Caribbean Summer Salad

This gorgeous summer salad was presented to me at Bimini, a beautiful restaurant in the Marina Village at the Atlantis Hotel in Nassau, Bahamas.

The huge shrimp were complimented with a fruit and balsamic vinegar dressing. The "breadstick" was a spiced bean paste on the inside of a deep fried and rolled tortilla.

Fresh greens and grilled pineapple rounded out the salad.

It was as delicious as it looked.

The Milkshake Machine

At the Diner we make a lot of milkshakes. We do them the old fashioned way, a stainless steel cup, fresh ice cream plus fruit and milk. Our banana shakes are made with real bananas. Our strawberry shakes are made with fresh frozen strawberries. You get the picture!

For 40+ years, the same Hamilton Beach Blender has been kicking out the shakes day after day. But finally 2 out of 3 motors quit and instead of a working 3 head machine, we were flying with just one blender. Knowing that it too would quit and we are too busy a shop to make milkshakes just one at a time we sought out a brand new blender.

Direct from the factory we received a 3 head Waring brand model. Long story short, the staff hated it. I have never had the girls feel so strongly about a piece of equipment. And for me, each time it fired up it sounded like an underpowered engine. It struggled to blend ice cream and milk. That's a HUGE problem since it's ONLY purpose is to blend ice cream and milk! So it went back to the supplier.

The old machine came out of retirement for a bit and we searched for a "new" old Hamilton Beach 3 Head. It didn't take long to find one as they are quite coveted and so well made they last and last.

Cleaning it up and getting it ready for service and the staff were glowing! Again, I didn't expect so much emotion over a machine. We fired it up, giggled and made 3 shakes at once. Success!

Since this machine will be cherished and well used, we christened her with a name... BETTY. Hamilton Beach "Betty." We are hoping for many great years, and thousands of shakes together. The Retro Diner feels completely right again!

It's a team thing

You know how in baseball you have different players that specialize in different areas? Well, the Retro Diner is certainly no different!

I have a distinct preference as to who I want beside me (cooking) on a Friday at dinner and I know who I like to leisurely start Sunday mornings with.  It's like baseball, you're not going to ask your third baseman to pitch, and you're not going to get your left fielder to play first base.  Different people are better at different things. This is my mantra. I tell my kids this all the time. Each child (or person) has a gift, you just need to find it. And sometimes, those people need outside guidance to find their skills.

In my kitchen, I like a second baseman who can cover "first" if called upon.  I like a second baseman who is going to step up and make the play if I can't. And I like having someone at my side who will back me up if I should happen to drop the ball.

My assistant manager, Desiree used to say, "if you only show up with half a brain, and I do the same, we should be fine today." It makes me smile to think of that.  We coasted through many a Monday that way. I'd make the salad, and she'd do the entree. No chit chat, no discussion. She would go left, I'd go right. If I forgot to start the take-out order, she'd start the chit chat at the register. (Kill some time.) It worked soooo well!

It's a team thing!