So...whats for dinner?
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Happy Anniversary, Special!!!!
It's raining today. So far, 0.7 inch. It's 1pm and, outside, it looks like it's early morning. Still, the rain is very welcome. It's just muddy enough that I don't want to be digging more trench for the watering system pipes. So, I'm doing stuff inside, and if the parts arrive soon, I'll go work on the 1957 Jeep truck.
Dinners, here too, have been not exactly inspiring. We need to fix that, so maybe instead of working on the Jeep, I'll look through the cookbooks for some inspiration.
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Happy anniversary, Special! And Happy Hanukkah, everyone!
Last night I grilled pork chops (with Penzey's Galena St. rub and rosemary from my garden), along with wild mushrooms sauteed in butter, dry Marsala, and shaved white truffle (at table); buttered carrots (with mint from my garden and pumpkin pie spice) and broccolini pan-seared with olive oil, lemon, garlic and red pepper flakes.
Got up this morning--and after a full day of near-keto, discovered I've lost 2.5 lbs. of my pity-party weight gain already! Brunch was tuna salad lettuce wraps.
Tonight for Hanukkah, Bob's bringing home a chicken (or other non-"treyf" meat or fish--had to remind him that pork spareribs or shrimp won't do for a Jewish holiday dinner) from Costco; I picked up a couple of potato latkes and a quart of matzo ball soup from the pharmacy's Kosher-style deli. Will make green beans almondine and a tomato-basil salad. (Ordered basil from Whole Foods yesterday--but when it arrived 2/3 of it was already black and slimy. Will have to use the little bit that I salvaged tonight before it, too rots). No dessert.
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Tonight is the best pasta dish I’ve ever eaten. It’s Tagliatelle Giovanni from Giacomo’s Cibo e Vino. It’s tagliatelle in a Parmesan cream sauce with grilled chicken and mixed veggies (carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, Brussels sprouts, zucchini and red & yellow bell peppers). I ordered the Hawks garlic bread too, pesto, garlic and butter grilled. So delicious and is easily 3-4 meals for me.
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Happy Haunukkah everyone! ......my DNA being 32% genetically Ashkenazi Jewish....I need to know how to celebate....
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Thanks for the anniversary wishes! We shared a bottle of namesake champagne, DH's cousin owns a winery so it is kind of cool to drink champagne or wine with your last name on the bottle. The winery is in a Pittsburgh suburb, but the wine comes from California, and it is not bad!
auntie - I sympathize on the aches and pains - I have a new back of heel pain that is looking like Achilles tendonitis, and I don't like it! The first dozen steps out of bed in the morning (or middle of the night, lol!) hurt like nobody's business. Made worse from exercise, so that bites. Hope the move is coming along, I know it is stressful and trying to do all this during the holidays in the middle of a pandemic makes it extra stressful!
chisandy and all - Happy Hannukah! I too should learn more, my DH is about 12% Jewish from his dad's side (DH's great-grandfather was Russian Jewish and immigrated to the US) per Ancestry DNA. So, that means my children share in that heritage as well and should learn about and celebrate it!
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Oh Mae - I LOVE Giacomo's. Apparently we really do have a similar taste in restaurants!!! I'll put this entree on my wish list.
Carole - hope it was a short 'bug' and you're feeling better. And Nance - sorry you're still suffering stomach woes.
Special - happy anniversary. Glad your water is back on. I love your comments & Nance's about grown kids - except my son is now 50. Oh my - does that mean I can't claim to be 40 anymore? I liked Jack Benny's idea of being 49 every year. OK - I'm showing my age, but hope at least a few of you remember Jack Benny.
Eric - looking forward to what inspiration your cook book look brings. I still think my best new find this fall is the Chicken Florentine, last night's leftovers.
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Minus could you share your chicken florentine?
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Absolutely - from "Magnolia Table" via the Houston Chronicle. So far I have only made it with already cooked rotisserie chicken or already boiled shrimp so I added a dusting of flour to the onions & garlic for thickness. Just finished the leftovers from my last batch tonight & added fresh sauteed mushrooms & some rice. (sorry, I can't figure out why the spaces that makes this so long since my word doc doesn't have them)
CHICKEN FLORENTINE
2 Tblsp EVOO
4 boneless/skinless chicken beasts
2 tsp ground black pepper
2-3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2cup flour
2 Tblsp butter (says unsalted but…)
½ cup minced shallot
3 garlic cloves – minced
1 cup good quality dry white wine
1 cup heavy cream
4 cups baby spinach (3 oz +/-)
1 Tblsp chopped parsley
½ lemon for serving
Heat oil medium high.Sprinkle chicken w/the pepper & 2 tsp salt.Dredge in flour & shake off excess.
In batches, saute turning once until golden brown – about 8 min per side.Transfer to plate to cool.
Reduce heat to medium & add butter.Add shallots & garlic.Saute about 2 minutes.
Add wine, scrapping up any browned bits.Let simmer until liquid is reduced by half – about 10 min.
Add cream and cook & stir until mixture can coat the back of a spool – approx. 5-8 min
Remove pan from heat & add spinach & salt.Stir until spinach is wilted.
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OK, all my fellow Jewish (and part-Jewish) BCO sisters, here's how to celebrate Hanukkah. You can light the special menorah called a Hanukkiah (which is the only kind of menorah with which even most non-Orthodox Jews are familiar--the generic menorah has six even-height candleholders rather than eight, but both have an extra elevated one called the "shamash," or "caretaker," whose candle lights the rest). The first night you light the shamash, which then lights the first lower candle; tonight was the second candle, etc. You add candles from right to left, but light them left to right. You're supposed to put the Hanukkiah in the window facing the street for all to see, but if you have anything flammable nearby (or peripatetic pets) you should put it somewhere that if it gets knocked over it won't set anything on fire. (We put ours on the back of our stove--and in the front window, an electric one, which has bulbs to tighten to light).
There's a game called "dreidel," in which you spin a special 4-sided top called a (duh) dreidel. Each side has a Hebrew letter which is the initial for each of the words "a great miracle happened there" (Israeli dreidels substitute the final initial for "here"). Everyone antes up (nuts, raisins, foil-covered chocolate coins called "gelt," or real coins) and takes a spin. Depending on which side lands facing up, you either get all, nothing, half the pot, or have to chip in. AFAIK, there are no dreidel tables along the Vegas Strip.
Another tradition is to eat stuff fried in oil (olive or not), to commemorate the "miracle of the oil:" when the Maccabees beat the Syrian forces and reclaimed the sacked (first) Temple, they found only enough oil to light the "ner tamid" (eternal flame) lamp for only one night, but it (as legend has it) burned for eight nights. Hence, eight candles plus the shamash. The most familiar oil-fried Hanukkah food is, of course, potato pancakes called "latkes." They can also be made out of sweet potatoes (as we made them for "Thanksgivukkah" a few years back) or even zucchini, for the no-fun-carb-averse. The second most familiar (and in Israel, most prevalent) oil-fried food are jelly-donuts called "sufganyot" (in Israel, usually the size of Dunkin' Munchkins so you can eat more of them). But anything oil-fried will do, even Navajo fry-bread, wonton strips, French fries, Doritos or potato chips. (Nothing with pork or shellfish of course).
And little kids get a different present each of the eight nights. Traditionally, they're not expensive--eight presents per kid sorta piles up.
But in terms of religious significance, it's a relatively minor holiday: you're allowed to work, travel, write, use electricity, cook, handle money, etc. and are not expected to take off from work or school. It's not a day of obligatory worship, either. It got to be a big deal in the U.S. & Canada because it happens roughly at the same time as Christmas, so that Jewish kids get an alternative to even the secular Christmas celebrations. Our big deal happy religious holiday is Passover. (Which is still not the "Jewish Easter," despite the fact that in most years the holidays coincide because the Last Supper--commemorated as Holy Thursday--was a Seder).
Dinner tonight was more roast chicken, broiled asparagus, & fries. (More veg for me, more spuds for Bob).
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Oh, and I thought Jack Benny was perennially 39.
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Oh you're right. Just looked it up on Wiki. 39.... Shows you what age does to the mind. Oh well, I like 39 even better.
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Because of MIL's "my car won't start", we ate thawed out leftover soup. I think I posted the link to the recipe a few weeks ago. The soup is quite good and the freezing didn't hurt it. Two "partially full so the freezing won't cause the glass mason jars to break" quart jars perfectly fill two soup bowls. Add some sourdough bread slices turned into garlic bread and....it's a meal.. :-)
The battery in MIL's car goes dead overnight. It's still in the free replacement section of the warranty and she has an extended warranty for her car. So, either situation is covered under warranty. Unfortunately, it's two different companies and, after both have checked the car, both told my MIL "it's the other company". So, I'm doing a few simple tests that will tell, with no doubt, as to which company ends up fixing it.
I'm 60 years old tomorrow. Things sure have changed a lot over the years, but I still don't know how the time managed to move so quickly! :-)
Edited to add......
The sourdough bread just came out of the oven.
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Eric - Happy Birthday. Time does fly doesn't it.
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Happy birthday, Eric--you young whippersnapper, you! (I'll be 70 next month).
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Happy Birthday, Eric!! Your age, 60, seems very young. I will be 78 in March.
I was tired yesterday afternoon after playing 18 holes of golf. I took out frozen catfish fillets but ended up not cooking them. I did make potato salad and drove to Subway while dh washed dishes (he had a choice of Subway or dishes). So dinner, after the cocktail hour, was home-made mashed potato salad and tuna Subway with most of the available veggies. Tasted good.
Tonight I plan to cook the catfish.
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Happy birthday Eric - you’re still a kid
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Happy birthday, Eric. We December "babies" need to stick together; I'll be 80 next Wednesday. In 2019 I said this year would be a good one with a celebration on each end--2 years post diagnosis in January and a milestone birthday in December. Little did I know what 2020 would really be like! But the anniversaries happen anyway, just without the party I had planned for. Just happy to be here to celebrate a birthday month with Eric and other December folks!
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My FIL loved Jack Benny so when he turned 70, I presented him with a coffee bug that read "Happy 39th Birthday again". He loved it and drank coffee from it every day until he died. Said it was his best gift ever and as a DIL that meant a lot to me.
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Dinner was Firecracker meatballs with less fire because I don’t care for siracha it chili flakes on cauliflower rice since DH is going low card. DH had more fire and green beans, it was a hit.
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Dinner was pickled herring from the kosher deli for an appetizer, and a grass-fed ribeye seared in cast iron (too cold & wet out to grill), with a potato knish (for Bob), roasted Brussels sprouts, and sauteed mushrooms (button, hen-of-the-woods, oyster in butter, Marsala and garnished with the steak juices, parsley and the last of the white truffle). Dessert is a Satsuma. (Last night was unsweetened vanilla Greek yogurt with strawberries, chopped nut blend, and keto dark choc. chips).
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My DH made this salad with red beets, purple carrots, pomegranate, cheese, parsley, and olive oil. It was delicious. He is a wonderful cook but he cooks once in a while. I was in a panic when I went to the bathroom to pee and then I realized, SE of red beets
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Yesterday I went to the nearby produce stand and bought two bunches of mustard greens that looked very fresh. Also large Meyer lemons for 50 cents each. Also a jar of fig preserves.
So last night's menu was mustard greens cooked with diced pickled pork. The two thawed catfish fillets breaded with cornmeal and cooked in a hot oven. And cornbread. We have leftover greens for another meal.
Tonight will be leftover roast pork and gravy with brown rice and leftover mashed potato salad.
I love good "jump ups."
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Carole - I have several neighbors with Meyer Lemon trees. One just brought me 10 lemons last night - as big as huge naval oranges.
Lilly - welcome. You salad sounds good and LOL about the red pee.
I took some homemade red sauce with ground beef out of the freezer yesterday & decided I'm going to try to make my first flatbread pizza tonight. It's unlikely it will look as pretty as Mae's, but here's hoping for good taste. Thinking about black olives, fresh mushrooms, avocados. Hmmmm - maybe some spinach? Perhaps I'd best start smaller and see how it goes. I'm using flatbread from the store instead of making my own, so looks like approx 10 minutes at 425??? Anyone have better times or temperatures or other tips?
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Happy Hanukkah to Sandy and all who are celebrating.
And Happy Birthday, Eric! You are the equivalent of being a teenager from my 75yo perspective.
Happy (early) Birthday, Beaver. I hope you can plan for a wonderful celebration for this milestone sometime before your 81st!Our first grandchild just celebrated his 10th birthday, which was delightful despite it being a Zoom family party. We have not seen those NJ grands in a year, and they have grown up so much in that time. It was sweet to see how thoughtful DGS was while opening his gifts, appreciating them and being so thankful to his Zoom guest/relatives...and just being a very sweet, cool birthday kid. We'll be so happy to be able to visit them once the vaccine is well circulated and things calm down. I just feel like it's too much of a risk with DDS and DDIL's work at the hospitals to try to see them any sooner..especially since DS1 still covers ER ortho cases. I worry about them. Yet, I shouldn't since they are busy posting their rigorous workouts with their trainer each Sat morning, while I am worrying!
Betrayal, I loved your sweet Jack Benny mug story. What a lovely memory for you to hold of your FIL.
Cooking has been dull and sometimes on and off here. Covid fatigue has clearly impacted my productivity this week, even tho my bronchitis is gone. Yay for that! Still trying to get some holiday masks made for family, so they can wear them before the holidays are over!
And yesterday, I finally made my pizzelle dough, and will try to complete those in the next couple of days.
Since I ended up being sick on our anniversary, we never ordered our special take-out meal as originally planned. So since we will likely be here by ourselves over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, (with a quick, safe, distanced hello with baby Mila and crew) we are planning to order ourselves a gourmet take out dinner for Christmas Eve, and have snacks and bits and bites throughout Christmas Day, while overdosing on basketball games which for me is a perfectly acceptable (and fun!) way to spend this “weird Christmas".
What alternative “distancy" plans do others have? I feel like this stage of the Coronavirus is sort of like getting to the Heartbreak Hill of the pandemic's duration. Given the recent surge, I don't want to give up a successful race by making a miss step after being so careful to preserve our health this far.
Sorry for my grousing....I do think of the many people who are truly suffering through this time.And Nance, I do hope that the moving “issues" are going more smoothly for you! Your energy this entire year is so impressive! I made need to send you some fuel to sustain (reward) you!
On a positive note, I came across an interesting recipe that (other than the assembling and cutting prep) was easy, tasty, and provided us with two nights of jump ups. Here's a pic....
A roasted, spiced “collection" of veggies and beans...sweet potatoes, onions, eggplant, tomatoes, red peppers, cannelloni beans (since I had no chickpeas), and a mix of middle eastern spices. It was delicious over farro, with sour cream, and later dinners were casseroles of same with pasta and moz cheese atop. I will definitely be making this again. I just happened to have had an eggplant and some sweet potatoes that needed to be used,,,so internet search landed us a nice option!
Happy (weird)Holiday Season everyone!
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Oh.....welcome, Lily!
Minus, I would love to hear about and SEE how your fb pizza turns out!
Meyer lemons get me to thinking about Susan and her wonderful uses for them. I haven't been to the store lately so have missed catching sight of the few we get shipped up here. Maybe I'll add it to DH's list since he braves the grocery aisles...tho I hate to make his shopping task any longer or more challenging.
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That made me laugh too, Lilly. I was probably 6 years old when I ran to get my mom, a nurse practitioner-midwife.....because I thought I was "bleeding inside". At the school Christmas party, there was a big bowl of red tortilla chips. :-)
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chisandy - thank you for the Hanukkah info - very interesting. I had a number of Jewish friends/neighbors growing up and was present at their homes for some days of Hanukkah and for occasional Friday dinners. I really enjoyed participating in something different from my usual Episcopalian doings, although my mom frequently made latkes, just because they are fantastic! My kids, and my husband and I growing up, all had exposure in elementary school to dreidel and latkes as well. My kids went to school in Fairfax County, VA which has a diverse population and I am glad that their public schools were so inclusive and knew there is much for all to learn.
eric - Happy Birthday! 60 seems young to me too, although I was 60 four years ago, lol! Next stop Medicare!
lilly - beautiful beet salad!
minus - I have found that with pre-baked flatbread I do better when my sauce is pretty sparing. It isn't like a pizza where the dough bakes while the toppings heat so too much sauce may make the flatbread soggy. I have used jarred pesto more than marinara and I like how it turns out.
My brother and I used to get a kick out of our dad saying he was turning 39 every birthday - it wasn't until later that I realized that he stole that from Jack Benny!
Just got done making a monster batch of caramel corn with smoked almonds to bag up and place in cute Flip and Tumble wine bags for DH's office gifts - have to make eleven of them!
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Carried out brunch today from a neighborhood bar & bakery (Beard & Belly/Honey Pie), a branch of the one in Milwaukee. I had a veggie quiche (dense instead of fluffy, but good--left most of the crust) with mesclun salad and extra bacon. Bob had biscuits & gravy, extra eggs, and sausage. Will split a slice of pistachio cream pie tonight after dinner.
Dinner will be leftover roast chicken breast, likely shredded & sauteed with leftover tomato, kale & peppers, plus "tzimmes" (a sweet potato, prune & carrot compote) from Whole Foods.
Will Zoom with Gordy & Leslie as they spend Christmas with her family on a rented farm outside Houston. I can't convince them not to go, alas.
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Mmmm.... biscuits and gravy. Yum chisandy!
Tonight’s dinner is Chicken sausage stuffed peppers with Israeli couscous, roasted carrots and sautéed yellow squash/red onion. DH’s plate is prettier as I choose not to top mine with the tomato/parsley/chive mix.
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Mae - thanks for the flatbread pizza inspiration. Mine wasn't as pretty as yours, but really quite good. Special - thanks for the tip about the sauce. I have another friend who recommends pesto. Next time I'll put cheese below & above the toppings - both since I like cheese and to keep the toppings from sliding. Also I used the shredded cheese I had on hand which was Cheddar Jack. Next time I'll add some mozzarella for "meltability". Still - DELICIOUS.
Edited to add - I ate 1/2 of a rectangle. Thinking I'll head back to the kitchen and eat the other half. More food than I've eaten in months.
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