So...whats for dinner?

DodgersGirl, Gordy got me an Ember travel mug for Christmas, but only the charging coaster & A/C cable were in the box. WTH??? He'd ordered from Amazon. Turns out Amazon is shipping the mug separately; both kinds of mugs are backordered and won't ship till at least Sunday. At least I have a cabinet full of mugs (most of them souvenirs from pen shows) and a microwave.

Cherry, Chicago-style pizza was conceived at Pizzeria Uno (originally envisioned as a Mexican-style restaurant) by the owner--a U. of Texas football star, Ike Sewell; but Uno's chef Rudy Malnati actually devised the recipe. Sewell then opened Pizzeria Due a block north, and then Su Casa (the Mexican place Sewell wanted). Uno, Due & Su Casa are still in business downtown (Uno's only Chicagoland location outside of an airport), as well as franchised worldwide (Boston alone has 23 branches of Uno) and in food courts--not as good as the restaurant. Then came Gino's East, Giordano's (which has branches all over town and basically "rules the roost"), Nancy's (which simultaneously with Giordano's invented stuffed pizza, and is now defunct), and Edwardo's (which specializes in stuffed with spinach, but has shrunken from its former empire to only 4 branches in the Chicago area). Then there's Lou Malnati's, which ships it (as well as brandmates' Portillo's hot dogs and Eli's Cheesecake) frozen all across the country. Lou is the son of Rudy Malnati...the inventor of deep-dish pizza. Will the circle be unbroken?

Malnati's also has the only low-carb (starch-free) deep dish pizza in town: the "crust" is made from a base layer of crumbled Italian sausage, salami and pepperoni. Interestingly, South side thin crust ("tavern-style," round, thinner than in Italy and "party-cut" into little squares much smaller than Roman al taglio--with the pieces along the edges being sort of mini-wedges) is more popular than deep-dish in Chicago. And while pepperoni is the nation's favorite topping, Chicago's favorite is mild Italian sausage chunks or crumbles. Interestingly, the only pizza I had in Sicily--in a little Taormina counter-service chain place called "Strit Fud"--was closer to Roman style. I suspect that what East Coasters call "Sicilian" style was developed by the kids of immigrants from Sicily, or by Army veterans who'd served there.

The traditional Southern New Year's Day meal is black-eyed peas and collard greens, which is believed to bring prosperity and good luck in the coming year.

Dinner tonight will be rigatoni alla barese (with porcini and sliced sausage), which Bob brought home as leftovers from last night's meal at our nearby Italian restaurant at which we've been eating nearly 40 years. (I was in my PJs and staying put. Tonight I'm in my sweats but still staying put). Tonight, he's eating at the Oak Lawn Hilton, walking distance from one of the hospital's in which garage he's parked--the S. side is getting 5-6" of snow to our 3". Then he'll catch up on his charts before heading home...slowly and very carefully.

Sandy - All my friends raised in the South do their new years meal of black eyed peas and CABBAGE. In fact that's what we're having Sunday. I guess greens are acceptable but I haven't met anyone in 45 years who doesn't do cabbage. Black eyed peas for luck & cabbage for prosperity.

KB870, so glad to hear! I tried it with different types of chocklad, from milk to really dark, works every time. This recipe comes from one of the Swedish TV-chefs, Tina Nordström, and is called Tina’s zebra cake

ChiSandy, you are like a Wikipedia, so interesting, I love learning about food. We also stayed close to Taormina, Naxos beach, too many Russian tourists for my taste but beautiful surroundings and Etna had a eraption the whole time. But I liked Palermo more, so want to go there again.

I actually never was in Rome in spring, always in autumn, I was planning to go there on either my birthday this year or before Christmas, but, wel, who knew. From Stockholm you can either fly Norwegian or Ryanair, really cheap and the accomodation in Rome is not that expensive. We used to take some trips very often before, the youngest is missing it I can see and the eldest is missing to have the house to herself))

Pantheon is one of my favorite places, the place in front of it is so cozy and small and then this huge ancient building that had been trapped by all these houses that slowly were built around it. We lived once very near, in Pantheon Inn, great place, Via Caterina da Sienna, they have these huge Roman doors that were briefly in the Eat, pray, love movie the concierge told me. But Pantheon is quite far from Spanish steps, well at least 30 min walking if I remember correctly. I like living near Piazza Navona but it can be crowded and loud at night. The last time we booked an appartment there but the heater got broken there and we were offered to stay at another place near Piazza Venezia, very quite and pythoresque quarter between the palace and the Tiber, we loved it there, they had a fontain with turtles. Have a great time there! The best restaurants are in Trastevere but something tells me you already know it, I am though fine dining even with an al taglio pizza slice sitting on the steps of fontain at Pantheon. We once found a restaurant there that we could not find again, my husband ordered two main courses so delicious it was and the youngest was so hungry that she ordered rague bolognese after finishing her polpetti, it like never ever happened before. When her dad was finishing her rague later, which was being his third main course, or at least half of it, I saw the waiters were looking at us and I sad to Max, well, I am sure they are betting each other whether you will order another dish. I was try to send people to this location but they could not find it, I have to there myself.

I am feeling so well that I do not want to do this last EC, but I guess I have to. Great preparations at our place since New Year is the highest ranking holidays among Russians. It is a time for called layered sallads, fish row and smaller toasts with different fillings. I will be doing litterally a bucket of Russian chicken salad called Olivier, salted herring under the layers of cooked veggies, eggs and mayonnais, we bought lobsters, anglerfish and scalopes to sear, Kamchatka crab leg, shrimps, forell roe and I still have half of my brined salmon in the freezer. Some small finger food and the zebra cake, yay, it will be us only but the eldest and her BF will come home in the morning so any leftovers will be appreciated Cherry

I usually do Hoppin' John for New Year's day with greens. DH won't eat greens or cabbage (he will eat slaw however) but has come to like the black eyed peas and rice combo. Since I have a quarter smoked ham in the fridge, I expect that's what we'll be eating. Perhaps I'll make cornbread to go with it. DH will like that.

Tonight we'll be going to a friend's house for her daughter's birthday. Daughter requested pasta for her birthday meal so I volunteered to make the pasta noodles. First time I've made fresh pasta for eight people. Should be fun.

I've been to Rome in mid-December (pleasant) and July (brutally hot). My favorite restaurants there are Glass Hostaria in Trastevere, and Taverna del Ghetto and Piperno in the Jewish quarter across the river from Trastevere. Taverna del Ghetto is 100% kosher, but except for some matzo in the bread basket we didn't even notice the lack of pork or shellfish. The carciofi fritti (deep-fried artichokes) at both places are wonderful. The best gelato I found in the city was Fior di Luna in Trastevere and a small shop near the steps leading down from the Borghese Gardens. (There was a restaurant near there with sculptures of operatic characters, and it was delightful). Near the Trevi fountain, past a tourist trap cheap sandwich shop/pizzeria/newsstand, we found a small hotel restaurant. The decor was simultaneously opulent and slightly threadbare, but the salad and linguine alla vongole were fantastic. The background music was recognizable American pop songs, but sung in Italian by "soundalike" artists.

Finished the leftover rigatoni alla Barese for dinner--I added some sauteed kale and tomatoes.

I agree Carole, pre soaking not necessary for this variety. Actually with the pressure cooker, I often don't soak any beans.

Happy New Year my friends!

Sent from the frigid Midwest - 9 below at present. All I can say is we better not have one damned bug this year.

Happy New Year to all.

SpecialK and Snickersmom & any other FL sisters in the vicinity of Tampa/Clearwater - Will be flying into Tampa 0n 1/13 & staying at Clearwater Beach over the MLK day holiday. Please PM me if you would like to meet up.

Cherry - Apologies for the delay in responding to "Rome". My remembrances: Trastevere for restaurants (just as ChiSandy said), Piazza Navona (wonderful ambiance and Bernini sculptures - at Tre Scalini, a dessert treat called tartuffo - not sure if it's still there). Because I traveled for business purposes (worked for J&J at the time), was always "entertained" by folks from the Rome office, so never had to research places to eat. Only restaurant I can remember is one called Il Pisciapino. The office was outside Rome and we popped into an espresso place each AM. Also recollect eating "early" fresh strawberries with melted dark chocolate over for dessert. Hotels stayed in were: Hotel Eden and the Hassler Villa Medici at the top of the Spanish Steps (very luxurious, but again, travel was for business). Hiked up I don't know how many steps in St Peter's for the marvelous view. St Peter's (go on a "guided" tour if possible) and Sistine Chapel also a must see, if you have time. That's all I can recollect for now.

Cherry - Yes, it is narrow on those steps & they wind around and around. If you are at all claustrophic, they could cause issues. Glad I did the steps when I was in my early 30s - not sure I could make it now.

Minus, lol)))))))) I have 10 kg to go down, well, at least, but I did exercised today and I was my ideal weight before the surgery, so one more EC and then .. I will start radiation(( But I can exercise two weeks after chemo meanwhile a week ago I was just stumbling in the forest, so, these 10 kg just have to go

it is soooo cold outside. Wind chills 15-30 below tonight. Brrrrr

Dinner was homemade chicken and noodles with pretzel rolls and a side salad. Comfort food that is keeping up warm tonight

Weather, illness and a friend’s mother-in-law issues (don’t ask) reduced our party of 12 to six. Even Bob got stuck at the hospital with admissions from nursing homes—his patients and those of the two docs for whom he’s covering. So we had his dinner packed to go. The restaurant was grateful for that to-go order, because they’d also been decimated by cancellations.

My dinner was a mushroom tartlet amuse-bouche, appetizer of smoked salmon rillettes with mesclun salad, lobster bisque, seared scallops on lightly creamed spinach with Pernod and red potatoes, and creme brulee with berries for dessert. Out of our party of 6, only 4 made it to my place—the two who had to drive home to walk their dogs gave my older friend a lift to my place so she wouldn’t have to walk the 1/4 mile in the single-digit cold. The other three of us hightailed it back on foot in record time. And we all arrived together—just as Bob was coming in the back door. Unfortunately, one guest had to leave before midnight to attend to her DH who was having a panic attack (his docs had discontinued an anti-anxiety med that gave him tremors, which they feared might become permanent). So only four of us toasted the New Year, but we did our part and finished a bottle of champagne.

This morning I awoke late and made a sort of eggs Florentine—low-carb toast instead of English muffins, sauteed kale & chopped tomato instead of spinach, very thin slices of prosciutto & capicolla instead of Canadian bacon, fried egg instead of poached; and nuked a shelf-stable packet of Hollandaise that I garnished with cayenne and a little chopped tarragon.

Dinner tonight, since it’s cold (below Zero again, and none too warm even indoors), which I’m about to start, will likely be either a warmed-over slice of pizza or perhaps pappardelle alla Bolognese—it’s stick-to-the-ribs food kind of weather. At least the ice cream will remain safely in the freezer!

NY Day dinner was peach glazed pork chops (crockpot recipe, very easy, sauce is butter, peach preserves, thyme, salt&pepper), potatoes dauphinoise, roasted carrots w/dill, roasted brussels and some re-heated CM day dressing w/shrooms & leeks. Wine was a Gavi (Italian white wine made from Cortese grapes). Very tasty!