So...whats for dinner?

Laurie  congrats on accomplishing the walk.  It is all so emotional to think of all the women that have lost their lives to this disease.  What a wonderful tribute though to remember and think of your mom.

debbie,   wow what is the occasion for so many visitors? so much fun!  and the eating and drinking...all good!

to all you Florida birds....bring us back some warm sunshine...would still like to get outside and tidy up the gardens before the snow.

Had chili last evening.  tonight probably leftovers.  Would love to get my hands on some of those ribs though!

We're here!!! It's not raining too hard at the moment. We had a great lunch at a Caribbean-themed restaurant in Delray. I had coconut and plantain-crusted grouper with green beans and cole slaw, and DH had a fried grouper sandwich. It was yummy, our room is fabulous, and now we are going to take a nap. We were up at 3:30 which was 30 minutes later than we intended...we both slept through the alarm!!! Our flight left at 5:20 and everything went smoothly and on time.  We are looking forward to our celebration tonight with Joyce and her DH.

The weather will not stop us from having a great time!  The desk clerk gave us a glorious upgrade to an oceanfront suite and the picture above is a view from our balcony looking south. 

Michelle

Michelle - big thumbs up on the room upgrade - WOW!. You and Joyce have a great time with the DHs.

Laurie - shephard's pie is not something my mother ever made, but it's one of my favorites. Unless it's lasagna, I guess Italians aren't too big on casseroles. I can make it, but I usually wait until I know my SIL is making it and finagle a dinner invitation.

I was in the lakes region of NH over the weekend, visiting a friend. The foliage was very spotty - some color, but a lot of bare trees and a lot that are still green. I've been feeling kind of lousy since Friday - like I'm coming down with a cold. Well it hit today. I went to work because last Monday was a holiday and I didn't want the same kids to miss OT 2 weeks in a row. I managed to see all but one of my kids before I called it quits at noon, and came home. I slept most of the afternoon. I'm still not feeling well. I don't know about tomorrow. We had a professional development day last Tuesday, so the kids weren't in school. If I stay home the kids I see on Tuesday will miss OT 2 weeks in a row. When teachers are out, they get a substitute, not with OT. If I'm not there, the kids don't get seen, so it makes me feel guilty taking time off. I know  I shouldn't feel guilty - after all  it's the kids that are giving me the germs that are making me sick. I have a whole lot of new little kids this year. I guess I haven't had a chance to build up any immunity to their germs, yet. It better happen soon, or this could be a long (cough, cough) school year.

MinusTwo,



Laurie's Salsa Chicken is definitely a favorite here! I made Debbie's Oatmeal Bars and really enjoyed them!! There is no added sugar other than what comes from the dried fruit.... My husband also liked them but said, if I make them again, to add just a bit of brown sugar (maybe 1/8 - 1/4 cup) for his taste....



I will say this... If you don't plan to eat them right away, I would definitely cut them and freeze the squares... We didn't eat them quick enough and they went moldy!

Hi everyone!  Michelle and Joyce, sorry for the bad weather.  Hope it clears up soon, but even if it doesn't, as Deborye says the worst day on vacation is better than the best day at home.  I like that one!

Hauntie, hope you're feeling better soon.  One of the drawbacks of working with kids. 

We had salmon, sweet potatoes, asparagus and a salad for dinner tonight.  Makes up for the tacos last night.  It was interesting when I bought it at the fish store today, they had king salmon and coho salmon.  I only recently started eating salmon so I know nothing about it.  The price wasn't that different for each so I asked the girl that worked there what the difference was.  She said the coho was milder and leaner; the king was supposed to be the best salmon and had a stronger taste and had more fat.  So I bought a little of each to compare.  Both DH and I thought the coho tasted a little better.  I am not surprised by me because I don't like a really fishy taste, but DH liked it better too.  I hope remember next time I'm buying it.

Laurie, I love the leaf project.  Have fun with it.

Have a great evening everyone!

If you want to be my friend look for, Deborah Moorehouse Ryer

Laurie- What a precious picture of your boys collecting leaves, you are such a good mommy!

Minus-two- Thanks for letting us know about getting to the pages faster, i bet a lot of us didnt know that, i know i never did! You are funny, staying up and reading all the pages when you had to get up early, but then again, i did that the other night too LOL!

Hauntie- Sorry you are not feeling good, I know it is going around- Hope you feel better soon and dont feel guilty about the kids, just take care of yourself.

Seaside- I wonder what made the bars moldy? I had mine for about 3 days and they were fine, but I did see on Kaths site ( original recipe) where she said too wrap them up individually and freeze them if not eating real soon. I make a oatmeal bar with apricots ( like them better, but has sugar in them)  they are good for about a week, so im wondering if its the nuts in the other bars that makes them go bad. hmmm interesting,. Love the chicken salsa have made it at least 4 times.

Kay- Your dinner sounds good, i love salmon especially blackened.

Deb- I saw the pic of your DD and the lobsters earlier, wow, they are ginormous!!

Apple- Stuffed peppers Yum!!!

Im pretty much ready for every one to go home now, i never thought i would say this, but I'm partyed out LOL!

Apple, would you share your recipe for french onion soup?  I have a lot of onions in my pantry too.

Laurie, I agree, those days go so fast.  Your boys are just too cute!  My DD is 14.  I love her to death, but some aspects of these teenage years are just plain tough.  Miss the younger ages. 

Shopping was never one of my favorite things.,  I like to go, get what I need and leave.  My DD now makes it an all day affair.  It is fun when I'm with her though.

Debbie, sorry you're getting tired.  That has been a lot of entertaining you've been doing.  Take a nice long rest when everyone goes.

Have a great day everyone.

french onion soup.. if you have a good beef stock.. have a quart on hand.. if not use a tablespoon or so of higher quality beef base available in your soup section at the grocers.

I chop about 10 onions and sautee them in a big pot.  You have to cook them forever.  I used to add a teaspoon of sugar to help in the browning.. that's very french.  You want the onions to take on a deep brown color without burning.. however, they can be pretty 'burnt' and it will tasted just fine.. it's just the sugars caramelizing and the brown ness is dissipated thru the soup.  I cook them at a fairly high heat stirring often.. i add about a cup of water occasionally to aid in the cooking.. this water will evaporate.  I sometimes add garlic, thyme or bay leaf.. but rarely.  I then add stock (i don't have any handy today, but might find a beef bone at the store and will boil it for 4 hours if so)... about 6 - 10 cups. if you add to much, you can reduce it.  add salt if necessary.

for the croutons i cut french bread into slices... dice some fresh garlic and microwave it with 2 or 3 tblspoons of olive oil with i brush on the bread.. then i toast these in the oven till lightly brown.. i actually like them kind of crunchy.. I make mine in a casserole dish because we moved and i cannot find my individual soup bowls.. i think they are buried in the basement.  I top the croutons (bread slices) with a good quality swiss or ementhal cheese and bake for 5 minutes to melt the cheese. 

there are a lot of good, more specific recipes on line like this one.

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/french_onion_soup/

kay - I like to make french onion soup for lunch at the Senior Center.  I like to use a sweet onion like Walla Walla or Vidallia.  The secret to french onion soup is to have a good stock and properly caramelize the onions. 

For the stock I like Knorr Beef Base.  It is a paste that comes in a tub and can be found at most stores in the section with the bullion.  It has far less salt then billion and better flavor.  I use the suggested amounts on the label and then simmer it with a celery stalk or two to "freshen" the flavor, then adjust the stock to taste with a little more base. Remove the celery.  At this point I add my secret ingredient, what I call my Knox Bone.  Since homemade stock includes gelatin from the bones I add gelatin, about one envelope per 6 to 8 cups of stock.  Just soften in cold water and stir in.  A tiny bit of dry sherry also helps.

Don't try to hurry the carmelization process with the onions.  I use butter and a low temp.  If the onions sizzle the heat is to high and you can wind up with a bitter taste.  It is  slow process but well worth the time and effort.  Just cook slowly until your onions are almost the color of your stock.  Add to stock and serve with crouton rounds topped with melted cheese.

Mmmmmmm.... French onion soup is a favorite of mine.... All that gooey cheese! Even though I make many different soups, I've never made French Onion myself! Time to rectify that! Thanks for the recipes!



Apple,



What a handsome young man your son is! His girlfriend is a real cutie, too.... Love it when the girls have beauty AND brains!! Homecoming is this weekend here. My son Graduated in June but, his girlfriend is a Senior this year so they are going to the dance.... So fun to see them all dressed up!



I make quite a few things from SimplyRecipes, too! I don't think I've ever hit a bum one there....



Chabba,



Great tip on the gelatin.... Never thought of it but, I bet that's why homemade stock has a thicker texture than store bought!! Will definitely give that a go!!



Debbie,



I don't think the oat bars going moldy had anything to do with the recipe, which I thought was delicious!



I think it was my mistake... I cut them and put them in the same container with

ome banana muffins that I had made for the kids... I think the extra moisture from the muffins is what did it.... They did last almost a week, even under those conditions!



I will definitely make them again!



Hope your company departs soon!! It's fun to have visitors and party it up but, it's also nice when you get your home back to yourself!!