So...whats for dinner?

Freya, but you'd have to grind the polenta really fine. Not quite cornmeal, but close.. The closest equivalent if you're not from the South is "Cream of Wheat", a cereal that might not be around much any more. We ate that for breakfast in Northern California along with Oatmeal & Ralston (another hot cereal that was tasty).

Lacey - good to hear from you. I had forgotten you were gone.

Yum, HH!

Was planning to do a choucroute garnie for late dinner—got some fresh active-probiotic kraut, will rinse it and saute a little bacon before adding it. Then a splash of white wine and some caraway seeds (out of juniper berries, as well as gin—Bob’s a vodka guy). Will lay some chicken bratwurst and free-range veal hot dogs on top so they’ll steam. Not having any wine with it (normally, a riesling) because I had a glass each of cava & red at the Super Bowl party, which had no desserts. En route home I stopped at Lickity Split to drown my sorrows (wait till next year, Atlanta) in cupcakes—bought one each of red velvet, “Death by Chocolate” and Oreo. Tried the DbC: meh. I still don’t get the whole fuss over cupcakes. My guys relieved me of the other two.

Buuuut...

Had to go to Warby Parker in deepest Lincoln (no)Park (any Chicago neighborhood with “Park” in its name means you usually can’t) to get some new glasses adjusted, but this time I drove; and wonder of wonders: a legal parking space across the street! Used my app to book it for an hour, so killed a little time after the specs-tweaking by daring to allow myself some Jeni’s ice cream at the eponymous store. O to the M to the G—best ice cream I’ve had since the gelati I ate in Rome. Had “darkest chocolate” and “Roxbury Road,” their version of Rocky Road using house-made marshmallows, salt caramel and waffle pieces. That was at 6. Still not hungry. May just nibble on some tomato, basil and a little fresh mozzarella if it’s still good (if not, just the veg. or maybe a slice each of jamon serrano, iberico and chorizo and a cube of Manchego or Drunken Goat) and delay the choucroute till tomorrow night.

I had a hard time finding anything suitable for grits until I mentioned my plight to the nearby grocery store's manager. She says it sells well.

Cream of Wheat is easy to find in the grocery stores, here at least. DD loves it, both now and when she was little--especially when it includes maple syrup or brown sugar and cinnamon. :-)

Sharon mentioned to DD that I had made the two dishes and today DD called me on the phone....."Dad. Could you bring me some soup and jasmine rice tomorrow. Pleeeeeassseeee" :-)

I work about 10 minutes from her dorm, so it's easy enough to do that. My commute time is about 90 minutes each way and three hours in the car would make DD crazy, so the dorm is worthwhile.

Hi to CoachVicky.

I see very little difference between polenta and grits. And a lot of difference between grits and cream of wheat. The latter is not popular in the south. I never buy the quick-cook grits. All this talk of grits is making me want to cook some!

We lowered the storm shutters and holed up in an inner hallway today during a tornado warning. Fortunately we sustained no direct hit.

Dinner will feature chicken thighs cooked with lemon. Veggies will be brussel sprouts and maybe carrots. Possibly a salad, too

Thanks for letting us know you guys are ok, Carole!

minus - throwback Tuesday! I love peaches and cottage cheese! My mom also used to do cottage cheese with fresh tomatoes, topped with Catalina dressing and scallions. She served it as the salad course with dinner often

Lago I tried your borscht recepie. it was great. thanks

minus - spoiled growing up in California, with such a long growing season for tomatoes - my dad grew tons in the backyard, organically - a man before his time! On the nights we didn't have the cottage cheese and tomato salad, we had spinach picked in the backyard and tossed with red wine vinaigrette, topped with chopped hard-boiled egg and crumbled bacon. It is weird in Florida - such an early growing season means that tomatoes look good now and strawberries are at their peak next month - crazy!

Happy - I forgot about w/pineapple. That's what my Mother liked.

Super-lazy dinner tonight. Went to the pop-up Nespresso boutique at the local mall (its permanent boutique opens in May) for the latest limited edition espresso capsule: 2014 aged Colombian blend. (Very smooth & rich, not bitter). On the way out, passed Buffalo Wild Wings and saw it was “Trad Tuesday:” half price on traditional (bone-in, not breaded or battered) wings. So I got a medium-sized box with mild sauce (still plenty spicy) and celery. But was viciously attacked en route home by some heart-shaped Boston Kreme Drunken Donuts. Extra session on the treadmill tonight (which won’t make much of a dent, of course, but is partial atonement).

Tomorrow night’s my monthly BC support group meeting up in Evanston. Glad I’m someone’s ride home so Hoosier Mama Pies won’t be on my route. Maybe I’ll make that choucroute tomorrow, maybe just dump a can of sardines—olive oil & all--on top of some salad greens and then squeeze a little lemon on the oil. And hopefully, those remaining donuts will be taken off my hands by then...

Dinner for one tonight (me). Not feeling great today due to the continued hacking cough and accompanying laryngitis. It's robbing me of sleep as well. I rallied a bit by dinnertime so boiled a few baby potatoes and a couple of frozen Maine lobster tails. Melted butter was the only accompaniment. Awesome.

I'm the only one here who likes cottage cheese (but not the low fat version. Blech.) I go through phases with it. I will eat lots and lots and then not again for a year. I'm about due to binge again.

Nancy, that’s my nickname for Dunkin’ Donuts. (Other fast food nicknames are Taco Hell, Long John Slivers, Pizza Butt, Kentucky Fried Children and Booger King). Sorry to hear you’re going through what I just did. For the cough, Bob swears by the Phenergan elixir with codeine he was prescribed for his pneumonia, but I swear at opioid-induced constipation. What helped get me through the night was generic dextromethorphan liqui-gels every 6 hrs. In between, sugar-free Luden’s cough drops (not Ricola—menthol aggravates GERD). For the laryngitis: hydration, warm herb tea with honey & lemon, bone broth, and Singer’s Saving Grace throat spray (3 sprays up to 7 times a day). It’s the only one out there with Jack-in-the-pulpit extract, which helps reduce laryngeal edema (swollen vocal folds—the anatomically correct term for vocal cords, since they are actually muscles). The swelling, as well as any thick mucus clinging to the cords, keep them from fully contacting each other along their entire length —so that when they vibrate, there are “gaps” in the voice and at the pitches corresponding to where the cords are supposed to meet but can’t—so air passes through at those spots without the cords vibrating—analogous to playing a violin with the bow not touching the strings.

As to cottage cheese, for me it’s gotta be whole-milk (4%) or nothing. I like it best with cinnamon, vanilla and a little sweetener on toast and then broiled briefly in the toaster-oven. I also like ricotta mixed with rum extract, sweetener, and either crushed pineapple or apricot spread—tastes sort of like cannolli filling. (Both recipes from my classic 1970s Weight Watchers’ days).

Love the fast food nicknames. I had to grip the wheel when driving past a doughnut place yesterday. It's not a chain. The need for doughnuts has been building lately.

We buy 2% cc for fast lunch or snack. I cook fresh cranberries for a topping. On top of that a spoon of mayo. Also sliced banana as an alternative topping. Fresh pineapple on those rare times I buy a pineapple. Sam's has large tubs for a good price.

Salmon tonight

Ha ha, we use taco hell but the rest are new to me.

I like cottage cheese best with salt and pepper. But I love canned peaches Minus.

I have the fresh Costco corn and some baby potatoes left so tonight I think we'll have frogmore stew with smoked sausage and shrimp.

I agree with Sandy's DH - Phenergen with Codeine works best for me when I've had a cough that causes lack of sleep. Hope the healing hurries up Nance.