So...whats for dinner?
Comments
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Michelle - You and your family are in my prayers. I know you must be beyond exhausted but glad you made it back to see your mother. Sounds like you have 2 daughters to treasure. In patient units, either hospital based or free standing, are special. I know they do wonderful things there. I know you will advocate for your mother. She sounds very peaceful and hope that continues. May the Lord be with you.
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Michelle, you and your family remain in my prayers. Rest well.
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Michelle Thinking of you, sending hugs your way.
Lacey I understand how good it feels to get stuff cleaned out. I am a thrower outer, but my hubby is a hoarder, I have to be sneaky to get rid of stuff. My dining room table has become my office and school desk...will need to do some filing before Thanksgiving or we will all be eating off our laps.
Bought a rotissiere chicken at the store yesterday that was good, but was roasting some veges to go along with it, and got so engrossed in school work, I burned them, not badly, they were somewhat edible, but the dog got a nice treat in the end.
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Debbie, here's the minestrone recipe:
2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 cup minced onion
1/4 cup chopped zucchini
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup carrots, julienned
1/2 cup frozen Italian green beans
4 cups vegetable or beef broth
1 15 Oz. can red kidney beans drained
1 15 oz. can small white beans, drained
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 8oz. can tomato sauce
2 Tbs. Fresh parsley minced
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
4 cups water
3 cups fresh baby spinach
1 cup ditalini or other small pasta
Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Saute onion, celery, garlic, carrots and zucchini for 5 minutes or until onion is translucent.
As remaining ingredients except spinach and pasta. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add pasta and spinach, cook 15 minutes.
Serve with grated parmesan.
I keep the rinds from blocks of parmesan and throw them in soup, which I did with this one. It gave a really nice flavor. I don't ever get the minestrone at olive garden but DH said it tasted like theirs, but I don't know how discerning his palate is lol. It is good nonetheless.
Michelle, hope you got a good nights sleep. I know hospice will take good care if your mom. I can't say enough good things about them. Will be thinking of you.0 -
Michelle- Thinking of you today!
Carrie-At least the dog ate it haha!
Nancy- That sounds so delicious I have parmesan cheese rinds in the freezer and love to put them in my soups. I might make this tomorrow.Thanks for sharing!
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Oh yum, Nancy!!
Love minestrone (actually I'm not sure there's a soup I don't like) and haven't made it in forever! Definitely going on my menu, hopefully for this week!!
Debbie,
Are feeling any better? Soup always tastes so good to me when I'm sick!
Michelle,
Thinking of you and your family today....
Tonights dinner is going to be some pork chops that I have to use today, cornbread stuffing (although I guess technically it's dressing since it's not going in the chop..lol) and some sauteed apples. Not sure how I want to do the apples yet... Guess I better figure that out...lol!
Hope you all have a great Friday!0 -
Michelle- Thinking of you.
Debbie- Are you feeling better?
Nancy- That soup sounds yummy! I copied and pasted it and will have to try it. I love minestrone soup and have never made it before- sounds simple.
Dinner tonight will be pulled pork sandwiches. DS has soccer on the schedule so it needed to be a crock pot dinner night. I made a big batch so we can eat the left overs on SUnday for the game.
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Re: minestrone recipe - I didn't do this but wish I had, if you think you're going to have leftover soup, cook the pasta separately and add to the servings individually. Otherwise, the pasta soaks up up all the broth overnight and gets HUGE. Also, this might be a little salty for some, so you might add the salt at the end to your taste.
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Tonights dinner, since I already have leftover garlic breadsticks, is lasagna rolls that I had frozen a while ago. Easy peasy!
P.s. Someday I'm just going to submit one of these posts with what the stupid auto correct typed and see if anyone can figure out what I'm trying to say. E.g., in the above post it typed "cook the pasta desperately." Should be fun.0 -
I am located near a shop that buys live chickens and dispenses with them. All the parts like necks, backs, and feet are sold in 4lb bags. I bought one bag of each. Today I am making a Chinese pork and chicken stock. All the chicken parts are cut into 2 inch pieces with a cleaver. The pork bones I throw in whole. After blanching the bones, they are simmered for nine hours with some ginger and scallions. The house smells wonderful. There is nothing I love more these days than a bowl of flavorful soup for dinner.
Tonight's dinner will be last night's restaurant Chinese dishes, plus I will steam some dumplings I buy from Wang's, a local vendor that has an army of Chinese grandmothers pleating in the back.
Hoping that Michelle is doing well today,
*susan*
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Seaside- I make a home made apple sauce which is pretty good, I use about 4 or 5 apples- peeled, cored and chopped. 3/4 cup of water, 1/4 cup of sugar ( I use half white and brown) but you can use just one if you wanted. cinammon I use lots b/c I love the flavor. put all in sauce pan cover and cook over med heat for 20 min or until soft, cool and mash (I like it kind of chucnky)
Laurie- Still feeling yuccky but going to go out tonight, with friends for dinner (I think, havn't made up my mind yet) Have not got dressed in 5 days so thought if I got some fresh air it might make me feel better plus a margaritta or two might help!
. How are you feeling?Nancy- I make enough mistakes on my own I would hate to see what auto correct does,Ha! I think i posted a page of mistakes from auto correct on here before i will have to find it and post it again it is really funny!
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Thank you for the update Joyce.
Michelle, still thinking of you♥
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I will attend a wake Sunday, we lost a classmate, she was only 61, died suddenly. So sad. A bunch of us HS local grads recently starting going out to eat or just having a social at someones house, so far we have lost 2.
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Michelle, you are still in my prayers. Much love.
Joyce, thanks for the info. I hope your trip to Florida goes well.
My DH and I had a lobster dinner today for our anniversary tomorrow. His gift to me is a front door with a window,something I have been wanting for a long time. My gift to him? Note the dinner tonight, he is going fishing tomorrow, our actual anniversary. 39 years, you know, 20 happy years! LOL0 -
Nancy, so funny on the auto-correct! Although I have found myself 'desperately' cooking
after spending way to much time on BCO and looking up and thinking OMG where the heck did all this time go?!! Lol
Debbie,
I will have to give the applesauce a try especially since the apples here in the NE are so good this time of year...
Tonight I sliced them thin with peel on and sauteed them in a bit of butter along with some sliced onion, just a couple tsps of brown sugar, a tsp of cider vinegar and a little bit of salt and pepper. Sautee over medium heat until onions are carmelized and apples are softened. Served over the top of the chops... It was pretty good!
The dressing on the other hand.... meh.... I had not ever made a cornbread dressing before and used the packaged cornbread crumbs... I think it would have been far tastier and much less salty if i had made the cornbread and gone from there! Oh well, live and learn......
Susan,
I bet both those stocks are out of this world good!!!
I don't think I have ever made my own stock! Closest I've come is to save the bone from a ham and throw it in when I make bean soup... Oh, and I do freeze the bones from the rib roast that we have at Christmas time and throw a couple in when I make a beef based soup!
Joyce,
Thanks for the update on Michelle.... Hope you and DH have a safe trip to sunny FLA!!!0 -
Joyce, safe travel to FL. Thanks for the update on Michelle.
Debbie and Laurie, I hope you both are well soon.
DH and I played golf with another couple today at a lovely course that's on the Audubon Golf Trail, Carter Plantation. It was designed by David Toms, a pro golfer from Louisiana. The weather was delightful. We finished up about 5:30 pm and ate dinner in the restaurant. This was my first restaurant meal since going on WW twelve days ago. I had the fish entree on the menu, which was swordfish covered with lump crabmeat in a delicious butter saffron sauce on sauteed spinach with asparagus and crispy tortilla strips on the side. The presentation was very pretty on a square dinner plate. I immediately cut the generous portion of fish into two equal pieces and ate half of it. I know the sauce was very high cal and high fat, but it was wonderful. I didn't eat any bread. Pat on the back! And I drank iced tea instead of wine. I might have had a glass of chardonnay, but the price was $9 for Simi chardonnay, which I have in my wine cooler and paid $12 for the bottle. I know I'm frugal but $9 for a glass of affordable wine is high.
All in all, I did ok in dealing with the Eating Out challenge. The other half of the fish and some spears of asparagus are in the refrigerator for tomorrow's lunch. DH had a ribeye and didn't bring any home. He said it was excellent.
Thinking of you and your family, Michelle, and sending caring vibes.
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Hi everyone, we just got home about 30 minutes ago and it's been a long day. First, let me say thanks to each and every one of you for your kind thoughts, prayers and comforting words. You are all such a caring group of lovely women and I am lucky to have you all for support. And thank you Joyce for being there for Rick and me, and visiting my mom and the girls.
Mom was transferred late this afternoon and she is settled in her hospice suite. It's really a beautiful place and will be a calm, peaceful environment for all of us. My daughters have been angels through all this and I don't know what I would do without them.
I did get a good night's sleep last night (thank you restoril) and that was very helpful. We were back at the hospital at 9 this morning so it was another long day. I'll be in bed early tonight so we can head back to hospice in the morning. My daughter is bringing the great-grandchildren as they have said they'd like to see "Memere"... they know she is sick and the older two boys know she will die. I hope they do OK, I'm a little worried about frightening them. The hospice nurse said they have booklets to use with children so hopefully it will go well.
Deb - so sorry to hear about the loss of your classmate. 61 seems too young, doesn't it?
Moonflwr - happy anniversary! If your hubby is going fishing, I hope you do something fun for yourself.
Joyce - safe travels to Florida. We will miss you both but we'll figure out how to get together while you're back in town. I hope Casey enjoys the ride!
Happy eating to everyone!
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Moon, happy anniversary to your and your DH. A lobster dinner is my kind of celebration!
Seaside, I have a freezer and two refrigerators with freezers. One of the fridge freezers is dedicated to collections of odds and ends of chicken necks and backs, poultry carcasses of one kind or another, beef bones, leftover stale bread and pieces of cornbread. When I get enough pieces, I make chicken, turkey or beef broth then freeze it, and I always have the makings for stuffing.
Susan, it's wonderful that you have access to such great Chinese foodstuffs. Makes cooking so much fun.
Carole, your meal sounds lovely and you made pretty good choices. Eating out is so hard when you're trying to be sensible.0 -
Michelle,
Holding you and your dear family up in prayers. Praying for peace and comfort to surround your mom. I lost my daddy in March 2010 and I miss him very much.
Tonight for dinner I made buffalo chicken, using boneless chicken breast, that I grilled inside for about 12 minutes. I melted a couple of tbls of butter over low heat and added about 3/4 c of franks hot sauce. Stir it together and then add your cooked chicken breast, that I'd cut into bite sized chunks, til coated. I served it over salad greens with a creamy blue cheese dressing. It was really pretty yummy. I had seen the recipe on the Rachel Ray show
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Joyce- Thanks again for the update! So sad Michelle and her family are all going though this. Safe travels for you sunday!
Deb- So very sorry for the loss of your class mate (hugs)
Moon- Happy Anniversay hope you have a great dinner!
Seadise-I have made the cornbread in a box before but just added more veggies that i suated in butter, celerey,barrotts, onions, pluse add some sage and salt and pepper and garlic it makes a big difference in the taste.
Carole- Kudos for being strong with not having wine with such a wondrful tasting dinner. It sounded so delicious! 9 bucks for a glass of wine is just ridiculous!
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Lexi- Thats how I do my franks hot sauce is with butter then i pour it over my popcorn or hot wings Yummm!
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Michelle- I can't tell you how sad I am that you are going through this. We have all heard wonderful lovely stories of your beautiful mom since I have been on the dinner thread, I feel as though I got a little glimpse of her life and have cried for you, for her! Your mom no doubt knows how much you and your daughters and family love her so very much! Love and hugs!
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Auntienance.. I am really impressed with your cooking habits and choices.
Michelle, prayers for your mom and family.
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Apple, I'm flattered! Fall always puts me in "cooking mode" and this thread really makes me want to cook things. I'm really envious of your Arab market and the things you and Susan come up with. I'm not always so motivated though, this summer I just wanted to eat cereal every night lol.
Love all you good cooks on this board. Hugs!0 -
Auntie,
So glad to hear that someone else has 2 fridges and a freezer! We bought a second fridge when the kid moved home to save her money while in graduate school. We had planned to sell it when she moved out, but before I could take pictures it was filled with my condiments! And the freezer drawers had roasted tomatoes and breads. Now, I have no idea how we managed without the second fridge. I do admit to being a condiment junkie. I love pickles, anything pickled, and mustards. Like children, I could never choose one or two to go away unloved.
Now I want a second freezer. One for our whole animals we buy yearly, and the nuts and grains. And then another for meals that have already been cooked. Not sure I can find a place for it however. Unless I got rid of the washing machine! :-)
*susan*
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Susan, our second refrigerator was bought for beer lol! The beer has been relegated to the top shelf only and the rest has been taken over by vegetables, nuts and assorted overflow from the kitchen fridge. I don't know how I did without it either and during the holidays, I could use a third.
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Michelle, thoughts with you as you and family keep your loving vigil. I forget how old the girls are, but in general, kids are able to manage family deaths when supported by their close family members. I'm sure hospice staff will be helpful to you in this regard. If the girls are asking to see her it would be harder for them to be left out of such an important part of your family life, when they can clearly see that everyone's energy is invested in this right now. I can recall a five year old girl telling me years ago about how "left out" she felt when her family protected her from a relative's death. Good luck with that.....no one escapes the pain of loss....but your family is well buttressed, Michelle. Please PM me if I can be of any help. I have many book ideas for parents to read with kids about a family member dying. Caring thoughts are with you....
Joyce, thank you for keeping us informed.....and have a safe trip, and some fun and well-deserved relaxation when you arrive in FL! So glad we had a chance to meet at Pickety!
Carole, I'm impressed with your discipline. And doesn't everything just taste that much better while on the WW regimen?! Would you ever be inclined to start eating vegetable/fruit smoothies in the morning? I find that they are so nutritious and fiberful that I feel full for a very long time. Have dropped 9 lbs since mid summer since introducing those to my diet.
Happy Anniversary Moon!
Debbie, hope you had fun if you were well enough to go out with your friends.
Deb, So sorry to learn about yet another "young" classmate dying.
Laurie, I can see how tenderloin would be a more efficient choice for the pulled pork. I was up until after midnight separating fat and "pulling" my pork. Got it all ready to just be warmed up today.
So, today my college friends and husbands arrive....one set for the day, and one set for three days. I have tailgate food up the whazoo, so all should go well with our indoor tailgate party while watching the ND/BYU game. I am exhausted from prep, but it should be fun!
I'd better get moving so my hair is washed before all arrive.
Hugs to all.....0 -
For those of you interested in pumpkin pancakes:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Spiced-Pumpkin-Pancakes-1041980 -
My DD and SIL brought the children to visit mom, and it went well. I think they were curious - for about 3 minutes. Then they went off to play in the nice family room area. While they were here, someone brought in a dog - pet therapy - and DGD was in doggie heaven! They let her lead the dog around with them and she was so cute. The people and services here are just amazing. When we came in this morning, there was an army of volunteers cleaning up the landscape and doing a little fall decorating. There is a deck and you can actually wheel the bed outside if you want some fresh air.
There's an elephant in the room with me... I can't help imagining myself in that bed with my DH and daughters keeping vigil over me. As much as I try not to think about it, I can't escape the vision. Sorry...that is a bit depressing.
And for balance, here is some humor - mom is positioned in the bed such that she is snoring loudly, only to be outsnored by DH who has passed out on the sofa in front of the golf match. LOL!
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Lacey, I am interested in trying healthy smoothies. First I would need to invest in a really good blender that incorporates all the fiber. Any suggestions for books I might want to read or website/s with information about how to get started? My blender is a seldom-used old-fashioned model good for blending soup in batches or making "grasshoppers." Which aren't on my WW regimen.
When I went to see my PC dr. a couple of weeks ago, she gave me a brochure on Take Shape for Life and Medifast Meals, a program her husband is following to lose 50 lbs before knee replacement. She also showed me a book, Dr. A's Habits of Health. I ordered the book from Amazon and am reading it. The author, who is a physician, is a proponent of eating 5 or 6 small meals throughout the day rather than the conventional three larger meals. It's a hefty book with a lot of content and I'm finding it interesting. Dr. Anderson theorizes that humans in today's culture are programmed for obesity because our bodies were designed to sustain life when our ancestors were hunter/gatherers and needed to store fat for those periods when food was scarce. When energy intake and expended energy are off balance, there goes the waistline!
The weather is perfect today, sunny and mild. Temp. in the 50's this morning and in the 70's now. DH is playing golf with the guys and trying to earn "skins." I did yardwork all morning, pruning and weeding and am now enjoying the peace and solitude inside the house, windows and doors open.
Dinner tonight will be leftover last night's dinner for me with some additional salad and a veggie, maybe sauteed or roasted summer squash. DH will enjoy some leftover penne pasta with tomato and Italian sausage sauce. Also with salad and veggie.
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