So...whats for dinner?

ChiSandy

Bob went to En Lai (pan-Asian) around the corner and brought home shrimp chap chae, chicken fried rice, stir-fried veggies in brown sauce, Genreal Tso's chicken (not a fan), BBQ chicken satays, hot & sour soup, and Vietnamese summer rolls. I'm not nuts about the place's take on Chinese because everything seems to be in gloppy too-sweet brown sauce; and in a city (and neighborhood) this diverse with a huge Asian population, there's no excuse for stir-frying only American veggies. Their chap chae is the best, though--if only they had Korean chicken wings & legs I'd be a very happy camper (the Korean joints up here have bibim bap and bulgogi but no chap chae). My fridge runneth over.

MinusTwo

I had a wonderful weekend with my BFF (Pat - who Lacey & Susan met in Boston). She flew down from Dallas Friday. She's juggling two houses as she's tried to help her grown daughter through a series of nasty & so-far unsuccessful surgeries over the last 18 months. We went from the airport to Brio in the Woodlands and had the late lunch specials at 3pm. We both had a delicious wedge salad. My main was Shrimp Risotto, she had Chicken Milanese. And of course a ton of their wonderful bread. Friday night we stayed at her place in Arlington so she could check on her house & mail for the last 2 months. At some point they had lost power & it blew the compressor on the freezer. Everything had melted and even seeped out onto the floor. Peeuew!! Thanks heavens there wasn't any fish & not too much meat. We got the old freezer out into the garage, but it was still nasty to clean up the room. And of course there was also a smoke detector beeping, which required a 10 ft ladder to change the battery.

Saturday we drove to downtown Houston and checked into the Hilton 'Inn of the Americas' over by the ball park. Town was mobbed with fans for the Astro's games. Her niece's son was getting married in the historic Church of the Annunciation (1869 is very old for Houston). A shuttle took us from the hotel to the wedding and then to the Parador - an old hacienda style reception hall south of town. Open bar & appetizers while we waited for the wedding party pictures - delicious things like coconut shrimp on skewers, also skewers of a tiny circles of toast topped with a cherry tomato wrapped in bacon, and fried plantains and chimichurri sauce. Dinner was catered by Michael Cordura - a renowned South American chef - can't remember the names but there was both a beef dish & a chicken breast, nice salad, rice, and excellent vegetables. There was a DJ and since there were lots of little ones for the 2:30 wedding, everyone danced alone, together, with the kids, etc. I was so glad to see Pat out dancing with everyone. This is the first wedding she's been to since her husband died in 2015, not to mention the first time she's danced. The bar stayed open from 4pm - 9pm. Oh my - the wines & whatever mixed drinks you wanted. The bride was drinking Moscow Mules. The groom was drinking Wild Turkey 101 and sprite. (??)

Sunday afternoon we went from the hotel to Stages Theatre to see 'Ring of Fire' - a great musical 'guitar play' about the life & music of Johnny Cash. Then ate at old Pappa's Seafood, where Pat and her husband used to eat - more memories. Fresh wild caught halibut was just in so we both had that sauteed - Pat's with brown better & mine with lemon & olive oil. And more good bread. She spent last night at my house & I just dropped her off at the airport at noon. Needless to say we did NOT eat breakfast. I'm not sure when I'll ever eat again. And the 3lbs I gained confirms that. Geez - a pound a day. I did stop at the store on the way home & picked up a small sushi roll for later.

MinusTwo

OK - my post was so long I scared everyone off? No one is eating because it's too hot? I can't remember when we ever went 2 days without a post.

eric95us

Still college cafeteria food here.

The last time I was here, DD was 6 months old, so it's been awhile! This time I'm exploring the place at lot more and have found it a fun place. I love the library and today I'm going to go to the science/engineering building to look around.

It's been cool enough and there's enough grass (softer for running) that I've been running 3-4 miles each day.

MinusTwo

Eric - what college is it? Sounds great to have grass in 'west' Texas.

eric95us

South Plains College.

Moonflwr912

ok. Things are hoing as well as can be expected. Well know next week if he needs surgery. We are at home this week in wait and see. Neighbor Tom walks with Stan in the AM. His brother takes him out in the PM. Keeps him from trying to do too much. He's not one to sit. Oy. So watching TV wears on him. His longest sleep is only 1-2 hours as the halo is uncomfortable. Either upright or flat are his only options. Oh well. Well just keep on. At least feeling is in all limbs and h

e's still breathing on his own. This pic is before the accident. Our 2 DGD

Moonflwr912

Hers one at the hosp before we left.

And, since this thread is about food, ive had to watch what we eat, as he has trouble choking with the halo. Swallowing can be hard. Beliw is obe of my Home Chef meals. No, its not my pic, but I was too busy serving it to take pics! LOL. Hiwever it is indicative of the meals he can eat, the broccolli was cooked, um, a lit more! LOL. Almost to mush, but he could eat it. LOL

Much love and please keep praying!

MinusTwo

Moon - thanks for the update. I love the before picture with the grandkids. I can only imagine how pissed your DH is to be stuck in the halo. It looks obnoxious. Wonderful news that he's breathing on his own and that he has feeling in all his limbs. Thank heavens he's eating even if the broccoli is mush. If you can't get enough protein down him, try BeneProtein by Nestles. That's the one that MD Anderson suggests to people who can't eat balanced meals anymore due to various cancer surgeries. I used it during chemo. It's a powder that truly has no taste & is not gritty, so you can put it in milk, mashed potatoes, applesauce, and probably even broccoli mush. You can order direct from Nestles but if you want try it first, you should be able to find it at places like Walgreens, CVS, etc.

https://www.nestlehealthscience.us/brands/beneprot...

ChiSandy

Monica, continued prayers that he continues to improve w/o surgery and if surgery is necessary it’ll be successful,

Not gonna invite you all to my one-week-post-op pity party—gory details are on the Drinking thread. (Typing is truly a chore with this EXOS cast-brace). My complaints pale by comparison.

In NYC tonight (timeshare vacationette w/presentation we must both attend). Flying with arm elevated was, uh, “interesting.” Dinner tonight at Rue 57: shared a salad Nicoise and sashimi roll; Bob’s entree was pan-seared branzino with artichokes & cherry tomatoes: mine was duck a l’orange with wild rice, cherry sauce & wild rice. Leftover wing & leg are in the hotel room fridge for breakfast

MinusTwo

Had to look that one up Eric. You really are "out west". I always referred to Lubbock as the "armpit of the nation" - even though my BIL and my niece both graduated from Tech. (with apologies to anyone who might be from there)

Dinner was a tuna sangy on toasted rosemary olive oil bread.

ChiSandy

Nice day yesterday. Breakfast was leftover duck leg & French bread. Got a haircut (trim) and style, then bought a new carry-on spinner (Brics) with a U-shaped handle that won't let my tote bag flop around—fancier trim (leather) than my Rimowa (which we'll check, full of laundry—we each get two free bags but that still makes only one each). A few oz. heavier than the Rimowa, but will still fit overhead, has the same zippered interior covers, with zippered pockets the Rimowa doesn't. Bigger wheels, but will still roll as smoothly. And $200 cheaper (half the price) as the Rimowa Salsa Air (my current one, with that monopole handle) and 1/3 the price of the Salsa, the next Rimowa up (with a less secure interior section—one half is open with only elastic strap, so some stuff could tumble out if I put it on the luggage rack wrong side up, which is a pet peeve of mine with almost every other hardsider of any size and brand I’ve ever owned except the Rimowa base model Salsa Air line).

Bob walked to Times Sq. and got tickets to “Come From Away.” WOW! Best show I’ve seen since “Tommy,” maybe better. (Springsteen was $1K—we’ll wait till autumn, and spend some of that lump-sum backdated Soc. Security check I just got—they decided to start my benefits as of January 1, rather than now). Had he come back with “SpongeBob” tickets, that might have been grounds for divorce...just kidding...maybe.

Pre-show dinner, before the leisurely mile walk to the theater, was at Pazzo Notte: huge tricolor salad, pizza Margherita (Roman/New Haven style, oblong, hand-tossed, shatteringly thin crust), and spaghetti Bolognese—we shared all three courses and still had leftovers! After the show, for old times’ sake, we went to Junior’s for cherry cheesecake and a chocolate egg cream. The latter wasn’t as good as I remember from childhood—modern Fox’s U-Bet is too sweet and not chocolatey enough—I make mine with Hershey’s; and made according to directions marked on the glass (syrup first, then milk, then seltzer). I put the milk in first and then pump the syrup into the center or down the side of the glass, as the soda jerks of my youth did—keeps the milk & syrup from mixing until you start adding seltzer and then stirring, which makes that iconic pristine white latte-esque head. As to the cheesecake, even though we shared it we still have leftovers. Breakfast was one small slice each of cold pizza, no room for cheesecake.

Heading down the block for the timeshare presentation. We’re practicing: “no, no, no...”

auntienance

Today I am 70. In my whole life I never thought of being 70 years old. I don't care for the idea of it. In my mind I'm no older than 40 (my body says otherwise.)

I have spent the day shopping. Not fun. But I did get my favorite Costco birthday cake. And chicken, Popeyes chicken. And biscuits. Lots of biscuits. I hope it all reheats well. At any rate, no cooking for me this weekend.

Sandy, you have fixed better meals one handed than I have using two.

SpecialK

auntie - happy birthday! I am likewise shocked with each successive birthday as I don't seem to know how I got here - but am very grateful to have had the opportunity! I hope for many more for you, while still staying 40 in your mind! Enjoy the chicken and b-day cake! And as many biscuits as you want!

ChiSandy

Happy birthday, Nancy! 70 is indeed a milestone—it's the new 40.

It's easy ordering meals one-handed—that's all it takes to open a menu. We attended the up-sell presentation, which was pushing us (gently) to swap our Vegas HGV timeshare for the more expensive NY one we owned for about five minutes (or so it seemed) before re-buying Vegas—which had a far lower maintenance fee. NY owners get priority staying at the two midtown properties, but we'd have had to fork over the $15K we got back for swapping to Vegas as well as a $3K annual maintenance fee (vs. $1K in Vegas) due to higher state property taxes. 18 mos. ago it sounded like a great deal, but that was before Bob realized that not only can't he retire at 70, but as his practice's only cardiologist every day he takes off costs >$2K in lost revenue—and we'd also have to pay office overhead ourselves from our savings. I'm the only one with freedom to travel often enough—and traveling alone is less fun with tougher logistics. (The Bar Assn. trips abroad are with 60 others who can help me).

Lunch afterward was at Petrossian Cafe—there used to be two branches in Chicago and one each in Vegas & Boca, but now it's just this one and one in L.A. Bob had borscht and salmon roe with blini; I had the tasting plate which had a flute of bubbly, 10gm. Osetra, smoked salmon and the most tender smoked sturgeon I've ever tasted. Portions were big enough that we shared the fish. They gave us a taste of their hot chocolate as dessert, too

MinusTwo

Nance - HAPPY B-Day. Yup - it's a big one. I know I did something wildly extravagant when I hit that milestone - but it was probably KFC instead of Popeyes.

All my friends were so upset at 40. I just figured OK - I'd earned it, I'd paid my dues, I deserved it and I could do whatever I wanted. But at 40 there were still kids & parents & jobs so that didn't really work out. Now you really should plan to do everything you've always wanted while you still have the energy. And Special K is right - you still have the mindset. You go girl!!!

Moonflwr912

Happy Birthday Nance! 70! Thats awesome. Keep it up!

Much love to all.

MinusTwo

I made deviled eggs earlier this week. Unfortunately the whites were impossibly hard & rubbery so I scooped out the deviled yolks and spread them on sourdough, open face toast for lunch. I'd planned on a big spinach salad for dinner, but not really hungry so it may be popcorn.

M0mmyof3

Bbq Pork Ribs on the grill

DodgersGirl

homemade chili in cornbread bowls and brownies with ice cream to top off dinner

MinusTwo

Oh - I need some pork ribs. And some brownies with ice cream.

SpecialK

Yesterday I made some cabbage rolls, using Napa cabbage outer leaves, will use the inner for Chinese Chicken salad tomorrow. The cabbage rolls also had quartered Yukon gold potatoes in the pan, with cooked bacon and onion over them, and a tomato based sour cream sauce over the rolls. We had some ofthem last night and finished them tonight. DD is leaving early for Wisconsin and working the air show at OshKosh, DH is leaving Mon morning for the same - this is on his bucket list. So I will be on my own until late Thurs, with the pets.

auntienance

The fam made homemade pizza tonight. I didn't have to do a thing. It was awesome.

Moonflwr912

Supper today was chili. My DDIL and DS1 made it with bone broth to help in my DH healing. It was delicious. Udually, wed have fish, considering it is Fish Day here in Port. But we couldnt go as crowds are no place for a person with a broken neck. But I miss the fireworks. They are usually really good. Oh well.

MinusTwo

Nance - what a nice B-day treat. Special - sounds delicious. So you can have popcorn for dinner the next couple of nights. Moon - new patterns... The fireworks will be there next year. So glad the DH is well enough to be home.

Carole - how is it going with your Mother? When do you go back to the north country?

Dunch was a large spinach salad with shredded carrots, red onion, fresh mushrooms, campari tomatoes, slivered almonds, crumbled blue cheese and a blue cheese oil & vinegar dressing. I toasted the small ends of my leftover Rosemary Olive Oil bread to use as "pushers": Anybody else remember those? My Mother was a stickler for using a piece of bread as a pusher to get the small pieces of food onto your fork or spoon - NOT fingers. Even when I eat alone I have a hard time overcoming this etiquette rule. Besides, it's a way to sneak in bread.

Question - what is the best way you've all discovered to keep mushrooms fresh? I'm so tired of wasting at least half of each package that gets mushy or slimy.

SpecialK

minus - yes on the popcorn! Lol! I have been using these Rubbermaid containers to keep both mushrooms and strawberries fresh longer - they seem to work. I put romaine hearts in the bigger one and it keeps them crisp.

https://www.target.com/p/rubbermaid-freshworks-produce-saver-food-storage-container-with-lid-green-2-count/-/A-50457065

illimae

Picking DH up from the airport, he texted that he was hungry before boarding, so I’m thinking it’ll be Whataburger as soon as we’re out of the terminal.

DodgersGirl

dinner was Sous vide teriyaki sirloins; scallops with a garlic, butter, lemon sauce; baked potatoes; just picked sweet corn, and a green salad with onions, peppers, tomatoes, and cucumbers from the garden. It was very tasty.

SpecialK

minus - I usually use whole baby Bella mushrooms or white button. I also wanted to mention that sometimes when I have a bunch that I don't think I will use all at once I sauté the leftover ones and freeze them to add to marinara or to stews later.

Tonight I made a main dish salad of romaine, roasted chicken, peaches, pecans, goat cheese with a vinaigrette made from peach balsamic vinegar

MinusTwo

Oh my goodness DodgersGirl. Everything sounds delicious.

Special - yes, I have done the saute & freeze trick. I'm going to Target tomorrow as it happens so I'll see if I can find the green keeper.