So...whats for dinner?
Comments
-
Miracle Whip? Blecch. Not in this house! (No yellow mustard either—deli brown is the mildest stuff we buy). Real mayo (Hellman’s), sweet relish (which I grudgingly keep on hand for my son’s hot dogs), and the hottest Dijon mustard I can find. And I use smoked Spanish paprika or maybe a tiny bit of cayenne for the sprinkle. Otherwise, it’s something short of “deviled.”
Found an unopened package of raw sauerkraut and chicken bratwursts. So I’ll make a choucroute garni tonight.
0 -
We hardly ever have mayo of any kind. Plus, no one else in the house loves eggs like me. We always have smoked paprika, so I'll add that to some of my solo egg lunches.
MinusTwo - I'm glad you shared an interesting technique on peeling tomatoes. I'll keep it in mind. I've decided recently to be more of a cook. My knife skills are weak, so I've been working on onions. Baby steps. Good thing everyone likes onion soup.
Had to get my port flushed tonight. Picked up rotisserie chicken on the way home.
0 -
Serenity - hooray for pick up meals on treatment or appointment days.
Joyce - thanks for posting about the anniversary of Michelle's death. Seems impossible that it was so long ago. Many of us still remember & really miss her. Yes, she was such a joy and inspiration, AND she was a trouper. How are you doing?
0 -
Egg report. Rolling boil for 12-14 minutes. Cold running water in the pan in the sink for 2 minutes. Cold water & ice cubes standing for 10 minutes. Put on the lid & shook the pan. Oh my word. How come I never knew about this before? It's really magic. Thanks Special & April. And I'm definitely back to boiling instead of standing, Martha Stewart or Ina Garten not withstanding (pun intended)
Sandy - I think we're all conditioned by how we were raised. My Mother never had Miracle Whip in the house. But she didn't have Mayo either (which I grew up to love). She maybe used 3oz of mayo a year but only in casseroles. Her 'go to' was butter. As for mustard - I use Grey Poupon & Russian Brown and Wasabi mustard & etc regularly, but for some reason I want French's in my deviled eggs. And for that matter on my cheap Oscar Mayer hot dogs with the cheap store buns. Just part of my childhood, so I don't worry about how pedestrian it might look.
0 -
Yeah, childhood upbringing has a powerful influence on our tastes as adults. Growing up in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, we never had French’s mustard—and the only hot dogs we ate were all-beef Hebrew Nationals or Sabrett’s, with nothing on them but Gulden’s brown deli mustard and sauerkraut (because that’s how the delis did them). OTOH, we did have white bread (usually Silvercup), and my mom drank only Maxim instant freeze-dried coffee. (The percolator and the can of Maxwell House came out only for company). Certain foods from childhood trigger powerful aversions: my mom took great pride in serving us meat, fish or poultry for every dinner; hot dogs were for cookouts, ball games and lunch at the corner deli (or sometimes at Coney Island Joe’s on Linden Blvd, two grilled dogs with brown mustard & kraut on French bread). Very early on, I developed a powerful aversion to baked beans (or what I knew as baked beans at the time). Nobody we knew ate any brand other than Heinz’ Vegetarian, because it was kosher. But as the basis for “franks & beans” or “beanie weenie” they were served at our grade school cafeteria—where only the kids on welfare got hot lunches (which were free). I very quickly associated the smell of Heinz beans, canned tomato soup, room-temperature milk in paper cartons and PB&J sandwiches with poverty, and to this day can abide none of them. It wasn’t until I was in my 20s that I first tasted actual baked beans—brown sugar & molasses or BBQ (with or w/o pork or brisket burnt ends), and I really like them--rather than Heinz', which to me still smell like tomatoes farted.
0 -
ChiSandy, I think Miracle Whip is a southern/Texas thang. Other than in my Dad's deviled eggs & my mom's pimento cheese, I use real mayo - Duke's - and always have Dijon and horseradish around, too.
0 -
Mayo is one of our basic food groups. Running out of mayo is an emergency. I think of miracle whip as a Midwestern preference. My Illinois SIL and BIL use miracle whip instead of mayo. It has a sweet flavor that I don't like. We usually have Dijon mustard and a mustard with horse radish but I like French yellow mustard on occasion. My mother bought only yellow mustard and added it to potato salad and deviled eggs in addition to the mayo. I do the same. The color indicates the desired taste!
Joyce, so good to have you pop in and remind us of Michelle. She is still much missed.
I made the red cabbage dish last night and dh and I enjoyed it along with slices of pork tenderloin, flattened and quickly browned in butter. The red cabbage recipe is from an old Better Homes and Gardens cookbook and is called German cabbage. The ingredients are sliced red cabbage, diced unpeeled apple, brown sugar, vinegar, water, and carroway seeds. Very easy dish. I tried to make a sour cream and mustard sauce but it flopped. Dh ate apple sauce with his pork.
I may give in to an urge for chicken enchiladas tonight instead of a less calorie laden chicken preparation.
0 -
ChiSandy: laughed out loud at the "tomatoes farted" description of those ghastly baked beans. Memories of grade-school cafeterias must be ingrained--my father still has vivid memories of his, decades afterward.
As for the Great Mayo Debate, it's perhaps telling that I prefer Hellman's....but think of it still as "Best Western" despite twenty-five years in Indiana and Michigan.
0 -
My school cafeteria memories are good for grades 1-9. The school was a small country school and the cafeteria workers were women I knew. One named Mrs. Inez made yeast rolls which like the ones she made for her own large family. The food was pretty much typical home-cooked fare. I remember the beef stew with good dark brown gravy, undoubtedly made with a roux. The stew was served over white rice.
My favorite mayo is also Hellman's but I buy the Light. The most popular brand may be regional. It's called Blue Plate and I buy it, too. Most of my family think Blue Plate is the only acceptable brand.
Today I blew my buy-for-one-or-two-days plan which had already gone by the boards. I found meat selections I couldn't pass up, including meaty soup bones with the round bones, lamb chops and ground lamb.
Tonight we will have baked chicken breasts with lemon juice, rosemary and parsley. It's a WW recipe. The side is a brown rice and broccoli dish with curry powder, sour cream and mayo, both light. It's already made and ready to be heated.
0 -
Queen - I think it's Best Foods in the CA that is the same product at Hellmans. That's what I buy too.
We never ate in the cafeteria in grade school. We either walked home for lunch or took a lunch box. I usually still packed a sack lunch in junior high, but boy did I love to add the creamy chocolate milkshakes that the booster club sold.
The dominoes players today showed up with major food: Muffulettas (ham and turkey), deviled eggs, chocolate brownies w/choc syrup inside, choc cookies with white choc chips, pepper jack & cheddar cheese w/crackers, fresh blackberries (which went surprisingly enough with), lemon pudding cake. I'm sure I've forgotten something. I don't think I'll eat for a week.
0 -
Always mayo here, homemade or Hellmans (or both.) Miracle whip -- no way. Despise the abominable stuff. The best deviled eggs I make is a cooks illustrated recipe. Love those, but I will scarf any available ones.
Ha ha Sandy, I laughed at the farting tomatoes too. Great description. I'm fairly picky about baked beans, often too much ketchup and brown sugar for me. I generally prefer my own.
Manicotti and canneloni for dinner. Manicotti for dh, canneloni for me. I picked them up at an Italian market that I just discovered not far from me. They were not nearly as tasty as the ones I get from The Hill, but they were good enough. The sauce supply from the freezer was depleted, so I had to whip some up -- in the pressure cooker this time. It turned out very good but thinner than I like. I may cook it down some tomorrow.
Thinking about Michelle and Apple and others we're missing.
0 -
I grew up eating Best Foods in California, now eat Hellman's in Florida. Same product, different names divided geographically by the Rockies. I also eat Just Mayo which is made without soybean oil and eggs
0 -
Special - thinking about your FIL. Hope things are not desperate and your DH is holding up OK.
0 -
minus - can I just come to dominoes and eat? I like everything on that list! I have no idea how to play dominoes, lol! FIL is ok, but he is a doctor and they make the worst patients, he is 91, and frankly - just can't be bothered at this point. His main symptom is fatigue because he can't maintain his hemoglobin - so his QOL is not great, but he has no pain, a reduced appetite is the only other thing for him. DH has been very lucky to have his dad for this long - we all have been, so we are sad, but accepting. Thanks for inquiring.
0 -
Special - Glad FIL has no pain.
I had never played dominoes either until I started chemo and several ladies in the neighborhood decided I needed some easy distraction. We play one block away and sometimes we cook or sometimes we bring chips & dip - no rules. This is a game called Chickenfoot where you draw tiles, start with the double nine in the center & have to match numbers in your own line. If you don't have a number, you have to draw. The winner has played all her tiles & losers pay a penny a point for what's left in their hands. It doesn't require a huge amount of thought but was a wonderful way to force me out of the house & give me something else to think about besides BC. Not to mention getting to know some neighbors in a different way now that all our kids are gone. Oh - and maybe adding numbers in my head will help keep away Alzheimers.
Off to see Mercury Baroque play Bach's Goldberg Variations scored for strings. Wish Susan or Bedo were here to go with me.
0 -
Wish we could get Blue Plate here in IL—ATK top-rated it—but it’s strictly southern. Might smuggle some home next time I drive below the Mason-Dixon line.
0 -
I too am glad your father in law, Special, is comfortable.
Michelle's blog is still up--I went back and read some of it. Three days earlier, Halloween (1983) was when Mickey's doctor gave us "the talk" and I remember exactly where I was at when I read about Apple....damn cancer......
For Sharon and I, a little mayo goes a long way. I get the smallest jar possible so that the smallest amount goes bad...we just don't use it that much. BestFoods brand is the one we get here in Arizona.
As for deviled eggs, Sharon's mom is our local expert on those..and when we manage to get some, we have to smuggle them past DD. :-)
I have some chicken in the refrigerator, soaking in brine. I've never done this before . I decided it try it after a friend suggested it for the "dry chicken blues". I went with their suggestion of "2/3 cup of brown sugar, 2/3 cup of salt per gallon of water and soak overnight". So, tomorrow, I'll see how it turns out.
I fixed mom's dryer today. It only took a few minutes to find the problem and the part was inexpensive...BUT while checking to see if anything else needed attention, I noticed that some (insert lots of bad words here) idiot had bypassed BOTH "keep the dryer from overheating and catching fire" safety devices!!!!! Fortunately the dryer quit heating. The other would have been very bad. The dryer came with the house and I guess it's been that way since they moved in at the beginning of 2000. Yikes.
0 -
Eric - I think you are amazing. That said, I have a noise under the hood of my car..... (LOL)
I just read about a brine procedure but it also included vinegar. Let us know how it turns out.
0 -
Special, I hope your FIL does well...it is so hard to watch our parents age. My dad would have been 91 on 10/29 and I miss him a lot.
Today, roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy with spinach quickly sautéed with garlic in a little EVOO. Hubby loves this Sunday dinner and since they had angus sirloin tip roast on sale, he gets one of his all time favorite Sunday dinners.
I am betting he moves the spinach around on his plate to make it look good but does not eat it all...he calls it "Popeye" food and says he has big enough biceps hahahahaha! Not his favorite veggie. He likes carrots, peas and corn...and of course potatoes. He tolerates all of the others. He will NOT eat cabbage or brussel sprouts and eggplant - period.
0 -
Thanks all for the thoughts about my FIL, this is never easy no matter one's age. My inlaws realize how lucky they have been to be basically healthy and happily together for so long.
Chisandy - you can get Blue Plate Mayo from Amazon
april - my dad's b-day was 10/28, he would have been 99. He passed away in the spring of '01 - miss him too, no matter how old I got,I was always his little girl.
0 -
If someone said caring for a loved one near the end of their life is easy---I'd be worried.
Spinach. I had to relearn to like it after grade school. The cafeteria food was cooked in a central kitchen and then transported to the school. By the time it made it to school, the spinach was pretty bad. Making it worse, the spinach that wasn't served was sent back to the central kitchen, rewarmed and served the next day. By then it reminded me of the green goo my brother cleaned out of his aquarium. I tried very hard to convince my mom to pack my lunch on spinach days. :-)
The brined chicken is in the oven. I decided to do two chickens, so I hope it turns out. If so, I'll have enough left overs for awhile.
And the super extreme deep cleaning of the kitchen is in progress. The only things left are the refrigerator cleaning and the oven cleaning.
When the chicken is done and the oven cools down a bit, I'll clean the oven....oven cleaner works better in a warm oven....
0 -
I'm fixing chicken tonight too Eric. Mine was brined in buttermilk and is now coated with olive oil, baking powder, kosher salt and fresh ground pepper and roasting in a 450 degree oven.Makes for a deliciously crispy skin. Sides are buttered homemade egg noodles and broccoli.
0 -
What all was in the brining solution?
0 -
We went out for dim sum brunch—which we haven’t in years—in “Chinatown North,” a couple miles south of us. I forgot how good it is (albeit carby & fatty). We had tea, wonton soup, Chinese broccoli in oyster sauce, BBQ pork riblets, Cantonese roast duck breast, shrimp & crab and pork & spinach “pillows” (they ran out of shu mai and pot stickers pretty early), rolls of shrimp in chow fun dough (sort of like Cantonese canneloni), pork bao, and (my guiltiest pleasure) sesame balls: red bean paste stuffed inside dough fried and rolled in sesame seeds. The only dessert I order at dim sum brunch. This place (Furama) serves it 7 days a week during lunch hours, and its parking lot is less than half the cost of CTA train or bus fare. We brought home lots of leftovers. It used to be a really cheap meal—I remember the two of us getting out of there, leftovers in hand, for under $40. This time it was $70. Still worth it though. Next time we’ll get there earlier, in order to get the shu mai, potstickers, chicken feet (tastes much better than it sounds), and sticky rice & lop cheong sausage in lotus leaves.
0 -
Catching up with all of your interesting topics....
Not a huge mayo fan, but do use it (Hellman's) on certain infrequent sandwiches, like roast beef with the addition of horseradish.
Special, I can totally understand your FIL's feeling and intent for dealing with his end of life decisions. I've thought that way before, but after just recently watching my formerly energetic, healthy living, passionate young friend slowly die from her very aggressive metastasized uterine cancer, I feel more firm in those thoughts.
My friend's family just spent an excruciating 16 months supporting her through what was her third extensive rounds of treatment (she had lots of surgery and chemo and radiation seven years ago), her search for trials after the most recent chemo could no longer be tolerated, rejection from all trial possibilities she and DH searched for, while she became weaker, then developed intestinal blockages and ultimately wasted away while her devoted DH and adult son and daughter lovingly cared for her. It was sadder than sad. My heart is breaking for her DH. I suspect, Eric, that you know that experience all too well. It's feeling pretty raw for me right now. I hope that is not too much oversharing for our kitchen table.
My caring thoughts for your FIL and your family, Special.
So Thursday after we drove an hour to and then from my friend's wake, I made us chicken marsala with capellini, and a garden salad since it was our anniversary. It was a good meal, and we needed it.
Friday I spent the day on the South Shore at her funeral, and that evening DH and I celebrated our anniversary at La Morra, a favorite authentic Italian restaurant in Brookline. We love their bolognese, which contains pieces of lamb rather than the ground variety. So we enjoyed sharing that as a primi along with a small bibb lettuce salad with roasted beets and crispy sunchoke chips (tasty!). I had a flounder entree over farro sautee with broccoli rabe, and DH had his favorite seafood stew. Dessert was a wonderful pear spice cake with a ginger ice cream. We were stuffed to the gills. We should go there more often and eat less!
Yesterday, I had little interest in cooking or eating (and I am still fighting this virus, despite my needed entry to the outside world) so, since DH needs his dinner, we took advantage of the menu offerings at the annual fair at our neighbor's orthodox church. DH had a haddock dinner with pilaf and vegetables, and I had a Greek salad and a small piece of spanakopita. It was delicious. Tonight I had a small bowl of leftover onion soup, since I have eaten way too much this weekend!
It will be good to participate in stretching class tomorrow!
DH has a conference with dinners a few days later this week, so I get to have my "minus style meals" Yay! I will be watching your menu carefully this week, Minus!
0 -
Lacey - So sorry to hear about your friend. I think many of us have been influenced in our choice of treatments & endings after we watch a loved one go through such prolonged suffering. My thoughts are with you. I don't know the author of the feeling below but I believe it.
Cry deep, my friend, let the tears wash away the sadness so good memories can flow in.
As for dinners, last night was a huge green salad with avocado, tomato, radish, cucumber, cauliflower, and shoestring beets (the only 'processed' part). I paired that with a pumpernickel bagel I had hiding in the freezer. At the moment I have Laurie's Mexican Chicken in the oven, but with only one large chicken breast. Tomorrow I don't intend to leave my house since I already participated in early voting, so it will be something from the freezer again.
April - I had to laugh about the spinach story.
0 -
Thanks, Minus, for your kind thoughts and that lovely quote, which feels quite relevant right now.
We spent a few hours at the gym this afternoon, treadmill, my weight work for knees and shoulder, then our stretching class, and finally our Zumba class. I was good and tired by the end of that, but it's amazing how good my joints feel tonight. And my annoying sciatica was almost non-existent when I ascended the staircase. Hoping it is resolving for good. I'd like to feel motivated to get back to a regular exercise regimen, without that pain running down my leg! My cough is still around, but much better than the previous weeks. How is your cold doing, Nance? I hope you are getting free of it. You have so much on your plate, it's no wonder you are catching "bugs" that happen by you. Hope you are feeling better!
After the gym, I heated up the leftover chicken marsala and pasta and made a big salad for our dinner.
I like the description of your salad, Minus. That could be one of my meals later this week!
Tonight I was asked to make/donate a dinner for four for a silent auction fundraiser. Gotta think up something that would be easy for me, but appealing/tasty for the buyer(s). Hmmmmm....
0 -
Lacey, so very sorry about your dear friend. My condolences. I hate CANCER! It has taken far too much from almost everyone I know. We can go to the moon, but we are still fighting this battle. I hope that someday soon, we can put that in the rearview mirror!
Tonight we are having rotisserie chicken with some rice and veggies - not sure which but thinking asparagus since I have those. Busy day today. Leaving work a little early and meeting the Realtor to sign the paperwork to sell my Dad's house (owned since 1968) and hand over the keys. In between, I will head to the Polls and cast my vote and say bye bye to this incredibly contentious election year...am personally very happy it will be over with. (I hope!)
Hugs to all and don't forget to VOTE if you have not done so!
0 -
eric - you are so right - one of the biggest fears of both MIL and FIL is to be a "burden" and because they were both medical professionals they have seen lingering, slow passings - neither wants that. As individuals we are not always able to control that, but their children and spouses are fully ready to step up - they just have to let us. They are so focused on remaining independent it has been a struggle to let us help them.
lacey - such a hard situation, and so heartbreaking. I have such a hard time with the unfairness of losing those who are so young - I experienced that with my brother. He had not lived his whole life yet, at least as I saw it.
On a food note - had some delicious lemon ricotta pancakes on Sunday, can't stop thinking about them, served with lemon curd and berries. I went to brunch with my young TN friend, and we split the pancakes and Florentine Eggs Benedict. The saving grace was we also went to the gym.
Having surgery tomorrow - port removal, left nip removal (sorry eric - TMI, lol!), and fat graft/lipo. This is supposed to be the LAST surgery and my surgeon had a cancellation so we got some quick insurance approval. So, I am cooking ahead with standards like marinara sauce and chili to freeze, and maybe a casserole or two. I probably won't eat much today or tonight - I do better with anesthesia if I go light beforehand.
0 -
Just had my keyboard go nuts again after a medium long post. This happens unexpectedly since I updated my system. It freezes, splits, deletes continually. Ugh!
Anyway...starting over on a different screen and will just say that cod on a bed of spinach with onions and mushrooms and feta, along with a big salad (as usual!) will be dinner, and we may just open some bubbly to celebrate the end of this election campaigning. Also hoping for some civility and peaceful movement forward for our country. Voted last week, and like thatboption of early voting which our town hall made easy as pie
Bye, before my keyboard goes nuts again!
0
