So...whats for dinner?

Debbie,

I missed your post last night. Man do I hope that these specialists can find ways to give you encouragement, and help with your lung function. Your last few years have been just so very hard.... as bedo says, you deserve more.

*susan*

Bedo, I do admire your elan!

Susan, every time you mention bagels, I want to run in and make some. Did I ask you if you use Peter Reinhart's recipe? I think I'll make some for  Christmas.

But today is cinnamon bread. Dinner will be a hunk of marinated chuck roast that didn't get used in the pasties. I'll reheat it and make some roasted potatoes and creamed spinach with garlic. This is the last time I'm mentioning pasties.

Nancy, a bouche du noel? You are ambitious, but they are beautiful and delicious. I have seen a tried and true recipe somewhere. Let me see if I can find it for you. As to the Bagels, yes, I use Peter's recipe from Bread Baker's Apprentice. This has been the only recipe I have tried that tastes like my NYcity childhood. My only modification is, remember that frugal Yankee stuff, I use high gluten flour for the sponge and bread flour for the dough. Saves a few pennies, and I really can't tell the difference. [All bread flour is different, however.] I generally use the barley malt syrup, though I also own some non-diadastic malt powder. The full recipe taxes my kitchen aid. In fact, I often divide the dough after the first 3 minutes of kneading, and knead the halves separately. Then throw them back in together for the final 30 seconds or so. I make two sizes... the 2.5oz for me, and 3.5 oz for Mr. 02143. He is starting to think he is a 3oz kinda guy now.

I almost have my Christmas Eve dinner/buffet planned. Still feels a bit incomplete to me. I have the issue of the vegetarian-lactose intolerant sister, and the slightly picky eat kid. Their preferences always seem to nuke each other so I have to make more dishes than I would prefer. I know, I know. I could be a hard-ass, but that just isn't me. Will post my thoughts later.

*susan*

Nancy -

You are all WAY too good.

OK, today I'm taking a big step, making something without a recipe.

I'm making cabbage, potato, kale, onion, garlic, canned tomato great northern bean soup. the beans are already cooked. vegetable soup which is about all I have on hand. I may or may not put in curry powder and or a bay leaf to ruin it. I think that I start with sautéing the onions and garlic and then add the kale and cabbage then the tomatoes with their liquid and veg broth and the potatoes and boil for a bit. Not too sure of the portions, but I'm going for it!

I got a call to go hiking just now from the clinic doc. It is a beautiful sunny day here. He is married but his family is back home. It's probably just as well as he is in the reserves and served in Iraq. He would have had to revive me. Not a bad thing, except that I would be unconscious and not able to enjoy it and he is married. I Don't see married men. He is handsome

So I'm going crocheting. Which is more my speed except that I haven't done it since I was 12. Maybe knitting would be better. IDK There will be a bunch of people so they can help

I slept through church.

The Daily Grind, a fiddle type of group will be playing here soon, so it will be fun to go

I can't wait for the Halibut run!

The company car was a huge van. I cracked it's tail light. They gave me a monster jeep. I am terrified. I've only ever driven smaller things.

Happy weekend to all!

Thank you Bedo. I have been surfing around YouTube the last couple of days. Listening to Billy Eckstine - Cottage for Sale, It Isn't Fair.

Found this especially nice. I didn't know it was on there. I was named Laura after the song from the movie though the movie is 8 years older than I.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIWTqMoTUM8

OK, between the crotching and the pasties, I'm thinking we might get a warning on this thread! LOL

Debbie, I am also hoping that your docs can help you better with that lung capacity. Keeping you in my thoughts....and always impressed with your long thoughtful posts and responses.

Went partying last evening also....a party that is a tradition for many of our peers in town, the people who raised kids when we raised ours....it has been going on yearly for well over twenty years....so it is like a life cycle holiday check in for all of us....both happy sharings and sad....we all re-connect, enjoy good food that our friend, the hostess' brother "caters", and have lots of good conversation. For some reason, I particularly enjoyed last night, and had enough wine that I didn't even mind the short ride home in the blizzard with DH driving (I am a controlling passenger, who prefers to drive).

Am trying to get organized for the family visit this weekend....finally planned the details of our little celebration gathering....I think I will let the local market do the finger food, which can be fairly minimal for when we are having it....3-5PM. It is actually going to be more of a cake party, since we need people to share the funny cake we are having made, but I don't think we can just ask people over for cake before the dinner hour. ;/ It will work out...I'll refer to Laurie's mother's advice!

Susan, sounds like you are starting to feel better...and good thing with all that planning for the Xmas eve dinner. Can't wait to hear the details. We are having Xmas Eve dinner with our next door neighbors. The wife and a good friend of hers are planning a veritable feast from Ina Garten, and she asked me to bring cheese and crackers!! (wonder if she doesn't really like my cooking;) I insisted I also bring a greek salad (we are likely having lamb for an entree).

Our friend who has us over for Xmas dinner asked me today to bring my kale salad (for 17!). They ask for it every year, which pleases this kale queen to no end! Debbie, thanks for that recipe!

Bedo, sounds like you are enjoying so many interesting aspects of life in AK.....your soup ingredients are very close to my favorite kale soup. Enjoy it!

If you send me some, Susan, I will have fresh caught halibut packaged and sent to you fresh and cold at the packaging center. overnight. Kidding, I have too many requests and I haven't even gone fishing.

Goats and all, it's time to watch " It's a wonderful life"

And make real popcorn with drizzled butter, salt and real grated parmesean cheese while it's still hot. It is yummy.

Have to go for a while. Start work for the week again tomorrow

So, I decided to make bagels but unfortunately didn't make the decision until 2 p.m. This means that after allowing the sponge to rise for 2 hours, I'll be deep into bagel stuff into the time I would normally be starting dinner. Therefore, dinner is going to be a simple affair, mixed flavored pastas (imagine that lol) with a simple parmesan garlic cream sauce and some broccoli or roasted tomatoes thrown in. There are a couple of pieces of sourdough left that I'll toast with some parmesan and olive oil, and add a small salad.

I've been digging out recipes and menus and have pretty much decided what we're eating for Christmas eve dinner. There are three things that we always have to have (I've tried getting out of it, didn't work): spiced apple rings, green beans (haricots verts if I can get them) with pancetta, peppers, cherry tomatoes and parmesan and a special waldorf salad made with whipped cream. Everything else changes, but these three things must be made (or so I'm told). Anyway, the other dishes will be Beef Wellington, either one large or individual, I'm not sure which yet, a hasselback potato casserole and maybe a simple salad. Because of the puff pastry, we probably won't do bread. I've ditched the yule stump for something a little less dramatic -- I decided I didn't need the aggravation. And I'm quite sure there would have been some. Instead we're having. Toasted Coconut Raspberry Cheesecake. That's assuming I can get fresh raspberries at Costco, and I think I can. It's more festive looking anyway.

Oh yes! Yule log be gone.....:)

Got home late this afternoon from errands and a follow up trip to the eye doc to have my retina re-examined, after all that flashing and "flying spiders" that were crowding my visual field. He had told me a month ago that my brain would adapt to the visual annoyances, and it has. The human brain is amazing! Good news is that my retina looks healthy, now that the vitreous sac is finished pulling away. Oh sweet aging....can't complain!

So I wanted to make fish for dinner again, and am glad that the guy at the market told me that the cod was brought in on FRIDAY (!). Ick! So I got shrimp and we had greek shrimp over spinach with mushrooms/onions/mint and feta, and black rice for DH. It was good.

Tonight I have to start making a dent in gift wrapping.....then start clearing out the house....there is so much that could be (appealing and....) dangerous to the little ones.

Hope you are all in better shape for the holiday than I! Reciting Lauries's mother's words......again and again, and I hope the kids are better today, Laurie.

Laurie, you amaze me!

Laurie, Hope you recover quickly. And yes, you have nine whole days..... plenty of time to buy for young boys. Children are so easy to shop for.

Dinner tonight was fried chicken [thighs], biscuits and a ton of green beans. I love my chicken guy... I asked for three large and three small, sized the same by size [if that makes sense.] I opened the packages, and that is exactly what I go. I still couldn't eat a whole thigh, but at least I had a shot at it. The kids were thrilled to have dinner made for them. The girl kid is making mini-quiches in the kitchen now. This is her latest meal-planning-for-eating-at-a-school plan. She takes one; he takes two. Both happy.

I hohohoed today, and now know that every stocking will have something. Man do I love the dollar store for this sort of thing. Finally feeling better post-Faslodex. I am grateful that it works so well for me, but the monthly cycle does have those couple of down days.

*susan*

Nancy,

Maybe you could move to a hotel that has a spa for a few days? I mean, anything to preserve the Christmas holiday! [There is a Christmas special in there somewhere.]

*susan*