So...whats for dinner?

MinusTwo

Sandy - are you happy with your silicone straw? If so, can you send a name &/or model number & where you purchased it.

carolehalston

Dinner with the MN couple and their family last night can only be described as "minimalist." (Chuckle) One of the two sons-in-law cooked 6 brats, 3 pork burgers and a few beef burgers on the grill. There were packs of hamburger buns and hot dog buns, yellow mustard and ketchup and a plastic tub of potato salad. And a medium sized bag of chips. Near the end of the meal a son-in-law announced, "There's one hamburger left. Anybody want it?" Replies of "You take it." We were 8 adults! I cannot imagine a southern meal of this type without leftovers.

My brat was tasty and the potato salad was the best bought potato salad I have ever tasted. It consisted of cubed potatoes and a mayo type sweet dressing. Chris, our hostess, works at her sister's pizza restaurant and this is the potato salad the restaurant buys from a supplier.

There was probably enough food for everybody but I was still amused. The rented cottage has a nice screened porch overlooking Eagle Lake.

Dinner tonight may be pork medallions prepared as piccata. It was cold this morning, 49 degrees, and will warm up to upper 60's, cool enough for a chili or stew, but dh is taking the one vehicle (truck) to the golf course. So dinner will come from whatever is in the freezer.

SpecialK

Thanks for the welcome back all - it is nice to be missed!

chisandy - sorry to hear of your issues with going on/off the GI meds. I had a Nissen procedure many years ago, it was exceedingly successful as I have had many more symptom-free years than most do after this type of surgery. I now have started to notice that overeating, eating typical GERD diet no-no foods, or margaritas (dang!) will cause trouble for me, but it is manageable. I was surprised that I didn't have more trouble during chemo, as so many people do - maybe because I was eating a BRAT diet for most of it... Anyway, I hope you can work out the right combo of approaches - it certainly is no fun, especially coupled with the eating timing restrictions and complications with Invisalign. Just a warning - I have to wear my retainer trays full-time, so same deal as the straightening, for one year following the pronouncement that my active treatment was done. I am about half way through that process and will then go to just nighttime wear.

Dinner tonight will be out to celebrate the 40th birthday of my good friend (BRCA1 with TN, diagnosed three years ago) at our new-ish public food hall. They have some really good mini-restaurants inside and tonight is the night market - Florida is too hot at this time of year for daytime ones. We always have fun there, although it is a challenge for me as it is a lot of hardscape and ambient noise - my poor little hearing aid can barely cope and I hate saying "what?" all night.

Will be making pork chops, sweet potatoes, and a romaine salad for DH. DD just came home early this morning from a work trip in NC. She stopped to visit a friend while there, went for a short horseback ride, and was thrown. The fall cracked the helmet (thank goodness she was wearing one!) and nearly cracked her - she is battered, cut up, and bruised. Yesterday was a long day and night monitoring how she was doing long distance. She seems to be ok, currently here resting in my bed with warm beanbags in assorted locations and pain meds on board. She has a photo shoot tomorrow evening for Yamaha boat motors - might be a challenge - but she can wear sunglasses and a hat. She is sore and moving slowly but she was lucky.

eric95us

My mouth is partially missing.... I just finished a dental appointment to have an old filling replaced.

Beaverntx

Special, hope your DD is feeling much better.

Eric, I sincerely dislike that "half a mouth" feeling! May you recover soon.

Tonight's lazy dinner was stir fry from frozen oriental vegetable mix and chicken strips with orange ginger sauce.

Needed a lazy dinner--pulled weeds a couple of days ago and did not realize that the ants had found me. It takes about 24 hours for my body to react to ant bites and then I'm an itchy demon. Fitbit says I slept about three hours last night-- knew I was only dozing off and on. Most of the itching is improving this evening but a few areas are just starting to flare, hoping for sleep tonight!

MinusTwo

A neighbor brought me 4 "real" tomatoes from Ellinger - a small town to the West. Oh my - they are soooo good. I started to cut one up for a salad today, but ended up just leaning over the sink and biting into it. So delicious I didn't care about the salad. Earlier in the week I had made salmon dip w/cream cheese & sour cream & spices. I had that after the tomato on the remaining 1/2 of a pumpernickel bagel from my freezer. Supper was a bowl of popcorn after water aerobics this evening.

Special - so sorry to hear about your daughter's adventure. But glad there are no broken bones. It's amazing how fast the young bounce back.

I agree - I dislike all dental procedures. Beaver - what a mess with the ant bites. Hope they weren't our lovely Texas fire ants.

eric95us

My face is returning to normal. The dentist's favorite local anesthetic causes me problems (like I'm going into shock), so I get some other "numbing juice" that works great, doesn't cause me problems...but lasts 10-12 hours.

Ouch, Special. I'm glad she was wearing a helmet. Bruises are bad, but better than broken bones and fractured skulls. Still.....

I had to think about PPI for a moment. It's also "Plan Position Indicator", the circular radar display. It sounds like the Dexilant is like most other meds....good and bad...

Carole, when I'm cooking for a group, I tend to make sure there will be leftovers for everyone to take home. :-)

No dinner tonight. MIL asked to be taken to the ED for her hip pain...she's going to be getting a hip replacement in the next couple of months. Basically they did what Sharon and I expected; x-ray, 3 days of Norco and a referral to her doctor to see about getting the hip replacement done sooner.

Beav, that not so good that it takes so long for the "bites" to begin to bother you. We have what sounds somewhat similar here. Some really tiny ants that when disturbed (weeding), about "10 billion" ants will almost instantly erupt from their nest entrance. It's enough ants that it looks like a moving carpet in the grass. If I don't move away quickly enough, I'm looking around for the Benadryl cream, which seems to do a pretty good job stopping the itch.

DD is flying into Chicago-Midway airport to go to a music festival in Michigan (Electric Forest). She's getting excited. The festival has a shuttle that leaves at 830am from the Inn of Chicago (and another one at 1:30pm). Her flight gets into Chicago around 1am, so she's going to wait in the airport until around 5:30am and then take the orange and red "L" lines to the hotel. She say's she's giving herself enough extra time to get "unlost" and to get a Styrofoam cooler and food from a nearby store.

This will be her first time flying alone, first time in Chicago and first time on any of the trains...and it sounds like she's getting it figured out. So far the only thing we've done is to give her a USB phone charger that uses 4 AA batteries at a time and a "brick of 60" AA batteries for the phone and other electronic stuff. She is coming home next week for her camping gear and a roller bag that is just under the maximum size allowed on Southwest Airlines.

SpecialK

beaver - I am constantly getting bitten by fire ants on my feet when I take the dog out! They are sneaky and wait until a few of their friends are on board and then all bite at once - they are organized! I have thought about trying Afterbite, or something like it, as I also have an inordinate response to mosquito bites. I just looked it up and was reminded that taking an anti-inflammatory can also help. I am probably living in the wrong state - things that bite or sting are plentiful here!

DD is a mess - concussion, sprained ankle, potentially fractured tailbone, cut/bruised eyebrow, sore and bruised everywhere - but could have been worse, thank you all for the kind wishes.

eric - hope your DD has no issues flying or attending the concert - modern technology makes it so much easier to get around, but we still worry, right?

eric95us

I do worry a bit, but I'd rather worry than have a daughter that is afraid of doing anything.

Wow, Special. Double ouch. Wish her well for all of us.

I replaced the molding around the garage door (called garage door stop) today and I came in for a HUGE glass of cold water. In the hour it took to do the work, it went from 103F to 109F. Supposedly it's still not yet summer.

Beaverntx

SpecialK, agree about the fire ants--not certain if these were fire ants or not. I do have the typical "core" in each of the bites that I get with fire ant bites. However, did not see an ant hill near where I was working. While I knew about fire ants, nobody told me about scorpions and poisonous snakes in residential neighborhoods when I agreed to move to Texas! Knowing about that big three might have been a deterrent.

Special, hope your daughter is taking care of herself and her injuries and not trying to do business as usual.

auntienance

Oh Special, that sounds awful - poor thing! Hope she heals fast.

Ugh! Do. Not. Like. Fire ants. On my very first trip to Texas I stepped on a small hill wearing sandals. Not like me. Having lived in the rural countryside for half of my life, I'm used to looking down at where I'm stepping. I was at an ice cream stand at the time so I must have been distracted.

Carole, I had to laugh at your bbq story. I'm well known in my family for preparing enough food to feed any and all guests as well as the neighbours. My entertaining motto is "Excess is never enough."

Tonight is Frogmore stew. I bought some corn that is not terribly sweet, so it seems like a good use for it, thinking the spices and other ingredients will give it some flavor.

Celebrating with the rest of St. Louis for the Stanley cup win by the Blues!

ChiSandy

"Half a mouth" feeling is in my future tomorrow or Sat.--just broke the cusp off a lower R molar when eating leftover Quest low-carb (caulflower-cheese crust) pizza for dinner. Too big a chunk for a tooth-colored filling--will likely need a crown. No pain, so I hope there's no need for a root canal. (This is the year I'm putting my dental team's kids through college). Endodontist says to call in the morning if it hurts; still waiting for dentist to get back to me.

Nancy, congrats on the Stanley cup coming home to your city!

Joruby silicon straws on AmazonSpecial, awful about your DD, but thank heaven there are no fractures. Beaverntx, I'm terrified of fire ants. I learned about them when my mom moved to SE FL and warned me not to step on sand patches in grass. I also know that empty places on prime-view areas on the lawn at Jazzfest in NOLA are due to fire ants. But a dear friend who visited his timeshare condo in Orlando put his suitcase down for a moment while fumbling for his door key--just long enough for the little b*stards to get into the case and all over his bed. He had to go to the ER and then cut short his vacation).

Minus, the straws are made by Joruby and I bought them on Amazon: Joruby silicon straws on Amazon

Brunch was a veggie-Swiss cheese omelet. Dinner was 1/4 of that low-carb pizza (suddenly lost my appetite for the rest) and a little whole-milk Greek yogurt with imitation "honey" and vanilla extract.

Eric, that hotel looks pretty nice. It's a block east of Michigan Ave., aka the "Mag Mile." The Orange Line will get your DD into the Loop, but she'll have to change at Roosevelt for the Red Line (the Orange is elevated, the Red is subway at that point, but there are elevators). But the hotel is a good half-mile hike from the nearest Red Line stop (Grand & State). Hope DD's roller bag is up to the task. Might want instead to Uber or take a taxi from the Roosevelt elevated station; or walk a block east to Michigan, take the Michigan Ave. bus north to Ohio St., and walk 1 block east to the hotel. (Or you could always front her the money for a cab or Uber from Midway to the hotel--door-to-door).

carolehalston

So sorry about your daughter's injuries, SpecialK.

Hope your daughter has a great adventure and stays safe, Eric.

Last night's dinner featured broasted chicken, dark meat, from nearby Clancy's restaurant, I always like their broasted chicken but this batch was especially tasty. Crispy brown skin and not at all greasy. I made a pea and cheddar cheese salad that would have been better with some good sweet pickle but didn't have any. I had ordered a side of fries but there was only a portion enough for one person and they weren't good, pale and not crispy. No more sides from now on, just the chicken. The minimum order is 8 pieces so we have four pieces left. I may try heating them in the grill.

Nance, when does the For Sale sign go up?

auntienance

That is an excellent question Carole. We are in the deep cleaning phase. I spent the day repairing and whitening grout on the guest bathroom floor. A "hands and knees" task, for which I am ill suited. This and the master bath are the only places left to do this and are probably the most time consuming and arduous items on the to do list. After the cleaning is completed we still have some outdoor cleanup such as washing the siding and trimming and weeding. We have called in reinforcements so DSIL and DBIL are coming over to assist. They should be here in the next few days. Then we can call the realtor. I am so ready to get this show on the road.

Carole, your chicken inspired me to make oven fried tonight - wings and legs for me, breast strips for DH. The only side will be a yellow squash casserole - the first of the season courtesy of my truck farmer friend.

M0mmyof3

Tonight was the last of the chicken pot pie

Beaverntx

Tonight was homemade pizza with Alfredo sauce, chicken, turkey sausage, onipn, bell pepper (red and green), mushrooms, black olives, parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. No need for a salad!!

eric95us

DD made a vegan macaroni & "cheese" tonight. She came over to see what all we have in the way of camping gear and bags. (Edited......roller duffels)...

I have a perfect bag, but it's got all of my uniforms and deployment gear in it...so that one is "off-limits". So, we'll be getting another one.

Auntie, if you don't have a pressure washer, go buy, borrow or rent a small. I set mine, a 1,200 psi one that does just cold water, for a fan type spray and I was able to clean the outside of the house in about an hour...and it did an amazing job.

eric95us

I missed your post, Chi. Thanks for the route info. I passed it on to DD. Once she gets to the he hotel, she gets on a bus for a 4 hour ride to the festival.

carolehalston

I heated up the four pieces of leftover chicken, two thighs and two drumsticks, in the "grill as oven," and made a large salad for dinner last night. The chicken was delicious.

I bought two eggplants yesterday so a layered eggplant casserole/hot dish is in our immediate future.

Lacey12

Nance, now that you've mastered “Major House Prep", if you want to continue on that roll, I have the perfect place for you to do it! I'd hate for you to let those skills go to waste! 😉 Congrats to your city and the Blues! I never have a problem with teams from cities “needing" a championship defeating our currently successful Boston teams. Boston was in that position some years ago for a very long time. Now we are like the “damn Yankees" of old! I was even more enthused to root for the Raptors to defeat the Warriors this week, and even belted out the Canadian Anthem at the start of the game to send good luck! And, after all, one never knows if they might need to move there one day. 😉

Things have continued to be pretty crazy here since my last post. While still coping with my dislocated jaw that seems to be needing a GPS to find its way home, and DH struggling to ascend stairs with the hip that clearly needs replacing, we have had oodles of family events going on. The docvegan crew arrived Sat and we all spent the afternoon together at DS2's oohing and ahhing over the baby. The usually very active grandkids were actually very sweet and gentle with their tiny new cousin, both thrilled to have chances to feed her. It was a beautiful day for a change, so we spent a lot of time on their roof deck, which was a much better spot for the bubble blowing with which DGD1 was heavily involved.

After that visit DS2's family took me out to dinner for my birthday. It was at a trendy restaurant in the Seaport district, (DH had researched nearby restaurants with food choices that would cover us and our vegans). They offered small plates including vegan choices, of course. But we all found ourselves gaping at the steady stream of young “scantily clad" women arriving to check out the bar scene there. We were one of TWO families in the place. We learned that sheer lace clothing and mini skirts are IN with the recreating young professionals on Sat night in Boston. I think even our son and his wife felt old after that scene. LOL

As they were visiting here on Sunday, I received the call that my brother finally passed. Sadly, hearing that news re-triggered both grandkids about their very beloved maternal grandfather's death last year. I felt so badly for them. So DGS took his typical solace in shooting hoops in the driveway, while DGD blew bubbles while dancing her energy off. The adults all sat and watched (some shooting hoops, and me joining in the bubble making) and our next door neighbors came over to join us. It reminded me of old times in the 50s when my relatives and neighbors would sit on my aunts front stoop, just chatting and laughing through the evening. Fun!

Even though, DS2's family was having brunch before coming here on Sunday, I knew they'd probably want to eat if they stayed a while. They did! So, fortunately, I got up early and made a very vegan-friendly pasta salad, and a big fruit salad, which were well received. The weekend went well...

Since then, unfortunately, my brother's death has set off more family dynamics than I have energy for at this moment. It might just be DH and I heading West to the memorial service. It will be a pretty quick trip. Then some of my cousins want us to hold a service for him in their area where we grew up...300 miles from here. I can't even entertain that idea right now. We'll see....

Minus, this week, the fish monger had no cod, so I used sea scallops in the Putanesca dish, and we had it over farro. I prefer it over orzo or “little ears". But the scallops were an interesting, tasty alternative. Soooo pricey tho!

Special, I hope your daughter is healing well. Yikes....scary!

And Carole, I hope your DH recovers from his cold. Awful to be up coughing, and keeping another up!

Am posting pics of the pasta salad the vegans enjoyed (as did we all week!), and three stages of the putanesca dish prep.

Tomorrow, new daddy is bringing baby Mila here for me to watch while he helps DH do some house chores that require strong (functioning) legs. DDIL2 may enjoy the day to herself after taking her mo and sister to airport after a week's visit.

So, I think I'll make some gazpacho, grilled chicken breasts, butternut squash, and romaine salad for the dads. And I will eat the soft stuff. It is killing me not being able to eat salad with this jaw pain. I now have a ridiculously expensive mouthpiece to wear, but not back in place yet!

Beaver, your salad sounded soooo delicious, as did the pizza! Yum!

Here are the pix...

Oh....and Happy Father's Day, Eric! I like your attitude about your DD's experiences in the world.

auntienance

Oh Lacey, I'm so sorry about your brother although in some ways it must be a relief that his suffering has ended. I know those bittersweet feelings well. I hope you and your family have many happier memories of him.

Alas, as much as I would be thrilled to visit with you in person, I must decline your house prep invitation. I hope never to have to do this again lol!

The food pics were wonderful!

The St. Louis Blues victory joy has been magnified due to the mediocrity of my beloved Cardinals. St. Louis is most definitely a baseball city, and all of that pent up frustration about the poor performance of the baseball team translated into an intense enthusiasm for a team that made an incredible turnaround. I quit caring about hockey years ago (after the strike actually) but I found myself sucked up into the intensity of the final run.

I don't know what's for dinner but I know what's for dessert. DH requested a cherry cobbler for fathers day and he requested that I make it today. What goes with cherry cobbler (besides ice cream?)

MinusTwo

Lacey - I too am sorry to hear about your brother but understand the relief. Hope the trip to SoCal will not be too difficult. Take you time about agreeing to host something later. No rush. Last time I served the Cod dish on Ancient Grains. Delicious & vegerarian/vegan. Rice, Bulgur wheat, Barley, Wheat berries, Red Rice, Oats & Quinoa. I think I got it at Costco but it appears to be available at WalMart & Amazon, etc. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Medley-of-Rice-Ancient-Grains-with-Quinoa-3lb/596166070

And for the left over veggie mix, I served with poached eggs on top. Really good. But yes, the scallops look wonderful too. Glad you're getting to see so much of your kiddos, but sorry about your jaw and DH's hip. Oh well, we're not 25 anymore (or 45 for that matter). Sigh!!

Nance - oh darn. I wanted to get on the list behind Lacey for your services. I've been trying to do more around here since helping my friend Pat prepare to sell her big house. Thursday & went through a huge bunch of framed photos & prints - many of them poster sized. Took out all the pictures and got the frames ready to donate. I haven't been able to toss the one picture of my baby brother at age 2, but it needs to go. He died in 1994 and my other brother definitely wouldn't want the picture. My son has pictures of his uncle at the age he remembers him. Hopefully I can tear it up this week. But amusingly (not), I loaded my trunk with frames to drop off at the battered Women's Home Friday on my way to the medical center yesterday. Alas, they are at capacity and not accepting any donations for the time being. Grrr.

Beaverntx

Minus, you could scan that picture of your brother before you discard it. Then if for some reason you want it later, could print another one! As a genealogist I really value family pictures.

carolehalston

My condolences on the death of your brother, Lacey. And I, too, am glad you are spending time with your sons and their spouses and your grandchildren. Had to chuckle when you mentioned your new granddaughter's name. My brother's new granddaughter is a Mila. I thought it was an unusual name, but evidently not.

Last night's dinner was store-made cheddar cheese brat's (dh's favorite) cooked on the stove top in a frying pan. Side was leftover chili made with ground beef and navy beans.

Today I spent time in our small kitchen making two layered eggplant hot dishes/casseroles. The sauce was Rao's marinara with the addition of home-made ground turkey Italian sausage. The cheese was grated asiago and bagged mozzarella. Once again instead of brushing the eggplant slices with oil, I sprayed them before browning on the griddle pan. Quicker and more sparing with the oil.

So tonight's dinner will be one of the eggplant dishes and a salad.

It is cool enough that we have switched from martini to old-fashioned for our before-dinner cocktail.

ChiSandy

My sympathies on the death of your brother, Lacey. May his memory be for a blessing. At least his suffering is over. Amazing that you can still be in "organizer Mom" mode through all this.

Went to the Palm for an early Father's Day dinner. "Gigi" salad (shrimp, egg, avocado, green beans, romaine), of which I took home half. Then we split a 4-lb. lobster (which actually has only 1 lb. of meat, as you New Englanders know). Took home my half of the tail, plus the legs & roe. Side dish was spinach aglio e olio. This a.m. brunch was an egg white, chevre, spinach & sun-dried tomato omelet. Ah, the joys of living la vida lo-carb. Which IS working.

Going to Ravinia tonight to see Peter, Paul (and no Mary, RIP). Probably take along some leftover salad and cut either leftover lobster or roast beef into it. Bob might buy a gourmet sandwich. Maybe have some sparkling wine there---but we're driving to & from the train, so maybe seltzer instead. (Too cold and my muscles hurt too much to walk). Thank goodness we have pavilion seats! (Only hope there are enough chairs & benches for sitting & eating, because no food allowed in the pavilion. Restaurants were all filled up, so no reservations available.

MinusTwo

Beaver - the photo itself is 11x14, not counting any border around the head & shoulders. I'll probably just take a picture w/my camera and put that in my computer. Believe me, I understand the interest in genealogy and have tons of old history & pictures myself, but it is my opinion since there are not going to be any direct descendant grandchildren in my parent's line - no far flung cousins will care about a giant picture of a 2 year old's head. I've saved pictures of him from HS & College graduations and a lot from his adult years before he died just days short of his 40th birthday. In fact it will be 25 years next week since his death. Anyway - I have to deal with a ton of stuff that my parent's saved so that my 50 year old son (who has no children) doesn't have to after I die. (including everyone's baby teeth & 1st grade paintings, etc.)

Sorry - didn't mean to get on a rant. There's just SO MUCH stuff - which I'm sure Nance can attest to in her present 'cleaning' mode. I want to cry sometimes that no one is left who will care about a silly little vase that I bought at Woolworth's with my first babysitting earnings when I was 12. But it has to go.

Making Pasta Rosa tonight over Penne. I was going to pull shrimp from the freezer, but decided I should use up some of my saved rotisserie chicken. We'll see if I have enough tomatoes to make it w/o adding any extra pasta sauce. But I'm NOT going to use the garden tomatoes from the country. They are too delicious on their own.

SpecialK

Spent the weekend in Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale - visited my husband’s younger brother and his wife, the last handoff of the family photo album project. Then had a nice lunch with my MIL’s BFF who just moved into a fancy assisted living - she has a gorgeous two bedroom in a high rise building. We had fun watching ducks and iguanas on the golf course below her balcony. She is thriving and it made me a little sad that my MIL didn’t do as well.

lacey - I’m so sorry about your brother, it’s hard to lose a sibling. I will be sending strength to you for the difficult days ahead.

I AM available for organizing, cleaning, and clearing out - I know, I’m a weirdo - but I love doing it!!!

ChiSandy

So here we are at Ravinia. June 16 and it’s 54F before sunset. No problem getting a table outside because people are waiting till the last minute due to the temperature. Waiting to see what Bob chose inside the Marketplace: pizza, panini, salad, burger or sandwich. In this weather, likely a good stiff drink too. Easy-peasy getting here too

eric95us

Lacey, my condolences to you and your family. Even when it is expected, it's still a difficult time.

DD is slowly getting stuff ready for her trip. Chi, she did take your advice and is going to get an Uber ride from where she would transition from Orange to Red lines.

The rolling duffel should be up to it, as mine just like it has rolled multiple miles through mud, crud, junk, dirt, sand, gravel and cracked pavement and has survived over a dozen trips through baggage Hell airline trips.

She's loaded her backpack camping stuff into it and she's about 1/3 full--both for space and weight (the rolling duffel is 9 pounds, empty), so she should have plenty of room for "everything else".

M0mmyof3

Condolences Lacey.

Last night's dinner was shaved steak grinders with peppers and onions