So...whats for dinner?

Moonflwr912

Bedo glad hour daughter is home. I hope every thing is going well for you too viv. 

Much love to all. 

SpecialK

minus - loved the tart story!  My mom used to serve cottage and tomato salads often in the summer - my dad grew wonderful tomatoes in the backyard. We always had them with just a little French dressing (the one with ketchup and paprika in it) and some sliced green onion.  This was alternated with spinach salad, made with spinach from the backyard, with crumbled bacon and chopped hard-boiled egg and a red wine vinaigrette.  Your post made me nostalgic!

naiviv

Moon,

Same for you and your knee. Your history as well as Special K are two that I read a lot as I struggle. You have had many attempts and were finally successful. Special K faced another loss which makes me think , but helps me to see you can go on.   I am better physically and emotionally. Finding strength to go forward  and be positive with whatever the next attempt at a lefty will be. Not sure yet.  I am stuck in my brain that I want a matched set. Either 2 implants with the flaps or 2 flaps no implants. The latter being my preference. PS says left needs both, right is ok. I will have to accept that due to different flaps they will look differently . He has said Flap has to be pedicled/connected to blood supply and tunneled most likely from back. But  they will react differently. The flap is like a natural breast. It will move, bounce..eventually sag ....etc like the original. The implant side will not sag, nor move the same.  I don't want to try it now, then go back to change righty.   Then I start thinking, what if I ask for righty to be same and then she has issues. So for now just thinking, even though I want a match set, Ins wont pay for another recon attempt/revision for 90 days. So I have some time to figure this out, keep researching, possibly try second opinion if my PS if not familiar with research out from NOLA about artery use. (unless he already tried and it failed too). My next meeting is 7/8 to discuss (not just hear) what next steps can be.

Iggy is on the mend. They started a very small dose blood thinner and will scan brain on Monday to see if any effects. The blood thinner can help him get rid of clots sooner and back to somewhat normal activities.  He had  tried out for JV football and marching band, made it into both. He choose Music.  I pray he is still able to do marching band and they will accomodate since he won't be able to do summer practices.

Making waffles for late breakfast with kids. They were up late last night and are all still sleeping. The smell should wake them up soon.

Take care,

Vivian

Lacey12

So good to hear from you, Carole, and that the start of your summer venture is going well!

Vivian, glad that your nephew is doing well...and hoping that he can get back to his activities in the not too far future! And sorry for you that you have to go through such painful recon decision making. BC is a bitch! I just received a letter from the head of radiology that based on my family history (two aunts with BC) that they want me to come in for genetic counseling and possibly testing. My BS had decided with me at time of DX that I didn't need it. Great....to me, this means that certain newfound knowledge could lead to recommendation for ovary removals. And here I am nixing the anti-hormonals. It is curious that I am being recommended for this at this point. Wonder if my MO (whom I very much like and respect) ratted me out about going meds rogue. Tho that doesn't seem her style. Oy! Just the gift that keeps on giving!! Or I giess in my case,....."you can run but you can't hide!"

Bedo, hope things are going well with DD now that she is home....is that real home, or hospital home?

On the really bright side, we had an unbelievable time at our friend's daughter's wedding. Absolutely magical in a natural kind of way! And of course, left my  cell phone home by mistake (last minute handbag switch), so at a wedding where I would be competing with the photographer, I had to settle for a few paltry pix from DH's old not too reliable phone. The photographer was happy!

We are about to walk up to the farmer's market, so later I will post the unbelievably delicious apps and dinner choices we had at the garden wedding....probably the best I have ever had! And maybe if I get on my actual laptop I can post a beautiful pic of the setting if I can find one. I will NEVER forget my cell phone again! Particularly annoying since I'd spent an hour selecting pix to erase to free up space!

Oh, Nance, your zucchini makes me sad......same state as my poppy plants...at least your guys aren't the drug addict we had! Love the other garden shots....

auntienance

The groundhog abode was destroyed today. No sign of the critters, hope they decide to look for another summer home. The Unwelcome sign is up!

Tonight's dinner is at our friend's whose birthday is today. Wasn't sure I was going to make it. I've been fighting a UTI and got an rx for an antibiotic. Unfortunately, it made me sick sick sick. Middle of the night stuff Lacey. Took me a while to feel human this morning. Unfortunately, it was working on the uti, but definitely a case of the cure being worse than the disease. I'm waiting on another rx. This stuff always happens on the weekend. I never used to have side effects from drugs, but I have become one of the <1% who is going to experience an se from something.  It sucks.

I spent the middle part of the morning working on flower beds. Guess who showed up there last night and ate the tops off the geraniums? They also knocked over one of  my very large pots. I think they were trying to eat the sweet potato vine as it looked gnawed on. I was going to cut the geraniums back anyway so they just saved me a step. It is hot and HUMID here. I had to come in and sit in a cold shower. My reward was my afternoon cup of java and one of the pecan tartlets I made for our friend's birthday (they wouldn't all fit in the box lol!)

Hope everyone is enjoying the weekend. Bedo, I hope DD is doing better. Lacey, I can't wait to hear about the wedding food. Viv, hope Iggy continues to improve and Monica, I hope you are too!  Lots of hopes there!

 

carolehalston

Nancy, I hope you and your dh can evict the garden thieves while there is still something left of your garden.  Your beds are very pretty and you deserve to harvest the veggies for your own use. 

It was 68 degrees when I got up this morning.  I opened the door and the air felt good.  So I turned off the a/c and latched the door open and opened some windows!  I got in a 40 min. walk up and down the streets of the rv park.  Then for brunch, I cooked some bacon and made BLT's using some tomatoes I'd bought before we left home.  Tonight I'll use the last of them in a salad. 

There will be no tomatoes available at the farmers' mkts up here in MN until late July or August.

This was our first do-nothing day since we left home on the 18th.  I even watched an old movie with Marilyn Monroe and Joseph Cotton--NIAGARA.  It was quite a thriller for the early 50's. 

Tomorrow we move on to our summer destination--Pine Hollow Resort near Park Rapids.

eric95us

It won't be 68 here, day or night, until mid October.

Today Sharon and I went kayaking at Watson Lake in central Arizona.  It was in the 90F degree range.  SPF 50 sun screen seems to have saved me from sunburn.

Nancy, my grandmother used a small pellet gun to shoot the garden marauding pests.  If that didn't work, grandpa would open the door or window slightly, stand back from the opening a few feet and use a .25-20 Winchester rifle.  He said they did that for over 65 years without anyone ever saying anything--even though they lived in the city.  I've fired both rifles...the pellet gun is quiet enough that it would go unnoticed in the city...the .25-20...I think the neighbors also had gardens and appreciated their efforts! :-) 

Tonight, I made chicken (again).  This time, I slit it open along the edge to make a pocket and stuffed it with creamy goat cheese mixed with a finely diced Serrano pepper, a little bit of minced fresh garlic and some basil.  A salad and corn on the cob rounded it out.  

It was a quick supper as I went out and tried to work on the Isuzu Trooper some more.  I didn't get anything useful done--other than to find I need a more powerful impact wrench.

Moonflwr912

Brat diet. I don't get it. I've been eating nothing but Brats and still have the big D. Brat after Brat and it's not working. Humph. So much for that. 

Ok. Ok. Joke. Banana rice applesauce and toast.  Trying. Uk. LOL

Lacey12

Oh dear, Moon, I hope you can get some GI relief soon....((((HUGS))))

Spent much of this morning filling out forms for a dentist who will be extracting my wisdom tooth on Wednesday...what a pain....note to self do not ever do such tasks on IPAD!!

Heading to stretching class and then quick cleanup for having dinner with DS2and GF. )))

Back to the wedding food....started this last night and ipad ran out of juice....

Passed Apps:

Lobster salad on homemade potato chip

Tiny grilled cheese sandwiches

Watermelon and feta cubes with mint chiffonnade on tiny bamboo skewers...really cute and yummy!!

Crab balls with aoili

Steak tartare in crust cones

Small squares of beef quesadillas with avocado....very different presentation and omg delish!

Lollipop lamb chops with dipping sauce

Parmesan cheese sticks for the plain food folk

Woops, it's 3 gotta get my sneakers on......main menu later....

MinusTwo

Wow Lacey - that food sounds delish.

Moon - thinking of you.  I had the Big D for two weeks out of three all last year!!  I got soooo sick of rice & toast.  

Eric - 68?  What's that!!   I'm with you.  We might see that in October.  But Houston can still be 90 for Christmas Day.  I've often cooked turkey with the air conditioning roaring.

Oh someone asked about two tomato seasons - Lacey?  Yes you can plant again in the fall.

auntienance

Oh Lacey, you are a tease! Tell us more!

gardengumby

Dinner tonight will be gazpacho with citrus chicken, radish and cilantro tacos.  I think we'll eat outside, as the weather is glorious. 

Moonflwr912

Happy Canada Day to all you up North! 

Dinner was chicken and rice. Snack was banana. 

luvmygoats

Monica - Have they tested you for Giardia which is more common than people think. I think that's the one that lingers on. Can get it from stagnant water but I think other transmission routes have been found. Most people these days just don't drink out of ponds but some do swim where it is. If it was something like C-diff I think you'd have known it long ago. Are you diabetic? Could it be gastroparesis? How's the knee coming along?

Lacey - with the apps who the heck needed dinner? Just pass those to me.

Not a clue what dinner will be tonight. Not in the mood to cook. Just had snack of figs and cheese. Feel very European. Need to get some exotic crackers to go with them. All I have are saltines and Club crackers. Those TJs figs have held in there. I bought them a week ago tomorrow and they are still great. I need to buy more on Thursday. Last trip into Ft. Worth for the foreseeable future which is a good thing actually.

naiviv

Happy July and hello to all,

Moon, sorry about the big D, just not fair

Bedo I hope your daughter is doing well.

Lacey, the lobster salad on a chip sounds delish, actually it all did.

Nance, I have an official raised planting bed. Its 12x 6 ft. (that was the size of the wood on sale)  Now to decide what to plant. Getting dirt this weekend.  I am told peppers,onions and tomatoes are very easy to grow here, as are malanga and yucca (root veggies?)

Carole, glad you are having a great time and how I wish for 68 degrees outside.

Eric, we may see 68 and lower a few times a year during our official winter days usually Jan/Feb.

Luvmygoats, I don't want to cook either. I have spent the day eating mango's.  I have been slicing and freezing and pureeing those on the edge of too ripe. The heavy rains are bringing them in.  Everyone with a tree knows to deliver here. My favorite fruit. Yum

Minus, Gonna have to go to whole foods to try those tarts, only sold there. Too expensive online.

Special, my daughter loved the picture of the Fireman and the Groundhog and I told her about the peppers  it had eaten and she immediately went into a story that it must have gone to Fire Dept to get water after eating peppers....You gave her inspiration for her first story of the summer. It's part of summer homework.

Time for an afternoon nap, before I decide what to cook.

Huggs to all,

Vivian

Laurie08

Hi everyone!  Since school let out there has not been a quiet moment.  We have had so many play dates and people over to swim it is nuts.  Last night I actually went to bed at 7 and as some of you know I am a late owl- so very weird.

I haven't been on in forever and I am sorry about that- thinking of how many pages I was going to need to read to get caught up deterred me.  I didn't do it but figured I should post anyway.

Tomorrow me and the boys will leave in the afternoon for five days on the lake.  I need to work in the am and go grocery shopping- pack up and head for the lake.  I am psyched.  Dh will join us Friday afternoon.

I hope everyone is well! 

luvmygoats

Laurie - Very glad that you and your family are out enjoying life and the summer. Enjoy the lake and eat lots of good things for me.

I think I have some frozen leftovers - casserole type thingy. Might be dinner, then again might be what ever you find to eat.

Edited - Vivian your raised beds sounds wonderful. I love mangoes but hard to get good ones here. Papaya I never developed a taste for.

auntienance

Laurie! Good to hear from  you. No apologies -- you are out enjoying your life and that's as it should be.

Viv, you'll really like raised bed gardening.  Although I'm hesitant to say so, since we destroyed their habitat, the groundhogs haven't been seen for a couple of days. I so hope we've seen the last of them. I'm really considering the idea of compacting the garden area and fencing it. It wouldn't completely solve the problem but it would help. You can't see it from the picture I posted, but to the right of the beds is a very large perennial bed that is out of control. I made the mistake of planting things that are ill-behaved and don't stay where they're planted and the things that did do what they are supposed to do keep getting eaten by the deer. It's a big mess. So I'm really thinking of moving the few things I want to save to the back yard and killing off the rest. Then we can either move or rebuild the raised beds in that area and fence the whole thing. It will be a massive undertaking but a good thing to do I think. Now I only have to convince DH . . .  I finally have one tomato turning red. Too many rainy days. The squash are still putting out little squashes in spite of having no leaves. Hope that continues.

Going to be in the sixties here Wednesday! Been a long time since that happened.

Got a pedicure this morning. What a wonderful treat for my feet. They were in bad shape from running around in flip flops all the time. More like hooves.  A nail tech earns her money with me lol!  New antibiotic is working great -- just makes my stomach hurt but at least it doesn't turn it inside out. Ugh.

Carole, say hi to Minnesota for me. Haven't been there in a couple of years. We thought we would try to get up there in August to do some bicycling. Don't know if we'll make that happen or not.  I know you'll enjoy your stay, you always find such interesting places to go.

Luv, I'm with you. Mangoes yes, papaya -- not so much. I don't hate it, just sort of meh.

Tonight is gyros with tzatziki and a greek salad.

 

 

Moonflwr912

Hi all. Luv, they are testing me for CDiff but I'm pretty sure that ain't it. It's just the abx from surgery. Always takes me weeks to get back to normal. Double up on probiotics, watch what I eat but that really makes no difference.  My system is sensitive. Enough of the whining! Went to ortho today. Things look great so far.my xrays of knee is amazing. So straight.  The old xrays is kinda funny. LOL

All your gardens sound pretty good. I have a few green cherry tomatoes on our plant but they've been green for 2 werks. Nothing is red yet. LOL.  The flowers look ok but not a lot of flowers. 

Descision, decisions? ! Rice with chicken or chicken with rice. Hmmmmmm. LOL

Much love

luvmygoats

Found some frozen meatloaf from earlier in the month. Guess what's for dinner? I even have 2 potatoes, might make real mashed potatoes with them. Some frozen vegies and we are good to go.

Glad you knee is behaving Monica even if your insides aren't.

auntienance

Good news on the xrays Monica, sounds like you're on the BRAC  (bananas, rice and chicken) diet lol!

Lacey12

Okay, sorry to be awol in the middle of a wedding food report...crazy couple of days, and tomorrow is the wisdom tooth ext., tho just retrieved a cell message that said they had not received the referral nor xray from my dentist. Great! I need this thing out before we leave for the Cape....it is getting more bothersome.

So, before I retire...here is the wedding dinner menu...

First course:

Red and yellow tomato, basil and burrata salad with sea salt and balsamic drizzle with micro greens 

Family style bowls of Prince Edward Island Mussels with garlic and white wine 

French style rolls

Main Course:

Petit (actually huge and delish)Filet of Angus Beef with a red wine demi glace, served with a grilled local lobster tail.

Family style tray of grilled seasonal veggies (summer squashes, peppers, eggplant, asparagus, etc. etc)

Family style bowl of cold Black Bean and Corn Orzo salad

Bowl of Red Bliss potato salad (looked like it had some dill on it, but I had none)

Home made cornbread with pimentos and sweet butter

.....No Wedding Cake.....

Dessert:

Blueberry and peach cobblers in canning jars with local artisan ice cream. I had cardamom flavor on mine.

Chocolate covered local strawberries

The piece de resistance (sp?) ....

Sable cookies.....never had them before....a shortbread, chock full of flavor with a pecan on top. OMG were they good! Must check them out on internet....

Dinner last evening (after gym workout and stretching class!)with DS2 and GF was lovely, if not as tasty as I might have liked. The restaurant was some old world Italian concept thing which I could have lived a full life without. Gimmicky! Fun being with the young 'ens tho!

Today I met a colleague and a former intern for lunch and had a tasty turkey blt with baby greens salad...and tonight It was hot as hell, and I could have skipped dinner but DH would never do that, so he went out to our local fish restaurant and got some broiled fish (scallops, shrimp and cod) and broccoli. I also had gazpacho with crabmeat in it. It was all delicious. 

I anticipate sipping smoothies for a while if the tooth gets done tomorrow while the socket heals. Yuk!

Viv...love your daughter's blended woodchuck ideas from Special and Nance for her story! I love mangoes, but one of my biggest serious allergies.

Moon, happy (slow) dance for your good xrays! Oh, don't you love how docs (especially ortho guys....feel like I can say that my son is one) admire their work in front of you during follow up visits. LOL

Speaking of knees, it has been a year since I started my PT for my knees, and they are amazingly wonderful! No pain, daily workouts are great, and I am a happy camper. Never would have guessed that would happen, when my PT progress was at first slow....but I have been so faithful to my quad strengthening and IT band exercises (and others) and the long haul effort has really worked! Another by product of that work is that I am down 3-4 sizes, which makes shopping pure fun! 

Better get some sleep...I'll be whining about fatigue AND mouth pain tomorrow. Early apologies...;)

eric95us

Moon, I'm glad the knee is doing so well.  Next is getting rid of the "D".  My mother in law will be getting her knee on Thursday morning.

No wedding cake????!!????  I guess with all that food, there was no need! :-)  I'm full just reading about all the food there. :-)  And, hopefully by tomorrow, the problem tooth will be gone. 

Laurie, enjoy the lake.and don't worry about not being caught up on the posts....  

Viv, I've been thinking of going with some raised beds here as well.  I've been trying to roto-till in top soil into the local dirt and it still isn't where I'd like it.   If you do grow peppers and want some with heat, consider the serrano.  It's hotter than most folks like....but if you cut it in half and scrape out the seeds and white stuff from the inside...it cools it off quite a bit without ruining the pepper flavor.

I got the more powerful impact wrench. It was the most powerful one they had and was $260 during the 1/2 off 4th of July sale, but it's yet another case of the right tool making a job easy.  It's only a slight exaggeration to say that the wrench would have flipped the car on its side if the bolt hadn't turned. :-)

Off to bed for me.  It's 11pm and I need to get up in about 6 hours.

debbie6122

Bed0- Just read that your DD was in the hospital and now home. I hope she is ok and what ever is going on she and you are getting through it.  Sending prayers love and light and lots of ((((hugs))) Check in when you can so we know you all are ok.

Lacey, yes SK was right that post was to Seaside, I was kind of all of the place with that post, sorry. haha!

Laurie, have fun on your camping trip.

Moon, hope you get the D under control, that really is the sh...ts! Sorry, lol!

Lacey, good luck tomorrow with the Dentist hope its pain free. And what a lovely sounding dinner you had made me mouth water.

Joyce- So glad Rick has you and DH to lean on. And Iam sure it brings you comfort too to be around him and share wonderful memories of Michelle. Glad he will be close by again. Hope your doing well.

Tazzy, Happy Canada day!

Kay, so glad to see you check in here, I giggle at you on FB because of your passion for the games lol!

Going camping tomorrow morning, the last two times we took the RV we didn't stock it because we knew we would be eating out so today I spent all day moving half the house in to the RV to make sure I don't forget anything lol! It is a learning experiance for us but having fun doing it. Every one have a nice 4th of july and be safe. x0xx

gardengumby

Debbie - don't forget - just about anywhere you can get an RV to will have a grocery store fairly close by.  If you forget something, it won't be the end of the world!!  Have a good fourth!

naiviv

Eric,

I bought all the lumber and connectors at Home Depot discounted and I was able to apply sale to that also. I was lucky. There were all the pieces to complete one bed. Sort of  made to connect raised beds.  The size I got was discontinued. It appears that 8x4 feet is the one that sells.   We cleared grass and dirt  within 2 feet of beds and will be laying down pebble rock.  There is a lot of Coral rock in our dirt. some are huge. It took a pick axe and my 21 year olds strength  to clear away about 8 inches of dirt from under beds. We will be laying about 4 inches of pebbles and sand in the bed and then filling with "organic" dirt from a nursery.

I went back this morning and was helped by the same manager. After talking a bit about my inexperience he took me into the back area of garden  when plants that are damaged or dont meet store quality are kept until returned or thrown out. I rescued tomato plants, pepper, all kinds of spices and a meyers lemon tree whose trunk has a split most of the others have broken stems/leaves. 

We spent the last 2 hours fixing stems, applying splints, wax to to seal breaks in bark....This part I learnt from my Dad. I have some recollection in my memory...he would use all kinds of household things to help fertilize or bring to fruit or get red of bugs. That part I don't remember. He could grow anything.

Kids outside still and cooling off with the hose, it's already in the 90's here and it is hot and humid. Taking breakfast outside so they can keep playing afterward.

Hope everyone has a great day,

Vivian 

auntienance

Lacey, DROOL!

Lacey12

Hahahaha....I can so relate to Debbie's feeling of having to overstock the RV! And when packing for going anywhere you'd think I was heading to the wilderness....and never have!

Have a great trip Debbie!

Hey Eric.....cool new wrenchl! You may need to set up a car repair business soon! Best to your mother-in-law with her new knee. 

Garden....loved the sound of your gazpacho with citrus chicken!!

So here's how things go in this house......anticipating that I won't be chomping on anything for dinner tonight, and there are no meal leftovers, and it's pretty darn hot for any cooking, we had to have a big pow wow about what to do for DHs dinner! Best suggestions...he can pick up a pre-made meal at Trader's on way home from gym......or....he can head to the really close grocery store while I'm doing my after-extraction wait time at the oral surgeon's office and get himself a meal. Lordy, I hope he doesn't starve!!

Heading to the gym since I get to take a few days off after the extraction this afternoon. I promise to shut up about this tooth business....not sure why it feels like any kind of big deal! Had my top two wisdom teeth out as a twenty something and it was a breeze. Guess I've become a "procedure coward" recently.....

Have a good day everyone!

Lacey12

Viv, you are a fun mom! You and Laurie should hang out!  

eric95us

At 7:30am it was 89F (mid 30C) degrees here.  The monsoon season is starting and the humidity is quickly rising...