So...whats for dinner?

Oh Special----how sad! SHIT SHIT SHIT!   You are living up to your nickname though--a special friend is a treasure.

It is snowing again here, wasn't supposed to start till this afternoon. and it arrived about 10a.m. I was on a grocery run for my dad and just got to the store as the flakes started.  His groceries are delivered.  He had ham and beans going in his crockpot, but he wanted peanut butter, bran flakes and some of those awful bright orange cheese/peanut butter crackers....

Does anyone have a good split pea soup recipe?  It needs to make a small quantity, as there is just me.....I've never had it, the color always turned me off .

red - dang - just lost my post!  That is sweet of you to say - I am trying!  My personal silver lining has been to be able to help friends who have been diagnosed since me.  I learned yesterday just how tough it must be to be a sarcoma oncologist - sheesh.

I love split pea soup, but nobody in my family does - I should come hang out with you!  Here is how I do it:

Rinse and pick over a 16 oz. pkg. of split peas, then put in a Dutch oven and cover by a couple of inches with water, let sit for 8 hours, or overnight.  Pour off the water and then return the peas to the pan with 2 qts. water, a leftover meaty ham bone (or diced ham steaks if you don't have a ham bone), a diced medium potato, 1/4-1/2 t. salt, 1/2 t. pepper, 1/2 t. dried tarragon.  Saute a diced medium onion and several diced carrots in a little butter or oil, but don't overcook, add to the Dutch oven.  Bring the soup to a boil, then cover and simmer for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally.  Remove the ham bone, if using, and strip off the meat and return it to the soup.  I also like to add a little hot sauce. 

Edited to add:  I think this would be a pretty forgiving recipe - you could add or subtract veggies and spices, except for the salt if using ham.

bedo, I didn't read that part. LMAO!

Special K - I agree that your name says it all. Wish I was near you to give you a special hug in person.

Lacey - I bet SNOW is becoming a dirty (pun intended) word.

Cooking seems once again to have gone by the wayside. I think this weekend we had sausage/eggs for "our" superbowl party - a party of 2 though think DH watched only bits/pieces and I had to take time out to watch Downton Abbey. Yesterday was frozen eggs rolls and a frozen chinese stir fry for 2. Tonight I at least plan something a bit more healthy. Have some Italian seasoned ground turkey thawing. Planning on a "sausage" kale soup either with potatoes or white beans. Think there are 4 potato hashbrowns still in fridge. Might just make without either potatoes or beans and float over hashbrowns. I found 2 - yes 2 - spaghetti seasoning pkgs multiple use ones so I can dress up the soup to my heart's content. I have not found the multicolored kale again. Bought baby kale at I think Albertsons. My store either has very little or just about out of date. Do have to go to local store tomorrow.

Think DD is coming this weekend. Suspicious she wants DF to do her taxes. But he will see her only briefly since he's working this weekend. I think we'll have the pork stir fry again with broccoli. If I get my self in gear I can get all the vegies chopped ahead of time so only left to slice the pork. I have a lady coming Sat. morning to bring back 2 neutered male goats I gave her 3 years ago. She can't keep them anymore. Looks like a lovely weekend so they will get introduced to Mr. Bucky who at times looks lonely. At least if he gives them the cold shoulder they will have each other.

I did not make it by the spice store or Central Market Mon. when I went to eye doc who said see ya in 2 months. But oh joy get to go back in 2 weeks for mammo. Then the next week for BS visit. Susan what kind of store would have the peppers you have been talking about? Sooner or later I will go to see DD rather than her coming here. She has a wealth of foreign markets by her with a really great Asian one just a little farther away. Would I be looking for North African or something like that? The local spice market literally across the street from BS (Penderys founded on chili seasoning) does not appear to have any per their website.

I have a packet of coconut curry seasoning - from the bin at Central Market. Any ideas? Rice or chicken maybe? Maybe I need a can of coconut milk too.

Made a run to Costco today and made it back just before the snow started flying. I'm not complaining as this will all be gone by the weekend, unlike some of you who have it so much worse. I was happy to find (horribly expensive} fresh walleye at Costco so that will be our dinner, along with some asparagus and rice, I think.

My DS and DDIL are coming this weekend. I picked up a boneless rib roast which we'll have for dinner Saturday, sort of to make up for not having our ususal Christmas eve dinner, with some Yorkshire pudding and who knows what else. I do know that dessert is a raspberry toasted almond cheesecake. I'm also trying to cure a piece of salmon for the first time. I know susan and Monica do it regularly, but this is a first for me. I want to serve it for Sunday breakfast with the bialys. I found that my marble pastry board makes a perfect weight! I'm also going to test oven poaching some eggs tomorrow to see how that works. If it's successful, we'll have some of those Sunday too. I'll let you know how it goes.

Carole, I know what you mean about company. I love having people visit and to cook for them, but it's always nice when the house is empty and quiet again. For a short while anyway, till I'm ready to entertain again. I hope you like the red lentil soup. The red lentils are my favorite.

Susan, I am the person who bought and read Claudia Roden's New Book of Middle Eastern Food. Will be interested to know your favorites of her recipes. Also your favorites of Julie Sahni's Classic Indian Cooking

Special, all I can say is "wow". I can remember, when Mickey was really sick, wishing someone our age was around. Unfortunately there wasn't and I strongly remember the "it's just us" feelings. So, be assured that you are angelic. :-)

Dinner Monday night was a roasted chicken. The day got away from me and I roasted a chicken and fixed a salad. Tuesday was left overs and tonight Sharon cooked a spicy hamburger, black bean, macaroni casserole.

Mom's hand is pretty much back to normal. She still hasn't regained her pre November physical or mental strength though, so I'm a bit worried. I've increased the level of support (and money spent) provided by the LPN neighbor. He is over there pretty much all day and he and his wife (she's a RN) alternate the every couple of hour night time checks.

Hi to everyone. I'm heading off to bed.....I'm tired.

Eric, you are a really good son. Sorry you need to be.

Tonight, I made my new "restaurant" chicken parmesan. Make Chicken schnitzel with a full three step dredge. Then broil with a layer of parmesan, sauce, mozzarella. Serve on a plate with a pool of sauce, chicken, and then some angel hair pasta on the side. I used flour, egg, and panko, and for whatever reason, tonight is was wonderful. We were unable to finish our half breast, so the kids scarfed up the leftovers with gusto. There is enough cooked chicken left, along with the sauce and cheeses, to make one more meal.

And, as we meandered around Market Basket today I asked Mr. 02143, if I was a taco, what would be inside my corn tortilla and this crazy man said "carnitas." He rejected my fish suggestion outright. Oh well. So now I have a 10 lb pork shoulder in the fridge, and tomorrow I will wrangle it into carnitas. Black beans are soaking. I will package the leftover chunks into vacuum bags and we can pull them as needed. There is a great Mexican restaurant just blocks away that makes fabulous carnitas. Can't image why I am making them at home.

*susan*

Because you can, Susan! In only the tastiest way!

Am in my between classes mode (not my favorite schedule to have on these snowy days...too much car clearing!), and am home still curious about the name of these delicious little kumquat related sweeter tasting citrus fruit. Am posting a photo in hopes that someone else has an idea about what they are called. The store charged me for "murcotte tangerines", but they are clearly not tangerines....I am showing a tangerine and an orange for size and shape comparison.

Any ideas?? I will probably find out next Tuesday when I go to my WF class, but would love to satisfy my curiosity before that. Thanks!

Susan, thanks for that site. It has more photos than the one I was looking on......however, none of those kumquats look like these. Basically these are a very reddish orange with a bump near the stem like tangelos have....and the main difference between these and the kumquats I have eaten for a zillion years is that they are a bit larger.....and yet smaller than a tangerine...and they do not have that super tart taste. They have about ten seeds rather than four or five. An amazing little sweet fruit which can be totally consumed! I figure they have to be a type of kumquat or a hybrid, but my internet search has not produced anything that fits all of these physical characteristics.

Well, off to drive back to the kindergarten...too many car clearings for my taste today.

Happy to say my sarcoma friend, his wife and I had a much better appointment today with the original MO - who they like much better than the second opinion doomsayer.  He starts chemo on Monday - will have a regimen of iphosphamide and a clearing drug called mesna - a 7 hour infusion, for four days in a row and will get a portable pump for Adriamycin that he will wear for those four days as well.  Then he has 21 days off and repeats.  After three rounds he will have a scan to see if this is working.  I have my two SILSs arriving this evening - I am making Bolognese with spaghetti and a green salad because I am not sure how long it will take them to get from the airport to here with DH, so need something that will be ready.  I have leftover mini tart shells which I think I will fill with some lemon curd folded with whipped cream and strawberries on top.

Special Hoping that you and your husband's news is good and that the docs find a way to make it as easy as possible for your friend

Eric I hope that your Mom is coming along.

Sometimes I think about what it would be like to have a typical family-all my relatives died by the time I was 25 except for my brother and sister and we kind of lost contact although I still see my brother at times.

When people say that I am adventurous or whatever, I think.... That's because there was no one to tell me " You're Doing It All Wrong!!" lol

Anyway, I hope that your families are safe.

I am making cauliflower soup. Yum Nom Nom and green beans for dinner. I would have liked to have had Pumpernickel bread with that, but it was cold and so I skipped the visit to 7 stars bakery.

Today 2 things made me especially happy. Watching "Hazel" vacuum, it always cracks me up. And knowing that you are all here as a community.

OK I had a glass of wine while cooking. So call me Julia Child. Don't get sappy on me. I was kidding.

OK....I solved my little self-induced kumquat mystery. Since the idea that they could be minneola tangelos went bust due to their small size....see the comparison to the tangelos I bought the same day above...., I bit the bullet and called WF...Duhhhh! The produce gentleman looked them up for me....it is something I never heard of before, a mandarinquat! I thought that I saw a name that started with an "m" and ended in quat, so that makes sense now. They are so cute, sweet and totally edible...no skin left to toss out! So look for them at your favorite Whole Foods if you are curious.

Special, I'm glad that your friend and his wife feel more encouraged after this last appt. Hugs to all of you....tough road! I hope your visit with the DSILs is fun and distracting.

Bedo, I am fascinated by your self vacuuming machine!

It is so cold here that even DH came in just now from his meeting in Cambridge complaining bitterly...I totally empathized...even more so since I went out tonight and cleared the new 3 to 4 inches of snow that we received today, and about froze to death. I was very into doing it, however, since we are supposed to get another foot, and I feel compelled to "keep ahead of it". Can't quite recall when we have had so much snow and cold!! Makes me really appreciate having a warm house, a working car, toasty coat, etc. etc. I did go out and purchase a pair of low boots with good treads on them since this kind of icy weather makes me aware of falls and broken hips. So...all set to be hardy here.

Am about to have leftover chicken soup for my dinner at this European dinner hour. Have been hungry, but undecided as to what for. I cooked up some chicken parts today to make soup for a friend who lost her sister suddenly. I figure soup and salad and homemade bread will be a good comfort food....especially in this climate.

Hope your mother had a good day, Eric.

Oh Minus, I love that you treated yourself to the SF sourdough bread!

SK, do have a beer!  I agree with Susan that you seem more like your steady self, dealing with things.

Lacey, I don't like kumquats but those "quats" you bought sound edible.  A neighbor gave my mother a bowl of kumquats off his tree.  She offered them to me and I refused.  Worst luck, this neighbor's Meyer lemon tree froze last winter during a really hard freeze so no Meyer lemon bounty this year.  I was brazen enough to ask him about the possibility!  DH wants to make orange marmalade but I need to find some organic oranges and they'll probably be so pricey I won't buy them.  Or...maybe I will.  Depends on the mood. 

I was off to AUS/NZ last Jan. during that same freeze so my little Meyer lemon tree and two young Satsuma trees I had planted also perished.  I haven't planted replacements because the newly planted trees need regular watering during the summer.  I'm envious of all those people with satsumas and Meyer lemons on mature trees in their yards.  When I'm playing golf in the fall, I have to restrain myself from easing over to someone's back yard and plucking a Satsuma! 

I bought chicken thighs yesterday to cook last night.  I was really wanting oven-fried chicken.  Fortunately, dh was wanting beef soup and cooked up a pot with barley so when I got home at 5 pm after an apptment with the foot dr., the kitchen was filled with the aroma of food.  Beef soup sounded better than chicken at that point.  We had soup and some sliced French bread from Sam's lightly buttered and heated in the toaster oven. 

Tonight we're joining four other couples to go to a play and have an early dinner at an Italian restaurant en route.  Or at least I will be joining them.  DH stated this morning that he wouldn't go if he doesn't start feeling better.  He has been hacking and blowing for over a week and some prescription meds don't seem to be helping.  He knows he wouldn't be welcome around other people in a restaurant or a theater.

My podiatrist gave me a cortisone shot in my left foot yesterday.  It seems that diagnosing the cause of my burning pain in the toes and front pad isn't as easy as I had hoped.  My last apptment with him was almost exactly a month ago and after following all his directions, 2 new pairs of shoes worn alternate days, stiff insert, ice, ifuprofen as tolerated, and topical anti-inflammatory, the ailment hasn't improved.  You don't realize how important feet are in carrying on your activities until a foot starts complaining about being in service!

I decided I would start monitoring my sugar since I have been dx'ed pre-diabetic.  So went to CVS and got some advice on the different monitors.  Bought one and was too dumb to buy the strips.  I'm due for blood work and a checkup with PCP so I'll ask her about a prescription.  Apparently the strips are the expensive item in monitoring. 

Minus, I love bread, too.  I've never eaten the California bread you mentioned.  If you said boudin (boo dan) around here, everyone would think you were talking about a Cajun sausage with rice.