What is the name of the restaurant where the What's For Dinner folks will be dining? If it has a website with menu, I'd like to look it up and salivate.

I am sipping a large cup of delicious latte I made with my nifty little expresso machine. After playing golf today, I was tempted to drive to P.J.'s Coffeehouse and get myself a large latte, but the thrifty person in me prevailed. Lunch was warmed up beef, broccoli and soba noodles. Very tasty.

I bought ???? Mexican parsley???? on the way home so can make Eric's chicken rice dish. CILANTRO! The word usually comes eventually. But I'm wondering, Eric, if I can turn it into a "hot dish." I actually have white jasmine rice in the pantry and will use it.

Lacey, it sounds like your trip was fun and interesting. DH is a Cubs fan. We went to a Cubs game in Chicago many years ago. I find baseball rather boring on tv, but enjoy being in a stadium and watching a game. The White Sox have a beautiful stadium. DH's family is split between loyalty to the Cubs and the Sox. We've been to a couple of Sox games in great seats thanks to a BIL who was a bigwig with the IL med. assoc.

Arghh Susan I can't commit, as I am on call for the storm.

Post pictures! And I can enjoy it that way. You, me and Lacey have met, so you can just pretend that I'm there

Bedo - how close do you have to be to be "on call"? And I'm sure there are some lovely Shirley Temple type drinks if you are able to go. Arggg is right. Bad, bad storm for timing.

Minus - I hope your plans are all coming together. Can't remember when you leave but wishes for safe travels and lovely adventures.

Tonight is leftovers tada. Stir fry, meatloaf and real mashed potatoes. I think I need some salad too. And perhaps an adult beverage, at least some wine. DH doing great though he looks like he has a plum in his lower jaw. No pain meds, eating, drinking. Still a bit of a hangover from the Halcion they gave in the office.

Susan - DD said she really liked the corn cakes with goat cheese and I think the lamb stuffed olives at Sarma.

Susan - at least she made it in and double yuck on the weather. Gosh knows what the temp is in Houston, just checked 82. Summer and winter in less than a week. Olives are a rarity here though I do make occas. an olive appetizer with cheese, baked balls of cheesy goodness. Not really an olive aficionado though.

OMG MOmmy you crack me up

Susan, I have to be within 2 miles of the plant, They would put me up in a hotel, but I live within 2 miles, so have cancelled my plans with my daughter.

I am sorry to miss this I was so hoping to meet minus two and see you all again.

You have a good Hubby

My guy is taking me skiing as soon as we have snow.

Yes, the chicken-Jasmine rice dish can be served hot. There is enough rice to get the rest of the stuff very warm. However, I think it tastes better if the flavors are given a chance to "mingle".

I guess I'm a bit more lucky than Bedo. All I have to do is have my gear with me as I can be flown out from just about anywhere.

Carole, ouch! That's pricey! My half pig costs $165 and processing is around $1 a pound, depending on what cuts I want. I'd look some more. The place I'm getting mine is Alexander-King Farms. They have a website.

Ha Ha, Eric!

Leftovers of chicken last night along with mashed butternut squash and cuke salad. So I'm really looking forward to tonight's meal at erbaluce with the ladies! Our weather is cold and rainy and not hospitable for tourists, so I'm truly disappointed about that for Minus and her friend. But once inside the restaurant tonight we can forget about the weather. Bedo, I'm sorry you won't be able to join the group tonight.

Am about to start baking some zucchini bread and/or zucchini-carrot muffins for a coffee hour tomorrow.

Susan, Sarma sounds like such a great spot for interesting food. And your stamp of approval means a lot!

Luv, it sounds like DD had a fun trip! She scored with the weather that week! Around here weather can be so changeable, the local saying is...."If you don't like the weather, wait a minute!". Great if that would be true this weekend!

Carole, enjoying your pig quest. From what I know, St. Jude's is a high quality place. My next door neighbors are loyal contributors to that hospital.

Better get to my baking...especially since I am not Nance with the baking gene!

Nance, thanks for that feedback. The pork price sounded high. Especially the processing fee. I think the deer processors charge about $3 a lb.

Eric, I enjoyed a bowl of the leftover chicken rice salad for lunch. I thought about your daughter eating all of your leftovers of that dish for her lunch!

Dinner will be leftovers. We have the chicken rice salad and the beef broccoli soba noodles and garden salad makings. DH never minds leftovers.

Happy dining for the What's For Dinner group in Boston.

I am back from the "What's For Dinner" Boston Get together. We ate an Italian [not Italian-American] restaurant named erbaluce. Everyone else was early as can be and met up at the bar. Me? I was early and waited outside in the cold. At the early-by-15-minute-mark, I went in to checkin with the hostess since the reservation was in my name. Turns out, they were all there and we were seated immediately. As people drank a bit of wine and we got to know each other, it was clear that the night was going to work out very well.

It took us quite a while to even get to reading the menus. The waiter was very attentive and didn't come over until he saw that we were actually looking at the menu. And then the specials monologue, and when asked, he even gave us the prices! It did take us some time to make our decisions, but eventually, we all picked something that appealed to us.

On the table, there were some really wonderful sesame bread sticks. Not too hard, not too soft. We were then served both a white and grain bread with a purée of lima beans, garlic, salt, and olive oil. It was almost a hummus, but not. Not sure I need to eat that again, but it was actually good once you started to "understand" it and it complimented the bread. It could not have been too bad since we totally finished the dish!

Starters: Minus chose not to order one since she wanted some dessert. Lacey ordered a salad [was it radicchio?] that she very much enjoyed. MinusFriend ordered the prosciutto with local peaches, and I ordered the grilled mackerel with greens and tomatoes. The mackerel, which can be a mighty unpleasant fish if not cooked/prepared properly, was so delicious! It was not a small little fishie either. This guy had some heft. Grilled mackerel is the best way to cook these guys, and this preparation included bay leaf, lemon zest, some other spices that were very subtle, and I would guess, some olive oil. Both Lacey and Minus gave it a try and [I think] were surprised by how good it was.

Mains: Minus got one of the most interesting dishes from the specials menu. They steam a 1/5-2 lb lobster and then pull it from the shell and poach it in olive oil. It was served [as were three of the mains] with gigantes beans. The plate was garnished with lots of fresh herbs. MinusFriend, was brave and ordered the flounder [cooked a bit more than you might usually.] It arrived standing like a stadium with a greens salad nested within, on top of those same beans. Lacey chose the duck breast which was also served with the beans. I ordered the Pappardelle with Boar Ragu. Instead of a modest Italian serving, this was HUGE! The sauce was so delicious.... I shared with everyone who wanted to try, but ended up taking home enough pasta to feed two adults. Everyone seems to enjoy their mains tremendously.

Desserts: Lacey ordered the panna cotta which was the perfect texture and arrived set amongst some lovely berries and a raspberry puree. Minus ordered the local peach. Was it poached and then grilled? One, the other? I have no idea, but the bite I ate was spectacular. The dish was garnished with just a bit of a cinnamon cookie. Not too sweet.

As the bill was delivered, the owner arrived to ask us about our meal and to give us a plate of golden raspberries and chocolate truffles. I have never had a golden raspberry, and it was such a vibrant flavor. The chocolate was very high quality, and should be the bar that all chocolates aspire to reach.

I don't remember any times when the conversation lagged or we had any awkward silences. It was a wonderful evening.... pictures of people [not food] were taken and maybe someone will post one. Minus is onto the cruise ship tomorrow... I hope that the seas are not too frothy for them.

All for now,

*susan*

Susan, many thanks for your wonderful dinner review! You got it all in! Glad DH enjoyed your pasta with boar ragu. I still cannot get over the size of that mackerel appetizer you were served. DH salivated when I told him about it! He and I will need to go there....maybe when we go in to see Beautiful ....or LaBoheme. I did enjoy that restaurant. Thanks for including it on the list of possibilities!

I wish that more of you could have joined us....even with our less than ideal weather! I was impressed with all of the touring that Minus and her friend got in yesterday, andbefore we met up with them tonight. They leave on their cruise tomorrow.

Sounds like a wonderful time and meal. So envious! Please, someone post pictures!

My dad used to grow golden raspberries. I love all raspberries, but these are indeed special.

Okay folks....one pic...sorry no food pics, but I think that Susan did a colorful enough description that we can all visualize. We honestly were so busy "chatting" through the meal that it wasn't until we were ready to leave that I thought of taking this shot....which Minus's lovely friend and traveling companion took of the " dinner threaders".

Next time you will all have to join us!

Good golly, I drooled on the keyboard. Boar sauce on wide pasta,,, yummmmmmmmmmm. Sounds like an evening that will live on in everyones memories for a long time.

Thinking about making chili- it is cold here again today. High of 67 and overcast and windy.