So...whats for dinner?
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Carole, I like the mild giardiniera but have never made Italian beef to go with it.
Reader, I have never have never eaten at a Greek restaurant that wasn’t good.
Dinner tonight was chicken and asparagus in cream sauce with mashed potatoes.
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My mother-in-law used the term "Greek restaurant" to criticize the restaurants in the suburbs of Chicago that had huge menus with so many offerings that common sense said they couldn't all be made by the cooking staff. I don't know how she came up with that designation. The menus were like a book, with plastic-covered pages. There must have been some huge freezers storing a lot of items from restaurant suppliers.
We don't have any authentic Greek restaurants on the north shore. Or not to my knowledge. We do have Italian, American Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese. Many that specialize in seafood. Most of the common chain restaurants.
I'm thinking about Wally and her dh with concern.
Our dinner last night was quite enjoyable. I finally managed not to overcook a shoulder pork chop topped with barbecue sauce. Sides were leftover roasted butternut squash and steamed broccoli flavored with lemon juice and a little butter. It was overcooked but still tasted good.
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Wally - sending hugs and another virtual shoulder to cry on. It’s not easy, crying and wine sound like a good plan. The impermanence of the body is hard to get used to, and aging is full of changes that are hard to adapt to, in ourselves and our partners. Letting go, letting be.. Giving help and receiving it, so important but day at a time.
Carole- NYC is filled with Greek coffee shops and diners, with those plastic book like menus.. I loved going as a kid, so many choices. But a good Greek restaurant is special. We had one here in Hoboken, but it closed. I was on a grant to write a book about the sacred sites in Greece, and to meditate and paint the “energies” I felt ther, so I spent three years, fall and summers (crazy hot) there. The food was nothing like my favorite Greek diners though. It was amazing, and the table wine too..ahh memory lane…
Going to see my DS and his wife today for chinese takeout for the last night of Hanukkah. Bringing Abe’s mini vegan apple cider donuts and blueberry muffins, not sure if they go with Chinese..but lol I wanted to bring a light dessert i could eat.
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Thank you, ladies. I'm hanging in there. DH just doesn't understand that the lesions are the cause for his balance and strength issues ….and yes, the impermanence of everything…still, so hard. At least no headaches and no pain, for now.
I made frozen pizza last night. Tonight, come heck or high water, I will make the ribeyes!!! I hope.
We have very few ethnic choices out here. I say it is a desert for good places to eat, unless you are a tourist and have $$$$$ to blow on a meal and expect usual stuff.
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Sharon and I have both been fighting colds, so all the meals have been "don't remember".
Again, hugs Wally. I wish there was something any/all of us could do.
DD is arriving Tuesday night for a few days. Her fiancee is staying "there" to watch the cats and also to take others' shifts at the TV station where he works (he's a news producer). This time of year, his overtime pay is "double time", so that will get them some extra money.
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I put a roast in the crockpot so dinner is done for tonight. I still don't feel any better after stopping Orserdu to get my body ready for chemo. I am hoping I feel decent for Christmas as a "gift" to myself. It's the little things!
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Leftover Patty Melt tonight. a REAL one on Rye with onions. YUM.
Definitely decided on hamhock & beans for Christmas Day since I will have had meals & parties with all friends & relatives before then. Since it will be 80 degrees, it will be nice not to turn on the oven.
I forgot to buy eggnog last week, so that's on my list for tomorrow.
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The city in MA where I grew up had a large population of Greek immigrants. The number of my friends who went to Greek school was about the same as the number who went to Hebrew school. Even today my rural NH town has a Greek Orthodox Church as well as a reconstructive synagogue (as opposed to the many types of congregations in my hometown.) A local comfort Italian food restaurant called Athens is owned by a Greek man and the food is tasty, probably because he is always there keeping an eye on things. even reminding you how to carry your takeout so it gets home undamaged. The good Greek restaurants tend to be family owned and are not sold to outsiders. I nearly cried when my favorite authentic Greek restaurant in Cambridge which I had eaten at off and on for 40 years closed when the owner died.
We have very few chain restaurants other than fast food. What is around tends to be limited, ethnic and closes after a short while.
Rhonda, Any dessert goes with Chinese food. Fortune cookies are for the slips of paper inside rather than their taste. In Chinatown in SF I visited a shop which made fortune cookies but I preferred the Ghirardelli shop where free chocolate samples were given out.
Wally, DH's PCP showed him his brain MRI and pointed out the damaged areas and the skills affected: balance, numerical reasoning, emotions. Of course the understanding is not always there. He still has his language skills (in 5 languages) which I'm grateful for but he gets frustrated when he can't fathom a simple mathematical concept since he has a PhD in genetics/biostatistics. I hope your DH remains pain free and you get to enjoy the ribeyes.
Eric, Enjoy your DD’s visit. Hopefully you and Sharon can kick the colds to the curb.
Intolight, I hope your body recovers enough so you can enjoy Christmas. While good food is great spending time with family is the important thing. Easy meals should be the plan.
Minus, Rye bread definitely makes a patty melt taste better.
Dinner tonight was pan fried tilapia with creamy shrimp sauce on rice with cauliflower.
Peace and light to all.
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Made the ribeyes tonight. YUM! Slightly overcooked since I had them in the fridge, aging, and not my typical way to prep. Still good and DH ate well. Made me happy.
Maggie, are your DH's lesions cancer? treatment options? I think DH's degrees in physics and math are the least of his concern for use…walking upright, strength in his legs…marvel at how standards change as we age. Sigh.
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Wally, They are not from cancer but from nerve destruction in the brain as a result of chronic migraines which didn’t occur often enough later in life to take the newer preventative meds available. Otherwise he is amazingly healthy for his age (81) with excellent blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol and other blood work. He is one of those ration babies from WW2 whose mothers ate almost no sugar when pregnant and ate almost none themselves for the first years of their lives whose longevity is now being noted by scientists. He takes no prescription meds. There is no treatment other than vestibular PT which he did for 9 months. It helped but he never got to the low end of normal and the damage is progressive. I’m nearly eight years younger and figured he’d outlast me, but who knows now.
There are treatments for brain mets but their effectiveness and feasibility are variable. Your DH’s onc will probably have some answers, hopefully helpful.
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I'm always in awe of people in my age category who take no prescription meds.
We have a lot of advanced university degrees in our group.
So glad your dh enjoyed his ribeye steak, Wally.
Our dinner last night was Costco ravioli in alfredo sauce. The jarred sauce was the Rouses (store) brand I bought some time ago. It cost much less than Raos and is delicious. Even though the jar is small, I used only half of it. My side was a romaine salad with favorite additions and dh had steamed broccoli. It's baffling to me that he suddenly stopped liking the salad we both enjoyed for years.
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I feel like a whiner…complaining about my cold, even when it's not a "man cold".
We've been invited to dinner by some friends before we pick up DD at the airport at 10pm, but I'm thinking "no". They are in their mid 80s and the last thing I want to give them is "a cold for the holidays".
I have an engineering masters degree, so I guess I'm one of the "advanced degrees".
I used to not like salads, now I like them and Sharon went from hating even the smell of coffee to having several cups a day.
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DH hated coffee his whole life…until a year before he got cancer. Now he has to have a morning brew. Very odd.
Maggie, that is scary that migraines can cause that. I've only had 2 ocular migraines, so maybe I'll do OK…of course, as we know, something else will kill me, LOL. My DH eats/ate sugar like it was heroine. He was on zero meds till he got cancer (79) . His labs sometimes still look better than mine, LOL…he's 85-1/2 and I'm 68.
We see the radiation oncologist tomorrow. His main onco thinks beam rads will kill the lesions and he can stop the seizure and steroids post treatment. Crossing fingers. PSA still going up. Onco wants the PARP inhibitors for at least a full month or two. Chemo may be last option if doc won't consider immunotherapy. Sorry for rambling.
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Carole, I use the Aldi store brand Alfredo sauce since it is good. It’s worth paying the extra for Rao’s tomato sauce.
Wally, I’m glad you enjoyed the ribeye. Whenever I shop for beef and find good price I wish I had a freezer other than the fridge one. I hope rads is an option to stop your DH’s seizures.
Eric, It’s amazing how what you like to eat changes over time spent with a SO. I also found that living in different parts of the world changed what I like to eat.
Dinner tonight was salsa verde chicken enchiladas.
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Dinner last night was grilled lamb chops and turnips roots.
We haven't heard from Mae in a while. Hope she will check in soon.
Very considerate of you, Eric, not to share your cold.
Yesterday I gave into temptation and bought a fruit cake and a sweet potato pie.
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I baked almond torte cookies today, a recipe I’ve had for 40 years, my first vegan cookie recipe . I will make a vegan pumpkin bread pudding tomorrow..with tofu cream… just to be in the spirit of it all. Yesterday DH and I went to the city for lunch at our favorite Peruvian restaurant and to see the Macys windows and Bryant park Xmas shops and lights. Ice skaters (not us) were fun to watch, and more hot chocolate varieties than I knew existed lol , it was a perfect city fun outing. Will make it over to Rockefeller center next week I think. Love being on vacation until January 5th. Feeling so good ! Grateful for the healing and each days increase in energy and range of motion. Doing my PT for my shoulder, and the radiation fatigue is gone. Next infusion not till Jan 7 so enjoying this normalcy of being.
Wally - I hope radiation can be helpful for your DH. I love a cup of coffee in the morning, it’s a new ritual. I just love holding the mug, drinking it in, and watching the sun come up to start the day. Then I make a pot of turmeric ginger green tea for the rest of the day.
Maggie - I agree, funny how our palettes change over time. Now I look forward to anything green and leafy with a good bread and hummos lol. Though the occasional goat cheese and honey is lovely too .
Carole - I love turnips, do you roast them?2 -
hodge-podge-o-stuff….eggs, leftover stuff, fresh broccoli, steamed….and lots of wine for me.
Spent an hour with the new rad-onco. She was a delight (from the midwest; I related). They can't do anything till DH gets an MRI, which is hard to get quickly out here….holding breath for results once it is done. Almost barfed listening to side effects that may occur during treatment. He's been through so much. Who ever invented god did a horrible job. Sorry, just venting and angry and scared and protective and wish there were better options. SO very, very sad and weepy.
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Carole, It’s the season to enjoy special treats. In the new year you can return to watching what you eat.
Rhonda, What a wonderful city holiday outing. One December when I was a preteen my father took my sister and me to NYC when he attended a conference. The store windows were amazing. We also skated at Rockefeller Center. My dad taught us to skate as soon as we learned to walk since he competed in speed skating so we were up for it. Your apartment must smell delicious with all the baking.
Wally, See if you can get a MRI more quickly if you travel. The larger hospitals run double and weekend shifts to accommodate more patients. It’s a bit weird going to a 10 PM or Sunday 8 AM appointment but it’s worth it to get it done in two weeks rather than waiting several months.
Dinner tonight was shrimp fried rice with more veggies than called for added.
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Maggie, DH is unable to do hours of travel or we'd do it. I live on a peninsula…ferries, bridges, blah, blah…winds, rain, sick husband…nothing I haven't considered without killing myself for the ends to the means.
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Ditto to Maggie's remarks about your outing to the city, Rhonda. It sounds like such holiday fun. And how wonderful that you feel so good.
Wally, our dinner last night was hodge podge, too. I got out leftovers and warmed up this and that. Anything left over has used up its refrigerator time.
DH made his heirloom oatmeal cookies yesterday. Recipe on the underside of the lid to the oatmeal box. He decided to use a new ice cream scoop he ordered from Amazon to portion the dough. The cookies turned out enormous. They still taste good. When he's in the kitchen doing his baking thing, he wants me to stay clear, except to remind him of certain things, like where the dark cookie sheets are located and how to set the oven and the timer.
My kitchen chores today include stuffing the butt pork roast with the mixture of chopped green onion, garlic, salt and cayenne pepper and then cooking it in the oven. I will make the gravy in the drippings and slice the roast when it's cooked and cooled. Tomorrow's labor is warming it up. My one other dish is creamed spinach. My sister loves it and always keeps the leftovers. Tomorrow about 11 am, dh and I will go to my younger sister's home for noonish dinner. The only other guests will be her son, his wife, and their two young autistic children. Sadly, his wife has a horrible stomach illness and can't digest food. The name doesn't come to mind.
We'll have too much food but my sister welcomes the leftovers. She has minimal interest in cooking. Her dh is a carnivore. He eats meat and potatoes. No vegetables or fruit. He does like onion rings. Fried seafood. Bread. He loves bread with a meal.
Apologies for rambling.
Happy Christmas Eve. We're invited next door at 6 pm for holiday cheer.
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Last night we had tacos. About 11:00pm we put a brisket in the smoker and will eat that tonight and take half to my BIL's house tomorrow to add to the other dinner trimmings. My DS will continue to moniter it today and finish up the meal as I have a port flush and labs this afternoon… yes, bad timing. Wishing all you wonderful people a peaceful season however you celebrate.
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DD and Sharon should arrive here in the next hour or so. The airline flight was a "disorganized circus turned fiasco" and the plane she was in didn't arrive until after midnight. So, rather than drive up in the middle of the night, they stayed at a friend's place.
DD tested "extremely positive" for gluten sensitivity…to the point of doctors are considering Celiac. So, I'm working on seeing if I can adapt the Zimt Kuchen to be gluten free. I remember my grandmother making it for my grandfather on his (Christmas day) birthday and my mom said she remembered it when she was a little kid as well. Mom was born in 1918, so it's been in the family awhile.
The other thing I'm looking at is an apple pie that DD can eat without causing problems for her.
The rest of the stuff should be easy enough to adapt.
And I'm still sniveling and sniffling , a bit…the cold is still annoying me. DD just got over one, I hope she doesn't get this one.
"Into"…Say hi to your DH. We've been emailing back and forth.
I hope everyone has nice, easy, restful and wonderful holidays.
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@eric95us My DD says hi back. He now has to be on the MARS net at 7:30am and somehow blames me for that! But he enjoys it so much and is just kidding.
I hope you can adjust your meals accordingly. DH and DS put a brisket on the smoker at 11:00pm last night. I will let them handle it all.
Enjoy your holidays. Chris
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I too just picked at things last night - a cold hard boiled egg, a fresh pear and a Boston Cream donut. I've decided to make clam dip today. Haven't made it in years but I have all the ingredients on hand. Tonight I'll start soaking the beans for tomorrow.
Carole - your meal plans sound delicious.
Eric - our mothers were the same generation. Mine was born in 1914. Hope you have a great visit with your DD.
Light - sorry about the port flush today.
Hi to everyone and Merry Christmas Eve to all who will celebrate today.
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My brisket turned out perfect. In fact the whole meal did - scalloped potatoes, green beans with bacon and cherry tomatoes and homemade dinner rolls. Dessert is cookies and a Costco tuxedo cake.
The kids and granddog are here and we'll watch Christmas movies and have snacky food for dinner including ham and cheese sliders made by my DDIL. Crudités , cheese and crackers, dips and little smokies will be available too.
Merry Christmas my friends. I appreciate you all.
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@auntienance My brisket has been cooking for 14 hours now and is about ready to come out of the smoker and rest for a couple of hours. I have a port flush appointment, and when I return it should all be ready to eat. Our sides are scalloped potatoes, rolls and asparagus. Thank God for boys who love to cook! Dessert tonight is Omaha apple tartlets. Merry Christmas everyone!
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Dh asked for egg salad sandwich for dinner tonight, so that is what he'll get. Making cooked eggs in the air fryer is a game changer for me.
I managed to get an MRI for DH in Port Angeles (no bridges or ferries!!) and on Friday! Further than we'd like to go but not that horrific trip to Edmonds or Seattle.
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Wally, Great news on getting a MRI in a couple of days without having to navigate the bridges and ferries.
Carole, It’s great that you could get the cooking done today so you can enjoy tomorrow.
Eric, I hope you can adjust what you are cooking so it is gluten free given there are no local markets to get different ingredients on short notice.
Nance, Your brisket and sides sound delicious. Enjoy the Christmas movies.
Minus, Yum on the clam dip. I bought DH a Boston cream mini pie at Walmart which he really enjoyed. I got to eat the chocolate drizzled on top.
Intolight, I also spent part of the afternoon at the hospital for a CT scan. At least it was the local one so I didn’t have to drive for hours. They couldn’t inject the contrast so I had to hang around until the IV nurse came. The techs fed me Christmas cookies to make up for the wait.
I listened to the live broadcast of A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from Kings College, Cambridge this morning. My favorite job ever was teaching at a public national school for musically gifted students attached to the Anglican cathedral choir school in Edinburgh, an anomaly in Presbyterian Scotland. All the students were singing or playing in the orchestra at that Christmas Eve service so my vacation started at about 10:00 PM when the boarding students went home. Listening to that is now the highlight of Christmas for me.
Yesterday and last night we had snow. It’s nice to have a white Christmas but this snow was too wet to clear with the snowblower. My neighbor shoveled the driveway, a great Christmas present.
Dinner tonight was an Angus ribeye (on sale!), sautéed asparagus and tater tots for DH.
Merry Christmas to those who celebrate. Love, peace and joy to all.
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Leftovers from thanksgiving a win for all.. lol! Pumpkin bread pudding and wine with cognac my sneaky treat.
A merry Xmas to all . May love and light, peace and joy guide our hearts ❤️1 -
Making sockeye, broccoli and roasted potatoes. YUMMMMMMMMMMM on cognac and bread pudding.
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