So...whats for dinner?

As is often the case at the beginning of my Xeloda cycle, my stomach was a bit off today. I needed soup. Imagine my shock that the magic freezer did not produce this elixir. No stock! So, I had Chef Lorenzo make my dinner. His chicken tortilla soup is just so good and only $4.00!!! This amazing bowl of soup must be a loss leader for him. It was filled with chicken, chilis, stock, avocado, tortilla chips, and corn. Mr. 02143 ordered his three favorite pork tacos and some black beans. For me, soup was the perfect meal on this cold and rainy evening.

Today I made some rye bread. I also roasted some chicken parts which I will make stock with them either tomorrow or Friday. Tomorrow, I also need to start brining some bluefish that a friend caught last season. We are going to visit her next week, and I thought it would be nice to bring her fish back to her smoked. Her husband loves smoked bluefish pate, so I will bring some of it in this form as well. I also managed some billable hours and a nap. Busy day!

*susan*

Had the low-carb Whole Foods pizza last night--not what I grew up with, but no worse than S. Side or St. Louis thin-cracker-crust style. Crust is made with coconut (not almond) flour, coconut milk, eggs and a little arrowroot. So not exactly Atkins-esque but less carby than the real thing, and holds up much better than cauliflower-crust. (Didn’t stick to the oven rack). Toppings no worse than most frozen cheese pizza.

For Jose Cuervo’s birthday tonight, gonna get some bison skirt steak and make fajitas. Perhaps with some black beans on the side. Have some low carb (3 gm net) whole wheat-chia tortillas. No rice. Might pick up an avocado and make some guacamole as a dip for veggies. Or might even go a little carbier and have only veggies--including grilling corn “elotes”-style.

I am going to dinner tonight because it is a good friend's birthday today - she spent last year by herself, so I feel particularly like we need to celebrate this year! I have a PET scan on Saturday morning so I need to limit the carbs tonight, then tomorrow will be all protein.

auntie - I feel for you with the dad situation. I did not like my mom's doc, even a little, and she knew that - but she adored him for some unexplained reason. I did confront him several times because of things he did that appeared unethical to me over the course of her 25 year chronic degenerative illness, and she was always mad at me when I did that, but I was acting in her best interests and I knew that he was acting in his. He even refused to provide a hospice prescription when she had less than two weeks to live because he would have lost control of the situation. She decided that was what she wanted and we went around him to get it. Hopefully your dad is having these feelings due to the amount of change and illness he has experienced and will come to realize that you love him and only want the best and safest situation for him.

hi ladies! Long time no see! Tonight we are having an old school dinner. Chicken cutlets, paper thin, homemade potato salad (with oil and vinegar, no mayo), steamed broccoli and a green salad. Hope you are all well and can't wait to hear what you've got cooking

Tonight was grilled Amish chicken and assorted lightly steamed vegetables that were languishing in the fridge.

Wonder of wonders, today on the phone dad asked me if I had talked to the supportive living lady yet and when was she going to come see him. Wow! Actually, she is going to visit the rehab place on Monday to see him and I will be there too. This should be interesting.

I have eaten. Yesterday, I met my daughter around 11, and after fussing with her condo we went to enjoy some lunch together. She chose a new Thai restaurant near her new condo. This space was once upon a time, a great Thai restaurant, and then went way downhill. It changed hands a bunch of times, but recently I saw a review that indicated that the newest owners are doing it right. We ordered the larb and a curry. I would post the name of the curry, but I can't find their website since they are so new. It was something like Pa Nanong curry with beef. The larb was incredibly spicy, but only with one pepper. Once that one spot on your tongue was numb, you couldn't last much more. The curry was also very spicy, but much more complicated. It was so delicious. We asked for an extra spoon, and the two of us split the rice and enjoyed this dish tremendously. Dinner was Weisswurst sausage with sautéed cabbage and a pretzel. Lunch today was some Marquez sausage with the leftover bulgur. I ate lightly and was told by Mr. 02143 that we would eat a light dinner. Okay then. I made Spicy Garlic Eggplant stir fry with some rice. I just can't eat that much eggplant. Evening snacks were freshly baked oatmeal cookies for him and some popcorn for me.

The kid was sent into a tizzy yet again by medical folks being concerned about her pregnancy. We are all getting really tired about this endless search for things that have gone wrong. It is so hard when they keep sending her for tests.... they all cost money and so far, not one of these concerns has turned into something that is worth worrying about. Results of today's extra tests: it is okay if baby goes past the due date.

*susan*

Hi all, been catching up on posts since mid april...whew--to much going on to comment.

Weather sucks---been pretty scary down south.

Susan can't wait for the news that the p'nut has come out of the shell!

Bedo, PEI mussels are the best anywhere. Our Sam's club occasionally has them and I adore them.

Nance---too bad your Dad and my Dad aren't in the same facility. Your dad is just like mine and we are both only kids.......so, as I say, no rest for the wicked or the ones that take care of them...... Mine is doing a little better. He still tells me he is going to be able to go hunting again and he is in a wheelchair or being walked with a gate belt most of the time.....

I think he is realizing that he is one of the few who has family come almost every day. think I have only missed about a week since the first of January spread out---when I was sick and a couple of times this past month.

Carole, my dad complains when I want him to go to activities, but then when we had the Care plan meeting, the activities director told me he comes to a bunch of it if she goes and asks him to come and that unlike many, he actively engages in the activity.... So you just never know.

I have an apt to see a GI doc on the 16th. I have been having some gut issues that would suggest I should not wait until my colonoscopy is due in 2 years according to my ONC. He told me to see Primary Care, she wasn't concerned but said she knew that I was a worrier, so she referred me. So I am praying I haven't got something new going on. I wanted to blame it on stress, but some other things have happened that tells me it isn't stress related.

My garden is now showing about three years of neglect and I am too tired to do much about it. First the Cancer, then the wrist fracture, now the exhaustion for trying to take care of two properties and two people's affairs and needs.....Thank God for the kitty love I get at home.

Happy Mother’s Day (it’s after midnight here)! Mozart’s Requiem is one of my favorite choral pieces to sing, with Handel’s Saul, Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem, and Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass. (I like listening to Handel’s Messiah and Judas Maccabeus, but I’ve only sung excerpts of both in concert. I’ve sung the entirety of Handel’s Hercules....and lived to tell. Some of my fellow choristers died of boredom before the last couple of movements).

Tonight, Bob, Gordy & I went to see the Lyric Opera’s production of The King & I. Gordy politely endured it (his taste in musicals is much more modern). The secondary leads (Tuptim and her secret lover) had by far the best voices. We ate at the Florian Bistro in the Civic Opera House--their menu for the run of the show was (except for drinks & desserts) Thai-themed, and it wasn’t bad (albeit blander than we’re used to in Thai food). We had beef & chicken lettuce cups & shrimp spring rolls as appetizers, and my entree was a prawn salad with cucumber, cilantro, edamame, and greens.

Happy Mothers Day everyone. Hoping everyone gets a great meal today...preferably made by someone else! We are going to brunch with friends at my friends request...her wish for mothers day. Yesterday I bought flowers, weeded my moms garden and planted them for her. Bigger job than I anticipated, but her and dad were so grateful that the front of the house will look nice and they don't have to do it. they both came outside and watched me plant and I was thankful they were getting some sunshine

Had our first boat cruise last night, lots of laughs, dinner was appetizers....and a few cocktails!

The King and I... what memories. I was in the orchestra for Yul Brenner's final tour of that show. We were the practice orchestra and then the orchestra for the first five weeks of the run. Then the company moved on leaving us behind to do our next show. [The Dallas Summer Musicals had a full season back then, and provided a nice income while I lived there.]

Yul was a very polite man. Enthusiastic about working with our orchestra [which was damn good, if small], but fairly aloof. His dressing room has to be painted dog-poop brown regardless of where we were performing. I never hardened to this story and it teared me up every single time. One of my big solos was pretty difficult while my eyes were watery. I simply had to memorize that entire song.

I am a curmudgeon and strongly believe that Mother's Day is a Hallmark holiday so do not doing anything special at all. It is also my grandkid's due date, but her midwife appointment Friday indicates that P'nut is in no great hurry vacate the current residence. Yesterday, Leslie and I ventured to the far Western suburbs to look at two cars. The first one was to be put on hold until we came to see it, but somehow that did not happen, and the car was being sold as we walked into the showroom. Too bad. It only have 10,000 miles on it. On to the next car, even farther West. We did the test drive. We noted the few scratches and the clear evidence of interior dog beautification [a few mars in the hard plastic pieces] and eventually landed on a price. We confirmed that some of the original warranty remained. So the P'nut now has some new-to-us wheels! This solves a problem. My Mini is hard to get a baby into a baby seat since it only has two doors and my driveway doesn't allow the doors to open fully. The ancient Legacy is one of my least-favorite cars to drive. Hurts my back. So neither vehicle was going to be good for me. The 2001 Legacy will be donated and we are downsizing into a 2014 Impreza.

We will return to Shrewsbury on Tuesday to finish up the paperwork and make it ours.

*susan*

Love, love, love the King and I. I have the soundtrack from the movie - it was among my parent's things and I kept it when I closed their house and sold it. Seeing dancers in Thailand was a highlight of my life so far - so beautiful! I am a latecomer to Thai food, but I enjoy it a lot.

susan - yay for a new used car! It is super cute! I agree on the Hallmark holiday, and I apply that to Valentine's Day as well - I don't really want a fuss for Mother's Day for myself, but do for others. My mom always cleaned up because her b-day was May 5th, then Mother's Day followed closely. We Skyped my MIL this morning and chatted for an hour. My FIL is looking like he might have leukemia or multiple myeloma, so we wanted to touch base also after his oncology appt. on Friday. They did a bone marrow but won't have the results for another 10-12 days. His hemoglobin is at 8 but he won't transfuse yet. He is stubborn, and a doctor himself, and 91. Eeesh. I volunteered my son, same blood type, for a directed apheresis donation (and then told him later, lol! He wouldn't hesitate, he is a first responder and this is his Papa) so that two units with the same blood type could be available within 72 hours and if he didn't want them yet they could also be frozen for him.

eric - you are an awesome son, and a stellar person. Just wanted you to know!

Had my PET on Saturday - it went smoothly other than the lack of coffee and diet the day before. Just in case I didn't already know, I really, really need coffee. Every day. Lol!

susan - it will for all of his children, their spouses, his adult grands, and my MIL, but he doesn't seem worried. He has had cardiac issues since his early 60's and both his parents died early deaths from heart disease, so I think he feels like he has been living on borrowed time, and has been quite happy about it. He has had a spectacular life and is very appreciative of that and is pretty peaceful about all of this.

Are we officially on "p'nut watch 2016?"

susan - excellent - we will be waiting with you! I remember those last days before I went into labor with my son, another that was content in the Amniotic Hotel! He was big and I am small, it was uncomfortable in that last month!

We went to the Signature Room on the 95th & 96th fl. of the John Hancock Center for brunch. It was lovely--except it never occurred to me I might need to wear compression. The elevator rocketed up to the top; within half an hour I began to get a mild flare of my LE. And I wasn’t able to eat as much as at buffets on ground level--I felt sort of bloated. I did get to eat some king crab, an oyster, a shrimp, lox, a mini lobster roll and salad; then some grilled eggplant & zucchini and a slice of prime rib. They let me take my entree home, though, because they took a long time getting our entrees served. I also had perhaps 2-3 hrs. of sleep last night, so that may have contributed to it. The weather was perfect. The entree I took home and reheated for dinner was grilled sea bass atop a potato-crab cake with asparagus.

Yumm on the meyer lemon and new potatoes

with dill!