So...whats for dinner?

I found the All Clad ramekin! But, since I am not truly sure I would actually use these, the price might be a bit too steep for me. I could use them for shepard's pie, or even individual onion soups, or any number of sliced/baked potato recipes. If I can come up with enough ideas on how I would use them, I might be able to talk myself into it. Aren't they cute though?

http://www.surlatable.com/product/PRO-196321/?affs...

*susan*

Are these the same thing?

http://m.chefsresource.com/all-clad-mini-dutch-ove...

Susan, get 'em.

Moon, I have never been to the Grand Canyon. Did you stay with friends or at a hotel? It is on my bucket list I think Amtrak has a train that goes there. Also want to see Niagara falls. Have seen both from the window of a 747......need a closer view.....

I've succumbed to the "crud" that has been afflicting dh. Sneezing and blowing my nose. Sore throat from sinus drip, congested sinuses. How can one be congested and yet be reaching for tissues?

Eric, glad you were able to switch hotels.

Yay on the real estate deals going through.

Susan, the rib eye was melt-in-your-mouth delicious. DH is such a good guy to man the grill. We seldom ever eat steak in a restaurant.

Tonight he is having shrimp with pasta and I will have shrimp with a good salad. The shrimp are thawed. I have to muster energy to peel and devein them and possibly butterfly them, too, because they are large. The plan is to sauté them in butter and olive oil. Flavors added will be fresh garlic, grated lemon peel and fresh lemon juice. A sprinkling of cayenne along with s & p.

On my list for tomorrow is cooking the nice eggplants (purchased at the farmers' mkt.) that are in the outside refrigerator. Two will be included in an eggplant parmesan type of dish and one will feature in my first time to make .... there goes the brain again. The mezze dish Susan eats with lettuce leaves.

We've spoken to the meat processor who is cutting up the half pig we're buying from a MN farmer/friend. I was half tempted to take the "trotters" but declined. Also declined the liver. The frozen pork will travel to the Houston area and we will drive there and get it.

Lacey, hope you are feeling better.

Red,

I do all the browning on the stovetop, taking as much time as needed to brown the meat and then sweat the veggies. I do this in the dutch oven I will be cooking with so no extra pans. Then in the oven at 325º. If you have some parchment paper, cut one to fit on top of the braise so that you get a really tight fit with the cover, and then stick it into the oven with the cover. Then you can reduce the amount of water and get a richer and even more delicious sauce. Rule is generally, about 2/3 of the way up the meat. Shanks, depending on size, should take about 2.5 hrs. I don't think you can really overcook. Without the parchment, you should check that your liquids have not evaporated too much.

*susan*

carole - you and lacey need to feel better asap!

OK - crazy real estate story coming - today I was home with the electrician moving all the light fixtures around, and adding the new ones. I got new bulbs for the dining room fixture, DH said to get 60w, but when we added up the collective wattage it exceeded the dimmer switch, so I went and got 40w on one of my FIVE trips to the home improvement store today. Same story with the kitchen - we have a new chandelier there so we added wattage, but will get a new dimmer with more capability so as not to have a fire. We learned that the condo buyers do not want the furniture, and so the elderly couple who actually own the furniture came over to swap out a couple of lamps, so that when the used furniture guy comes he will take their old ones. Well, they plugged their old one in to the outlet in our condo - IT CAUGHT ON FIRE!!! Fortunately, the RE agent was there with them and put the fire out - no damage except to the lamp! OMG! These folks keep asking for their own key to this condo and we keep saying no, can y'all see why??? Thank goodness for the quick thinking agent otherwise I would be crying right now. We just need to go another 11 days until the closing, please....... These same folks forgot that my personal items are in the condo for staging and would have tried to sell those too, and they wanted to take the window coverings, um, no - they are part of the house - we are going over on Friday to get our stuff out and supervise the used furniture guy's appraisal. Wish us luck, lol!

Thanks Susan!!! I can do all that......think it will be a weekend meal.

Minus, I'll touch base with you on the details of the trip to Houston. I would love for us to get together. The only information I have now is that the transfer (sounds shady!) will probably be on the Sunday or Monday before Thanksgiving.

Major job accomplished this morning. I organized my walk-in closet and inventoried shoes and clothes and got rid of a lot of both. The Veterans charity will have quite a pickup. Plus quite a bit went into garbage bags for the garbage folks. My closet looks so orderly!

On the food side the eggplant dish for dinner is all prepped. Eggplant slices browned, tomato sauce made with Italian sausage and ground chuck, romano cheese grated.

The eggplant for the baba ghanoush is roasted and all wrinkled. Now I'll check out some recipes.

Special - be careful with all the tile loading, especially since you already have an LE arm. Hope the trip to the coast goes well.

Sorting paperwork is the hardest for me. Just today I finally parted w/my brother's 7 diaries from his HS & college days. He died in 1994 and I brought them home when I cleaned out his place. He had no children & I have one son who would not be interested in reading them. I couldn't even touch them for all these years. I ended up tearing out some selections of special pages meaningful to me several months ago, but it took until today to consign the rest to the trash.

Dinner was Crunchmaster Multi-grain crackers w/a couple of Laughing Cow Swiss cheese chunks. The 2nd course was a Honey Crisp apple sliced thin & dipped in Philadelphia Strawberry cream cheese. Don't think I'll need anymore, but might snack on raw radishes & cauliflower later.

Nance,, neat that you are drying your own herbs. I have never tried the microwave method but it sounds like a good option for basil.

Carole and Minus, I hope that you can meet up during the pig transfer!

And I hope your "crud" is fast moving, Carole. Both DH and I ended up needing antibiotic "assistance" to chase ours.

Thanks for all the get better wishes, and Susan's soup offer. I felt more like I returned to the land of the living yesterday, and even ventured out and about. Today I even got up early and have pretty normal energy...so far. I hope I am getting back to a more "normal" state of functioning...and can get to finishing the many projects that await here.

I am duly impressed with your closet organization completion, Carole.......and, PAPER ORGANIZATION, ladies?! Oy!! I have a better shot at the silverfish taking care of it for me!

Made a real dinner of roast chicken with onions and carrots, butternut squash, garlic roasted broccoli, and cuke salad. Then I slow-cooked the carcass into a nice stock overnite, so will make some soups from that...probably a kale bean and a butternut squash. We are driving to CT on Tuesday to visit my stepmother, so would like to bring her some soups.

Today I also plan to make some pumpkin chocolate chip cookies for tailgating with DS2 and his friends tomorrow. Apparently he and his cohorts have decided to go minimal for their food efforts this time, so they won't be grilling on site (that's what happens when the thirty-somethings have other responsibilities, like new families!), so DH and I will make some sandwiches and roll ups to add to whatever else they bring. Love being with this group of young 'ens! But hope we don't freeze.

Portobello mushrooms and pumpkin ravs in fridge might dictate our dinner menu tonight.

This morning DH reminded me that he worked for a small neighborhood butcher shop as a young boy. It was fun to hear him talk about watching the butcher make sausage (out of quality ingredients....like Susan!) with the hand-cranked grinding device most of us seniors probably recall. Now why he cannot translate those food prep memories into more expanded kitchen skills here, I do not know! He did transfer his shop cleaning skills to our kitchen, so I do really appreciate that.

Real estate news...we might need to start another thread...DS2 made an offer on the new condo including a contingency related to sale of his current one. They are dickering about that, so we will hear what transpired tomorrow. If it is a "go" they will be in a frenzy getting their place set to sell....fast! Fortunately, they rented a storage unit when DGF moved here, so they can clear out any clutter. To be continued......

Special, glad you are getting very close to getting your friend's condo estate settled. Oy!

Eric, sorry to learn of your mother's shingles. I do so hope it is a very mild case.

Carole - love your real estate license story. My ex-DH really wanted me to take on that career when our DS was young. He pushed & pushed, but it just wasn't for me. Sounds like some good meals coming up.

Lacey - glad you're up & around again. Yes, I remember the hand grinders. I think one was still hidden in a bottom cupboard at my Mom's when I got the house ready for sale after almost 60 years there. Yum for your roast chicken & fixings. Hope your DS2 has good luck w/his condo offer. My DS was warned that the owner of his recent purchase would not even consider an offer with ANY contingencies. Scary.

Nance - herbs in ice cube trays is a great idea.

Playing dominoes this afternoon. Seems like such an "old lady" pass time, but we have fun. I'm taking a platter of whole shrimp salad from Costo, another lady is making chicken salad sangys on mini croissants, someone will bring a pie, another some fruit. We don't plan ahead but we always have way too much to eat.

Minus!


And I would have enjoyed having you as my real estate broker because I bet you (and Carole) would be forthright and realistic. We had a woman like that with whom we worked for a year before ending up in this house. She was a character and drove like a madwoman (DS1 actually threw up in her car as we zoomed around curves once!), but never let by any defects she noticed in a house. THAT is my kind of broker!

Carole, you sure had your priorities straight! The joke in our house is that I never entered the real estate field, but informally managed to put people together to buy and sell their houses. True community organizing social work! It never even occurred to me how much money I saved people by doing that....and I bet I did not make the local brokers very happy. One neighbor "thanked me" by permitting me to select an item from his garage sale before his move. I picked an old bean pot which still reminds me of my faux real estate career! LOL I also sold our former house myself, which I doubt I could do now. I really loved the process of doing that...but hearing some of my friends talk about dealing with the younger couples who are looking at homes these days gives me pause. I think they are all under the spell of HGTV.

Just back from our walk...off to make the cookies.