So...whats for dinner?

ChiSandy

Slept late, so made brunch instead of breakfast--a lo-carb avocado BLT. Unfortunately, when I tried to take out the pit TV-chef-style, the knife blade skidded off the pit and into my L thumb--which bled for half an hour till the Immediate Care clinic doc could get to it. Two hours, two lidocaine shots and two sutures later, thumb totally numb and in a pressure dressing, I donned a rubber glove they gave me and finished making my sandwich (using a spoon to pop the avocado pit), by then a late lunch.

For dinner, I put the glove back on and made a green salad with more of the two tomatoes (red & yellow), sauteed some frozen cauliflower "rice" and made shrimp de Jonghe (steeped some garlic in olive oil and a few saffron threads in ghee). It was delicious--and I made sure not to let my knife get anywhere near my L hand. BTW, ever try to peel raw shrimp with one hand in a rubber glove, thumb numb as a stone? I don't recommend it. (At least the shrimp were pre-deveined).

Tomorrow night is Cellars' monthly winemaker food pairing dinner. This one will be St. Supery, a woman-owned-and-run winery in the Napa Valley. I looked at the menu, and will be able to eat "around" most of the carbs except dessert. (But I won't have the wine paired with it: a sweet moscato). It'll be nice to finally be able to take out my retainer before we walk to the restaurant and not have to brush, floss & put it back in till I get home. (Will still bring it with me, just in case any unforeseen circumstances arise. This morning taught me one can never know...).

As for my tomatoes, they seem to be ripening almost as fast as I can use them. My huge Cherokee Purple was a dull rusty-orange but showing signs of starting to split, so I had to harvest it and hope it'll darken on my sill. At this point, every meal is gonna have to contain tomatoes lest they rot on my sill. I have two on the vine halfway to ripe, and about six more green ones. Unlike years past, when we were able to stagger ripening, pick the last ones in Oct. and ripen them till nearly Thanksgiving, we may be done with them by mid-Sept. Of course, we have only four plants compared to the six we had in years past--and all of them are full-size, not cherry.

eric95us

Ouch...

carolehalston

Ditto on the "ouch."

Dinner last night was delicious and the five-person outing to La Pasta was fun. John from Texas was the driver. We first drove to Hubbard to Hilltop restaurant, with intentions of dining on Prime Rib. Hilltop was closed so we drove to Dorset and chose La Pasta from the several restaurants in that tiny village.

I can't remember the name of the dish I chose but it had a gorgonzola alfredo sauce over sautéed chicken, sundried tomatoes and mushrooms. Served over penne pasta. The sauce was not thick and gooey and was wonderful. I brought about 2/3 home. I always order the house chianti and enjoyed it once again.

Four of us shared a tiramisu dessert, which had the look of a bought item but it tasted good.

M0mmyof3

Making chicken stir fry for tonight

Beaverntx

Double ouch, Sandi. Hear too many stories about knives, hands, and avocados. It is a shame something so good can be so dangerous. Hope it heals quickly.

Fish and chips (wild caught Alaskan cod and steak fries) with "kitchen sink slaw" (chopped cabbage with onion, radish, cucumber, tomato and a mayo/ rice vinegar dressing) last night. No idea what will be tonight...

Magari

Carole - Lamb isn't common in supermarkets, even here in foodie SF.

I chose to start limiting meat a few years ago and be a more "conscious carnivore". Free range, grass fed, organic, etc. and using more of the whole animal - whole chickens, "lesser" cuts. We have a number of good butcher shops where this is easy to find, though of course it's more expensive. We spend less on non- meat meals and by choosing shoulder, butt, or the like instead of steaks.

Last night I made spaghetti aglio et olio (olive oil, garlic, chili and anchovy) with toasted breadcrumbs and a green salad topped with Early Girl tomatoes and leftover grilled corn.

M0mmyof3

The main part of the stir-fry is done. Just waitin for the rice to finish!

eric95us

So far I've been lucky with knives and avocados. DD's nickname at school is 'lil avocado because of her LOVE for them and it appears she's been lucky as well.

In late May, the yellow pear tomatoes were absolutely loaded but now, it's too hot for them..the plants are all looking half dead. Supposedly there is a variety of desert adapted tomatoes, but I've not found them at the local plant nursery. I'd like to try them, especially if they are some sort of heirloom variety.

Wemade some prickly pear jelly the other night and it's kind of slow getting set. I'm hoping it won't need a "re-make", but I won't know for another day or so. We also made some prickly pear syrup and Sharon has picked up the stuff needed to make margaritas with it. DD, now 21, is also *VERY* interested in how the margaritas turn out. :-)

auntienance

Add an OUCH for me to the chorus Sandy! When I grated part of my thumb off a couple of years ago, I invested in a cut resistant glove which I cover with a latex glove when I'm preparing food. If I don't have it on, DH is sure to yell from the living room "put your glove on!" I really only use it when I'm grating certain cheeses (I'm looking at you gruyere!) or using the mandoline without the safety (a rare occurrence) but I'm happy to have it. I'll have to add pitting avocados to the list.

Today was a full day of errands/shopping in the city so dinner is deli carryout - meatloaf and mashed potatoes for DH, smoked chicken wings and a twice baked potato for me. A side will be sliced heirloom tomatoes with nothing but sea salt.

MinusTwo

Oh my goodness Eric. How can DD be 21?

I've been doing doc appointments last week & this. Saw my GYN and got my 7th Prolia shot. No side effects as usual. Loved my new PCP. She's 5 months pregnant w/her 2nd boy - and young enough to still be in practice when I'm 90. Even better, she understands that quality of life is more important to me than quantity. Sorry to report the eye doc said cataract surgery upcoming on the left eye. I thought I just needed stronger glasses. I told her she'd have to wait until after my colonoscopy, but her first date wasn't until November anyway.

Been running errands before & after all these med center drives - and it's been 103 EVERY day. That's in the shade on my covered patio, not in the car in the parking lot. Looks like the heat wave might be breaking. Only just topped 101 today.

Way too hot to cook. Last night was crackers, Gouda cheese & a sliced Honey Crisp apple. From the fridge I added a hard boiled egg & a Campari tomato - served w/salt only. Today between appointments I picked up a delicious turkey & Havarti sandwich on multi-grain seed bread and had that for supper. We have water aerobics tonight and the pool as almost too hot to get in on Monday.

Lacey - I still would like your 'little ears' salad recipe when you get a minute.

SpecialK

I too have ended up in the ER with “avocado hand” which is an actual term! I stabbed the pit, while holding the avocado half in my palm (like an idiot), the knife went through the avocado and my hand, the knife came out the other side. I was pregnant with my youngest and also had a one year old. Fortunately my parents were visiting so I called my husband at work, told him to go home - my parents were not comfortable taking care of a baby - left my son with them and drove myself to the hospital. Because I was pregnant I couldn’t have a tetanus booster so the wound had to be extensively cleaned. I had to stand at the sink and scrub with betadine. Fortunately the knife went clean through, and stitches solved all problems. I no longer hold the avocado in my hand when de-pitting. I also am super careful carrying large pots of boiling liquids - another story for another day, lol! It’s amazing how quickly even accomplished cooks can lose control of a situation in the kitchen.

Dinner last night was penne with hot Italian sausage marinara and some zucchini sautéed in lemon olive oil. Tonight is TBD.

Here is a pic of the completed family recipe box now in notebook form. There are 871 recipes in total. I made 4 books from the original pages, which I am keeping. The books are for my husband’s siblings. Happy to complete this project

MinusTwo

Special - what an amazing project. I hope they appreciate all the hard work compiling this slice of their history.

SpecialK

minus - it was a labor of love, as were the photo albums. This was something I could contribute. It was an interesting project since the recipes spanned 60 years, included many notes from my MIL, family favorites, etc., and she was a great cook, really loved making special meals for her family. It was like spending some time with her again, which was an unexpected treat. It was important to me to provide a way for these recipes to be shared with all of her children, they are a legacy of sorts.

Reader425

i somehow just lost my long chatty post ... ugh. Have been sick so subsisting on takeout and eggs/toast. 🤒😷 . Sandy feel better and Special kudos!!

ChiSandy

What a project, Special! Wish my mom had left us a recipe box or even some index cards--but like her mom, she was a "seat-of-the-pants" cook. (I have a friend who bakes like that--amazing, since baking is supposed to be chemistry).

Was late for my mani, so postponed breakfast till I got home. (Tricky trying to keep the acetone from dripping into the bandage on my thumb when the old gel polish was being soaked off, but we managed). Made scrambled eggs, English-style: low & slow, in a saucepan with butter, chives and truffle oil.

Tonight was Cellars' St. Supery (Napa) wine-pairing dinner. My resolve was weaker than I thought, but maybe this was a "reset" for my diet that I resumed when the check arrived. Started with prawns with heirloom tomatoes (red, gold, purple) over ajo blanco (pureed almond cream). "Sunshine" gazpacho (yellow tomato) with avocado & cilantro oil; chipotle-rubbed steak-and-corn-salad bruschetta with arugula on grilled sourdough (I ate some of the crust and some of the corn); baby back ribs with mac & cheese (ate two pieces of mac), jicama slaw, and white cornbread (passed on that); and for dessert an apple caramel crumble with vanilla gelato. Ate about half the crumble but all the gelato. Then, of course, there were the wines--though I drank only partial glasses, six different ones do add up. I dread my weigh-in Monday.

carolehalston

Avocados are basic fare for us. I buy 3 or 4 at a time and let them sit out in a basket on the counter until they respond to light pressure. Then they go into the refrigerator. I used the last one last night. My technique is to use a paring knife to separate into two halves. Then separate each half into two parts. Peel the skin off with my fingers. Lift the pit out. Works every time. No wasted flesh.

On Tuesday I spent a couple of hours making two eggplant lasagnas. The eggplants (bought at Walmart) were lovely, young with no dark seeds. For the sauce I used Rao's and ground turkey Italian sausage, home-made. The cheese was fresh grated Asiago and bagged mozzarella. Last night I cooked/heated one of the lasagnas in the convection/microwave oven. It was delicious, a 10 on the 1 to 10 scale.

Side was a salad of tomato and cucumber bought from a farmer's stand and sweet onion for dh, also from the stand. And the last avocado. Dressing was Hellman's light mayo.

Tonight will be veggies from the refrigerator that need to be cooked and eaten. I have corn, yellow squash, green and yellow beans, new potatoes (on the counter) zucchini. Oh, and beets. Enough veggies for several meals. Plus leftover restaurant pasta dish and a couple of other leftovers.

I sit here in light sweat pants and a long-sleeved shirt. It was high 50's when I got up. More rain is forecast for the pm. Weather has been cool but a bit dreary. Today is mowing day so I will be guiding the self-propelled small mower while dh drives the zero turn riding mower.

SpecialK

carole - and no avocado hand trips to the ER!

chisandy - I feel fortunate to have recipes from both sides of the family - my MIL was a prolific clipper/follower of recipes, thus the vast collection. Hers included recipes from the generation previous to her, in their own handwriting. I have the same from my mom's side, recipes from her mother, in her own handwriting as well. They are family treasures! I am a combo of written recipes - def for baking - and seat of the pants cooking - did that last night, cooked some Philly cheesesteak shredded meat, added shredded carrot, onion, broccoli, julienned red pepper and stir fried, then added a little soy sauce and some chili sauce which I stirred until heated through, then served over brown rice, topped with scallion and black sesame seeds. DH has been working late all week as his outgoing boss departed yesterday for a new job at the Pentagon, new boss is on an out of town trip, so he has all the meetings. I needed something quick, so Philly cheesesteak stir fry it was!

ChiSandy

Gonna stick pretty close to keto till Monday--maybe a little quinoa tonight with a burger or fish fillet, but probably not even. Should use up the last of the yellow tomato in the fridge--perhaps a frisee salad with bacon, but sardines instead of egg (had two + a leftover white for today's omelet). No bread, not even low-carb (2 gm. net/slice) till then. No Atkins bars, no whole wheat pasta, no brown rice, maybe a little low-carb milk or cream in my unsweetened almond milk lattes. No carrots, beets, yams, peas, beans either. And increase the water and do more walking, now that the weather is pleasant & not hot.

When I made that omelet today, this time I wore the kevlar glove on my L hand. Now I know why I hate using it: it's too long for my short fingers, while the thumb section was tight enough to cause friction over the bandage while putting it on. And the floppy fingertips kept getting in the way--thank goodness nobody was grading the uniformity of my dicing & slicing. (And now I need to wash & let it dry because I was dicing poblanos--not as hot as jalapeños or Anaheims, but hot enough that I don't dare touch my lips or eyes without first thoroughly soaking my fingertips in soapy water).

eric95us

Hatch Chilies have arrived and I got a $3.00 (4 pound) bag of them. When it cools down a bit, I'll can most of the bag in a vinegar-water mixture (4 vinegar to 1 water, so I can use a boiling water bath canner). These are the extra hot ones and when I tried one, it was in the Serrano heat range.

After slicing 3-1/2 pounds of chilies, I will certainly need to wash my hands 4-5 times. :-)

I'm just waiting for it to cool down for the evening so I won't melt when I'm using the outside stove...at 7:15pm, it was 115F/46C. Sweatshirts and sweatpants aren't in the plan here for at least 3 more months. :-)

Special, you reminded me that I need to restart my cookbook project.

ChiSandy

Had konjac shirataki fettucine tonight. Zero net carbs: 4gm carb/4gm fiber. (I have another brand in a spaghetti shape that's one gram net--3gm carb/2gm fiber, but when I read the label I saw it was made from soy--and having had an ER+ tumor I'm leery of soy that heavily processed). Anyway, I sauteed it with the remaining 1/3 of a ripe yellow tomato and 1/4 c. of classic pesto. I was surprised that while it had the texture and taste of al dente pasta (or pad Thai noodles) it wasn't as filling as the equivalent portion of conventional pasta. Still, I wasn't craving anything else after. I might try making the other half of the package with a jury-rigged Bolognese sauce (Rao's marinara, pork sausage, fennel, hamburger and a llittle red wine reduction) sometime this weekend, Think I'll defrost some sea bass or halibut for tomorrow night--or make a salade Niçoise sans spuds.

Kayak2

See a few very short videos regarding the soy/breast cancer issue which hopefully will put your concerns to rest.

https://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-soy-healthy-for-breast-cancer-survivors/

https://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-survival-and-soy/

https://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-women-at-high-risk-for-breast-cancer-avoid-soy/

I would be more concerned about meat than soy......since meat has been classed as a group 1 carcinogen - with processed/cured meat...bacon, hot dogs, deli meats, being the worst - (for different reasons than regular meat), and grilling meat being the least healthy way of cooking, due to the heterocyclic amines that are produced by this high heat cooking method, which are a cancer risk.

I have followed this thread for 8 years, so I realize that these comments aren't popular on this thread, but as a former meat lover & hard core cheese addict, it is hard not to share the remarkable health benefits of healthy eating that I was previously unaware of. I switched to WFPB (whole food plant based) 18 months ago. While the impetus for this change was to reverse pre-diabetes (done!), the side-effects (lowered cholesterol, easily losing 15 lbs and counting without "trying", etc. etc) make this way of eating a no-brainer. For anyone interested (I know there is at least one of you) you will find the following video both amusing and educational.

https://nutritionfacts.org/video/carcinogens-in-meat/

Please know that I am not being judgmental of anyone's food choices....just interested in your good health. I have learned a great deal about health and nutrition over the past year, and what comes up again and again from various sources is that "genes load the gun but lifestyle pulls the trigger". It is remarkable how many conditions & auto-immune diseases can be reversed!!! by diet alone.

MinusTwo

Eric - isn't it wonderful to have the Hatch Chiles!! I bought a bunch of bakery fresh Hatch Chile scones to freeze. They'll be perfect Christmas morning. Central Market has 'tastings' on every aisle. Bought a new product - Terrapin Ridge Farms 'Jalapeno Hatch Chile Jam'. "Pour on top of cream cheese & serve w/crackers; great to top burgers or brats; fold into scrambled eggs & mashed sweet potatoes; use as a glaze for fish or chicken." No high fructose corn syrup, gluten free, vegan.

Do you also get the Olathe corn in PXH? I've gorging on everything made with Hatch and a side of fresh corn for two weeks.

Special - I can't remember what part of FL you're in, but Terrapin Ridge is produced in Clearwater. Maybe you've seen their products in artisan or high end stores? They all look good.

carolehalston

Hatch chili envy!

Dinner last night was warmed up penne pasta with the silky gorgonzola alfredo sauce, fresh green beans with chunks of new potatoes, tomato, cucumber and onion (for dh) salad. Very tasty and satisfying.

We're going biking on the Heartland Bike Trail today and will probably have lunch at a restaurant in one of the little towns beside the trail.

Magari

Love Hatch chilies! I have a couple of vacuum packed bags in the freezer, but have never had them fresh.

We received fresh halibut from our fish CSA yesterday, so grilled half of it last night for fish tacos with cilantro lime slaw. Still have two nice filets to put in the freezer for another night.

Tonight we'll be grilling the rest of the cabbage and a spatchcocked chicken Thai style.

https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/09/griled-cabbage-with-spicy-thai-dressing-recipe.html

https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/07/thai-style-grilled-chicken-recipe.html

Have made this combo before and we really enjoyed it, both the night it was made and as leftovers.

eric95us

Local corn is coming out of our ears (bad pun, I know) here and in the store a day after being picked. It's not quite as good as minutes old corn, but it's close. :-)

It was interesting on the Hatch Chilies; some were hot enough to get my attention while the others were "no heat at all". I got seven jars preserved....4 parts vinegar, 1 part water simmered with several cloves of garlic and then poured over the peppers in the jar with the jars processed in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes (time varies based on altitude). The normal "recipe" calls for a 3 to 1 vinegar ratio, but it's OK to add more vinegar...and we like the more tart taste. I have enough peppers for a few more jars and will do them tonight.

Beaverntx

I noticed at the grocery today that one side of the hatch chili display was labeled hot and the other mild. Was in a bit of a rush so did not check them out any more than that.

MinusTwo

Yes, I talked to one of the vendors from Hatch, NM selling proprietary Hatch Chile products in hot & mild. She confirmed that there is more than one kind of chile - both HOT and MILD. Maybe a medium for all I know. I didn't get into what caused that - but I suspect a varietal difference rather than the soil & growing conditions.

eric95us

The peppers were all in one bag...maybe a few bags spilled and someone didn't realize the "hot and not" when they refilled the bags..

auntienance

I want hatch chilis! Especially hatch chili scones!

I spent the day doing food prep as DS, DDIL and the grand-dog are coming tomorrow for an overnight. DS's birthday was in June, DDIL's and mine was July and we didn't get together for any of them. So, I told DDIL she could pick dessert and DS could pick dinner. DS picked homemade pizza, DDIL chose a raspberry coconut cheesecake that I had made for her before. So today, I made the cheesecake, prepped and assembled pizza topping (Italian sausage, Canadian bacon, pepperoni, roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, roasted garlic, crimini mushrooms, green pepper, caramelized onions, sun dried tomatoes, fresh basil and oregano, several cheeses), made an overnight pizza dough and made German potato salad and fruit salad for lunch tomorrow, which will be grilled bratwurst and all beef hot dogs. I also pasteurized some eggs to make a Caesar salad to go with the pizza tomorrow night. Whew!

I'm tired now and haven't given tonight's dinner a single thought. So it's probably our limited carryout options. Or I may just go with a fried egg sandwich made in my new non-stick skillet.

auntienance