So...whats for dinner?
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Well speaking of beans, last night was red beans and rice with enough left over for lunch. I had to cheat and used canned beans but they were delicious nonetheless.
In spite of single digit temps today I have to venture out to the grocery store. The downside to staying in is that we run out of things. At least the sun is shining and the winds have stopped.
Dinner is a mystery. Perhaps I'll get some inspiration at the store. I wish DH would eat clams Minus. Your linguini sounds delicious.
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Canned beans are good. I used to be a diehard-cook-beans-from-scratch but I often buy the canned now.
The chicken and sausage gumbo is cooked. A huge pot big enough to feed a crowd rather than just two old folks. I had to make potato salad because gumbo calls for potato salad. All that remains if for the brown jasmine rice to cook while I'm sipping my bourbon old-fashioned. DH had one last night since he has quit taking pain meds except for Tylenol and one tramadol at bedtime.
Wally, I have a cauliflower, too.
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Carole, I just inhaled my Indian meal with the cauliflower. It is on page 256-257 of the book you have. I subbed a can of garbanzo beans because I didn't have potatoes. I restrained myself in adding garlic and onion, as the recipe said those are not used specific to the region. SOOOO delicious. I can see it with a side of poached egg.
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I love gumbo and eat it every chance I get. Around here, it's mostly mediocre but a local restaurant near me makes a decent one that they serve with a side of cornbread. Delish. I make it often myself.
Inspiration for dinner came as a result of a very late lunch. It's chef salads with turkey, cheese, eggs, cucumber, tomato and red onion. Bottled blue cheese dressing for DH and a vinaigrette for me. Maybe I'll heat a small baguette for some carbs.
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Carole, would you mind sharing details on your little rice cooker? The pressure cooker makes perfect rice but it's big and heavy to haul out so I'm thinking of adding something less cumbersome.
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Carole, I have to use something other than beans when DH eats my cooking. When I make chili I replace the beans with whole corn kernels. It's a bit different but it still tastes good. His father had and our son has the same problem. DS was tested for food intolerances and he has a G6PD deficiency which is a fairly common sign of bean intolerance. It seems to show up more in certain ethnic groups including British Isles/Irish.
Minus, Your well deserved treat after the derm appointment sounds delicious in addition to being a great bargain. This winter has been exceptionally cold and snowy in many parts of the country. Hopefully we won't see another winter like this for a long time.
Wally, I love cauliflower in cheese sauce or florets baked on a sheet pan with EVOO, curry and other Indian spices. You would probably enjoy living in Alaska but it is very expensive to do that.
Getting in to see a derm here requires a referral and a year's wait. Recently the local hospital joined a program where your PCP can take a picture of something and have an online derm look at it. It's not as good as in person but hopefully it would catch anything serious.
Dinner tonight was salmon in fig sauce, sautéed yellow squash and tater tots for DH.
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Maggie: I'm supposed to have a full body derm exam every 6 months because I've had 6 basal cell cancers. Still, I have to make those appointment 9-12 months in advance or there are no openings - even for an existing patient. But frankly it's getting that way for all of my "specialist" docs. If I don't make my next appointment for the following year before I leave the office, it's impossible to get in.
I bought some canned Adzuki beans 6 months ago based on something I'd read. Now I can't find that article. Does anyone else have a recommendation?
Tonight's evening treat was popcorn with LOTS of butter.
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Maggie, DH and I eloped in Alaska, riding a motorcycle…hottest summer on record in 1993—the year we got married. I'm voting for Antarctica till there is no snow there, LOL.
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Special, you've been through the wringer this week. I'm afraid of flu, too—it seems that the A strain going around is one not in this season's vaccine (deja vu from Nov. 2023). We're dining out but restaurants seem not to be crowded (there are fewer people with "cabin fever" these days than there are those who want to cocoon).
Went to the ocular onc Tuesday for my 6-month scans & retinal photography—it's all good so far (tumor seems to have shrunk a little since summer, retinas are fine, visual acuity unchanged). But masking is mandatory once again, and I'd forgotten my KN95 in my car (when the wind chill is -20, I wear it outdoors under a muffler); those flimsy surgical masks don't seem to fit as well, especially since my face is thinner now than when I last had to wear one. Tuesday night we went to Froggy's for cassoulet; last night Bob stopped at Calo and brought home linguine alla vongole for dinner; tonight I supplemented my leftover cassoulet with frozen duck confit, thuringer (closest I could find to saucisson de Lyon) and jarred cannelini beans so there was enough for both of us.
Finally was able to get my replacement retainer remade: the hygienist trimmed the first one too low in front for ease of removal, but it kept falling off when I slept, and didn't do a very good job of keeping my teeth corraled. And I had to hold my mouth "just so" to keep it in place…and now I have TMJ pain (osteoporosis probably contributed to it). New retainer fits fine and feels nice & snug.
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Wally, It’s safer to live among penguins than polar bears so Antarctica is the right choice.
Sandy, Yum on the linguine alla vongole.
Minus, Adzuki beans are often used in Japanese cooking but I have only made bean curry with them.. They are very nutritious.
Dinner tonight was Angus strip steak, cauliflower and sautéed baby potatoes.
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Maggie - thanks for the Adzuki bean comment. I'll probably cook with onion & celery & garlic. Maybe some of the Cure 81 ham that's in the freezer, but more likely not. I'm more & more drifting to meatless eating - although I'm not making a statement and it's unlikely that I'll ever give up fish
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Minus, I think our tastes change over time as our bodies let us know what we currently need.
Dinner tonight was ground chicken and asparagus lasagna.
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Tonight was a "do it yourself" night for both of us.
I will take dried pinto beans to the pressure cooker, add an onion (or however much is left over) 4-5 cloves of garlic and pressure cook it for about 30 minutes. Just before serving, I add BBQ sauce. We like it, and since the neighbors are 1/2 mile away, they don't hear anything. :-)
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Eric - Took me a minute since it's midnight here & my brain is on slow, but love the auditory reference….
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Eric that is so funny lol.
Our boil advisory was finally lifted a day or two ago, but have been too busy to cook. Looking forward to a day of baking biscuits and lentil stew, comfy food. Last night we went to a local restaurant, had mushroom spinach lasagne (me) and brick chicken for DH, with a shared house salad, it was quite good. Slowly expanding my palette, it’s been fun. A little cheese here and there…0 -
Leftovers last night. Chicken/sausage gumbo over rice. Potato salad.
DH plans to call the gas company tomorrow about the leaking gas odor just outside the carport. I'm preparing myself mentally for no cook stove, hot water, heat or clothes dryer when the gas is turned off. Today I'll bake a loaf of bread, shower and wash my hair, do a load of laundry…. With luck we will continue to have electricity.
Nance, I bought the Aroma Rice & Grain Multicooker. I bought it because it has a brown rice setting. I use my own "recipe" instead of the directions. 1 cup of rice to two cups water, salt and a splash of olive oil. There's a Warm setting.
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Thanks for the info Carole. Interesting about the ratios. The pressure cooker only takes 1 1/3 cups of water to rice. I plan to check the aromas out so thanks again.
Last night was farfalle with alfredo and broccoli along with garlic bread. Tonight will be a new pineapple chicken dish that hasn't been tried.
Almost 60° and full sun today. I'm ecstatic!
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I'd call the gas company today. I'd be very surprised if the company didn't immediately dispatch someone to investigate.
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Made chicken thighs and rice with asparagus. Leftovers tonight.
May get upwards of 50mph gusts tomorrow…hope we don't lose power.
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Rhonda, Your life will be so much easier without having to boil your water. Did the mushroom spinach lasagna have a red or white sauce as its base?
Carole, Hopefully the gas leak is a quick fix. Someone finally showed up and knocked on the door to tell us what was going on with our propane. The problem is not the gauge which would have been an easy fix. They need to wait until June to dig up the tank, empty it and inspect it. It might just need a new float. If the tank needs to be replaced we would have to pay for it as Amerigas has gotten out of the business of owning tanks to require customers to buy gas from them. If that is the case we'll go with a local company with phones that are answered in the US. In June we won't need the heat but would have no hot water or stove. Eric is right. By law if you call in a gas leak they have to come out and investigate right away. Our leak was repaired at 10 PM on a Saturday night.
Nance, I'm ecstatic about 32°. It's always fun to try a new recipe.
Wally, those winds are scary.
It was a long time coming including medical tourism to Greece but I'm a grandmother now. DD had a boy, Timothy William. They are calling him Tadhe, the Irish Gaelic translation pronounced Tighe (the Scottish Gaelic.) His other also first time grandma is 88 so she had a 15 year longer wait. They are in the middle of moving to a 2 bedroom apartment so we're giving them their space until things settle down.
Dinner tonight was leftover lasagna.
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Nance, the ratio is my own, not the Aroma's.
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Thanks Carole. I did go ahead and purchase the Aroma. I use short grain brown rice pretty exclusively. I think you use long grain brown? I guess I'll try their directions first and adjust from there.
The pineapple chicken dish was quite good in a sweet and sour way. Normally I'm not a sweet and sour fan but this was well balanced and I liked it. DH loved it and requested an encore. Next time I'll use fresh pineapple and a little cornstarch to thicken the sauce. I already modified the recipe to add red and green bell pepper which was a good addition.
Tonight's dinner is anybody's guess. I have more colored peppers that will end up in flank steak fajitas, but probably not tonight.
It's destined to be a glorious 60° today. Goodbye to the snow (and good riddance!)
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Nance, I hope you like the little rice cooker. It's cute as well as useful. I am, admittedly, committed to long grain brown rice, mainly brown jasmine. I grew up eating long-grain white. The only short rice I've ever cooked is arborio. I did buy some of the Parish white rice that is advertised to be better for diabetics. My brother Gary is diabetic and he likes the Parish. Why do you prefer short-grained brown?
Wally, you bought one of the really nice Japanese rice cookers, I believe.
I'm going through a period of not being happy to be a home owner. I told dh, half jokingly, that we should consider moving. The solar panel repair guy is here now walking on the roof. This afternoon a plumber is coming by to look into the gas leak. Last week when I wasn't here, dh allowed a roof guy to inspect the roof, and, surprise!!, he found damage and offered to work with our wind and hail insurance company on a new roof claim. Solar panels are a new roof complication since they would have to be removed and reinstalled. Whine, whine.
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Carole, I think your proportions are better. I followed the instructions and there's a tiny bit of crunch to the grains. That extra quarter cup of water will make the difference I think. I like the short grain because it has a nutty flavor and bit of a chew that I find pleasing. I haven't tried the long grain brown jasmine. I like white jasmine The brown is not easy to find around here.
I agree that home ownership is not always all it's cracked up to be.
Dinner will be baked cod with mac and cheese and a small salad.
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Carole, I did buy a fancy Japanese rice cooker. It takes so much longer to cook the rice because it is perfection every time. When I don't plan for the time, I do it stove-top. Of course, now I "know" how it is "supposed" to look, LOL.
Nance, I also prefer the short grain brown (or white). Something about the mouth-feel just appeals to me. I didn't grow up eating a lot of rice so it isn't the first thing I think of for a side-dish.
Speaking of rice, I ended up using what was left from the chicken and added a can of corn, chopped fresh spinach, garlic and I made the butter/soy "sauce" while I topped it all with sole. Perfect. Leftovers tomorrow.
DH needs more antibiotics for his jaw. UGH…and the televisit on Thursday.
I ordered 3 dozen cookies to take to the dentist on Wed.
One of the HOA ladies knocked on my door, unexpectedly. Sure, I didn't vacuum and was in the middle of my lunch. OY…and said they gave the neighbor a cease and desist. We'll see if he understands the gravity of them being fed up with him. He gives me a stare-down at the edge of my driveway, thinking it will intimidate me. I usually turn away. Yesterday, stared right back at him. He drove out of his driveway and parked in front of ours and just stared…I gave him the middle finger. I would LOVE for him to complain; that would ensure he was a peeping tom and I could possibly rid myself of him. We'll see. Thanks for listening, ladies. Like we don't have enough with health and weather issues. The winds have yet to arrive….bracing myself. Hope it is in the night.
I'm sick of the news (won't post more than that) and worry about what family I have in Europe.
Carole, I hear you on house crap. We still need our roof looked at from the last nasty wind. Hope your gas leak has been resolved.
We got a letter that said our homeowners won't cover manufactured homes, so who knows what the new rates will be.
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Carole, Hopefully that’s the end of the house problems and they get fixed quickly.
Wally, Glad that the HOA is doing something about your neighbor from Hades. I hope the antibiotics work on your DH’s jaw.
Nance, I have a microwave rice cooker which makes good rice but boils over and makes a mess of the turntable.
Dinner tonight was mediocre chicken takeout on the road. We’re flying to FL at the crack of dawn tomorrow. I’m looking forward to temps above freezing.
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Dinner tonight was 1/2 a can of Progresso Split Pea soup. I wanted to serve with Saltines and butter, but somehow that container was empty. So I had to have Club crackers & butter.
Love the rice discussion. My mother only cooked white rice. I usually buy the 90 second packages since I'm cooking for one. And I get lots of variety that way.
Maggie - congrats on your new status as Grandmother.
Carole - I hope the gas leak issue doesn't cause a major upheaval.
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Maggie, congratulations! I had missed your post and went back to find it. That happens occasionally but usually not on this forum.
Nance, I buy the brown jasmine rice at Walmart's. I usually buy 3 or 4 bags at a time. I definitely do not like al dente rice. Here at home I don't shop at Walmart's often because the location isn't convenient. But I'll be going today since I have a hair appointment in Ponchatoula where my hair stylist set up shop. I have a Walmart's list. DH likes the store brand frozen sausage patties.
Still no change on the outside gas leak front. One plumber didn't show yesterday. A different one is supposed to come this morning. We decided to consult a plumber first before the gas company cut us off.
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I shop at Walmart once a month or so but not usually in the store. There are a few things we like there too. DH likes their English muffin bread for toast so I usually place a pickup order. It never occurred to me to look for brown rice. It's a large store and has a big selection of ethnic foods so I shouldn't be surprised.
Dinner is a complete unknown. I'm going to Penzey's with a friend today so maybe I'll find inspiration there.
Maggie add my congratulations on your new grandbaby!
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Grandma Maggie. :-)
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