So...whats for dinner?

ChiSandy

Bob made it home in time for dinner, so we ordered delivery--this time from Pearl's Southern Comfort. Smoked chicken gumbo, New Orleans BBQ shrimp, collard greens, slaw, and KC-style spareribs. I had 1/2 c. of the gumbo (made with roux, of course, which is something of a no-no for me) and Bob had the rest (about 12 oz). The ribs were quite meaty--only needed a couple of them, what with the soup, shrimp & veggies,

carolehalston

No, Minus, no salt in the water.

MinusTwo

Dinner ended up being my only meal today. I HATE it when I wake up at 2am and can't go back to sleep. Read until 7am then slept until 9am. I made sure I left the house to run 4 or 5 errands once I got up so I wouldn't nap and walked from 4:39pm to 6:30pm for the same reason. So dinner was a large spinach salad and two pieces of toasted french bread. Talked to my BFF for 45 minutes. Hopefully now I will head to bed and CRASH at 9:30pm.

WC3

I had some chicken broth left over from chicken noodle soup so I used it to make some rice and tossed in some corn and steamed zucchini and broccoli. It was regrettable.

Reader425

Minus sweet dreams!

Dinner was a 3 lb. Butterball Turkey breast I got a while ago on sale. I wanted to try it in the crockpot and it was moist and good. That and stovetop stuffing (don't judge) and mixed frozen vegetables was dinner.

Beaverntx

Reader, no judgement from me on stovetop stuffing. I'm avoiding gluten and a box of stovetop works for DH. May make some gluten free bread to use in stuffing this year and see how that works. Enjoy your turkey and stuffing!

ChiSandy

Bob ate dinner at the office so he could make it home in time to watch the (disastrous) Bears game. Everything else on TV tonight was depressing too, but I won't get into that on this thread. So I had "eclectic leftovers:" pansit noodles with chicken & a few shrimp, palak paneer, coleslaw, and collard greens. Dessert was keto butter pecan ice cream. (Brunch was a small low-carb BLT with homegrown tomato--the last of my slicers, as all the rest are cherry tomatoes).

MinusTwo

Reader & Beaver - I'm a Stovetop Stuffing fan all year long - until I actually stuff a turkey at the holidays. When I want to go upscale, I use a bag of Pepperidge Farm Herb dressing and add onions, celery, sage, etc.

illimae

Minus, I use the cubes too in addition to other breads and my moms Hungarian style (add paprika) stuffing recipe. Can't wait for it and my after thanksgiving sandwiches of mashed potatoes, gravy, turkey, stuffing and green bean casserole on toasted white bread 😋

MinusTwo

Oh good Mae, I'm not the only person who puts stuffing (dressing) on my turkey sandwiches. Leftovers are the best part. How are you feeling? Less nausea? When do you get the results of the latest MRI?

illimae

Brain MRI is mostly stable/decreased, however, there is a spot in the brain fluid. It is suspicious for lepto/central nervous system disease, which has a terrible prognosis (weeks to months) but I’ve had this scare 3 times now. It’s been ruled out previously but I’ve come to accept that it’s likely in my future. For now, I feel normal, Xeloda is hard but I think I’ve got the right meds now to ease SE’s, we’ll see.

Heading to the cabin later this week but returning in December for scans. Dinners will likely be easy meals as we have no oven or plumbing yet.

auntienance

Wishing the very best for you lllimae

auntienance

No apologies for boxed stuffing here. It’s my least favorite part of thanksgiving dinner but dh is crazy for it. Although I like Walmart’s store brand cornbread stuffing way better than the name brand. I do make it from scratch for thanksgiving if there are more than just the two of us but any other time it’s out of the box.

Tonight is reverse seared pork chops and scalloped potatoes plus green peas for color. Last night was Stellar Swiss Steak with mashed potatoes. I accidentally left the burner on under the leftover mashed potatoes while we were eating (I hate electric stoves) and was left with a challenging mess in my stainless pan. After an overnight soak and an intense bout with a scouring pad, I emerged victorious.

M0mmyof3

I always do the stuffing out of the box for Thanksgiving whether it’s just me and the hubby or having family over. That’s the way my mom did it and that’s what she taught me.

Dinner tonight is steak, salad and baked potatoes

Betrayal

Nancy: You can remove char from a scorched pan by using a liberal amount of table salt in water and boiling until it loosens. May take more than one application but no soaking or scrubbing necessary.

Love Stove top stuffing but will use Pepperidge farm bread cubes for turkey stuffing adding butter, celery, onions, sage, etc.

Beaverntx

Dinner tonight will be a pot of chili. It is in the 40s here(in the 80s 2 days ago) and very windy so time for comfort food. DH says that includes cornbread to go with.

Lacey12

Illimae, I’m glad for you that you are getting off to your cabin and admiring your hardiness living there “camp style“. I hope, as you are thinking, that you have a good combo of meds to mitigate any Xeloda side effects.

Weighing in on the stuffing discussion, I used to use the boxed brands many years ago for stuffing with basic pork chop or turkey breast dinners, but for T-giv stuffing I use the Pepperidge Farm brand. I have never been so motivated as to replicate the from scratch stuffing my mother always made. And ever since I did Weight Watchers in the early 2000s, and realized how many calories I was consuming with stuffing, I have basically abandoned it from my plate. My high metabolized DH eats it liberally, so I make it for him and guests. I have not a clue about what T-giv will look like this crazy year.....

This week, DH contacted the dental practice to re-check the process and price of his upcoming major dental work.....and it resulted in his going today (!) to start the process. So tonight we had our turkey/kale meatballs (so light and delicious)with angel hair pasta, and I figured peas, tho an odd accompaniment, were a green enough “side”. I was busy all afternoon, and was tired, so I didn’t even bother to make myself a crunchy salad. If DH liked oatmeal, I would literally try to pass iff as a dinner on one of these soft food nights!

Tonight DS2 face-timed with us right before the toddler terror’s bed time, and as she was tearing around, I asked him what she was going to be for Halloween. Last year she was a cute little pineapple. Well, I almost dropped when he said she was going to be a BAT!!! What?!?! Backstory....Right after they moved in, they had a bat flying around inside their new suburban house, and I think they are still working through that experience! LOL Not sure where you get a BAT costume for a baby.

Carole, I do have some cute pix from when she was here last week.

#1 listening to advice from Dr. Fauci and hopeful for some hair growth ideas
#2 “Easy Rider”, 16 month version

We look forward to seeing her and mom and dad this weekend since DS2’s birthday is Halloween!

jhl

Lacey - what a beautiful baby!

Tonight was oven fried chicken, garlic-herb rice pilaf & steamed sweet peas. We had a gingerbread cookie for dessert. The temperature has dropped below 75 degrees here in N CA & no smoke. I feel sad for sisters in S CA & CO.

ChiSandy

_{Lacey, what a cutie! My vote for her costume is "Batgirl:" never too young to be a super-heroine,}

_{Ilona, fingers crossed the spot isn't lepto. You've had false alarms before--hope this is yet another one. Enjoy the cabin, despite "roughing it." It's great to have a getaway option.}

WC3

I can't eat Stove Top stuffing. It gives me severe acid reflux, but I love the Mrs. Cubbison's Cornbread Stuffing.

Dinner was macaroni and cheese, broccoli, chicken, strawberries, half a chocolate croissant and two chocolate chip salted carmel cookies. I had to make up for the abomination I had last night.

ChiSandy

Stuffing (dressing), homemade cranberry sauce & relish, and my BFF's mom's "green slime" marshmallow-lime-fruit-walnut salad recipe are my T'day guilty pleasures. I make my dressing (or did, when I was eating carbs) with Pepperidge Farm bread cubes (or leftover sourdough), wild rice, shallots, rosemary, thyme, dried apricots, sausage & pecans. Sad that we will be doing Thanksgiving with just the two of us--simply not safe having friends nor even our son & his girlfriend over except perhaps shivering outside on the deck, masked & distanced. The city just banned indoor bar service & restaurant dining, starting this Friday and for at least 2 weeks until positivity-rate and hospital/ICU/ventilator-availability metrics approve.

WC3

ChiSandy:

Sounds like a good meal! My family tends to turn Thanksgiving in to a comical fiasco so this year, regardless of family, I was also going to make my own little Thanksgiving meal and eat it in peace.

auntienance

Oh Lacey, what a cutie!

Carole, I’m sorry you all are facing yet another storm. 2020 can’t end soon enough.

carolehalston

The salt content in Stovetop is eye popping. Even the reduced sodium, which isn't easy to find, is very high. Otherwise I could easily include it in meals. Dressing is my favorite Thanksgiving dinner food. I was surprised to learn that others put it on sandwiches, too!

I'm afraid Thanksgiving will be very gloomy for dh. It's his favorite holiday and he loves joining a big gathering of his family to celebrate. His sister was a great Thanksgiving hostess, but her decline in health made it necessary for her daughter to take on the hostess role. The daughter and a nephew began taking turns. But, sadly, dh's sister died earlier this year and now Covid. There has been no mention of a family gathering and I would not attend. It would be great to see all the nieces and nephews and their families but I wouldn't feel safe and wouldn't relax and enjoy myself.

Small turkeys will probably be in great demand this year. I've seen articles about the fears of turkey growers, that they've raised too many large turkeys.

Last night was mainly leftovers. DH ate at his computer as he attended a Zoom woodworkers meeting.

Zeta is supposed to hit about noon and bring high winds. People have been advised to pick up their outdoor Halloween decorations. I have a cloth scarecrow hanging beside the front door. I guess I should bring him in. We have storm shutters on all the windows and will roll them down. It will turn the house into a dark cave. I haven't ridden out a hurricane in years.

Lacey12

Sandy, I like the idea of BatGirl!

Carole, I do hope you remain safe from Zeta. It sounds like you are well prepared with your storm shutters, despite the darkness. Yes, this year’s Thanksgiving will certainly present further loss for so many, and is particularly laden with that for your DH. I hope you can together share some wonderful memories of T-givings past. For sure this holiday season is going to be challenging for so many people and require us to be creative to nurture ourselves in ways that we, and those close to us, need.

Had my yearly mammo yesterday, and just rec’d the results which were reported as good news. The bad news is that I’m not sure if I totally believe that since it’s the first time in 15 years that the radiologist didn’t ask for more pix to examine certain concerning dense areas more closely. (this year, patients were not allowed to wait for results and possible additional images due to hospital Covid safety policies, so additional imaging Is less easy) so I am wondering if the person reading it was a new doc, and may have missed what the docs who usually read my images always examine more closely. I will call my PC or MO to run through that worry to put it to rest. Ha!

Looks like Halloween is going to be a frigid one here. After some Zeta related snow on Friday, the forecast is 30’s temps for Sat trick or treat hours. :< I bought a few bags of candy yesterday for the trick or treaters and better make a plan for it lest we be tempted to consume the likely leftovers. Happy Halloween everyone!

Tonight will be more soft food of some sort. We are headed to Wegman’s to get supplies, so hope to get inspired with food visuals there.

ChiSandy

Carole, if you add black olives, ground black pepper, red chili flakes, a little red wine vinegar (not balsamic) and more onion to marinara, you get a reasonable facsimile of puttanesca. Take out the olives, vinegar and extra onion and double up on the red & black pepper and you have arrabbiata.

Cellars e-mailed me yesterday afternoon that a staffer (who worked only last Thurs., the night we went to their French bistro wine dinner) just had a positive test result, so the place is closed for a week until it's disinfected and all staffers get the all-clear. The staffer reported "mild" symptoms but nobody else had symptoms. We ate completely outdoors (not even in the tent) and kept our masks on when not actively eating & drinking; I went inside only once, to put in our pick-up wine order. I hope the guy who was doing those wasn't the staffer in question (our favorite waiter, he'd been out for a while with a broken leg), but he probably worked Wed. night's wine dinner too; and I had my mask on the whole time I was inside (and hand-sanitized before going back outside).

Bob got his negative test result this morning--but not in time for me to notify the allergy clinic, so yet another penicillin/cipro allergy-challenge postponement till next Wed... when I'll be a nervous wreck for another (and more obvious & universal) reason. Union Health is staying closed till next week.

Ilona, tucked away in my spice cabinet I just found a little sachet (in plastic, inside an embroidered red cloth sack) of hot paprika I bought in Budapest in 2012...probably tastes like sawdust by now. I do have fresher Penzey's sweet and half-sharp Hungarian paprikas, as well as smoked Spanish. (Tastes like a milder version of chipotle powder).

Brunch this a.m. was shakshuka (WF's 365 sauce, sliced Greek olives, feta crumbles, chopped parsley with a jumbo egg simmered on top). Not bad, but I think I like my own kludge version (2 parts Rao's marinara to 1 part Mina harissa, sprinkled with za'atar) better. Still spicy and delicious, though--and filling.

MinusTwo

Lacey - what a cutie. Thanks for sharing. Great news on the mammo. I see my MO next Monday for the first time in 18 months. Since he's a replacement for my beloved doc who retired, I never expect much of interest from him.

My good news is the biopsy from the side of my nose came back benign. It was on top of the scar from a previous MOHS surgery and my derm was worried it might be a recurrence or a new cancer. I've had my head in the sand for the last 10 days since there's no more skin to pull over & cover a new surgery, so this was a relief.

Carole - I never thought to look at the sodium content in Stove Top, although that's usually the first thing I check. Oh well, I only make it two or three times a year. Hope Zeta is a mild event.

Nance - any update on when you might be moving?

WC3 - it's cold here today and mac & cheese sounds delicious. May pull a box Stauffers from the freezer to go with my Hawaiian Roll turkey & ham sliders.

jhl - where are you in No Cal? My son recently moved back to San Rafael from SF. I was raised on the Peninsula.

M0mmyof3

Made Chicken Alfredo with pasta tonight. Made enough for another night, so one less night of cooking!

Well it looks like I might succeed in challenging myself to learn how to crochet for my upcoming birthday. Finally got the gist of how to do the easiest stitch. So I might just finish my first project, which is a cover for the top of my dresser, well before my birthday!

MinusTwo

Wow Mommy - what a great project. I have so many lovely things my Grandmother crocheted - but I never learned how. My DIL does needlepoint. I read. Well, everyone needs a hobby.

Tonight, I did in fact eat Staufer's mac & cheese after reading WC3's post. Desert will be two old fashioned chocolate cake doughnuts with a glass of red wine.

ChiSandy

Minus, congrats on the benign skin biopsy!

Bob will be late tonight, so I will haul scallops out of the freezer, saute the remaining broccolini, toss a few cherry tomatoes with olive oil and the remaining still-alive non-frostbitten basil, and give him the rest of the Ancient Grains mixture. I had shakshuka this a.m., along with my daily piece of low-carb toast.