So...whats for dinner?

ChiSandy

McCormick's Poultry Seasoning was my mom's old standby as a chicken rub, and I still use it. Penzey's also makes a good one--Fox Point; they also have a Poultry Blend, and Sunny Paris for those wanting to stay salt-free.

Dinner tonight was a brisket end from the kosher Meal Mart counter at Jewel (yay--they had chopped liver tonight!). nuked tzimmes, and Jerusalem salad with chickpeas, mixed with tahini & lemon juice. Found a small raisin challah, which we'll have with a Pink Lady apple & honey for a late dessert.

auntienance

I use a lot of Sunny Paris, it's great in eggs. For chicken I like Old Bay garlic and herb as a change from penzeys poultry seasoning. I'll have to try McCormicks.

Dessert was two small scoops of Blackberry Crumble ice cream. DH and I are currently hooked on it.

eric95us

A disaster is always going to have a ragged response....a disaster is when the response needs overwhelm the response capabilities..so we do what we can and always wish we could do more.

Right now we are in the normal waiting mode. We won't know where we are needed until the hospitals report on their conditions and their needs...and that can't happen until after the storm hits.

9/11... So the east coast phone workers could get home, I was one of many people out west that were remotelying and controlling a lot of the long distance and local phone switching centers on the east coast.

We knew keeping the phone system running was important. We never did decide if the government calls or the "I'm OK" calls were the most important.

Lacey12

Thanks for all the personal 9/11 experience sharing. I learned (and probably way beyond my real understanding) about some of the many folks who are critical to communication and infrastructure during such national crises.

Saw the movie, The Wife, tonight with two neighbor friends. Really well done, albeit painful. A good movie for discussion. Then we had dinner at my new favorite neighborhood restaurant that has wonderful salads. Mine included a pounded grilled chicken breast. The salad (their “house”) is chuck full of varied greens, cukes, peppers, pickled onions, tomatoes, beets, etc, etc. and perfectly laced with a garlic/ mint dressing. Nice light dinner,....so I had to indulge in some choc fudge ice cream when I got home!

carolehalston

Tonight will be hot dogs and chili and sliced tomatoes with stilton blue cheese and basil.

Beans cooked with ham sounds really appetizing. Not to mention cornbread. Aside from baked beans and beans in chili, we haven't had beans all summer.

auntienance

We hadn't either Carole, but I came across a pkg of navy beans when I was organizing and cleaning out my pantry (some canned goods in there from 2014 yikes!) and thought they sounded good. Besides, they were a good excuse to make cornbread, which I love.

Tonight will be smoked sausage, sauerkraut and mashed potatoes and the remains of the cornbread (2 pieces.) Never as good as fresh but I can't bear to toss it.

illimae

Tonight was a pan seared tuna steak (unfortunately over cooked) with asparagus and garlic bread.

MinusTwo

I bought a 1.5 lb Jennie-O cryovac pkg of turkey breast tenderloins on sale & plan to bake it tomorrow since I no longer own a grill. Instructions say 350 degrees for 60-70 minutes. A friend told me she heard they were dry if not cooked w/some liquid. Has anyone else cooked one of these? Would there be any point of adding liquid if I bake w/o a cover? Seems it would just evaporate off? Maybe I could just uncover for the last 30 minutes? I'm thinking maybe apple juice since I have a bunch on hand.

Lunch was Stauffer's mac & cheese. Dinner was mixed green salad with lots of cabbage & kale, slivered almonds & shoestring beets added. I used an Asian dressing. I like the Panera "at home" Asian Sesame dressing that's available at some grocery stores.

ChiSandy

Dinner was the Mexican (Baja) wine dinner at Mas Alla Del Sol. The wines were delicious but insanely expensive, so we didn't order any (I don't think they sold much). The food was excellent.

First course: grilled lobster & octopus, aijillo, pickled red onions, cucumbers, atop a fried green tomato.

Second: Roasted ground-beef-stuffed poblano chile with crema and pomegranate seeds (an homage to the Mexican flag to celebrate its Independence Day).

Third: Rack of lamb (two double chops) over corn mash (like a fresh polenta with kernels), charred tomato, microgreens

Fourth: Carne Asada (skirt steak) in a chile morita sauce, with cannelini beans, queso panela ("bread cheese," sort of like Brun Juusto. which is meant for grilling), avocado

Dessert: pineapple-coconut tres leches cake topped with mint leaves, cherry, and vanilla-mezcal-soaked pineapple.

Burp.

illimae

Wow Sandy, that dinner sounds great!

M0mmyof3

Going to make something light and easy to cook.

carolehalston

Sandy, how can anyone possibly eat that much food? Must be a bewildering challenge for one's digestive system.

Off topic, I find it ridiculous that all these New York tv people are wandering around in a hurricane aftermath. My dh says you can thank Jim Cantori. The challenge is to find the most horrifying destruction and film it. So far it seems that the preparation for the storm was admirable.

Dinner tonight will be at LaPasta in Dorset with the couples golf group. LaPasta will close in a matter of days as will the Y Steak house and most of the restaurants in the area. The choices for eating out are very limited for those who winter in Hubbard County, MN. I would guess that most of the owners of the eateries head south for the winter to AZ, TX, or FL. AZ seems to be the preferred warm spot for MN folks.

eric95us

At one hurricane, the road crews had cleaned up about 10 miles of interstate highway and temporarily piled the roadway debris up in a large parking lot .

The news people were all doing their stories with the piled up debris as the background....saying this was how deep the debris was and that the crews had been working it for many hours.

They forgot to mention that this was where they were PUTTING the stuff.

Lacey12

Ah yes, Eric, the power of optics for the viewing public...AKA how TV can manipulate for purpose of drama/ratings.

And speaking of optics, I was struck by the national news coverage of the terrible widespread gas explosions/fires that occurred north of Boston yesterday. There were three towns whose homes/businesses were hard hit by this, (60-80 buildings, and a death and injuries) and the picture I saw was of an old looking multi- family building in Lawrence, a low income community. In fact, the two other nearby high-end towns had many expensive homes destroyed in moments, too. No one is immune to gas company error, which this destructive surge most likely was. All three towns are mostly still evacuated. Not as big asFlorence, but a serious sudden crisis.

Last evening, after our gym workout, we had veggie omelets topped with mozzarella, with a salad, and rosemary bread. Today, I hope to find some nice fish for dinner to go with some huge brussells sprouts I bought at Volantes, and of course our salad. DH just left for the gym, but I’m opting to walk instead.

Carole your current experience with MN restaurants reminds me of what happens at the lake. Immediately after Labor Day (we discovered this the year I retired), several dining spots close up or shorten their days dramatically. Disappointing for year round residents, but understandable from the business aspect.

ChiSandy

Those MA gas explosions were a shocker, especially since several towns were involved. I'm even more nervous now about those yellow warning flags "buried gas line--hand dig only" along the parkways on our street, and the idiot across the street using a power mower. They're almost done with the digging, so I hope it gets back to normal soon.

I can't eat and drink that much anymore. Should have packed half of every dish except the fish & dessert courses, and not finished each glass of wine (small pours in big glasses still add up. Makes it tough to fall and stay asleep, and was very nervous about reflux. This a.m. I noticed that the only meds I took last night were the Tylenol & Advil. Tums saved my guts!

Tonight will probably be leftovers after the gig. I can't sing on a full stomach, and not just because of performance anxiety (which is more than usual since it's my first time playing a stringed instrument in public since that painful gig in Lafayette, IN just before I fell the second time and broke my scaphoid). A week & a half after surgery, I played only harmonica and sang. At least because we get paid and there is no door charge or tip jar, there's no pressure to bring a crowd. We're competing with Riot Fest and a whole bunch of our friends gigging elsewhere tonight.

M0mmyof3

I was shocked too when I saw the news about the explosions. Scary stuff.

eric95us

I saw the MA explosion news as well. Some of the folks down here are from there, so there was a flurry of phone calls home.

My engineer brain is "thinking" a failed pressure regulator over pressured a big gas line and made it spring leaks.

It's raining in Charlotte, where we are staged. Now that the storm is passing and damage reports start coming in, we will soon be told where to go.

Lacey12

Well, Eric, the day after the many gas explosions, the poop is hitting the fan in terms of accountability. It will be interesting to see how quickly the cause is determined. The gov assigned Eversource to be in charge since the local company (Columbia) seemed unable to manage the immediate emergency tasks. Columbia had just started repair work in the area. Never saw management from them until late today. Jeesh! DH seems convinced that it was human error....I think probably because we had a huge gas fire directly in front of our house twelve years ago due to a Gas Co worker attaching two incompatible pipes (wrong terminology here, I'm sure). Resulted in a "fire geyser" almost two hundred feet tall, evacuation of my neighborhood block for a day, and lots of stress. I was at work when it occurred, DH was in the MGH cardiac unit, and our poor pooch was at home unable to be rescued for many hours. Relatives from California were trying to call us since they saw the monster flame story on CNN. I cannot fathom the distress the people in these towns are going through now....most of whom have evacuated, if they were lucky, before their houses exploded. The most fortunate will still have an intact house when allowed to return.

So when we walked to the grocery store to get some cod for dinner, I noticed a new product I decided to try. A little packet named "Nuts Over Fish", an apt description of contents which were roasted chopped almonds, lt brn sugar, powdered dijon, thyme, rosemary and powdered garlic. I bought it and we had it on our cod fillets. It was a nice topping, but probably would not be favored by folks who like savory and NOT sweet since this had a touch of sweetness to it. We liked it. Sides ended up being the brussells sprouts, salad with addition of an avocado, and farro.

Tomorrow morning we are going to the Seaport area in Boston to a baby shower for the son and DIL of my former officemate. We'll have brunch there, then figure out dinner as the day moves on.

TRIGGER WARNING! Mouse nest picture and report....DH took his car for servicing today and sure enough they found an empty mouse nest on top of the engine, some chewed wires, then a dead mouse in the cabin filter. The service rep called later to say that there might still be a dead mouse within the dash board, but the hope is that it will stop smelling after a while, or else that will need to be taken apart. Yikes! Eric....if you'd like to fly home via Beantown, you could have some "fun" tinkering with this mouse car to free the little carcass! And DH would make you a delicious paella! LOL.

Seriously, I hope your work in NC ends fairly soon, and you get to return to your sunny environs quickly! Our DIL's family lives in the Charlotte area and she reported this AM that so far they were fine. I suppose the coastal areas will suffer the most. Stay safe!

auntienance

Lacey, EEEK!

MinusTwo

I found a couple of recipes on the www and my 1.5 lb "Jennie O" natural turkey breast tenderloins turned out delicious. Most said use liquid. I didn't want to fool with opening or making broth and since I already had a nice bottle of red wine open I didn't want to open white - so I used apple juice. Seasoned tenderloins with S&P, rosemary, garlic and some Penzey's Foxpoint seasoning. Added 1/2 cup apple juice. Baked at 400 degrees. 40 minutes covered with foil; 20 minutes uncovered. Delicious and VERY tender. I will get 3-4 meals from this. Tomorrow probably with stuffing (dressing) & green veggies. I will make good sangies. Maybe I'll freeze one of the loins to use later with stir fry or medallions w/brandy cream sauce. I'll definitely buy another of these when they're on sale again.

M0mmyof3

Lacey, you are very lucky. When my hubby and I had the mouse issue with our car the got into the intake manifold. They didn't find any mice but they did find some droppings. Check with your car insurance to see if they will help with the repair bill, our insurance did because it was covered under Comprehensive.

carolehalston

My dinner last night at LaPasta was Artichoke Ravioli and it was delicious. Vegetarian with spinach and mushrooms and asparagus. A wonderful mushroom cream sauce upped the fat and calories but also the flavor. The ravioli were green. Not too large a serving but enough. No to-go box, which is the way I like it. Puts me in the minority of senior citizens!

Others at our table ordered entrees with shrimp that looked pretty but I never order seafood here in MN except walleye. I've checked in the supermarkets out of curiosity and the shrimp come from foreign countries. I assume they're cheaper than Gulf shrimp.

DH had declared he would have something different tonight but, no, he ordered his usual Italian sausage (very good), sauteed green pepper and onion over linguine but with alfredo sauce. He has had the butter garlic sauce and the marinara.

I always order the house chianti at LaPasta and enjoy it.

Fortunately, the death toll from Florence isn't large so far but the price tag will be huge. NC politicians can deny climate change for the good of developers but science isn't paying any attention.

ChiSandy

Didn't eat before the gig, but at the break (while I was icing my wrist), the manager gave us homemade lemon squares. Yum!

When I got home, I had leftover pasta (ziti, tomatoes, anchovies & olives) to which I added leftover rotisserie chicken breast (wing on the side) and the remainder of a homegrown tomato. Overslept egregiously: was up till nearly 4 am (with several days' sleep deficit) and took a dropperful of CBD oil for my aching wrist & back, so slept in past 2 pm; so had lunch as my first meal of the day. Hot pastrami (too lean) on pumpernickel (dry--and I prefer seeded rye anyway). No Gulden's brown mustard (son took it with him instead of the yellow mustard he used to eat) so had to mix hot & grainy Dijons. No way I'm eating the crappy yellow French's hot-dog mustard he left behind in the fridge.

Drugstore-deli where I was supposed to pick up my letrozole closed early today--so I will probably pick it up tomorrow along with better (fattier) pastrami, corned beef or tongue, a nice seeded rye, oil/vinegar slaw & potato salad...and Gulden's or Ba-Tamp-Te brown mustard. Just made myself a real caffe latte: wrist & R elbow well enough for me to work the knobs & lock the portafilter on my real espresso machine (had been using the Nespresso capsule machine & electric whirly-frother). Bought a bag of fresh beans, and ground them just for the cup. Mmmmmm......Starbucks, shmarbucks.

Not sure about tonight--got the white meat and one wing remaining from a rotisserie chicken. Have some pad Thai noodles, but also a jar of mole, one of tikka, and a poblano. Will figure it out--Bob's working late tonight and will grab dinner in-hospital or nearby in Oak Lawn (has to eat by 6 or he gets hypoglycemic). Tomorrow aft. is a friend's BBQ in Morton Grove, which several other of our friends will attend; Bob will be working. (Host is also our ophthalmologist),

illimae

Tonight was grilled Balsamic chicken with roasted carrots, steamed spinach and cheesy pasta.

auntienance

BBQd pork steak, tiny potatoes with green beans as the side. Dessert is an apple cherry slab pie made in a quarter sheet pan.

M0mmyof3

The meal I chose for the wedding reception we were at was Prime Rib, twice baked potato and sautéed zucchini. Starter course was pasta in a garlic sauce followed by salad and rolls. Instead of cake, they had a cupcake tower and assorted treats for after the cupcakes.

MinusTwo

Mommy - sounds absolutely delicious. Wish I had known the bride or the groom so I could have come. Did I see somewhere that this was your daughter's wedding? Or maybe just a family member?

MinusTwo

For my after dinner evening 'toddy' - I mixed two fingers of Gentleman Jack bourbon with one finger of butterscotch schnaps. Delicious.

Tomorrow night I'll try the bourbon with peach schnaps.

ChiSandy

Shredded chicken breast and sauteed poblano in mole sauce over brown basmati rice; also an ear of elotes-style corn (defrosted, wiped the cheese off it, then stripped the cob with an OXO corn stripper (the one that looks like a computer mouse). That corn tool works--unlike the others I've tried. The mole turned out to be a concentrated paste in a little glass jar with a lid no tool could budge. I had to use a beer opener until I could bend back a circle of the top enough to scoop out a teaspoonful.

auntienance