So...whats for dinner?

SpecialK

Yes, it does! Today will reach 86 with rain, gimme some dry heat - although that's a LOT of dry heat! DD was supposed to be in Alaska today (flight cancelled due to weather here preventing takeoff and the connection in Minneapolis cancelled due to a faulty jet door......) where it is 75 and sunny.

carolehalston

Dinner at the Good Life Café in Park Rapids last night. Walleye fish and chips and red cabbage slaw. Very good. DH had a California Burger with house made chips. Our host, young owner of Pine Hollow Resort, had the bison meatloaf.

Tonight will be ground lamb purchased from the rancher at the Farmers' Market a couple of weeks ago. Not sure how I will cook it. Maybe meatloaf. Maybe burgers. Maybe meatballs in sauce.

Yesterday was a beautiful day. Humidity low and high temperature in the mid 70's. This morning in the high 50's. I pulled on jeans and a long-sleeved tee shirt when I got up at 7:30. I would be perfectly happy never to have to turn on the a/c.

eric95us

Clarifying..the "but it's a dry heat" doesn't matter much once it gets over 115F/46C. :-).

116F is uncomfortable even when "dry".

eric95us

Clarifying..the "but it's a dry heat" doesn't matter much once it exceeds 115F/46C. :-).

116F is uncomfortable even when "dry".

carolehalston

I experienced "dry" heat over 100 degrees in Lake Havasu one summer in July. "Dry" didn't make it at all bearable. "Humid" makes even 80 degrees pretty miserable. Just sayin...

MinusTwo

Eric - I hope you postponed your run - with or without back pack.

auntienance

No clarification needed Eric, having experienced quite a bit of time in the southwest I equate that dry heat to a blast furnace. For sheer miserableness though, twice I was in Las Vegas in the summer when it rained.

eric95us

I decided to walk to the post office instead of running.

I went to put on my running/hiking/walking hat and I discovered I need to wash it again. It had fallen to the floor...and the cat decided it was the place to get rid of a fur ball :-\ I'm not quite sure what to make of that. :-)

ChiSandy

Ack, Eric! I sometimes think cats deliberately look for the worst places to leave their little gifts.

70s, dry & sunny today. Gonna slather on the sunscreen, take my inhaler, and spend as much time outdoors as I can (despite high mold count). Almost regretting ordering a few groceries from WF via Amazon Prime (free delivery tomorrow--all the 2-hr windows today were taken and we're going out to dinner tonight), as the store's w/in easy walking distance. Will saunter over to CVS, though, for a couple of prescriptions. Must...avoid...frozen...custard...shop.....

illimae

Tonight was a Cesar salad and Mac n Cheese with ground beef crumbles. Now it’s time to boil water for washing dishes in a plastic tub (cabin has no plumbing yet and only an extension cord for power).

MinusTwo

Illimae - on a positive note, you don't have to go find a stream and scour the dishes & pots with sand.

ChiSandy

Bob got home early, and we decided to explore Evanston (the suburban mini-city to our immediate north) for dinner. The goals were an interesting cuisine, a place we'd never tried, and available on-street parking. Well, two out of three ain't bad. Problem is that when a city or neighborhood becomes interesting and new businesses boom, parking gets much scarcer. So we settled on looking for valet stands in front of unfamiliar restaurants, and ended up in a place called Kinship. Its focus is locally-sourced and farm-to-table (as much as possible) and always environmentally responsible. Sounds like roots, twigs, & berries? Nope. Small but inventive menu of decently sized portions of interesting foods and wines by the glass. We each had "chicken-fried scallop shooters" (it was National Fried Chicken Day) and "pea chowder." The latter was a split-pea velouté (like a bisque but smoother and without cream) studded with English peas, whole baby clams and dollops of English pea puree and pea-infused olive oil. Probably the best soup I've had in a long time. We shared an asparagus salad (4 large spears over chopped stalks and red onion in a yogurt dressing) and hanger steak with onion rings (tempura!) and watercress. Even so, we still took home leftovers. (With age--and both hands in splints--comes automatic portion control). The place also has a patisserie/coffee bar called Next of Kin, but we were way too full for dessert and it was too late in the day for caffeine.

Next time, we'll take the train and explore on foot--we saw several fascinating Asian eateries (Szechuan, sushi, hibachi, Chinese fusion, Himalayan, Thai-Cajun fusion, and two more field-to-fork places).

eric95us

DD is home tonight and will be here for a couple of days...none of wisdom teeth have "erupted" and they are causing problems, so tomorrow, an oral surgeon is going to remove all four of them. Then, next week, she's going to be dog sitting for us. Sharon is attending a bluegrass camp. Small towns have a lot of interesting things to see, so I go along and go "sightseeing" while she's at the camp.

DD is going to cook some burritos tonight and then we'll cook tomorrow. The burritos are very good and meatless, although you wouldn't realize there is no meat when you're eating them.

DownNotOut

Its been a while and it is great to catch up with all of you.

Breakfast was buttermilk blueberry pancakes with bananas & our late lunch after church was leftover lasagna (better the second time!). Our typical Sunday dinner is popcorn made in our whirleypop-oh, so good and fresh! DH has gone out with friends since I've been no fun for the past couple of weeks due to sudden SE from tamoxifen (not my fault but he's over it), so it will be movie night with the kids watching The Sound Of Music. Sounds like a perfect evening..

MinusTwo

DownNotOut - welcome back. Oh - blueberries. Yum.

Dunch was a large salad - romaine, radicchio, carrots, English cucumber, radishes, avocado & sunflower seeds. In spite of the fact I just read on the internet that Ranch is boring, I have a great ranch dressing that I added. But I forgot to toss in the blue cheese crumbles. This was accompanied by a nice Cotes du Rhone Villages red wine.

If I get hungry later, I have some leftover carrot & raisin salad and some leftover fresh fruit salad w/coconut & baby marshmallows steeped in sour cream. Hmmm... steeped won't work. Marinated doesn't sound right either... Sleeping in sour cream?

Eric - sorry to hear about DD's wisdom teeth. I had my first two done about the same age. Thank heavens I picked "put me to sleep". What's the base for the burrito mix? Lentils? Bluegrass camp sounds fun. Hope it's up in the mountains where it's cooler. Cabins or tents?

ChiSandy

Dinner was linguine alla vongole, with the leftover half can of chopped clams & clam juice--this time came out a lot better. Doubled up on the parsley, garlic (fresh chopped, not powder) & olive oil, and whisked in a Tbs. each of flat Prosecco & butter. All the flavors merged perfectly, the texture was silky & creamy, and no separated liquid at the bottom of the plate.

SpecialK

Last night was ribeyes, red potatoes with parsley and young yellow squash with a little shaved carrot and red onion. Tonight was mac 'n cheese with some hot Italian chicken sausage - also added cayenne to the cheese sauce before adding the elbows and the sausage, and made a salad of green apples, celery, and walnuts in a lemon Dijon vinaigrette.

ChiSandy

Tomorrow night I'm probably going to cook something more ambitious (or if Bob gets home early enough, go out for Peking duck in the Chinatown North neighborood a couple of miles s. of us), because I figure my meals for the next few weeks are going to be whatever I can order in or make with one hand. NPO after midnight.

SpecialK

chisandy - surgery tomorrow

ChiSandy

Yup-haven’t heard back about postponing it till either after my R arm fully heals, I’ve had some OT sessions to practice living one-handed, or I return from NY, so I guess it’s on for tomorrow. Still can’t wrap my head around deliberately disabling myself to achieve a result a year from now that may not be much better than right after my injury. But I guess the longer I wait, the worse my chances of recovery.

SpecialK

chisandy - ugh... wishing you the best and will be sending positive thoughts for success!

eric95us

DD had all four of her wisdom teeth removed this morning....we got there at 8am, they had her in the back room at 8:10 and she was ready to come home at 9:30.

She's sore and wasn't in the greatest mood at first, but she's doing better now (4pm), One Hydrocodone-Acetaminophenl 5/325 seems to be enough, but we'll see how it goes as all the rest of the stuff wears off.

I just heard her tell Sharon, "I hate how those make me feel. It's like I can't do anything." So, I guess she's like me. I'd rather hurt than take those things.

SpecialK

eric - poor DD - both of my kids had all four out at 17, both had impacted sideways wisdom teeth. DD did better than DS, but neither was very happy. Hope she turns the corner soon and is feeling good.

ChiSandy

Eric, I had an impacted wisdom tooth out 2 weeks before my wedding at age 20--with only Novocaine, and aspirin afterward. (Yeah, I was miserable). A year later, I had the other three out, with I.V. Valium, Novocaine, and "Ascodeen" (like Tyl. #3 but with aspirin instead). I hurt for a day--but protein-loaded and healed so fast I got a dry socket.

Last meal before going NPO at midnight. Made an heirloom insalata Caprese; then Alaskan sockeye salmon, snap peas, and a fried hash-brown patty (because I can), with a 2-oz. glass of Fleurie. I have only three hrs. left to eat & drink, so I might also add an Aperol spritz. Spumoni too, for dessert.

auntienance

Best of luck with your surgery Sandy.

Eric, I'm with you. I hate painkillers. Give me two Aleve anytime. The last one I took was the night after my lumpectomy because I couldn't get comfortable. Hate the way they make me feel.

ChiSandy

I hate feeling dopey too--except after surgery if I'm in agony and have nothing better to do than laze around & sleep.

DownNotOut

Sending positive thoughts and prayers your way, Sandy! Let us know how you're doing when you feel up to it.

M0mmyof3

making boneless pork chops for dinner

MinusTwo

Yesterday was crazy. I found time for a hot dog mid afternoon then no time again until almost 10pm. Normally I would just skip eating at that hour, but I'd been at water aerobics and decided a small bowl of macaroni with butter sounded good. Especially since I had to be peppy at Silver Sneakers this morning.

This afternoon I think I'll have steamed spinach with an egg or two on top, served with a small romaine salad.

eric95us

Hope you are doing as well as my DD, Sandy.

If it weren't for a slightly puffy face, most wouldn't realize DD had just had her mouth "assaulted" by the oral surgeon.