So...whats for dinner?
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Phoenix is the same way...downtown went from bad to good and the older surrounding areas became "problematic". In Phoenix, the neighbors in those older areas have begun to band together and make it better in their neighborhoods.
Unfortunately, it doesn't help overall..just in that one area.
Dinner last night, at the friend's place was lots of mixed vegies, vegie soup and meatloaf.
Everyone was hoping that tonight I would be making garlic-cheese biscuits...They won't be disappointed. :-)
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2 ears of corn and a big salad. I had to deal with the FISH I CAUGHT! It's a female so there will be salmon roe! YUMMMMM.
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Last night was our Labor Day potluck, the last get together of the summer. I got compliments on my "rice dish," which was jambalaya with smoked sausage and shrimp. The shrimp was gulf shrimp and wild caught, according to the package. Peeled and deveined. They had little taste, in my opinion. The smoked sausage was labeled andouille but looked about the same as Polish. The rice was brown rice that got stubborn and didn't get tender easily. Most of the jambalaya was eaten while the two large pans of cheesy potatoes were completely demolished.
This is potato country and most people have eaten little rice in their lifetimes.
The owners supplied strip steaks, not a wise choice of meat dish in my opinion (unstated). There were two "baked beans" dishes which are always made with ground beef in MN. It's a given. There was a lot of food and then karaoke afterwards. The singing got more boisterous as the evening wore on. I was in bed and was asleep long before the party ended.
Now the children go back to school and emphasis shifts to fall activities at the various homes. Summer at the lake is about over for most of the seasonals.
We did well yesterday at what will probably be our next to last farmers market. We plan to go next Saturday and hope to get our stock down to one bin. We started with five bins so business has been very good. DH is raring to get back to his shop in Louisiana.
After the leaves change and we enjoy the fall beauty, we'll head south.
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Our neighborhood farmer's market is done till next June. Season gets shorter every year. Our bumper crop of tomatoes is rapidly dwindling on the vine: hornworm got a small green one (I had to pry the critter off the vine with grill tongs!) and squirrels have gotten at least 7 in the past couple of days--despite my covering the ripening ones with those green plastic mesh sleeves they put on wine bottles. In years past, they worked like a charm. Now they're a signal to the squirrels "here be tomatoes, matey!" I might sprinkle some cayenne on them--apparently small mammals find it painful. (When we had bird feeders, we mixed the seeds with "Squirrel-Away," a capsicum powder). I think the dry weather is making the squirrels desperate, and they've been after the tomatoes for their water content. I chuck the bitten ones on to the lawn for them (and the rabbits) to finish off. In years past, we picked the last green ones just before the first hard frost in Oct. (and they ripened on the sill into Nov.), but this summer everything ripened at once. We have over a dozen on the sill right now, all ripe & ready to eat. Just one month ago, I had to buy two heirlooms to supplement my only ripe homegrown to make a Caprese for our block party.
Fri. noon for brunch I made a crab/Boursin/tomato/dill omelet. Dinner at Ravinia's Tree Top buffet had trout, pork tenderloin, broccoli beef, veggies & salads, shrimp poke (left the rice), cheeses & charcuterie, and my "cheats" were a dried apricot half, 2 dried cherries and a mini-portion of mango pudding with macerated blueberries.
Yesterday's brunch was quiche & salad Bob brought home from the local pub (my "cheat" was the collar of the crust--I let Happy lick the bottom crust). For late dinner we went to the Palm, where we shared a "Gigi" salad (iceberg, tomato, onion, green beans, bacon & avocado). Bob's entree was surf (lobster tail) & turf (filet). I had the pastrami-crusted bone-in ribeye (ate a bit less than 1/3 of it, packed the rest). Sides were wild mushrooms & creamed spinach (they use cream & parm,, no bechamel). For dessert, we split a bowl of perfect berries.
Brunch today was a small BLT (half a small tomato and one thick slice of bacon) on low-carb hi-fiber wholegrain toast. Dinner will be last night's leftovers (supplemented with--duh--tomatoes). I'm maintaining despite intermittent-fasting, but it is what it is. As long as I have clean clothes that fit, I've made peace with my weight.
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No luck fishing today. Dinner was 1/2 the coho I caught the other day. I made it Asian style "oven steamed" and loved it. I kept the head and tail on. There are parts that some find squeamish but it was all wonderful (eye ball sockets, cheeks). I picked the remaining meat and tried to remove all the bones (coho have very delicate and hard-to-find bones; I know because I swallowed enough years ago...ugh). I served it with our garden green beans (finally producing!) and small potatoes (purple, red, yukon) in butter and dusted with onion powder.
I'm debating if I want an udon noodle dish of sorts with the salmon leftovers or a kedgeree/colcanan riff...DH can decide.
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tonight was 1/2 a ribeye that DH cooked using a Showtime rotisserie he got at the humane society thrift store s few years ago (I suggested a pan sear but I think he wanted to “set it and forget it”. I steamed the broccoli and pan fried mini potatoes. It was good but DH realized immediately that the steak was too well done for my liking. I wondered what cooking method would take 30 minutes for steaks but kept that to myself.
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Wally - such great news about your salmon catch. And what fun to consider all the possible dishes....
Mae - I agree about not liking steak too well done. I also agree we might as well keep our mouths shut. BTW - do you have a pet out there?
Carole - Bittersweet - the end of the season, but great that your DH has done so well at the Farmer's Markets this summer. I'm sure you're ready to get home but understand waiting for the leaves. I just can't imagine baked beans with ground beef. Weird.
Goldie - hope you're taking naps!!!
My ex-DH came up to help me with some honey-dos today so I bought his lunch. We went to Fuzzy's Pizza. (Mae might remember) Lunch special is two huge pieces and a large salad. I haven't been there since Covid and it is still my very favorite pizza. And I have one piece left over in the fridge - pepperoni, mushrooms, black olives & onions.
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Wallycat, since our locations don't show for everyone, I'm not quite sure I know where you live. WA or OR maybe? But how fun to go out fishing for those wonderful fish!
Illimae, funny story. 30 minutes for steak? I bet it gets pan seared on the grill next time! Good idea to keep the pie hole shut I guess.
Minus Ha! So nice that you can have a relationship with your ex. After 23 years, mine is still better. I remember how when we first met, he couldn't get over is prev. GF. So I assume he hasn't gotten over me. He is so mean and bitter towards. I'm taking naps, 2 yesterday. Not much eating, don't feel like it and down to 126 lbs. I'm 5'9!
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DH was visibly disappointed, so it would have just been rude to add to that.
Minus, we adopted two brother puppies earlier this year from the local shelter. They are chihuahua/terrier mixes that came from a hoarding situation just after being born. Monkey and Pig are 6 months old now and weight about 3lbs. Our unofficial “pets” are the raven, deer, Javalina and wild donkeys 😀
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Minus, thanks for the congrats on the fish and meal opportunities. I sure hope this year is as good as the first time we fished out here. The last 3 years have been awful.
Goldie, I live in Port Townsend. If I stand on my porch/deck in front, I can see the lights of Victoria (British Columbia), right over Protection Island. I caught my fish on Marrowstone Island, which is about a 20 minute ride from our house, give or take. Otherwise, we fish at Fort Worden Park, in town, which is about 8 miles or so, give or take.
Illimae, I'm so happy you are better---enough to eat. Cute puppies. I have been officially shamed; I make sure DH knows if he overcooks stuff
but I do most of the cooking so it has only been a few times...sigh. You are a better gal and wife than I am.DH has decided udon noodles tonight, so that is what I'll use the last of the salmon meat for.
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Oh my, illimae, snuggled right up there on your lap! Adorable!!!
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Mae, the pups are adorable. I hope Monkey and Pig know that they won the lottery when you adopted them. 😊 Glad you are feeling well enough to post your delicious pictures.
I’ve been reading along for the last week. Dinner was mostly “the usual”. Tonight was fresh King Salmon with rice pilaf and a Caprese salad. The heirloom tomatoes are simply fantastic this time of year. I need to make pesto with all the basil growing on the terrace, but I haven’t had the energy.
Thanks for the well-wishes. I don’t have confirmation from my doc yet, but everything is pointing to Sjögren’s syndrome (positive SSA blood test, SED rate and ANA.) In addition to the dry eyes, dry mouth, sore throat and abdominal pain, I feel like my insides are inflamed and irritated. My lungs make me feel like I’m not getting enough oxygen even though my blood oxygen levels are good. So I guess I’ll be adding more docs to the roster. The good news is that Sjögren's is generally not life threatening and the docs just try to treat the symptoms to improve QOL.
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Have been eating a hodge podge of stuff because of time constraints. Yesterday was fishing; today was a car issue that is still not resolved. Cancelled trip to Sequim ...diagnostics (neighbor has tool that can check it) shows it may just be a sparkplug...ya gotta love all that circuitry on the new cars...NOT. No idea what tomorrow will bring both in food and car/trip to sequim.
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Yesterday's meal was strawberries I had cut up the day before and left in the fridge sprinkled with brown sugar. They got nice & juicy and I was going to make shortcake. But I just tossed a couple teaspoons of sour cream on top, stirred in in and snarfed them up.
Today's meal was a large piece of leftover pizza. And thank heavens, the last of the antibiotics for a urinary tract infection.
Tomorrow I'm meeting my ex-DH and his wife for late lunch at Perry's Steak House. They're celebrating their 29th wedding anniversary this fall. Glad to say that he and I have remained great friends. Perry's still has their senior 3 course meal for $36.00 before 6m. First course choices - appetizers, soups, salads; Main choices - filet, pork chop, salmon, etc; Third course - either sides like creamed spinach or scalloped potatoes - or several desserts. I was going to just order lobster bisque and a wedge salad, but how can I resist the special???
Mae - can hardly wait for the opening celebration of the Beach Bar.
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I didn't have a meal planned or the desire to cook tonight, so DH made “chicken casserole slop", it was pasta, alfredo, canned chicken chunks and squash, tasted good too.
Tomorrow will be a stroganoff inspired dish, as I don't have all the ingredients. We're going to town (over an hour away) Friday, so I'll be trying to plan for the next couple of weeks.
Minus, the bar is coming along and I think my hot tub is planned for delivery next weekend. Lots to do, and wouldn't you know it, I twisted my knee today and heard a slight pop, so I'll be avoiding the stairs as much as possible for a few days at least.
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Infuriating how other diseases don't stay out of the way to "pay their respects" to cancer, eh, Cyathea? I hope they can get your Sjogren's symptoms under control.
Monday night's dinner experience was a real fustercluck. Bob went in to work because he got three new patients to admit; but because it was a holiday there were no free sandwiches in the doctors' lounge and he didn't want to pay for lunch in the cafeteria. So all he had for breakfast & lunch were two little boxes of raisin bran, skim milk and an orange. He was starving by the time he got home. But he insisted we go to a place where we could use frequent diner points (Lettuce Entertain You or Landry Group). We both felt like fish, so we chose McCormick & Schmick's (a Landry Group place) downtown. Its website, Yelp, Open Table and Trip Advisor all listed it as having "complementary valet," so we drove down there.
Nobody was waiting at the valet stand--despite the sandwich-board sign in front of it; and all the street parking spaces were taken. Bob went in while I waited; he came out and said there was no valet, but the hostess said there was a garage "south on State Street." I wanted to just go back to our neighborhood, but Bob wanted to eat ASAP, so we turned south onto Wabash, trying to figure out how to get southbound onto State St. because the cross street was one-way the wrong way. As I passed the cross street we saw a garage and he said "let's park there, there'll be an exit on State, and I bet they'll validate because they promised a valet but there wasn't one." I was skeptical and pointed out how far from the restaurant it was and he said we needed the steps (he is obsessed with that). I was already kicking myself for not using SpotHero because there was supposed to be a valet, and told him that due to its location near the theaters and tourist traps it was going to be really expensive.
He still insisted, so up the ramp we went to the point of no return--and to my horror I saw that it was $23 for the first 20 minutes, and $40 for an hour. I was boiling mad but we couldn't turn around. It was 1/4 mi. walk to the restaurant (dodging tourists standing in the middle of the sidewalk taking selfies and derelicts relieving themselves against the buildings when they weren't busy aggressively panhandling). Went in and no hostess--a host greeted us. Bob asked if they validated parking, since the nonexistence of their valet was going to cost us $40. The host replied that the garage they use was only $16--turns out the entrance was NORTHBOUND on State, right around the corner (but none too visible due to it being in an alley blocked by trucks). He also apologized that they only have the valet "on some Fridays & Saturdays but never on Mondays." It was all I could do to refrain from pointing out that it was Labor Day and the place was hopping, full of tourists. He then admitted that the "hostess" was actually a bar-back subbing for him while he was on break--and that she's new to Chicago and had no concept of exactly where the closest garage was!
We were seated....and our waiter turned out not only to have a language barrier but was also very hard of hearing. I had to point out what we wanted on the menu & wine list. He didn't bring bread even though other tables got it. Service was sloooooww (other waiters were bustling past, serving people who'd arrived after us). By the time we finished, got the check (slow again) and walked to the garage, more than an hour had passed and the fee was $55! Talk about false economies--the only saving grace was that we were able to use $60 worth of points to defray the cost of the dinner tab!
The food was good, though. My app was oysters Rockefeller and Bob's was a crab cocktail. We both had salmon: his was shrimp-stuffed Atlantic with mashed potatoes & green beans; mine was grilled Pacific over warm, shaved Brussels sprout salad.
Last night I made a Caprese over arugula, followed by sea scallops in brown butter over asparagus. (Recipe was suggested by Hooked on Fish, where I'd picked up the scallops). Dessert was fresh figs and a square of dark chocolate. Tonight we went out, this time MY choice. I picked Shaw's Crab House, where we could use Lettuce points. (You'd better believe I phoned first to make sure they had a valet on duty). We shared everything: a dozen oysters (6 ea. Atlantic & Pacific), sauteed broccolini, and the "Surf & Surf" combo of a lobster tail, snow crab legs and king crab. (With the proper implements of destruction they provided, I was able to pick those shells absolutely clean). We even split a slice of Key lime pie, of which I had about a third. When we got home, I tried a small crescent cookie one of Bob's nurses had baked--good but not bedtime-carb-cheat-tempting.
We lost another tomato overnight, cayenne notwithstanding--the squirrel left it on the deck railing, so I tossed it on to the lawn. Reluctantly, I picked everything remaining with the slightest tinge of ripening, no matter how small. Nothing left but a few very green ones high up on the plants. When Bob came home, he pointed out another tomato on the railing. I went over and saw it was the same one as this morning: the squirrel had fetched it off the grass and brought it back up to the deck to keepit from the rabbits. I threw it right back. As for our windowsill stash at the peak of ripeness, we're giving some to our next-door neighbor and making panzanella for tomorrow night's dinner, as our second crop of parsley came up courtesy of the first batch going to seed; and I have a heel of Parm-Regg. that needs grating. Bob's salad will get sourdough bread from the bakery around the corner and mine will get keto white bread. We'll have to stay in because he wants to watch both football and the deciding game of the WNBA semis.
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OMG Sandy I just had to comment. I thought DC parking rates were bad! And what a comedy of errors so to speak. Glad the seafood overall was good.
In the "no good deed goes unpunished" vein after DH treated me to a fancy French restaurant for my birthday he got a $100.00 ticket in the mail for rolling ( slightly!) through a stop sign looking for parking. Urgh.
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Tonight will be lamb chops, boiled potatoes and a salad. Made it to Sequim for odds/ends and costco's lamb looked really good. And not that anyone has missed it but OY on the price hikes.
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I was too tired to cook, so I pan fried some salmon and put it on a bed of leftover quinoa from last night. Since there wasn’t very much quinoa, I pulled some corn out of the freezer. Frozen corn never tastes very good, but it was edible with a little salt and butter. We’re still savoring the heirloom tomatoes. I added a drizzle of pomegranate molasses,and they were divine.
Mae, hope your knee isn’t hurting too much. If it’s not one thing, it’s another!
Sandy, that parking is outrageous! My parking story of the day is that I started the morning early to get to a GI doctor appointment. I got to the hospital 10 minutes early and was feeling good about being on time. When I got out of the car, I suddenly realized that I went to the wrong hospital!!! What to do….go into the hospital where the pay station was (and be even more late for my appointment) or just go to the exit and hope the machine worked? I opted to just go to the exit and was surprised when the gate lifted and there was NO charge! How often does that happen?
I felt awful about being late. I hate being late, and this was the first time I had seen this doc. I’m usually fairly competent, and I’m not sure why my brain wasn’t working this morning. Tomorrow I see my MO at the first hospital, so maybe that’s why, but it’s still somewhat shameful and very annoying, but at least I won’t make that mistake again. 😉
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Cyathea, doesn't it always seem to go that we have so many different providers to see that sometimes we mix up the appointments? I have some at Evanston Hospital and some at Skokie; and sometimes for the latter I forget to make the turn to go northwest and instead keep heading north...or vice versa.
For brunch I made keto French toast, using 0-net-carb bread instead of the high-fiber low-carb (allegedly) I'd been buying. That loaf was about to get moldy so I tossed it. For dinner, I heated one of Bob's empanadas (he had one overnight, along with all of our sliced cheddar) and made him a grilled provolone, tomato & bacon sandwich on sourdough. I had "zoodles" (yellow & zucchini) pomodoro with grated Parm-Regg and fresh basil. Sadly, his reason for wanting to stay home didn't pan out: the Sky were eliminated from the WNBA playoffs.
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Mae - so sorry about you knee. It would be useful it the hot tub were already up & running. Sigh
(editted for grammar)
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It was so nice to have dh cook dinner last night on the grill. Big slices of eggplant, zucchini and small carrots. Hamburger patties were the meat. The grilled veggies are so sweet.
Neighbor Mary is cooking a turkey dinner for tonight and we will join her on her deck.
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Leftover lamb chops with broiled zucchini and I'm cooking up a pot of Hidatsa red heirloom beans (Rancho Gordo..and ouch have they raised their prices).
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Tiny new potatoes with butter & Herbes de Provence seasoning. Served with asparagus steamed in butter & EVOO with garlic.
Prepped for tomorrow. Sauteed onion & garlic & zucchini slices. Added Rao's marinara. Tomorrow I'll saute a cod 'steak', then put together & let it simmer per Lacey's wonderfully easy recipe. Serving over pasta.
Special K - 9/16 would Mary See's168th birthday. Specials starting tomorrow for a week to celebrate the 100+ years they have been making candy. Drool.
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minustwo, have you ever had See”s salted caramel chocolates? They are very good!
Dinner was just me since DH went to the baseball game with friends. Simple red leaf lettuce and tomato salad with a serving of Capello’s spinach and cheese ravioli with marinara. (The ravioli with just the cheese filling was better.)
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Cyathea - I grew up in Northern CA and Sees was always a special treat. I know I've tried them all at one time. My favorite remains butterscotch squares. Along with 6 or 8 others. Special K was in Southern CA for a long time and I know she loves them too - & so the post.
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After we moved from Seattle to Chicago, every time we'd visit the West Coast friends would ask us to bring back chocolate See's lollipops.
Brunch was a 2-egg omelet with baby Swiss, chopped prosciutto and diced veg: red and poblano peppers, red onion, mushrooms & tomato.
Dinner at Regalia tonight--shared tuna carpaccio (swallowed a bit of jalapeño and had a coughing fit); we each had veal scallopine pepe verde (green peppercorns in a veal demi-glace reduction on sauteed spinach). Dessert at home was a fresh fig, a square of 77% chocolate, and mixed nuts.
Still wearing my size 1 Chico's long-sleeve tee, though it fails to hide my "spare tire." Too stubborn (and cheap) to buy some size 2s.
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Tomorrow we'll be leaving for a driving trip to Traverse City to help DD and beau load up a rental truck, get the truck to Detroit and then help them unload.
It's a "speed run" to Traverse City, a few days with DD and beau, and a slightly more leisurely trip home.
We didn't want to put Frankie (dog) into a kennel, nor have him fly, so we are driving. We also decided that since we have a short time window, it would be easier to take the car instead of the truck/camper. DD is excited to see Frankie, so it all works out.
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I'm going to make refried beans from my bean leftovers and make nachos tonight.
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We had planned to go out or order in, but by sunset it was still nice outside--so I defrosted and grilled a grass-fed ribeye (10 oz. was more than enough to share). Put together some Jason's Cauli "Mac" & Cheese (tarted up with a fresh grating of nutmeg, plus a little black truffle oil & white truffle salt). Salad was tomatoes & basil over arugula (no need for a Caprese as the cauliflower had cheese). We started with golden whitefish roe & crème frâiche on blini for Bob and cucumber slices for me.
I was up much of the night and not really hungry for brunch; turned down Bob's offer to bring me back quiche & salad. Went for my updated Moderna booster, and when I got back at 3:15 I had my first (and only) coffee of the day, followed by egg-in-the-hole on keto bread, with the "hole" cutouts toasted as faux biscuits for a sausage-patty at 4:45.
Even if it's storming tomorrow evening we'll go out for something ethnic or order it in (tandoori chicken & palak paneer, plus samosas for Bob, is always a safe bet--I like to order out for Indian food because I always leave those places reeking of garlic & cumin, and have to shower before I can even stand to hit the pillow). There's a new Cambodian place on the Evanston side of Howard St. about a mile or so north. Either that, or Peckish Pig for "American tapas." Bummed out that the Eritrean restaurant in Rogers Park closed before we could try it.
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