So...whats for dinner?

MinusTwo

Beaver - I ventured out today in the cold to the grocery store and to get gas. Like you, the freezer has plenty to eat for weeks - and the cupboards have pasta & rice & soup & beans & etc. But the fridge was just about empty except for milk & cream & butter. I forced myself not to buy any meat, chicken, cheese, etc and bought mostly fresh & frozen veggies. Maybe I'll eat up what I've previously stocked .

ChiSandy

Mazel tov, Eric & Sharon!

It's a balmy zero degrees as I type this. Can't fall asleep, as I couldn't take anything for it lest I miss the alarm at 6:45—Gordy's spending the night here to take our senior kitty Heidi to the vet for tooth extraction, and even if he takes an Uber I still have to help him round her up from the guest room where we've sequestered her (she's been NPO since 10pm and we don't want her drinking any water) so we can bundle her up and put her into her carrier. Happy still can’t understand why Heidi’s not tucking me into bed nor why he can’t play with her. (We fed them early, and left the water and his kibble out for him). Will pick her up around 3 or 4pm; will have to administer liquid pain meds by oral syringe for at least a day. I'm so worried—it'll be well below zero by 7:30am, and at 14 she may not handle anesthesia as well as she did at 12. Happy had two teeth pulled at age 9, and he was stumbling around crashing into things till his pain meds wore off

Lacey12

Good luck with the kitty tooth extraction, Sandy!

Eric and Sharon, congrats and enjoy celebrating your 30th!

Well, our snow event ended up being exactly as forecasted, and there is a lot of removal needed on this property, this time! Mean trick of Mo Na to send the bulk of winter here in March. We’d lulled ourselves into minimal shoveling complacency until looking outside this AM. But, seriously, no complaints here after hearing about the terrible tornado in the South. Such a tragedy.

Nance, I’ve never come across anything but bing style cherries in frozen form. Interesting to know that the red tart ones can be gotten frozen. Will keep my eyes peeled for them in our (too) many grocery stores.

The Trader’s Greek Chicken dish worked well last night with a garden salad and a side of nuked asparagus.

Tonight I might roast a pork tenderloin with veggies. DH will be wanting a hearty meal after the big snowblowing job is done.

Hoping everyone on our thread is safe and staying warm.

ChiSandy

Ugh. -1 now; Gordy & Heidi are in the Uber en route to the vet, and then Gordy is heading home to get some shut-eye before taking the train to work this afternoon. Guess I'll do the same (but I'm so agitated that I'd better take something to help me get back to sleep so that I can take my online voice lesson at 1pm and be ready to drive and pick up Heidi when the vet calls).

carolehalston

Congratulations, Eric and Sharon. The squirting chicken sounds moist! I always find whole roasted chickens appetizing, even the store rotisserie variety.

Last night was carry out pizza with a Heavenly Hash candy egg for dessert. The eggs are marshmallow and almonds encased in dark chocolate, made by a local candy company. They start appearing around Easter time. We resisted them in the milk chocolate casing but then the dark chocolate version roped us in.

Tonight will be last night's planned menu that didn't happen. A layered eggplant dish with a tomato sauce and romano cheese.

MinusTwo

Eric - yes happy anniversary to you & Sharon. Are you going to do something special? BTW - has Sharon gotten up to Flag to ski yet?

illimae

ChiSandy

Carole. we'll be in NOLA in less than 10 days from now. What's the name of that confectioner, and how far from the city? (We won't be renting a car).

eric95us

Is Heidi home yet?

eric95us

Oh...yes, Sharon was skiing in Flagstaff last week. She has a season lift pass and uses it once or so per week. She's hoping to go again later this week.

ChiSandy

Thanks for asking, Eric: I just brought Heidi home. Turns out she didn't need extractions, just teeth cleaning (I'll have the same tomorrow, sans anesthesia) and a mani-pedi. Vet warned me that she probably wouldn't want to eat or drink till tomorrow, because she had IV hydration & nutrition. HAH! As soon as I opened the carrier door she made a beeline first for the water dish and then Happy's kibble. Gave her a little Fancy Feast and she gobbled it down. (Being NPO for 20 hrs. will do that). Vet said it was fine to give her some regular soft food till we follow up Thurs.

Path of least resistance for dinner: ordered out for Korean BBQ wings and veggie spring rolls. Might nuke some frozen jap chae for balance, maybe not. Too timid to order kimchi.

Beaverntx

Good to learn Heidi is home and OK!

Dinner tonight was veggie soup and cheese biscuits--comfort food for cold weather! Yeh, I know it's not like all the snow others are having, but our temps today were 30 degrees below "normal" (whatever that is anymore).

SpecialK

eric and sharon - happy anniversary! Yay for 30!

chisandy - glad Heidi is home, nerve wracking for sure and the weather wasn’t helpful.

Tonight’s dinner was thin sliced London broil in Stubbs BBQ sauce on soft rolls, and broccoli cheese soup I made last night. DD is doing Keto and it has been interesting figuring out how many of my pre-existing recipes are applicable! The soup is, and I had some extra zucchini so I also made Keto lemon zucchini bread. It used almond flour, coconut oil, and Swerve instead of sugar. It was pretty tasty and very moist. I would make it again.

ChiSandy

Tonight we're going to Mardi Gras dinner at Big Jones--the upscale low-country restaurant where we celebrated with a Creole Reveillon dinner Christmas Eve. Four courses, all Cajun or Creole, cocktails to match. Laissez les bons temps rouler!

eric95us

My dad, not too long out of USMC boot camp, was being sent, via train to San Diego. The train broke down in New Orleans...during Mardi Gras and it took three days to get it fixed. He said that was "very rough duty." :-)

That's good news about Heidi needing only a teeth cleaning, and I hope your cleaning was as pain free as the cleanings I get..I've fallen asleep during the process.

Sharon wasn't feeling well last night, so we passed on the anniversary other than the "happy anniversary".

ChiSandy

My teeth cleaning was sort of painful when the hygienist used the ultrasound tool (but some CBD beforehand helped me withstand the pain: "oh--that hurts...how interesting"). Scraping with the hand instruments was a piece of cake. Signal problems slowed the trains home, but I didn't have to wait too long for either the Brown or Red Line. (The walk home from the station, against the wind howling in from the west, was a bit of a trial).

Dinner at Big Jones was excellent. Knowing we'd be drinking, we wisely opted not to drive there (they don't have a parking lot anyway) and took a Lyft instead. We had the Mardi Gras prix fixe menu and split everything. Starters were gumbo ya-ya:

...and boudin (pork & crawfish sausage) fritters over frisee:

Bread service was jalapeño-cheese cornbread (Hazzard Free Althea's Farm white cornmeal, aged Hook's cheddar, pimiento butter):

Entrees were alligator-andouille etoufée:

...and gumbo-fat fried chicken (fried in the drippings from making gumbo) with collard greens, red beans & rice (I apologize for the lack of focus and failure to photograph the greens, but after a stiff Hurricane and half a glass of rosé artistic integrity sorta fell by the wayside):

Desserts were a "winter bread pudding" (brandy and orange peel, spiced apple butter-salted sorghum ice cream, toasted oat streusel):

...and sourdough rice calas with spiced caramel peanuts, palm sugar, benne and hot fudge drizzle:

Let's hear it for Bob, our background model (beads provided by the restaurant)! I fill up fairly quickly these days (and as to alcohol, I'm a cheap date), so one fritter, half the fried chicken, and one cala went home with us. Breakfast tomorrow should be awesome.

carolehalston

Sandy, the candy company who makes Heavenly Hash and Gold Brick candy eggs is Elmer's and it is located in the boonies of the north shore, the town of Ponchatoula. I'm sure the candy is sold in New Orleans stores like Walmart and CVS and Walgreen's.

I had planned to go out to dinner tonight at Sal & Judy's in Lacombe, about a 30 minute drive. I have a hankering for their oysters and spaghetti. But my weight is up and my rings are tight from retained fluid, so I will cook tonight instead. Probably pork picata made with pork tenderloin.

SpecialK

I have been accompanying a friend to the gym after she is done with work (dinner time frame) so have been doing an assortment of things for dinner - leaving already made dinner for DH in the fridge, making something in the crockpot, or timing something in the oven to be ready just before I leave. We haven't eaten much together, but he seems ok with it and is happy I am at the gym again. Having been taken off Femara and Prolia due to the unrelated dental issues (I find out tomorrow if I can have an implant) I feel like I need to do all I can in the diet and fitness department. Last night was a chef salad and broccoli cheese soup.

chisandy - Bob looks festive in his beads! I like his shirt/tie combo!

eric - hope Sharon is feeling better!

carolehalston

Dinner was chicken enchiladas. I discovered leftover roasted chicken thighs in the refrigerator and diced up the meat. Mixed with black beans, shredded mozzarella, and diced roasted red bell pepper. Plus a splash of red enchilada sauce that was very good. I prefer the corn tortillas and bought white corn. The finished dish was delicious. I love chicken enchiladas. Side was romaine tossed salad with our usual additions.

The shrimp truck was out today but I didn't feel like dealing with fresh shrimp. That will have to be another day.

The gym has to be before noon for me. I couldn't handle the dinner time workout. It's probably a mental block. Besides, 5 o'clock is cocktail time!

SpecialK

carole - I too love chicken enchiladas! I like the Frontera red enchilada sauce, it comes in a handy packet. I would prefer to work out during the day but I’m trying to provide moral support for my friend - she had BRCA1+, TN breast cancer at 37, did the BMX and chemo, and is now trying to get back in shape. I don’t think she will go to the gym on her own so we go together and it’s fun, but it’s putting a cramp in my dinner prep, lol! I don’t partake in cocktail hour often, but maybe I could drink in the morning when I’m not at the gym? It’s five o’clock somewhere, right

MinusTwo

Dinner tonight was a chicken /cheese green chili burrito. Tomorrow will be the last of the chicken & I thank both Carole & Special for the meal idea. I will do a riff on Laurie's Mexican Chicken crossed w/flour tortillas.

Eric - there was a bread recipe in our paper today that made me think of you. Dutch Oven Crusty Bread - a no knead recipe w/only four ingredients. I don't have a heavy dutch oven or I'd try. Let me know if you want the recipe.

MinusTwo

I love the gym hour discussion. I agree with Carole & would miss happy hour, but Special's right - nothing bad about morning Bloody Marys in order to fit in your drink of the day. I have two neighbors who hop out of bed at 6am and head for the gym before 7am. Mind you - we are all retired. I was never a morning person and NO WAY am I going to set an alarm clock to go work out. Lately my preferred gym time is 11am. I beat the noon rush of people who are still working. Afterwards I run errands and come home to make my main meal of the day to eat around 4pm. I've found I sleep much better if I eat before 6pm.

illimae

Like minus, I am not getting up that early to work out. I sleep in and enjoy my coffee slowly. I have Silver Sneakers on Thursday at 11 am and the rest of the week I head out around 10:30 amor 1:00 pm depending on how my morning is going or plans I have.

Tonight was a big batch of lasagna, some to keep and some to share.

MinusTwo

Well rather than a mexican/chicken/enchilada mixture to use up the last of the gift chicken, I decided creamed peas & chicken on toast sounded good for this dreary day. It was yummy, even if I did forget the toast. And I have 1/2 of the white sauce left over for something else - maybe mac & cheese? Maybe add brandy & use w/pork loin slices? Hmmm - any ideas for this exceptionally rich white sauce?

Since there seem to be lots of small packages of leftover rotissarie chicken in the freezer, I'll go ahead and invent a "jump up" with leftover beans, barley, chicken bits, green chili salsa and cheese on top for tomorrow. Think I'll add some corn that I froze last summer.

Magari

Last night I made crumbled Italian sausage "bolognese" with penne.

I made a lamb shoulder roast on Sunday, with roasted parsnips and carrots to go with it. We'll be having the leftovers tonight, and a green salad.

I bought fresh chorizo from the butcher shop yesterday, and plan to make potato chorizo tacos tomorrow night if I can remember to pick up tortillas and cilantro.

SpecialK

minus - the "old school" creamed chicken sounds good - I love stuff like that! Chicken pot pie is a fave but nobody in my house likes it - wah!

magari - I am coming to your house for the chorizo and potato tacos, lol!

Lacey12

Last night, DH was at a conference dinner so I got to enjoy my solo meal....jalapeno and pineapple hummus with sweet potato tortilla chips. Felt decadent?

Tonight, I still didn’t feel like cooking, so heated up some leftover kale soup, made a multi green salad including an avocado, and a packaged Alessi farro mix that included bits of kale and butternut squash. Pretty tasty. That would be an interesting farro dish to prepare with bigger pieces of fresh squash and kale. DH seemed to go along fine with my thrown together veggie meal.

Tomorrow night we are going to an event at a local sports restaurant to watch the Cs play the Lakers (in LA). So not sure if we will eat here first, or get sportsbar food. This was a game we had thought we would bring my brother to, until my DIL insisted we come in Feb instead of March. We never did learn why. He’s a big sports fan and even with his limited cognition would have enjoyed seeing the game.

I am also not a morning person, and go to the gym (when I go!) either around noon or for a class late in the afternoon. I wish I could get my body to appreciate morning exercise, but since I’ve never been oriented that way, it’s not likely that will happen at 73!

I had a chat with the head of our fitness center today about bringing back the stretching class we used to attend which has inexplicably morphed into a rigorous core class (in which I managed to both reinjure my torn rotator cuff, and strain my back over the past year). Really hope he decides to accommodate that, since lots of folks really seemed to enjoy the stretching class, and our trainer would like to do it too. I find it much more fun to exercise in the classes when possible, rather than do my solitary workout. But nonetheless, I do need to get back to my exercise regimen, snow covered walkwaysor not!

auntienance

The talk of Mexican food caused me to seek lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant (30 miles from our town.) I had shrimp fajitas, which were wonderful. Other meals this week included jambalaya on Tuesday, French bread pizza, taco salad, and cheese and veggies omelets tonight. I also had paczki for the first time this week. Wow - glad those only come around once a year!

Still no spring here. I resent having to lose an hour of sleep while it's still winter. (Actually I resent losing it period.)

auntienance

Oh and today I found that wonder of wonders - a 3 pound chicken! In fact, one came in under 3 pounds. Rare indeed.

MinusTwo

Fascinating Nance - a food new to me. I had to look it up (see Wiki below). Sounds delicious. I thought the dough might be related to the Czechoslovakian Kolaches but that will take more research to determine. There is a huge Czech population in Texas & I've had "real" kolaches several times.

In Poland, pączki are eaten especially on Fat Thursday (Tłusty Czwartek), the last Thursday prior to Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent.^[17] The traditional reason for making pączki was to use up all the lard, sugar, eggs and fruit in the house, because their consumption was forbidden by Christian fasting practices during the season of Lent.

Lunch was California Roll with Lemon Wasabi mustard. Dinner club crackers swiped in soft butter - my latest 'go to' snack. The Kirkland butter from Costco sure tastes wonderful compared to grocery store brands. Dessert was a big bowl of fresh raspberries very lightly sugared but swimming in heavy cream.