So...whats for dinner?

ChiSandy

Eric, glad my home town could fortify you (Tootsie Rolls are made on Chicago's S. Side).

Lacey12

Quiet October Newfound Lake scene....

Special, I'm also glad you were able to sink into some ZZZZZZs after what sounded like such leg discomfort and herculean efforts to help your friend! I'm with you on the Goldilocks requirements. I think I have probably always had a heightened sensory system, but since my bc treatment (coupled with aging!), getting physically comfortable is more of a challenge, especially at bedtime. Hope that leg heals quickly!

Thanks for your kind thoughts about my brother. I keep hearing from friends who know about this LBD condition....and am puzzled as to why I had never heard of it before....even with Robin Williams! Anyway, I do worry about some of the anticipated symptoms (especially acting out related to hallucinations, and/or dreams) since he survived a lot of trauma on the front lines in Viet Nam. I have already had a talk with my SIL about keeping their guns (!) inaccessible, but she does what she wants to do, and I'm not sure she wants to hear that again. Oy!

We drove up to the lake yesterday to try to beat the leaf peeper weekend traffic, and glad we did, since the trip was just two hours door to door. Yay! Beautiful warm weather up here, but not as much tree color as there usually is by this holiday weekend. We came up for the annual lobster fest, which will be (hopefully, barring rain) on the beach on Sunday. The man who started this tradition has moved, but one of the other neighbors (this beach association is full of many wonderful community-oriented young families, and the men/dads are the nurturing sort) has taken on the task of continuing this delightful event, for which we are very thankful! Menu will be steamers, king crab legs, steamed lobster, corn on cob. Neighbors will all bring apps and desserts. I'll try to remember to take some pix...tho they will look the same as all previous years. 😉

Last night we had my homemade meatballs and spaghetti, salad and my garlic bread. I hardly ever make meatballs anymore, but DH noticed that the take out pizza place we use offers meatballs a la carte and has twice bought them to satisfy a craving! I tried a bite a few weeks ago and was seriously unimpressed, so last week made a bunch, froze some and used some with doctored up Raos sauce for last night's quick meal. I will not be doing this too often since my weight is rising and pasta is NOT something that helps keep that in check. But as DH exclaimed...it sure was a delicious meal...the kind I used to serve when the boys were young.

On Wednesday evening, we were invited to the local retirement community dining room by DH's good friend who lives there. We've eaten with him there before, but this time we were slated for the fanciest of their dining room options. It was delightful and delicious. I had an arugula salad which was a variation on a caprese salad, and then beef tenderloin with bernaise sauce, acorn squash, zucchini, and red bliss mashed potatoes. DH had caesar salad, rack of lamb and similar sides. This was not exactly institutional food, and the other menu options all looked great, too. Given our love of (obsession with?!) food, we might need to cash it in and head to this place in a few years, if we last. During our meal, I was reminded of my oldest son working there as a server. He used to complain to us about how many times he would be asked by the little old ladies to “top off” or warm up their coffee. Well, our server absented herself enough that she didn’t need to worry about our wants! Staff training might remain an issue there. LO

Eric, I hope you are faring well in PR despite those MREs. I know the citizens there appreciate your hard work! One of my DDIL’s physician colleagues has managed to hire a private plane and pilot and stock it with medical suppllies, docs and nurses, which they are bringing to PR on Monday. She did this all through her social media network, Amazon ordered donations, etc., which amazes me. She posted a pic of her living room piled high with Amazon boxes.

Moving forward, I am so hoping that New Orleans is spared the wrath of this next weather system heading in that direction.

Have a nice weekend everyone....

carolehalston

Eric, I'm sure you are much appreciated in PR. I learned from our POTUS that it's an island in the middle of an ocean. Glad you and others were able to find your way there and offer help.

Nance, I look forward to lunch with you and your dh in NO. Let's count on it. I waved to you when we passed through your town on Sunday, headed south. We were in the mindset of the horse headed to the barn.

We arrived home on Monday and, yes, Nate seems to be coming to visit us.

Lacey, I'm so glad our Restaurant Queen is back! I have missed hearing about your excellent meals out and about in the Boston area. That's terrible news about your brother.

Minus and Special, it's challenging to think of two California girls ending up in TX and FL! Minus, how is the Houston area faring with the cleanup and rebuilding?

Last night's dinner was meatloaf made with ground beef. Sides were cauliflower mash and green peas. DH is always happy with meatloaf and he enjoys the cauliflower mash, as do I. He jokingly asked if we would have peas with our diner special modified and I just happened to have a bag of Jolly Green Giant peas in the freezer. It was an easy alternative to making a salad and the peas tasted good.

I failed in my goal not to gain back lost pounds during the summer. So it's back to healthier eating and WW meetings. My closest WW meeting in northern MN was 30 miles and the meeting was on a Tuesday afternoon. I went a few times and then stopped. So it's back to WW and the support the meetings provide. Same model as AA.

Need to think about dinner tonight. No ideas yet.

MinusTwo

Carole - tongue firmly in cheek!!! Right on. I am in awe of Eric for his service on that lost island.

More later. Off to meet a friend for lunch at the new restaurant at the Hare Krishna Temple. I hope I can remember the names of the dishes long enough to report. Then we will go see Judi Dench in "Victoria & Abdul" for the afternoon matinee at our "art" theater. Nice way to wind up the week.

Lacey12

Minus, sounds like a perfect way to end your week! I am eager to see that movie, too. Saw previews recently and it really drew me in.

Carole, I am laughing at “restaurant queen” term since I probably eat out less than most people I know...but events related to DH’s professional groups do land me at dining spots as does the summer when I take advantage of trying new restsursnts and not cooking! Oh, I am with you on needing to shed summer lbs! So glad that you and Nance will meet up during the holidays! I know I have mentioned that before, but I am so happy to think about it, that you may even hear that again!

Speaking of cooking at home, DH and I are submitting this auction item for our church auction....a paella dinner. I will figure out the appetizers, he will make the seafood/chicken/sausage paella, I’ll make salad, crusty bread and figure out what to do for dessert. I am supporting his renewed interest in paella making, especially on the grill since it leaves room for me in the kitchen!

Tonight we will grill chicken breasts and have late season corn on cob with salad dressed with my fave horseradish dressing. Have yet to find one I like better.

Presser going on....I think I’ll go for a walk!

SpecialK

carole - glad you had safe trip home - hope Nate leaves you alone! I am over the hurricane season... After I stripped our house in prep for Irma, I decided that the master bedroom and study need painting so all of the stuff from those rooms is still boxed/bagged. I need to get a move on in the home reno department! I am a California girl who has lived in Guam, New York, California (again, briefly), Washington state, Southeastern Virginia, Northern Virginia, and then Florida. We always zig-zagged too - those moves were always cross-country. During that time DH had forays to Texas for 6 months, and Alabama once for 3 months, and once for a year. Eight moves for me over 25 years, twelve for DH, including his original training in California when we met. We have been in Tampa for 11 years - longest we have lived anywhere.

lacey - have you considered a flan for dessert with your Paella auction item? When my kids went to preschool they attended a parochial school that had a huge black tie fundraiser with a silent auction - I donated a dessert a month, for a year. It was a fun thing to do - I knew the person who won and we had a great time deciding on what desserts she and her DH wanted each month.

auntienance

Wow, beautiful dish illimae, and beautiful scenery lacey!

Endoscopy this morning. Biopsied areas (2 small spots) not back of course, but picture showed a lot of irritation in the stomach. No treatment plan until results are back. Actually, the nausea has abated with the elimination of my supplements, much to my surprise. (Perhaps my gastro guy is smarter than I thought he was ;-) Still have the anorexia though, which could very well be gastritis. (I'm praying that it's not celiac disease.) So for now, it's small meals, more like snacks really. Yesterday was dh's birthday. I managed to make him his favorite birthday meal - a filet mignon and twice baked potato followed by a chocolate cake with chocolate icing. I'm fortunate that he's so easily pleased lol. I think tonight is pork burgers on the grill with something as yet unknown for a side. I'm pretty tired from getting up at 5 am to get to my appt. Those early rising days have been behind me for quite some time.

Carole, I'll be in touch. Looking forward to seeing you again.

eric95us

I can forgive Trump for saying PR is an island in the middle of an ocean...a co-worker, after I mentioned the need for trucks...wondered why they didn't just drive them there (to Puerto Rico)!!!!!

I got out today to a Walmart...the first time I've been out if the building in a couple of weeks.... When we got there, there was no line. Its cash registers and credit card systems (a satellite dish on the roof was how the credit card system was connected to the banking system) were running on generators. The skylights were providing inside illumination and there was no air conditioning, nor refrigerator/freezer spaces running (with no place at home to store frozen or refrigerated stuff, why bother wasting the space to bring that kind of stuff onto the island).

They close when the sun goes down.

We some tourist stuff-refrigerator magnets, a coffee cup, etc....nothing that would likely be needed by the folks living here...we don't want to make things worse....

When we left, there was a line of a couple hundred people waiting to get inside...as a few people left, a few people would be allowed in.

They were out of propane, camp stove "white gas", D batteries, 6volt batteries and camp showers (fill with water, hang in a tree ones).

I just noticed it is pouring rain outside.

Of the 40-50 traffic lights I saw only two were operating. Thus, plus the currently "narrow due to debris, but passible" raids, made for slow traffic.

Currently, the road right if way rules appear to be apportioned as follows....vehicle size, vehicle condition, horn volume and driver aggressiveness. So a decrepit cement truck with a loud horn and an aggressive driver...even an emergency vehicle with their siren and emergency lights going...will wait...

Oh, the gas lines have shrunk to the point where some gas stations had no one waiting for a pump.

That is what I saw in our 3 hour, 7 mile trip from the hospital I'm working at. I still haven't made it anywhere else.

auntienance

Oh Eric, how dreadful. Thank you for your help getting them functioning again.

auntienance

Oh Eric, how dreadful. Thank you for your help getting them functioning again.

MinusTwo

KB - sounds good.

Eric - Again - thanks for being there.

HappyHammer

Oh, Eric...again...thank you for being there!!!

eric95us

I'm doing just regular old run of the mill non-exciting stuff. Telephone installer, making sure the electronic medical records system is doing it's job (it's been working perfectly), keeping track of the 2way radios, answering phone calls and monitoring the 2-way radio....eating and sleeping.

I'm sort of the gateway between inside this hospital and "the outside world".

I'm working at a brand new hospital that was about 6 weeks out from accepting patients. The only damage it sustained (that I could see) was some of the outside security cameras being blown off, a damaged door and some glass panel railings on the outside we're cracked. All of this has been corrected.

The air conditioning system temperature control system is not yet working on the floor I'm working on and leaving the A/C off is not an option, so it's low to mid 50F degrees. The patient floors are comfortable and the patients are way more important than "lil ol me" so I wear a sweater.

auntienance

Stay safe Carole!

MinusTwo

Eric - communication is so vital. You really are much appreciated. Do you have any idea how long you'll stay? Yes, Carole - hope you stay safe through Nate. Lacey - so glad you're posting again. The lake looks wonderful & mysterious in that light. Have you heard from Susan? I need to reach out again. Hope April is doing OK. She was taking a break from BCO. There are days i think I should do that, but I love this thread and don't do Facebook so I guess I keep on.

Lunch at Govinda at the Hare Krisna temple was delish. Some dishes were marked vegan - the rest vegetarian. I can't remember any of the names, but particularly liked a spinach dish, a sauce with Tamarind which I put on my Basmati rice, a pototo & eggplant combination, a great salad dressing (tons of fresh salad ingredients BTW) and a dish called custard. The later was more runny than pudding (no gelatin or rennet I'd guess) and loaded with tiny chunks of bananas, apples & pears. And oh my, a delicious chocolate cake. Interesting to watch Victoria & Abdul afterwards, as the queen wanted to try Indian/vegetarian foods. Judi Dench is so amazing.

SpecialK

minus - your food adventure sounds intriguing, and the movie looks interesting to me as well. I enjoy Judi Dench, and appreciate the nuance in her performances particularly in light of the fact that she has macular degeneration in both eyes, and script memorization and playing off other actors presents challenges.

lacey - agree with minus, glad to see you here again

ChiSandy

Thanks, Eric! And stay safe, Carole and everyone along the eastern Gulf coast.

eric95us

I agree with everyone else, Carole....be safe.

Hopefully Nate is over hyped.

The internet connection we were using has been up and down since about 3pm east coast time and the problem is outside of our control to fix.

HappyHammer

So, it has been a bit cooler and very drizzly today.   Put me in the mood for soup.  Made a double batch of "hungry killer" soup from Old South Gullah recipe.   Basically it is ground beef, tomatoes and pasta...with onion, carrot, celery and red pepper and herbs.....waiting for it to cool so I can out it away.  Some for us now and some for the freezer. Love that I was able to get local tomatoes and peppers for this.

ChiSandy

Bob came home just in time to see the Cubs blow game # 2 of the NLDS (so it's 1-1 with the Nats). I'm pretty exhausted from dealing with the landline phone outage (about which you can read on the CrazyTown thread--for the next few days we're glued to our cellphones like millennials); and I was out in a storm earlier. So as designated hunter-gatherer, he walked across the street and brought back a Buffalo rotisserie chicken (not spicy at all), samosas & stir-fried bok choy. He had some Cahors (SW FR red) with it, while I had some mango Bai (low-cal electrolyte drink) instead.

Dessert was guava & red bean mochi balls. Might have a Thai banana later--when they get very ripe they're tasty and don't have that raw-banana smell that makes me hurl. They're a different species than the Cavendish (the big yellow clones that are the only grocery-store variety). The Thai bananas are petite and quite sweet--sometimes called "ice cream bananas." I get them at the Asian market about a mile down the street. (I also get the bane of my nutritional existence: shrimp chips--they look like little chips of stained glass and puff up deliciously when fried. They're made from rice flour and shrimp powder. When I was a kid in Brooklyn, they were the usual garnish on puupuu platters at the neighborhood Cantonese restaurants, of which every predominantly Jewish neighborhood--except the Orthodox ones--had several).

MinusTwo

Hammer - the soup sounds wonderful. Red bell peppers were on sale this week for $0.88. English cukes the same - and I usually pay at least $1.59 for those.

Last night's dinner was a chopped salad with Asian dressing & 6 mini quiches. Breakfast was a wonderful Hatch Chili Scone I liberated from the freezer last night. I hoard them since Central Market only has them once a year.

Hey Bedo - where are you? And Val - thinking of you too.

carolehalston

Thanks for all the "stay safe" sentiment. Nate presented no problems for us.

DH cooked a lb. of red beans with a ham bone for dinner last night. I cooked some brown rice and made a tossed salad with romaine, grape tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, and blue cheese. The meal was delicious. I haven't had red beans in months.

Tonight will be leftover meatloaf, sliced and warmed up in Rao marinara. The salad may be a duplicate of last night's salad. I have more cauliflower and might try a cauliflower rice dish with carrot and green peas. I'll google for recipe ideas.

DH just came into the house and said it's brutally hot outside. I'm waiting for cooler weather to venture out and tackle the yard and cleaning the patio.

Eric, what an interesting insight you give into the conditions in PR.

Lacey, is your horseradish dressing home-made?

SpecialK, I need to get motivated to change the wall color in our bathroom. I learned two years ago that dh has never liked the color, a cranberry red. The bedroom could use a change, too. New comforter and curtains and wall color. I am not a female who re-arranges the furniture! Once things get their position in the overall design, they tend to stay there.

Go, Cubs!

eric95us

I'm on one of the upper floors and I have a weak cell signal.

Rain storms like this seem to be a daily occurrence and this makes laundry (bucket system wash and line dry) a bit of a challenge.

I'm looking outside and the non-working traffic lights are no longer visible.The rain lasts just long enough to do a "soft water rinse" on the clothes and then it stops.

SpecialK

eric - looks like Florida, lol!

carole - I got a wild hair the day before Thanksgiving a couple of years ago to do a superficial redecoration of the master bedroom - I had spent so much time in during breast cancer that I suddenly couldn't stand it anymore, but the timing was ridiculous - I was bringing home the chair as the store was closing and hanging curtains at 9pm and had 20 people coming to eat the next day. The bedroom had been a combo of cranberry and gold linens, with cream walls and dark wood furniture. It suddenly seemed oppressive, so I got a new chair, new throw pillows, new curtains, a new quilt for the foot of the bed, one new lamp, new photo frames, all in light grays and yellows. Looks totally different now and the reminders of sick days are gone. The master bath is en suite and continues into the master closet, and I only had to change a few things - gray towels and new soap dishes, etc., as the walls are already a butter yellow - the name is actually "clarified butter" and is a warm soft color. Almost all of my paint colors have food in the names, lol! The study will be painted "vanilla mocha" and the bedroom is getting a pale warmish gray color, have not picked the exact one yet.

Tonight will be brats on the grill and a red potato salad I made earlier this afternoon. DH and DD are cleaning out her truck in the driveway and the dog is napping out there. My birthday is tomorrow and my two good neighbor friends are taking me out for dinner - yay! DH is off for Columbus Day, I have a hair appt., but maybe we will go out to lunch afterward. DD is heading for S. Carolina for the week - she should wave at you Happy Hammer!

MinusTwo

Special - Hope you have a wonderful B-day!!!

SpecialK

minus - thanks! A bit shocked to be turning 61 - seems like I was in my 30's yesterday, but happy to be here to celebrate that I am!

eric95us

Happy birthday

auntienance

Happy birthday Special K! Hope the day is special too!

Carole, glad Nate let you be. I hope our Biloxi hotel is unscathed. I saw some pictures of pretty high water lapping at the door.

Tonight is unstuffed peppers and a salad.

Off to the gym today.

eric95us

It's slow right now..if you can't tell from this post. :-)

I'm watching a small (1/2 inch long) spider walking around on the outside window ledge. The ends of Its front two legs (more like arms) have what look like little white fuzzy gloves that it holds in front of it's mouth.

When I get close to the glass, the spider turns around and returns the stare. It moves its "gloved hands" up and down in front of its mouth and makes me think of a yawning man with a white beard.

A search shows it to be a Puerto Rican whip spider.

ChiSandy

Eric, CNN was interviewing personnel at a new hospital in San Juan. Is that yours?

Happy Birthday, Special!

Last night's dinner was shrimp & grits at the House of Blues before the Little Steven & the Disciples of Soul concert (which was wonderful, albeit "Springsteenian" in length--and like E Street Band shows, neither opening act nor intermission). Thanks to training, no problems standing throughout the show.

Probably will have pasta tonight with whatever tomatoes are threatening to go soft.