So...whats for dinner?

Chabba - I wish this boy had looked. Don't know if it was the dog chasing him or him chasing a doe. There were 2. Do know this cold snap has caused all my does to go into rut.

Ford dealer says truck repairable and not as much as DH feared. That was why he thought insurance might total it out. Two weeks to repair. DH will be driving the old truck on days when I need my car. Last time we had insurance repair he got a rent car. Not sure why he didn't this time. There are many days I don't go anywhere like today. But I just refuse to drive that truck to church on Sunday. Very hard to get in/out of in -ahem- ladylike manner.

I got sent 2 yummy pumpkin recipes - a bar and a crustless pumpkin pie and both look good. Have to make goodies for Bible study next Tuesday. Plus the zucchini bread with the vanilla pudding in it. I also need some kind of fruit dish too. In the spring I took a hot fruit compote. Need to serve about 12-14. Also have to make dinner Friday night for SS couple - illness and husband with wrist surgery (from hitting a deer). I must be on every email recipe notification - Relish (several), Taste of Home, Gooseberry Patch.

The insurance adjuster DH talked to asked how I hit a deer. Duh - I live in the country though this was just outside town. Looking at it when we picked truck up yest. solidly wooded on one side - yup the side they came from.

Yes, lots of oregano. It is really good, believe it or not, it is the first time I have made it.

SUSAN♥

Carole, I did it from my phone but I had to try a few times before I got it. I wish I could tell you what worked, but I don't remember! Please keep trying, I want to see your pics.

what is that beautiful plant?

Got home really late last night, had a turkey sandwich and went to bed. Husband actually beat me home, but really does not have the cooking gene to get something going for me. Helloo crockpot again!

Oh MY on all those critters! My only real fear is bees.

Thank you Keith for your recipe. The restaurant adds sun dried tomatoes also with the artichokes and capers.

Nance - are those your orchids? BEAUTIFUL. I love orchids and used to have them all over the house, but somewhere along the way had to get rid of all of them. I miss flowers in my house. Maybe it's time to buy some orchids.

Luv - so glad you were OK - and SO glad you were in the truck instead of a small car.

That chicken piccata recipe sounded great, even if it isn't technically chicken piccata, that I am apparently misspelling...

Hi everyone. We recently went through a big move (from California to Arizona) so I haven't been doing much cooking. I have, on the other hand, seen some spine-tingling wildlife.

Before we moved from California we found a very long gopher snake draped over a garden wallhanging in our breezeway and then a week later I was going through boxes in the garage (up on a ladder with the vacuum hose in my hand) and opened one and there was a roof rat inside staring up at me. I almost fell off the ladder and I'm fairly certain I've never screamed like that in my life (I have a phobia when it comes to rats and they're almost impossible to keep out in the area where we lived in California - they can get through a hole the size of a quarter).

About two weeks later we got to Arizona and were out walking one evening and my husband grabbed me and moved me towards the curb. There was a baby rattlesnake in the road less than six inches from where we were walking.

When we lived in California we always had a herd of deer to watch out for in our driveway and street. They were very bold and would just stand and look at us from our driveway. We also had bobcats (near the driveway and on the hill by our house) but no chupacabra :-)



Last night I looked out the window and saw the outline of either a bobcat or regular cat on the wall at the back of the property line of the house we're renting until our house is built. I think it might have been a bobcat because we're close to a mountain range. DH thinks it was a cat. Whatever it was, its eyes were very yellow when we peered at it with a flashlight through the screen door. Many (early) mornings we're awakened by coyotes barking.

I check this thread often because I enjoy all of your posts and I also like to keep up on Michelle. I'm so glad she was able to make some trips this past spring.

LeeA I hope you settle in fast. A big move isnt the easiest. I like how you start unpacking and think WHY did I pack this??

your Story reminds me about one time I was with ith my DH on a trip to Brazil for his work. We stayed at the corporation owned hotel. On the wall was a 2 ft sculpture of a green lizard. Um, NO! It moved. LOL. I sorta screamed. LOL. Then we went bact to our room later and I kept smelling something weird. I said it smelled like gas or something. Yeah they used diesel fuel to mop the floors to keep down the creepies. LOL never was so happy I didnt smoke! LOL But I sure enjoyed sitting on the beach while my DH was at work.

Hi Ladies I hope I can chime in on here.

I have been reading your thread for ages mainly because I can keep up with the news on Michelle (luvRUing). She used to post on the TN thread which is what I post on but since she has been poorly I have read more on here. I am in New Zealand and find your recipes fascinating. We don't have a lot of the ingredients that you have (or may be they are called something different here) but I really enjoy reading what you are all having for dinner and how you cook it. Your gardens with their produce sound amazing.

On the snakes they really are spine chilling but what I hate most is spiders. I just cannot stand them. I would really like to garden without jumping out of my skin every few minutes because I see something move!!. Do you have big ones in the US.

Hope it's ok to post with you all.

Annie

Annie - Besides the nasty black widow spiders which we've had a lot of this year, I have a plethora of golden orb spiders. Four of them across the back porch. If only they would catch more of those thumb size grasshoppers. The orbs aren't poisonous but I don't doubt they can bite but I love them. I take a broom and move them to another spot if they are on a gate or somewhere in the way. We had similar spiders in Hawaii. Also ground dwelling wolf spiders that carry hatchlings on their backs which makes them look twice as big. We won't even get into the snakes. What are your favorite things to cook?

I have big cooking day tomorrow. Dinner for SS member - baked chicken for her (only meat besides turkey she can eat), pork ribs for him, buttermilk scalloped potatoes, cornbread, green beans, better than sex cake. DH and I will share in these, too. Leftovers again tonight. I may shred my cold salmon into a salad. Hockey AND baseball on tonight. Oh my. I can go to DH's TV which has picture-in-picture so long as one is on local which baseball is. Ahem - any Boston fans on here?????

Tikka masala with naan and brown rice tonight.

There's a possibility of frost tonight, so in come the plants today, hopefully with no tree frogs aboard. Last year two wintered over in the house unbeknownst to us until spring. I'll also pick the last of the tomatoes, peppers and basil. Dh picked the last of the beans yesterday. Sigh! So long summer, I'll miss you!

Carrie, pretty china!

Luv, it's a little early for frost, but not much. We discovered one  sunning himself on a window sill and the other in the basement bathroom sink. In a previous year one jumped while I was watering the plant. Nearly  gave me a heart attack.

DH just left for a trip to the east coast of FL for the weekend so I am not making dinner! I have to qualify the critter list for FL by saying two things - yes, the bugs are BIG, we have BIG spiders too, and we get lovebugs in Tampa twice a year - in the spring and in the fall. But, FL has the most beautiful birds I have ever seen - all year! We also have adorable frogs - we have a metal welcome sign outside our front door and there is a frog couple that live behind it - we call the them "welcome frogs" - here is a pic!

So cute! Here's a gray tree frog that lives in our water bucket.