LaRosa’s Andover – The One Pound Meatball

Our Meal at LaRosa’s Andover
The one pound meatball, salads and rose from LaRosa's Andover
The menu, the artichoke, fennel, lemon dijon vinaigrette salad, the shaved celery Caesar salad, my glass of Rosé and the one pound meatball.

 

 

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of stopping in to LaRosa’s Café and Bar in Andover, MA. I’ve enjoyed lunch and events here before, but I’d not yet been in for dinner. When a friend posted a pic of LaRosa’s one pound meatball, I couldn’t get it off my mind.

Tony and I enjoyed a relaxing meal on the patio in LaRosa’s quaint outdoor seating area. While our mini-meal (two salads, one meatball) was delightful, I was most impressed with one question. Our waiter kindly asked if we would like bread for the table. Interestingly, I’ve never been asked that before. We weren’t all that hungry, so the answer was an easy no. But had that bread shown up, I would have eaten it. That’s just the way it is. So, I was happy to have had the right of refusal. It was a nice touch and seeing we couldn’t even finish the meatball, I was glad not to have filled up on bread.

Service was friendly, our salads were delicious (Tony got a unique take on a Caesar salad with shaved celery instead of romaine – quite good!) and the meatball with honey basil whipped ricotta was divine. Yummy!

If you’ve not been, LaRosa’s Andover is definitely worth a visit.

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Memorial Day Weekend – What a Weird One It Was

I hope you had a great Memorial Day weekend. Mine was strange. No youth sports, no yardwork, no lake, no beach and no one around town. The term ghost town was thrown out more than a few times.  It was just a quiet weekend at home that seemed to foreshadow my future.

There was a Red Sox game on the agenda, but Tony and I didn’t go. The girls took our tickets and brought their friends. Now with drivers in the mix (not my kids yet, thank God – that’s a post for another day), the gang happily took off for an afternoon of fun in the city.

Holy cow, I thought, this is our life now. Kind of crazy-kind of great! With time on my side, my mind started spinning with things I need and want to do. Continuing work on this blog is one of them. But before I jump into a new round of blog posts, I wanted to check in and first say thank you for continuing to read 3 Olives & a Twist. I love hearing from you and I so enjoy the opportunity to write here on a regular basis.

Blog Posts Every Tuesday and Thursday

In case you missed it, back in April, I mentioned that my new “regular” is every TUESDAY and THURSDAY. I’ve had a few readers ask where my Monday post had gone, so just wanted to be sure you had my latest schedule.

And now onto summer. With Memorial Day weekend behind us, and summer mode already in effect, my posts may take on a slightly more relaxed look and feel. There will be more throwback Thursday posts, short shout-outs to cool summer experiences and more photos with likely less writing. A picture is worth a thousand words, right?

Subscribe or ReSubscribe

I hope you’ll stay in touch by subscribing for email notifications. If you already have and, for some reason, no longer receive updates to your inbox, please try signing up again. I apologize to anyone whose email may have dropped off the list. I’m afraid the mystery of blog technology escapes me.

I look forward to continue bringing you cocktail worthy content!

Summer here we come – cheers!

Please continue to share my blog and suggest your friends and family start following too.

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Would You Rather – Rejection or No Response?

A brick wall – what I feel like I’m talking to when pitching agents.

 

In my quest to have my book Musing Mediterranean picked up by an agent, the only thing I find more disappointing than rejection is the far more common – no response.

No News is Good News?

As a writer, lack of response is something I’ve come to expect and the old adage “no news is good news” really doesn’t work here. There comes a point when you just want an answer. But agents, editors and publishers are inundated with pitches, queries and proposals. I realize it would be impossible for them to respond to each and every one.

I’ve heard stories from fellow writers who have received so many rejection letters, they say they could wallpaper a room with them. Well, how do I wallpaper a room with nothing, nada, zilch? Am I jealous of their rejections?

On the other hand, I get it and may actually be guilty of it myself. In today’s day and age, it’s nearly impossible to get back to every email, text or Facebook message. Not to mention the oft forgotten voice message! I so often lose track, it’s laughable. Thank God I don’t use Snapchat.

Just Respond Already!

I think it’s interesting that my daughters are appalled if they happen to notice I haven’t immediately responded to a text or email. Mom, they’ll say, so and so texted you three minutes ago and you haven’t responded.

As overly attached as they all are to their social media, they seem to have mastered the notion that a timely response is not only desired, but expected. In their world, no response is considered an all-time insult.

Rejection

And so I’ve come to actually get excited when a rejection comes in. Those I’ve received have been thoughtful and helpful. They also let me know that my work has been seen and considered. I’ll take that over a lifetime in limbo any day.

Have you run into the no response battle? How do you deal with it?

Don’t worry, if you don’t respond I won’t be offended.

 

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Tonight’s the Night! Shop ’til You Drop 2017

Shop 'tl you drop location - Stevens Estate

 

I hope you’ll join us at the beautiful Stevens Estate in North Andover for a fun night of shopping, sipping and schmoozing. Only $5 at the door to benefit North Andover Veterans Services and the North Andover Women’s Club Scholarship Fund. Check out the event’s Facebook page and get a sneak peek at some of the great vendors who will be in attendance. I’ll be there and if I’m not busy doling out chocolate candy disguised as martini olives, you’ll find me shopping ’til I drop.

Shop ’til You Drop Details:

 

shop 'til you drop event flyer

Click here for the post from last year’s event and…

STAY COOL!

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My Doggie Dilemma – To Stroll or Not to Stroll?

OK, I know I’ve gone legit crazy, but hear me out. This may not be as insane as it initially sounds.

If you’ve been with me for a while, you know I’m obsessed with my dog. Lately, I’ve been contemplating a doggie stroller. Before you say I’ve lost my mind, let me explain. Oscar is eleven years old, he’s diabetic and, worst of all, he’s lazy. He walks every day, except when he doesn’t feel like it. I don’t push him to go because 1) I worry too much about him and 2) he’s stubborn as all get out. At 30 lbs, the only way to get him to go someplace when he doesn’t want to is to carry him. That’s just not happening.

The thing is, we have a great daily routine. Every morning we meet up with other neighborhood dogs in an area just half a mile from home. The dogs run off-leash, sniff at their leisure and become one with nature. It’s awesome – Oscar loves it and so do I. When he doesn’t want to walk, I either don’t go or, I drive him to meet up with his furry friends.

This has worked out pretty well until recently when I started using a Fitbit. Every time Oscar skipped his walk, I realized I was missing out on precious steps.

Enter my great idea…a doggie stroller. It’s perfect!, I explained to my dog walking pals. I still get my steps and Oscar gets to our doggie park destination without trudging around the neighborhood attached to that dastardly leash.  Once the laughter ceased, my friends surmised that Oscar would either hate it or he’d never walk again.

Truthfully, I’m pretty sure he’d love it (he’s such a prince), but I agree that his motivation to move might wane even more if he knows there’s a chariot awaiting. I know his walks are good for him and I don’t want to risk losing them.

So, what do you think? Is a doggie stroller a bad idea?

One last plug for the doggie stroller – Oscar is as heat resistant as a snowman. He never walks in temperatures above 75 degrees. The stroller would be a nice summer option to get him out and about to meet up with his friends.

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