So...whats for dinner?
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Ilona, you've got me drooling again!
Eric, can we split the diff between your 91F and my 48? Brrr....
Couldn't understand why I couldn't fall asleep last night, and why my pulsatile tinnitus was back as bad as ever (even more discouraging now that I know it's a congenital anomaly that can't be fixed). Went downstairs to try and tire out my brain. Normally, I'd sneak a bowl of keto cereal + grain-free granola, but I seem to have gained a pound--so no night-eating. Ah, if only I'd gone into the kitchen then--I'd have seen the little shot glass with all my bedtime meds (except the CBD & melatonin, which I took early because they take up to 2 hrs to kick in; meant to take the rest after feeding the cats, who distracted me with their finickiness). Had another couple hrs. of tossing & turning (now with a stuffy nose & itchy eyes, then a nasty calf cramp), even using the sound-generator app on my phone with AirPods. Alas, that app burns through battery life in my earbuds, so the brown noise stopped dead--and not just my audible heartbeat but Bob's snoring and his own cell blowing up with text notifications took its place. Gave in, went down for coffee and morning meds and D'OH: there were the night meds, which included the Xanax that would have made me sleepy, the magnesium & Baclofen to prevent muscle crampings, and the montelukast & Zyrtec which would have kept my nose clear and my eyes calm. Learned my lesson!
No breakfast before my mani-pedi, so when I got home I had a small tuna sandwich with lettuce, homegrown tomato & red onion. Dinner was a 2-egg (1 reg, 1 jumbo) omelet with red & green bell, jalapeno & poblano peppers and cheddar. The latter was 15-month Kerrygold, which turned out a bit too mild for my taste. Need something sharp enough to smell across the room. Topped it with a salsa cruda of homegrown cherry tomatoes, basil, Greek olive oil & flake sea salt.
Our fave neighborhood eatery, Cellars, may have to close at the end of the month after 25 years. They stayed afloat during the spring by doing takeout and getting a small business loan; then once outdoor dining was allowed in June and the weather was good, their patio was booked every night and most weekend brunch days. When indoor dining at 25% capacity became permitted, they did get some indoor patrons (especially when it was rainy or the bees were table-hopping), but they never hit 25% except at the winemaker dinners. Today, the city began allowing 60% capacity, which would let them accommodate 40 patrons; but the owners warned that if not enough people feel comfy to dine in (or they don't get the tons of takeout orders they had all spring), and if the four winemaker dinner seatings (two nights per week in mid-Oct.) don't sell out, Halloween will be their "last hurrah." I had that sandwich too late today to order out for dinner before closing, but I will order tomorrow night. (Probably the bourbon salmon with veg., wedge salad and soup du jour--it'll be just me, as Bob's down in Oak Lawn till Sat. night). He probably got the same e-mail and is just as bummed out as I am. They're the only place I trust to be safe dining indoors (we've done it twice for weather reasons, but the room was safely but distressingly empty. That "last hurrah" will feel more like a wake. We've held celebrations (birthdays, anniversaries, even funeral repasts) there ever since it opened. Half our cellar came from those winemaker dinners. I need to rethink my trepidation about dining inside there: the staff is in there for hours day in & day out; and Bob eats in the hospitals' doctors' lounges (he also reports seeing SW side Mexican restaurants crammed to overflowing, in defiance of state law. (Seems like all the enforcement is here on the N. Side). The owners have become our friends in every sense of the word.
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Dinner last night was chips and salsa for dh and peanuts for me. We arrived home about 4 pm and agreed to delay unloading the cargo trailer. DH went for ice since the ice maker had been turned off all summer. We had our cocktails and then our dinner/snacks. Lunch was a burger and fries so we weren't starving.
It's good to be home but there's much to be done, including grocery shopping.
I wish this "cool spell" would last.
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Carole - welcome back to the South. Yes, isn't this cool spell marvelous. Don't rush with the unpacking. You have all winter. Take some time to just enjoy the unusual weather.
Have to do something with a bag of spinach today before it totally turns, and a cucumber, and some leftover black beans. Thinking about sauteing the spinach with onion & garlic, tossing in the beans & serving on top of a bag of leftover "Ancient Grains" from the freezer. Maybe some sour cream? And the cucumber??? It could be a really strange dinner.
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chisandy - I hope Cellars can hang on - I feel like I’ve been there as I’ve read your posts.
I am enjoying a slightly cooler stint here in FL, weighed myself and was unhappy with what I saw, so have walked the last four days in a row, inspired by minus - 5 miles - and rededicated myself to cleaner and more restrictive eating. I already feel better.
minus - do you have any tortillas, tomato sauce, and cheese? You could do spinach and black bean enchiladas, and the cucumber salad with sour cream and vinegar.
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special - I do have tortillas but the left over black beans are from enchiladas/burritos so I wanted to do something a little different. Also I just finished polishing off a cucumber/sour cream/tarragon vinegar/dill salad. Thinking I can save the cucumber for one more day and add to fried rice tomorrow. This has gotten to be a contest between me & what ever I have on hand. It's been 14 days since my last grocery store run, but this is the last of my fresh green stuff so I'll have to go by mid week.
Good for you with the walking. The cooler weather really helps with momentum. How far is it to DD's house?
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Woke up to about 40 degrees outside this morning. Tonight I made Sloppy Joes since Hubby pointed out that we hadn’t had them in a long while. Got enough left over for another night.
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I just finished a large batch of black beans in the pressure cooker and a batch of brown rice in the sauce pan. The, sourdough is rising in the "light is on, but otherwise off" oven and we are using the microwave oven as a safe place for the thawing salmon.
Minus, I don't think it's that strange of a dinner you were talking about. I'm thinking of putting the salmon on a bed of rice and then, to go with the rice and salmon, make a salsa with the beans and some corn. I've been freezer diving and we've been trying to use up the multiple partially full bags of frozen vegetables. Today I found several bags of frozen corn and between them all, there was one cup of corn. The corn looks "unhurt" by the however long time it spent in the freezer, so it's going to get used. I also found a little bit of frozen mango, so that may also go into the salsa.
I'm laughing, M0mmy, I saw the 40 degrees reference and had to remember where you were from before I decided if that was Fahrenheit or Centigrade degrees. I guess that's a "symptom" of living in Phoenix. :-) It was 106F yesterday and hotter where we live.
I hope Cellars can hang on, too. It has to be hard for the owners to watch their dream founder, especially after 25 years of success.
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Cool here too. Didn’t get over 55 today and tomorrow night is supposed to dip to 34 - yikes! Time for the orchids to come inside. We saw what we think is the last hummingbird two days ago. I’ll leave the feeder up for a week or so just in case.
Glad you are home safe and sound Carole. I hate the unpacking though, even though I’m always happy to sleep in my bed.
Sandy, I’m sorry about Cellars too. I always enjoy your descriptions of the wonderful meals you get there. I hope they can hang on.
There has been food here if not very exciting. Chicken pot pies last night. But tonight is good old canned tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. It’s been drizzlly and cold all day and I’m suffering from my usual change of season allergy issues. That old stand by is what sounds good.
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Eric, glad I could give you a chuckle. It only got to about 63F here today. Going to start bringing down some more clothes for the cooler temps from my attic since it seems like Fall has finally arrived here.
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We are still humid here and in the 80's forthe most part. Humidity level makes it feel very different at 80 F than it does at 90 F though. I did wear a tank top to walk yesterday and underestimated my exposure enough to get a little pink. Naughty!
minus - DD is 14 miles away - not walking that far, lol! She was very excited to be equidistant to her horse, the waters she fishes in, and our house.
I put a chuck roast I found in the freezer in the crockpot this morning with sliced mushrooms, sliced onion, mushroom soup, and French onion soup. I ate it with just the sautéed zucchini, but DH got mashed potatoes too.
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Tonight will be a 1/2 pork roast sandwich. I had a leftover Baja fish taco around noon and a celery with peanut butter at 5 but I’m still not really hungry now, so just nibbling for dinner.
Might snack on a slice of cucumber, it sounds pretty good right now, thanks minus
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Bob will still get home too late for dinner tonight, and so I will order out from Cellars again. Last night was leftover salmon over sweet potato slices & julienned veggies (I was too full to eat the other half of my wedge salad, so that'll be my first course tonight). Will get a pasta for Bob and probably chicken piccata for me (getting a second veg instead of the mashed potatoes it comes with). I'd rather have fried calamari, but I've gained 1.5 pounds and my weigh-in is on the 22d, so I have to cut way back on carbs (and my night snacking is definitely a problem). I still don't feel comfy dining indoors there alone, and it will be in the very low 50s, maybe even 40s, for dinner time.
Besides, I don't want anyone to see me sans mask (which I'd have to remove to eat)--my cat Happy nipped my face yesterday (I wasn't paying enough attention to him while he was on my chest & purring, so he got angry). After the appropriate first aid (this has happened before), I went to Immediate Care and am now sporting three little "spot" Band-Aids. On antibiotics for the next 4 days too.
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Had a late lunch today so it's soup and sandwiches tonight
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DH didn’t want to do anything for his birthday, so I tried a new recipe, it turned out great. Spinach and Feta stuffed chicken with roasted rainbow carrots and red potatoes.
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Mae - looks delicious.
I had more chicken to process tonight. There really isn't any substitute for Campbell's Mushroom Soup (or celery or chicken). Plain cream is too thin. Decent white sauce is thicker than I wanted. I made the Mushroom soup in a pan so I'd the leftover of that too. Chicken chunks, mushroom soup, green peas and mushrooms - served over Ancient Grains. I love this Ancient Grains mix - a delicious combination of rice, Bulgur wheat, Barley, Wheat Berries, Red Rice, Oats & Quinoa from Italy.
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I envy all of you who have conventionally cool falls. Fall here is the hottest time of the year. We get in to triple digits in some parts and the kicker is, the clothing stores still break out the jackets and sweaters. And when it does cool off in mid November it's not a subtle transition. It will fluctuate between hot and cold for a week and then stay cold. I find myself in the strange position of having the gas company do a heater check when it's 95F because if I call a week later when it's dropping in to the 40s at night they will be booked up until January.
Dinner was chicken noodle soup from the market cold case, zucchini, and an orange.
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Last night was salmon fillets cooked at 450 degrees for about 10 minutes. This recipe calls for the salmon to be cooked with a topping of yogurt, mustard, and dill. I had to substitute sour cream and liked it better. DH is not a salmon fan but doesn't complain when I cook it occasionally. The side was cauliflower mash.
Saturday night was fried catfish with multi-color small carrots and a romaine salad.
Looks like we got home in time for another hurricane.
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Might do pork chops for dinner
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Meal of the day was a Spinach-Artichoke Quiche from Costco. Not the same a homemade, but a reasonably decent meal. Appetizer was 10 radishes. P.S. - for those of you wondering, I threw away the last piece of cucumber. That's the danger of 'vegetable drawers' in the fridge. Time got away from me.
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DH had leftover flatbread pizza that was pepperoni and cheese, I had romaine salad with some turkey and goat cheese. Not very exciting, but it worked. Today was his return to work full-time and in person. I think it went ok but I'm glad I made him work from home through Sept., the timing was good - he wasn't too tired when he got home.
minus - I too fall victim to too many veggies that need to be used all at once. The ones I can cook I usually do, then freeze, but that would not work for a cucumber!
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The leftover spaghetti sauce with "new" spaghetti and some garlic onion sourdough bread.
I spent about 10 minutes today going through the freezer part of the refrigerator-freezer in the kitchen and I combined things where possible. Things are easier to find now.
Illimae, did you slice the chicken to make a pocket for the stuffing or did you roll the chicken around the stuffing?
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An interesting crockpot meal tonight. "California Tamale Pie" which consisted of cooked ground beef mixed with cornmeal, corn, tomatoes, olives and milk/eggs. 3 hours on high topped with chedder shreds to melt. We had light sour cream on the side and I was too lazy to add another vegetable or salad. Corn is a vegetable haha.
I do love my crockpot. It gave me time i needed today for paperwork etc..
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Reader425:
I don't eat beef but tamale pie sounds good!
I had egg white scramble with sauteed mushrooms, rice and broccoli and various condiments to give it some flavor.
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Last night's dinner was rotini pasta with jarred light Alfredo sauce to which I added chunks of chicken and green peas. It was pretty and tasty as well as a quick fix.
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Eric, I was supposed to make a pocket but missed that part and butterflied, pounded with a mallet, rolled them up. I was concerned that the stuffing would leak in the oven but it mostly stayed in place. Easy and yummy.
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/8551/spinach-stuffed-chicken-breasts/0 -
Memory Lane - oh my where does the time go. I was thinking about my travels before Covid.
It was Sept 2015 when I was in Boston and had dinner with Lacey & Susan. OMG Lacey - 5 years. Then October 2016 when I was in Phoenix I got to have a short "coffee" visit with Eric. I met Magari for lunch in San Francisco in May 2018. In between I've been fortunate to meet several people who live in Texas &/or were close enough for lunch in Houston. I'm not sure many of them post any more - but you might remember Sandra from San Antonio and JB Dayton from Cleveland. And of course I'm so glad I got to have lunch with Illimae - goodness... 2019 or 2018?? Not sure we'll get to have another lunch before you move because of Covid.
Once I finished active treatment the end of 2014, I usually went somewhere both Spring & Fall. In this same time frame I've been to Hawaii, drove from one end of Washington to the other & down through Oregon, Salt Lake City & points North & South, San Francisco several times (well, that's where my roots are & my son lives in the area - AND I can see the Pacific Ocean - my lifeline) and Los Angeles. I've missed trips to Florida where I hoped to see Special & SAS, San Diego where I want to meet Lisa, and the Carolinas.
So grateful for all of you at BCO. It's been such fun meeting up in various places. And now look - I haven't even been out to eat since March. And actually only picked up one "drive through" - and the guy in the window wasn't wearing a mask or gloves. I really am not bored and I'm having fun cooking at home. It's certainly been great to save my limited supply of money. Just seems strange when I think back.
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Minus, I think it was 2018. I did get curb side pick up of Shaking Beef from Hughies about a month ago, it’s still fantastic.
Dinner tonight is a large Cesar salad. Didn’t feel like cooking, it was treatment day for me and DH is a little hungover, lol.
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Illimae, thanks for posting that recipe. It looks delicious!
Special, I’m glad that DH’s return to work went well.
Enjoyed reading your travelogue, Minus, and I so enjoyed meeting with you, your friend, Pat....and of course, Susan! Her birthday is next week. Facebook notified me about that. It is So odd that when someone passes their Facebook account lives on.
I felt suddenly exhausted late this afternoon and DH was hungry enough that he offered to make dinner with the salmon I’d picked up earlier. So while I malingered, he made a lovely grilled salmon in foil packets with garlic, butter, lemon slices, and rosemary; baked sweet potatoes and a cuke salad. I now know how to access a sweet dinner with no effort! LOL But seriously, I’m feeling progressively worse, so I’d rather cook! We took care of baby Amelia this past weekend, and I am hoping that my sudden fatigue and feeling rank has nothing to do with a possibility of her being a tiny asymptomatic Covid vector! She certainly seemed healthy, and we had oodles of fun. Tomorrow I’ll know better, and will call my doc if this persists. Fingers crossed....
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Oh Lacey - yes fingers crossed. I hope you are just exhausted from chasing the baby and not sleeping due to the the allergens in the air. Try to malinger tomorrow. Just lie in bed (or your recliner) and read a book & doze. Or even take a real nap. And horrors - maybe Campbells Chicken Noodle for lunch.
Edited to say, thanks for sharing Susan's B-day. I still miss her. The memories of her baking adventures that she always shared here are wonderful.
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Lacey, you might be suffering allergy symptoms. The ragweed and molds have been particularly awful here--unfortunately, the hospital that used to report numerical allergy counts M-F from 4/1-10/31, when an octogenarian allergist would go to the roof and check the slides, now doesn't start the count till 4/15 and runs it only through 9/30. But everyone knows that ragweed season here runs 8/15-10/15. and peaks in early Oct.! (The young allergist who took over doesn't have the same stamina & dedication--or maybe she has other responsibilities). She also doesn't report Monday counts on holiday weekends (and occasionally skips some weekdays with no explanation). The only way I know for sure what's making me sneeze and my eyes itch is to go to Pollen.com and Accu-Weather, which just gives an index # for each allergen, rather than an actual grain or spore count. Beginning Thurs. night I will be absolutely miserable: I have a "penicillin & quinolone allergy challenge" test scheduled for Monday--and I have to stop taking all antihistamines (except Benadryl) and anti-allergy eyedrops for 5 days before. I can sub out Benadryl, but the last one has to be stopped by Sun. morning. For those five days, I'll have to make do with saline, Nasalcrom, Nasacort and artificial tears. (Maybe Similisan, as it's a weak homeopathic eyedrop with no antihistamines in it).
Tonight Bob brought dry-rub ribs (they were out of roast chickens) & quinoa salad home from Costco. I had a small no-croutons Caesar with homegrown cherry tomatoes instead of the quinoa, as my carb was a slice of low-carb toast with my French-style herbed soft-scrambled eggs for brunch. He also had his leftover cavatappi Bolognese from Cellars.
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