So...whats for dinner?

Hugs and condolences to you and your husband, Special.

eric- thanks, I know you know. My MIL is my children's last grandparent, they are prepared for this but it is still very sad for all of us. Just like my FIL, my MIL has had a fabulous, long, mostly healthy life. This has been a relatively short illness, and she has not had pain until this last week, but she has not really thrived since the loss of my FIL.

minus - thanks, yes, the holidays are a hard time to have this happen - my FIL was right after Thanksgiving last year. That they really had a great run does make it a bit easier, and they have always acknowledged how fortunate they were, and how great a love story they had. My kids were in middle school and high school when my parents passed, but they were older than my in-laws. My dad would have turned 100 this past October if he was still alive. My folks lived until they each turned 83 - they passed 4 years apart, dad in 2001, mom in 2005. FIL was 91, and MIL is 86 - funny MIL and FIL sound like names...

cherry - I have two of my mom's robes, and my DD has already mentioned a particular pair of MIL's pajamas that she wants - I totally get that sentimental need to feel close to them. It is funny - she brought this up the other day and even said she doesn't know why she wants them, just that she does. I also drove a Volvo, white 240DL sedan, when my kids were both in car seats at ages 1 and 2 - I loved that it felt like a tank and so safe, but it was awful in the snow due to rear wheel drive when we moved to Washington state.

Special, I am also sorry that your family will be coping with the loss of your DMIL and especially around the anniversary of your DFIL and during the holidays. Hopefully, as the family gathers together for services, there will be many happy stories to share about holidays past. She sounds like a mother who would have created those.

Cherry, that salad looks wonderful to me! I’m glad to see that I now have some fellow kale queens on this thread. Yay! Of late, I add slivers of kale to all of our salads daily. To those who are kale shy, adding it this way is almost unnoticeable. Another thing I like about kale is that if I make a huge salad and want to save some, it holds up perfectly for the next day, unlike fragile lettuce. This week, I’ll look for the page where I think I posted the horseradish dressing recipe.

We completed our weekend trip to NJ to see DS1’s family (despite the fact that DDIL1 was tied up presenting at a conference most of the weekend) and visit DDIL’s dad. He was in better shape than when we Facetimed with him a week ago and his condition that day seemed dire. He was able to join with us in his living room as long as he didn’t move much from his chair. His oxygen levels sink with any movement, and it is so sad to see him struggle to breathe given his history of high energy and productivity.

DDIL’s mother made us a lovely lunch of some their typical Persian food....saffron rice with lentils and raisins, a braised beef loin, and also an arugula salad. She had pastries like baklava for dessert....then fresh fruits, nuts, dates, candies, and cookies appearing on the coffee table throughout the afternoon.

When we returned to our son’s home, DDIL1 was back from her conference and she made two meals from The Purple Carrot (the recently introduced, “Tom Brady” diet selection...I was expecting everything to be laced with spirulina!), pictured below. One was a white bean and multi colored carrot dish with obscure greens, another was large broiled artichoke hearts topped with a white sauce with cilantro in it, with green beans. Of course a lentil dish staple completes the picture. These guys are the vegans, who are resolute about this diet.

I need to bone up on my vegan cooking before they come to visit at Christmas. Unfortunately, since I’m allergic to cashews (a staple for them and a way they have “cheese”) and avoid soy, I need to make things with no cheese included....ugh! But I’ll get it done. Interestingly, my grandchildren have just been tested for allergies and are also allergic to cashews, so they will not be enjoying vegan foods the way their parents do. So, I’ll be cooking many varieties of dishes to meet the needs of this crowd.

On our way to NJ on Friday, DH got the idea that we should stop at a pizza place we learned about from one of our lake neighbors. So, just because I felt like driving more (not) but definitely because we were both starving and wanted something substantial for dinner, and because DH could never pass up a food/restaurant recommendation. Kinchley’s Tavern in Rumsey, NJ offers pub style pizza, and it was tasty, but not my favorite. What was hysterical was DH communicating with DDIL1 about pizza preferences for them and the kids. We knew about no cheese for them, but had not expected that Kinchley’s would not have fresh basil for their garlic mushroom basil pie request, nor no spinach for the kids’ cheese with spinach pie...so they got plain cheese. We were quite happy with our cheesy mushroom and onion pie, and did the best we could for the rest of the gang! Also ordered an arugula salad with a warm bacon dressing, and an Italian cuke salad, loaded with red onions....which fortunately we like and everyone had. Carole you would not have wanted to be in conversation with any of us after that salad!

Now that we’re home, we need to get into holiday mode...

But first, tonight another trip into town to a C’s game after dinner there. I could do with less games during this month!

Missed that C’s routine last Thursday when I developed pre-fainting symptoms in the afternoon and my doc directed me to the ER for eval. What a nuisance....five hour stint there. Looks like it may just have been dehydration combined with my typical low bp. I must have nothing serious because I was able to drive both ways to NJ and keep up with my extremely active grands for two days. Slept late today, happily!

Here are the Purple Carrot pix:

Cherry-SW: (drools) Baked salmon with pesto spread? So when are you inviting me over for dinner? And what do you want me to bring when you do?

I was planning on cooking the salmon tonight, but things happened and I ended up cooking popcorn. :-)

Special, I very much hope things are easy for your MIL...it sounds terrible to say, but I think (hope) you understand.

Tatar triangles aka echpochmek for dinner today, it has been years I had those, here comes a pic

eric - I totally get it, and I appreciate your kind thoughts.

Minus, I also hope that you “graduate”to the yearly appt schedule!


In and out quickly here...am feeling really pressured now that I have allowed reality to enter my consciousness about having nothing done for the holidays and I have a crowd coming, both sons, one wife, grandkids and maybe my sister. The docvegans’ high maintenance dietary needs always throws me for a loop. Just spent the afternoon making soups for them and for us as well as my next door neighbor who is having surgery this week. Gotta think about getting my cookie making started, shopping for the adults, getting a tree, decorating so it looks like we have not given up on Christmas as old folks! Ironically, the grands don’t even celebrate Christmas, given their Baha’i religion. But they enjoy seeing and enjoying it at others’ homes.

Of course both of my volunteer jobs have ramped up significantly, so I am squeezed for time.....and I need to clear out “stuff” in the house to accommodate the family guests! Oy! Better stop whining and get some stuff done!

Cherry, there are many recipes online for Horseradish Vinaigrette, but this is what I use (no instructions since I’m sure you make dressings regularly):
2 T horseradish
2-4 T white wine vinegar (lt balsamic is also good, or champagne vinegar)
1 t dijon mustard
1/2 t salt
1/8 t grnd pepper
1 T or more honey or maple syrup (depending how sweet younmight like it)
1/4- 1/2 cup olive oil
1 t crushed dried tarragon (my addition)
I sometimes add a bit of water, since it’s a dense dressing.

Enjoy!

I usually double this and keep it in a jar in refridge so it is at the ready.

We have the tree and decorations up, but that's about it. Haven't sent cards in years--thanks to being busy with the show this time of year (a week earlier this time so there goes my excuse). Haven't shopped and have no desire to get anything for myself. I will probably make charitable donations in the name of friends & family for charities for which they are likely to give moral but can't afford monetary support. We go to friends for Christmas dinner the day after opening presents Christmas Eve (Bob's patients and staff do give gifts), drinking glögg (brought in from a tavern in the nearby formerly-Swedish Andersonville neighborhood) and torching a plum pudding at midnight to the strains of a holiday rock mixtape. But dinner may be bittersweet--our friends' son (born a week before Gordy) is getting married in June and moving to Seattle; and Gordy will probably be texting his girlfriend all through the meal (she'll be down in Houston with her folks and he will fly down and join her for New Year's). This might be the last Christmas dinner with both of the boys present...or maybe they and their SOs will fly back here from Seattle & Houston.

Gordy & his friend Andy were born 8 days apart--Andy's mom & I got pregnant a month apart (Andy arrived precisely on his predicted due date), but Gordy was a preemie. Bob, Kathy & her husband (also a Bob), and I all went to Bradley childbirth classes together. (Kathy, her Bob & I were the nucleus of a band that started as an acoustic trio and ended up a full 5-piece rock band).

Tonight was cast-iron-seared grass-fed ribeye (insanely well-marbled and done perfectly mid-rare), with balsamic Brussels sprouts and a Greek salad.

carole - thanks, appreciate the good thoughts.

I am making my first gingerbread house - baked the house parts with a friend - one for her, one for me - man, did we make a mess - flour everywhere! She has a new wide plank floor and it has tiny grooves - eeesh! On my hands and knees getting flour out of the grooves, lol! DD and I put the house together night before last - required a lot of frosting spackle and I am glad I had two sets of hands. I need to make one more run to the store to get a few more supplies and will decorate today - I will post a pic when done. Wish me luck!

Haven't decided whether tonight will be a choucroute garnie or pasta with fresh tomato-basil salsa cruda (two of the store-bought tomatoes were delivered with splits in the skin). I've discovered that packaged basil does just fine outside the fridge with a paper towel inserted in the plastic box to absorb moisture. And my housekeeper brought her herbs inside last year, only to develop an ant infestation. So it looks like it's gonna be pick-and-freeze for mine.

Beouf burgignon tonight with a green sallad and oven- baked brussel sprouts with diced sweet potato, broccoli and red onions. Now, I did not separated the sauce in beouf burgingnon to make it thicker so it got all this wattery. Next time am reducing the sauce before I am serving it. Otherwise it was delicious, I served ric to it

French toast and bacon, yum!

Tonight I was deep into a jigsaw puzzle, so dinner was a fish taco leftover from lunch, a strip of beef jerky, some cashews and a few sections of a toblerone bar.