Labor Day

Posted on September 2, 2013September 2, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Here it is, Labor Day, the unofficial end of summer, the last day to wear white, a day of parties and cook outs and barbeques.

I looked for something new to say about Labor Day but it’s all pretty much the same thing.

The first observance of Labor Day is believed to have been a parade on September 5, 1882, in New York City, probably organized by Peter J. McGuire, a Carpenters and Joiners Union secretary.

By 1893, more than half the states were observing a “Labor Day” on one day or another, and a bill to establish a federal holiday was passed by Congress in 1894. President Grover Cleveland signed the bill soon afterward, designating the first Monday in September as Labor Day.

We’ve all heard that many times. Whenever you google Labor Day that same history comes up. I wanted something new. I may have found it in the 2010 census. I know , a bit out of date but it was the most recent I could find. So here goes, a few facts you might not have known about Labor and/or Labor Day.

134 Million Americans work from home thanks to Skype and the High Speed Internet.
The average time to commute to work is 25.3 minutes.
76% drive alone to work.
9.7% carpool to work
4.9% take public transportation
155.2 million =Number of people age 16 or older in the nation’s labor force. As of 2012, 53% were men and 47% were women.

So now you have some numbers to chew on over your burgers and wings. I hope everyone enjoys the day.

A little Food Post

Posted on August 19, 2013August 19, 2013 by Dusty Roads

I don’t usually post about food or recipes. There are so many really good cooks out there blogging about food but my friend Corporal Chef inspired me to actually post a favorite recipe now and then.

Also on my Facebook feed everyone is posting food recipes, mostly sweet and fattening !(my favorites) I can’t keep up but this one is worth a look.

Actually the one I’m about to share wasn’t a favorite until yesterday because I made it the first time yesterday but what impressed me most was how close to restaurant it tasted!

Everyone knows that Stir Fries are all the rage these days. I ran across this recipe and decided to give it a try.

The name on it was “Hot & Spicy Beef Stir Fry” but it isn’t that hot or spicy. It’s pretty mild. I used my electric Wok set to about 350 degrees. If you have never done a stir fry especial in a wok, it’s crucial that you prep. There’s no time to chop an onion between steps. Stir fries are one of the fastest ways to throw together a meal that I’ve found so be ready! 🙂

When I try a recipe for the first time I make it just like the recipe says. After I have tried it once I tweak it and make it mine. This one doesn’t require much tweaking. I added mushrooms but that was my only change .

So without more “babble” here it is.

I actually found this at All Recipes.com. Let me know if you try it and if you make any changes or “Tweaks”.

Cabby Shack

Posted on August 8, 2013August 8, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Oh I’ve been busy, busy, busy. Monday and Tuesday of the past two weeks have been just beautiful. Low 80’s, sunny and minimal humidity. Perfect days for getting out and about.

I’ve been trying to cram a lot in those 2 days because that’s pretty much the only chance I have to get stories to tell you here. I’m still trying to figure out how my vacation time and money is going to work out with this new job so nothing to report on that front. I’d like to go to Yellowstone next year but I don’t know if that is going to work or not. In the mean time I’ll keep taking “Mini” vacations on Monday and Tuesdays.

The cabby Shack is located in Plymouth, MA right on the waterfront. It’s a typical waterfront restaurant with typical waterfront fare, fried scallops, fish and chips, clam boats, a smaller broiled section and a few burgers.

The food is good and you can sit inside or outside. I stopped there for dinner the other night. Believe me when I tell you that you won’t get any bargain here. I had the fried scallops and a light beer and the bill was $29.00! (Before tip) It’s one of those places where certain dishes are marked “Market price”.

It was good and for an occasional treat, certainly worth it. But back to the reason I chose this restaurant. It made me think of Key West. I know that’s a stretch but the first time I went to Key West we had dinner in a restaurant that had 2 levels. We sat in the upstairs level. The building was surrounded by palm trees.

Well, as you can see in the pictures, this little restaurant in Plymouth also has 2 levels and is surrounded by palm trees. If I have to pay a little extra for the ambiance of the Key West Connection, then so be it.

Now we just need a little Jimmy Buffet to make it perfect.

Seafood Shanty

Posted on August 4, 2013August 4, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Most people choose their restaurants for the food and the ambiance. There’s one roadside clam shack that I choose for the wildlife.

Don’t get me wrong the food is delish…the usual seafood fare but I have as much fun with the birds and chipmunks when I’m there as I do enjoying the food. I typically order the fried scallop plate. It comes with plenty of fries to share.

At first I only had the little birds for company but eventually my friend “Chip” showed up.

Chip snatched up a French fry and it was going ….

going….

gone!

Just like a French Fry eating contest!

If you can tear yourself away from the antics of the birds and chipmunks, you can watch the boats cruise up and down the Cape Cod Canal.

The folks who work here during the season are great.

During this visit I saw a cruise ship on the canal that I’d never seen before. Turns out one of the people that works at the Seafood Shanty has a brother that works on the boat so I got all of the inside scoop! Networking is a wonderful thing, 🙂

Welcome Corporalchef!

Posted on July 30, 2013July 30, 2013 by Dusty Roads

I love finding new blogs to follow and it’s especially nice when I know the person behind the name. It makes me feel like I know a celebrity.

Anyway, one of my former co workers from my “old job”, whom I hold in very high esteem for the job he has always done there, has a habit of posting the most delicious, yummy looking things on Facebook. It appears that he is quite a cook.

To everyone’s delight he has decided to share some of his creations on a new blog along with his comments on some of the celebrity chefs that rule the airwaves today. Look at this mouth watering chicken dinner he recently posted.

Want the recipe? It’s on his blog.

Whether you agree with his observations or not you can’t fault his home grown recipes. I expect his blog will generate some lively discussions.

I hope you’ll check out his blog http://corporalchef.com/

If you like what you see let’s pass it on so he can grow his audience. After all, who doesn’t like food. And maybe we can all say we had a hand in helping the Next Celebrity Chef!