So...whats for dinner?

Yes. All done with that. Both of us have felt better than we do right now.

eric - oh no! The good news, the malaise doesn’t last long. Hope you both feel better quickly.

auntie - as does my front, lol! I’m a fleepin’ road map

Me too... I feel like I am getting a man cold! :-) And, my ears are ringing ????. I'm guessing though that this "blah" feeling is far less bothersome than the irritation caused by the excisions and sutures! That's got to be a problem when sitting down to relax or to drive.

WC3 - yay for nearby kabobs, all of that food sounds good to me!

eric - hope your SE from the shot are dunzo quickly and your ears stop ringing! Ugh! How is Sharon? The incisions I have are far enough over on the shoulder that driving is ok - not that I am going anywhere, lol! The worst is trying to find a comfy sleeping position since I am a side sleeper, but it is better now that the stitches are out. I have a reprieve until the end of the month when the derm removes the residual spot. Fortunately it will be smaller than the original wide excision. I had three done in this two week span approach a few years ago and they were mid-back - that was definitely more challenging. Also totally ridiculous to try and bandage myself - I used a new and sterilized pair of lizard feeding tongs to position the bandage and barely stick it on, then a small towel rubbed over the spot to really attach it. Removing a bandage was like being a contortionist. First world problems.

Good suggestions, Eric.

Last night's dinner was pork steak cooked on the stove in a cast iron grill skillet with a side of navy beans and brown rice heated together in another skillet. Thankful for a stovetop! I had intended to make a salad but got lazy.

chisandy - was that the Tyson's Corner location of Fogo de Chao? That area is full of people with more money than sense. Sounds like a shopping score with the chairs - yay! When I have an ink mishap I usually somehow get it on my face

Dinner tonight was angus cheeseburgers on flatbread buns - because that is what I had - but DH struggled with his, I think his bites are too big. The flatbread bun works better if you do more of a nibble. We also had seasoned skinny fries baked in a hot oven. The lemon coconut cake is finally gone, but the neighbor who had her birthday lunch last week brought over several slices of Dulce de Leche cake that her Dallas based daughter ordered for her locally. She is just finishing up her residency in ER medicine in a couple of months but couldn't get home for mom's b-day. The cake came from a specialty cake bakery a couple of miles from here - OMG, if you looked up sinful in the dictionary this cake would be pictured. It was so good, and so bad, all at the same time.

Linner was lightly "fried rice" (actually natural grains mix with rice, bulgur wheat, barley, wheat berries, red rice, oats & Quinoa) with fresh asparagus cut in 2" piece, fresh mushrooms and leftover pork loin sliced thin & short.

I won't bore you with the house reconstruction recap other than to say - I haven't killed myself, I haven't burned down the house but boy do I wish I were still a smoker.

I came across this picture and was reminded of the conversation about Katie’s Seafood in Galveston. I took this picture back in 2009 at the fish market in Galveston

Very cool photo, love it!

Freezer-foraged, and came up with a frozen ground beef patty. So I thawed, seasoned & grilled it--as a cheeseburger on a keto bun (which tasted just like a regular white bun; might use one for a lobster roll). Half-sour pickle as my veggie (besides the onion & tomato on the burger). A bit later, made a grilled cheese sandwich (it was National Grilled Cheese Day).

chisandy - the Legal Sea Foods in the Galleria closed in 2018, and while I have not seen it, there is now a food hall - wondering if it is in the same space?

Tonight will be a pork roast with Greek potatoes (trying a new recipe that gets them crispy) and Brussels sprouts - I have a bag left from Easter. Considering Ina Garten's sprouts slaw recipe with a mustard dressing. I also have a bag of asparagus left but can't get DH to eat it, so maybe I will try some kind of asparagus salad recipe for lunch. They are skinny so won't be too much.

eric - I haven’t tried this recipe yet but will sure report back after I do. It seems to be a mix of seasoning - which is lemon juice, olive oil, chicken or vegetable stock, garlic, dried oregano, and salt - and technique. This recipe calls for combining all of the seasoning ingredients in a roasting pan and tossing the wedged potatoes with the mixture. Roast for 45 mins at 400 F, turning the potatoes at the half way point. The potatoes should have absorbed most of the stock but olive oil should remain. The potatoes are then removed to a sheet pan to continue roasting for another half hour. They can be drizzled with any oil from the roasting pan, but it may need to be skimmed off the top if there is stock remaining as well, but keep the original roasting pan with the garlic and place it in the oven with the sheet pan for last 5-10 mins at the end of the additional roasting time. The stock should reduce and whatever is left can be drizzled over the potatoes for serving.

This seems fairly labor intensive but I’m such a potatophile I will prob follow these instructions closely. The author (Recipe Tin Eats) seems to have done a lot of experimentation to refine this version. I can post the exact seasonings if you would like - but can give a better assessment tomorrow, lol!

eric - Redneck potatophile, lol! I love it! That is me with a tomato - just a 'mater and a salt shaker - my whole life.

Edited for a potato report - Greek potatoes were delicious but I think the recipe calls for too much olive oil. I was surprised the potatoes were not more crispy and browned despite the high oven temp and fairly long cooking time, and I feel like less oil would have provided a lighter coating that would have allowed more browned edges. Will modify next time but I will definitely make them again.

Eric, I'm envious. You're living in eggplant heaven. I grew up eating fried eggplant, which I love but do not cook because of the oil absorption and fat/calories. Peel, slice into rounds, season, dip into egg, coat with bread crumbs or flour, fry in hot oil until crisp. My mother made this and it's served in old-fashioned southern restaurants. Some of the best I've ever eaten was at the Dinner Bell in McComb, MS, which enjoyed local fame. Seating was at large round tables, family style. An inner raised circle held the huge dishes of food and could be spun around. The meal was a fixed amount. I took my mother there several times and she raved about the eggplant.

Another popular dish was eggplant casserole. Peel and dice the eggplant, boil until tender, drain and mix with browned ground beef cooked with onion, garlic, green pepper. I don't remember whether bread crumbs were an ingredient. Spoon into casserole dish and cook in oven. My mother cooked this dish, too.

Our dinner last night was very good, worthy of a photograph but I didn't bother to take one. A helping of eggplant lasagna, roasted asparagus, and a romaine salad. DH and I both savored the meal after a day of being mindful of WW points. I am eating mostly foods on a "free foods" list. Eggs, veggies, fruit, Greek yogurt plain and 0 percent fat. So far, early in the process, I'm satisfied. I'm pleased that dh is taking an interest in determining the "points value" of his meals.

When I was still eating all the carbs I wanted, I used to make Greek potato salad: parboiled baby red potatoes sliced and tossed in a dressing of lemon juice, olive oil, salt, garlic, dill, oregano & finely minced scallions. I was replicating the potato salad from the deli at the Treasure Island supermarket chain, which went under a few years ago.

Last night I had half a Quest four-cheese cauliflower-crust pizza, to which I added diced poblanos, pimentos, the "heel" of an heirloom tomato, and the top leaves I pinched off my hydroponic basil. Landscaper is here as we speak--planting outdoor herbs: parsley, dill, cilantro, and more basil (in anticipation of the tomatoes we'll start container-growing in May). He thinks my rosemary is struggling and may augment it. Thyme, mint & strawberries are growing like wildfire. I found a couple of tiny patches of chives growing among all the wild onions (which latter plant is not just invasive but inedible). He's thinning out the mint lest it completely take over. I decided against bell peppers because I never had much luck with it. But we have much more sun in the backyard now that we had our ailanthus removed last fall and our next-door neighbors got rid of their ailing pin-oak over the winter so they could build a new garage.

I have a mani-pedi tomorrow, so dinner tonight will be nuked frozen hot wings with celery & carrot sticks & blue cheese dressing (plus my Middle Eastern dips). It's a tradition for me the night before a manicure, because I needn't worry about the inevitable orange-stained cuticles that come from eating hot wings.