So...whats for dinner?

eric95us

I missed that Chi..I hope Bob won't need surgery.

Last night was a pork roast with a roasted red bell pepper sauce...all from "The Joy of Cooking". This one was pretty true to the recipe, but I think I'm going to change the amount of paprika and type of pepper...the sauce was almost bitter.

Tonight was basically baked chicken zitie except I used penne pasta. This was more or less adapted from Sharon's baked beef zitie. Because breast meat chicken can be a bit boring, I added a bit of cinnamon, a tiny bit of clove and a bit of allspice "because I could" and I used the penne pasta because that was in the pantry. :-)

Sharon says it's a "keeper" and would like me to add it to the recipe book I have.

The kitchen...I pulled all the stuff out of the refrigerator and cleaned it. I also pulled the refrigerator out from the wall and cleaned underneath it.

It wasn't too bad. :-)

I also pulled everything out of the kitchen cabinets and cleaned them inside and outside as well as cleaning everything before putting it away. Once I get the counters clean from tonight's cooking and mop the floor, the kitchen will be more spotless than usual.

MinusTwo

Oh hey Eric. I bet you could make a ton of money doing this as a retirement job. Even if you only want to spend one morning a week working. Please put me in line behind Joyce.

Joyce - what do you think about paying his airfare? That does change the equation some. Still might be worth it. Eric - will you throw in a home cooked meal after you clean out the fridge & pantry?

Lacey12

Okay, I’m also in line for the man in the green suit! Eric,you put this retiree to shame, and how happy Sharon will be to have such a spotless organized house! Good for you both!

And I would be happy for a visit!

ChiSandy

Lacey, get your cataracts done! (At least a month apart. of course). I could not believe how much more clearly I could see afterward.

ChiSandy

Anything that suppresses estrogen accelerates symptoms of aging--so if you already have even early cataracts they will ripen much faster on an AI. And Tamoxifen can also cause cataracts (the mechanism of that is not well-understood).

The first thing you will notice after the bandage comes off is how blue the color blue really is, because the crystallized proteins that are cataracts have a yellowish cast that filter out blue light. The second thing will be how much more 3-dimensional everything looks, and stuff you thought was in shadow really isn't. But the third thing, alas, will be that you can see your wrinkles and enlarged pores more clearly in the mirror (but that's how everyone else has been seeing them all along, and why you might have been thinking photos of yourself unflatteringly aging). Cataracts' only redeeming feature is that they are "nature's soft-focus filters," which can delude and comfort you into believing you look much younger than they are.

auntienance

I'm anxiously waiting for my cataracts to get bad enough for surgery lol. I think they are but my doc says not yet. Right now I'm having problems with excessive tearing, but can't get in until January! I'll be insane by then.

Today i"m doing a test run on a gingerbread recipe that I plan to take to my DSIL's house for thanksgiving. Dinner will be a pot roast in the pressure cooker.

Love the pic Eric! May I borrow the suit for my next fridge clean out?

auntienance

Sandy, really hope Bob is on the mend. That sounds really miserable.

ChiSandy

Only you know if your cataracts are so ripe that you can't stand them any more. About a year or two before, when I asked my ophthalmoligist whether to have the surgery, he replied "you tell me" (the same answer my orthopedist gave when I asked about knee replacement). Push came to shove when, after buying increasingly stronger reading glasses because I thought the reading correction in my progressives was too weak, I went to LensCrafters and the optometrist told me my reading correction was the same as in my then-current progressives, but that my own lenses were getting too clouded to read clearly no matter how well my muscles were focusing them; and (more chillingly) that I should see my ophthalmologist because the lenses were too cloudy for her to see my retinas with the equipment that optometrists in eyeglass shops have.

You can choose, when you have your surgery, to get lenses that correct for either distance or reading, but not both (unless you are willing to go out of pocket for lenses that correct for both--but they're much costlier and their concentric circles can cause haloes & glare, which are among the symptoms for which you're getting the surgery in the first place). Some get lens implants that correct one eye for distance & the other for reading, and get refracted for glasses that do just the opposite.

I chose distance correction, because despite getting a new lens that corrects for reading, cataract surgery cannot reverse or halt "presbyopia:" eye muscles stiffen as they age and don't focus as well as in our youth. Many people ditch their glasses for distance and carry around readers, but I found that a little bit of distance correction in my progressive lenses helps me drive better at night, especially on unlit country roads. And I need only one pair for both purposes--I have decided that concealer doesn't cover my undereye circles as well as do cute eyeglass frames.

And with online outlets like Zenni.com (single-vision, whether clear or sunglasses, starts at $7) I can get glasses insanely cheaply (even progressives are only a $30 upcharge, with Transitions a $150 add-on), in a wardrobe of different colors. Even Warby Parker (which has brick-and-mortar stores as well as a website), with its $95 single-vision price, costs half as much as LensCrafters or my doctor's in-house optical shop--despite a $195 add-on for progressives and $100 for Transitions. Zenni fills my prescriptions more accurately than does LensCrafters. The downside of ordering online or at Warby Parker is that you have to wait 10-14 days before your glasses arrive--but they're mailed to you. If you use VisionWorks, America's Best, or your doctor's optical dept., the wait is just as long and you have to go pick them up.

MinusTwo

My ophthalmologist told me clearly that since my cataracts weren't "ripe", that Medicare would not pay for the surgery. And I have standard medicare that pays for absolutely everything. I think it depends on your insurance whether it's your 'choice' to have surgery "at will".

As for glasses, I could never get them in the mail. I wear progressive lenses and tried once or twice to get glasses at the chain stores. They were never right, even when re-made. So I go to a stand-alone, expert optometrist, who still usually has to tweak them when I pick them up. It still doesn't cost as much as the $95+195+100. My good friend w/progressives keeps trying WalMart with marginal success - but her progressives are over $300 too.

Last night I hosted our neighborhood volunteer appreciation dinner. Thank heavens it wasn't at my small house since it was 33 people for sit down dinner & a meeting. We went to Olive Garden again. I know...not haute cuisine, but these are people from ages 30-80 who don't agree on much, and for many of them it's a special treat. We go there because there are a variety of choices for those who won't eat seafood, or meat, or kale, or peanut butter, etc. I had the Shrimp Scampi and it was pretty good. Of course I'd already gorged on 2 bowls of salad and the wonderful bread sticks.

auntienance

I get all of my glasses on line: Zenni, Goggles 4u, 39 dollar glasses, etc. I've had far better luck with them than brick and mortar stores. I can then change them every year or so with no guilt. Much better selection too. I know some people have problems though.

My main vision problem is transitioning from light to dark, which may or may not be due to the cataracts. it's most annoying.

The gingerbread is making the house smell amazing!

auntienance

Lacey, here's one for you:

http://www.seriouseats.com/sponsored/2017/11/instant-pot-spaghetti-and-meatballs.html

Haven't tried it and I can't get that brand of tomatoes around here but you probably can. SE is pretty reliable. Open that box and try it!

ChiSandy

Comfort food tonight at the Fireside: we shared crab cakes as an app; then I had country fried steak (the closest thing I can find to real wienerschnitzel--how I miss Wolfgang Puck Cafe's version with home fries!), sweet potato tater tots, steamed cauliflower & haricots verts. Bob had gouda mac & cheese with tomatoes and andouille. Yup, took home lots of leftovers.

carolehalston

DH cooked beef stew yesterday. I thickened the gravy with some roux and made a romaine salad. It's always good to turn over menu decision making and cooking. I'

Dinner tonight may be leftover beef stew since there is a large container.

The plan is to head north to Illinois on Tuesday for a two-day trip to New Lenox where dh's family will be gathering for Thanksgiving dinner. Including our host and hostess and their two small children, there will be twenty-five people. I'm not sure who will be cooking the meal. Last Christmas this nephew hired a chef to come to his house and cook and serve dinner, but it was a smaller group with his siblings and their families and his father.

I had hoped to drop some lbs and head into Thanksgiving as a thinner person, but no success.

SpecialK

Hi all - my thread attendance has been spotty - dealing with a weird situation. Right after I returned home from vacation I experienced sudden deafness in my left ear. After initial panic about brain mets - which have been ruled out at this point - the thought is viral induced SSHL (Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss) and am now on big steroids and anti-virals. Follow-up with the ENT is next week but my hearing has not returned yet. Playing the glad game - happy that this is not a more scary possibility, and trying to figure out how to deal with this if it is permanent. DH has hearing loss in his right ear from years of flying combat aircraft, so we have to sit with our good ears near each other. Or start using flash cards. I think I might be too old to learn sign language. Ugh. Laughing about the glasses too - because now I can't see or hear.

chisandy - I hope Bob is doing better - how scary for you both!

MinusTwo

Special - so sorry about the hearing loss. My best friend is dealing with the same thing - hearing just gone in one ear overnight. No inflamation, no infection. Her PCP told her to get to an ENT immediately, which she did. ENT started huge dose of prednisone pills immediately with plans to do a series of 4 shots in the ear drum this week. Amazingly the hearing has improved some with just the pills so they are going to hold off on the shots, taper off on the pills (5 to 4 to 3, etc) and see how it goes. She is to call if it gets worse again - even it it's Thanksgiving Day. Hope you will have the same response.

ChiSandy

SpecialK, Bob's doing much better. He went back to work yesterday.

As to your viral-induced SSHL, I had exactly the same thing back in 2004 when I caught a cold upon returning from a plane trip. I was eager to play my newly-arrived guitar and was shocked to find it sounded thin, watery and out-of-tune. I tried my other guitars and was even more shocked to find they sounded the same. (Like an unplugged cheap solidbody electric). I turned on the TV and music sounded horrendous: sour, with vocals seemingly out of tune to instruments. This had happened briefly back in 1989 when I had a bacterial inner-ear and mastoid infection, which also affected my balance. Antibiotics cleared it right up. This time, my ENT looked at my eardrum, saw clear fluid against the drum and prescribed Sudafed, saying "Must be something going on in your cochlea" (well, DUH) without any further comment, much less advice.I had three gigs that weekend, including a folk festival. It was only by plugging my guitar into an amp that I was able to get through them--and after my onstage set at the festival, I had to go home because the sound of everyone jamming on unplugged stringed instruments was torture. I had to drive home listening to news-talk radio--I couldn't stand to listen to music, period. I didn't completely lose hearing in either ear, but I was hearing notes a quarter-tone lower (pitch-wise, not volume-wise) in my left ear! Push came to shove when I had to play dulcimer and sing harmony on a mass recording session of a remake of "Give Peace a Chance." Everyone's acoustic guitars sounded horrible, as did my dulcimer (only to me, of course--I used an electronic strobe tuner). I managed to muddle through, then went home to cry.

I went online to my guitar forum and women-musician listserv and got a barrage of "Me too!" replies. One woman gave me the name of her neurotologist in Seattle, who in turn referred me to a Chicago-area colleague who was himself a bluegrass musician. I called the latter's office, only to learn that the doctor had died a week earlier. I went to see his partner, who tested only my acuity (and only up to 8kHz) and declared I had great hearing for someone my age who had played bass in rock bands--in fact, perfectly normal for my age, period. I told him about the pitch disparity and he had the temerity to say "You're a musician--you're just too picky about pitch." Oy.

So I told him that at the same time, I had developed a hip problem for which my orthopedist was flabbergasted to see on my X-ray that a chunk of my iliac crest had broken off and was floating free. (I hadn't fallen, just suddenly felt my hip "catch" oftener & oftener). The orthopod said that I was too young for osteoporosis (I was still pre-menopausal) so he ordered a full-body bone (not bone density) scan. I asked if he was looking for bone cancer. He said "I can't lie to you--we have to rule that out." I then told him about the hearing problem, and he said I should press for a brain MRI.

I asked the neurotologist if this could be brain mets from bone cancer, or the hip problem might be bone mets from a brain tumor. He said, "Could definitely be one or the other, an acoustic neuroma, or patulous Eustachian tube. Better do an MRI." He sent me up the road to an open MRI clinic that was in my network. He also gave me a sheet with a diet for Meniere's Syndrome. I told him I didn't have dizziness or vertigo, but he replied "Yours is atypical--and Meniere's is a diagnosis of elimination anyway. Meanwhile, start using musicians' earplugs." He went off on his cruise vacation and said he'd read the MRI when he returned. I went home and Googled my keister off--found that the window for treating SSHL with steroids was only 4-28 days. I started taking various brain-benefiting supplements: vinpocetine, alpha-lipoic acid, and manganese. Got referred by a guitar-forum friend to a musician audiologist at the Cleveland Clinic, who told me I would need to retrain my brain and prescribed certain jazz instrumental songs to download and listen to on headphones while sitting & lying down in various positions several times a day. He also suggested I try in-ear monitors run through a stereo EQ to correct my pitch perception while onstage. I went to a musical audiologist (Sensaphonics), which tests hearing up to "mosquito-tone" pitches and custom-fits earmolds for ear-filter plugs and in-ear monitors. The audiologist there said my treble hearing perception (>12kHz) was that of a professional live-sound engineer at least ten years older; and confirmed that the hearing loss was not bone conduction or obstructive but definitely sensorineural. Meanwhile, I followed the Meniere's diet: no alcohol, caffeine, sugar, any "brown" drinks, and very low sodium. I was not easy to live with. And the diet didn't help my hearing.

By then it was day 25 since the problem started. The orthopod phoned to tell me all he saw on the scan was inflammation right over the chipped hip--and said "Didn't one of my colleagues harvest bone from your iliac crest to repair a tib-fib fracture 7 years ago? He probably just dug too deep and it took this long for the tip to break off. I could pull it out laparoscopically, or we can see if your body resorbs it." (The latter happened). I called the neurotologist's office daily to pester him to read the MRI ("Perfectly normal," he said) and prescribe a steroid. Finally, on day 27 he agreed to phone in a script for a Medrol Dosepak, which I began taking immediately. By the third day's dose my hearing began to normalize--and on the last day I was able to play the "Give Peace a Chance" live video session in front of the Daley Center (which audio did get broadcast on NPR).

I still hold my breath listening to music on the radio or iPhone, always afraid that the bass line will sound out of tune to the vocals. 13 years of waiting for the other shoe to drop. I hope the prednisone works for you. Ask if it's okay for you to take vinpocetine (you can't if you're on gikgo biloba &/or aspirin therapy), ALA or other antioxidants, and manganese (only10mcg is necessary). The latter will also help with tinnitus.

SpecialK

minus - thanks - I have been on steroids since 24 hours after losing the hearing - doesn't seem to be helping yet and I am on like day 12. The good news is that having taken these previously caused me to be a little "hangry" (hungry and angry, lol!) but not having that experience so far.

chisandy - wow! What a story and thank you so much for all that info! I have seen the ENT support staff and audiologist so far, he was in surgery the day I went after I got the consult approved by insurance, but will see him on Tues. and run this info by him. He is a good doc - took my daughter's tonsils out (when she was 23 - so not fun...) and I do trust him. I have a BCO friend here in Tampa that has used him for years too and is a big fan. He is a great combo of oodles of experience and cutting edge technology/technique. I am bothered less by the hearing loss, which feels/sounds to me like I am underwater, and more by the ringing - at times it seems to me like the Emergency Broadcast System alert that plays on the TV at 3am - I feel like other people must be able to hear it coming out of my ear because it is SO LOUD!!! The hearing test done last week revealed that I am not hearing high frequency, and the audiologist's concern is that there is enough loss that it may affect my own speech if it continues, or gets worse.

auntienance

Geez SK, that is terrible! Hope the meds help soon and your doc can fix this. (((Hugs)))

ChiSandy

Special, that's how tinnitus is objectively diagnosed--via measuring "otoacoustic emissions" (noise produced by your ears).They may not be audible to others, but they are certainly audible to a sensitive microphone.

SpecialK

auntie - thanks! I was so relieved that it wasn't brain mets that deafness seemed acceptable..... I am alternating between fear of losing hearing altogether, and trying to find the humor.

chisandy - I feel like it is audible to passersby, lol! It is weird that it is changeable without anything I can attribute it to - it has varied inconsistently over the entire time of the hearing loss. I will admit it is making me a little crazy!

MinusTwo

Wow - everyone has taken the weekend off to rest up for a week of cooking. Or maybe everyone is just shopping for the holiday feast.

My chicken cacciatore turned out to be really good. Basically I used an old stand by recipe that I hadn't made since 1990 and added wine. I took some to a shut-in neighbor and she said it was delicious too. I only used 2 breasts, but they were huge so each of us got two large pieces. I ate my leftovers today & maybe it was even better after the flavors melded some more.

Tomorrow I have to eat whatever is still in the fridge since I'm driving North Tuesday to spend a coupld of days over Thanksgiving with my good friend Pat.

illimae

I made French bread pizza and saladfor Sunday dinner and tv with friends, been cleaning for two days, so I took and easy route.

eric95us

I made a new chicken salad using wild rice and I "canned" (jarred?) 14 twelve ounce jars of turkey broth. The canner is almost ready to open.

I also did more dusting, cleaning and window washing today. I've got one shower left to clean and I need to sweep and mop the floors...and the house will be clean for a day or two.

ChiSandy

Last night, cast-iron pan-seared a grass-fed ribeye (we shared one that was about 12 oz.) topped with truffle butter, with mushrooms sauteéd in butter and sherry, Brussels sprouts with olive oil & balsamic vinegar, and leftover sweet potato tater tots crisped in the air fryer. Tonight after rehearsal at a friend's annual brunch/dinner, coq au vin, various cheeses, salami, cream cheese & lox pinwheels, and a little bit (about 2 Tbs.) of chocolate mousse cheesecake.

carolehalston

SpecialK, more hugs. I'm horrified by your experience with hearing loss and hope that your hearing comes back, as Sandy's did. I gleaned some helpful information, that hearing loss can affect speech. My mother's speech has deteriorated and she has hearing loss. In her case other factors, like small strokes, may be at work.

We've been warming up the beef stew and tossing salad. I'll discard the leftover gravy and veggies today. Dh wants to go to Crabby Shack for dinner tonight, our last meal at home before we head north for Thanksgiving.

I don't like Chris Kimball and wasn't sorry when he left ATK and Cook's Country. But I am watching his Milk Street cooking show and find it interesting. I appreciate the emphasis on "simple and easy" without sacrificing a lot of flavor. I used to conclude that ATK takes a simple preparation, like baked potatoes, for example, and figures out how to make that preparation complicated with multiple steps.

I'm re-reading The Food and Cooking of the Middle East, a book that you own, Eric. Isn't it interesting how middle eastern flavors are becoming a part of American cooking?

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

illimae

Tonight is grilled chicken, squash and zucchini with roasted red potatoes and steamed broccoli. I planned to make some garlic bread too but forgot and now there's no room on my plate

auntienance

Made calzones for dinner with an Italian chopped salad.

Major grocer run today to get supplies for the annual "after thanksgiving dinner" on Saturday. Nothing non traditional on the menu except DH has requested a cherry pie to accompany the annual pumpkin. Yes Lacey, I will be spatchcocking again lol.

Tomorrow I will be making a ham and asparagus cheesecake to take as an appetizer to a get together of lady friends. That may end up being dinner. Sounds like a dessert night.

SpecialK

carole - thanks - tomorrow is the ENT. I will let you all know what he says. Had a moment of panic as I have a lot of the anti-viral medicine left - when the ENT office called I asked If I had not been taking enough - turns out the pharmacy overfilled, or the audiologist sent the wrong info - I have 3 times as much as I needed, lol!

Made an awesome dinner tonight - had a smidge of Caesar dressing, so put it in a sauté pan with some finely chopped onion, let it go for a minute, then dropped in wet kale, covered it and steamed it. Combined some gorgonzola and cream in another sauté pan and heated until the gorgonzola was almost totally melted, dropped in cooked chicken pieces, some mushroom ravs, and topped with chopped walnuts. So yummy and quick!

My son comes home tomorrow - haven't seen him in almost a year!

MinusTwo

Special - have fun with your DS. I don't see mine more than once a year either. You saute sounds interesting.

Nance - I'd like the recipe for the ham & asparagus cheesecake. I can imagine this as a quiche but not as a cheesecake.

Ill - looks delicious.

Carole - drive carefully & hope the IL. weather is gentle.

I'm driving to Arlington/Dallas in the am and it looks like I'll be able to avoid rain or sleet both ways. Brunch was a cheese omelette & dinner is a baked potato and some English peas. Cleaning the fridge!!

I'll be off line until Saturday so Happy Thanksgiving to all.

SpecialK

minus - we don't see them enough! Have a wonderful T-Giv! Drive safely!