So...whats for dinner?

M0mmyof3

Have enough chili leftover from tonight, so tomorrow I am going to cook up a little bit of pasta and mix it in with the chili. Suprised that my hubby called the dentist’s office after I had and was able to get in tomorrow after all to see what is wrong with the tooth in question.

auntienance

I'm crazy about olives of all kinds. Every trip to the city ends in a stop at my favorite olive bar and about twelve dollars worth of olives.

Tonight was ham and beans and the obligatory cornbread which to me, is the very best part.

carolehalston

I, too, love olives. Our martinis on the rocks are full of olives.

Last night's dinner was pan fried crappy fillets and corn cut off the cob and sautéed in butter. Dh made a remoulade sauce that was too heavy on the ketchup. I didn't mix in more mayo because I didn't want to offend him.

We have an 11 am tee time to play golf and use two free rounds that I bought at a silent auction last summer. We have not played at this course which is near Walker. Afterwards we'll probably have a meal in the Walker area which will serve as a late lunch and early dinner. Possibly at the Happy Moose restaurant which has been recommended.

We are seeing a lot of pretty leaf color and the ground is strewn with yellow leaves.

MinusTwo

Finally made it to the grocery store yesterday before Imelda was upgraded to a tropical storm - and then downgraded again. Still - lots of rain coming down & more expected.

I re-scheduled the testing & pre-op for my cataract surgery tomorrow. Maybe too cautious, but there are lots of low areas that flood between me & the medical center. Only 2" in my part of town last night but I live out to the NW. I understand some areas are expecting 15".

Chicken sandwich on pumpernickel for lunch. Salad for dinner - with black olives added to keep the trend going.

Lacey12

Minus, I am so glad you made it to the store before the deluge! And certainly not too cautious to re-schedule your appts given the capriciousness of these storms.

I also like olives....but don’t necessarily seek them out.

We spent last evening babysitting our new grand baby while DS2 and DDIL attended a work event. DDIL had made us a penne casserole and caesar salad. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that we’d already had waaay too much pasta already this week....and fortunately, it was really tasty! Poor baby has had one day in family day are as DDIL prepares to return to work, and she already has her first cold. Always sad to see a baby struggling to suck on their bottle with a stuffy nose.

Tonight we had Trader’s and Allessi assist.....Trader’s spanakopita and Allesso tuscan white bean envelope soup to which I added kale and white balsamic vinegar. It was a delightful dinner until we saw a whole segment on TV about specialty hamburger restaurants. We rarely eat beef, but were salivating at the specialtyofferings on the show. We might need to seek out one of these restaurants when we are ready for a beef fix.

Here was our “assisted” dinner...

auntienance

Stay safe Minus and illimae!

MinusTwo

The husband of my SIL who died in October cooked hamburgers earlier this year and they were the best I'd ever had. Turns out he used Waygu beef. Well of course they were good. Who but somebody trying to impress people would spend the money on Waygu beef for hamburgers for mostly kids under the age of 5.

Note, he certainly has not proved his family loyalty. They were just a couple of months short of 50 years of marriage when she died. He had a new "love of his life" which he announced two days after my SIL's memorial service, and wanted to bring her to family Thanksgiving. REALLY hard on his grown children. I don't want anybody to be lonely, but really - two days? Seems like you could keep your mouth shut even if you couldn't keep it in your pants for a couple months. The "new couple" are happily ensconced in a new house & are tossing most of my SIL's treasurers. (sorry for the rant)

carolehalston

Minus, I appreciate your rant. Something similar happened when my SIL died some years ago. Her children also had a problem with their father's behavior and still do.

Dinner last night was stuffed green bell peppers. I prefer colored peppers but balked at paying such a high price. The stuffing was ground turkey, leftover white rice and black beans I cooked in the multi-cooker, using the pressure cooking function. Also some roasted hatch chilis. The taste of the stuffing was too bland and I used a fair amount of Louisiana hot sauce on mine. DH used ketchup, which he would have done whatever the taste.

Side was a "ditto" arranged salad with the usual components. It was delicious.

Nance, I used a lb. of dry black beans, 3 cups of water. Cooked on high for 30 minutes and let the pressure down without the quick release. How does that compare with your method? Next time I would probably add a little more water. Do you add salt before cooking? There's a debate about that. Anyone else who uses a pressure cooker, please chime in.

DH is going fishing with John, the Texan neighbor. John is an expert fisherman, was once a fishing guide. I will soon go to the gym on my own. This afternoon I plan to make an eggplant lasagna using two eggplants I bought at a farmer's stand.

Hoping the scales at the gym reward my several days of healthy eating!

auntienance

Carole, for black beans I use 4-6 cups of chicken stock or water and I do use salt. For navy beans, I use six cups of water, but that's because I want more of a soupy consistency. For black beans I cook 30-35 minutes with a natural release. For the navy bean dish, total cook time is 12-15 minutes. Other types of beans seem to run around the 30 minute mark as I recall. I often mash pinto beans for "refried" so like them a little softer. I have an instant pot, I don't know how it's cook times compare to other brands.

Last night was a delicious porterhouse snagged from Fresh Thyme, reverse seared to perfection. Sides were a twice baked potato and plain salad (lettuce, red onions and tomato) with ranch dressing.

Tonight, I'm not so sure yet. I'm leaning toward grilled pork steak and corn on the cob.

M0mmyof3

Will probably be so tired from buzzing about the house doing housework, so I think it will be just hot dogs and beans.

auntienance

Minus, how distressing and sad. Hopefully the adult children will get some of your SILs treasures before they get tossed.

illimae

You doing ok minus, it’s crazy out there, Imelda is really dumping it on us. (I’m good on the NW side)

eric95us

Stay dry, Minus and I'm glad to hear you're OK Illimae.

I use an old style pressure cooker to cook beans....a 1 inch layer of beans and about 4 inches of water, bring the pressure up to 15psi, continue for 30 minutes, remove from the heat, let the pressure drop naturally.....has worked for every bean I've tried. Instead of water, I'll sometimes use vege broth. I don't bother with salt--high blood pressure--but I will add cayenne pepper, garlic powder, bay leaves, dried cilantro, onion, celery, carrots and oregano in various combinations.

SpecialK

minus - that’s a difficult situation with your SIL’s DH and his new relationship. I too hope that SIL’s children have the opportunity to have their late mother’s things. Ugh. I treasure all of the items that belonged to my parents and in-law’s. Stay safe and dry!

Illimae - you stay dry too!

Dinner tonight is a non-event. I had my teeth whitened yesterday (I spent 18 months doing Invisalign - I wanted straight and white!) so can only eat white food through tomorrow. Is it a coincidence that so many white foods are carbs? I’m over fettuccine Alfredo and mashed potatoes. But only for a minute, lol! DH is still at work and has an hour drive home. He may have a sandwich when he gets here and drops into bed, so he can do it again tomorrow... DD is volunteering for the Sheriff’s Dept this evening at a fundraiser. She and her horse will soon be members of the mounted posse that volunteers at events, parades, holiday goings-on, and shopping malls. As per usual, I currently have a unwell cormorant in my screened inlanai that she rescued this afternoon by the side of the road, waiting for the bird sanctuary folks to pick him up and take care of him.

Lacey12

I like your version of “salt”, Eric.

Maybe this Fall/Winter, I’ll finally unearth that InstaPot and try cooking real beans. Is there a huge difference between home cooked and canned? I mainly use beans in soups and chilis. Am guessing that my vegan guys would love me to make some creative bean dishes.

Tonight, after what feels like a forever diet of pasta dishes, we had grilled chicken breasts, local corn on cob and a cuke/orange bell pepper/scallion/kalamata salad. It was all good, but after ao many meals with filling pasta, I feel like I need some serious dessert!

I’ll be having the chicken leftovers for the next two nights since DH will be away at his board meetings.I was supposed to go too since it’s also the centennial celebration for the hospital. But I am tired of travel....and am having a terrible bout of allergies, so don’t feel particularly sociable. Hopefully, I will have enough energy to get several projects done while going solo here.

Minus and Illimae, I hope you both remain safe while that storm passes.

MinusTwo

Thanks everyone for your "dry" thoughts. I assumed I'd miss the event since Tuesday was 2" of rain and Wednesday was1". Then at 10 am this morning the bottom fell out. My rain gauge topped out at 5" in the first hour so I really have no idea how much rain fell. I know I couldn't see the street from my house. When it cleared a bit, I went out with an umbrella & dumped the gauge and got 2" more. And late this afternoon another 2". All of that came on previously sodden ground.

That said, no water came into my house and the streets where I live have drained off now. Glad to hear you're OK Illiemae. What a weird storm. I was going with a friend tomorrow to hear Nevada Barr at a local indie book store, but they just cancelled. Friends w/grown children who work down town or in the medical center are concerned they may not make it home tonight.

Dinner was a large bowl of macaroni & butter with 'finger sticks' of Jarlsberg cheese on the side - served with two glasses of a red blend wine called Witching Hour.

Moonflwr912

Hello all!

First, Nance Im happy for your results.

Ive been trying to get on here more regularly. No such luck. Sorry. Weve been busy with the DGKids 2x a week. Plus Im now teaching the water exercise artritis class one day a week, and trying to go at least 2x more. It seems I should be losing weight, um no. LOL. Everyone was healthy until my birthday. Then i burned my leg pretty bad. Had to get subs for my class. LOL. Still waiting to get back in the water. Probably at least another week. Just glad I was able to avoid a skin graft.

My Facebook memories reminded me, that only 1 birthday in the last 10 was I well. LOL, 3 x flu, infections, 2 x surgical complications, sinus issue, tooth extraction and of course a bad mammo. I too, am a Sept mammo problem person. I got another diagnostic mammo in October to be sure and a biopsy in Nov, with a confirmation dx date of 11-11-11. Sx was in Dec. Such is life.

Supper tonite was garlic chile pork medallions and cauliflower from Home Chef. I still get them 1 to 2 times a month. Still like it, and my DH likes them too. I do, however order things i know he will like too. LOL.

The picture below is the occasion of my DGDs Baptism. My DD2 didnt get DGD1 baptised, because they were waiting for a dear family friend to come to town to do it. Never happened. So they BOTH were baptised on Sunday. Happy day for all of us!

Much love to all

Reader425

I i have gotten so many great meal ideas on here (olives included). I love this thread. Thank you all so much!

Glad to hear folks in the storm path are keeping dry. My nephew just moved to Dallas and indicated he just experienced his first Texas sized storm!

I made an interesting salad this week. Included zita, baby red and yellow tomatos (tiny and sweet), little squares of chopped mozzarella, fresh basil, olive oil and salt, pepper. I also threw in a little dried shallot, garlic and french thyme. Recipe was called aptly "Caprese Salad". Quite good and I kept the ziti to a minimum to lower the carbs.

Reader425

Oh and I loved the baptismal picture and smiles!❤🙂

WC3

Baked salmon, almonds, broccoli, corn, and some strange tasting asparagus from Trader Joe's. I didn't finish the asparagus.

carolehalston

Lovely pictures, Moon. You and dh both look happy. And you seem happy to have him home.

Thanks for the tips on cooking beans. For me, the cooked beans are much better than the canned. At home I cook a lb. of black beans and portion them into containers for the freezer. So easy.

Last night's dinner was one of my very favorite. Eggplant lasagna. It's a bit of trouble, made less trouble by using Rao's marinara instead of cooking my own red sauce. I actually like Rao's better than mine. The cheese was a combination of shredded mozzarella out of the bag and fresh grated asiago. The ground meat was ground turkey seasoned as Italian sausage. The leftovers are sufficient for a second meal.

Side was another tomato, cucumber, avocado and blue cheese salad.

Tonight's dinner is at Clancy's nearby with the Friday couples golf group.

After the period of rain and cold, we've been enjoying some warmer sunny weather.

illimae

Pan seared chicken breast half in a creamy Parmesan and Swiss chard sauce with toasted sourdough.

MinusTwo

Illi - looks delicious. Carole - I agree - Rao's is also better than my red sauce. Moon - thanks for posting the pictures. Hope your burn continues to heal. WC3 - were you able to diagnose the asparagus problem? Fresh or frozen? Reader - thanks for posting about your salad. You won't likely have to worry about hurricane flooding with your nephew in Dallas. He's at least 4-5 hours from the coast. But they do have some good wind storms up there.

Dinner was the most delicious pretzels I've ever tasted. I bought them at Total Wine last month after tasting them there and have put off opening the bag. I was afraid it might be like Cheetos and I couldn't stop. Oh yes - for sure, but I was able to tear myself away after a little over 1/3 of the bag. Dot's Homestyle Pretzels made in Velva, ND. Twisted 'sticks' not quite as big as a little finger. YUM. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know - 380 mg sodium in a serving = 18 pieces at 130 calories. Still worth every bite.

carolehalston

Minus, I can't believe you're recommending Dots pretzels! I discovered them this summer and really, really like them. We have bought 4 large bags to take home. I don't even like pretzels and yet I enjoy Dots. They're sold at Ace Hardware and L & M farm store. They're pricey but worth the price.

I enjoyed dinner at Clancy's last night following the couples golf. The company was good and so was the food. I ordered the prime rib with a baked potato. The meal included a trip to the salad bar. Ingredients were ho hum but the blue cheese dressing made even iceberg lettuce taste good.

Half the potato and a third of the prime rib came home with me. I may have them for breakfast, diced, heated and covered with an egg.

Our trip home from Clancy's was quick since we live a mile away.

Tonight will be leftover eggplant lasagna and salad.

MinusTwo

Funny about the pretzels Carole. Labeled "Dakota Pride". I don't think we have anyone on this thread from North Dakota?? Maybe they'll have the pretzels at your Total Wine stores when you get home.

Yogatyme

NatureGrrl, I agree completely about the more you eat anti-bc foods, the more you like them and the less interest you have in the things that are not so good for bc. I have recently gotten addicted to watercress salads. Yum!!

M0mmyof3

Trying to figure out what to make for dinner that will be soft enough for hubby to eat after his dental appointment today.

april1964

does anyone here have a good pasta salad recipe? thank you!!

auntienance

April, I find myself often disappointed with pasta salads. That being said, I do like this one:

https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/nicoise-style-orzo-salad

I often sub champagne or white wine vinegar for the balsamic.

Tonight is homemade pizza.

april1964

thanks Nancy!! homemade pizza sounds so yummy! we’re having an outdoor party tomorrow and my husband and i are arguing over the pasta salad... he wants to add mushrooms to it 😬