So...whats for dinner?
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Snowflake sounds like my kind of town. The north shore used to be quaint and quiet but no longer. The forests have been cut down by developers and the traffic is awful. During the four months in MN, we enjoy the small towns, whose populations increase with the cabin and lake home folks but are still easy to get around. We do have to keep a sharp lookout for deer crossing the highways, though. LOL.
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That is the store I was seeing and thinking wasn't open any longer.... We're going into town today, so I'll take a closer look.
Snowflake and Taylor are growing toward one another and while the two towns have separate city governments, the public safety functions have been combined into one organization. So the fire trucks, police cars and ambulances say "Snowflake-Taylor" on them. The combining of resources is, in my humble opinion, a wonderful idea.
It is a nice place...I love it, as does Sharon. We live about 7 miles east and about 5 miles north of town, so we are even more "small community",,,which is even better... :-)
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Snowflake sounds beautiful. Especially if there is snow!
Leftovers tonight. I'll be cooking up some kale in the braising liquid and make some black rice in the rice cooker. Last of the purple potatoes I put in our lunch salad.
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wallycat, your flanken ribs must have made great leftovers! Red wine and balsamic yum!
Tonight was barramundi with a lemon, scallion, garlic drizzle over a combination of bulgur wheat, basmati rice, cucumber, scallions and a crumble of feta cheese.
Tomorrow will be something Tex-Mex
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Eric - what else is in the braising liquid besides red wine & balsamic vinegar?
Goldie - I haven't ever been to Taylor but my very favorite cousin lives there. When I've been in AZ, we've met in Flag. But next trip I'll get up there, since my brother is selling his place in Munds Park, now that his primary residence is in St. George, UT
Potatoes - so true!!! I no longer buy bags except for small 24 oz bags of red or fingerling. Yup, it's more expensive to buy two russett baking potatoes, but at least I don't have to throw them away. I don't buy bags of oranges anymore either - but I still occasionally buy the bag or 4 avocados.
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Cyathea, leftovers were divine. Last of it tomorrow. I love barramundi. I found it in the frozen section at walmart, of all places, only once. I've never seen it here again.
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The extra stuff in the braising liquid is some brown sugar to reduce the sour of the vinegar, some beef broth and sometimes some Worcestershire Sauce.
The amounts of the stuff are not really in any measured proportions...just "a bit of this, some of that" measurements but enough to almost cover the meat.
As for Snowflake, it was named after the two founders...Erastus Snow and William Flake. So, the name is not a comment about politics nor the weather. :-)
It does snow here, but it's usually just a few inches and it's melted in a day. Having said that, last week (I think it was last week) we received about 8 inches of snow and it took over a week for it to all melt. When it does melt, the ground, at least around the house, is a thick and sticky mud that "requires" me to wear Muck Boots (both a brand name and a purpose).
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Finger is pretty much healed now that I placed an Amazon order (still hasn't arrived) for the dressing components that Urgent Care used Wed.
Aussie, hope you get your appetite back and your surgery goes uneventfully with a swift recovery. Where I grew up (and here on Chicago's N. Side), potato pancakes are called "latkes" (not to be confued with the matzo-meal ones that substitute for silver-dollar flapjacks during Passover). I must admit that when I do make them I use Streit's or Manischewitz mix--adding egg, parsley, and a grating of onion. There is an old Yiddish saying that the secret ingredient is a little "mamma's knuckle"--obviously from before the invention of long-handled Microplanes.
Was able to drug and heat my locked-up back sufficiently to make it to Sat. night's hospital Black Tie Gala From Hell at the Field Museum. Passed hors d'oeuvres: wild mushroom wontons; mini-"steakhouse skewers" of beef, potato and zucchini; gruyere gougeres (like little popovers); baked honeyed brie on croutons; and lobster salad atop potato latkes (as interfaith as it gets). First course was a Little Gem Caesar wedge salad with pickled red onion, bacon and blue cheese. Entree was a pair of beef "petite tenders" (tasty but so tough--or knife so dull--I had to hold the steak knife like a chef's knife) and seared black bass, with green beans, parsnip puree and jalapeno "spoon bread"; dessert was a duo of pear tartlet and a peanut butter semifreddo topped with a chocolate macaron. Shortly after I got home my back locked up again, as it did Sunday morning and again yesterday (video visit with PCP confirmed I'm doing all anyone can do about it).
Sunday night was forgettable pizza--Bob tried to order NY or Neapolitan style as the menu advertised, but Calo's pizzaiolo was off--so all they had were deep-dish, stuffed or thin-crust (all three crusts of which were doubtless pre-made and frozen to be topped & baked when ordered). Bob specified they cut it into 8 wedges--but instead they hacked it into little tavern-style "party-cut" squares. (I resent that because not only can't you properly measure calories & carbs per portion, but that it's cut that way to serve as many people--sometimes drunk--as possible from one pie).
Monday Bob brought home a gyro salad with tzatziki dressing.
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Tonight was RPM Steak's salute to Lawry's The Prime Rib. They had the carts out but only for display, and did not spin the salad bowls. The food was delish, but the ceremony was missing. App was a mini seafood tower (lobster claw, snow crab leg, shrimp, oysters). Salad was good, but it came already plated from the kitchen. Prime rib was excellent, accompanied by Yorkshire pudding, creamed corn & creamed spinach, and mashed spuds with gravy. A lagniappe was deviled short ribs, which I hope make it to the regular menu. Dessert was baked Alaska (RPM's recipe, which we've had before).
Back is nearly healed. Hope Happy's gut calms down--let's just say he did some "out-of-the-box" activity two late nights in a row. (TMI).
Wallycat probably knows this, but there is a town in WA called Sedro Wooley. One founder was Wooley, but there was a contingent of settlers who wanted to name it Sedro after the local cedar trees. The compromise was Sedro Wolley. Vast improvement over the town's original name: Bug. (There are also two towns on the Olympic Peninsula, Pysht--named not for an onomatopoetic term for a bodily function but for the river that runs through the town--and Forks. One wag suggested the towns merge into "Pyshtforks").
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Entertaining convo about town names - had to laugh at Bug! Wouldn't be a good place for me to live if the town name is descriptive of more bugs than usual. Whenever I go outside, anywhere it seems, the memo goes out to the bugs and they bite me...
OK... where do I even start on the last few days... Good news is that we closed on the property in CO, without incident. Always a bit nervous making to wire funds - but it all went smoothly. Good and bad news - we had to replace both AC units, so yay for being cool, boo for spending that much money. Bad news - DH went over to DD's to mow the grass and inadvertently allowed several chickens to escape the back yard (they are in a coop at night with an automatic gate that opens in the morning and closes at night) because they seemed riled up by the wind and crashed into the gate that was just on the latch, but not locked. Of the total of nine chickens, he got one back in easily, one made a beeline for the park (why?) and two gathered in the corner of the next door neighbor's yard - all the rest stayed in the back yard like good girls. He tried to employ a flanking maneuver on the one headed for the park but she wasn't having it, and took off at a dead run. He gave up and focused on the two in the neighbor's yard but they just kept running in a circle around his shed. Chickens are fast! DD was out of town about an hour away at an event manning a booth (with her beau) for her off-roading vehicle event in a few weeks. DH called me, I went over, and we got one chicken from next door back in the yard with a funnel technique and beach towels - we looked like crazy people. Went to the park and looked for that one, to no avail. Almost got hit by flying frisbees thrown by the frisbee golfers. Came back to try to get the remaining next door chicken again, but she skirmished big time and when DH turned to grab her in the small area in the corner of the yard between the fence and shed he clotheslined his head and arm on a big twisted metal guy wire that we didn't even know was there. Lacerated his forehead and arm like he was attacked by a bear. Called DD, she came home on the double leaving her beau to handle packing up the booth stuff. I took DH to the ER, they glued his head back together like freakin' Humpty Dumpty. We were a sight - I was driving DH's vintage convertible BMW Z3 - which is a manual, top down, having a spirited convo on the phone with DD, DH had a very bloody towel pressed to his head, arm is just bleeding. We stopped at a light next to an ambulance, they rolled down their window and said "are you guys ok?" - lol! The ER was great - same one I went to for the cellulitis. DH went back to work today with a giant bandage on his forehead and arm. For the last couple of days he looked like "Hospital Rambo" because his head was wrapped front to back. Poor guy. DD managed to find the chicken in the park with help from neighbors, and found the next door one after she decided to roost behind a trash can for the night. Ugh. The score - chickens 1, DH 0.
Needless to say, dinner has been an afterthought for the last couple of days as I have been managing city inspectors for the new AC, wiring money, bandaging, picking up prescriptions and first aid supplies, etc. I was in the middle of making beef stew when DH called to say chickens were on the loose, so I quickly shelved that plan. Made the stew Monday instead. We were not really hungry for dinner last night, but I am trying to get enough protein in to help DH heal. Greek yogurt and protein shakes are helping. I may do steaks tonight, with roasted Dutch potatoes, and sauteed zucchini. I need a nap.
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Eric, it seems you and Sharon picked out a great place for your retirement. And you're both young enough to enjoy the recreational opportunities.
MN and ND and SD have "meat stores." We don't have them here in the south. You can buy an animal and have it butchered and packaged according to instructions but my sister in LA and my brother in OK both say these services are backed up for weeks or months. They both raise farm animals. Personally I can't imagine raising an animal and naming it and then sending it off to the butcher. I like the impersonal nature of packages at the meat counter.
I made the Einkorn bread yesterday using a recipe for the beginner. It was very easy and the loaf of bread rose nicely. But it's a yellowish color and didn't brown much on the top. The crumb is definitely different from regular wheat bread and the taste is a little different but good when spread with butter. I used the all purpose flour but have some whole wheat that I need to incorporate in future baking. I will experiment and also add honey.
Dinner last night used most of the cooked linguine in the freezer. A Rao's and Italian sausage pasta skillet dish. DH made the romaine salad while I put the main course together and we had the bread with butter.
The mention of barrimundi took me back to our trip to Australia. Cyathea, your meals are so healthy.
Wally, I now know what flanken ribs are. I don't remember seeing them here but will be on the lookout, out of curiosity.
The Gulf has done its usual thing and sent us warm humid air.
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Specialk, what an ordeal with the chickens. I was getting a visual, and yes, it was quite funny, but not the part about your DH getting hurt! Congrats on the closing of your property.
Carol, my neighbor has goats, cows and chickens and she names them all and will not eat them. Feed is breaking them, with bales of hay being $25 ea. I keep telling her, she needs to get rid of them, as they are quite expensive pets to have. Now she has 2 cows that are pregnant. She has butchered 2, but the last one was too old and all she got out of it was hamburger.
Eric, typically we get snow and it's usually gone pretty quick. Several years ago we got dumped on, it was close to 5'. DH and I happened to be in Laughlin, on our way home. It was 3 days before we could get in to our property. And that entailed a neighbor walking to our house to get our quad. He had tried to leave, he was just a week ender, and got stuck half way out, 3 miles and had to walk back. So he came and got our quad, picked us up and luggage, which took a couple trips, then he took our truck home and when the roads cleared enough, we went and got his truck. And then we have the alien abduction of Travis Walton, made in to a movie "Fire in the Sky". They have phone booth in Heber, just west of Snowflake, where Travis was returned 5 days later, naked, near the phone booth where he phoned for help!
Sorry for the history lesson, since this is a food thread! And that's really all I know about our quaint little town of Snowflake!
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SpecialK, I missed your post until Goldie mentioned it. What a saga with the chickens! Not funny at all for your dh. Buying eggs at a high price would be less traumatic. My SIL Deanna in OK has chickens. She names them and they are pets who wander around the yard during the day and then are closed in their pen at night for protection. Most of them enjoy being petted.
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Carole, I'm so glad the recipe worked and you didn't hate the final product. Flanken ribs are used a lot in Korean cooking, quick and left a little chewy. DH prefers meat that falls off the bone, so I braise. Flanken ribs are short ribs cut horizontally instead of vertically.
Special, I winced reading what happened to your poor DH. When I had nose surgery, my plastic surgeon said to up my dose of vitamin C so it all healed faster. Hope he's not in too much pain.
Sandy, I always feel like I went on a fancy trip reading your meal descriptions. Too bad I can't have a bite of all that yummy-goodness.
I agree about raising, naming, then butchering. Can't imagine it. Hunting deer and "dispatching" fish is hard enough.
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I will say that other than the immediate few minutes after DH hit the wire, we have been laughing the whole time - that is one of the ways we both deal - find the humor. He texted his boss, chief, and executive officer in a group text, with a photo of his forehead, to let them know he wouldn't be at work in the morning and they all came back with funny quips. They laughed at the hospital too (I actually said, you can't make this up... right?) We had to sign legal documents yesterday at our attorney's office - she wanted to know what happened because of the visible bandaging and she laughed too, made him tell the story again when her folks came in to witness signatures. I am sure DH will have some stories about reaction after work today. We look ridiculous together because my open wound is still bandaged on my lower leg - it is like the zombie apocalypse. He had a headache Sunday evening to mid-day yesterday. He also wrenched his back and was uncomfortable from that, plus the tetanus shot in the same arm as the forearm laceration. Back was better as of last night - heat therapy and initially Tylenol until the bleeding stopped, now ibuprofen. Seems to have solved that part of the problem.
wally - I will add some extra Vit C - he takes a multi, plus extra C now, so will prob just up by one.
All of these chickens are also named - after the female characters from Friends. Ursula was the one in the park, and Rachel and Carole in the neighbor's yard. Monica, Phoebe, Janice, Baby Emma, Susan, and Estelle all stayed in the yard. For some reason DH's presence had them fired up - he was wearing camo pants so maybe that was it - who knows? DD can totally pick them up and carry them around, or if she approaches them they just flatten on the ground to be petted. They definitely have personalities!
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Wow, SpecialK, no surprise your dh has a headache! I did have to chuckle about the part of the story where the ambulance people asked at the red light if yinz were okay. And how the two of you look like a zombie apocalypse. Hope you both heal smoothly and quickly!
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Special...lets see In order... epic.....saga.....epic saga....monumental epic saga.....gloriously monumental epic saga.
I'm guessing the last one applies. :-)
Seriously...I hope the pain quickly goes away.
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Specialk, I love the chicken names! I hope Your DH is healing well.
Growing up, we had a few chickens with names. One of the hens, Chirpy, would run to me when called and would “purr” when I held her. She eventually stopped laying and became dinner, but I was at school and didn’t have the trauma of that reality.
Tonight was a HelloFresh “tray bake” meal. Carrots and zucchini roasted with mini meatloafs. I added some new potatoes as well. The veggies got a squeeze of lemon and a dusting of sumac when they were done. The best part? The carmelized onion sauce for the meatloaf I never would have thought to do this! While the meal is in the oven you get the onions nicely browned and then add a half cup of chicken stock with 2 Tbsp cream cheese and 3/4 teaspoon of sugar. I simmered the sauce until most of it evaporated and then added a Tbsp of butter. Not super healthy, but oh so good!
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I made Mexican rice in the little rice cooker last night. Used diced tomatoes to substitute for the water and included chili powder, cumin, and oregano. The rice wasn't cooked enough after the brown rice cycle so I added a little water and used the white rice cycle. It turned out good. We also had pork chops.
I used to call this rice dish Spanish rice but read that saffron is an ingredient in Spanish rice.
We dodged a weather bullet again last night. The worst storms were north of us and one small town must have been by a tornado, judging from the pictures of damage to homes, mainly from downed trees.
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I am trying tempeh again. Haven't had it in decades. I love tofu; tempeh is not my fav. Marinated in a peanut sauce and in the oven to brown now. I'm reheating the leftover black rice, have a side of slaw and am sauteeing onions with maitake mushrooms...lots of sides incase the tempeh is blech.
Carole, glad you dodged bad weather. It is nearly 60 here this afternoon.
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When I had chickens, the only one that got named was the rooster, as the hens would all end up as dinner, some sooner than others.
Last night after a late lunch of a rather too large sandwich, dinner was grilled cheese and tomato soup Tonight is unstuffed cabbage rolls and an undecided side - possibly corn. Fairly pedestrian but quick and satisfying
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Tonight we went to a Chef's Dinner commemorating the 2d anniv. of "Li'l Ba-Ba-Ree-Ba," the smaller River North offshoot of the Lincoln Park "mothership" Cafe Ba-Ba-Ree-Ba--Chicago's first tapas bar, almost as old as Gordy (who first ate there as a toddler). The theme was Catalunya (the owner is half Galician and half Catalunyan). App was pinxtos of chorizo-wrapped dates, bay scallop ceviche on the half-shell with Fresno chiles, and garroxta (goat cheese) with comb honey on toast points. First course was charcuterie: jamòn Iberico, Iberico country paté, pickles, membrillo (quince jam) and "picos" (tiny torpedo-shaped crackers). Next was "samfaina," a mashup of pisto Manchego & ratatouille with roasted squash & eggplant, stuffed into squash blossoms. Fish course was a whole roasted branzino with saffron butter & braised fennel. Meat course was braised pork cheeks with txistorra sausages & white beans (like a Spanish cassoulet). Dessert was crema Catalana--creme brulee. Entertainment was a flamenco guitarist & amazing dancer--I hadn't seen flamenco since I visited Seville in 2015, and had forgotten how the dancer is also the rhythm section!
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Hi all
Surgery was done on Wednesday, I had to get another stent put in as the Doctor said thet there would be another blockage in the kidney. This one is in for 6 months. Luckily I wasn't sick this time and managed to eat a meal of roast turkey and vegies.
Goldie you go to surgery and get knocked out, I've had some bleeding but the actual stent doesn't hurt. I had lots of infections with the other stent and was hoping that I didn't need another one. It seems that you just have to deal with infection. You have to get the stent changed every so often. And yes there are sharks in our rivers over here throughout Australia.
SpecialK hope that your DH is recovering well and yes I had to laugh at the ambulance story.
I have a bit of an appetite back so I'll see how I go.
Aussie12
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Aussie, good luck with the stent replacement. Sharks in rivers! Wow! So glad you enjoyed your meal after the surgery.
Tonight will be meatloaf made with ground beef and ground pork. One of dh's favorites and, in my opinion, not one of my reliable successes. I'll try not to cook too long and rely on the temperature for doneness. Several options for veggie side.
I tried a recipe with tofu quite a few years ago and we didn't like the taste or texture of tofu.
No flanken ribs at Winn Dixie. Lots of King Cakes. A small one filled with cream cheese and strawberry jelly found its way into my cart. This could turn into a bad habit.
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Because the Tampa Bay area has a mixture of salt and fresh water, we get the odd shark and we definitely get dolphins who swim from the salt water into the brackish rivers, but not too far upstream as those rivers narrow. Larger brackish bodies of water here definitely have them though - my in-laws lived on a large brackish river in SC and my kids caught small sharks all the time, and dolphin sightings were a regular thing. Seems weird, but it happened.
Dinner last night was smaller boneless ribeyes cooked in a cast iron pan that I previously cooked a bunch of mushrooms in. Oven roasted halved Dutch potatoes and a large zucchini that I sliced into thick pieces and coated in lemon pepper and lemon olive oil. I added a splash of A1 sauce to the cooked mushrooms and spooned them over the steak. Dinner tonight will likely be a green salad with a large section of lasagna that I found in the freezer - yay!
I tried to dispatch DH to Trader Joe's on Sunday - before the chicken debacle - but the parking lot was jammed, way too busy. I have a longer TJ's list than usual, so I will go this morning. I need some other groceries, plus Super Bowl feast prep items, so I will also be going to the regular store in addition. Had to call the AC people back out as the units were not operating yesterday and it was 80 F in the house! Turns out there was a clog in the line for one air handler and it tripped the shut off, so that was easy to remedy. The other one was unplugged, lol! I asked the installer to reseal an edge and he unplugged the unit after it had been tested to reseal, and he forgot to plug it back in. Glad it was easy fixes considering these units are 6 days old...
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Aussie, thank you for that!
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Aussie, good luck with the surgery. Carole, hope your DH is continuing to feel good. Sandy, hope your finger tip is well into recovery. Anyone else I missed, hope feel better.
Carole, I much prefer softer tofu. The extra firm can feel rubbery. I know, like mushrooms, it can be a texture thing since tofu takes on whatever flavors/seasonings you use. Except super fresh tofu, which tastes almost creamy (can't find it here but Japan was amazing; maybe some international districts in the US offer it...we live in a wasteland). The soft and silken tofu tastes like custard to me. I still occasionally make the silken tofu "pudding." Like mousse but easier.
I will have to google King Cakes.Leftover tempeh tonight. It was not horrible. I think the peanut butter overwhelmed it; perhaps if there is a next time, I'll use a simpler Asian marinade. Steaming it first, letting it cool then marinating really took out the bitterness I equate with tempeh.
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HI Aussie. I'm glad to hear that the surgery is complete and I hope the healing goes well.
The vegan cooking that we (Sharon and I) did taught us a lot more about spices. This was especially true with tofu.
Special. Is DH improving from the chicken chasing?.
I was just thinking about the earlier potato comments. I, too, like potatoes in all forms. My "lazy lunch" is a couple of microwave oven "baked" potatoes with a tiny bit of butter, a little bit of salt, and black pepper.
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Been a crazy week trying to get 'citizen's patrol' renewed with the police department. I live in a big city, but a small neighborhood of only 188 homes. We have block captains & hand walk newsletters and we actually got 18 people signed up to patrol the neighborhood & report. So every time I was ready to cook - some emergency took over. One night I had an omelette. One night a can of smoked oysters with Triscuits. Then a friend bought me a patty melt at Angies (hole in the wall) Country Kitchen. You can believe that I also ate all the fries that were included. Then the next day my ex-DH was coming up to fix a fluorescent light fixture and we went to Pappadeaux for fried shrimp. I was virtuous and ordered broccolini instead of fries. So tonight FINALLY I'm going to make Naan Pizzas, with mushrooms, & black olives & onions - and maybe spinach. And tomorrow I must cook cabbage or toss it. I found an interesting recipe for roasted shredded cabbage served with quinoa and soft boiled eggs.
Loved the chicken name story. My ex-DH never ate chicken once he grew up because as a kid, all those he cared for ended up in the pot every Sunday. My niece (the cop) raises chickens & sells the extra eggs. She won't raise her price over $3.00, but told her customers she will accept tips.
Aussie - glad your surgery is done & you are OK. I read about those pesky sharks.
Carole - I never cared for tofu either. But this last trips to CA, my DIL made several dishes with 'baked tofu'. It was really pretty good. Not watery or rubbery. She used a 'teriyaki flavored' version. And Ooooohhhh for the cream cheese & strawberry!!!
Special - rib eyes sound great, but I'm still refusing to buy new things until I clear out both freezers (not to mention some of the pantry). But that means I have to eat the two NY strip steaks that I bought for my son that are still in the freezer. I'd much prefer rib eyes, but he doesn't like fat. Your TJ's story sounds about par. I usually go twice and year and need to make a trip. And hooray the AC units were an easy fix. We had 78 degrees on Wednesday but supposed to be 34 tonight.
Nance - what is an "unstuffed" cabbage roll?
Goldie - have you cooked on your new stove yet?
Eric - I can do micro baked potatoes - but NEVER only a 'tiny bit' of butter. In restaurants I'm noted for sometimes wanting just a bit of "bread with my butter". My Mother read us poems when we were young. In addition to Winnie the Pooh, does anyone else remember The Kings Breakfast by AA Milne? "Nobody, my darling, could call me a fussy man - BUT I do like a bit of butter to my bread"
Edited to say - sorry this got so long.
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Minus2, I have cooked on my new stove, but only once! Being off grid, I try to utilize my solar (electicity), using my electric plate I bought when the stove blew, air fryier, toaster oven and my Ninja Foodie. And like you, I like a little potato, brocolli (whatever) with my butter. Love my butter! I've never had tofu, don't plan on buying it or ordering it, but I would try it.
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