So...whats for dinner?

Hello all,

Been reading, but still need to catch up. Hope you all are well.

Congrats to your daughter...Special K

Chinese food for us tonight, not cooking.

Take care,

Vivian

Special, best of luck to DD. She sounds like a great contender for this position....and a very adorable gutsy gal! Last night, DS2 was telling us about his visit to his brothers and his adventures with their busy kids. There was an incident during which little DGD ran into the pool w/o her floaties and she sunk! Of course, DS2  rescued her and loved that she just came up saying, "I went underwater!" and hardly cried or whined. He goes for her being a little resilient girl. She is quite the gutsy one!

Also, several have asked about Laurie, who is busy getting her kids school prepped....and Debbie, who fell up the steps of her new camper/RV and has been sidelined with what sounds from her Facebook posts like a pretty serious leg injury from that. I bet she'd love to hear from folks in a PM, and I'm sure will fill all in soon.

Whispered confession:  I ate the last biscuit with my dinner last night.  Made a little biscuit sandwich with half of my brat. 

The Grands are actually quite good for canned biscuits.  My mother buys them regularly.  She hasn't made a biscuit in years.

Lacey, sorry to hear that Debbie had an accident on their new rv.  I think it's a motorhome.  Glad to hear that Laurie's busy with the kids and doing ok.  For a young woman she has a lot of illness.

Took a large chicken (that dh bought) out of the freezer to cook for dinner.  I had told him to look for a chicken without the antibiotics but he took some woman's advice and bought this chicken that said Natural on the label.  It was marked down and she told him it was a bargain!  He also bought some chicken breasts because of the same woman's advice.  They were also marked Natural!  I used them to make the chicken soup. 

Will look up Ina's recipe for ideal baked chicken.  Thank you, Nance, for reminding me.  Since I recently discovered the instructions/recipe manual for the Sharp combo oven, I know the right setting to use. 

The plan is to take the little pontoon boat out on the lake today and use our fishing rods one last time before we pack them up.  This weekend the resort will be overflowing with the owners' relatives and both pontoon boats will probably be in use by them.  This week has been wonderful having the whole place to ourselves. 

Special, who knew???  Looks like a fun, interesting and important job. Hope DD is able to successfully navigate the complex job offer situation she finds herself in. Fingers crossed for her....

Obviously a regional thing, I never got into biscuits, tho on occasion in years past, have used the "canned pastry items" for certain recipes that called for them...and I have no memory of what....just recall the banging of the cardboard can, hoping it wouldn't explode too terribly. ;/

Carole, you may be relieved to know that as of this AM, I am still up the two lbs I brought home from last week's lake dinners....obviously no way to shed them given our heavy social weekend at home. Clearly paying the piper! And now that we are back in NH, it is quite likely that I could add to that number. 

So tonight, though I was tired after the packing up and driving back here, and would have loved to order take-out for dinner, I decided to keep my "wagon resolve" and foraged in the vegetable bin. Made us a veggie frittata accompanied by my old stand-by cuke and red onion salad, and a corn on cob for each that was a couple days old but really tasty.  

Hope the chicken was great. I was always amazed  at restaurants that had roast chicken as their special dish.....and finally tried it at one, and special it was! That is true of a well known place in Boston's South End, Hammersley's Bistro, which is closing soon, after 27 years.  Those patrons might need to learn to roast their own chicken!

Luv, good Mexican restaurants are few and far between in these parts....

This Saturday is our Labor Day weekend  potluck beach party. I have a bunch of tomatoes I bought at our town Farmer's Market, and am thinking about making a roasted tomato pasta dish for that. After the potluck, DH serves as DJ, and it turns into a beach dance party. Hoping we escape rain.....

I'm resisting having a biscotti with my evening peppermint tea.....

Moon - I can sympathize w/your craving.  One of my favorite vices was always a Denny's Patty Melt.  I tried it once last year during treatment but my taste buds betrayed me.  I'll have to go soon to see if it's good again.

Lacey - thanks for the news of Laurie & Debbie.

eric - lol!  She's a growing girl.  Who likes salmon a lot!

Sorry to learn about your rain, Carole...tho I will also be narcississtically sorry when it hits us in a couple of days! It is really cool here at the lake (63 degrees) but today's sun makes it quite nice. Hoping it stays clear until after the beach pot luck and dance party tomorrow or DH will have brought all his tons of equipment for nothing....that happened last year. The heavens opened right after he set up....and after the food was set  out. What a mess! Fingers crossed here.

I was going to make a roasted tomato pasta casserole for the pot luck, but my yield of tomatoes is too small....so I'm thinking a layered greek salad. Considered mac and cheese with bacon, which would be interesting, but since I would not really want any of those possible leftovers in my house, I will go with the layered salad. Oh, decisions, decisions......your slaw sounds good, Carole.

Last night we again(!!) ate out purely due to my cooking laziness, and the fact that DH wanted to try an Italian restaurant we always pass by but never try. The food was good...we didn't go for Italian afterall. I had lumb crabmeat and double steamed broccoli...no potato at my request. I'm pretty much out of the habit of eating potatoes. DH had baked haddock with rice and broccoli. We shared a greek salad. We got a kick out of the menu which had different prices for exactly the same items on different pages. We ordered the less expensive (exactly same!) crab cakes. LOL!       I was  especially happy that they also made their crabcakes with no celery so I could have them. I think I have had my fill of crabmeat now. I also think our bodily mercury content has to be elevated given our consumption of fish this summer!

DH just went to the beach to start cleaning off the boat, which has been still in the water for several weeks. Think I'll head to the beach to possibly help....and celebrate the sun...who knows how long it will stay!

Have a fun and safe Labor Day weekend everyone!

Yesterday was interesting.  I rarely eat fried foods but I had fried shrimp & french fries for lunch.  Yes there was a salad but it was just iceburg lettuce & a few cut tomatoes.  Then I had a slice of lemon meringue pie for dessert.  We stopped at Flying Saucer Pie on the way home to play dominoes & what a delicious stop.  So at 4pm I had a medium slice of blackberry pie.  Then at 7pm I had a large slice of banana cream pie.  Then I guess my body was crying for more salt since I don't usually eat so many sweets, so I had chips & dip at 9pm.  And this morning - I had LOST a pound.  Go figure.  After we split up the pies I still have a large piece of banana cream to devour tonight.  Maybe I'll lose more weight.  LOL!!

Eric - so glad to hear DD is totally released by the doc.  What a scary time.  I can't really eat like that either.  I expect to be up 2 lbs tomorrow after eating a pumpernickel bagel w/cream cheese & salmon for dinner & my pie for dessert.

Special Congratulations on your DD

Goats. .. forgot what I was going to say but HI anyway

Susan those beets were wonderful I was asked for the recipe many times I made 5 jars

Someone asked what I do for a living and said I must be good at it as I get jobs easily. I don't know about good, but I've been doing it for a long time.

Ok ready for TMI..I have been in an relationship kind of a "same time next year" for 6 years with a adorkable man who is very high functioning Asperger's-has a PHD in quantum physics from Harvard. He lives way far away and has a dog who is intent on killing small furry animals including my cats so I have to go there, so after a while I say "this is taking up my whole weekend" and we stop for a while.

I have to say that tonight I said that it must be platonic for awhile due to meds and he totally got it. I was very happy

 We will have a Lobster-fest this weekend and all that that entails in New England. Yum

On Sunday.

He calls me Silly.

That's not my name.

My name is Sally

OK - here is the latest on the DD - got the Navy job, pending the background check for her clearance.  Most likely won't be done until November.  She finishes her paid internship in two weeks, but the alligator job HR people wanted her to start asap!  She was totally stressed as she would not be done with the internship, they have an ailing animal there requiring her to stay until the end of her term, and now the Navy job wants her after she already accepted the job there and got the cute safari outfits.  She finally called the alligator job, they said no problem - we want you anyway.  Start when you are done with the internship, you can leave whenever the Navy job starts, AND the job is no longer alligators, but PENGUINS!!!  Yay!  Also, she has competing offers on her old boat - so yay!

Dinner tonight is Greek-style pitas - ground lamb, tomatoes, olives, lettuce, tzatziki, goat cheese, peppers.  Probably a green salad also, and some sautéed zucchini and yellow squash.

minus - thanks! Yes, everything is falling into place for DD. I still take the Acetyl L-carnitine, but at the 500mg strength. I had read that the body can't absorb more than that under normal circumstances. Also, I still want some pie.

carole - your rice dish sounds yummy!  DD is indeed fortunate and happy.  I am most happy about the penguins, and not alligators!

I made some roasted chickpeas today, to try them out for snacking.  Tossed them in olive oil mixed with smoked paprika, cumin, and cayenne.  They needed to roast a bit longer than the recipe said to get crunchy and they are SPICY, but good!

Quite a few days since I stopped by, so much food! What is it about treatment week that I get so very hungry? I was on the diet, I eat what I see! Of course, there have been the required daily tomatoes. I remember that I ate at Zoe's the night of treatment. This restaurant closed for almost a year after the building's facade collapsed. This was our first night back and it was as excellent as ever! Friday I ground some beef and we had burgers for dinner. Tonight I made some roasted/stewed tomatoes with onions, which I put in a pasta bowl, then topped with some sautéed fava beans and a merquez sausage and a bit of feta. I feel like I have made a lot more food, but can't remember what it all was!

Random responses.

Eric, so glad to hear that your daughter is cleared for her concussion. I certainly hope she is able to protect her head going forward.

Bedo, I am so delighted that the pickled beets are well-loved! Have you tried them with a bit of thickened yogurt? with lemons? Tell me more.

Lacey, if I had a place on the lake, and the temps were supposed to be in the 90s for the only time this summer, I too would want to jump out of a floating object into a cool lake. You certainly made the right choice! On a more serious note, your Parisian's friend's daughter is so lucky to have you and your husband nearby. And you are lucky to have her to mentor. Your story really made me actually tear up, and I don't tear up, well except on treatment week!

nance, Happy birthday to your Dad. You are a good daughter to make him such a lovely cake. My father was partial to pies. Any kind of pie, but if pressed he would admit a certain fondness for apple or blueberry pie.

SpecialK, your daughter rocks! She is my new hero!

Carole, your meals sounds fabulous, especially for someone who is living in such cramped quarters. 

I am so sure I have missed some folks.... and I really apologize since I love hearing everyone's stories. And now, after billing out 10 hrs today, and making dinner, and tending my garden, I am going to have an adult cocktail. Cheers!!!

*susan*

Oh Susan - I sure hope you get to relax with what's left of the weekend.  Nance - raspberry upside down cake, YUM. Hope you have a good visit with your Dad.

Speaking of pie... my grandfather always told us he only liked two kinds of pie - hot & cold!!