So...whats for dinner?

1…852853855857858…1391

Comments

  • ChiSandy
    ChiSandy Member Posts: 12,133
    edited February 2016

    Between visits to the dermatologist and LE therapist (same health system, different hospitals in different nearby suburbs) I stopped at Costco for cheap gas, stocked up on vites and the ROC skincare my derm recommended, and then treated myself to a mini-cheat: 3 oz. of no-sugar-added fro-yo at Forever Yogurt (today’s flavor was “cheesecake”) with a sprinkling of chopped almonds and about a tbsp. of dark chocolate chips. That stuff filled me up for a good three hours.

    Dinner tonight was shrimp stir-fry: Gulf shrimp, peapods, bean sprouts, baby bok choy, julienned poblano & red pepper, scallion tops, grated ginger & garlic--sauteed in “stir-fry oil” (preseasoned with garlic & ginger). Finished with a little sriracha, five-spice and ponzu. Accompanied by cauliflower veggie fried “rice” (low sodium soy sauce & toasted sesame oil). Accompanied by seltzer with lime. I’m jonesing for something sweet--maybe some berries over Greek yogurt, with a packet of xylitol; or a decaf espresso and an Atkins chocolate chip crisp bar.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • SpecialK
    SpecialK Member Posts: 16,486
    edited February 2016

    eric - I have to maintain a landline phone - because of building codes in Florida our house has a lot of concrete and is L-shaped, can't talk on my cell phone if I am in the house - no reception.  My house is a black hole, lol!  My leak is a house water pipe running under a hedge in the front yard.  The leak guy said to have the plumber replace it from the walkway all the way toward the garage wall - a span of about 6 feet.  He flagged two spots on the continuum and we all feel (me, leak guy, plumber) that it is probably the roots from the hedge that cracked the pipe.  The plumber also didn't feel that quality materials were used initially when the house was built and that the pipe was thinner than it should be.  We still have a 2 cubic foot hole which I have bailed out several times.  Don't know if the as yet un-replaced section of pipe is continuing to leak - he did a quick fix of what he could access that wasn't under the hedge and was gushing water to tide us over. It may also be that the collection of water is saturation - the leak was there for quite a while and it also rained a couple of times.  Each day it is slightly less than the day before, but it does keep refilling.  Plumber comes back at 10 am tomorrow to commence hedge and pipe removal.  The fun never stops...

    Did not make spaghetti, but instead made chicken/pepper bacon/cheddar melts with avocado in pita for DH, I was not hungry. Am on antibiotics for the UTI so I am wondering if they are suppressing my appetite.  I'm OK with that, lol!

    carole - I peel the sweet potatoes and cut them up roughly in bite sized chunks.  Toss them in oil (usually olive, sometimes canola) and salt & pepper, and sometimes a sprinkle of cinnamon.  I spread them out on a rimmed baking sheet - single layer so they caramelize a bit rather than steam.  Roast alone, or alongside meat, 375 F. for at least 30 mins - or until you can easily pierce them with a knife.  I usually make a bunch of them, then if I have leftover ones I put them in a shallow casserole dish and put a little brown sugar on top and re-heat them in the oven or microwave for another meal.

    susan - hope you have no more frustrating days like today during the remainder of renovation! 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • ChiSandy
    ChiSandy Member Posts: 12,133
    edited February 2016

    My Cook’s Illustrated “Paleo Perfected” cookbook arrived yesterday. On the cover is zucchini “spaghetti” and meatballs (how they hold together w/o a panade is something I’m gonna have to investigate). I recently got a crank-type spiralizer (had a cone-shaped one that scraped my knuckles) so I may try it tomorrow night.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Lacey12
    Lacey12 Member Posts: 2,951
    edited February 2016

    Yikes Special, I feel for you dealing with two "plumbing" problems!! The cracked pipe issue is more than annoying....big job! I recall having similar root invasion issues at my mother's house many years ago. She ended up having to replace the pipeline from the house to the street due to a willow tree seeking water and being successful given the type of waste pipes (orangeburg??) the builder used in 1952. I do hope both issues get resolved for you very soon!

    Eric, have you ever considered writing a Mr. Fix It blog in your "spare" time?? Your knowledge/talent related to all things home, vehicle and food is so impressive, and you would, I'm sure, develop a loyal following of DIY folk! :)

    Yesterday, we decided to spend the whole afternoon at the movies. Saw "45 Years" and "Joy". Very different movies and odd to view in the same afternoon. The night before, we watched "The Martian" which reminded me of any other space movie...more DH's taste than mine.

    Made chicken marsala, linguini, and garden salad for last evening's dinner. Then I noticed the three very ripe bananas I'd meant to use for a quick bread. So, made one small loaf and several muffins of a banana, pineapple, walnut, coconut blend. They are flavorful and have a lovely texture. I will definitely use this recipe again.

    Today, I am meeting up with Susan, the renovation gopher, in between her construction efforts, to do a meyer lemon pick up. We'll catch lunch at a place called "Strip T's". The founding chef has a sense of humor!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • SpecialK
    SpecialK Member Posts: 16,486
    edited February 2016

    lacey - the plumber has come and gone - pipe is fixed, so yay! Not too bad, he just had to replace the span I described earlier.  Could have been worse, but I was unimpressed with his cleanup of the mud on the walkway. I was out there after he left scrubbing silty muddy water off of it and digging the sprinkler out from under the mess. He didn't massacre the hedge too much, mostly managed to cut it from behind.  It is a well established and fast growing hedge, so we will see what DH wants to do about the void.  Exchange hugs with susan - for both of you from all of us!

    edited to add - lacey, I re-read and then got your joke, sometimes I am so dense!  The other "plumbing" problem seems to be under control too, lol!!!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • eric95us
    eric95us Member Posts: 2,845
    edited February 2016

    Orangeburg is the name of the pipe...you have a good memory.

    It's basically paper mixed with a tar and made into a pipe shape.

    It was a crappy pipe...pardon the pun....

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • carolehalston
    carolehalston Member Posts: 6,887
    edited February 2016

    Love my little expresso machine. I was tempted to drive to P. J.'s coffee shop when I was leaving the golf course but came home instead and made myself a cappuccino.

    Great golf weather today. My first round of golf in at least 8 weeks. Then lunch afterwards with five of the Friday group. One didn't stay. I had a large salad on a dinner plate topped with some strips of fried catfish and a few fried shrimp. The buffet meal was seafood tacos but I assembled the salad from the salad buffet and skipped all the taco makings except the seafood. I also skipped the shrimp and corn soup, which one friend said was delicious.

    Dinner tonight will be slices of left over meatloaf topped by marinara and warmed up. Veggie will be a medley of broccoli and cauliflower. A salad for dh if he wants one.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • MinusTwo
    MinusTwo Member Posts: 16,634
    edited February 2016

    Carole - hooray you were able to golf. Special - my son just had to replace the entire run from the street to the house (1925 pipes). Lacey - what did you think of '45 Years'? I plan to go Monday. So jealous of you & Susan getting face time at lunch!!! We'll look for a report.

    Susan:Thought his article from the Washington Post about female coders might be of interest if you haven't already seen it. …female developers' acceptance rates were 71.8 percent when they used gender-neutral profiles — but dropped to 62.5 percent if they were clearly women

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/0...

    Just read another article that women STILL only make $0.79 for every $1.00 a man makes. And that the discrepancy will not be resolved until 2059. That's well past the time I'll have to worry about it anymore but it still makes me mad. (Eric - nothing personal)

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • susan_02143
    susan_02143 Member Posts: 7,209
    edited February 2016

    Lunch with Lacey was, as always, a pleasure. Strip-T's was once a true dive bar. The owner's son wanted/needed a place to create his own food after working at Momofuko's in NYCity, so he took over the kitchen. The gussied the place up and the hipsters did come. The menu is eclectic and sometimes a bit puzzling. Though I was thinking Ramen, I ended up ordering the fish sandwich. To be honest, the sandwich didn't live up to my expectations. The breading was really heavy and thick, made with cornmeal. The bread was spongey, and the sauce was just odd. It was not really possible to taste the fish, which is, after all, the point of a fish sandwich. Lacey ordered the turkey reuben which I have had before. This is a more successful "riff" though as she noted, the amount of oil used to grill the sandwich went past the line of just enough into too much. I also ordered a side Caesar salad which I thought was very good. They didn't overdress, and the the dressing that they did use was bright and acidic. We both finished with a coffee- espresso for me, American drop for her. The Lemon Meyer handoff was made, and we were both off to our own little worlds.

    Today was another day all about renovations. I started the day working with the countertop template guy. That took almost two hours since we have so much countertop. Then the tile guy and I worked through his project. He insisted that he needed 30 sq ft more of tile which I simply could not believe. I made him do the math with me, and the I personally reviewed all the boxes waiting for him. Whoops. His math was bad, there was another box, but he still needed one more box. After lunch, I went to Tile Place No 1 to secure this elusive tile. That done, I went to tile place no 2 to pick up the "curbing" for the master bath. They were very surprised that I wanted these pieces. They had slipped them into my contractor's car trunk yesterday, and somehow he didn't know! Back to the house to deliver the tile. I was cornered by the plaster folks and clarified some stuff. Oh yea, and the template guy says we need support plates for the island which means CUTTING. By the time I got home, the cabinet folks weren't in the office. That will have to wait until Monday I guess. So, then onto calling the insurance guy who bought us insurance for the HOA that requires that the building be occupied. Kid got home, filled her in, and then, at 5:45 I collapsed in my chair and got a 15 minute nap.

    Dinner was an omelette. Mr. 02143 at his 3/4 serving with gusto. I was not able to eat much of mine. Turns out lunch was pretty filling.

    And that is my tale.

    *susan*

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • ChiSandy
    ChiSandy Member Posts: 12,133
    edited February 2016

    Carole, what kind of espresso machine do you have? I am a coffee geek (actually a member of the site coffeegeek.com) who used to roast my own beans before I decided I needed the windowsill space for my herb pots--and I have an award-winning roaster half a mile away. Over the years, I have acquired (not counting the stuff in my Basement Museum of Failed Espresso Devices): a “prosumer" heat-exchanger Andreja Premium espresso/cappuccino machine; a professional Mazzer Mini grinder I got for next to nothing from a cafe that went out of business; a little Nespresso Pixie capsule espresso machine (it fits in a tote bag and sometimes travels with me by car--and I use it at home when I don’t want to wait 20 minutes for the Andreja to heat up); a manual “Handpresso Wild" that takes pods and looks and works like a bicycle pump, which goes into my luggage along with a mini-kettle if I'm flying; and a “Handpresso Auto" that plugs into my car's power port so I can have espresso at rest stops without resorting to Starbucks. I also have the Nespresso Aeroccino Plus electric frother that came with the Pixie--but it's insanely picky, requiring that I cool it first with ice and using only 1% or 2% opened less than three days before. (Thank goodness for those little shelf-stable Horizon Organic 1% six-packs: if my Aeroccino “rejects" it--i.e., just heating it rather than making stable foam--I don't have to throw away a whole quart or more). For regular coffee, my guys prefer to use a Keurig; but I like to brew from whole beans, via either a manual drip pour-over or an Aeropress--which resembles a breast pump.

    Today we had a massive area-wide power failure due to high winds, and of course I wanted coffee & espresso--so I had to go all Pioneer Woman: light the stove with a match to boil water, use the Handpresso (which took forever and a day to pump up to pressure but made a pretty good shot), and use a manual grinder to make drip. After all that effort I looked at my Fitbit: it said I'd climbed 12 flights of stairs in 10 hrs.

    This morning before the power went out, I breakfasted on “egg faux yung." I beat 3 eggs with a dash of five-spice powder and 1/2 tsp each toasted sesame oil and low-sodium soy sauce. In an 8" omelet pan, I sauteed some finely diced peppers, zucchini & scallion bulb in garlic-ginger oil, then added the eggs and stirred. Then (instead of real rice) I sprinkled a small handful of cauliflower “rice" on top, followed by 1/2 c. fresh bean sprouts, a Tbs. of chopped cilantro and the scallion top, sliced on the bias. Turned off the heat and covered it while I made tea. Turned it out onto the plate and folded it. No gravy, of course. I think the five-spice and sesame oil was what made it taste authentic.

    Tonight will be duck confit and brussels sprouts.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • SpecialK
    SpecialK Member Posts: 16,486
    edited February 2016

    We had breakfast for dinner - yay!  Hash browns, pepper bacon and a cheese omelet (susan - great minds...) with salsa and avocado.  Delish!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Lacey12
    Lacey12 Member Posts: 2,951
    edited February 2016

    Thanks again, Susan for documenting our lunch/lemon drop off. Yes, I did enjoy my overly oily, but very tasty turkey reuben. I had intended to bring half to DH, but as Susan witnessed, I scarfed down the whole thing!

    I could not even think about eating a real dinner tonight. So DH warmed up his chicken marsala and pasta, which he enjoyed with the leftover caesar salad that Susan (Thank you!) generously packed up for him. I decided to ward off any chocolate munchies that would probably arrive in about an hour if I ate nothing, so I prepared some brussels sprouts, which I had with the last cup of kale soup from this week's meals. That should get me through the evening.

    Special, I'm glad that your leak was fixed....but one of my pet peeves is what you described....when workers come to fix a problem, do so, and in the process create huge messes for the homeowner to clean up....or even cause minor damage, when doing their part of a job. Glad your hedge is hardy. Our NH house has really high cathedral ceilings, and it has been total frustration when the electrician we needed once left noticeable, dirty handprints on the light walls, which are very difficult to reach.

    Okay, I think I'll peruse some meyer lemon recipes while awaiting the Celtic's West Coast game. Such little beauties they are....the MLs, that is. :)

    I hope things are improving for the father/daughter teams....

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • susan_02143
    susan_02143 Member Posts: 7,209
    edited February 2016

    So glad that Bob enjoyed the salad! Special, leaks are not a good thing. Glad that it is fixed, and I concur with the irritation over leaving things damaged or dirty when leaving. Don't they all do this?

    As to the Meyer lemons, I find inspiration here: http://www.latimes.com/style/la-fo-meyerlemons16ja... or substitute almond flour for a nutty take: http://californiaoliveranch.com/recipe/desserts/le... or perhaps marmalade as gifts: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/meyer..., these are to die for: http://secret-ingredient.net/post/13809714704/lemo...

    And then there is piccata, any Greek marinade or salad dressing, Greek avgolemono soup, lemon ricotta, candied lemon peel coupled with lemon curd or anything that wants just the juice [Hot Cross bun season is coming!]. I will start with another big batch of marmalade and preserved lemons, and then see what is left. Six pounds is a lot of lemons!

    *susan*

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Moonflwr912
    Moonflwr912 Member Posts: 6,856
    edited February 2016

    lacey and Susan I envy you not only the meet ups but the Meyer Lemons. I love those but they are rare here.

    As for my plumbing problem, that too has passed. Although it morphed into the one Specialk has before it passed. LOL. Not the outdoor one but if you go with the flow..... Now there is a diet to help prevent kidney stones, but the urologist said forget it because it's too hard to keep to..It is weird, oxalates are in weird non related things like beets, peppers, kale, spinach, and chocolate and have you ever heard of green beans being bad for anyone? But I'm on abx now too and cant take my metformin until the contrast from the CT scan outs itself. So my blood sugar Is high.

    Oh. Special K will appreciate this news. One of my Xrays views taken yesterday was top down. As in looking straight down my neck. You see everything very clearly. The urologist said, what's this? And pointed to my implant on the film. I said I had re construction after BC. He said yes, but why are they different sizes? One was absolutely flat. The other was normal. I'm feeling my implants and going what? It's still here! And he says obviously there's a leak. Dang. Just dang. Guess which one is giving me trouble? Yep BC side its The one with 7 sx already. Dang. Dang dang. I see my PCP next Tuesday I'll have him email the xray to my pS. I'm not calling him. I thought one side was smaller but when I saw him 6 months ago but everything looked good. And u know what's driving me batty???????? Yeah.its WHY IS MY BRA STILL FILLED UP. WTF is in there. Sigh.

    So listening to the wind today I had a cheese sandwich for breakfast and supper tonight was BB chicken strips. Frozen. Then just warmed up in a pan. But I killed it with a tomato cucumber salad with the best oil and raspberry vinegar. I actually took a spoonful straight up - it was so raspberry ee. LOL

    Sorry for going so far off topic. And I feel or those dealing with Dad or Mother problems.

    Much love.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • bedo
    bedo Member Posts: 1,866
    edited February 2016

    Oh the renovations and the Dads. Thinking and hoping that things work out. And Moon, what is up with that??? Sheesh!

    For dinner last night pizza with eggplant topping at a bar that plays music, with Narragansett beer, of course. Danced a bit, my partner asked for my number. Really only looking for a dance partner

    I still am working on the split pea soup I made a few days ago. Feeling like an egg- in- a- hole for breakfast with some grape jelly

    Susan, I hit the jackpot when you posted SOUP I'll be busy for a while.

    I am becoming addicted to Halos- those little orange things that are so much sweeter and better than regular tangerines or whatever they are. Try them if you haven't

    I'm going to practice then spend the night with a dog. I real dog who's Mama is in Cancun for business, poor thing.

    Happy weekend everyone

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • carberry
    carberry Member Posts: 1,153
    edited February 2016

    Wellll....we pretty much ate our way through NC lol Had a great time with great friends, although being crammed into a car with 5 people and lots of luggage was a tough ride. Being there on Valentines weekend meant the grocery store (high end, like wegmans) had lobster and scallops on sale. My girlfriend made us a shrimp and scallop fettuccine alfredo that's was super yummy. Also had chicken sautéed on the side for those who didn't like seafood. the night before we had surf and turf at the local restaurant and the owner brought us chocolate covered strawberries, free of charge, for our desert.

    Not sure why, but NC has the best burgers I have ever had....one restaurant explained on the menu that they use a mix of ground beef, sirloin, and beef brisket. Burgers are not something I usually order....would rather have a chicken sandwich...but I am totally hooked on the southern ones.

    Moon That's baffling! Hope there will be an easy explanation with an easy fix.

    Back to NY temps...making chicken tortellini soup

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • auntienance
    auntienance Member Posts: 4,216
    edited February 2016

    It's a GORGEOUS 70 degree day today. In honor of this taste of spring, I'm grilling ribs tonight with some baked beans and potato salad. Carb fest! The pressure cooker is going to be busy today.

    Ok, here's the Dad Update. It's been a very long week. Yesterday dad had a peripheral angioplasty procedure and stent placement in his left leg. The arteries in his left leg (the same side as the bone infection) were 90% blocked, but with the stent he now has good blood flow to that leg. He will have one put in the other leg at a later date. This will hopefully improve the ischemic ulcer formation in his foot as well as the healing of the current infection. He has been on oxygen because he has fluid buildup around his heart which has given him trouble breathing. He's getting lasix right now, but I'm not sure what else is going to happen with that. In spite of all this, he looked better yesterday then I've seen him for a week. Dad was very alert and even wanted a hamburger after his procedure. That was good, because he's been eating very little. The skilled nursing facility is really nice and the staff are wonderful and have been outstanding in communicating with me. Of course Dad does nothing but complain about it. Little things like they don't bring straws with his drink or they give him a shower then take him to physical therapy where he gets sweaty again, or every time the staff come in his room they move everything out of his reach. I had to remind him yesterday that he wasn't in a hotel and even in a hotel, room service doesn't show up immediately after you call them. To be fair, the guy's been in a hospital environment for going on 4 weeks. I'm sure that would make anybody cranky. He also complains that they make him do stuff in physical therapy with his arms when what he really needs is to walk (they make him do that too). I have to keep reminding him that getting his strength back involves more than walking. Sheesh! Red, it's definitely a sisterhood, isn't it?

    Enough of that. I want Meyer lemons too! Thanks for the inspiration link Susan! The only ones I've seen here have looked pretty crappy. But I'm so happy they are an excuse for Lacey and Susan to lunch!

    Carole -- yay for golf! Glad you get to play again. How's your foot holding up? I know about that cart thing. At the grocery where my dad likes to shop they only have three so they're often all taken. I've found myself following people around the store or the parking lot, while my dad waits in the car, so as to snag the cart when they're done with it. I'll even carry their groceries to their car if necessary lol. One day after I had loaded my dad back into the car, I was driving the electric cart back into the store. I passed an elderly lady who was walking into the store who said to me "You should be ashamed". Wait, what??

    Susan, I don't know how you keep your sanity with all of that going on. Same for you Special! UTIs, ugh! Had way too many of those.

    Monica - so happy your "plumbing" is better. I know, the food thing is weird. My DBIL has bouts of gout, and spinach, red meat and beer are prime antagonists. Who knew? Bummer on the implant though. Sorry you're finding yourself going through that again.

    Hey to everybody else. Minus - hope you enjoy that avocado recipe. I love that salad.

    Eric - I would read your blog faithfully. Bedo - I'm a Halo addict too. Betcha can't eat just one!


    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • carolehalston
    carolehalston Member Posts: 6,887
    edited February 2016

    Nance, your post literally made me LOL! I, too, have followed people driving motorized carts out to the parking lot. The supermarket I take my mother to has wide aisles and isn't very busy when we go. My mother never drove a car or even rode a bicycle. She has taken down quite a few of those displays positioned in risky places! She always wants me to go ahead of her with my push cart but I'm afraid of being run over. Most of the time she gives me or my sister a list but I think it is good for her to venture out into the world. She's very friendly and always chats with other shoppers. The down side is that she gets into impulse shopping and has a big bill when we check out.

    I made up a jar of lemons with salt today. They're regular lemons, not Meyer. It's sad that my mother's neighbor's Meyer lemon tree froze a couple of winters ago. I used to get some of their harvest.

    Not sure what dinner will be tonight. Or where it will be. A niece is in town, staying at my sister's house with her three children, two of which live with their father. I may end up eating an evening meal with all of them at my sister's house or my mother's house, probably bought pizza or fried chicken. Definitely not anything healthy or home-made. I've been doing some cleaning this morning since we're expecting visitors from MN tomorrow afternoon. Instead of cooking dinner for them, we'll probably take them to a restaurant overlooking Lake Pontchartain. There they can eat Louisiana seafood if they wish. The communication has been with dh so I don't know how long they will stay. Unlike Susan and some of the rest of you, I'm too lazy and set in my ways to want guests in the house for very long.

    Nance, my foot held up for 18 holes of golf yesterday. Thanks for asking.

    I've finished my big mug of cappuccino so I guess I should get back to work cleaning house.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • luvmygoats
    luvmygoats Member Posts: 2,942
    edited February 2016

    Again you have all bested any cooking I do. Still on a use it up/eat it up craze though I did stock some more thin cut pork chops from BOGO sale. The most I have cooked was a pork chile stew with 1# ground pork. It turned out surprisingly good but disappointingly only a little over 4 servings. DH will have some remainders for lunch even though we are going out with group for Mexican food tonight after a Lowe's shopping trip. I really don't remember much else I've made. We have been scrounging thru the fridge lately. Tomorrow is the Daytona 500 so not sure what I will make. I do have new pancake mix and good bacon so might be breakfast for dinner.

    Went to town yesterday for yearly mammo. BS ordered 3D which my radiologist was pleased with. Talk, wave, see you next year. Yay. Not so pleased with the facility itself. My old home hospital but they do need some expertise (?Susan) in software. They thought I was going to put $1000 down on this. Order says with sono if needed and pre-regist. last week was insistent that $1000 was what I would have to do. Last year I overpaid by about $300 which I got back on my credit card. Circumstances a bit diff. this year - have not met deduc. and 3D costs more. Both things I understand but ins. did pay for the diagnostic last year (1st time it has). I came armed with cost comparison off my ins. page. But PTL I got to register with an old (from 1979) acquaintance who said "we'll bill you the difference" and laughed at the $1000 thing. Then despite my calling last week to verify they had an order from BS insisted they did not have the order - finally found one from last summer that said good for 2016 so they used that. I'm so done with them - the only thing keeping me there is the radiologist I adore. She herself admitted the fac. has software. problems. Don't know what people do who don't speak "insurance".

    SpecialK - I had piping redone last year from house exit out and new cleanout installed. Yup hedge roots got in. I watched when he cut the section out. He said it was cheaper grade PVC and went with tougher stuff too. Hate plumbing problems.

    Dislike personal plumbing problems too. Glad you Moon and you Special are on the mend. WTH Moon with an implant that's not an implant any longer. Good thoughts for your appt. next week.

    Lacey - tell met about the muffin blend. That sounds delicious. I found some bit out of date applesauce so going to make those tomorrow for DH's lunch. Will open the applesauce b4 I brew up an ingredients.

    Susan - there is no way I could keep up with your day. And do a full time job on top of that. Kudos to you. Glad the GI stuff seems to have gone bye-bye for now. I have a glass doorknob passed down my DM from my great grandma's long gone rural house. I use it for a paperweight

    I don't think I've ever seen a Meyer lemon. Perusing the grocery ads yest. morning one did have a small bag of them. Susan can't imagine 100 recipes for something I've never seen lol. Drooling over the scone recipe.

    ((Hugs)) Red. Hope things are coming along with your dad. Nancy - see you've updated since I started this missive hours ago. Glad he has the stent surgery behind him. Some NH/AL I saw did not have straws. I know they are gas enhancers. Maybe he needs a stock supply in his overbed table. And of course it never hurts to have him gently remind his caregivers to put his stuff back like it was. I know easier said than done but maybe with reinforcement he will.

    Happy Cooking and Happy Saturday everyone.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • SpecialK
    SpecialK Member Posts: 16,486
    edited February 2016

    lacey - the whole time I was scrubbing the walkway, carrying around buckets of water, etc I was thinking that if this caused a LE flare I was calling the plumber back to ream him.  The good news - all that happened was it tired me out, lol! 

    moon - oh no on the other "plumbing" problem - I am happy to say I feel fine now - my abx worked like a champ, today is my last day.  I was a bit worried because the list of abx I am allergic to is long and varied - I took a sulfa drug and it worked great - of course, a class of drugs that many people are sensitive to causes me to trouble at all!  I assume your implants are saline - that is a bummer, but yes, what the heck is keeping the bra full?  Weird!

    bedo - the Halos commercials crack me up - the children seem possessed if they can't have Halos, also my DH loves them!

    carberry - I would kill for some NC barbeque - I prefer the thin, more vinegary (is that a word?), NC style sauce.  A good burger is such a treat - the best I have ever had is from a place in Fernandina Beach called T-Ray's, I have it on good authority they put applesauce in their meat mixture, what????

    carole - I laughed about your description of your mom in the cart knocking stuff over.  Heck, I'm dangerous with my regular cart, lol!  My FIL is now using a cart at the grocery store, which he is recently accompanying my MIL to.  She used to go alone, and I am not clear on why they are now going together.  She has had some memory issues with remembering where she parked, and has some trouble getting the stuff in the car, but the store they use will always help - they have awesome customer service.  Apparently, she send my FIL on runs around the store gathering stuff, but he ends up socializing the whole time - they are a riot!  Yay for being able to golf without foot trouble!

    luv - I know what you mean about worrying about those who are less experienced with insurance, test costs, etc.  DD just had a med filled and the pharmacy said she had not met her deductible so charged her the full price - $164 for a 30-day supply.  Turns out her ins. will obnly cover the brand name, not a generic, if they had filled it with the brand name it would have been the normal $45 co-pay.  Momma Bear marched down and had them reverse the charge and re-process it with a discount program internally and it was now magically $21 - eeesh!  On the plumbing front (the one in the yard, lol!) the plumber replaced all the way back to the wall and it is the only external pipe under the hedge so I can rest easy that if it was the roots the pipe is safe for a while.

    Tonight is coal oven wings (I had lunch with 3 former co-workers - all of us born in 1956, we call it the 1956 Club) at a coal oven restaurant today and brought home the wings.  Just made a tri-color radiatore pasta salad with broccoli artichoke hearts, olives, carrots, celery and vinaigrette to go with the wings.  I am normally not a wing person - I don't like having messy fingers - but these are not sauced, just roasted in the coal oven.





    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Lacey12
    Lacey12 Member Posts: 2,951
    edited February 2016

    I loved reading all of your medical updates and adventures with elderly parents at the food stores. It has been some time since my mother was here visiting so that I could find her clothes to wear to DS1's wedding, and your shopping accounts brought me back to that time.

    Special, I am so glad that you had no untoward effects from your post fix'em clean up.

    Carole, I hope you enjoy your friends' visit...and that the house prep is not too onerous!

    Today was an interesting, poignant time for DH and me. We attended a memorial at Harvard for a friend we knew from a board DH is on, the one in Stockbridge. He was quite a distinguished guy, a US ambassador who effectively helped the Philippines become a more democratic society, and later dealt with South and North Korea in ways that left them both respecting him (the South Koreans not so happy about that!), and our government understanding more about the mindset of North Korean leaders.

    The many global and academic speakers today gave incredibly textured personal and professional stories about their experiences with him. It was amazing (apologies for using that term). The last family speaker shared amusingly real stories about his experience living as an adolescent in a secured ambassador residence during the regime change. It was rebellious, humorous, painful, authentic and nostalgic. Wow! Most striking in all of these remembrances were the speakers' characterizations of Steve being the kind of person who made everyone in his company feel at ease. I can attest to that.

    Last Spring, I had the pleasure of sitting with him at a welcoming dinner for the new medical director at the Stockbridge hospital where DH and he were on the board. I have to say that I was a bit intimidated, knowing his resume, although I had met and spent time with his wife with whom I totally connected the previous year. But I did not need to worry. Conversation was easy and meaningful, and I had no idea that he was still struggling with a cancer that we all thought was in remission.

    This was a man, a native midwesterner, who earned the respect of friends and enemies alike. One of the speakers today said that his manner was so kind, peaceful and respectful that "he could tell contentious enemies to 'go to hell' in such a way that they would look forward to the trip, and start packing their bags". John Kerry was unable to attend today, but sent a wonderful account of his accomplishments and appreciation of knowing this man. It was not just impressive, but food for thought in terms of the meaning of patient diplomacy vs. exertion of power. The world lost a good man, and hopefully all of his Tufts and Harvard grad students who attended this large service today will have taken in the lessons he offered and lived.

    Not secondarily, DH and I were so struck by his wife, who stood by herself, at the end of the service, greeting hundreds of guests, after the service and during the reception, like the seasoned ambassador's wife she was, remembering and mentioning so many personal comments to each person. Yikes! At the reception, I noticed that she was hardly making her way into the main rooms where there was food and drink, so I interrupted her greetings to ask if she needed anything. She did. The woman was totally parched and happy to have a glass of water brought to her. Lordy!

    And also...not tertiarily, if that is a word (Carole?), the service was held in Memorial Church at Harvard. DH and I were married in Appleton Chapel, which is a part of the same building, and which I have not seen since the day we were married!! So today was meaningful in many ways to us.

    After the reception, we thought we might go out to dinner since we were dressed up (unusual!) and it was a gorgeous day for a walk to a local restaurant....but the food at the reception filled us up nicely, so we, instead, walked around Harvard Square and bought DDIL a b-day gift in an artisan store...a lovely hand-carved left-handed spatula...for the gal who needs nothing and is left handed!

    Once home, I made a dinner salad topped with our leftover V-day rib-eye steak. Clearly rib-eye is better when it is warm and one cannot see all the fat marbling that I painstakingly cut out tonight. I made a horseradish dressing for the salad, and we enjoyed it with some nice red wine and crusty bread. Yum!

    And that was our day.....thank you for letting me carry on about it. :)

    Oh.....Luv, I will post link to the muffin recipe tomorrow.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • ChiSandy
    ChiSandy Member Posts: 12,133
    edited February 2016

    Surf & turf tonight. Surf was soft-shelled crabs sauteed in olive oil and finished with black pepper, Sicilian caper sea salt, and lemon juice, plus citrus-marinated grilled asparagus. Turf was a nuked sweet potato and some BBQ brisket from the in-house smoker at Mariano’s. Breakfast tomorrow is going to be my riff on Daphne Oz’ no-spuds-or-corned-beef hash: diced zucchini & yellow squash, “stoplight” bell peppers, red onion, scallion tops, turkey sausage crumbles all fried up in a nonstick pan with a little olive oil until softened. Gonna top it with a jumbo farmhouse egg (probably fried in the same pan, or maybe I’ll poach it. I make this once a month or so.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Lacey12
    Lacey12 Member Posts: 2,951
    edited February 2016

    Luv, this is the recipe I tried/used for the banana pineapple coconut muffins. You will notice that it also calls for maraschino cherries which I love, but left out. This "bread" does not need any more sweetness, which cherries would definitely add (along with red dye!). I think the amount of sugar could also be reduced. As I think about it, even without the cherries, this recipe could serve as a tropical banana cake with some cream cheese icing....decadent!

    http://allrecipes.com/recipe/17050/hawaiian-banana-nut-bread/

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Redheaded1
    Redheaded1 Member Posts: 1,600
    edited February 2016

    Dad Update---put a 2000 deposit down on an assisted living unit (2 Br 642 sq ft) Have my doubts but I guess we gotta give it the college try. He now has "pnemuenitis" which I guess isn't pneumonia, but he was crackling audibly yesterday and we started Neb treatment 4X day and Augmentin 2Xday 7 days along with Claratinand Mucinex from the day before. His temp is down with Tylenol, he was not wheezing quite as much this a.m.

    Had abreakfast with my grade school frineds----waffle, bacon, scrambled eggs.

    Lunch was a DQ hot fudge sundae

    Supper will be a 6 inch subway left from yesterday if I don't forget about it....

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • auntienance
    auntienance Member Posts: 4,216
    edited February 2016

    Red, hoping the assisted living works out for your dad. I'll be thinking about you.

    Lacey, what a a wonderful description of your friend. He sounds like an outstanding person. Too few of those in public service these days. Or maybe there are lots and we just don't hear about them.

    Dinner tonight is easy peasy (or more correctly, lazy lazy) -- chicken and rice with asparagus. Looking forward to losing myself in tv tonight (Downton Abbey!) Tomorrow is another doc appt for dad. Not looking forward to it.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • hsant
    hsant Member Posts: 790
    edited February 2016

    wishing Red and Nance the best with their dads.

    Special k, yay to not having anything major with your pipes. We had to replace all the ones located at the bottom of our home over the summer. What. A. Pain!

    Tonight I have a brisket in the oven. I had it marinating in soy sauce, lemon juice, garlic and liquid smoke for two days before cooking it. I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I'm Jewish and this is my first time cooking brisket

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Paxton29
    Paxton29 Member Posts: 221
    edited February 2016

    Hi all!

    Fixed this salad to use up at least abit of Meyer lemon: http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017318-radish-...

    Very light and refreshing; luckily my husband volunteered for mandoline duty. I also fixed Ree Drummond's beef stroganoff. The two dishes don't exactly go together but I wanted to try both so I did.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • eric95us
    eric95us Member Posts: 2,845
    edited February 2016

    Maybe I can get 2 or 3 minutes uninterrupted. :-)


    Moon...uggh on the leaking implant.

    Special...If you do call the plumber to "ream him"...bring up Roto-Rooters. That would most likely get their attention. Your's and Susan's descriptions are why I prefer to do the work myself. I may not always be as fast as the "professional", but I know what's been done.

    Chi...I like that...pioneer woman.... I hear people talk about "going off the grid, getting away from it all and living the easy life". I've never figured out how all of that can go into one sentence.


    Red and Nance....I hope your dad's become agreeable to what's going on. In talking with the elderly..I love talking to them about their lives...I think not being useful is their #2 fear and being a burden on others is their #1 fear. It has got to be scary and kind of depressing seeing one's ability slipping away and not being able to stop it. I hope that when that happens to me, I'll understand that causing DD undue worry is, in fact, being a huge burden.

    I'm being "paged"....

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • MinusTwo
    MinusTwo Member Posts: 16,634
    edited February 2016

    Dinner was a riff on Laurie's favorite - chicken breast already poached, black beans, small can of Hatch Green Chilies, enough sour cream to moisten - topped w/shredded cheese. It's better w/actual salsa.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • ChiSandy
    ChiSandy Member Posts: 12,133
    edited February 2016

    Went out to Hugo’s Frog Bar downtown for dinner. Shared a half-dozen oysters (Blue Points & Chesapeakes--they were out of all the Pacific breeds). I had crab bisque, sauteed spinach (shared), and grilled sea bass (with English peas and enoki mushrooms). Bob had Bookbinder’s soup, and Ora Bay (Pacific) King salmon in a ruby-red grapefruit reduction. (I was tempted, but because of letrozole I need to avoid grapefruit & grapefruit juice, though flavoring is okay). Had decaf espresso at home. And managed not to touch the newly-delivered Girl Scout cookies.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Categories