So...whats for dinner?

carolehalston

Another slow cooker main dish last night. Chicken thighs, canned tomatoes, chili powder, cooked brown rice from the freezer. Side was a tossed salad dressed with white balsamic and mayo, one of my favorite dressings.

This slow cooker was a freebie from Winn Dixie some years back, purchased with "points" earned from shopping at the store. It's a mid size and has sat unused until this summer.

Tonight will be one of the two remaining ribeye steaks in the freezer. I'm doing a good job using up the freezer contents.

MinusTwo

Carole - saw on another thread that your temperatures are in the 40s. Brrrrr. When do you head back? People here are still picking up tree limbs from he storm. Hope you don't find any surprises.

eric95us

40F!!!! It's been in the 40s here in Phoenix...but it's 40C/104F. :-)

Sharon is up in Flagstaff (in the cool weather) at a bluegrass band competition and I'm taking care of MIL with the daily process with her PICC. It doesn't seem like it changed from long ago.

MIL is definitely getting better/stronger and a lot of things that I noticed are going away, the biggest two being her ankles reappearing from under all the swelling and her recently VERY high blood pressure readings returning to normal.

Her cat is over here as well and he's adjusting very well. He's now giving the dogs "the cat attitude" instead of hiding under the bed and he's also turned into a "I want your lap" cat. :-)

Dinners have been simple. Bean, corn, squash, salsa enchiladas; salads; quinoa-onion-kale, lemon juice salad; potato salad; "regular" salads; vege burgers; air fried French Fries and also hot dogs. I've also made some sourdough and made that into sourdough garlic bread.

Lacey12

Special, I made the citrus dressing you posted (microwaved one) this week, and we’ve enjoyed it in place of my regular horseradish vinaigrette. I might use some honey instead of white sugar next time I make it. Thanks for the recipe. I’m impressed with your travel planning, especially with my reduced executive functioning these days. Hopefully that’s temporary until concussion heals fully. I hope you have a wonderful trip!
And Mae, I hope your trip to the cabin goes smoothly. Your Hungry Root meals look interesting…and nicely fir your color requirements!

I have been less enthused about creating meals since returning home, so any leftovers are a welcome sight in the fridge. If DH didn’t make regular trips to the grocery store, I’d be happy to sub oatmeal for some dinners, but he looks forward to a real meal, and we limit take out options. He picked up some frozen sea scallops and shrimp which I remembered to place in refrigerator last night to thaw. So tonight I’ll find a stir fry recipe for those which will likely include veggies (onion, zucchini, yellow squash, and orange pepper), which I’ll serve over multi-colored quinoa. And of course, a salad side.

Eric, so good to hear of your MIL’s progress. Yay for visible ankles and normal BP! She is so fortunate to have you and Sharon supporting her rehab.

I have never been aware of Hare Krishna buffets. If we were to have one here it might be in Cambridge, tho with space in our metro area being so ridiculously expensive, a more rural location well west of the city would be more likely. Will have to research that. The docvegans would love to go there next time they visit if I find one.

Pretty, cool, day here, so we will probably walk to the farmers’ market for some produce and the favorite bread DH has discovered there.

I’m intrigued by the protein powder recommendations. I’ve never used any, but feel like perhaps I should add some to my kale smoothies…anything to support my healing brain. I would also like to steer as clearly away from soy as possible.

carolehalston

DH was happy with last night's meat--breaded small pork steaks cooked in skillet in small amount of grapeseed oil. I enjoyed mine, too. Side was a large salad of tomato, cucumber and avocado. The breading was Italian panko.

Minus, we plan to head south at the end of this month.

ChiSandy

Eric, glad to hear your MIL is on the mend and her edema is diminishing. I remember that at home (released from rehab) after each of my knee replacement surgeries that I knew when to elevate: when my flip-flop sandals began to get tight and my toes looked like oversized jelly beans (or mini-Vienna sausages); and that I was okay to resume being "vertical" when I saw my toes literally begin to slenderize and lengthen!

Fri. night I had leftover prime rib, broccoli, and a small tomato on arugula. Sat. aft. for brunch, Bob walked to Beard & Belly and brought back veggie quiche & salad for me (and ate a chicken hand pie & salad there). Sat. night we grilled cheeseburgers with all the veggie trimmings (Bob's was on a brioche bun & mine was on a keto bun). He also had corn on the cob and I had leftover salad & extra tomato.

Yesterday, no time for breakfast--we had to leave early to take the Red Line train and then walk 2 miles to Soldier Field for the Bears home opener (we spent a fortune, but we figured it was less than what we would have spent on five meals had Cellars not closed--and likely the only Bears game we'd attend this season, since weather is so unpredictable and Bob isn't always off-duty on a game day. That's why he sold back his season seat license, for twice as much as he paid). When we got to our seats (50-yd-line!) at the upper Club level, they were so high & steep we were afraid to go into the Club till halftime--we'd have lost our balance bringing stuff back up to our seats. We got down into the club, but the concession lines were insane--and the food line didn't move at all. The only food they had was hot dogs, Italian beef & sausage, pretzels, and make-your-own vanilla self-serve sundaes. We should have taken the escalator down to the second level, but I doubt they'd have had any more of a selection or shorter lines. The pre-pandemic days of brunch buffets and prime rib sandwiches are all in the past.

So we subsisted on beer till, while walking back after the game, we were sustained by the thought of tapas or paella at Mercat a la Planxa--but when we got there, found it's closed on Sun, & Mon. We walked further north to Russian Tea Time, recently reopened after renovation. By then we were famished, and I had plenty of grams of carbs to "play with." We started with Ukranian borscht (thinner broth, more shredded onion & beet, and potato & beef chunks than the Russian version) with sour cream. Then we shared their seafood plate: salmon roe with crepes, buttered herbed boiled potatoes, lox, smoked whitefish & mackerel, pickled herring, egg salad, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions & capers and more sour cream. We took home half the spuds, lox, herring and mackerel, plus the bread service (pumpernickel) we'd paid for. Bob snacked on the bread & spuds last night. I had a sugar-free chocolate pudding and some Enlightened keto butter pecan ice cream before falling asleep--due to exhaustion and little sleep the night before, I slept 10 hrs!

I discovered (thanks, America's Test Kitchen) that if you put a hard-frozen pint of ice cream (real or keto) into the fridge for 2-30 min., it'll soften evenly and well enough to scoop easily. So that's why I gave Enlightened & Halo Top another shot.

This afternoon, for lunch, I had lox & cream cheese on low-carb high-fiber whole grain, with lettuce, tomato, onion, cucumber and capers. Tonight might have the herring--or if Bob gets home early enough, we'll grill Beyond burgers (still frozen on Sat., and not recommended to nuke-defrost, which was why we grilled grass-fed beef ones instead). Not supposed to rain again till the wee hours (and it's forecast to possibly be intense--better bring a litter box or two upstairs just in case we get sewer back-up again).

carolehalston

We put the carton of ice cream in the microwave and heat for a few seconds.

Last night's dinner was a large taco salad. Today I plan to cook red beans in the slow cooker.

MinusTwo

Yesterday's lunch was a large bowl of Cheerios & bananas. Dinner was a large slice of lemon pudding cake. Today I ate cottage with pineapple tidbits after my walk. Only 4 miles today.

I'm about to make guacamole with two avocados I hoarded in the fridge, before removing to nurture through the ripening process. I think I'll also boil some eggs for egg salad tomorrow. My meal today will be hot dogs. Got to eat those buns before they mold. And anyway - I want to live dangerously & take another 3-1/2 years off my life (for each dog).

Eric - sounds like your MIL is at your place after all? Glad you have the expertise to deal with the PICC line. Does Sharon play (fiddle or banjo or...) or just sing? Good thing the cat's adjusting.

Lacey - are you in PT? Have they given you a time estimate on the concussion healing?

Nance - everything OK?

eric95us

We convinced her (MIL) to stay with us for awhile.

MIL got "beat up" some more today. We took her to see the oral surgeon to check on the integrity of the teeth that were causing the problems.

The oral surgeon spent about 30 minutes looking at her and the various X-rays and another 30 minutes reading the hospital paperwork we brought with us. Then he said it would be good to get the teeth out as soon as possible because the X-rays showed they were still abscessed, he could move the teeth 1/4 inch in her gums and would they certainly cause future infections. As soon as possible was "right then and there".

So, three teeth are gone.

So, she's on "easy foods" for awhile. I have my great-great grandmother's cookbook and in it are a bunch of pudding recipes. Google Translate doesn't do well with mid 19th century German, so the 1900 vintage German-English dictionary that I keep with the cookbook will be useful. :-)

Sharon plays banjo and guitar and also sings.

Moonflwr912

Hey All! Cant believe its been months since I popped in here. I hope you are all well and going strong.

Everything is fine here, but freaking busy. Just wanted to say hi!

MinusTwo

MOON!!!!! So great to see you. Glad everything is fine. When you get a chance, give us an update on all your excitement.

carolehalston

Hi, Moon. Good to "see" you!

Last night's slow cooker red beans were delicious. The brown rice was not up to par. Side salad was good. Enough leftovers for another meal.

Tonight's dinner will be lamb burgers and cauliflower mash.

MinusTwo

Does anybody cook black rice? I never have and recently read it was most healthy rice to eat - wild rice being second & brown rice third. I love wild rice. Brown rice - not so much.

M0mmyof3

Tonight is BLTs and fries. Had a busy morning and I don’t feel like I want to stand over a hot stove today.

eric95us

Hi Moon! :-)

M0mmyof3

Tonight was a veggie beef soup with grilled cheese sandwiches.

MinusTwo

Sounds good MOmmy. It might be almost cooling down enough here for me to pretend it's fall & make soup.

Today was an egg salad sandwich on some delicious,fresh Pane Toscano bread. And I absolutely HAD to eat the last slice of lemon pudding cake because tomorrow's garbage day. It broke my heart to throw away an English Cucumber ($1.79) that got lost in the back of the fridge last week. Not just the money, but I love those cukes. And I will have to do something with mushrooms tomorrow.

I did find some black rice at the grocery store. Still haven't heard back if any of you have tried it??? It's supposed to be even better for you than brown rice. Also found 1.5 pound packages of turkey tenderloin - buy one get one free. They're Jenny O 'cook in the bag'. You bet I snapped up that $8.00 savings. I've never cooked a turkey tenderloin. Anyone??? One will be 3 or more meals for me and I'll pop the other in the freezer for Thanksgiving.

carolehalston

Last night was Mexican at a restaurant in town. Seven of us went together after happy hour. I had a large Gold margarita and nachos supreme. There was too much food on my plate and I ate it all and felt too full.

We now have a departure date. Next Sunday, Oct 3.

ChiSandy

Hi, Monica! How are things up north of Milwaukee? Every time I hear "Port Washington, WI" (and in the past, drove by it during my touring-folkie days), i think of the old Suzanne Somers sitcom Step by Step, whose opening theme song montage featured your amusement park.

Have had a gastronomically-unexciting week. No dinners out. Grilled burgers Mon. night, leftover smoked fish & salads on Tues., Bob brought home wings (sauce on the side) and a huge spinach salad Wed., and had Beyond Burgers on Natural Ovens keto buns last night & tonight--plus more of the spinach salad. The restaurant from which Bob gets the wings & salad throws in off-brand packets of salad dressings that have high-fructose corn syrup, so I make my own vinaigrettes. With spinach salad, I like walnut/sherry vinaigrette, but the little bottle of toasted walnut oil I had went rancid. (Walnut oil is notorious for that). I also had only the barest dregs of a bottle of sherry vinegar. So yesterday I got another bottle of sherry vinegar (from California) and today, as part of a shopping trip to get new gym shoes, went to Vom Fass (German for "from the tap") for the smallest quantity of walnut oil they could sell me. 1 part sherry vinegar, 2 parts walnut oil, and a pinch of kosher salt, vigorously shaken--no sweetener or emulsifier needed.

The Beyond Burgers, when fully-loaded (cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion and sugar-free BBQ sauce), have the same taste & texture as beef burgers. The Natural Ovens keto buns have 1 gm net carb each and are a perfectly acceptable burger delivery-device (though not as satisfying as a brioche or pretzel bun. I served Bob his burgers on brioche).

Tomorrow night is a hospital staff dinner-dance at the Morton Arboretum. The cocktail hour will be in the tent, and the dinner itself indoors in the "learning center." Although everyone had to show proof of full vaccination to get a ticket, I'm still wearing a mask into the indoor venue, removing it to eat & drink. I looked in vain to find a bling-y one available for in-person purchase, so I glued crystals & fake seed pearls to a plain 3-ply black cloth one. I don't know whether Bob put us down for gray beef or overcooked fish. Stay tuned.

MinusTwo

Missed breakfast, so I'm going to 'break-fast' at 2pm with sushi.

Hoping for tips on cooking turkey tenderloin - anyone?

WC3

I have no idea whar's for dinner. I haven't had much of an apetite these past few days but if I don't eat before bed I will wake up hungry at 3am and have difficulty getting back to sleep.

ChiSandy

Breakfast was a fried "heritage breed hen" egg and a slice of buttered low-carb high-fiber toast and the last of my Dark Matter "A Love Supreme" blend coffee. My Anticonquista Guatemala Caterra coffee beans arrived Thursday (roasted Monday), so I'll brew some tomorrow. (The heritage eggs--Happy Egg Co.--have blue and striated brown shells. First dozen I bought had the almost-red yolks reminiscent of eggs I've had in Europe, but lately they've been the same amber color as the two-bucks-cheaper Vital Farms eggs. Both brands' hens are pasture-raised, sleeping indoors on open perches in barns st night).

Tonight was the OSF Little Co. of Mary Physicians' Dinner-Dance (first one since Nov. 2019) at the Morton Arboretum in the western suburb of Lisle. Very sparsely attended--mostly Gen-X and millennial docs. I guess the older docs (our age) have gotten used after all this time to not socializing. Also, most of the staff live in the 'burbs (primarily SW) and prefer iconic city landmarks like the museum campus along the lake shore, so were loath to "step out" in familiar surroundings in the suburbs. We may have been the oldest ones there. Drinks & pass-arounds were out on the lawn and in the vented tent--which was also where dinner was served. Bob & I had an entire table for 8 to ourselves.

Pass-around hors d'oeuvres were mini-crabcakes with avocado mousse, Caprese skewers, BLT-on-rye bites, sesame beef brochettes, bourbon BBQ meatballs, dates & blue cheese on Raincoast Crisps, shrimp & grits (fried rounds like polenta), and arancini (fried risotto balls--first time I've had them since we were in Sicily in late 2015). Servers were begging us to take as many as we wanted. Rolls in the breadbasket were too "meh" to be "carb-worthy." Salad was mesclun wrapped in cucumber "ribbons" with Green Goddess dressing, "craisins," walnuts, & chêvre. The main course was surf & turf: filet mignon and salmon, with green beans & wild rice. Dessert was a plain but excellent cheesecake on blackberry coulis. We were so full that we took our steaks home.

Because everything was basically outdoors, I only wore my mask to go to the restroom. All that time yesterday applying bling, for naught. (At least my size small little black dress fit perfectly, as did an evening bolero--albeit size large--over it. Such are the vagaries of different designers--the dress is an American-made Eileen Fisher from Bloomingdale's--full price, the jacket a French designer label made in China--thirty bucks at Fox's Discount).

ChiSandy

Well, I spoke too soon about how pleasant last night's dinner-dance was. As we sat outside during cocktail hour, I found myself idly scratching my left calf because I felt a mild itch. Chalked it up to sensitivity to the dye in the black stockings (which I wore because for the first time in a couple of years I didn't have to wear palazzos as formal-wear: I could fit into a dress, didn't want to go barelegged and show all my orthopedic surgery scars and razor-nicks, and was able to wear thigh-highs instead of pantyhose). But this morning, my leg itched more than ever--and I discovered my calf was basically a mosquito buffet! I actually had to take a Benadryl (besides use the cream) just to avoid spontaneous itching. (Doubled up on coffee to keep the "drowsies" at bay, since I need to grocery-shop again today).

Made French-style soft-scrambled eggs (Gordon Ramsey's recipe, whisking in a de facto double boiler, a nonstick pan over simmering water) this noon--added white truffle oil, fresh chives & flatleaf parsley.

Tonight, reheated leftover steak with tomatoes and broccolini.

Reader425

Minus I am not a great meat-cooker so I'll also await the outcome of your Turkey tenderloin recipe hunt.

Sandy your event had some nice sounding appetizers. Just sorry your leg ended up on the "menu."

My dinner was a mishmash, with DH away. Chicken salad, macaroni salad, and a brioche roll. Too carby but tasted good. I started with making a hamburger only to decide there was "something" off with the meat. So I went to plan B. Disappointing, since I purchased it in the afternoon at a usually reliable local shop.

MinusTwo

Reader - thanks. I might eat chicken or fish once every week or 10 days - but otherwise a steak or pork loin only once a month. I LOVE mishmash. Tonight I had broccoli salad, watermelon, leftover guacamole with wheat thins, and strawberries dipped in sour cream & then brown sugar.

Edited to say, I should fess up. Later I also had a bowl of popcorn dripping in butter. And since I missed the cocktail hour or the wine interlude, I had a very large 'shot' glass of Tia Maria.

eric95us

Last night, MIL shooed us out of our own home, so Sharon and I went to Payson for their 51st annual Fiddle and Acoustic Music Celebration. Sharon was in the band competition and the band she was in came in fourth place. Sharon plays banjo and sings.

I was quite pleased to see lots of young folks (age 5 to college age) that were playing music there.

Dinner was soup and some sort of cheese puff things that, in a Halloween vein, were all shaped like various bones.

carolehalston

Last night I put the thawed chicken breast in the refrigerator and called in an order to nearby Clancy's restaurant for dark meat broasted chicken. Side was a large tossed salad.

Beaverntx

Turkey tenderloin recipe from parade.com:

In large zip lock bag, combine 1/4 cup apple juice, 1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce, 1/4 cup canola oil, 2 Tbsp lemon juice,2 Tbsp dried minced onion, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 1/4 tsp ground ginger, 1 dash each garlic powder and pepper. Add 2 (1/2 lb.) turkey tenderloins. Seal, turn to coat and refrigerate at least two hours.

Drain and discard marinade. Grill turkey, covered, over medium heat, 8 to 10 minutes per side or until meat thermometer inserted in thickest part reads 170 degrees F. Serves 4.

I had tenderloins larger than the recipe calls for, had enough marinade. Grilled in grill pan on stovetop. Will likely make again. Made good leftovers.

M0mmyof3

Beef roast, carrots, potatoes and onions in the Crock-Pot for tonigh

Reader425

Beaver I plan to try the tenderloin recipe. Thank you for sharing it.

Mommy I love my crockpot. Your recipe sounds simple and delicious.