So...whats for dinner?
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Minus, sorry you're feeling so crappy. I found that the drinkable yogurt (can't remember the name, dannon makes it) really helped me with my gut issues during chemo. I couldn't stand the thought of eating yogurt but the drink tasted good to me and helped me a lot.
2nd, I'm sorry you're having so much pain. Glad things are getting better. Your plan sounds like a good one. My DH is such a good one. In 33 years of marriage he has never complained about a meal. Even the ones that are worth complaining about. I think the thought of having cereal for dinner every night is too frightening lol!
Eric, I hope you've stopped drooling by now, but you might want to change your pillowcase ;-D0 -
Hi everyone! I just got back from six days in San Juan - beautiful warm sunshine every single day! I've been reading your posts but I'm not even going to try and comment on everything, just know that I was thinkiing about all of you.
I have chemo this afternoon at 1, back to reality! The weather here has vastly improved and is supposed to be in the mid-60s for the forseeable future.
I am feeling really good and am ready to get back into the kitchen. DH shopped so who knows what I've got to work with, but I'll come up with something or we'll stop at the store after treatment. He did have my favorite yogurt and berries in the fridge so I was all set for breakfast.
I buy flour in one pound bags and keep it in the freezer. You can tell how much baking I do...lol
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Michelle - was just thinking you've been very quiet. Now I see a good/happy reason for it. Glad you got away again and hoping chemo today keeps blasting away at those little sh**s.
Nancy - do you have any particular English muffin rings? Read the reviews on Amazon and many seem to rust so easily and I'm not the best at equipment maintenance. Do you cut your muffins or bake them with the rings on? DH finally taught me how to add to wishbook list on Amazon. Told him not to order anything on there without asking me 'cause I'm liable to put things on then change my mind. I also read some recipes that said just make a patty and bake them. Might be in for some baking soon. I have a lovely bread board I bought 2 years ago at Walmart sitting on the counter with stuff piled on it. And think I actually have some fairly recently bought yeast in the cabinet. I think you said you used Alton Brown's recipe, right??
2ndtime - Glad you got the OK to use the pain meds. I'm with Nancy on meals. DH might not think it the best meal but will usually eat it and if needed follows up with bowl of cereal. He's not a fish person, artichokes or asparagus but will eat most anything else. Shrimp from your freezer in So. CA is most likely great. Yum.
The pesto cornbread was interesting. Called for olive oil which I used but think it would have been better with standard melted margarine. I think we'll probably eat it but think 1/2 recipe would have been better. Goats love leftovers too as long as not cruciferous vegies or meat based. I actually go to day old bread store and buy them $3 bags (used to be "dollar bags" which I thought was a hilarious term) of old/torn wrapper loaves. Mob scene when they see bread wrappers.
MinusTwo - hope appetite returns soon and chemo is treating you as gently as possible. Same wish for you blasting the little sh**ts.
Wondering about Debbie and Chuck too. Hoping for the best for him.
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English muffin rings.... not hard to care for. Before shaping the muffins, [I weight them since the dough is SO very sticky] you butter the inside of the ring, put the ring on the griddle, and then plop the dough into the ring over the corn meal. When you flip the muffin, you remove the ring, and prepare it for the next muffin. At the end of this, just wipe the ring with a damp towel and throw them back into the drawer. They will all rust if you put them in the dishwasher, for example. Can't remember where I got mine to be honest, but with me, generally the cheapest that doesn't look like crap kind of place.
Michelle, welcome home! I would love to hear where you found in San Juan that tickled your fancy. It was almost a year ago that we were there and I would return almost anytime.
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Luv, mine are foxmoor and they were cheap. I wash them lightly by hand and have had no rust problems. I use Alton browns recipe but I let it rise twice as long. I get more holes that way. I heat the rings on the griddle, spray the rings with cooking spray, drop the sticky batter into the rings then cover them with a heavy greased baking sheet until time to flip them. Don't fill the rings too full or they'll be a big sticky mess on the sheet. I stopped using cornmeal because it burned on my griddle. My griddle is non stick. I experimented with the batter quite a bit and finally settled on a little thinner and a longer rise.
Tonights dinner is lettuce wraps and I don't know what else. Maybe a veggie stir fry.0 -
Susan and Nancy - Thanks so much. Could that be fox RUN. They are available from Amazon. I was concerned since reviewers said all sets seemed flimsy but doesn't seem they get that much abuse. Assumed they would be cut like biscuits until I started reading the recipes. I guess a set of 4 fits your griddle about right. I have one but rarely use it, the waffle/griddle reversible elec. I see yummy muffins in my future, DH not so much.
I'm sure tonight will be leftover stew and pesto cornbread. The chicken is still thawing in fridge where it will remain until tomorrow.
On another note the chicken recipe calls for trussing it. No trussing in grocery store. I do have kitchen twine to tie the legs together. Any other suggestion for trussing? Might just have to tie legs and hope for the best. I'm not sure I've ever baked a whole chicken. My DM did not do roasted chicken; fried or ShakeNBake are what I remember.
Oh, threw some of those produce clearance roasted frozen peppers in the chicken sausage dish. I need to make more of those. Will haunt produce section for more. I do have 3 measly pepper plants in the ground. I lost my side yard garden area that I did not much use anyway when DH graveled it and parked a utility trailer on it. Anyone have much luck with vegies in pots?
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Michelle, I was getting ready to send out the hounds....so good to hear that you were off enjoying sun and surf. I'd like a little review of San Juan also.
Made a veggie lasagna last night....which does not sound like much of a spring meal, but given the previous day's rain and cold, felt just right for cooking purposes.
Bedo, hope you were able to make it into BID without any problem for your appt.0 -
Luv, they are fox run (my bad). They are flimsy and if you exert much pressure on them they'll bend, I just bend them back. I have a large griddle and I could get 12 on it, but I only do 8 at a time. Four should fit easily on your smaller one. Good luck with them!
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Luv, you could use Skewers if they're small. Have you considered spatchcocking the bird?
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Nancy - I don't know if I have a knife or a kitchen shears that will cut thru it. I have a stuffing recipe for it that I was going to use mostly to use up some leftover stuffing mix. It is a 4#er. Can you roll them back up and stuff them? Skewers as in wooden? I did buy a different BBQ maple seasoning just in case, on sale. Can't have too many, right!! I've read about cutting out backbone and both breastbones as well as JUST cutting out backbone. Which do you do? What size chicken do you find best for this? I read you can do turkey too. Know I could not manhandle backbone/breastbone of turkey!
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Luv, I use a good pair of kitchen shears (bought just for this purpose) and a sharp chef's knife for a turkey. Max size of 14 lbs. I can get by with the chef's knife for a chicken. I've done all sizes of chickens up to 4 pounds. Have never cut out complete breastbone (Jacques Pepin has though, he can debone a whole chicken!), only the back and part of the breastbones, so never stuffed and rolled one. Wooden skewers but if you have string, that's really all you need.
Here's a pictorial on how to truss a bird: http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/trussing-a-chicken.pageCd-storyboard,pageNum-7.html#slideshow
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Btw, I mean no implication or disrespect with the url title
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Nancy - No disrespect inferred. Was going to get out old early 1970s BH&G cookbook for lessons.
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Can't possibly hope to keep up!
Way to go second and minus 2! You are doing great!
Second, how did you make that shrimp??? It sounds really good with the couscous. I need first grader instuctions please. ( I still have my dd's recipe in my recipe box from when she was little. Backed potato. Put buter on. rap in foyel. stik with fork. put in oven four one hurr. eat. )
Goats, the 2 dogs rotate as my DD travels for work. This one likes "Dates rolled in crushed pecans" from the litter box. Sorry!
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Bedo - LOL. Read the dates rolled in pecans and kind of stopped. Well, well, we do cater to our dogs then went on to read the next line "from the litter box". So funny. Have a good evening sweet sister.
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Luv, the pesto cornbread sounds interesting. Such a juxtaposition--redneck cornbread and Italian pesto!
I had a Books a Million giftcard to spend so bought ANOTHER cookbook! It looks really interesting. Nice printing and binding and lots of photos. Mark Bittman's HOW TO COOK EVERYTHING: THE BASICS.
Michelle, I noticed your absence. Glad you were having a great time in the sunshine. Yes, tell us about eats in San Juan.
Speaking of English muffins, I'm delighted to find the Bays brand showing up everywhere. I buy the multigrain since I've been brainwashed against white flour. White potatoes. White pasta.
However... I pigged out today and ate a huge oyster poboy on white flour French bread. AND garlic butter herb fries. Yes, white potatoes. So much for being brainwashed.
No dinner for me tonight. DH will eat another meal of his wonderful beef stew with a salad.
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Bedo... Don't worry, it was easy, I wasn't up to much time in the kitchen. Peel shell off shrimp. Make sure both outside and inside black lines (aka intestinal tracts) are removed (I used a sharp paring knife. As disgusting as this is, I think it's more disgusting to eat.). Rinse really well; pat dry with paper towels. Marinate in Italian salad dressing several hours or overnight. Drain before cooking. Added some fresh Italian dressing to fry pan (I used a small Teflon pan), heated, then added shrimp. Cooked a couple minutes til shrimp white-colored, turned, cooked other side. Took one out, cut to make sure it was cooked through. Cooking time depends on size of shrimp so you'll have to adjust. To serve I put a little butter on couscous/steamed zucchini. I would imagine you could serve with a sauce or melted garlic butter but I was too tired.
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Michelle,
Welcome back! Where in San Juan did you stay?
We were just there last November for a 1 night pre-cruise stay.
Stayed in Old San Juan at the Villa Herencia ( a small boutique hotel owned by the same people that own Hotel El Convento)... No beaches in Old San Juan but it was the perfect location to do a self-guided walking tour with notes from the internet and dinner at Cafe La Princesa... The Mofongo there was amazing as was the conversation with our waiter who told us of much of the history of Old San Juan!
The taxi drivers on the other hand..... Ay yiyi... THAT was nerve-wracking! One hand on the wheel and one hand on the horn... They fly through those streets and beep at EVERYTHING...lol! I kept thinking just get us to our hotel and the ship! If you want to kill us, wait till the return trip!0 -
Oh... Nancy, that was me that asked for the zucchini fritter recipe! Thanks for posting it... I grow zucchini in the summer and we always have an ear or two of corn left over so this recipe is perfect! Huge bonus that it calls for 4 cups of zucchini! Most bread recipes and such call for a mere 2 cups...ha... No match for a zucchini plant!
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Seaside, sorry it took so long!
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No problem Nancy! I know we all have our busy stretches especially this time of year when the weather turns nicer and there is just so much to do outdoors for Spring clean-up and getting ready for Summer!
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Bedo...our lady lab retreiver and little flat coat retreiver mix both like the cat box chow better than even raw chicken.......
As far as cooking, I started off knowing how to do bacon, eggs, hamburger and microwave oven (Nuked) potatoes. And, I hated cooking; mostly because I wasn't any good at it. As the cooking skills improved (lots of practice), the kitchen became a place of refuge from all the pre-med and engineering school hassles. Just enjoy the time....it's what I do.
Michelle, I too was wondering. I'm glad and relieved it was sun tan time and not something "else". Here's hoping the chemo continues to drop the CA 27 numbers as dramatically as it has so far.
Kind thoughts to 2nd, Minus, Deb and Chuck.
The news from here...It's Sharon's birthday...and today, the plastic surgeon set the exchange surgery date for May 29.0 -
I just got an email saying I should keep my deployment gear readily available....sigh.....
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Eric.... Tell Sharon happy birthday! Lots to celebrate!! But then again, oh no..... Good thoughts and prayers sent your way regarding POSSIBLE deployment! Can I ask which service? DD's bf is army reserve & in Middle East... Hoping its just about keeping handy... Please keep us posted
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Happy Birthday to Eric's Sharon!!
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I also wish Sharon a happy birthday!
Speaking of San Juan...we didn't venture far away from the hotel except for one night when we took a taxi to Old Town and had a good dinner. I'm not that big on Spanish/Mexican cuisine and it seemed that everything we ate had the undertones. Walking in Old Town was a little challenging because the sidewalks were stone and a bit uneven. We stayed at the Marriott right on the beach and our room was oceanfront so we had a beautiful view. But for $325 a night plus resort fees of $44 and a tax in excess of 10%, we expected better service. We came back to our room one evening and the maid had propped the door open and left it that way. And we had to have our keys exchanged 3 or 4 times. We played every night in the casino located in the hotel. I didn't have much luck but my sister ended up winning a couple of jackpots and left with all her money plus her cash expenses all covered. We both spent several hours every day lounging by the pool and we have fabulous tans.
And I discovered that I really like frozen mud slides! They didn't have any ice cream in them, so they weren't too fattening, not that I'm worried about gaining a few pounds.
DH just made breakfast sandwiches so I need to eat while it's hot.
Have a great day, everyone!
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Michelle Glad you had such a nice trip. I loved it there as well..even though our tour guide explained that it was best to stay close to the hotel and not venture out alone at night. Gorgeous botanical gardens there.
And I was upset when my dog brought a clump of hard grass from under the lawn mower and expected to bring it in the house. Funny on your pets diet choices.
Enchilada for dinner last night, just so so When my DH doest think he will like something, he pulls out the jarred spaghetti sauce and douses the meal with it...sauce can fix anything.
Dinner out tonight (I hope)
Happy Birthday to Sharon! Lets hope the deployment doesnt actually take place.
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Happy birthday to Sharon!
Michelle, when we stayed in San Juan we felt the same way about the service at our hotel, which was also mighty expensive. Next time we go, I won't pay a lot for a hotel, and spend that money on eating out at some good restaurants instead.
Last night we met up with two close friends for dinner at a Turkish restaurant. It was delicious and very Turkish. Slow service which allowed us to spend 2 1/2 hrs chatting and catching up. Really nice meal with great company.
Yesterday, I broke down one of the legs of lamb from our 2011 lamb. Pulled the really nice muscles aside and will make kebabs for dinner tonight. The rest I trimmed and seasoned for merguez sausage. Later today, I will grind and stuff. I do love this Moroccan sausage! Seems ridiculous that we are taking a pricy cut of meat to make sausages, but we simply cannot eat 5 lbs of roasted leg of lamb. The leftovers are not great and we are only two people after all. I also have too much whole milk, so I need to make some ricotta cheese. The question is, then what? The challenges of running a wasteless house!
*susan*
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Happy birthday to Sharon! But your having to leave again Eric is not much of a birthday present :-(
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Happy birthday to Sharon. Safe deployment Eric. Are you headed to midwest flooding? Know that this family appreciates your service.
Carrie - There is a jarred sauce called Sofrito made by Goya. I used it in white chicken chili at Christmas. It fits the bill of your DH's spaghetti sauce. Sofrito I think is Pueto Rican and usually homemade but I just love this stuff and just bought another jar.
Carole - Was it you that uses the Frontera enchilada sauce? Ft Worth has a new absolutely huge new liquor/gourmet store and I bought a jar there but have not used it yet.
Think my DD lives off pasta/sauce at home though she eats a decent lunch in company cafeteria. Believe she has only used her oven to make frozen pizza. And she's almost 26. Doubt she even owns a cookbook, well maybe 1001 Ways to Use Ramen Noodles.
Laurie - Missing you. Hope you and kids are well and just out enjoying improved weather.
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