So...whats for dinner?

Cherry, I adore jamon serrano (and prosciutto & speck) and eat it just like you do. I like jamon iberico even better, but who the heck can afford it? (When I can find it, it's $14 for a 2-oz package of postage-stamp-sized slices). In fact, for breakfast this morning I had a small tomato and a couple of slices of "Ridgetop Prosciutto Americano" (made in Iowa from Berkshire pigs).

Tonight will probably be a spring roll with my leftovers from last night.

Yay congrats lacey, always good to have that out the way for a while.

Lasey, congratulations, worth some champagne

Lemon Meringue Pie is a fave of mine - I like pretty much any lemon dessert. An easy quick one I like to do for parties is to get the pre-made mini tarts, or you can also use filo cups. Mix equal parts lemon curd and stiffly whipped sweetened cream (I have also used Cocowhip! to keep it dairy free) until smooth and pipe or spoon into the shells. Dust with powdered sugar and top with a fresh raspberry. Quick and easy.

Here are the tart shells I use:

https://www.amazon.com/Clearbrook-Farms-Mini-Shells-Count/dp/B0052SJIKI

lacey - yay for the good mammo!

I had posted the other day about having a pork roast, sweet potatoes, and something green (turns out it is a salad), but DH wanted a cold dinner that night so I made a chicken Caesar. We are having the pork tonight - it is roasting in the oven now!

Illimae-- looks delicious!

Tonight DH came over to make spaghetti and garlic bread. Tomorrow will be lobster rolls and brioche rolk

ChiSandy, you are such a gourmand, I can only imagine those stands. We also go to Spain for vacation and the paper bags with jamon are sold in the central Barcelona. In Sevilla, just by the Cathedral, I ate a cold soup, not a gazpacho, but another local recipe, much thicker and topped with boiled egg and jamon diced in small cubes and I drunk sangria, it was 42C. The truth is it is not so expensive there, you can actually buy the whole middle-sized leg for like 150 eur but the question is where do I store it at home? Besides you are not allowed to bring any food to US Cherry

Made a lasagna last night since I have not made one since maybe February. Have not been here for a few months.House is on the market so busy keeping it clean. Moving in to a condo next week and downsizing is so hard! I am going from 2600 sq feet to 1250! This is truly making me nuts cause it has limited storage in the garage and good closet space but no basement. Ugh.

Hope all of you are well. Eric, saw that you are in PR. Hoping all is going well for you there. Tonight I am grilling pork chops and zucchini on the grill and making buttered rice for a change.

Take care and enjoy your day. Me...back to packing and purging...ugh!

Cangrats Lacey.

My name is on tomorrow's flight manifest to Atlanta.

Traveling mercies, Eric.

Missing Susan, Val and Freya.

Supper tonight as brisket, slaw, potato salad and roasted okra and green beans with the usual tossed green salad ith the neighbors.  Cooler temps allowed for a fire in the Chimenea and we even made 'smores  with the children.  Sat around and talked until just a bit ago...if I can't see and hear the ocean then fire is next....lovely evening!

Wonderful food pix! I'm impressed with your ability to know safe wild mushrooms, Sherry. That bolognese looks delish, but I would not be able to stay out of the ER if I went foraging to procure my ingredients!

Minus, what a nice dinner surprise!

And Eric, safe travels. I bet there are smiling faces in Arizona now!

Following is reunion “summary". Skip as you wish!!

DH's reunion was really delightful! Can't say that I always enjoyed them in the earlier years, when I felt annoyed with all the not so subtle competition and power jockeying of these business folks who were busy climbing in their careers. Now most folks are retired and way more mellow, which I found much more palatable. Also interesting was that I learned that four of the eight women (mostly spouses of DH's friends) have had bc, and most are still on meds. I envied them for not having many SEs. They were all doing well. . This was a widely national and international group, so as one might imagine, there were many conversations (generated by both men and women) about the distress people feel about the politics in our country. The Australian folks were particularly outraged and critical. I wasn't sure what to expect in that setting, so it was interesting (and a relief) to discover what I did.

Friday evening we had a lovely dinner at a local posh country club. I had to skip many of the passed apps due to my allergies,(including some rather large, I thought, lobster rolls with celery in them!) so was pleased when dinner was served. After a lovely salad with romaine, a creamy dressing with feta and apples, they had plated service with something for everyone(!) on each plate.....salmon with a tarragon cream sauce, filet mignon, duchess potatoes and a bundle of veggies tied like twigs. Way too much good food even for hungry me! Dessert was baked alaska which I haven't had in years.

Saturday, I attended a class offering about how to deal with your aging parents....I went as the aging parent! Figured I could pass the tips along to my sons. Interestingly, most of the class was also my advanced age and was excellent and alarming (to be expected, I suppose). April, I envy you for taking the bull by the horns with this downsizing task. DH and I got a little nudge about that from this class. Hopefully it will motivate us. But it does seem overwhelming! And yes, Minus, our kids want nothing from our house. NYT has featured a good article about that trend.

Yesterday's lunch was a lovely spicy sliced chicken breast over greens, and we opted for berries for dessert. After lunch we toured several of the galleries in the Harvard Art Museums. Serendipitously, the wife of one of DH's friends is an art historian and she delighted us with her knowledge about so many artists' paintings, sculptures, and glass work of medieval through early 20th century art. We were all enthralled! In fact, DH and I might join a Smithsonian tour next May in Italy for which she will be the art guide.

Last night the reunion gala was at the Museum of Fine Artsin a beautiful room with rich burgundy wallpaper and striking paintings. On one wall there were numerous stunningly large silver pieces displayed. A pic taken of DH and me features one of the pieces appearing to be growing out of DH's ears! Ha!! It was a great spot to enjoy a lovely meal. Dinner was buffet style with both cod and salmon options, chicken, beef and many, many vegetables and salad. Dessert was trays of small cookies: special filled almond macaroons, cream cheese dolloped brownies, tiny cups of berries, etc., etc.

Brunch this morning at the Charles Hotel (Hvd. sq) was pretty ordinary, and not choice laden, but fine. I was still full from last night so that was totally okay with me. After eating and saying goodbye to our friends, we shopped at the Farmer's market that popped up in front of hotel while we were having breakfast. Our favorite farm that always carries pea tendrils was among the vendors, so I was delighted! And now we know why that vendor no longer comes to our town where our Farmer's market is also on Sundays. There are way more buyers in Hvd Sq!

So tonight we ate salad since we felt like stuffed piglets from all those meals!

A few pix are below...only one of food since I didn't feel comfortable dragging my phone out to photograph my dinner plates!

A Harvard Yard building in full fall decor.

Some desserts from Museum dinner

DH and me, with him growing silver out of the sides of his head! This might need to be skipped for the holiday letter. LOL

Minus, I ended up buying a new pair of black slacks and a lovely tea length flowy black skirt to wear with tops I already had.

Lacey, love the pictures and everything about your post, it is like reading an article in a magazine, so well composed.

Cherry

Fuel stop in Melbourne, FL..waiting for the truck.

Out processing later today in Atlanta and home tomorrow.

eric, I did not really understood how you ended up in Puerto Rico, I know you were there as a part of a rescue mission (?) but who has organized this deployment? Is it US government or were you send there as a volonteer by some non-profit organization? Sorry, missed this part, just curious, because reading your posts the situation is critical.

Dinner tonight, mackerel au naturel, baked in oven just with salt and boiled potatoes to it with some olive and tomatoes, cucumber, onion, bell pepper salad as a side. Very simple, requires 20 min in time expediture, because otherwise I am very busy being on sick leave. Mackerel is truly delicious and contains all this healthy fish fat but it does stink over the whole appartment.

Wow, Eric....bet you could photograph those uniforms standing on their own power! That element of such a deployment would result in my being sent to a derm or psych ward. My skin is so sensitive, I would be crazed wearing ripe clothes! Interesting that your rest was in the infusion area. Glad you are finally on your way. Be safe and saver your reunion with home! Again, thank you!

We just learned that our DS and DDIL are now raising money to transport a huge pile of donated boxes with medical supplies (that are being stored in their garage) to PR. One plane was already sent and their friend/colleague who spearheaded this effort is now working in some remote villages on the island that she and the group have managed to access. But getting these next supplies shipped is another challenge. A tiny piece of such a huge undertaking by so many folks to begin helping that ravaged island....by our gov., and also by so many private groups and citizens.

Last evening we attended a small local fundraiser for our state rep. Since it was held at a neighborhood pizza restaurant, our dinner was pieces of really good pizza and “plainish" salad. I have to say, we enjoyed being able to sample a variety of pizza flavors there.....margherita, sausage and mushroom, fig/prosciutto with balsamic drizzle, etc.

Tonight is the official start of NBA basketball season!!! We are psyched! And I am gradually working thru my grief of losing my fave player via trade to Detroit. Anyway, the Celtics face the Cavs and DH thinks we need to have a special dinner to celebrate it. He is food obsessed! Since we had excellent pizza last night, we have to come up with another idea....I'm thinking maybe warm lobster rolls with butter? And a healthy salad given our greens filled fridge! Feels loyal to the Boston tradition for the Cs (who will probably not win tonight, but will improve as the 11 new players get used to playing together!).

After tonight I will be starting to make soups, despite our warming up temps...I think it will be good for weight management.

After a nearly 5-hr drive to Iowa City (traffic, construction, but much less than last year) I checked into my hotel for the folk music conference. Walked next door to a brand new sushi bar and got hamachi sashimi, a trio of roes (salmon, smelt, flying fish) on rice (forgot what that kind of sushi is called) and a hefty portion of squid salad. Brought it up to my room with a glass of Domaine Chandon—to celebrate the Cubs staying alive and avoiding the humiliation of being swept at home. And as of midnight, Bob’s birthday. (My cue to phone home to him). Early morning and late night tomorrow—but such is the nature of music conferences