So...whats for dinner?
Comments
-
I don't know about flotation or oatmeal where mussels are concerned, but popular wisdom says to discard open ones that won't close when you tap them before cooking and closed ones that don't open after you cook them.
0 -
Ok I'm cooking the floating ones. Thanks. If I have to go to the ER I'm sending you my bill.
0 -
Bedo--You already have a broken rib. You've filled your quota--you can't go to the ER for anything else! LOL I hate food poisoning. I hope you survive!
0 -
I don't know *anything* about mussels.
Let's see.....
Pest. A Maine Coon Cat, I think. She walked into my house while I was bringing in groceries. I fed her and that was it. The grocery store was about 1/2 a block away and after a few weeks, she would follow me down to the grocery store and wait behind the soda machine for me to come out. Pest got her name because she would MEOW very loudly at 4am or so in the morning. She didn't want to eat, didn't want to play, didn't want attention and didn't want to go outside. She would just sit on the floor at the foot of the bed and MEOW as loudly as possible.
My test daughters...One of my three close friends has two daughters. I met them when they were 3 and 5 years old. They are now in their mid and late 30s. Test daughter is their term because they said it was if I was testing the waters to see if I wanted to be a dad. According to the two of them, I was as involved in their lives as much as their dad...and may be even a bit more protective of them.
About a year before the youngest (and first to get married) met the man that would become her husband, their dad was embroiled in finding out whether some medical test was a false positive, or not. A true positive result had a short and grim prognosis. They both came to me and asked...if dad can't..when we get married, would you give me away? It turned out it really was a false positive so I didn't need to do that. At the weddings there were two father-daughter dances......one with dad and one with me.
0 -
Eric, such a sweet story!
0 -
crockpot chicken breasts and stuffing. Modified some. It was very good. 3hrs on low.
0 -
Twins.... and with carrots as in lazy day crockpot chicken? My daughter's favorite meal when she was about 6. Do you have twins? This is a nice forum if I missed you before.
Going to start the work week in the morning. Hope to check in before Friday.
0 -
Bedo, I've heard to put flour in the water with the mussels, so oatmeal probably does sma thing. It makes them dislodge any sand still inside.
When they are cooked, you toss any that the shells don't open on.
0 -
There isn't a huge amount of space, and it's not fancy, but it gets the job done
The table and chairs were made in high school wood shop. 36 years old and it's still doing fine. I'm laughing. The dog brought in a shoe...just to the left of the chair that is facing my camera.
0 -
Our neighbor's chicken flock is down to one hen who spends quite a bit of time in our yard hanging out under the bird feeders along with the doves and squirrels. This chicken is quite pretty, her feathers a dark auburn color that are shiny in the sunlight. As long as she doesn't come onto the patio and poop, I don't mind her visits. It's a miracle she's alive because there are hawks and foxes in the vicinity, which accounts for her solo status. Her owner just bought some little baby chickens (biddies) and had them in a pen with wire on the top as well as the sides and something got inside and killed them. He was told it might have been a mink. This is possible since a small stream runs through the neighbor's property.
Chickens are very stupid. We often had a flock of chickens when I was growing up so I had the opportunity to observe them. If I stayed home year round, I think I would like to have about half a dozen chickens for the eggs and I would also like to have a veggie garden again, but I wouldn't have such a large one as I had before. Both these ideas are probably just that, ideas. DH was pressuring me this afternoon on a departure date for heading north to MN this summer.
MZ, I've never known anyone who was anorexic and recovered. The saddest case I know about was a young woman who was a star tennis player in a local high school. She was a lovely blond girl from a well-to-do family. I have no idea what caused her to develop the disease but it killed her. I'm glad you were able to learn to enjoy food.
Eric, I wish my mother had an Eric. She would work him to death! My dh has done lots of little jobs for her but a single older woman definitely needs a handyman. My youngest brother is probably the closest to an Eric and he lives in OK. My middle brother calls her to tell her about all his aches and pains and medical issues. The oldest brother hires someone to do his handyman work. He's pretty incompetent when it comes to tools and a couch potato besides.
Tomorrow I will definitely wish I had a cleaning woman. Things have gotten bad enough around here that I must don my maid's uniform and skip the gym. It's either clean house or weed flowerbeds so the weeds will get a respite. Both jobs are pointless because the house gets dirty again and the weeds grow back.
0 -
eric - cats are crazy, but loveable - funny about the running around acting crazy! Love the test daughter story. My DD found two vintage painted captain's chairs like yours, she has them in her apartment - yours look solid!
0 -
Eric - do you mean you made the table & chairs? Wow.
0 -
Eric, That trial daughter story is a wonderful one. How wonderful for these young women to have had another adult in their life that wanted the very best for them. Your kitchen suits you! As to shut off valves for water.... if you need to ask, it is too late for that knowledge. Strangely, this is one of the few things I know about the mechanics of this house Oh, and how to shut off the boiler and electric power. I am not totally sure I know where the gas shut off valve is though. I should know that as well.
Everything I know about mussels I learned from TV. I am allergic so have never made them. The open/close thing I know... and some people swear by baking soda in the water to soak to pull out the sand, and others say it makes no difference. Farmed mussels, which is what we all get, don't have much sand to begin with.
Carole, yes. The weeds return. The dirt returns. Such is life....
Tonight, the whole day's plan was about watching the NCAA. Not me, but Mr.WithManyNumbers. [Duke won while doing it in style, I hear.] There is no way to plan dinner when there might be overtime, so we tried the new Schwarma spot that has opened one hill over. Not bad at all! I got a bunch of sides: hummus, tabouli, garlic sauce, and a meat pie while Mr.WithManyNumbers got a lamb schwarma. We also got a red lentil soup. The soup wasn't bad. An Egyptian version of this soup which was thinner and not as spicy. The hummus was very good. The tabouli was unusual. Truly a parsley salad with just a bit of bulgar, with no dressing I think. The garlic sauce was delicious... kick-*ss garlic! This was the first time I have had Egyptian Meat pie, and it doesn't do much for me. The owner of this spot might be willing to make my "dream" dinner, so next time I will give that a try next time.
*susan*
0 -
I've had cats most of my life until the last eight years. I would love to have a Maine Coon. Beautiful cats! I'm supposed to be allergic to dogs and cats too but I don't have any reaction to dogs and cats only if they get in my face.
I also had chickens at one point in my life. Loved the fresh eggs. It's also possible a raccoon got the neighbor's chicks. I had problems with them, foxes, owls and neighbor's dogs. I raised turkeys too.
Eric, my first kitchen after we got married was half the size of yours (and no table). I managed to feed 26 people out of it one thanksgiving!
0 -
Susan, I must have schwarma one day!
0 -
For Eric:
And apologies for leaving out the cast-iron cookware! You are a talented and helpful guy! Loved the sweet story about your "test daughters".
Special, your allergies sound similar to mine....too many! I don't think I would do very well in a warm climate with mold spores. Tho apparently the ground mold has erupted here already...arghhh! No wonder why my eyes are itching like crazy after a nice calm spell over the winter. I'm hoping that when little Winston the Scotty visits here he doesn't track those spores in on his little low to the ground body. Our schnauzers never got my allergies going, even tho I am clinically diagnosed with cat and dog allergies, too. But our last pooch died just before I started Tamoxifen. After a year on that, my allergies emerged full force.
Guess I should be happy that I have spent my adult life free of environmental allergic reactions until now.Carole, I like the sound of the lunch out you and your mom had planned. And can totally relate to binge desserting! I would definitely give the scales a pass for a couple days!
Nance, eager to learn how your artichoke turned out.
Today, after church and a film about the migration of the monarch butterflies, I came home to make two pots of chicken soup....one included all the basics (and even celery which I never buy due to my allergy to it...but this pit was going to a friend) plus fresh thyme, spinach and farro; the one for us had pastina and spinach and some extra flavor of fennel. And I always put a parm rind in for that lovely flavor. I also made the faux french bread, but the loaves turned out to be ginormous since my brother called from LA to let me know how his wife was doing after gall bladder surgery, and I didn't have the heart to cut him short. Yikes! Big loaves that weren't as nice as they usually turn out. We had the soup and lamejun and baba ganoush with cut up veggies for dinner. Oh, someone asked about the faux french bread...I'll see if I can find the recipe and post it here....
0 -
Lacey, I ended up just roasting them in foil this time with lemon juice, garlic and olive oil because I already had a main dish wth tomato sauce. Next time though I'll plan better!
0 -
Oh Susan, we must have lunch at your newfound Schwarma spot! I think I could avoid the heavily parslied foods (tabbouleh, etc.) and would love being introduced to some new foods with you as my expert "food tour guide". Maybe when you return from "overseas" ( I get a kick when people use that term)?
Off to an early med appt in the AM to decide what plan I will follow for the allergy treatments.
Lots of NCAA viewing in this house....and tho the ND guys lost to KY, tonight the ND gals defeated Baylor to make it to the Final Four. Yay!
Never owned chickens...but had two ducks when griwing up which landed in a petting zoo after a couple of years in our back yard. No duck eggs...:(. My brother had a raccoon, which was certainly NOT a great pet, and one winter day he escaped from his cage and approached some children on the other side of town. The police assumed he was rabid since he was approaching humans, and shot him. A very sad day for my brother.
Tomorrow night we'll make lamb burgers after stretching class. Then I have to get this Easter dinner plan organized! ;/
0 -
Were they good, Nance? I do think I like the pairing of them with a spicy tomato sauce, but maybe I should try your fast method.
When DS1 was a three year old I used to make artichokes a lot and he was so happy eating them. It was so cute. He also loved mussels which we had frequently on Friday nights. DS2 on the other hand was a kid who only ate hot dogs, (yuk!) or plain pasta and eventually mac and cheese. Now he is a healthy and expansive appreciator of varied foods, which is why we are getting a kick out of his fussy eater girlfriend selection .....she is his childhood self! ;
0 -
Thanks...
0 -
Carole--Anorexics never really recover. I learned to enjoy food, but I handle it differently than most people. There are certain thought patterns I can't let my mind travel to or I'll return to old tracks. I don't have a scale in my house and I am careful with mirrors. As long as I feel that I have control in my life, I do pretty well. Cancer has not helped me there. My desire to raise a happy family is my key to winning. I made a choice to have children, so I feel responsible for two things--one, I must be healthy so I can finish what I started and two, I don't want my kids to ever have image problems like mine--which means I have to provide the right example. I pretty much make a decision to stick with it every day.
Eric--I am an idiot for not putting together that you are a him and not a her. I'm a bit slow at times. I apologize. Love your story about test daughters. So nice that they included a dad dance for you. (How long were you going to let me keep calling you a great daughter? LOL)
Lacey--That was me. Thanks for posting the faux french bread.
0 -
Mombie, I saw that and was confused. :-) Sharon (my wife) is how I found this place.
If I wasn't clear earlier..thank you, everyone, for your kind words.
0 -
Would never have thought of tomato sauce and artichokes. Or of cooking them in oven. I trim mine and steam them with garlic cloves, some salt and fresh lemon quarters. Serve them with a little dish of mayo sauce to dip the leaves. Some people like drawn butter. Have also stuffed them with seasoned breadcrumbs and olive oil stuffing. You can buy them stuffed with a garlicky bread crumb and shrimp stuffing ready to cook at many fresh seafood markets. Artichokes have gotten very expensive in recent years.
Eric, I went back and saw your kitchen after I read comments. We were posting at the same time. Your table and chairs are very solid and sturdy. Now I can picture you at work cooking for your family. I, too, love the test daughters story. Lucky girls to have two dads.
Susan, how fitting that a Schwarma restaurant would be located near you! The closest we have to a restaurant like that is one called Albasha (sp?) that claims to serve Greek and Lebanese food. It may be a chain. There is one in two different towns. I have had lunch at both restaurants and remember eating the chicken and enjoying it. I loved the hummus because it was so silky as well as tasty. I can't seem to make hummus that smooth.
Happy Monday.
0 -
Carole, that's how I usually fix my artichokes too, along with a little olive oil, but this was a recipe from some chef that I came across and decided to try. It called for stuffing a clove of garlic in the middle (i used two) which was a nice touch. They turned out very good although I was afraid they would be too dry.
Love the pictures Joyce!
0 -
Good news Joyce!
0 -
eric - I went and looked at your pic again - I spied the cast iron dutch oven on the stove! Yay!
My DH often rents cars - we were getting them regularly when we were going to Boynton Beach to see our friend whose estate we are handling, and he gets one when he drives up to see his parents in SC - we both have leased cars with mileage restrictions and he has a long commute to work, so he tries not to put more miles on our cars. There is a resident rooster in the rental car parking lot - which is part of a hotel nearby. This roster loves my DH - follows him around, and once it almost got in our car.
lacey - maybe the scottie needs a garment of some kind to wear outside so he doesn't carry any allergens in with him! Maybe we can all start a cat flag/dog suit/apron with pockets business. How is your DH doing? I grew up in California - land of artichokes - we ate them all the time as kids. I had them a lot for my kids - they liked them, particularly DD, because of the disassembling and eating with hands approach. I usually get some when DD is home - she will eat two big ones for dinner!
joyce - yay for good scans! Your pantry and floor tile look just like mine! I think your pantry is larger though. Your kitchen looks light and bright, very Florida!
0 -
That dutch oven is my avatar on BCO.
It doesn't need a storage place other than "on the stove" as it gets used pretty much every day.
Lots of memories in that thing.
0 -
Joyce, great news! Nice kitchen. Very light and bright.
0 -
Joyce,
What a nice kitchen you have in Florida! Do the sliders [and dog] go to a sunroom or screened porch? I am also impressed at how your pantry doesn't have tons of multiples. You have will-power! I think I have a slight fear-of-running-out in my DNA.
*susan*
0 -
Susan - I have the same DNA. I can't seem to buy just one of something that I KNOW I'll need more of down the road. Or things that look so interesting I'm sure I'll try them (not usually anymore). I was hungry for Saltines and a box of 4 "sleeves" was $2.49 - cheaper than buying the small package. I bought the box, but was a good girl & immediately took 2 of the sleeves to a neighbor so they don't get stale in my cupboard. I need to take a 3rd sleeve to someone since I've discovered my taste is running to club crackers now instead of Saltines.
0
