Friday, May 13, 2022

Life Beneath the Omadome

There's some construction going on around an older strip of shops nearby. Removing the siding from the building, the workers exposed a bit of 70s Omaha for viewing. I pulled over, parked and snapped some photos. The original shop was a liquor store that also had a currency exchange. I can't remember the last time the credit cards were called, BankAmericard or MasterCharge, but I sort of *think* it was the 80s. 

The Pepsi logo more or less looks the same. Hard to imagine any tourists in this neighbourhood back then-all it had was a couple of hospitals and a very nice library neither of which seem like the sort of destinations requiring booze and or tourist services. Anyway, there's your hidden glimpse of old Omaha before it gets new siding put up over it.

I cooked the leg of lamb on Saturday, and as I type on Thursday there's still a couple more meals to be had from it. It was such a good price (less than ground beef/mince) and the boys were thrilled to have such a treat. After the initial roasting there wasn't much to do except slice it for salads, or in the last days, make a curry with the small pieces. As you can see I served it the first night with asparagus, a butter bean dish, cabbage, and a cucumber salad. 
Without exaggeration, these really are the nicest beans! 
And the cooked bean dish was rather special as well
Recipe HERE. Danny said he'd be happy to eat these every day for the rest of his life! 



 Everyone was so interested in the fresh chickpeas from the previous post, so I remembered to take some photos of them shelled, and in the pods.


 

There's only one or two peas in each pod, so it is quite a lot of work shelling them, and then removing the skins but the payoff is worth it. To me anyway. You might have a better way to spend an hour.

I roasted the lamb with rosemary, lavender, and garlic. Not terribly original, but it got the job done. I didn't ruin it either, so that was good. I did break a meat thermometer, but it was getting ready to die anyway, and at least it went out on a high point. 
Red cabbage, onion, bell peppers, fresh corn in a vinaigrette dressing. It was a nice compliment to the fatty lamb. No mint sauce or jelly in sight as the boys both hate it. No, I don't know what's wrong with them. The idea of having lamb without mint is very strange to me but I wasn't eating it so I gave them the meal they wanted rather than the meal I thought they should want. I'm considerate that way😁.

Now that we're fed, how about some clothing?

You've seen this 1970s sundress before, and the 80s tote bag as well. The shoes are about 10 years old. I found a second pair at Goodwill so now I should be set for orange summer shoes. 
I do like brass accessories!
This Lagerfeld dress came from a consignment shop. They're a little more expensive than the thrift stores, but better quality stuff. Not the sort of thing I usually wear, but I took a chance and tried it on. Well, that was that once I saw how well it fit. 


The shoes came from TJ Maxx. They're seriously sturdy shoes that still give me a bit of height. I absolutely love them. 
Better look at the hem.
The back is nice too. 
Someone yelled to me across the grocery store that he liked my dress, so I'll take that as a solid second opinion. 
Here's something I didn't buy. It is a new with tags dress from Cache that the thrift store thought would sell for $51.00USD. It didn't, and they now have it reduced to half price, but it is still too much. Sometimes they forget it is a thrift store. What I found interesting about it is what a blatant Paganne by Gene Berk rip-off it is. Anyway, I didn't buy it. 
I didn't buy the Mr. Creosote cookie jar either, but someone did because it was gone a few minutes later. 
Remember when I baked the cake? That was probably the best cake I ever baked.

This 80s does 50s dress is too big now, but there's room to move the buttons, so that's on my list of tasks for the weekend. I really like this dress, and want to be able to wear it.
Must be summer if there's a flower in my hair.
Brooch is Sara Coventry.

Finally, this yellow dress I re-discovered in a carton at the back of Danny's closet last summer. I have so many yellow dresses, but vey few in such a bright shade. Yellow is versatile as it works well with blue, green, white, grey, and even brown. Black of course, and sometimes even something like red or pink. The vintage raffia and wooden beaded handbag is by Walborg and is probably 60s. 
I had to wear a cardigan despite the 98 degree temperature because the air conditioning is going at full blast everywhere. It got a little big, so I knotted it at the waist and no one knows that I wasn't being deliberately fashionable. Shhhh, that'll be our secret. 


We have severe storms coming through tonight which isn't surprising given the instability in the air. Our wind has been rather forceful even without the storms but a bit of rain to get the smoke and dust out of the air would be welcome. We're expecting cooler (but still hot) temperatures for the rest of the week. Fingers crossed tornadoes and the like stay away. See you next time. 
Updated: The severe storms went around us.

 

*The legend of a dome operated out of Stratcom that deflects bad weather away from the city. 







 






 



12 comments:

Emily said...

Those are some beautiful, beautiful dresses! And the cake is the funniest one you've ever made.

I don't believe I've ever had a recipe that involved dill, lemon, tomato, and rose. I may have to give that recipe a try.

Wikipedia says MasterCharge was used from 1969-1979. The mural ads are so pretty, it's a shame to get rid of them or cover them up. I wish the producers of a period television show or movie could shoot some scenes on location while they can, to take advantage of the murals.

bahnwärterin said...

your lamb roast and the whole dish looks and sound extra delicious!

lots of lovely dresses today! the lagerfeld one is a stunner - beautiful made... but you look fabulous in all of the dresses! love the ethno print number from the 70s - and the brass accessories - and now i need a yellow dress in my life. desperately :-D

glad the severe storms missed you!
xxxx

JanF said...

You look so good in all these outfits. I know you think you are now too thin but I think all is good.
I just cannot believe how you are able to store all these clothes and remember how to find them.

Goody said...

@JanF
I don't know what your issues are, but for the love of god, stop projecting them onto me. I will be blocking all further posts and emails from you as I've been doing but this one slipped through. Get yourself some help, and leave me the hell alone.

Polyester Princess said...

I just love old shop fronts, and would definitely have stopped to take photos too!
The lamb and beans look mouthwateringly delicious.
And I can't get over the utter fabulousness of that Lagerfeld dress! Nor its price! What a stunner, and what a find! xxx

Beth Waltz said...

Literally cannot imagine shoes better suited to the bold lines and print of the Lagerfield dress than those "seriously sturdy" shoes from TJ Maxx. For those, I'd make the extra effort (expense, actually) to have my toenails painted red! Quite right, that a compliment yelled across a grocery store is a solid endorsement!

Vronni's Style Meanderings said...

What a marvellous selection of dresses! My favourite was the black and red striped; it looked fabulous on you. I had one of those beaded and raffia bags as a teenager; wish I'd kept hold of it. Loved the yellow dress and matching cardi and those chunky sandals. Our rule of thumb in the charity shop is to price new with tags clothes at half price unless they're your basic supermarket brand or designer... The lamb meal looked delicious. Glad the storm side stepped you!
xxx

Anonymous said...

I just love your cake decorating. So much fun.

Best Wishes,
Gail from Pa

Sheila said...

Oh my gosh, your dresses!! I love the Lagerfeld (I also am persuaded by fit and better quality at consignment stores) and the shoes you're wearing with it. Oh, that Cache dress - those were huge in the mid-00s, right around 2006. Every label made them, and they're gross polyester. Good call on passing on it.

You made a Mr. Creosote CAKE?? You are now my idol.

The yellow dress is one I would wear - LOVE IT. I like aqua with yellow.

Señora Allnut said...

Great job cooking the lamb leg and making the most of it!, I like that cooked beans recipe, easy and tasty (totally my kind of thing!).
Lovely 70's sundress and brass jewellery!. So fabulous Lagerfeld dress, the design and shape are amazing and you rock it (I like those sturdy sandals!). So many lovely dresses, that 80's one is really amazing and love the yellow one (the knotted cardi is a great idea!).
besos

Vix said...

Fab frocks, Mrs! If you ever get bored with that 1970s sundress I'm your woman - not that you should, it looks fabulous on you.
Plump and Nice sounds like a something a predatory bloke would use as a chat up line.
I'm fascinated by those chick peas and appalled that those ads are going to vanish forever - someone needs to give a Hollywood props company a call! xxx

Goody said...

@Emily
Thank you! I've been tempted to reproduce the cake and enter it in the decorating contest at the State Fair. I hope I can do the fair again this year, Danny isn't interested anymore but I still am!
Our city is being completely re-done, and it looks terrible. And then, the rents go up and no one has a place to live. Argh, don't get me started.

@Beate
Thank you!
Yellow is a good colour as there's almost a shade for everyone.

@Ann
Thank you! I was so afraid I was going to ruin the lamb, I'm just relieved it came together. I should visit that consignment shop again, especially now that our thrift stores have started pricing like they're Harrods :)

@Beth
Don't look too closely at the pedicure-I never was very good as colouring inside the lines ! I also pretty much painted the skin where half my big toenail broke off.

@Vronni
Half price would explain their thinking, it is just so strange because they never used to do that. I have to laugh when something is new with tags from the 60s and they price it at more than it sold for. Especially when it is something like slips.

@Gail
Thank You! I hope Dan never gets tired of novelty cakes. For his half birthday in June I do the same chocolate raspberry cake that's delicious, but not all that pretty.

@Sheila
I don't mind polyester (I'm always freezing and literally don't sweat which is a problem in high heat) but this one was such a rip off of Paganne, I'd rather have the real thing.

@Monica
Thank you! I suspect we'd get along well in a kitchen cooking together. Beans are always good to have.

@Vix
Plump and nice would be an improvement on some of the lines I've had used on me!