So...whats for dinner?

Lexi- I love beef stew make that more than most dishes in the winter time, plus i wont have to cook for a few days when i make this. What is the pioneer womans site?

Laurie- Hope your little one is feeling better. I love putting sausage in my sauces too. I dont make bread too often but i love the smell of it cooking in the kitchen so every once inawhile i make it, It was really good tonight.

Michelle- Looks like I have to try your sauce, after getting 2 thumbs up LOL! How is your port site doing?

Minustwo- Your welcome, Its funny when i first heard about the dryer tip i was a little hesitant but thats the only way i do it now it really does speed it up. I have electric only too so the dryer comes in handy.

Hauntie - congrats on making it 17 years.  That's so encouraging for all of us!  I hope I hit that mark some day.  Yes, too many women are impacted by breast cancer and we all need to lobby for more research for a cure. 

Debbie - my port incision seems to be healing well. I'll take off the bandage today when I shower and take a look at it.  But it feels OK.

I found out that the inside of my microwave gets nice and warm when I have the range hood light turned on (which is underneath the microwave).  That would be a really good spot for rising bread dough, too.

We have a crazy, busy weekend coming up.  We are watching the grandkids so my DD and SIL can go to Boston for the weekend.  Then on Sunday morning DH and the other men of the family are coming back to the house to build an 8 x 10 storage shed for our patio furniture.  We've got a ton of really high end wicker and all the cushions that needs to be protected from the elements and there is just nowhere to put it.  After they finish, they'll watch the Patriots game.  But DH has to fly to Salt Lake City for the week, so he'll be bailing out on us!  I'll be "alone" all week.  That will be different - my DH has barely left my side for the past 18 months!   When we were in MO, I would head out to the casinos for a little fun.  I might just have to take a day trip to Foxwoods or Mohegan Sun.  It's about a two hour drive.  Maybe I'll get a hotel room and make an excursion out of it!

Oh, and congrats Hauntie, my surgery buddy!  17 years is cause for celebration.  Yay you!

Hauntie- That is so awesome!!, and you are right " Enough already, find a cure"

Michelle- Well my ears and eyes perked right up at he mention of foxwoods or moghegan sun LOL! Maybe this is just what you need a little peace and quiet and alone time. When DH leaves town. the first couple days are great and then I start missing him.  Have fun with your Grand children.

Kay- Do you have a special meatball recipe?

Joyce- Thats just terrible the damage it has done, so scary it seems like a lot of record breakers have been this last week- Enjoy West Palm and be safe.

Lexi- Is that on the foodtv channel"? I am clueless LOL!

Wow, I'd love to have that recipe Apple!

I made tacos for DH and DD with sweet potato fries and salad, but I had the last of the leftover flounder.  I think the flounder is delicious.

Debbie, I don't do a lot with meatballs.  I do buy good meat for them.  I buy Magglio's hot sausage and ground round from Colonial Village here.  (It's more like a butcher shop than a supermarket.)  I usually do 3 lbs of meat, put a piece of saran wrap on the table and spread the hamburger on it.  Put one egg in, cover with Parmensan cheese, add some Kosher salt and pepper.  My mother used to say the secret ingredient was to take a cup of water and dribble a few drops of water over the hamburger too.  Sometimes if one egg doesn't seem to be enough to make the meat soft, I'll add a second egg.  MIx it all together and then form into meat balls.  I always make mine small.  I brown them on all sides in the pan I brown the sausage in and then let them cook all the way through by simmering them for at least a couple of hours in the sauce.  I make sauce almost exactly the same as MIchelle, except I use tomato puree instead of crushed tomatoes.  I use the tomato paste like Michelle does too.  All the spices that come out of the sausage will also get into the sauce to give it flavor.  It can get pretty spicey depending on how much sausage you put in.  It's definitely the DH's and DS's favorite thing I make.  The DD doesn't like tomato sauce.  She takes plain pasta with olive oil and parmasan cheese on it and a couple of the meat balls that I keep out of the sauce for her.  Ticks me off!

At work we had a quarterly meeting and for lunch they had Bianco's from Tyngsborough, MA cater. They had a delicious salad with candied walnuts and raisins. Garlic bread and regular rolls, stuffed shells, meatballs and sausage cacciatore.  Then we had hot mulled cider, soda and water to drink.  For dessert we had some type of pumpkin squares and gingerbread squares,  I stuffed treat bags (over 100) with cookies.

Kay- I had to laugh out loud at the comment you made " she tickes me off" on your DD, I have made adjustments for my DD and the rest of the family and I always say what do you think this is a resteraunt?? but i always say it with love and a good laugh. thanks for the recipe, I Love your moms secret on the water, I will try that thank you!!

Carol- Your pork chop dinner sounds delisous!

o2bhealthy- OHH yum, that sounds really, really good, I will copy/paste the recipe I know my DH will love somthing like this.

kaye 63.. quiche is easy.  any more i buy frozen crusts but i always used to make my own with butter in the recipe. or lard  (my bad)  I flute the edges rather high, sometimes making 2 shells out of 3 premade crusts... so the egg filling won't run out.

I layer any combination of veggies, add meat of some sort if i wish, sprinkle in cubes or shredded cheese ( i like a lot of cheese)  (I like the better Swiss cheese and irish or English cheddars.. simple mozarelly and cheddar tho are also quite good.   and then pour a mixture of eggs mixed with a little milk or cream.  8 eggs with a quarter cup of milk will fill up my shells.  For this weeks recipe i blanched the broccoli.. but you really don't need to.  I cooked it for about 45 minutes ate 350 - 400.    360 to be specific.  Actually, i start off at 425 and reduce to 325 after 20 or so minutes.. something like that.  if the edges burn, you just don't eat them.

The top should be lightly browned, the pie crust edges brownish and crisp and the filling should not jiggle.  Sometimes i let the quiches sit for about 10 minutes.  you can also leave the milk out. 

my favorite is ricotta cheese, fresh spinach and parmesan.. it's just awesome.  here is a formal recipe.. but the good thing about quiches is that you can be creative.

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1950,147170-245205,00.html

Thank you Apple.  I know that is something the DH and I would love, probably not the DD or the DS.  I think I am at the point that they can cook themselves up some mac and cheese or make a pbj sandwich if they don't want to eat what I make.  Laurie, you're smart to start while they are little not making two different things.  I am tired of making two meals.  But there are two days a week where my daughter has dance class at 4:30, so I'll make it one of those days since she eats before class on those days.  She goes from 4:30 straight through to 7:30 one night and 4:30 to 8:30 (with an hour break) the other.  And DS works at a restaurant several nights a week and has to be there at 4 too, so there is at least one night it is just DH and me every week. 

O2BHealthy, that sounds good and easy too.  Gonna try that one as well.

o2behealthy - Thanks for the upside down pizza.  I will make that for lunch at the center but with home made biscuits.  Have to cut costs any way we can.

And Apple, thanks for reminding me about quiche - haven't made it for quite a while and it is a favorite at the center.  I usually make two or three varieties but the favorite always seems to be the bacon, onion and Swiss.  I make it with caramelized sweet onions.

Michelle- I Love watching movies on IMAX in 3D/ Cant wait to see puss in boots heard it was cute.

Tonight I made fried halibut chunks for dinner- Used krustez pancake mixed with stale beer ( opened and room temp) can also use water. Fry in oil  put some kosher salt and lemon juice on fish before serving-  Sometimes i add a little krustez belguim waffle mix in with the pancake mix to give a slight sweet taste.  Also dipped some zucchini in the batter mix and fried that too.  Everything was really good.

Carole - sounds absolutely yummy!