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

[Nancyg56]

Thank you...I am really trying my hardest. It's starting to get discouraging since I have hit this plateau.

I can't wait to eat REAL food again!

Be careful how hard core you are dieting. The problem is that if you cut too far back on your calories your body may rebel and hang on to what you are eating. i know that the jury is out in this but I believe it to be true.............many diets under my chubby belt

I thought about getting one but it would just be another electric "toy" cluttering up the house that barely gets used. The micro one can go in the cabinet with the pots and pans. And I can make a chocolate lava cake in it.

Dinner tonight is on the run as I am headed to my sisters for the weekend.

Well then it is a multi-tasker in the kitchen

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

Be careful how hard core you are dieting. The problem is that if you cut too far back on your calories your body may rebel and hang on to what you are eating. i know that the jury is out in this but I believe it to be true.............many diets under my chubby belt

I'm in the healthy calorie range...I just want the good stuff, like a big, rare juicy burger...or chicken wings.

 

[Glynis]

I thought about getting one but it would just be another electric "toy" cluttering up the house that barely gets used. The micro one can go in the cabinet with the pots and pans. And I can make a chocolate lava cake in it.

Dinner tonight is on the run as I am headed to my sisters for the weekend.

I felt the same way, when Alan brought it home, but then we tried it, and I've never looked back! It's so nice to just plug it in, and not worry about it. Like I said, we use ours all the time, so I don't mind giving the counter space to it.

 

[Glynis]

Be careful how hard core you are dieting. The problem is that if you cut too far back on your calories your body may rebel and hang on to what you are eating. i know that the jury is out in this but I believe it to be true.............many diets under my chubby belt



Well then it is a multi-tasker in the kitchen

Cassie - I agree with Nancy. Your body is afraid it's never going to be fed again, so it's really holding on to the fat and calories. It's frustrating, huh? Oh, and by the way, if you've ever seen a picture of Nancy, you'd laugh at her chubby belt comment. She's one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen!!

 

[Glynis]

Dinner tonight will be the cream cheese spaghetti bake. Jacob and Alan will be having hot dogs at a scout campout, so the rest of us will enjoy the cheesy yumminess!

Tomorrow, I'm so excited, Alan has tickets for me and him (and 2 other couples) to go to Stars on Ice. It's a show that the stars of the 2002 Winter Olympics are putting on to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Olympics in Salt Lake City. There have been activities for the last 2 weeks. It's been so fun! I'm really excited because I was supposed to see the women's figure skating live 10 years ago, but I was pregnant with the twins, and my doctor put me on bed rest so I couldn't go. I can't wait to see it tomorrow!

 

[EJ4Disney]

Ellen- I am so excited for you!!

Jen- thanks for keeping me in mind. Honestly, if Buddy was not so conflicted it would be easier. His Mom's wishes are in direct contrast to what he believes so this is really hard. He had to authorize the hospital to allow food and drink and was so upset that he "signed her death warrant". She may be silently aspirating and refused the barium swallow test so they would not give her even a drink of water. I had to tell him she may be aspirating on the feeding tube. He is worried that since she is suffering from dementia that she is not lucid enough to make this decision. She has since spoken to me, Bud;s older sister, the Dr, the nursing home social worker and the hospice nurse. She knows what she is saying............she wants a darn donut and a cup of coffee. Today I need to discuss her wishes in regards to Hospice. He is coming but I know he does not want the discussion. His sister..................who took such good care of her before....................told him "she does not have her mind so he should not listen to her". So anyway, thanks for the good thoughts, we really need them right now.

Sweetie, my heart just breaks for you and Buddy. It is so hard to know what is the right thing to do. Just follow your heart and all will be ok. My prayers are with you all. Bless your heart!!!

Glynis ~ I am so excited for you to see your show. I love figure skating, so I totally understand. Have a great time.

Alison ~ Good luck on the renters. Have you heard anything yet?

PIO ~ Love the food porn. Please keep it up.

Jen ~ I am so glad you are feeling better.

Linda ~ sorry I missed your birthday. I know your day was special. Your wife takes such good care of you. Happy Belated Birthday my friend.

Merle ~ I have to agree with Glynis - my electric rice cooker is a real keeper. I just love it

Soldier ~ Way to go on the weight loss.


I had a ball yesterday. The Dr. apt. went great. We got to hear the heartbeat and I cried like a baby. It was so neat. Then I got to meet the Day care lady. Her name is Diane and a real sweetheart. I did daycare for 12 years so I knew what I was looking for as I went in. There was not ONE red flag. I really liked her and feel comfortable with her watching the baby. Then we went to Target and got the last minute things that they needed, such as: diapers, wipes, wash rags and towels, breast pads, changing table pad and cover, mattress pad - you get the gist - the things they never even thought they needed.

The shower was so much fun. It was in a restaurant back in one of their party rooms. We all ate and then Stephanie opened her gifts. From the Drs. she got an Eddie Bauer stroller and car seat. So very nice and so unexpected. She also recieved more diapers, bath things, a few outfits and gift cards. All in all she really rated.

We went back to the house and Marty put the stroller together and we put all of the baby things away. The nursery looks so cute. They have 6 weeks left but all in all they are ready.

TGIF, this has been a fun week and one I really needed but I am looking forward to the weekend. Liam is getting baptized on Sunday so the family will all be together. Even Matthew and Liz are coming home.

WFDT ~ Short ribs, baked potatoes, peach salad roasted brussel sprouts.

Make it a great day and a good weekend everyone.

 

[Nancyg56]

I'm in the healthy calorie range...I just want the good stuff, like a big, rare juicy burger...or chicken wings.

Just watch out, if you are exercising you may end up needing more food than you think that you need. Erica was like that, she would lose weight initially but then plateau.

Cassie - I agree with Nancy. Your body is afraid it's never going to be fed again, so it's really holding on to the fat and calories. It's frustrating, huh? Oh, and by the way, if you've ever seen a picture of Nancy, you'd laugh at her chubby belt comment. She's one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen!!

You are wicked sweet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tomorrow, I'm so excited, Alan has tickets for me and him (and 2 other couples) to go to Stars on Ice. It's a show that the stars of the 2002 Winter Olympics are putting on to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Olympics in Salt Lake City. There have been activities for the last 2 weeks. It's been so fun! I'm really excited because I was supposed to see the women's figure skating live 10 years ago, but I was pregnant with the twins, and my doctor put me on bed rest so I couldn't go. I can't wait to see it tomorrow!

Have a wonderful time! I used to go see the skaters from time to time, it was amazing! I remember when I got to see Peggy Fleming. She was one of the older women skating and never did any of those athletic leaps and spins that we now see but Holy Elegant!

I had a ball yesterday. The Dr. apt. went great. We got to hear the heartbeat and I cried like a baby. It was so neat. Then I got to meet the Day care lady. Her name is Diane and a real sweetheart. I did daycare for 12 years so I knew what I was looking for as I went in. There was not ONE red flag. I really liked her and feel comfortable with her watching the baby. Then we went to Target and got the last minute things that they needed, such as: diapers, wipes, wash rags and towels, breast pads, changing table pad and cover, mattress pad - you get the gist - the things they never even thought they needed.

The shower was so much fun. It was in a restaurant back in one of their party rooms. We all ate and then Stephanie opened her gifts. From the Drs. she got an Eddie Bauer stroller and car seat. So very nice and so unexpected. She also recieved more diapers, bath things, a few outfits and gift cards. All in all she really rated.

.

I am so thrilled for all of you! Enjoy your weekend and May God Bless Liam

Allison- I believe that Buddy will do the right thing, It is hard for him because he never really had a conversation with his mom about this and frankly, he would never have a Living Will so this is not his viewpoint.

Well girls, one more hurdle for us today and then we'll see. We are meeting with the Hospice nurse and she will explain what she feels is appropriate for his Mom. I tried to talk to her yesterday but she kept changing the subject so i let it go.

 

[franandaj]

I thought about getting one but it would just be another electric "toy" cluttering up the house that barely gets used. The micro one can go in the cabinet with the pots and pans. And I can make a chocolate lava cake in it.
.

Well the chocolate lava cake is a good argument for it, but I'll have to agree with Ellen and Glynis. I do like my electric cooker, I just wish I had a smaller one since it's just two of us.

I'm in the healthy calorie range...I just want the good stuff, like a big, rare juicy burger...or chicken wings.

What is your daily calorie intake target? Do you know what your intake was prior to the diet? Sometimes you can make substitutions that help the cravings without all the calories.

Tomorrow, I'm so excited, Alan has tickets for me and him (and 2 other couples) to go to Stars on Ice. It's a show that the stars of the 2002 Winter Olympics are putting on to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Olympics in Salt Lake City. There have been activities for the last 2 weeks. It's been so fun! I'm really excited because I was supposed to see the women's figure skating live 10 years ago, but I was pregnant with the twins, and my doctor put me on bed rest so I couldn't go. I can't wait to see it tomorrow!

That's so great! How fun for you! Have a GREAT time!

Alison ~ Good luck on the renters. Have you heard anything yet?
.

Ellen, first off sounds like you had a wonderful and fulfilling day. So neat that you got to hear the heartbeat.

Well because i was so tired yesterday Fran offered to take me to Hometown Buffet for dinner. The renters were supposed to call around 5:30-6:00PM when the boyfriend got off work. At 6:30 we were giving up and Fran asked if she could finish the chapter in the book she was reading before we left. Well they called at quarter to seven. He had to work late, so at 7:30 we met and they turned in the application.

I tried to run a credit check, but since we haven't had a vacancy in over a year our login was disabled. I had to go to the Chiro this morning, so they were going to reset the account while i was at the Dr.

As it turned out our local HB closed, so Fran wants to go to the farther one tonight. Last night we ended up at an Irish pub, Fish & Chips, Bangers & Champ, so not bad.

The tenants qualify paywise, so if their records are clean and their credit doesn't suck we're good to go! I just got back so we'll see how things work out!

 

[bigmerle1966]

Well the chocolate lava cake is a good argument for it, but I'll have to agree with Ellen and Glynis. I do like my electric cooker, I just wish I had a smaller one since it's just two of us.

In my house I am the only one who really eats regular cooked rice, my DM only eats the mix kind as it is easier for her to eat and she also likes all that processed stuff.


Glynis- I wish I had more counter space. As it is there is only one small section to work on and when using the crockpot or Kitchen Aid that's gone. I end up having to use the stove as work space when we are using either one of them. And the small chest freezer is our cooling station for baked goods and the dessert table for Thanksgiving dinner.

We have one of those counters that has the sink in the corner which takes up so much room and we just don't have the money to move it. We would have to move most of the appliances to accomplish that. If I really had the money I would so rip that whole kitchen out including the wall between the kitchen and dining room.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Roasted Bell Peppers stuffed with chickpea and vegetables


We ended up with a bunch of vegetables in the fridge (including yet more zucchini) and I decided to try to clear most of it out.

My starting ingredients:

• Onion, 1 - diced
• Carrot, 1 - diced
• Zucchini, 1 - diced
• Bell Peppers (one each)
• Bottled tomato sauce, about ½ bottle
• Chickpea, 1 can - drained
• Herbs and spices, about ½ teaspoon each eg, oregano, cinammon
• Oil, 1 tablespoon
• Salt and Pepper to taste

I also added some Olives and Feta Cheese…..


Preheat oven to 200 C.

In a frying pot, heat the oil and sauté the onion and carrot for 2 – 3 minutes.

Add the zucchini (and any other vegetables that you might like to add). Continue to turn the vegetables for another minute.

Add the herbs and spices…

….and the chick pea.

Add some of the tomato sauce to just coat all the vegetables.

I tasted the mix at this stage and decided it needed a little something extra to give it a lift. So I raided my fridge again and found some olives and feta cheese.

Stir the mixture for another minute or two and remove from heat.


Hollow out the bell peppers and stuff with the mixture. There was sufficient mixture to just fill 3 peppers. Place on a baking tray.

Cook in the oven for 20 – 25 minutes or until the skin is just starting to char.



I heated up more tomato sauce in a pan and served the peppers with a little more sauce, and a green salad.

My dinner!

Post script. This was a huge HIT with my boys. Two days after we had this meal, DS asked if I would cook it again….and soon.

 

[PrincessInOz]

It's a microwave cooker. I think the problem was just cooking time. It had plenty of moisture it just wasn't completely cooked.

If it is a special microwave cooker for rice, it will have a cover/lid? I have a Tupperware Stack cooker and I find that the rice cooks great in it. So I've never bothered getting one of those special micro things. But my mum has one and it works great for her.

In any event, I find that most of the microwave cookers are great for cooking 1 cup of rice. Any more than that and it gets tricky in the microwave. The thing is sometimes you can add too much moisture. I stick with the double quantity water to rice and will use a measuring cup for when I cook rice in the microwave.

In the stack cooker, it takes about 17 minutes to cook. I normally turn it on for about 5 minutes and give it a stir. Then I'll repeat this again and stir at the 10 minute mark. Then I'll let the rest go for 7 minutes.

Once finished, I leave it covered for at least another 5 minutes for any residual water to absorb.

I know that my mum's microwave cooker is a little different by way of cooking time.
I hope you work out the best method for yours. If you're not cooking much rice and you've worked out how to cook it, the microwave cooker is a reasonable alternative to the appliance.

I don't find that the rice cooked in a microwave is a fluffy as what comes out of the appliance. But I only use it if I'm cooking 0.75 - 1 cup of rice.

I am so glad PIO is posting porn again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Food porn that is

I'm glad I'm posting porn again too.

Honestly, if Buddy was not so conflicted it would be easier. His Mom's wishes are in direct contrast to what he believes so this is really hard. He had to authorize the hospital to allow food and drink and was so upset that he "signed her death warrant". She may be silently aspirating and refused the barium swallow test so they would not give her even a drink of water. I had to tell him she may be aspirating on the feeding tube. He is worried that since she is suffering from dementia that she is not lucid enough to make this decision. She has since spoken to me, Bud;s older sister, the Dr, the nursing home social worker and the hospice nurse. She knows what she is saying............she wants a darn donut and a cup of coffee. Today I need to discuss her wishes in regards to Hospice. He is coming but I know he does not want the discussion. His sister..................who took such good care of her before....................told him "she does not have her mind so he should not listen to her". So anyway, thanks for the good thoughts, we really need them right now.

if we are lucky a couple will turn in an application on the 3 bedroom tonight. I won't get my hopes up, everyone says they're going to do it, but usually only one actually does.

Hope the credit check worked out!

I'm in the healthy calorie range...I just want the good stuff, like a big, rare juicy burger...or chicken wings.

I've been on the WW plan for the last 5 weeks. Weigh in is Monday, so I don't know how I've gone this week yet. But at the 4 week mark, I'd lost 2.4 kg (just over 5 lbs). I'm planning on losing 10 kgs.

My food has been a little bit too healthy for me lately!

I had a ball yesterday. The Dr. apt. went great. We got to hear the heartbeat and I cried like a baby. It was so neat. Then I got to meet the Day care lady. Her name is Diane and a real sweetheart. I did daycare for 12 years so I knew what I was looking for as I went in. There was not ONE red flag. I really liked her and feel comfortable with her watching the baby. Then we went to Target and got the last minute things that they needed, such as: diapers, wipes, wash rags and towels, breast pads, changing table pad and cover, mattress pad - you get the gist - the things they never even thought they needed.

The shower was so much fun. It was in a restaurant back in one of their party rooms. We all ate and then Stephanie opened her gifts. From the Drs. she got an Eddie Bauer stroller and car seat. So very nice and so unexpected. She also recieved more diapers, bath things, a few outfits and gift cards. All in all she really rated.

We went back to the house and Marty put the stroller together and we put all of the baby things away. The nursery looks so cute. They have 6 weeks left but all in all they are ready.

TGIF, this has been a fun week and one I really needed but I am looking forward to the weekend. Liam is getting baptized on Sunday so the family will all be together. Even Matthew and Liz are coming home.

Ellen - I hope Stephanie has an easy delivery and the baby (and her) are happy and healthy. Eagerly waiting for news....

Enjoy your weekend!






Well....its the weekend here and I have no idea what's for dinner tonight. I'm going to end up with a fairly hectic day today so we might just do some takeaway tonight.

Have a great day all!

 

[bigmerle1966]

If it is a special microwave cooker for rice, it will have a cover/lid? I have a Tupperware Stack cooker and I find that the rice cooks great in it. So I've never bothered getting one of those special micro things. But my mum has one and it works great for her.

It's called the Rice Cooker Plus, hence the other reason I bought it, the chocolate lava cake.

Someone else at the party I went to said that it is perfect for steaming veggies especially as it doesn't "boil" over. You can just put in water, the veggies, set the time and walk away from it. It actually has a regular lid and an inner cover which I think is what keeps the water in it.

I only really ever steam asparagus so this will be good as I do have a tendency to forget about it and it either boils over or the water completely evaporates.

I am a good cook, I just can't cook rice or steam asparagus well. That's why I mainly roast veggies in the oven.

Well ladies I am off to my next adventure, may not "see" you until after the weekend. Have a nice weekend!

 

[Goofyluver]

I felt the same way, when Alan brought it home, but then we tried it, and I've never looked back! It's so nice to just plug it in, and not worry about it. Like I said, we use ours all the time, so I don't mind giving the counter space to it.

I heart our rice cooker. We use it ALL of the time!

Dinner tonight will be the cream cheese spaghetti bake. Jacob and Alan will be having hot dogs at a scout campout, so the rest of us will enjoy the cheesy yumminess!

Tomorrow, I'm so excited, Alan has tickets for me and him (and 2 other couples) to go to Stars on Ice. It's a show that the stars of the 2002 Winter Olympics are putting on to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Olympics in Salt Lake City. There have been activities for the last 2 weeks. It's been so fun! I'm really excited because I was supposed to see the women's figure skating live 10 years ago, but I was pregnant with the twins, and my doctor put me on bed rest so I couldn't go. I can't wait to see it tomorrow!

How fun! I hope you enjoy yourself tomorrow!

I had a ball yesterday. The Dr. apt. went great. We got to hear the heartbeat and I cried like a baby. It was so neat. Then I got to meet the Day care lady. Her name is Diane and a real sweetheart. I did daycare for 12 years so I knew what I was looking for as I went in. There was not ONE red flag. I really liked her and feel comfortable with her watching the baby. Then we went to Target and got the last minute things that they needed, such as: diapers, wipes, wash rags and towels, breast pads, changing table pad and cover, mattress pad - you get the gist - the things they never even thought they needed.

The shower was so much fun. It was in a restaurant back in one of their party rooms. We all ate and then Stephanie opened her gifts. From the Drs. she got an Eddie Bauer stroller and car seat. So very nice and so unexpected. She also recieved more diapers, bath things, a few outfits and gift cards. All in all she really rated.

We went back to the house and Marty put the stroller together and we put all of the baby things away. The nursery looks so cute. They have 6 weeks left but all in all they are ready.

TGIF, this has been a fun week and one I really needed but I am looking forward to the weekend. Liam is getting baptized on Sunday so the family will all be together. Even Matthew and Liz are coming home.

WFDT ~ Short ribs, baked potatoes, peach salad roasted brussel sprouts.

Make it a great day and a good weekend everyone.

It sounds like you're having an amazing time lately.

Babies do that to folks.

Well because i was so tired yesterday Fran offered to take me to Hometown Buffet for dinner. The renters were supposed to call around 5:30-6:00PM when the boyfriend got off work. At 6:30 we were giving up and Fran asked if she could finish the chapter in the book she was reading before we left. Well they called at quarter to seven. He had to work late, so at 7:30 we met and they turned in the application.

I tried to run a credit check, but since we haven't had a vacancy in over a year our login was disabled. I had to go to the Chiro this morning, so they were going to reset the account while i was at the Dr.

As it turned out our local HB closed, so Fran wants to go to the farther one tonight. Last night we ended up at an Irish pub, Fish & Chips, Bangers & Champ, so not bad.

The tenants qualify paywise, so if their records are clean and their credit doesn't suck we're good to go! I just got back so we'll see how things work out!

Crossing my fingers that the renters work out!

My dinner!

Post script. This was a huge HIT with my boys. Two days after we had this meal, DS asked if I would cook it again….and soon.

OMG. Delicious PIO! I've missed your pics!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Good evening y'all.

It's Friday night. And after a busy day at work, I'm so glad it's here!

Dinner tonight was take-out. And it was a wonderful but rare treat!

I'm going to be doing some cleaning, blogging and cooking this weekend! And it's good, because it's supposed to be rainy and bloomy here this weekend. At least tomorrow anyways.

Hope everyone here has a great weekend!

 

[franandaj]

Wow! Where has everyone been?

Today was a busy day with lots of moving boxes, cleaning and other busy work. Tonight we're having Manicotti and Canneloni for me and Stuffed Cabbage for Fran. Both are reheated kinds of dinner. The Cabbage is from Costco, and I made a "Nanatized" Jar sauce from the grocery store to go with my Manicotti and Canneloni that I froze a few months back.

I'm really tired and so tonight was good for an easy "reheat" kind of meal.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Hope y'all are well.

Dinner tonight? Sushi for DH and me. DS wanted fish and chips!

 

[Goofyluver]

Good morning y'all.

I wasn't on yesterday. I've had some sort of relapse of the death cold. I'm hoping it will decide to exit at some point.

UncleR took care of me yesterday. She made a wonderful yummy chili for dinner and then to top it off, she made us beef jerky. Because jerky can heal the body!

Today I'm making sausage over pasta and sauce. Homemade pasta has become our weekly Sunday dinner. And we love it!

Here's some cooking from the past week!

Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes

Aimee's Mongolian Beef

Crunchy Oven-Baked Chicken with Mashed Potatoes and Sauteed Squash

Bacon-Wrapped, Cheese-Stuffed Dates

Spicy Peanut Chicken over Rice

Portobello and Goat Cheese Tart

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

And Tres Leches Cake for UncleR's Birthday!

 

[Glynis]

Yum, Jen! Love the pictures!!! I'm really enjoying reading your blog! You write very well!!!

Yesterday was a fun, but busy day. However, we did manage to have a picnic at the park with the kids before we left to see Stars on Ice. It was about 45 degrees at the park, but the sun was shining, and the kids wanted to play.

Our night out was amazing! We first went to a little pizza place called "Settebello", which serves authentic Napoliton pizza. The pizzas were wonderful. There were 3 couples and we ordered pizzas. My favorite was the Emilia, a pizza without a tomato base, but covered in prosciutto, basil and topped with Italian cream. So rich and yummy!!!

The ice show was so wonderful! Everything that I had hoped for. We topped the night off with some yummy frozen yogurt.

As of right now, I have no idea what we are having for dinner. My tummy is still trying to recover from last night!

 

[dgbg100106]

Hi all.... I am back..

Going to go read back...

 

[dgbg100106]

I love this thread!

me too....

 

[dgbg100106]

Hi everyone!

Ellen, I am glad that you came through the snowstorm OK!

Where is the recipe for the John Wayne casserole? I have a bunch if eggs I need to use up!

Brandi, enjoy your cruise!

Here is some food from the weekend. Friday night John had a steak salad:

I had a great time... and your pictures are beautiful..