So...whats for dinner?
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I'm a dark-meat gal when it comes to poultry, too (Bob likes the breast, so we get to split a half-chicken entree perfectly). Thighs are what most Chinese restaurants use for stir-fries, and with good reason: succulent & cheap. (Dunno why all those frozen chicken meals use only white meat).
Woke up today feeling just like the last cold I had…in 2019. Bob said not to test, and not to get Paxlovid just to have on hand. No fever, no aches (except a caffeine-withdrawal headache, which some freshly-roasted Guatemalan pour-over drip coffee instantly relieved). Lungs clear, saline spray cleared my sinuses. So will mask up (don't want to spread even a cold) and pick up halibut & swordfish from Hooked on Fish. If I make the halibut, I'll pan-cook it piccata-style; if the swordfish, grill it.
Chagrined to find that the Soul & Smoke BBQ truck skipped the farmers' mkt. yesterday. Bought Bob two tamales from the Mexican street-food stand (chicken & pork, for today's bag lunch), a scallion/chêvre poppyseed croissant, and a spinach/tomato/feta mini-quiche from the Montelimar Bakery stand (along with a whole-grain sourdough). Still have last week's 85% dark-chocolate bar from the Naked Truffle guys. Decided not to get the Kalamata tapenade at the Sparta Gold olive stand after I read the sodium content on the label; and still have half a jar of their marinated olives. Struck out at the produce stands too—strawberry season is over, and found neither celery nor broccolini. Skipped the cherries (Rainiers & Bings) as I still have some of the tart ones. And they were charging $8/pint for black raspberries—which we grow in our backyard; at that price, still have about $16 worth in the fridge. Bob also said to hold off on blueberries, blackberries & red raspberries till next week.. Last night didn't feel like eating a lot (and Bob, having pigged out at lunch, wasn't particularly peckish either). So I rooted through the cabinets and found a packet of keto bone-broth phô, which turned out to just "hit the spot." Had it with a heel of the whole-grain sourdough from the farmers' mkt., and a couple of sour-cream-knot cookies baked by one of Bob's patients. (Upside of having a cold—a small cheat is enough, instead of leading to a binge). Bob ended up eating the tamales for dinner and taking the other bakery stuff for today's lunch—thereby saving me from myself.
We're in for a prolonged dry spell for a change, so time to resume watering the tomato plants.
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Managed to rescue a not-quite-ripe tomato from a squirrel about to pounce on it. Put it in a panino—had a heel of a sourdough baguette left over from Friday night, so I filled it with julienned tricolor peppers, red onion, mushrooms, and an extra-thin slice each of prosciutto and provolone. Yeah, it was white flour and carby, but twice a year or so is fine. I've noticed that if I make sure to eat only inside an 8-10 hr window and never w/in 3 hrs of bedtime, I have no desire to binge. Just satisfied, rather than "ooh…so good…must…have…more."
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Tonight was seared sirloin, buttery rosemary potatoes and sautéed squash, zucchini and Brussels sprouts. Haven’t felt much like cooking lately but this may have brought me back.
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Mae - I never think to put Brussels Sprouts with my squash sautees, but I love them. I'll give it a try.
Wally - fingers crossed for the 4 days to pass quickly & DH to remember why you're separated.
When I ate out both last week & this - I've been trying new Japanese grills or hole in the wall sushi/hibachi places. So far both were good but not fantastic. Last week I had hibachi chicken & veggies w/fried rice. This week I tried another place for shrimp & vegetable tempura. Delicious, light batter, but I couldn't believe one of the veggies was okra (yuck) and it didn't even come with rice.
Home cooking means NO oven with 100+ heat continuing. Today was leftover 3 bean salad, 4 Rain Forest crackers with Boursin cheese and fresh strawberries cut in bite size pieces with sour cream & brown sugar. I had planned on Naan pizzas, but when it hit 103 by early afternoon I scratched that idea.
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We like okra cooked with tomatoes and garlic. Leftovers can be frozen and added to chicken and sausage gumbo. I've been following a Louisiana Cooking group on Facebook and there's an ongoing argument about whether to include tomatoes in gumbo. Same with okra. I follow my mother's example and include a small amount of both. Gumbo is winter food like soups.
Breaded and fried okra is a regular offering on southern buffets.
Last night's dinner was one pot ground beef stroganoff, a recipe from ATK. Also a delicious salad. Lots of stroganoff left over.
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I love fried okra—whenever I was down South (pre-keto), I would always order it. Love okra in gumbo. ATK recently had a recipe for roasted okra (halved to prevent gooeyness). Speaking of gumbo, thinking of getting some whey protein isolate—which I've read is the only low-carb/gluten-free wheat flour substitute that will produce a roux with actual thickening power. Almond & coconut flours will produce a roux that flavors & darkens but will not thicken.
Grilled swordfish kabobs last night, plus an ear of bicolor corn for Bob (I stole 2" of the tip), seasoned with ramp butter from Hooked on Fish. Whole Foods had salmon roe on sale, so that was our appetizer—with crème frâiche—on blini for Bob and cucumber slices for me.
My cold is blunting my appetite, and I am suffering the aftereffects of having had figs and Medjool dates for dessert (in case you're wondering, they contain sorbitol) so not thinking about dinner. Maybe halibut piccata with broccolini. But that's many hours off. Can't even abide the thought of breakfast or a cup of coffee, but will have a quick shot of espresso to prevent caffeine-withdrawal headache.
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Speaking of dark meat chicken, I am doing some skin-on and bone=in thighs for dinner tonight - found them in the freezer. I will accompany with russet wedges tossed in olive oil, garlic powder, seasoned salt, and pepper. I am considering starting the thighs in a cast iron on the stove skin side down, then moving to the oven with the wedge fries all in the pan together. Will also do some creamed spinach as another side. I have not been to the grocery store since several days before the shoulder surgery so I am currently playing a game of freezer/pantry exploration and making meals out of what I find. A bit of the Food Network show Chopped happening in my own kitchen, lol! I can't lift anything heavy, or repetitively, so a big shop is not happening for now. So far, so good. I will do some additional chicken breast and make DH a modified Waldorf with chicken, apple, pecans, grapes, and dressing for lunch tomorrow.
illimae - great pic of dinner, as always!
I have a good friend from SC who made a great vegetable soup with okra, which I thoroughly enjoyed and have made myself - that is the only way I have ever had okra, seemed to mask any slippery aspect.
minus - I feel you on not wanting to use the oven, we have had high temps and rain - a miserable combo. The rain cools things off for a total of about 5 mins, then the temp climbs right back up and we have heat and steam. I wish I could do an I Dream of Jeannie blink and have the house built in CO, and immediately retreat there to escape this weather nonsense, this California girl is not dealing well… I think you share my skin sensitivity to tape - having to keep these incisions covered is wreaking havoc, even with paper tape. Today's solution may be gauze with a short ace bandage over to try to give my poor skin a break. I also have some of that stretchy net stuff but the one incision is at the top of my shoulder so I don't know if that will work. I am off to experiment.
chisandy - hope you feel better soon! Also, your son and DDIL.
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Horror alert (I know, I'm a baby)…it hit 84 here today. Predicted was 71. HATE when that happens.
We are having the last of the lamb/gigante stew. I steamed some small potatoes in my rice cooker and will pan fry them tomorrow, along with scrambled eggs and some veg TBD.
Just received the nicest bouquet from Chewy (where we ordered our pet food occasionally) for my dead boy. How sweet.
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Tonight was fettuccine alfredo with spinach and seared scallops, so good.
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Mae - that looks delicious.
Special - yes to the tape allergy. Even paper is bad. I can usually use "Medipore" by 3M with out problems for an extended time, but even better is "Hypafix". I have to take tape with me to any doc appointment since it seems only hospitals or sometimes chemo centers have it in stock. Looks like Wal Mart might be carrying the Hypafix tape now.
I'm doing the same thing - planning meals & cooking from my freezer and pantry. It means some challenging combinations - but I'm determined to use up what's here.
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Special, definitely sear the thighs skin down. But bake them skin up, for crispness. As for the tape, I discovered 3M Micropore (perforated) one year during the Bar Show, when the sound techs backstage used it to anchor the mini-mics to our faces. You might want to get some Telfa pads (non-stick) and anchor them with that stretchy gauze. For shoulder, might it be possible to wrap it in a figure-8 pattern like you do an ACE bandage on the ankle?
Froze the halibut—Bob brought home a Japanese dinner from Wu's House near the hospital: miso soup, squid salad, tossed iceberg salad, edamame and a "chef's selection" platter of dragon roll, sushi & sashimi. Waaaay too much food. Fortunately, he can take half the leftovers to work for lunch tomorrow—the rest will be my dinner. Meanwhile, I wouldn't have ordered edamame—Bob ordered the goma-ae I'd requested (cold spinach with soy dressing), but the counter person claimed to have never heard of it! (Not surprised—it's a pan-Asian place claiming to do Chinese, sushi and Thai in a SW suburb. Jack of all trades, master of none).
Still feeling crummy, though not feverish. (Night dry coughing, postnasal drip, etc.). Been 48 hours, so I tested again—still negative. I really had forgotten how rotten a cold can be. I'm in the middle of the "3 days with ya" phase. (The saying goes "3 days coming, 3 days with ya, 3 days going." But another one says it lasts 7 days if you treat it, and a week if you don't). When I lived in Seattle, where there was no ragweed, one summer I had three colds in a row, like the cars in a mile-long freight train—shows how many rhinoviruses there are.
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wally - Chewy sent flowers to my SIL when she cancelled her dog food order and let them know she had an appt that day to euthanize. I had just received a two-case order of prescription dog food when our elderly dog had such a sudden decline. I called Chewy to see if I could return the food and instead they credited me the cost, more than $200, and asked that I donate the food. It took me a while to find an organization that needed this type of food but I finally did and they were so grateful. I also took them toys, beds, leashes/collars, etc. I will always be a Chewy customer - they have a great business model, and seem to truly care about their customers and pets.
minus - just ordered Hypafix which will arrive tomorrow. That is what my derm uses and while it doesn't seem to irritate me, their bandaging only stays on for 48 hours, so I don't really know since I have not re-bandaged with it - but I will after I get this tomorrow! Walmart doesn't have it in stores - that I could find - they ship it, but I ordered it from Amazon because it was a faster delivery. It comes in a pretty big roll, so I will be set for the future - hoping this is the answer, having a rash in addition to the incision sites is making me cranky. Also, this is problematic since the next incision site in a week is between these two current ones and right where the tape rash currently is. Also, the derm said if i notice any thickening of the incisions - which can happen with shoulder sites in particular - he will consider a steroid, and that would help the tape rash, but possibly inhibit healing. Double-edged sword. Ugh.
chisandy - I didn't make the thighs last night as DH never had time to eat his lunch (a green salad with salmon flaked over) and I thought it was more critical to consume that before it got weird. So, chicken thighs tonight, and yes, had planned to sear the skin side on the stove before flipping and finishing in the oven. I feel like that gives the best result and will draw some fat out that I can use to coat the potatoes too. Reminds me of my mom's version of English oven roasted potatoes that she did with leg of lamb. She had the lamb on a rack and would put the potatoes in the roasting pan underneath so they would be basted in lamb fat and get crispy. Such a food memory… So, on the bandaging front, I also can't use Telfa, I am such a weirdo that I am also allergic to that. I will get a perfectly shaped red mark that matches the size of the non-stick pad. I have to use copious amounts of Aquaphor and plain gauze. I am also allergic to Neosporin and Bacitracin, lol! I tried several wrap methods last night but because my shoulder is small and I have to wrap under the underarm the upper incision was getting too much pressure when I wrapped tight enough to keep the ace in the right spot. I gave up and used the stretch net and a small piece of tape at the top to keep it up in place. I may call the derm and see if I can stop by and get some Hypafix from them to tide me over until tomorrow. Sometimes I feel like I am going to end up living in a bubble…
I cooked some chicken breast last night while DH ate his salad, and made him the modified Waldorf for lunch today. Pulled the chicken into large shreds, added apple, green grapes, celery, pecans (usually I use walnuts but just discovered that they are not recommended for those taking Synthroid - which is DH), and used some vegan mayo. It looked pretty yummy so I may use the leftover chicken and make myself the same for lunch today, but I must mince about a tablespoon and give to the cat - he is a huge chicken fan! When I cook chicken, of any kind, he is obnoxious and obsessed until I give him some. For the last couple of years I had made a supplemental mix of chicken, brown rice, and peas/carrots to add to the dog's prescription food. I cooked all in a large amount and made daily containers that I froze and pulled out at night to thaw for the next day. He ate breakfast and dinner (and sometimes lunch, lol!) so I divided the daily container into however many meals he consumed. He was never a super eater and this addition helped him maintain weight, but the cat would go wild trying to get some of the chicken when I was prepping the containers for the week. I had to make a little bowl for him to eat while I was chopping up the chicken and filling the containers just to keep him out of my way.
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I'm glad dh doesn't have a problem with bandages since he wears multiple bandaids at any moment of his present life. He takes a blood thinner and his skin is fragile at his (our) age. Almost daily he appears with blood streaming down his leg or his arm and I get out the first aid supplies. On my shopping list for today is large bandaids. They get used up.
Last night was a somewhat blah dinner of using up leftovers. I combined leftover pot roast and leftover green beans and potatoes for him. I ate the leftover drumstick in gravy, which was actually quite delicious. We had a side salad with romaine and favorite additions. It was good, too. DH didn't complain about his main dish but he did use a lot of ketchup. LOL.
Tonight may be a pasta salad.
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carole - I am also glad my DH doesn't have this band-aid skin sensitivity, because he also doesn't seem to be able to do anything outside without a scratch, abrasion, cut, etc. - every time he goes outside, he is bleeding, lol! I assume it is age associated thin skin and he doesn't take a thinner or regular aspirin, but sheesh!
The chicken thigh and potato dinner with spinach was good, not sure about tonight's plan. I do have some rib-eyes in the freezer and DH took today off so he will be able to grill at a reasonable hour. Maybe rice with green chilies and cheese, and a black bean, red onion, and corn salad with salsa plus oil/vinegar as dressing.
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Last night I made the chicken-Jasmine rice dish for a friend who came up to the house. I got a diesel generator from him and since our pickup truck was already engaged (Sharon took it to camp at a trailhead so she could go on a hiking club hike without having to get up at 4am), our friend brought it up on his trailer.
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Leftover fried potatoes and I'll pan sear some salmon burgers (costco) and add broccoli.
I'm bandaid sensitive also. DH, nothing phases him…except grass pollen, LOL.
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Carole, I feel like we’re living parallel lives lol. My DH takes two blood thinners and punctures himself daily. I told him it’s like plugging a dike - plug it in one place it pops out in another. Costco has a sale on a gigantic assortment of bandaids a few weeks ago and I think we’re halfway through them.
The chicken birthday dinner was wonderful. I’m mostly a dark meat person too but I do like wings a lot. This restaurant will accommodate my request for no breast. This time I got two wings on my half chicken. For dessert we had my favorite birthday cake - white cake with white icing - i.e. wedding cake. It will be tonight’s dessert as well.
On a bummer note, my DH’s older sister died this week. She had been in ill health and hospice but she is the first of the five siblings to go. Hits home.
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Tonight was a big delicious salad of spring mix, red and green cabbage, carrots, celery, red onion and radishes, topped with cheddar cheese, buttermilk ranch, bacon bits and croutons. Perfect for a hot day.
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A friend brought me some Creamy Tuscan Chicken, along with the recipe. Looking forward to heating that up tonight. I think it's like the Marry Me chicken. She just returned from a quick trip to San Diego, so of course she bought a pound of Sees at the airport and I got a couple pieces.
Apparently Costco now has Mini Bundt Cakes (supposedly in the coolers near the deli stuff). Has anyone tried them yet? They can't be as good as "Nothing Bundt Cakes", but those stores are few & far between so I'm looking forward to this alternative.
I don't have one soul left in town who knows or would care about Gilbert & Sullivan, so I bought one ticket and will take myself downtown tomorrow to see "Pirates of Penzance". I sang the second lead over 50 years ago and decided I wanted to see the show again before I died.
My "other son", who now lives in Panama, is flying in to see his 'buds' and hit some Astros ball games next week and has requested we meet at Tex-Mex restaurants. He says that's hard to find in Panama. He is the only son of my BFF who died in 2005 so I sort of adopted him, even though he was already full grown & had been on his own for some time after he finished his Navy hitch.
Yup to the thin skin. All I have to do is look at a door frame and I get serious bruises. Or just pass by a rose bush & blood flows.
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Is anyone else having problems with notifications? Mine stopped for no apparent reason. I messaged the mods several days ago and have received no response. My avatar has mysteriously disappeared too. I’m beginning to feel invisible.
Tonight is chicken parm with a side of pasta and a cucumber/tomato salad. Dessert will be more birthday cake. I must say though, it was a fine cake.
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I don't have notifications enabled, so I'm no use there.
I do see I have the dutch oven avatar.
I just got notice that next week I'm heading to Maryland for a two week rotation working in a warehouse. I put SOW (Show Low Airport) as my preferred airport and both Sharon and I are hoping that can be accommodated as it is about 40 minutes to the Show Low airport instead of 4 hours to Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport. With two round trips, the closer airport will save a lot of miles/time/mileage charges paid by the government.
We went to the Snowflake Pioneer Days parade this morning and then ran some errands while in town. We're still thinking about what to fix for dinner.
My father-in-law was taking Warfarin after he received a mechanical heart valve and the doctor wanted his INR a bit over 3.0. He also used lots of bandages and "just looking at his arm" would cause a bruise.
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DH is hanging with friends tonight so I took this opportunity to make blackened gulf snapper without grossing him out. It is delicious, the rice blend and veggies were good too.
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Sorry Nance, I don't do notifications either. But I have had problems accessing the site the last day or two. Seems to take 3 or 4 tries getting messages "sorry can't find/access this site" before I can finally get there to log in.
I'm saving the Tuscan Chicken for tomorrow. Tonight I made Naan Pizzas with Raos, slivers of sweet onion, fresh mushrooms & black olives - mixed grated cheese under the toppings and mozzarella to top off everything. YUM. Since the small round Naan package has four pieces, I have two leftovers.
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Had to log in tonight for the first time in three weeks! I stopped getting notifications, but I'd never asked for them and they were clogging up my inbox—my ISP sends me ominous reminders of how full it is.
Last night we went to L.Woods for dinner. We shared a wedge salad to start, but the lardons on it were big and overcooked to the point of toughness. I felt a searing pain and realized a shard of bacon had pierced the tender gum overlying an "exostosis" (overgrowth of bone) I've had on the cheek side of my R upper arch for the last 20 years. It actually embedded itself! When I pulled it out…well, use your imagination. I was able to rinse my mouth out with ice water and then "sanitize" it with a few sips of rosé (wine is actually antiseptic). Continued the meal (1/2 slab of ribs, slaw, creamed spinach & sweet potato fries) by chewing (uneventfully) on my L side. Gotta reschedule that dental appt pronto—but am powerless to determine how long my cold will be contagious.
Yes, it's a cold—adenovirus (one of the three types of cold viruses) is sweeping through IL right now—from south (a musician/artist friend in Cobden) to the north suburbs. My friend down in Cobden (SE of St. Louis) went to the closest GP, who is on a nearby reservation—he told her everyone at the casino has it. Feels sort of like the "throat cold" I caught in Beijing in 1994. Every other part of me seems fine, but I sound like a foghorn when not coughing. Nothing remotely resembling a fever.
Had the remaining half of my half of the wedge salad (chewed very carefully) along with an "egg in the hole" on TJ's keto bread for brunch. Tonight Bob went hunter-gathering at the Costco near his clinic, and brought home a giant roast chicken. I sauteed green beans and made a salad with homegrown tomato & basil over arugula, and air-fried the leftover sweet potato fries. I had my leftover rib, a drumstick and half a thigh. Bob likes the white meat, so it all works out. But you know who else likes white meat? Hint: she's black as night, 18-1/2, purrs like a motorboat and knows what a princess she is. I had to explain to her that it's only an occasional treat.
Chewy is great. My first order from them was a case of Friskies paté. The carton was heaved on to my porch by the delivery driver (unmarked van). The box was dented and partially ripped. Opened it up and found that 6 of the 24 cans were seriously dented to the point of possibly allowing contamination. Called Chewy and sent a photo of the damaged carton & cans—they called me back immediately and said they'd send me another case (and instruct the driver to be careful) at no charge, so long as I donated some of the intact cans in the first shipment to a local shelter or pet food pantry. Chewy does go the extra mile.
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Last night's dinner was warmed up ground beef stroganoff. I added some half and half to loosen it up. I enjoyed my large portion and dh had 2nds that finished it off.
Tonight will be BLT's. I bought tomatoes from three different vendors at the farmers market. We sliced one for yesterday's lunch, ham and tomato sandwiches with lots of mayo. Delicious. We will be in tomato heaven for a few weeks, paying whatever it costs to feast on tomatoes.
I have been depressed lately over the news that my cousin Iris is on hospice care. She is 4 or 5 years younger than I am.
Eric, I made your chicken rice dish some years back. I have the recipe under my saved dishes on this laptop. I'll have to look it up.
Happy Sunday to all.
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We had leftover fried potatoes, brussel sprouts and a frozen burger (costco) last night.. I'm boiling up some navy beans and bought some chicken drumsticks….I swear, chicken thighs are the new breast meat, LOL…thighs were completely sold out…to make a "cassoulet" of sorts with the beans/drumsticks, 1/2 head of cabbage. Hope we have leftovers for tomorrow.
Carole, sorry to hear about your cousin. Sandy, owie on the dental experience. Nance, I have been having to sign in every day last week so no idea what is going on with the boards. Illimae, YUM on your plate o food!
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Carole - sorry to hear about your cousin. Mae - looks wonderful as always. Wally - glad this second round for your DH is going better.
Took myself down town this afternoon to hear a production of Gilbert & Sullivan's "Pirates of Penzance". Really enjoyable. I sang the 2nd lead when I was 16 & wanted to see the show again before I could no longer drive myself. Then stopped at the grocery store. So by the time I got home, I didn't even want to bother heating up the Tuscan Chicken. Supper was Boursin Cheese with RainForest crackers along with a piece of English Cucumber and some radishes. Desert is a couple of Bischoff cookies.
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Been reading, not commenting. Tonight was a whole roast chicken for dinner. With that I wrapped some peeled and coarse cut red potatoes in foil and added parsley and butter. Also sauted our own tomatos, parsley and basil with some gifted zucchini and yellow squash in olive oil. My sister and hub came for dinner andwe had a really nice time. No leftovers so I think it was just the right amount. My mother would've been appalled as she cooked copious amounts of food. But all 4 of us we all need to be eating just the right amount for various reasons. Win.
Thanks as always for the good ideas and inspiration. Thinking of those struggling with various things.
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Brunch was a keto English muffin Margherita pizza: shredded string cheese, sliced tomato, fresh basil, EVOO, Penzey's "Tuscan Sunset" and a sprinkling of flake sea salt. (Bob went out for Mexican but despite the lovely weather I was just too tired to go anywhere).
We ate light for dinner, as Bob's lunch was pretty big: leftover Costco chicken and a Caprese salad over arugula. Dessert was Greek yogurt with honey (for medicinal purposes) and walnuts, followed by a square of Ghirardelli 72%.
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Leftover chicken cassoulet. It turned out so good, I will be sad when it is gone.
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