The What's For Dinner Thread - March '11 (recipe index in OP)

[bigmerle1966]

What part of Kansas are you going to? The border is only about 50 miles south of me. Personally, Kansas (I hope there are no Jayhawks here - if so I'm sorry) is dreadful to me. Nothing but dirt and tumbleweeds. The Eastern part is sort of pretty but the western half is so desolate. Just sayin!!

We are going to a college close to Kansas City. If I had more time I would visit. I have family in KC, and all over MO for that matter, and won't have have time to visit them either. Unfortunately most of them live 45 minutes to an hour away from 70 and I haven't seen them in a long, long time. Really don't want to do the 'Hi, nice to see you, Bye" thing. And there are some I have no wish to see, cause seeing them would mean going all Vickie on someone.

My BFF really left this until the last minute and luckily was able to get an appointment to visit. They have to have a decision in the next week or so on where her son is going to go.

We are going to take a little time to see the arch in St. Louis Sunday morning, that is where we are staying Saturday night. I was going to try and push it to where we are going but that would have really been a little much. It's 18 hours from here to there with no stops, more like 20 to 21 keeping the stops as quick as possible.

Marilyn, I HATE the fact that the insurance company has more control over our health than our doctor!!

It is absolutely ridiculous! I am going to call when I get back and argue it. While my acid reflux is fine on the OTC, my stomach is not. It just hasn't felt right since I started taking it. I ran out 2 weeks ago and have been using the Target OTC. The store brand has all this other stuff added to it which I am pretty sure the precription does not. The OTC is a caplet and the precription is a capsule.

I can't believe some of y'all get snow this late Is that the norm?

Well they are calling for us to have flurries this weekend and it sure is not the norm here. It's gone from nice weather to downright frigid this week.

It's cheaper...for the insurance companies.

For sure!

Dinner tonight will be whatever I can find. I have packing, cleaning and sewing to do.

 

[Glynis]

Robin, Alexis is anything but excited! The closer it gets the more worried she gets! I'm really hoping that once he is here, she will love him. Obviously this is all my fault. She is most worried about me giving the baby all of my attention & that I "won't love her anymore" !!

Sheryl - Tell Alexis that something magical happens when a baby is born. Grandma's hearts grow bigger and bigger so that Alexis's place in your heart stays exactly the same size, but now there is a new part that the baby will get. Hearts are magical that way!

Seriously, Katie was the same way when the twins were born. She was only 2 when Jacob was born, so she didn't really know enough to be jealous. But with the twins, she was 5. We had "birthday" presents to Katie (and Jacob) from the twins that she got to open at the hospital. That helped a lot. Alan also took both her and Jacob for some special bonding time while I was in the hospital with the twins.

 

[HERSEY]

good morning!

WFD is homemade fish sticks and peach cobbler for dessert. I need to decide on the side for the fish sticks probably mac n cheese and something green.

I'll post the recipe for the fish sticks if it turns out well.

Glynis have you seen the new Food Network mag? They have "dirt" made with olives. It looks like the perfect April Fool. I am thinking of someway to put that in our dinner plans. They sprinkled it over the salad. Mr A just likes lettuce no dressing so I am not sure how that would work with him.

I better get off this computer and get my day started. I need to loose this cold that is determined to hang on for dear life. I want it gone already.

 

[Aimeedyan]

Happy Saturday! It's very warm here (80+) but DH was determined to work on the yard anyways so we did the flowerbeds and planted some flowers. It looks pretty but I'm really just not a wilderness girl. I hate dirt, grass, heat, bugs, etc.

If I can get my hands on some fresh basil, we'll have Thai Basil Chicken over jasmine rice tonight.

 

[liamsaunt]

Hi Ladies. So now I feel bad. John went to the doctor yesterday and he does not have a MOLD, he is really sick! The doctor is not sure if it is just a sinus infection or sinus infection coupled with strep, we are waiting for labs to come back. He has to take 3,000 mg of amoxicillin every day! I have never heard of taking that much before. Hopefully he will feel better soon.

So of course for my misdiagnosis I have been pampering him Last night he just wanted pasta because his throat was so sore. I made a really simple spaghetti with parmesean, peas, and black pepper:

Today he asked for fish so I am making seared halibut with meyer lemon gnocchi and roasted asparagus. I am also making homemade soft pretzels for later tonight at his request.

Hope you are all enjoying the weekend!

 

[HERSEY]

Well Doctor Becky I am sorry to laugh. At least you and your patient will be eating well. Of course in your defense if John was feeling worse instead of better after a few days he should have taken himself into the doctor sooner.

I tried my grandmothers remedy for a head cold and I seem to be getting better. She would have us breath in some steam from either the shower or a warm pot of boiling water. It was her version of a netty pot. I manged to scrap enough energy to do 2 loads of wash, clean the floors and the bath rooms. Actually that is mroe energy then I usually have

 

[TigerKat]

We had Shery's Nana shower today. It was so much fun and we managed to surprise her!

Ellen – I’m sure y’all will have a great weekend with Ethan!!

Sheryl – I’m hoping Alexis falls in love with the baby as soon as she sees him. Enjoyed our time together today. I think we actually surprised you!!

Laura – Kyle got his wish last night, he was allowed to pitch three innings and picked up steam with each inning. He was over the moon excited!! How did Liam do at the awards banquet last night?

Janice – I was hoping your cold would be gone by the time I checked back in!

Aimee – I’m right there with ya on the dirt, grass, heat & bugs, !!

Becky – If men didn’t act like such whiny babies we’d never give them a hard time about their little colds! Seriously, I hope he feels better soon, poor guy.

WFD - Velvet shrimp over angel hair pasta and a Caeser salad.

 

[Aimeedyan]

Hi Ladies. So now I feel bad. John went to the doctor yesterday and he does not have a MOLD, he is really sick! The doctor is not sure if it is just a sinus infection or sinus infection coupled with strep, we are waiting for labs to come back. He has to take 3,000 mg of amoxicillin every day! I have never heard of taking that much before. Hopefully he will feel better soon.

So of course for my misdiagnosis I have been pampering him Last night he just wanted pasta because his throat was so sore. I made a really simple spaghetti with parmesean, peas, and black pepper:

Poor John.


I'm going to make some Japanese chicken with fried rice for dinner. I was going to do basil but still can't get my hands on basil.

 

[liamandcaili]

Sheryl - Tell Alexis that something magical happens when a baby is born. Grandma's hearts grow bigger and bigger so that Alexis's place in your heart stays exactly the same size, but now there is a new part that the baby will get. Hearts are magical that way!

I was going to say something like this, but Glynis made it more kid-friendly.

She would have us breath in some steam from either the shower or a warm pot of boiling water.

My mom still recommends that!

Kyle got his wish last night, he was allowed to pitch three innings and picked up steam with each inning.

That is great news! Congratulations to him. I hope this is the start of a greater role on the team. Liam was funny about the awards banquet. As we were leaving (an hour earlier than they said we would) Caili was complaining about how boring it was. I was trying to tell her we were only there for an hour and we were supposed to be there longer and it wasn't that boring. Then Liam chipped in, "No, Mom, it was REALLY boring." Okay, it was pretty boring, but the pizza wasn't bad.

Liam had baseball tryouts today and he is convinced he is getting selected in the first round of the draft. The kid does not lack for ego.

We had dinner with my parents and Beck and John. We had halibut over baby spinach with a lemon sauce, asparagus and lemon gnocchi. It was delicious.

 

[bigmerle1966]

Hello from St. Louis! Where it is snowing! Had smooth sailing and made it to Effingham, IL when it started. Luckily the roads were fine and we made it here with no problems. They are supposed to get 3 to 6 inches.

We've ordered Chinese food and after we eat we are going to go check out the hotel. Tomorrow morning we are going to sleep in a little, none of us got much sleep last night, then see what's happening as far as how the roads are. We are hoping everything is good. Want to go take pictures of the Arch, not going up in it then head to the college so we can check out the city, transport, that sort of thing.

On Monday we have appointments and as soon as they are done we are heading back. Hoping to beat the next bit of snow as far east as we can get. Going to try get back in enough time to visit another college that is closer to home. We drove by it on the way here, my BFF didn't realize we would do that.

Will see you all later.

 

[vicb]

Hi Ladies. So now I feel bad. John went to the doctor yesterday and he does not have a MOLD, he is really sick! The doctor is not sure if it is just a sinus infection or sinus infection coupled with strep, we are waiting for labs to come back. He has to take 3,000 mg of amoxicillin every day! I have never heard of taking that much before. Hopefully he will feel better soon.

So of course for my misdiagnosis I have been pampering him Last night he just wanted pasta because his throat was so sore. I made a really simple spaghetti with parmesean, peas, and black pepper:

I'm sorry to hear about your DH's sinus infection, that can really make you feel sick. I hope he gets better soon. And your pasta with peas looks really yummy.

Laura – Kyle got his wish last night, he was allowed to pitch three innings and picked up steam with each inning. He was over the moon excited!! How did Liam do at the awards banquet last night?

That is good news about the three innings, hopefully he is back on the right track!

Our kitchen project is slow but progressing. Today we have water in the sink yay! My DD came home for one night from college ( she goes about one hour from home) so I was glad I could finally cook a meal at home sort of. We grilled chicken kebobs, brown rice pilaf, strawberries and DH picked up some fresh pita from a local middle eastern restaurant that we had with hummus.

Here is a photo of the tile being grouted today....

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[Aimeedyan]

WTH? I swear I posted these both earlier! Now I'm worried I responded to some unrelated post and and shared them both

They were both delicious.

Fudge Brownies
1 cup butter, melted
3 cups white sugar (I used a bit less - some reviews used a lot less)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I used mini ones I had in my freezer)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish.

2. Combine the melted butter, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each, until thoroughly blended.

3. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Gradually stir the flour mixture into the sugar mixture until blended. Stir in the chocolate morsels. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking dish.

4. Bake in preheated oven until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove, and cool pan on wire rack before cutting.

Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Anchovies and Kale
Salt and black pepper
1 pound whole wheat spaghetti
About 1/4 cup EVOO
6 to 8 flat anchovy fillets
1 fresh chile pepper, such as red cherry or fresno, seeded and sliced or finely chopped (I used dried chiles I had on hand)
5 to 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 bunch cavolo nero (a form of kale - I just used regular kale), stemmed and shredded
A few grates nutmeg (I used ground)
2 large egg yolks
Grated pecorino-romano cheese (I shredded Asiago instead)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving a cup of the pasta cooking water.

While the pasta is working, heat the EVOO, 4 turns of the pan, in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the anchovies, cover the pan with a splatter screen or loose foil and let the anchovies melt into the oil. Add the chile pepper and garlic and stir for 2 minutes. Add the kale and let it wilt; season with a little nutmeg.

In a measuring cup, beat the egg yolks with some of the reserved pasta cooking water. Toss the drained spaghetti with the kale, a few handfuls of cheese, lots of black pepper and the tempered egg yolks. Add more pasta cooking water as necessary to evenly coat.

 

[HERSEY]

Vic I really like the tile. The Granite is very nice also.

Aimee I have had the DIS eat my posts before. I have no idea where they go. Those brownies look so good.

I don't know if the fish last night was just me cause my taste is off or I will try it again when I can tell if the recipe is a keeper.

We have to go out this morning and get someone his 3D DS and then to Target for some odds and ends. Dinner is up in the air right now. My cold is coming to an end I hope.

 

[TigerKat]

Laura – Liam sounds so much like Kyle was when he was his age. There was never a lack of ego here either, too funny! The fact that he thought the awards banquet was boring also made me laugh. Your dinner with Beck & your parents sounded delicious!!!

Marilyn – Glad to hear you made it to St. Louis safely. I can’t believe all the snow still going on, this is crazy!

Vicb – I love your tile! Everything may seem to be going slowly but it sure looks great!!!

Janice – I’m glad to hear your cold is ending.

Looking forward to meeting Lauri D and her DH today and seeing Bethany and Sheryl.

WFD – Pan seared filets with roasted potatoes, carrots and onions tossed with spinach & tarragon.

 

[liamsaunt]

Kathy, I am glad Kyle got to pitch!

Vicb, love the tile choice. I am really jealous! But in a good way.

Here is a photo of last night's dinner. Pan seared halibut with homemade meyer lemon gnocchi and roasted asparagus:

Today there are two different meals going on for Sunday linner. Mom Dad Laura and Bob are having roast beef, with I am not sure what. John didn't want beef so we are having seared tuna with both red and green thai curry sauces, and apple-ginger wontons.

 

[liamsaunt]

Aimee, I forgot to say that those brownies look awesome! I don't lke a lot of chocolate but I am a sucker for brownies.

 

[Disney Ron]

I miss you!

I miss you all too!

Stay & play please!!!!!!

Kat, I wish I could believe me!! I miss having the time to be on like I use to. Things have been extremely hectic since I went back to work, and even more crazy since they promoted me. This is the first time I have actually been able to read a little bit of the DIS. Glad to see most of you are still going strong.

Vic, you crack me up with the pool boy photo and the steriod version of Kat.
Love the table

VicB, I have not been around much since you joined the group but I love your kitchen and wish it were mine getting a facelift.

I had a great time yesterday in Newport with Maria, MJ (her Mom), Luke and Emma. They are as wonderful as I expected all along. My Luke is right with "his best friend" Maria and loved playing robots with MJ.

Miss you all and getting your cooking ideas. I am tired of eating shortcut meals after work now.

Ann

 

[HERSEY]

WFD is buffalo chicken and roasted potatoes with sauted snap peas

 

[vicb]

WFDT = chicken kung pao with rice, fresh pineapple and ice cream for dessert.

Just back from an all city band concert, all the middle school and high school bands perform. Very nicely done. Just enough time to whip up a quick stir fry dinner then take DD back to college this evening. This week will finally be my last week at the old job, looking forward to a fresh start in April.

 

[Aimeedyan]

Vic, your kitchen is looking gorgeous already!!

Well, I was going to make Thai Basil Chicken but still can't get my hands on some basil. I need a couple cups of it; I think I'll hit the speciality grocery near my work tomorrow and pick some up there. In the meantime, I've run through my "menu" for the week so when DH is on his way home, I'll have him drive through and get us something.

It's COLD today - it was 85 yesterday! 51 degrees and rainy. BLECH!