So...whats for dinner?

My mom would soak canned hams in water. She would keep it in the refrigerator and change the water a couple of times a day. I guess it was sort of a "reverse brining". :-)

On the BMI, I guess it's a "just right" kind of thing.

C

I like the snowman, Mae. Growing up, I got to make two and both were that size.

11 months for the 'fridge? Wow. I hope mine continues to work, or that I can continue to keep it working.

Moon, hoping you quickly feel better.

Tonight is 1/2 chicken (I used the other 1/2 for the butter ball soup) roasted with mixed veggies (mini rainbow potatoes, sweet potatoes chunks, carrots, Brussels sprouts, red and white pearl onions and garlic clove halves.

I also love chicken! It looks wonderful. Special, congrats on finally getting the fridge! Yeesh on that time frame. Puts perspective on the mailguy refusing to deliver our packages the last 2 days because of a little snow. Wussies out there.

I did end up boiling it; Auntienance, it was that ham you mentioned--the master carver masterpiece ham. I think it is 890 mg of sodium for 3 oz. Even after boiling, it tasted mighty salty, but mighty tasty. I've oven roasted ham and must say, this is a much "plumper" and more tender outcome. This may be my new way to make it. We don't especially like a lot of sweet with savory, so no coating/glazes is fine by us. Served it with the beans and we had enough cole slaw leftover from a few nights ago. Tomorrow will be a hodge-podge of leftovers.

My treat was a small pour of Jepson brandy that I purchased 11 years ago, when we first moved here. I've yet to see another bottle sold anywhere on line.

Boiled ham was the preference in my family. My mother bought a "boiling ham" which is the shoulder, bone in. I seldom see them now. The boiled ham definitely tastes different, better in my opinion. The boiled ham is very juicy whereas baked ham can be dry. DH grew up with decorated and glazed baked ham. A number of times he made a big baked ham for family holiday dinners. The "decoration," pineapple slices and red cherries, were popular but my mother didn't like the cloves. He used what seemed like hundreds of them.

The nearest Rouses Supermarket had a supply of corned beef yesterday so I will be cooking a corned beef with cabbage and carrots and potatoes. Also black-eyed peas, Camellia brand, with ham. Steamed brown rice. I may haul out the multi cooker to pressure cook the corned beef. Black-eyed peas cook more quickly than other dry beans.

I turned off my reading light about 10:00 last night, went to sleep and was not awakened by fireworks. Same for dh. He pointed out that we had the bedroom window closed because of the warm temperature and need for a/c. This time of year normally it would be cool enough for an open window.

Interesting information about bmi. I'm definitely not in the danger category.

I, too, love roasted chicken. That picture is beautiful.

Happy New Year to all my foodie friends. Hoping for good meals and health to enjoy them in 2022.

I love the textured stainless steel refrigerator - no fingerprints!

i have only boiled bone in hams and you are right Carole, shoulder hams are hard to find these days. I almost never bake ham. If it must be glazed, I make a brown sugar mixture (a copycat Honey Baked recipe) and kitchen torch the outside until it's melted. The ham is then served at room temperature or just slightly warmed. I only ever glaze if it needs to look pretty for some reason — that is someone other than the two of us is going to be looking at it.

My new favorite way to roast chicken is in a cast iron skillet on a bed of onions and lemons, recipe courtesy of Ina Garten. Nothing makes a kitchen smell better.

I'm off to make hoppin john to go with the previously mentioned ham, mustard greens and cornbread.

Happy New Year my friends! Wishing you all good health, and happiness

Happy New Year! There were neighborhood fireworks all around us but due to the heavy fog all we could see were the occasional colored flashes of light. We watched the city's official display (Ch.9 had the stuff along the river, Ch. 5 on the lake & Navy Pier), but the fog & drizzle sort of blurred the "bombs bursting in air." It was supposedly the biggest fireworks display in the city's history--so I guess after spending all that $ the sponsors couldn't afford the drones other cities (like NYC's Macy's July 4th display) have. From 11 pm on we gathered round the den TV (which no longer has satellite because after the box died, DirecTV has failed to replace it) and channel-surfed cable. But we noticed that digital cable, at least on RCN, had audio & video wildly out of sync.

I've never seen Jepson brandy, but around Chicago, Jepson's "Malort" is a sacrament. The trope "You may be a Chicagoan if..." includes drinking and even holding a degree of reverance for the stuff. Well, I've lived in Chicago almost 44 years--and at our particular address, longer than I've lived in any other city. But I can tell you Malort is vile. It's gross, disgusting and bitter, originally made as a "digestif" (like Fernet Branca or Jägermeister) after a large meal to intimidate your gut into behaving itself, I promise--just no more of that stuff!" Remember that Jägermeister ad campaign of about 20 years ago with billboards & full-page magazine ads featuring twentysomethings grimacing as they hold up a just emptied cordial glass? Yeah, it's that bad. Downing shots of Jäger is somehow a rite of passage into adulthood--and shots of Malort as an expression of Chicago pride. No thank you--I will instead express my Chicago-ness by dipping my Italian beef (our fast-food variation on French dip) and topping it with hot giardineria, and condemning ketchup on hot dogs. I prefer to spend my limited "alcohol allowance" on stuff that tastes wonderful, thank you very much!

Making Bob (who just got up after sleeping in as his weekend off begins) fried eggs atop corned beef hash with peppers & onions. I had a keto waffle (Birch Benders) with Lakanto faux-maple syrup. Pretty good, actually.

Moon - keeping you in my thoughts.

Fireworks from 10:30 until after 2:30 this morning. At least my immediate neighbors stopped by 1:30am. Carole - I hear you about the A/C. 84 degrees today. Supposed to be 34 tonight. And in my part of the city, only 44 Sunday w/29 tomorrow night. Really weird - 84 to 34. I've hauled in all the plants I can & watered the rest. Old blankets retrieved from the attic will go down later.

I like the ham discussion. I sort of quit eating ham because of the sodium/sale but maybe I'll try boiling. Just wasn't hungry last night so made do with guacamole, date bread, the last Comice pear, and later in the evening - some macaroni w/butter. Tonight I'll broil the second set of lobster tails. Tomorrow I'll cook the turkey tenderloins since it will be cold enough to have the oven on.

Lacey - hope you are OK and just busy with all the cute grandchildren.

Ah, I remember a CA alembic (double-distilled in copper) brandy a few years back: Germain-Robin. Delightful, IIRC. There's a German alembic brandy, Asbach-Uralt. The distillery was our very first stop--literally after being picked up at the Frankfurt airport--on my first trip to Europe, with a wine merchant and his rookie salesman. It was suppoaed to have been 30 of us, in a bus--but one by one people dropped out. When I called the travel agent about getting my deposit back, she told me the merchant was still going because it would be partly a wine-buying trip. So instead of 30 people in a bus, it was the three of us in a Mercedes (which I never had to drive because it was a stick-shift), and we got comped nearly everywhere we went--including lodging. Even got to do a barrel-sample tasting of Nahe/Rheinhessen rieslings--and I was listed as one of the day's wine critics in Essen und Trancken magazine.

No Regalia tonight--the owner is closing at 8 because just about all reservations were cancelled due to the snow. He said (at 6:40) he could take us if we came by 7pm, but I told him it wouldn't be fair to keep the place open just for us--so he & the staff should be able to go home and celebrate the New Year with their loved ones. We'll go Wed. night--they're closed tomorrow, Bob has office Mon. night, and wants to bring home takout from Chez Joel Tues. after he wraps up his day at Union Health. Tomorrow night I'm thinking of going to L.Woods (WI-style lodge "supper club") for whatever is on Sun. special...or the Fred Flinstone-size beef ribs if they have them.

We'll have last night's leftover nibbles as dinner tonight. Even that half-portion of corned beef hash & an egg, followed by a breve cappuccino, was very filling. Bob is very happy to stay home and watch football & movies to his heart's content.

Celia - sounds wonderful.

Happy New Year to everyone at the table.

If anyone's still in touch with Laurie - like on Facebook - tell her thanks for starting this thread - soon going on 11 years ago.

Wally, I was going to say "Screech," but though it's widely available in NS, the distillery is in Newfoundland. (It's also mentioned in "Come From Away," and when we saw it on B'way the theater's bar served it). One of our best friends--who passed away suddenly 21 years ago--always brought a bottle of it to our NYE parties and we all toasted with it after the champagne. (Many a party ended after daybreak with me stepping over snoring bodies on the floor).

How is everyone here (on BCO) in the PNW and upper Midwest faring after the "Game of Thrones" weather event? Went to bed with the "lake effect" dumping another inch atop the 4" we already had (far less than predicted); awoke to find our landscaper's crew had come out and shoveled our sidewalk, steps, path to the garage, and alley entrance "apron." So we can go out to dinner tonight.

Last night we finished the opened caviars (I used a cookie-cutter to make toast rounds from my low-carb whole wheat bread), hummus & babaghannouj, and made a significant dent in the remaining supply of crudites. Meanwhile, Bob just bundled up and headed to Beard & Belly around the block for brunch--if he can't bring me back quiche he'll call me. Plan B if Beard & Belly is closed is Susupuato next door--I told him just bring me stuff I can eat, like carnitas, carne asada or shrimp, transferring it to my own low-carb tortillas. If Beard & Belly is open but is out of quiche, I will just make do with what I have. Just no poutine, please--that stuff is GROSS.

ChiSandy - Went out last night and shoveled around my son's car (he had to work at 4am so I thought I'd be nice, plus I didn't want him to have to do any shoveling at 3am), the driveway, path for my dog to walk as he doesn't like the snow, there was about 2 inches. It was light and fluffy, so I didn't have any issues with my arms, it was a good workout. Woke up to about another 2 inches, much less than what was expected. It was very pretty though.

Is Beard And Belly part of Honeypie? Was at our local HoneyPie this morning.

Today's dinner menu is leftover pork, probably just shred it all and throw in some bbq sauce; some homemade mac and cheese for my son and a friend and a salad for me.

DH made beef stew, extra good on a chilly night.

Mae, we are on the same page for dinner although I made vegetable beef soup! Hot lunches for the week.

Yay Nance. Maybe we can round up Illimae for lunch too. And maybe the COVID spike will recede.

Had the carbonara with the Vital Farms eggs. What's not to love about cheese, eggs and pasta. Cat is angry that we're out of ham. I mean, reeeally angry and letting us know it.

Leftovers tomorrow. Probably won't reheat as well, but can't imagine it tasting bad. A glass of Malbec.