So...whats for dinner?
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Minus, It’s disappointing when a reliably good restaurant declines. I’ve seen it happen when the establishment changes hands but sometimes a new manager can also upset things.
Wally, I hope the dental visit goes as well as possible.
Carole, I could use some of your gumbo right now. Our not quite 5 year old furnace stopped working because of a faulty heat exchanger. On our previous furnace which lasted 20 years that was an easy replacement since it slid out horizontally but the design of this new one doesn't allow access. The company which installed the new furnace and looked after the old one when the local propane company sold out seems almost as upset as we are since they contract with the brand. They are trying to work out something with the distributor while we use their space heaters. It looks like a chilly and expensive next couple of weeks.
Dinner tonight was Turkish lamb meatballs on rice.
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Didn't eat much tonight. Yesterday we had a vet appointment for the dogs and today, Frankie had some intricate and painful, but minor surgery to remove a tumor on his eyelid.
He's home, but certainly not happy. I'm not sure if the whining/low howling is from the ketamine (it makes dogs act weird) anesthetic, or the gabapentin or extreme pain.
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Eric, hope Frankie feels better soon. Poor guy. And we feel so helpless when they hurt.
No idea if we'll have leftover 'za tonight or find something enroute home from Seattle. Crossing fingers for this appointment.
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Wally, I also hope for best news possible following your dh's appointment. Hugs for both of you.
Maggie, seems to be poor design. At least the company that installed the furnace is working on your behalf. Being a homeowner has its drawbacks. I'm starting to regard our house as a money pit.
We finished up most of the gumbo last night. Tonight we'll go to our seafood restaurant with the oyster special prices.
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Eric, I hope Frankie has recovered from his procedure.
They are replacing the innards of the furnace under warranty. We have to pay for the labor, though.
Carole, I hope you enjoyed the oysters.
Dinner tonight was Spanish garlic shrimp on rice.
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I'm trying to clean out the freezer and it's finally cool enough to turn on the oven. High today was down to 70. Meatloaf for dinner and because I was lazy, Bob Evans mashed potatoes. Tomorrow will be carrots sauteed with onion & tarragon. Or maybe I'll need to eat the leftover 'crab' stuffed mushrooms since I'm going out Saturday.
I hope everyone has voted for the candidate & propositions of their choice. We had 17 constitutional amendments on our ballot. Hard to even figure out what they all meant.
I read that if you add baking soda to the water when boiling peeled potatoes, then the next step of roasting will produce lovely crispy potatoes. I was going to try but I only have petite potatoes and they're a pain to peel.
Happy Halloween.
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Yesterday I called a number for the nearby produce stand to ask if they had fresh mustard greens. The man who answered said he was on his way to pick up mustard greens and would deliver them to the stand within an hour and a half. I bought two bunches and will cook them today with pickled pork for dinner tonight. The greens used to sell for 99 cents a bunch and are now $2 a bunch. Still a bargain for freshly picked greens. The bunches were large so I bought two instead of three. I usually cook a large pot of greens and freeze the extra.
The main labor is washing them three times to get rid of any dirt and "grit." I also rip out the ribs and slice the leaves. It's ok to leave the ribs in or chop them separately but I cook just the leaves. Serving with pepper vinegar is a must. Another pork seasoning would work, but my favorite is the pickled pork for greens.
I'm curious as to whether dh will suggest cornbread, as he always did in the past. He so seldom eats any bread now. This morning he must have decided on eggs on toast for his breakfast. He didn't know I had sliced the homemade loaf and put it in the freezer because it had started to mold. He found the homemade tortillas in the refrigerator and substituted one of them. He was eating when I got up and his breakfast looked good.
Minus, cooler weather and oven use opens up the possibilities for meals, doesn't it? We're in the 40's this morning but it will warm up to a comfortable temperature. It's so nice to open up and turn off the a/c.
Maggie, labor cost can be very expensive. We had to pay $1000 to have a new compressor installed in the almost new refrigerator and the work took no more than an hour.
Happy Halloween.
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Happy Halloween.
DH's driving is getting scarier. I don't think he knows I take a beta-blocker I take to make it there…ugh. Not great news…surgery is out of the question due to the jaw necrosis. They did xray and found "something" unsettling…more cancer that has spread to the jaw bone…but there is no treatment. Not sure what next steps are. He's doing labs Monday to see if the new 17K/month pill is working and hopefully oral surgeon and onco have a discussion on what is next.
I had leftover 'za last night. I'm making air fryer potato wedges and either a frozen burger patty or scrambled eggs with some sort of veg. I microwave my potatoes whole; let them cool and refrigerate overnight. Then I slice to my preferred sizes/shapes and coat with oil/seasonings and air fry. I get resistant starch, a creamy inside and faster cooking.
Carole, I wish I could try your mustard greens. DH won't have them. Too bitter. He doesn't like vinegar either. My mouth is watering reading your post.
Super windy day today…glad yesterday was calm and nothing shut down.
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Carole, I fill tortillas with scrambled eggs for breakfast and use them instead of bread for sandwiches. My special gourmet sandwich in Boston was wrapped in a tortilla.
The furnace guys who left the space heaters came back yesterday and lit the pilot on our gas fireplace (DH didn't think to ask when they were at the house.) It has been off since our underground tank was repaired in August since the tank crew wouldn't touch anything in the house. DH can no longer lift off the heavy glass front and get down on the floor to do this. We have had a fireplace guy scheduled to clean the fireplace a week from tomorrow when he is in our area. The fireplace and ceiling fan warm up most of the house with outdoor temps 30 - 50s so the wait for the furnace repair is much more tolerable.
Wally, I’m sorry about the jaw diagnosis. Would radiation help or would the SEs be too bad? Your air fryer recipe sounds like a better way to make stir fried or oven fried potatoes. I should really look into getting one.
Dinner tonight was steak, sautéed mushrooms and potato salad. I made barmbrack, a bread with dried fruit made for Samhain, the Celtic festival between harvest and winter. I did not put in the traditional charms like a coin, ring, matchstick or piece of cloth.
Beannachtai na Samhna!
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I was surprised how good the frozen costco/kirkland burgers are.
Sadly, no radiation possible (according to oral surgeon) because of the necrosis. We'll see what his labs say and how long his jaw lasts. it is all very unsettling.
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Several posts about Samhain on Facebook this morning. On my way to the YMCA, I pass an estate entrance. The owners apparently hire a company to install Halloween decorations. Each year there's a different scene complete with large scale characters and even vehicles. This year a wagon is loaded with pumpkins and a giant scary man plays the violin. I'm guessing the scene is lighted at night.
I should get my air fryer out of its cabinet! LOL. And I will probably do that today. The seldom used stand mixer can go into the cabinet. My younger sister has two air fryers so that she can cook a meat in one and fries in the other.
My "red neck dinner" last night was very good. We had a bowl of greens and a baked sweet potato with butter. I would have made corn bread but our neighbors texted to arrange a visit, either at our house or theirs. I chose theirs and dh and I carried our martinis next door. We sat on their porch and caught up.
I had a big pot of "green" peanuts simmering on the stove. The peanuts were an impulse buy at the supermarket. We had boiled peanuts at home, freshly dug by my father in his garden. I had never made them myself but decided to buy some and rely on good ole Google for advice on salt to cooking water. They turned out really good. We also had roasted or "parched" peanuts at home with peanuts that were allowed to dry.
Anyone who drives around in rural southern states will probably see boiled peanuts vendors along highways or signs advertising them in service stations and small grocery stores. I like both boiled and parched but probably like the latter best.
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Carole, I haven’t had boiled peanuts since I lived in AL. They are really good. When we lived in AR I took the kids to George Washington Carver’s birthplace in Diamond Grove, MO. That place had persimmon trees everywhere.
Wally, I have always made my own burgers from ground beef. The frozen ones I’ve seen have other ingredients added. Are the Costco ones 100% beef?
Dinner tonight was chicken and butternut squash in tomato/pumpkin sauce on boiled potatoes.
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Last night's dinner was an oven dish with sliced potatoes, sauerkraut and shoulder pork chops. Condiments were mustard and ketchup, for dh. It was an "ok" meal. Not as good as imagined.
Tonight we'll have mustard greens again. If dh wants cornbread, I'll make a small one. He likes Jiffy and I have a perfect pan. I may bake sweet potatoes again.
Wow on beef prices. I looked at a package of flank steak a couple of days ago and it was $30 plus. Another Wow. Flank steak used to be a lower-price cut of beef. I don't think a lower-price cut exists now. Maybe a good incentive not to eat beef, looking on the positive side.
We're enjoying a period of very comfortable weather. Sunny and mild temperatures during the day. Cooling off at night for blanket sleeping.
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Maggie, Costco sells "regular" and grass fed and neither have anything added to them. Even QFC offers premade-frozen …but their quality is not as good…they have several varieties (plain and with stuff in them).
No idea what we'll have for dinner. The contractor never showed. UGH. I swear, people don't like working out here.
Carole, yikes on that price. I won't even look at beef unless there's a sale (well, except for those burgers, LOL).
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Somewhere I saw a parody image with the caption, "Yes, you can still buy a package of hamburger for a dollar". The image was a package of hamburger on someone's thumbnail.
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I've started buying my hamburger & steaks from the "almost expired" 1/2 price bin. It means I have to plan my meals after I see what's there or immediately pop it in the freezer. I'll buy the 'pre shaped' hamburger patties if they're Angus beef. But I've shifted mainly to fish or chicken once or twice a week for my protein. Mostly eggs or cashew nuts or a can of tuna or smoked oysters.
Met my nephew's family and her parents for lunch yesterday at Govinda's. The restaurant is a part of the "Hare Krishna" temple complex. It's always vegetarian and 3 days a week it's vegan only. It's serve yourself - cafeteria style - so everyone can pick what they want. My nephew's wife, a very talented attorney, wanted to ask if they could add some chicken. DUH - what does vegetarian mean - especially when you're married to a vegan and she's been to this same restaurant at least 10 times.
I'm finally going to saute the carrots & onions this evening. Haven't decided if the spices will be tarragon & dill or rosemary.
Gorgeous weather here, but we could still use more rain. At least the one heavy shower we had last week cleared out some of the pollen.
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I'm cooking up some dal and will add a veg with scrambled eggs for tonight.
Tomorrow I'll thaw salmon and keep dal as the side.
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Carole, I only buy beef other than ground when it’s on sale. I was able to get ribeye steak at Aldi’s for $10 a pound. There was a limit of two steaks per family. I used to make stuffed flank steak in tomato sauce when it was cheaper. I never considered it high end.
Wally, I’m sorry the contractor didn’t show. I don’t know when they will be doing our furnace but the gas fireplace insert is managing well in the not too cold weather.
Minus, I’ve eaten at the Hare Krishna restaurants (most of them called Govinda’s) when traveling. They are reasonably priced and decent, especially if you like curry.
Dinner tonight was a shrimp stir fry on rice
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I'm back home again, after >16 months in our Lincolnwood rental. Still have weeks & weeks of unpacking to do, but at least I have a better kitchen at my disposal, so time permitting I will be cooking more again (not just reheating restaurant leftovers). Bar Show rehearsals have started—so except for the Christmas recess traveling is out of the question (we do have a line on some kitty-sitters). For more details, check the "Older Women" thread.
During our "exile" I finally tried chili crisp after hearing all the hoopla about it. I bought the "Fly By Jing" Sichuan version (was torn between that and Momofuku, which was a dollar more but not as interesting). I used it in a stir-fry and it was quite good: spicy but not in a painful way, with a lot of crunch from sesame seeds and fried lentils & split peas.
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Welcome back, Sandy. Glad you're finally in your home.
When removing little containers of too-old-to-eat leftovers from the refrigerator yesterday, I found a carton of shitake mushrooms and changed my dinner plan. I thawed some ground beef and made a skillet dish with the sauteed mushrooms, ground beef and leftover jarred alfredo sauce. We spooned the mixture over a helping of Bob's mashed potatoes. A version of what dh calls SOS. Army speak.
Maggie, I was inspired by your breakfast suggestion yesterday morning and had a scrambled egg in a corn tortilla. Yum. During the day I baked a loaf of my breakfast bread so now I'm torn. Toast or tortilla? LOL.
The ground beef I cooked yesterday was from Costco and it was quite good.
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Hi Sandy!!!!!!
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Going to see if I can actually grill (steak or cedar-planked salmon or char) tonight; if not, will probably go out for steak. I've been too exhausted to eat enough good "real" protein (as opposed to shakes/bars/fake pop-tarts) and enough calories. Picking up some sustainably-domestically-farmed king salmon from Hooked on Fish tomorrow. Nice to have a fully-usable kitchen and gas (not charcoal) grill again.
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Sandy, Good to see you again. I'm glad you are back in your own home even if you are drowning in boxes. The gas grill makes preparing meat/fish protein so much easier. The packaged stuff is convenient but not as tasty.
Carole, Shitake mushrooms and Bob's mashed potatoes are definitely an upgrade on the usual SOS ingredients.
My PT gave me some adaptive kitchen tools that a sales rep left. He's a spine specialist but the hand OTs weren't around.
Dinner tonight was chicken in orange Curaçao sauce, cauliflower and mashed potatoes.
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Dinner was mustard greens, a shared baked sweet potato and cornbread. Butter for the sweet potato and cornbread.
Maggie, I hope you can put the adaptive tools to use.
DH and I just had a conversation about whether we keep the Costco and the Sam's Club membership or drop one. We use the Sam's pharmacy but the Vietnamese pharmacist we liked so much hasn't been there lately. If he has left, switching pharmacies would be easier. He always greeted me by name. And switching to Walmart's pharmacy in MN is easy since all the prescriptions are in the same data base. Parking is easier at Costco's. Sam's location is a little closer and easier. Costco's store is new and seems larger than Sam's. Making decisions is not my strong point.
Wally, did the contractor ever show up?
No inspiration on dinner. Maybe lamb chops. It's soup weather and soup in the refrigerator would be nice for lunches. Hmmm.
Covid shot today on the schedule.
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Carole, I've only been to a Sam's once. There are none here so my choice is limited. I also hate making decisions that are so similar. I do order a lot of stuff from Walmart and Amazon because the distance is not idea for Costco. Are their products you are fussy about and loyal to? cost of membership? warranties on appliances or techie stuff?
The contractor never showed. Claimed his father was having heart surgery. I put out a post on NextDoor and someone contacted me and will come out tomorrow. DH cut more flooring (OY on that mess…I hope inhaling laminate powder isn't toxic or dangerous…OY!) and finally got the old dishwasher out. Now the concern is that the new one needs to be shorter (even though they are both Bosch). I hate this.
DH had his labs today and his PSA doubled on the 17K/month drug. I wept. I think there is one other thing we can try unless he is willing to do chemo, which he may or may not want to do. Picked up the penicillin the oral surgeon wants him on forever. Hope his gut will be OK. I hate that some of us have more ick than is reasonable.
I made poached eggs to go with the leftover dal (like a shakshuka). And wine. Lots of wine tonight.
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@wallycat I am so sorry to read all you are going through. My DH has prostrate issues too although his is not cancerous. But apparently his has very thick walls. He goes in on the 20th for a PAE procedure. I can't explain it, but you can look it up. They found his problems because of elevated PSA. Still not good! I have been also following your dishwasher nightmare because we just needed to replace ours. My DH is not handy and cannot get on his knees so we had to pay for the delivery guys to remove the old and install the new. I prayed that there would not be a problem like you are having. It seemed to go smoothly so I am thankful for that. Totally worth the extra cost. And I love my new dishwasher. We ran the first load today. I looked at Bosch but went with GE since all my other appliances are GE.
We like Sams. We have both Costco and Sams but only wanted to pay for one. We went with Sams because there are a few things there that we like that are not at Costco. We only go about every four months and stock up on dry goods.
Dinner was leftover spaghetti. I feed my DD and my DGD too so our meals are family oriented. When it is just my DH and I we eat differently.
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Carole, It’s hard to make a decision when there are so many variables. There are no warehouse stores within two hours of where we live so I just buy the dry goods at Walmart or Home Depot.
Wally, I ‘m sorry that the latest treatment doesn’t seem to be working. Make sure your DH takes tons of probiotics and eats fermented foods with the permanent penicillin. I ended out with a picc line for antibiotics after the oral surgeon debrided most of my infected left jaw which put less stress on my stomach. That’s how my bc was diagnosed but at stage 2 surgery meant the bone infection didn’t return.
Luckily our new Bosch dishwasher is the same height as the old one. The local appliance store where we bought it did check the height before it was ordered. I hope the latest handyman shows up and solves the problem.
I stopped for apple cider donuts for DH at a farm stand rather than old fashioned candy for me on the way home from the hospital up north after drawing the blood which goes out for tests with the spinal fluid. We’re going up again tomorrow and staying for two nights since my lumbar puncture is at the crack of dawn and I won’t be able to drive for 24 hours. DH will have to drive the 20 minutes between the hospital and motel but won’t have the long drive home. I’d rather be in Boston but the neurosurgeon warned me to grab the first neurologist that would see me (I’m still on 4 wait lists.) The travel time is the same but there’s less traffic and beautiful scenery. It’s still a rural hospital albeit larger than my local one.
Dinner tonight was shrimp and mushrooms in newburgh sauce on capitavi.
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Unlike most warehouse shoppers, I don't buy toilet paper and paper towels from Sam's. I usually buy the store brand at the supermarket or at Walmart's on occasional shopping trips there. I buy my Community coffee, Raos, adult wipes, makeup wipes, compari tomatoes, blueberries, other veggies and fruits, meat, cheese, rotisserie chicken, etc. Also some O/C supplements and meds. Protein drink. During the summer in MN where Walmart's is our main supermarket, we get along fine without Sam's. Here at home, shopping at Walmart's involves getting on the interstate and making a longer trip.
Our Winn Dixie will be replaced by another supermarket. We don't know what it will be. WD is pulling out of Louisiana. It has nothing to do with our local WD, which is very busy. My sister got a Super One where she lives in another parish, and she says it is much inferior to WD. It's not an upscale area where she lives and this area is very upscale. Not thanks to us. LOL. Million dollar plus homes are common with owners who are too cheap to vote for any tax. But they drive luxury autos.
Back on topic. We had loin lamb shops last night, bought at Sam's. DH commented on how tasty they were. He had leftover Bob's with the leftover SOS topping and I had the leftover sweet potato drizzled with honey.
Fingers crossed. So far I am feeling no SEs from my Covid shot yesterday. My arm isn't even sore. Also, I almost made the 8000 steps my little Fitbit knockoff assigns me. It's only 2 1/2 miles and I once walked 3 miles 4 or 5 times a week.
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I'm waiting for a contractor/handyman to come at 4, so I think tonight will be grilled ham/turkey/cheese sandwiches.
DH's onco's office finally called and we'll discuss all of this ick next week.
Maggie, I hope your results will be good. It sounds like you require a lot of travel for medical care, same as us. You make it sound a lot more pleasant than I do. DH refuses to stay over, except the time he had the jaw surgery. Sadly, those infections will be constant because of the necrosis of the bone…it is slowly dying from the Prolia shots. I had to smile…I so wish our new dishwasher was NOT the same dimensions. An inch shorter would be a much easier install. We may return this and exchange it for an ADA compliant unit….hope the handyman has ideas.
Updates: Dinner was great. Contractor cancelled. Hopefully, tomorrow at noon. So over this.
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Carole, Good to hear you have no SEs from the COVID shot. I had my last booster on June 1 and was planning on getting the next this month. I haven’t had horrible reactions before but all the neurological stuff I’m dealing with makes me worry. My pulmo says to get it anyhow so I probably will.
Grocery store ownership changes tend to be negative more often than positive in my experience. I had to drive long distances for everything when I lived in more remote areas so I’d do it again if necessary.
Wally, exchanging the dishwasher would make the installation easier. I hope it gets figured out.
We’re up in White River Jct VT which exists because railways, rivers and roads all met here. There’s a gas station/bus stop, motel, McD’s, Chinese restaurant and a closed for the winter bbq smokehouse. I have stayed here for swim meets frequently since I coached during my first 25 years in NH and there are three pools not too far away. Originally the only food was premade refrigerated sandwiches at the gas station so the not so great food choices seem wonderful.
Dinner tonight was chicken McNuggets and fries for DH.
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