So...whats for dinner?

SpecialK

eric - I sympathize, now that my FIL has passed the kids (DH and his 4 sibs) are trying to keep my MIL afloat - I don't think any of us realized how much my FIL handled. The closest anyone lives is a five hour drive away, so the logistics are a bit unnerving. Last night after I got home from the event on base my DH told me that the gentlemen he had arranged to mow the lawn at his mom's had quit. He was charging $130 for mowing per month (a steal in that area), and my MIL walked him around the yard indicating some other things she wanted done. He said he would charge her an additional $100 for those extra things - reasonable for what she wanted done - these are extra things that would occur maybe quarterly. She said no, I already paid you $300 and was insistent she wouldn't pay him any extra. He said I will mow your yard today, but I am not coming back, and you have only paid me the $130 so far. She argued, he left, she went into the house to look at her checkbook. The $300 she paid was hurricane clean-up paid to a different person last fall. Eeesh! So, now my DH has to call this poor man and explain her confusion and hope he will come back and continue to do the good job he had been doing.

Edited to add that when DH spoke to his bro last night he said "well, I guess the lawn guy fired mom..."

M0mmyof3

Using the rest of the leftover chicken I cooked last night

PontiacPeggy

Eric, trust stuff is challenging. When DH had to go into a nursing home, we needed to get him on Medicaid. I went to an elder law attorney and he handled everything - the Medicaid application, disposing of assets, setting up a trust. Painful but I was glad someone else was doing it.

SpecialK, that's rough about your MIL. No suggestions from me

HUGS!

SpecialK

Pontiac - all things considered, she is actually doing fairly well. She cooks, cleans, takes herself to appointments, etc. She has short term memory issues, and gets a bit boggled in dealing with the paperwork generated by the estate and the death of my FIL, so she is a bit unreliable as far as info goes. Also, FIL assured all of the kids that he had everything in place - turns out there have been surprise insurance policies, surprise Certs of Deposit - all good problems to have, but these have needed some coordination. This has been complicated by spotty communication between the sibs, and a case of too many chiefs. All of this is coming from a place of love and concern, but having handled three estates now, DH and I have more practical experience. Things have calmed down a bit and he and his brother seem to be handling the lion's share and all is now going fairly smoothly - aside from the occasional complication of lawn mowing (a first world problem, for sure!), and the sudden realization that since the cancellation of FIL's Medicare supplement health insurance and prescription drug coverage, MIL's was also cancelled since it was tied to his, so we had to get some asap!

ChiSandy

Dinner tonight—since it’s at a hospital awards banquet in the clubhouse of a S. Side country club known mostly for its golf & booze rather than its food—will probably be crummy iceberg-based salad and either overcooked steak filet or botched broiled fish (veggie option is almost always pasta). Will have to leave over the potato (and maybe the carrots if sugary) and pass up the rolls & dessert. I will console myself in the knowledge there are great cheeses & berries in my fridge.

eric95us

Dinner tonight was blackened rockfish. Onion powder, some salt, paprika, white pepper, black pepper, red pepper, oregano, basil. I went with a couple of teaspoons of onion powder and 1/2 teaspoon of everything else. Drag the fish through the spices and cook, in a very hot cast iron pan with melted butter.

A big sigh.

Mickey in 1981. Mom had the picture stashed away.

ChiSandy

I was pleasantly surprised tonight—evidently the country club got a new caterer. Salad was spinach (albeit drenched in a too-sweet dressing); entree was a nicely medium-rare filet mignon paired with a large “airline chicken” breast (not quite “airline” because the wing bone had been removed) that was fairly moist, three large asparagus spears, and a potato gratin. Took home most of the chicken, a bit of the steak, and all of the potato. Dessert was cookies and creme brulee topped with three fresh raspberries. Ate the raspberries, went under the sugar crust to try the custard, which was way too sweet so I left it over. Brought home a cookie, though. When I got home, I was still hungry (skipped lunch) and wanted to keep it low-carb, so I ate the remaining steak, a slice of the chicken, and half a fresh tomato with basil. Dessert was a small (1”) square of dark chocolate and a decaf breve cappuccino.

carolehalston

After two weeks in the hospital, my mother is back in the nursing home and very happy to be there. Without going into a lot of detail, she has signed up for Hospice care. She will get extra care and the nursing home isn't required to send her to the ER with any episode that occurs.

My mother is not ready to die and is hopeful about getting stronger and back to wheelchair life. If she opts to go to the hospital at any point, she can revoke the Hospice contract with a signature. I had not known that Hospice is now a commercial operation rather than a charity service.

My life has centered on caregiver duties. No golf and some skipped trips to the gym. I have managed to cook dinner with thinking ahead to menus. The stuffed peppers in the freezer have come in handy.

Last night was stuffed pepper half and a chopped salad with added perfect avocado. Dh had a bowl of warmed up chicken and dumplings made yesterday morning for my mother's lunch.

Tonight's dinner is an unsolved mystery at this hour.

I have not been successful at WW and have missed two meetings

M0mmyof3

Will have to dig in the freezer to see what strikes my fancy to make for tonight

auntienance

Carole, many patients improve tremendously on hospice. She may very well meet that goal. Wishing her and you the very best. I know you must be very stressed. I'm glad you have siblings to share the emotional load with.

HappyHammer

Thinking of you Carole as you navigate this path with your mother.  Your sense of humor shines through with the "dinner is an unsolved mystery" comment. 

eric95us

Special...I think we all worry about how much our parents are doing and then we find out they were doing twice as much.

Carole, I've noticed that too about hospice. It used to be all non-profit and now, at least around here, the for profit places outnumber the non-profit ones. I'm not sure how I feel about that, but then I'm OK with a funeral home providing a living for a family......so maybe I'm the one that's inconsistent.

Hugs, as this is *NOT* an easy time.

I guess dinner tonight will be the roast I pulled from the freezer the other day. I'm not sure if it's a "roasting roast" or a "pot roast" and I'm not sure how to tell. My guess is that it's a pot roast. It's a cheaper cut of meat, it's more raw material for my experiments and when I get a *good* cut of meat, I cook it right away.

SpecialK

carole - I often cook more dinner than is needed for that meal and freeze the leftovers thinking ahead to future meals - seems like less work, even with a larger volume of food. I did that before chemo and it was helpful to have a freezer full of cooked meals for the family. I have experienced Hospice care with 2 parents,1 brother, and most recently my FIL - all different approaches, and from different sources. None of those involved had any hope of improvement, so it was palliative and end of life care, but I found that the extra services brought on to be very beneficial for the patient. Hoping your mom receives extra attention and care, and that in turn provides you with some respite for yourself.

eric - my MIL is actually pretty capable with daily chore type things, she is physically pretty strong - riding her bike daily at 86, driving the golf cart around the island, etc. Her challenge is paperwork and decision making surrounding that stuff. My FIL sheltered her, and thus she is clueless about the estate. She gets a little panicky when a check comes in the mail, or forms, or paperwork relating to accounts - unfortunately my FIL sorted all that stuff out for her in advance, then told her what to do, but she represented to all of us that she always handled all of that stuff. Not so much.

M0mmyof3

Hubby wants TV dinners but he's getting spaghetti instead!

eric95us

10 hours in the slow cooker and the roast was "fork tender". It's that balsamic vinegar-honey recipe I posted earlier. After 35 years of experimenting, I've finally found a pot roast recipe that I like.

I spent all day working on mom's house...and I'm spent.... So many memories that I'm having to get rid of...but it has to be done. A lot of the stuff is going to younger "test daughter" (will be age 39 in August) and her family. They are getting rid of the "pressed board with wood looking paper" stuff and upgrading to real maple, oak and cherry wood furniture from mom's house. This is absolutely perfect as I consider her family by choice.

ChiSandy

Well, the branzino went into the freezer: Bob went to a drug co. dinner tonight and brought home Moroccan lamb shank, roasted cauliflower, hummus & pita and cheesecake. I left half the lamb, and all of the hummus, pita and cheesecake for Gordy (who still hasn’t touched the chicken breast and potato galette I brought home last night). Think I will cut a slice of a WI version of Mimolette cheese, scoop a teaspoonful of gooey yummy ripe Brie, and have some fresh berries and balsamic with it for my late dessert. Perhaps a decaf espresso as well.

carolehalston

We had a skillet dish that was tasty and satisfying. Ground turkey, chunky diced zucchini, rotel tomatoes seasoned with garlic and onion powder. Finished off with heavy sprinkle of Romano and handful of bagged Italian cheese. Forgot the penne pasta that was cooked and added near the end. This was good enough to cook again.

Side was kale chopped salad with added avocado.

If all goes well I have today "off." The golf tee times were early so I enjoyed staying in bed instead of playing.

Dinner tonight will be a beef and broccoli skillet dish, either flank steak or skirt steak and fresh broccoli. Recipe has a good Asian type sauce. As most nights, we'll have a salad, probably romaine.

We are in the day time 80's all week

april485

I love those one pan meals Carole. Yours sounds yummy. I make them at least once a week. Tonight we are having pan seared Strip Steaks with baked potato and roasted asparagus. Easy and fast.

MinusTwo

I got home last night. I had a wonderful trip visiting with old friends in Oregon & Washington, and actually was fortunate to have 2/3 sunshine - or at least no active rain. I ate Dungeness Crab (more to follow), walked on the Straits of Juan de Fuca by Sequim, got caught in a snow storm in the Olympic Peninsula, went to a lecture about Constitutional Law, visited a great Indie book store, saw the Yaquina Head natural area & tide pools, even visited a Medical Marijuana dispensary with one friend who had a prescription for pain from a congenital bone problem.

I can't possibly do justice to the food in a short post, so I'll try to just summarize some of the seafood experiences. Of course there were good salads & interesting veggies & excellent bread & nice wines & Tuaca to sip, but it was only a back drop to my eating pleasures. Dungeness Crab Cakes to die for from a local market. Crab Louie w/HUGE pieces of D. Crab. Fresh grilled Halibut stuffed with D. Crab. Bakery in Sequim with wonderful bread that also carried Lesley Stowe's Rainforest Crisps from Canada (maybe the best crackers I've ever tasted w/Brie & goat cheese, etc). Several excellent seafood chowders w/local fish/oysters/shrimp, Smoked Ruby Red Trout. Rock Shrimp Linguini (a restaurant week special but the least tasty meal of the trip because it was too dry). Wild King Salmon. D.Crab & shrimp mac & cheese. Red Curry BBQ shrimp. Local Pacific oysters fried in Panko & herbs served for breakfast with eggs & potatoes. Last but not least (or really first), I did get my whole Dungeness Crab. I'd looked at one restaurant menu and it was offered for $70.00 (gulp). Luckily one of my friends knew a true village fishmonger with their own boat who serves 6 tiny tables where they sell the catch, mainly from their own boat. Whole steamed Dungeness crab with melted butter, coleslaw, fries, bread - $26.00. I ate the entire thing - although as those of you have had indulged will understand, it took a long time to crack & ferret out all those delicious bits.

I thought I'd be cold with 37/55 temps because of my "thin" Houston blood (yesterday I flew from 54 degrees to 84 degrees), but I was actually quite comfortable with my layers. Gorgeous country. Interesting conversation with intelligent people. I had no access to electronic devices or internet. Like me, my friends don't watch much TV. They read me snippets of news from their morning papers, but otherwise it was nice to skip the "sturm und drang" - a real vacation. My own bed did feel good, but I'm ready to turn around and go back.

Sounds like everyone here had a good 10 days with some excellent meals. Fun reading about the nasty meatloaf. I'll have to dig in my freezer or have canned pork & beans for dinner. Carole - glad your Mom is doing better and has taken more control of directing her health care. Sounds like the Hospice program will facilitate that. Susan - I loved my power port. Hope yours makes infusions easier. And I'm glad you talked to someone about cleaning up after the guests so you can guard your energy. I can't imagine keeping up with Olivia. My niece is the same age and a 'whirlwind'. Eric - interesting about your dutch oven cooking class & good you're feeling better. Will DD come home for spring break? Can you please post the pot roast marinade recipe again? Hi to everyone else. I'll gradually catch up once my body is back on Central time.

SpecialK

minus - yay for a great trip! Glad you're home safely!

auntienance

Welcome home Minus - sounds like a successful trip! Mouthwatering over the crab dishes.

Tonight DH is having tacos - chicken tamales for me. Sides will be black beans that I made a few days ago and guacamole made with some slightly-past-their-prime avocados.

Getting ready to start overnight rise pizza dough for pizza tomorrow night. Good thing I have a stand mixer to do the kneading because my arm is sore from weights workouts three days this week. My body doesn't know what to think.

carolehalston

Ditto to SpecialK's post. Your trip sounds ideal, Minus. Major envy for all that D crab.

I'm typing this on my new expensive little laptop with Windows 10. Grieving for my beloved Windows 7. I didn't want one of those big laptops and the small ones are pricier. I didn't realize that this one also is a tablet. Why would one want a laptop/tablet? Beats me. I was perfectly happy with the Samsung that all of a sudden decided not to open up.

DH has a reception tonight that's included in a golf tournament this weekend. I'm assuming there will be heavy h'ordeuves (sp?) as well as a bar so tonight's planned menu will be tomorrow night's. I will fend for myself, Minus style!

PontiacPeggy

Minus, Welcome home. Glad you got good weather and better food!

Carole, I too missed Windows 7 but I'm not quite happy with Win 10. I downsized to at 15" laptop last time I purchase Not a combo.

Leftover pizza tonight and Trader Joe's Lambrusco for dinner while I watch more NCAA basketball. My Gonzaga Bulldogs are in the Elite Eight. Tomorrow #2 DS and I will watch them play for the quarter finals and then go out for dinner. DIL has a scrapbooking class and won't join us.

Happy Dry Weekend, All.

HUGS!

ChiSandy

My husband detests Windows 10, which was automatically installed as an update to the 7 that came on his Sony laptop, thanks to the “auto-update” software bundled with the computer. He can’t play DVDs any more because Media Center doesn’t recognize the built-in drive; and can’t seem to find a Windows 10 driver for it online. I hate how computer makers—Windows and Mac—assume that everyone now uses only the cloud or thumb drives (and some new MacBooks don’t even have USB ports, just USB-C which is supposed to double as a power port) and that nobody buys DVDs, CDs, or even Blu-Ray discs—doesn’t everybody watch movies only on phones or tablets instead? (Sarcasm alert).

Bob got some Lettuce Entertain You gift cards as his 25-yr award from the hospital, so tonight we’re going to a new Lettuce place called “Oyster Bah.” As much as I crave a lobster roll or oyster po’ boy, I will go with the low-carb fish alternatives on the menu.

MinusTwo

Windows 10 tried to automatically populate my computer too, but I was able to get it off and stay with Windows 7 (for the time being). I installed a program called "Never 10" that kept Windows from being able to "invade".

auntienance

I went straight from xp to Windows 8 which I hated with a passion. Apparently, I'm in the minority because I love Windows 10.

MinusTwo

Nance - if I'd been stuck with Windows 8, I probably would have loved 10. How's your Dad doing?

CeliaC

PontiacPeggy - One of the Cincinnati Area teams, Xavier, will be Gonzaga's next opponent. Will be an interesting game, but believe the odds are in Gonzaga's favor. Currently watching my daughter's alma mater, Butler vs N Carolina & hoping for a comeback. Kentucky vs UCLA is up next - rooting for Kentucky. Enjoy the games!

Sandy - Have fun at dinner! I remember good times & good food at various Lettuce Entertain You restaurants in the Windy City.

Minus - What a wonderfully "crabby" trip with all that great seafood! Living vicariously through your descriptions of your vacay,

MinusTwo

Celia - glad to have you at the kitchen table.

Peggy - I thought you originally said you didn't cook much. Looks like you've been cooking up a storm - and it sounds good.

auntienance

Minus, my dad's hanging in there, thanks for asking.