So...whats for dinner?

Early dinner here since dh is going to a woodworkers guild meeting tonight.  Steamed turnips flavored with some melted butter, sautéed Swiss chard, and leftover chicken marsala.  The young, small-leaved chard was the best I've ever had.  The turnips were sweet and delicious.  Both veggies from the farmers' mkt.  With no alcoholic empty calories tonight, I was able to enjoy a dark chocolate Heavenly Hash candy egg for dessert.  The inside of the egg is marshmallow and toasted almonds.  A local candy company, Elmer's, makes Heavenly Hash and Goldbrick eggs for the Easter season.  HH are our favorites.  We resisted them until Elmer's started making the dark chocolate. 

Must be a run on leeks.  When I went to the W/D this morning, there were only 4 leeks left, on the large side so it was enough for 1 1/2 batches of the Potato/Leek Soup recipe.  We had a bowl for lunch and I took my mother a container.  She liked it a lot and has more for tomorrow.  I diced up a center steak of Smithfield ham and added it.   

Your Italian meal sounds very satisfying, Minus.  I blamed a lot of health changes on arimidex that haven't gone away since stopping the drug last June.  I was hoping to be able to stop taking meds to combat elevated BP and cholesterol but I'm still taking them.  I think age is definitely a contributor.

Hope you enjoy the night out with friends, SK.  Good idea to change out of the pjs!

Susan, what a nice e-mail from the Istanbul apt. owner.  And transportation in a Mercedes!  Pretty stylish. 

I got a call from one of the owners of the sheep farm in IN asking if I would mind their shipping my order next week.  There was concern about the weather interfering with the delivery.  I assured her it was not a problem. 

Hope you're having fun in St. Louis, Nance.   Win some $$$$ at the casino! 

Hi to everyone else.

Luv - funny about Texas. I thought it might be fun to drive & to see the goats, but it would be closer for me to drive to LA and see Carole - and not that much further to drive to see Eric in Phoenix. Guess I'll settle on driving out south of San Antonio to see my new grand nephew, after the cold weather passes of course.

I was raised in CA. All my life people have said "oh you must know...". ha ha. That's like when I moved to New Mexico and everyone said "do you have your passport & shots". Lots of land out west. My son met me in Boston after I finished a job when he was around 14 & it was his first time to be in a car on the East coast. We drove to NYC to stay w/friends in the Village. It was funny to listen to him keep saying "OMG mom, we just passed another state line."

hi all!

Wanted to wish Joyce and her DH a Happy Anniversary.

Special, minus and Nancy hope your new docs are great fit for you!

Luv, I like goats. I love goat cheese. But the Billy goats are both pungent and um, Alpha! LOL you know how the big states take forever to drive through. The people coming from Europe can't even imagine. Our German exchange students were flabbergasted when my D H took them out on Lake Michigan. You an go for over an hour out and of course of still can't see MI. They gotta see it to believe it.

Eric, I'm glad you had that time with your Mom. It's so important.

Susan, Yay for finding A place to stay. Now you can plan the fun stuff.

I had another quiet weekend. My DH came home for only 4 hours on Saturday because I told him he had to do the snow. of course we didn't get but a dusting. He was not happy. He couldn't wait to leave. He also wasn't happy he my copay for my cataract sx was 750$. Then I had I'm pick up my meds for that. One copay was 85.00 $ the other was 73.00$. He as not happy with that either. LOL. I suppose that's why he practically ran out the door. LOL

I took advantage of the warm weather ( hey, it got all the way up to 20!!) And bought some chicken thighs, breasts and ground beef. So ill cook tomorrow. That spaghetti sounds great!

My lovely little DGD Gave Me A Bad cold. Sigh. Filled my head minor fever and cough. So I'm stuck here till it let's up.

Bought Chinese yesterday. Leftovers for supper today.

I sleep in pjs. I change into comfortable knot pants that are as to get out of fast if I need too. LOL I learned not to wear my fleece pjs. It's like those velcro me to my chair! And nothing moves fast when you Are stuck. LOL

I'm sure I missed someone. Please put it on a list. I'll make it up sometime! LOL.

Much love.

saw bone doc-NO DRIVING THAT IS A HORRIBLE IDEA!  put me in a hard black brace with fingers out and said no pushing. pulling, lifting or bending with that wrist....  a close friend drove me over to see my dad last night. then took me to her house for "leftovers",  Italian chicken with rice, mixed green salad with olives, tomatoes and artichoke hearts, and black walnut cake with fresh berries and crème fraiche.  Her hubby sent "leftovers" home with me..... I ate 1/2 for lunch.  Yummo... 

Deb B'ahhhhh. So cute, he looks just like you. My FB is kind of down, only used it for games anyway.

Red, how much longer until you can get the braces off????

Moon, you are so right about the Velcro effect of fleece, but...Hello,m My name is Sally and I'm a fleece PJ addict. I can't help it, my daughter is too, and now her fiancé. I realize that I am responsible for a lot of sloth, but that is not the worst sin is it?

On Sunday a friend and I are going for 1 hour Swedish massages and then a full out brunch at a renowned restaurant. She allowed her irresponsible 24year old DD and 3 DGS (boys all under 5) to live with her. All I hear when I call is kids screaming 24/7.. And she works and is responsible for her Mother who has Alzheimer's and is in a SNF. She has been dealing with this for a year.. I'm making her a purple paper crown with sparkles and her name and "Queen" on it. I told her that her chariot will pick her up. I will do all the driving and have arraigned it all. She said the idea sounded like "Heaven" I am going to surprise her by paying for the brunch, I know she would feel badly if I covered it all. I am sooooo looking forward to it!!! I will fill you all in on our gluttony. Oh oh, Another Sin.

Goats I am so glad the goats are fine. Do they like things like warm oatmeal or is it a myth that they will eat anything. Do they have warm "clothes?"

susan - SNF=skilled nursing facility.  So, if Spanish and English together are Spanglish, are Spanish and French together Frenish or Sprench?  And yes, fleece is addictive.  I am sitting here in snow leopard fleece pajamas.

bedo - good on you for springing your friend and making her queen for a day!  Enjoy!

deb - yay!  So good to see you and know that you are hanging in - and OMG what a cutie your grandson is!

red - your brace situation sounds problematic, but your "leftovers" sound delish!  How long do you have to immobilize?

carole - the prime rib was very good.  I only ate half and ordered double vegetables, which were also excellent, and skipped the gorgonzola mashed potatoes as a penance.  I substituted a cappuccino for dessert.  I think I will thinly slice the prime rib tonight and sauté some mushrooms (must be mushroom day!) and combine with a brown gravy/sour cream combo for a version of stroganoff, over brown rice pasta.  There is not enough of the prime rib for 2 so I need to stretch it with the mushrooms.  I need to cook my yellow squash, so will add some pesto for color. 

moon - I took the first available appt with the new PS, but it is not until almost mid-April.  I saw my old PS yesterday, did not break up.  I decided to proceed normally with him in case the new one tells me there is nothing she can do for me.  I had tried to get a second opinion with the new one last year before losing the implant to see if she agreed with that plan, because I really didn't want it removed.  She refused to see me because I was actively being treated by another PS (um, hello?  Wouldn't that be a second opinion...) - so this time they didn't ask that question and I didn't volunteer any info.  I was not happy with her approach last year but I can't deny that she does incredible work, so I have decided to overlook that - plus I understand it might be a bit awkward - they all know each other and I was coming to her because I was doubting him, so...  Sorry about your cold.  Colds always seem worse when the weather is bad too.

red - I am sorry you have so much to worry about, this is hard.  It is difficult enough when dealing with your own injury, but then trying to manage your dad too.  Your docs may actually mean 8 weeks - no driving.  I had no driving for 12 weeks with my ankle, with two high schoolers without licenses.  It was a challenge for sure!  Can any of the church people who are so ready to criticize be of any help with driving?  Can his doctors recommend any driving/ride resources that are faster than the transit approval?  Eeeesh.

thanks  girls, the church folk have been helping with rides, but they can't pick up all the slack.  I just hope if I live to this age that I am willing to prioritize what gets done to me and for me so that I don't make people get fed up with me. 

Now- I have had a pork chop thawed out and I am cooking Cinnamon Apple Pork Chop.  Easy and makes house smell wonderful:

4 center cut pork chops 2 cups cinnamon applesauce, one t art apple peeled and sliced thin, and 1/2 envelope French Onion Soup Mix.   COmbine applesauce, apple and soup mix and set aside. Preheat Oven t0 375.  Brown chops on all sides and place in baking dish. Dump applesauce mixture over the top.  Bake 40 Minutes uncovered or to internal temp of 160.  I am stewing potatoes to go with it. 

Red - Susan is right. Enough!! I traveled to CA every 3 weeks to take care my Dad for 4 years. He finally quit firing the care givers I hired since his doc told him he'd have to go in a nursing home if he didn't accept some care. He wouldn't let anyone live in, or cook, but we had a wonderful young lady from Tonga who came every day. Of course I still had to be there for a week out of every three, but I didn't worry so much the other two weeks. For a while he called all the time telling me what he wanted. That finally tapered off when he figured out I'd still be there regularly to stock the pantry and take him to docs, etc. And he figured out this young lady would pick up fresh donuts for him every morning! (he didn't know I gave her a petty cash fund) People called me long distance to tell me my Dad wasn't eating right. I told them he was 95 and if he wanted to eat cokes & Milky Way candy bars, so be it. Older family members do become self-centered but they can adjust if you don't cave in. It's time to think of YOU first.

Oh Special - I'm so hungry for prime rib.

Carole - how was the luncheon? Did you find brownies? Hope your Mom does OK with the dressing. It will be fine - what ever.

I ran errands today and met a friend at Beck's Prime for very late lunch. Excellent burger w/swiss cheese & sauteed mushrooms. Pricey but really good & we were both too tired go any further.

Minus, the pot luck luncheon was fun and the food was tasty and varied.  I had a serving of taco soup, a stuffed egg half, two tiny meatballs, a spoonful of a delicious salad with cranberries and walnuts and chopped romaine.  AND a brownie with a stack of recipes beside it, Healthy Brownies.  I took a recipe.  The brownie was good.   My main indulgence was a large doughnut filled with chocolate.  It tasted so.o.o good. 

I'm thinking of cooking a pot roast today using a slow cooker recipe in the latest Cooking Light mag.  It calls for a plain brisket but a flat pot roast should work.  The spices used are supposed to develop the flavors in a corned beef brisket without the heavy load of salt.  We'll see.  The cabbage is cooked with the beef but the potatoes and carrots are steamed separate.

Today I have to check the turkey thawing in the camper refrigerator and hasten the process if necessary so that I can butterfly it and dry brine for cooking on Sun. morning. 

Oh btw, the new pcp and I hit it off quite well. I liked her a lot.

Moon, hugs for you.  But hugs from a distance!  LOL!  You probably have flu and should get med from your PCP?  Never apologize for being honest and telling things like they are. 

Joyce, I can only imagine your shock arriving at your northern home and habitat.  Be careful.  No falls or other accidents.

Nance, glad you enjoyed your trip to St. Louis.  Too bad the Italian meal wasn't wonderful with all those great restaurants.

The pot roast cooked with spices to mimic corned beef flavors was very good, in my opinion.  DH was less enthusiastic as he ate two ample plates of the sliced beef, cabbage, onions, potatoes and carrots.  When pressed, he said he liked roast beef cooked the usual way better.  He likes his roast beef with ketchup.  The beef didn't taste that much like corned beef but it was flavorful from the combination of brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, dry mustard, cider vinegar, Worcestershire, bay leaves, garlic, onion.  It reminded me a little of the flavor profile of meat dishes in the Classic Indian Cooking recipe book.  It smelled wonderful cooking in the crock pot all day. 

Leftovers for dinner with more veggies.  Another pan of roasted butternut squash and brussel sprouts already prepped.

Hope you're managing, Redheaded, and aren't going crazy with your dad's shenanigans.

Also hope that Lacey and Luv are "managing."  And everyone else, too. 

Guess I'll go to the gym.  It's a pretty day today but Sat. isn't a golf day for my group of women golfers.  I skipped yesterday because it was cart path only and I hate playing on a wet course.  With luck we will get into golfing weather in March.

Just popping in between tasks here...but happy that Inhave no sore throat nor headache, yay!

First before I forget...Special, your idea about the apron was great...and I have so many kitchen aprons...some that I made with big pockets,that we went through them, and DH loved the one you will see pictured since he can squirrel away lots of "essentials" and crutch his way around the first floor. While it is not exactly his "fashion look", we decided that it was nice to see some spring flowers around here. I actually think I made this for my mother years ago...and I'm sure she is channelling good healing wishes to DH who she loved dearly

I Think that I might make some aprons with pockets like this to have on hand as get well gifts for folks who have mobility issues....and sadly we will be knowing more people in that situation in the future!

Moon, I do hope you can beat that flu like bug you have.....yes, a doc call may be an important step now! Hugs!!!!

Red, I can't even imagine how difficult things must be for you now that you are trying to recover from the hand surgery. Wish There was at least one "helper" who could step in for you in a reasonable way to offset some of the challenges your Dad presents.

Hi to everyone....All of your dinners sound wonderful! That leek tart, Susan....ohhh la la! Last night we had our meal at Lumiere with DS2 and CG last night and were once again faked out......no new news....just that Winston the dog got a new bed! LOL!. Food wise, DH and I had the tasting menu....seemed that mushrooms were featured on most of the courses which I loved. The kids had chicken which looked great. Still not sure why DS2 was so firm about seeing us right after the big "move in", but I suppose we should be happy for that. I did spend most of the afternoon chopping thick ice on our driveway, so that DH could get to the car w/o wiping out, and it worked. His first trek outside was laborsome but successful after all that ice management! So pleased with my currently high functioning shoulders!! Brace back on the knee after a struggle with another outside duty....hope it calms down.

So DH is coming along....and it does make a difference now that he can do some things himself (stand, transport ipad in his "roo pocket", pull socks on, etc.) and shower time is reduced by almost half, which is great. I have a better system for some things, so I am not as stressed with all the constant tasks....and have contracted with a trash service which should work well. I was always critical of the new couples in town who use such services, and now I are one!! The appliance repairman could not find the problem with the washing machine , and I live in fear of it conking out...so am watching that closely. And am thinking we should just break the bank and get a new one.

I apologize for missing from the thread....I have just been so busy that I just don't have the energy to fight with this Ipad's fussiness on this site. As you can see I didn't put up much of a fight today....soo many mistakes uncorrected.

Tonight our next door neighbors have onvited us to their annual bourbon tasting gathering. It isnso icy out that I will probably drive DH tomtheir garage, lest he fall on the treacherous sidewalk. He needs to get out again.

I hope you Texans are faring well with your weather...and anyone else who is part of this wild weather pattern.

We expect more snow tomorrow...I am torn...vert little energy for more shoveling, yet I'd be damned happy if we pass the previous record for snow amount in recorded history. We are so close.....I have to enjoy so ething about this!

Joyce, please stay safe in the northland!

Off to clean the lunch dishes that have been awaiting. He did really enjoy his THIRD reuben of the week.

Lacey -- so glad to hear that you're surviving and so is your DH! He looks so cute in that apron lol! I have lots of aprons, but none with a nice big pocket like that in the front. Great idea.

I detest going to the grocery on Saturday under the best of circumstances but especially before an impending snow storm, but as luck would have it, as I was preparing dinner last night, I used the last stalk of celery and the second to last onion. Since this constitutes a food emergency, I headed to the store this morning as early as I could get myself going. It's a good thing I went early because as I was leaving, the hordes arrived. There was plenty of milk and bread, neither of which I wanted (what do they do with all that milk and bread -- bread pudding??), but there wasn't one bag of sugar in the place, which I did need. WTH??? I've never seen that one! Maybe there's a snow melt shortage and they're using it on sidewalks now. Sheesh.

I have been craving fruit so I started some baguettes this afternoon along with some meyer lemon marmalade, which was a pain. The lemons were very small and nearly impossible to get all the seeds out. I think I can scrape together enough sugar to finish it tomorrow. My fingers are wrinkled like prunes from handling the little buggers for so long.

I bought a giant chicken which I'll roast tonight with Moroccan spices with some potatoes underneath the chicken. Add some broccoli and we'll call it a meal.

Monica - I hope you feel better soon. Don't apologize and don't ever feel like you can't vent your feelings here. It's our kitchen table, remember?

If I manage to outlive my dad, I really am going to move south. I may even take up golf. Carole, got room in your golf group?

p.s. I really am not going to rant about the weather again, but this is how crazy it is -- Tuesday's high is forecast to be 56 degrees. Wednesday's high = 14 degrees.

Minus - I've been tempted by that shrimp salad more than once. Good to know! And you are right about Carole. She is my role model. Unfortunately, I fall way short of her standard. Waaaayyyy short . . . . .