So...whats for dinner?
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We're home and Bob's comfortable, but extremely bored. He can't fit his glasses over the eye shield, so he can't read or work on his computer; he took a stroll but there really wasn't anything close by to do; he napped but doesn't want to nap too much because we have to return to the S.W. Side early tomorrow for a followup appointment with his ophthalmologist tomorrow morning (not "farmer-early," thank goodness). He had a "Tennessee Benedict" (poached eggs over biscuits & gravy) and I had a spicy brisket hash so hot it brought me literally to tears—it was the jalapenos that did it, I think. No alcohol, since it was before noon and they can't sell booze before noon in Cook County. So he made a beeline for the box of Malbec when we got home. We'll probably walk back to Broadway Cellars for dinner if it doesn't rain—he'd rather do that than eat in. I think he's okay watching TV, though—and he does want to see "The Girl on the Train" so maybe we can go to the movies.
Unlike me, Bob didn’t need a stitch and did not get a subconjunctival hemorrhage or corneal blister. Since his left eye was already fixed and has near-perfect distance vision, he will probably be able to drive in a couple of days—we’ll see what the surgeon says tomorrow. Neither of us can be definitively refracted till we’re fully healed from our surgeries, so he might have to muddle through with the glasses he has—or none at all.
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Sandi, glad Bob is doing well, if bored. ThoI have to say that your account of his lack of eye use and your complications furthers steels my resistance to having this done!
I cannot believe my DH!! He sent me a pic of his procedure when the four teeth were extracted. Ick! As he noted, I could NEVER go through this process! Fortunately he has some fake teeth filling the space that he so proudly displayed in his pic
So,you would not believe the level of denial he is employing regarding what qualifies to be a soft food! An apple??? Oy! Fortunately I have applesauce in the cupboard. Then it will be really soft ratatouille and a bowl of black bean soup....ice cream later.....
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Bob's boredom will end when the dressing comes off tomorrow; and all my complications were gone in a week. Most people have no complications, and it definitely IS worth it!
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DD is doing well. I think she understands how much I liked college after high school--mostly because of the differing schedules each day and the "we're not your babysitters" attitude.
I enjoy cooking, but cooking for one isn't much fun...and I do miss it.
I remember breaking my ankle and the day after the (involved) surgery to reduce it, taking two Vicodin. I hated the feeling from that stuff and never took any more of it..I'd rather hurt than feel "uncontrolled". It was the same when I had all four wisdom teeth pulled at the same time. I have no idea how people can become addicted to that stuff.
After my dental stuff, my problem wasn't hard food...it was that I couldn't open my mouth wide enough to eat much....peas and tiny chunks of baked potatoes (and I sneaked in a few flat potato chips) were my mainstay for about 3 days.
I'm glad Bob is doing well after the cataract surgery....I hope he will be able to read soon. I would go nuts if I couldn't read.
It's bed time.. I'm up at 4:30am every morning....
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Thanks for the birthday wishes - and Happy Birthday to auntie's DH! Yay for a fellow Libra! I have mixed feelings about turning 60 - horrified that I am this old, but thrilled to be alive - lol! Thankfully at the surprise party they only used one candle per decade so I only had to blow out 6 - lighting 60 would have taken forever, and my hair probably would have caught on fire blowing them out!
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Happy Birthday, SpecialK!!! Age 60 seems so young to me. I enjoyed the 50's immensely and was enjoying the 60's until 2009 when bc occurred and brought an end to estrogen in my body. It was like overnight aging began. And weight gain.
Eric, Sharon has been eating the Jenny Craig meals for months now. Obviously she must find them satisfactory. I am actually mulling over the idea of going that route myself if I can't lose my excess weight while preparing "healthy" meals. I know that portion control is the main key.
Last night we had pan-seared catfish fillets. I brushed oil on the fillets and seasoned both sides with s & p, cayenne, onion and garlic powder and popped the fillets into a hot no stick skillet. The top sides were blackened. One side dish was roasted asparagus dusted with grated romano and the other side a packaged chopped salad with kale and other crunchies. I love this salad. It comes with a little packet of dried cranberries and roasted pumpkin seeds and another packet with dressing. The meal was delicious. I ate half of my fish fillet and will have the rest for lunch.
Tonight we'll have lamb burgers and steamed broccoli. It's wonderful to be back in the land of supermarkets with lamb. I can't understand how it is that rural MN folks don't eat lamb, but there is not a lamb chop or package of ground lamb to be found. I plan to make 4 burgers in the interest of mentioned portion control.
So here's my new food shopping approach. Buy enough for two or at most three meals. No browsing and throwing this or that into the cart to be stowed in the pantry and forgotten. This will take iron discipline.
Also, I hope to use up what is stored in the pantry.
I visited my mother at the nursing home yesterday and she seems to be content with her life. Her private room is tiny but she is not open to moving to a much nicer and newer nursing home that is about five minutes away from my house. There the rooms are large but she would have a roommate. Her current location is about a 25 minute drive for me. Good thing I bought a Prius!
Minus, I admire the way you keep up with everybody and make us feel missed when we're not checking in.
Now to laundry and house cleaning....
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carole - yay! Good to have you back! Thanks for the birthday wishes. I started that no estrogen thing at 45 with a total hyst/ooph, and was diagnosed with breast cancer at 54 - so latter half of my 50's have not been that much fun what with the reconstruction issues I have experienced. I am hoping my 60's are an improvement, lol!
Glad to hear your mom is doing well in her new environs - so many parents struggle against the change. My in-laws are doing that now that my FIL has been dx'ed with leukemia. They are upset about what they can no longer do rather than accepting the changes and focusing on what they can still do. I feel bad for them because they don't seem to be able to understand how to do that.
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Hello to everyone!
Happy Birthday to SK! Also to Nancy's DH.
Please take care if you are in Hurricane Matthews path. Praying for all.
Sandy, i do Home chef and love them. Ive had few problems, but theyve been handked fairly quickly. One was old broccoli. Got a 20$ credit for that one ingredient. Next was i got the wrong vegetables pack, so couldnt make the exact meal the recipe was for. Got a 20$ credit for that too. And I could eat all the food in that box, just not the recipe. Its been 10 months so Ive gotten about 15 boxes so far. And they are by far tbe cheapest at 9.95$ per serving.
Hello to serandipity.
Bedo, glad the ideas gave you something to make.
To everyone, Much love
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Pork tenderloin, baked sweet potatoes and chopped kale salad (previously described). I found the bagged kale salad at Sam's Club today for $1.50 less than Winn Dixie. The tenderloin is marinating in the refrigerator. I made a paste of olive oil, s & p, garlic and onion powder, ground sage and ground thyme. Rubbed it on the tenderloin. Now the trick is not to overcook the pork. DH has a bias against pork tenderloin, thinks it's too lean and dry. I bought him a jar of apple sauce!
I violated my new grocery shopping rule to buy for just two or three meals but I did so only with meat purchases. At Sam's, the pork tenderloins come in a package with 4 of them. I also bought ribeyes and chicken breasts. But no pantry items!
I had a delicious chicken breast on our trip home, at Appleby's of all places. It was grilled with lemon and was very moist and flavorful. Convinced me that I CAN enjoy eating the breast!
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Rotisserie chicken and roasted veggies from Whole Foods’ hot bar. I am avoiding pork and shellfish during the interim between Rosh Hashonah and Yom Kippur—though I’m finding it harder to avoid cussing, and I’m sure I am not doing myself any favors by choosing to watch the Cubs instead of going to temple for “Shabbat Gadol” services tonight.
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Carole - so great to have you back. I love pork loin or tenderloin but I have to rein myself in every time not to cook it too much. I was raised by a mother who believed everything had to be cooked almost to the shoe leather state to be safe. We never had medium meat, let alone rare. Everything was well done - particularly pork. I've discovered the wonder of moist pork that still has it's juicyness and is not overcooked.
I feel the same about chicken breasts. I often poach them in the microwave w/just a bit of water or wine & lemon or whatever spices - but cook only until the pink is almost gone. They will continue to cook for a couple of minutes when you remove and they are so tender & moist.
I just took a couple of chicken breasts from the freezer - frozen from the last rotisserie chicken I bought. Tomorrow I will saute some mushrooms, maybe add some vodka & thicken then add the chicken at the last minute to warm. Hmmm - I have some left over peas I could throw in. The second breast will be the centerpiece for Laurie's Mexican Chicken. Although since it's already cooked I'll heat the black beans first with the salsa & probably shred the chicken for a stove top skillet dish.
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Minus, thanks for the chicken tips. The pork tenderloin came out really good. The flavors of the marinade paste were in the meat I cooked to 160 degrees and let rest for 15 minutes. Even dh was complimentary. Now I have 1/2 left over. I'm thinking of using it in a dish with soba noodles and an Asian sauce for tonight's dinner.
I promised my mother I would bring her an oyster sandwich for lunch. Or noon dinner, her main meal. I will pick up a McD's southwest salad for my lunch. It's really quite good with a Newman's balsamic vinegar dressing. I had one on the trip home.
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I was such a bad girl and made a huge pan of "Crack and Cheese" which is what I call Martha Stewart's recipe for mac and cheese. It was cold, I have gotten some bad news (don't want to go into it) and I am on a mini vacation (took 5 a few vacation days) so I rationalized this to the nth degree.
OMG, it was so worth it! I froze half of the recipe (this freezes well btw) and we have been slowly scarfing the rest. So good. I only make this maybe once a year and usually for my daughter in law who loves it. I will give the rest to her when she next comes over with the kids. I need it to leave my house!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Made homemade beef pot pie for dinner yesterday. Made enough for another night of dinner
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Last night I put a pot roast into a dutch oven and poured a bottle of beer on it. Some garlic, onion, a Serrano pepper and into the oven it went. On warm, my oven stays at 150F degrees, so it's been "warm" all night. I didn't even bother browning the meat.
This morning the the dogs and cat were camped out by the oven, "He tried to open the oven door"...."No, She's lying. It was the cat." "No, I didn't. A cat would never do that" :-)
This morning, I tried a small sample. Much to the disappointment of the animals, I didn't drop it. It's tender, but not falling apart, every so slightly pink, and with a little bit of salt, tastes pretty good.
I now love pork tenderloin. I used to not like it when the "cook to" temperature was "charred leather". The new recommendations are a welcome relief.
It's drizzling rain right now and every now and again, there is the distant rumble of thunder. The dogs are busy barking--defending home, hearth and the rest of the pack against the evil forces of thunder and lightening.
As for going to Florida, Georgia or South Carolina.....I was reminded to make sure my bags are packed, but that is pretty much standard. I'm hoping the damage is light enough that there is no need for "us".
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April, if you can afford it and can find one, shave a truffle over the leftover “crack & cheese.” If you can’t, then a few drops of true truffle olive oil (white or black) is heavenly. Make sure you get a brand that is made with ONLY actual truffles and doesn’t use “essence,” which is synthesized in a lab. DaRosario and Urbani make the real thing. Also, most black truffle salts contain actual truffle pieces (albeit not the highest-grade French or Italian).
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Eric, I figured your bags would be packed. Hope for your sake that you are not needed.
With acknowledgement of all the pain being inflicted on the people in the states "Matthew" is hitting, we have also been watching it closely for personal concerns. DS2 is planning his wedding on Amelia Island, Florida, in April, which is right in the hurricane's path. Not sure if the venue is still totally intact. DS2 is optimistic that whatever needs to be repaired will be, by 4/2017. I'm not so sure, given all the demand for reconstruction that will exist in that area after the storm.
We are in NH, despite my persistent uri, which is probably not being helped by using wood stove heat. I loved that I left the stove prepared to have the fire started easily, and it worked perfectly! The foliage colors are very pretty here, and I suspect that if we drive to VT on Tuesday, as planned, to see my sister, we will be bedazzled by the colors! Even without changing foliage colors, her locale is stunningly beautiful. So I hope I feel well enough to make the trip.
Last evening we ate leftover braised chicken (soft for DH!)in an interesting red sauce with cappellini. The sauce had more Middle East spices than Italian, so it was different than what we are used to, and quite tasty. We also finished up the ratatouille, and I had a simple salad. Fortunately, DH has had an amazingly fast recovery from the implant experience, so we'll be back to regular foods tonight, except things like crackers, etc. And tomorrow is the annual neighborhood Lobster Fest, followed by the Patriots', then the Red Sox...and, for those interested
, the debate! Oy! A lot of eating and sitting!! I will be making brownies for dessert and cole slaw as a side.We recently had a pork tenderloin after ignoring pork for quite a while....boy was it tasty! We keep thinking that we should stop eating mammals (like both our sons), but keep being pulled back.
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Lacey, if wood smoke irritates your lungs, ask your doctor about steroid and/or rescue inhalers. Asthma attacks from a uri that travels south are no joke. A pan of rocks with water on low heat can help humidify and soothe your nose & throat without the danger of mold (but you do have to make sure to keep the water level high enough so the pan doesn’t go dry).
All my FL relatives are safe—and my cousin the Cocoa Beach cop wasn’t called for rescue duty. Tonight I’m going down to Oak Lawn to stay over in the Hilton with Bob—yeah, he’s already driving and back at work, though not driving at night till Mon. So we’ll be going to Louie’s Chop House for steaks.
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Thanks, Sandi. It seems like I get these URIs earlier every year. But I guess working in a kindergarten is not so helpful to my health.
Glad to hear your relatives in FL are safe. My friends there are far enough south that they avoided most of the storm. My stepmother recently sold her condo on the ocean in Cocoa Beach, so I'm relieved that she was not there for this storm. It looked like they were getting hit badly. I hope for all concerned that Matthew does not circle around for a second pass.
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Eric I had a dog who would watch a forkful of food go from the plate to my mouth
I saw a great card recently based on Sting's song;
Every bite you take, every snack you make, every time you bake, I'll be watching you.
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Sorry double post.
Eric I had a dog who would watch a forkful of food go from the plate to my mouth
I saw a great card recently based on Sting's song;
Every bite you take, every snack you make, every time you bake, I'll be watching you.
For dinner Cambodian food and Coronas with a friend
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Lacey, my father in law is in St. Augustine Beach and they were hit hard. He is not calling us back yet today. He evacuated and went inland with his friend. I am thinking he is home by now (he was due there this morning) and is dealing with some serious damage unless he got lucky. He is right off of A1A across the street from the beach AND the river is behind his house.
Making traditional Bolognese sauce today...a lot of work but soooo worth it. I will even make home made pappardelle. It is rainy and icky out and tis the season. Plus my bestie and her hubby are coming for dinner and she asked if I could make it when I asked her what she wanted for dinner. She loves my Bolognese so I had no choice cause I love her to pieces and she is always there for me.
Enjoy your day!
Bedo, you gave me an earworm now and I will be hearing that Sting song in my head all day! HA! LOL
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April, I hope that you and special and all your friends and relatives are safe. That is really scary.
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April...echoing Bedo's thoughts.
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Wow, April, I also hope that your relatives in St. Augustine Beach are home safe, and without too much damage. Sounds like they are in a very vulnerable (and beautiful!) spot. I hope their life can be back to normal soon. People forget that after such a crisis is "over", people's lives are affected for many, many months after.
DS2 saw on media that their wedding venue on Amelia Island is back up and running as of today. Guess you can't keep a strong business down! But it is always the individual citizens without "staff" to get things back up and running that are impacted the worst. Would that those big businesses would help their neighbors....
Just returned from our lobsterfest. It was raining earlier and one of our lake neighbors who built a large barn for storage and recreation on his property, held it there. I wasn't super hungry, so just had one steamer, a corn, part of a king crab leg, and all but the tail of a two lb. lobster (it's in the fridge). I never got to the sides table which held lots of salads, mexican style bean creations, chips and dips. I made cole slaw, which, I might say, was really good. I sliced a whole cabbage super thin for it rather than using the cuisinart. Had I planned ahead I could have brought up the mandelin that I have never used!! Took a long time, but it came out really well....and my right bicep was huge!!!
I enjoyed a piece of a pumpkin roll and an apple square for dessert...oh yes, and a fudge walnut brownie I made. 
. I've said this before....I love this event because all the forty and fifty-something men happily and competently pull it off. Today's rain added an extra challenge, and they managed it perfectly! Still nursing this cold, and glad for the warmth of the woodstove on this wet coldish day.
Tonight we will eat leftover pizza, leftover cole slaw, and whatever else lurks in the fridge.
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April, hope your father-in-law can cope with the damage from Matthew.
Lacey, the lobster fest causes great envy!
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april - my BIL has a condo in St. A and his little area was not badly hit, hope your dad's situation is not too bad. I know that that stretch of the coast took a hit. There is a friend here on BCO who sent me a pic from her street in St. A taken by a neighbor who stayed (she and her fam evacuated) and there was a lot of water, and she said she thought they could go back tomorrow. My in-laws are in SC and still at their next door neighbor (85 yo old MIL has mobility issues, and 91 yo FIL has leukemia - but both are pretty robust), because the power is still out but the neighbor has a whole house built in generator. They expect power back on Wed, so they are there for the duration. They have trees down in both the back and front but not on the house, and other than part of their dock missing they didn't do too badly considering their location. Weirdly, they did not experience a lot of flooding with the storm surge even though they are on the water. My BIL (who owns the St. A condo) lives in Titusville and had no storm surge issues even though he too is on the water - he said the inland bands actually sucked the water out - he said it was pretty odd. Hoping you hear form your dad soon and that he is ok and dealing successfully with his home.
Went out for dinner tonight to celebrate my birthday - had a house salad with a light citrus vinaigrette and tiny bowl of onion soup, entree was macadamia encrusted chicken with an orange sauce, with a tasty risotto, and arugula salad with orange segments - and a glass of prosecco. DH had the same two starters but had crab stuffedshrimp wrapped in bacon and roasted, fingerling potatoes and haricots verts. It was good - they have a separate dessert room and I had apple pie and espresso with Amaretto, DH had a key lime tart with strawberries and graham cracker ice cream (yes, it is a thing!) and a cafe con leche.
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Went to brunch this morning at the Oak Lawn Hilton where I stayed with Bob (so he could work the weekend without having to drive at night till tomorrow). Meh. No salads or veggies, just berries. Smoked salmon, a so-so mini-croissant (took one bite), overdone eggs Benedict (left the English muffin and half the Canadian bacon). Waffle was doughy. Should’ve had an omelette, but didn’t. No roast beef at the carving station, just a bone-in ham, which I passed up. Biscuit was stale, gravy gloppy with too little sausage.
Had to get home to feed the cats. But Lake Shore Dr. was still a mess with the stragglers from the marathon coming in, and the on-ramp from I-55 to 94 N was under construction. So I had to take surface streets home all the way, and it took over an hour. Dinner was leftover goulash cut with peppers, mushroom, & onion.
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Monday and red beans day! Put the lb. of kidney beans to soak last night. DH will do the cooking honors.
Appointment with the PCP at noon. She won't be happy with my weight.
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Great news, my FIL escaped with minimal damage. One of his palm trees went down and his lanai (screened in porch) was flooded but it is two steps up to the house from the lanai so it did not get in the house. The garage had some water in it (inch or two he said) and other than that, he escaped. No power of course but he was smart and bought a generator so he is set with the freezer. Everything was still solid when he got home. The river came over the banks but not enough to affect him, just the houses that are right on the river bank were affected. A1A was a bit flooded in front of the gate (he lives in a gated community)from the storm surge (ocean) and the pond behind his house overcame its banks and went on the grass a little bit.
He does live in a gorgeous home in a gorgeous spot. The beach is a few hundred yards across the street and the river is maybe a hundred yards. I hope it all goes back together nicely without ruining the beauty of the community as it sits right next to a wildlife preserve.
Tonight is meatloaf, roasted red potatoes and string beans sautéed with parmesean and bread crumbs. Last day of my mini vacation. I had the extra ground beef from making the Bolognese so decided meatloaf (hubby LOVES this meal) was what I would do. Froze the rest of the Bolognese which came out fantastic. I would have been eating pasta every day if I didn't freeze it..LOL
Thanks for the well wishes. Glad you are all out of harms way too.
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