So...whats for dinner?
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Off to B'way Cellars tonight for $5 cheeseburger night (hold the bun, order ratatouille or salad instead of fries), a Kaliber, and game 3 of the NLDS. Go Cubs! (Sorry, Quinn & Octo). Bummed out that I have to miss Thursday’s Argentinian winemaker dinner because of a Bar Show choral rehearsal (the score is based on “Hamilton,” so it’s not something I can easily woodshed on my own); and the next wine tasting because I’ll be attending & performing at a folk music conference in Iowa City.
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April, I'm glad to learn of your FIL's "good fortune"! He must be so relieved.
It was chilly here today but very sunny so we took a nice long walk and enjoyed the views. Tomorrow we will drive to western VT where my sister lives in the most bucolic setting. It should be stunning with the tree colors.
Tonight I combined my leftover lobster tail with some chicken to make a creamy pasta (penne)dish flavored with sauteed onion andtarragon. It was a good experiment in which I used a can of lobster bisque and some milk for the liquid. I made some extra to bring to my sister. Looking forward to our little excursion....
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We had leftover red beans with sausage and brown rice. DH had a salad.
Dinner may be chicken with lemon and olives.
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Sounds like leftover night all around. I had leftover black beans w/green chili & chicken
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Last night was left over roasted chicken for me....
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Last night was a grilled pork steak (80 degrees -- summer's last hurrah.) Cole slaw and summer corn from the freezer were sides. Tonight is spaghetti and meatballs for DH and linguine with clams for me. To make it a complete carb fest, we'll have garlic cheese bread. Maybe a salad, maybe not.
I've been meaning to write more for a while, but it's been hectic and I've been tired. I read all the posts faithfully though.
First there was the seven week bronchial thing that is finally abating. Then we got the call that an apartment came available for dad at the supportive living place, so we had to quickly throw a moving crew together to get that done. Two days before moving day, I came down with hand, foot and mouth disease. Not to be confused with a) hoof and mouth disease of cows; or 2) the hand and foot affliction that plagues Susan, caused by the chemo drugs. What I got is apparently a kid's disease -- a virus for which there is no treatment that resolves itself in seven to ten days. During that seven to ten days, my hands and feet broke out in little blisters (they looked and felt more like what happens when you get a splinter in your finger that you can't get out, only imagine dozens of them.) Not what I needed right before moving day. I had to wear gloves to cook because the fluid from the blisters can transmit the virus if they break. And me with a houseful of people to feed! But sure enough, it started going away in a week and now the skin is peeling all over my hands and feet where the blisters were. Fortunately, it appears to be completely dead skin and doesn't hurt at all. Where I contracted the little bugger is beyond me. Add it to the list of weird diseases that seem to find me.
Cooking has been happening, none of it terribly exciting. I picked up the last of the Amish chickens last week and fixed cacciatore last weekend when DS, DDIL and DGD (grand-dog) were here. The garlic cheese bread is leftover from that meal which I stuck in the freezer. Our crazy weather is going from hot cold hot cold and back again. It's hard to know what to fix.
Friday we are taking dad to the doctor to get his medication adjusted. He is having some issues with transitioning from nursing home to supportive living. He seems to be having doubt about what he is able to do because he hasn't had to do anything much until now. It's getting better and he did tell me yesterday that he definitely doesn't want to go back to the nursing home. Carole I'm glad your mother has made a good adjustment.
I'm glad everybody's peeps escaped Matthew safely. I'm so sorry for those affected by floods.
Welcome back Carole -- it's so good to hear from you. I'm guessing Susan has run out of spoons. Wish I could lend her some.
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April, my nephew loves that Martha Stewart mac and cheese recipe too (well, so do we.) I always fix it for him when he comes for Thanksgiving. When it's just us, I find myself doing a much simpler stovetop version. And when I'm REALLY lazy, it's Trader Joe's (frozen) version. I try to always keep some in the freezer for mac and cheese emergencies!
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Before temple (Yom Kippur), leftover roast chicken over “zoodles" and mushrooms with a dollop of marinara. And the dregs of a pint of double dark chocolate gelato because I'm effectively fasting till sundown tonight. I say “effectively" because if you're ill—and my only Jewish doctor says that having bc and taking endocrine therapy counts—you are not supposed to endanger your life by abstaining from food and water. The commandment to preserve life outweighs the commandment to fast. But even the sick are supposed to eat & drink only enough to avoid endangering their health—not for pleasure or satisfaction. So I had some plain shreds of chicken at midnight, my morning black coffee to keep my lungs open, enough water to take my meds and stay hydrated, and an egg fried with just enough oil to keep it from sticking to the pan. That (and some more water) should hold me till sunset. It's about to storm, so I'm skipping services.
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Nance - boy you've really had a round. Glad you're on the mend. Good news about your Dad's move. I hope he can acclimatize. My emergency freezer mac & cheese is Stoffers. Oh well, it's a step up from the Kraft boxed stuff that my son somehow learned to eat in college. I'm a fan of just plain mac with butter & salt all by itself, so that's usually my emergency go to.
Susan's OK - just really busy. I hope she'll post a new picture of that cute Olivia soon.
Carole - amazing how your Mother just keeps going. I can imagine you really are tired after wheel chairs in & out several times in one day. Just one stop with my Dad was enough to do me in.
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Tonight we are having a supermarket rotisserie chicken that hubby will pick up on his way home and some baked sweet potatoes and a salad. Simple and good enough. I am really busy at work and I am tired when I get home (which I suspect has a lot to do with the Femara/letrozole as well as my job) and easy is what I need. Last night I made hamburgers and a salad. Easy and yummy.
Hope all of you have a great day and Nance, stay healthy! I normally make stove top mac and cheese too if hubby is craving it but he really loves that Martha Stewart recipe so a few times a year I make that. Too much work and it is really expensive too. Good gruyere ain't cheap nor is really good extra sharp cheddar and that recipe calls for a lot of it.
Ok, back to work!
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Nance, what a weird malady! Glad you're over it. Hope your dad makes the adjustment. I suspect that women are more capable than men of adjusting to almost any change in life. Am I a feminist? LOL. Sorry, Eric.
The thawed chicken breasts will be tonight's dinner in a chicken with lemon and olives preparation. Yesterday dh sighted the shrimp man at his spot in Madisonville and called me. I bought 10 lbs of beautiful head-on shrimp. So we had shrimp and linguini for dinner with a romaine salad with additions. Now we have shrimp in the freezer for some future meals.
I did a quick shrimp scampi (butter, olive oil, grated lemon peel, lemon juice, garlic) in a skillet and tossed it with the linguine. Yum. Yum. We don't agree with the "no cheese on seafood" and like fresh grated Italian cheese on our shrimp and pasta. Also chopped parsley.
Off to the gym with dh. Why does it have to be so darned early? Grumble...
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I love Shrimp Scampi! I think I will make some this weekend but unfortunately, I don't have beautiful fresh head-on shrimp, just frozen 16-20 to the pound bags in my freezer which I stocked up on a couple of weeks ago when they were on sale for 6.99 a lb. with a coupon for 2 dollars off and a limit of 4 lbs. I bought 8 lbs cause they freeze well for a decent amount of time. I make mine the same as you do Carole...exactly the same way.
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Last night was a steak Caesar salad - I had cooked a couple of small steaks the night before that were not eaten, so since I had all of the other ingredients it was easy to do after my water class at the gym.
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It's cool today so I'm making vegetable beef soup. Stock is now cooking in the pressure cooker. I'll take some to dad tomorrow -- that will make him very happy. No time to make bread to go with it. I'll have to dig around in the freezer to see what I can find. Maybe some cheddar biscuits?
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Last night was what I had Tues. night before temple, cut in with a little microwaved whole wheat spaghetti (Bionature, the only brand that cooks up al dente), with a couple of cranberry-orange “two-bite” scones and that demi-sec bubbly (belated toast to the Cubs) for dessert.
This morning/aft. (I sleep in) I made a classic French omelette per the America’s Test Kitchen recipe: two eggs+one yolk, butter, finely minced fresh herbs (thyme, parsley, tarragon, and chives—the thyme & chives from my deck garden), grated cave aged Gruyere (about 2 Tbs., not packed) and a dollop of Chavrie low-fat goat cheese spread. Yum! On my second cup of black coffee. No lunch—have a voice lesson in 90 min., then a choral rehearsal downtown from 6-8. Will probably drop in on the tail end of the wine dinner if B’way Cellars is still open; otherwise probably stop in for a late dinner to whatever decent sitdown restaurant is open near my neighborhood CTA station (or see if Le Pita Fresh is still open, and take home some shwarma and salad).
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DH finally spoke directly to his parents in S. Carolina. They are still without power, sleeping and eating dinner at the next door neighbor who has a whole house built in generator. His dad is set up for another transfusion tomorrow - they are coming closer together, maintaining some semblance of blood counts is getting harder. They sounded exhausted and have not emptied out the three freezers (one an upright), and two full fridges, and they have a bunch of trees down in the yard - front and back, and have lost part of their dock. They are not slated to have power until Sunday night, I suspect they are waiting on a part because the neighbors have power across the street! He got a hotel in town and will stay until Monday and get them situated. His sister, who lives five hours away, just had surgery today to replace a ruptured silicone implant from 1984 - she fell and split it - the good news is that she is a nurse in a PS office - so, her doc did the surgery and she is home and doing fine. His older bro, the gastroenterologist, who also lives about 5 hours away, just had carpal tunnel surgery this week so he is out of commission too. Younger sis and bro - the veterinarian - both have to work and were both in the storm path themselves. DH was already on vacation this week and next, so - off he went. That is the long version of why I am not cooking dinner tonight, lol!
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om glad to hear most made it through Matthew without toouch damage. Happier to hear no injuries. SK, thats a lot of work for the folks, but you DH to the rescue.
April, glad to hear it wasnt all bad for you and yours.
Leftovers for me too. I made chili last week and finished it up this werk. Cooked porkchops that were in my freezer from my boxes with potatoes and carrots. Not very imaginative, but i ate the other parts when I was sick. Speaking of which, Nancy. You probably got it from the elders with your Dad. They have grandchildren visit and it is spread befiore anyone knows they have it.
Trees here get real pretty, then the wind strips them away the next day. So its hard to find tne colorr this year. Here's one tree I caught before the rain on Tuesday.
Much love to all.
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I think I've finally finished the leftovers. Tomorrow's garbage day so I have to admit to throwing away some lettuce - but I finished everything else.
This week will be easy foods since I'm finally going to see the Grand Canyon next Thursday. This Houston girl might actually see some fall color again this year!!!. I'll be with my brother, so I won't be able to dictate much of the agenda, but it would be fun to see Eric if schedules permit. We'll be in touch. I did see the DB 9 years ago when our Dad died, but before that I hadn't seen him in 20+ years. As you can guess, we're not close and don't have much in common. But except for my one son, the brother is the only remaining member in my family, so I'm making the attempt.
I made a chocolate Texas Sheet Cake for our domino game tomorrow. It's really unlike me to bake when it's still so hot, but I had promised.
Busy weekend w/three events. I'll report later.
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Beautiful colored leaves, Moon. We saw quite a bit of color in north MN in late Sept. It's still warm here in south Louisiana, though not as hot as the worst of summer.
Dinner tonight will be Subway poboys at an informal concert at a vineyard. We're going with another couple. It's a bring-your-own-chair and sit outdoors events. The price of two tickets includes a bottle of wine.
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Carole, where’s the vineyard? Next time I visit NOLA I’d love to see it, because LA isn’t known for its wine country!
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carole - my DD is headed to Louisiana on Monday, she will be fishing in Hopewell with friends for a few days. She is excited!
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Susan & Lacey - one year ago today we were having dinner in Boston. What fun to meet you both!!!
Niece-in-law (the attorney) hosted a party for their daughter's 1st B-day. I went late in the afternoon after most of the guests were gone because my SIL and I had a concert later. But I got great left overs - Singapore Noodles, Special Fried Rice, Beef & Broccoli. Can you tell my niece-in-law is Chinese? Food was from a local "real" Chinese restaurant and not a U.S. strip center place. Several layers of the cake were grey color & actually made with taro. Looked weird but tasted good. My niece the cop was also in town. She's 7-1/2 month pregnant with her 2nd boy and I don't see how she can get any bigger. The new boy will be named Mazer after Orson Scott Card's hero. The first boy is named Ardenn after the forest in France of WWII fame. The B-day girl's English name is Athena. Since my son decided not to have children, these are the kiddos I spoil.
Then my SIL and I went downtown to hear a lovely production of Handel's "Jeptha" on period instruments. I'm always surprised when I hear a flute and the program says "traverso", but I love picking out the notes on the "theorbo". This for Susan since I know she would be familiar with these.
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I love ancient instrument concerts—I once caught the tail end of a free Handel concerto performance at The Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, the first time I went to London. (Now that Sir Neville Marriner is gone, I don’t know if that tradition will continue). My college chorus did Handel’s “Saul” from the original autograph score—all four hours of it. We were bussed up from Brooklyn College to the U. of NH to perform it while being recorded. Sadly, they were unable to edit out the conductor’s “buzzing” humming imitation of the bows bouncing off the strings as he conducted. (it was a live, simultaneous multi-mic, not isolatable multi-track recording).
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Wow - quiet weekend here.
This afternoon was the first in the series of small, usually premiere plays. We saw "De Kus" (The Kiss) by Dutch author Ger Thijs. It has played in Holland & Poland & Germany, but only in St. Louis so far in the US. The entire play is two actors & very intense. Not about romance at all, but about a chance meeting in the woods between two people with serious issues confronting them. From the program notes: 'Do you believe something truly magnificent can happen to you every day? OR if you could re-boot your entire life because of one fantastic, magical moment - would you do it?' Although it required involvement to follow all the 'questions', when the lights came on for intermission it seemed like we'd only been sitting there 10 minutes.
Supper after was at an Asian restaurant that has happy hour prices for appetizers. Miso soup & 2 spring rolls ($2.00 per plate) 6 pcs chicken yakatori on skewers & 4 shrimp tempura w/onion rings ($4.00). Oh and 6 crab puffs for $4.00. Yum.
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Sounds like a lovely afternoon, Minus! And tasty supper after the very interesting sounding play. Yes, I do recall that last year at this time was our wonderful rendezvous at erbaluce with Susan and your friend, Pat. I love that you make the effort to meet folks during your travels. Hope you get to meet Eric soon! Loved all those unique names for the babies in your extended family. Our beach is loaded with little ones with never heard before names....or at least rarely used ones. It must be a mellennial thing. And those kids will not have to be called, Matthew A., Matthew G., and Matthew S. at school!
I am baking a zucchini, banana, blueberry bread. Been wanting to try it. I'm hoping it comes out well as tomorrow I am taking a loaf to my friend who is dying....really to her DH and family as she is unable to eat, and is barely responsive. So sad....one of the most energetic, healthy and fun gals I've ever known, stricken with a very aggressive uterine cancer. When my DDIL (the GYN surgeon)heard of her diagnosis, she told me that the prognosis would be grim, and I hardly believed her. My friend went through a lot of really aggresive treatment for over a year, and was in remission for several years before it metasticized with a vengeance on other essential organs. Her chemo over this past year, stopped working, and she could not get into any new drug trials, and has just been wasting away. Her kidneys are seriously compromised now so she is in hospice care at home, with family and friends keeping vigil. I was fearful that she would be gone when we returned from our trip to VT to see my sister. So I am relieved to be able to offer some comfort tomorrow. And I hope the bread is good for her family....
Tuesday I am scheduled for jury duty....at the worst court location of all those in my county. Maybe they will say I do not have to check in, when I call, as directed, tomorrow afternoon.
Then Tuesday night, we have two sequential commitments...not my style!
Wednesday night we have a Celtics pre-game, and will probably eat downtown so will need to tape the debate and see it very late....yawn!
I am hoping for a clear calendar Thursday since I am not great at constant activity these days, as you can tell by my grousing. I'll probably sleep a lot!
Friday DS2's future mil and sil fly into town, and I will meet them at the dress shop, then take them out to dinner.
Saturday, a couple who used to be neighbors invited us to see their new (downsized) home in a nearby town. Then we'll all go to a restaurant near them. She had invited us for dinner, but I know that she has a busy work schedule and suggested that we eat in one of the new restaurants that have cropped up in their town.
Yesterday we ate at the tailgate before the UMASS football game with DS2 and his cohorts. The guys cooked steak tips and ribs and all sorts of things we don't usually eat. It was all delicious!!! LOL I brought hummus and tiny pita bread rounds, and made lemon crackle cookies which the " kids" all loved and gobbled up. How do those thirty something gals stay so thin?!
Tonight we had orange teriyaki marinated grilled chicken thighs, baked sweet potato, acorn squash and salad. I completely forgot that I had a bowl of ratatouille in the fridge...but we will have that with the chicken leftovers tomorrow night after our gym classes.
Special, I'm sorry for your in-laws challenges. Very hard at their ages to deal with all of that.
Nance, I hope that your dad finds it easier to adapt over time....and geesh! How awful for you to get that hand foot and mouth disease. I was worried all week when our grands were visiting last summer after they had it, and a few blisterserupted here and there...and of course they would have to touch it to show us! I was sure we'd all get it, but relieved that we didmnot. It's good it has a time limited course....but in your case, two hours would have been more than you needed with everything on your plate! Glad you are better!
Off to find my jury duty letter so I can call in tomorrow......
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Last night's dinner was a "hot dish." Ground beef and sliced zucchini with a can of Rotel tomatoes. Seasoned with cumin, onion and garlic powder, s & p. Addition of cooked shell pasta and and grated sharp cheddar.
Today it's back to the weight loss effort.
Lacey, you are SO busy! I admire you for your social energy and stamina.
Minus, your concert and play sound very interesting.
We arrived at the vineyard on Saturday during daylight hours and the vines didn't look very healthy to us. We wonder if the grapes aren't brought in from elsewhere to make the wine. The four of us had one bottle of red and one bottle of white. I drank white and found it similar to a sauvignon blanc. DH drank red and wasn't impressed. The night was perfect with a full moon and stars and no mosquitoes. The music was entertaining. The scene was amazing. A large lawn covered with groups of people who bring their own portable tables and chairs and candles and food and wine glasses. Some set-ups are quite elegant.
We had stemmed wineglasses, hummus and pita chips, cheese and crackers, and Subway sandwiches. No table and tablecloth. We used the top of a small cooler as our table.
Sandy, the name of the vineyard is Pontchartrain Vineyard and it's on Old Military Road north of Covington. It has a web site.
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Carole, the reason the vines looked so unhealthy is that harvest season is pretty much over—except for grapes that are left on the vines to rot (concentrating the sugars) to make classic dessert wines (beerenauslese rieslings and botrytised semillon/sauv. blanc a la Sauternes) or even freeze for eiswein (ice wine). But the grapes for both types of wine require a much dryer climate than the Gulf Coast (and it doesn’t get cold enough down there for grapes to freeze for ice wine)—in fact, vinifera grapes (the classic Old World wine varietals grown in CA, WA, OR and friendlier climates in other states) do very, very poorly in hot & humid climates without cool nights and relatively cool winters. I noticed that the varietals on the website are all made from grapes grown in CA’s Mendocino Valley—north part of the primary viticultural area (Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino, Lake, Livermore valleys) surrounding the Bay Area. The others don’t state the names of the grapes, much less where they’re grown. Safe bet that those not made from other fruits are made from either vinifera-labrusca (native N. American) grapes probably also grown further north) hybrids or labrusca (Concord, Muscadine, Scuppernong, Catawba) that do OK in the South.
Even those Southern wineries that make vinifera varietals can grow only one or two types that survive the hot and humid summers—and those tend to be in Appalachia, where the winters are fairly cold. Most wineries outside the West, MI, and parts of MA, VA and NY use mainly purchased grapes &/or grow hybrids. And the wines made from the hybrids—even the dry table wines—tend to be sweeter than those made from 100% vinifera (Chardonnay, Sauv. Blanc, Cabernet Sauv., Pinot Noir, Riesling, Zinfandel, Sangiovese, Syrah, Petite Sirah, etc.).
But wineries—as opposed to vineyards and winemaking estates (winery & vineyard on the same property)—can be located anywhere. They purchase grapes from all over and make & bottle wines on-site. There’s a chain of Chicago-area restaurants called Cooper’s Hawk Winery that has wineries in their basements; and a chain of wine-centric concert hall/restaurant/wine bar venues in Chicago, NYC, Nashville, & L.A. called City Winery (featuring top nationally-touring acoustic music artists—folk, jazz, blues, etc.), that make one or two wines on-premises and serve them on a rotating basis as part of a list that includes vinifera wines from all over the U.S.
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Well, but, Sandy - we have lots of thriving vineyards in Texas now and the hot dry terroir seems to be great for any number of grapes. I've had fun tasting wines made from Texas grapes.
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Whoops, forgot about TX hill country wines—many delicious, all vinifera. Hot dry terroir is good for many robust vinifera varietals. Hot and wet isn’t. (The best wines come from grapes that have had to “work” for their water & nutrients, and yield relatively little per vine, concentrating the sugars—and therefore, the flavor and alcohol potential; the easier it is for grapevines to get water and nutrients, the larger the yield and the more “dilute” the grapes, with duller flavors). Even in prime wine country, a spell of wet weather at the wrong time can wreck a vintage.
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Pan-seared catfish fillets for dinner last night with roasted asparagus and bagged crunchy salad with kale.
Pork tenderloin tonight with roasted sweet potato chunks and a repeat of the same salad.
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