So...whats for dinner?

susan - totally adorable, and I love that fabric - looks like bubbles! Very festive!

Dinner last night was a sweet and sour over brown rice with chicken, green pepper, pineapple, and julienned carrot, sprinkled with scallion and black sesame seeds. Tonight, hmmm. I have a bit of leftover ground turkey with kidney beans from enchiladas on Monday. Might throw in some chili beans, tomatoes and spices and call it chili. Maybe I will do Cincinnati and put it on pasta with cheese on top. Also, have a couple of avocados that need to be used so will do a romaine salad and add them, with a horseradish sour cream dressing.

Sorry about the heat for so many of you - it has been warm, but rainy here in Tampa. We had an absolute deluge about 3:00 p.m. - my neighborhood was totally flooded! I was out getting a microwave and some odds and ends, so I got nailed. DD is scheduled to move on Sat (out of my house, after two years! "I will only be here for a couple of months...") into a condo downtown, so I hope the weather cooperates! Her stuff has been in storage and she is at job training in Louisiana so I have been washing linens and running all the kitchen stuff through the dishwasher - all that is left in the storage unit is furniture.

The romper is so precious! I love little ones wearing rompers. My Granddaughter has a few and when she wears them, it makes me smile. Grandchildren are such a gift!

Tonight will be pasta with meat sauce that I had in the freezer. I will make pasta with the machine, probably spaghetti and make a salad heavy on greens with a homemade balsamic dressing.

Yesterday we grilled chicken thighs with some jasmine rice and grilled peppers, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms and squash on skewers since we had a little break from all of the heat. It was in the 95+ range for a couple of days straight. My thermometer on the deck said 100! I cannot even imagine 120 Eric!

Have a great day everyone. Tomorrow is rehearsal dinner for my husband's son's wedding and the wedding is Saturday. It is supposed to rain on and off but it is inside so it will be fine although disappointed for the kids photo shoot.

Celia - I'm more Cincinnati style than authentic with the warm spices, but DH wants to incorporate more cinnamon in his diet, so I should make it with that addition - otherwise I'm pretty close. Anything that combines pasta, chili and cheese has to be good! Have you sampled the different offerings around your area since you are right there?

The fried eggplant sounds deadly delicious! My mother always peeled her eggplant, the large purple variety was what people raised in their gardens. She sliced it and did the salting prep, which really isn't necessary for a nice freshly picked eggplant. Then dipped the slices in egg and then in a breading, probably flour, and fried in hot oil until golden brown. It was so good. Later when Italian bread crumbs became a kitchen staple, she would use that as the breading.

So many of you on this thread are awesome cooks. I hesitate to admit that dinner tonight will feature 8 oz of ground turkey that is thawing! I haven't decided what form it will take, a couple of patties or sautéed and incorporated into a pasta dish. The Cincinnati chili concept sounds good. I have canned black beans and a few varieties of pasta. A block of good cheddar to shred. Hm...

Dinner last night was a pork steak cooked on the grill. One side dish was very sweet corn cut off the cob and sautéed in butter with diced green and red bell pepper. Very pretty combination. Our neighbor Mary brought over two paper bowls of taco salad she and her dh were having for dinner, so we had that instead of the salad I was planning to assemble. The lettuce was iceburg and the dressing was Western, which is a bottled dressing popular in this area. Its a reddish brown color and very sweet. Must be loaded with sugar. Also a tangy component, probably vinegar.

Eric, I remember that your DD used to help herself to the leftover rice and chicken salad when she lived at home. I smiled when you mentioned her coming home to get the leftovers and take them back with her.

The rompers are cute. Give us a picture of Olivia wearing them, please.

I bought cotton yarn yesterday and patterns for dish cloths and pot holders. I'll post some pictures once I get some made.

It's a breezy day here with highs forecast to be in the 70's. Quite comfortable with fans and open windows and door. Hate the thought of those high 90's.

Hello Minus

I use a variation of a couple of recipes. Here is the one where I have the most ingredients on hand for my brandy cream sauce.

1. Melt 1 tbsp butter in a 1 quart saucepan over medium-high heat. ( you have to watch it closely) Add 1/2 cup green onions finely chopped and saute' until tender, about 1-2 minutes. If desired, add mushrooms I chop finely about 1/4 cup and saute' 1 more minute.
2. Stir in 1/4 c veggie or chicken broth and from 2 tbsp to 1/3 c. brandy ( to taste) . Cook about 5 minutes or until mixture is reduced (should coat back of spoon).
3. Stir in 1/4 c heavy cream and season with salt and pepper . Serve over just about anything. I tend to use more brandy and green onions.

Yep, I did. Thank goodness I didn't almost fall in this time while I was looking to see what I wanted to cook for dinner.

I have been dealing with a finicky icemaker—ice melts & refreezes, have to remove the bin and hack up the cubes, clear the chute (often blocked with a blob of ice), and mop up all the detritus on the floor. Sometimes, when the tray tilts to dump its load of cubes (usually an intact slab!) into the bin, it comes loose from its moorings and I have to try to re-mount it w/o cracking its housing. Also condensation sometimes leaks out the seam where it’s mounted in the door. Had repairmen out several times, telling me it’s the nature of the beast and I need to use it more often. This is the top-rated French-door bottom-freezer LG that ran me >$3K when I bought it in 2011. So of course it’s out of warranty. When Bob can’t get it to dispense, he just sticks his hands in the bin (whether or not they’re clean, especially after he’s been smoking), pulls out lumps of ice and tells me I need to fix it again. We keep too much food in the freezers to have room for ice cube trays (and after 35 yrs. of making ice that way I’d had enough). Isn’t modern technology marvelous? GRRRRRR….

Thanks, Eric! That makes sense--I do sometimes hear a trickling sound coming from the icemaker—and not only after the tray dumps its load into the bin. I will mention that to the repair dept. at Abt Electronics—maybe schedule them to come Mon. or Tues., when my housekeeper will be back on a limited basis.

BTW- Val...glad you are back...was wondering if you and yours were ok.  I am a "worrier". 

Here's a VERY scary note from an article in The Atlantic:

"90% of Americans live within 15 miles of a Walmart". They really have taken over. The groceries at the WalMart by me are worse than pitiful. Anyway, I think we all fall into a WalMart or Target categories & I am definitely the latter. But I don't grocery shop at either. It's a challenge because all the "real" grocery stores within 15 miles of my house closed years ago - leaving only those two choices and one 'Stop&Rob'. Needless to say I only shop once a week or once every two weeks.

Then this morning - Amazon is buying Whole Foods.

Where I live....I do not like either Walmart or Target produce. Fortunately, for me, there are still nearby alternatives.

Val - we were posting at the same time the other day & I totally missed the brandy cream sauce. Thanks for sharing.

Edited to say - interested to see you used onions. Another friend of mine was horrified that I did too, since she doesn't think they are ever appropriate. One time I had no onions & used garlic. Last time i used beef broth instead of chicken/vegetable. I thought it was too overpowering.

Susan commented on my question about NOT using both onion & garlic in the same 'sauce/gravy'. I had never heard of such a thing before. Anyone else?

Unfortunately, if not for Walmart I wouldn't get fresh vegetables in the winter at all in my small town. Before Walmart, I couldn't buy parsley here. The nearest large grocer is 30 miles from me. So I'm grateful for Walmart but I wish I had a choice. I can buy or grow local stuff in the summer of course. I will say that our Walmart has pretty fresh stuff, probably because of no competition and quick turnover. As you know, I do make frequent food forays to "the city "

Speaking of which I got some very lovely large asparagus spears today. We're having Swiss steak in the pressure cooker with mashed potatoes. I may grill some of the asparagus.

Love the rompers!

Had to fast for a 2:30 PCP appt. and the blood draw wasn't till almost 4! Was gonna make bacon & eggs as soon as I got home, but I was so famished I stopped off at Forever Yogurt and had the almost-no-sugar Eurotart flavor with some almonds. That filled me up for an hour, after which I fried a couple of eggs and used the "heel" of a loaf of seeded rye bread to mop up the yolk. I got the eggs for free this morning--Peapod delivered them and five were cracked. Gordy just ate the leftover fish & chips I brought home last night. Not sure if I'll just have a tomato salad, defrost & sear a halibut fillet, nuke an Atkins lasagna (sounds like an oxymoron), or walk to Cellars for soft-shell crab. By the time I'm hungry enough, they'll have run out.

Can't wait to see the next romper. If I were ever going to have a grandchild, I'd hire you to make me some. In your spare time (LOL)