So...whats for dinner?

carolehalston

Tonight's dinner will be a very thick beef fillet. Slice and share. With boiled little red potatoes and romaine salad. Very appealing to this carnivore and another item out of the freezer. DH has missed the mark the last couple of times he grilled steaks. Sure hope he doesn't overcook this beauty.

illimae

My DH tends to over cook steaks as well, so I took over the duty. Now he calls me the grilla from Manila, lol

auntienance

No cooking today, no appetite. My dad died today. I'm sad but he was ready.

carolehalston

Nance, I'm so sad for your loss. I expect to be going through a similar loss before this year is over.

DodgersGirl

Nance, so very sorry for your loss. Did your dad live close by??

Sending you hugs.

eric95us

Hugs...Nancy...... Even though it was "he was ready"...it's still not easy.

SpecialK

auntie - so sorry about the loss of your dad. I know he was in and out of hospital/rehab and had some struggle with finding a living situation he was comfortable and safe in - and you did a wonderful job of managing that for and with him, and being a caring and attentive loving daughter. Sending you strength for the days to come.

MinusTwo

I met my SIL at the Medical Center, then we ate lunch at Sweet Paris Creperie. I hadn't been there before but it was good. I had an Alaskan Breakfast Crepe - eggs, salmon, dill sauce, onions. My SIL had turkey, brie & grapes, with a gluten free crepe for her. It came with a delicious salad that she gave to me. She said it's the first time she's had crepes in 15 years. So we splurged & ordered a dessert crepe - Tripple Berry - strawberry, raspberry & blackberry - with dulce de leche sauce, served with whip cream & ice cream. Wonderful. Illi - we went to the one on Rice Blvd but supposedly there is one in City Centre.

MinusTwo

Nance - sorry I had my post sitting there for hours before I hit submit so did not see about your Dad until after I posted. Oh this will be a hard time. Special is right, you did everything you could to make the quality of his life better. You are a wonderful daughter!!! Holding you in my thoughts in the days to come.

illimae

Thanks for the tip minus. I love, love, love the Hungarian dessert crepes like apricot with walnuts and powdered sugar.

ChiSandy

(((Nancy))). May your dad's memory be for a blessing--as your devotion was to him in his final days.

"Tour de España" winemaker dinner at Cellars tonight. (No pix--too much conversing with tablemates, and my slow eating was holding up the works as it was). Appetizer: Sea scallop, Basmati rice, peas, orange & saffron sauce. Next, a field greens salad atop a potato cake, in turn topped with jamòn Serrano, a poached egg, and shaved Manchego cheese. Next: honey-glazed slow-roasted pork belly with a slaw of apple, fennel, & jicama. Main course: sous vide duck leg confit with spinach, chickpeas and chorizo lardons, with a poached pear. Dessert was churros and chocolate dipping sauce.

auntienance

Thanks for the kind words guys. They mean a lot. Dodgersgirl, my dad was almost 2 hours away from me, which made it hard. As an only child, I did as much as I could but struggle with some guilt that I could or should have done more.

DodgersGirl

Nance, from everything I have read here I am sure you give as much as you could. Hang on to the happy memories and let that hold you close as you go through this tough time.

Will keep you in my thoughts and prayers

carolehalston

Tonight's dinner will be pan seared small catfish fillets. Lots of choices for a veggie side. I bought fresh okra and yellow squash yesterday and dh bought a large packet of asparagus. Leaning toward the asparagus. And a salad with cucumber, tomato, and avocado. A good cucumber is a tasty addition to a salad. I bought three for a dollar yesterday at the produce market in Ponchatoula.

Nance, how old is your dad? My mother is 95 and counting. She's looking forward to getting out of the nursing home for a day. I hope my chicken and dumplings are good because that's one of her favorite foods.

auntienance

Carole, dad would have turned 92 in August.

Chicken and dumplings is one of my favorites too :-)

MinusTwo

Nance - my Dad was 4 STATES away & refused to move closer. I had a house & job & couldn't move. I got out there one week of every month. Of course I was sorry I didn't do more. My Mother died 3 years earlier so even though he was still interested in some things, he was ready to go & "join her" as he said. He wasn't unhappy - just pleased to eat cokes & candy bars & instant oatmeal & potatoes & soft rolls - and watch TV and walk outside to sit in the sun for awhile every day. You'd be amazed the people who chastised me that I didn't MAKE him eat better at age 95. I poached fish when I was there and we'd split the pieces of sourdough bread - he'd eat the soft middle and I'd eat the outsides.

You'll have your own good memories and you were a wonderful daughter. He is at peace.

Thinking of you too Carole. Great that you will be with your Mom on Mother's Day. It is so hard to watch the decline.

And Eric - it's not that long ago that you lost your Mother.

bedo

Nance I am so sorry for your pain

bedo

I had beer and mussels for dinner.

illimae

Tonight was Grouper and it was fantastic! (Dined out while on vacation)

MinusTwo

I spent most of the day in 90+ degree heat watering. I don't have sprinklers so that means moving hoses & setting timers to remember every 15-30 minutes. By 6:30, I was way too tired to care about cooking, although starving. I found a package of frozen P.F. Changs fried rice in the freezer. Paired that with a pre-packaged with pomegranate dressing. Dessert was popcorn with LOTS of butter.

auntienance

Minus, I know about that having to move and time sprinklers it's exhausting especially in heat. How is that PF Chang fried rice? My local grocery has just started carrying it.

Illimae, oh how I love grouper!

Brats, baked beans and cole slaw tonight. Easy peasy. DH made jumbo chocolate cupcakes for mothers day so I'll probably have one of those too.

Thanks again for all your kind words. It really helps.

MinusTwo

Nance - the fried rice is OK but kind of bland. It was a two pack so I'll add some spices when I try again.

Please do let us know when you have the arrangements settled for your Dad. We will be with you in spirit.

carolehalston

I love grouper, too. It's often on the menu in Florida.

Last night was pork steaks lightly breaded and cooked to a crispy brown in the air fryer. Fresh okra and tomatoes seasoned with garlic and a romaine salad with additions and dressed with oil and vinegar and a little Caesar dressing from the bottle. My sister was a dinner guest. She stayed overnight and will go to the nursing home this morning to help me with getting my mother into my car.

Yesterday morning was busy with the first stages of making the chicken and dumplings. The dumplings are laid out on a tray between sheets of parchment paper. The chicken meat is in a large plastic bowl and the chicken broth in a large pot. I will finish up the dumplings at my younger sister's house where the family will gather. There's also a carton of cream and a block of butter that will make the dumplings lower cal and lower fat. LOL.

For anyone interested, the dumplings recipe I used is as follows. 3 cups cake flour, 4 1/2 T. butter, 3/4 tsp baking soda, 3/4 tsp salt, 1 cup milk. Mix up the dough. Separate into portions and roll each portion very thin. Cut into strips and cut strips into dumplings, squares or rectangles. They don't have to be exactly the same size. Drop the dumplings one at a time into simmering chicken stock.

auntienance

Carole, thanks for the recipe. It's very similar to the one I use except mine calls for buttermilk. I'd like to try yours. We call these "slicks" as they're not the big pillowy type of dumpling - more of a dense noodle. Right up my alley 😃

Minus - no arrangements for dad. He and my mom donated their bodies to a medical school. I will have to try to write up an obit tomorrow for his local paper. They were lifelong residents, so I feel like I should.

Today is sous vide steaks, baked potatoes and a wedge salad prepared by DH.

Happy mothers day to all of you moms (whether your kids are human or fur) and those of you lucky enough to have your moms with you.

PatsyKB

Oh my, carolehalston, your dumplings or, as auntienance calls them, "slicks," sound just like what my French-Canadian grandmother used to make - she's make up a batch, roll it out and cut into squares and rectangles and then lay them out on brown paper sacks all over the kitchen. They'd kind of plump up and then dry in the time between the cutting and the boiling. Grandma had a pot of boiling beef, as she called it, simmering and when ready, she'd drop the dumplings in to boil and soak up that beefy broth. My mom never did get the knack of making the dumplings. And Grandma's recipe - oral - always started with "Get out your blue cup and..." Well, THAT was not help! I'm going to try your recipe. Comfort food and all that jazz.

PatsyKB

So...LAST night's healthy dinner was this: pearl couscous with roasted chickpeas and vegetables topped by a dollop of hummus; sugar snap peas on the side. Heavenly, healthy and easy.

Magari

Nance - My condolences about your father. Keep the good memories and let go of the rest as much as you can.

Minus - It was great having drinks with you here in SF! I'm so glad you enjoyed the rest of your trip.

I had oral surgery about a week ago so was on a soft diet for several days. Made risotto Milanese one night, which I hadn't done in ages and it was lovely. Applesauce with added cinnamon & nutmeg for "dessert" a couple of nights. Grilled calamari with olive oil & lemon and watermelon salad with feta & mint. Split pea soup I pulled from the freezer, and I can't remember what else.

We're making pizza on the Weber tonight with caesar salad. I've also got a huge pot of carne adovaba (New Mexico-Style Pork With Red Chilies) going for tomorrow night. We're able to get wonderful thick, handmade corn tortillas from our local market to have with it.

illimae

Looks great Patsy! Tonight I grilled for the mother’s on my vacation, steaks with roasted red potatoes and broccoli.

SpecialK

Photos look yummy!

I spent the afternoon and evening packing boxes at DD's apartment, just got home about an hour ago- so by the time I got home DH had fed himself - and put himself to bed, lol! So, I had breakfast for dinner - yay!

eric95us

Happy Mother's Day.