So...whats for dinner?

Cherry-sw

And here I live, an island,extremely warm summer, 29C today

ChiSandy

Cherry, borscht is the only way my husband is willing to eat beets!

Keto blueberry pancakes (with an added egg white) for brunch today.

eric95us

I have some neat inside the Grand Canyon pictures, but the cellular/internet service isn't good enough to post them right now. The temperature where I was working was 107F/42C degrees in the shade

I'm all done with my work there.

Beaverntx

Eric, and now to rehydrate? Our "feels like" temperatures have been up to 103. Thank goodness for A/C!

Lacey12

Thinking about how you Southwestern folks are coping with the heat as we slog through it.

The small blow up pool I purchased for baby Amelia arrived to use this weekend (if we don't get totally thunder stormed out). This visit might be our last overnight here, as constructed, since her day care will reopen on Monday....meaning that she will likely not be allowed near her oldster grandparents once back interacting with her “peer group". Sadness! There is no easy way to work this out. Her parents know that she needs to be there for her developmental needs (it's a lovely, nurturing and stimulating home), and they need it to try to preserve their own sanity as they continue to work from home while moving into a new house, that needs a lot of work. I am magically hoping that our state can continue to lower our Covid incidence numbers so that we can be with that little one again soon without social distancing! Toddlers just do not “get" that.

Tonight we had a late dinner after attending yet another Zoom session until 8PM....this one on unpacking structural racism and white privilege, organized by the diversity committee in our town, which is hardly diverse.

So, at the end of the Zoom, DH decided we should order pizza. Yay! Our regular order of mushroom and onion pizza with a greek salad. I had been avoiding this high calorie meal for a few weeks. And it sure was tasty!

Nance, thinking of you as you manage the rigors of your move!

Hope everyone else is faring well......

MinusTwo

We had a HUGE thunderstorm in the middle of the night last night so I found myself eating leftover shrimp fried rice at 3am. 3" of rain in just a couple of hours. Still drizzling at 10am so I walked late - but I had to walk since I missed yesterday due to rain.

Tonight was 1/2 of the salad greens from a Dole Sunflower Crunch bag (delicious dressing) with an avocado, cold sauteed asparagus, 1/2 a cucumber and four Campari tomatoes.

I mixed up a bunch of egg salad to use up the boiled eggs. I'll probably eat that tomorrow on pumpernickel bread. But I still have more leftover shrimp fried rice (the fresh mushrooms really made a difference) and leftover chicken with brandy sauce w/more fresh mushrooms that I'll serve on noodles this time. Oh yes, and another serving of petite potatoes. Hmmm, maybe those could go cold in with 1/2 a bag of greens and artichoke hearts, the rest of the asparagus, and maybe shoestring beets???

Lacey - I have a 4 year old grand-niece who doesn't understand why she can't spend time with Auntie. But both of her parents are working every day (with co-workers testing positive off & on) and she's back in Montessori school and they don't want to compromise me. Talked to her mom again tonight and we can't figure out how to meet outdoors w/o out the 4 year old wanting to sit on my lap, not to mention a hug & a kiss.

Eric - glad you're through with working outside at 107 degrees.

Carole - how's the new gym? They closed the LA Fitness here 10 days after opening to re-sterilize since at least one person turned up positive. But as you can imagine - lot of people here refuse to wear masks.

ChiSandy

L.A. Fitness is reopening its Chicago gyms tomorrow. Yeah, right--as if. Age 69, with Type A blood? Nuh-uh. Let 'em start charging me again; I'll just get an online consult (giving the trainer my weight & measurements and letting her prescribe the exercises), thank you very much. Got my stationary bike, treadmill, 1-10 lb. hand weights, resistance bands and inflatable fitness ball. Maybe go crazy and get a rower. (There's a Nordic Track somewhere up in the snake pit of our attic too). I even have a set of "roller skis" from when I used to do X-C seriously, for off-season training.

We went out to Cellars with the kids (Gordy & Leslie) to celebrate our 49th anniv. a couple of days early. We could have done so indoors tomorrow (IL and Chicago are moving into Phase 4 of cautious reopening tomorrow--indoor dining at 25% capacity, with masking & social distancing), plus celebrate the chef-owner's birthday; but I don't feel comfy dining indoors anywhere but our house just yet. And outdoors tomorrow night is a no-go, what with storms forecast. It was a lovely dry cool evening (thank you, Lake Michigan). Ashamed to admit it, but I did cheat: calamari fritti, seared ahi, fish & chips (best I've ever had, including in London--but I did sub out sweet potato fries which I am allowed to eat once in a blue moon), slaw. And just when I thought it was safe to slink away from the table...a huge slice of fudge cake for the table. (I had half of a quarter-portion and it was still insanely decadent). Back to "dead animals & leaves" come morning,

eric95us

Instead of a pool, there was a spot in the nearby creek that offered some refreshment. It was less than ankle deep, but sitting in it felt good. :-)

I drank 3 liters of water on the almost 5 mile walk out with no "pit stops". The trail is almost 5 miles (8Km) long and gains about 3,000 feet (900 meters) in elevation. I can't say it was fun, but we did OK.

I'm an engineer, so this picture is mostly work related but still, it showed a decent view (minus the antennas I installed as part of my work) of the south rim of the Grand Canyon. This building is not in the publicly accessible areas of the park, so no one will ever see the antennas.

And a view of the north rim that is about 10 miles/16km distant. In the center of the picture is hovering helicopter with a long cable hanging below it. A moment later, someone hooked the cable to a cargo net full of construction debris and the helicopter flew it out to the south rim where the debris would be trucked to a landfill. The blue tent belonged to another worker. My tent was "hidden" amongst the trees.

And finally, when I was on the south rim....."Mrs. Elk". Hunting is not allowed within the park and the animals are quite used to humans. She was probably 25 yards/meters distant when I took the picture. It was close enough for a good picture, but far enough that, if needed, I could close the door to the camper before she got too close.

I did not take any pictures of the (lots of profane words deleted) squirrels. They look cute, so some people feed them, and that turns them into roving bands of aggressive and bold pests.

Dinner tonight was courtesy of the eggplant I planted in the back yard in early March. While we were gone, the two larger eggplant fruit (?) went from tiny jelly bean sized things to "as big as in the stores", so tonight we picked those two and had eggplant parmesan. There are 4 or 5 more eggplant that are in various stages of growth, so we'll need more eggplant recipes in the next couple of weeks.

The tomatoes are growing, but it's too hot for them to produce, so there won't be anything more from them until fall. The Serrano pepper plants, however, are producing so many peppers that I'll need to pickle and can them if I want to "get them all".

Arizona's in hospital occupancy levels due to Covid are rising to uncomfortably high levels, so all the of the state's counties have passed "must wear" mask ordinances. Hopefully that will slow things down enough to prevent the hospitals from becoming overloaded. The restaurants are open here, but aren't very popular right now. Sharon was at the gym and the gym operator requires masks while entering and leaving, but (for obvious reasons) not while actually exercising....instead they work to ensure that folks are staying far enough apart to hopefully be OK.

carolehalston

The small Anytime Fitness gym in Park Rapids was always very clean. This is an area of people of Norwegian ancestry. You do not wear "outside" shoes inside the gym but change into gym shoes after you enter. Before the pandemic there were signs everywhere to wipe down machines following use. The machines have been spaced apart and there are wipe dispensers and a table with a large bottle of hand sanitizer. I have been three times and there were few other exercisers. Not many people wear masks.

I think I shared previously that this area of northern MN has been spared experiencing Covid-19. It's quite rural and small town and most people go about life as normal. Yesterday at the women's golf league, there were 15 women inside the clubhouse previous to beginning play and three of us wore masks. I took mine off once I was outdoors on the course.

I fear the industrious virus will make its way here eventually. So far the local hospital has not had a single case.

On the food front, two nights ago I cooked a huge chicken I bought from a farmer at the Farmers Market. It was cut into 8 pieces. I seasoned the pieces and tried baking it in the grill. Not a successful attempt. Probably overcooked. Last night I used some of the leftover chicken along with cooked brown rice, broccoli, canned cream of chicken soup, water and curry powder to make a skillet dish. It was ok. DH said he liked it. The side was coleslaw with bagged cabbage and English cucumber.

We're off to Bemidji today to buy lumber. DH has decided to extend the deck so that he doesn't have to walk down steps to use the grill. At age 81 he obviously intends to return next summer.

CeliaC

Nothing interesting to report on the food front, but thought I would chime in about LA Fitness. They reopened here on 6/1. Personal trainer texted me about his availability for sessions once again. DH and I both in the "at risk" category. No way do I feel that it is safe to go there or to work with trainer. They will not suspend it until next year, when immunity is hopefully available. Seems the only way out is to "buyout" the contract at 50% remaining value ($640). Not happy about this, especially with taxes due on July 15th, upcoming $2,000 dental work and $6,000 new HVAC just paid. Ok, rant over.

Thanks for the pics/info, Eric.

Everyone else - sounds like some good eats!

MinusTwo

Celia - You used to be able to put your LA Fitness membership "on hold". It worked well for me when I was in cancer treatment. I had the same rate when I came back. Things may have changed with the virus. If you don't have any luck, call the corporate office in CA & play the cancer card. The gym closest to me opened last week and a friend went to Silver Sneakers two days. Then they closed it again this Wednesday for 2-3 days for thorough cleaning since someone tested positive. I'm with you - as much as I miss the Silver Sneaker's classes, I'm not ready to be in the facility - even to walk through the main gym to the class rooms. You are so lucky Carole to have a small responsive gym.

Eric - thanks for sharing the pictures. I remember sitting in cold running creeks in Utah & New Mexico. Heavenly. My "Mexican Mini" tomato actually shriveled up & died. Oh well, as you say - it's too hot for fruit anyway.

Houston just went back to RED ALERT threat level. Hospitals at 100% capacity and moving to over flow plans. Too many people either don't believe in science or don't believe anyone can even ask them to wear a mask, let alone tell them to do so. How about wearing a seat belt? Wonder if people will return to panic mode and buy up all the TP & water again? I'll just keep on keeping on & staying home. Cooking some interesting concoctions anyway.

Beaverntx

Minus, I saw a report that there is a TP shortage in Australia again and hoped we wouldn't do that again!

Dinner tonight will be lemon herb chicken fajitas.

ChiSandy

Dinner was leftover fish & (sweet potato) chips from last night--and I still have some left for tomorrow night. Bob had a burger at work earlier, but is noshing on his leftover green beans and French fries. (My air fryer setting on the SmartOven is getting a workout).

SpecialK

Night before last was leftover Chicken Divan and the French onion rice, last night a salad with goat cheese, roasted chicken breast, pecans, red grapes, and balsamic vinaigrette. DD drove up to TN to pick up a roof top tent from the manufacturer, so I will enforce a 14 day quarantine upon her return. She is camping, but she is around new people so I think that is smart. I have to head over to her house today to feed/check the chickens and tiny parrot, and the new giant tortoise she somehow acquired. Someone found him running loose (running, really?) I saved all of the outside lettuce leaves I didn't use in the salad for him, lol!

MinusTwo

special - what? No rabbits? no goat to keep the grass mowed? LOL

SpecialK

minus - shhhh... don’t give her any ideas, lol! If given free rein she would have all kinds of animals. Have you seen that show on Animal Planet called Saved By The Barn? It’s about a guy who had a well paying job in tech in Texas and his dad called him to ask him what he should do with the family farm in Michigan, that has been in the fam for generations. He quit the job, moved to the farm, and now runs an animal sanctuary for abused and/or homeless farm animals. I watched an episode where he mentions that he would like to settle down but needs a girl that understands his life with the animals - I’m thinking, have I got the girl for you!!!

MinusTwo

The dream of my niece is to run a farm for horses that have been abused - on the race track or otherwise. She has the family land, but so far she still has a "real" 9-5 job. But also has goats & sheep & chickens and 3 horses & one donkey and ducks and 6 dogs. Maybe I've missed a few animals. I haven't been out there since the virus.

MinusTwo

Oh - and dinner was leftover rotisserie chicken breast with sauteed mushroom in brandy cream sauce over fresh noodles. Breakfast was the last of the shrimp fried rice. Salad tomorrow for sure.

ChiSandy

Here we go again...after last night's downpours, Bob wasn't able to get the garage door open this morning (he came home around 7 pm yesterday in a torrential rain but the door did open for him. He couldn't find the reset button on the new GFCI, so I have no idea how he was able to raise the door and keep it up long enough to get his car out. He didn't tell me, of course, till tonight. (!!!). Had he told me right away this morning, I could have thrown on some shoes and shown him how to reset the GFCI and re-engage the opener on its track. The electrician is flabbergasted: new wiring, with no breaks; new conduits sealed with copious amounts of "pipe dope;" new breaker in the basement and new GFCI in the garage (both buttons are white, which is why Bob couldn't figure out how to reset it, as the old button was red for reset and black for test). He will come out tomorrow to try to figure out what happened--but if it's dried out he will have to wait for more rain. He will remedy the problem free of charge, of course. And more rain we will get, starting perhaps tomorrow night, Mon. for sure. And starting Mon. night they're predicting another torrential storm with high winds, time and again all week...as the weatherman put it "like 'Groundhog Day." We got a little bit of water in the basement right under the sump pump (which means I have to call the plumber too--unless there's just so much a sump pump can do, and at some point flooding is inevitable).

As of 10pm tonight, Bob was still working and expects tomorrow will be the same--so it looks like this weekend will have been a bad one at Little Company of Mary (even though the city & state's infection & death metrics are going down, that ghetto-centric hospital is the canary in a coal mine because so many of its patients are minority people in essential jobs whose dwellings are too small for social distancing).

eric95us

One of the ways I "escaped" college with no student loans and a masters degree in electrical engineering was by being an electrician. The electricians' license is long expired, but I still have my propeller hat and I just put it on. :-)

Did the electrician replace just the GFCI outlet and the wiring up to the GFCI outlet? Or did they redo *everything* after the GFCI outlet as well?

ChiSandy

The electrician completely removed and replaced the old line (from the basement to the garage), conduit, and GFCI. He said the old conduit was full of water. Not sure what you mean by "after the GFCI outlet:" the entire garage door opener and interior garage wiring to it and the light switch/other outlet? If so, I doubt it. All I know is that as soon as I hit "reset" and flipped the switch, everything worked (opener, lights) again. Will have to show Bob how--I took a Sharpie and put dots next to the white "reset" button. (He grew up in a home with no garage and no car---his parents said they "didn't have a driving personality"--so all this stuff is alien to him. I'm the home-maintenance person, whether DIY or finding pros to do it).

Electrician is coming over between 5-6pm today to troubleshoot--says he may have to run some "fish tape" and see if it's wet--if so, maybe he'll have to completely re-do everything, If the tape comes up dry, he will come by in the rain Tues. and re-run the tape and proceed accordingly. If the whole shebang needs to be redone, my landscaper will have a cow, having to re-dig the trench two feet deep. I'm sure he will charge me for that (unless the electrician can have his own crew do it). Good thing we didn't yet re-seed or sod!

Only thing I can think of is water getting in around the louvered window directly above the new GFCI outlet, but the louvers have been shuttered tight for two years now and everything around it was foam-caulked last year--maybe just extending the conduit to move the GFCI further on the wall away from the window (and any possible eave leak) will do the trick. Only other thing I can think of is rats gnawing through the underground metal conduit--they can even chew through concrete. If we need a re-roof, that will be a major headache (we would lose our DirecTV for the duration). And (heaven forfend) a new garage & opener would render all his work in vain (and our two thousand bucks--plus the $1200 for the trench and $400 for the gate to the alley--flushed down the crapper).

Moonflwr912

aw man, ChiSandy! That sucks. I hope that everything will be dry now and ok. One thing, have you thought about the leak coming from the roof down the wires? I ask cause we had that happen to us, everyone looked down towards the bathroom for the leak, when the leak was on the other side of the roof, ran down the wall and the across to the wire and we actually saw it come down the chandelier. That was scary! Good luck!

Today was sloppy joe and fresh beans. Simple but good. My DD2 picked up 4 days last week so we had the kids 3 days. Her DH was applying for jobs and unemployment etc, so took the kids only 2 days. So I was cooking up 2 extra large meals of keto when they are here. For one day, Made a casserole of tex mex shredded chicken with cream cheese and topped with cheese. I used low carb soft taco shells (3 gram net carb) to line the bottom and top. So I used 5 in a 9x12 pan. Thats not bad. The bottom came out almost like a lasagne noodle, the top was crispy cheese. Served with steamed green beans. It was really good. I made a small 8x8 casserole of it for Stan and myself too. The next dinner was meatloaf with mashed potato and carrots. I made a 3lb one for them and a 1 lb for us. That made at least 3 meals for the 4 of them and 3 for us . It really adds up too. LOL. I always try to make enough for 2 meals and at least 1 lunch for them, DGD1 eats small, but DGD3 is a meat eater. If we make brats, she will eat a whole one, and still look for more! 2 hotdogs, whole sandwich etc, plus the sides, she lives carrots, potatoes, broccoli, green beans, etc. She's 16 months now, and constantly on the move, so she is actually smaller than DGD1 at her age. LOL, she's only in 18 month clothes, her sis was in sz 3 at that age. . But love having them here. Also love them going home! LOL.

Rains gave been crazy here. And we've had so many rainbows, I have to believe its Someone up there telling us to have HOPE! HUGS to all, and much love!

MinusTwo

Moon - great to see you.

Dinner was cleaning the fridge. 1/2 a bag of salad mix, leftover sauteed asparagus, leftover petite potatoes cut in half, half a cucumber, an avocado - forgot what else but it was HUGE. I may never eat again.

Tomorrow will be day #90 of my brisk 3-1/2 to 4 mile walks. I only missed two days (and I didn't count them) - one for a dentist appointment and one for a thunderstorm. I'll walk in the rain but not lightening. Count down to 100 days coming up - 350 to 400 miles. That's San Francisco to Los Angeles, but the scenery was no where comparable. Almost double the distance from Boston to NYC. Woo Hoo.

ChiSandy

All the wiring in the garage is in sealed metal conduit (piping). Any possible "daylight" I can see through the eaves is nowhere near any of the conduit, fixtures nor outlets. The interior walls are bare oriented-strand-board, with vinyl siding on the outside, so what we see is what we get--nothing hidden. (Did I forget to mention this is a fully-detached garage, at the opposite end of the lawn from the house)? Anyway, after consulting with our own Eric, I thought to look at what things that circuit feeds, and discovered that the motion-sensor coach lamp high up on the exterior by the side appeared to be missing a pane of glass from its housing--so I pointed it out to the electrician (after he confirmed that the new conduit is bone-dry and waterproof). I told him I'm pretty sure that water had gotten into the lamp and was the culprit. He looked and discovered that the pane had been moved aside by the last person to have changed the bulb (which apparently was easier than getting up on a ladder and taking off the top cover). He noted there was greenish discoloration on the ceramic socket--likely algae, which confirmed water had gotten in during downpours and high winds. So he wiped it dry, and properly reassembled the lamp housing. Hopefully, that was the problem--though the mounting still appears a bit wobbly, perhaps letting water into the garage (though I haven't seen any). if the problem recurs, we'll get a new lamp which he will securely (and water-tightly) install. Meanwhile, the main motion-sensing light on the lintel itself is a stick-up solar-powered one, so if need be we can do without the coach lamp.

Bob got home a bit earlier than expected--it was a busy weekend at the hospitals, but only one COVID patient--and a "remote consult" via computer & phone from a different floor, at that. (Still made him change his clothes & shoes when he got home though). Ordered out from Cellars--crab cake and field greens for me, salmon Caesar for him; and we ate together out on our own deck. Lovely dry evening, in the mid-70s. Then after dark, the firecrackers started up again. Ugh.

He had breakfast (eggs Benedict) in the hotel's restaurant this morning, which was open with masks & social distancing. He feels that eating indoors at Cellars would be okay if it were only at 25% capacity with few tables. (Their guitarist will be back Tues. night, Bob gets home early, but the weather will suck, making patio dining untenable. We would likely have to tip the guitarist via Venmo or Zelle, rather than have him handle cash).

carolehalston

Moon, you are a good mother/grandmother doing all that cooking.

We are dealing with heat and humidity and having to resort to turning on the a/c. DH cooked a small pork steak on the grill last night. We shared it. The sides were a tossed salad and cauliflower mash.

Tonight may be store-made brats. DH has requested the ones made with cheddar cheese. The cheese prevents dryness.

One dinner we had recently featured lamb chops I bought from a farmer/rancher at our farmers market. The chops were thinner than the loin chops I like to buy when I can find/afford them but they were very tasty.

This Saturday our setup was across from a young Amish couple with a tiny baby. I bought a loaf of wheat bread from them, a small bag of doughnuts, and a bag of home-made egg noodles. The doughnuts were delicious and I'm enjoying the bread. Their prices were low and they made a lot of sales. I resisted buying a pie but other people carried them off. I'm buying my eggs from a man who has large brown eggs for $3 a dozen.

SpecialK

Dinner last night was beef and bean tostadas and corn. Not sure what tonight will entail, but maybe chicken..

auntie - how is the moving going?

It is hot and humid here, no surprise, but we have entered the phase of main dish salads for dinner - too hot to eat a traditional dinner.

Speaking of chicken and eggs - DD's chickens have started to lay eggs! There have been six so far, but they are very small. Her chickens are all different kinds so the eggs should look different depending on who laid them. We know for sure that one is laying, which is interesting because she is not the oldest. DD got these chickens when they were tiny babies - she was so excited by the first egg that she called me screaming on the phone, at first I thought she was having some kind of emergency, lol! Nope, just eggs..

eric95us

Sharon and I are (slowly) getting back into the normal routine....although DD is hoping we'll put the normal routine off for awhile longer to help her finish off her move from one apartment (essentially a privately owned college dorm) to a new (more family oriented) apartment, as well as help clean the old place where she lived for 3 years.

Hopefully the water getting into the light fixture was the cause of the problem.

It's been hot here, but today and tomorrow will be "delightfully" (for us, anyway) cool, with temperatures in the low 100F/40C range. After that, it heats up again.

Last night we were kind of lazy and used jarred marinara sauce with a lot of bell peppers, mushrooms, garlic, basil, a couple of Serrano peppers, and some oregano added to it. This went onto some spaghetti

Three more eggplant fruit (I guess it's a fruit) are ready to be picked and it seems like I'm swimming in Serrano peppers. Sliced, peppers packed in vinegar and boiling water canned is on the list of things to do. I think we are going to go over to help DD finish up the apartment cleaning, so the eggplant experiments will have to wait until tomorrow.

MinusTwo

Eric - do you really have a choice about helping the move/cleaning? I quit helping with the actual furniture moving and bathroom scrubbing for my son by the time he was 30. But I'd still probably get talked into something like shelf-paper.

Seconding the call - Nance, is your move going OK?

Dinner 1/2 a cup of radishes, 1/2 a cup of wheat thins, 3/4 of a cup of Jarlsberg cheese 'sticks'.

ChiSandy

Picked my first black raspberries of the season, about 1/2 cup (left enough ripe ones on the canes for Bob to nibble on his way to & from the garage). Not a bumper crop in the offing this summer, but at least a quart. The last of the farm-fresh strawberries are about to be finished, more than a week after I bought them. Nary a moldy one in the bunch (unlike supermarket berries). Alas, my grapevines did not hold up well over the winter (but nobody in our house likes Concords anyway).

Dinner tonight was fridge-foraging: insalata Caprese and a choucroute garnie (seasoned with a slice of bacon, caraway seeds, juniper berries & a splash of white wine) with grass-fed beef hot dogs and organic chicken bratwurst.

CeliaC

Dinner tonight was take away from Bonefish Grill (nothing but chains here) to celebrate 30th anniversary. Broke out the Wedgewood, Waterford & candles to set a pretty table. Crab cakes w/remoulade sauce for the appetizer. Warm, crusty bread w/butter, caesar salad (ho, hum but was nice & fresh), grilled shrimp with lime/tomato/garlic sauce, brocolli w/herbs and chocolate chip cookies. Everything but the crab cakes was part of a family bundle. It all tasted good to me. This is the first meal since early March that we did not cook. Plenty of leftover shrimp & broccoli & 1 loaf of the crusty bread for tomorrow. DH will polish off the salad. Will work my way through the 6 chocolate chip cookies as slowly as possible.