So...whats for dinner?

LaughingGull

LaughingGull reporting from New York City. No snow, just sunny and freeeeeezing cold. Went with son to deserted place to fly drones. It was a lot of fun. Then got a workout. Result: intense hunger.

Dinner today was a big arugula salad (arugula + tomatoes + mozzarella) with a piece of rye bread. Dessert was 1/2 apple + 1 banana sliced and mixed with orange juice.

Good night everybody!

Lacey12

Yes, Eric, that is great news that Sharon’s knees are feeling better with that adjustment, so she can continue with what is already an impressive weight loss. Kudos to her!

Nance, I’ve also been keeping track of your heavy snowstorm via nat’l news and am glad to hear that your neighbor was able to clear the roadways so you are not stranded. Stay warm and dry. It does sound like more “weather” is on the way, unfortunately. It might make its way up here, which did not happen this time, amazingly enough I’m turning into an unenthusiastic about snow storms person these days, but have no plans to move to any hot zones, so I’d best not complain.

Tonight I used the ground turkey that was going to be meatballs for turkey/white bean chili. Had it over “little ear” pasta, along with our typical salad and some sour dough bread. There is lots leftover, so I will take full advantage of having “jump up” meals this week.

LaughingGull

Last night I went for a workout, and after that I met a friend at a bar -bad idea. So dinner was fish and chips (only replacing the chips with salad), plus two pints of Guinness, and to top it off, when I got home I downed a small bowl of chocolate ice cream with sprinkled peanut M&Ms. Bad but good!

Today lunch will be chili con carne, with red beans, garbanzo beans and butternut squash. I like the ide of the chili con carne over oreccietti -or however they are called.

M0mmyof3

pork tenderloin, rice and steamed veggies

MinusTwo

Yesterday I cooked Anasazi beans w/onions, celery, garlic, jalapenos & a ham hock. Anasazi is a Navajo word meaning "ancient one". Anasazi beans were found in the cliff dwellings in the Four Corner's Area and Mesa Verde National Park. They grow at 7000 ft on the same dry land soil that the Indians grew them on. They cook faster (less than an hour if you soak ahead) and they truly are sweeter than Pinto beans. I'm going to buy more. Served with San Francisco Sourdough bread- parbaked from the freezer, so once you bake for 10 minutes it tastes almost like fresh.

Today was two soft boiled eggs and a hatch chili scone - also from the freezer.

Tomorrow will likely be chicken since Kroger had a special - buy one package of breasts and get the second package for free.

LaughingGull - I don't think I could eat the fish w/o the chips. Amazing discipline.

illimae

Tonight was chicken and cabbage with northern beans & spinach.

ChiSandy

Brunch was avocado toast (guac, chopped shallots & grape tomatoes, smoked paprika, & cayenne on low-carb whole wheat) topped by a dry-fried egg. Dinner was the last slice of arugula-sausage pizza we'd ordered out Sat. night, plus some field greens salad with gorgonzola, walnuts & "craisins." The dreaded freezing drizzle didn't materialize, thank goodness--but we're in for Snowmageddon Fri. night into Sat., followed by Chiberia on Sunday. (Knew we'd been getting off too easy).

SpecialK

Last night dinner was minestrone soup for DD and I, DH feeling off so went to bed early without dinner. Like a naughty child. My two SILS come the day after we return from vacay and am currently working on the family photos for them. We had taken all of my in-laws photo albums, I deconstructed them, made five piles of photos - one for each child - and am now putting the pics in semi -chronological order and putting them back into albums. This is a JOB! I did the one with the most pics first for DH's older bro and that one had been delivered. The girls are flying so I am not sure if they can carry theirs back - it is looking like four albums each - but at least they can look at them while they are here and all together. I duplicated every group photo for everyone and if they are in a picture they got it. Labor of love for sure.

KatyK

Minustwo- I haven’t used Anasazi beans in a while, usually do pintos but your post makes me want to use them again. I love doing my own beans, so much better tasting than from a can.

Illimae- I’m coming for dinner at your house! Your pictures always looks so good!

ChiSandy- just got some nice looking avacodoes, they were not looking good for a while. I think avocado toast may be the perfect breakfast for a pre- ski meal. I have to eat more protein and nothing too sugary for breakfast, especially if I am going to exercise otherwise I may get low blood sugar.

SpecialK-nice of you to take care of pictures. Picture management is a huge job! I’m hoping to clean up some of the old albums and scan a lot of photos so my poor DD doesn’t get stuck with it some day. Right now I typically make photo books for recent adventures, but I’m always behind!

Today is DH’s birthday. We did the family dinner last night which was beef stroganoff with a side of green beans, beans were great but I love green beans. And tonight I’m making him chicken divan, one of his favorites

SpecialK

katyk - I am an avocado toast girl! Actually, I am an anything avocado girl - my California past - grew up not far from where they are grown. We took the pics from my in-laws house because we were concerned that my one SIL would take them and then be so overwhelmed with the emotions connected to them that she would never parcel them out. DH and I decided that if I did it - with less emotional attachment - it would be fair and equitable, and actually get done. He has offered some guidance on who some of the people were in early photos, but for the most part I have been able to do this on my own. It is one way I can contribute also since so much of what needed to be done had to be done by the principals. A few years ago I had a surgery to remove a golf ball sized tumor from my calf - rare, but benign - initially thought to be a sarcoma. I was lucky in that regard, but also couldn't walk well or stand for any length of time for a few weeks. To occupy myself I laid on the bed with leg elevated and on ice and went through all of our photos. I made archive material boxes for each child, one for DH and I, and others with photos of extended family and friends. It was a good project for that moment. Happy B-day to your DH! Chicken Divan is a throwback fave in my house too!

ChiSandy

I was introduced to avocado toast topped with fried egg in 2017 in the bar of a Hilton in Boston while we were waiting for our room to be ready. I even asked for the recipe--hence the shallots, smoked paprika & cayenne!

LaughingGull

That avocado and egg toast sounds terrific. I am going to try that one.

I had never heard of Anasazi beans. So interesting to learn what others cook. I also cook my own beans. Every Saturday night I soak some beans of one type or another and cook them on Sunday.

Yesterday lunch was chili con carne with fried pita. Dinner was arugula salad with tomatoes and a can of cockles -brought them from Northern Spain, not sure these exist in the US.

And a bowl of chocolate ice cream. Thank God its almost gone -it was a leftover from the holidays. Really can't have ice cream at home.

illimae

Specialk, wow, that is quite a process and very nice of you to do that for everyone.

Thanks katyk, I love food photos, obviously 😆

I’m with you all on the avocado toast and egg, usually soft boiled or poached and on whole clove garlic or rosemary loaf toast. I eat it 2-3 times a week, soooo good!

auntienance

Awww Special, that is really nice and I know what a job that is. Several years ago, DH and I made collages for each of his four siblings using childhood pictures of each of them. It took us weeks just to sort out the dozen or so of each of them that we used.

Sandy I fear that we are sharing the winter event that's coming on top of the 15 inches still on the ground. We haven't seen the sun since Thursday and I'm definitely feeling the effects of that.

Tonight is recycled Navajo taco filling this time in hard corn tortilla shells. All this avocado talk is making me appreciate the half in my fridge that's going on my taco tonight. I believe I could eat a whole avocado every day if I let myself. DH won't touch 'em.

ChiSandy

Nancy, they've actually named this weekend's snowstorm--"Harper" (last weekend's was "Gia"). Just as if they were hurricanes. They've revised the forecast, predicting 6-10" for the whole Chicago area (worse the further south you go).

Defrosted a sockeye filet--will make it with broccolini (I'm not nuts about the latest batch of sugar snap peas from WF--the ones in the plastic boxes, not the bags--even after I de-string them there's still enough detritus that makes me feel like a cow chewing cud). Either air-fry some leftover duck fat fries from the freezer, or make another batch of fregola Sarda (that stuff's starting to grow on me). En route home from the ophthalmologist yesterday, I stopped at Weber's Bakery across the street and was accosted by two doughnuts and a six-pack of mini-cupcakes (3 ea. red velvet & chocolate). Bob says his office orders from them all the time. I am about to go vanquish the remaining doughnut...or maybe a cupcake?

BringOn2017

Haven't posted in a while but have still been reading all the posts and keeping track of glorious food as well as everyone's news.

So nice to hear you're going to have a grandchild Lacey. And glad you're getting better Special K. Wow for the photo job you're doing.....Does take so much time and absorption. Need to do it one day with a whole bag of photos that I got after my grandparents' house was cleared out. Very emotional moment for me though as it includes photos of my mum as a child. Mum passed on from bc 25 years ago at 48...my age now.

Cold weather has got me into a soup mood. I bought 6.5 kg of fresh butternut squash which my veggie lady kindly chopped and peeled. Made one pot of creamy pumpkin soup 🎃 and another pot of soup 🍲   with sweet potato, butternut, carrot, potato and cumin, curry. And that's a lot of soup portions in the freezer.

Also made pea and ham soup using dried peas.

Today its time for broccoli and stilton soup. Never done this with stilton before. So I'm hoping it works out! 

illimae

Tonight was homemade fish & chips (haddock) and cheddar bay biscuits.

auntienance

Day 7 of no sun. Possibly a glimpse tomorrow. At least the snow is melting. Large sheets of it avalanching off the roof. Just in time for the next batch on Friday. My sympathies to those of you to the east.

Did I mention we rescued a bird? During the big snow a female purple finch the into the deck door (not an unusual event). Usually, the victim dies shortly or lays there for a while then recovers and flies away. Only this time neither happened. Birdie girl was very alert but injured in some way not totally visible to us. DH, who is a big softie, decided that she wasn't going to freeze to death so put her in a box in the breakfast room so she could die in a warm place overnight. Well she didn't die. So now she is still alert and still injured but improving. She's eating and drinking and getting stronger. Hopefully she'll get strong enough so that we can release her back to the yard. The problem is if she doesn't improve enough, what the hell do we do with her? The moral of this tale is to let injured birds lie.

Tonight was canneloni and garlic bread. And fruit salad.

Beaverntx

Little to no creativity here! Dinner tonight was homemade pizza left over from last night.

MinusTwo

My dinner was a large salad w/mixed lettuces, red cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, cucumber, avocado. I considered toasting some sourdough, but am plenty full w/just the salad. The neighbor I was making the chicken for had someone else bring her pizza this morning so I'll do my skillet chicken w/lemon, spinach, carrots & barley tomorrow.

illimae

Auntienance, maybe time to name her and get a birdcage 😀

LaughingGull

aaawww the little bird how cute

Last night was acorn squash made in the instant pot, cut in halves and filled with a bit of butter, and a mix of brown sugar + nutmeg + cinnamon. Plus some fried kielbasa...mmmmhhhh

SpecialK I was also impressed by your photos project. I am sure your SIL will appreciate. I know I would.

Traveling for business today and just had Indian food for lunch

have a good weekend everyone

BringOn2017

Lovely about the bird auntienance! Hope it gets better.

Dinner was beef with black bean sauce and jacket potatoes.

auntienance

Since DH dug out the grill, we're practicing summer with bbqd chicken, potato salad and cole slaw with a garlicky vinaigrette for me and cole slaw dressing from a bottle for DH. I hate the stuff but he loves it.

KatyK

DH really hurt his back this week, a chronic bad back that he made worse with a particular exercise. He could barely move so we went to the doctor yesterday and got steroids and already improving. So the last few days have been hangingout at home. Yesterday I made an Asian style chicken soup with the leftover roast chicken I had used to make divan for DH’s birthday. Finished another photo book of a trip we took with our grandkids and started on another one. Tonight’s dinner is at a friend’s house. They invited us over to make a birthday dinner for DH. She makes the best apple pie!

M0mmyof3

Tonight is soup and sandwich night! Making one of my soup mixes from Harry & David’s.

GreenHarbor

I made beef stew in the Instant Pot, and served it with biscuits. Dessert is apple crisp. Here in Massachusetts, we’re expecting a storm tonight into Sunday- snow changing to rain, then falling temps that will turn everything to ice. Since the full moon is Monday, the high tides will be higher than normal, so coastal areas can expect flooding.Storms always make me head into the kitchen to cook.

illimae

Tonight was steak with spinach and grilled squash.

Tomorrow is Taco night with friends.

ChiSandy

Thursday night we went to Carlucci's in Rosemont after Bob's medical survey interview (a last-minute invitation). Amazing that the place was packed at 7 pm on a weeknight--good thing I'd made a reservation. We started with arancini, then linguine with prosciutto & Parm.-Regg--the waiter brought it out in a hollowed-out wheel of cheese and proceeded to mix it as he scraped bits of the wheel of cheese (walls of the wheel melted by the hot pasta) into the pasta. Amazing. For our entrees, Bob had surf & turf (grilled shrimp & filet mignon) and I had saffron & spinach risotto with osso bucco:

The "cup" holding the risotto is a large leaf of radicchio! We were so full that we took home leftovers of everything but the arancini. No room for dessert, of course. Bob spent last night & is spending tonight down near his hospitals--so I get the leftovers. I had the risotto & osso bucco last night, and the linguine tonight. It's too late at night to dig into the surf & turf, so Bob gets dibs on it when he comes home tomorrow to watch football...if the lake effect snow isn't too deep for him to get into the alley & garage. (Will talk to my snow guy tomorrow and give him a bit extra to dig out an "apron" for Bob's Fusion, which has low ground clearance and no AWD).

eric95us

Auntienance, has the bird returned to normal? And is the snow/ice going away?

Katy, I hope your DH gets his back "back in line".

And Special, I understand how much work sorting through photos can be. I have probably 15,000 Kodachrome slides that I need to go through and scan. I've been looking at the later ones (the ones where I might be in the picture) and it is a slow, memory jarring process.

Dinner here has been hit and miss. Sharon made some calzones (spelling?) and I made the chicken rice dish, and we've been eating that for the past few days.

The phone company brought fiber optic facilities into the neighborhood, so we are no longer in a "digital dead zone". The internet connection speeds are now about 60 times faster than before the upgrade and the bill (amazingly enough) is the same as before.