So...whats for dinner?

so, Nance, you are saying the hurricanes are YOUR fault????

Today I am going to attempt to make a recipes I never made before but it is very simple...here where I am now at my folks they have something called Swedish potato sausage...I love it, but normally just fry it up. Today I am going to try roasting it in the oven with some chunks of potatoes, carrots and onion and look for some spices. Love to read all your posts...love to cook, it feels so healing to me, brings me joy as I go thru my treatments. I am rather new at cooking. Hope you all have a wonderful day.

Luv, send me that 66 degrees! Can't WAIT for cool weather. We're supposed to get rain but the tv stations promise us we won't lose our power.

Susan, how generous of you to share your recipe. Does your pasta expert have any advice for using wheat flour?

Roasted brussel or Brussels sprouts is my favorite way of cooking the little cabbages. I like them a lot but dh isn't especially fond of them.

Thawing out a bunch of chicken thighs to make chicken and Andouille gumbo for tomorrow's noon meal at my mamma's house. I have a BIL who eats a limited selection of foods, mostly meat and potatoes. Three children, great nieces and a nephew, whose approved foods probably won't take up all ten fingers. My mother and I discussed the problem and decided we (which means me!!) would cook what's doable with going to church at 10:30. Those who want to eat can do so.

Lovewins, I ate potato sausage at the Potato Days in Barnesville, MN, this summer. It was good and tasted pretty much like spicy sausage but with a softer consistency. Andouille sausage is chewy.

I steamed the MN brats in dark beer last night and let them brown after the beer had cooked out. Our side was one of my favorites, an artichoke heart baked dish with reduced sodium dressing mix, chicken broth, garlic and onion powder, a little EVOO and grated parm.

The Italian chef who taught the cooking class I attended last Sat. pooh-poohed the notion of using a lot of expensive Parm-Reg in cooking, like the Cooking Channel chefs do. According to him, romano is the cheese Italians use. Interestingly, one of my brothers is friendly with a lot of Italian-Americans in a nearby area, and he told me their cheese of preference is romano. It would be interesting to learn how the heavy tomato gravy and meatballs originated because I'm told it isn't "real" Italian. Italians don't like a lot of sauce on their pasta.

Susan, I'll report on my pasta making. How do you store your pasta? Do you dry it? Freeze it?

Enough rambling. I plan to wash my car today not a second before it needs it.

Carole, I'll put my two cents in about the pasta. As long as it's completely dry it's fine to store it that way. If you freezer it, which I also have done, make sure it's dry. Dh made me two very nice drying racks for this purpose. Whatever you do, don't put it in the refrigerator with any moisture left in it. It turns a very nasty shade of greenish gray. Ugh.

Susan, I love the way you can shift gears on a dime and find your way back to the kitchen! Hope your fever is taking a hike. Good decision to stay away from all that we can "give and get" in hospital settings.

Re: pasta....I have a hand crank pasta maker that my sister gave me years ago. She is more intrepid than I in the "experiment with flour items that can turn out badly" department. I have NEVER used it. Maybe I will get inspired with all this pasta chat. Of course then someone has to eat it, and I have been reducing my white flour intake a bit. We'll see.

Last evening I had a pretty bad Greek salad with chicken atop, at a restaurant near the Providence Center for Performing Arts. We saw Once (once again!) along with a college friend and her DH since another of our college friends from Pittsburgh has a granddaughter performing in it. This little 8 year old gal (who is much more accomplished than her small role might suggest) is on tour with this cast for six months minimum. Her mother and two younger sibs (five and three) are accompanying her on the tour. We met up with them after the show at the stage door...not sure I would be very good at dragging three kids around the country, living in hotels and waiting late at night at stage doors, but this mom is clearly committed to her kids' performing arts "careers". The younger son has a role in a movie being filmed in Pittsburgh. It was fun to meet and chat with them....and get little Kolette's "autograph" on our programs. Cute!

All through the show, I was having flashes from my left eye and today more significantly noticeable floaters, so I decided to call the doc on call...who will see me tomorrow. Obviously, she couldn't be too concerned...tho I wish it were my eye doc on call. At this point the "enhanced" floaters are just annoying.

Heading up to our town business fair. I think walking should be fine.....

Hpe Michelle is enjoying the family wedding!

Minus. I hope your taste comes back soon and am glad that your mouth sores are improving.

Lovewins...cooking started off as a chore. Meeting the right person turned it into enjoyable quiet time together. When we started going together/cooking, we had more questions than good results. Fortunately the neighbors were retired restaurant owners (both cooked) and they were more than happy to answer the questions. As time went on, we got better and would even host small parties.

Today's activities, after checking the air pressure in my MIL's car tires is an "extreme clean" of the kitchen. I haven't done it in a couple of months and it's due.....

Susan, that young woman may be grossly label conscious....but is no dope!! I love that you get to send her a true gift.

So we went to the town business fair, which I have missed for several years. People I have not seen in years looked old...LOL! We missed the soup cook off, and I was disappointed in the options for other food. DH, of course, got a sausage pepper and onion sandwich. I ended up with a little cup of froyo from the booth of the new Orange Leaf franchise in town. Less than exciting....

I think I need to have something tasty for dinner...tho no ideas at all, and no ingredients jumping out at me except for the two avocados on the counter. Hmmmmmmm...I need Susan's brain and accompanying culinary skills!

Carole, good luck with your pasta making!

So we did have dinner. I tried to replicate a roasted kale salad that I had at a restaurant earlier in the week.But I switched it up a bit since I wanted to use a butternut squash I had. So I made roastedkale with roasted butternut squash and shallots. Loved it! Of course I love most kale recipes. . Also had leftover grilled chicken and my sweet and sour cuke salad.

Lovewins...yes, cooking when it isn't at 7PM after a long day at work does make it more appealing! Not sure how I (or anyone else) did that for so many years!

I love all those cooking competition shows! I just finished Top Master Chef but I fell asleep before it ended. Thank God for On Demand!

Eric sounds like you had a busy weekend. Getting the kids out driving is a scary and proud time. Much easier when they are driving. Also more scary in a way, but that is what has t o be done- gotta let them grow up. LOL

dinner will be leftovers. Chicken breasts I cooked the other day. Will probably find something to go with them. Much love to all. Debbie and Michelle have been on my mind lately.

Susan, I'm thinking that Michelle and co. were busy at their relative's wedding this weekend....unless my timing is off from what her DH posted on Facebook. Hopefully she went and was able to enjoy it a lot!

Had an emergency eye doc visit this afternoon to check out the prominent (and annoying!) light flashes that persisted all throughout the musical on Friday night, then again Sat. Well, it's a relief to know that my retina is fine.....just being jostled by the vitreous pulling away from it. Nothing that serious. Now I can live with it. Embarrassingly, I realized when the ophthalmologist was explaining what was happening in my eye, that this has happened once before, some years ago and I had totally forgotten. It does pass after the "pulling away" process is complete. Just aging eyes.......

So after the doc, which took an inordinately long time, I ran to the store and created a meal in my mind with chicken breasts and thighs, mushrooms, etc. etc. Got home to learn that I'd forgotten that DH had a church meeting in half an hour, so I put all my foodstuffs in the refridge, he made himself a tuna melt, and I made myself an avocado, tomato lettuce and kalamata olive sandwich. Dinner done!

It is really cool and rainy today....had forgotten all about when we might turn the heat on...and we try to hold off as long as we can....but brrrrrr is the house chilly! I think I'll do some exercise and warm up!

Lacey, I had that very same issue with my eyes.

Susan, I envy your brisket. I don't know why, but they're a little pricey here. They only go on sale around the holidays so I try to stock up, but haven't had one for a while. I miss my side of beef.

I have a Costco trip planned next week. Who knows what treasures I'll find.

It was a brrrrr 54 rainy and chilly degrees here today. We didn't turn on the heat either, but I wanted to. When I came down to start dinner, DH had the fireplace on, the wimp.

Our Yellow Lab just demonstrated a new trick...opening the refrigerator door.

Fortunately I have some of those "cinch straps" used to secure loads on trucks.. I can at least strap the door dosed while I figure out a better arrangement....

Eric, before we got a new fridge we couldnt keep the door completely closed. My DH added a cabinet magnetic closure to the door by the foot board so he could screw it in unobtrusively. It might work. It took just a bit more effort for us but with two contact points for the door it might work for you. Smart dog you've got there. Or maybe a latch you could use your foot to open. Good luck.

Not too aesthetically pleasing but don't they make refrigerator locks or straps to keep toddlers out of it? My DD did not do that so no real experience.

Leftover city last night and the remains of the hamburger soup tonight. Might make some cornbread to go with it.

Hoping Michelle was able to attend the wedding and prayers for her and family.