So...whats for dinner?

Yes I second the request Nancy. I have a lot of BBQ pork rib to use up but not cooking tonight since it's cookie baking day for VBS. Making Special's Andes mints cookies and the Salted Peanut Chews that I discovered is an old Pillsbury Bakeoff recipe. Found 4 different ways to make the cookie base - from scratch, from cookie mix, from refrig. cookie dough and from a cake mix. I think I will use the from scratch since I don't have any of the other mixes. Have 2 chocolate (devil's food and dark) cake mixes for the Andes mints cookies. Hopefully the chews ends up tasting something like a payday candy bar or a "nut roll" whatever that is. How can you go wrong with sugar, marshmallows, peanuts and peanut butter chips.

I love the real homemade stuffing. Stovetop not so much and DH would much rather have rice. He likes potatoes OK but prefers rice.

How sweet of you Special to cook for DH's almost father. I do that when DD comes, not that she cannot cook for herself or that she passes 2 wonderful groceries down the block but is not going to. She does eat lunch in company cafeteria so at least one meal a day is suitable. But she did recently remember that I have a Krogers'  reward card and expect she will make good use of that info now that she knows the phone# attached to it. I don't carry those around and just have to put in the 2 #'s it could be until I find the correct one.

Anyone ever heard this term - "cebolitas"? The green onions were pitiful at the store so I got these - always thought they were spring onions - tops like a green onion with bigger bulbs. Put them in potato salad, sliced into cute little rings that separated into the salad. Liked them much better than the green ones.

luv - looked up cebollitas, they do look like a scallion or green onion, but with a bigger bottom part.  Hope they are yummy!  I am a bit tired - was busy yesterday running errands (shoe repair, dry cleaner, grocery store, eye doctor for glasses repair) and cooking, and still finding that I am a bit easily fatigued from the successive surgeries this spring.  I made a breakfast casserole with sausage, some cranberry orange muffins, a muffaletta sandwich, broccoli salad, pulled pork, coleslaw, two pasta casserole dishes - one with red sauce and one with béchamel, a potato/artichoke and spinach casserole, some Hawaiian meatballs and rice, and pecan bars.  Also, wrote the obit outline (DH is the executor) and made a binder with labels and tabs for all the legal documents for DH.  I was dragging by the time I went to sleep last night.  Eeesh!  Today I am doing NOTHING!  I will be going to visit DD later this month and will probably cook for her too!  She lives in an efficiency and only has an electric skillet and microwave, so I am sure she would appreciate some home cooked food!  Sweet that you do that for yours too!
l

Viv, your kids sound delightful! Congrats to all of them on their culinary efforts and to DD for her academic achievement!

Special,,,,YIKES!!!  Easily fatigued?!?! An army of chefs might need a nap after what you accomplished in your kitchen, in addition to errands!!  Love the sound of a muffaletta sandwich...have never had one.

Will post the pork recipe later Today when I'm on the pc.

Viv Yay for Iggy! It sounds like they got everything and it is hopeful for a full recovery!  And your DD so smart!  A "garbage" cake recipe so fun.  I hope that things work out with your reconstruction.  I think that there are some good plastic  surgeons in Fla, but can't think of any.

Moon, good luck on your upcoming surgery.

On "anticipatory whining" and regressing to a sullen 14 year old at MO apt today. I can't seem not to when discussing Arimidex.  It's embarrassing. I tried to get MO to agree that 3 years was long enough (as successful as arguing to my Mom that I should be able to spend the weekend alone with my BF because he's 18 and a grownup) Telling him I "hate" Arimidex (French class) because it makes my bones and fingers ache (the teacher is mean).... both lies.  I will 'try' femora (French class) for three more months but if I don't like it, I'm stopping. (likely story being 98%ER+ and at the school system's mercy) Grumbling "Fine" in a fit of peak. Returning home and refusing to do housework (homework) Please someone ground me or at least slap me. I should be grateful, and I am. I totally understand the vanity thing because the 'real' reason is it makes my hair thin and I have a Buddha belly and it makes me look older. I am, of course three years older than when I started it, which if I were to admit the truth, is about how much older I look. My chart is probably stamped with an A, and not for a grade.

I'm going to a surgeon to get 3 lumps,, likely cysts  ultrasounded and drained, which I don't seem to care about.

I'm making Swiss Chard pie for dinner, but with store bought crust.

Because I can.  Julia Child is not the boss of me.

Right on Bedo. When I found out I coulda made these peanut chews with cookie mix, I almost cried. I'm tired of washing my big mixing bowl, now for the 3rd time today. I'm with you about housecleaning. My mom would spank me if she saw my house. I tried (by necessity) FlyLadys' shiny sink this morning only because I still had a ton of plastic storage containers there after filling up the dish drainer last night. DH was impressed I was washing dishes when he left for work.

The Femara has been OK for me, not great, I think I'm repeating myself. But not as bad as I could have imagined it. Now the 1st 6-8 months were hell, every joint in my hands hurt but all in all considering I'm a couch potato it could be worse. And I'm with you on the % ER+. I just can't not take it.

How's the community garden coming? Have you had to ring doorbells leaving gifts of zucchini yet?

Do you have any idea how much junk you can make with brownie mixes?

Viv-so happy for the positive reports. Prayers still coming to all of you.

Raining here in Central Illinois, dark, cool, windy and wet.  Started a Pot of Lentil Soup at 12;30 and it is about done.  That and a crusty herb focaccia bread will make a comforting supper.

Honestly, I didn't get me walk in early this a.m. and it seems to me like it should be 8pm instead of 3:27.    I've been reading all the posts since page one, and I am up to page 15!  gaining weight and inspiration by the minute!  Best thread of all.

minus - I had not made it before but chose it because it has spinach and cheese - good for recovery.  I need my DH to eat it to see if it is worthy, lol!  If so, I will post it.

hubby caught a nice salmon a couple days ago. The day he caught it we had barbecue salmon. The next was salmon salad and then I made a salmon quiche with a gluten free crust. Today we went out for lunch and it appears that neither of us are hungry for dinner.

I know I'll miss a lot of people in my comments. It is not intended.  

Viv so glad the reports are good. Praying for full recovery. 

Bedo. I'll slap you if it will help. Course it could take a while to get thrre!

Special wow. You really are something special!

All the dinners sound so good. I thought I grabbed ground beef last shopping trip. But no hamburgers. Sigh. I was looking forward to meat liaf. So i cooked all 4 of them because they were getting yo where it was cook or freeze them. I only had 3 buns but I was only eating one. My DS1 stopped in to take my garbage cans out for the collection tomorrow and said they had not had dinner yet. I pawned the rest of the burgers, buns snd beans off on him and his wife! Win-win!!! The reason I'm happy is one of the only things DH can cook is hamburgers. So he's probably going to be making them for breakfast with eggs and dinner next week too. LOL 

I'm going to whine just a bit. Thanks in advance. I hurt.  A lot. Back, knees, hands. Couldn't go to jewelry class because of it. I know I did too much but most of the pain is my joints from not being able to use my anti inflammatory.  So my knees are like tree trunks. Thump thump thump. That's me walking. LOL.  I just had a lot of Dr Apts and tests for the sx and so I have been going since 9 am and just got home right before dinner. Hence the quick dinner. Plus I probably shouldn't have gone to the Y inbetween. No. Make that I SHOULD Definetly NOT have! LOL.  

Ok sorry. Took a o ain pill an hour and a half ago and already looking at the clock. Too bad I took the 6 hour one! LOL

Much love to all, especially if I did not mention you by name. 

So sorry for your pain, Moon. Does ice work on the knees?                                                                         I saw a woman at the gym yesterday with two bags of ice on her knees....that was me last year!! With lots of hard work and weight loss, I have returned to happy strong knees...amazingly, even without my Celebrex! I bet you will be on a much better path after the knee surgery......Hold on.......and maybe some ice?

Tonight we ate at Not Your Average Joe's with the Cali relatives. Always fun to see the excited anticipation of a launching college freshman! Sweet girl. DH had the saffron cod over crabcake that I had for takeout last week....yum! I had grilled salmon with vegetables which was fine....but you can bet nothing like Gumby's!   So glad to see you posting, GG!

Bedo, sorry your MO is an authoritarian beast...who brings out the cantankerous adolescent in you!  I felt I was being very rebellious when not connecting with my MO after a three week hiatus off Tamox in March.....that I pushed to three months. I expected she might not be too happy. In fact she granted me more of a reprieve, stating that I clearly cannot take that drug, allowing that I can remain drug free until our next appt in Oct. She could see how much I was enjoying having my brain back! She's very big on quality of life issues. Then "we'll" decide if I want to "try" an AI. So now all I have to do is try not to worry about the unknown and any errant cells. ;/ Crystal ball would be useful! I agree that the hair loss is just too much of a slap in the face....maybe it's just an ugly metaphor for overall loss of former self in this game!

Special, very cool that you are a caterer.....but do take care of yourself first!

lacy, ice helps..thanks for reminding me it's worth the walk into the kitchen. LOL.  Pain is down to a 7 now that I haven't moved much. Can't wait til tomorrow. It might be better. The total aches will get a bit better but I'll be stiff til I can take the anti inflammatory again. LOL 

A bit of fun via Sandy a friend I met on these boards from Tx. :

Moon - can't remember exactly but isn't your surgery VERY soon?  Would it help to keep your legs elevated more until then?  I expect you're right - the Y wasn't the greatest plan.  But feel free to complain any time.  You more than anyone have already paid your dues.

Garden gumby, good to hear from you!  The fresh salmon sounds delicious.  Lucky you to have a fisherman in the family.

Moon, so sorry about your pain.  My mother got relief from her arthritis for years with anti-inflammatory med but then was taken off them because of kidney function. 

REALLY like muffaletas but do not eat them because of the sodium.  All the Italian cold cuts are loaded with salt not to mention the olive mixture, which we can buy in qt. jars in our local Rouse's supermarkets.  If you're visiting NO, the place to get a muffaleta is Central Grocery in the French Qt, not far from Jackson Square.  This small Italian market claims to be the originator of the hefty sandwich.  The bread is a large round shape.  One quarter of a whole sandwich is a portion. 

Love the cartoon on housecleaning.  I used to keep my house fairly clean but now it doesn't get cleaned until it REALLY needs it!  Such a thankless job.

Have a taste for salmon for dinner but that would entail a trip to Fresh Market during the day. 

Yesterday I transferred frozen food out to the 5th wheel freezer.  Looks like I'm in pretty good shape for a complete transfer and turning off the house freezers.  I learned my lesson when Katrina wiped out the power for weeks that year.  My neighbor was kind enough to empty my chest freezer, which had shrimp in it!  Yuk!  Now the freezers are emptied.  Also the refrigerator. 

Gumby, I bet that smoked salmon is outstanding. No fresh fish around here unless you catch it yourself in a lake or pond :-(

A local guy used to drive every week to  the gulf coast to bring back shrimp and blue crabs  that he sold out of a cooler from the back of  his car in town. He stopped when gas got so expensive. I miss him.