So...whats for dinner?

Definitely a winter menu dinner, even tho the snow has not made it to the Boston metro area yet. DH has a bad cold now too, so I decided I'd better get the healthy soup making started, for both of us.

So kale soup and croque monsieur, with some chcken sausage on DH's croque since he needs sustenance.

Shrimp and linguini for tonight. Will have to check the refrigerator for salad makings.

Lots of food videos on Facebook this morning.

Sorry for such a long post above. Didn't mean to monopolize the thread.

April: I'd love the recipe for the cognac cream sauce w/the pork. I've tried several recipes but the results have only been OK - not spectacular.

Lacey: So sorry to hear about your fall. Hope you haven't had any long term consequences. I hate having to walk slower. I've always been one to charge ahead, but no more.

Special: How neat that your son will be joining you - twice no less. I don't usually see my son more than once a year and it's never at holidays.

Minus, thanks so much for your "travelogue". And I admire your endurance for the 8 day visit, given the familial disparities...and possible rise in your cholesterol, given the diet! I am not always sure that in every situation, 'blood is thicker than water'. Too many years doing clinical work, in addition to personal experience. It is hard for me to imagine anyone being disagreeable with you since you seemed to me to be such an agreeable person....and, I am always impressed with the fact that your EXDH often enough takes you out for dinner. Obviously that says something about him too. So, beyond that, I am glad that you and Eric met!

DH and I are still dealing with this virus or whatever...he is totally intolerant of it, and even went out twice today....hacking and complaining upon departure and arrival. Once was to pick up a local cheese pizza for dinner that is $6 (imagine!) which I "doctored up" with onions, roasted peppers and mushrooms. Hoping he did not hack atbthenpizza shop! Made a salad and called it dinner!

Hope you all have a restful weekend....

Hold the ones you love a little tighter tonight.

Listen to their joys and their needs.

It's so hard to know when they may go towards the light

Or where that light might lead

I just finished up some more car work. Brakes and suspension are done. Next is the steering system. Nothing was dangerously wrong, just a lot of deferred routine maintenance that needed to be done. I paid $500 for the new looking 1998 Volvo. so I can't complain.

Dinner to night will be pot pie number two and for left overs, I will cook some pork chips.

April - I looked up how to make orechietti. Wow, you are ambitious. I still haven't tackled a major shopping trip since my return so my dinner was Ivar's Clam Chowder from Costco. Served with a couple of slices of toasted Pugliese bread that managed to live OK in the fridge while I was gone - at least for purposes of toast.

But I love SOS!!!

I've followed two threads religiously for five years - particularly since my treatments were over and I didn't need to check every day about new worries or side effects. I've always been excited to log on every day to see what my friends on the dinner thread were up to and what they were cooking. I'm saddened that both threads seem to be slowing down. I guess that's to be expected as we move further & further from treatment - but I miss the joy of reading all the posts every day and following along with all of your lives.

It seems impossible that Michelle has been gone since 2013, but that was her last post on BCO. Laurie hasn't posted in a year. And I can't remember when Debbie & Chuck from Oregon drifted off. Unfortunately I don't use Facebook, and I know I'm missing some friends because of that. But I won't disappear from here for now. Hmmm - sorry for the melancholy thoughts but I want you all to know you have all meant a great deal in my life - and THANK YOU.

Sipping a snifter of Tia Maria before I head for bed and reminicing.

Minus, that is a very heartfelt share. I know what you mean, and do miss our friends who have drifted off. I do see Laurie's Facebook posts. And she is living a very busy mommy and sub teacher life.....doing well. I also see Debbie's posts and she is struggling with her health mightily, but amazingly positive...and still has a great sense of humor.

So Eric, back to Cleveland for these contenders. Your Mom may well see the Indians win on their home field, given two games to do it.

So April, I am crazed to hear that you make braciole! My favorite Italian dish. I have only made it a very few times, but my mom and aunts always did. What do you put in yours...and a pic would be great.....inspiration you know! And I never make my own pasta...mainly since I try not to eat same! And if I made it I would be so tempted to eat more! Do you do the "little" ears by rolling a bit of pasta dough on the inside of a grater like we used to make our gnocchi shapes, which were ear-like? Love to hear more!

Last night I was still feeling awful, so we ordered shrimp scampi and a Greek salad from Sweet Basil, a popular restaurant up the street. Yes, I know, pasta, so I tried to stick with the shrimp and salad.

For tonight I made French onion soup, and a garden salad to go with a Trader Joe's Greek Chicken meal with orzo that we microwaved. Easiest dish in the world, and not bad at all.

So, the candy is out, but that is about all we have ready for Halloween. Did not carve the pumpkin (from my sister's VT garden) and we have exercise class until 6ish, (determined to go unless I feel really awful) so will have to run back quickly to greet any trick or treaters who dare to come past our thick hedges! In recent years, we have had fewer and fewer kids, but there are some new families on our block, so maybe more this year!

And on a personal note, it is now past midnight, meaning that my dear younger son is now 36! Wow! That is not so young! He has always been a wonderful "Halloween treat" in our lives. It was wild delivering him that night....full moon and hardly a bed to be had! So HB to him!

Happy Halloween Everyone

Minus, that was beautiful and heartfelt. You and I go back several years on the other thread as you know and I think of you as the glue for that thread.

Orechetti is easy in compared to other pastas in my opinion. I just roll a long piece of dough into a snake and cut tiny little pieces off with a sharp knife then roll it around the knife and then turn it inside out to make it "cup like" and although time consuming it can be done while watching television (which is what I do) if you have a table that faces it or a board to use (how I do it) and the dough is also easy as it is just flour and water (special double 0 flour that I mix one part to three parts semolina I buy at the Italian market) which I make with my food processor. Here is a video I found that shows how I do it from Mario Batali's website. He only uses semolina flour but I find that it makes it more tender to add the double zero flour. http://www.mariobatali.com/videos/orecchiette/

As for my braciole, it is easy as well. I just have the butcher (which also happens to be the Italian store where I get the flour and many other things) sell me beef cutlets (they are labeled "for braciole") and then I chop a bunch of parsley really fine, mince some garlic and mix the two together with some EVOO and set that aside (season it with S&P as well) and then I cut Pecorino Romano cheese into thick matchstick size and spread the mixture on the beef with a piece of the cheese, add a couple of flakes of pepperoncino (red pepper flakes and this is optional) and roll up and skewer with toothpicks. I brown them in olive oil and then add my San Marzano tomatoes, seasonings and let it simmer for about an hour. Then it is ready to serve with the pasta which takes only 3 minutes to cook.

The meal is something I only make a few times a year because it is so fattening (and I cannot resist two helpings...LOL) plus a decent amount of work. Sometimes I cheat and use dry pasta (DeCecco brand only...I am a pasta snob) but this time I decided to go all out. Even hubby loves this dish and he is really not into Italian. (isn't that incredible, I thought EVERYONE was into Italian...lol)

PS, it came out fabulous if I say so myself but whenever I make Italian, I really add the love since it is my absolute favorite food on the planet)

I am Greek by the way but we are very close in terms of cuisine.

Edit: Lacey, Happy BD to your son! My son is my oldest and he turned 37 on Oct. 17th...dang, time is sure marching on by!

April, thank you for the step by step. Sounds delicious! I love Italian. I have made the "little ears" by hand several times.

My groups of "Friends" on Facebook is much smaller after I unfriended all those people who posted rude, ugly political stuff. I find that I'm not interested in following people who are acquaintances. We don't have enough in common or know enough people in common.

Minus, I appreciate your post. Is the other thread the oldies thread? You post there occasionally.

Our dinner last night was skin on bone in chicken thighs cooked in the oven until the skin was crispy and brown. The nice thing about thighs is that you can over cook them and they don't dry out. The side was baked potato. I worked outside on the patio yesterday planting some flowers and herbs in the big pots and repotting some plants. Last night I was tired and glad for an easy prep.

Lacey, happy birthday to your Halloween son!

I think I will cook Cuban style black beans for tonight. I have a good recipe.

Oh, almost forgot the recipe Minus asked for (cognac cream sauce for the pork medallions) I basically do it all in one pan. After I cook my pork medallions and mushrooms, I take them out and put on a plate and set it aside. Then I deglaze the pan with 1/3 cup of cognac which I reduce to about 3 or 4 TBSPs , I add 12 oz of heavy cream and reduce that to about half. I add the pork and mushrooms back to the pan to heat through and then add fresh parsley and correct for seasoning (salt and pepper) and that is about it. I serve with all different sides of whatever I am feeling. It is not for the "diet friendly" either since it has butter and cream in it (I saute the pork and mushrooms with some garlic and I use butter mixed with olive oil to do that with) but it is very delicious fall dish. I like roasted butternut squash with this a lot.

Minus, I felt a little sad (and guilty) reading your post. I miss people too. I'm hoping things pick up this winter. As for me, I truly haven't done much cooking of any consequence. Between stuff with my dad and being sick (and indeed, I have just caught yet ANOTHER cold!), food has not been front and center in my life. I haven't posted much because of that, feeling like the mundane details of my life too boring to write much less read.

We had homemade pizza again last night. I participated in a trunk or treat at a church that we often attend. Friday night I participated in another one at the city park. It was great fun, Friday saw 500 kids! I was impressed with how clever a lot of the costumes were. There were the usual Elsas and super heroes, but they were not the majority. My favorite was an 8 year old Teddy Roosevelt. I was told he picked out the costume himself. I've gone through all my treats so I doubt we'll even turn on our light tonight.

This cold is requiring soup, so I'll be making Senate bean soup in the pressure cooker. Corn bread in cast iron too. Although this might be a more appropriate meal on election day.

April, some of the best meals of my childhood were made by an Italian woman who married a Greek man, who were friends of my parents.

Happy Halloween 🎃 my friends!

Nance - oh no, not another cold. Do you suppose we're spreading it via this thread? (LOL). Hope it is short lived. Pizza sounds wonderful.

April - thanks for the cognac tips. I've been adding onion so maybe I'll try without, but I don't care for parsley. And yes, I do use butter & heavy cream. No calories, right?

Lacey - thanks for the updates about "old" members from Facebook. Will you check with Susan and see if she'll let you give us occasional updates from her Facebook posts? Happy B-day to your DS, who is exactly 10 years younger than my only DS

Carole - while I lurk on a number of threads & do occasionally post on the oldies, my other main thread is Stop Smoking Support. I quit in 2007 (for the last time) and it was the hardest thing I ever did in my life. If I can make the way easier or give support to anyone who's still trying to quit, I will do so. And I hope w/o being judgmental like so many 'reformed' smokers can be. It's been interesting to hear about the number of docs who won't do surgery unless the patient quits - and are actually testing for nicotine in the blood.

Katty - are you at MD Anderson? Hope the treatment is going well. The Coq au Vin sounds delish.