So...whats for dinner?

I've been making turkey veggie noodle soup with a left-over turkey carcass from a family Thanksgiving meal.  My sister saved it for me.  My plan is to have soup for dinner with a salad.  The turkey stock is now simmering with some freshly added carrots and celery and diced tomatoes.  Later I'll add the noodles (will probably precook them so they don't absorb all the stock) and the reserved turkey meat. 

To repeat Nance's query, Where is everybody?  It's lonely in this kitchen! 

I'm sorry, Minus!  I hate that prep.

Last night was supposed to be smoked sausage stir fry but found the squashes has turned to limpy slimy things. So I just heated the sausage, made some instant mashed potatoes (don't even want to know what's in them) and froz. Brussels sprouts. Not my best meal. Tonight will probably be a repeat with some garlic bread sticks added in. DH starts working until 10 pm starting tomorrow night. I will definitely have to plan out some meals because I hate eating at 10 pm, no way do I want to do that at 11 pm.

Minus - sorry about the scope tomorrow. But we can have a big celebration tomorrow night, how about that? I would certainly plan something special.

Been so busy that I haven't had time to talk food [and that defines busy in my world!]

Friday night's meal was confusing. I have written a review elsewhere, but it hasn't been published so I can't copy/paste. Basically, the food was fine, if heavy, the service was odd and diffident, cocktail was excellent, and we were out of there in 45 minutes. One of the weirdest experiences in a long time. NOT a special night out, if you ask me. And then to top it off, I got food poisoning of some kind. Thanks goodness it was through me within 36 hrs, but it was a very long 36 hrs. I might return, but with different expectations, and I will give them a lot less of my money ordering snacks and sides only.

Since then, I feel as though all I have done is cook but in fact, Saturday Mr. 02143 made me basmati rice for dinner, and heated up some freezer chili for himself. Sunday was week 2 in my rotation, so make the granola, and then Mr. 02143 gets a special lunch each week of French Toast with bacon. Sunday night we must have eaten, but am drawing a blank. Yesterday I made some dal malkani which is a fairly large undertaking and some tamarind-date chutney. We ate those with basmati rice and some samosa meat for dinner. Then the kids got home and I made them an Asian chicken noodle soup. She is in finals, and he is sick. I took pity on them.

Tonight was the rest of the Indian food plus I made a Indian cauliflower with black mustard seeds. Another really lovely dish which brought a freshness to the plate.

Today, I made 6 quarts of Pho broth and tomorrow night we will all slurp together. I will have to head to the Korean market to get some spouts and scallions. Maybe the nor'easter will have petered out by then. This storm has been something else; slamming against the side of the house in gusts. The good news? The roof repairs are NOT leaking. This is the first time since we bought this house that the roof hasn't leaked during a nor'easter.

I hate the colonoscopy drink. It is foul and I can't believe that this is the best they can come up with. The rule of thumb is 10 years these days which means that technically I am not due for a while. But, of course the primary had other ideas. I explained calmly that with my mets diagnosis I was through with looking for trouble. There ought to be some damn benefit for me in all of this!

*susan*

I know Susan. You would think someone could make a clean-out drink that was somewhat palatable. I still stand by apple cider as the best thing to drink. I can only chug so much plain water. I've heard of the Miralax regimen. Must admit that even though I've given it to oodles of hospice pts have never had occasion to try it. Anything has to be better than that mothball liquid.

Sorry that Friday's anniversary meal was less than spectacular. Do you think your food poisoning came from there? Um too bad only the cocktails were good. And only 45 minutes for a Friday night meal. That must be some kind of time record.

We must be doing something right. The freezer is actually getting some room at the top.

Susan, sorry for your food poisoning experience...I agree that sometimes it is more worthwhile to buy great foods and prep it at home...but for you and to a lesser extent, everyone on this thread, that is certainly a bus man's holiday!

Minus, good luck tomorrow, and yes, plan a great tasty meal for afterwards! I honestly have to say that our (DH and I prepped within days of each other) "prep juice" was not bad at all this time around. You may recall the pic of it.

Oops, tried to find it and must have erased it from my camera roll, but saw this one of DGD who we are going to see this Saturday, so just had to post that..., anyway, took three small bottles of the magnesium citrate on ice. Totally drinkable, and I never experienced that before. I am surprised there are so many different preps. Has to be a doc in bed with pharma thing....

Spent today at med appts. Saw my surgeon who keeps a yearly eye on me and my mammos. She is great, and while I expected she might press me on the AI non-compliance, she did the opposite, reassuring me that I was doing the right thing for my quality of life, since an AI would certainly bring me side effects equal to or more than those I experienced on tamox. She was particularly concerned about my hands given my existing arthritis. She did say that my two years on tamox was valuable, and given my #4 oncotype, those two tamox years, and my current lifestyle, she is not concerned. Hope it isn't false reassurance, since I'm buying it!

The day was so brutally cold, wet and vile weatherwise, so I hunkered down at the hospital after surgeon appt until my geneticist appt. Stocked up on sympathy cards and birthday cards in the gift shop, and met a traveling rad tech from Upper Peninsula in Michigan in the coffee shop. Interesting guy. People's lives are interesting...

Met with a lovely young geneticist who agreed that my family history was a challenge given so many cousins. I learned info about all the different gene mutations they test for now. I will be included on the one that combines breast and colon cancers, due to maternal family history. Then I went for the blood draw, then came home and took an inadvertent nap. I was too tired...and feeling shivery to make a salad for dinner, so we had blk bean soup and cheese, crackers and apple. Sort of like a meal I'd have on my own, but DH shared it.....no too excitedly. ;{ Someone needs to food shop before tomorrow night's dinner. Hmmmmm.....

Carole, I'm so happy for you and DH re: his health progress!

Nance, wish there were an easier way for you to resolve that hand situation. Maybe you should give DH a speed cooking course for Xmas!

Special...I am NOT fond of your ins. company!

Since we are making a fast trip to NJ this weekend,I am self-imposing gift-making for the kids....a Frozen blanket throw for DGD and felt boards and felt shapes and other felt cut outs for them to use making pictures. Why I do these projects during this season is beyond ridiculousnessI So for the rest of this week, I will be mired in those tasks as well as making a holiday gift basket for residents in a shelter, (due this Friday) and for organizing the gifts for DGS's birthday and holiday gifts for all of DS1's family. Might try to get some cookies made too...but that's probably a stretch.

Better get some shut- eye so I can be productive after gym tomorrow.....

Eric, hope things are going well with both of your senior mothers.....

Lacey - It was necessary. I had so much food squirreled away in there. Bags and bags of vegies, why I don't know because DH could care less about vegies. I need to reorganize again already. I have one of my tote bags almost empty but I know there is more chicken buried in there. This is supposed to be a meat one since I chose black/white for that - reminds me of cows. I think is has a very old turkey carcass - not the recent one since I did it fairly quickly. I know there are some leeks too - they must be on the very bottom.

I have a quandary about freezers. I know if the elec. goes off they keep better if full. But then if it is off long time full is very bad for the pocketbook. This is a small chest freezer. Still has some stuff that just needs to go.

Carole - congrats on DH's medical progress.

And I agree with Lacey that Special your insurance needs some choice words.

Susan - you would think they could clean a cucumber effectively. I know you've prob. heard that one of the worst foods for food poisoning is melons and I can certainly see why esp. cantaloupes with that bumpy rind. A cuke is easy compared to them.

Dinner tonight is meatloaf. DH will home very late so I'll cook at least that early. Have 2 potatoes maybe see what I can make with those. Bought more salad we don't ever finish so will try some of that too. I bought another meatloaf seasoning at Cent. Mkt when I went there b4 Thanksgiving. I think only needs breadcrumbs, egg and bit of milk. I may throw in some more seasonings if it isn't green enough to suit me - some parsley. Might also dice up some celery.

Minus - you should be all done by now. Get whoever is driving you to stop for something good. Only good news here.

Luv - yup I'm through. My friend didn't have time to stop for lunch so I came home & made a fried egg sandwich on Pumpernickel bread and had a slice of pina colada cocoanut cake for dessert. For the first time - no polyps. I guess I have to say 'thank you' chemo. Nothing else good about chemo but if it zapped the lurkers, I'm grateful for that.

I have the same problem w/my freezer. It's a small upright in the garage, and packed with who knows what in the back of the shelves. I know I pay extra in electric bills having it in a garage in our Texas heat, but that's the only option. I really don't want it in my bedroom. Also it desperately needs to be defrosted so I'm trying to use up the stock.

Special - happy anniversary. Sorry about the dog situation. Hope it's easy to resolve - other than cleaning up all that blood.

Special - I used to do that before cancer. After the recurrence - I became much less obsessive/compulsive about things like that. And certainly less worried about dusting or vacuuming the house. Just about BC. But I should get back to my lists.

minus - lol!

susan - I thought about you when I said we were going out!  I had that happen after my 50th birthday - very expensive meal that made DH, DD and me very sick the next day - the unfortunate thing is that I was already on an airplane when it all went wrong.  Bad, very bad.  Are you feeling good now?  You are too busy to be down for long!

eric - thanks!  How is your MIL doing?  And mom?

eric - very good - glad things have calmed down - you had a perfect storm of momma drama for a minute there.

carole - yes, I quickly trapped the dog on the bamboo and tile flooring once I figured out which one of us was bleeding!  I sometimes cook pork chops by searing them for a couple of minutes in a hot pan, then remove them and sauté some sliced apples and onions, then add the chops back in and braise them for a bit in apple cider or chicken stock.  They seem to stay more moist that way - I have also cooked them in the cider in a glass pan in the oven and added the sauteed apples and onions over the top once the chops are done.  Also, have recently had spicy remoulade sauce with sweet potato fries - yummy!  I know you know all about remoulade since you live in LA!

Oh, had to share this pic ....my sister sent her holiday card which is a lovely scene with her barn house featured along with her two dogs. She must have had such fun creating this! She is in heaven in VT! So glad for her....

lacey - OMG! - such an adorable holiday card by your sis!  Love it!