So...whats for dinner?

eric95us

Part 1 of the work is done and there should be a part 2 coming up early next year.

For those that haven't done it before, staying in the Grand Canyon is different from modern life.. After sunset, outside lighting is very discouraged and, if lights are on inside the ranger cabins, the heavy shades must be drawn closed. There is no TV. There is no internet. There is one landline telephone. There is no cell service. The magazines are all older than 6 months. There is little FM radio and little AM radio.

Since it gets dark around 6:30pm, unless there is some compelling reason to be awake, everyone is asleep by 7:30pm.

The first day we hiked about 4-1/2 miles from the top to Indian Gardens and did a few hours of testing. We didn't eat much the first nigh--just some nuts and some summer sausage.

The 2nd day was another almost 5 mile walk from Indian Gardens to Phantom Ranch. We had chicken and rice.

The 3rd day was a 9 mile walk and some more testing at the end of the 9 miles.

The 3rd night was pretty special. The folks at the ranger station don't get much company and we got "all you can eat" trout fish cakes. In this place, the trout are displacing the endangered native fish and they are doing their best to reduce the trout population using nets and electro-shock fishing.... They vacuum seal and freeze the trout they have caught and what they don't eat is flown out by helicopter. It's expensive to fly in there to collect trout, so the rangers are encouraged to eat as much trout as they can stand. It's obvious they have a lot of experience making meals from trout

The next morning we then hiked out.....5-1/2 miles and gaining about 5,000 feet in the process....We were picked up and driven 5 hours back to civilization.

My pack weighed 42 pounds and Sharon's pack weighed about 30 pounds....with most of the weight being radio test equipment.

Beaverntx

Awesome, Eric.

I do remember staying at the Grand Canyon many years ago when the limits on electronic resources were not so dramatically different from every day life. We had elementary age children at the time and early bedtime was a good thing!

Welcome back.

eric95us

It's (for desert dwellers) a bit chilly today, so I think it's going to be a pumpkin soup day. I also have some sourdough bread rising in the warm oven.

I was at GoodWill to look for a dish to replace a chipped one. I got both the dish and a covered soup serving bowl to match the pattern of the dishes we have in the cupboard, so that trip was a success.

Sharon and I have been going over to MIL to get her out and walking and I think she appreciates both the company and the opportunity to get stronger. I think it scared her a bit when, on the Ohio trip, it took two people to help (lift) her onto the shuttle bus to the car rental place.

Beaverntx

Tonight is planned to be a rerun of chili and cornbread. Will be running out of planned overs soon and have to get creative again.

WorryThePooh

Thinking of making Bolognese sauce today and serving it with Fusilli pasta.

I had hoped to make a few meals to put in the fridge for my son for while we are away next week, but I'm so tired since having flu like symptoms yesterday, will see how I go.

carolehalston

Last night's dinner was shrimp fried rice. Shrimp, leftover brown rice, chopped broccoli and cauliflower, sauce made with fish sauce, chili sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil and brown sugar. DH liked it and I ate it. Not my favorite kind of flavor. I'm a lemon, olive oil and good Italian cheese fan.

Tonight may be some kind of fish if I get to the supermarket.

DH and I did yard work yesterday, including picking up many limbs blown down by the wind storm on Saturday morning. My back reminded me all the bending last night.

eric95us

I had taken the sourdough starter out to feed it and decided to make three loaves of sourdough bread. So, tonight will likely be the leftover pumpkin soup and some of the bread.

It's 70F degrees in the house and I'm going to go in and put on a long sleeved shirt....

illimae

Tonight I had a Pesto flatbread that I thought would be bland but was actually very nice. It was flatbread topped with pesto, mozzarella, Parmesan, arugula salad (arugula with balsamic vinegar and evoo), walnuts and a drizzle of basil oil.

eric95us

That looks good!!!!!

Beaverntx

Sounds good too!

MinusTwo

Eric - sourdough bread...YUM.

Dunch was sliced pork loin on dark pumpernickel bread.

Reader425

Busy week here but I cooked tonight. Thick bone-in pork chops in a sauce (crockpot) with mashed potatos and sauted spinach in EVOO and garlic. DH was not inclined to eat the spinach and so pulled out a jar of saurkraut.

Homemade sourdough bread sounds devine about now. And those flatbread pictures...yum!

WorryThePooh

I ended up making a vegetarian bolognese last night, tasted very good surprisingly! Dinner tonight will be leftovers as I'm not feeling well to cook.

carolehalston

Yum, the flat bread looks delicious and thinking about the sour dough bread makes my mouth water.

Dinner was very good last night and simple to prepare. Fresh zucchini cooked with diced tomatoes and eaten with shredded parmesan cheese on top. Catfish fillets breaded with panko and parmesan and baked in oven until brown. DH's usual tartar sauce: mayo, dill relish, horseradish.

Winn Dixie had lovely artichokes yesterday for $2 each. We will have those tonight, steamed with garlic in the water and a big garden salad. We like to dip the artichoke leaves in mayo.

MinusTwo

WorryPool - sorry you're not feeling well. Hope tomorrow is better.

Dinner was sauteed BokChoy and on the side, brown rice w/quinoa, amaranth & garlic. Kroger had their pudding cakes on sale, so desert is a LARGE piece of chocolate pudding cake. I'd been so hungry for chocolate that I was going to make brownies. This was easier - and I gave 1/2 of the cake to a neighbor on the way home from the grocery store.

Since it's supposed to be cold tomorrow - maybe meatloaf.

Carole - nice to see on another thread that you're doing Silver Sneakers. As long as I make that a priority on Tuesday & Thursday (before lunches with friend or curled up reading a book) - I definitely feel better.

SpecialK

worry - sorry you're not feeling well, hope you are feeling better very soon!

I had leftover Chinese (black pepper chicken and brown rice) at about 4:30, so am skipping dinner. Made DH a big salad of red and green cabbage, kale, avocado, shredded chicken, pecans, goat cheese and honey mustard dressing.

carole - I love artichokes! I grew up eating them same as you like them, steamed and leaves dipped in mayo. My DD would have a grilled cheese, tomato soup, more than one artichoke, and chocolate cake as her last meal.

Beaverntx

Worry,feel better soonest!

Special, Salad sounds really good.

Tonight was gluten free pasta with garden vegetable red sauce and garlic bread parmesan bagels. I totally kicked over the traces and had two glasses of Cass 2009 cabernet sauvignon reserve. Have not had two glasses of wine at one meal since my BC diagnosis. It was so very good and tomorrow is liquid diet in preparation for a colonoscopy on Friday...

WorryThePooh

Thank you all for the well wishes, you're all so kind!

Feeling slightly improved but not much energy. Unfortunately my husband has also caught the virus and is now much sicker than me, which means I have to look after him!

SpecialK that salad does sound good, must try that soon.

Beaverntx good luck with the colonoscopy prep, and hope the procedure goes well.

MinusTwo, a LARGE piece of chocolate pudding cake is now what I am craving.

Nearly forgot to say what I am doing for dinner... going to make Pork mince Burritos, it's the only thing I have all the ingredients in the house for.

MinusTwo

Special - we dipped our steamed artichoke leaves in melted butter.

ChiSandy

Had half a chicken breast, shredded and stir-fried with shishito and orange mini-peppers, peapods, and cauliflower "rice." Enough soy sauce, sesame and ginger-garlic oils, and five-spice powder made it a reasonable facsimile of fried rice.

carolehalston

The steamed artichoke was good and so was the large garden salad.

Minus, the Silver Sneakers class is probably better than some because of the leader, a young woman named Autumn. She also leads Pilates classes. I find the cardio exercise a bit easy since I work out on my own in the gym but I like the stretches. I wish there was a class like Lacey has described devoted to stretches. Funny thing is that I am dripping with perspiration by the end of the Silver Sneakers workout and no one else is perspiring. I inherited the overactive sweat glands from my father.

Three appointments today on a dark, rainy day. 10:15, 1:00, and 3:00.

Dinner menu not decided but veggies will be cabbage and carrots or cauliflower mash.

auntienance

I am reminded that I have an artichoke in the refrigerator that needs to be consumed. I cook mine in the pressure cooker, halved and drizzled with olive oil, garlic and lemon juice. I like the leaves dipped in sour cream. DH won't go near an artichoke.

Woke up to half an inch of snow on the ground and frigid temps. Even by northern Missouri standards, this is harsh for this time of year. Needless to say, my snowbird heart is not happy.

Tonight is chicken leek pie. Last night was a lighter version of fettuccini Alfredo with some broccoli thrown in for contrast, and a rather mundane salad. I like fancy salads but I can be happy with just tasty salad greens and a nice vinaigrette.

Did I mention that I'm trying to make some champagne vinegar? Right now it's a four week old science experiment with some weird stuff going on that I'm not sure is the vinegar "mother" and is instead something that shouldn't be. I'll keep you posted.

Reader425

Simple caprese salad, fresh tortellini with sauce tonight for dinner so I could jump up and down to greet the little 🎃🎃🎃. Had about 50 kids tonight which for us is amazing. Also made a pear crisp using home grown not-so-sweet pears I can't remember the name for. Very tasty. I hate to waste food so the above solved that.

My cooking lately has not been diet food so I need to start reining it in again.

WorryThePooh

Fish pie for dinner, smoked haddock in a creamy sauce with mashed potato... yes not exactly diet food, but yummy! Oh well I'll whack some salad on the side.

M0mmyof3

Made meatloaf, mashed potatoes and steamed veggies last night.

MinusTwo

Mommy - We're on the same page. I'm cooking meatloaf tonight. 40 degrees here this morning so plenty cold enough for the oven - after I get home from today's round of appointments & errands.

Made it to the used bookstore to turn in a box of books and found another 10 I just had to have. I remembered to look for Snow Falling on Cedars. I'm not sure how I missed this book for so long, but stayed up way too late reading. Stopped at NTW with a low tire and it turned out to be a 3" nail. And this was in the new tire I bought 2 months ago because there were two nails holes too close to patch. Ah Houston roads. Luckily this one could be patched.

I think I finally found an antique dealer that might buy my Lenox china. Most millennials just aren't interested in formal dinner tables, not to mention it has to be hand washed & has a gold rim so can't go in the microwave. I've been working on my "getting rid of stuff" project off & on for several years. I really don't want to leave all this for my son to deal with after I'm gone.

M0mmyof3

Temps started out at 49 but will drop today. Freeze Watch late tonight. Gotta dive into the freezer to see what to make for dinner.

carolehalston

It must be meatloaf season. We had meatloaf last night, too, a mixture of ground beef, veal, and pork. It tasted good but needed the ketchup on dh's plate because it turned out a tad dry, much to my disappointment. I obviously cooked it a little too long. Meatloaf is not my winner dish, maybe because it is not a favorite of mine. DH, however, loves meatloaf and would even order it at a diner during our years as RV travelers.

The side wasn't a winner either. Steamed cauliflower with a watery cheese sauce. Tasted ok but wasn't pretty.

Tonight may be "doctored up" meatloaf slices.

This morning we had our first wintry temperatures, high 30's or low 40's on the north shore of Lake Ponchartrain where we live.

M0mmyof3

Looks like it’s leftover meatloaf tonight.

MinusTwo

Carole - sometimes I add a bit of applesauce to keep the meatloaf more moist. Actually I like meatloaf better leftover in sandwiches so the first night I concentrate on the sides.