So...whats for dinner?
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Eric - "be there for her…" is right on. When I flew out to CA every couple of weeks to help with my Mom, I don't think I ever sat down - groceries to buy, payroll taxes to compute, meals to cook & freeze, things to fix at their house, bills to pay, etc. Even when I was with Mom, I was trimming her hair or nails, changing the feeding tube, etc. My brother only showed up 4 or 5 times in the 7 years but he sat by Mother's bed most of the time he was there and read to her so he was the 'golden boy'. My boss was great about my taking off because my son set up a computer for me so I could continue working my full time job too when I was there. No regrets - but I do know what you mean about stress & guilt & exhaustion.
Wally - fingers crossed that a routine will evolve & you can spend an hour just sitting in a bubble bath with a book sometimes.
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Wally, Good to hear that the steroids are helping your DH. Hospice routine takes some adjusting since everyone’s situation is different and fluid. It’s meant to take some of the stress off you so you have quality time with your DH and for yourself. You will figure out what works for the two of you. Is the Mississippi crockpot chicken a variation on Mississippi pot roast?
Dinner tonight was artichoke chicken on cavatappi
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Maggie, the nurse today said it is a mess there and a lot of changes; promises made but never kept. Small town, USA. Gotta hate it.
I have never heard of "mississippi" chicken or pot roast. It turned out ok. I think it is like Italian shredded beef but using ranch seasoning.
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Wally, I hope that sharing the responsibility and stress of being a caregiver will give you a little relief, which you badly need. And through it all, you keep cooking. You're a strong woman.
Last night was ribeye steak night, which amounts to minimum cooking for me. I scrubbed some potatoes, wrapped them in foil and stuck them in the toaster oven. DH grilled the ribeye, timed the resting, and sliced it for sharing. He had also bought it at Sam's Club. It was quite tasty. I had meant to make a salad, but there was plenty of food without it.
I'll have to look up Mississippi chicken in the slow cooker.
Meanwhile there's dinner tonight. ???
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The shower chair and walker arrived. WOOHOOO!!
I made a riff of bolognese with penne. Splurged on fancy frozen pie for him and he's loving it.
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Tonight was a mysterious chicken, greenbean and tomato stew from the freezer and warm homemade rye bread very kindly made for us. Cannot remember anything about where I got the recipe for the stew but it was good. I warned DH first but he was up for it. He tends to want to know what he's getting for dinner before diving in. 😀
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Carole, Often my dinner plans are determined by the "best by" dates on the meat/fish currently in the refrigerator.
Reader, Yum on the homemade rye bread.
Wally, While small towns have some advantages they are not the best for medical care. I'll have some tough decisions to make if/when I'm unable to drive. Hopefully the nurse will be somewhat helpful even if the organization is in flux. It's great that the shower chair and walker finally arrived. Now is the time to splurge.
Dinner tonight was Indian shrimp in delicate sauce on p. 240 of that cookbook; DH thought it was good. I like that you can buy the ingredients at a regular grocery store. My other Indian cookbook requires foods from a specialty market.
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Wally, I hope the nurses can shield you from the disorganization at the hospice.
Tonight was carne asada, brown rice and pinto beans. Simple, quick and quite good.
Carne asada is flank steak sliced VERY thin, marinated and then cooked rare to medium rare. I don't know about this marinade as it was done at the grocery store before the meat was packaged. It was one of those manager specials where it was near the end of the "use by" date on the sticker.
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Maggie's chicken with artichoke meal inspired me to search for a recipe. Using Wally's term, "riff," I made a dish that was a riff on a recipe I found. I cut a very large chicken breast into slices and placed on the bottom of a casserole dish. Topped the chicken with a spinach and chopped artichoke heart and alfredo mixture. Sprinkled panko crumbs on top. Turned out good. For me, an addition of shredded Romano or Parmesan would have made it better but dh is not as much a "cheese makes everything better" fan as I am. The side was carrots in a butter and brown sugar sauce.
I have to agree with Nance's negative opinion of chicken breasts. Except for making breaded cutlets, they're never as good as thighs. Still, I buy them occasionally and then have to cook them.
Tonight will be home-made crab cakes. I found fresh lump crab meat at Rouses for a "reasonable" price.
Today is Mardi Gras. The morning news on local tv is all on-the-street coverage of parades. The first one of the day is Zulu. It was formed by African Americans who weren't allowed in the white krewes. During the first years the parade rolled early on Mardi Gras morning and didn't have a designated route. It wandered around. The signature throw is a decorated coconut. Good luck on getting one. They're probably the most-prized throw that is not thrown but handed.
Happy Mardi Gras!
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LOL Carole thank goodness they don’t throw those coconuts!
Happy Mardi Gras! Hope you had pancakes for breakfast. Dinner will be jambalaya and garlic bread with a slice of king cake for dessert.
carne asada is one of my favorite Mexican meals and I order regularly at restaurantsWishing you some peace Wally
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Aldi sometimes has beef labeled as being for carne asada but you have to marinate it yourself.
Carole, Yum on the fresh "meat" crabcakes. I can't imagine throwing coconuts but they probably used to.
Nance, I made Pancake Tuesday British pancakes for breakfast. They are very thin, almost like crepes, and are served with powdered sugar and lemon juice. They're not the usual breakfast pancakes but DH will eat them once a year for tradition. You are having an appropriate dinner for Mardi Gras.
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My dad was hurt in boot camp in 1934 and ended up spending nearly a year there before "graduating". When he got out of boot camp he, and several other new (22 year old) marines were sent to China, but to get China, they had to take a train to San Diego.
Dad said the train was delayed for three days due to a messed up bridge/tracks, so they were stuck in New Orleans for those three days. Dad said it was during Mardi Gras and it was "rough duty". :-)
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I didn't know about Pancakes Tuesday. We didn't have pancakes. We seldom eat breakfast together. DH is on the move earlier than I am. This morning I will have a slice of whole grain bread from the loaf of Einkorn bread I made yesterday. Spread with peanut butter and slices of banana.
The crab cakes last night were very good. I made a remoulade sauce from Serious Eats. The side was oven roasted zucchini and yellow squash. We also had slices of freshly baked bread with butter.
When I was looking for my crab cakes recipe, I ran across a hand-written recipe of Maggie's chicken with artichoke hearts. I had forgotten you had given it to us, Maggie.
We're in for a stretch of warm and humid days before the weekend brings more winter.
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I'm freezing some of the bolognese and penne pasta; eating some for lunch. Made waaay too much.
Ribeye tonight. DH and I will share one. I'll make air fryer potatoes and I made some slaw.
Woke to white slush on the ground ❤️ and 30s. None of it will last, so trying to enjoy what we have while it is here. Ha, good mantra for life.
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Right now, it's 50-55mph winds with higher gusts and blowing dirt. The thermometer temperature is 35F.
Dirt instead of dust. Dust doesn't sting when it hits my hands.
We've had half a dozen momentary power outages which is the power line automatic protection systems working properly…probably reacting to debris hitting the power lines.
According to the weather forecast there is a strong possibility of snow tonight, but the clouds haven't shown up yet. I'll believe it when I see it. :-)
Dinner tonight could be chicken and rice with BBQ beans, or chili or spicy southwest vegetable soup or hamburgers. decisions…decisions…decisions…
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Carole, Your breakfast sounds delicious. DH is up first and makes oatmeal for himself. He waits for me to get up to cook eggs or heat up a piece of frittata I’ve previously made. When we were both working his alarm clock was the garage door opening as I left for work.
Eric, I hope you don’t get blown away. It’s nice to know you’ll have power and a choice of dinner options.
Wally, Enjoy your white stuff. We still have over a foot left from the big storm plus more from a bunch of 2 -4 in squalls. We’re supposed to get another 6 inches on Friday,
Our propane wasn’t delivered in our auto delivery window so I’m spending lots of time explaining to customer service people overseas in tropical climates that the algorithm predicting we have enough fuel for three weeks seems to be based on the last couple of mild winters. I pointed out that the same page in my account shows we are using 60 gal a week so with 90 left in the tank (in the red zone) we have fuel for 10.5 days. We were down for an urgent delivery today which didn’t come. We are supposedly on a tentative route for tomorrow. There is a local propane shortage due to the multiple storms and very cold weather so my fingers are crossed.
Dinner tonight was steak Gorgonzola Alfredo on fettuccine, an Olive Garden copycat.
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Maggie we had propane at our previous home in the country. I was very glad to leave the stress of managing that behind.
Today hit 70°. Winter Will return next week but I soaked up today with relish.
Taco salads tonight with avocado added to mine.
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It hit 80 again today. WAY too soon for this heat.
Went to the dermatologist today for a quick 8 week recall check. She froze 15 places on my face, but we didn't deal with a full body check this time. I've lived all of my life in sunny climates, and as a teen - I laid out in the sun in CA covered with baby oil. Oh well. What is that quote about we reap what we sow??? At least they were only per-cancerous and didn't require surgery.
Dinner was a Lemon Bundlette from Nothing Bundt Cakes. Delicious and it was buy one get one free, so I still have a white chocolate raspberry in the fridge.
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Maggie, what a worry with the propane.
Eric, yuck on the wind but good that you have so many dinner options.
Nance, I often order taco salad when eating lunch at a Mexican restaurant. Somehow, I never think of making it at home for dinner. I'll put it on a mental list.
Minus, you do love your little bundt cakes.
After senior exercise class at the YMCA yesterday, I went to lunch with three of the other women attendees. The restaurant was Mexican, but not the usual Tex Mex. I brought home half the chile relleno burrito I ordered and reheated it for dh's dinner. His side was a guacamole that he mixed up to his taste. I reheated the leftover crab cake for my dinner. I'm never really hungry after eating a restaurant lunch.
My lunch plate came with a little cup of soup with strips of tortilla, shredded chicken, melted cheese and a spicy reddish-brown broth. It was quite tasty.
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Nance, I'd love some weather in the 70s but I am happy that we were in the warmer mid 30s today.
Minus, It's good to hear that your digestive system is now up to eating your favorite bundt cakes.
Carole, Your lunch sounds delicious. Restaurant servings always seem to be twice the amount I'd eat at home. It's nice to get a second meal from them. I hate throwing good food away when I'm traveling and have nowhere to keep and reheat leftovers.
We got half a tank of propane today. I’m relieved since we are getting 6 - 8 inches of snow starting at noon tomorrow and the tanker trucks won’t be out long.
Dinner tonight was Chinese five spice salmon, sautéed yellow squash and tater tots for DH.
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Carole I like making taco Salads at home because I prefer corn tortillas to the flour one they usually serve it in. Also the restaurants around here never use enough lettuce for my taste
Tonight was beef pot pies utilizing leftover pot roast that I froze for just such an occasion. An easy answer to the daily “what’s for dinner” question.
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I prefer corn tortillas, too.
Dinner last night was pork country ribs cooked in the slow cooker with barbecue sauce. Also, a shared baked sweet potato and slices of eggplant, breaded and pan-fried.
Glad you got additional propane, Wally. We ran the A/C last night. On Sunday, we'll need to run the heat.
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No propane here; all electric.
I also prefer corn tortillas. I always order enchiladas because I know they use corn.
I made a "hash" of sorts from the leftover ribeye and any veg/potato I had. No idea what tonight will be. DH keeps threatening he wants to dine out, something distracts him and we don't go….
His brother should be arriving tomorrow. Hope he misses the storm and doesn't get stuck at an airport.
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The house here is propane for home heating and the kitchen range is propane. Everything else is electric powered.
So far, we haven't had an issue with propane deliveries. We can go about 4 months on a "full" 250 gallon propane tank, but the truck shows up once per month and, if the tank is below 50% full, the driver fills it to the 85% limit.
Right now it's 35F degrees and cloudy with 30mph winds with gusts to around 45mph. We did get some graupel this morning, but so far, no snow.
I will make a "hash" out of vegetables that are getting close to "use or lose"; no particular recipe, more of a put it all in there, add some scrambled eggs or cooked hamburger and call it breakfast.
Sharon likes flour tortillas and I like corn ones. I bought some corn flour (fine ground) with the idea of making some corn tortillas. We've made flour ones, and they are very much different from store bought ones. It will be interesting to see how the corn ones turn out.
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I'll be curious…most tortillas are made with masa vs. "regular" corn meal…report back!
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Pati Jinich of Pati's Mexican Table on PBS made corn tortillas on one of her shows. Cornmeal (ground corn) is used to make grits and polenta. Cornbread is made with flour added to cornmeal. Since ground corn on its own can't form a dough masa harina is made by boiling and soaking cornmeal in an alkaline solution like lime water. That softens the corn, loosens the hulls and makes it more nutritious (adds b9, calcium, protein and subtracts mycotoxins.) The corn is rinsed, ground into fresh dough, dried and then milled into a fine flour. I'm sure the homemade version is delicious but to avoid the multi day marathon I buy packaged masa. I like flour tortillas for burritos and fajitas but corn for tacos, quesadillas and enchiladas.
Nance, Beef pot pie from leftover pot roast sounds delicious.
Carole, AC to heat in such a short time frame is a pretty abrupt weather change. I found a decent eggplant at the grocery store today so I bought it and will figure out what to use it for later.
Eric, I have found a great deal of variety between different brands of tortillas. It's kind of like bread. I expect homemade will be much better.
Wally, I hope your BIL doesn't get caught in the snow. We're back below freezing again after being a few degrees above and the snow is coming down hard. There will probably be spring skiing in May/June this year.
Dinner tonight was pot roast made with a top round cut of beef that surprisingly had some fat on it. It was much cheaper than a bottom round roast and was delicious with mashed potato and zucchini.
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I like flour tortillas too just not with taco salad. Trader Joe’s used to sell a combination corn/fllout tortilla that was really good. I used to work near a Mexican restaurant tortilla factory where you could buy fresh tortillas. Awesome.
Maggie I usually make roast beef with a top round. How did you cook it for pot roast? Was it tender? I’d be happy to use it that way because I love the flavor.
Tonight was burgers and fries mostly because I couldn’t think of anything else.
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I particularly like flour tortillas with eggs for breakfast "tacos". But I'm also partial to green chili enchiladas with flour tortillas.
Carole - we're in the same boat. 83 degrees yesterday & 84 today. I finally did turn on the A/C for awhile this evening. But supposed to be 47 tomorrow night and 44 on Sunday. Talk about flipping…. I've taken most of my hanging baskets out of the shed & garage and I'm not inclined to put them back again. Maybe just heavy watering tomorrow.
Yes, I do like Nothing Bundt Cakes. But some of that is based on the fact there is now a bakery less than a mile away and also that I keep getting cards & emails for either a free product or a BOGO free product. So far I have a coupon card to punch for one free every month in 2026. Since I live alone, it is the perfect size to satisfy my dessert needs for a week (think extra large cupcake) without over eating an entire cake.
I haven't yet to prepare he Lemon Angel Bars because I can't find the da*n lemon pie filling. Apparently some WalMart stores carry it, but I'm not a WalMart fan. Looks like maybe I can order on line with my next Amazon order.
Dinner was (again) egg salad sangys on Hawaiian Sweet rolls. Afters count on another thread, but 1-1/2 drams of Tuaca Italian Brandy.
Wally - hope DH brother arrived with no problems and he's a help rather than a hindrance.
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We went for Thai take-out yesterday; DH was able to come with me! The food was not good but the experience was. SO much rice that I turned that into tofu fried rice for dinner tonight.
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Nance, Usually cooking top round as a pot roast requires four hours in a Dutch oven on the stovetop or at 300 - 325 F in the oven. This particular piece had a half inch slice of fat on one side only. I wasn't sure it would work but I did the mushroom soup + dried onion soup in a foil packet at 350 F for 2.25 hours (roast weight 1.7 lbs.) It came out tender even though there was hardly any fat elsewhere. This is DH's favorite meal so it was a bargain at $10 for two days of dinner and a lunch for him. Working near a tortilla factory like that must have been a real treat.
Minus, Your dessert sounds so good. I cook with wine and spirits since I miss being able to drink but I have to simmer things long enough to remove most of the alcohol to avoid migraines.
Wally, It’s great you and your DH were able to get out and pick up take out.
We had 6 in of snow yesterday with a nor'easter coming on Sunday. We were supposed to travel to NYC Monday for my grandson's first birthday but our flight has been cancelled with no options to rebook for another week and a half. DD works nights and had taken the week off. Such is life.
Dinner tonight was leftover pot roast, baby Lima beans and mashed potatoes.
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