So...whats for dinner?

Today I made an onion bread.

It's not "that closely measured" other than about 4 cups of flour. I proof a packet of yeast in a cup of warm water with a most of a tablespoon of sugar. Once the yeast seems good, I add that to the flour, along with around 1/2 cup of finely chopped onion, a teaspoon (measured by "guess") of salt and then knead the bread. I add water and knead the dough until the dough feels sticky but doesn't stick to my hands or the counter. Once I get the dough "feeling right", I knead it a bit more until the dough is smooth.

I let it rise once, then put it into a greased cookie sheet and flatten it out so it's about 1/2 to 1 inch thick, sprinkle a tiny bit of salt and a "fair amount" of dried rosemary onto the dough. I press the rosemary into the dough so it "sticks" in place. I bake it for 15 minutes at 400F, then lightly brush it with butter and bake it another 10 (more or less) minutes, still at 400F degrees, until the bread is done.

The two dogs were laying in front of the oven and Duffy (MIL's cat) was in a chair not far from the dogs. :-)

Last night was breaded and pan fried chicken breast fillets, flattened. One half chicken breast provided both fillets. Side was a no-recipe dish with large dice yellow squash, herb dressing mix, beaten eggs and chicken broth. Cooked in oven. Other side was a spinach salad with additions, dressed with sprinkled white balsamic and extra virgin olive oil.

I never use the standard breading process because I like a light breading. I apply a moistening agent, eggbeaters, mustard, mayo to make the breading stick. Last night I used mayo and fine seasoned bread crumbs.

Delicious dinner. Gin & Tonic while waiting for my ex-DH & wife. Hot bread. Cote de Rhone wine when they got there. He had a Scotch & she had a Baileys (before dinner.) There is an over 65 special before 6pm/ $36 with a choice of first course, mains & either a side or desert for $36.00 - although he has more money than god so... Still... Crab cakes appetizer outside the special. I had a wedge salad. 6 oz Filet. Creamed spinach. They both had the fillet with whipped potatoes & I brought home their mostly untouched potatoes along with my creamed spinach. We had coffee but by 7pm it was way too noisy to stay for dessert since we couldn't hear each other think. Next time we'll eat at 4pm instead of 5pm.

I started the potato-leek soup this morning.....and ate it tonight. It's good, but I did add an extra bit of salt.

MIL is home. Sharon drove her home in our car and I drove her cat and "cat gear" home in MIL's car.

About 10 seconds after we left MIL's house in our car, we had some car problems. Sharon was driving and said the care "felt funny", so she pulled to the side of the street and got out to check for a flat tire. The tires were fine, but the left front wheel had almost completely fallen off the car and it was no longer in a position allow the car to be steered. Fortunately, we were only doing about 3mph, so there wasn't any excitement. Had we been on a highway and traveling at normal speeds.....

A bolt that holds the wheel in the proper position was missing (fallen off).

Eric, did you have a spare bolt, or was roadside assistance able to bring one? Scary stuff indeed.

We're in for gale-force winds tonight (60-70 mph, straight-line, but still capable of blowing down power lines & uprooting trees). Have flashlights & power banks at hand, and all mobile devices (plus this laptop) are fully-charged. That's the price for having 60-degree temps in winter.

Obviously not grilling tonight. Gonna pan-sear the sablefish I bought yesterday (HK is off tomorrow so she won't be bothered by the smell), and saute snap peas and broccolini. Bob will have that pansit should he want a starch.

The car was towed. The tow truck operator used a temporary bolt that "sort of fit", which was good enough to roll the car onto the flat bed truck, but not good enough to drive off. The bolt is a special one that is specific to this make-model and year of car (not a generic auto parts store part) and the dealers are out of stock everywhere in the state. They said, if they are lucky, one will arrive tomorrow, but said to not be surprised if it doesn't arrive until Friday.

Dinner tonight was...nothing...neither of us felt like eating. Tomorrow was the music jam, but one person is having severe allergies. This time of year is a horrible time for allergies, especially after a windy evening like we had last night.

Chi...we had 50 mph winds last night, and it rained a lot too, but that's a lot less than the 70mph there. If I recall correctly, compared to a 50mph wind, a 70mph wind is about "twice as strong" as far as the forces that the lines have to withstand.

Eric, so sorry on the car drama. I hate cars and houses...and sometimes, the human body---too much maintenance.

I broiled a sockeye with pastrami seasoning, reheated a leftover sweet potato and nuked some frozen brussels sprouts. Tomorrow will be leftover salmon, steamed broccoli and a caramelized onion socca.

Hello all. Eric glad you weren't going fast!

Update : My brother, Mel, passed away the day after Thanksgiving. His caregiver, a wonderful caring person, got my sister on the phone while the priest was there giving last rites ( as Mel requested when we saw him in August. ) His friends that live in Cathedral City, took care of emptying his apartment according ti his wishes. We are blessed they could do so. Other than a few mementos, they had both his and our permission to take, give away, or toss all. They had that done by Dec 1, so we wouldnt have to pay another month rent. He was cremated, and we will be attending to his wishes. We are planning a memorial mass in January for family and friends in WI. His friends in CA planned a small funeral there, last week.

My DD1 really stepped up to the plate for Thxgvg. I did the turkey and dressing, mashed potatatos and she did everything else that wasnt bought. With the drrsding outside the bird, I took the skin from the bottom of the bird before cooking, put it, the tail, and the neck on top of the casserole. It was as moist as being in the bird! My DD2 is trying to complete 2 school papers, work, take care of 2 kids, 1 of whom is in a Nutcracker performance and practicing often, and her DH who is recovering from surgery, so she just showed up. LOL. My DH is usually babysitting daily, as the sx case cant chase the 2 year old, or drive, so while DD2 works, hes doing the school and dance pickup and dropoff routine and getting them dinner. Ayeyeye! So life is quiet here, because this daughter has my car, due to the accident, so Im home.Im also subbing for the aqua arthritis class, as the teacher went to her kids house in TN and got sick on the way home. Its ALWAYS something. On the plus side, because they cant hire enough people at the Y, they upped the start pay to 15$. And that means the people on staff git bumped to $20 . LOL. Kinda cool. LOL My sister, hauls my *ss to class. LOL. Payback to the month she had my car. LOL

Ive had to go back to cooking family kid friendly meals, as her kids are getting picky., so when I make something its not soup, but the usual carby casseroles we grew up on. Sigh. LOL i did stuffed peppers though with a lot of cheese they at least ate the filling.and i cut the peppers the long way in half, so its not wasted as much.

We will have ham fir christmas. Menu still being planned, DD2 works xmas,xmas eve, NY and NY eve. DS2 works 3rd shift. DGD2 has a sleepover on the 30th, for her only clise friend. Sime where in there we will have our Celebration.

The wind is howling so bad right now, but yet it was 60 degrees today. Weird.

Supper was Aldis Manicotti, with a jarred sauce and a small salad. It was pretty good!

Much love to all

Thawing out a grass-fed ribeye for dinner, which I'll grill and serve with sauteed broccolini and a nuked sweet potato. Made avocado toast with an olive-oil-fried egg for brunch.

moon - so sorry about the loss of your brother, I can relate - it is still hard and it has been 13 years. Sounds like you are busy, but coping - I hope things calm down a bit for you soon.

carole - I laughed at the "no response" from your DH on the weekly cooking proposal. We just took over the small Traeger from DD, she has a full size one on her lanai. She mostly used the little one camping but she just got a new jet boil type stove that is more compact and much lighter. DH decided to test drive the newly inherited baby Traeger with a Boston butt for pulled pork. I am not a fan of the smoky taste from pellets, only true wood smoke for me - so we have a lot of pulled pork that only he is eating, lol!

Dinner last night was skinless/boneless chicken breasts dredged in GF bread crumbs and pan cooked until almost done, then topped with some marinara and DF shredded mozzarella and popped into the oven. While that was happening I sauteed some fresh spinach. Very yummy! Tonight is thin ribeyes, roasted butternut squash with cinnamon, and some riced cauliflower cooked with chicken broth, scallion, and red pepper flakes. I was fairly successful with our T-Giv meal, as far as staying with the eating plan, and have been giving some thought to Christmas dinner. I usually do a standing rib roast, but the sides are potentially problematic. I think I can do a russet and sweet potato gratin with the DF cheese - it seems to do better when baked. Steamed broccoli with lemon olive oil, roasted carrots, and maybe some sort of salad. Dessert - may try an alternative flour/flourless situation - not sure yet. Also a problem is the traditional sticky buns and peach bellinis with present opening on Christmas morning, but I will figure that out. Maybe we will open on Christmas Eve and just skip the whole morning thing since there are no little ones expecting Santa. Well maybe DD, but she's 32. Lol!

eric - glad the car thing was not any worse - sheesh! Also glad that your MIL is on the mend, hope it sticks this time, y'all have been through it!

Hi Moon....Adding to the condolences for your brother, Mel.

While in college, I had a "Fry-Baby" and used it for french fries. I wasn't yet skilled enough to try anything else in it. French fries, hamburgers, baked potatoes, bacon and eggs were my "limit". I had learned to make sure the oil is *HOT* before starting. Sometime if I have some oil, I'll have to try the "start cold" method. I do have, in storage, a cast iron deep fryer with the basket, so...maybe after we move.

So far, so good, for MIL. This time, her c-diff treatment is a different antibiotic (vancomycin) and is going for much longer than (don't remember which antibiotic) what she was taking before. Hopefully there will be no more recurrences for her.

Carole, "No response"??? To me, that seems strange, but then I like to cook.

Fry-Baby? Boy, does that take me back! When Bob was in grad school (and I in law school), we had one in the tiny kitchen of our UW student-housing apt. We had a dorm-size fridge (with a freezer just big enough for an ice tray and a couple of popsicles) and a crummy coil-type electric range with a quirky oven. Barely any counter space--the blender, toaster and percolator pretty much took up the entire counter opposite the dish drainer. I don't think I ever made anything except egg rolls in it.

For 20 years here, we used a DeLonghi RotoFryer. Convenient, but draining the oil was a major PITA. Replaced it with a freestanding no-name air fryer that didn't see much use, and is now enshrined in my Basement Museum of Obsolete Small Appliances. When we need to air-fry, we use our Breville SmartOven Air--works way better than the air-fryer did. Only downside is we need to put a small foil pan beneath the airfry basket to keep grease from dripping on the lower elements.

Eric, I got a chuckle from your kitchen description. I remember the Fry Baby but did not own one. I seldom deep fry and do not own a fryer except an air fryer. I favor pan frying with just enough oil to coat the bottom, often a blend of butter and oil. The basket would be great for the cold oil method. I used a spider scoop which worked fine.

Last night's dinner was Same Song, Different Verse. I used the rest of the cooked spiral pasta in a shrimp and veggie large skillet dish. The veggies were the remaining tiny asparagus dh bought for his dish and yellow squash. Also fresh spinach at the last minute. The cheese was fresh grated asiago. Putting the dish together was quick, no more than twenty minutes since shrimp and veggies were prepped.

Tonight we're meeting another couple at a nearby upscale restaurant known for its steak dinners and seafood dinners. Our friends have a gift certificate and wanted to "spend" it. We haven't been there in a few years because it is popular and crowded and also pricey. When we opted for pricey, we went other places. There is no shortage of good food for high prices on the North Shore and apparently no shortage of people able and willing to pay the prices.

Minus, I meant to tell you that there’s a see’s pop up store in rice village. I went yesterday and got my supply for the season 😁

Now I will have to google this candy. Our previous neighbor sent us some Irish toffee w/ pecans last year and it is too dangerous to keep in the house.

I spoke too soon on the no reaction to my booster. Drat. As with the last arm shot, my armpit is swollen and beyond painful. I should have stuck to my guns and insisted on the thigh. Sigh. A few oral sores that aren't too horrible (this was common with the first round but strange that it didn't happen till the booster) and the queasy tummy. The tummy is better today. We'll see how long the armpit lasts. If these boosters will become routine, I'll have to figure out a willing thigh injector. At least I didn't lose hearing in the shot side or get the really bad numbness, so that's something. Onward!

Last night I made scrambled eggs to go with our leftover socca w/ caramelized onions. Sauteed some broccoli with shiitake mushrooms for a side.

Tonight will be refried bean nachos.

The winds and rain are back. Reminds me we live in the PNW. Droughts seem to fool us here.

Too bad I am not a skier. TONS of snow in the passes. I love snow. Hopeful for a dusting at least once for the year.

Moon, I am so sorry for the loss of your brother. May his memory be a blessing.

Editing to add: just googled the candy. I'm safe. I can eat any nut except almonds (cross reaction with birch pollen).