September 11, 2021

WEEKLY MENU 09.12.21

We’re keeping an eye on the sky during the Weekly Menu 09.12.21 ~ sunsets are getting earlier but no less fantastic!

Summer is still actually in place, despite the Labor Day holiday last week, and the Weekly Menu 09.12.21 celebrates one of the best parts of it around Erieland: sunsets!

Erie, Pennsylvania is famous for being on Lake Erie and having fabulous Presque Isle. It’s also consistently at the top of lists of the best sunsets in the world. I usually hear “Top-5”, but have heard about us moving up the ranks too. Do we have the 2nd-best sunset in the world? Come visit and find out!

One of the best parts of autumn around here is that we don’t have to wait until 9:00 PM to see the sun set. Right now it’s around 7:35 or so – perfect for either before or after dinner.

Why is our sunset so beautiful?

I think there are two reasons – the lake not only makes a perfect foil for the sunset, it provides plenty of moisture to frame it. Plus? We have abundant places to view the sun slowly sliding into the horizon. Presque Isle State Park is a gorgeous location to sit on the sand and watch, but it’s certainly not the only place around here with a good view. Check out “5 Places to Watch the Sunset in Erie, Pennsylvania” for more ideas.

Of course, sometimes heading north on 1-79, cresting the final hill, works a charm too.

The Weekly Menu 09.12.21 has meals to eat before AND after watching a beautiful sunset. We’re having a mini-Italian feast to start the week- Sausage Ragu is making another appearance. It was scheduled last week, but the Waterford Fair took us unawares and we ate carnival food instead. (I didn’t know how much I needed a corn dog.)

Bert is grilling again and again too – we’re getting it out there while we still can. We’re smearing some burgers with barbecue sauce and melting some cheddar cheese on top before bunning them. On Tuesday, we’re having grilled chicken on a “big-salad” with tangy lime dressing. And on Wednesday, we’re grilling salmon filets.

But the potential star of the sunset viewing meals is on Thursday – Dolly’s Crockpot Sausage Sammies. Who is Dolly? Bert’s mom, and potentially the best mother-in-law ever. She never had anything but good to say about the way we were bringing up the boys and the way we were living. I’ve been hearing about these sandwiches since we got married, and have never been able to replicate them. Interestingly, Bert was talking to his favorite sister the other day and she mentioned tomato soup as the sauce base.

Game Changer Alert!

Bert had mentioned that the sauce was a “little sweet but tomato based”. I was using, you know, tomato sauce for the base. And adding a bit of honey to take the edge off. Tomato soup makes so much more sense – the patties are put in the crockpot and smothered with peppers before being covered with the soup. I’ll let you know how it turns out. I’m sure a good bit of the taste that Bert is remembering is due to the sausage, but we’ll give it a shot. Fingers crossed!