So...whats for dinner?

My friend has the funniest 3-D glasses that have different designs, so when you look at lights or fireworks they show different designs, like stars, or smiley faces, one said happy holidays...she has many different ones. They would make great cheap, fun stocking stuffers. Even us adults get a kick outta them. She had some in her purse and when we were at the winery we were passing them around checking out the Christmas lights...looked like aliens.

DH tired of the turkey stuff...guess I gotta cook something else, maybe a pasta stir fry to give him his pasta fix.

Garden Congrats on getting all moved in and (semi) settled...your scaring me...my mind is reeling thinking of all we have to do to get moved...thank goodness we don't "need" to move within a timeframe.

Love I like to get my kids the rubs, sauces and dip mixes for Christmas also. They especially like the dips, as it makes entertaining their friends easy.

Susan- What a wonderful picture you painted with your family around the table eating and laughing,and the girl blowing her nose, I got a big smile and a chuckle out of that. So sweet really! Sorry the kids are sick though!!

Garden- Moving is always hard especailly right in the middle of the holidays trying to cook. Is it a convection oven? I love those wish I had one

Carrie- I think I saw those glasses on the today show yesterday with kathie lee and hoda- I love those two together!

I saw on Laurie's FB that tonight is her last night, she is probably sad and happy to get home. boy have they had a lot of expericences since she has been there. They went on a boat through the swamp and the crocs came right up to the boat one of her DS said "Lets get out of here" LOL! It was so cute!

I am also tired of Turkey and I have only had mine 2 days. But I all I have to do is warm it up in the microwave so it makes life a little easier for me.

Edited to delete last paragraph since I couldn't post the video.

Susan, what a nice picture you've painted.

No grandkids here...a good thing since DD is not yet 16! :-)

DD had a class project where she had to map out her family tree starting with her grandparents and including all their decendents.  9 people, including herself and my brother's wife.  So this arm of the family is tiny.

After a rather pleasant, but long, day of shopping with a friend, I wasn't very inspired about a dinner. We ended up having turkey leftovers again, for the last time. What's left will get frozen and put in a pot pie the next time I'm making crust, carcasses are already in the freezer waiting to become soup. That will probably be Thursday, as it's already dedicated to pasta making day. Some homemade noodles will be a good addition. I got the pasta attachment for the cuisinart and I'm determined to make a success of it, in spite of the not so great reviews the extruder got. If not, back it goes.

I started a rye sponge yesterday morning, so tomorrow I'll make rye bread. I'll try your modifications Susan. I hope mine turns out as well as yours did.

DH about made me spit iced tea out of my nose when he said to me this evening "do you think you could make some of that pho soup?" (Who ARE you and what did you do with my husband???) Looks like I'll be picking up some cilantro at the store tomorrow so I can make some while he's interested. Don't get me wrong, when I make these things he always eats them willingly, even likes them, but he would NEVER request it. Nearly everything he requests involves ground beef. We're in for some single digit weather this next week, which always screams SOUP to me. Maybe he's hearing that too. Go figure.

Nancy, Oh do I love Pho! Pretty easy around here to get well-made Pho at a restaurant so I don't make it often. Cheaper to eat out then to make at home. What is the cilantro for? The broth? Can you find Thai basil for garnish in your neck of the woods? Generally, I have to head to a Chinese market to buy that... the closer Korean stores don't carry it.

Lacey, the kid gets these colds consistently. Her darn eustathian tubes never "fell" so if she is congested, she gets an ear infection. This cold came directly from the boy I think. She had done so very well. Professors are being kind, but she won't have much time before she needs to take that exam and get those two papers in. Hope she wakes today with more energy.

Darn good thing I had a kid since none of my siblings did. I never got to be an Aunt, which sounds like far more fun to me! And then you will get grand-nieces/nephews, so take those trips before that happens!

*susan*

Nancy - Looks like more than single digit weather. Snow for you? Sounds like Icemaggedon coming our way. My fav. weathercaster's facebook pg. says even he is making storm preps. I think DH will leave work early if it starts to ice late afternoon/early evening. Put us under winter storm watch yest. which is extremely early for forecasting in this part of US so don't think we'll escape this one. I must be dreaming - this is more like Jan/Feb weather. DH got the heat lamps up in goat barns yest and I stocked up on hay for them. Don't want to think what groc/feed store look like today.

Cooking around here boring. Finished the penne/Vodka sauce yest. Might make tacos today. Need to dig in freezer for some of your ground beef Nancy and make chili in the crockpot. I do have a small plain turkey breast in freezer packaged just like chicken parts. We had only small bit of leftover turkey even with getting DD's by mistake so that still sounds good. I have to make dish for SS party Sat. night if weather cooperates. Planning on making Seaside's black beans/rice with addn. of lemon chicken. That and a packaged Ghirardelli brownie mix.

The olive oil I bought at Central Mkt. is certainly a step above my standard grocery store stuff. I could get used to it. I need to open the bottle of grapeseed oil too.

Nancy - have you tried freezing some of the Thai basil in small ice cube bits? I say that and I'm not sure what freezing does to it but in soup it might be OK. I think I may have to dig out a soup recipe too. Crockpot may get a workout this weekend. Luckily I have a new package of the liners - best invention ever.

OO - may not get above freezing or just barely for next 5 days. I thought the long range forecast said warmer than normal. HaHa. Weather Channel has long range broadcast tomorrow. Guess I will tune in.

Totally OT - how do you run a cell battery down? I have a new car charger I need to try b4 ice storm hits. I have keypad brightness and time on at max. I've been sitting here recording/deleting video but not making any progress. I am techno clueless. This is a Samsung old candybar phone. I have time to sit and play with any applications. So far it is down only "1 battery" out of 3.

Susan - never had Pho though I could probably go about 20 miles to get it in Ft. Worth. Out where DD lives in Mid-Cities is very large Asian pop. and the biggest Asian grocery I've ever seen - granted I've never been to one in NE or CA. Love them though I never know what most of the stuff is.

luvmygoats, you need to start playing games on your phone. I promise before you play too many you're phone will be done! . It's so foggy here I am going to make a small pan of lasagne. Or maybe chili. That's easier to freeze. But I gotta use up the ricotta. Guess it's lasagne! LOL Susan, pho soup is good. I love Thai basil but I can't find it anywhere. We used to have a Thai restaurant close by so I would get my favorite Thai basil rice with chicken. I love that. And I like the red Thai bird chili but those things are HOT! AND I hope your DD feels better soon. NANCE, I like the Costco olive oil. It's quite good. Lacey, ginger frozen yogurt sounds yummy. Eric, yeah I hear you are in for an ice storm kinda weather! Stay safe and warm. I wish I could see the sun today. It peeked out a bit yesterday but it's all about the fog today. Unless the temp drops then it will be ice and that is much worse! Everyone stay warm and safe. Much love.

It's 75 here but wind has turned out of the NW and has just a tinge of chill. Twenty miles north it is 63. I'll take your 1-2 inches of snow rather than our freezing rain. I fear since it is coming in sooner than expected that we are going to get it.

Monica - I'll see what games it has on it.

Welcome back Laurie! I'm glad the flu didn't keep you down for too long. Sounds like you had a great time.

Boy does this rye bread smell amazing . . .

$6.95 is definitely a price from years past, Susan. Lucky you!

Laurie, welcome home. Bet everyone envies your sunny color! Sorry to learn that you were all down sick for a few days....but you obviously rallied in great form and covered a lot of activities! The kids will have fun telling their friends about their experiences.

Got some disappointing news tonight. We had planned to drive to DS1 and DDIL's family in NJ on Friday for a long weekend to celebrate DGS's 3rd birthday. Well, they are all passing the norovirus around, (these little ones bring everything home from school!) and are nervous we will catch it, since they are really "erupting" badly. DS1 even cancelled all of his surgeries today and tomorrow....first time ever! I might take the risk to go except that I have to be well to give two workshops next week for the first time...and the darn schedule for this program is quite rigid. So, we will miss DGS's birthday celebration (an out of the house event) if they are even able to have it. We were so looking forward to seeing them, especially little DGD, who has developed exponentially since we were last there.

Oh well, working hard at sucking it up....am just worried that since DS1 will have to reschedule all of his surgeries, he may not be able to take a day off as planned in a few weeks to come up here for a Christmas weekend visit. OK, I better get more positive......;/ Just think, I will have a whole weekend to plan and bake cookies! Still sucks........:(

Be safe, everyone who is having that awful sounding weather.

Welcome back, Laurie.

Lacey, sorry your plans got messed up.

Luv, I suppose that cold weather must be headed our way. I played golf today in shorts and short-sleeved shirt. When I got home, I turned on the A/C to take some of the humidity out of the air.

Dinner tonight was pork piccata (pounded boneless pork chops) and baked butternut squash. DH was in heaven with his winter squash. I used the xanthum gum to thicken the piccata sauce and it worked beautifully. All I did was sprinkle a little of the powder over the hot chicken broth and lemon juice and whisk vigorously. Then I whisked in a little butter and added the capers. I used fresh Meyer lemon juice.

3rd night without a cocktail or glass of wine! Tomorrow night is the woodworkers' guild Christmas dinner so I'll have a glass of wine at that event.