So...whats for dinner?

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  • Reader425
    Reader425 Member Posts: 653
    edited May 2020

    Had a nice dinner on this semi-cloudy day. I marinated flank steak and DH grilled. Sides were potato salad (my mom's recipe), an english cucumber and onion salad and the last of the mozzarella ball in a caprese salad with fresh planted basil. For some reason I had the energy today so in addition I made a half recipe of delicious peanut butter bars with marshmallows, peanuts and chocolate chips. Egg whites and a few other tricks lower the calories (except when you eat too many) Ha! The pic of the bar is not pretty but...🙃

    Eric I wonder how that woman knew you were not a healthcare worket?? Grrr.

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  • carolehalston
    carolehalston Member Posts: 6,887
    edited May 2020

    Funny story about the rice cookers, SpecialK. My mother had a rice cooker and used it. Before she got one, she boiled her white rice and drained it in a colander. It was much nicer looking than the rice from the cooker. My mother-in-law was awed by my mother's rice. I switched to brown rice many years ago and cook it in a pot with a lid. I have differing results depending on the bag of rice. I bought brown basmati when it was available. I heat the rice and water with a T of either butter or olive oil and about 1/2 tsp of salt until the mixture gets to boiling, then lower the heat as low as possible and simmer with the lid on. About 30 minutes. I set the timer but check. Every now and then the bottom burns. There are good uses for the leftover rice.

    Last night was chicken enchiladas with green canned sauce. I poached chicken thighs in water with onion slices and fresh garlic and s & p. The meat was so flavorful I could have eaten it as is. The enchilada filling was chicken, black beans, mild chilis from a can, grated cheese from a bag and sauce. We had sour cream on the side and a guacamole made with an avocado, diced fresh tomatoes, lemon juice and mayo.

    We both enjoyed the meal. My only dissatisfaction is that the tortillas soak up the sauce and get a bit mushy.


  • Magari
    Magari Member Posts: 354
    edited May 2020


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    Our backyard garden as of a couple of days ago. It's grown even more since, and is providing enough lettuce for me to use for lunches every day! And we're having unusually warm (80-ish) weather for a few days, which I'm hoping will be good for the tomatoes, serranos, strawberries and tomatillos.

    Greetings, all. I'm with Eric re cooking rice in a saucepan on the stove. Seems to work fine for me and doesn't require special equipment or extra cleanup.

    SF requires masks for both staff and customers in any place of business, including our outdoor garden center. We have a friend who recently moved back from Vancouver who was caught off guard when he wasn't allowed to enter a grocery store unmasked. (Apparently there are no such rules there.) I'm a bit claustrophobic, so I keep my mask around my neck when we're out walking the dog and only pull it up if we're somewhere where it's difficult to maintain distancing.

    Speaking of dogs: another Corgi lover here! SF has a "Corgi-Con" and I love looking at the photos - so adorable. My husband and I talk about getting a "Corgi companion" for our Australian Shepherd mix....

    We signed up to get grocery delivery from Imperfect Produce and are liking it so far. They don't have everything, but prices are good on what they do have, which includes organic milk, cage-free eggs, and grass-fed meat as well as produce.

    Went to the farmer's market on Saturday, which was fairly busy but not so crowded that it was a problem. They've worked out the social distancing quite well, and it's good to see the farmers having near-normal levels of business. I got radishes, chard, strawberries, and first of the season peaches and nectarines. Came home and made quick-pickled chard stems and celery, and radish leaf pesto in order to fit everything in the fridge! Which made me feel virtuous. :-)

    We had some of the pesto over purchased DeCecco gnocchi last night, with cherry tomato bruschetta. Mini strawberry shortcakes with freshly whipped cream for dessert. Other recent dinners we've enjoyed have included southern-style sauteed chard over polenta with crumbled bacon, "smash" burgers, and linguine with shrimp scampi.

    Our lovely dog (adopted from the SPCA) at our neighborhood park:

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  • auntienance
    auntienance Member Posts: 4,216
    edited May 2020

    Beautiful garden and dog Magari.

    Today I planted two tomato plants in a garden bed and two in a large pot. The reason I put two in a pot is because we got a contract on our house with an estimated closing of June 30th. Yikes 😬

    We eat a lot of brown rice. My favorite is short grain Lundgren which I buy at Costco. I find that the instant pot cooks brown rice perfectly. I keep a small bag of white rice on hand for some things but I usually cook it on the stovetop because I haven’t been able to master it in the IP and I don’t cook it often enough to figure it out. I’ve had two rice cookers and have liked them both but a separate appliance is not worth the real estate since the IP came on the scene.

    Grilled baby back ribs, baked beans and corn on the cob for two tonight. Also an overcooked pineapple upside down cake because I was talking on the phone to a friend and forgot the cake!

  • ChiSandy
    ChiSandy Member Posts: 12,133
    edited May 2020

    Drooling over your garden, Magari--and your table, Reader! Our tomatoes are just starting, and we have too many rabbits in our 'hood to make growing lettuce impractical. Parsley is getting tall enough to need harvesting, and about to make mojitos from the first crop of mint. Gonna grill a ribeye, roast some Brussels sprouts, make a small Caprese (was able to get supermarket basil delivered), and serve Bob the leftover potatoes.

  • MinusTwo
    MinusTwo Member Posts: 16,634
    edited May 2020

    Love the garden Magari. 80's warm for SF. My son moved back across the GG bridge to San Rafael earlier this month.

    Nance - good luck on the house contract. Scary!!! I can't remember if you already have a new place contracted??

    I only have one tomato plant - a Mexican Mini in a large pot. It must have 20 little green tomatoes. They're about the size of your thumb nail and very sweet. Hope I get some before it gets too hot, but we've had a number of high 90 degree days already.

    Dinner was Spinach salad with Miso dressing and 1/4 of a rotisserie chicken breast. Served with an Australian Marlborough Ti Point Sauvignon Blanc from Costco. Nice crisp wine - and like most of my wine selections - $10.00 or less.

  • ChiSandy
    ChiSandy Member Posts: 12,133
    edited May 2020

    Dinner was insalata Caprese, roasted Brussels sprouts, roasted potatoes (for Bob), grilled grass-fed bone-in ribeye, and sauteed mushrooms with red wine, shallots, parsley from my garden, and some jarred black truffle pieces. First steak in over two weeks. Been at least six weeks since I'd grilled. Forgot how much more flavorful bone-in steaks are. Kind of hard to find them in grass-fed, but well worth it.

  • SpecialK
    SpecialK Member Posts: 16,486
    edited May 2020

    DD stopped over last night to pick up her boat from the garage. It is having a new deck surface and then it is off to the new owner! Yay - I can park my actual car in the garage again! Her new boat is being built and will be ready in July. By that time we will have widened the fence at her house to the actual property line and she can park the boat behind the gate there.While she was here she took advantage of an available dinner - baby back ribs, loaded baked potato salad, coleslaw from a giant cabbage nabbed by DH on his shopping foray, and some chocolate chip cookies.

    magari - your garden is amazing! The growing season in FL is short, and I will take a Cali strawberry over a FL one any day! Your pup is enjoying a postcard Bay Area day!

  • carolehalston
    carolehalston Member Posts: 6,887
    edited May 2020

    Nance, congratulations on the sale of your house. Do you know where you're moving?

  • Cherry-sw
    Cherry-sw Member Posts: 997
    edited May 2020

    This is not possible! I just wrote like a largest post ever, don't be alarmed, exaggerating, but the flux of internet connectivity and everything got lost.

    ChiSandy, I had a passage for you on truffles, Ragdolls and whatever.. gone WTF

    I'll get back tomorrow.

    Pad thai and Italian bean salad.

  • Cherry-sw
    Cherry-sw Member Posts: 997
    edited May 2020

    But I said I will be posting some pictures, so I am posting those now, and then I will explain those to you)


  • Cherry-sw
    Cherry-sw Member Posts: 997
    edited May 2020
  • Cherry-sw
    Cherry-sw Member Posts: 997
    edited May 2020
  • Cherry-sw
    Cherry-sw Member Posts: 997
    edited May 2020
  • Cherry-sw
    Cherry-sw Member Posts: 997
    edited May 2020

    And this is me now

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  • Moonflwr912
    Moonflwr912 Member Posts: 6,856
    edited May 2020

    Hi all! Weather is finally besutiful here! Sunshine and in the 70s. Loving it. Just bought my plants for outside at Costco. Now I need to make a trip to Stiens for herbs. Had to teplace my phone, got a Galaxy 10. Upgraded from my 5 year old 7. Had to buy a new washer too. Our old one was only 8 years old.

    Supper is rioisserie chicken from Costco, of course. LOL. Will probably serve it with mashed and gravy. Green beans too.

    Much love to all.

  • ChiSandy
    ChiSandy Member Posts: 12,133
    edited May 2020

    Wonderful pics, Cherry--you look great, the Corgi & kitty are adorable, and I can almost smell that truffle!

    Monica, Gordy (my DS) had a Galaxy S7 for years, and it was nothing but trouble. He finally gave up and traded it in on an S10, which he loves.

  • Togethertolearn
    Togethertolearn Member Posts: 278
    edited May 2020

    Tonight homemade Lo mein with green peppers. Made last week with olive oil since had no sesame oil, splurged and used sesame oil tonight and didn't like it as much. But still yummy. Made strawberry and basil drink with club soda, strawberries go bad so quickly but so many uses fortunately.

  • auntienance
    auntienance Member Posts: 4,216
    edited May 2020

    We do not have another place to live as of yet (homeless!).The plan is to rent something 50 miles south of here in St.. Charles county while we look for a house. It means moving twice but we really don’t want to be rushed into buying especially right now. I imagine we’ll ll be storing a lot of our stuff.

    Dinner tonight was tikka masala with brown rice and naan.

  • Lacey12
    Lacey12 Member Posts: 2,951
    edited May 2020

    Congrats, Nance! So happy for you to get that contract. Happy rental hunting!
    This is such a crazy time that we thought the real estate market would come to a halt. And figured DS2 would put their house search on hold for a while but he surprised us a couple of weeks ago. They bid on a house that they had recently heard would hit the market. They took a socially distanced tour of it, and entered Into a bidding war with three other couples. Supposedly, the man who owns the house selected them as buyers (their overbid was next to highest) because his family raised the same kInd of dog they have. Really!? This new process for buying houses in this area is bizarre!

    Anyway, they are closing on June 19th, and quickly put their condo on market, which was quite a challenge since the whole place looks like the Covid Induced Daycare center it is, with baby proofing items everywhere. So they cleared it out and drive to the lakehouse for the weekend while it was shown. The pressure was on! They lucked out and got a nice offer the first day it was shown. So they will close on July 2nd, giving them a relaxed move. Whew!

    Today DS2 sent a pic of sweet baby girl walking in her soon to be backyard, and the joy on her face was just delightful! Toddlers are not meant to explore roofdecks! Can’t wait for them to move! So, to circle back, Nance, I have been thinking about how things were going for you during this period. So glad to hear your good news!

    I am mired in sewing masks for kids in a low income town, which I’ll drive to the person who requested them on Thursday. I have thirty five masks almost done. And am surprised I’m getting that far since I “rotary sliced” my left hand index finger Sunday night while cutting the fabric. I was panicked I might need stitches, but called DS1 (the hand surgeon) who colluded with me that it would be okay to self treat and avoid the hospital scene. It’s amazing how one can retire their disabled finger when necessary. It was gross tho. I hope I can take a rest from “production sewing” after this, and just make some beautiful ones for my family at a leisurely pace.

    DH got to grocery shop again today, and for dinner he grilled salmon he’d marinated in teriyaki sauce. Had brussels sprouts, salad and a microwaved potato for sides. I made all the sides, but he has really stepped up in the dinner prep department while I’ve been in mask production. I’m appreciative of that!

    Eric, I would have been tempted to put the mask shaming lady in her place by letting her know that I was a First Responder and have several more where this one came from! Arrows Will be flying from all directions as we move into this unchartered territory.

    Lovely pix, Cherry!

  • carolehalston
    carolehalston Member Posts: 6,887
    edited May 2020

    Lacey, interesting information on the housing market. Glad to hear things went so well for your son and his family. Also glad that your dh is stepping up on the what's for dinner front. I wish you would post some pictures of your masks. I have made almost a dozen but I was so limited in my fabric, using what I happened to have on hand. I had bought it when I was sewing place mats so not much variety.

    Nance, I think you're being wise not to rush into buying a home. Better to move twice, she says when she isn't the one packing!

    I am very weary of cooking and limited by my meat supply. Last night was meat loaf and mashed potatoes. Then green peas as a last minute side. I bought some ground beef when I made a trip to the supermarket, mainly for sandwich makings from the deli, and combined it with ground turkey from the freezer. DH was very happy with his diner meal. We have leftover meatloaf and mashed potatoes, maybe enough for another meal.

    Our weather has reached that uncomfortable summer stage where you step outside and feel as though you've entered a greenhouse. There is a marked contrast between cool dry inside and hot humid outside. The air is heavy with humidity. When I return from my walk, between 2 1/2 and 3 miles in the neighborhood, I am soaking wet with perspiration. I hope summer in MN will be a nice change again this year. I read recently that MN is one of the states being most affected by global warming.

  • MinusTwo
    MinusTwo Member Posts: 16,634
    edited May 2020

    Nance - one thing about moving twice, you'll be amazed at the things you never miss while they're in storage. It's easier to "let them go" from that storage facility once you settle on a final place.

    Lacey - sorry about your finger. I knew your DS1 was a doc, but wow - a hand surgeon. Good news about DS2's move. My son also bought a house three weeks ago north of the Golden Gate in Marin County, moved last week and the SF house is on the market. The house market is the same in SF as Boston, but both of his last houses the long time, old owners had died (think age 98) and he was able to step in at the right time. He can do most of the rehab work himself from 20-30 years of deferred maintenance, so that helps.

    Carole - yup - we have the same steam bath weather here. I've been trying to walk before 8am, but I still come home dripping. I've noticed that I can eat more salt w/o gaining weight or holding water.

    Special - oh my goodness, a garage again. I had to get divorced to get garage parking space.

    Moon - always glad to see you. Cherry & Together - glad you've sticking around.

    I've started drinking Carnation Instant Breakfast several days a week after my walk. I seems to help my sore muscles. Rich chocolate flavor or course. Hard boiled eggs the other mornings. Dinner last night was a baked potato with lots of butter & salt and a side of green peas. Evening snack was a true, ridiculous indulgence - 1/2 a bag of Ruffles (with ridges) potato chips dipped in Hidden Vallley Ranch dip mix w/sour cream. And my scale this morning says I've lost a pound. Go figure...


  • SpecialK
    SpecialK Member Posts: 16,486
    edited May 2020

    It is kind of amazing that people are buying and selling houses, and I’m glad they are! A number of the masks I made were for the real estate agent who handled our purchase in Feb of the house DD is living in. She is showing houses like mad and has had a bunch of closings. While a door to door move is always easier, there is something to be said for taking your time and picking out the right house, particularly if it’s a new area. With the many military moves we made (12 of them) we bought at times, rented at times, lived on base just once as it was mandatory for that job.

    I’m still making masks, but a little more slowly than initially. I have played with several designs, but have settled on one I like that is a mash up of several different ones - a fairly universal and forgiving female size, and likewise a male one. One of my husband’s active duty staff likes the ones I made him better than the government issue ones for those who have returned to work in the office. That made me happy - he requested two in addition to the two I had already made for him in basic black since he is wearing a military uniform. I did order some fat quarters and additional elastic on Etsy. The fabrics were interesting, but I like them all! One has pirate ships so I might save that one for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers games, lol!

    minus - Carnation Instant Breakfast saved me! I consumed it exclusively for about six weeks in 1995 when I had a prescription antibiotic reflux up into my esophagus and cause a caustic ulceration. I had one a day - yes, the chocolate one, took me an hour to drink it in tiny sips, while in a warm bath. Like I had time for that nonsense with a fiveyear old and a six year old. That experience led to reflux surgery about a year later. Also - love me some Ruffles and Ranch dip.

    Dinner tonight is a butter lettuce salad with sliced apple and macadamia nuts in balsamic vinaigrette and lasagna from the freezer with extra marinara.

  • Moonflwr912
    Moonflwr912 Member Posts: 6,856
    edited May 2020

    Im back today with my new phone, a Galaxy 10. Weve finally caught on the laundry! LOL. Stan went shopping today took his sister again. I hope she buys another car soon, but I think she likes having a chauffer. Ugh. At least shes not bothering us as much as I thought she would. I hope it stays that way.

    Im happy for all of you who sold your houses so fast, and hope those looking find what you need!. If we had to sell, at least after the flood, we dont have too much stuff to get rid of. LOL. And, Minus I thi k, said that you manage to get rid of things from storage easier, shes right. After 7 moves in less than 10 years, and not military, but job related, storage things are way easier to let go. . LOL.

    Ground beef is up to $8.00 a pou d here, becsuse the suppliers have a big covid problem with their workers. So are the pork chops and tenderloin for the same reason, different pant. But, lamb chops and leg of lamb is fairly cheap. Yum.

    Tonight supper was the rest of the Costco chicken and the leftover mashed and carrots. Then after supper, I tossed the carcass, an onion, a big fat carrot and 2 celery ribs in the Ninja pot. Made broth, just drained it before putting it in the fridge to get the fat off tomorrow. Made about 5 quarts. It came out pretty good, but will need salt of course, but I dont add salt to the pot when making broth. Will probably freeze it in small bags for future soups, unless everyone wants chicken soup tomorrow. But its beautifully warm here, so probably not. LOL. Next week will be cooler or so they say, 60s not 75s.

    Much love to all, stay healthy

  • ChiSandy
    ChiSandy Member Posts: 12,133
    edited May 2020

    Lacey, OUCH!! Been there, done that. Hope you were able to Steri-Strip that finger to a fare-thee-well. Was just reading in the Globe online tonight about the housing shortage in the Boston area.

    Nancy, hope it's easier to find a place in St. Louis' suburbs.

    We've been somewhat muggy here, but the lake breeze has been helping a LOT. Ran the A/Cs upstairs last night and was comfy enough to oversleep. (Fortunately, our HK arrived early enough to feed the kitties). Predicted storms & showers fired up all around the city, but missed us. We won't be so lucky tomorrow--we may get 1-2" by this time tomorrow, when the drying-out and cooling begin. Gonna go down into the high 40s overnight Fri. & Sat., but we are set for several sunny days in a row.

    After going up to Skokie to get my car serviced, I went foraging for dinner. Mariano's supermarket has an on-site BBQ (pit and all), and today ribs were on special: $9.99 for full slabs (12 bones) of either baby backs or St. Louis (aka spare ribs). Baby backs are the rage in Chicago--slimmer bones, very tender, falling off the bone. Meh--I like my ribs to fight back. These spare ribs were so meaty I could get through only two! Accompanied by leftover spinach salad from last night (when Bob also brought home hot wings), to which I added baby arugula and more sliced tomatoes. (Ditched the packaged dressing--seed oil, corn syrup, yuck--and dressed it with champagne vinegar, basil-infused olive oil, and Maldon flake salt).

    Cherry, I obsessed so much over your truffle photo that I made truffled soft-scrambled eggs this morning. (Used "Truffle Pig" brand jarred black truffle slices from Home Goods--which I bought just before the shutdown).

  • carolehalston
    carolehalston Member Posts: 6,887
    edited May 2020

    Moon, I cannot quite grasp the concept of cheap lamb. Available lamb would be a luxury. I don't understand why southerners, many of whom eat wild venison, do not like the gamy taste of lamb. And the same is true in MN where a freezer stocked with venison is a common status.

    Last night I gave dh multiple choice for dinner. Forage in the refrigerator, pizza, take out from Keith Young's restaurant. He picked number three and I called in an order for fried shrimp poboys. Pickup took no more than five minutes since Young's is only a couple of minutes drive from our house.

  • auntienance
    auntienance Member Posts: 4,216
    edited May 2020

    Went to look at a couple of rental houses today and found several promising. Hopefully one of them will be available at the end of June. On the way home we stopped to pick up Popeyes for dinner with a couple of their delicious biscuits. I’ll reheat the chicken in the air fryer along with some leftover green beans and tiny potatoes and “south my mouth.”

    Minus, when we put the house on the market we winnowed our stuff down to just what we use regularly. We do have a small storage unit mainly dh can’t throw things away. We have boxes of books and cds that do nothing but collect dust. It’s maddening.

    Eric, I think you need to make these

    https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2020/05/anchovy-croutons.html


  • ChiSandy
    ChiSandy Member Posts: 12,133
    edited May 2020

    Carole, what I wouldn't give to be able to eat an oyster po'boy again without consequence! I don't quite understand aversions to lamb either--I love it whether plain roasted leg, Greek style, chops, or rack.

    Brunch was a 3-egg pepper (jalapeno & red bell), scallion & provolone omelet.

    Dinner tonight was leftover ribs from last night (did reheat Mon. night's steak but we didn't have room for it--will have it with eggs in the morning); "greens" made from ramps & arugula (chopped the stems & bulbs and sauteed them first in olive oil, then added red wine vinegar & Tabasco), and multicolor heirloom cherry & grape tomatoes with basil, olive oil, a drizzle of Balsamico and a sprinkling of Maldon flake salt.


  • CeliaC
    CeliaC Member Posts: 1,320
    edited May 2020

    Dinner tonight was a pizza made using naan for the crust, a mix of pesto & alfredo for the sauce, shrooms & cheese. A couple of days ago, Trader Joe's scallops wrapped with bacon appetizer along with haricots verts and shrooms sauteed in herb butter. Very indulgent, but worth it!

    Really missing all the great fish and seafood we usually have during our annual vacay to Isle of Palms (near Charleston), SC. Finding myself also craving lobster rolls, lately!

    Glad I am not a big meat eater, as am not able to indulge in lamb after trying it many times & in many variations. DH, on the other hand, likes lamb, with rack of lamb being his fave.


  • Togethertolearn
    Togethertolearn Member Posts: 278
    edited May 2020

    I did a new recipe from online, smothered beef enchiladas. Not a fan, was edible but once is enough.

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