Saturday: What's Cookin' , 4/21/2018

[cfniervt]

Starting us off.

Chris

[cfniervt]

Good morning friends. Was awaken early by the wake up call for DH. 4:45! He got ready and I walked him to the shuttle. He let me know he got through security and was at his gate and about to load. He takes off at 7:36. I miss him already! LOL

I think I will go down to the hot tub then head out to the mall and Trader Joes before heading home. Chris ( No HC yet but she is on the hunt)

[cfniervt]

Hugs to you Helen!

Elaine- So sorry to hear about Jeff. I do remember you mentioning him before. So sad.

Betsy- Wow I hope your DD is able to talk about it all and great big hugs to her. It is just ridiculous what is happening at schools now. I am glad to be out of them and DH's last day was yesterday.

DH's boss was real hurtful to him after 18 years of working there. He gave notice that he will work 2 more weeks but she "fired" him with in 15 minutes of his notice. Wow! And for no reason. She has disliked DH ever since he was nominated for Employee of the year 4 years ago and she did not know about it until after the announcement. The principle and teachers at his school nominated him because they just love him and dislike her because of how she treats anyone in a "lesser" position than hers. She is very narcissistic and I do not even like talking to her. LOL How DH has stood it for the last 7 years that she has been in charge is beyond me. He has just finally had enough. He will be working within walking distance of our house. He likes that.

Chris (getting ready to leave and find that elusive HC)

[marjo]

Chris so happy for Dan. Seven years with a person like that would take more courage than I had. Glad he took a trip and will come back and ready for his new job.

So are you going for lobster tomorrow??? Just think of me when you take the first bite!! Oh how I love that stuff!!

It is cooler here today and little rain expected if it misses us that is o.k. too. The lawn is looking shabby and one of the first warm days time to mow it down.

The darn cat was my alarm this morning he has been outside twice. It must be mating season for cats when this rolls around he does not want to be in here. Don't know what he thinks he can do!! Just a male thing!!

The rooster has been singing in my yard already this morning. So hope it will be good day. I have my bedding washing and will do other 3 loads when it is done. They are all small loads. Might as well get it all done for the week.

Elaine I guess I missed who Jeff was in your writings. That stuff is so wicked and bad. You wonder why they can not find a cure. That is where my brother's landed too on the brain. I lost friends with it going there after being elsewhere too. It is horrible stuff and just have to pray the pain and suffering won't last too long.

Have a great week-end, mine will be kind of boring.

Marlene

[nybirder]

Chris--enjoy your mini-vacation in the hot tub! I wanted you to know that I was reading your list of deli towns in Vermont earlier with interest. I've been to many of those places at one time or another. If I do again, I know where to go.

I've taken the excursion train trip out of Bellows Falls twice now. A number of times, I've also done a long day trip to Weston Abbey for their mid-day Sunday mass followed by shopping at the Vermont Country Store before heading home again. The store is overpriced but it's a fun visit with lots of free food samples. These days, I think I'm too old to drive all that way and back in one fell swoop but managed when I was about 20 years younger! LOL!

We had a "toxic" supervisor at the school where I taught. She was icky sweet to you but things happened behind your back. Two months before I retired after 32 years there, she wrote me up after an observation. An imp in my class after lunch tried to sneak in the door because he was late from lunch while she was in the back. Instead of sending him to the office, I told him I would talk with him at the end of class and continue my lesson--which went very well, by the way. I didn't see any reason for him to miss the instruction. He was reported late, took his lumps with the office, and all was well. She wrote me up for handling it wrong. The kid had tried to crawl under the desks behind my back to get to his seat. I told her, "You have to admit it was funny." She, of course, gave a wishy-washy reply to that. I had a good relationship with that class, they did well, and in the end it all worked out with the kids. The boy met me in the parking lot the next day and offered to carry stuff in--he had found out I was being observed and felt terrible that he'd been naughty. Good kid--no problem. So, I was really glad to get out of there when I did. By the way--the kids disliked her intensely, too.

We've had a number of false school shooter incidents here which are slowing down, thankfully. But the people involved in the false alarms have been severely punished according to what is appropriate for their age. The worst was a college campus under siege for nearly a whole day. They caught the kid who did it--he took shelter with the others and pretended to be afraid. He's been expelled and is in jail charged with two counts of making terroristic threats. The great kids at that campus just held a day of thanks for the first responders at the school with food and entertainment--all their idea!

One more thing and then I've got to get running. I hope to use my instant pot tonight for my baby back ribs. I found instructions online for making homemade mozzarella, skyre, and ricotta in the pot using the yogurt setting. Who knew? I bought 4 half-pint canning jars yesterday in the hopes that I will actually get around to trying the yogurt function on the pot. They say that homemade is really best--I'd like to find out!

Time to get moving--the sun is shining although it's still below normal temps. Starting tomorrow into next week, it's supposed to warm up! Woohoo!

Birdy

[nancycooksnj]

Good morning friends.

It's sunny and will be in the 60's today. Perfect day for oldest DD softball game. I hope they win as they haven't been doing so well.

Elaine, I'm sorry about Jeff. Makes me sad that his children will no longer have a father. One of my brothers passed away from brain cancer :'( .

Betsy, I agree with you! When someone is caught making a threat, the punishment should be more severe!

Chris, I'm surprised that the school has tolerated this woman for so long! I hope he likes his new job.

Birdy, Ugh on your story too! I have some names that aren't so nice for these two broads after reading about your experience and Chris' husband. I think that both of you were well respected and had the upper hand when you both left your jobs.

Youngest DD spent the night at a friends house. I took my kids and some friends to Mc Donalds for dinner. I knew DH was going to be working late so I ordered Chinese for him and I.

Tonight will be diner night here. DH will have left over chicken parm and pasta. The kids will have breakfast for dinner and I will have the leftover Chinese.

Enjoy your day.

Nancy

[redsoxmom]

Good morning all. 

It's beautiful here this morning.  I am going to get out and enjoy it after I post this.  I will take the dogs on a long run. 

DD had a sleep over here last night.  Just one friend.  They had pizza and I made chicken club sandwiches for dh and I. 

I may run to the mall later as I did not get there yesterday due to the school threats.  I ended up writing dd's principal and asst. principal yesterday. I know this is a learning curve but I felt they handled it poorly.  They never addressed it with the students.  The students all knew about it and dd was scared as they did not know it was not a credible threat.  They do not let them take their phones out so I could not reach her to tell her it was not credible.  She has 4 more weeks at that school and she moves on to high school.  New principal this year and he's been awful.  I am going to contact the district Monday. 

No cooking today.  We are going out to eat.  Cook needs a day off. :)

Chris, that is awful about your dh and his job.  I just don't know what is wrong with people.  Since we have a law firm I am constantly saying to dh what is wrong with people when I am working on the cases and reading the documents.  

Marlene the dogs were up early here due to the sleepover so I feel your pain with the cat. LOL. 

Nancy, sounds like a yummy dinner tonight. 

Oh my goondess, Birdy on your false shooter stories.  It's just awful.  My concern is the school did not think all the students had heard about it and did not talk to them about it.  It was all over Snapchat so they all knew. 

Guess I need some fresh air. 

Have a great day. 

Betsy

[emr]

Bad bosses are so discouraging. DH and I have both had experiences like that in the past. We're fortunate to have had more good bosses than bad ones, though. Sometimes all you can do is keep your head down and try to stay under the radar, but it is hard. 


DH and I have plenty of things that need doing here at home today, but we're going to take off and drive up to Greenville and wander around there for a while. Maybe go to a movie this afternoon. There's a bookstore I've been wanting to check out, and maybe I'll make a stop at Trader Joe's as well.
It's supposed to rain tomorrow so I can do some housework then.

[weebill]

Good morning. I just got backk from donuts.

Betsy- I am sorry for your Dr and to not even address it. I am also glad to be out of the school system. It is scary now days.

Chris- what will Dan's new job be? I am glad he is away from that old boss. It was the best thing for me to get away from a co worker and become a cook manager.


MARLENE-  Jeff is my best friend Linda's son. She also has Tim who is mentally handicapped- we used to take him with us too. Just love those kids.
I laughed about Red as Louie also had us up all night. He has his days and nights mixed up. He also was sick during the night and now this morning.

Have a great day.ELAINE

[annrms]

Afternoon! It's a lovely day today. The kitchen porch door is open along with a couple of porch windows. Maybe Spring will show up more often.
Spent a lot of time working on the pasta sauce this morning. I passed all of the tomato mixture through a food mill. Got almost 8 cups of sauce. I took the "leavings" from the sauce and put it in a pot with some water. I then proceeded to poach some sausages. As those were poaching I cut up the rest of the veggies and roasted them. After chilling overnight, all will be blended into sauce tomorrow.
Tonight we are having quesadillas with the leftover San Diego succotash mixed with some black beans, shredded chicken, and Pico de Gallo. I found some "Thin & Trim" flatbreads to use that are high fiber and low carb.
I guess everyone has had "one of those bosses" that have problems playing in the sandbox. The one principal I had would assign us to teach subjects we were not qualified to teach saying that it didn't take a brain surgeon to teach middle school subjects. I was once assigned to teach a year of advanced math...algebra and geometry. I abhor higher math!!! I survived thanks to Internet teaching sites. I got really good at 'order of operations'!!! When this principal moved on, they found porn on his computer!!!
My old school district received two threats last Thursday. They were deemed not credible after investigations and sent robo calls out. It's just plain crazy. I feel for the children who are having to deal with this.
Anyone watching the new This Old House in Charleston? I'm finding it very interesting!
No time to address everyone tonight. Enjoy the rest of Saturday. Waving!

[tamaralynn]

Hello !

Time is flying by today! I got cupcakes frosted and  delivered those  and more fat ladies-which I renamed caramel delights to the coffee shop. I picked up a couple items at the store that I forgot yesterday. I got my beef/bean medley going and it is cooking away in the crock pot. I will make cornbread either tonight or first thing in the morning.

Today is cloudy and there is a 30% chance of rain at 6 p.m., going up to 80% tonight at 10.

I was asked to drive a van over to the concert tonight so I'll be sure to take an umbrella!

Betsy, I'm so sorry about your daughter's scare at school. I agree, I don't think it was handled very well. It would almost be enough to make me homeschool my kids if I had any that were school age.

Elaine, thanks for explaining about Jeff. How tragic for his family. I am praying for him, family and friends.

Elza, enjoy your day.

Chris, I hope you enjoyed your day also. Congratulations on Dan's new job. I hope it is a much improved situation for him.

I had a sweet roll for a late breakfast so did not eat lunch. I am cooking a tv dinner for my early supper tonight.

Ann, do you (or anyone) have a good recipe for pico de gallo? Crystal signed me up to make some next Friday night-there is a get together at the hang out. DH will be cooking fajitas. I have never made it before since I hate onions. I also signed up to make some Spanish rice. I love that and have a good recipe.

Just looked outside and see raindrops on the window. I was going to hauk the trash over to the dumpster, but guess that will have to wait!

[helen]

I replenished staples and other good stuff at Publix today. They were crowded as I knew they would be on a Saturday. Why did I wait til Saturday? I don't know as I do know better. I put a roast with carrots, onions, and potatoes in the oven early afternoon so had a very tender and delicious dinner tonite. I am so sorry to hear your daughter was traumatized at school, Betsy. I will have to ask the kids if the same is happening in Australia. I know they seldom have shootings as the gun laws are very strict there. I am sorry, Chris, that your husband has been hassled at work. There are bullies no matter where you go, I guess. Glad he is out of the situation. Elaine, my heart goes out to you and your friend. What an awful, awful diagnosis for him. I'm glad to hear your Caramel Delights have had a good reception, Tammy. You put so much love in all your cooking! Big hugs to all.

[dawdawco]

Tammy, Pioneer Woman has a good Pico recipe, you can Google it.  ..... but it has about an equal amount of onions and tomatoes....I have used it for sometime and my bunch loves it.  The Roma's do the best in Pico.  I use Jalapeno peppers and take out most of the seeds and membranes...you get the flavor without too much heat.  

Betsy, I am so sorry for the school incident....unfortunately, it seems to get worse w/time.  I don't think there is a week here that there isn't 2 or 3 school lockdowns.  Yesterday was the 19th anniversary of Columbine in Denver.  That school is always closed on 4/20.  Lots of families have gone to home schooling....both of my DGS's had issues w/threats and bullying and my Son spent a lot of time at school pressing the principal to get control.  My Son died and then it became my responsibility.  The schools here are top heavy with hierarchy......little money left to hire quality teachers and to buy equipment.  They would give extra points on a grade for a ream of copy paper.

Chris, glad to see that DH has a new position.....Re: the B....there is Carma.  It is hard to figure out how anyone w/that attitude got to that position and maintains it.   Hope your eye situation is improving......enjoy another H/C.

Cheers to All,
Doris

I went over and got the one I use.......this makes a good size bowl full. It will get juicy as it sits.  Let it sit 2 or 3 hrs. in fridge.  It can be used as a dip w/chips or a condiment with any Mexican food.  
Very good w/pot of pinto beans.

Pico De Gallo.....Pioneer Woman
Ingredients

2 cups fresh cilantro leaves (I use 1 bunch less the stems)
2 to 3 jalapenos  (I use 3 to 5 depending on size)
1 lime
Salt
12 Roma tomatoes (slightly under ripe is fine)
3 yellow or red onions  (I use yellow Onions, usually cheaper)
 
Directions
Dice up equal quantities of tomatoes and onions. Roughly chop the cilantro. 
Now, slice 1 or 2 jalapenos in half. With a spoon, scrape out the seeds. (If you like things spicy, leave in some of the white membranes.) Dice the jalapenos very finely; you want a hint of heat and jalapeno flavor, but you don't want to cause any fires. Now dump the four ingredients into a bowl. 
Slice the lime in half and squeeze the juice from half the lime into the bowl. Sprinkle with salt, and stir together until combined. Be sure to taste the pico de gallo and adjust the seasonings, adding salt or more diced jalapeno if needed.

[cooktocook]

Good evening to those that might still see this post tonight. 

It was another busy day in the kitchen.  After running to BJ's first thing this morning(see below), I made a pot of Chicken Posole which we'll probably have for dinner on Monday evening.  I also made some chocolate pudding to use up the last bit of milk, and had cantaloupes to cut up.  In between, I had bedding to wash.  Next thing I knew, it was time to get dinner going--steak, baked beans, corn on the cob, and a salad.

Another crazy morning on I-75, this time just to the north of us.  A driver got on the highway, going south, on the north-bound side.  Unfortunately, there was an accident--the south bound driver hit a car going north and both cars went up in flames.  Once again the highway was closed for many hours so I had to take the back roads to BJ's.

This afternoon my Tampa Bay Lightning Bolts beat The NJ Devils(sorry Nancy).  They will now advance on to the 2nd round of play-off games. 

Betsy, sorry for what your DD and the other students had to go through.  I just don't understand this crazy world some days--seems that school is no longer a fun/safe place to attend for students and teachers alike. 

Chris, glad your DH was able to get away and enjoy a quick vacation before he starts new job.  My last principal sounds as if he could have been related your husbands principal--I have no nice words I can say about people like that.  Wishing your DH better days ahead.

Elaine, so very sad to read about Jeff.  He and his family will be in my prayers.

Marlene, I hope Red gets his act together real fast and will let you sleep in tomorrow.

Birdy, did you get to make your ribs in the instant pot tonight?  I never realized you could make so many things in an instant pot--bet to keep you busy.

Elza, hope you and DH had a nice day trip.

Ann, no I'm not watching This Old House.  I haven't seen the show since Bob Vila left Norm on his own.  What's that, maybe 20 years ago or better?

Tammy, hope that you enjoyed your concert this evening.  Sorry I do not have a recipe I can share with you for Pico de Gallo--I've never made it.

Helen, I know what you mean about Publix on a Saturday--so busy.  Until school is out in a few more weeks, I don't have much choice, but once school is done I will be shopping during the week.

Doris, nice to see you pop in.  I'm going to check out that Pioneer Woman recipe--thanks for telling us about it.

This evening we had storms move from the east coast to the west, just like in the summer.  I was excited to hear thunder too, but checking the radar, looks like rain took a turn north.  Oh well, another chance of rain late tomorrow.

DH was so tired he went to bed almost two hours ago, now my eyes are staring to get heavy.  Goodnight.
Lori  

[annrms]

I haven't made homemade Pico in years. I buy the Goya brand; it's nice and fresh. When I did make it, I used parsley instead of cilantro. Love the taste of lime so even with the Goya, I squeeze a bit of lime juice into it.