So...whats for dinner?

Lacey12

Of course it is! Looking forward to it, Susan.....and no pix necessary either.

BLTs with chips and sweet potato soup was good tonight. Tomorrow evening I go to a retirement dinner for my former office mate. There will be cheap Italian food there, and a decent salad I hope. I will eat light in anticipation of Mario's Babbo

eric95us

I worked out tonight and "just went and went and went". Sharon gave up on me and went out to Subway to eat. DD decided to wait for me and we ate hash brown potatoes and a ham-onion-egg-green pepper omelet. . It was sort of breakfast for dinner thing.

I had one cast iron skillet that had been giving me problems with its seasoning. I finally gave up, stripped it down in a lye bath and started over. This time it's perfect. Using a "no oil added to it" skillet, all I had to do to get the omelet onto the plate was to tip the skillet sideways.

Hi Suladog.....I'm the resident guy on here. I showed up a couple of years ago when Sharon (wife) was going through "the process" (BMX, chemo, rads) and stayed.... Cooking and baking is my time to relax.

Suladog

Hi Eric,

My husbands been through this twice once I his 30' now 25 yrs later. He does all my food photography and we've also been a writing team for 30 yrs and when I was doing chemo, earlier this yearhe did my cold capping for me. He now "owns" my hair now after 12 wks 5 1/2 hours once a week for 12 weeks. He's great but he just says will work for food

eric95us

I bookmarked your blog page. Thank you to both you and your husband.

MinusTwo

Carole - I don't put ketchup on my meatloaf either. My mother would turn over in her grave if I did.

Bedo & Susan - an orange food update - did anybody see the "limited time" jello pudding special in the refrigerated area? It's called 'orange cream pop' and I just had to try it since I loved Dreamcicles when I was a kid. Not as good as the original ice cream bars, but OK for pre-processed food.

Had a good overnight to Conroe Wednesday. It's a small town by a lake 1-1/2 hours to the north. My BFF's husband died 6 months ago and yesterday would have been their 49th anniversary. I didn't want her to spend it alone. She took me to a very good small, family owned Italian place last night. Excellent veal w/brandy cream sauce and chicken with artichokes & lemon/wine sauce. The bread was disappointing but the entrees were wonderful & the atmosphere was delightful. Sort of like an old house. We stayed up late and drank Espelt, a lovely Garnacha wine from Spain, and watched the DVD of WILD. This morning she cut up strawberries & pineapple, added fresh cherries, baked a french loaf, brought out several nice cheeses & brewed coffee. Fun to just kick back & pick out tidbits & visit.

bedo

Minus Ha ha that orange looks like fun!

I have been craving succotash with fresh ingredients but am too lazy to go out after finishing 4 days of work so will be making this tomorrow (with the frozen and canned ingredients)

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/okra-corn-and-tomatoes-recipe.html#!

susan_02143

Ohhhhhh, I love succotash, but New England style, not the kind with okra. I always mean to make it and somehow the ingredients are never in season at the same time. Clearly, things have changed since the Native Americans were in charge of the planting schedule.

Tonight's dinner was planned around having the leftover Turkish Red Lentil soup. Since Mr. 02143 wanted some meat, he got a Shwarma sandwich from our local shop and I got a cucumber salad. Perfect solution for both of us. Clearly, we were going through Turkish food withdrawal. Still waiting on my approval update..... but as a great distraction, we are going to Babbo tomorrow!!!

*susan*

MinusTwo

Succotash was one of my Dad's favorites, but he wanted only corn & lima beans in the dish - and of course butter.

auntienance

This is a really nice succotash that I usually serve at thanksgiving. Makes good use of late summer veggies and herbs.

http://www.marthastewart.com/312726/autumn-vegetable-succotash

SpecialK

Have been cooking nothing - DH and DD were out of town simultaneously.  DH returned home tonight (he was in Washington, D.C. and had dinner with our DS last night - yay!) and had a milkshake for dinner, lol!  I didn't even cook it - he did!

bedo

blech. don't make my succotash recipe. I have a whole pot if you want me to ship it to you. The others sound much better

carolehalston

I've never seen or heard of succotash with okra.  It's corn and lima beans in our part of the south, maybe with some bacon.  Okra is breaded and deep-fried, stewed with tomatoes, boiled and lightly pickled in vinegar, cooked in gumbo, or pickled with chili peppers and garlic, and boiled on the top of a pot of cooked brown peas (crowder or field).  We love the stewed (smothered) okra with tomatoes and lots of garlic.  Okra has become very expensive and it grows so easily.  Once it begins to produce, you have to pick it every day and the bush eventually grows so tall you almost need a ladder.  So that's the story on okra!    

Last night's dinner was an arranged dinner salad that turned out to be outstanding.  Base of romaine with quartered cherry tomatoes and home-grown cucumber.  Steamed and chilled asparagus, sliced boiled new potatoes at room temperature, perfectly ripened avocado, big crumbles of blue cheese and big plump shrimp sautéed in EVOO.  My dressing was white balsamic and a CA olive oil that is very good.  A little drizzle of a bottled low-cal blue cheese dressing.  Big grind of black pepper.  DH and I both commented that every mouthful was full of flavor.

It's very hot now and heavy hot food is not appealing.  The high temperatures this week are high 80's and low 90's.  I'm taking my mother to a hair appointment at 11 am, then taking her to lunch at a seafood place where we haven't eaten before.  Adjoining the restaurant is a seafood market (same owners) and I hope to buy some lump crab meat to make crab cakes.

Redheaded1

Succotash is lima beans, corn and bacon where I come from also.  Love the lima beans and bacon, but not a big corn fan.  Unless it is on the cob and rolled in butter....

Still eating lamb shanks and beans, it is so good. but almost gone.  Need to weed like crazy and get rid the  lily of the valley that are taking over.  (Thin them, as you can't eliminate them)   Tree Surgeons was here yesterday and tackled two of the four Pin Oaks that needed attention.  I guess the worker who was sick on Tues (they were a no show) must have relapsed as no one showed up today.  No phone call to let me know either... But the yard was immaculate when I came home last night where they had been working.    Really wanting them to finish since it should produce more sunshine in the rear of the house gardens.

 

I wish I had some outstanding "local" place to take my visitors to for dinner....My cousin and his wife are passing through in 2 weeks and wanted to get together for dinner.  He is over 60 and I have seen him once.  His family were in the air force where he was growing up and they lived all over the world.  I was really blue at Christmas and put a sad note in his card, and I guess now they want to connect.

I have all these cousins I've never known as a child and it doesn't seem like family when you were never around them.  At least not to me.

carolehalston

Tuna casserole in the small oven.  Haven't cooked that in a few years.  Not sure where the idea came from.  I didn't feel like making the crab cakes tonight since I had lunch out and won't be eating much.  DH likes tuna casserole and I like it ok, too, but it's one of those too-easy-to-eat foods.  I cooked some whole wheat spiral pasta and threw a pack of frozen mixed veggies in the last few minutes of cooking.  Sautéed green onions and red bell pepper in olive oil and added chicken broth with corn starch as a thickener.  Mixed pasta, veggies, and sauce together with a couple of cans of drained tuna and added grated mozzarella.  We'll call it dinner with a green salad. 

Suladog

right now I' enjoying a delicious bag of herceptin

susan_02143

Lacey and I had lunch together today!!! What fun it is to enjoy a meal with someone who is just as enthusiastic as I am about food in general, and ingredients in particular. We chose to eat at Mario Batali's first Boston restaurant Babbo Pizzeria e Enoteca. It is really an outlet of his Otto empire, but since we already have a restaurant in town named Otto, he had to find another name. The restaurant is in an area that is now being called The Seaport, a marketing term so we all forget what used to be in this area, and in fact, is right on the ocean. However, you can't even see the water from the building. The space is huge, and has the currently popular sleek and modern look. The chairs do allow those of us with more expansive buttocks to sit for a length of time, but the chairs are strangely IKEA quality. Rather odd given how much money they spent on the build out.

After we were seated, we were asked to choose our water type.... I replied Boston's finest, which the young woman didn't understand, so we had to explicitly asked for tap. Two pieces of bread were delivered, all wrapped in parchment paper along with a bag of imported bread sticks. And then we got to work deciding what to eat. We chose four items, and asked that they not be delivered all at once, but instead be served in a way that we could share.

Round 1 included a large ramekin of Funghi Misti, which technically means mixed mushrooms. The mushrooms had been sautéed and then chilled with olives and olive oil. We both thought that a bit of lemon juice or even some lemon zest in the olive oil would have perked the dish up just a bit, but these were delicious. The second ramekin held a Farro with Ramps and Lemon salad. This was also a cold presentation, and except for the absence of salt, was delicious. Turns out Lacey has never met a farro that she doesn't love!

Round 2 was a nicely cooked Guanciale Pizza with an egg cooked on top. The menu stated that it has parmigiano cheese and scallions, but I believe that there was also some standard mozzarella in the mix. We broke the egg, which was softly cooked, so that it spread over the top of the pizza and dove right in. This was a good pizza. The Guanciale was well cured and had a ton of flavor. There was enough to enjoy the flavor with each bite, but not so much that it felt like a meat pizza. I love an egg on pizza. Really gives such a lovely richness. The second dish was hot Italian sausage with a balsamic and olive oil glaze. Four large pieces of sausage were on an oval plate, with the balsamic glaze drizzled around the plate. The sausage was good and had some actual heat. When we finished, there was only one lone piece of pizza and two large sections of sausage which I suspect Mr. Lacey enjoyed tremendously.

We then decided to have a dessert. I had read that the olive oil gelato was fabulous, so we ordered one of these with two spoons, along with our coffees. The dessert was served in a martini glass [so overdone] with a large scoop of the gelato in the middle. Then around the edge was a section with pine nut brittle, another section had a runny lime curd, and then the final section was a strawberry granita. A basil syrup completed the dish. As you all know, I am not a big dessert person and this was so good! It was not overly sweet at all; in fact some people would object to the lack of sweetness. I loved how you could change the flavor of the dish by simply coupling the gelato with a different "side." I ate far more of this than I ever would have expected. The dish was absolutely clean by the time we were done.

When it was all said and done, we had told stories, laughed, and almost 3 hours had passed. The meal was really good, and we were able to eat tasty food that actually made up a pretty balanced meal. I came home and fell asleep for two hours. [Femara is kicking my butt with the fatigue thing.] After I got up, I prepared some grilled swordfish, basmati rice and a salad for Mr. 02143. I was only able to eat a few bites of this dinner but Mr. 02143, who did not get a nice restaurant lunch, had no trouble eating both of our shares.

Lone pizza slice waiting for a box.

Italian sausage.

*susan*

auntienance

I'm so envious, what a lovely time! I

SpecialK

Such a thorough description I feel like we were there!

eric95us

Sorry Suladog....Nancy's and Susan's meals sounds more appetizing.

I'm dripping on the phone...ran 3 miles in a light rain...

MinusTwo

Susan - thanks for posting all the details. It's almost like we were with you both - not quite but almost. So glad you were able to get together and that the meal was delicious. I find I still take afternoon naps some days and I force myself not to feel guilty about it.

MinusTwo

I played dominoes (Chickenfoot) with some neighbors today and I took a Dulce de Leche pie. It's from a Wind & Willow mix so doesn't count for you real chefs - mix cream cheese, butter & the mix, fold in cool whip, fill a graham cracker crust & drizzle w/carmel sauce. Everyone loved it and I had enough to take pieces to two of the older widows in the neighborhood for their dessert tonight. I've never been disappointed by their products.

http://www.windandwillow.com/

Suladog

I must agree Susan and Lacey had a much finer meal than I!!!

carolehalston

Wonderful description, Susan.  Thank you for sharing.  Glad you and Lacey had this opportunity to enjoy great food together.

Minus, your pie sounds delicious.  We used to play dominoes in my family, the old-fashioned game not the "Mexican" dominoes.  We played partners (foursome) and it got quite competitive. 

geewhiz

Suladog, consider the herceptin an appetizer you must partake in order to enjoy everything else yet to come. (Vegan, and Indian food lover? Yahoo!!! I can't wait to try some of your recipes!)

Suladog

geewhiz,

Thanks! Let me know if you try making anything. Came home after herceptin to leftover Memphis rub chicken for Alan, vegetables for me. Of course there was a small bowl of my homemade vanilla ice cream with Valrhona chocolate pearls

Lacey12

Susan....thank you! Thank you.......for your wonderful description of our lunch. It was great to see you and fun to peruse that menu together, try to understand our cute Italian waiter's food descriptions, (you did way better than I) and try some of "Mario's culinary creations". I have never had an egg on my pizza before, and it was delicious. DH inhaled the leftovers for dinner....quite happily!! I made us an arugula salad with mushrooms, red onion and sun dried tomatoes to accompany his pizza and sausage which he ate on a ciabatta roll (sorry, but he doesn't know it was not well paired with arugula;) and cut up some cheese and apple to add something to my plate. But as you might imagine, I was not very hungry after our long afternoon titrated mini feast. Lord! That dessert was just totally delightful! Never had anything quite so light and satisfying with wonderful varied tastes and textures...and the sweetness, as you mentioned, was just perfect!

Oh, and one more thing, we also tried waiter selected/imposed digestifs...one tangerine/limoncello type which was very nice, and one artichoke heart derivative which reminded me of that awful paragoric meds of my childhood. We passed on the large glass of that.

DH and I reviewed some of the selections on Babbo's menu tonight and he remarked that he might not eat octopus anymore, since they are intelligent.....really! I am not, since I was unaware of that fact! But I also do not eat octopus!

As I headed back to the MASS Pike, this afternoon, I decided to check with DS2 to see if DGF was working at home today, and if so, if she might have time (and inclination) for me to stop in since I was three blocks from their place. So, I did and we had a nice visit, and I got to see newly shaved pooch, who is oddly still very cute in person. His post "grooming" pic was horrifying!! I was happy to learn that DGF was going out to dinner with some neighborhood gals she knows thru DS2. She has been slow to make friends here so far and is trying to connect more. Not always an easy task for thirty-something newbys to New England. I worry about that a bit since she is reserved, and really knows no one here independent of DS2. But it looks like they are working on it.

Minus, your time spent with your recently widowed friend sounded so comforting.....and delicious! You are lucky to have each other as good friends.

Carole, i agree that tuna casserole can be one of those things that is hard to stop eating which seems so odd! I have not made one since the eighties but used to love it. Not so with succotash....just could never get those lima beans down! Yuk!

Am wiped after my partying last evening, lunching today, then visiting....seems silly....but I suppose I am just not used to a heavy social schedule! Enjoyed it so much tho....:)

Hi to all I missed......

Redheaded1

Suladog, I am so glad when you got done with your chemo lunch you had something better to consume at home......

Sounds like a very memorable meal and time you two got to share.  Susan you have a wonderful knack for writing so we can all experience the meal with you!  Thanks. 

I had an overabundance of veggies in the fridge so I am making Vegetable soup. Scored some nice Beef short ribs at the store and they are simmering now.  I am eating the very last of the lambshanks and beans today.  (Went for fish last night with dear old dad---I had a Rueben with fries while he ate the all you can eat.  His blood sugar nmoniter said it was 263 this a.m.  I forgot he went to a lunch at the church Friday and he kept telling me about all these different pasta salads and desserts he ate, and how the church ladies filled his plate.  Of course, he never said, I'm diabetic........l  

carolehalston

Redheaded, I would have to have chilled veggie soup at this time of year. 

The mixture for the crab cakes (burgers, patties) is in the refrigerator.  I used a recipe in Cooking up a Storm that called for making a béchamel sauce and adding it to the 1 lb. of lump crab with an egg and seasonings and crumbs.  I didn't have saltines on hand to make crumbs, which was what the recipe called for, so used a combination of French bread crumbs and panko.  I'll form the patties, bread them lightly and panfry in a mixture of oil and butter. 

Sides will be a salad and a baked new potato.  I'm taking Nance's word that new potatoes are good baked.

MinusTwo

Carole - I just bought a pound of new potatoes so I'll be awaiting your verdict.

Lacey - such exciting times. Thanks for sharing w/us.

Redhead - It's already 95 here so although it sounds good, soup's not on my agenda.

eric95us

Sharon made a Chili-Macaroni casserole last night and we're having that tonight.

Wow Minus It's only 93F degrees here in Phoenix but kind of humid because of yesterday's thunderstorms. Normally it's 10-15 degrees warmer than this.

I took the opportunity to work on the sprinklers...gym shorts and one of those quick drying shirts and I played in the water while I worked. :-)