So...whats for dinner?

MinusTwo

Carole - A nurse on another thread (Native Mainer) recommended people make masks with ties and not elastics. She said the elastics really pull after an hour or so and also the ties allow people to get a better fit.

I bought several "Buffs" to wear during chemo when I had no hair. They were easier for me than scarves. Five years down the road, I often tie one to my purse strap since my neck &/or head gets cold. And now they are perfect for masks. Looks like the company is also now making a version specifically as a mask too. Scroll down just a bit to see "how to wear the original multi functional headwear". I originally got mine at Academy & REI. Disclaimer - I have no connection to the company although I wish I had some stock.

https://www.buffusa.com/

eric95us

I can attest to the elastic mask bands becoming uncomfortable after a few hours. :-)

Magari

Fun song, Sandi! And you are looking quite slim and trim in that video!

Spent the better part of yesterday e-mailing and on phone calls with colleagues and our supervisor re the fact that we are now being asked to go into the office for work on an "as-needed" basis. Even though we could be working remotely if the office had provided us with the tools to do so, and our work is not "essential, IMO. I believe it's in violation of the even more stringent shelter-in-place order that was just put into place. It was very stressful and I'm completely infuriated.

So by last night I was exhausted. Made myself a pre-mixed Last Word, with an extra shot of gin added. And made a spinach and goat cheese omelet with a pear and arugula salad and a few slices of country sourdough on the side.

It's raining today, which will apparently continue for the next few days. So I've got a batch of split pea soup working in my Instant Pot, which will be lunch with plenty of leftovers.

Have not yet made the shwarma-style tofu that I mentioned a couple of days ago, so I think that will be dinner.

Re masks: I attempted the pleated type yesterday but my ancient sewing machine balked at going through the thickness of the pleat folds. Found instructions for a butterfly shaped type that I think will be easier for me to sew with my machine and am going to try to make a few of those this afternoon, since the updated health order for SF mandates face coverings whenever one leaves the house now. I plan to use fabric ties instead of elastic though, since I don't have the former and want to be able to wash and dry the masks anyway. http://blog.japanesecreations.com/how-to-sew-a-simple-fabric-face-mask

carolehalston

I don't plan to wear a mask for longer than 30 minutes, maybe not that long. Just for trips into the supermarket and into the pharmacy. I made four pleated masks yesterday. That's one each with a couple of spares. In our summer climate, masks will not go well with shorts and tee shirts.

Last night's dinner started with taking 8 oz of frozen ground lamb out of the freezer. If nothing else, I could always make lamb burgers. After a little searching on Google I found a skillet dish with ground lamb and potatoes that sounded good and fit the ingredients on hand. I added mushrooms to the mix. Seasonings were onion, garlic, rosemary, turmeric, paprika. I did not have a fresh chili pepper so I subbed pepper flakes which pretty much go into most dishes I cook.

The dish was a little overcooked since I made it before my martini cocktail and reheated it. Since it looked a lot like a good hash, I served it with fried eggs on top. DH made a really good signature salad. Dinner was served and enjoyed.

Afterwards we watched three segments of Season One of Killing Eve. We have one month's free membership of Hula to watch season one.

Dinner tonight will be catfish fillets and either cauliflower or broccoli.

MinusTwo

Day #8 walking 3-4 miles every morning. Whew, I wasn't sure I'd make it past day 2 so maybe I will keep on.

I did cook the Jenny-O turkey breast - freezer to oven & done in less than 2 hours. My opinion - it was only OK. My Mother didn't rub any spices on our turkey. The stuffing (dressing) inside had onion & sage, but the meat itself was only basted with Wesson Oil. This turkey had spices or rubs or brining - and I prefer "plain" meat. In spite of the fact that it's super easy & great to keep on hand for emergency company, I probably won't buy it again. I'm using leftovers cut up in big green salads and will probably make a turkey noodle casserole. Freezing the rest for eventual soup.

I stopped to visit with a young neighbor during my walk (well he's probably 50 but young to me). He and his wife were going to Kroger & offered to get anything I wanted. Really all I "needed" was milk. When they left the bag on my porch they had included a soft pretzel. I didn't know Kroger baked those fresh. It was spiked with cinnamon & still warm. What a nice morning treat.

Baked potato & sauteed spinach tonight. Have to find something to do with my batch of boiled purple potatoes tomorrow. I have a Dole "bacon & bleu" salad kit that need to be eaten. I like the Pomegranate, Sunflower Crunch & Asian kits but haven't tried this combo yet. Lots of eggs waiting for omelettes or egg salad. I can't seem to fit in salmon patties w/o other food spoiling.

SpecialK

carole - I feel ya on the masks in a hot climate. I'm sure a photo will surface in the not too distant future of someone in a bathing suit with a mask on...

I have made 16 masks so far - also the pleated type although I like the shaped mask magari linked. I have been experimenting with adding a pipecleaner at the top inside a small casing so the mask can be shaped over the bridge of the nose. I had a bunch of bolt end fabric (the little squares you can get in the fabric store for $1) and it happens to be the tight weave cotton that is recommended. I had 1/4 inch elastic in my sewing box, and I am also using hair elastics. It is now mandatory for my DH to wear a mask to go onto the military base, so I made him two. Made some for DD and her BFF. Her neighbors are now putting in requests because she wore hers on a neighborhood group 6 feet apart walk. Made two for my BFF in California, and her other friend there too. Made some for a family of four down the street - two each for the parents who are still working in essential jobs, one each for the children. And some for me, although I haven't left the house in weeks. Will start on two each for a good friend and her DH, their son, and their daughter who is a pediatric nurse practitioner. In her office they are completely out of sanctioned PPE. She is teleworking but there are other employees around her in the office.

minus - the bacon and blue is DH's fave salad kit. I got some last time I was out of town for him to have for a quick dinner after work. If you made a Nicoise Salad you could use the salmon, potatoes and eggs, and sub any veggies for the green beans and/or tomatoes.

Magari

Good afternoon, all!

Made the shawarma-spiced tofu pita wraps last night and they were excellent. Very satisfying, with both crunchy and chewy bits. My husband, who isn't generally a tofu fan, gave it two thumbs up and declared it a winner. We are omnivores, but limiting our meat intake. And tofu is a good source of protein that keeps for a long time, so I like having it on hand.

It's chilly and rainy today, so we had more split peas soup and bread for lunch. Pulled some black cod from the freezer and will be cooking that for dinner with a lime/coconut milk sauce, rice and salad.

I made 5 of the shaped masks yesterday, using an old sheet for the fabric. Wore one on our walk with the dog earlier, and it is relatively comfortable and remains in place quite well.

ChiSandy

Not much of an appetite today--fear'll do that to me. (I don't stress-eat, just the opposite). Had some tuna salad in Little Gem lettuce leaves for brunch, and dinner was a half-portion of choucroute garnie (minus the bacon this time--Bob's gonna want bacon & eggs for breakfast in the mid-morning) with one-half each chicken bratwurst and bison hot dog. Added a little sparkling wine to it (I had "choucroute a la Champagne" at a brasserie in Montreal 15 yrs ago, and have been following a rough approximation of the recipe ever since). I use The Brinery refrigerated probiotic kraut--and add caraway seeds and a few juniper berries.

Bob saw fewer patients at Little Company of Mary today--but one shocked the hell out of him. He'd read about total heart block due to "cytokine storm" when the immune system goes postal trying to fight an infection like COVID--but today he saw a patient (who had been improving and was about to be extubated) suddenly go into total heart block right in front of his eyes (on the other side of the glass, of course), All the hospital's invasive resources have taken a back seat to the virus, so no cath lab to send the patient for a 'plasty--all the resident could do was give TpA (and pray the poor guy didn't bleed out). The PPE is getting sturdier--and now the nurses get it too, finally. He's not going back there for at least two weeks, thank goodness. Christ Hospital, OTOH, has gotten it down to a system--the top two floors are COVID wards, with negative air pressure vented up & out through the ducts & chimneys. And only the nurses can actually be in the room with the patients. (It made some national news programs).

I will wear the mask just to go out & walk. Not going inside any stores, since I fit the definition of "someone who's been exposed to someone who's been exposed," for at least the next couple of weeks. Hooray for delivery, drive-through, and doorstep drop-offs/pickups! Tomorrow should be a tad milder than today, with the rain holding off till evening. Tues. should be fantastic, in the low 70s. (Pollen, of course, is another story).

Face Timed today with my sis & niece in Arlington, VA. Hadn't seen my sister since our cousin's memorial in FL in Nov., and it's been over 2 years since I saw my niece.

Tomorrow at 5pm City Winery in NYC will be webcasting its annual "Downtown Seder" with all manner of celebrities. Yeah, it's a night early, but any port in a storm. Gordy and I went to the Chicago one a few years ago, and it was a hoot. (No, they're not making Concord grape wine, just the good stuff).

carolehalston

Frequently our dinners take a surprising turn when the cooking time arrives. The package of catfish fillets yielded 4 nice fillets. I sliced them crossways into pieces, breaded in Louisiana fish fry and fried to a lovely crisp brown. DH made his favorite tartar sauce with mayo, dill relish and horseradish. The side was small red potatoes, boiled and eaten with butter and sour cream.

Yesterday's lunch was a thin bread sandwich with the last of the leftover baked salmon. I had three lunches out of the leftovers.

What does one do with an eye of round beef roast? I have a small one in the freezer of the outside refrigerator and can't imagine why I bought it. I know it's a tough cut of beef. Maybe google will give some inspiration.

No answer yet to What's for dinner tonight?

Today's yard task is weeding around the ten crepe myrtle trees, clipping the shoots that grow around the trunks and mulching with pine straw.

Nance, what a time to sell a house.

auntienance

https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/stupid-simple-roast-beef-horseradish-cream

Carole, I have used this recipe for eye of round with success. Since I use a much smaller roast I usually halve the salt. I know the salt amounts are shocking but the meat is not salty and you can wipe it off before cooking.

The weather here hasn’t been conducive to working outdoors but today and tomorrow are supposed to be in the 70s. I hope to at least get the front flower bed in order. It is a terrible time to sell a house and I don’t know how all this will turn out but I have to proceed as if I’m still going to be living here. A local plant business owner is doing a marvelous job of keeping her business going on Facebook, arranging drive through pickups and remote ordering. I’ll be giving her some of my business this week.

Dinner is the eternal mystery. Like sandy, I haven't had as much appetite lately.

MinusTwo

My father would never eat meat that had even a hint of fat so Mother's roast of choice was Eye of the Round. She did nothing but roast it. Unfortunately he also wanted it well done so it was sort of like eating shoe leather - although we didn't know any better as kids. I buy it occasionally and also roast it plain, but only to a rare state. Yes, it's "dense" but not bad if you don't cook too well done. It does make for easy sandwiches. Usually minimal drippings so don't count on 'enhanced' gravy.

Lacey12

I had wondered how folks in the warm climates were doing with this mask wearing....especially with the ones lined in flannel. I wore one this weekend with a special liner that was touted to be better at keeping viruses out. Well, for me. It felt like it also kept oxygen out, too! I could have used a snorkel tube!So I won’t be making them for any of the nursing home folks! A friend who uses this liber insisted that she found no problem with it while walking. Maybe it’s just my allergic/asthmatic lungs!

Took time out from the mask sewing to actually cook yesterday and use some chicken cutlets before their "use by" date. Made a big casserole of sautéed cutlets in evoo, with onions, garlic, mushrooms, and artichoke hearts and a splash of balsamic. Served with some delicious lemon chive "rooster comb" style pasta, (a gift from NJ crew) tossed with evoo garlic, oil, and parmesan. Salad was cukes, red onion, and grape tomatoes with my horseradish vinaigrette. Crusty bread, too....no keto here. 😏 A lot of different flavors, but it all worked, and best part.....tomorrow I'll just make a salad to go with leftovers. 😉 Oh, and we enjoyed a Sangiovese that we score from Wegman’s, for $6!!! Saturday, DS2 did a big shopping trip for us so we can really stay out of stores this next two weeks. He thoughtfully bought some of my fave wines from there, too.

Last night I was relieved to see a Facebook post showing that DS1 and his surgical team was properly outfitted with PPE before a procedure he was called in to perform. They wanted to give credit to the hospital for keeping them safe. Well, I was certainly happy about that since they are in one of the NJ hot spots. 😧

Back to the sewing table....I am confessing that I have yet to sew a mask for my family members, which I need to do now since so many more people are making them to fill local needs.

Carole, this dish reminded me of your recent pork dinner.

MinusTwo

Interesting "rooster comb" pasta Lacey. Your meal sounds good.

Oh Magari - Split Pea Soup, YUM.

Carole - I can imagine how conflicted you are about going North for the summer. Everything is up in the air.

Nance - are you getting any response about the house? One of my realtor neighbors is doing a good job of marketing on line & by phone, tele-sales. Then he meets the client at the property, opens the door, backs away, and the client walks through. Granted these are empty houses. Not sure how I'd feel about potential buyers tromping through my house right now.

Special - you were right - the Dole Bacon & Bleu salad kit was good. I added black olives and hard boiled eggs. But I do love the Sunflower Crunch and the Spinach Miso.

An 88 year old neighbor stopped me today during my walk to tell me she had a present for me - just because. It was a four pack of Russel Stover's chocolate marshmallow, milk chocolate flat 'eggs'. I had two for brunch.

SpecialK

carole - I have used eye of round roast in the crock pot on low, all day, with a can of French onion soup and some beef broth - or just beef broth and some onion, and made French dip sandwiches. If you cook it long enough it will self shred, or just need a little encouragement with two forks. I use horseradish mayo on French bread, then layer on the meat, use the liquid left in the crock pot as the au jus.

Thought nobody but my friends on this site would be as amused by this as I seem to be - I have run out of regular elastic for masks so I am using old unused bra straps. During my rather extended tissue expander phase I bought a number of bandeau style bras but never used the detachable straps, and they are about 1/4 inch wide. Yay! I can’t wear those bras anymore because since I had exchange surgery they slide south and end up as a sort of cummerbund inside my shirt, lol! This happened once in the grocery store, and I am unaware because I have zero feeling on my chest so can’t feel it slipping... so, lemons into lemonade! Maybe? Anyway, I hope that makes someone laugh!

Dinner will be a recipe from Hillshire Farm, a sausage Alfredo dish. I pulled the page from a magazine a few years ago, it is pasta, smoked sausage or kielbasa, heavy cream, Cajun seasoning, parm, and heavy cream. I have a partially used carton of heavy cream to use up, thus the choice. DH actually made this recipe after one of my surgeries and it was yummy.

DD dropped her phone in the river, so had to go to the Verizon store and get a new one. On the plus side, she met a cute boy. More lemonade... this afternoon she is hiking with a friend - six feet apart, wearing the masks I made. I’m at home making more masks...

auntienance

LOL Special, it definitely calls up a visual 🤣

We actually have a contract on the house however the buyers’ buyers (two contingencies) have a house to sell so who the hell knows what will happen with all of this.

Decided on precooked ribs from the freezer with baked beans and cole slaw.

Magari

This is what I would make if I had an eye of round roast: https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2013/01/hreb-crusted-round-roast-with-parmesan-black-pepper-popovers-recipe.html

I had a large salad with shopped pears, walnuts and goat cheese for lunch.

Think I am finally going to make nachos for dinner.

carolehalston

Love the bra straps repurposed!

I cooked the eye of round roast on the grill and the result was good. I got the idea from google search. Sear the roast on all sides. Then roast off the burners at 350 for about 40 minutes until roast temps at 125. Rest for 30 minutes. An easy way to go without turning on the oven in the house.

DH made a horseradish sauce with mayo, sour cream, Dejon mustard and, of course, horseradish. He emptied the jar so horseradish is on the list.

Our side was a real treat for us. Potato salad made with leftover small red potatoes from the night before, plus boiled eggs, diced celery and the last of the jar of dill relish. Dressing was mayo and yellow mustard.

The roast was 3 lbs so a big hunk of leftover beef. We probably ate 1/2 to 3/4 of a lb sliced thin.

Interesting that tough cuts of beef have a good taste. I especially like skirt steak and flank steak. The latter has gotten pricey.

No inspiration for dinner yet. Maybe pasta, always acceptable by DH. Is "by" the right preposition, Minus? Fellow English teacher, retired.

Quarantining is definitely getting old but 45 minutes away people are suffering and dying in New Orleans hospitals. And we have some coronavirus cases in all but two parishes (counties) in the state. Our parish, St. Tammany, has between 600 and 700. I continue to be amazed at the contagiousness of this virus. I shake my head and wonder, "Can this all be real?"

MinusTwo

Carole - maybe "acceptable to..." ?? I'll think on it.

I'm forcing myself to do at least an hour walk every morning. Carole - we can have a 'contest' to encourage each other if you want? I think Carole & I should get extra points since it's so hot & muggy. Supposed to be 90 again tomorrow and I'm still walking in levis. Not to mention that I'm walking at 7am and I HATE morning. I have always been a night person so this is REALLY hard. It messes up my mind and the rest of my day. Sigh.

Putting off the grocery store. I need fresh greens, but I have salad for one more day and it's not an emergency. Maybe later this week.

MinusTwo

Dinner was black beans & green chili salsa leftover from Laurie's Mexican Chicken, mixed with leftover Quinoa & Brown Rice mixture. Delicious.

Did you all see this from another thread - virus humour: Half of us are going to come out of this quarantine as amazing cooks. The other half will come out with a drinking problem.

ChiSandy

Tonight was a Seder dress rehearsal: gefilte fish, matzo ball soup, rotisserie chicken (Bob brought it home from Costco). Plus all the ritual food trimmings, of course. We did it tonight in case he has a long day tomorrow. (Can't imagine why, because patients aren't coming in and he promised to stay away from Little Co. of Mary--aka COVID Central--for two weeks). We're having Seder for just us two because--and I hate to sound morbid--it could be our last.

carolehalston

Sandy, I certainly hope you are being too pessimistic. What a dreadful time for you as Bob continues seeing patients. Did you read the Ruth Marcus piece in either the NYT or WAPO about how this year is so sad and different for Jewish people? I thought about you as I read it.

Last night's dinner tasted really good and was easy to prepare. Linguine with Rao's enhanced with Italian sausage. Grated romano. A big tossed salad. The linguine was much thicker than usual and took longer to cook.

I experimented with ordering groceries for delivery. There were substitutions and the delivery was at the end of the 5 hour period. There was added cost and the same concern about who had handled the items. I will probably continue to do my own shopping as quickly as possible, wearing salon gloves and cloth mask.

We power washed the front walkway yesterday, using our small power washer which isn't powerful. It took a while and the results are nice.

There is much-needed rain in the forecast.

Moonflwr912

Ive joined the sewing crowd too. Making masks with things I managed to find around the house. Weve been on a purging kick since the basement flood 18 months ago. And I wasnt sure I had any appropiate fabric left. Managed to find some in one closet of craft things. But, then had to wash, dry, iron and cut, before I could sew. (The hole in the bucket routine, LOL! ) Found some quarter inch elastic too, score! So finally got to sewing, made one start to finish, to get an understanding of the process, and now going to finish 6 or more for my family. I used the pattern with a pocket for a filter, but you can wear them without. And if the ear elastic is uncomfortable to wear, you take a ribbon with buttons on each end to wear on the back of your head. The ear elastic goes over the buttons and saves your ears. Eric, you can do this too.

Supper was something easy to make as I was hunting and gathering all day ( getting my sewing supplies ready, LOL) so it was sloppy joe and fresh green beans, to use up rolls going on 8 days old. LOL.

It got up to 70 here, after last week in the 40s. Wisconsin is weird. My husband is the one who does the shopping because ive hunkered down here cause of my issues.

We live on a corner and our neighbor hood is full of walkers. We see 90% of them swing by. Makes it feel less lonely. We have bears in our windows for the kids to count. ( Going on a bear hunt) . Putting hearts on them with the grands (hearts for the health care people) tomorrow.

Gotta thaw something for dinner tonight, probably pork chops with salad and veg.

Much love to all.

MinusTwo

Moon - reading too fast and thought you said you were watching bears from your window. Oh my.

Carole - I agree about doing my own shopping. I can get in & out in a hurry since I don't need much. My brother (who rarely speaks once a year) seems to think I need an N-95 mask and said he'll mail one.

Dinner will be a salad with the last of the greens & fresh veggies. Oh - and maybe a hot dog since I have a package of buns with 2 left. Considering the store tomorrow - or I could start raiding the freezer.

MinusTwo

Here's my 'virus wear' for the grocery store. I knew all those BUFFs I used when I had no hair would come in handy.

auntienance

Looking good Minus!

Spent the morning cleaning out the front flower bed and ordering plants from my local greenhouse. It’s amazing how stiff and sore I can get in such a short amount of time. Won’t be able to plant anything for a bit though. While it’s 86 degrees today, the next 10 days are going to be cold with lows near or below freezing. Wisconsin isn’t the only weird weather locale Monica

Ordering out from the local diner tonight - catfish dinner for me and pork tenderloin dinner for dh.

eric95us

When I was working in San Diego, the cleaning crew that did the thrice daily cleaning was used to dealing with asbestos removal, lead paint removal, mold clean up and similar stuff. Rather than use up the hospital grade PPE (personal protective equipment), they used their "PPE. It was much more than needed, but as long as the extra PPE doesn't cause problems while working (heat, being able to see hazards, manipulating controls, etc.) it's not a huge deal.

Anyway, a nurse and I were removing our PPE when we noticed one of the cleaning crew step out of a Port-A-Jon before they entered the "hot zone"...dressed like that. "Wow. Don't use that one. It must be *REALLLLLLLY* bad!."

It made for a good laugh.

eric95us

I was able to sit down for awhile and catch up on more than just the past couple of posts.

I, too, very much hope you're being overly pessimistic, Sandy. A time to gather and remember...interrupted....:-( Tell Bob from me (and all of us on here) to be safe and stay well.

My "evil twin" has some heart issues and is considered more vulnerable should she catch the coronavirus. I offered to shop for her...but, "no"...so I took her some N95s, gloves and a set of (reusable) goggles, and showed her the tricks of the trade for donning and offing the stuff. Hopefully it will either have been unnecessary, or enough to keep her safe.

The colors even match, Minus. 90F already???!!! Wow and "blah"!

Dinner is likely to be random leftovers. With DD at home, the food quantities needed are different and we end up with a lot of "not quite enough for everyone to have a 2nd meal" from the leftovers, so it becomes a "each person eats something different" so we can clear space out in the refrigerator.

Things are not bad here. We've been either at home and me doing home projects, out running the trails or out on the hiking trails We choose the deserted places so we can go out for a few hours of hiking without seeing *anyone* or go running for an hour and not see anyone within 100 yards, so that meets the distance recommendations.

Beaverntx

Sandy, seconding what Eric said and it is a scary time for all of us, isn't it?

Tonight was leftovers here, too. I had 2/3 of leftover "goololli"; DH had the other 1/3 and a grilled cheese sandwich (which was what he really wanted!).

Heat index here this afternoon hit 102! The humidity is crazy with possible severe storms forecast for tomorrow. Yuck!

MountainMia

I was going to make tacos with ground beef and black beans for filling. I took the meat from the freezer to thaw, and took the can of beans from the pantry. In the fridge I had most of a white onion already chopped, and some jalapeño peppers in the freezer. When I got ready to actually cook it, I realized the ground beef was actually ground turkey. And the can of black beans was actually pinto beans. Which is ALL FINE! Just not what I expected. The tacos were good and there is plenty of filling left to use as a start for a pot of chili.

After dinner, we started working on our tax prep. Got about half done with the federal part before stopping for the night, to go watch teevee.

ChiSandy

MountainMia, adding a can of tomatillos would have made for a neat chile salsa verde. I went through my pantry today and was shocked that I had both sofrito for paella and romesco sauce, as well as another jar of harissa and two more of Rao's.

Tonight was actual Seder--same food as last night, but subbing palak paneer as green veg. and adding rice for Bob--hey, if it's okay with Roman Jews...We still have a lot of Indian leftovers: mixed tandoori grill, samosas, fritters, pakoras, and a bonus container of butter chicken. I'm sticking the naan in the freezer and the low-carb bread in the fridge so it doesn't get moldy (or tempt me during Passover). I may do matzo brei for brunch--or maybe add a little matzo meal to my Birch Benders keto pancake mix. I will definitely need to watch the calories and walk more till this holiday is over. My next weigh-in is on 4/22--and though it's a phone consult and the NP can't see me, I won't lie--it'd catch up with me in June.

Dragging our feet on the tax prep--we have all the docs gathered but I noticed some omissions on the worksheets. We'll fax it to our CPA, who e-files. Almost certainly gonna owe a whopping sum again.