Sauce
1 Can Cherry Coke
1 Jar Maraschino Cherries with Juice
The assorted cheeses small plate. Red currant compote, green apple and radish slaw, seasoned pecans, toasted French baguettes and a selection of cheese.
In 1993, my husband and I moved back to Edmond with two kids; when we had left Edmond in 1990, we only had one. We had just finished a short three-year stint in an historical home located in Lincoln Terrace, south of the State Capitol. I still miss that old home, but after having spent several years during my college days at the University of Central Oklahoma, had two children go through their entire primary and secondary education years here, and after having lived here now for a total of twenty-two married years, and a couple of “unmarried years” before that, I feel like my adopted home town is indeed Edmond, Oklahoma.
So, I feel invested in this town. And I feel proud of the special places and amenities it has to offer.
One of my favorite places I’ve been appreciating since it opened is Café 501, located on 5th street and Boulevard, just a little south and east of the downtown area. It’s pretty easy to remember how to get there; the address is the name of the place (501 S. Boulevard) and the phone number includes the name: (405) 359-0501. But I don’t like the restaurant just because I can remember where to go! I like the restaurant because I’m kind of a food snob. I worked in the institutional foodservice distribution business for seven years and visited a great many kitchens during that time. And, have looked at hundreds of menus. And, have had lots and lots of not-so-great meals in restaurants over the past twenty-five years. When I go to Café 501, however, I don’t worry about that.
Whitni in her OSU Orange. Today is "Remember the 10" day. Click on photo for more information about "Remember the 10."
I was pondering on what to cook this week when I possibly got a little carried away. I thought I would kill a few birds with one stone and I ended up going pumpkin crazy!
I spent the afternoon making a few different pumpkin dishes. It actually becomes harder to find pumpkin in the store after the holidays. The way the grocery store is laid out does not make sense to me sometimes! Anyway, after finding the canned pumpkin (under the cake mix boxes?) I was able to begin!
If you add “cream cheese” or “cream cheese frosting” to anything, I can guarantee it will be eaten! All of these items were extremely easy to make and since they had a lot of the same ingredients. If you have a couple of parties or a family to take a meal to these are all great….even the kids will like them!
I’m not sure what recipes I will choose when I have cooked all the Mexican recipes in the Stockyards City Cookbook, but for now I still have a few left to choose from! This week I am cooking Mama’s Chimichangas. I hope you have a hungry group when you fix this because like the other dishes I have made, this one makes a lot of food. The recipe calls for 8 inch tortillas but I used the 8 inch as well as the 12 inch size, giving everyone an option depending on how hungry they were. So, let’s get cookin’!
MAMA’S CHIMICHANGAS
by Patricia Parent
1 lb. Cooked Beef, Pork, or Chicken
1 jar Salsa (16 oz.)
1 can Refried Beans (16 oz.)
1 can Diced Green Chilies (4 oz.)
1 pkg. Taco Seasoning
16 Flour Tortilla (8 inch)
16 oz. pkg. Montery Jack of Cheddar Cheese
Cooking oil (optional)
Cut cheese into sixteen 5 x 1/2 inch sticks. Shred meat (about 3 cups). In a large skilled, combine meat, salsa, beans, undrained chilies and taco seasoning mix. Cook and stir over medium heat until heated through. In another skillet, heat tortillas one at a time, over medium-low heat about 30 seconds per side. For each chimichanga, place 1/3 cup meat mixture on tortilla near one edge. Top with a cheese stick and fold in sides. Roll up, starting with cheese side. Place in a a casserole dish and bake at 350 for 15 minutes.
Kevin (prounced kee-vun) Kraft sits down with our dinner group to tell stories about the Vintage House restaurant development after he and wife, Lori, serenaded the dining room. Kevin runs "the smokehouse," cooks the steaks, and owns the restaurant with his wife.
Julie’s view:
After leaving Dan McGuinness in Edmond, Kelly and I knew we were heading north, but we didn’t really have a set plan. She suggested that I call Nancy at Cordero Farms. An answering machine greeted me, so we decided to just head north on I-35. Our other option was Alva, OK. By this time, it was getting dark, so we decided we needed to find a place to spend the night. Earlier in the day when Kelly mentioned we might go to Alva, I decided to call a sorority sister who lived there. I only mentioned that we might be going that direction and that I would call her if we decided to take that route. I added that I didn’t want her to hear that I’d been there and her be upset with me if I hadn’t called. I laughed; she simply said that she’d know if I showed up. Hmmm. It turns out she was not kidding. Kelly called the bed and breakfast that she’d heard so much about, and got us a room. One room…the only one available. After she made sure it was okay with me that we had to share a room AND a bed after only meeting a few hours earlier we committed to the reservation. I mean, we were in the middle of nowhere by this time. I could also tell from Kelly’s end of the conversation that we were being invited to the local restaurant for a late dinner.
