So...whats for dinner?

Well, the Blue Plate special wasn't worth $5.99. The meatloaf was ok but the green beans (frozen) were overcooked. Leftover meatloaf is good for sandwiches. That's a plus.

Pork carnitas on the menu for tonight. I cut up a pork roast (The Pig) into largish chunks and put them into a slow cooker with the other ingredients called for in the recipe: cumin, oregano, lime juice, orange juice and rinds, bay leaves, s & p, halved onion. The recipe calls for spreading the cooked pork on a baking sheet and browning it under the broiler. I didn't do that the previous time I used this recipe. Not sure whether I will this time. But it would probably be good that way.

Later I'll make some corn tortillas. I'm hoping one of the avocados in the bowl is ripe.

Gorgeous day here. I played golf this morning and had lunch afterwards. A bacon, lettuce, tomato, avocado sandwich on multi-grain bread and sweet potato fries. Brought half of both home because it was too much food. Not the best kind of leftovers for being eaten at a later time.

Susan, I hope you're doing well today. I think about you and admire your spirit.

Minus, I hope you're healing and can see a return to normal movement ahead.

Love reading of your days. Sorry not to be contributing more but you all keep me grounded in this time of waiting. Can't remember if I updated that ortho wants me in the sling until the end of April. It severely curtails movement - not to mention no driving. The pain is usually manageable except when I do the required exercises so I'm afraid I've not been very compliant.

A friend took me to the grocery store yesterday for my first grocery purchases except milk & gingerale & chicken soup that neighbors picked up for me. Monday I made deviled eggs. Today I cooked Laurie's salsa chicken. Delicious except I had a hard time getting the pan out of the oven. Tomorrow i will try to cut a cantaloupe. It's challenging to work w/only one arm. My son suggested i pretend I'm out to sea on a sailboat and one hand has to constantly hold on as the wind shifts & waves roll. That would definitely be more fun.

Susan - yes, the current hope is that I won't need surgery - if I'm compliant with the exercises. Oops. I'll have to do three today since I only did one yesterday. Hope your HFS is some better.

I love the baby's room. Please remind us, I can't remember the due date.

Bedo - how is your recovery coming?

Nance & Hsant & Carole - how are your parents? My Dad had a "life alert" neckchain. It worked, but this was 2000. The technology was for them to call him on a land line phone, which became a speaker phone. If he wasn't by that phone, he couldn't hear or answer. Special - the ankle story sounds similar. Before the LifeAlert, Dad decided to move a old, heavy 36" TV down two flights of curving stairs with a rope. Rope broke, Dad fell & broke collar bone. He lay there for 12 hours since all the phones were up too high to reach. He was in CA and I was in TX.

Oh my what a couple of weeks we've had. Not bad but just roaring busy. Last week DH was off so we cleaned and shoveled out for DD's Boston boyfriend to visit out here this past Monday. Cannot report any progress on the relationship other than they do refer to each other as boyfriend/girlfriend. Sounds like it worked out to be a good week for him not to be in Boston. Last weekend we went up to Oklahoma on our 2x/year friends camping trip. That entails shopping/meal planning/packing way too many clothes. Reason why BF was in town on that particular weekend was so they could participate too. Tuesday I crashed after going to Bible study and then picking up dog. We managed to blow a tire on the pickup just a few miles outside the resort area so dog stayed an extra night allowing DH to get new tire. Bless the state trooper who came by and gave DH a hand changing it. Which reminds me I need to write a letter to his superior. "Just my job ma'm" to which I replied yes but your boss is getting a nice letter on your behalf anyway. Only think I could find to write his name on was a box of taco shells for fear I would forget it.

Last week I barely remember. I think I made a huge potato salad we ate on for a few days. Monday night we had BBQ flatbreads from WalMart's deli. Last night I found some kale/bean/ham soup in freezer, 2 perfect servings. Tonight I almost finished off the potatoes in a ham/potato/broccoli scallop dish. I am still in love with Mountain King potatoes from Aldi.

Bedo - so glad your recovery is going swimmingly. Loved the dismissal of the friendly helper. Can't wait for stories of your camp job. Praying that the college job comes thru for you.

Oh my Special. We too are part of the Verizon switch to Frontier. We came home to no internet Sunday pm after camping. Phone worked and we had a voicemail and I had checked vm a couple of times. Internet finally kicked in late Sunday night. I guess it was off all weekend though it was working Friday until we left about noonish. We don't have FIOS out here but some people must have something diff. because ladies at Bible study said they had no TV. We only have phone/internet. Lots of unhappy people on Frontier's facebook page.

Susan - sounds like the house party was a smashing success. Hope your feet have gotten some rest. Send that HFS packing. Love your extra fridge. I have too many sauces, relishes and stuff. Just bought a sun dried tomato ketchup. I loved the balsamic vinegar ketchup Heinz had (can't find in store now, Amazon has only on "'prime pantry") and the molasses bourbon one at Target which is alas no longer being made. This is Traina brand. See the new pic of the nursery. I assume it's the lighting on the off white color but it appears pinikish (??).

What a weekend Lacey. Glad your DH is OK and you both survived the trip in the snowstorm. DD's doc converted to a concierge practice but she was not interested in the price of it.

Beautiful GC Moon.

Hugs Minus. I too cannot imagine one handed cooking. On the salsa chicken use disposable pans and make them small size. Heck on price at this point. I guess at one point I did because in early marriage I had hand surgery but memory cannot dredge up much of that time.

Tonight will be more of the broccoli/ham/potato casserole. I have enough frozen cheese to probably make this 4-5 more times - if I wanted to. I had some white garlic cheese. I can say for sure that frozen cheese does not grate but it surely crumbles well for making cheese sauce.

Thinking of all those with parent issues. Just wish I still had my mom to look after.

Beautiful day in North Texas. New development across the street is trucking monstrous loads of gravel for road. Thank goodness wind today is blowing dirt the other direction. May have to invest in some Flonase type stuff. Claritin is not touching much of my allergy stuff.

I will attempt next time to not write a novel and keep up better

Good evening!

Special K, my father likes to have salmon 2-3 times a week. If it were up to me, it would be pork, lamb, shell fish, beef on any given day. But it's my dad's world, and I'm just living in it.

I have a bottle of Jim Beam for the sole purpose of cooking, and a jar of apricot preserves for the same reason. I have never thought to combine the two. That is such a perfect marriage of flavors! Have you ever tried maple syrup, bourbon and a little Dijon? So lovely on pork.

Your deviled eggs sound divine!

My dad has a life alert bracelet...me! He just yells out my name, and I come a runnin'. For a man who has respiratory issues and takes oxygen at night, his pipes are pretty darn good:)

Dinner was left over chicken meat balls and marinara., with fresh pasta (Ohio City).

I make my balls with Italian seasoned panko, tomato paste, egg, parm reggiano, dried oregano, dried shallots, dried minced garlic, crushed fennel seed, salt and pepper. Typically, I like to use all fresh ingredients in whatever I'm preparing, but sometimes I just don't feel like chopping.

hsant - glad your dad has such a dedicated daughter - and good cook! I love mustard on both pork and fish, but since chemo I have trouble with it on sandwiches - makes me cough.

susan - in your pocket for sure. Cute about the cupcakes and the painter. Is all the painting done now? What is the p'nut due date

Add me in too for pocket time. Throw us some crumbs from the coffee place. Sounds yummy. Wish they were here.

In your pocket Susan.

And for those who might prefer the sky to the barnyard, DS shared this view from her neighborhood:

She said it was a total gorgeous arc. Pretty cool

Also squeezing into the crowded pocket.

Minus, I forgot to mention how impressed I am with your one-armed food prep! Careful with knife wielding, tho. Love your son's empathic sense of humor!

I'm getting very little done today. Feels like I am fighting off a bug. I did sleep longer than usual so that should aid in the battle. I will skip the gym today, but will do some bicycling in our basement "gym" to test out (and maybe support) my fussing left knee.

After that, if I'm a bit more energetic, I might get to using some of the whole wheat flour that I recently purchased....bread, or muffins....maybe morning glory ones?

I just heard good news from my friend who learned last September that her uterine cancer (from seven years ago) had metastasized. She's had heavy chemo since then...and due to an allergic reaction to it, needed to be in hospital overnight for her weekly infusions. She just finished her last one this week. Yay!

Carrie, you are too cute....and thoughtful!

Also hoping for good numbers for you, Susan...and a great lunch you were able toenjoy!

What a strange day! There must have been about 100 people waiting for a blood draw, so I waited 25 minutes past my appointment time before being called back. My blood guy had done a great job two months ago, but today he must have been distracted. He jabbed hard and may have collapsed my one good vein. Up to the ninth floor where I was called in EARLY to see my doctor. As we settled in together, her pager went off. She called the number and was told that Mr. Phelbotimist had not taken enough blood. He just forgot to take the second vial of blood! No tumor markers! No magnesium! Dr. C is pleased with the tolerance level I have with Xeloda. I will see her again after two more cycles, and just before that appointment, I will have a PET scan. It is time.

My final stop of the hospital tour was the Xgeva shot. I spoke with my nurse about the blood screw up, and she offered to get the blood right then saving me from the 2nd floor chaos. Yup. Vein was gone. She tried five times, but that vein was having no part of a draw. So, I have to GO BACK next week! Pay for another blood draw, and waste time and parking money. I am wildly irritated. The worst part is, I had checked the order before he started the draw and it was right.

Then had lunch with a woman I had met on the Faslodex thread at the new Pret a Manager. It was not bad at all for a chain! The soup was good and the sandwich was equally satisfying. Very European approach, unlike SouperSalad across the street which is just not that special. Came home and slept for two hours.

Dinner was a swordfish steak prepared in a Japanese manner with sticky rice, and salad with a ginger-garlic-citrus dressing. I always find Japanese food subtle, and this was no exception. Since I had to make some dashi for the fish, I also made some miso soup.

The Xgeva is making me feel "off" and I expect I will crawl into bed early tonight.

*susan*

Susan - i agree with Lacey. And the word "bummer" is way too mild. The darn veins and the often indifferent phlebotomists are two reasons I've kept my port so long. Not only a ruined vein & the inconvenience of another trip, but another week of waiting on tenterhooks. I too love the subtleties of Japanese food. I'd be happy to switch my diet if I weren't too lazy.

OK - I've blithely written a word that I've used as long as I can remember with no knowledge of how it came into common usage. Maybe you all already know, but I had to look it up. Just for fun - here's WIKI below.

Tenterhooks are hooks in a device called a tenter. Tenters were originally large wooden frames which were used as far back as the 14th century in the process of making woollen cloth. After a piece of cloth was woven, it still contained oil from the fleece and some dirt. A craftsperson called a fuller (also called a tucker or wa[u]lker) cleaned the woollen cloth in a fulling mill, and then had to dry it carefully or the woollen fabric would shrink. To prevent this shrinkage, the fuller would place the wet cloth on a tenter, and leave it to dry outdoors. The lengths of wet cloth were stretched on the tenter (from Latin tendere, meaning "to stretch") using tenterhooks (hooked nails driven through the wood) all around the perimeter of the frame to which the cloth's edges (selvedges) were fixed, so that as it dried the cloth would retain its shape and size.^[1] In some manufacturing areas, entire tenter-fields, larger open spaces full of tenters, were once common.

By the mid-18th century, the phrase "on tenterhooks" came to mean being in a state of tension, uneasiness, anxiety, or suspense, i.e. figuratively stretched like the cloth on the tenter.^[2]