So...whats for dinner?

carolehalston

Glad you're back home, Eric.  I know Sharon and your daughter are happy to have you back with them.  How is Sharon doing with her teaching job?

Debbie, I can't believe somebody would steal your pies!  Your dad has such a fighting spirit.  That had to be a blow for him that he isn't a candidate for surgery.  What a heartbreak for you, too.  My thoughts are with you.

Michelle, there's no fairness in this world!  You have enough to cope with without sinusitus and rash.  Hope both of those go away quickly and that you feel better soon.

It's a sunny day here with a forecast for highs in the 60's.  I have plans for spending most of the day with my mother.  She has a hair apptment and a dr. apptment after that, and I'm her chauffeur.  I get a mini workout handling her wheelchair, getting it into and out of the trunk of my car, pushing her, etc.  She'll have her 90th birthday in Dec.

Could I have a refresher on making lamb patties?  Laurie, I remember that you make lamb burgers.  And anyone else?

Lacey12

Carole, the lamb burgers we make are just ground lamb mixed with minced garlic and rosemary (I use rosemary powder to avoid anyone getting pierced with a rosemary leave;), salt and pepper. We grill them and they are delish on a roll with lettuce, tomato, red onion, and feta cheese.



I just returned from distributing our food bags to the Haitian seniors in Mattapan (Boston). We decided to have lunch in the neighborhood and I was horrified to see how few eating establishments exist forthe folks in that section of the inner city. We finally found a cafeteria style place that had southern type food (my description) and the amount of collard greens the guy put on my plate could have fed all the seniors we'd just left! That was a side with my really good barbecued chicken, black eyed peas, mac and cheese (an indulgence I rarely allow myself) and corn bread. I made a small dent in the meal and will have some more of it for dinner tonight. That makes life easy! And the bonus is that DH looks forward to polishing off the turkey (yes there is still some meat left....I have ignored it for several days while DH chipped away at it) tonight. Yay, I think we can say good-bye turkey lurkey tonight!

Have a good day everyone....and hope you feel better soon Michelle.

Laurie08

Debbie- I am so sorry about the news on your dad.  He does seem to have the right kind of fighting spirit though.  I'm glad he is determined to get better, I think it makes a huge difference.  How was Chucks appt?  I can't believe the valets stole your pies!!  I don't think I could have not complained....

Michelle- I hope you wake up tomorrow feeling rested, with out the red itchy face and find the sinus infection clearing up.  This was the first time I beat a sinus infection with just one round of antibiotics.  I took airborn which is just loads of vitamins and I took LOTS of D and C (like Kaara told me   I am still taking 1000 C and 2000 D twice a day along with my multi and I get a little better everyday. 

Carol- For my lamb patties I use ground lamb and sprinkle both sides with oregano and cook in a pan on the stove or on the grill.  When they are pretty much done I top with a slice of tomato and  a slice of fresh mozzarella cheese and let the cheese melt- I love them.  The spaghetti pie is a pound of ground beef with green peppers and onion to taste salt and pepper.  Cook it in a pan until beef is browned and drain fat, add enough spaghetti sauce to make it look like a thick meat sauce.  Add a pinch of sugar and simmer to bubbling.  Cook 1/2 box of spaghetti- drain and pour into a pyrex dish top with a container of cottage cheese, top that with your meat mixture.  Cover and bake about 20  minutes, top with shredded mozzarella cheese and put back in oven until melted.  Ours last night was good, even DH had seconds and that is not his favorite.

We went grocery shopping today so I have lots to choose from for dinner.  I am thinking I am going to make a ham steak with cheese and rice.  We had cheese and rice for Thanksgiving but no left over as as it was all eaten. 

Next Friday my youngest son is turning 3 and we are planning a whole weekend for him and I am so excited about it!  We asked him what he wanted for his birthday, unlike most kids he doesn't care too much about presents.  He asked if he could have Christmas for his birthday.  When we asked him what he meant he said " I want Santa and reindeer and Christmas music and Christmas trees and pretty lights"  So....we are taking the boys to a place called Santa's village that has all of those things plus rides for the kids etc.  We found an inexpensive hotel room that has an indoor pool for them to take a swim at night.  This will be their first time in a hotel or doing anything like this, we always camp.  Friends of ours that we always camp with are going     with their kids as well.  He should be over the moon with the whole thing.  It should be lots of fun!  I booked the hotel today.

Laurie08

Eric- SO glad you are home after all of your selfless work.  Enjoy your bed and your wonderful family!!

Lacey12

What a cool weekend for DS2, Laurie! Hope it is as special as it sounds!! He should love it and so will you with the help of all those vitamins keeping the infections at bay.



Eric, so glad you made it home without incident and are purging any of the errant Noro germs that tried to attach to any of your belongings! I'm sure you will be running bleach through the washer too! Rest well at home (not that it sounds like you ever get much rest) and thanks for your service!

debbie6122

Michelle- Oh man, last thing you need is a stupid rash! Must be somthing different in that lotion that your skin is sensitive too. And on top of that a stupid cold too! ((hugs)) My sister and her DH just got back from Vegas and they didn't do well either she said the same thing as you. The machines are tightning up.

Eric-Good to see you home again and with your family. Sweet story about you waking up the exact same time as your dear first wife. She was probably letting you know she was around and proud of you!

Carole- Have a fun day with your Dear mom!

Nancy- LOL!

Lacey- That is so awesome of you to help with feeding the haitian senors.

Laurie-

Laurie-What a great BD surprise for you DS. And he gets his BD wish all rolled in one like he wanted. ;-)) Your spegghiti pie sounds yummy I will try that next time I do spegg. Chuck is not getting any better, his balance is worse, but the therapist gave him new exercises to do and told him his cane was too short so he will get have to get a new cane. He was walking kind of scruntched over he said because he had to watch his feet because he didn't know where they were going to end up. Poor guy! But I think the PT will help him. I told DH next time we go to the hospital we are NOT using the Valet, we have a problem every time we use them. ha! They also have a sign that says they are not allowed to take tips but when DH gives them some money they take it and walk away quickly, so thats gotta tell you somthing about there character.

Tonights dinner is pork and cabbage casserole that is baked in the oven been awhile since I made it but it was pretty good.

susan_02143

Laurie, My parents live very close to Santa's Village and as the local reporter, my mother is often there taking pictures. The owners are the nicest family and all of their employees are local. Your boys will LOVE their day there very very much. Oh, and their Santa is a really nice man in real life too!

Michelle, well I think that is enough already! No more mets, no more rashes, no more infections. You have now done "three" so deserve a break from here on out.

Love lamb burgers! I crush some Turkish oregano and fresh rosemary in a mortar pestle with some salt to make the patties. Then I put the feta cheese in the center of the burger so that is oozes from the inside. My husband prefers when I make lamb samosas so we have a small disagreement about ground lamb.

Tonight is more turkey pot pie filling. Thank goodness. Horrid and long day at the hospital and a client's office. I am totally exhausted and still have about three more hours of work to do tonight. I might pout when it is all done.

*susan*

Lacey12

Lamb samosas?



Debbie, I hope the PT does help DH gain better strength and balance. So exactly how does a machine get "tightened up"?? I am totally ignorant of thing casino......

carolehalston

Thanks for all the great ideas for lamb burgers.  Susan, I love the idea of feta cheese in the middle.

Laurie, the spaghetti pie sounds delicious.  I plan to write down your recipe and put it in my recipe notebook.  And the birthday celebration for Son#2 sounds like so much fun and exactly what he asked for.  Your two sons are fortunate to have you and your dh as parents.

Debbie, I hope the therapy helps your dh with his balance. 

Tonight's dinner is warmed up chili, which was delicious last night, and a slaw made with napa cabbage and yellow bell pepper.  I didn't get home until 5 pm and we're watching news and sipping bourbon old-fashioneds.

Michelle, I hope you're feeling better.  Eric, what are you cooking tonight?  Lacie, sounds like you had a big plate of soul food!  Truthfully, it sounded pretty good to me.  Cornbread is always a treat, as is mac and cheese.  Wish I could eat fattening foods without getting fat, but it doesn't work that way.

debbie6122

Lacey- Thats good you have no knowlege on the casino thing, you are better off! LOL! Well, I think  they have these technical slot guys that change the machines. I saw that once on tv but DH disagrees with me, but they can change it to go off at a certain time so if its slow and does not get a lot of play it may be "cold" But here is a Kind of funny story- When we lived in Hawaii we used to take a plane called jackies travel you payed $199 per person which was air fare, 3 meals a day w/ 3 nights and 4 days hotel. You couldn't beat that any where. We used to take it quite a bit. Once we were there DH played a machine for hours on end it kept hitting but just enough to keep playing he didn't want to go eat or anything just knew it was going to go off. I finally came over and made him go get something to eat as soon as he walked away a little old chinese womem came over and put a quarter in and it hit $125,000. Oh boy was I ever in trouble he was upset the whole week we were there and kept saying, one hundred and twenty five thousand dollars. Nothing like having your fun ruined. I told him it was just not meant to be. LOL!

LuvRVing

Here I am, trying to rest before we went out for the evening in Vegas.  LOL!  I knew you all would appreciate this lovely photo!!!

So, the good news is that I have updated my blog so you can go to

www.mch-breastcancer.blogspot.com

And the rash is going away. 

The bad news is that I'm now running a slight fever, so my move to start antibiotics this morning was a good one.  We had last night's leftovers because neither of us felt like cooking. 

Everyone's dinners sound good but I'll be happy to have the turkey soup that Christine made for me.  I have an appointment at the wig shop tomorrow so I'll pick it up then. 

debbie6122

Loved all your pictures on your blog Michelle. You are such an eloquent writer your story is like Im right there with you on your trips. I hope Christines soup makes you feel better and hopeing the fever goes away soon. You looked so cute and comfy on your bed. lol!

Lacey12

Great blog, Michelle....thanks for the photo journal.Hope the wig store gets it right this time!

carolehalston

Enjoyed your blog, Michelle.

What a casino story, Debbie! 

Kaara

Morning everyone!

Eric:  Glad you are home safe and sound!

Debbie:  Stolen pie?  That reminds me of a story that happened in my real estate office..a top producer was being recruted by the competition and they sent her a half pie with the thought being "why would you only want half of the pie when you could have the whole pie here"...LOL!  She put it in the fridge and someone in the office took it.  She called the competitor back and said "someone took my pie...I want another one and this time make it a WHOLE PIE"!  Well, wouldn't you know the idiots ran over with a whole pie!  Still, they weren't successful in recruiting her...LOL!  I had forgotten that until I read your post!

Laurie:  Glad you got over your sinus infection...those vitamins work wonders...now I need to follow my own advice as I somehow caught a cold this week...probably from my DGD at Thanksgiving:(

Michelle:  So glad you had fun on your trip...now it's time to rest up and load up on your supplements to get rid of that infection!  I have sensitive skin as well, and sometimes the creams are just too harsh for me if they contain any ingredients that exfoliate the top layer of skin.  I do that daily just by using a washcloth to wipe off my cleansing cream.  I never use soap...too drying.

The lamb recipes sound wonderful...I have learned to love lamb and I understand that it's probably one of the easiest red meats to digest.  Don't know why.

apple

my husband wants tuna tonite.. i don't think so!

I'm making BLT's

eric95us

I worked (for Verizon) yesterday doing the mindless task of dealing with 4908 (I counted) emails.  I did this at home.  The government sent my boss an email "suggesting" that I be allowed to telecommute or take time off to avoid spreading "bad things" around the office.  Most emails were about things I didn't care about, but there were a few that I'll deal with on Monday.  At least now I won't be having to wade through all of *that* on Monday.

I think the email to my boss went out before it was decided to let us "bake" in our hotel rooms for a couple of days...I heard that someone on another team reported that his wife has the classic norovirus symptoms 2 days after washing his "polluted" uniforms. So, maybe the warnings aren't all hot air.

Today, I'm taking the day off from Verizon.  But, I still need to fill out my per diem paperwork for the government.  I have my notes and receipts, so it's only a 20 minute exercise.  Since it is for about $1200, it will be a worthwhile thing for me to do. :-)

Sharon started a band new job on the Friday that I was put on alert and I left that Sunday, so she's been busy with both the new job and trying to keep the house going while short one hand.  I'm going to surprise her and get all the weekend chores done today...unless I end up taking the dogs for a hike.  They have managed, somehow, to pull down their doggie packs from the top shelf in the closet and have pulled them over to where I'm sitting right now.  They are looking at me with high hopes. :-)

I noticed some shrimp in the freezer and couscous in the pantry. I'm thinking something easy..perhaps some couscous with a tiny bit of serrano pepper, bacon, garlic and the shirmp.  I'll think some more about it as I'm scanning my recipts for the per diem paperwork...

debbie6122

Kaara- That is a funny story about the pie! I guess when it comes to sweets people can't resist taking them? LOL!

Eric-That's a lot of e-mails!

Joyce- How are you doing? Havn't seen you here for awhile hope your feeling Ok!

There will be eight of us going to dinner tonight at the sea hag just love there clam chowder. EVeryone have a great weekend!

Michelle-Hope your feeling a little better today!

Laurie08

Hi everyone!  Busy day today running errands and trying to start my Christmas shopping.  Tonights dinner is baked stuffed haddock and scallops with steamers as an appetizer- the kids begged for steamers at the store.  Strange kids  

I was looking at a recipe for slow cooker chicken and dumplings and it called for "all purpse baking mix".  What the heck is that?  Any ideas?

Tomorrow we are going to go get a Christmas tree and get the house decorated.  It should be a fun and exhausting day.  I am planning on doing pot roast in the crock pot so I won't have to cook dinner.

LuvRVing

Laurie - I think all purpose baking mix would be Bisquick.

I am feeling better and actually slept through the night without waking up in the middle of the night coughing or with a totally congested head.   Still running a slight fever but it's not bothering me too much.  DH is now sneezing and has a sore throat. I can see we won't get much done this weekend!

I went to the wig shop and returned the one from last week.  The new one is more brunette and straighter.  There were few choices - I guess not very many people have a small head...lol...I hope it's not indicative of the size of my brain   Anyways, I brought my really good wig and she trimmed it up a little for me, so it looks a lot better.  I'll take a picture when I feel better - no makeup is definitely not a good look!

debbie6122

Hi Laurie- It is bisquick. But Sandra lee has a subsitute for it on her web site. You could cut the recipe in half if it is too much for you. Substiute: 6 Cups of flour- 3 TbL of Baking Powder- 1 TbL salt- 3/4 cups of shortning. in processer combine the flour and baking P. and salt pluse for 15 seconds add shortning and pulse until similar to cornmeal. If you dont have a processer Sift flour And Baking Powder and salt then add in shortning with a fork or pasty blender Hope this helps.

Kaara

Big pot of chicken soup for me tonight...to help my cold!

susan_02143

I had a new client meeting this morning in Danvers. Meeting was fine, blah blah. The best part? Their office was only 10 minutes from Karl's Sausage Kitchen, home of the best German sausages, a small cafe and European groceries. Guess what we had for dinner? Yes, you are right. We had sausages. Started with a Weisswurt with a pretzel and sweet Bavarian mustard, and then a smoked bratwurst with sauteed potatoes, a robust German mustard and sauerkraut. The smoked bratwurst was more smoked than any sausage I have ever eaten. It was a bit like shoe leather, but the flavor was tremendous. Neither one of us could eat much of that one so I will need to find a way to use it again.

While at Karl's I had some lunch in the little cafe. The whole place smelled like the split pea soup. I don't even like split pea soup but ordered a cup. It was soooooo good! Maybe I like split pea soup but just hate my mother's? Her's was like eating green kindergarten glue. Clearly I need a good split pea soup recipe!

*susan*

deborye

I hope everyone feels better.  A lot of people sick at work, I told them to stay away from me.

I enjoyed the pics on your blog Michelle. 

Eric, that's a lot of emails, holy moly.

Blessings2011

Wow - I've got a lot of recipes and ideas to catch up on!

It just poured rain all day today, so no trip to the grocery store...had to use what was in the fridge.

I decided to duplicate a dish I had at Andrew Weil's "True Food Kitchen" restaurant in Newport Beach a few weeks ago.

I microwaved a spaghetti squash, let it cool, cut it in half and pulled out the strands. I sauteed an onion and some garlic, some sliced mushrooms (the original dish does not have mushrooms, but DH loves them), and the rest of the tomatoes from our garden. 

Since I didn't have any shredded mozzarella, I found three sticks of string cheese and diced them up fine. I mixed everything together in a casserole dish, added a teensy bit of salt and pepper, and put it in the oven til it bubbled. It was YUMMY! And MUCH cheaper than the dish I got at the restaurant…

If I were back on carbs, I would have had garlic bread with this, but I’m not. (Still in the final stages of Optifast…have a pretty strict list of what I can and can’t eat.)

carolehalston

Hi, Blessings.  I've seen you on Wednesday Weighin.  You've had tremendous success on the Optifast plan, which I had not heard about until you explained it.  You sound like you know your way around the kitchen.

DH and I saw LINCOLN tonight with friends.  It's a well-done film with some good acting.  Afterwards we went out to eat at a casual restaurant.  I had shrimp remoulade salad.  I was hungry and enjoyed the food but I could have done a better job.  The shrimp were fried.  I would have sauteed them in butter and olive oil.  The remoulade dressing didn't taste like remoulade dressing.  But the company was good and I enjoyed my glass of chardonnay. 

Blessings2011

Hi, carolehalston!

I feel kind of funny back in the kitchen. For months, all my meals came out of a package!!!  Now I'm down to three products a day.

I heard that "Lincoln" was really good....

About the restaurant food....ya gotta have a life! Your salad sounds absolutely delicious, and if you enjoyed it, and the company, then it was totally worth it. We all deserve treats on occasion.

Our Optifast program instructor does her best to teach us to make good choices. We're learning a lot, and putting it into practice, so it will come naturally. Me, I'm a mindless eater. I can shovel in a whole bag of chips and an hour later, ask where they are.

I've learned to slow down and actually savor the food I eat. I'm looking forward to the time when I'm not so limited on choices.

carolehalston

Blessings, before I hopped back on the WW train, I would have ordered something besides a salad last night.  DH had a deluxe burger with sweet potato fries.  His plate looked yummy.   He's 40 lbs overweight and has 3 stents, but that was his choice.  My weight gain over the past 3 yrs. since bc is a combination of two things, actually three things:  arimidex, age and attitude after bc of "seize the day."  Or "be good to me."  As we all know, having bc brings you face to face with mortality in a way that can lead to weight gain!  Why not eat that brownie?  You're not going to live forever.  Etc.  Etc.  I'm not embracing an attitude of deprivation.  I'm working on a lifestyle that combines enjoying food and not packing on fatty tissue.

I'm also thrifty and I have a closet full of nice clothes I couldn't fit into.   It feels good to get back into those clothes and lose the stomach bulge! 

As for dinner tonight, it will be lamb.  I have beautiful lamb chops in the freezer and also ground lamb.  Lamb is not popular in the south so when I see good selections in the supermarket, I buy them.  If I opt for the ground lamb, I'll probably make stuffed cabbage because I have some napa cabbage in the refrigerator with leaves that would be perfect for stuffing.  

A beautiful Saturday here.   

debbie6122

Either this thread is busy or very slow. Where is everyone?

Last night a group of us went to dinner- Then tonight we all went to the Aquariam where they had a christmas tree lighting, carolers singing, got to see Santa and sat in his lap (fun) A few of us even did face painting we had a great time. It was pouring rain and very windy but had fun anyway. then we all ate chinesse later at a place we had never been before, the food was pretty good.

Hope everyone is doing good and feeling better!

LuvRVing

Debbie - sounds like you had a fabulous time at the tree lighting!  I think I am going to do a picture on Santa's lap this year.  It will make my DH and kids smile! 

Carole - my DH is about 40 pounds overweight, too.  Most of the time he eats whatever makes him happy.  He just went for his annual physical a few weeks ago and he's perfectly healthy.  He did Atkins a few years ago and lost 60 pounds then added the carbs back in and gained 40 back.  I don't nag him anymore - it's like beating a dead horse...lol

I'm feeling quite a bit better this morning.  I'm still a little congested but nothing like earlier last week.  We're meeting friends for dinner tonight after the Patriots game at an Italian restaurant in Woburn (Polcari's for you local gals). 

Ewww...just seeing a news article on our local ABC affiliate about how insects are making their way into our restaurants - 60% less fat and lots more protein.  Could solve world hunger.  The report was by Dr. Sanjay Gupta of CNN.  Ick.  Can't go there.