Not doing well with French Fridays. As my eldest daughter lives with me and isn't fond of mushrooms, I'm not making the soup until I have a guest that actually like them.

The mail was delivered yesterday with my copy of the new book by Dorie Greenspan. I have a cold and don't feel like going anywhere which means the larder doesn't have what I need.

I'm looking forward to getting started on cooking again.

Where have I been? I went to Italy for two weeks on a guided tour. I love Italy, especially Sorrento and I could easily go live there.
Our tour had half the meals included some were good and some were better but none were bad. There were also special events that were optional. I think I participated in all the ones that included dinner.
The wine was delicious except for one time when it was a rather rough and harsh tasting.
Almost everything was fresh tasting except for a few pastries on the morning breakfast buffets. Most of it was very good though and I especially enjoyed a small orange scented croissant with a preserved apricot in the center.
Italian butter is heavenly. Even my grandmother's home made butter didn't taste like that. I could have eaten it without bread.

Pasta was always al dente and served in much smaller portions as a first course. I liked it like that and the sauces were never heavy nor heavily seasoned. The very first one we had was sauced with what tasted like pure essence of fresh tomato.
I tried to duplicate it but couldn't get the good fresh taste with the Romano tomatoes from the stores. I think I need to plant San Marzanos again.

Another rainy day

I'm really getting tired of rain. I know we need it but does it all have to come at once?

I didn't cook for the last two days as my back was giving me pure hell. Pain pills spoil my appetite.

Today I was better and got through my dental X-rays. Will go back next week for the exam and see if anything needs to be done.

Tonight I made Yakisoba for dinner. Tasted really good for a change. It would have been better if I had had Chuka Soba but I didn't so I used spaghetti which was OK. Texture was just a bit off.

Brownie Project

Yesterday Joy said she would like some Brownies so I made a pan of them. I made them with Bakers Unsweetened Chocolate using the recipe on the package.
They were OK but seemed to lack depth of flavor. The recipe doesn't call for any salt and they could have used some. My project is to make Brownies now and then, maybe once a month, until I find my preferred recipe. Doesn't mean it would suit everybody but I want one that suits my taste. Everybody has their own idea of the perfect brownie.

Tonight I'm going to make pork chops and have some roasted root vegetables. We'll see if the root vegetables are better than the ones I made a few days ago.
I'm using carrot, turnip, parsnip, fennel, potato, onion, and garlic. Might add some red pepper, too, if I have any left.
The last batch I made was way too much and took up a whole oven rack. I think that's what made it scorch on the bottom.

A drizzly day. What Mom called Oregon mist. Missed Oragon and hit California.

She who remembers

While I was making something to eat, (can't call it dinner) my mind started to wandering about things in my childhood thus the title for the day.

I remember living on the ranch when I was about three. Mom had disappeared into the outhouse up on the hill. She was gone for a long time and I started wondering why she didn't come back. When I went out the door the rooster attacked me. I still remember the peck marks on my chest. Is it any wonder that I have no compunction about killing chickens?
I remember the holes in the ground after the big fire that came through and burned out the stumps. Our milk cow got trapped in a hole and they couldn't get her out so Dad felt he had to shoot her. I think the buried her in the hole. All I really remember is that they wouldn't let me watch and I felt very scared.

I don't remember moving to the Ranger Station but those are my next memories. Dad said I pushed my little sister down the stairs but I don't remember doing that although I do remember playing with my dollies and pretending that one of them was her and I was trying to poison her by feeding the dolly things that weren't good for one to eat all at the same time.
She almost managed to poison herself by putting gasoline in our toy cups and drinking it.

More later.

MY daughter had to work tonight so my dinner was a loaded baked potato and the leftover rum form Christmas mixed with Juicy Juice. Don't ask.

Dreary Sunday

It's another dreary day here but the rain has stopped for now. We had a wild thunderstorm for a while yesterday afternoon. Poor, little Lily had a hard time of it as it was right overhead and she was terrified. I had to sit and hold and rock her although it didn't help much. As soon as the thunder stopped she settled right down. I think she was yapped out.

I made a pork loin roast for our dinner last night. Laid it on a mire poix, bay leaf and rosemary. Sprinkled it with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. I made baked Oriental sweet potatoes and buttered green beans for vegetable and wine poached pears with ice cream for dessert. Sunday dinner on Saturday.
Garlic powder only because we had used up all the fresh garlic in the house. 5 heads in two weeks is a lot of garlic even for us.

This is the first time that I have had Oriental sweet potatoes. They have red skin and pale yellow green flesh. Not as sweet as the yams that I ususally get but very tasty. They taste a bit like chestnuts to me. I hope I can continue to get them. I bought them to cook with rice in the Japanese manner but didn't get to do that so I just baked 'em.

A wild and stormy day here.

The wind woke me at about 1:00 AM. I kept trying to sleep but it was just too noisy with the wind chimes ringing. Usually they lull me to sleep but not today.
When I let the dogs about about 3:30 it had just started to rain and hasn't stopped since although it isn't a hard rain.
After I made myself some pancakes and eggs I took a pain pill and then went and took a nap in my recliner. Nothing like storms to get the back to aching.

Tonight I made a saute of shrimp, red, yellow, and green peppers; red onion and mushrooms., seasoned it with basil and French Sea Salt. It was really good. We had broccoli with Kewpie mayo and steamed rice.
Now to try to post the picture.

Shopping Day!

Well, today was the first time I have done a real shopping trip since before Christmas. We used the last of our CSA vegetables yesterday when I cooked the Brussels Sprouts. Organic vegetables are amazingly better. Next box won't be ready until next week so I bought green beans, crimini mushrooms and spinach, and also frozen peas and a package of pearl onions. That way I can mix them or not as I choose. I still have some carrots and zucchini from the store so we should be good till delivery day.

I bought a lamb shoulder that was already sliced. I don't know why they call that thing a roast because it makes a nasty excuse for a roast that gets protein clots between the slices when I cooked. I figured this one out when I was very, very young.
I will save out the best of the chops and cut the rest into stew. I haven't made a lamb stew in ages.

I also bought Orange Roughy, wild shrimp, lean ground beef, a pork loin roast, and a tri-tip roast. No farm raised fish. If I can't get wild, I do without. That's more than enough for over a weeks worth of protein.

If one bought more than $50 in groceries they were elegible for 10 lbs. of potatoes free. Maybe I could have taken 3 bags of potatoes. There were other things that I could have had free but I don't need bottled water or canned ham patties so I passed on them.

After buying all that stuff, I'm afraid that we're going to have beef and spinach ravioli with low-fat Alfredo sauce and garlic sauteed zucchini for tonight's dinner. Would love to have tomato-mushroom sauce but Joy is having am IC flare and can't have anything with tomatoes right now.

Well, here it is a New Year. Of course like so many others I have resolved to try to heat more healthfully and excercise more. That means getting my butt going and getting myself to the gym. I've already planned a healthy menu for the rest of the week.

Tonight we're having Spaghetti with clam sauce and steamed garlic spinach. Simple but low in calories and fat and one of our favorites.

Last night I cooked Orange Roughy, broccoli, and oven fries. Lovely fish at a reasonable price.

Joy feels terrible because her IC is out of remission and she's having bladder spasms again. It doesn't look good. I hope she can get out of it but she will probably have to go back to Stanford for another procedure.
Makes it hard to plan meals because of all the things she can't eat.

Another dreary winter day.

It's still overcast but is forecast to be clearing later. Even so I'm going to make a nice beef stew with dumplings for our dinner. We need some comfort food as it's been rather hit or miss the last week.

Daughter Joy took me for a belated birthday dinner at the new Japanese restaurant. I'm sorry to say this one doesn't live up to the old one. It isn't bad but just doesn't have the same clarity of flavor as the old one. Mediocre is the best I can say for it. Guess it's back to cooking my own. Joy said, "Next time I want tempura, I'll make it myself." Actually the tempura was OK but the dipping sauce lacked punch. The miso soup was bland and boring and the pickles weren't pickles at all but more like a salad. Sushi rice wasn't flavorful either.

Wintery day

It's a warmish day with rain. Temps are up to 4o degrees instead of 30 like yesterday and the little inch of snow is gone.
I just hibernate in the winter so don't know when I'll post again. Need something interesting to post. Or something I want to remember.
Neither of us has lost a bit and Joy is sick with with her IC and IBS and Fibromyalgia. Can't blame her for being cranky.

Ho Hum

Everything is so slow around here and now I'm having an allergy attack. Took some Alkaselzer for allergies but it isn't helping much.

Weighed in this morning and am up 1 1/2 lbs. Bah! I hope it's the salt from the ham we had last evening. Think I'll make a skinny chicken dish of some kind tonight.

I'm so looking forward to going to Summer camp just so I won't have to cook.

My poor eye. While I was shopping Friday I noticed a black spot out of the corner of my eye, As I walked along I realised it was spreading and I knew what had happened because it happened once before.
I just walked away from the cart and went straight to the eye surgery. I was right as I had a tear in the retina that was bleeding into my eye. They eye Dr., Not my usual one, lasered the bleeding spot.
It's getting better but I still can't see clearly.

Getting old is not for Sissies.

We're having a heat wave.

Man! It is so hot! Last time I looked at the temperature it was 105 degrees. 111 up in the center of town.
I let the dogs stay indoors when it's like this. I'm afraid Sissy might get a heat stroke lying in the sun the way she does.

The only thing we did to celebrate the fourth was have hot dogs and potato salad and drink a bit too much brandy. All I want to do is sleep but I just woke up.

Joy is making dinner so I get to loaf tonight.

Monday again

Not that Monday makes much difference than any other day. Just the same old stuff. We had Sour Cream Enchiladas for our dinner last night along with a salad.
I had to go to the store again yesterday. Seems like that's all I've been doing this week.
Ho Hum Don't even know why I'm writing since there's nothing much to say right now.

Stupid ass brother still hasn't acknowledged that he received the money I sent him. Probably pissed because that's all there was.

Well, here it is Friday again

There will be no 4th of July celebration for us since everything will be very crowded and noisy in the campgrounds. Traffic will be awful so we will just stay home as we usually do on holiday weekends.

Lily is off and on my lap waiting for her Mama to come home from the chiropractor. Every time she hears a noise she jumps down to investigate.

I went to Wal Mart for a few things and then the grocery store. Man! Food is getting soooo expensive. I had Wal Mart load the big bag of dog food but even so my back is hurting from carrying in groceries although Joy carried the heavy stuff.
Splurged and got myself two new men's T shirts. Much more comfortable than getting the girly ones that all have tight, scimpy sleeves. They're a lot cheaper, too.

I got some Red Snapper to cook for our dinner tonight. Wish Joy could eat tomatoes. I would make Snapper Vera Cruz. Oh well, I'll come up with something.
Still have to decide what to have with it. Cole slaw and petite peas?

Thursday, trash day

I took the trash out to the road last evening and turned back to see a fox trotting across the driveway. It was a small grey fox. Not shy at all. It stopped in the field and watched me while I watched it.

Yesterday we went to Applebee's for lunch. Had the Apple Smoked Chicken. The chicken breast was very dryand can't say about the leg/thigh because we brought it home with us.
The Spinach salad with cranberries and feta cheese with a sweet mustard dressing was delicious and the garlic fries were good till we got to the bottom of the dish. There was a puddle of garlic butter in the bottom. Not very appetizing.

I placed one more block in the patio and cleaned up the loose trash but had to quit because my back is starting to hurt. Maybe I should check to see about Rolfing. I've tried everything else Maybe I can use the blower after a while if it doesn't get too hot.

Weary Wednesday

Nice cool morning, turning to very warm afternoon.I swept up most of the crud on the back patio and unloaded the top of the potting bench. When Joy wakes I'll use the blower to get more dirt and leaves gone. Need to wash off the top of the BBQ also. Just dusty.

We went up to Doc's Barbecue and had Burgers last night. They were really good with hand shaped patties and house made fries. Got thoroughly stuffed and still didn't eat all the fries.

When we got home Joy made Blondies with walnuts for dessert. I think I may not have chewed the nuts well enough. Feel a diverticular problem coming on so I took Metamucil.

Woke way too early for some reason.

Deer!

I went to water my two tomato plants this morning and found that deer had got into the garden area and eaten the tops and all the buds off them. Grrrr! Hmmm? Venison is good.

I fixed frozen ravioli and Lite Alfredo sauce for dinner along with a salad of leaf lettuce, plum tomatoes, olives, pickled beets, garbonzos, cucumbers, and Gorgonzola cheese. Salad was the best part because the ravioli had been in the freezer a little too long.
Not sure what I'll make tonight yet. Maybe Lala kabobs. I have some lamb that I could grind. I love lamb. My favorite meat. I just wish it weren't so expensive.
I know it seems unpatriotic but I prefer Australian or New Zealand lamb. I think it's more tender and has better flavor.

Watching the news about the fire near Lake Tahoe. We spend the whole summer watching for fires. My sister and her husband lost their place six years ago.

Still haven't weighed this week.