So...whats for dinner?
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Spent a fortune at Sam's Club today. One of the purchases was an air fryer. Then I came home and read reviews on the internet that have pretty well convinced me to pack up the bulky appliance and return it. Basically an air fryer is a small convection oven that heats up very quickly and cools off quickly, too. The company that makes the appliance that I bought does not get good marks for customer service.
Tonight's dinner will be pork chops (probably not cooked in the new gadget). Also asparagus, also kale chopped salad from a bag. Or maybe sweet potato chunks instead of the asparagus.
Dh and I both like the chicken dark meat. The breast of a roasted chicken becomes chicken salad or some other dish like the enchiladas.
Terrible news about the automobile happening in Melbourne.
Wondering about Lacey's scan results.
Gorgeous day here today. Crisp air, sunshine, 60's temps.
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Don't know how many of you followed Rosevalley, but she passed on Sunday.
Carole - I looked at an airdryer review, but I just don't want any more bulky things sitting on my cupboard. I keep my spiralizer in the box, so I don't remember it as often as I should.
Leftover spaghetti for dunch.
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May Rosevalley’s memory be for a blessing.
Going to WF to get some Singer’s Saving Grace for my laryngitis—so I think I’ll buy myself a really pricey piece of fish or a steak, since tonight’s b’day dinner will have to be postponed till the wine dinner we’re attending on Thurs. (Bob is working late—what else is new). Or maybe if there’s something really nice in the hot food section. Had a late lunch of cream cheese & lox on low-carb toast with tomato & onion. Sadly, couldn’t use the last of the homegrowns—they’ve sprouted. So I will try to put them in water and let them grow into seedlings till I can pot them and then plant them in spring.
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Happy birthday Sandy! Somehow I missed this earlier.
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i guess I missed it too. Happy Birthday Chi!
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Missed the birthday too! Chisandy - have a terrific birthday, and may the coming year bring nothing but goodness!
DH arrived home after a windy drive in his tiny car - he took the "weekend" car to SC, a 1996 BMW Z3 ragtop. I refer to it as the "thimble" so it is not the best choice in stormy weather. He stayed major highway all the way so the trip took a bit longer than usual. We had main dish salads as a result of his late arrival, Napa cabbage, shredded romaine, carrot, apple, chicken, scallions, and slivered almonds - topped with Panera Fuji Apple dressing.
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Sandy- Happy, happy birthday....all the days you celebrate it....you just cannot have too much birthday!
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I was using my phone and I hate typing on "that thing".
Chi, I agree with you about Rosevalley
My heart goes out to her family and friends.
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Went to WF for some chest cold stuff (Singer’s Saving Grace, orange blossom & wildflower honeys, lemon chamomile tea bags) and bought a gorgeous, 2” thick pasture-raised NY strip. Also, I figured I would get some dim sum (shrimp dumpling, pork bun, spring roll) to steam and a “Hawaii roll” (actual crabmeat, wasabi tobiko, avocado, black sesame seeds). And my ultimate comfort food: truffle mac & cheese. (My neighborhood WF doesn’t carry lobster mac & cheese). Walked over to the pastry case, and there for three bucks was a huge slice of Death By Chocolate cake (it’ll serve all three of us). When the checker remarked that it looked as if I were throwing a party, I mentioned my birthday…and he comped me the cake.
Got home, and turned on the gas grill. No hiss at all from the right burner, no ignition from the left. Oh, well. Even if I used a fireplace match, only one burner would have worked, so it’s indoor cooking till spring (and no more chance of snow) when I can call the repair guy. Steamed the dim sum, put the spring roll in the toaster-oven, ate half the sushi, had some oolong tea (shouldn’t have sweetened it, honey wouldn’t work with oolong, and that Skinnygirl Agave-Stevia stuff is nasty)…and no room for the mac & cheese. So into the freezer it went, unopened. Bob just got home, but I don’t know if I want cake or champagne yet. For some insane reason, no sweet cravings tonight. (Not cake and champagne—brut and chocolate don’t mix).
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Sandy - Happy B-day.
Special - glad your DH is home.]
Getting anxious about Lacey. Hope she'll get the test results soon.
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Happy Birthday from me too Sandy. Your birthday dinner sounded delightful and tasty. Hope the throat gets better soon.
ANTS!! I have been nearly broken by ants today. Microscopic, the smallest I have ever seen, and they have invaded my kitchen benches all day. I have put out baits, cleaned them up, and cleaned them up and cleaned them up.
When we were in the garden we noticed all the ants have moved their eggs out of the ground and up into the plants. It seems we might be in for some serious rain, nature usually has an insight.
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Lacey, thinking of you.
Minus, yes, I make a cheese sauce and pour over crepes and bake in the oven. They were delicious and hubby did say he liked them well enough but it would not be his first choice.
Tonight will be beef stew. Threw it all together last night and then turned on the crock pot this morning. Delayed start to work due to 2 inches of sleet last night. Today, temps are above freezing (around 36 or 37) so it is a slushy mess everywhere! Torrential rain fell after the sleet. Weird weather!!
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Tonight hubby was in the kitchen, so we are having three pepper and onion spaghetti
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Having a crazy busy week, but wanted to check in about the CT Scan. I'm a bit annoyed that my doc sent me the report copy with a note to talk on the phone about some density in coronary artery findings. Wasn't expecting that. Calling her later.... The good news is that the dense area in the lung is not cancer related.....and even better, my cough is getting much better! In a few weeks I see my MO so I'll feel much better after talking with her.
Happy....what a fun weekend! Sounded amazing! We've been to some special events that remind me of that, and they do create lasting memories. Did you take any pix? Would be fun to see.
Sunday I made what I consider an "Italian stir fry", (chicken, lots of veggies) basically using balsamic instead of soy sauce. Served it over farro. Last night after two hours at the gym, we had quick leftovers of that before racing to a rather contentious meeting about an underground high power electric line that Eversource wants to install through all of our neighborhood, past two schools, a hospital, etc. etc. It was heartening to see how well informed so many of our young neighbors were with their questions and objections. There is an alternative route that would be less concerning, but of course the company is resisting that longer path. We'll see if big business wins this one. Ugh!
Tonight we are taking our gov's dad to the State of Commonwealth address. It is a nasty day for doing anything, let alone getting dressed up for some official event downtown...not my bag. But his dad is a wonderful elderly man whom we respect, so off we go. I have no idea what we'll eat....supposedly some light food in gov's office and a reception after the address at a downtown hotel. I have the impression his dad is not eager to attend that. My DH will probably not want to miss it since he enjoys networking. Not my idea of fun....but maybe for people observing. We'll see....
Thursday we head to CT to visit my stepmother, and Friday to NJ to see the grands. Looking forward to that!
Carole, I'm glad to hear that your mother is doing better.
Special, good luck with the colonoscopy. I'm on that three year schedule, and have actually sort of gotten used to the vile prep (liquid form). I'd never heard of the pill variety.
So many new table members joining us! Good thing you found that extra leaf, Nance! 😉 Welcome!!
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And we are becoming so global!! Yay!
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Lacey, what an honor to be so close to the office of your state's Gov. (regardless of party). I miss those official receptions and schmoozing, just for the sake of socializing & conversing, regardless of whether anything came of it.
When I lived in Seattle I was very active in local and state politics and was a delegate to the state convention of my party back in '76. We were seated next to Sen. & Mrs. Scoop Jackson at the dinner—we managed to make just small talk. At the hotel “hospitality room" parties, got to meet the mayor and candidates for President and Gov., including the legendary Dixie Lee Ray, who was the head of the AEC. Jerry Brown's hospitality room had only natural sodas, dried fruits (California raisins?) and nuts--no alcohol or chips. And Ms. Ray, though all the other attendees were in variations on semi-formal/dressy business attire, wore a sweater, pleated wool skirt and Hush Puppies with bobby sox. And her dogs (IIRC, dachshunds) were always at her side. She was quite a character. Bob started to get into a heated conversation with the Mayor of Seattle about nuclear power, and I quickly ushered him out of there. (At the reception after my law school graduation, he corralled commencement speaker Ret. SCOTUS Justice Tom Clark and asked him why he voted to uphold the WWII internment camps for Japanese-Americans. I was about to die of embarrassment until the Justice looked us in the eye and said, “Because I was wrong." That was honesty and class personified). In 1977 we co-chaired our district's campaign for a challenger for Mayor (then as now, a nonpartisan race)—and won.
So we traveled in those rarefied circles for a year, till Bob matched at UIC for his residency and we had to move to Chicago (the land of “we don't want nobody nobody sent" when it came to volunteering for local politics). We couldn't get a toe in the volunteership door until the Machine began to break down. I got involved again (including two successful campaigns for our Congresswoman), and was at various times a precinct captain and ward area coordinator. (We have lived in three wards without moving an inch—gotta love remapping). When I became active in music, I retired from local politics.
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Just received my happy-birthday-to-me present: a 250ml. bottle of genuine Cavalli Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale DOP of Reggio-Emilia “afinato" silver label (aged a minimum of 12 yrs.) It's the real deal. (Couldn't see my way clear to buying the “extra vecchio" gold label, which at $200 for the same size bottle would make Bob hit the ceiling, as that would be ounce-for-ounce as expensive as a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle bourbon—which, had HappyHammer not mentioned she'd seen it at a James Beard Award-chef's dinner the other night, I would have believed was mythical).
You might remember I had a bottle of the red label version that I'd bought 25 yrs. ago and stashed away so far into the cupboard that I found it only this past summer; and so much of “the angel's share" had evaporated through the pores of the wood-and-cork stopper that what remained in the bottle was only a thick film of staining along the sides and a few drops of thin vinegar in the bottom—which tasted no better than the “Balsamic Vinegar of Modena IGP," aka “salad balsamics" that supermarkets and gourmet food shops sell for about $15-20, which are cheaper because they are diluted with regular red wine vinegars despite the “12” designation on some labels. (Then there are the cheap “balsamic vinegars” you can buy in supermarkets for $3-8 for 8 oz., or Costco for $10 per pint, good only for reducing and cooking).
I did reconstitute it with drop-by-drop of hot water and vigorous shaking until the film had dissolved into the vinegar, but it still tasted only as good as the “Condimento" Balsamico I bought in the supermarket for $28 for a small bottle—which because it was made from the “wrong" grapes outside Reggio-Emilia or Modena couldn't be called “Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale" (or even IGP) despite being produced the same way. I had to throw the red-label bottle away after it got covered with plaster dust, and it had separated out again. Just wasn’t worth keeping.
Eataly didn’t carry the silver label Cavalli, just something analogous from Modena for a little more, some “extra vecchio” from other producers for several hundred bucks, and a host of the cheaper and cheapest stuff. So I ordered from Amazon. It came in an oval canister, protected by a blue velvet bag and accompanied by a bilingual booklet. It also came with a cork embedded with a blown-glass pour spout, with a little teeny stopper for that. The booklet recommends replacing the wax-sealed wood-and-cork factory stopper with that one once the bottle is opened, and using the stuff up within a year or two. I will try it in a little while both in an espresso spoon and over sliced strawberries.
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It's 80 degrees here again today, so dinner was cold boiled shrimp. OK, I cheated - they came from my Costco trip today. But they were wonderful.
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That Cavalli Silver balsamico was wonderful! Tasted it side by side (two demitasse spoons) with the SanGiacomo Essenza. The Essenza was rich, thick and mostly sweeter than tart. Had a long finish. But the Cavalli was thicker (took longer to pour two drops) and had a nice balance of sweet and tart, with a longer finish that morphed into different flavors (including cherry) as it faded. Both were insanely wonderful with each of two perfect strawberries dipped into them. (Whole Foods actually had some greenhouse-grown Michigan strawberries this week. They cost as much apiece as chocolates. You better believe that I won't let any of those get overripe or moldy)!
Tonight I am going to do that NY strip steak (gorgeously marbled despite being grass-fed) in my good cast iron skillet (gotta wait on seasoning the cheaper one until it's warmer and the gas grill is fixed), per ATK's recipe (heat the pan screaming hot in the oven, then cook on medium on the stovetop, searing on both sides and flipping every minute till the temp hits 120). Will also saute some broccolini in olive oil, lemon, garlic & red pepper flakes; and those butternut squash spirals in olive oil, finished with a few drops of truffle oil and sea salt. Again, I think that making an herb butter is overkill, and I'm short on fresh herbs anyway.
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I got Sharon's cold. It's managed to turn into one of those 'man cold' things. I'm coughing hard enough that my sides are sore. As the Youtube video says, "You poor, poor bunny". :-)
She's back at work and I figured I wouldn't get much done at work except to pass it around, so I'm at home--just moving between the bed, couch and easy chair.
Sharon's still not at full speed either, so I'm glad we cook stuff on the weekends. The prior week she cooked (marinated chicken and a pasta-chicken dish, both wonderful), and this week I stepped up and did a huge batch of potato soup and a pork roast. There are also still a few of the little pot pies that I made. So, at least we'll be good for food.
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Sorry about your cold eric. Coughing is the worse. I made a big batch of '15 bean soup" and fried chicken wings. I add hot smoked sausage to the soup. It's a meal in itself. DH is from Louisiana, so rice is always with the meal. The chicken wings are for dd3's hubby who drops by on his way home from work, to say hi and 'graze'.
Val
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Probably going to have the eggplant parm that a co-worker sent home with hubby today
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15 bean soup??????
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Tonight I find myself eating honey roasted peanuts when I should be cooking an omelet or something! DH is eating at a gathering of his colleagues who volunteer in Boston. I opted out so I can pack. Spent the day doing errands, getting a strange sound diagnosed at the car dealer, and shopping for some new slacks and sweaters at my fave store, Frugal Fannies. My newfound weight has not been coming off quickly (read peanuts instead of eggs!) enough to feel comfy in my smaller slacks, so I did get some basic ones to wear during our trip.
Our event at the Statehouse last night was fun. I'm not a pomp and circumstance type person and there was a lot of that. But the nice thing is that there was a high spirit, and his address spoke to the importance of how he and the legislature worked to meet the needs of our state's citizens by respectfully compromising. It was a breathe of fresh air! Before the address we met in the gov's office with him and his family and had cheese, crackers, and fruit. After the address there was a huge gathering at a hotel across the street, where we arrived late enough to miss the good passed apps, and passed on the hot buffet food which was various pastas. So last night, once home, we ended up scarfing down some hummus with pita, then DH nukeda piece of chicken bathed in pesto. Tonight I should really be eating something a bit more healthful!
Tomorrow nite we will be staying with my stepmother in CT and she has a plan for us to go to an Italian restaurant to which she was recently introduced.
Then on to the vegan house for the rest of the weekend......Oy! I just packed up some Kind bars in case there is a lack of edible food for me.....the issue being my allergies to much of what they eat (cashews mainly) . I am guessing that we will be eating lentil based foods a lot, but who knows? Other than this food thing, (I used to love to cook for them during visits) we are really looking forward to seeing the kids and grands!
Eric, I hope you feel better soon. It's awful how those colds are so much more brutal to men!! 😉
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Tonight is late-breaking pulled pork sandwiches with mac n' cheese, we had to return to the car dealership to sign papers, gain, as they put a decimal in the wrong place on the previous ones. This makes a total of 5 signings - they also counted the mature lease as a trade-in on a previous set, among other errors. Needless to say, we will use another dealership next time! Then DH decided to go to the gym, so it will be a continental dining hour before he gets back!
lacey - when is the wedding of DS2?
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Eric, it's a package of beans put out by Hambeans, in the bean section. Has 15 variety of beans and a seasoning packet. You can choose ham flavor or cajun. I'm in NC, but have lived quite a few places and Kroger, Albertson's, Publix, Meijers all carry it with their bean section. Trader Joe's carries a variety of it, so does WF.
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MinusTwo, HEY! I'm from Washington (now)! Just moved here from Michigan in June. I don't do a lot of scratch cooking anymore but I did make a honey garlic slow cooker chicken Sunday that turned out quite good and was easy. Gave some of it to my son who is bach'ing it this week and he pronounced it good, too.
Sandy, I hope your bug goes away soon. You've got too much going on to be sick
HUGS!
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Wine dinner tonight (walking in the brisk air helped my lungs a bit) at Cellars. There was a small family-owned vineyard & winery from Udine (NE Italy bet. Alto Adige and Istria) called Bisci. Aperitif was prosecco with wild strawberry liqueur (which had tiny strawberries floating in it—gotta find out where to buy those fraises des bois). First course was spiralized zucchini & carrot salad with a grilled prawn and red & yellow grape tomatoes; second course was tuna carpaccio with frisee and baby escarole; pasta course was a rotolo filled with seasoned ricotta & sausage, resting on a fresh marinara sauce; main was a porcini risotto with a pheasant breast; dessert was an orange spice cake with ricotta-mascarpone frosting.
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Australia day today, so we had seafood. Prawns, salt and pepper calamari and oysters with a mango and avocado salad. Hot once again, so a refreshing light meal was just right.
Sandy, I could just sit back and listen to you talk about food all day.
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Sandy, that sounds like a meal I could enjoy. But was it too much food?
Freya, your meal sounds very appetizing, too. Do you have easy access to fresh seafood?
I cooked chicken and sausage gumbo today. We'll have gumbo over brown rice and a salad. I also bought a baguette of bread.
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