Quarantine and chill and kindness chatty clubhouse: Jump in and join the conversation! All is welcome!

[Breezy_Carol]

Good Sunday morning.

Was awoken at 7:56 by a text message. (Retired people have no schedule.). My COVID test was negative.

Busy day today with cooking and family coming. Will get back later to answer questions.

Have a good day.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Thanks, Lynxstch! Wow that is COLD! Send some cool air West toward me and AuntieMe3, please!

Good to see you Owlpost.

Thank you for sharing, Carol, Praise God very good news on your test.

QOTD: What is/are your favorite soups?

Plain, very simple and reliable Campbell's Chicken Broth, Once a blue moon with some rice or noodles in it.

Happy Sunday, Everyone!

 

[lynxstch]

As part of the fall scavenger hunt, just have to share these pictures my very talented stepson has painted. He is selling them like crazy!

 

[PollyannaMom]

Lovely artwork, @lynxstch


Favorite soups:

Clam chowder - a lot of the restaurants around here make their own very yummy recipes. I think the best I’ve ever had was at bar in Hull. (I don’t even remember the name; our team payed darts against them years ago.)

Split pea - my mom used to make it from scratch when I was a kid. But even the canned stuff brings me back!

Tortellini Soup - this one I make, and it’s DS’s favorite. DH and I love it too.

And of course, good old chicken noodle.

 

[Breezy_Carol]

Church has been attended on Youtube. Chicken marinating and onions and peppers cut for fajitas. DH vacuumed. Now waiting for guests and watching last night's SNL.

QOTD 10/17: What was/were the coolest birthday cake(s) you ever had?
I can't remember any special cakes for myself. My mom always baked them when I was a child. Now pretty much al the cakes I make for the kids are Duncan Hines marble with home made chocolate frosting. There is one in the dining room now.

The most memorable cake I made for DS was when he was 2. I made a 9X13 cake and frosted it green with a chocolate roadway on it. Then I put some Matchbox trucks on it because he loved "big trucks". Before we cut it, he drove the truck all over the frosting.

QOTD: What is/are your favorite soups?
I like soup. My favorite is crab soup, either cream of crab/crab bisque or red Maryland crab soup.

 

[Snowysmom]

I am back from North Conway. We had a nice time. We drove up in the rain and drove back in rain then snow then rain. We did some walking to waterfalls and around Echo Lake as well as some shopping in the little shops in the Village. They have a 5 and 10 store which is just like the old days. We find lots of little stocking stuffers for the grandkids. Then there is a general store with food items and little homey type gifts. We found some new restaurants to try. We ate at an Italian restaurant, Vito Marcello's, and ate on the patio. At the end of the patio I saw a dog sleeping next to a table with 3 people at it. Then DH told me to look again. There was a horse there too! It stood so still it looked like a statue. Then the horse turned his head and looked around. The horse was gorgeous and well behaved. The owner of the restaurant came out to see the horse and talk with the owner. I am guessing it is not the first time they did this. So we had dinner with a horse nearby. I attached pictures of Mt. Washington on a good day with the cog railway track on the left, Echo Lake, Diana's Baths, and the snow we drove in at the top of the Kancamagus highway. We thought there was only 3 inches of snow but someone told us at one of the rest stops that it was 6 inches of snow that was compacting down to 3. Snow plows had to go by. It snowed until we got partway down towards Lincoln NH where it changed back to rain. It was pretty on the evergreen trees. I believe the top of the kancamagus it is 2855 ft elevation.

Today we are settling back in. Jasper is happy to be home. He was a good boy at the kennel. We technically have a trip to Disney next month but we may cancel and just look forward to our trip in May. I am not sure the effort of flying to get there, renting the car and driving around and then reversing it all to go home is worth the lesser experience right now. Lines are long, the little niceties are missing, and food options are not the best. I don't also think it is not worth the cost right now. We will probably take the time off but now have to find someplace else to go. Back to NH!

I hope everyone is having a nice weekend. It is around 55 here and sunny so a nice Fall day.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Wow, beautiful scenes, Lynxstch! Your stepson is indeed very talented!

That's funny, Carol. Twice a homemade frosting worked super well. Dad had an older James Beard cookbook with a chocolate frosting recipe in it. The first time he made it, oh my goodness, was that frosting tasty! It worked one other time but never again or since. Every other attempt, the frosting never thickened! Lol, some day should we ever have a dessert meet up, maybe I'll bring the recipe (remind me ) and some of you talented cooking folks could take a look at it to see whether you spot anything that could have led to the trouble!

Welcome home and back to our thread, Snowysmom! Sounds like a great getaway, I'm so glad. Pretty pictures, especially Echo Lake! looks so peaceful.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I am back from North Conway. We had a nice time. We drove up in the rain and drove back in rain then snow then rain. We did some walking to waterfalls and around Echo Lake as well as some shopping in the little shops in the Village. They have a 5 and 10 store which is just like the old days. We find lots of little stocking stuffers for the grandkids. Then there is a general store with food items and little homey type gifts. We found some new restaurants to try. We ate at an Italian restaurant, Vito Marcello's, and ate on the patio. At the end of the patio I saw a dog sleeping next to a table with 3 people at it. Then DH told me to look again. There was a horse there too! It stood so still it looked like a statue. Then the horse turned his head and looked around. The horse was gorgeous and well behaved. The owner of the restaurant came out to see the horse and talk with the owner. I am guessing it is not the first time they did this. So we had dinner with a horse nearby. I attached pictures of Mt. Washington on a good day with the cog railway track on the left, Echo Lake, Diana's Baths, and the snow we drove in at the top of the Kancamagus highway. We thought there was only 3 inches of snow but someone told us at one of the rest stops that it was 6 inches of snow that was compacting down to 3. Snow plows had to go by. It snowed until we got partway down towards Lincoln NH where it changed back to rain. It was pretty on the evergreen trees. I believe the top of the kancamagus it is 2855 ft elevation.

Today we are settling back in. Jasper is happy to be home. He was a good boy at the kennel. We technically have a trip to Disney next month but we may cancel and just look forward to our trip in May. I am not sure the effort of flying to get there, renting the car and driving around and then reversing it all to go home is worth the lesser experience right now. Lines are long, the little niceties are missing, and food options are not the best. I don't also think it is not worth the cost right now. We will probably take the time off but now have to find someplace else to go. Back to NH!

I hope everyone is having a nice weekend. It is around 55 here and sunny so a nice Fall day.

I would give this two Likes if I could! We love Echo Lake! I see the Old Man in the Mountain there! I saw on the news yesterday there was snow up there. That’s crazy! I’m glad you had a nice trip! As I’m reading this I have my Pine Incense going from one of the NH General Stores, which I love. It always brings me back. Too funny about the horse - that’s one of the things I like about being up there, things are a little more laid back then they are here.

QOTD: Soups. We love soups here! I make corn chowder a lot, my mother always made it and it reminds me of home. I’m the only one who likes clam chowder here so I don’t make it or it would go to waste. I often get one when we go out though, as @PollyannaMom said, there are so many good versions around here and having a steaming cup with oyster crackers and lots of pepper is a comfort food for me, and classic New England. We do make pea soup if we have a ham bone left over, chili, DH made a delicious chicken noodle soup the other day and we've been nibbling on that. A girl at work this week had made a “clean out the leftovers” soup and man, did it smell good! She had pasta and meatballs and veggies in there along with some beef broth. Yum.

We had a nice birthday celebration last night. It was chilly out but dry, so the fire was nice. We sat out with blankets for quite a while. We made a pitcher of espresso martinis before dinner - first time making them and they came out pretty good! Might do them a little differently next time but something to play around with. I have to buy some martini glasses but I have a nice pitcher. (Rubbermaid makes it and someone had given it to me.) Dinner got a little chaotic and we forgot the bread and salad, lol, but we’ll have those tonight. We have a pot roast in the crock pot, but I was just informed that DS and his girlfriend planned on bringing some Santarpio’s pizzas home as well. They have pizzas that are half-cooked that you finish cooking at home so they’re nice and hot and fresh. So we’ll have leftovers this week but we like them!

It is a beautiful, sunny fall day here. Have a nice Sunday, everyone!

 

[Breezy_Carol]

@Snowysmom , beautiful pictures but you can keep the snow.

 

[Snowysmom]

I forgot there are at least 2 Echo Lakes in NH. We were at the one in North Conway near Cathedral Ledge. There is one near Cannon Mt and where the Old Man in the Mountain used to be. I loved seeing the Old Man.

My favorite soup is just plain tomato made with milk. Takes me right back to childhood. I make 2 soups that I love, Pasta Fagioli and Chicken Enchilada soup. Tonight is pasta fagioli.

@Pea-n-Me Pot roast sounds so good. Do you put in all the usual veggies? I add potatoes, carrots, onions, and sometimes green beans and use the crock pot. The pizza sounds good too!

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Giving our thread an afternoon bump! Hope each of you are having a good afternoon indeed!

 

[lynxstch]

Turned out to be a very nice weather day, high of 68. It clouded over and looked like rain for a while, but the breeze had died down. I got the big brush pile in the garden burned down to the ground. One more thing off my list. I was so glad that I had put a roast, potatoes, carrots, onions and celery in an oven bag and put it in the oven around 4. Came in from cleaning up the garden, to a fully cooked dinner. Did a few dishes, let the crockpot from hubby's pea soup soak for awhile. My winter 'to do' list is almost done, I just have to work on the 'fall cleaning' one this week, lol. Hubby is watching the Packers game..I am going to sit and do nothing! Have a nice evening everyone!

 

[apirateslifeforme]

@Breezy_Carol, glad to hear your test was negative!

@Pea-n-Me, Happy Birthday to your kids!

@lynxstch, your stepson is very talented! Those paintings are beautiful!

@Snowysmom, I love your photos! I went to North Conway a LONG time ago, I think I was 18 or 19. Today DH suggested getting away for a long weekend next year for our 10th anniversary and he mentioned NH. Maybe I'll throw North Conway on the table and see what he says...

Nice weekend here, mostly. Josh had his soccer game and had a meltdown afterward because we wouldn't get him a Happy Meal. He slammed the bathroom door ON me - man, that hurt. He got sent to his room for a while for that. But he calmed down in plenty of time to go to the movie. There were only 2 other people in the theatre with us. We had to wear our masks the whole time and every other row of seats was blocked off with caution tape. We'd had to purchase our tickets online ahead of time and choose our seats, and when we got there we had to use the ticket podium, as they do not have anyone at the ticket counter. Nobody at the entry podium either to tear your tickets, which made us realize that people could literally just walk in without tickets at all. Guess we're all on the honor system now. Josh knows NBC by heart already, but he was happy to see it "big" and we sang along with all the songs. Today we visited at my in-laws' house and had a hard time getting him to do all the at-home assignments that are due tomorrow. But we finally got him to finish up, and tomorrow is also Picture Day. I hope he gives a "real" smile and not one of his stiff, fake smiles like we got last year...

With all the talk of birthdays:

QOTD 10/17: What was/were the coolest birthday cake(s) you ever had?

I don't really remember any particular cake, honestly. As a kid, I always wanted a Carvel ice cream cake (my birthday is in July). My favorite parts were the frozen whipped cream frosting and the little chocolate cookie crunchies separating the chocolate and vanilla ice creams. We had an actual Carvel store here in town and if I think about it, I can still smell it. We can still get Carvel ice cream cakes in the grocery store but they just aren't the same.

Now I like German chocolate cake (which I never get because nobody else in the house likes it), cherry or blueberry-topped cheesecake, and cannolis. I'd actually rather go to the Italian bakery and have everyone pick out what they'd like, instead of getting one cake that everyone has to eat.

This made me think of a QOTD if anyone wants to answer. What is/are your favorite soups? Do you like them to be homemade or just canned?

Never canned! They all taste like metal to me. My mom has lots of good recipes for homemade soup. I am looking forward to her clam chowder, chicken noodle, and cheeseburger soup this winter. She makes a stuffed pepper soup that is surprisingly good, and she recently made a white chicken chili that was more like soup and it was SO good!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I forgot there are at least 2 Echo Lakes in NH. We were at the one in North Conway near Cathedral Ledge. There is one near Cannon Mt and where the Old Man in the Mountain used to be. I loved seeing the Old Man.

My favorite soup is just plain tomato made with milk. Takes me right back to childhood. I make 2 soups that I love, Pasta Fagioli and Chicken Enchilada soup. Tonight is pasta fagioli.

@Pea-n-Me Pot roast sounds so good. Do you put in all the usual veggies? I add potatoes, carrots, onions, and sometimes green beans and use the crock pot. The pizza sounds good too!

That’s so funny, yes I was talking about the Echo Lake in Franconia Notch. The view in your picture looks a lot like the view from the lake of where the Old Man used to be!

@apirateslifeforme The cheeseburger and stuffed pepper soups sound really good! As does the pasta fagiole and essentially all of the others mentioned. I love soup. Has anyone made the Foster’s soups? They come in a bag ready to add chicken or whatever but they’re really good. And almost no sodium, which is amazing because many soups are so salty. My favorite of theirs to make is the chicken pot pie soup (or something like that). You can find these in some grocery stores, especially high end ones (where I don’t necessarily shop, but like to visit, lol), and they also have them online.

 

[Breezy_Carol]

We had a lovely evening with both kids and their spouses and the grandkids. DS and his wife got here in time to watch the Ravens game. I know DH was glad to watch with his son. DDIL and I talked knitting and such. DD came by and dropped off the dog before they wet to a mini-photo session. They came back and we had dinner. I made black beans with caramelized onions, homemade Mexican rice, marinated chicken, sautéed peppers and onions, and we had tortillas and made fajitas. Everyone liked it as we had not done this before. Very tasty. And each couple contributed 2 beers or ciders and DS oversaw our tasting before and during dinner. We gave DS and DDIL their birthday gifts. Then cake. DGD is totally in love with DDIL. DGD hardly spoke to me because she was so busy with her aunt.

I filled the dishwasher once and it is running. Still enough to refill when its done. I'm exhausted.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Hooray for doing nothing and relaxing, Lynxstch!

Apirateslifeforme, I have vague memories of an actual Carvel ice cream store eons and eons ago. ITA the supermarket versions are not very tasty. Happy all of you got to enjoy a movie treat. Yikes, sorry about how Josh acted! I hope pictures do go well tomorrow!

Snowysmom and Pea that is cool you both have memories of a shared lake

Carol, yay for a happy birthday celebration.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I love soup. Has anyone made the Foster’s soups? They come in a bag ready to add chicken or whatever but they’re really good. And almost no sodium, which is amazing because many soups are so salty. My favorite of theirs to make is the chicken pot pie soup (or something like that). You can find these in some grocery stores, especially high end ones (where I don’t necessarily shop, but like to visit, lol), and they also have them online.

I haven't, but I will look for them!

 

[sparkle78]

Heavenly Ham is the name of a store, very similar to Honeybaked Ham, which is where I actually went.
Mrs Grass soups in the blue box with the flavor bubble with added egg noodles were a staple in my house growing up.
Crab bisque is delicious ,more flavor than lobster. Those of you near OceanCity, I had it once at “ The Hobbit” restaurant on-a very special anniversary , scrumptious . Homemade soup - white chili - made with ground chicken,spinach,and cannoli beans
Birthday cake - as a Kid ,I loved bundt cakes with the swirl of cinnamon in the middle and homemade Carmel icing on top. As an adult, I got a mint choc chip ice ream cake with mint Oreos on top from Coldstone Creamery that was delicious
Grateful - for the rain yesterday, my kids at grandparents, watching football and getting an afternoon nap. Today having a job I love to go to, once I can convince myself to get out of my warm jammies to get dressed
Happy Monday everyone

 

[lynxstch]

Good morning everyone. Overcast now, temp is 50, but they say sun and warming back up to mid 70's for most of the week. I can't believe that the pile I burned yesterday is still sitting there smoldering, little puffs of smoke still coming out. But it's not bothering anyone, and it's not windy, so I am letting it be. Trying to talk myself into Fall cleaning the dining room, but the other half of me is trying to talk myself into doing nothing at least for the morning, I am still tired! Hubby is working from home, so I can't make a lot of noise anyhow, so maybe vacuuming and carpet shampooing should wait another day or 2? lol! Have a great Monday everyone!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I haven't, but I will look for them!

Why I always mess up the name, I have no idea.
It’s Frontier Soups. Here is an example of some. There are lots of flavors. PS These might make a
good gift idea for that hard-to-buy-for person or just to send to someone. Search around for more flavors and gift packs.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=frontier...11420257&tag=hydsma-20&ref=pd_sl_316u2ccw7f_e