So...whats for dinner?

Wonderful post, Susan.  No hint of self-pity, just celebration of life.  I had to chuckle when I read how young you are.  No wonder you're not ready to retire.  Recently I asked if retirement is an option.  Of course, it isn't!  You're a young woman.  And full of creative energy. 

Everybody's meals sound so delicious!  I'm not hungry because I had an after-golf-event lunch today.   DH will have red beans and rice warmed up and a salad.  He'll be perfectly happy. 

Eric, I loved the picture of Sharon.  I didn't realize that it was so recent.  The Grand Canyon is one of those awesome places that pictures can never capture.

This week's TIME magazine has an interesting article by Mark Bittman about the advantages of eating at home. 

SpecialK, it's so nice that your DD's job has been such a source of pleasure for you and your dh. 

Today we FINALLY got some crisp fall weather.  The air is wonderful and it's a joy to be outside.  I am even gearing up for yard work! 

NY strip steak and baked sweet potato.

Hi All-

I have been lurking and reading....loving the dinner posts and salivating over recipes...hoping to be able to start cooking more with all of the inspiration you all provide.  Thank you.

And Susan, I wish you a very happy birthday with many many more to come. 

I am trying hard to find my place of happy, to enjoy the now and not get pulled into those dark places....and your post was truly inspiring. I hope I can find the joy you so clearly have.  Thanks!  : )

Susan, love it!

Oh Susan, that is sweet! And your advice to our newest threadie, sage.

Minus, we'll all be hoping for a positive outcome. 

Minus,

Hope your PET goes smoothly. Of all the scans, this one is the easiest for me. I generally fall asleep in the tube! Andrew, my technician, is fabulous. So calm and he knows to be quiet while I am napping. Hope yours is easy for you!

*susan*

Thanks everyone.  And Susan - I agree.  This test is a piece of cake.  Not to mention that I can never lie  still w/o moving for the required 30 minutes after they inject the "nuclear juice", so I take a Xanax.

Well, fortunately, Nancy you can probably figure out something interesting to do with yourself  as a mushroom! Seriously, I wasn't aware that the rainy weather was lingering in the midwest. We have had beautiful balmy days here this week We are getting the rain tomorrow....hope it decides to move along after a day's soaking.

After the gym today I went food shopping and noticed one of the grocery guys was stocking some interesting flavored raviolis. I initially selected the portabello, was contemplating squash, and the guy excitedly told me that he just got some pumpkin ones, which he recommended. Not sure how different they would be from squash, but went for it....seasonal afterall! So I made a weird dinner with them....and it was great (or at least we both thought so!). Since I bought a big bunch of kale, too, I made a bed of sauteed kale, onion, garlic and mushroom (sound familiar? I seem to be putting everything on kale beds!) and a few raisins.

Boiled up the pumpkin ravs and put them over the sauteed mix in the cast iron pan, then broil-melted some mozzarella and parm over the top.....sweet and savory! Had ratatouille (why do I make so much....guess we like it.;) and cucumber salad to round things out.  Hmmmm, wonder what I can put on a kale bed tomorrow night. DH is so tolerant! Oh yes, kale soup is on the agenda....will be a good rainy day to make that!

The sun finally came out late this afternoon. Hooray! Now we're due for a few sunny days in a row. Double hooray!!

I was so excited I went out and planted my boxes with flowering kale and mums.

Tonight was pan fried pork chops, buttered pappardelle and sauteed peppers, onions, squash and tomatoes.

Thinking cube steaks, roasted potatoes and a veg

Minus, hope your scan went well and easily yesterday.....

And luv, hope the accuweather is accuwrong about such sustained dry weather for your area.

Susan, I totally "get" that you might not appreciate the "balmy" weather in your professional duds!  All I have to do to accommodate it is change to a short sleeve tee shirt and shorter length sweats! I would be feeling differently if I were (was?) still sweating it out in my unairconditioned school! 

Am supposed to be meeting with some staff at a school in town this afternoon and just learned it may be cancelled. The process of setting up this meeting has been fraught with miscommunications and I am thinking I might bag the whole idea. The administrators were eager about my volunteer offer to provide group support to kids who might "fall thru the cracks" but I think the two counselors are thinking it might not be such a good idea. I "get" the politics of that.  And thank you Mercury retrograde!

Just as my fears about the AI side effects were starting to calm down, I noticed a thread (not new, but I apparently had it on my favorites from last year) about deQuervain syndrome which some sisters on Arimidex are experiencing. It was like a shot between my eyes.....I had a terrible case of that right after I gave birth to my first son, (37 years ago) and it was so debilitating I needed surgery so I could just get through the days' tasks. Scary to think that my hand problems could elevate to more of that requiring more surgery. Maybe no Arimidex?  Sorry to be so obsessive about this....

Our Costco chicken, bought Sunday is laughing at me. I hear it all the way on the second floor. Tonight, I will teach it who is boss... chicken enchiladas with tomatillo sauce, avocado, cabbage salad and of course, black beans. Any remaining chicken will be turned into a chicken stew, a dish I have recently discovered. Mr. 02143 went to the tortilla store so they are very fresh. Delicious.

Loved my day of coding at home. I got so much done today!

But, if we are actually going to eat beans at dinner, I need to get out the pressure cooker and get to work. Beans don't cook themselves!

*susan*

MinusTwo - I reluctantly started on Fosamax last week. Only osteopenic so far but I'm not the most active person on here (hmmm Lacey). My dentist was good with it. He's got to be near 50 and has only seen one bad case of jaw disease (didn't call it ONJ) but was in a gentleman taking large doses of a bisphosphonate for metastatic prostate CA. I'm not good at waiting for my morning coffee; instructions say 30 min. but insert says 45 min-1 hour. MO thought I would not do well because of GERD and he was so ready to get onto Prolia. My ins. would insist I try it at least I think. $4.95 for a mo supply. Gosh knows what Prolia would cost me copay. Will certainly give it a good try.

Susan - you have a tortilla store? I bought some that supposedly are the kind the Dallas Cowboys have in their stands and they were mediocre at best. Nothing compares to good restaurant tortillas. Corn or flour? Not even the big Mexican market has anything better. Actually WalMart has some back with the Mex. cheese that are cook in a skillet kind. Pretty decent but more for table eating than casserole making. Makin' me hungry.

I may have to make cookies for DH. He resorted last night to eating my graham crackers.

It just so happens I'm headed to Costco tomorrow morning. Those lemon tarts will be in my basket! They will keep me from making more bear claws (as long as they last anyway.)

Tonight is the bratwurst dish with mustardy potatoes and red cabbage.  Definitely a fall dish.