So...whats for dinner?

auntienance

Illimae, awww!

eric95us

Illimae, I agree with auntie.

Beaverntx

illimae, me three!

Beaverntx

Sandy, at least he made it home. The pictures on the news make Chicago look miserable. Stay safe!

ChiSandy

Ilona, what a sweetheart! (Your DH, too)

Glad Bob made it home okay--he said there was almost no traffic, and his office hours were canceled so he just had to visit two hospitals. He was able to sleep in today, too. Maybe tomorrow if Union Health is closed again--which it might be because it'll be much colder tomorrow morning than it was this morning. And snow is coming (sigh). He does have a patient who drives his own stretch limo--he may call to reserve it tomorrow for Fri. morning. It'll be much more expensive than a rideshare or a taxi, but he's very dependable.

61 degrees in the front room...with the thermostat set at 80! We've caulked all air leaks, but it's still the coldest room other than the basement. I'm in there right now, wearing 3 layers on top (T-shirt, long sleeved stretch cord PJ top, fleece hoodie), 2 below (fitness leggings under the PJ pants), and UGGs. (Socks and sheepskin clogs werren't cutting it). And for awhile, before the letrozole "warm glow" kicked in, a poly-fill quilted jacket too. Indoors. (I knew estrogen depletion was good for something other than starving tumor cells). Upstairs it's toasty enough to ditch the leggings & PJ top, and sleep in the T-shirt beneath the tropical weight comforter.

carolehalston

I always put the avocados in the veggie drawer in the refrigerator as soon as they are slightly soft to the touch. Have been doing that for years. Never thought to mention it. We tend to buy at least three and sometimes more.

Food is beginning to be more appealing as I feel more like myself. Any inactivity at this point is laziness. I would rather work on the 1000 piece puzzle spread on the coffee table than do needed grunt work in the house. I continue to wait for a knock on the door or the peal of the doorbell and a house cleaner standing there wanting a job cleaning my house.

Dinner tonight will probably be a prime rib eye that has been living in the freezer.

auntienance

Carole, my sentiments exactly! I wish I had a puzzle to work on. (It's not like I don't have a three page checklist of things that need to be done before we list our house.) If that house cleaner shows up, please send him or her my way. I did commit myself to vacuuming the downstairs today, even though vacuuming is normally DH's thing. I bought some new thick house socks (I'm habitually barefoot except during the coldest weather) and in spite of several launderings, they have left a trail of black fuzzies wherever I travel.

It's a whopping 6° right now and I'm strangely happy about it. Sandy, I'm feeling your {{{brrrrs}}}!

I took out thick pork chops for dinner tonight, although this horrid drainage (which I'm beginning to suspect is a sinus infection) is dampening my appetite. The plan is to reverse sear the chops and make a cider pan sauce along with fried apples. I'll also sous vide some golden beets.

ChiSandy

It's 3 above the donut and feels positively tropical! 24 hrs ago, with the thermostat set at 80, it was 60 in the front room downstairs: had to wear leggings & a T under my PJs, plus UGGs, and a hoodie and jacket on top. Tonight it's 70, and I'm typing barefoot.

Went to the Cellars wine dinner (chickened out and took a Lyft the 1/4 mi., walked home). Started with a scallop crudo with honeydew-cucumber granita and Fresno chile garnish; then a veggie slider with polenta fries and a spicy aioli; then strawberry soup; next was veal shank with lentilles du Puy; finally spiced chocolate pot de creme. I am fooded-and-wined-out till we get to Midway and through the TSA tomorrow morning. No dinner plans, though Sat. night Gordy & Leslie are going to Rao's at Caesar's before seeing Van Morrison.

LaughingGull

Last night dinner was cream of vegetables and pork chops.

I had surgery (breast reconstruction) on Wednesday, and I am staying at home recovering. I have a great cleaning lady who is about to show up.

Today I am going to cook some spaguetti squash.

carolehalston

Tonight's dinner will be shrimp from the freezer. I buy them fresh, usually 10 lbs, take the heads off and freeze portions in water. Not sure how I will cook them. Our favorite shrimp meal is shrimp scampi with linguini. Butter, olive oil, garlic and lots of grated romano. You can't go wrong.

Last night's prime ribeye was very good, but dh didn't think it was worth the extra money to buy prime. The 1 lb. steak was $21 at Fresh Market.

LaughingGull, best of luck with healing and recovery. Lucky you to have a great cleaning lady.

I am enjoying our unusually cold winter weather. We love lighting our little fireplace (natural gas) at night for cheer and warmth.

illimae

Tonight is a meatless meal of Northern White Beans, Sautéed Spinach, Asparagus and Quinoa.

MinusTwo

I did meatless too. Large salad with all the veggies in the fridge and one french roll - defrosted from the freezer and baked. Actually I baked two but was strong enough to put the other one aside for breakfast tomorrow. And two glasses of a nice Estancia Cab. Well, nice for me. I rarely spend more than $10-13 on a bottle of wine. Higher prices just don't fit my budget and I think some of what I buy is quite good.

Got my 6th Prolia shot today - 3 years. My MO feels I should continue for a total of 5 years and then take a one year holiday before resuming.

ChiSandy

Went to Katsuya in the SLS for omakase dinner—can’t even imagine wanting breakfast tomorrow! Sushi, sashimi, gyoza, Kobe ribeye, mochi ice cream. Yum. Took all four of us to finish

MinusTwo

Dinner was a pork loin rubbed with sage & roasted with hunks of onion. Served with another selection of the Kroger Petite Potatoes pre-packaged for the microwave with Artisan seasoning to add & toss with butter when done. This time Herbs de Provence. I think of the three I've tried I like the Hatch Chile/Ranch best so far.

Lacey12

Popping in from CA while getting ready to drive to my bro and SIL's...

I decided to spare you my grousing about the packing process for this trip. It superseded any interesting mini meals I put together these past few days. Preparing for a different climate is challenging enough for this incompetent packer but getting mixed reviews about the weather here made it even more so! In the end, layers with a winter temp leaning and hooded outerwear was a good idea. Sunny Southern Cal is cold, blustery and rainy. Who knew I would miss the single digit degree, dry, sunny days we just had!

We did see brief sun last evening so walked to a fun seafood restaurant here in Calabasas. We had no reservation (having just arrived from Boston!), so sat at the bar for dinner, and really enjoyed the food and conversations we had with folks ar our "corner". I had a delicious dinner of almond/lemon encrusted sea bass with sides of grilled zucchini and sautéed kale with garlic tooped with goat cheese. DH's fish choice was wild Fijian ono (wahoo), which was new to us, interesting and tasty. We then walked to a nearby new Trader Joe's expecting it to be much grander than the one in our town. Ha! It was in a larger space, but the product line was exactly the same. The staff was also as friendly and helpful as we experience at our Traders. Good business model! The rain resumed for our walk back to the hotel.

Well, time to get ready to drive the rain-soaked freeway to my DB's. Coordinating this visit has turned out to be quite the challenge...not that we needed one given the purpose of it. Working hard to keep DB at the forefront of our attention and concern....ahhhh families!

I'm not really a big football fan since all of the horrifying research on the effects of sustained concussions, but today being SuperBowl Sunday has been an added interesting factor to our being here, given our home team's "hated" status, especially in LA. I get it. We used to feel that way about the Yankees. The Patriots' "dynasty" is teetering on its quarterback's 42 year old legs and will come to a close. In the meantime, out here, I'm glad our rented car has AZ plates! On a sweet note, when I tried to shift conversation away from football, I found several local Celtics’ fans. :

carolehalston

Thanks for sharing some details of your CA visit, Lacey. DH is a fan of most sports and we will tune in the Super Bowl despite some bitter emotions. There's a big "don't watch" movement in New Orleans.

Dinner last night was chicken enchiladas, such a simple dish to assemble and so tasty. I used the Hatch red enchilada sauce. I have used the green but like the red better. We also had a lettuce salad with additions.

Tonight will be pork roast and potato salad, the latter a rare treat. It will be the mashed potato salad my mother made and served warm or room temperature.

I have made good progress on my 1000 word jigsaw puzzle but only the considerable amount of blue sky remains.

M0mmyof3

Beef roast, roasted carrots, potatoes and onion

ChiSandy

Lacey, SoCA's weather is a lot like Vegas': yesterday it was pouring, chilly and windy. Today, no rain (till tonight) but still chilly (50s daytime, 40s night) and nearly as windy. We're watching the game from our timeshare, eating Chinese leftovers, chips, popcorn & a couple of wraps from the resort's sales center. Last night the kids went to Rao's and loved it, but couldn't bring back leftovers because they went to see Van Morrison afterwards and you can't bring food (even packed) into the theater.

We went to Mott 32 in the Palazzo. The name comes from an address on NYC Chinatown's main drag. We started with Shanghai soup dumplings; then shredded “42-day duck" salad; hot & sour soup; lobster Cantonese (in the shell); beef & broccoli stir-fry; and Shanghai shrimp lo mein. Dessert was mango-coconut rice roll.

Going to see Lady Gaga after the game. We will eat where we eat, wherever & whenever that may be.

auntienance

A lovely 60+ degree day today. Dinner was grilled burgers and oven fries. The only green thing was pickles.

We took advantage of the gorgeous day to go eagle watching at one of the areas on the Mississippi where they congregate in the winter. We saw about a dozen, well below what we usually see in harsh winters. Don't know where they are this year, but the few we saw were up close so we got a good look.

We also spent part of the day scraping and shoveling gravel back into the driveway from the giant mounds of snow (turned into ice) that the snow plow created. The snow has just now melted from Snowmaggedon. We hadn't seen the ground for several weeks. My shoulders are complaining from the shoveling effort.

M0mmyof3

Making stuffed peppers with taco seasoning

MinusTwo

I missed breakfast & got home for lunch at 4pm - a bowl of cheerios with a banana. Accompanied by two slices of cold pork loin while standing over the sink. Dessert was a handful of cashew nuts with sea salt. Since I have a meeting at 6:30, I won't be cooking tonight either. Maybe a salad when I get home at 8pm? More likely a can of smoked oysters and a glass of red wine.

Beaverntx

Chicken fajitas tonight. Cooked the package of seasoned chicken breasts, covered with green salsa, in the Instant Pot -- tasty!

illimae

Tonight was leftover French dip sliders and coleslaw from yesterday. The rest of the week will be clearing out the fridge since we’re heading out of town Friday. Flying to Miami, then on a 5 day cruise. I will be posting cruise food, hopefully it’s all pretty good.

SpecialK

Hi all! I’m back! Trip to Hawaii was great, came home and had to deal with a hidden fuel spill from a gas powered leaf blower in the garage, then my two SILs came, then Super Bowl guests! Dinner tonight was leftover SB snacks, lol!

carolehalston

Welcome back, Special K. Glad you had a good vacation. Yuk on the fuel leak. Rosanna Dana was right: it is ALWAYS something!

Illimae, I hope you enjoy your cruise.

Our weather has warmed up and brought humidity and fog. I have a head cold/sinus congestion. I'm skipping the gym this morning and will go tomorrow morning. Our golf group that normally plays on Tuesday and Friday when the weather is kinder is meeting for lunch today.

Dinner may be fish fillets, probably catfish.

Already February of 2019!

Lacey12

Our country's climate truly feels upside down when I wake up in So Cal to a rainy 40 degree (feels in mid-thirties) day...and DH streams the Patriot Duckboat parade in Boston to see a warm, 64 degree sunny day. Craziness!

Carole, I empathize with the Saints fans....so frustrating! And I sure hope your congestion clears. I love your RD reference

Welcome back, Special, and I hope the fuel spill gets cleaned up without your assistance! I'm feeling lucky that it seems we won't be returning home to the aftermath of any snowstorms, which would be typical this time of year.

After seeing DB for brunch yesterday, he had doc appts, so DH and I ended up going to see the Pompeii exhibit and the Reagan Museum. For dinner we just dodged raindrops and walked to a nearby pizza spot, sharing an arugula/fig salad and veggie pizza.

Today SIL is out and we are not invited to be with DB and his caretaker, so we will instead visit with some good friends from our hometown who moved out here several years ago. Will have dinner out with them. They are lamenting the fact that the weather will literally put a damper on their showing us some of their new favorite haunts. Will dine out with them tonight.

Tomorrow we have a lunch date with DB, SIL, and my best friend (courtesy sister since she lived with my family for a year) who is also eager to see DB. Her daughter lives in LA so she treks out here from DC a couple of times a year. DB really lit up when I said she would be joining us. He works so very hard to make memory connections, but had no trouble remembering who she was. I think her lively presence will be good for all of us! I just keep hoping that DB doesn't fall down when he is out of the house. It certainly seems these will be some of his last ventures out. He is working soooo hard. But is motivated by tasty food, and our vidit, and seems very mellow for someone with his diagnosis.

Beave, you've given me another reason to unpack my Intant Pot when I get home.

SpecialK

Unfortunately I was the one cleaning up the fuel leak - not sure who to call for that, so I just did it myself. It was about the size of a dinner plate, but had soaked boxes holding excess floor tile of assorted sizes/types. So, once I located it I scrubbed it with Dawn dish soap about a dozen times, then poured vinegar and let it stand for several hours, then made a baking soda paste and left it overnight. Swept that away the next morning and the problem was about 80% solved. Still a mild lingering odor but it should dissipate. If not I will do the baking soda paste again - and I thank Google for the info!

Yes, Roseanne Roseannadanna's observation - that is so true!

lacey - hope your LA visit continues to go well although I know only too well how hard it is - glad you are able to see friends in addition, and also hope it WARMS UP! Sheesh!

carole - you need a health break, sorry about the sinus. We have changeable weather here - cold when we first got home, then foggy, today sunny.

illimae - have a great cruise!

ChiSandy

Writing this from our suite in Vegas, where we're stuck overnight due to everything flying into MDW and ORD being cancelled due to Ice Storm Julian. Gordy had to reschedule his in-person job interview for tomorrow, but he can do his phone interviews and comedy show table-read via Skype. Now a situation like this would have thrown Bob into a tizzy decades ago (when we were stuck in St. Paul overnight in 1984 because all planes were snowbound, he ranted “I'm a doctor—I HAVE to get home!" and ended up taking an overnight Greyhound) but he's matured enough to be fine with it now: his office will be closed anyway tomorrow because all his patients heeded weather warnings and cancelled. Even his phone focus group was cancelled, because the market research firm's offices will be closed. Besides, this means an extra day at the casinos. We got the extra night for just HHonors points, w/o having to dip into our timeshare points balance.

We were able to book the same flights for tomorrow. Lazy day today, since we're already mostly packed. May hit the spa later. Bob's off to Circus Circus next door to see if he can supplement his Super Bowl winnings. Might do Mabel's BBQ (Michael Symon) off-Strip tonight if my appetite returns (I just had my leftover dinner entree for breakfast). Or if the wait is too long (they don't do reservations), either Giada (de Laurentis), or Jose Andres' meat palace in the SLS (close enough to walk).

Dinner at Top of the World in the Stratosphere was excellent. Clear weather (albeit windy, which didn't stop one foolhardy idiot from bungee-jumping off the top of the tower), great views. Food was top-quality and executed impeccably despite being simpler than at most other restaurants of that caliber around here (tourist tastes, alas). We did the prix fixe with wine pairings. Started with an intensely reduced lobster bisque with chopped lobster (rather than the “medallions" mentioned on the menu); then housemade cavatelli pasta with Wagyu beef Bolognese. Entree was Ora (NZ) king salmon (farmed wild-type) with three ginormous prawns scampi and spinach sauté; and dessert was spumoni coated in dark chocolate. For the latter, I'd expected a small (somewhere between golf & handball-sized) tartufo; but it was somewhere between a baseball and softball. Quite delicious, better than any spumoni I ate growing up in Brooklyn: pistachio studded with nuts, strawberry with bits of fraises des bois, and deep, dark intense chocolate. Sadly, there was simply too darn much of it for me to finish (and ice cream doesn't travel well, not even for the quarter-hour it took to get a Lyft back to our resort). Did pack most of my salmon and two of the three prawns, which were lusciously decadent as breakfast (the salmon was still lush & silky despite my having nuked it).

In the 18 years since we started visiting Vegas, it's become glitzier (except Circus Circus—aging, down at the heels, tacky, rugrat-friendly) but the odds have gotten drastically poorer, especially for machines (slots & video) Used to be Bob would come home up a couple of thousand just playing roulette, baccarat and video poker; but over the years, minimum bets for roulette, blackjack & baccarat have skyrocketed and slots/video poker machines have had much “tighter" payouts. I don't gamble—I just spend.

M0mmyof3

Probably leftovers or a TV dinner since hubby and I had to go to a funeral today.

auntienance

Oh Sandy, yum! And how I love spumoni - I was in heaven just reading about it. I would have cried to leave any behind.

Carole, I hope your congestion clears soon. I concluded that I have had a sinus infection instead of a cold and it's had a negative effect on my appetite. Poor DH has had to fend for himself more than once. While my head is very much improved, my appetite is marginally better. Enough anyway that the thought of food doesn't turn my stomach. So, I'm going to brave the cold to grill a flatiron steak that we'll have with a baked potato and wedge salad with homemade thousand island dressing.

Welcome back SK! Hope CA warms up for you Lacey!