WEEKLY MENU 04.07.24
We’re eclipsing the Weekly Menu 04.07.24~
Beautiful Erieland is in the PATH OF TOTALITY during the Weekly Menu 04.07.24! We have been hearing about nothing but the eclipse for nigh upon a year now, and I can’t wait for Monday, April 8th to get here so we can experience the eclipse and stop anticipating it.
Erie, Pennsylvania has a population of about 100,000 people, but we are being warned that the total number of visitors on Monday could be double that. Why? In addition to being in the PATH OF TOTALITY (I say that in a deep, loud voice in my head every time, just FYI) we have gorgeous Presque Isle, a 3200-acre sandy peninsula that arches into Lake Erie. It’ll make for an outstanding viewing place for the eclipse. The full totality is just a short part of it – the entire event takes about two and a half hours, with the totality itself only being about 3 minutes, and 42 seconds.
There are a few issues. As you might expect, dear reader, there is a reason many of us take Vitamin D all winter and spring around here. The weather forecasters tell us the sky will be “partly cloudy”, which could mean anything from a few fluffy clouds to full-coverage gray. Plus, all the visitors will strain the infrastructure of our lovely burg including Presque Isle, which has a two-lane, meandering 13.3 mile loop to navigate.
Watch parties abound~
And most businesses are closed at least for the afternoon on Monday. The traffic might be as interesting to watch as the sun, so we plan on experiencing both from the backyard and not traveling at all.
We’ve been warned (ad nauseum) about buying and wearing appropriate eye coverings for the non-totality portion of the eclipse, and the tents selling same have popped up in various parking lots around town. I’m pretty sure you can get a kitschy T-shirt and hat at the same time. The hotels are going for four times their normal rates, and the restaurants will be super busy. You’ve got to love capitalism.
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Erie won’t be in the PATH OF TOTALITY again until 2144.
So we need to celebrate while we can. How are we partying (in the backyard)? With some sun and moon treats, of course! Our drink of the day is Solar Splash Party Punch, which is orange juice frozen into round ice cubes in a glass of Sprite dyed black. Don’t worry if you don’t have a round ice cube mold. Regular square ice will look cool as well.
We’re having a big round pizza or two, with sliced meatballs and pepperoni decorations on top. I’ll probably artfully layer the ‘balls and pepperoni to look like an eclipse. The side is a green salad with mandarin oranges. So sun-like!
Dessert is going to be round sugar cookies (that we’ll buy in a tube) dotted with some frosting and topped with an Oreo. It’s just hokey enough that I love it. Of course, we’ll have a bag of Sun Chips, and possibly some Moon Pies to complete our day.
UPDATE: The Sun/Moon cookies were a fail, looks-wise, but they were hella tasty. Even with no black food coloring (I mixed green, blue and red instead) the Solar Splash Party Punch was darling.
WEEKLY MENU 04.07.24
The rest of the Weekly Menu 04.07.24 isn’t nearly as entertaining as the Eclipse Party. We’re taking Pork Milanese and turning it into Pork Parmigiana by adding some pasta sauce and cheese. Plenty of cheese.
Bert is my idea man. Have I ever mentioned that before? He comes up with the best ideas for food, and then I execute them. We’re always looking for ways to make pork more appetizing around here because it’s so economical. Unfortunately, it can be boring. Everyone is on board for this Bert plan!
The big salad this week is on Taco Tuesday. Chicken Fajita Sheet Pan Salad is super easy and filling. Baby Boy requested a sausage meal, so we’re having one of his favorites: Sausage Orecchiette. It’s another super easy, one-pan meal!
WEEKLY MENU 04.07.24
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