So...whats for dinner?

Roslyn, I don’t make desserts. Sorry I can’t help with sweeteners.

Minus, lucky you with fresh produce. Enjoy.

Maggie, yum on your dinner.

Nance, you remind me that I should make taco salad.

I finally made a simplified steak fajitas meal last night. Onion, yellow bell pepper and ribeye sliced into strips and cooked in deep skillet. Refried beans. Sour cream, salsa, and grated cheese. No leftovers.

Roslyn, Like Wally I would recommend monk fruit which doesn't seem to have the aftertaste that stevia sometimes does. Some commercial blends contain erythritol which can cause GI upset so read the fine print ingredients carefully. I grocery shop with a magnifying glass, lol. Unsweetened Dutch cocoa plus butter/shortening sometimes works better than regular unsweetened chocolate in recipes.

I have had to accommodate all kinds of food restrictions for DH and DS over the years so I sometimes cook a meal and split it into two pans toward the end. That way I can add the things that make the dish tasty for me to one pan without triggering their SEs.

Bridge #3 (#4 if you count the one that didn't fit) was cemented in the osteomyelitis part of my jaw yesterday. Hopefully this one will last more than a year.

Dinner tonight was stuffed peppers and mashed potatoes.

Last night’s dinner was a pork steak spread with barbecue sauce and cooked in an aluminum pan, adjusting the outdoor grill to substitute for an oven. The side was Bob’s Mac and Cheese.

Hope your neighbors are ok, Wally.

I called them this morning. They simply forgot. Glad they are OK but disappointed.

I'm making pork chops tonight.

I convinced hospice to do labs for DH; if it is high calcium delirium, maybe can stave off with Prolia shot…but nurse could not get blood…he's so dehydrated and battles drinking fluids. Sleeps most of the day and wakes at night…ugh. Beyond difficult. At least hard for him to get around so he cannot do much damage (hopefully). Different nurse coming today….hope they can get blood out of a turnip, to coin a phrase.

My BFF from WI will be driving in to see me for a day…hopefully nothing derails that…Tuesday.

The pork chops were incredible. I swear by brining/marinating for juicy meat. I used Penzey's pork chop blend and added powdered garlic, salt and a butter-milk riff, since I rarely have that in the house. SO good and juicy. Leftovers tonight.

Hi Everyone,

Walleycat and Maggie15-Thank you so much for the tip on monk fruit-I had never thought of that and I'm defiantly going to try it.

Wallycat- I don't know if this would be an option but when blood is drawn from infants they sometimes go through a vein in the head because it is so difficult to draw from the usual places and because the blood flow is better. Just a thought…

Sending positive thoughts your way.

Dinner tonight was veggie miso ramen, I ordered delivery. I have mastered the art of how to get double discounts for Uber Eats. Tomorrow I am thinking roasted veggie wraps with a side of beets and goat cheese with balsamic reduction. Easy and low maintenance. I'm was thinking to try my hand at pickling veggies. I've pickled cucumbers before but I want to try maybe carrots and mustard seeds and after reading your posts, I'm thinking to add squash and turnips thought not sure what spice I will add yet. Maybe sumac for turnips?

Sorry for all those that don't have access to year round produce and live in 4 season areas. I wish I could send you some of our sunshine [seriously, I'm melting and menopausal]. It's crazy humid and hot here already. Today I pulled my sunglasses out of the little glasses compartment in my car. They were scorching hot and they were in a soft case and in the enclosed compartment. August should be fun. On the plus side, mango and avocado season are right around the corner. I'm looking forward to making tropical salsa and guacamole.

For all those that love pork, a tropical salsa pairs great. Pineapple is also a great tenderizer for proteins.

Rosyln, please keep your sunshine and enjoy it…if you can send snow, I'll take you up on the offer :-)

Leftover pork chop for DH and I'm making a scallop Poke bowl of sorts.

Nurse cancelled yesterday and they are sending someone today. He is getting realllllllly bad; it scares me. Not angry or hitting, but memory issues like I've never seen before….makes me think of the orange man (I'll stop there). If this is not due to calcium levels, then it means more lesions and I hope I have the strength to get him to the finish line. I'm tired and angry and sad and scared and frustrated and, and, and….

Scared, frightened, angry, sad, upset, worried, exhausted and more……understandable…… Hugs….

Roslyn, Turnips pickled with sumac sounds delicious. I’ve never pickled them before but have cooked them with that spice. Turnips were one of the 6 veggies available when I lived in Scotland (along with potatoes, parsnips, carrots, onions and Brussels sprouts) so I had to get creative with spices. Everything else was canned and not very good. I once paid a small fortune for fresh broccoli imported from Spain. Right before I moved back a supermarket with some frozen veggies opened which increased the edible options.

Wally, No wonder, you are being hit by all those emotions at once. Sending wishes for emotional strength and virtual hugs.

Right now we are in a cold spell with temperatures below freezing at night. Everyone is holding off on planting their gardens. It will jump up to the 80’s midweek. At least the yo-yo weather provides variety.

Dinner tonight was Angus strip steak, potato salad and corn on the cob. While the steak was excellent, the corn had come from Texas and probably would have tasted better where it was grown. We probably won’t have local corn until the beginning of August.

Carole, Your asparagus sounds delicious. I’ll have to steam rather than stir fry some for a change.

Minus, I got some new trekking poles recommended by my PT today. They were expensive since I need hand ledges (can’t grip) but they keep me upright, stable enough and take the strain off my lower back. I don’t think they would suit public transportation but I’ll walk around the neighborhood looking like I lost my way to the mountains.

Wally, Enjoy your BFF’s company tomorrow.

Dinner tonight was beef hotdogs and leftover potato salad since I was too tired to cook much.

I had quit drinking any colas for years until dh switched to Coke Zero about a year ago. His favorite cola had been diet root beer, which was no temptation. He drinks one cola a day with his lunch. Now I occasionally drink one with lunch, too. I brew no-caffeine iced tea and keep a pitcher in the refrigerator. Other than ice water, I drink iced tea with a wedge of lemon.

I drink several mugs of black coffee in the morning. DH restricts himself with two mugs because he is caffeine sensitive. He likes sweetener and creamer, half & half, in his coffee. I started drinking my coffee black in graduate school, but I occasionally treat myself to a cappuccino.

Dinner last night was slow cooker chicken thighs cooked with salsa. The side was Mexican rice made with a box of Rice a Roni that was supposed to be chicken. I substituted canned tomatoes and added chili powder.

We had a treat at happy hour on Mary's deck. One of our community, Sandy, made a smoked salmon dip with salmon from her freezer stash. She does a lot of salmon fishing during the summer in Wisconsin. There were other snacks. DH and I don't like to snack before dinner but Sandy had called and told me she was making the special dip.

I'm at a loss for a dinner menu tonight. Maybe I'll take a hint from Maggie and take out a package of Nathan's hot dogs. I miss our catfish dinners during the summer. Canadian walleye is $18 a lb. I'll have to splurge soon.

Hamburgers and baked beans for tonight.

Wally, hugs for you!

Hi Everyone,

Wally, my heart goes out to you. I was caring for my father for the last ten years [Parkinson's and dementia]. The memory loss was the most difficult for me. If you ever need to vent, please message me.

The hubby is abstaining from caffeine, sugar, and carbs for 10 days for religious reasons. I'm planning meals to support. It's more about abstaining from desired things so luckily that doesn't include vegetables. I made cauliflower rice, roasted veggies and gazpacho. I'm looking forward to summer seasonal fruit. I can't believe the price of strawberries right now, ridiculous!

My BFF weeded my front berm for 4 hours (she said she was sad she had to stop; loves weeding) and it was the hottest day of the year so far. We hit 81 …back to 50s in a few days.

She brought tiramisu, carrot cake, vanilla bean ice cream and her nephew's paneer curry with naan bread. What a dream she is. DH had a great day. I scored the hospice doctor with his resident to come tomorrow. I've made 2 suggestions and we'll see if they agree or not. Dentist after the doc, but that we have to drive to.