So...whats for dinner?

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  • M0mmyof3
    M0mmyof3 Member Posts: 9,696
    edited July 2016

    Happy birthday Nance!

    Don't know what hubby has in mind for dinner yet due to the heat.

  • susan_02143
    susan_02143 Member Posts: 7,209
    edited July 2016

    So the bro's have left. Last night and this morning, I was able to spend some time actually talking with them, and it turns out they were not being entitled, but trying to not bother us! They had planned their trip so well, they didn't need any suggestions, and so they slipped in and out, thinking this is what we wanted. Who knew? Anyhow, they left having told me what 24-year old single guys found interesting in Boston, gave me a run down on their two day-trip experiences; all helpful information for me to have for the next bro-group. My new guests, a researcher at Oxford [yes, that Oxford] has arrived and is off to visit his friend at MIT. They are both from Sichuan province, and plan to spend the weekend together. I have to admit I was a bit afraid of how well I would understand a Chinese person speaking English with an English accent, but his English is perfect! Absolutely perfect. Dinner tonight is last night leftovers with exactly two cherry tomatoes from the garden. By the end of next week, we will be awash in tomatoes, but for right now, we are celebrating them in couples.

    Eric, I froze the remaining cornbread, cooked in a square pan, in two portions. There is no way that we can eat an 8x8 cornbread before it goes stale.

    *susan*

  • HappyHammer
    HappyHammer Member Posts: 1,247
    edited July 2016

    Well, tonight's supper was breakfast- it is my birthday so DH made pancakes and sausage- my faves...though we usually have a "shake" for breakfast- tonight's meal was such a treat!

  • MinusTwo
    MinusTwo Member Posts: 16,634
    edited July 2016

    Happy B-day Hammer. Sounds like one of my favorite meals.

    Susan - I envy your opportunity to meet all these interesting people, but so much the extra work.

  • auntienance
    auntienance Member Posts: 4,216
    edited July 2016

    Happy birthday Hammer!

    Tonight was grilled beef franks with chili, cheese and onions on grilled buns. There are only two things that get fried very occasionally here and one of them is onion rings. Sliced thin, soaked in buttermilk then fried in the wok -- awesome (if not heartburn inducing.)

  • HappyHammer
    HappyHammer Member Posts: 1,247
    edited July 2016

    auntinance- LOVE good onion rings..happy for you!

  • MinusTwo
    MinusTwo Member Posts: 16,634
    edited July 2016

    OK you guys - you're driving me nuts. I bought hot dog buns at the store today. There's too much fresh food in my fridge right now, but I'll pull the dogs out of the freezer after the weekend.

    Made some more cucumbers & chopped onions marinated in tarragon vinegar, dill & sour cream. It tasted really good last week in the hot weather. I'll take that to play dominoes tomorrow, along with a Costco Spinach/artichoke/Parmesan dip that I've been wanting to try. I put together a fruit salad for the weekend but cheated & used sour cream instead of a cooked dressing like my Mother used to make. The Olathe Sweet corn harvest in Colorado started 7/20. That is the corn I wait for all year. Hope it will be in our stores next week.

  • auntienance
    auntienance Member Posts: 4,216
    edited July 2016

    Minus, that particular dip is popular at our house and with everyone to whom I've served it.

  • bedo
    bedo Member Posts: 1,866
    edited July 2016

    I'm sorry, Minus,

    Now you will not be able to stop eating hotdogs.

    There are usually 10 hotdogs per pack but only 8 buns per pack.

    You cannot throw them out.

  • Moonflwr912
    Moonflwr912 Member Posts: 6,856
    edited July 2016

    Happy Birthday Auntienance and Hammer!

    I usually freeze my hotdogs separately so i can cook only one at a time. I use the hot dog buns for sandwiches though. LOL.

    Ive been reading, but mot posting. And then i stopped reading for a bit. Not doing anything, but just mot posting.

    Still ordering Home Chef, and really liking it. Tonight was a fried chicken breast with mashed potato and corn. My DH was actually home so thats a goid thing. We ate everything. I dont usually fry things, but it tasted great. Steak with yum yum sauce is next. Ive had one shipment where the broccolli was old and brown. But i wrote an email and they gave me a 20$ credit two days later. So i think customer service is great. Even with the 90 degrees temp, the meat has been cold so i dont worry. Ive double checked it though. LOL.

    I helped my DD2 by sitting for DGD1 while she was in Madison for a class. It went well, we spent a lot of time in the pool. My DD1 and DGD 2 came and joined us after work. They are both water babies. My DS2 also popped in. Fun. DD1 and DGD2 and my son live in Madison.

    imageimage

    Little squirts after the pool getting ready for bed before going home.well, the little one. The older one stayed in the hotel with us. It was tiring but fun.

    Much love to all.

  • MinusTwo
    MinusTwo Member Posts: 16,634
    edited July 2016

    Moon - great pictures. Thanks for posting.

    Bedo - I buy dogs that are packed 5 & 5 so I'll only defrost 1/2 pkg. But I like Moon's idea of freezing in onesies. The package of buns was on sale for $1.00 so if I take a few to the park & feed birds, I won't feel too badly. Are you back to full speed?

  • Lacey12
    Lacey12 Member Posts: 2,951
    edited July 2016

    Adorable pix of precious grands, Moon!

    Later I can post some pix of our meal at Chilmark Tavern. I discreetly refrained from taking a pic of DH with Bruce Willis behind him. ;) Boy does Brucelook good at sixty-ish!

  • SpecialK
    SpecialK Member Posts: 16,486
    edited July 2016

    Happy B-day hammer! I love me some breakfast for dinner!

    moon - excellent pics - everyone looks like they are having a blast!

    Now I want hot dogs!

    Last night was clearing leftovers out of the fridge so everyone had something different - I was tired afterward, lol! Most of that can be attributed to spending some non-quality time at the car dealer though. Why does it always take soooo loooong?

    minus - I love cucumber salad but DH is not a fan - I may just make myself some right now after reading your post!

  • M0mmyof3
    M0mmyof3 Member Posts: 9,696
    edited July 2016

    Not sure what dinner will be

  • Valstim52
    Valstim52 Member Posts: 1,324
    edited July 2016

    Dinner? I want fresh french bread with butter and brocolli? Am I pregnant at 56 hope not DH says grilled fish. If he does not melt. It is in triple digits. We are hurling toward the sun for sure.

  • susan_02143
    susan_02143 Member Posts: 7,209
    edited July 2016

    We bought a lovely piece of swordfish which we will grill. A potato will go into the small toaster oven, and I will make a green salad with some kind of vinaigrette; mustard or garlic/shallot. Depends on what appeals as I start to make it. The temperatures are just plain high for us. There is a hot wind coming from the West bringing all those nasty midwestern dusts, pollens, and weed seed that make me sneeze. We will have to succumb to air conditioning in the bedroom [only room with such a thing] in order to get a decent night of sleep.

    *susan*

  • auntienance
    auntienance Member Posts: 4,216
    edited July 2016

    It was supposed to be triple digits here today too but we woke up to a surprise rain storm that left two inches and cooler but steamy (I mean STEAMY) weather.

    I freeze hot dogs in two packs also. I buy the Costco all beef quarter pounders (unless I can find Vienna beef -- a rarity.) I either make buns or get them from a bakery here. I try not to eat them often, but I do love them.

    Tonight is chicken cacciatore with a tomato cucumber salad from the garden. The tomatoes, what few I have, are starting to roll in all at once.

    I'm sitting here drinking coffee and watching one of our butterfly bushes in the garden, which is in full bloom. There are so many butterflies on it, it looks like it's moving. I wish they would go pollinate my squash plants. Looks like I'm going to have to get the q tips out if I want any squash. Another year without bees!

  • auntienance
    auntienance Member Posts: 4,216
    edited July 2016

    Monica, the grands are getting so big!

    We are dog sitting our granddog Olivia next week. That should be interesting.

  • M0mmyof3
    M0mmyof3 Member Posts: 9,696
    edited July 2016

    Local news said it was the hottest day of the year where I am

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

    Nancy & Mary, hope you had the happiest of birthdays!

    Shortest TSA line ever at O'Hare--shorter even than when I was using a wheelchair. Only hitch was having to be wanded after the circular-scanner beeped due to my tibial hardware. Very nice flight on Alitalia. Their Premium Economy is what Business Class used to be. (First class has all but disappeared on most sit lined except for high-rollers willing to shell out private-jet prices for ultra-luxury). Food was meh, but we were greeted by name and offered champagne (not prosecco) as soon as we were seated. Even though that cabin had only 21 seats, it was so empty that Bob & I got our own rows. Unfortunately, the armrests don't fold up (they contain the tray tables, air bags and electronics), so we couldn't lie flat to sleep the way biz classers can. Speaking of which, we were offered upgrades for $500 each (a relative steal), but we didn't bite. Turns out that whole section had ONE passenger. They could have fit everyone from our cabin in there!

    Passport Contol at FCO was a fustercluck. EU passport line breezed through. Not so we non-EU-ers. Wonder if the British voters had fully thought this Brexit thing through--first time they have to fly to the Continent after leaving the EU, there's gonna be hell to pay. Took over an hour. Walked to our hotel only to find our room wouldn't be ready till late afternoon. So we left our bags with the valet and took the free shuttle into the Centro Storico. We visited La Bocca Della Verita (remember "Roman Holiday" with Grant & Hepburn?) and Hadrian's crypt. Then we walked into the Ghetto and had lunch at Piperno--where we wanted to eat in Dec. but it was closed the days we were in town). If I could have their carciofi alla Giudia (artichokes Jewish style) every day I could be a happy vegan. Their deep-fried stuffed zucchini blossoms were awesome. The spaghetti alla vongole was delicious, but a tad too al dente even for me (and I am a stickler for al dente pasta). Dessert was wild strawberries with lemon essence. We were exhausted by then, so we took the shuttle back to the Airport Hilton, power-napped, had free happy hour stuff for dinner (cauliflower bisque, cheese vol-au-vents, cold risotto with tuna, salumi & cheeses and salad. Pinot Grigio, sparkling water and espresso to drink. Free breakfast was scrambled eggs, prosciutto, green beans, herring and cappuccino.

    Today before our Vatican tour, we had Caprese pizza, Pellegrino, and (despite the place being a high-volume tourist trap eatery) the best espresso I've ever had in Italy. The Vatican tour was awesome--we had a private docent!--and we were happily exhausted and starving. But rather than grab a gelato, cab it back to the shuttle and have room service dinner (we have an insanely early morning tour tomorrow) we grabbed the first cab we saw just outside St. Peter's Sq. and took it all the way back here. Dinner was free happy-hour food again: pizzas Margherita and alla funghi, mostaccioli with pesto, insalata Caprese, smoked salmon, Pinot Grigio, Sangiovese, and espresso. Tomorrow we see the Forum, Colosseum, and the newly-excavated ruins of Caesar Augustus' home; then on to Trastevere for lunch (jonesing for cacio e pepe or bucatini all'amatriciana), craft-shopping and gelato.Sorry no pix, but I'm typing this on my iPad and I haven't transferred the shots from my phone to my iCloud account yet. I didn't bring my MBAir, so I'm hoping I can insert photos here from a mobile device. (Typing & surfing BCO on my phone would drive me nuts)


  • bedo
    bedo Member Posts: 1,866
    edited July 2016

    It was only 90 today.

    I am passing out meds and germs and have been back to work for a week. Three "emergencies" here today, actually only one, involving benadryl, an epi pen an ambulance, and stay in the hospital for the day, a fainting, and an overreaction.at the lake

    Moon, lovely picture

    For dinner salad with cottage cheese, olives,tomatoes, lettuce, radishes, chick peas, kidney beans and dressing.

    I want to go back to RI and go to Newport, go on a lighthouse cruise, maybe Block Island,

    I'm over the landlubber thing.

    I start my next job at a university 10 days after I finish here on Aug 13th. It is for the school year. Or forever

    I'm thinking that by next summer I will be a grandmother hopefully, or in Thailand. I think that I might like to do that for a few months if I am not a grandma.. I don't know where I get these crazy ideas




  • eric95us
    eric95us Member Posts: 2,845
    edited July 2016

    They look happy, Moon. :-)

    Happy Birthday HappyHammer.

    Once you got past the security and passport stuff, it sounds like it was pretty good. Chi.

    Bedo, epi pen...hmmm....I can think of better things. I looked at one with the nail...errrr...needle...extended...Damn... But it's better than the alternative.

    All the dinners sound good. I didn't eat anything. At work, I found the safety feature that keeps one from taking the transmission out of "Park" until the brake pedal is pressed...broke. I had to crawl under the car, disconnect some stuff and put the car into gear from underneath so I could drive home. I got home OK and the weather was "nice" enough (only 105F degrees and dark) that I worked on it instead of eating. I just bypassed the safety thing with a small chunk of wood. Tomorrow I'll put all the plastic dash stuff back together before heading to the bank to work on more stuff of my mom's.


  • M0mmyof3
    M0mmyof3 Member Posts: 9,696
    edited July 2016

    Bedo, I grew up in Newport. Wasn't born there

  • auntienance
    auntienance Member Posts: 4,216
    edited July 2016

    Bedo, you really must write a book about summer camp. Keep those crazy ideas coming.

    Oh Sandy, your food adventures continue to be awesome.

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

    Had a very early morning tour, so grabbed only a cappuccino and a cornetto in the hotel lounge before cabbing it out to the Colosseum for our tour. (Too early for the free shuttle). This time there were 16 of us, but it was still wonderful (albeit very strenuous and 97 degrees by the time it was over at noon). Our guide was an archaeologist (yesterday's docent for the Vatican tour was an art history major and architect). We went through the Colosseum (more properly called the Flavian Amphitheatre), seeing all levels open to the public plus some of the subterranean "backstage" area. Then we passed under the triumphal arch (commemorating the sacking of the Temple in Jerusalem, which treasures completely financed the Colosseum after Nero's obscenely huge estate was angrily demolished). Made me remember my trip,up Masada years ago and the sad story of those who, having lost their holiest place and all their property, chose to commit suicide rather than be captured by those who'd destroyed their lives and future and desecrated their faith. We climbed Palatine Hill for a breathtaking panorama of the Forum and modern downtown. Then we got our own exclusive tour of the newly opened ruins of the houses of Caesar Augustus and his beloved last wife Livia. Amazing how so many of the frescoes survive to this day. It was hotter than blazes whe the tour ended; our guide showed us a ramp down towards the exit so we needn't deal with banister-less steep stone stairs. Unfortunately, we got stuck down amid the ruins trying to find a similar gentler way out and up to the 21st century street level.

    After retracing our steps many times, and nearly spraining my ankles or stubbing my toes on the paving stones despite using a cane (should have brought sneakers rather than orthopedic loafers & sandals), my wrist suddenly started buzzing like crazy: 10,000 steps, before lunchtime! Gasping for breath (and having downed two bottles of water and still dry-mouthed though drenched in sweat), we made it up to the street. We saw what looked like a mirage: a trattoria complete with shaded arbor dining area. To our delight, it was very much real. Angelino AI Fori dal 1947. Large menu, crowded, but looked inviting. After what seemed like an interminable wait (10 min., in reality), we were seated. Here goes nothing, I thought: tourist trap, probably overpriced, catering to an exhausted captive clientele. Fully expected yesterday's Cafe Vaticano experience.

    Was I ever wrong! Great brut rosė. Bob had a green salad and house-made veal ravioli in vodka sauce. I had tonnarelli (sort of like bucatini, but freshly-extruded rather than dried, squared-off and no center hole) cacio e pepe (one of Rome's official specialties--olive oil, black pepper and lots of pecorino cheese). Perfectly al dente. Against our better judgment, we caved and had dessert (it was starting to rain and we didn't want to miss the 3 pm shuttle, rather this kill another 2 hrs trolling for gelato and having to catch the 5 pm). Bob had vanilla custard ice cream "drowned in whiskey." I had the tartufo cioccolatto: deep dark chocolate gelato, like black velvet, studded with brandied cherries, covered with dark chocolate sauce and chocolate shavings, and topped with whipped cream. If I had to give up sugar for the rest of my life,and was allowed one dessert on my deathbed, this would be it. Two espressos--and the bill came out to less than what we'd pay for lunch in the nicest trattoria in my neighborhood.

    Siri led us to Piazza Venezia and down the hill to our shuttle bus. The rain was picking up and so was the wind. Got back to the hotel, napped, and went to free happy hour dinner: mostaccioli with pesto, torta rustica (mini quiches with handmade crusts), green salad, prosciutto, fresh pea soup, sun-dried tomatoes, cold orecchiette salad, feta, and chocolate panna cotta with strawberries. Sipping my leftover Sangiovese as I type this. Tomorrow we have an afternoon tour of the Borghese Gallery and Villa, so will look for a good restaurant up there (shopping district NW of Trevi fountain), reserve online right now and report back Monday morning.

    Oh, and 14,000 steps!

  • HappyHammer
    HappyHammer Member Posts: 1,247
    edited July 2016

    Sandy- tr4ip is souding perfectly lovely.  So happy for you and Bob.

    Eric- love the "nail" reference for the epi=pen.  :)


  • eric95us
    eric95us Member Posts: 2,845
    edited July 2016

    Grr Lost a post. But I think it's hitting a magic key on the keyboard that tells the browser (Firefox, in my case) to back up a page.

    Chi. That's a lot of walking, especially up and down uneven stairs that probably aren't nicely spaced. The food descriptions sound wonderful. I'm smiling at the "probably a tourist trap" thoughts with your descriptions of how it actually turned out.

    I was digging through the freezer this morning and found some top round steak that had been in the freezer for about 6 months. It made a good London Broil style meat. I sauteed mushrooms in butter and some cheap red wine for one side while Sharon made some pasta salad. All of this was done on the grill/side gas burner outside. I had thought about some rolls but I decided against it (didn't want to heat up the kitchen).

    I think I'm done with the local bank stuff. Now it's the banks that don't have local offices, insurance companies and investment houses. The utility companies were surprisingly quick--I have only one utility left. And I hoping the CPA I contacted yesterday will take on the work of dealing with the "fun" stuff regarding taxes/mandatory payments surrounding paying mom's caretaker.

    I didn't get much done on the car. It's 8:30pm and it's still over 105F degrees and the humidity is higher than comfortable. I can drive it, so that's all that matters to me right now.

  • Lacey12
    Lacey12 Member Posts: 2,951
    edited July 2016

    ChiSandy, your trip sounds wonderful, though I am feeling quite full reading about those meals. Glad you made it out from the ruins successfully, and congrats on all those steps! :)

    Lately we have been involved in so many road trips, that I get a kick out of my Apple Watch buzzing me that it's "time to get up and move around for a minute" every hour. Not gonna happen since I rarely make stops on road trips! However, I was happy to be congratulated by my phone this week when DH and I walked over three miles, enjoying beautiful Vineyard scenery, to and from Allies General Store....and plenty more steps later on South Beach. But not even close to the walking one does in Rome! :) Your "steps" are bringing me back to those I made almost two years ago there. I think I mentioned here that I was particularly impressed with our hotel staff packing us a "breakfast to go" on the day we had a very early vatican tour...before their breakfast buffet. While I am not particularly oriented to really early morning tours, it was so worth it since our Sistine Chapel visit included less than 20 people in the whole space. Definitely the way to enjoy the beauty of that space!

    We are now home, if briefly, .....beautiful ferry ride from the Vineyard, after a very loud storm laden night...tho in comparison to our lake house, the boomers didn't quite compare. I think up North, the storms get caught between the mountains....and the sound echoes in a totally terrifying way.

    On the drive home, we stopped at a sports bar for a quick "linner" of sandwiches and a coffee for me since I was getting drowsy driving. It was hot here upon our return, tho probably nothing like others who are dealing in triple digits! I was glad to be relieved of dinner duty!

    Here are some pics of our dinners at Chilmark Tavern:

    imageI

    Smoked mackerel toast (Susan, I might expect Erbaluce to offer this!)

    image

    Mussels for DH's app

    image

    Island fluke in razor clam broth for my friend...she raved about it.

    image

    DH's scallops (which I did not have since the dish included one of my allergy foods) :(

    image

    My Moroccan lamb meatballs...delicious, but the things that look and tasted a bit like the bottom of a tortilla chip bag were a disappointment at this nice restaurant...I forget the grains serious name. I didn't take a pic of the wonderful baby kale caesar salad I had first, but it was perfect in taste and texture!

    image

    Side of collard greens ordered by DH. I didn't even know I'd love collard greens so much! How can a kale and chard lover be so silly! I am sometimes nervous to try new green veggies due to my allergies...but this was a great discovery for me!


    image

    Beet side. On a ricotta cheese bed...very nice!

    So, it was a good meal....and for the record, "Bruce's" pork chop choice was probably the best one on the menu. It was carried past our table to him looking delectable .....after our orders were in! Tho I did not feel envious since I am still remembering the most unbelievable pork chop I had at Joon Bar and Kitchen in P-town......but I do go on....

    I wish cooler weather for everyone.

    image

    Happy Vineyard visitors, over and out.....

  • Lacey12
    Lacey12 Member Posts: 2,951
    edited July 2016

    Oops, sorry....I reduced the food pix size but it obviously didn't "take"!

    Eric, I was beginning to worry about you. So glad to see you enjoying a real meal! Pardon my Italian mother coming out....

  • Lacey12
    Lacey12 Member Posts: 2,951
    edited July 2016

    At the risk of further boring you, I found out what the tortilla chip crumbs on my plate with the lamb meatballs were....papadum. So I educated myself this morning:

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papadum

    Carole, I hope you are enjoying a really meaningful visit with your mom. She must be thrilled

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