So...whats for dinner?

SpecialK

chisandy - my DD was in your city yesterday for a few hours! She was flying out of Milwaukee later in the afternoon but jumped on a train to Chicago and met up with a friend and took in a few spots before jumping back on the train to make her flight. She was delayed out of Milwaukee but managed to make her connection in Charlotte because that flight was equally delayed - yay! I am a little bit over the airport - have been there seven times over the last 3 weeks and none of those times was for a trip for me, lol! I am sympathetic to your tooth woes as well, I was eating a soft chocolate chip cookie on Sunday night and felt something that didn't belong - turns out it was one of my crowns! Appointment tomorrow - saving grace is that I have no discomfort. I have had an abscess under a crown before - super uncomfortable - had a broken ankle at the same time so I can identify with your many non-functioning part right now! Not fun! Hang in there!

No idea what is for dinner - have been chewing on one side and tending toward non-chewy stuff - last night was spinach ravioli with mushroom and sausage marinara. I may make something for DH and DD and just have soup - path of least resistance.

MinusTwo

Dinner was half of a left over rotisserie chicken breast, 6 ozs of Pacific Mushroom soup mixed with milk and maccaroni. Delicious, but if you'll excuse the pun... still soupy. The original plan called for the addition of broccoli & cheese and oven baking, but I was too hungry to wait.

ChiSandy

Last night was a 1/4 lb. grilled brisket-burger with cherry tomato Caprese skewers (the tomatoes & basil are homegrown, and I used mozzarella "pearls" with toothpicks as skewers), and grilled marinated asparagus, with a little bit of WF's elotes & mac & cheese on the side. Then Bob brought home BBQ from Famous Dave's (courtesy of the drug co. detail man visiting the office). When I got home from my mani-pedi, Gordy was there. I offered him BBQ, but he asked for a burger & knish. So I pan-fried one of the brisket-burgers in cast iron, and put it on a pretzel bun (nuked the knish & crisped it in the toaster oven). The Geek Squad guys arrived early--good thing, because the TV & components require 3 HDMI cables and I had only 2--and one of them was too short. So I had to dash to the neighborhood TV store, whose owner was not happy that I hadn't called him to do the install (he did a lousy job hooking up thr Apple TV upstairs).

Was about to sit down to leftover BBQ when Bob announced he was coming home from a dinner, bearing cedar-planked salmon with sautéed root veggies and mashed potatoes. So fish it was (and I put tomorrow night's ground bison into the freezer). He also brought a piece of raspberry marble cheesecake, which I'm about to have with a decaf espresso.

Tylenol Extra Strength Rapid Release + ibuprofen seems to be working better--and longer--than Tylenol with codeine. And dilute oil of cloves is helping while I wait for the painkillers to kick in.

carolehalston

I've been expecting the bottled gas to go EMPTY during use of the outdoor grill. It happened last night while the skin-on-bone-in chicken thighs were roasting. I think they were probably cooked enough but I cooked them a few minutes longer in the convection oven.

Side was fresh beans, mostly yellow, from neighbor's garden cooked with chunks of white potato. Butter on the potatoes. Green beans always act on me like a diuretic. I was up at least three times last night.

No plans yet for tonight's dinner. There isn't a lot to choose in the freezer.

SpecialK

Saw the dentist this morning, crown base was cleaned up and crown reattached. Because it is the farthest tooth back it is shallow so now the gum area is sore from all the manipulation, but my wallet and I are both happy that this was a repair rather than a new crown! I think tonight may be another dinner that is easy on my mouth, but tomorrow back to normal hopefully. I have some napa cabbage and roasted chicken so I may do a salad with Asian dressing, julienned carrot and scallion, or do a sauté ofcarrot, onion, and the cabbage, add soy sauce and hot sauce with the chicken and serve over ramen noodles. I will leave the vote on hot or cold dinner to DH since it is more of an assembly than cooking situation with either.

MinusTwo

Special - so glad to hear your crown could be re-attached. Hooray.

SpecialK

minus - thanks! I was happy too! Also important, I am in the home stretch of Invisalign - yes, braces at 62, lol! So, I was also worried about them having to re-scan my lower jaw because the trays are made based on a 3D image. Reusing the same crown top means the trays still fit. I’m ready to be done with the process - Prolia has slowed it down significantly, but it has been worth it

illimae

Tonight is Turkey mini meatloafs with mashed cauliflower and sautéed squash and zucchini. It tastes pretty good but I need to improve the sauce topping a bit.

SpecialK

illimae - I glaze my meatloaf with a mixture of either ketchup or chili sauce combined with a little dry mustard and some brown sugar. This works well if you paint the sauce on the meatloaf during the last 15 minutes in the oven. In a pinch I have also used jarred brown gravy with sautéed mushrooms and onions added and a little sour cream stirred in at the end fo more of a sauce to put on afterward.

illimae

Good tips Specialk, thanks. I was using some leftover juice from a pot roast but I over thickened it. I’m a good griller but sauces are definitely something I need to work on.

I’m craving crab cakes, so that might be happening pretty soon.

ChiSandy

Ilona, you're making me drool again! Looks yummy.

Special, the perio says no evidence of ONJ, and that the tooth can be saved with root canal (and either a partial crown or overlay). He sent me over to the endo, who did a 3-D X-ray and discovered that the adjacent canine, not necessarily the sensitive and loose-ish incisor, was the source of the abscess. She did a root canal--packing the canal with antibiotic putty--and will finish the job next week. We might discuss the possibility of Invisalign, since my overbite is a likely source of the instability.

Scaphoid & ulna healing nicely (though not as fast as if I had never taken Zometa or Prolia), to the point where I can start doing gentle mobilization exercises at home with the brace off--maybe even type as well. (The brace does produce some interesting typos).

Dinner will be nuked leftover BBQ (brisket & pulled chicken, beans) and elotes.

SpecialK

Illimae - I like those two sauces also because I usually have that stuff in the house so they are both convenient and easy. Do you sauce your crab cakes? I’m less of a tartar sauce and more of a remoulade girl.

chisandy - I’m sure you’re relieved there is no ONJ, I was a little worried about this shallow back tooth treated this morning because I have been on Prolia since 2012, but so far no related issues either. Yay for gentle exercise, but be careful!

Tonight was chili - mainly because I had all of the ingredients, because who eats chili in August?

Tomorrow my littlest baby (DD) turns 29 - how is that possible? I mean, I’m only 35, right? Lol! Hell, I was almost 35 when she was born..

ChiSandy

Time marches on--still can't believe my baby is almost 34. (Same age as I was when he was born)!

carolehalston

Yay for replacing the crown, SpecialK.

Last night was brats steamed in beer and browned in the skillet when the beer steamed away. Side was warmed up chili and cauliflower mash. DH likes ketchup with his brat. I mix up a little light mayo and yellow mustard. I'm not a big fan of brats but the store-made brats available in north MN are tasty.

Not sure about tonight's dinner but Illimae's turkey meatloaf caught my attention.

illimae

Specialk, I like a remoulade too but I’ve never actually made crab cakes before. A good friend who is a chef makes some that I love, so I’ll start with the recipe he uses.

Carole, the turkey meatloaf was a home chef recipe, link below FYI 🙂

https://www.homechef.com/meals/smothered-turkey-mini-meatloaf

SpecialK

illimae - crab cakes are tricky in getting the balance between crab and filler right so you get good crab taste, have enough filler (usually cracker or bread crumbs and an emulsifier like egg) to hold the cake together, and mix the crab in super gently so you get good big pieces in the cake. I'm hoping that because you are trying your friend's recipe that they will turn out great! I have found that sometimes smaller is better with crab cakes from a physics standpoint, almost like a crab meatball that is slightly flattened rather than a crab hamburger patty size - mine tend to fall apart if they are too big because I like less filler and more crab. Good luck and happy eating!

carole - I know, right? I was happy it wasn't more involved - and more costly! My DH would be happy in MN - he is a brat fan! Or maybe just a brat.... Lol!

illimae

Tonight was Penne in a spinach/ricotta sauce with chicken and a Cesar salad.

SpecialK

We had potstickers and ramen with sautéed vegetables and a soy/hot sauce combo for DD’s birthday dinner. Baked these this afternoon and her dad brought her some red roses and a Happy Birthday balloon!

eric95us

Wow. Lots of posts.

I have been BUSY!!!! We had a storm come through here a few nights ago and although nothing was damaged here, my cleanup of small branches from one tree and the pine cones from the other tree expanded into me getting a lot of much needed yard work done.

And now tonight, there is another storm. A "haboob"....a 70 mile wide and 3 mile high wall of dust is blowing into the valley....erasing much of the yard work I've done.

No cooking tonight as I don't want to get half way through the cooking and have the electricity outage. Besides neither of us are that hungry.

Happy birthday to your DD, Special.....Saturday is "test daughter's" birthday..she will be 40....Like Chi, I can't believe that much has time has passed.. :-)

Chi, I'm glad your arm is healing....

light's just flickered.....I'll post more later...

Moonflwr912

Hello all. Been a budy time with the DGD1 staying abd running to the Doctor for my DH. Its still wzut and see for him, but 2nd opinion saud the same so 2 weeks til CT scan. If no healing, then operation. My DD2, who is pregant and mother if DGD1, went to NOLA for a conference hence our sitting for DGD. While there her friend went into early labor at 33 weeks. Friend is still there, baby is holding on yet. Every day counts. My DD, though came home on Sunday. Last night she was in great pain and is now diagnosed with a kidney infection. Im going crazy praying. You cant make sh*t like this up! .

Well, ive been cooking a lot, but its all kid friendly, protien, dairy and high carb. Not to mention soft. LOL. So meatballs on noodles. Meatballs with rice. Meatloaf with mashed potatoes. Taco meat on soft bread. Mac and cheese. LOL. Ive been sneaking salads when DH tajes a nap. LOL.

Illimae, i use the ketchup Brown sugar and dry mustard topping for meatloaf. And the meatballs are a homechef recipe as well. In my fridge from my box I got yesterday, are more meatballs. (Sunday Pot roast meatblls) LOL.

Sandy, I missed whay happened to you, but i hope your arm /hand heals fast not to mention your mouth! Also SK, youre dealing with mouth issues too. Hope you all get better. Hope everyone else is doing better than this!

Much love!

Moonflwr912

Some of the things we did with DGD1 while she stayed with us. Hence, no pics of food. LOL

carolehalston

Illimae, I love crab cakes and have access to good lump crabmeat at home in Louisiana. At a price, of course. The last time I made crabcakes they turned out perfect. I remember starting with a mayo (and, I think, egg) sauce in a large bowl and gently mixing the other ingredients. Once the patties are formed, and small is better, as Special K said, you refrigerate them before browning in butter or a mixture of olive oil and butter.

I use very little filler.

Unbeknownst to me, a fish fry was planned last night. I learned this when we took our cocktails over to Mary's large deck for Happy Hour. John, an elderly guy from TX who lives in one of the two condos, is a bass fisherman. He cooked fish on Mary's outdoor stove and brought his own home-made tartar sauce, which contained raw onions so I didn't eat it.

Mary made a coleslaw which also contained raw onions but she saved a "pure" helping for me. LOL! Two other people who don't live at the resort came with a huge pan of "cheesy potatoes," a side dish that needs no explanation here. It's as well known as mashed potatoes. Basically it looks like hash browns loaded with cheese and topped with a crunchy topping identified as corn flakes. I ate a small portion and it was sinfully rich and tasty. Corn flakes are a popular topping on hot dishes, particularly corn flakes browned in butter.

Is it surprising that there are so few WW meetings in this area?

I had already prepared our dinner, eggplant lasagna, but it went into the refrigerator to be heated and eaten this weekend. I made an extra small lasagna and gave it to John.

So the ground turkey I thawed for meatloaf was instead turned into turkey Italian sausage. I sauted all of it and saved half for another use. The remainder I used in a red sauce for the lasagna. The red came from a quart of Rao's marinara. This summer I have been a real consumer of Rao's, which is available at Walmart for $7. I notice that the jars are making their way down to eye level, so I think there must be other consumers.

Tonight will be La Pasta in Dorset with the couples golf group following 12 holes of golf.

illimae

Thanks for the crab cake tip. I know my friend puts avocado chunks in his, they’re really good!

I’ve never heard of putting cornflakes on or in food, is that a regional thing?

Heading out to Whole Foods today for Tuna and Gulf Snapper, been craving both, maybe next week. It’s day 3 of retirement and I’m getting a little bored, so next week I think I’ll hit the gym and begin some late spring cleaning. I think I’ll look into volunteer options too.

illimae

Tonight was a pork chop, seared, then simmered in seasoning and white wine with leftover quinoa, broccoli and a pre-made crab cake from Whole Foods.

MinusTwo

Illimae - HEB's crab cakes are pretty good in a pinch, not to mention Central Market. But there's NOTHING to top Dungeness Crab Cakes from the West coast. I so admire all of you who are cooking most nights.

Met my niece and toddler kids for lunch today. They live out by San Antonio & I hadn't seen them since Christmas. The restaurant was more upscale then I thought they'd pick, but it was good. My sister in law had wonderful kabobs - one chicken & one beef - with basmati rice & seasonal veggies; one niece had a euro wrap; one niece had a huge beef tenderloin sandwich; I had smoked salmon avocado toast - salmon layered over sliced avocados, Persian cucumbers, jalapenos, & red onions - topped with a dill yogurt mix & capers and served with herb roasted new potatoes and a Persian cucumber salad. The two & four year old split a kids place of chicken quesadillas & a bowl of fruit and ate fries from the adult's plates Needless to say I didn't need any dinner tonight.

ChiSandy

My mom never fried chicken--she followed the recipe for "corn-crisped chicken" on the box of Kellogg's Corn Flake Crumbs (we never ate the cereal, but I guess so many people were using it for breading that Kellogg found a way to market broken flakes rather than discard them--and that humans would pay more for them than would pig farmers). Though the recipe called for dipping the chicken in evaporated milk, my mom used Wish-Bone diet Italian dressing instead. It was pretty good.

Still in post-root canal pain, so have been keeping my food soft. Oatmeal for breakfast. Cut a Krispy Kreme into quarters, scooped out the cream filling with an espresso spoon and tore the donut parts into pieces small enough to eat with my L molars. Had a cappuccino, made with the new Nespresso 4 frother I got (settings for cold foam, hot milk, fluffy cappuccino froth and denser latte froth; and it's dishwasher-safe). Lunch was tuna salad and then leftover corned beef hash. Bob got home early but had dinner at the hospital. My dinner was chopped liver (from Romanian Kosher) and Gabila's kasha varnishkes (bowtie pasta with buckwheat groats). Rice pudding for dessert. Many salt water rinses all day. Might have a little espresso ice cream as a bedtime snack, maybe not.

Will make an omelet for breakfast if I don't have the energy to make a Caprese to bring to our block party brunch. I have only two regular-size heirloom tomatoes, about a dozen heirloom cherry tomatoes, mozzarella "pearls" and not much in the way of basil on my plant--not enough to make a full-size platter. Not an early riser, so not inclined to get to WF early and pick up some more fixin's for it. Besides, with Bob working & Gordy living on his own, gonna be tough to also juggle my camp chair and a bottle of Prosecco--not up for all those trips up & back between here & the middle of our double-length block. EdgeFest is also going on this weekend, so starting at 1pm the bands playing on the north stage (2 bl. away) will get kind of noisy. I hate those street fairs where you can't just walk up to a booth and buy stuff, but instead have to buy tickets (you always end up with too few or too many, which you can't use next year). The same agency runs & books all the city's street fairs & festivals, and they have almost no local character (they hired us a couple of years ago to play one...in a suburb of Milwaukee).

illimae

Tonight is Blackened Gulf Red Snapper with sautéed asparagus, squash and garlic toast.

MinusTwo

My goodness Illimae - you have the most wonderful looking meals. Yum. How was the Snapper? I haven't had any yet this season.

I had rotini pasta salad w/red & orange peppers, chopped cucumbers, black & green olives & artichoke hearts in a sort of Italian oil & vinegar. Accompanied by 1/2 of a leftover chicken breast half for my protein.

auntienance

Fresh Thyme had porterhouse on sale which I couldn't resist so tonight into the sous vide it went. Went to finish it on the grill but ran out of gas so finished it in a screaming hot cast iron skillet on the stove. Fluffy baked potatoes and sliced tomatoes with a sprinkle of aged balsamic, evoo and fresh basil were sides.

Today I processed three dozen ears of sweet corn for the freezer. A tedious job but oh so welcome in the winter. Wish I could preserve all of summer that way.

illimae

Thanks Minus! The Snapper was great, pricey (but worth it) and DH isn’t a big fan, so I don’t have it very often. Now that I have more free time, I’ve been spoiling myself, however, tomorrow will be pizza for Sunday dinner/tv with friends.

Mmmm.... I LOVE corn!

Where’s Eric?