So...whats for dinner?

epic curean. ???? :-)

Special,

Your Tampa group is so very lucky! Not only are you hosting, which means cleaning your house, but the food sounds absolutely fabulous! I really like your crate dish ware. I reverted to white a number of years ago, but I went totally cheap with IKEA. Somedays I think I should upgrade again, to something nice that is white. The stoneware, which we received for wedding gifts and is now 33 years old, the kid just loves. She was so happy to receive.

My life has been wild lately. 8 hrs at a client office after a new installation, then home, make dinner, and then 3 more hours of coding. Hard to believe. To be honest, last month, this would not have been possible. I think I am doing better on this cycle 3. Time will tell.

Dinner tonight was all the tomatoes that have been accumulating. I peeled and cored them, and made a quick sauce for some pasta with Italian sausage. Tomorrow night we are going to Sarma for our anniversary dinner. Technically, this date was last week, but I moved the reservation so that we didn't have to leave the young French cousin at home while we had a festive meal. Well, I am babbling now.... the French cousin will return to our house on Monday, and then on Wednesday she flies back to France. I will actually miss her, and be relieved at the same time. Does that make sense?

*susan*

I agree about white dishes presenting food so well. My love for color, however, led me in recent years (when my white ones were looking pretty tired and scratched after many years) to buy Noritake every day dishes that are a lovely blue on the underside and cream on the food side. I've enjoyed them a lot.

Special, I admire your organization skills for all that prep!

Last evening we arrived home and I made us my favorite dish of kale, flavoring veggies, with poached eggs on top. I so love that weird meal...and now DH seems to also. Yay! We had local corn with it, and a cuke salad.

Tonight we grilled chicken breasts marinated in a garlic, balsamic and rosemary powder mix. Sides were grilled yellow squash and portobello mushrooms, corn on cob, and a salad of romaine, fresh spinach, pea tendrils, red onion and tomatoes. I dressed it with a chile almond dressing I got at Whole Foods a while ago, which is really spicy. Yum! The reason for the mixed greens is that we hit a farmer's market in our next town today and the same Asian family who sells the purslane has wonderful greens that people were scooping up. I bought their spinach on one customer's recommendation that it was the best spinach she has tasted. Also got my pea tendrils there and a large bunch of amaranth which I guess I will stir fry, since I'm not sure what else to do with it. It was so beautiful, I had to get it!

Another interesting product we bought was offered by a young Haitian man who created a fruit and vegetable spicy condiment that can be stirred into dips, used as a rub, in a saute, or even mixed with seltzer for a refreshing drink. It was quite flavorful. We bought some (they are frozen)to use when for our new vegans are visiting. This guy calls his concoction, "the caviar of vegan treats". He shared that he was having cancer treatment and the idea for this condiment, named "Doos PK", came from the kinds of ingredients/foods his mother and grandmother were making for him during that time.

Nance, great minds.....and bodies! We also returned to the gym today. DH had a new instructor for his workout class that our trainer, Sarah, used to lead...the guy looks like a pro athlete!

I got myself on the treadmill and walked, ran, and walked again, then put myself through a lot of upper body paces, which felt good. Can't say the same for my hip joint that flared angrily at me during some leg weight tasks I later performed. I was tired but feeling accomplished when I left, and I am feeling (somewhat) determined to lose the four pounds I have picked up over the summer with all of our eating. So I will try to keep this up.

Tonight DH and I decided to take his convertible (which I dislike intensely and in which do not ride) to the town ball fields where it is untreed and quite dark, to look at the Perseid meteor showers. Well, if the seats were more comfortable, I might have stayed longer than an hour, but the reinforcement was just not happening with each of us seeing only one small "shooting star".

So home we came....maybe if I get ip at 4PM, I'll check out the sky from our backyard. Anyone else have a good view of them? We used to always go out on the lake to see these, and it was a magnificant show.

Susan, you continue to be our energizer bunny! And I can totally "get " your ambivalence about your guest departing. It was a blended experience at a very punctuated time for you!

Special - I do like your dinnerware. Very classic. Ours still after almost 40 years looks like early marriage. In fact I have a few forks/knives and a couple of plates that were DH's. Oh my. But then we do not entertain.

IKEA is another place just not easy to get to. Frisco I think. We pass it on the way to DB's for Thanksgiving. I might go check out Pottery Barn though. Ft Worth is just coming out of the long passe oil bust but shopping is still lagging way behind restaurants. That are everyone just goes to Dallas.

Susan absolutely understand the relieved and missing her. Maybe you and DH can retrieve the sense of adventure she brought with a little less of the urgency accompanying her visit.

I think the white chicken chili will have to wait. Those green beans and cole slaw are calling so I suspect some kind of sauteed chicken. The hamburgers were good as most hamburgers usually are. McCormicks makes a new packet of burger stir in. I had Grill Mates Roasted Garlic and Sauteed Onion. DH loved. I like burgers that are not so squishy and these were squishy. Wonder if it would make good meatloaf? Might try that next.

We had light cloud cover come over so I didn't even try to view the meteors. I have to get in just the right spot on the patio to block the arc light out front but do have a good view of the NE sky.

Carole....I'm with ya on the hating packing sentiment! And I have spent most of my summer doing just that. I hope you weekend is fun!

I am loving being home now for a whole week, except that the weather is totally beach friendly and we are not near the beach!! I do hope the forecast remains good for late next week when our family will be together at the lake.

Today is DGD's 3rd birthday. She is such a little character who, when we spoke today told me how eager she is to see the "new" tutu I bought for her. Well...it does not exist as yet! So I have until next Wednesday to trek to the consignment store to find a tutu for her to prance around in, and to maintain my status as "Tutu Nana". Haha! I have all sorts of crafts and activities planned to do with the two grands and can't wait....in case I have not said that a ton of times already!!

I finally made it to the hairdresser today after lots of inches grown, and color very faded from the sun. I thought it was looking like a long haystack. My hairdresser was horrified as was her compatriot, and I agreed to let it be dyed all over (I never do for fear that I will have that shoe polish look). Fortunately, the color came out just fine...I recognized myself. ....and she just trimmed it so I can still wear a pony tail at the beach. Hair crisis averted!
I then headed out to several stores to find some throw rugs we need for NH, placemats, chair cushions, etc. Lots of looking and no luck. That kind of shopping is so frustrating. Then went to my favorite clothes store, Frugal Fannies, and succumbed to the temptation to get two dresses (so inexpensive, they were "unpassupable") and a few skirts to wear with jackets once the weather gets cool. I recently learned of a few events I need to attend with DH, thus the dress splurge.

Oh, a PS on the meteor showers....DH did get up at 4 (not for that purpose;) and looked outside and did see a "shooter". He was satisfied.....:)

Poor DH spent his day doing yard work in the hot sun. So I quickly got to making dinner once home. I used our leftover chicken to make a stir fry that included lots of garlic, scallions, yellow squash, and amaranth leaves. Since the chicken from yesterday had been marinated in balsamic, I used that instead of teriyaki for the sauce. It was different , and we enjoyed it a lot, along with red rice and cuke/red onion salad.nstill lots of amaranth left...hmmmmm. Too bad the new vegans aren't here!

Tomorrow we will probably head to Ikea to replace a bed frame for NH house, and maybe we can eat out. Tho I will also be meeting one of my former colleagues for lunch, so maybe two meals out is not such a good idea.

I think the midwest heat is headed here...we could use it.

Where the heck is everybody?

Tonight DH requested toasted ravioli. I wasn't feeling it, so I thawed some marinara for him and some shrimp for myself. I sauteed the shrimp in a little butter and olive oil with some garlic, added a squeeze of lemon then mixed it with some cooked linguine with more butter, parsley and a handful of parm. Delicious and very satisfying.

I feel virtuous. I went to the gym 3 times this week.

I am not virtuous. I have never been in a gym. However, yesterday we celebrated our wedding anniversary with a special dinner at Sarma. This is a restaurant that serves Turkish-Moroccan inspired small plates. Our reservation was for 8pm, but our table just wouldn't leave, so we were not seated until 8:25. The manager, who I later learned is Molly, brought me a cocktail and then when we were seated, had two plates delivered to the table within moments of our arrival. Seven plates and we were full. So, for you folks playing along, our meal was parsnip fritters with cilantro, walnut, sunflower seeds; sugar snaps pistachio tahini, fried quinoa, radishes, candied ginger; seven layer hummus with falafel crackers; spicy green beans harissa, preserved lemon, salt & pepper chickpeas; feta baked in phyllo fennel, arugula, sour cherry emulsion [wouldn't order this again, and we didn't finish]; octopus grapefruit charmoula, avocado, beet, black garlic, urfa; harissa bbq duck carrot, orange blossom, apricot, almonds. This is my kind of meal..... lots of big flavors, with a beautiful presentation. I had a lovely cocktail, and with my new post-Istanbul lifestyle, I can walk to and from the restaurant. Such a lovely evening. The only reason we don't eat there more often is, well, it is impossible to get a table with short notice. Mr. 02143 has decided that I should make restaurants at Sarma for every 4-6 weeks, and so I have. Worst case? We have to cancel.

Tonight we were supposed to have a simple Weisswurst dinner, but, well his Alzheimers forgot that, and he bought a rack of lamb at Costco. I froze the sausage and went with the lamb. We are harvesting way more tomatoes than we can eat so I made a "Moroccan" tomato salad with preserved lemons, and some boiled baby potatoes dressed with butter and chives from the garden. The salad was really delicious! The recipe appeared in the local paper yesterday. Of course, I modified, substituting feta for olives, alleppo peppers for the cayenne, and including tons of fresh Greek oregano. And, since I HATE HATE HATE bell peppers, we omitted all of them.

The kids came home tonight! The cats are happy. We are happy. They ate the leftover tomato salad and several tomatoes that had not been turned into salad yet. They had a great trip, and well, are still happy to be home.

*susan*

Moroccan-Inspired Tomato Salad With Olives and Preserved Lemon

Makes about 8 cups

2½ pounds ripe-but-firm local tomatoes, seeded and cut into ¾-inch dice (about 5 cups)

Salt and ground black pepper

½ cup thinly sliced red onion, cut into half-moons if desired

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon minced or grated garlic (about 1 large clove)

½ teaspoon paprika

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

Pinch cayenne pepper

½ medium preserved lemon, pulp discarded, rind rinsed well and finely chopped (about 2½ tablespoons)

1 tablespoon honey

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 large yellow or orange bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into ¾-inch dice

¾ cup pitted green olives, quartered lengthwise

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

In a colander set over a bowl, toss the tomatoes with 1 teaspoon salt and set aside to drain, at least 30 minutes. Gently shake the colander to drive off more liquid, discard the liquid (or reserve for another use), and gently blot the tomatoes with paper towels. Meanwhile, in a small bowl cover the onion with cool water, soak for about 30 minutes, drain, blot dry, and set aside.

In a large nonreactive bowl, mix the lemon juice, garlic, paprika, cumin, cayenne, preserved lemon rind, honey, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and black pepper to taste, to blend. Vigorously whisk in the oil to blend. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and black pepper if necessary. Add the tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, and olives, and toss gently to combine. Add most of the parsley and toss gently to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and black pepper if necessary. Scrape into a serving dish if desired, sprinkle with the remaining parsley, and serve at once.

Minus, that sounds like my kind of group. Yum!

Thanks for the delicious sounding recipe Susan, I want to try it while I have tomatoes.

I go to the gym a lot, but it doesn't seem to do much good..

Happy anniversary Susan.

Sharon and I cleaned the refrigerator this morning.

Haha, Eric! Thanks for the chuckle and maybe it will help motivate me to get to the harder tasks that still await me today. Dealing just fine with minutiae!

I have kept the house doors closed to keep the heat out and it seems to be working well. Had hoped to do my walk outdoors today, but I got involved in clothes mgmt (again!) and now it is pretty brutal out...the cool basement on the treadmill later will have to do....after some work at the sewing machine.

At least I started with some healthy food today....my veggie/fruit smoothie and a peach.

Nance, I always think of you now when I eat a good, juicy peach...and if I could tolerate the sensory part of the juice dripping down my arm, I would let it happen! I will probably pick up more peaches tomorrow at the farmer's market, and could use an EASY/FAST recipe for doing something with them that could freeze so I can take it to NH on Wed. A compote or something?

Suffering here with no a/c today. Of course it's in the 90s and sunny. A/c guy is here. Why does this crap always happen on a weekend?

Oh Nancy. Hope AC is fixed soonest. It actually does not feel like a blowtorch outside here today but know you prob. have more humidity.

Minus - I've not gotten into the Hatch craze. This time of year I only go to Ft Worth if necessary which will have to be next Friday for eye doctor appt. But yes the Ft Worth store is sure into it. I googled trying to find CM's recipe without success. They do have a hatch biscuit recipe on their site, might be close. But there are for sure lots of other Hatch Cheddar scone recipes out there. Hmm - might be something to make and freeze for October lake trip. It would have to be already done chilies, no way except the seldom used BBQ to char them.

Speaking of BBQ did get the tri tip out but probably not in time to make today. Will have to continue thawing in fridge. Thinking pizza - sadly premade store bought crust - which will only keep oven on for short while.

Will have to cook this week. Signed up for church family meal again - meatloaf (not my best dish but I keep trying), glazed carrots, jello salad and some kind of dessert prob. knowing me will be brownies. Checked my bookmarks and I must have 30+ meatloaf recipes. Must, must choose one so I can shop for anything needed tomorrow after church.

Nance, I also hope your "air" is back in shape very soon! I just made the mistake of going in the backyard to hang some scarves I washed, and ended up weeding and pruning for three hours, despite the heat (the scarves were bone dry by then, so that worked well!) Ya know how that goes...you go outside and everything screams "I need attention" including the birdbaths needing a good scrubbing. So now I am a sweaty mess and still need to get to the sewing machine....it will happen.

Luv, I cannot imagine making or eating meatloaf in this weather. I'd be going for grilled chicken salad, corn on cob, maybe still jello and carrots. Do you get to choose or is your menu assigned? Probably been years since I made a meatloaf. I always remember making my first one as an older teenager, when my brother (year older) and I were manning the fort since my parents were at a convention. I was so happy to make a meal....since my mother was the kitchen frau...but unfortunately the little paperback cookbook I used for the meatloaf recipe had less than ideal print spacing, and the 1/4 tsp pepper ran into the binding, and it looked like 1tsp. My brother enjoyed gagging at our "pepper loaf" and never let me forget what a terrible cook I was. He was always nice that way! ;/

When I did make meatloaf, I prepared it my mother's way with a slice of bacon on top and a can of tomato sauce poured over....Italian style.

The meatloaf won't be so bad. I'll make it for their dinner and ours as well. It's an older couple, DH has Alzheimers. So trying to appeal more to him than wife or in home daughter. It really is much nicer out today only 94. DH is going for more tooth work on Tuesday so I couldn't ask him to grill. Our instructions say they eat anything and use disposable. I've done pot roast, potato sausage casserole, chicken/Italian rice cass - since March. I'm hoping with school starting back more people will sign up. Our church is full of school personnel so it clears out greatly during the summer. Meals only Tues/Thurs. Think church provides meal from Wed. night dinner but it hasn't restarted yet.

I found more chicken breasts in freezer so may sign up again in a week or 2 for white chicken chile. I really need to get out the crockpot cookbooks. But really we have cut down eating a bunch in this heat.

The a/c is fixed, at least for the moment. It needs a part which we'll have installed next week. The house got so hot it's taking a while to cool down again but at least it's cooling.

I had intended to make pickles today but of course it was too hot for that and now it will be Tuesday before I have a chance. We had grilled burgers, a tomato salad and corn on the cob -- none of which involved the stove.

Tomorrow will be a family affair at DH's sisters house. They are preparing to move to north Carolina and we're all going to help clean out the house to get it ready for sale. It will be a hot, dirty day and I don't see myself feeling like fixing a dinner. It will probably be a group dinner out.