So...whats for dinner?

Monica, looks like a lovely time was had by all!

Eric, I think if you have happy hands, there is no real need to get a kneading mixer...but I do love having mine, especially when my hands get really painful.

That said, I am having a flight into joint health lately, and even my hands are not making me smart regularly from the pain. I have no idea if this could be the reason, but someone on another thread shared the idea from her family of using "drunken raisins" (yellow raisins steeped in gin for a week or more and kept in fridge, being eaten daily, nine at a time) for managing arthritis. So given our miserable weather, I would expect my joints to be screaming, but for most of this week, I am relatively pain free. It would be hilarious and a happy thing if it were the drunken raisins!

Special, hope you heal fast!

Luv, hope your eye issues can be resolved pretty easily and painlessly!

Carole, happy for you and DH on the weight loss! Not bad to erase in a week a summer's worth of pounds. Very nice! I must look for the pizza rising yeast....have never noticed it in the grocery store. Here is the kale soup recipe I use...or made up...as you will notice it is pretty casually concocted:

Pat's Kale Soup

In dutch oven or other large pan with thick bottom...

Cook 1 or two sweet (or hot if preferred) sausages and cut into small pieces when done. I usually use the Trader Joe's low-fat Italian flavored sausages.

Add one large chopped onion and a diced sweet red pepper to pan and cook until transparent, then add 2-3 whole cloves of garlic, minced,and cook for a few minutes. You can also use celery, but that is a no no in my kitchen due to one of my many allergies! Same with fresh parsley, which you can also add.

Return sausages pieces to the pan and cook a few minutes with rest of veggies.

Add a quart container of broth or stock (I use organic, low sodium chicken stock). Bring just to boil, then lower heat to med low to simmer the ingredients, adding two bay leaves, a few sprigs of thyme and or rosemary. Also, I put some fennel seeds in a tea ball and suspend it into the broth the whole time the soup is cooking.

Add about a cup (or more if preferred) of large diced carrots and a diced zucchini, avoiding the seeds if they are large.

ADD A PARMESAN RIND AT THIS POINT FOR WONDERFUL FLAVOR!

After about 1/2 hour I add a large can of crushed or diced tomatoes, bring back to boil, then lower to simmer again.

I also add some " Better Then Bouillion" chicken base diluted in 2 cups of boiling water, to add flavor and reduce the thickness of the tomato addition. I just taste as I go along to see if it feels like the right soup consistency and enough flavor. I play with it at this point, til I like the flavor and consistency, adding more "better than...".

Prepare kale tearing it off the stems, washing it, and giving it a rough cut so that the pieces are bite sized. I usually add about 4 cups kale, but it is totally up to you! Cook on medium heat for about 20 minutes. I am totally guessing here.

Add a can or two of rinsed canneloni beans and heat up thoroughly before serving. 15-20 minutes?

Other possible add ins:

1/2 tsp tumeric (not my favorite but is allegedly good for you)

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes or if you are really a heat lover, chili paste!

At end before serving, I often add A GOOD SPLASH OF BALSAMIC VINEGAR.

Be sure to fish out the parm rind and the spice sprigs (if loose), and the two bay leaves before serving.

As you can tell this is not an exact kind of recipe, like most of my soups! Hope it works if anyone tries it! We really enjoy the flavors the second or third day after making this soup.

Tonight we had lamb burgers with the grnd lamb we bought at the Farmer's Market. I ate mine without the roll since I have been getting more bread than I really needed this weekend. So I dressed it as I would have on a roll (lettuce, red onion, tomatoes, feta cheese) and ate it with a fork and knife. Also served a saute of kale and diced butternut squash with onions, garlic and a bit of nutmeg and at the end some balsamic. Very interesting and good. The kale was the red russian variety which is all they had at the FM today. Here's a picture....of course I could have card board in a pan with butternut squash and love it!

Moon - beautiful pictures & a wonderful menu. Yum.

Special - hope your recovery is speedy. How is your DD doing w/new job?

Carole - Congrats on the weight loss. I know I could give up my evening wine or G&T but hoping not to do that.

Dinner was Stauffer's Mac & Cheese since I've been doing a major house cleaning all day. BFF who's husband died 3 weeks ago is coming to town for a dentist appt & will stay w/me tomorrow night. It's supposed to be 31 degrees & she's going to choose a restaurant for an early dinner out. Sounds like she favors Mexican or Chinese. Then we'll head back to the house early & maybe drink Bailey's sitting under heated throws.

Hi to everyone else.

I am feeling better today - I noticed that my DH was sneezing a lot yesterday so maybe it was a coincidental pollen thing - I had allergy shots for about ten years so I now have pretty mild allergy symptoms - but only in the spring.  This was very intense and at a weird time of year for me - who knows.  I will be asking my PS whether any of his other patients have had this happen.  Also weird, my tongue is numb, like pins and needles.  I def have some questions.

bedo - don't worry - I wasn't cleaning the microwave, lol!  Just providing cleaning tips.  I do use that method when something splatters in there though - my microwave is built in and I am not very tall so it is helpful because the cleaning angle is awkward for me.

minus - DD is doing OK - I think she was a bit intimidated at first.  Her first day in the water they just throw you off the boat and you wait for a sea lion to eventually show up and try to clamp things onto to you - eeeks!  She was just floating there waiting and hoping the thing bumping her was actually the sea lion and not something else!  She went to a work related turkey dinner last night, was responsible for an appetizer, so she took an artichoke heart dip. Your plan of Bailey's and heated throws with your friend sounds excellent!

moon - great pics - sounds like a fun time! 

lacey - I had heard about the "drunken raisins" previously - we discussed this on the Tampa thread when talking about AI induced joint pain.  If it works how easy would that be, right?  Certainly worth trying.

Monica, that's a lovely picture of you and your DD.  You both look very happy!  It sounds like a lovely shower.

Luv, I do sometimes buy bottled parmesan, but also buy it in a chunk and grate it myself. The rinds from those I freeze and use in soups when making them. I wonder if you could ask at a cheese store, or at the cheese section of a supermarket where they grate theirs fresh, if you can have/buy any available rinds. They are really worth their weight in gold!

Re: the drunken raisins....I bought a flask size bottle to try this out. I felt like the town morning alcoholic lady going into the new liquor store in the center of our town (I happened to be shopping in that area and was not about to go drive to a liquor store just for this), and coming out with the flask sized brown package. LOL It really may be working...we are experiencing a very cold, raw rainy day...not one that's friendly to my joints, and I am fine. Amazing! Our stretching class will be the true test later today.

Love the tales of DD's adventures, Special! And glad you are starting to feel better.

Speaking of allergiies, I am still dealing with those that I had flare up while on Tamoxifen, and I also had years of injections early in my life which held me through my adulthood until the hormonal treatment. Apparently, estrogen is protective of the immune system, so it may be possible that changes and reduction of that could be setting off allergies now. I have found some relief with self injections of a serum made for me based on the allergens, and my ability to tolerate certain levels of them to neutralize the reaction when I come into contact with them. This treatment is through a functional medicine group. I hope yours resolve on their own!

Since returning from Italy, I have not done any serious food shopping, so today, after my volunteering with the K kids, I went to the store to get things for this week's dinners, as well as things to have for T-giv prep.

Salmon tonight, with brussels sprouts and squash that I mashed last night....probably salad too. Also bought some some speciality ravs (spinach filled) for another night, and a whole small chicken to roast in a few days...then make some soup. Better be sure to use up these things to clear out the fridge since I only have one and our turkey is arriving next Sunday.

Hope the weather is warming up for all. I think ours is not supposed to be this miserable all week. Brutal!

Meatball sandwiches and onion rings

Moon Beautiful pictures! So happy and full of love

Lacey sounds good, will have to try

Mommyof2 sounds good. Check out recipes from me and minus- we are very good relaxed sometimes non-cooks/kitchen scroungers/foragers. Everything tastes good if you're hungry, but I'm sure you make a mean spaghetti.

Carole, that is one of the funniest things I have read in a long time. Nice when you can find a maid with the same standards [and pants size] as you!

Moon, what a lovely baby shower. How many people were in attendance? I have been warned to expect grands the minute she gets her doctorate.

Special, so glad you are willing to share your daughter's adventures with us. Such an interesting life she is leading.

Bedo, when you come back, you bring gusts of wind with you!

Sure I am missing a ton of people, but I must do some Q/A testing while I "own" the server.

*susan*

Here's a better pic DD2 and

baby belly. We don't know boy or girl but she is carrying very low. The other is DD1 I'm the short one. LOL

Here's the blankie I made

for her I finishe'd it ahead of time too! LOL

susan - yes, the DD is adventurous - both of my kids are - they get it from their dad, but I have always encouraged them to do new things even though I am somewhat risk averse for myself, lol!  I still struggle with seeing pictures of my son standing on a burning roof in firefighter gear though - and he does it for free!  One of the things I am most proud of is that both of my children have always volunteered - that they get from me - because we moved so much as a military family I didn't always work, but I always volunteered, every place we lived.

moon - fortunately, she was briefed ahead of time that this was the process so she was ready - or as ready as she could be.  I would imagine that the more you do this the easier it gets - kind of like I am now with surgery, lol!  I am slightly peeved that pregnant women now can look cute - I ended up wearing tents, lol!  Your DD is adorable and you all look like you were having the best time!  Love the blankie!

carole - that is why I have never had a maid - I would clean before the maid arrived to clean!  I don't delegate well at all.

Moon- looks like a full moon to me. When will the moon affect the tides and water?

Carol - Started out as a maid - hotels were OK but the Catholic retreat was the worst-no air conditioning and so many statues to dust. I hate to clean, luckily I can't see a lot of it because I don't have 20/20 vision

MOmmy I never know what to make. I never really learned to cook. I'm going to try to make an eggplant spaghetti sauce to put on ??? First I have to figure out how to make it.

Pork piccata made with pork tenderloin medallions.  Acorn squash mash if the acorn squash that's been hanging around in the refrigerator is still edible.  And maybe roasted brussel sprouts.  Sounds like winter! 

Has anyone made yeast rolls, frozen them and warmed them up for a holiday meal?  Occasionally it would be handy to have three ovens! 

Last night we had roasted chicken, asparagus, arugula salad, and some crusty bread I picked up while doing my errands.

The good thing about having a cleaning person come here is that we have to organize clutter before she comes, so she can clean! I hired our wonderful lady about twenty plus years ago after I returned to full-time work, and skipped a ski trip with the family to stay home and clean, since my life was crazy busy. A mother of one of DS2's friends heard that and offered to see if her person had any slots for us. About a month later, it happened, and we've been together since....tho these days, she comes only about every six weeks, and not at all in the summer. It is hard to imagine her not being in our lives since we got to know her family and I have helped her navigate the difficult terrain of advocacy for her special needs children in their schools. She has done an amazing job with that! On our end, knowing that she is coming (like today!) keeps us organized!

Tonight we'll have something created with our leftover chicken and the carcass will go into a pot for soup!

Carole, your family is lucky to have you close by for those Sunday dinners!

Carole, I always make yeast rolls and freeze them for thanksgiving. The recipe I use is very butter rich and they freeze quite well. In fact, I'll be making them this weekend.

Making chimichangas with leftover potroast. Pinto beans and fresh guacamole will round out the meal. I bought a giant package of the fresh uncooked tortillas at Costco. They are delicious but that's a lot of tortillas to use even though I froze half of them.