So...whats for dinner?

I think I am the only one here that does not own a cast iron pan (skillet) I do have a dutch oven in cast iron. I have put a bug in my sons ear about this so maybe for my birthday.

Susan I always thought of chemo as like being pregnant...some days I was nauseous and others had mad cravings like dill pickles (I think I needed the salt) and steak or beef (probably low iron) My DH and friends were always so gracious and tried to accommodate my wishes.

tonight will be a quiche with peppers, onions, tomatos and cheese with sausage patties on the side Breakfast!

Carole going back to a former post about your creations and buttons...My daughter is in NYC and her job is production and development of buttons and trim for major retailers. Everyone calls her the button girl. we have the most fun looking at and talking about buttons Haha something probably no one else can understand her office has walls filled with little card catalogue drawers filled with buttons...sooo much fun to play with.

Wow I didn't realize I was as far behind. Just reread my last post about this week being warmer. HaHa - not happening. Been mostly cold all week. Just hauled warm water out to the goats.

Not been too much cooking going on. Trying to use stuff up. Had bean burritos for 2 nights and I just finished the last 2 tortillas with some spready cheese and a bit of ranch dip and a ton of spinach. Tonight is non-exciting spaghetti but DH sounded pleased with it. The tortillas were interesting. A TX brand you had to heat in skillet, puffed up and browned. I like them, much much better than plain store bought. I had had some from WallyWorld from the refrig. section. These are much better and are in with the reg. pkg. tortillas.

Welcome Paxton. Yes we love our food thread. I'm from NW of Ft Worth.

Welcome DaisyQ. I've been lax about catching up but determined to do it today.

Yes Susan sounds like marvelous house progress. Oh that soup sounds so yummy. Oh and I absolutely agree not sappy at all. Connections are what keep us human.

Funny about the hack saw Nancy. DH has hack sawed a large turkey carcass. I did have a dedicated blade for it.

Carrie - I don't own any cast iron either. I have a smooth cook top and too afraid of scratching it. I never really learned to cook in one anyway so I'm not so much missing it.

No idea what dinner will be. Since I started writing this a couple of hours ago. We might just snack thru and not make the spaghetti. DH just had a chicken salad sammie when he came in so he won't be hungry for a while. Might be canned soup - I know not exciting.

Welcome hsant. We love new people, new ideas, new food.

All the cast iron talk has made me want cornbread so I pulled a hambone from the freezer and made navy bean soup. It's cold, dreary and snow covered here so soup will be good.

Everyone's meals sound good. I'm glad the roast turned out Carole, I don't have much luck with rump roast, although my MIL made one every Sunday of her married life.

Tomorrow, an outing! DH has an eye doc appointment and we'll make a Costco run. Good for cabin fever!

Hsant, lol, I think you'll find on here that a lot of us have an assortment of bones, carcasses of various kinds, and other animal or vegetable parts in our freezers. Susan's freezer is particularly magical.

Susan I have split pea soup on the stove right now. Never made it before but when I went to the Hill with my friend Maria, we got Prosciutto bones at Volpi's and I had a lb of split peas, so I put the peas, the bones, the carrots, the onion, the garlic, the oregano, the pepper, a bullion cube and water in and it is on the stove.....I hope that is how you do this. And I hope I like it

hsant - Hello fellow California girl - I am a native although live in Florida now - I grew up in Manhattan Beach and then Northridge, went to college in San Luis Obispo, and then moved to Sacramento and met my military husband.  In the red potato salad dressing I do equal parts of sour cream and mayo (I use Just Mayo), salt and pepper, and dill.  I toss the cooked red potatoes in the dressing and then add thinly sliced scallions.  I also make a baked potato salad with russets - baked and diced, also with the half mayo half sour cream, with S&P, then add scallions and crumbled bacon.  I like that recipe because the potatoes don't have any additional moisture to make the dressing watery and the potatoes seem to cool off faster.  In a pinch you can do the potatoes in the microwave if pressed for time.

Joyce - that beef stew would make a good potpie for a 2nd night dinner. I agree with lasagna being too much for 2 people but I have no trouble freezing stuff.

Those magical freezers - mine did a not so nutritious but quick no mess TaiPei beef with broccoli. Just enough for the 2 of us. Think I will have a pear later and more tea for the chill.

Susan - I bet lots of people were betting on the storm of the century hitting Boston which I don't think it is, right? Forgot to say how much I loved the stories of C's visit.

Red - what in the heck are Prosciutto bones? I barely know what Prosciutto is. Which reminds me I think that is what I have frozen. BTW the frozen "velveeta" like cheese "Dutch Garden" brand made great mac/cheese. I chunked it it the white sauce, would never know it had been frozen.

Sandy - I'm going to have to get some of those special salts. I know there is a Penzey's In Arlington but not really where I go and not even close to DD's place. There is a specialty spice store in Ft Worth but it concentrates on chile stuff though I've been surprised at some of the things they have. Hmm maybe Central Market? Unfortunately I don't have anything in town until Feb when I have yearly mammo. I am really trying to save money though am shopping some tomorrow. But the county seat where I'm going is OK but not stupendous. Having never had truffles what does that taste like?

Tonight was large green salad w/whatever happened to be left in the fridge, which turned out to be a winter theme - red leaf lettuce, cauliflower, mushrooms, celery, radishes, Brussels sprouts. Also some left over Uncle Ben's Long grain & wild rice. Desert will probably be 1/2 cup of Brookside Dark Chocolate Acai & Blueberry candies.

Well, edited to say I posted after the earlier page, so missed an entire page of posts & now it's another page!! Yum for the lemon pudding cake. I don't use cast iron either. Special - hope things are still healing well. Susan - did you start meds again on Tuesday? How's it going? Sorry to miss an entire day.

I came really close to making cornbread tonight but then I got to doing chores...laundry and kitchen cleaning...and never got to make it. Maybe tomorrow or this weekend the cornbread will happen.

Auntie, do you make regular cornbread or sweet cornbread?

Lacey - good luck with the orthopod. Hope you'll be able to do conservative treatment.

I have a big meaty ham bone in my freezer, too.

Red, your pea soup recipe sounds like a winner. I never soak split peas and never puree the soup because it seems to end up like a puree.

Luv, what a great idea for the leftover stew, pot pie. I don't think I've ever made a pot pie. In this household leftovers like beef stew usually just get eaten. DH loves leftovers. I suspect you could live on the contents of your freezer for at least a month! The goats must be needing some warm water this morning.

We were lucky on the weather front last night, too. The NO meteorologists kept interrupting regular tv to give reports on rain storms with circulating winds that might become tornadic but we had one brief rain storm with some thunder, no lightning. Most of the worse weather was north of us. This morning it's windy outside creating a chill factor that is supposed to make it feel like the 30's.

I plan to do a supermarket run for my mother. She also suggested Bear's roast beef poboys for lunch. She doesn't know I ate roast beef two days in a row! The Bear's poboy beef is very tender and suitable for her to eat. My younger sister who lives near my mother will join us for lunch. She's eating low carb and will follow ChiSandy's example and eat the innards of the beef poboy. Bear's slathers on mayo which mixes up with the beef gravy and we like that in my family. .

Chicken chili with white beans and some added greens (like the sauteed kale that's still in the refrigerator!) sounds better to me than the chili dh will be making today with pinto beans and ground pork and ground beef but I will just share that thought here. He bought a lb. of Camellia dry pinto beans yesterday. It's a good day for him to spend some time in the kitchen. And his chili will be very good. He hasn't mentioned making his Mexican cornbread.

Carrie, I really should become acquainted with your button designer daughter. She must have buttons lying around the office needing a home! I bought some really pretty buttons on sale at Michael's recently. One of the crocheted hats I make is a news boy style that has decorative buttons on a band above the bill. I'll post a picture. It's really cute.

Hey, I could wear a warm hat today!

I bet Monica has.

Carrie, ha ha, it would give you a start to see it. Especially the three large bags of beef bones and the bag of unsmoked pork shanks! And the fridge has fresh sausage casings.


Minus, I freeze pintos and black beans all the time. I put them in small containers suitable for two people. I think Carole does too. I don't see why it wouldn't be just fine.

I cook beans for the purpose of freezing them and having them on hand. The pinto beans in dh's chili are delicious. He soaked them overnight and he said they cooked quickly. They're tender and whole the way I like beans. We had a bowl of chili for lunch on this cold blustery day. I really liked it because it's more like enhanced pinto beans than chili. I grated some good cheddar to sprinkle on top.

My mother insisted I not go out in the cold and get her groceries so I've been sitting in my chair most of the day watching segments of Anne Burrell's You can Cook like a Restaurant Chef. It records automatically. I haven't felt my best the last three days so a quiet day of doing nothing was welcome. Dh made the chili this morning and has been watching wood turning videos in the office. His shop isn't heated and it's too cold today to work out there. One pleasure of sitting here in the living room is watching the birds at the window feeder. We have a pair of cardinals, a tufted titmouse and, I think, a chickadee. I haven't had to chase off a squirrel, which is surprising. There are several larger feeders in the back yard. They're probably back there wreaking havoc.

Speaking of beans, Anne Burrell put white beans in chicken noodle soup. That sounds good to me. She also cooks her noodles separate and spoons the soup over the noodles. She makes bread making look so easy.

Nance - butter here is $4.99 - $6.99 per pound. I stock up when I can find it 2 for $5.00. My BFF thinks I'm nuts, but what the hey. That's a major food group for me. Sometimes I even like bread w/my butter.

Dinner will be poached flounder w/dill & white wine. Sides will be leftover Brussels sprouts, leftover rice, and the last of the red leaf lettuce in a salad.

Hope all of you in the path of this monster storm are doing OK.