So...whats for dinner?
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Hi.. HL....My wife and I, too, like to hike. Grand Canyon, White Tank Mtns, Superstition Mtns, Kendrick Pk...all in Arizona.
Chi...Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That looked both good and fun. I was glad to be able to at least take a look.
DD talked Sharon trying veganism, and I'm going along for "the ride". Last night Sharon made a pasta dish with vegetable (carrots, broccoli, onion, garlic, eggplant), ginger and mushroom stir fried in sesame oil. It was VERY good. It used some of the now dried Birds Eye peppers that I grew last year and I think the pepper's taste fit into the dish very nicely.
This year I'm growing Serrano Peppers in the back yard. When I've grown these in the past, I've boiling water canned some (in 2 parts vinegar, 1 part water) and dried some. I slit the canned ones to make sure the "juice" can get into the pepper fairly quickly.
Tonight I cooked a bean "burger"....Sharon liked it, but I think the spices need some adjustment. I've cooked quite a bit of vegan stuff for DD and the spices are what makes or breaks the dish. The "next time try" note is to use more of all the spices except the pepper. After that, I may try some diced onion in the "burger".
It turns out the move toward vegan wasn't that much of a move from where we had been eating. At one physical exam, my total cholesterol was at 201 mg/dl (1 "point" over the "limit") and the NP gave me a book that stressed a mostly plants for food diet. Following the book's advice dropped my total cholesterol to the mid 140s. Oddly enough my HDL remained at 39, despite all of my exercise.
Carole, I hope the tornadoes just stay away from everyone...everywhere.
DD just called, "Dad, this Sunday, can you make a double batch of sourdough rolls?" Now, to figure out what else to cook. :-)
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Hiking Lady - glad to see you over here. Kauai is my favorite island. Loved reading about everyone's meals.
For dunch, I sauteed mushrooms with garlic and thin pork loin medallions then simmered with a brandy cream sauce & served on noodles. I think the addition of a 'glop' of Dijon mustard is a winner. I don't usually fool with Bechamel for myself, but it turned out to be very good.
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Last night was large breaded shrimp (Louisiana fish fry breading) cooked in the air fryer. Over-cooked a little but still good. Home-made tartar sauce (made by dh). Sauteed zucchini, browned in a small amount of butter. Slices of lightly buttered French bread heated in oven.
Eric, I'll be interested in your vegan meals. And also in whether you continue to find them satisfying. I smiled at your daughter's request for double batches of rolls. What is the menu for vegan Easter dinner?
Lacey, your lamb burger sounded good. You do like your onions as much as I dislike them!
Tomorrow morning I will be boiling a smoked shoulder ham, making a mashed potato salad and also a large tossed salad with romaine and additions. Instead of blue cheese I will put coarse grated parm reg in the salad and use a Caesar dressing. We will transport the food to my sister's house where the family will gather. I'm thinking this will be the last family meal with my mother. She has been visibly failing in body and mind as to be expected with her age and health issues.
Tonight will probably be chicken thighs, yet to be purchased.
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First time in this topic. Last night we had small portions of salmon filet, steamed broccoli, and green salad. Tonight dinner will be chicken tortilla soup my best friend made. And tomorrow for Easter, we'll have ham, mashed sweet potatoes, asparagus, and rhubarb pie. Daughter and her 2 children will join us. I told Daughter to bring something she knows the kids will eat besides the ham. I think she'll do a pan of macaroni and cheese and some cut veggies. And I doubt the kids will eat my pie, so maybe something else for dessert, too.
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Carole, I'm so sorry about your mom, it's so difficult watching their decline. How nice that's she's able to get out to celebrate with your family tomorrow. I think my dad missed that ability most of all.
Tonight is calzone and a salad. I'm also making a raspberry and whipped cream Swiss roll for dessert. Tomorrow we are going to friends for Easter brunch. If we have any appetite for supper, I'll warm a ham butt, sautee some asparagus and tiny new potatoes. If we're too stuffed from brunch, a distinct possibility, it will be omelets for dinner and the ham for Monday night.
Happy Passover and Easter my friends.
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Welcome, Hiking Lady and MountainMia!
Last night was our usual Friday dinner of homemade pizza. This time I made individual crusts. Our granddaughter is here for the weekend so we had a variety of toppings. Tonight will be planned overs of layered chicken enchilada casserole since we plan to be out and about today. Easter dinner plans are for ham, baked sweet potatoes, roasted asparagus with balsamic browned butter sauce, pickled eggs and beets, green salad, and dinner rolls.
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Last night was our informal (no Haggadah reading, no ceremony) Seder-for-two. Started with matzo balls in broth (Bob's vegan and mine chicken); then Caesar salad with sardines; then handmade matzo from Israel--made into the Hillel sandwich (symbolic of the bitter with the sweet) of grated horsersadish and charoset (the common Ashkenazi version being a mash of crushed matzo, sweet red wine, chopped apples, sometimes raisins, and cinnamon). I had a jar of the Israeli Sephardic version--more palatable than the little hard truffle-like paste ball served at the Sephardic Seder I once attended in Madrid--which is a jammy spread made of the above ingredients but based on dates and pureed. I added some chopped cashews, matzo and a little apple juice to thin it out so it was a little less gluey. Entree was gefilte fish and roasted green beans. Dessert was chocolate-covered macaroons & Passover candy.
Tonight at temple will be more trad. Reporting back later.
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OK--temple Seder started with chicken matzo ball soup; then the ritual foods (apple charoset, really HOT horseradish, hard-boiled eggs, parsley, saltwater and of course matzo). Dinner was roast chicken (meatless lasagna for the vegetarians), honey carrots, roast potatoes, and breaded (with matzo meal) zucchini cutlets. Surprisingly, no dessert. (In previous years, it was either sorbet, fruit compote or coconut macaroons). 3 hours long. Bob was a really good sport about it.
I threw my back out (sudden spasm) earlier--took Tylenol, baclofen and a hot shower, then did several piriformis stretches till I could manage to do my hair and dress. Bob walked but I took a Lyft (and a cane just in case). We walked home together. Hopefully, we can both walk to brunch at noon.
Happy Passover tonight. And Happy Easter tomorrow.
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DD and MIL were going to be over for Easter dinner, so Sharon and I prepared enough food for six (so DD could take home leftovers).
DD ended up needing more time to take care of homework, so she had to bow out and MIL called and said she was too tired to come.
So, we had a small 3 course meal with just the two of us.
We made a pumpkin soup, garlic mashed potatoes, caramelized onion gravy, mushroom "stroganoff", sourdough rolls, and a fruit salad. Everything came together within about 5 minutes of each other......
We have LOTS of leftovers, so we won't be cooking for a few days.
Sharon is sitting on the couch with her banjo. As soon as she gets her banjo out, the two dogs get excited (like we are getting the leashes out for a walk) and begin to position themselves as close as possible to her. The cat then shows up, makes one of the dogs move over and he then lays down. The yellow lab is to Sharon's right. The cat is to Sharon's left and "generic black dog" is laying on her feet.
If Sharon sits on the couch without the banjo, the animals don't bother to come over, so I guess they like the banjo.
Chi...I hope your back is feeling better.....
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Yesterday at brunch I had tomato-basil-mozzarella quiche (yes, I at the crust & cheated on Passover because it was outside the house), mesclun salad with balsamic vinaigrette, and bourbon-pecan bread pudding for dessert. Can't eat that leftover in the house, but Bob can (or if Gordy comes over on his day off tomorrow--he couldn't take it to work with him yesterday). Late dinner was corned beef hash with diced poblano & red/yellow bell peppers & red onion, topped with an egg.
This morning I made matzo brei: soften matzo in hot water, soak in French toast batter (my secret is freshly grated nutmeg and a couple drops of Fior di Sicilia flavoring), pan-fry in butter and top with maple syrup. (Alternatively, granulated sugar). I had only the low-carb bran and egg matzos, plus a little of the handmade round Israeli "shmura" ("guarded") stuff--insanely expensive but for some reason, stale right out of the box this year. I think tomorrow I will pick up a box of regular Passover matzo.
Tonight: pan-seared Arctic char fillet, steamed asparagus with olive oil, sea salt & lemon, and Bob's leftover roasted potatoes from brunch. This was the first local asparagus of the season--delicate and thin.
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Last night's dinner was pork piccata made with sliced pork tenderloin, steamed broccoli and tossed salad.
Tonight will probably be seared catfish fillets with a veggie and salad.
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Last night was leftover pasta topped with marinara sauce, chicken breast and parmesan cheese-- kinda Chicken Parmesan the quick way. Also the ubiquitous green salad. Tonight will be some assortment of the various leftovers that are taking up space in the fridge, but I love having some there instead of starting from scratch every evening.
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eric - I recall our vegan convo with our waiter at dinner - it will be interesting to see what you both think about doing it - I could also easily be vegan, although I do enjoy a steak now and then! Funny about the animals and the banjo - they must like it!
Dinner on Sunday was loaded deviled eggs, an old school relish platter, ham, au gratin potatoes, spinach salad with goat cheese, pecans, and apple with a raspberry vinaigrette, roasted asparagus with hollandaise, and a cheesecake with sweetened strawberries and whipped cream for dessert. I have a question for the group - the cheesecake recipe was an old one from college (from my roommate who is a registered dietician, and now a PhD and professor at our alma mater, currently a Fullbright scholar in Africa at 64!) and I know some refer to it as cheese pie. I am wondering what everyone's experience is with this - graham cracker crust in a pie plate, not a springform pan. Typical combo of eggs, sugar, vanilla and cream cheese, baked until set. Cool 20 mins, then top with a thin layer of sour cream with sugar and vanilla. The texture is like cheesecake, but it looks like a pie and is shaped like one.
DH left town yesterday for the week - doing some reviewing of new military equipment around the country, will be back on Fri. I am hosting a bridal shower on Sat for my next door neighbor's daughter. A week or so later I leave with a friend for a trip to California, road trip from the bottom up to Napa where our husbands will join us for some wine tasting and relaxing.
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Breakfast was provolone melted atop low-carb whole wheat bran Passover matzo (talk about cross-cultural)!
Lunch was a failed experiment: the Vitamin Shoppe had a frozen three-cheese mini pizza: grain-free. Had to try it. The crust was not cauliflower, but rather ground chicken mixed with parmesan cheese. Followed directions to first nuke it and then remove the cardboard disk beneath and crisp up the crust in a preheated frypan with cooking spray (I used Spectrum Naturals Grapeseed). Well, when I nuked it, it oozed well past the disk on to the paper plate below. Took some tricky spatula-work to transfer it to the skillet, and Herculean effort to remove it without it sticking completely to the pan. Tastewise it was fine, but the crust's texture was like a squashed and seared McNugget. And one of the cheeses was cheddar--which does not belong on a pizza (nor in quiche, for that matter). Back to the drawing board.
Dinner was the rest of the corned beef hash, but with 2 cups of diced red & poblano peppers and red onion. No egg--didn't need it. Yum!
Anyway, I was bitterly disappointed with the HolyLand shmura matzo I'd bought for our mini-Seder. It was hard & stale, besides being too burnt to crisp up in the toaster oven. Good only for making matzo brei...darned expensive matzo brei. So I decided to check out the offerings at the kosher section at the Jewel in Evanston. Well, since people buy shmura matzo for their Seder tables but not the rest of Passover, all the shmura matzo was deeply, deeply discounted. That HolyLand for which I'd forked over $15 (for 3 little matzo rounds)? $4. And apparently others' impression of it was the same as mine: there was an entire pallet of it on sale, with no takers. Figured that the fact it was baked in Israel, in Dec., might have had a lot to do with its execrable texture. Unlike at Mariano's, Jewel had several brands of shmura matzo, some of it baked in Israel but others in NJ, Brooklyn, and even Montreal. There was a rabbi there stocking up for the rest of the week (it's day 4 of 8), and he pointed out the wheat and the spelt matzos from Montreal were the best he'd ever eaten. (I was skeptical: the best cardboard is usually not much better than the worst). But I got it home and tried it. WOW! 6 delicate large rounds, crispy & tasty beyond belief. Too good, in fact, to put anything on it--but I couldn't resist putting chopped liver on one piece for lunch (and cherry jam on another for dessert tonight). Bob took one bite and his face lit up. For nine bucks (down from $39) I'm getting some more tomorrow.
Oh, for those wondering what the heck is "shmura" matzo, especially because all Passover matzo can have only flour & water and must be baked no longer than 18 minutes after the dough is mixed and kneaded--lest the wild yeasts in the air cause the flour to ferment & start rising--it is matzo made from flour that has been "guarded" from harvest (to make sure the grain stays dry and doesn't ferment) to milling to hand-mixing and kneading, baking (in a stone or brick oven) and packaging. After each batch, all surfaces are scrubbed and the bakers' hands washed to remove all traces of flour or dough that could inadvertently rise. (There are some machine-made shmura matzos but they taste the same as their plain Passover counterparts--they're machine-mixed, kneaded, "docked," and baked in a conveyor or rotator oven).
(Should have warned: "geek alert").
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chisandy - thank you for the matzo tutorial - very interesting!
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Made matzo meal latkes for lunch today after returning from my mani. (No recipe on the box any more, so I looked it up). I love the airy texture from folding in a whipped egg white.
Dinner was matzo ball soup, lamb shoulder chops Greek-style (garlic slivers, S&P, oregano, lemon & olive oil, seared in cast iron) and steamed Brussels sprouts.
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ChiSandy, I’m not a fan of lamb but your dinner sounds great! I might try something similar with pork chops.
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dinner tonight was cheeseburgers with oven roasted potato wedges.
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Illiemae - are those Sheila Partin's buns? I'm pretty sure her bakery is still open but she sells mostly to commercial places now & they are hard to find. Seems to me that Five Guys used to feature her buns? https://www.sbakery.com/about.html I don't think they are SloDough. Anyway - looks delicious.
Dunch was California Roll with English cucumber sticks on the side. Since it is somehow already almost 8pm, dinner will likely be a bowl of popcorn.
Another thread has been having a discussion about creamed eggs. One of my Mother's friends always had an Easter buffet that featured a large dish of creamed eggs - literally floating in cream sauce. I got the recipe from her niece before she died. It was hard boiled eggs cut in half. The yolks smushed, spices added and re-stuffed. Some curry was added to the cream sauce - as well as onions & garlic - and eggs were submerged. You served yourself with a huge spoon and they sat along side the traditional ham. They were delicious.
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Minus, the buns are actually from the Kroger store bakery and they’re pretty good. The wedges came out better than expected, so that was nice.
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Today, I made some more sourdough rolls for DD..daddy's way of spoiling his daughter! :-)
I think larger blobs of the same dough would do a good job for hamburger rolls. Maybe tomorrow...if we get done painting at a reasonable time...I'll give that a try.
Sharon and I are going to paint our home's exterior. We have the back part of the house ready for paint. I had to do some wood replacement while she did the pressure washing and we both did caulking. It's the usual 8 hours of prep work for 2 hours of painting.
We're having to do it in pieces. The desert bugs and desert dust are back 24 hours after cleaning, so we can't get too much time between prep and paint.
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Shamelessly slept in; made matzo brei for lunch. Dinner was at Cellars' annual Dine Out 4 Life night, with wine raffles (I didn't win any) and 20% of proceeds (food & drink) going to the Howard Brown AIDS Clinic here in Chicago. Since I don't necessarily do Passover outside the house, I had their specialty: beer-battered fish & chips (packed half to go right away), plus Black Dog gelato (double dark chocolate and salted caramel) for dessert. (Packed half of that too, straight to the freezer when I got home). Black Dog will be one of the new booths at this year's Taste of Chicago.
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Wednesday night was carryout pizza. I order online and dh does the carryout part. Toppings were extra cheese, extra Italian sausage, black olives and banana peppers.
Last night was oven fried small catfish fillets and cabbage sautéed in butter.
Once again we were lucky and the weather wasn't as bad yesterday as the forecast warning.
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Is everyone on vacation....or fasting?
Sandy, it was interesting to learn about shmura matzo. Thanks! You got my mouth watering with the image of cherry jam on your matzo...a favorite combo of mine.
Eric, I admire your ambition for the housepainting task and can imagine how frustrating it must be to work your timing around the desert bugs and dust! What kind of bugs are they?
We would welcome some “dust” here as we seem to be going through a long rainy duration with just an occasional sunny warm day. If we can string a few of those days together we’ll have a green explosion.
Today DS2 came over with his truck to help us finish clearing out his old room (bunk bed disassemble, removal of any vestiges of his youth, college books, etc.) and set up a crib for their expected baby.
Minus, yes it has seemed early to do this but, 1) DS2 was thrilled to take the opportunity to encourage us to clear out a portion of at least this space since the house has way more stored “stuff” in it than his love of open spaces can tolerate....and 2) his wife has landed in the hospital twice in the last few weeks for management of strong, unrelenting contractions, so there is a sense that she may not make it to June. Doing okay for now, though. So we’re keeping fingers crossed that the baby gets a few more weeks to grow.
Since I’ve been busy clearing house stuff out (Nance, you are my heroine!) all week, I’ve had little interest in cooking. We have had omelets, lots of salads, some middle eastern take out food, and tonight DH was game to drive to the next town to pick up a lovely meal from Captain Marden’s Seafood. The grilled garlic shrimp was okay, but the broiled sea scallop dinner with butternut squash and rice pilaf was so delicious. I wondered if it tasted so good because someone else made it!
DH also ordered their clam chowder which was tasty if a bit thick. I’ve come to prefer the chowder at The Harp and this was almost as good.Recently, a friend brought us a couple of bagels she made with the Weight Watchers 2 ingredient recipe. She is excited that they are only 2 points each. I’m excited to try a recipe that involves using only self-rising flour and Greek yogurt. They were really tasty! Has anyone made these?
Special, I hope that you are having a great trip up the CA coast!
Sadly, we may be heading back to LA soon as my brother rapidly declined shortly after we saw him in Feb. It has been a painful, complicated month for him and my SIL, and we’ve been frustrated given the great distance and our not understanding the possible support systems available for people in his advanced LBD condition, even if our suggestions would be welcome.
Tomorrow I shall free myself from the house (after watching the Celtics/Bucks’ game) to do some food shopping and start planning a few meals.
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Lacey - good to hear from you. I agree - if you have the younger generation on board for moving & sorting, it's the time to jump on it. What did you do with his old bunk bed? I hope he took his books & college things - but likely not.
Eric - I agree with Lacey. Painting is a major task. Nice that the two of you can work together. And I want some of those sourdough rolls.
Special - how was the shower? Your road trip sounds fantastic. My niece is getting married in Oak Park in September and I'm trying to decide whether to drive south to San Diego afterwards or up the coast through Carmel to San Francisco & then Marin County.
Nance - knowing you I expect you're still "on task" with the cleaning & sorting. Do you have a deadline?
Carole - without looking back, I think you said you'll head north in early May? I agree with Nance that it's so hard to see our parents decline. Did the Easter dinner go OK?
Illimae - do you try to get out to your 'retreat' on any regular schedule? Should be pretty out there right now before it gets too much hotter.
Not fasting - just not inspired. Yesterday was a bagged Asian salad and Hawaiian sweet rolls. Tonight was fresh asparagus sauteed w/EVO, lemon, onion & garlic - served with left over StoveTop stuffing. Dessert will be an oatmeal-raisin cookie I picked up at Costco for a meeting last Tuesday. I know it was selfish but I only donated the choc chip & white choc macademia nut cookies from the variety pack & kept the oatmeal for myself.
Tomorrow I'm meeting a friend for a rep play at 2:30. We haven't decided whether to eat after at the Black Labrador (Brit pub) or Katz Deli (pure NY)
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Last night was lamb loin chops with fresh green beans cooked with cubed potatoes and a tossed salad with many ingredients.
Our departure date is May 19. We're making a stop in Decatur, IL, to visit dh's sister and her husband. She has been battling a rare disease for the last 7 or 8 years. It's called amyloidosis and is similar to cancer in that the body produces more proteins called amyloids than is normal.
Not sure about tonight's menu. I'm playing golf at 9 am.
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Ha ha Lacey, I'm glad I'm an inspiration to somebody because I feel petty uninspired especially where food is concerned. We are still in the throes of decluttering and repairing, the final stages. Tomorrow the dumpster arrives and we can actually get the junk out of the house. We have about one more trip to the storage unit, a trip to the hazardous waste disposal center (some cans of oil based paint, solvents and motor oil) and a small trip to Goodwill with some coats. Then we'll be ready for deep cleaning. I'm estimating another two weeks. Of course, spring finally arrived, along with the weeds and grass, so that's required a time commitment. My back and knees are killing me.
It's very green here, yet it's 37° right now. My poor shivering lone hummingbird arrived but isn't hanging out too much at the feeder yet. When reinforcements arrive, I expect we'll have more activity. The rose breasted grosbeaks and Baltimore orioles are here and I've already gone through two large jars of grape jelly. A house wren has set up housekeeping in the wren house on the front porch. We've seen a pair of red foxes in the yard twice now.
As usual, my garden is sitting on the front porch waiting for it to warm up. No vegetables this year, just flowers, except for some green beans. Only one of the three apple trees bloomed, possibly because of the very late snow storm. Don't know what the squirrels and deer will eat if there are no apples. I feel for Sandy and probably Monica with all this late horrible cold and snowy weather. Is the snow getting as far as you Lacey? Frustrating. Even we're running 10° below normal and can't seem to get two sunny days in a row.
I appreciate those of you who keep this thread going even when the rest of us slack off. I always read even if I don't post. I need the dinner inspiration. I think tonight is a brisket.
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The shower was a great success, I will post some photos. The road trip with my friend is in jeopardy - we are supposed to leave on May 7th for San Diego, but her daughter - pregnant with her third - is in ICU with a combo of pneumonia and an as yet undetermined additional infection. She is receiving 4 IV antibiotics and is still very ill and weak. Her husband is staying at the hospital 24/7 so my friend is watching her two grands, one who is 8, the other is 2. I arranged an Airbnb house in Napa that starts on the 12th - when the husbands were joining us, so my DH and I will be going for that at a minimum since it is non-refundable.
Here is the shower - it was garden themed:
Here is the dessert table:
Mimosa bar:
We had a date night ideas jar, and a recipe box card drop - blank recipe cards were included with the invitations. Here are the favors, handmade soaps with a label that said that “Thanks for showering Tory with love” which was cute. Her mom ordered them.
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Also thinking of Sandy and others with the late snowstorm. Happy to know some folks are ambitiously cleaning. I still have a couple of boxes of things to be donated from our "forced cleaning" last December when we had to empty every thing so furniture could be moved when the new flooring was being installed. Took clothing to an area hospice thrift store and discovered I could have taken every thing, just haven't gone back yet.
I haven't been absent, just nonverbal. Most of our meals this past week have been finishing up leftovers from having company last weekend. Last night was an "I have no idea what to fix" night . Ended up with eggs over easy, bagels, mixed vegetables and slaw. Sounds a little weird but it did taste good!
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Minus, DH is heading to the cabin in a couple weeks to install flooring, etc. We’re hoping to move in by fall, so much to do to both homes before then.
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