So...whats for dinner?

MinusTwo

Eric - I think you are amazing. That said, I have a noise under the hood of my car..... (LOL)

I just read about a brine procedure but it also included vinegar. Let us know how it turns out.

april485

Special, I hope your FIL does well...it is so hard to watch our parents age. My dad would have been 91 on 10/29 and I miss him a lot.

Today, roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy with spinach quickly sautéed with garlic in a little EVOO. Hubby loves this Sunday dinner and since they had angus sirloin tip roast on sale, he gets one of his all time favorite Sunday dinners.

I am betting he moves the spinach around on his plate to make it look good but does not eat it all...he calls it "Popeye" food and says he has big enough biceps hahahahaha! Not his favorite veggie. He likes carrots, peas and corn...and of course potatoes. He tolerates all of the others. He will NOT eat cabbage or brussel sprouts and eggplant - period.

SpecialK

Thanks all for the thoughts about my FIL, this is never easy no matter one's age. My inlaws realize how lucky they have been to be basically healthy and happily together for so long.

Chisandy - you can get Blue Plate Mayo from Amazon

april - my dad's b-day was 10/28, he would have been 99. He passed away in the spring of '01 - miss him too, no matter how old I got,I was always his little girl.

eric95us

If someone said caring for a loved one near the end of their life is easy---I'd be worried.

Spinach. I had to relearn to like it after grade school. The cafeteria food was cooked in a central kitchen and then transported to the school. By the time it made it to school, the spinach was pretty bad. Making it worse, the spinach that wasn't served was sent back to the central kitchen, rewarmed and served the next day. By then it reminded me of the green goo my brother cleaned out of his aquarium. I tried very hard to convince my mom to pack my lunch on spinach days. :-)

The brined chicken is in the oven. I decided to do two chickens, so I hope it turns out. If so, I'll have enough left overs for awhile.

And the super extreme deep cleaning of the kitchen is in progress. The only things left are the refrigerator cleaning and the oven cleaning.

When the chicken is done and the oven cools down a bit, I'll clean the oven....oven cleaner works better in a warm oven....

auntienance

I'm fixing chicken tonight too Eric. Mine was brined in buttermilk and is now coated with olive oil, baking powder, kosher salt and fresh ground pepper and roasting in a 450 degree oven.Makes for a deliciously crispy skin. Sides are buttered homemade egg noodles and broccoli.

eric95us

What all was in the brining solution?

ChiSandy

We went out for dim sum brunch—which we haven’t in years—in “Chinatown North,” a couple miles south of us. I forgot how good it is (albeit carby & fatty). We had tea, wonton soup, Chinese broccoli in oyster sauce, BBQ pork riblets, Cantonese roast duck breast, shrimp & crab and pork & spinach “pillows” (they ran out of shu mai and pot stickers pretty early), rolls of shrimp in chow fun dough (sort of like Cantonese canneloni), pork bao, and (my guiltiest pleasure) sesame balls: red bean paste stuffed inside dough fried and rolled in sesame seeds. The only dessert I order at dim sum brunch. This place (Furama) serves it 7 days a week during lunch hours, and its parking lot is less than half the cost of CTA train or bus fare. We brought home lots of leftovers. It used to be a really cheap meal—I remember the two of us getting out of there, leftovers in hand, for under $40. This time it was $70. Still worth it though. Next time we’ll get there earlier, in order to get the shu mai, potstickers, chicken feet (tastes much better than it sounds), and sticky rice & lop cheong sausage in lotus leaves.

Lacey12

Catching up with all of your interesting topics....

Not a huge mayo fan, but do use it (Hellman's) on certain infrequent sandwiches, like roast beef with the addition of horseradish.

Special, I can totally understand your FIL's feeling and intent for dealing with his end of life decisions. I've thought that way before, but after just recently watching my formerly energetic, healthy living, passionate young friend slowly die from her very aggressive metastasized uterine cancer, I feel more firm in those thoughts.
My friend's family just spent an excruciating 16 months supporting her through what was her third extensive rounds of treatment (she had lots of surgery and chemo and radiation seven years ago), her search for trials after the most recent chemo could no longer be tolerated, rejection from all trial possibilities she and DH searched for, while she became weaker, then developed intestinal blockages and ultimately wasted away while her devoted DH and adult son and daughter lovingly cared for her. It was sadder than sad. My heart is breaking for her DH. I suspect, Eric, that you know that experience all too well. It's feeling pretty raw for me right now. I hope that is not too much oversharing for our kitchen table.
My caring thoughts for your FIL and your family, Special.

So Thursday after we drove an hour to and then from my friend's wake, I made us chicken marsala with capellini, and a garden salad since it was our anniversary. It was a good meal, and we needed it.
Friday I spent the day on the South Shore at her funeral, and that evening DH and I celebrated our anniversary at La Morra, a favorite authentic Italian restaurant in Brookline. We love their bolognese, which contains pieces of lamb rather than the ground variety. So we enjoyed sharing that as a primi along with a small bibb lettuce salad with roasted beets and crispy sunchoke chips (tasty!). I had a flounder entree over farro sautee with broccoli rabe, and DH had his favorite seafood stew. Dessert was a wonderful pear spice cake with a ginger ice cream. We were stuffed to the gills. We should go there more often and eat less!

Yesterday, I had little interest in cooking or eating (and I am still fighting this virus, despite my needed entry to the outside world) so, since DH needs his dinner, we took advantage of the menu offerings at the annual fair at our neighbor's orthodox church. DH had a haddock dinner with pilaf and vegetables, and I had a Greek salad and a small piece of spanakopita. It was delicious. Tonight I had a small bowl of leftover onion soup, since I have eaten way too much this weekend!
It will be good to participate in stretching class tomorrow!

DH has a conference with dinners a few days later this week, so I get to have my "minus style meals" Yay! I will be watching your menu carefully this week, Minus!

MinusTwo

Lacey - So sorry to hear about your friend. I think many of us have been influenced in our choice of treatments & endings after we watch a loved one go through such prolonged suffering. My thoughts are with you. I don't know the author of the feeling below but I believe it.

Cry deep, my friend, let the tears wash away the sadness so good memories can flow in.

As for dinners, last night was a huge green salad with avocado, tomato, radish, cucumber, cauliflower, and shoestring beets (the only 'processed' part). I paired that with a pumpernickel bagel I had hiding in the freezer. At the moment I have Laurie's Mexican Chicken in the oven, but with only one large chicken breast. Tomorrow I don't intend to leave my house since I already participated in early voting, so it will be something from the freezer again.

April - I had to laugh about the spinach story.

Lacey12

Thanks, Minus, for your kind thoughts and that lovely quote, which feels quite relevant right now.

We spent a few hours at the gym this afternoon, treadmill, my weight work for knees and shoulder, then our stretching class, and finally our Zumba class. I was good and tired by the end of that, but it's amazing how good my joints feel tonight. And my annoying sciatica was almost non-existent when I ascended the staircase. Hoping it is resolving for good. I'd like to feel motivated to get back to a regular exercise regimen, without that pain running down my leg! My cough is still around, but much better than the previous weeks. How is your cold doing, Nance? I hope you are getting free of it. You have so much on your plate, it's no wonder you are catching "bugs" that happen by you. Hope you are feeling better!

After the gym, I heated up the leftover chicken marsala and pasta and made a big salad for our dinner.

I like the description of your salad, Minus. That could be one of my meals later this week!

Tonight I was asked to make/donate a dinner for four for a silent auction fundraiser. Gotta think up something that would be easy for me, but appealing/tasty for the buyer(s). Hmmmmm....

april485

Lacey, so very sorry about your dear friend. My condolences. I hate CANCER! It has taken far too much from almost everyone I know. We can go to the moon, but we are still fighting this battle. I hope that someday soon, we can put that in the rearview mirror!

Tonight we are having rotisserie chicken with some rice and veggies - not sure which but thinking asparagus since I have those. Busy day today. Leaving work a little early and meeting the Realtor to sign the paperwork to sell my Dad's house (owned since 1968) and hand over the keys. In between, I will head to the Polls and cast my vote and say bye bye to this incredibly contentious election year...am personally very happy it will be over with. (I hope!)

Hugs to all and don't forget to VOTE if you have not done so!

SpecialK

eric - you are so right - one of the biggest fears of both MIL and FIL is to be a "burden" and because they were both medical professionals they have seen lingering, slow passings - neither wants that. As individuals we are not always able to control that, but their children and spouses are fully ready to step up - they just have to let us. They are so focused on remaining independent it has been a struggle to let us help them.

lacey - such a hard situation, and so heartbreaking. I have such a hard time with the unfairness of losing those who are so young - I experienced that with my brother. He had not lived his whole life yet, at least as I saw it.

On a food note - had some delicious lemon ricotta pancakes on Sunday, can't stop thinking about them, served with lemon curd and berries. I went to brunch with my young TN friend, and we split the pancakes and Florentine Eggs Benedict. The saving grace was we also went to the gym.

Having surgery tomorrow - port removal, left nip removal (sorry eric - TMI, lol!), and fat graft/lipo. This is supposed to be the LAST surgery and my surgeon had a cancellation so we got some quick insurance approval. So, I am cooking ahead with standards like marinara sauce and chili to freeze, and maybe a casserole or two. I probably won't eat much today or tonight - I do better with anesthesia if I go light beforehand.

Lacey12

Just had my keyboard go nuts again after a medium long post. This happens unexpectedly since I updated my system. It freezes, splits, deletes continually. Ugh!

Anyway...starting over on a different screen and will just say that cod on a bed of spinach with onions and mushrooms and feta, along with a big salad (as usual!) will be dinner, and we may just open some bubbly to celebrate the end of this election campaigning. Also hoping for some civility and peaceful movement forward for our country. Voted last week, and like thatboption of early voting which our town hall made easy as pie

Bye, before my keyboard goes nuts again!

Lacey12

Oh, best of luck tomorrow, Special! And wow do those pancakes sound delish

MinusTwo

Special - hope everything goes well tomorrow. We'll be in your pocket. Send us an update when you can.

eric95us

Special, I, too, will be thinking about you tomorrow.

auntienance

Lacey, I'm so sorry about your friend. It reminds me of the loss of one of my close friends when we were in our thirties. She was diagnosed with a very aggressive breast cancer. The treatment options were very different then. She fought it as hard as she could with everything that was available then. It was so difficult to witness her decline, she had three small boys and an asshole husband who took the opportunity to have an affair with his secretary. Ugh. My sincerest sympathies to you.

I'm glad your sciatica is better. I'm still dealing with a nasty cough but it seems to finally be abating.

Special, best of luck tomorrow. Hoping it is indeed your last! I want lemon ricotta pancakes.

I picked quite a lot of spinach from the garden, and wonder of wonders, a very nice tomato. I whipped up a crust and a spinach leek quiche is now in the oven with a garden salad on the side.

SpecialK

Thanks everyone! I am running aorund the house doing anything/everything I can think of that needs doing pre-surgery - the same type of nesting I did before each chemo.

lacey - the pancakes were totally awesome. I need to figure out a way to use surgery sympathy to get some more! There are two to a serving but they are as big as the whole plate!

carolehalston

Thinking about SpecialK and hoping all is well with her surgery.

carolehalston

Our internet hasn't been working so I'm having to use my phone. Without venturing too far into politics, I admit to feeling disheartened over the election outcome.

The last package of turkey/spinach meatballs is thawing for tonight. The veggie will probably be cauliflower mash. Asparagus is also an option. I have the makings of a romaine salad with grape tomatoes, cucumber, and avocado.

I will most likely indulge in a vodka martini

ChiSandy

In your pocket, Special.

I carbed out, I admit. (Couldn’t get drunk—for me, alcohol is for celebration, not stress; and my heartburn couldn’t handle a single ounce of wine, beer or booze). Made mac & cheese for consolation late last night; this morning, a low-carb BLT (drawing from my dwindling supply of ripe homegrown tomatoes), and later a waffle with maple syrup (from a friend’s grove in Montpelier, OH).

Debating whether to attend my bc support group tonight. Hadn’t planned to, but Bar Show rehearsal for tonight has been moved to Saturday.

eric95us

My mom died today.

carolehalston

Eric, what sad news and what a huge loss for you and your family. Hugs

MinusTwo

Oh Eric - I know how close you were and it will be a huge loss. I hope it was peaceful. You are in our thoughts & sending hugs.

auntienance

Oh Eric, I'm terribly sorry. You were a wonderful son to her. (((Hugs)))

ChiSandy

Oh, Eric, I am so sorry. May her memory be for a blessing.

april485

My condolences to you and your family Eric.

eric95us

Thank you. She was 98-1/2, so I knew it was looming, but still.....she was my mom...and I'll miss her greatly

The home health nurse said she was talking, stopped, started to shake, lost consciousness and by the time he was done with 911, she was gone. He said the medics did CPR for a few compressions, checked her, and the doctor on the radio "called it". So it wasn't long, very likely wasn't painful and certainly was not degrading. But still.....she was my mom and I'll miss her greatly.

Anonymous

Eric - I'm so sorry for your loss.

Lacey12

Oh Eric, I am so sorry for you. Your mother raised a wonderful son, and I hope you can feel some solace in knowing that you took such loving care of her. No matter what our ages, losing a parent is so difficult. Peace...

Carole, I share your feelings about our nation's election outcome. I suspect many folks are working on employing coping strategies to deal with their concerns. So that can be a growth process...and we can all work on bringing more light than darkness into each day.

So now, my keyboard is doing that "start in the middle" format. I obviously need to take a lesson on how my new system works with this iPad....Ha!

Nancy, so both yours and my coughs are abating....yay! What an awful way for your friend to leave this earth. So sad. At least my friend had a devoted DH who took complete care of her needs...even had difficulty letting hospice come overnight, when he really needed the rest. She felt so well loved and cared for, which I know helped her feel some peace, since she suffered from significant anxiety whenever alone towards the end. Cancer surely is a vile beast.

So, for dinner I had a bit of protein in the form of peanut butter on two Trader Joe's pecan rolls (addictive for me), and an apple. Tomorrow night I will probably be a bit more healthy and finish the cod and spinach I made last evening.

I communicated with Susan tonight and we made tentative plans to meet at her home in early Dec, so I can meet Olivia.

That little one provides Susan with such joy. We'll have lunch and I'll bring pizzelles. She sounds like her spoons are few these days.

Off to get some shuteye since I was up almost all of last night.