So...whats for dinner?

MinusTwo

Eric - Been there. It is so hard to let your kids go off into the wild. Then I remember what I did in the 60's. My Mother would have been apoplectic if she'd known most of the stuff. I was in another state at school and we had "house mothers" in college. We had to sign in and out at the front door and be in by 10pm on week nights and 1am on weekends. Oh but the work arounds... I went to Vegas one New Year's Eve on a Greyhound bus when I was 20. You've raised a sensible intelligent young lady and I'm sure she'll be fine.

carolehalston

The lobsters and clams posed for a gorgeous photo!

Eric, let us know when we can all breathe a sigh of relief that DD is back safe.

Ditto to the inquiry about your injured daughter, SpecialK.

I weighed at the gym yesterday and up 2 lbs from what was already an overweight body. Dinner last night was a chicken breast, divided into three parts and pounded thin. Lightly breaded in Italian bread crumbs and browned in a skillet in olive oil. Very good. Side was a zucchini dish cooked in another skillet. (Definitely a skillet night.) Sliced zucchini, half a can of Rotel tomatoes, seasonings and mozzarella cheese. Quite satisfactory.

Now I'm a daily user of Musinex. Have developed a cough from the sinus drip. There seems no end of pollen.

Sorry to hear about your husband's and your illnesses, Moon.

ChiSandy

Carole, try a steroid nasal spray (Nasacort or Flonase) twice daily—it’ll definitely desensitize your nose to pollen. That way, no need for Mucinex. (Hot chicken soup works just as well as Mucinex, and Chinese hot & sour soup and hot lemonade nearly as well). Always better to treat the cause and prevent the symptoms rather than treat them after the fact

MinusTwo

Carole - Everyone I know who has had this crud finally went to the doctor. And it still hung around for 3 or more weeks. Including me!! One friend's doc said Sudafed and Afrin nose spray. Another at least gave her a decent cough medicine so she could sleep. My niece & her 5 year old son were both given a couple of breathing treatments at the doc's office. I stayed with Mucinex and Robitussin DM, and also used Neil Med Sinus Rinse every day. But it was a long 3 weeks that could easily turn into a sinus infection, or as you said, pneumonia. Sleep is the key, but that's hard to do with a repetitious cough.

That said - I'm not a doctor and each of us react differently to various OTC meds, not to mention prescriptions. Do check w/your doc if you don't get some relief soon.

Illi - those lobsters look so delicious. Are you sure you don't want to sneak a couple in your suitcase to bring back to Houston?

Yes Special - how is your daughter? And Moon - hard to believe it's been a year.

SpecialK

Hey all - thanks for the concern over DD, she is recovering. Still experiencing headaches, but mild and to be expected. She was quiet last week even though she was out of town, but her flight home from Denver (red eye) was turbulent and the guy behind her puked the whole way. Ugh.

moon - I hope you and DH are feeling back to normal ASAP! So happy your DH is doing ok, I can’t believe it has been a year either!

Illimae - the lobster looks amazing!!! I want some! I am a shellfish eater but not so much a fish eater. I should be better about that.

eric - will be keeping fingers crossed for an event-free experience for your DD, hoping she will check in with you often so you can be as relaxed as possible.

auntienance

Lobster envy here!

Carole, Sandy is right about the flonase, it's been a life saver for me with the ever present mold allergy.

DSIL and DBIL left yesterday. We got a whole lot done in a day and a half, including washing the house, cleaning all the kitchen cabinets inside and out, cleaning and whitening grout on tile floors and a significant amount of weeding in the gardens. There was a lot of hauling of gravel to several swampy places in the yard. I estimate we have about 10 days more of work (maybe less) and then we'll be ready.

I fixed homemade pizzas and a Cuban pork roast while they were here. I have half the roast and enough rice and black beans for at least another meal, but tonight is spaghetti and meatballs.

Tomorrow is oven cleaning and then the kitchen will be done!

MinusTwo

Nance - does that mean you don't cook any more meals until after you move? LOL

carolehalston

I will give the Flonase a try. I used to have a prescription for Nasonex, which is still not OC.

Tonight will be the layered eggplant dish out of the freezer. I always make two since some labor is involved. We'll also have a tossed salad.

The appliance repairman came today to fix the dryer in the laundry room. But he messed up with re-setting the electronics. The price is $1.80!!! I don't know what currency system he activated but I just put 5 or 6 quarters in and the registry showed 60 minutes. I have four loads of laundry to get done. I was prepared to pack it all up and go to the laundromat tomorrow. The laundromat is a short walk from our camper but I still get exercise walking back and forth.

eric95us

DD is at the festival.

She got to experience air travel under "non optimum" conditions. She booked the cheapest route, Phoenix to Dallas, change planes, wait 45 minutes and get on a flight to Chicago. Well, the Phoenix to Dallas leg was running about 45 minutes late, which would make her miss the connecting flight, and worse, there were no more empty seats that would get her to Chicago in time to make the festival shuttle..

So, they got her on a direct Phoenix to Chicago (one she didn't book because it was an extra $150) flight with the promise that her bag (food, clothes, camping gear, etc.) would get there about an hour after her new flight would arrive...just go to the baggage office and pick it up..... And, for her trouble, since she was 21, they gave her a wine and food coupons. :-)

She was pretty nervous about the bag, but she said she went to the baggage office about an hour after her flight landed and...the bag was there..

.....first time traveling alone, first time on a plane since she was 6 years old, navigating all the TSA stuff, dealing with all the travel hassles, getting from MDW to downtown Chicago......and the only thing I did was to tell her to check "TSA what can I bring" on the internet and to bring a bunch of protein bars in case the food courts are closed (they had closed about 15 minutes before she arrived).

Like I've said before, she makes me smile!

MinusTwo

WooHoo Eric. Wild adventures. So glad everything worked out. I'm sure she'll have a wonderful time.

M0mmyof3

Was too hot last night to slave over the stove for very long. So it was Grilled Cheese and mac ‘n cheese

M0mmyof3

Farmer’s Casserole consisting of a chunked up ham steak, onion, egg, shredded cheddar cheese, milk and shredded hash browns. Made it early so all we have to do later is dish it on a plate and heat it in the microwave

MinusTwo

Anybody else remember way back in this thread when we called leftovers "jump-ups? Or am I remembering the correct term? Dinner was left over asparagus which had been sauteed in EVOO, lemon & spices; English cucumber spears; chunks of Jarlsberg cheese; Club crackers swiped through soft butter.

Anybody besides me miss the recipes? Thanks for the above Mommy. Sounds like a potato dish my Mother loved to make ahead, but I'm thinking she used chicken instead of ham & served it for "ladies luncheons". My Dad was of the generation that he wasn't a fan of casseroles. He wanted identifiable meat & potatoes every night - even if the meat was meatloaf. Thanks Carole & Nance & Special for describing your creations. I love reading about Eric making fresh bread (and I miss Susan). Thanks Lacey for the pictures of your gorgeous salads & sides. And to everyone else who contributes to keeping this thread about what we're cooking & eating viable & interesting.

I'm preparing for next week. I'll make 3 bean salad w/diced onion & bell peppers to contribute to a holiday BBQ dinner. I always use Tarragon vinegar. I'll make a salad my Mother called "Emerald" for a dominoes game next Friday, but with my own adjustments.

Dice 2 avocados and set aside to soak in 1 tsp lemon juice. 1 box lime jello with 1 cup boiling water. Once dissolved, add 1/2 cup pineapple juice drained from a can of crushed pineapple (see below). Put in the fridge until thick. Then whip with 4 Tblsp mayo. Drain avocados & add. Add 1 small can crushed pineapple (drained), 1/2 cup of finely chopped cashew nuts and 1/2 cup diced celery. Put back in the fridge until set. Trying to decide if I'll also make salmon cream cheese spread for crackers or 'party' mini pumpernickel & rye.

auntienance

Minus, that salad was made by my favorite aunt when I was a kid, only the flavors were cherry jello and whole cherries (from a can no doubt) instead of avocado. She also used pecans instead of cashews. I bet the emerald version is pretty!

I have cooked so little for the two of us lately, I love eating vicariously through others here lol! I especially appreciate your meals Minus because I would eat exactly the same way left on my own.

Tonight was simply leftover pork on buns with some barbecue sauce and corn on the cob that was past it's prime. Not terribly satisfactory but adequate. I have leftover pizza toppings that I will use in some calzones, possibly tomorrow.

Was the term "jumpups" from luvmygoats?

I often wonder what Susan is cooking up.

auntienance

Btw, tomorrow I call the realtor to set up a meeting next week. That will motivate us to finish up the few last things around here.

MinusTwo

Oh my Nance - that makes 'real'.

As for the jello salad, my Mother's favorite was raspberry jello with frozen raspberries & crushed pineapple & pecans. When my son was little we had strawberry jello w/frozen strawberries and sliced bananas.

eric95us

We got busy working on the house, Sharon had eaten a late lunch and wasn't hungry, so my dinner was a peach....really... :-)

I think my liking of peaches is genetic. My mom loved (only) peach yogurt and when she was able, she would make (only) peach jam.

What we are doing now are things that require a few minutes of work interspersed with a day of waiting--fixing where a doorknob dented the wall, fixing hairline cracks in the wall and similar stuff. When we are waiting on everything, we're cleaning up the "dust and debris" from the work and decluttering....lots of decluttering.

DD texted (the phone service is spotty) and said she's having a great time and has met a lot of people that go to school here but are home in the midwest for the summer.

ChiSandy

We were never into Jello salads--for us, salads were raw & based on greens and Jello was dessert. The only stuff we added to Jello was fruit, or whipped cream to make a sort of chiffon--both of which were to enhance it as a dessert. Might be a cultural-regional thing: I grew up in a Jewish neighborhood in Brooklyn. But when I got married (to a Gentile...48 years ago today) and moved to Seattle, we were introduced to the world of sweet pickles in tuna salad, Jello-based dinner salads, and casserole potluck suppers. (We also had a bit of embarrassment when, after Bob got his PhD and entered UW Medical School and I joined the "Medical Mrs."--hey, it was 1975--club, we were invited to a potluck and requested to bring a hot dish, our own dinner plates and glasses. Being grownups, we brought wineglasses...and it got sort of awkward when only water, lemonade and Hawaiian Punch were served. It was then I realized we were the only non-LDS couple in attendance; and I the only wife with a full-time outside job and a career other than motherhood). We do have a friend from central MI who makes his mom's family "green slime" jello-based salad: lime Jello, Marshmallow Fluff, Cool-Whip, walnuts, maraschino cherries, coconut and candied fruit. It is a terrific dessert, but it is always served as a side with the main course. And I am embarrassed to admit I like it.

Eric, glad your daughter's flight worked out in the end. (And smart girl--I always pack protein bars for when food courts are closed, when I sleep past the hotel free breakfast buffet, or when I'm too cheap to order room service (and don't want the waiter to see me in my nightie and bed-head). Tonight we were less than a mile from her: we celebrated our 48th anniversary at RPM Steak on Kinzie St. (When you're an an almost-keto diet, dinners out are either steakhouses, fish restaurants, or wing joints). We shared an appetizer of half a seafood tower: half a Maine lobster, 4 Pacific oysters, a king crab leg and two gigantic prawns the size of lobster tails. I performed "seafood surgery" and was able to split all the crustacean stuff evenly between us. Bob's entree was a filet mignon (to me, the most boring of steaks--tender but not all that flavorful), and mine a grass-fed bone-in ribeye. Sides were spicy broccolini and sauteed hen-of-the-woods mushrooms. Bob polished off all his steak, and I took most of mine home along with the veggies. Their desserts are awesome (especially the Pavlova and the "deconstructed Boston Cream Pie:" housemade donuts with sides of custard and hot fudge), but this time off-limits to me. So we shared fresh local strawberries & giant raspberries, cream on the side. They did throw in a cotton-candy chaser, which Bob nibbled and we took home the rest. Good thing--Gordy met us at our place after work (swing shift) to get a new asthma inhaler, so we sent the cotton candy home with him and Leslie.

Here's something dinner-related that would likely interest you, Eric. We've had the same cast-aluminum Broilmaster natural gas grill since 2004--and that one replaced the original we bought in 1987. We had it serviced in 2011 when there were spiderwebs in the venturis and the igniter failed to work, even with a new battery (we have an Aim&Flame for just those occasions).Lately, I've noticed (most recently, Tues, night when I was grilling burgers) that though both burners ignite, the flame was coming up only in the center--and flaring very high even with no food on the grill. And the thermometer died a couple of years ago (no biggie, I use oven & instant-read ones anyway). So yesterday I did some exploratory surgery.

First thing I noticed: what appeared to be peeling black paint in the lid interior threatening to fall onto food. Looked it up and found that's not paint: it's "schmutz" from years of smoke and carbonized grease; in the right amounts, like the seasoning on a cast-iron skillet; but if built up too much & not "planed" occasionally, unappetizing carbon flakes can fall onto the food or even back down into the burners. Next I went to clean the grease cup--nope, it was gone, rotted out over a year ago. Then the lava rocks--missing. No ceramic briquets either. Between the briquet rack & the burners, a metal mesh flame-buster...which was rusted and disintegrating. Then the pièce de resistance: the burner is shot. Like in "It's dead, Jim." Oh, it lights all right--but you know those weird high central flames I was talking about? They were coming out of a couple of big honkin' holes in the center of the "bowtie" shaped burner. And not the holes put there in the factory, either.

I was all set to throw in the towel and buy a new grill--this time shiny stainless with bells & whistles like infrared, griddle and side burner(s). Did some checking and found out that Broilmaster has a lifetime warranty against the chassis warping or rusting, and is easily the sturdiest gass grill out there. (And the only one still made out of cast aluminum). So I did the math and realized that buying all the new parts and paying someone to clean the inner lid and install the parts would still be cheaper than buying a new one of this model + installation. (Should have done that with the '87 grill--might still have it today). The grill guys are coming Monday. I haven't used half the features on the grill so I'm not disappointed that for the money, all it does is cook--on its regular burners. Oh, and outlive us all.

auntienance

Sandy, there are people who will clean your grill??!! I've got to get closer to civilization . . .

I've had that rusted disintegrated parts experience more times than I can count. This time we bought a Weber.

Happy anniversary by the way!

Filet is DH's most favored steak too. Not me, give me a porterhouse or ribeye.

When eating at a Chinese buffet, one of my favorite things (besides the canned peaches) is the not-quite-set jello with bananas. Other than that, the only time I eat jello anymore is when I'm prepping for a colonoscopy or when someone else has prepared it.

carolehalston

Jello was dessert food in my family, too. Usually with canned mixed fruit. At one period in my cooking life, I made a tomato aspic salad that was good but I don't remember the ingredients. DH's brother makes a green jello dish that he thinks is great. I think it might be similar to the avocado and pineapple version mentioned.

Last night's dinner was mundane but satisfying. I used the Mix setting on the microwave/convection oven to cook bone-in but skinless (thanks to removing the skin!) chicken thighs with a can of golden mushroom soup dumped on top. A small amount of sauce was generated. Each serving was one chicken thigh and a few spoonfuls of sauce over steamed rice, the four-rice combo mentioned in an earlier post. Also a tossed salad. Even dh, not a chicken fan, made approving sounds.

Tonight will probably be a repeat of the chicken and rice, heated in the microwave and a side of steamed asparagus.

I don't think it was luvmygoats who spoke of jumpups. Wasn't it someone from Oregon? I can't dredge up the name.

I, too, like recipes. I would like a repeat of Lacey's baked cod recipe or the page where it was shared.

SpecialK

illimae found the reference last time using the search function. I found her search result using it too - it was seasidememories! Here is the capture:

Here is lacey's cod post also:

eric95us

The hotel was just a "way point" to board the shuttle bus to take her up to Michigan where she is tent camping.

M0mmyof3

Speaking of jello salads, my stepgrandma made hers with sour cream in it. She passed the recipe down to my mom and then mom passed it to me. I make it as part of a holiday meal or for cookouts like Grams used to.

Since we are having near 90 weather tonight is hamburger gravy over mashed potatoes. You brown and drain hamburger and then make a gravy from scratch or you can use two cans of beef gravy. Put the cook hamburger in the gravy and serve over mashed potatoes made from scratch or boxed mashed potatoes.

The Farmer’s Casserole I made yesterday was a hit with the hubby. Good thing I had made it early as there was a bad car accident across the street from my house. Woman became drowsy and fell asleep and hit the telephone pole. Broke it right off from where the pole was cemented in the ground. Telephone and electric wires were drooping very low across the street. They had to close most of my street because of it. Only ones that were allowed to get past the cop cars that were blocking the road were residents and they had to tell the cops where in the blocked area they lived. Had the phone company and electric company out in front of my house until almost 9 p.m. doing the pole replacement and repair work.

Moonflwr912

I cooked supper for my DH, DD2 and DGD1 as well as myself. After sittING fir the germ machines. We took the kids to the library for story hour. Its been more than 30 years since i went to a story hour. Mostly the same except fir the Moms ignoring the boys who were running, jumping, wrestling, etc, while she sat on her phone. Most of the 20 kids were pretty good, but OMG, I had to restrain myself from "accidently" putting my foot in their way....LOL. Im tired now, but supper was great, i made enchilada casserole. Every bit was eaten, well except for the portion, my DD2 took home for her 3rd shift husband to be his lunch. Served it with, basically, taco fixings for a salad. It tasted pretty good. Although I had to get the last roma tomato out of the fridge, because DGD1 ate up all the diced tomatos i had put out for the salad. LOL.

Eric, when my DD2 was a flight attendant, i made sure she carried instant oatmeal packs, mac& cheese packs, and those cracker and peanut or cheese packs. Because, inevitably, they wouldnt get anywhere that didnt close 5 min before they arrived. And, most hotel rooms have hot water available, or a microwave.a silicone bowl and plastic spoon was alway good too.

MinusTwo

Thanks for the reference Special & Illimae. Moon - sounds like your keeping busy. I love library story hours. I thought I would do that when I retired, but I would not be willing to read with parents who let their kids jump & run & wrestle while I'm reading.

Apparently taking package items to reconstitute are an established pattern with flight crews. I understand even if there are close by restaurants, many eat in the room by bringing their own food & using the coffee pot.

I posted this cocktail on another thread, but thought it might be fun here too. I loved dreamsicles when I was young. Think of this as desert with no calories (LOL)

PEACH DREAMSICLE COCKTAIL

2 oz vodka

2 scoops vanilla ice cream

1 cup sliced peaches (fresh or frozen)

2 oz fresh orange juice

Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Pour into a large glass or mug. Top with whipped cream & orange zest. Garnish with a slice of peach

eric95us

I sometimes end up in airports that are closed and have no power and the protein bars are a last resort. Every time I have to eat one, I think of David Bowie's Space Oddity "Take your protein pills and put your helmet on...."

For the "2nd to last resort", I carry $15 or so, mostly quarters, but some dimes and nickels. I added the dimes and nickels after I encountered a vending machine that would not vend unless it got exact change.

I do carry some instant coffee in what looks like tea bags and "nukeable" food for times when I am hungry but just don't feel like going anywhere to get something to eat.

I'm not sure if I'm even going to eat tonight. I've been outside most of the day working and it's 112F/45C in the "cool" shade of the back yard. The dew point is near freezing, so it's not as bad as it seems, but I am "waterlogged" right now.

ChiSandy

Second night of leftover ribeye & veg tonight. Gonna do the slow oven-reheat and then skillet-sear finish again. Last night I heated the stainless skillet first and then when I added the oil, flame city! Oops. Smothered it and went to plan B, the cast iron. Managed to air out the kitchen to keep from setting off the smoke alarm. Tonight I’ll put the oil in first, then heat till it shimmers, and then sear the re-warmed steak. Did manage to keep the interior mid-rare (gotta love instant-read thermometers)

eric95us

Cast iron forever! :-)

Moonflwr912

chi, LOL! Ive done that. LOL. DGD2 stayed over night while her parents went to a wedding. Havent had her overnite since they moved back to WI in Feb. Loved it. And because Im feeling better, ive actually been vooking. Not much, and not fancy, but real food. Last night, Meatballs and gravy with brown rice and peas. Yes, this one was geared for the grand. LOL. Breakfadt was avocado and grapes for her. .e, i had coffee, cause we were going fir a brunch at the brewhaus with her Mom and Dad. I had the Monte Cristo. I got potatos with it, but took them home for leftovers. Lots if leftoverz for supper tonight.

Much love to all.

ChiSandy

Not sure what I want to do for dinner tonight, as Bob went and walked to Evanston for brunch (6 mi.) while I was here with the DirecTV guy who was installing a new dish to replace the storm-battered old one, and hook my DVR up to our network. Ate around noonish (2 eggs & bacon, coffee, "cortado"--dbl. espresso w/ dollop of milk foam) but not really hungry yet. I could eat but don't feel like pulling out my Invisalign, rushing through to "keep the coach from turning into a pumpkin"--you know, the feeling of knowing you're supposed to keep the aligner in 22 hrs a day--and then doing the whole brush & floss thing again. I've lost about 21-22 lbs. since March (and can un-self-consciously wear shorts again), but hope I'm not wrecking my metabolism by eating only 2 meals a day. Bob's tired, but not hungry yet either. Gonna storm again by 11pm. Tomorrow is supposed to be clear for the grill guy to come over to do his thing--but the heat index will be >100F. Was cooler by the lake today but not tomorrow. Oh, and ozone alert all weekend. Good times!