So...whats for dinner?

Momine

Laurie, that eggplant sounds good. 

I have also grilled thinly sliced eggplant and zucchini, along with red peppers and then I layer the veggies as they come off the grill with balsamico and basil.  

Kaara

Tazzy:  Great news on the last chemo...good to have it behind you I know!!

Carrie:  Hope you are over the worst of your stomach virus

Carole & Laurie:  Enjoy those trips..sounds like a lot of fun!

debbie:  I have Baileys in my family too...my favorite aunt and cousins are Baileys...too funny.  So many coincidences.

Deb:  Hope your tata feels better...my little DGD calls her bottle her "tata", and boy you better have it ready when she wants it!

Yesterday we went out for our nine holes of golf and got caught in a huge storm.  My BF tried to wait it out (not my idea:() but we ended up having to go in and take a raincheck.  At least I got dinner out at the asian restaurant...very good!  I had mango ice cream for dessert...it just sounded too good to resist and it was!

Well...everyone have a happy Friday.  I guess I'm headed into Asheville today to check out an organic supermarket.  I've driven by there many times but have never stopped.  It's worth a look see.  Tonight we're going into town for the music event that they have every Friday.  Hope it doesn't rain. 

carberry

Laurie  I agree with Michelle...take cover...as you seem to be an electrical magnet....ha ha maybe thats how you attracted that darling husband?  Have a great trip and relax, that was the best part about camping, that the kids could always entertain themselves outside, usually made friends in the campsite and I could relax in the hammock and watch them play.

Thanks everyone...feeling better, but still have a nasty headache,  that was a whopper of a bug! Had my DH bring me some watermelon, thought it would be the easiest of foods going both ways.

I like the idea of putting the eggplant on the grill like that Laurie.

Carole  Happy travels

Tazzy  Yay for the finish line  {{{hugs}}}

LuvRVing

I started out surfing the net looking for information about Kate's handchurned butter - no hormones, all natural.  I loved French butter and was looking for something comparable and knew I wasn't goingt to find it in Land o'Lakes or the store brand that I usually find.  So I bought a small tub of Kate's and oh my, it's so good.  Went to their website, which led me to another website with Maine-made cheese and found this recipe, which I think looks really good.  And you vegetarians will appreciate it.  I'm sure any good quality cheddar will suffice.  I like that there's no white flour crusts in this recipe.

Recipe of the Month - Rice, Cheddar, & Spinach Pie

This rice, spinach and Cheddar pie is a cinch to prepare-especially if you have leftover cooked rice. If you don't, follow package directions for 4 servings to get about 3 cups cooked rice.

6 servings | Active Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (or freshly wilted?)
• 3 cups cooked instant or quick-cooking brown rice
• 1 cup diced Pineland Farms Sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 cup nonfat milk

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Generously coat a 9-inch pie pan with cooking spray.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and spinach; cook, stirring, 1 minute more. Transfer to a large bowl. Add rice, cheese, pepper and salt to the bowl and stir to combine.
3. Whisk eggs and milk in a medium bowl. Stir into the spinach-rice mixture. Transfer to the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
4. Bake the pie until lightly browned in spots, about 25 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting into wedges.

Nutrition

Per serving : 340 Calories; 18 g Fat; 6 g Sat; 8 g Mono; 144 mg Cholesterol; 30 g Carbohydrates; 14 g Protein; 3 g Fiber; 309 mg Sodium; 300 mg Potassium

Laurie08

Michelle- Great recipe!  It reminds me a bit of my cheese and rice thing I make.  I think I may try it:)  And OMG on the camping story!!!  Here I thought we would be safe in the camper....I'll have to scope the place out when we get there and look for where we can hide.  Or we might just have to go for a ride in the truck or something...

So I am all ready to go, everything is done and I am just sitting here waiting.  We have about an hour and a half until we leave.....it's like watching paint dry right now....

Lacey12

Laurie, I'm with you on the watching paint dry activity. Waiting for DH to get the lawn done so we can leave. Good luck in the storms. We get massive ones at the lake, so I hope we don't end up driving in any. At least they will bring the temp down a bit.



Congratulations, Tazzy! Be sure to do something special to celebrate.....:)

Laurie08

Lacey have a great time at the lake!  I hope your boat is ok.

debbie6122

Michelle- That camping story sounds very scarey. I was just watching something on the news the other night that people think they are safe because they have rubber tires in a tstorm, now saying not so. They said it can travel, and like you said  they said to go to a shelter if possible.

I'm deathly afraid of thunderstorms, they freak me out dont know why since i have not gone through anything like Laurie has. (knock wood) But then again everything freaks me out, tstorms, earthquakes and tornados.

Carrie-Glad your starting to feel better hope that headache goes away if not i would go see a dr. about it. Cute what you said about Laurie being a magnant and maybe thats how she got her husband. haha!

Kaara- Too funny, my favorite uncle was Ralph and ann bailey. Be wierd if you said the same thing,  Be careful out golfing during those tstorms too.

Oh and that Recipe looks delish Michelle, right up my dads alley since he is vegetarian i have to use egg whites for him though but pretty sure it would still be good.

Going out to dinner with 3 other couples tonight to listen to our friend Bret sing he is such a good entertainer, he is bald but puts on different wigs and gigs while he performs we just get a kick outta him.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Tazzy

Bloody hell..just lost my post and I had nearly finished... OK here we go again - darn it.

Hope the happy campers are not in any storms and have some nice weather.

debbie funny you say that about the thunderstorms - strange how some people are afraid of them for no reason.  I actually love a good storm.... saying that I only like them if I am at home or the safety of a brick built building.  Hope that you have a great evening out with friends.

So last chemo done and dusted... well it will be on Monday when I have the last of my neupogen shots.  Great feeling to have that under my belt... half way there and aready for the next chapter.

As aches are just starting to enter my body it will be a dinner pre-prepared from the freezer.  Cajun chicken sauce - DH will cook the pasta.  Garlic bread to go with and praline and caramel ice cream for dessert.

Michelle I will definitely try that recipe sounds really good and healthy too.

Have a great weekend all.

Lacey12

That was a scary lightening story. I'm very respectful of lightening and we do get some pretty nasty storms here around the lake and hills, so it can get really exciting. Nothing has happened since arrival. We did walk in to a graveyard of medium black ants throughout the house. I suggested to DH that we get some ant poison and he suggested to me that the traps we put down last LABOR DAY (!) obviously worked. I'm not convinced that these little buggers didn't just party themselves to death, or just live out their life span during the two months we were gone. They had not invaded the indoors yet when we were here in April. What's an ant's life span anyway?



Had mushroom/onion/roasted red pepper pizza tonight and my easy sweet and sour cuke salad. I drove the two hours here and was ridiculously exhausted since arriving....especially with the added burden of vacuuming up all the little ant carcasses.:).

So I started to make my favorite kale salad when DH ran out to get the pizza, and opted to go for the easy cuke salad with cucumbers I picked up at our town farmer's market.

I envy you with your CSA pick ups, Carole. I'd be cooking and creating up a storm with all those veggies. Hope your trip is going well.



And Laurie, hope your trip is so far uneventful!



Tazzy, hope you have duly celebrated, and are feeling "free".

Debbie, your singing friend sounds very entertaining. Have fun!

Enjoy a peaceful evening everyone.....

Lacey12

Tazzy, if it makes you feel in any way better, I had just finshed my complete post too, and EMAILED it (thinking I was posting it). So that post was also a complete redoo. Mercury must be in retrograde!

Tazzy

Thanks Lacey, does actually make me feel better - bloody annoying through eh?

Good point.. what is ants lifespan - something David Attenborough could answer I bet.

Happy weekends all.

deborye

WOW, can't leave this room for 1 day and I have to play catch up.  

I saw my BS today, offered her my condolences, she lost her Dad too.  Checked out my left one, still not completely healed but she said it looks a heck of a lot better, I just laughed.  She said it takes a long time.  Skin biopsy not necessary.  See you in 3 months. When I was in the hospital all the nurses on the shift wanted to look my saggy, red, hot, swollen tata. LOL.  Let me see, let me see, LOL. I should have taken a picture. 

bedo

Michelle, great recipe! I will definitely try it

Tazzy, doing the happy dance for you, you go!

Enjoy your dinner Debbie, and no dancing on the bar!!

Just a question, how long did it take you to get your energy back after radiation?  It's been 5 months and I still sleep 10 hours a night and need an alarm clock to get up and feel tired. I still have no energy after a 10 hour work day.  I was diagnosed with another condition which I have had since 17 and have always been a great napper, but didn't need this much sleep.  Do some people not get their energy back?  I read that at a reputable web site and it scares me.  Thank you.

PS Avocado halves filled with canned crab mixed with lemon juice and a little pepper and salt for dinner.  Trying to eat some shell fish for energy.  Don't really like fish, so gave it up again. Tried it after a million years 2 years ago after being vegetarian since 16 but I just don't like the taste.  May try to eat it once a week as recommended by doc.

LuvRVing

Well, I am a poor example of how long it takes to get your energy back...I don't think I ever took a nap during radiation and I didn't take one during chemo, either, except maybe once.  And I get by on about 7 hours of sleep.  But then, I also wasn't working and I think that makes a big difference.  When was the last time you had a CBC?  You got any red blood cells?  Because if you're anemic, you're going to feel the fatigue.  Try a prenatal vitamin - I swear that's what kept me going through chemo.  And you may need more protein, another thing that can be checked via labwork. 

Avocado with crab sounds particularly lovely for a hot summer night's dinner...gonna have to try that. 

Debbie - sounds like a fine night out, have loads of fun!  Drink lots of water!!!

Deb - sounds like you're BS thinks things are going OK, that's a good thing!  Don't you just love being the object of "show and tell"?

Lacey12

Deb, you should have charged per peep!



Bedo, I am also still unbelievably fatigued and wrapped up Rads in early January. My docs believe it is my 10 hour a day work schedule, and I am in the process of changing that. Check out the After-radiation thread (not sure if that's the exact title, but you can easily find it). Are your blood tests normal? Have you tried Apple's remedy of a tablespoon of molasses? Hope you can get some rest his weekend!

debbie6122

Tazzy- I know exactly what you are saying about losing your post, just did it, i use to do that all the time and giggled about yours and was almost done with mine and don't know what happened but it just happend to me too, i think it is bco causeing this. Argghhh! Dont know what other tx you have left but hope it is easy on you. The neulesta shot was so horrific on me. hope your last shot is gentle on you. The reason i hate thunderstoms so much is because i have so many trees around me probably woulndt be so bad otherwise while at home.

Lacey- Try the home defense you can buy it at a lot of places and it is better than any thing even better than if you hired osmeone.

Bedo- I didnt dance on the bar, but came close lol! Wish i could sleep that long. do you take sleeping pills? I take ambien, it is 10mg but cut it in 1/4 otherwise i see little green men (really) Sorry i dont have a good answer fo ryou.

Deb- Why do the nurses have to look at stuff like they never seen it before., When i was dx with lung cancer i had crippety, there must of been like 20 nurses and students that came in to pop my chest to see what it felt like, i wanted to say ok enough already but didnt. drove me crazy. 

Michelle- Drinking lots of water as we speak lol! I have a headache and havnt even gone to bed yet.

Kaara

Morning ladies:  We had terrible storms all around us yesterday but not one drop here in our community...just a lot of thunder...go figure!

Glad everyone seems to be getting good news this week...sure lowers the stress levels.

Last night I went to make my chicken marsala and couldn't find the mushrooms that I had bought:(  When my BF came home from playing golf I was complaining to him and he said..."Oh...I put them in with the salad greens"...WTH!  So we had chicken marsala with no mushrooms, brown rice and green peas...a ho hum dinner at best.

I finally finished the third book of the "Fifty Shades" series and I must say I'm glad to be done with it.  The third book seemed to me to be the best...won't go into detail for those who haven't yet read it.  Now I'm torn between a mystery novel or one by Ken Follett which is his newest world history fictional novel.  It will keep me busy for a while.  I do a lot of reading up here in the mountains, but I've had some difficulty this year...I don't know if it's my eyes or the tamoxifen, but when I sit down and try to read I get very sleepy and nod off.  That's never happened to me before except late at night when I'm trying to get sleepy.  It's very annoying!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Saturday and enjoys their various activities! 

deborye

Rebekah's shower today, getting ready to go to Parkers Maple Barn in Mason, NH. It is a total surprise to her, she has no idea.

deborye

I know Michelle, I used to be real modest, that stopped after BC.  My TM's are stable, I didn't even ask for a copy of the results like I ususally do.  I have enought crap to be worried about right now. I would like to buy my brother and sister out so I can stay in the house I was brought up in.  I think I can afford the house at the assessment value but my brother was stating fair market value.  That I probably won't be able to afford, we will see.

This is when it is good to be an only child. 

LuvRVing

Deb - have fun at the shower today, I'm sure your daughter will be thoroughly surprised!  Push all the BC crap out of your mind!  And yes, there are times when being an only child would be a good thing! 

Kaara - I finished the Fifty Shades trilogy yesterday, too.  I agree that the third book was the best and I found myself skimming over the detailed "sexy stuff."  You can read just so much of that and it was starting to get repetitive.  Have you read "The Language of Flowers" by Vanessa Diffenbaugh? 

http://www.amazon.com/The-Language-Flowers-A-Novel/dp/0345525558/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1340458872&sr=1-1&keywords=the+language+of+flowers+vanessa+diffenbaugh

 Our little book club read it last month, and I really liked it, I'll never look at flowers the same way.   You might also try "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks".  It's a true story about how her tumor cells were harvested and have lead to innumerable cancer discoveries. 

http://www.amazon.com/The-Immortal-Life-Henrietta-Lacks/dp/1400052181/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1340458762&sr=1-1&keywords=the+life+of+henrietta+lacks

And one more I can highly recommend - "Redfield Farm" by Judith Redline Coopey.  It's a story about how Quakers assisted in the Underground Railroad during the Civil War.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004IPPKCG/ref=kinw_myk_ro_title

Do you have a Kindle?  All of these can be downloaded in seconds!  Now that I've finished the 50 Shades series, I am going to read "The Pipe Dreamers" which is a story centered around Vietnam, drugs, protests - the late 60's early 70's Baby Boomer stuff.  I'm an Amazon Prime member, so it was free for me.  Our book club is reading it as an experiment in ereaders.  Most of them want the actual book, but I convinced them to give ereading a try. 

http://www.amazon.com/The-Pipe-Dreamers-ebook/dp/B007PYHD5E/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1340459263&sr=1-1&keywords=the+pipe+dreamers

OK, not exactly a food topic, but food for the brain 

carberry

Lacey I am laughing at the thought of those ants having a party on your kitchen floor while you were gone..  I wonder if they ordered out some pizza?

Deb  Have a great time at the shower, takes some pics for us.

Probably a lot of funny stories about the scenarios where people have been looking at our boobs. I actually asked a guy friend of ours if he wanted to see my new tattoo?  Hey its only a nipple and we all have them...I did show my girlfriends, just wanted an opinion if it looked real and they both said it did,  I think the artist did a great job.

I am in the second of the trilogy, not reading much in the summer as we are too busy. thanks for the book recommendations Michelle  I have written them down and will give them a try... I have the kindle fire and love, love, love it!

Lacey12

Michelle....food for the brain is always acceptable and so good in calorie content! The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks was selected by my women's college as the book everyone would read and discuss at next year's reunion. This year it was Circling My Mother, Mary Gordon. It was a good discussion, tho given my crazy schedule I'd only read 50 pages! So I'm reading the rest of that now.....am hoping that I can stop falling asleep when reading too. I do think I'll do better once on a more relaxed schedule.



Deb, thoroughly enjoy the day! What a fun place to shower your DD with good wishes!



Good luck with the house situation. When my mother died, she left her house to my sister who was living with her because she could not afford to live on her own. My brother and SIL balked because mom always said she'd be giving everything to all three of us.....my response to them....would you prefer her to be homeless!! Loss can bring out the worst in people. Fortunately my brother got over it. Hopefully this can be resolved well for you.



Just enjoy the day! It is beautiful here!

Lacey12

Okay, Michelle, so do you not get tired hands from holding up your kindle or Ipad?

While I LOVE my paper books, ereading would certainly help the house clutter factor!

Tazzy

Deborye... good to see you back.   Hope you are doing OK... sure I will read on and see more posts from you.  The avocado and crab meat sounds a really good dish - love both of them and will add to my growing list of recipes from you ladies.  

Debbie... next tx's are mx (right boob only) then rads.   We had an amazing thunder/lightening storm
here last night and I thought "I am happy debbie is not here at the moment'.  I am happy to say that it really cleared the air as it was so muggy last night.  Sounds like you have been through the mill with your dx's.... funny I have never heard you mention your illness, only your DH's.

Deborye... told you I'd get to later posts from you?!   Enjoy the shower and yes, put bc thoughts to
one side.   My Mum, in her infinite wisdom, her family were torn apart when their Dad died... so very sad.  Anyway she said that she would not allow that to happen to me and my sister so when we were old enough she sat us down, said here's copies of mine and your Dad's wills - anything you don't agree with now, argue it out whilst we're here cos you sure aint doing it when we're gone.  It worked, we had a good discussion about it
(you can tell we are very open, honest family) anything we didn't agree with was changed.     It is very sad, but death always seems to bring out the dysfunction in a family.  I hope you and your brother can come to an amicable agreement. 

Carrie... funny mental visual of the ants partying with pizza in Lacey's absence.

To all of you - enjoy your days with minimal and bearable SE's.

Still too early to think of dinner for me (7.30am) - but really fancy bacon and eggs for breakfast - must be wishing I was camping.

Kaara

Michelle:  Many thanks for the book recommendations...I am always looking for good books to read.  I have not yet invested in a kindle.  What I usually do is read my books in paperback and then pass them on to my BF's mother who is 97 and is constantly reading.  I think it keeps her mind sharp.  This way, I don't clutter up the house with books and I'm paying it forward to someone who would not read as much otherwise.  That said, I have heard so many good things about kindles that I think I am going to have to spring for one.  It would be so much easier for me in the long run.

chabba

I love my Kindle.  It is lighter and easier to hold than a paperback and even fits in many of my coat pockets.  I also enjoy rereading old friends and have always had trouble getting rid of books I've already read.  I even dislike reading library books because I can't keep them.  I long ago ran out of shelf space for my books, and the second floor of our two car garage is my library.  The Kindle is wonderful for me.

My Mother had sold the family home prior to moving to this side of the state so there was no real estate to be divided when she died.  Ironically, the day before the stroke that put her in the coma (she died 4 days later) she showed me an informal codicil to her which she had written telling us how she wanted us to divide the more important, both in value and sentiment, of her personal property.  She knew us well and most of her directions were what we would have wanted.  There was only one item of real sentimental value that she didn't mention.  Brother and I had both seen the terrible fights that can happen and though we didn't discuss it were determined not to have any hurt feelings that the only disagreements we had were you take it, no you take it on items we both wanted.  The one that came closest to causing trouble was a stupid beaten up wooden cutting board in the shape of a pig that one of her brothers had made for her when she first moved away from home.  I really wanted it because I associated it with the times I had used it, cooking for the family and later for her when she was ill.  As soon as he saw it brother claimed it.  Though I still don't understand why it was so important to him I just handed it to him.  He knew though that I wanted it because for Christmas a couple of years later he gave me a wooden pig cutting board.  The next time I was at his house I saw that he was using a cutting board like the one he gave me and Mom's was hanging on the wall!

Lacey12

Touching story, Chabba, tho I was rooting for DB to return the "real" pig to you......maybe he'll offer a "time share" when he realizes how important it is to you. It's all about meaning and loss, isn't it? It is lovely to read about enlightened parents who took care of that important business while still alive, to avoid the offsprings' pain later...a good lesson for all of us.

debbie6122

Kaara- Dont ya just love it when DH/BF either eat the food you thought you had or put it in something other than what you had planned for. The other night i thought i had enough pork loin left over for both of us, all i had to do was warm it up. so when dh got home from work i went to take it out of the fridge and there was barely enough left for one, dh had a late night snack the night before so had to defrost some hamburger and cook those up. I was a little annoyed. Can't have chicken marsala w'o the mushrooms. but sure it was still good you sound like a great cook.

Michelle- I used to read all the time and for some reason the last couple of years i just kind of stopped. but with all this talk about the kindle i have been wanting one now, i remember when you first talked about it i thought it was a moped or motorbike, makes me laugh at that now. I hear the new one out is great and you can do games on it too. Saw you pictures of you and the GK's in the lake looked like you were all really enjoying yourselfs. You look great too! Hope you are feeling ok with new tx.

Deb- I hope we can see pictures of the shower later. what a great surprise for her. And hope you can talk some sense into your brother. such a shame when things like that happen.

Tazzy- Well im glad i was not there visiting during your thunderstorms LOL! I think i have mentiond this before on earlier posts way back, but i had lung cancer when i was only like 46 or 47( left )partial lung removed.( left) eye was operated on. Even had (left) side broken colar bone. had vulva cancer all on the (left side) partial vulvectomy, cervical cancer, and breast cancer yep (left side) All my friends call me lefty. LOL!  But even with all this stuff that has gone on with me is nothing compared with what some of you have or are still going through. There is always someone out there that is worse off even though ours is real to us at the time. But i do kid sometimes that i cant donate any parts becaue theres nothing (left) no pun intended LOL! I love how your parents handled the situation with the will. What a great plan.

Chabba- I agree with Lacey touching story and i too thought you were going to say he gave it to you. Funny how some little things can have such meanings and memorys. The only thing i wanted when my mom passed was her pillow. But then again, my sisters and i didnt have much choice my dad had sent me and my sister to hawaii we both know now that it was so he could get rid of my moms things without us being hysterical, when we got back my brother had a yard sale and sold most of her stuff. Although my sisters and i were quite upset we never said anything to my brother or dad, but is do still harbor some resentments as much as i love him. Oh, i did get the pillow btw.

SpecialK

Here is an onion recipe for the onion lovers, those that have access to sweet onions - I wouldn't try this with a regular spanish onion.

Cut the onion in half cross-wise and put the halves in a small glass dish that has a lid.  Put a pat of butter and either a bouillion cube, or 1/2 t. of powdered bouillion.  Cover and microwave for a couple of minutes - or until tender.  You could also bake in a 350 F. oven until tender.

My Dad pre-deceased my Mom, but when she passed I was the executor.  I carefully divided the house proceeds and objects designated to my brother, and he took things he wanted (and I didn't) and also some things I would have liked, but we were fair about it.  He passed suddenly and unexpectedly 3 years later and now these sentimental items are at his house, and I know that my SIL could not care less.  He passed 4 years ago this month, and I have not asked about any of those things - not sure if I should.