So...whats for dinner?

DodgersGirl

MinusTwo-- for Christmas last year I ordered the monthly Boudin's sour dough (the gift that keeps on giving). So one weekend a month we have bread for lunch and dinner.

And always have to order See's candies for Christmas!

And, am jealous when Illimae mentioned she was going to Shakey's for pizza, chicken, and mojo potatoes.. yummy!!

Thanks for the memories!!

SpecialK

For all you Cali peeps - by some miracle from the chocolate gods, there is a See's kiosk in the mall here in Tampa!!! I had a small fit when I saw it and proceeded to buy a whole bunch of it - my personal fave is the Bordeaux, but I also love the Molasses Chips and any milk chocolate buttercream flavor. Be still my heart...

minus - girl, I can hook you up...

illimae

Sees! I’m sure my parents will have some. I love the little flat chocolate covered toffee things!

SpecialK

illimae - those are the Molasses Chips! They are so unique and delish - I want some right now.

DodgersGirl

See's peanut brittle is good, too.

And their toffee-ettes are good

And their butterscotch lollipops

And their ..... hmmmm, I see a trend. I like See's candies.

ChiSandy

I have friends obsessed with See's chocolate lollipops. I never appreciated See's when I lived in Seattle--back in NYC, Barton's & Barricini (especially around Hanukkah & Passover) were the "finer" brands that were most common (a cut above Whitman's & Russell Stover), and I missed them so when I got married & moved to Seattle. Then there were the Joyva dark-chocolate-covered delights: jelly rings, marshmallow puffs & twists, and halvah. (I managed to find Joyva halvah here in Chicago, at the kosher-style deli in the little drugstore where I get my letrozole). In mid-20th-century Brooklyn, they were sold in bulk at "appetizing" stores (sort of like delis, but with various pickles, olives, cookies, crackers, smoked fishes & kosher cheeses instead of meat--the stores were Kosher-dairy-and-pareve, or "neutral"--neither dairy nor meat). We can find Barricini sometimes around Jewish holidays (mostly Passover) in the Kosher sections of larger Chicago-area grocery stores.

carolehalston

Funny story about the bread bounty, Minus! I am a fan of bread, too, and like to bake bread and buns and rolls. The problem is weight gain.

I have to smile at someone living in Texas going to CA for Mexican food! One food that was new for me when we went to CA was fish tacos. It was an odd concept at first but I liked them when we sampled them. Now I see fish tacos on menus in other places around the country. Of course, the quality of the fish counts for a lot.

I made a crab dip for a party tonight at the home of a golfing friend. I used a lb. of lump crabmeat. I looked up a recipe for cold crab dip with cream cheese and sour cream and a few other ingredients. It's a bit bland but does taste like crab. I didn't want to go with strong flavors since lump crab is delicate.

I peeled shrimp this morning for a shrimp mold that I'll make for Christmas day. It's a great favorite with my family. It will be spicier than the crab dip.

Christmas dinner was supposed to be at my younger sister's house but all the recent rain has turned her yard into a bog. The transport van we've hired to bring my mother from the nursing home couldn't drive across the rear yard to the ramp. So the dinner is at my house. In one way it will be easier not to have to transport a lot of food. The younger sister will be transporting her contributions and so will a brother. There will be 17 of us, I think.

Hugs to everyone taking treatment. My Christmas wish is that the individual treatments are working one hundred percent.

ChiSandy

Amen, Carole.

I never knew till recently that there were so many different Mexican cuisines--Tex-Mex is different from Cal-Mex and Southwestern, and there are hundreds of restaurants run by Mexicans that specialize in various regional styles (Michoacan, Oaxaca, Yucatan, Jalisco, etc.). And of course we're lucky to have three Rick Bayless restaurants. (He catered my voice teacher's wedding reception down in Puerto Vallarta, and it was awesome).

illimae

I grew up with Baja style Mexican and love fish tacos! No offense to those who love Texmex but I find the quality of the meat very low, scraps and fat blobs, blah. I usually go with Fajitas because they’re pretty safe but CA Mexican is just much more to my liking. Locally, I’ve found that Berryhill Tamales is the only place with a comparable fish taco, it’s just about the perfect food.

MinusTwo

After having lived in New Mexico for 7 years, I prefer that style of Mexican food. Flat stacked enchiladas, hatch green chili, dark red sauce (most Texans would find it bitter), sopapillas w/honey. This is food of the Conquistadors combined with food of the Native 'indians'. It's hard to find that in TX and virtually impossible in CA.

Illimae - we moved to Texas when my son was 3 & he was raised on greasy Tex-Mex. That's what he misses. I agree with you now. When he's here, I join him, but only have something like cheese enchilada or guacamole.

Dunch was 3 one inch slices of Boudin SF sourdough bread. I baked one long loaf, cut it in two and took half to a shut in neighbor who loves any kind of bread. Don't think she'd ever tasted SF sourdough. That leaves me the remains of my half - plus all the loaves I froze. I'll have to ration myself or I'll gain 1-2 lbs per day.

Hooray - my "other son" in HI (only son of my BFF who died in 2005) sent me Royal Riviera Pears from Harry & David. Another wonderful treat.

eric95us

There used to be a nearby restaurant owned by a gentleman from the Mexico state of Jalisco. His style of Mexican food was my favorite.

He died in his late 80s and there was no one to continue the business. So, now I have to settle for the more az-nm-tex-ca style of food.

carolehalston

Prime rib. Yum.

Cherry-sw

This second EC is no easier than my first one was and I am just laying down after my wbc shots. I did though worked for two days, and did some cooking and washing. I also got my turkey, smoked lamb leg, made the hazelnut fudge and brined my salmon aka gravad lax. For Christmas Eve we plan to fry traditional meatballs, cook a turkey for Christmas day with potatoe gratain, sliced smoked elk meat, smoked cheese, marinated herring, for dessert a zebra cheesecake. I have no idea if I will be able to stand up on Sunday but it is time for my eldest to step up, we have an agreement)

Here is my lox in da making

Cherry

MinusTwo

Cherry - sounds like you've got all the prep work done. I'm sure your eldest will be able to finish off. Please do take care of your self & rest if you need to. That's most important right now.

carolehalston

I'm thinking of making something incredibly delicious with a boneless skinless chicken breast that is thawing in a bowl of water. Seriously! I sense skepticism. Actually I do have a recipe for chicken with an "Asian" sauce and soba noodles that is quite tasty. I love soba noodles. This dish will probably be dinner.

Cherry, please be good to yourself.

The hated housework has been done and the results are quite nice.

ChiSandy

Cherry, I don't know how you do it--chemo would have knocked me flat on my back, with a stack of takeout menus (or GrubHub.com on my laptop) at hand! That gravlax-in-progress is making me salivate.

Well, so much for not having beef again. Last night, before going north to Christmas-shop, we had to head south to buy Christmas pudding (two littles and one regular), and Bob saw a box of dark Mozart kugeln and simply had to have them (who am I to disagree about chocolate?). He declared he was already hungry (it was about 6pm) and wanted to eat at the last Germam restaurant in Chicago before it went out of business. Well, it's out of business--only its bar (no food) survives. So we were going to try Barbi Yianni (the Greek place I used to eat when I worked in Lincoln Sq. decades ago), but right next door was a sign for valet parking at Artango (and parking is tough to get on that narrow one-way street). So we pulled in and went inside. Fantastic Argentinian steakhouse, with a huge wine/beer/cocktail list and lots of menu options. I'd seen it on WTTW's "Check, Please!" and knew the portions would be gargantuan, so we shared: shrimp ceviche, endive salad, empanadas (one beef and one porcini-Manchego) and grilled grass-fed flank steak. The apps came with addictive yuca & plantain chips, and the steak with insanely good giant fries. We lingered much longer than we'd planned, and the gourmet olive oil & spice shops where we'd planned to shop were closed. We didn't have time to go up to Old Orchard and fight for parking, so we hightailed it to the much closer Village Crossing. We hit Barnes & Noble at 8:10, pulled right in, and shopped like crazy--getting in the cashier line by 8:45 and hitting the gift-wrapping station by 8:55. We walked out at 9:05, just past closing. We got to the car, and both simultaneously exclaimed, "Holy $#*+, we did it!"

Off to Old Town Oil in Evanston now to buy those gourmet oils (we were going to eat at Eataly and then see "Darkest Hour," but the theater nearby wasn't showing it). Drive home, wait for Bob, and take the L back up there to see the flick and then a late dinner at Terra & Vine in the same building,

eric95us

Since chemo and "the rest of the stuff", Sharon could no longer wear her old wedding band and the design on the ring would have been damaged by a resizing attempt. So, I went out and got her a new ring today.

She had to be with me when I bought the ring, so the Christmas surprise came a bit early.

MinusTwo

Eric - gorgeous!! Thanks for sharing.

I'm actually giving each of my nieces one of my 'old' rings during the holiday. I had left a note in the ring boxes in the safe directing my son what to do & told him about it. He suggested last year that I go ahead and pass them along now. And he's right. So one goes tomorrow night & one goes Sunday.

Dinner at Eddie V's tomorrow night w/nephew & wife & 2 year old. Looking forward to their crab fried rice. We're eating at 5pm so I'll be driving home at a reasonable hour.

ChiSandy

Lovely ring, Eric!

So Terra & Vine was excellent. Even though the movie ran very late (20 min. of commercials, PSAs & previews is inexcusable--start time was given as 7:40 but the movie, 2 hrs. 5 min, didn't start till after 8 and we had a 10pm dinner res.), the restaurant took us anyway, and graciously at that. We'd snacked at the theater's bar before the film (had we known the actual start time, we'd have made the dinner res. pre-showtime), so we shared everything--the portions were huge. Started with a kale Caesar salad, then bucatini with shrimp and broccoli, and finally a bone-in Berkshire pork chop Milanese with lemon-caper sauce & rapini. And yes, we brought home leftovers! (We took a Lyft home).

My early Christmas present arrived today: a Breville Smart Oven Air. (Had I known I'd be getting one, I'd never have bought an air fryer earlier this fall). My nearly 10-yr-old Krups toaster-oven-broiler still works, but it has a small capacity, was getting sort of grungy and the lettering has worn off half the buttons (some of which stick). Think I'll put it up on my neighborhood blog, offering it to a good home willing to expend a little Simple Green and elbow grease. (And white fine-tip marker to re-label the buttons). And my cats got a present too: a side-by-side duplex (the inner & outer boxes).

Did my final gift-shopping late this afternoon--went back to Lincoln Sq. to the olive oil store. Had planned to go up to Old Town Oil in northwest Evanston, but I'm glad I didn't-- "Vom Fass" (German for "from the tap") has much higher quality oils & vinegars, plus spices & condiments. Got a trio of oils--white truffle (made from truffles, no chemical "essence") EVOO, almond oil, and ginger-infused sesame oil--for our son's friend & his fiancee, who are serious cooks. And another thing the store has on tap--Scotch! As a surprise for Bob (who thinks he's getting opera tickets and a couple of novels), I got him a 200ml. bottle of their custom-blended Islay (Laphroiag, Lagavullin, Oban, Caol Ila & Bowmore). Yes, they let me taste. It was yummy and I don't even like Scotch.

Tomorrow night (actually, now that it's 1 am here, tonight), we'll eat in the neighborhood. Christmas Eve we have an early res. for Chef's Station, a French restaurant below the Davis St. Metra rail station in Evanston. Always wanted to try it. At home, we'll have glogg and flambeed plum pudding at midnight, then open presents.

auntienance

Very pretty Eric! And how sweet.

Been pretty busy here. DBIL and DSIL were here for a couple of days. Meals were good, if not exciting - French dip on crusty rolls for one and chicken cacciatore with homemade pasta for another. After they left, I've been busy shopping and cooking for Sunday when the kids and grand-dog will arrive. I trimmed and removed the bone from a standing rib roast (then tied it back together) and it's now in the garage refrigerator dry brining. Today I will make a chocolate cake with a raspberry filling that will have a mascarpone frosting (made the mascarpone yesterday.) I'll also make up the batter for Yorkshire puds, a horseradish sauce for the roast, prep some green beans and fingerling potatoes as sides.

During the day tomorrow, friends and other family will come by to visit, so I'll have a meze platter along with some assorted cheeses, breads and crackers and a bagna cauda with veggies for dipping. Drinks will be spiced cider and a cranberry punch plus a few adult beverages. Cookies, cinnamon bread, harvest bread (dried fruit and walnuts) and a chocolate babka have been made too.

DDIL is making Christmas morning breakfast - a rye and smoked salmon strata - so I don't need to worry about that. The dreaded cleaning (lol Carole) was done earlier this week so not much to be done there thankfully. I'm quite ready to be not so busy.

It snowed last night around midnight, but since it's been 50+ degrees all week, it didn't last long. Just the way I like it. Supposedly some snow on Christmas eve too (also short lived). That will make my nieces visiting from Texas happy.

My DSIL gave me some blood orange olive oil for Christmas so I think I'll make an orange and onion salad using it. And that's as far as I've gotten for dinner ideas.

Cherry, you astonish me with how much food prep you are able to do during chemo. Please try to take it easy some.

Oh Lacey, the pizzelles look marvelous! I can just taste them. I'm loving all the pics!

Carole, I'm glad your mom gets to come home for the holiday. I'm sure she'll enjoy that. There was a Christmas party at dad's nursing home Friday. It was a fun time and the staff made sure all the residents enjoyed themselves. Dad seems quite content and is doing pretty well for the most part. He has the occasional bad day but I suppose at 91, that's to be expected. We won't see him again until next week some time.

Minus, what a nice idea about the rings. That's something they will treasure.

Sorry about such a long post. I've been reading but can't seem to find the time to write. Don't know how I managed before retirement!

auntienance

Minus, I also love the New Mexico food. I also love fish tacos and make them frequently.

Last week I made tamales - both chicken and pork. It was my first time. By the time I got to the end of the fillings, I was just getting the hang of rolling them. They were very good and l will certainly make them again.

SpecialK

eric - my DH has the same issue - I usually have to be with him for jewelry buying, lol! What a beautiful new ring for Sharon! Yay!

Everyone has delicious plans for the holiday, I am also loving the pics!

minus - I agree with giving the rigs while you are here to appreciate seeing your family wear them - my MIL did the same with my SILS. She also gave each grand-daughter a ring. My DD's came from my MIL's grandmother, so a multi-generational family piece. My DS gifted me an Ancestry membership last year after I did the DNA testing and I built the family trees on both sides. I was able to show DD the great-great grandmother in the tree that the ring originated from, so that was nice. My DH was also able to show his mom the tree about six months before she passed away - she was fascinated to see her family go all the way back in Pennsylvania to prior to the American Revolution.

I have potatoes for au gratin, a standing rib roast, sour cream and horseradish for sauce, roasted broccoli, and a chocolate Kahlua cake for tomorrow night. My BIL/SIL will be here for lunch tomorrow and I am making chicken enchiladas with rice and pintos, and a lemon cake. I am taking the path of least resistance with that menu because my house is in mid-reno - DS and I have one room done except for the new headboards he is building today out of reclaimed wood. We painted and laid hardwood floor over the last two days. Who does this right before Christmas? Apparently me - some of you old-timers on this thread may remember a wild Thanksgiving eve master bedroom redecorating event because I suddenly couldn't face looking at the room after spending so many days in it during chemo - and I had like 17 people coming the next day for dinner! Why do I do this?

carolehalston

Wow on your Christmas meal, Nance. I would gladly be your guest.

Lovely ring, Eric.

I agree with your son, Minus. Let your nieces enjoy the rings now.

The talked-about chicken breast is still uncooked in the refrigerator along with the sauce in a little bowl. A last-minute plan for dinner last night was a Tommy's pizza my brother and his wife picked up on their way to our house. Tommy's is a restaurant in Hammond that is an old favorite of theirs, dating back to the time they lived in Hammond. I enjoyed the pizza but the sauce is sweet.

Breakfast this morning was coffee, orange juice for brother and wife (house guests), Grand's biscuits and an assortment of jelly and jam out of the refrigerator. Now they are off doing things for the day, including spending time with my mother in the nursing home and doing bingo duty with her. Big sigh of leisure..... I am on my own today with no major assignment except cooking dinner, which will be pot roast with the usual veggies and a romaine salad.

I will cook the chicken breast and freeze it for some future use.

ChiSandy, you are definitely our new restaurant queen, unseating Lacey! I'm in awe of all your comings and goings and varied meals.

Now for another cup of coffee.

CeliaC

Hello everyone - catching up during this long holiday weekend. Back to the office on the 27th.

KBB70 - A few posts ago - St Emilion and Yorkshire Puddings = Yum. Never mastered the Puddings, despite husband being a Brit.

Cherry - Echoing ChiSandy's sentiments re: the gravlax. Be sure to take it easy on/be good to yourself.

Eric - Lovely band and way to celebrate Christmas with your wife.

ChiSandy - We have a VomFass at our nearby TownCenter - They do have great stuff. DH and I looking forward to seeing Darkest Hour.

Will be picking up a small oven ready turkey from Whole Foods tomorrow AM (smeared in butter/herbs, on a bed of mirepoix, in disposable roaster pan) for quiet CM dinner with DH. Roasted brusssels & carrots w/herbs, dressing w/mushrooms & leeks, potatoes dauphinois and homemade gravy along with a lovely Gavi will round out our meal. Looking forward to leftovers.

Wishing all Merry and Happy Holidays!

eric95us

My grandmother gave Mickey and I her engagement and wedding rings, as well as my (late) grandfather's wedding ring.

Cherry-sw

Eric, the ring is beautiful! My mom was not into jewellery when she was younger but later I bought her two rings that she wore for twenty years and now when they got too small for her she brought them to my eldest, whose hands are so tiny, the rings have to be adjusted) I also have a ring her father gave me that I am not using, I always thought that she will get it later and can do what she wants with it but after my diagnosis I have decided to get it fixed and engraved, will do it after the holidays.

ChiSandy, I would kill for yuca chips or fries right now, this is something you cannot get here just like this and I do not know how to cook cassava. When we went to our favourite vacation place in Dominican Republic this year I used to run every day just to be able to eat fried yuca at the place called Yuca Caliente, in the middle of nowhere actually. When we were in NY this spring went to an Brasilian restaurant because I knew I was getting my yuca fries. And in DC, when the family was watching Capitals - Maple Leaf play-off I went to this Peruvian fusion place where I got my yuca fries with the smoked bacon flakes, thin as a butterfly wings on top, here I found the picture. I am not a fan of bacon, but these flakes were a masterpiece.

Now when I red my post it sounded like I have smoked the lamb leg myself, no, I meant I got it, but the rest I have managed to do so far, cookies - check, zebra cake done, the gravlax is not complete without a sweet mustard-based sauce, it really makes this fish sing, got it too.

This EC chemo spoiled everything for me, nauseaus for five days despite Emend and like a handful of pills! Now I have my wbc shots and I have pain everywhere in my body it seems because of those. And I am also eating like a horse. Nothing compared to Taxol but I asked for big guns. I am looking forward the next week, after first teb days I will feel pretty decent. Last week I managed to knit a crimson Christmas scarf for DH, he has nothing that is distinctive red and I think he should have one. I am working part time for the first time in my life, probably am understimulated to the point that I am going nuts))), I do not recognize myself in the mirror, and I am thinking what if ... I want to do the things I would not later regret for not getting done (hope you still understand my English))) And we got a tree, here is the picture, it is a Nordmann fir, it is very full and wide. Something my DH done for me and my eldest when we moved together with him and we were still at university and could not do much, but he always got a real tree for Christmas for us, my eldest's dad always refused but I grew up with my grand dad always cutting down a tree for me when I was small. Of course he always picked the most miserable one because he did not wanted to waste a good tree and sometimes when I was decorating I could see that some branches were tighed with a wire, he just picked them in the forest to make the tree he cut to look fuller))))

In Sweden the Christmas dinner is served on Christmas Eve, my eldest's BF has been harassing me the whole evening that he cannot wait until tomorrow and has to taste my zebra cheesecake he heard so much about, so I gave in and he got his piece. Now I am done with pictures)))

Merry Christmas everybody!

Cherry

carolehalston

I'll have a piece of that zebra cake, cherry! The picture makes my mouth water.

Cherry-sw

carolehalston, I can post the recipe, it is a really easy to make, it is not very presentable when right from the oven but if you let it chill and out some frosting on top and then some raspberries or flowers! then you can show it to people. But just for the family we eat it as is and it is amazing

illimae

I accidentally left the delicious turkey sandwich on a pretzel bun in the fridge, so dinner will be a turkey sandwich and sun chips from the airport.

eric95us

I'd like the recipe too, Cherry.

I'd like to do more cake baking. I'm good with baking bread (sourdough is rising right now) and I'm getting better at making pie crusts, but I haven't had much practice with cakes. I can bake them well enough, but decorating them.....not so great.

DD and Sharon are doing Christmas shopping and I was invited (ordered?) to stay home. They called to let me know they are eating out, so I'm eating the last of the chicken-penne pasta that I made the other night.