So...whats for dinner?

Deb - My prayers are with you and your daughter. May you feel God's arms around you and find peace.

Lacey - Prayers for DH's family. Have a safe trip. Enjoy the time with DS and grands.

Bedo - How are you doing sweet sister?

Susan - 10# of onions. Amazing and what or how many skillets did you have to use? What do you freeze those in? I have 8-9 peppers I need to roast.  I put the last in either lunch or quart bags and break off what I need. I had 2 full cookie sheets with 2-3 onions too.

The baby back ribs were quite good in the oven. Found a sauce with no ketchup - used honey, soy sauce, lemon juice, oregano, olive oil, garlic. Was yummy and the ribs were quite meaty. I found lots of rib slow cooker recipes. My grocery always has pork ribs in the clearance meat which I promptly freeze. Now I have something to try other than just oven baking them slow/low with BBQ sauce.

Today watching Indy/Nascar so jump ups and nibbles.

Sciencegal - I have Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats most of which are registered. I used to show them but mine are not competitive and no money/desire to upgrade. They are just expensive backyard pets and pretty sure I've seen the last babies born here earlier this year. I think I have 18 but I need to move 4 of the neutered boys out. Herd is kiling me on hay prices. thank goodness we have had some rain. Praying hay prices come down. We have had such drought and few are turning lose of much hay. And we use the square bales which cost more to bale and not as popular to bale as the round ones.

OK Nancy tell me again about the Eng. muffin recipes. Got my rings last week. The recipe on them says to cut them with the rings but I've seen recipes that you spoon in. I also splurged on a tortilla warmer. Found a container of Spanish rice from early April frozen. Maybe fajitas this week?

Eric I am so sorry. your post brought tears to my eyes.

Eric... Your story made me cry too. Hoping the happy memories will ease the pain, even if just a small bit.

To make the onions, I use my largest dutch oven in the oven. It is an 8qt oval.

Carberry... The "castle"? Sounds interesting



Susan... 10 lbs of onions? Oh my! How long does it take to peel that many and how many tissues from all the crying from cutting them up?



Eric... Good success for 1st try on the aebleskiver, you'll have it mastered in no time!



Dinners for me have been inconsistent. Thursday, DH wanted an easy dinner: scrambled eggs and biscuits (canned). Friday was 2 kinds of pork made in the oven: oven-grilled baby back ribs (only 1 slab) and Chinese-style char siu using a jar sauce marinade and country style ribs; with assorted fresh stir-fry veggies and rice. Glad I marinated both (started Thursday night for Friday dinner, DD came home unexpectedly and the baby backs wouldn't have been enough). Last night was leftovers. Today, marinated flank steak, hopefully DH will start BBQ otherwise made on stove-top grill. For next time, does anyone have a favorite flank steak marinade? Not sure I'll like the one I pulled from Pinterest. Thanks.

Nancy... I found some Lee Kum Kee jarred char siu sauce in the pantry so I used that. Cut the country style ribs in half so they would marinate better, started the marinating the night before (zip-locks, turning often). Foil-lined a baking sheet with slightly-raised sides and a rack across, baked 350 degrees for about half hour I think. DD hates any meat pink in the middle so I cut pieces in half to test as meat thermometer wasn't accurate (said it was done but red in the middle). Turned out pretty decent. Next time, will use a recipe from Pinterest (there are many interesting-looking ones there).

2nd, I use a Rachel Ray flank steak marinade that I really like.  You've reminded me that I have flank steak in the freezer.

Eric, such a sad memory.  Susan, what a sad anniversary for you. 

Ten lbs. of caramelized onions would be 10 lbs too many for me!  If I were younger, I might try to deal with my dislike of onions for any purpose other than invisible seasoning.  I dice my onions  into teensy pieces or mush them in a small food processor.  What really annoys me is to ask an onion eater, like my dh, if a dish has raw onion.  For example, potato salad.  Hm, I can't tell, is usually the answer.  I take a bite.  And GAG at the strong onion flavor! 

Susan,  I'm sorry about your brother.  I guess you don't have a high opinon of May 26 either....

I've been lucky.  Four years of amazing memories with Mickey.  There were a few years of me being a hermit, but then I met Sharon and there have been 24 years of awesome times with her and 15 years with DD. And we have 3 friends who I consider "family by choice".

I just wish this cancer crap would go away...twice is two times too many....

Eric

Luv:  How long did you bake the baby backs & at what temp?  What a great find - sauce w/o ketsup.  You can tell we both live in Texas. 

Lacey:  Hope the trip is safe and you can all share good memories. 

Deb:  You're still in my thoughts.

Eric & Susan:  How wonderful that you shared your memories about Mickey & your brother respectively.  The "anniversary" of my baby brother's death is next month.  I don't know Bedo - sometimes time makes a difference but sometimes it seems like it's only yesterday.

Maybe I'm fortunate to be a person who doesn't remember dates.  Just not a number person. 

Any Memorial Day celebrations?  Memorial Day was never a big event here.  Many people work on Memorial Day because they get time off from work for Mardi Gras.

I'm thinking about taking a flank steak out of the freezer for dinner tonight.  When did flank steak become so expensive?  It used to be an economy cut of beef but not now.  London broil costs less.

Happy Memorial Day to all.

Eric and Susan, thanks for sharing your memories. I hope May 27 is better for both of you.



For me, mother's day is the toughest- I lost my both mom and aunt to breast cancer a couple of years ago, and this would always be our "girls going out to eat and shop" day. I am glad when it passes each year. I do honor their memory by shopping, but it is so sad without them.



Now for the dinner question, since I am recovering from surgery my sweet and supportive husband went to do the shopping and came home with a big slab of beef ribs for the BBQ. He will do the BBQing but I always prepare the meat for him.

We didnt have much meat when I was growing up, and no dad to teach me the finer art of BBQ, so I have NO idea what to do with these things- any favorite tips or links?



Thanks so much.

I just looked up the Rachael Ray recipe for Marinated Grilled Flank Steak with BLT Smashed Potatoes (the BLT is bacon, leek, tomato).  I really like this marinade.

3 cloves garlic, chopped.  1 T. grill seasoning blend such as Montreal Steak Seasoning.  1 tsp. smoked paprika or ground chipotle powder or ground cumin.  (I use the smoked paprika)  2 tsp. hot sauce.  1 T. worcestershire sauce.  2 T. red wine vinegar.  1/3 cup EVOO.

Mix the dry ingredients and garlic, then whisk in the olive oil.  I puncture the flank steak with a fork and marinate it at least 15 min.  Usually longer than that, up to an hour or two.

I must have confused Memorial Day with Labor Day since I worked out in the yard for several hours this morning.  All was quiet.  DH off playing golf.  No neighbor in sight.  Now I'm off to browse in the stores.  No doubt many other people will be doing the same.  Maybe that's where the neighbors are!

Laurie what great pictures! Thanks for providing them to cheer us up- looks like a great time and I could just dive right into those cakes (and the pool- rainy here today with NO heated pool).



Eric thanks for the rib links, checking them out. We will probably now bbq tomorrow due to the rain, so have time to marinate. I am off all week post-surgery.



Cool that you are engineers. I work in a biology lab at a major university, we mostly focus on improving bone marrow transplantation. I am in awe of the cancer researchers who bring us our drugs to keep us all going, hopefully without relapse. hats off to them!!