So...whats for dinner?
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It's not difficult to find junk yard donor cars. They have "European import", "Asian import" and "domestic" areas. And, within that, they try to group makes of cars together. The other thing that helps is that most car makers use the same parts across many different models and years of cars and the junk yards have books that give that information. When we're done, DD's car will be a white, brown, blue, tan 1993, 1991, 1994, 1996, 1995 Volvo 960 Sedan, 960 Wagon, 740 Sedan, S90 Sedan. :-)
DD hasn't helped this afternoon. She had to go to the nail and hair salons in preparation for tonight's prom.
In other news.....
Sharon is now 56.
I'm not sure what will happen for dinner tonight. She doesn't want to go out, so in a little while, I'll clean up, go to the market and hope inspiration hits :-) She mentioned London Broil and horseradish...so maybe that will be a start.
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Lacey, you'd be surprised how high tech junkyards can be with computers. The big ones can usually tell you right away if they have what you're looking for and where it's located. They also connect with other yards and can find what you want all over the country. It's a big business.
I have a couple of recipes for Welsh cakes, one from king Arthur flour, that I have yet to try. You've intrigued me enough that I may have to. They caught my eye some time ago.
We worked in the garden most of the day. Oh our aching backs! DH has rebuilt all but two of the beds, which are now waiting for new dirt and amendments. Hopefully we can get that done next week. As luck would have it the nights have been too cold to plant much, so I won't be too far behind. We worked in a steady but not too cold drizzle all day.
The orioles arrived today. Love seeing them and hearing them sing. They can join our solitary hummingbird and rose breasted grosbeak. Where are all the girlfriends?
We're too tired to cook so it's takeout pizza. I will make a salad though.
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Eric, we cross posted. Happy birthday to Sharon!
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Happy birthday to Sharon!
Our leftover lamb shanks and polenta were just as good tonight as two nights ago. We also had steamed asparagus with butter and lemon. Easy prep and cleanup.
Day one of yard work. Managed to get in 2 1/2 hours of pruning and weeding before my foot called a halt to walking and standing. By then I didn't have a dry thread on my body. Spent the afternoon cutting squares and strips for assembling to make placemats. The next step will be stitching.
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First off, Happy Birthday to Sharon! A young'en from my perspective. Hope dinner worked out well. Just having someone else cook it would be a birthday gift!
Carole...oh the beauty of "jump ups"...tasty and easy, with minimal clean up! Didn't someone on this thread call leftovers that? Was it you, Minus?
Nance, I can hardly wait for you to make Welsh cakes! I'd be happy to send you pizzelles for a few of your cakes!
So tonight was to be gnocchi with quick sauce and salad. Well, I could not find the gnocchi in the freezer, which bothered me terribly since I recall last weekend opening the freezer door and finding a place for the package. Well, even with DH adding a flashlight to the effort (not so helpful!), we did not locate the potato delights...until much later in a cabinet. Turns out it did not need to be refirgerated, which I obviously noticed before leaving it in the freezer. So, plan B.....I made a sauce and then a penne casserole with mozzarella and parm on top, and meatballs on the side. I so rarely have pasta that it was absolutely delightful....but wait...there's more! I remembered that I wanted to try a new way to prepare cauliflower....roasted whole with yogurt and spices coating the top. I ended up deciding to use the Trader's North African spices (the Ras El Hanout we talked about recently) with garlic powder and fresh orange zest. Roastedit in the oven at 400 for about 45 minutes. It was delightful, if heated....but we like that. The presentation which requires one to cut slices of it was fun. I think this would be an interesting side for a dinner party with folks who like it spicy!
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Oh how I miss the days when i could start yard work at 8am & work until after dark, day after day. Even in the heat, and Lacey, it hit 90 today. Put in 2 hours yesterday and another 2-1/2 today digging up & weeding beds. Nasty bermuda grass with long roots and a truly horrible, invasive, creeping vine from the neighbor on the West that I thought was muscadine grape. Nope it's some kind of ivy w/berries that's taking over the trees & even coming up in my lawn. Gardening with LE sleeves and a compression bra is truly the pits but I'm almost ready to pull the plumaria out of the garage & pop them in the dirt - only two months late. Some of them are 10 ft tall & 6-7" in diameter so I'll find some help. I'm going to spend a long time in the shower so dinner may be nothing.
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Carole, I admire your "get to it" style. I am so slow to get my sewing tasks completed. And they are sitting in our dining room with the machinemat the ready.
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Lacey - looks like we're cross posting. No, I wasn't the one who called left overs jump-ups, but I did always chuckle at the name. Maybe my chemo brain will recall who later.
Eric - adding my B-day wishes for Sharon.
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Minus, enjoy your shower and have some popcorn! Then some well-earned rest!
I know the fatigue of such work, but can't even think about it given the extent of the allergy problem....which is crazy since I have the physical strength to do it these days. My neighbors must wonder what is happening since I wear a mask when I am doing any planting in the backyard.....and that effort is minimal. We have an invasive vine whose name I should probably know, but don't. Last weekend, I tried to pull some of it off of our 100 year old huge rhododendron " bush" that it is effectively killing, and managed to seed it further with the pods,that I missed seeing, breaking open and flying everywhere.
I hope that tomorrow you can enjoy the visuals of your efforts!
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Nance, post a picture of the Welsh cakes when you make them. This is another food item I had not heard about.
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Carole, I had not heard of Welsh Cakes either until I ran across them at Volante Farms. They sort of look like a small pancake. In case you have not seen them yet, (and to take some pressure off Nance...;), here is a link to their history, including some pictures. While they look sort of like pancakes, they are soooo much better!
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Carole - I think you and I are on a parallel yard work schedule.
My dinner will probably shock even Bedo. Two large gin & tonics (maybe the first time I've had 2 drinks in 3 years) and two flour tortillas spread w/real butter, sprinkled with pre-grated Mexican cheese from a bag, microwaved and rolled.
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Change of plans.....BBQ chicken (on the BBQ) instead of London Broil.
The weather here is kind of cool and there's a storm moving through--low 70F degrees, 20-25mph wind, a chance of rain tonight.
DD is at her school's prom. She's 17 years old. It was about this time of year in 1997 when we found out Sharon was pregnant. A lot has changed since then. Today DD asked if she gave me grey hair....I told her no and that she makes me smile and I'm proud to be her dad.
Special, I've been reading your posts about your daughter. The world needs more like her. If DD follows in her footsteps, I'd be a happy dad.
Oh, I also got quite a bit more work done on DD's car. I'm just about done taking care of bent metal.
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I googled Welsh pancakes and read about them. They sound very tasty and easy to make. One ingredient was a variety of sugar I did not recognize. Maybe a Welsh name for powdered sugar?
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I am running behind on pictures.... so much to do after all, and who can post pictures after drinking Spanish wines? Here is a late afternoon snack in the true Andalusian style. [No, we did NOT eat three a piece, the standard serving size in Granada. I had one, he had two. That was plenty.]
I read and love hearing about everyone's life, but can't seem to comment much. Enjoy!
*susan*
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Carole, neither of my recipes call for anything other than granulated sugar. I will post pics of the cakes after I make them this morning.
Susan, what is that snack you have? If that is coffee, it looks delicious.
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Coffee with churros..... the kids get chocolate for dipping. The wiki article indicates that this is a breakfast thing, but I saw far more people enjoying them as a late afternoon snack. The coffee is an espresso, and then they bring a stainless carafe of steamed milk and add to the top of the glass. Very formal, and delicious. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Churro
*susan*
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Love it!
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Not as pretty as the pictures, but tasty nonetheless.
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Susan - I'm amazed you're finding the time to read at all, not to mention posting. We're glad to see you anytime and know that you're having a fantastic vacation.
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eric - thanks for the compliment regarding my DD! Your DD sounds excellent as well - she is sweet to inquire if she is giving you gray hair, so cute! I have a funny picture of my DD just before prom, she is standing outside by the pool in her long dress and the cat got underneath it and you can only see his tail. Has your DD made college plans? Happy Birthday to Sharon!
susan - I would dclare myself a kid so I could get chocolate for my churros! And yay for espresso! And wine!
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This morning's breakfast. Aebleskiver.
Churros are very popular here in the desert southwest. They are very versatile..going well with honey, cream, whipped cream, ice cream and most ice cream toppings.
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Churros and chocolate sound like a winning combo to me!
Carole, I love lamb shanks and have even turned dh into a lover of them. If you haven't tried a braise of them with white beans, you should. You would love it. I use Julia child's. Here's a link if you're interested:
http://meatandwildgame.about.com/od/Cooking_Lamb/r...
Tonight is oven fried chicken. The bird is marinating in buttermilk, seasonings and Louisiana hot sauce at the moment. Sides will be corn on the cob and spinach/kale sauteed with garlic.
I bought some rainbow chard plants for planting. I haven't grown it for years. Hope I can keep the critters out of it!
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Dinner tonight is a beef roast, leftover oven roasted potatoes that I will do as home fries with some onion and green pepper, and steamed combo of broccoli and cauliflower with lemon pepper and lemon zest.
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Double Yay for expresso! I'm thinking that I may have to purchase a small expresso machine.
Nance, your Welsh cakes look very much like the pictures in the article I read. Oven fried chicken is one of my favorites ways to cook chicken. And chard is probably my favorite greens other than mustard greens fresh out of the garden.
I'm in one of those "I can't think of anything tempting to cook or eat" moods.
DH mentioned this morning that I should be mindful of using up the food in the freezers. He's already thinking ahead to summer. Time passes so quickly that sometime I wish I could slow it down.
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Nance, you amaze me with your baking ambition! Those Welsh cakes look great...and isn't the texture interesting? I had no idea you'd make them so soon.
We just got home from Boston...the game and a quick visit to "the kids" who just took their little Scottie to the Vet for an extended stay due to possible pancreatitis... He's been sick and apparently Scotties are prone to that.
. I am horrified at how overdeveloped Southie has become in the last few years. New apts behind their condo are practically in their living room. I think I am more bothered by it than they are. Content sardines....Heating up leftover chicken and I'm about to figure out what to do with some pea shoots that I bought. I recall some delightful salads I had last Spring with these included.
Then I'll go back and read this page....
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The Welsh cakes were very easy and pretty quick to make. They ended up being very similar to scones. Usually when I try a new recipe, I make it as stated then make adjustments the next time, but I couldn't bring myself to use a whole cup of sugar to 3 cups of flour so reduced it by half. They were quite sweet enough but I'm sure it affected the character of the cakes. I may try a half batch using the right amount, just to see what they should be but we liked them a lot as I made them. I used golden raisins, but will use currants next time.
Lacey, I wish I had some cauliflower tio try your method. It sounded yummy.
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There is 3/4 of a rotisserie chicken with mashed potatoes, gravy and cranberry sauce left from last night, however; I treated myself to a big Bob Evans breakfast of fried mush, sausage and biscuits after 9:00 Mass and then late this afternoon, I heated up some of the Split Pea soup I made the day it rained &u( I used Special's recipe and it was really good---never had split pea soup before!) and the rest of the focaccia bread so now I am not hungry. The sun was shining and I tried to weed out a lot of dandelions from one of my beds. Still cold here. Don't know what the wrist will be saying later on, I just know I massaged the heck out of it when I came inside. Now I am ready for a hot soak in the tub and bed and it is only 6:30......
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Nance & Carole - I never fry chicken - mostly because my Mother never fried anything, but also the grease clean up. What's the trick to oven frying?
I couldn't finish two drinks last night so it was 1-1/2 G&Ts. Tonight was left over beef tips & noodles. Tomorrow will be fresh corn on the cob. I know it's early, but I just couldn't resist.
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red - I am glad you liked the pea soup! Sometimes a hot bath and bed early in the evening sounds good - I sometimes do that and snuggle in and read a book with some tea.
minus - I have a good "oven fried" chicken recipe - I have used it to make strips, but I suppose you could use a whole skinless, boneless breast. Put the cut up chicken breasts in ice water. I spray a baking sheet liberally with spray oil of choice. Put 1 c. of plain yogurt in a shallow bowl. Combine a tablespoon of Old Bay seasoning, 1/4 t. pepper, 1/2 t. garlic powder, dash cayenne, 1c. flour, 1 c. Italian bread crumbs, 1/2 t. creole seasoning 1/2 t. each thyme, basil & oregano in a large zip-top bag. Take the chicken out of the ice water, pat dry, and dip each chicken piece in the yogurt, then drop in the bag and shake in the flour/crumbs/spices. Then put the chicken pieces on the baking sheet and spray them with the oil. Bake for 20-30 minutes (for the strips) at 350 F. turning half way through. I think you could add or omit any of the spices to your liking.
When we lived in Washington, D.C. I always made these and took them for a picnic dinner when we went to watch the fireworks on 4th of July from the Pentagon. I usually took brandy slushes (for the adults) and baked potato salad, and cupcakes.
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