So...whats for dinner?

Minus, so sorry that you're going through this misery and loss of quality of life to battle our hated disease.  As Susan said, you have to "get to the other side." 

Nancy, hope you get over your cold quickly. 

I really like Fresh Market.  I buy their chicken and meat.  They have real butchers working behind the counter.  They also have a good selections of veggies that are often not available at the supermarkets.  Things like really fresh Swiss chard and different varieties of kale.  They run specials every week.  The artisan bread selection is always tempting and I walk very fast past the pastry case filled with sumptuous looking calorie laden tarts, and fancy dessert foods.  Our store has a nice variety of wines.  It's always very busy.  A lot of people buy prepared food but I never have. .

Tonight's dinner was a shrimp dish made with mirlitons (a type of squash).  Other ingredients were Italian sausage, onion, celery, garlic, seasoned breadcrumbs, grated romano pecarino, cracked red pepper, ground bay leaves.  Mirlitons are available everywhere this time of year because so many people use them in seafood casseroles.  You boil them whole until they're fork tender and then slip off the thin peeling.  Slice in half, remove the seed and chop into pieces. We also had a wonderful green salad with home-made blue cheese vinaigrette. 

Last night I made oven barbecued chicken by a very old recipe I learned from my mother's mother.  She wasn't a good cook but someone shared this recipe with her and she made the chicken for our family a number of times.  You melt a stick of butter in a roasting pan, add the juice of one lemon and empty bottled barbecue sauce into the mixture.  Place the raw chicken in the sauce, cover and bake at 350 degrees until very tender.  This was my first experience with barbecued chicken because barbecued meat wasn't something my family ate when I was growing up.  Every now and then I get hungry for this version of barbecued chicken.  DH enjoyed it, too.  I cooked four chicken legs and we ate all but one thigh. 

Susan:  Moon has posted on some other threads and is doing well.  I'm sure she'll get over here to visit w/us soon.  BTW - thinking about you and your first Christmas w/o your Dad. 

I wanted to use flaked coconut instead of shredded on my cheesecake but of course I can't find it in my little town. Wish I'd known when I was at trader Joe's. They have a nice one. Anyway, I bought a fresh coconut. Dh will crack it for me and I'll flake it and toast it. I'd like to freeze the milk for a later use. Has anyone done that?

Minus, thanks for the news that Moon is doing well. 

Carrie, I'm sure you'll have a great time with your kids at home. 

Nancy, you're a trooper to bake cookies when you don't feel well.

No cooking for me tonight.  I had a good lunch at a health food store that has a lunch counter.  Everything is made right there in a tiny little working space.  I especially like their turkey salad and egg salad.  I had the turkey salad today.  It was delicious.  They boil the turkeys.

DH and I are going to a Christmas concert tonight at 7 pm.  We'll just eat a little something before we go and skip dinner.

The traffic was so bad today that I decided to stick close to home except for going to the supermarket until Christmas is over. 

The temperature got up to 80 degrees and I played golf in summer clothes.  We should be cooler for Christmas thanks to a front coming through.

All was good at the Dr's office, except for the blood pressure...so I'm on lisinopril and will be rechecked in two weeks.

Eric

One of aromasin's great gifts was a move into Lisinopril. My blood pressure has lowered enough that I could probably stop or reduce, but I am reluctant to modify my regimen right now.

The smoked ham arrived via UPS today. Will cook it on Sunday for family dinner. We will be able to make meals from this for weeks, and I can send some home with my mother so she can too. Rye starter is doing its thing. Mom will get a loaf to take home with her as well.

*susan*

p.s. Eric, this is one drug that doesn't seem to have side effects. Pretty low impact. Hope you do well on it.

• 

  Sorry, I have no idea what I'm doing, but some sort of miracle has occurred and here is a picture. Working all the time.
• Beer for dinner.

Moon, I am so glad that you're doing OK. I hope that you continue to get better every day and am glad that you are not in too much pain. I hope that you stay warm and safe over the holidays.

Minus Tang and oysters. Yum was my first thought. I can see how that would be good. Go with whatever you crave

Thanks for the cabbage recipes, I have 1/2 head left that I couldn't think what to do with .

Baby sitting dog. tomorrow hiking, and trying to crochet. It's really hard. I don't know how I did it when I was 8. I thought there would be many snow flakes to hang on the windows and send to friends. There is only one thread that looks like a single helix from pulling out my work over and over again.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

I'm making Amish corn casserole

Moon, I so wish I could still do more! Feel like I am giving into cancer/growing older as I have had to reduce the number of hours I spend being productive. So pleased to hear how you are doing. For Christmas dinner, you should do whatever makes you happy. Perhaps a combination of things you buy prepared, and then something special that you make. That way easy and pride can co-exist?

I have two batches of cheese crackers made. One uses cheese powder and should be fairly Cheez-It like and the other is a more sophisticated version with gruyere. They need to chill for a bit. Then I will bake a little of both and there will be a family tasting and vote. Hope to make the pate brisee as well today. These will be the crusts for the fruit tarts. Might even manage the pastry cream, though I need to peruse some recipes since I didn't care for the last one that I made. WAY too much cornstarch.

That totem pole is quite impressive. When we used to give performances on the Indian reservations in Montana, we often saw these. Very different styles however, which makes sense.

Hope Lacey is enjoying her active grandchildren about now. I bet her house has been turned a bit upside down.

Nancy, I HATE HATE HATE ice and it is headed our way. We are really hoping that my Mother doesn't get stuck up in the North Country for Christmas.

*susan*

Susan - growing old is one thing, but giving into cancer NOT. I could not do 1/2 of what you do and don't know how you do it. Even with just the 3 of us and easy/peasy menu I'm stressing. Much of mine is premade anyway. DH doesn't care and prefers less mess. I'm trying to make some things today/tomorrow that I can freeze extras for DD to take home. Going to do overnight eggnog french toast casserole for Christmas morning - that is if someone gets in to clean out refrig. Must find room for turkey breast also. I hope your DM makes it safely to your house.

Nancy - sorry for the ice/snow storm. In the 40s and pouring rain.

Bedo - love the totem pole. Sounds like you have integrated well into life up there. I bought a crochet snowflake book last year and it still sits where I put it. Now I have never crocheted so that might be one problem. My DM was an expert. I still have many things she made.

Carole - looks like severe weather headed our way. Stay safe. I still have not put one ornament on our skinny tree. I think that must be an afternoon project.

Monica - glad you are feeling on the upswing. I'm with your DH take the easy route.

Yes, Nancy, I too got the little old lady cough on lisinopril. Now on metoprolol for BP and my annoying PVCs. DH has no problem with it.

I come from a long line of women who do NOT crochet. No snowflakes here! There have been a few knitters, and until the Industrial Revolution, they all learned to do needlepoint and embroidery, but not a crochet outlier anywhere.

*susan*

Susan, that's not nearly enough . . .

We could form a lisinopril club!  Yes, it does or can cause an irritating little cough.  I started on 5 mg and was on 10 mg when  arimidex sent me on to something stronger and more expensive, Benicor.  DH still takes the 10 mg.  It's on the cheapie generic lists. 

Nancy, I didn't realize it got so cold in Missouri.  We're in short sleeves again today with doors open to admit humid air.  It's supposed to rain tonight in advance of a cold front.  I'm hoping by tomorrow night we can enjoy the fireplace and sleep under blanket and comforter.

Susan, I don't know if my mind could handle a "busy" Susan if the current Susan isn't busy and amazingly industrious.  I've never know anyone to make their own cheezits!  Yours sound amazing.  I love gruyere cheese.  Hmm.  The thought just occurred that a good fundraiser would be the sale of chances for a meal at your house.

Love the picture, Bedo.  I have one of those beautiful snowflakes.  Year-round it hangs on corner of the frame of a little painting of an outdoor scene.  I thought it was tatting, but maybe it's thread crochet.  I've always crocheted yarn.  The fun is all the colors and textures of the yarn.  Very satisfying.

Another day of no cooking except for my breakfast frittata.  Amusing picture of me and dh in the kitchen, each with our own little omelet pan and our own little cutting board with our chopped ingredients.  Tomato, mushrooms, and a good mozzarella on mine.  The broiler is on Hi.  Chopped onion, mushrooms, tomato and chopped colored peppers on dh's board. 

In the early afternoon we walked across the back yard to a neighbor's house to attend their Christmas open house.  The goodies we consumed took care of lunch and dinner. 

I think I'll go and brew a cup of coffee.  I'm loving my little Keurig I found on sale a few weeks ago.

Oh Laurie - you have really had a tough year. Looks like your Christmas is coming together.  Glad you can still laugh.  Hope you all feel better by Christmas Eve.

Nance - just talked to a friend who loves her Keurig but has relatively frequent problems due to our hard water.  Apparently not as easy to clean as our old percs.

Bedo - now i'm even more jealous.  How are you finding time to read? (oops-other thread).  I love to make coleslaw with my cabbage.

Moon - do you have to delete anything from the chocolate cake box or just add pumpkin?

Garden - wow, you smoke your own fresh caught salmon.  Yum.

Dinner tonight was appetizers w/two old friends I don't see often anymore.  Cold boiled shrimp (my offering - from Costco I'm afraid), spinach balls, some kind 'tiny toasts' with Greek olives, etc. on cut up english muffins, mini quiches, tiny chicken tenders.  Nothing else needed