So...whats for dinner?
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Thanks everyone. Niece & husband are finally feeling like they've turned the corner today. Not great, but the blinding headaches are receding and the necessity for naps is diminishing.
Like all of us... Riding it out!!!
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That is scary, Minus. Hoping for a complete recovery. Police are the first responders where people are *trying* hard to make it unsafe.
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Hi all happy Easter for those who celebrate. I will be making pinapple ham steaks, asparagas, potatos in some fashion, probably daphinous/scalloped and deviled eggs or pickled eggs and beets (my fave DH not so much). That 1 layer carrot cake idea sounded good too. But since its just the two of us we'll see. We'll be rolling out of here after quarantine.
🐰😁
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Oh dear, Minus, I wish your relatives continued progress to a complete recovery. I cannot imagine going through a challenging course of Covid-19 with little ones running about.
My mask making has slowed down...mainly because I am involved in “notions" prep that takes time....cutting down yards of wide elastic to 1/4" size, cutting long strips of fabric, creating my own “bias tape" to become ties. Feeling a bit like the WW11 ladies who created from scratch. I did get some masks made for my family this week, but really should be making a bunch more with the recommended “wash right after you wear outside" directions being given by the health institutions. I think I might end up hand washing then boiling the ones for DH and me after each use. Special, my mask making friends and I have also been doing exchanges that feel, And might look like drug drops... 😉I doubt I'll be using my mask much these next few weeks as the pollen is super high and my breathing is so miserable, given my tree pollen allergies. Even with a mask, I feel terrible after a walk. Covid could really do a number on these lungs, so I will content myself to stay indoors for the next few weeks.
I have also not given a single thought to a menu for Easter dinner. DH mentioned making paella this weekend. He bought the ingredients several weeks ago when we started “distancing", so maybe he's feeling motivated to do that! I certainly won't complain.
I always gave my grown up,“kids“ Easter baskets, but never even gave that a thought given our current “sequestered" status. Clearly a 1st world problem! DH went to CVS today and bought some peanut M+Ms, noting that there, and in the supermarket, chocolate candy is hard to come by. Guess people have moved on from needing TP to raising endorphins with sugared cacao!
He did pick up some fresh fish for dinner, and as I dutifully removed the cod from the store container, I was met by a stretched out “dancing" parasite which I tried to be fascinated by rather than grossed out. I haven't come across one of those guys in a while, And tried to forget about him, hoping there were no relatives in the same host. So dinner was baked cod, lemon parm asparagus, cuke salad with red pepper, onion and avocado, which creamed up the dressing, and crusty french bread.
Tomorrow, we'll probably have turkey chili since I made a pot of it today.
Nance, I am craving your desserts.
Keep staying safe everyone! Happy Passover week and Easter! Celebrate your adaptability! ☺️
And last but not least...LOVE your “shopping outfit" Minus! How lucky are your neighbors to have you there.
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I called Young's restaurant yesterday and inquired about the soft shell crab special. The meal came with a cream sauce on the side and green beans. No salad. And the price was $23 per meal before tax. Before any tip. So I passed on placing an order. Too pricey.
We had the stroganoff using most of the leftover beef roast and the rest of the fresh mushrooms. The side was steamed broccoli. All the food eaten and enjoyed.
This Easter Sunday will be the first in my memory when my family does not gather for a huge meal with ham as the meat. My mother would start discussion of the menu a couple of weeks ahead of time. Now that she has died, the whole family would not have made the effort to gather anyway but some of us probably would have. The religious members of the family will be observing some kind of worship service by internet or on tv.
DH and I are not religious and I haven't given any thought to dinner tomorrow night. Or dinner tonight, for that matter.
Yesterday the weather was wonderful and it is again today. We're not coughing and running a fever so I will happily go out and prune azaleas. Only two big beds to go! I have allergy issues, too, Lacey but not as bad as yours. I sneeze and blow my nose and keep snipping. My yard hasn't looked this tended in years.
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Wow - this has to be the strangest break - yesterday morning to late this evening. Maybe no one ate Easter dinner? Well, Happy Easter to everyone.
I managed to walk my three miles skirting rain showers. Really hot & humid. Been working on Civic Club records most of the day - detailed & tiny excel spread sheets. Ugh. I had a great 1 hour visit with my BFF, who's stuck in Dallas. And wonder of wonders, my son called this evening - not for Easter mind you, just to see if I was still alive.
My meal was the 2nd day of roast beef sandwiches on Hawaiian sweet rolls. A great way to use more of the 'eye of the round' roast. The rest got popped into the freezer for another time. Sandwiches were served with carrots & radishes to swirl in Ranch dip. Somehow I never got around to eating tonight & it's too late now.
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My prayers for your relatives, Minus.
Bob was off today! We were going to have a Passover brunch and an Easter dinner, but something told me to order the latter early--in fact, several restaurants were out of their meat specials (and we're getting a bit tired of fish--Bob was "Lent-ed out"). So I went on to GrubHub and typed in "Easter" and "Lamb" in the search box. Lo and behold, I found a bar in Andersonville (next 'hood south, where we used to live before we bought our house) that offered a choice of ham or rack of lamb dinners, for $20! I ordered one of each, with a couple of veggie sides because I didn't want the potatoes. The portions were so big--and came with more veg & potato sides--that we're going to have them again for tomorrow night's dinner. I had no idea the place offered any food other than burgers & sandwiches! we ate dinner for lunch--Bob pointed out it was exactly what (and when) we used to have for Easter brunch!
So we had "breakfast for supper:" matzo brei (rhymes with "lotsa rye." Like French toast, only made with matzo softened in hot water to soak up the batter). I made mine with whole wheat matzo, Bob had regular matzo (and a double portion).
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Night before last was an international dinner - I made teriyaki noodles with shrimp and extra Thai sweet chili sauce on top and black sesame seeds, while I had tostadas with homemade refried beans, no meat, but topped with red onion, shredded cheese, shredded lettuce and lots of taco sauce. Both dishes were colorful and yummy. Last night I made St Patrick's Day food that I purchased on my last week of regular grocery shopping in early March. Corned beef, which I boiled briefly with a water change, then baked with hot sweet mustard and brown sugar on top. I sautéed thickly shredded cabbage with some onion and garlic, made whiskey glazed carrots, and crispy oven roasted potatoes. It had been a while since I have made corned beef and I was surprised how much it shrunk, while still staying very moist. I wrapped it in foil for the baking, then took the foil off and broiled it to crisp up the mustard/brown sugar topping. I had cupcakes in the freezer (from Christmas! I took the cupcake liners off before frosting them so they didn't look so "wrong holiday" that were taking up room, so I took them out and frosted them with vanilla frosting and dusted them with pink sugar. DD came over, but stayed six feet away since she has been out in the world - within reason, while I have not left the house.
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Dinner last night was crispy fried catfish and potato salad. I had three nice fish fillets and sliced each one into four pieces. The salad was made with the rest of the bag of small red potatoes, boiled eggs, celery, dill relish, mayo and mustard dressing. Celery and potatoes go on the To Buy list.
The night before was skin on bone in chicken thighs roasted in the outdoor grill and cauliflower mash made with cream cheese and butter.
I'm thankful that we did not get violent weather yesterday. The forecast had warned of possibility of strong winds, hail, tornadoes. We got some rain but not as much as we needed.
Today is a walk day.
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It's fun to read what you all are fixing. I'm filling out a grocery order now and just added a corned beef. I usually buy one some time in the spring, never very concerned about St Patrick's Day! but of course this year spring has been a bit different. Come to think of it, last year, spring was a bit different, too, what with 3 weeks across the country, followed by my lumpectomy and so on. Here's hoping a year from now, life seems normalish...
Last night's dinner was simple pork chop and pan-fried potatoes, and green salad. Tonight? Maybe we'll make pizza, or maybe we'll just skip it and have cheese and crackers and alcohol.
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There was a run on dry beans when the Coronavirus shopping/hoarding craze first hit around here about three weeks ago. Piggly Wiggly now has a supply of our favorite Camelia brand, and DH went there today and bought several kinds. He is cooking the red beans (kidney) today with smoked sausage. Later I will cook brown rice and I will also make a tossed salad as the side. So dinner is the Monday Special, red beans and rice with sausage.
The problem with cooking a whole pound of red beans is the amount of leftovers.
I wish I could preserve today's weather. It is so lovely out. I enjoyed my 60 minute walk today. The greenery everywhere is fresh and pretty. The newness of spring.
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Well, we are getting some of the weather that passed through the South yesterday, and our power has been off and back on a few times, so hoping it remains on I can post this.
We had an unusually full Easter for us...especially since we don’t really celebrate it since the sons are grown and gone. A few weeks ago DH bought ingredients to make paella since we’d be home bound and he figured it would be a good time to cook....I’ve been waiting. 😉
So Saturday, he decided Easter would be the day! He popped over to the Fish store and got his curbside service for scallops and lobster tail meat....and a few large cooked shrimp since he figured we should have that for an appetizer (not that there is no shrimp in the paella...frozen from Trader’s).
So, yesterday, around noon he did all his prep work and made the paella on the grill, and it came out beautifully. There was so much that we decided we’d jump in the car and bring some to DS2 and take a distant peek at lur sorely missed DGD. So we did that, enjoying the lack of traffic we always encounter when driving into Savin Hill. It was like your basic drug drop.
We enjoyed our paella when we returned, then joined a rather huge Zoom gathering of many of DH’s relatives. Oh my. Fortunately, the niece organizing it managed to give it enough structure that after the first 15 minutes of chaotic greetings, everyone got a chance to share how they were and what was going on in their lives. There were engagements announced, a pregnancy no one expected, and other life transition news, and in the end we didn’t qualify for a SNL skit at all. My sons even stayed for the entire hour and a half which surprised me. Then we had a long call chat with my sister (VT). After being secluded in our house for so many weeks, I was exhausted after all the relating!
Today, I am catching up on other things, including, trying to decide on which mask pattern fits most needs. None of them will....and I need to call 3M to find out if their “blue shop towels” are an appropriate filter to add to a mask. I cannot imagine that something you use to shine your car should be put up to your mouth to prevent Covid! Yet some people are recommending it for that use. 🥴
Tonight we are having leftover paella if the power stays on since I am not a fan of cold paella. Here is a picture so people can oooh and aaah over DH’s efforts. He usually makes it for several or our friends who praise him to the ceiling. So we need to be sure he gets some praise since why else would he want to cook?! 🤣 I’m sure that comment is not lost on the members in our meal planning group! 😉
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Beautiful job Bob!
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What a gorgeous paella! Wonder if using cauliflower rice could result in that yummy crunch "soccarat" bottom crust.
I've never been big on "comfort" food--there are foods I like much more than others, but I never sought comfort in food. I loved my mom's veal parm, and enjoyed her Passover nut cakes and flourless chocolate tortes, but I never longed for them. But there is one dish my grandma used to make after boiling chicken to make soup (no, not the chicken--I dested boiled chicken and still do): gribenes (pronounced "GRIB-niss"). They're the closest thing to pork rinds you can eat and still keep kosher. You make them by rendering chicken skin in water and then sauteeing them till golden and crispy.
Well, last night I had to use up the rotisserie chicken carcass left over from Seder--so last night I made broth and this morning I made gribenes: a rare comfort food that's both low-carb and acceptable for Passover!
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Yes, the paella does look just perfect.
We made pizza tonight with homemade basil pesto for the sauce, pepperoni, and kalamata olives. It was practically perfect. I used this crust recipe. First time, and BEST crust we've ever made.
I made a couple of loaves of "artisan" bread from this site a couple of weeks ago, too, which were very good and very easy. My daughter is a baker hobbyist and said she often uses this site for recipes and advice.
Also today I ordered groceries for pickup on Thursday. I'll go into the store to choose some produce, but my order had basically everything else in it to save time and exposure.
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Mouth watering paella!!
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Lacey - gorgeous paella. I never got around to dinner so I'm really drooling.
If you've never played around with the blue shop towels, they are really a lot thicker than normal paper towels. If you're making them for every-day people, I think it would be good - but probably too hot for Texas.
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I think coffee filters would be a better option than shop towels. You don't know what chemicals are in either, but at least coffee filters are designed for food product, and presumably are not going to hurt you.
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I enjoyed today's mouthwatering descriptions and pictures of all your meals! Here was ours. In the middle was stuffing instead of potatoes. When I went to peel potatoes for salad they were all quite green. Too much for my liking. So stuffing it was, with ham!
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I have a whole bunch of Melitta-style filters that don't fit my Hario pour-over cone, and are just about the right size and shape to fit between my cloth mask & my face...will try it.
ConsumerLab.com did testing and found disposable surgical masks (not N95s) can be disinfected by baking for 15 min. at 160F--with a little dish of water in the oven to make it moist heat. Might be moot, though--my PCP thinks that due to my risk factors I should shelter-in-place indefinitely, getting my exercise on the treadmill & weights, and going out only on to my porch, deck or yard.
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Sandy, I had heard that the basket shaped coffee filters were the preferred ones to use in homemade masks. Since we use Melitta unbleached cone single serve filters, I tried out one of those out for breathability.....not good! Am guessing the basket style might be a bit friendlier to those who'd prefer not to asphyxiate. From what I've read so far, it seems the blue shop towels are really not something I'd ever want to breathe through. Apparently, there is a “sewing company" , Suay Sew, in CA, which is trying to make masks and filters that are safe and effective in filtering out Covid-19, tho not medical grade. I'm getting masked out! Might just be easier to stay in the house!
Carole, do you know what you might be doing about your annual trip North?
We've been wondering how the summer at the Lake will work this year....if we are even fully un-socially distanced by then. Then this morning I noticedan article in NYT about the town where our lake house is located, focusing on the economic devastation of such smaller towns. I was surprised to see that specific town written about until seeing who wrote it. The author is married to the daughter of one of our NH neighbors' and we realized that they moved their family to NH to our neighbor's home to ride out the NYC version of the pandemic. Interestingly, that's the fourth couple we just heard of who moved to NH to escape the density of either Boston or NYC.Tonight we'll have turkey chili with rice or farro and a cucumber salad.
Haha....and thanks everyone for indulging my attention-seeking, paella making DH. He does make a pretty (and tasty!) paella, and enjoyed the compliments beyond those coming from yours truly.
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My PCP just got back to me: he considers me to be at "medium risk" but advises me not to leave the house w/o a mask; the only way he advises I can play that festival is with proper social distancing: impossible to teach workshops that way, and even the main stage is too small for my partner & I to stand 6' apart. Then there's that little problem of singing through a mask (much less playing with rubber gloves)...
We no longer have any old-school "basket" filters (the Kalita Wave ones are thicker), but I tried one "pane" of those "linen-feel" paper hand towels and they're breathable--would they be adequate as a filter between mask & face?
We've agreed that the plan for Bob's every-other-weekend Little Co. duty is to have him take 2 changes of clothes and a trash bag--stay in a hotel Sat. night to strip/shower/sleep; and on Sun. before coming home, to strip & change in the attending physicians' lounge men's room, disinfect his steering wheel & door-handles, then strip again at home and dash (well, hobble with those creaky knees and awful bunions) upstairs to dump his clothes, shower and change into fresh scrubs. (Our first floor bathroom does not have a working shower--to get one, assuming we could find a willing plumber, would run >$10K, and that was the figure quoted us a decade ago). I am the one doing all the home Lysol-ing and laundry (and burning through gloves at a scary clip). The residents' quarters has the hospital's only staff shower--he doesn't want to "trespass," but if ever there were a time to pull rank...
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Hope everyone had a good Easter and or Passover! We had my daughter and the grznds over for dinner, because we sit for both the kidz and see the parents when they drop off or pick up every werk, so same germs. Kept dinner very simple, ham, green beans, corn and roazted potatos. We a loved mashed, but the kids are still managing keto so didnt want to tempt too much. DD2 brought a chocolate keto cake iced. It was actually really good.
Regarding the masks filters, the blue shop filters wete tested along with 2 panels of cotton, tshirt material, tea towels, bandanas, coffee filters,and compared yo surgical masks. Not to N95s, because they win. But the shop towels were the only homemade to work on the smallest size they could test. Blocked Over 75%. Surgical masks were 80 ish% cloth 65, tshirt 40, voffee filters around 40 to 50. I dont know if you put a filter in the cotton it it raises the level.
I made 20 masks last week, because my daughters clinic just got the ok for homade mazks for everyone who doesnt actively see patients. and sat down to make 10 more today. My machinr went kookoo. Which p*sses me off, as I took it in Feb and they replaced the bobbin case, and tuned it up for 80 bucks! Anx yet something is whacked and i couldnt finish even 1. Arrrrgggghhhh. Ill call them tomorrow.
BTW. It snowed today. 25 degrees right now. A very good reason we dont pkant things til almost Mothers Day... LOL
Much love
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We have a whole roll of the shop towels. Sandy, I'm glad you and Bob have worked out a plan. Bob sounds like a physican workaholic. My physician BIL did not adapt well to retirement. His identity was tied up in his profession and it was like he lost an essential part of himself.
Last night was curbside pickup pizza. Nice not to cook and the pizza tasted good. Tonight will be a repeat of red beans and rice and salad. Another no cook night. It's not that I mind cooking but I seem to run out of menus.
Another wonderful cool (cold this morning) sunny day. I will take my neighborhood walk. I played golf yesterday and took the gamble of renting a golf cart. At the risk of insulting the cart barn employee, I wiped the steering wheel and seat before driving the cart off. He assured me the cart had been sprayed thoroughly. My playing companions and I stayed apart but not far enough to suit me. I've become germaphobic.
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Bob does plan to close his practice once this is all over and his staff either have the resources to retire or work elsewhere. But as long as Union Health will still have him, he'll continue to work there twice a week as "semi-retirement." We've realized that we're a long ways away from feeling safe to travel anywhere or attend entertainment & sports events, though some of that might come back for others.
I insert those paper filters between mask & face. Can still breathe through them. Also found out that ironing the cloth side of surgical masks (but not N95s) on the "steam" setting disinfects them.
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We had a mixture of leftovers for dinner tonight. Moosewood eggplant parm from last night, Easter leftovers, and even joy of cooking mac and cheese. All washed down with a tasty Cabernet sauvignon. Hmmm our dinner sounds like one of Minus's delish sounding concoctions LOL!
Carole I am also finding it interesting how good pizza and takeout Chinese taste now that it's once a week or less. 🥡🍕🍕🥡
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Pan-seared Alaskan salmon with Silver Palate's lemon-dill aioli; roast asparagus; and a grape tomato/basil salad.
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Moon - great to see you. Thanks for the data on the mask fillers. Really - SNOW???
I'm with Carole. Cold here for my morning walk - 57 degrees. Walk # 19 coming up tomorrow.
Dole Spinach Miso Crunch salad for lunch/dinner. I added hard boiled eggs & Campari tomatoes. Yum. I REALLY like that dressing.
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We woke up to an inch of snow this morning. There was a 54-car pileup on I-90/94 this morning due to snow over black ice. (A 9-car pileup at another exit). We're getting as much as 6" on Friday. Oh, and it was 80F last week.
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My physician FIL didn't completely retire until he was close to 70, then he became a concierge doc to my MIL, lol! He had a private practice in Miami for 30 years, then went back into the Air Force as a flight surgeon for several years, but MIL couldn't handle the moving. They settled in NC for about 10 years and he worked at the VA, developing one of the first PTSD groups. They moved to their retirement house in SC and he worked as a civilian provider at the Navy Hospital for several years before stopping completely.
I am pretty much out of the mask business for the moment - I made about 40 before running out of materials. DH is mailing to my BFF in CA today, I sent her some last week too, but they were early prototypes - my more recent ones are lighter and cooler with a removable liner made from the soft grocery totes, and totally washable. Also mailed some to our real estate agent - she is still showing houses but going through multiple masks a day doing so, as well as shoe covers and gloves. Washable masks will be helpful for her.
Last night we had a lazy dinner - hot dogs on rolls topped with slaw, and chips. Night before was cheesy risotto with chicken apple sausage and peppers. DH has requested kale salad tonight topped with chicken. I usually make a strawberry vinaigrette (basically squashed strawberries mixed with a simple vinaigrette) for kale salads and I add the dressing early and toss aggressively to soften the kale, but unless he shops I have no fresh strawberries. I do have some frozen so I suppose I could thaw and mash those. He went in to the office this morning, and will be stopping at DD's house this afternoon to see a friend of hers who flips houses. We have a list of things that need to be addressed so we are finding out which of the things on the list can be done by him. Chief among them, an extended fence so she can keep her boat there instead of in my garage - where my car goes. We moved the AC unit and concrete hurricane pad back 10 feet already, but need to move the fence forward and add a gate. We also apparently have termites - ugh. The house was supposedly treated for termites six months prior to our purchase but we are having trouble getting the seller to give us the name of the company. He is notoriously slow with that stuff - also was during the escrow process. We have a receipt and invoice number, because the VA required it, but it is without the company name - seems sketchy to me. Will be arranging treatment for those before the end of the week one way or the other, as well as trying to get estimates to fix the floors ruined by the faulty install of the new washer and dryer. At least that is an insurance claim against the installer, not out of our pocket. Very hard to do this stuff without leaving home... yesterday we had an estimate on resurfacing the pool over at this house. The upside of that, the pool is already outside so we can be socially distant from the folks doing the work, lol!
Edited to add - the food photos are so beautiful - the paella and pineapple ham!
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