So...whats for dinner?

Pizelles are a lovely "lacey" almost pancake or waffle like cookie. Tedious to make and easy to eat. They are Italian in origin and need a special press. Well worth eating if someone else will make them for you!

*susan*

auntie - my in-laws do the "rent a dog" with their neighbors.  The dog comes over to their house daily for a visit and a treat and then goes back home - the cat also.  When I first met them they lived in NC on a golf course.  Every afternoon they walked the golf course when my FIL got home from work.  At the end of their row of houses lived a black lab - every day it waited for them, went on the walk with them, then they dropped him off on their way home.  They also befriended a couple of dogs that belonged to the builders of their house in SC - they rented a house down the street while theirs was being built- and would bring food scraps as treats for those dogs now and then.  They seem to be dog fans despite never having actually owned one!  Funny - every one of their children has had dogs and cats - and their youngest became a veterinarian!

Susan sorry about the special dinner causing distress. Special congrats! Minus glad your colonoscopy was ok. Lacey you are very busy. Eric glad your Mom's are doing better. grandbaby sorry grand baby Sorry if grand baby Sorry if I grand baby Sorry if I missed simebody.

Here's my news: Baby girl 8.5 lbs 18 in 9:00 pm Dec. 10. Mom and baby doing well Father ok too. LOL My my first grandbaby!

Super congrats, Monica and family! Grand babies are wonderful! Love how that little girl is intently checking out her mommy!

Susan....yes some pix of your creations would be lovely!

Special, cute pooch stories.

Yes, pizzelles are a thin Italian waffle cookie, often anise in flavor. I make that flavor and lemon, and almond....sometimes orange. I have no interest in the plain vanilla ones, which many people make. I also do not sprinkle confectioners sugar on mine, which some folks do. Always used my grandmother's hand iron over the stove making them one at a time, for many years, until my back complained and my hand arthritis kicked up. So I gave in and bought an electric iron....makes two at a time and I can do it while seated. Nothing like the thinner oval ones the hand iron makes, tho. We grew up using that iron making pizzelles with my mother at Christmas time. If I make no other cookies for the holidays, I make those!

Congratulations, Grandma Monica!  Nice picture of mom and baby.

Lacey, those cookies do sound like a lot of work to produce.  DH always makes dozens of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, filling the house with that delicious aroma.  Our gift to the neighbors and temptation I can't resist. 

Pho is very popular here in the New Orleans area thanks to the Vietnamese population.  I was told by a Vietnamese person in a nail salon that this soup is a breakfast food for Vietnamese.  I've only eaten it home-made by a cousin and it was tasty.  Making the beef broth is a lengthy process.

Off to the gym this morning.  No clue about dinner. 

ok Lacey, I'm designating you as "my" Italian grandmother. Please send anise pizzelles (ok, any flavor.)

something quick

Congratulations Monica. Sweet baby girl and DD. Love that your DD has nail polish on.

Don't think I've ever had pizelles. Have sure seen them in magazines. Yummy.

Meatloaf was yummy. I bought some Molasses/Bourbon Ketchup at Target. It was good over the top of it. The only specialty ketchups I find are all hot/spicy. This wasn't and wasn't really terribly sweet - of course I had to have a wee spoonful of it b4 I put it on the meatloaf. The 2 odd but giant potatoes became Greek roasted - lemon juice, water, Cavenders seasoning olive oil. DH thought they were great. Salad from box. Tonight will be repeat with the garlic sticks I forgot yesterday. Put small amt. meatloaf in freezer - small 2 servings.

Congratulations Special on anniversary. Did you get dinner out or did doggy appointment interfere?

Yay Minus for the "all clear".

Made a Vietnamese beef-lemongrass stir fry tonight and it was both easy and excellent! We made some Jasmine rice and bought some spicy dry fried green beans from our local Chinese restaurant. A terrific meal. Had enough to share with my kid who stayed home sick today. Anyhow, here is the recipe... took me about 25 minutes to make, 15 of those to wait for the meat to marinate.

http://markbittman.com/decent-food-at-30000-feet-s...

*susna*

Moon Gimme that baby! Love the green nail polish, big smile, look on baby's face...everything Beautiful!!!

Susan Gimme that Pho. Now. Other things included, please. Now I am thinking of ordering delivery. Again.

I think you may post up to five baby pictures per day! More if there is a cute outfit involved. ;-) You both look made for each other! You will be one fabulous Grandma.

*susan*

lacey - thanks!  I think we are going out on Saturday - just trying to decide where.  We have had to postpone the actual celebration for the last few years because the anniversary date and my vaccine trial in Washington, D.C. have coincided - and those booster dates are set in stone - but the military spouse experience kicks in - we just "move" the thing being celebrated to a better date, lol!

Trying to get all my stuff done before I leave on Monday - doing better than usual, but I don't get back until the 17th, too late to mail packages.  I will shop a bit while there for the things that don't have to be mailed.  I will pack an extra carry-on tote for wonderful finds!

Tonight was a small pork roast with herbs and garlic, sweet potatoes and roasted brussel sprouts for me, green beans for DH.  I don't have to pack DH a lunch since he is going to lunch with one of his departments, and don't have to iron a shirt because tomorrow is football jersey day - yay!  All I have to do is get the coffee ready - what will I do with all my free time?  Apparently, make a customized photo calendar - complete with all the birthdays (21 of them) and anniversaries (8 of them) in the immediate family!

moon - I don't think anyone gets tired of baby pics!  You look so proud and happy!

I think busia is Polish -- isn't it Monica?

Made oodles of noodles today - mostly pappardelle. It's been a while. Had multi irons in the fire because I also made two loaves of English muffin bread and two loaves of cinnamon bread. The cinnamons are destined to be gifts. The muffin bread is destined to be - well, toast! It's astonishing that the timing worked out on everything. The pappardelle is for a dish I plan to make when our company arrives Sunday. It's a garlic chicken dish that's very saucy. Not as much garlic as chicken with 40 cloves of garlic, but garlicky nonetheless.

Tonight will be a pork stir fry with guess what -- noodles! I'm going to have to hunt down some lemongrass so I can try susan's dish.

I managed to pull together a lunch. Found some meatballs in the freezer when I was searching for my Pho broth ingredients. So I made meatballs subs for lunch. And then, I was totally uninspired for dinner. Eventually landed on making smoked salmon [the steak kind, not the lox kind] with pasta. For the pasta sauce, I sautee a bit of butter, garlic with lemon zest, deglaze with some white wine and lemon juice, a tiny bit of cream [cause it was in the fridge]. When the pasta was done threw it into the sauce with some asparagus. Not a bad pantry meal at all.

Just finished making a Momofuku ssäm. Tomorrow, I will find some bibb aka Boston lettuce so we can do lettuce cups. I will have to make the Vietnamese pickles and rice of course. I am a slave to what I have in the fridge. Still have a bit more asparagus, mascarpone, lemongrass, Italian peppers, tomatoes, and Hungarian sausages. Oh yea, and more of this salmon which we now have to eat since I opened the package.

Okay... what does my mother need for Christmas?

*susan*

Minus,

Oh my! Thank you for answering what has to be a rhetorical question, and making me laugh at the same time. My mother is truly an old-school Bostonian. Other people caring for body parts is a waste of time/effort and decadent. Old school Bostonians don't do decadent. I have never, in all her 76 years, seen hand lotion anywhere in her house. Or candy..... my Mother still works full time and is a journalist with a problem throwing out any paper with news on it. What I really want to find is a nice sweater..... you know, the kind our grandmother's made that you pull over your head with a tasteful pattern woven into the yarn. But, everything out there is "fashion." My mother really doesn't do fashion and her body shape makes fashion difficult. My Dad used to buy her two sweaters every year and she really misses that. For the past few years I have been able to find something that I liked to give her, but this year, the selection is just awful.

The throw is a nice idea, but she doesn't ever really sit on a couch. She sits at her computer and writes, or she is out and about interviewing people and taking pictures. I wonder if you could work at your computer with a throw? And if so, would she?

I do fill her stocking with fun things that she can make into a quick supper. Thai boxes of noodles and spices where you add some chicken, or those soup bean mixes. Cooking gives her no joy, but she loves homemade food. And, she always loves soup. The other thing she loves in her stocking is jam. Jam, marmalade, jellies... her morning English muffins need some sort of sweetened fruit spread!

Sadly, she might end up with a hard drive. Does anything say Happy Christmas more than a hard drive? [yes, that is sarcastic!]

*susan*