So...whats for dinner?
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Eric, so sorry on the car drama. I hate cars and houses...and sometimes, the human body---too much maintenance.
I broiled a sockeye with pastrami seasoning, reheated a leftover sweet potato and nuked some frozen brussels sprouts. Tomorrow will be leftover salmon, steamed broccoli and a caramelized onion socca.
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Bummer about the car, Eric. Were you able to get a rental (or are you a 2-car family)?
Pan-seared a couple of sable fillets (S&P, a few drops of grapeseed oil). Good thing I ran my fingers over the skin before cooking--they'd neglected to scale it. Nuked the leftover pansit & lumpia as starches for Bob; sauteed snap peas with sesame, garlic & ginger oil; and nuked the remaining green beans almondine. Will probably grill a steak or braise a chicken thigh tomorrow if we don't go out.
15 min. to go before the extreme wind warning expires, but there'll be 30-40mph gusts possible till 9am. So far so good here, but down in Uptown (1.5 mi. south of us), a giant maple was uprooted and took out 3 cars.
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Hello all. Eric glad you weren't going fast!
Update : My brother, Mel, passed away the day after Thanksgiving. His caregiver, a wonderful caring person, got my sister on the phone while the priest was there giving last rites ( as Mel requested when we saw him in August. ) His friends that live in Cathedral City, took care of emptying his apartment according ti his wishes. We are blessed they could do so. Other than a few mementos, they had both his and our permission to take, give away, or toss all. They had that done by Dec 1, so we wouldnt have to pay another month rent. He was cremated, and we will be attending to his wishes. We are planning a memorial mass in January for family and friends in WI. His friends in CA planned a small funeral there, last week.
My DD1 really stepped up to the plate for Thxgvg. I did the turkey and dressing, mashed potatatos and she did everything else that wasnt bought. With the drrsding outside the bird, I took the skin from the bottom of the bird before cooking, put it, the tail, and the neck on top of the casserole. It was as moist as being in the bird! My DD2 is trying to complete 2 school papers, work, take care of 2 kids, 1 of whom is in a Nutcracker performance and practicing often, and her DH who is recovering from surgery, so she just showed up. LOL. My DH is usually babysitting daily, as the sx case cant chase the 2 year old, or drive, so while DD2 works, hes doing the school and dance pickup and dropoff routine and getting them dinner. Ayeyeye! So life is quiet here, because this daughter has my car, due to the accident, so Im home.Im also subbing for the aqua arthritis class, as the teacher went to her kids house in TN and got sick on the way home. Its ALWAYS something. On the plus side, because they cant hire enough people at the Y, they upped the start pay to 15$. And that means the people on staff git bumped to $20 . LOL. Kinda cool. LOL My sister, hauls my *ss to class. LOL. Payback to the month she had my car. LOL
Ive had to go back to cooking family kid friendly meals, as her kids are getting picky., so when I make something its not soup, but the usual carby casseroles we grew up on. Sigh. LOL i did stuffed peppers though with a lot of cheese they at least ate the filling.and i cut the peppers the long way in half, so its not wasted as much.
We will have ham fir christmas. Menu still being planned, DD2 works xmas,xmas eve, NY and NY eve. DS2 works 3rd shift. DGD2 has a sleepover on the 30th, for her only clise friend. Sime where in there we will have our Celebration.
The wind is howling so bad right now, but yet it was 60 degrees today. Weird.
Supper was Aldis Manicotti, with a jarred sauce and a small salad. It was pretty good!
Much love to all
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Moon, you are definitely in a busy family situation. I'm sorry about the loss of your brother.
The golf luncheon meal yesterday was "different." The meat was half a tiny cornish hen. The sides were a dab each of cornbread dressing, sweet potato, greens. And a roll. Everything was strongly spiced or flavored. The holiday drink was a White Russian sort of concoction that was good. The dessert was a floating meringue in egg nog sauce that I tasted and decided against consuming the calories. It was nice to chat with some former members and current members that I seldom see.
I had thawed out ground chuck to make a hamburger for dinner. On the spur of the moment I decided to try the cold oil French fries technique I saw recently on ATK or Cook's Country. I used russet potatoes, which are not recommended. I peeled them because they were a bit old and starting to sprout. As recommended I didn't wash the raw sliced potatoes but placed them in a pot in cold oil and brought to a boil on high, did not touch them until they had begun to brown. They were delicious and not at all greasy. This is one of the few times I have ever made French fries and it was very easy. The only negative is the leftover oil.
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Thawing out a grass-fed ribeye for dinner, which I'll grill and serve with sauteed broccolini and a nuked sweet potato. Made avocado toast with an olive-oil-fried egg for brunch.
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DH suggested pasta with vegetables for dinner last night. I was lukewarm on the idea but relented. He went to the Piggly Wiggly and made his purchases and cooked dinner himself, prep and all. The result was delicious. Veggies were asparagus, yellow bell pepper, cauliflower and broccoli, most of which was already in the refrigerator. Also fresh garlic, chopped. Pasta was spiral rotini and sauce was creamy, cream cheese and sour cream. I got out some grated parm and a bag Italian blend. For me, pasta demands cheese.
I'm hoping to get this meal into the rotation with him as cook! I suggested that it would be nice for him to cook dinner once a week. No response.
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moon - so sorry about the loss of your brother, I can relate - it is still hard and it has been 13 years. Sounds like you are busy, but coping - I hope things calm down a bit for you soon.
carole - I laughed at the "no response" from your DH on the weekly cooking proposal. We just took over the small Traeger from DD, she has a full size one on her lanai. She mostly used the little one camping but she just got a new jet boil type stove that is more compact and much lighter. DH decided to test drive the newly inherited baby Traeger with a Boston butt for pulled pork. I am not a fan of the smoky taste from pellets, only true wood smoke for me - so we have a lot of pulled pork that only he is eating, lol!
Dinner last night was skinless/boneless chicken breasts dredged in GF bread crumbs and pan cooked until almost done, then topped with some marinara and DF shredded mozzarella and popped into the oven. While that was happening I sauteed some fresh spinach. Very yummy! Tonight is thin ribeyes, roasted butternut squash with cinnamon, and some riced cauliflower cooked with chicken broth, scallion, and red pepper flakes. I was fairly successful with our T-Giv meal, as far as staying with the eating plan, and have been giving some thought to Christmas dinner. I usually do a standing rib roast, but the sides are potentially problematic. I think I can do a russet and sweet potato gratin with the DF cheese - it seems to do better when baked. Steamed broccoli with lemon olive oil, roasted carrots, and maybe some sort of salad. Dessert - may try an alternative flour/flourless situation - not sure yet. Also a problem is the traditional sticky buns and peach bellinis with present opening on Christmas morning, but I will figure that out. Maybe we will open on Christmas Eve and just skip the whole morning thing since there are no little ones expecting Santa. Well maybe DD, but she's 32. Lol!
eric - glad the car thing was not any worse - sheesh! Also glad that your MIL is on the mend, hope it sticks this time, y'all have been through it!
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Monica, so sorry for the loss of your brother. May his memory be for a blessing.
We're going out tonight with friends to Regalia. Several Chicago restaurants have had to close temporarily due to employees testing positive. The city hasn't mandated vaccine proof for indoor dining. The county is recommending it. Local restaurant assn. pres. is against restaurant owners & mgrs. "being the vaccine police;" but one microbrewery owner--who had to close down till tomorrow--wants to see a vaccine passport implemented, and will require proof of vaccination (or negative test result w/in the past 48 hrs.). I don't think the testing should be an acceptable alternative, as home rapid antigen tests have a high rate of false negatives and PCR tests take at least 48 hrs to process and notify people of results.
We will most likely do takeout for Christmas Eve, unless we can score a res. for The Feast of the Seven Fishes. Big Jones' Reveillon dinner sold out two weeks ago. Bob has to work Christmas weekend, so if our friends are hosting Christmas Day it'll be just me attending.
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Hi Moon....Adding to the condolences for your brother, Mel.
While in college, I had a "Fry-Baby" and used it for french fries. I wasn't yet skilled enough to try anything else in it. French fries, hamburgers, baked potatoes, bacon and eggs were my "limit". I had learned to make sure the oil is *HOT* before starting. Sometime if I have some oil, I'll have to try the "start cold" method. I do have, in storage, a cast iron deep fryer with the basket, so...maybe after we move.
So far, so good, for MIL. This time, her c-diff treatment is a different antibiotic (vancomycin) and is going for much longer than (don't remember which antibiotic) what she was taking before. Hopefully there will be no more recurrences for her.
Carole, "No response"??? To me, that seems strange, but then I like to cook.
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I just got a "SAY WHAT????!!!!???" email because I had been working near those locations during the relevant time period. In the email was this link to https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/federal-agents-investigating-voyeurism-incidents-grand-canyon-national-park
ahh, um, ahh...sigh.....
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Fry-Baby? Boy, does that take me back! When Bob was in grad school (and I in law school), we had one in the tiny kitchen of our UW student-housing apt. We had a dorm-size fridge (with a freezer just big enough for an ice tray and a couple of popsicles) and a crummy coil-type electric range with a quirky oven. Barely any counter space--the blender, toaster and percolator pretty much took up the entire counter opposite the dish drainer. I don't think I ever made anything except egg rolls in it.
For 20 years here, we used a DeLonghi RotoFryer. Convenient, but draining the oil was a major PITA. Replaced it with a freestanding no-name air fryer that didn't see much use, and is now enshrined in my Basement Museum of Obsolete Small Appliances. When we need to air-fry, we use our Breville SmartOven Air--works way better than the air-fryer did. Only downside is we need to put a small foil pan beneath the airfry basket to keep grease from dripping on the lower elements.
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For me, "while in college" was the early to late 1980s for my bachelor's degree and master's degree. My kitchen was actually quite good for a college kid house...big enough that with some care, two people could work in it at the same time. I think there might have been more counterspace in that kitchen than in the kitchen in this house. The only "thing" about *that* kitchen was the color combinations. The counter tops were bright orange, bright red and bright yellow, the refrigerator was avocado-green and the floor was vinyl that did a good job matching the countertop and refrigerator colors. The dishwasher front was brown with black accents and the stove was the shiny ceramic looking white color with a rough finish that was very difficult to clean.
I guess those were the days. :-)
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Eric, I got a chuckle from your kitchen description. I remember the Fry Baby but did not own one. I seldom deep fry and do not own a fryer except an air fryer. I favor pan frying with just enough oil to coat the bottom, often a blend of butter and oil. The basket would be great for the cold oil method. I used a spider scoop which worked fine.
Last night's dinner was Same Song, Different Verse. I used the rest of the cooked spiral pasta in a shrimp and veggie large skillet dish. The veggies were the remaining tiny asparagus dh bought for his dish and yellow squash. Also fresh spinach at the last minute. The cheese was fresh grated asiago. Putting the dish together was quick, no more than twenty minutes since shrimp and veggies were prepped.
Tonight we're meeting another couple at a nearby upscale restaurant known for its steak dinners and seafood dinners. Our friends have a gift certificate and wanted to "spend" it. We haven't been there in a few years because it is popular and crowded and also pricey. When we opted for pricey, we went other places. There is no shortage of good food for high prices on the North Shore and apparently no shortage of people able and willing to pay the prices.
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Hooray - finally got my 'slab' of Victoria Toffee from Sees Candy. They only produce it at Christmas for about 3 weeks a year. So yesterday's meal was 1/3 pound of toffee eaten slowly all afternoon and two soft boiled eggs. Not together - but since I ate the candy first, the eggs were desert.
And go figure, I lost 2 lbs. It seems sweets don't really effect my weight - only bread. Sigh - since I really prefer bread & butter.
Tonight I'm taking my nephew, wife & 6 year old to Eddie V's. Their employees mask and even their daughter is fully vaxed so we should be OK. But the weather prediction is heavy rain with 2-3" accumulations. I won't like driving home after dark in those conditions. Maybe the weather man will be wrong again...
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Minus, I meant to tell you that there’s a see’s pop up store in rice village. I went yesterday and got my supply for the season 😁
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Thanks Mae.
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Now I will have to google this candy. Our previous neighbor sent us some Irish toffee w/ pecans last year and it is too dangerous to keep in the house.
I spoke too soon on the no reaction to my booster. Drat. As with the last arm shot, my armpit is swollen and beyond painful. I should have stuck to my guns and insisted on the thigh. Sigh. A few oral sores that aren't too horrible (this was common with the first round but strange that it didn't happen till the booster) and the queasy tummy. The tummy is better today. We'll see how long the armpit lasts. If these boosters will become routine, I'll have to figure out a willing thigh injector. At least I didn't lose hearing in the shot side or get the really bad numbness, so that's something. Onward!
Last night I made scrambled eggs to go with our leftover socca w/ caramelized onions. Sauteed some broccoli with shiitake mushrooms for a side.
Tonight will be refried bean nachos.
The winds and rain are back. Reminds me we live in the PNW. Droughts seem to fool us here.
Too bad I am not a skier. TONS of snow in the passes. I love snow. Hopeful for a dusting at least once for the year.
Moon, I am so sorry for the loss of your brother. May his memory be a blessing.
Editing to add: just googled the candy. I'm safe. I can eat any nut except almonds (cross reaction with birch pollen).0 -
Wow. Just a few minutes ago, I was 'shopping the freezer'. I wonder if ground beef with a use by date of Aug 4, 2013, is still any good? :-) I am still amazed that this happens as we both go through the freezer every month or so and look for dinosaur meat.
A short drive from home is a 4th or 5h generation family owned place called the Cerreta Candy Company. It's both a 'factory' as well as a retail store. One year, the school bus route I drove went by their store. Nearby was a bakery, and it was one place where I always hoped to have to stop a red traffic light!
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I'm making lamb shoulder blade chops, braised in red wine. Sides of rice and cooked cabbage.
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Well - no holiday celebration at Eddie Vs. Ferocious storm & we lost power for 7 hours. I ended up eating leftover cold fried rice w/mushrooms, celery, onions, rotisserie chicken bits & spinach. (yeah - weird I know. but I also enjoy cold pizza for breakfast if I have any).
Today's meal was egg salad on Hawaiian rolls, a Comice pear, a tin of smoked oysters (w/o any crackers) and more Victoria Toffee. Accompanied by a gin & tonic with a frozen cube of Meyer Lemon juice from my neighbor's tree last year.
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Love the lemon ice cube idea! By the way, what is your gin of choice? I just learned to appreciate gin last year.
Glad you are safe from the storm. We had quite the winds yesterday; all calm today.
I'm doing a happy dance because we may (and I say this knowing our forecasts in weather are NEVER correct) get an inch of snow on xmas-eve.
SNOW!!!!!!!!!!!! snoopy dance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Wally - for every day drinks mixed with tonic or orange juice I just use good old Gordons gin. If I'm doing gin on the rocks or martinis, I drink Tanqueray. I bought some of the Dutch Gin (Genever) once, but didn't care for that. And a friend gave me Bombay Sapphire - which is OK but I guess I'm more of a purist. My son prefers original Bombay so I keep that around also.
Hope you do get your snow.
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Yesterday was windy, cloudy and cold. Perfect weather for pot roast. Today is even colder and gloomy. Thinking of digging a container of great northern beans out of the freezer and turning it into soup.
DH likes Gilbey's gin, which is in the same price category as Gordon's but not as easy to find. When he can't buy it, he substitutes Beefeater's, which costs more.
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Our liquor tax negates any deals on booze. We had privatized liquor stores until Costco threw a hissy. I was happy, until the state said they'd gouge us with the horrific booze tax. I'd order from California or NY, but most states have stopped shipping to WA or add in the horrific tax. DRAT. Buying spirits was like buying shoes. I have a big cabinet full but do not imbibe much (wine is my drug of choice). I'd love to try some new-to-me tequila...but the rest of the bottle would sit in the cabinet and with the tax...RANT!
Beefeater, Bombay (red/original) and Gordon's are what I have at home. I'd have to start a long thread with the rum, single malt and brandy and tequila I've sampled. Too bad my DH hates booze. Bourbon is about the only thing that I have not gotten used to. Could be the breakup I had in my 20s that included wild turkey
Apologies, I just realized there's a "what are you drinking" thread and I should drag that there. Thanks for indulging me here.
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My SIL introduced us to Hendrick's gin about 10 years ago - I like it. It is pricey, but good. I drink it so infrequently now that if you amortize the cost over the time needed to drink a whole bottle, it seems reasonable, lol! Gin and tonics with a lot of lime were my first "adult" drink of choice. Funny memory - also the first drink my dad ever bought me when I turned 21 and could legally drink. We are fortunate that we have the liquor store on the military base that helps keep costs down on liquor. There is also a brand new Total Wine, which is huge, that opened a few miles away, and they have some good sales.
Dinner tonight is GF ground turkey enchiladas Christmas style - with chipotle red enchilada sauce and green salsa, topped with dairy free cheese. I have discovered that if you have enough sauce and flavors, the dairy free cheese is more than tolerable, and if you bake it there is normal cheese melting in the oven. The chipotle will jazz up the ground turkey enough to add some needed flavor, otherwise too bland. Will have some brown rice with a little red salsa stirred in, and pinto beans alongside.
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Wally - no, drinking is part of eating. We can talk about that here too. My first drink of choice was rum & coke. Before that a date on a group hayride when I was 18 offered me a drink but I told him I didn't. So he said - what about a glass of orange juice. My folks didn't drink at all & I'd never heard of screwdrivers. Needless to say I was very sick & didn't drink vodka for many years.
Special I LOVE Total Wine. They beat every other possible store in town for selection AND price. And they had great classes with wine tastings or whisky tastings or whatever along with lectures/slides about what we were tasting. I hope they will start up again next year once joining in a classroom is safe again.
Couldn't get back to sleep last night so I had rice krispies w/a banana at 4am. Eventually dropped back off for awhile. Late morning I finished the rest of the egg salad w/a spoon - no bread. Also finished the Victoria Toffee. Tonight will be guacamole with Rosemary crackers.
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Various leftovers tonight: Bob brought home wings & a giant spinach salad from Barracco's last night en route home from his hospitals but I'd already made a salmon burger & shishitos. So tonight was the remaining wings, spinach salad with the fixings (egg, onion, bacon, cheese, tomato & mushrooms--I made my own sherry-arbequina olive oil vinaigrette instead of the HFCS-laden commercial dressing packets that come with the salads). As an appetizer I had whitefish caviar ($7 for a 2 oz. jar at Whole Foods with my Amazon Prime discount) on cucumber slices with sour cream. Gonna have an Enlightened keto cheesecake for dessert.
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Dinner last night was white bean soup and a spinach salad with pear and blue cheese. I am thawing a chicken to roast for dinner tonight.
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Carole - Thanks for the tip. I never think to put pears in spinach & I have both.
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Last night was leftover lamb. Tonight I'll roast some purple potatoes and make fried eggs. Maybe add some green beans.
Happy Solstice!!
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