So...whats for dinner?

Dinner tonight was a great big cheeseburger again, courtesy of DH. It’s delicious but huge, I’ve been working on it for almost an hour now.

Up too late last night (didn't take enough melatonin), so slept in till lunch, which was avocado toast (homemade guacamole on low-carb toast, topped with cherry tomatoes, shallots, cilantro and an olive-oil fried pasture-raised jumbo egg). Odds & ends for dinner: cucumber slices with hummus & babaghannouj; charcuterie (mini-salami, prosciutto, jamon iberico) & cheeses ("Le Marechal" raw-milk Gruyere; 3-yr Gouda, 7-yr cheddar); and mixed nuts (pistachios, cashews, VA peanuts--the latter a gift from one of Bob's colleagues). May have a small salad later.

Speaking of gifts from Bob's colleagues, the annual Shatilla Bakery baklava tray (from the the Little Co. of Mary GI group) arrived today. No idea what the heck to do with it this year. In normal years past, I'd taken some to WDCB for the party surrounding the Holiday Hoot studio show; to our BFFs' as a Christmas dinner dessert, and saved some for New Year's Eve (sending some home with Gordy & Leslie). Of course, I'm trying (not always successfully) to avoid sweets; and the pandemic put the kibosh on all those eventd--and when the kids come back from TX, they're going on "Whole 30." So maybe I'll put together a couple of plates for the next-door neighbors on either side of us to leave at their doors. No point in Bob sharing them with colleagues (except maybe at Union Health), since all of them got the same baklava trays and are doubtless wondering what to do with them.

Not dinner but I made the Bubble and Squeak. I made a very small batch with small gold potatoes, cauliflower, carrots, shallot, rosemary and parsley. We really liked it (DH said it tastes like thanksgiving) and leftovers have definitely been elevated by this.

Dinner will be salad after yesterday’s big burger.

Eric, maybe you could convince her to “visit” for a week or two? She might enjoy that and rethink your offer.

I forgot who said it, but someone (Burt Reynolds?) quipped "God invented kidney stones because men don't go through childbirth." Hope your MIL can get the rest of her stones blasted, Eric.

Brunch was French-style slow-soft-scrambled eggs with chives, and toast on the side. (From now on, you can assume all my breads are low-carb unless I confess otherwise).

Bob worked late tonight, and I didn't feel like cooking, so I heated half a can of Mediterranean clam soup (with beans & kale) and made myself a grilled cheese sandwich (Kerrygold cheddar) with grape tomatoes on the side. Hit the spot, considering the suddenly wintry weather. (2" of snow, turning to sleet and later rain). Nursing a cup of orange herb tea right now. Zoodles & shirataki tomorrow night with pesto and more tomatoes.

Our Whole Foods delivers.

Tonight will be a light dinner because of a late lunch.

Tomorrow night is chicken parm, salad and garlic bread

Carole: Sorry to hear about your neighbor dying. I'd be interested in his Giant Meatball recipe you were talking about. Also the artichoke heart casserole sounds delicious. Can you share that recipe too?

Yes Mae, I can smell the soup. Yum!!!

I have a can of black-eyed peas, but who knows from when. I dragged my feet about ordering dinner for tomorrow night--I'm hoping Bob can pick something up on his way home from work. I didn't even dream of going out today, COVID or not: the streets are just too icy. Tomorrow should be doable but they're predicting an ice storm for Friday. Anyway, Whole Foods had a sale on caviar (50% off!), and we have charcuterie & cheeses, so there will be something other than candy & cookies to go with the champagne.

Brunch today was a guacamole BLT. Dinner was pan-seared rockfish with capers, roasted asparagus & delicata squash. Funny (in retrospect) thing about the latter: instead of following a recipe, I decided to use my Sur La Table root veggie seasoning. The little box was open, but the ziploc packet appeared to be closed--it was folded over. I picked it up and shook it before opening...and it went everywhere! Yup, it was open at the bottom. And what do you think two of the ingredients were? Black pepper and turmeric. Three guesses what color my hoodie & jeans were. In between lint-rollering myself, vacuuming, and wet-Swiffering, I was sneezing like crazy. Thank goodness I was alone. My hoodie, while clean, now smells like the seasoning--so Happy will likely keep away till I get back into my PJs. (And I strained a pectoral muscle while sneezing). But dinner was good.

Illi, those look like matzo balls!

Had a big veggie & cheese omelet for brunch. Dinner was just delivered: 3-course Peking duck dinner (soup, stir-fry, and the buns & meat) from a local Cantonese BBQ, which was one of the few places delivering tonight after 8pm. (Bob doesn't expect to be home till at least 10, maybe 11pm--I'm keeping everything warm, but I did have some of the soup--there was a quart and a half). Price was surprisingly reasonable, considering it'll definitely serve two.

The difference is that instead of flour, matzo balls are made with matzo meal (finely ground matzos, sold in a box or canister, especially for Passover). They're mixed with seltzer, beaten egg (whites beaten separately & folded in), salt, oil or chicken fat, and (optional) onion & parsley; then simmered in water or chicken broth till they swell up and are cooked all the way through. Done right, they should be fluffy. They rarely turn out that well.

A friend brought me some of her delicious Mexican Black Eyed Peas. Because it's seriously FULL of pork sausage, I'll add that to my fresh beans tomorrow after they cook awhile with some extra celery, onions, tomatoes & green chilies. I love her dish, but I always wished it had more beans. Now I've got them,.

Dinner tonight was 1/2 a chicken breast cooked in wine & tarragon. Well I cooked three breasts - but the rest is for other delights. (fried rice coming up & likely chicken Florentine) I finally found the Bob Evans mashed sweet potatoes that I've been wanting to try, so that was my side. Really quite good. Because even the small package serves 4-5, I found recipes for both Sweet Potato Muffins and Sweet Potato Cornbread to use the leftovers. I'll probably try the muffins this time. But also found an interesting recipe for Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie - with lentils no less.

Some young friends sent a Harry & David gift basket. I'm enjoying my very favorite Royal Riviera Pears - one each night. Most of the sweet things I passed along to my nephew's family but I kept some of the salty snacks - like original sesame sticks. These are the nibbles I used to love in bars, when I used to go to bars, when bars were open, and when I was still smoking, and when you could smoke in bars. Whew - long ramble. That was 13 long years ago now but the sesame sticks are as good as I remembered.

11:30pm here and lots of fireworks since 10p. Useless to try to sleep.

HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone.

Oh Lacey, I’m sorry about your back. Hope 2021 brings you some relief.

Buffalo wings here tonight. Chicken wings in the oven air fryer were great. I’m liking it more and more. Tomorrow will be a ham with hoppin johh and sautéed spinach.

Happy new year my friends! Here’s to a better 2021

Lacey, here's another wish that 2021 is kinder and brings relief to your back pain. Your dh has definitely risen to the challenges of the kitchen.

Last night provided ample evidence that the fireworks business is profitable. The fireworks noise began at 9 pm and didn't stop until after midnight. It's always amazing to me that people can afford to spend that much money on fireworks. Those loud booms don't come cheap.

Dinner last night was oven fried catfish fillets and cauliflower mash.

Nance, you may inspire me to pull the air fryer out of the corner where it collects dust.

Minus, I will share the recipes as you requested.

Illi, your supermarket doubtless sells Manischewitz Matzo Ball & Soup Mix. Easy-peasy.

Brunch was just a fried egg--Bob had to high-tail it to work before the snow gets too deep. Hardly any up here on the N. Side, no freezing rain; but his hospitals are in the near-SW 'burbs, still Cook County. The forecast was revised to ice for just the far southern suburban counties (Kankakee, Will, Grundy). They took the brief interlude of rain out of our forecast--just snow, ending tonight with a little more tomorrow night.

Dinner will be last night's leftovers (Peking duck & caviar), plus whatever Bob gets at Panda Express' drive-through.

Fireworks here too, but not as many as in years past--expense? The fact that they're available only in WI & IN, which are COVID hotspots (at least as compared to Chicago) and require a 10-day quarantine upon return (or a negative COVID test in the case of WI) may have something to do with it, coupled with most people having exhausted their summer-fall supply.