Best Of

Maggie - red lentils are wonderful. They are mild tasting and become creamy with cooking, which is a texture I love. Made into a Pate, daal, or soup, they cook super fast. Also they can be flavored easily with vegies and or a variety of spices. I think they are my favorite lentil. I’ve been resisting the air fryer as I don’t have a lot of counter space, but I’m also th Nking about it. Actually I miss my pressure cooker lol. Way before instaPot I had a Kuhn pressure cooker in the 80’s … and I loved it. Ah memory lane. Being 90% plant based, our bills are lower than meat based, but still grocery bills have doubled. Crazy times.

Carole -do you love the air fryer? My son swears by his.
wally - do you cook with one too?
Tonight was Chinese after all, as DH felt like steamed chicken and broccoli and I splurged on Mei Fun with shrimp, it was wonderful.

For all expecting snow hope not too much falls! We are expecting an inch or so , hopefully no more. The older I get, the more I dislike wet winters . Am on a 3 day weekend from work, and look forward to baking and reading books, snuggled in till Tuesday.

Carole, I have yet to buy an air fryer but I'm thinking more seriously about it. I don't have room for it in the kitchen but I could store it in the basement with my rarely used crockpot unless I started using it frequently . It's amazing how much the price of all meat and fish has gone up. I bought some tilapia today which was nearly twice the price per pound it used to be.

Rhonda, I have only ever cooked green lentils. I'll have to be adventurous and buy some red ones.

I’m not looking forward to the snow that’s coming in tonight.

Dinner tonight was Angus strip steak, cauliflower and scalloped potatoes.

Yum on your dinner, Maggie.

I "hit it out of the ball park" yesterday when I put together an eggplant dish. I used the air fryer to cook the eggplant slices. Instead of Rao's, I made my own sauce with a can of tomatoes, tomato paste and seasonings. I also sauteed a box of fresh spinach, a new ingredient. Cheese was a bag of grated "Italian cheeses" and fresh-grated parm reg in a zip lock in the refrigerator. This new version was every bit as delicious as the "old" version. I gave dh a choice of veggie sides: broccoli, carrots, or turnips. Of course, he chose turnips. The man does love his turnips, and I like them, too.

There's enough leftover eggplant dish for a lunch for one of us. I'm more prone to eat a "leftover" lunch than he is.

Dinner tonight will be catfish that I bought yesterday. It was on sale for $5.99 a lb. The price that used to be regular price. I bought extra and will freeze some dinner portions.

Rouses has the Maple Leaf duck breasts. Two for $15. They are injected with a saline solution.

Carole, Your dinner might not be a common combination but it was a well balanced meal - meat, vegetable and potato.

We’re heading back into the deep freeze tonight. The warmup wasn’t much but it was good to be above freezing during the day.

Dinner tonight was salsa verde chicken enchilada casserole.

Meyer lemons. A very nice gift. I planted a tree one year but it didn't survive. Another year dh and I made marmalade with an abundant supply. I forget whether I bought them at a produce market or someone gave them to us.

I used the air fryer last night to fry breaded eggplant slices. We agreed that they tasted good, even though different from pan fried in olive oil. It was an odd meal. Pork sausage, split and cooked on low temperature in a skillet. Mashed potato salad. I made a big batch of the potato salad because dh likes it for lunch. The deli potato salad is pricey in large containers.

I may buy some catfish fillets for tonight. The thought makes me miss WD's fish counter.

I go to Aldi first and then go across the street to Hannaford to fill in the blanks.

Wally, You always do something nice for the medical providers who help you out.

Minus, I’m glad you have beaten that nasty flu. Enjoy the Meyer lemons.

Nance, I take all the peanuts for my serving of Kung Pao since DH likes the sauce but not the nuts.

Dinner tonight was pan fried tilapia, sautéed asparagus and sautéed potatoes.

Minus glad you’ve turned the corner. By all accounts this flu is long lasting. I totally share your feelings about tofu. It’s most definitely a texture thing with me. I have the same reaction to scallops and I’m a seafood lover.

I’m an Aldi fan. W have a bunch of them. I try to get there once a month or so. I’m sorry you’re losing your grocery store Carole. I’ve never been in a Rouses but I’ve shopped Winn Dixie plenty. I even have a loyalty card lol.

Maggie Kung pao is my favorite. When I make it myself I always add extra peanuts. In fact I judge the quality of carry out kung pao based on the level of spice and amount of peanuts.

Tonight is homemade minestrone and garlic bread.

We had Aldi grocery store in WI and I liked it…reminded me a bit like Trader Joe.

I wish Maple Leaf would not inject their products with saline/??

I brought some cookies (store bought) to the Radiation Oncology today. The tech was so incredibly sweet to re-arrange our schedule so we didn't have to arrive at 8am.

Frozen pizza tonight. Tomorrow, sockeye salmon…the big slab o fish.

Carole, I’m sorry your supermarket has changed hands. It tends to be a bit of a mixed bag with favorites no longer available but some new good products.

I’ve only ever cooked duck when DH brought it home after consulting with Maple Leaf Farms. I should consider buying some.

Wally, I’m glad the tri-tip in the crockpot worked out well and that your DH is tolerating radiation.

Dinner tonight was Kung Pao chicken with red and green bell peppers on rice.