Surprisingly Good Meal at HVCC

One of the worst things about being a good cook is that it is nothing for me to throw together a good meal. Russ always says the best food anywhere is in our refrigerator so why should we eat any place other than home. That is a nice compliment, but sometimes it just gets tiring to do all the cooking. This time of year, meaning one week into the diet season, I do start to get a little stir crazy from eating healthy food.
Yes, it is only a week in since I was eating “holiday food” and that is the problem, my mouth still remembers how good bread tasted. I may have broken the hold sugar had on me through the month of December, but somehow I never quite lose my taste for melted cheese. Going out so soon into the “diet season” can be dangerous.
Since Carter is away for the weekend at the mountains on her basketball team retreat and Russ has had a very hard week with his brother and I went to a funeral today it seemed like the perfect night to just go out to dinner. I wasn’t angling for a big night out when I texted Russ to tell him what the options in the fridge were for dinner, but I was happy not to have to cook tonight.  
“Why don’t we just go to the club?” was his text.
Since we live two minutes from our neighborhood club and we needed to use our monthly minimum, I agreed. Usually dinner at the club is not as good as dinner at our house, but then again, I don’t have to shop for it, cook it or clean up after it. That, and it is fun to see friends. Friends are the reason to belong to the club, not the food.
As I was looking at the menu I noticed a number of healthy options that sounded good. I needed to stay away from cheese but I wanted something more than a green salad with chicken. I decided to get something new and went with the squash and bulgar wheat salad with some grilled salmon on top.  
I am sorry to say I did not get a picture of my plate. See, I never thought that something I ate at the club would warrant mentioning in this blog. But tonight I was pleasantly surprised by how yummy my dinner was. When the chef came around to our table I practically gushed about how good my dinner was. Of course I had to tell him exactly what I had since there was no evidence of my dinner left on the plate.
It has been a long time since I had such a nice meal at the club. Russ enjoyed his dinner too, especially the baked oysters. The service was excellent, and the food even came out fairly promptly, even though the place was full. I am happy to report such good news. I am also thrilled that Russ did not walk away saying, “Why do we go out, your food is so much better?”  

I may be able to cook a great meal, but sometime I just like to be served and not be disappointed. I am doubly excited that I was able to get something tasty that I do not regret eating. Good job Hope Valley.