Throughout the last many months, it seems the Devil is working overtime and trying to instill hate and violence across communities and the World. The news is nothing but negative stories that support my theory that we have evil people in charge or being influenced by malicious villains.
Everything is focused on violence, end-of-the-world, and warmongering – murder, death, kill (aka 187) is trending, which scares me. We are forced to believe that all hope is lost, and some people and groups are attempting to make you believe that God is dead.
I have stopped listening or seeing the news because it offers no positive updates that make my life more enjoyable. On the contrary, the evil news makes my frustration and anger grow, and I’m thereby feeding into the Devil’s plan.
People can no longer have conversations and respect differing opinions, so I do not utter or share my views on specific events. It is a toxic environment in which too many emotions are involved.
As such, I focus on spending time with my wife, my kids, good friends, and, of course, my family back in Denmark. I believe in God taking solace in prayers and respecting my fellow citizens. Faith, Friends, and Family are essential to staying sane. It is necessary and makes me happy.
My wife and I attempt to set up date nights to appreciate each other and to live a more enjoyable and lovable life. Setting aside time with your wife (or husband) to keep the fire going and share adventures is essential.
Last Friday, we had another terrific date night at the fantastic Rooftop at Pier 17 to see our favorite band, NEEDTOBREATHE. The weather was fabulous, and so was the company.
Southern Rock Under the Stars
From Pier 17, you can see spectacular views of the Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn Heights, East River, and the Manhattan Skyline (up close). The Seaport hosts a few eateries and bars, but it is pretty expensive to eat there.
The journey from our house to Pier 17 took just shy of two hours, so we attempted to leave at 4 p.m., knowing that we would hit some rush hour traffic around the NYC main bridges.
We listened to all the cool tracks NEEDTOBREATHE has released to prepare for the concert, at least pretending to know the songs as the band kicked into gear.
We parked the car opposite the venue, rebooked the parking with SpotHero, and walked hand-in-hand towards Pier 17. We spotted an empty, cool, hole-in-the-wall taco place along the way and decided to try it out.
Eating a burrito can sometimes be a gamble, especially if you have some challenges with spicy food. You only live once!
The food was simple and very tasty, and I had great company who reminded me of when bits of food were stuck in my beard.
I will not describe the concert in detail, but I will admit I have not been this close to the stage since puberty and late teens. Well, I did some crowd surfing in my early twenties at a large festival in Denmark, but we did not have iPhones back then, thankfully.
Judah and the Lion entertained us for an hour. Although we knew only one of their songs, we clapped along and enjoyed the craziness of the lead singer. This band has a lot of happy energy, reminding me of surfer dudes. Great fun!
NEEDTOBREATHE, a Southern rock band, kicked off their concert with cheers and screams, and, I’m sure, a few bras were thrown at the stage. I left my spare bra at home LOL!
They rocked. They talked. They rocked some more. They impressed us with an acoustic session in front of where we stood, and Bear (lead singer) walked amongst the audience.
It was a captivating and happy concert. Everyone was there to enjoy themselves, and I’m positive we all pushed the negative thoughts out of our heads while rocking the house!
As you can see from the pictures, we were very close to the stage, and I’m sure I caught the band members staring at my beard sometimes.
The weather was superb. The date was perfect. The music was exceptional. The venue was fabulous. All in all, it was a fantastic evening.
Thank you, Judah and the Lion and NEEDTOBREATHE, for making a date night perfect!
Week Twenty-three Meals
Time to prepare and cook some meals!
I’ve been waiting for 10 months for our local farmer’s market to restart, as we prefer to shop and eat vegetables locally grown.
As I left the local grocery store Sunday morning after buying the goods I needed for the week, I glanced at the farmer’s market and realized I had completely forgotten about the market. I guess I’m getting older!
I’m preparing three main dinners from scratch this week and using leftover dinners from previous weeks. During my rummage through the freezer, I discovered I had neglected to label the bags, so it’ll be a freezer meal lottery, as I have no real idea what it might be.
We will experience dinners from Denmark, Thailand, and Chile, and I’m excited.
I’m also excited to use my outdoor kitchen to prepare food for the coming week.
School Lunches
I want to make a few quick lunches for the kids this week and took the opportunity to grill a few chicken thighs and burgers.
Our daughter has her 8th grade party on Thursday, heading to an amusement park, which the PTA organizes. It’s an entire day trip, and I believe it includes lunch – I hope, but I will still prepare a snack for her.
As stated, I grilled a few chicken thighs and will make a simple Caesar salad.
I bought some bread at the supermarket and will make a differently constructed burger inspired by the hero sandwich.
For a lighter lunch, I’m making a pasta salad using some fresh vegetables and olive oil and will blend in feta cheese.
The last two lunches will be egg muffins with spinach and red peppers, and the second lunch will be stuffed croissants with roast beef and American yellow cheese.
Dinner Time
We will travel across three continents for our main dinners this week.
Starting in Asia, I found a delicious-sounding Thai recipe for a seafood stew using shrimp and cod. Something tells me it is labeled a Thai dish because it contains lime and coconut and could resemble the Tom Kha Gai Soup. But the aroma that engulfed the kitchen was unique, and I’m sure it’ll be tasty.
Next, we fly to South America to try a dish from my beloved wife’s homeland, Chile.
The dish is essentially a beef stew (or soup) using similar ingredients as a traditional beef stew, but the liquid is more soup-like instead of stew. I browned some locally harvested beef short ribs, added vegetables such as onions, carrots, and red potatoes (peeled), and then added the corn.
Lastly, we sail on the longboat to Denmark, my home country, to sample one of my favorite Danish dinners. It’s called hakkebøf med løg of kartofler, which roughly translates to ground beef steaks with sauteed onions and potatoes.
I beefed up the dish by making a creamed mushroom gravy and will top it off with Danish lettuce, aka bacon.
Lastly, we will have a leftover meal from previous weeks. I believe it is shrimp and sausage served with pasta, but we will know when I start defrosting it.
In case you are wondering why I shared a picture of spare ribs, well, I decided to make them using a Chilean recipe. I marinated the ribs for a few hours and grilled them at 335F until they reached an internal temperature of 165F.
While the ribs were excellent, they were not as tender as the 1-2-3 spare ribs.
Meal Prep Party Pictures
Meal Plan
| Lunch | Dinner | |
| Monday | Caesar Salad with grilled Chicken | Thai Lime Shrimp & Cod Stew |
| Tuesday | Stuffed Croissant with Roastbeef and Cheese | Sausage and Shrimp Pasta (freezer-meal-lottery) |
| Wednesday | Pasta Salad (tomato, cucumber, and feta) | Chilean Beef Cazuela |
| Thursday | Egg Muffins (pepper and spinach) | Danish Ground Beef Steaks with Potatoes and Mushroom gravy |
| Friday | Beef Burger Cheese Hero | Over-the-fire Pizza |
One day, I might get so organized that I will link the meals below to my recipes. We can only live in hope!
Have a fantastic week, my friends. I hope you enjoy these meal plans. It is much easier to make food in advance, although you must invest several hours preparing meals during the weekend.
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The Viking Heart Within 