So...whats for dinner?

Ham hock & navy beans simmering on the stove. This batch will have more veggies than beans since I only had 1/2 a package of beans once I got started. My mother only used onion & celery & beans & hocks. I added carrots since they needed to be used. Sure smells good.

Yup! We were rooting for them not just because of Harvey and that they'd never won a Series before, but because Gordy's girlfriend is from there (and her family still lives there). But it turns out that she wasn't all that excited because she isn't much of a sports fan. Wow--Gordy must have fallen hard for her, because he falls asleep to the soothing sounds of ESPN and runs a fantasy basketball league; and her taste in pop music is much softer than his.

Bob & I were watching from our neighborhood Italian restaurant, where we met for dinner (and so I could bring him his phone, which he'd inadvertently left at home this morning). Dinner was mesclun salad with old-school red wine vinegar & olive oil; then rolatine di melanzane--thin slices of eggplant rolled around ricotta, Parm. Regg., basil & garlic, then lightly breaded and baked in marinara sauce, topped with mozzarella. Three rolls per portion, and I couldn't even finish one! Bob's entree was rigatoni alla Barese (the owner is from Bari): with sausage, arugula, pine nuts and tomatoes. Gordy will eat well for several days (of course, when we returned we smelled the telltale scent of freshly reheated pizza).

I might use some of that marinara, add a little za'atar, break an egg over it and make shakshuka for breakfast.

Special - welcome back. Did you stay on the East Coast? I know you have a friend in No Cal.

Congrats Eric!

Thanks Auntienance, would you believe that Houston's biggest school district is closing tomorrow, so kids can go to the parade, lol

I made a flatbread alfredo pizza tonight with spinach, red onion, garlic, mozzarella, ricotta and a side salad. It was so good, I only had 1/4 left when I thought to post it.

Thanks Dodgersgirl, I grew up in Huntington Beach so my loyalty was questioned during this series but truth be told I only care about hockey and for me no one beats the Ducks! I did attend the 2nd to last game Gretzky played for the Kings though, that was really something

My deepest regret is that I never got to see a game at Ebbets Field before my beloved "Bums" left for L.A.. My uncle eventually ran a drycleaning business across the street from the co-op building that replaced it.

DD bleeds blue. To see what would happen, Sharon sent DD a text message, "I missed the game. Who won?" DD replied with an obscene "emoticon". :-) Sharon laughed.

Chi, I like hot food. I've joked about combining Wasabi with Habanero peppers.

Sharon was surprised with dinner tonight. I shopped, mostly, from the magic freezer and made yet another chicken recipe. It's chicken cooked in/with caramelized shallots, red wine vinegar, orange juice, a bit of sugar to reduce the "sour" a bit, mustard and golden raisins.

I wasn't sure what else to do for dinner, so I cooked up some brown rice and served the chicken on that...and made a salad.

I don't need to cook enough to last for a week anymore, so the biggest thing for me is to figure out how much is enough for one meal. The recipe I used said "serves 4 to 6", but should have said "more than sufficient to serve 4 to 6 teenagers after a hard sports team practice". I cut the recipe to 1/3 of what was listed and there are still left overs.

carole - I understand your sadness at your mom's decline. My MIL was diagnosed with MDS a few months ago and has now become fully leukemic. So bizarre, as this is what my FIL passed away from a year ago, after a 6 month acute phase. I have spent the last two days cooking, portioning, and freezing food for my DH to take to SC on Sat. to feed my MIL and himself. He is going for a week to spell his sisters in care of my MIL. Hospice was started last weekend, and she is almost completely lacking mobility, and needs someone there 24/7 at home. She has a daily RN check for meds and vitals, and an aide comes daily for bathing. She can transfer from bed to wheelchair to recliner - only with a lot of help - it takes both SIL's - and one is a nurse, so very experienced. DH will be able to do it by himself. My mom used a hydraulic Hoyer lift for the last three years of her life due to a progressive degenerative neuromuscular disease. She was 100% mentally but 0% physically. She too was taken out by CHF and renal failure - treating one exacerbated the other and she finally reached the Catch-22.

I'm just jumping in here, so forgive me if someone else has said this - but get an electric pressure cooker!! I got an instant pot this summer (and no this is not paid advertising lol) - and it has changed my life!! I have been so brain foggy, whether it be from being in menopause, the tamoxifen or my Hashimoto's thyroid issues, and if I turn my back on the stove, it's burned to the point of smoke alarms going off. We've had perfect dinners with this pot - no burning and they're delicious!! So easy too. I figure, time is too precious, and this gadget spares my time, and makes incredible meals besides. There's a fb forum I got on - they're full of recipes and tips. It's seriously one of the best investments I've made

Surprised if McGuinn gets much of a crowd tonight.

Feeling queasy & gassy all day (against my better judgment, had leftover pizza for breakfast after way too little sleep--thought it'd "get things moving" but only intermittently). Can't even think about food. Bob wants to go out for dinner about 7 pm. but tonight we were supposed to go see our original rabbi (we joined the temple in 1987 and he left in '92), a social justice activist deliver the guest sermon. Services start at 8, and traffic always throws a monkey wrench into Bob's ETA. I'd told him twice last week about it, but he is terrible about remembering dates--and refuses to learn how to use the Calendar app on his iPhone. (He won't use his phone for mail, either--and will receive but not send texts).

Have an early downtown rehearsal tom'w morning; weather is projected to be chilly & rainy so travel will be a hassle. And I do need to practice my part in the song we'll be rehearsing and staging--we just got the lyrics & lead sheet yesterday. I am nowhere near off-book on the rest of the show, either.

Wow...a lot going on with this thread! I have a habit of trying to complete reading every entry on site I follow and I think I might be crazy doing so....and in this case, it has taken so long that I never get to an entry. Ha!


But I am determined tonight since I was thinking about Minus and Susan last night when DH and I went to Erbaluce for our anniversary dinner. It brought back real wonderful memories of our dinner there two years ago. Unfortunately for me, since this is a menu created daily based on available ingredients, there was a lot I was allergic to so I ended up getting a sliced carrot appetizer with marinated raw walnuts, and a pistachio crusted steak cooked over rosemary, with a red wine reduction sauce. It was really good, but my best part of the meal was a lemon panna cotta dessert with raspberries. Yum!

Eric, Congratulations on your retirement. Loved the car photo and story!
Special, glad to see you back, but sorry to learn that your MIL is failing.
And Carole, I am also so sorry that your mom is on the decline. I hope that you can feel some comfort in knowing that she has done well with all of your attentive care over this past year.

We visited my stepmother last weekend and brought champagne, cheeses, crackers and dessert to surround a dinner out. But we ended up ordering take out since she was a bit too tired to go out when the restaurant could take us. We enjoyed a nice lunch on the water the following day, and it was beautiful weather, so we enjoyed that late fall gift. It was great to see her functioning at such a high level at 90, but feel very aware of how that can change quickly. She lives alone and has no children...but does have some caring nephews not too far, so I do worry about what would happen if she does need ongoing care. High end of life is never easy.....

This week I made my fave cod in tomato sauce over pasta, which we finished up tonight...always better after a bit of refridge marinating!

Oops, I have to stop writing since I am doing this while watching the Celtics suddenly making a game out of their effort against OKC, and must watch more intently since everyone was expecting them to lose and they have come back amazingly.

Carole, I am totally with you with the scale issues! May we all find the right place on the floor!

The pork tenderloin last night was very good even though slightly overcooked past the pink stage. Still it was moist and full of flavor. I marinated it in a mixture of fresh garlic, fresh rosemary and olive oil. The only side was a baked sweet potato for each of us so most of the tenderloin was eaten. I usually can rely on some leftover thin slices for lunch sandwiches.

Tonight will be salmon with steamed broccoli as a side and a romaine salad. I have a recipe for baked salmon with a yogurt dill topping that dh likes.

Sophiamarie, welcome. I'm a big IP user and am constantly singing it's praises for various things. I'm also a member of the FB group. I use mine about 3 times a week, often multiple times a day.

Having said that, I'm not using it at all today. Flat iron steak on the grill, baked potato and butter lettuce salad with blue cheese dressing for tonight's supper. Pre thanksgiving dinner tomorrow. For some reason, I was craving Boston cream pie, so I made one. If it looks decent, I'll try to post a picture.

Some day I will open my Instant Pot, which is still in its box and now under things stored in the basement! Yikes! Tell me again how wonderful it is so I can get motivated to bring something else into the kitchen. Low cal dishes from it would be great. I have lost track of what it is good for. Losing my cooking gene......

Tonight we are heading to a local charity auction which will feature finger food and desserts related to Mardi Gras...go figure on this cool November day! I was at a Human Trafficking “train the trainer” session all day, so would do better to have some soup and an early bedtime, but since we donated a few things we could need to be available to answer questions about (e.g., the Spanish dinner for four plus us) I will get myself dressed up a bit and move onward. Yawn.

Minus I’ll gladly let you know about what I do with the cod/tomato sauce recipe next time I log in. It is one of my most favorite dishes these days.

Nance I do hope we get to see your Boston Cream Pie. We brought another one of those purchased mini ones to my step mother’s and she was thrilled with it...as were we. Why have I never discovered that earlier in my life? Of course, I do not need those calories! I know that yours will be wonderful!

Happy return to Standard Time everyone! Massachusetts is considering legislation to keep that all year long, but not getting very far. It always feltodd when I was in school in South Bend not to change the clocks. Old habits die hard....

I cook every night so its time to join this thread! Tonight I made a pot of hamburher noodle soup and a toss salad with Romaine, kale, green onions, dried cranberries, feta cheese and shredded carrots. The salad was so good! I served it with a Greek type dressing.