What's Cookin on Friday, July 6, 2018

[annrms]

Good morning! Starting us off! Looks as if our heat wave will break by evening...PTL!!! I heard on the news that it is the second longest heat wave in the history of this area! Looks like it will be open windows overnight. Not enough rain, though!
Got busy "recovering" from our gathering yesterday. Made up leftover plates for mom and her friend to have. We had leftovers last night, too.
I made a mess of multi-grain rice using the broth I had saved from cooking the meat in the slow cooker. Most of that is in zip lock bags in the freezer. I also made Arrabiata pasta sauce with the rest of the peppers and onions...came out nice and spicy. Most of that is also in the freezer. I plan on using some of the multi-grain for some "dirty rice" and some of the sauce with some tortellini that I have in the freezer in the next few days. I have an abundance of basil...it loved the heat(!) I bought the some of the makings for Verde sauce but will have to get the rest.
Went to the senior center and managed to water "the estate" before leaving.
Helen - Wishing you fortitude and peace as you pack up and move on with your life. Hugs!
I'll be back later today. Waving!

[cooktocook]

Good morning friends.  Today is National Fried Chicken Day.

Ann, thanks for starting us off today.  Happy that you are finally seeing a break in your temperatures.

Tammy, that sure was a lot of watermelons your DH got from the Food Bank.  How nice that not only the Care Center residents will be able to enjoy them, but your church too.  Reminds me that I have one outside in the garage refrigerator that I need to cut up.

Bet, looking forward to taking a tour of your yard with the soon to come pictures you will post--your beds and hanging baskets sound so beautiful!  How was the Pioneer Woman dessert that your sweet Addison made with her Daddy?

Birdy, hope the rains you were waiting for came and cooled things down for you.

Marlene, nice that Terry listened to you and mowed the grass.  What's up with Red these days?  Hope he's behaving.

Betsy, glad all went well yesterday with your root canal.  Your DD is quite impressive with those test scores--she's going to go far with her future schooling.

Tasty, hope the weather is cooler up there for you and your next time on the golf course will be more enjoyable.  With the heat and humidity here, the golfers are out early, very early--only the brave are out there mid-day or later.

Helen, good for you!  I'm sure your beautiful home in Paradise will sell quickly and you'll soon be on your way to happier times (for both you and your DD) living near one another once again. 

Chris, how is your new position at work coming along?  Is it going to be another day of iced HC's?

Waiting for a phone replacement today.  DD dropped my phone Tuesday night on her tile floors and there went my screen.  Thanks to the insurance DH put on the phone, they were going to send a new one over night by FedEx for free. 

Not sure what dinner will be tonight just yet; I'll think about it while biking. 

Hope to be back later today.  Waving to all!

Lori 

[Tasty]

Good morning friends.  

The heat wave at its worst is over.  We will get to a high of 75F today.  We had a thunderstorm go thru last night about 9pm but very little rain - a little more rain over night as the deck was still damp when I got up.  The patio door is open and a nice breeze outside.

Helen, I wish you lots of happiness as you move to be closer to your daughter - a huge decision to make.  Hope your house sells quickly so you can get on with your life.

A busy day again yesterday with canning (cherry lime jam and a balsamic fig concoction that tasted wonderful) followed by 5 hours at the curling club.  We're well organised and up to date there so all we have to do today is deal with the donations that arrive today.

Right now I am making a batch of cappuccino cinnamon buns fir the bake table.  Ifthey turn outas well as the cranberry orange ones I madea few days ago, I will be very happy.  They are light and yummy 😊.       


No idea what we'll eat tonight.  Last night I opted for cheese and crackers 🙄 

[emr]

Good morning, everybody. Not much to tell -- no dinner plans yet -- so I'll wish you all a happy Friday and check back in later!

[nybirder]

Tasty--just reading your post makes me feel tired--and I'm only a little past breakfast! LOL! Hope all your hard work pays off. You folks certainly have some interesting recipes for jams. Are you using sour cherries or sweet for the cherry lime jam? We used to be able to buy sour cherries easily by driving to the orchards on the south shore of Lake Ontario but they aren't growing them much any more since the canning factories aren't there. I love sour cherry pie but have to rely on frozen from the Mennonite market these days.

We got rain without the thunderstorm in the valley last night. The storms with lots of lightning went north and south of us again which seems to be a pattern lately. It is now beginning to get refreshing and probably won't get any warmer than the 75 that it was overnight. I can't wait for a break in this heat for a while.

Chris--hope you are settling into your new job. When you mentioned Ludlow it reminded me that I spent a couple of summer nights in that region while visiting the Weston Priory and the Country Store in Weston. We couldn't get closer to Weston because everything was booked up. It was the weekend of the Perseid meteor shower and there was a huge group of amateur astronomers attending a gathering on Mt. Okemo. They were having a contest for the most unusual home-made telescopes--have you ever seen one made from a watermelon? Nice people, but they tended to sleep during the day so we didn't see much of them. LOL!

Tasty--I've had cheese and cracker suppers. When it was so hot this last week, I opted for cold cereal and have to say it wasn't bad. I do think I'll have to do some cooking today. I've got to go to the market later to see what calls out to be cooked for supper.

Birdy

[marjo]

I splurged and bought 2 of the best doughnuts at HyVee yesterday. So had the last one w/coffee this morning. They taste just like the ones my Mom always made when she made bread dough a lot of years ago!

Well Lori Red is still up to his old tricks, nothing new. Sometimes I don't get up as early as he would like. I cover my head and go back to sleep then he has to wait to go outside. He is on his second time outside again. He needs to have patience! I get up at 6 not 4 anymore. Unless the meow is very harsh and he has to go. The little winey one I ignore.

Think I will go to Atlantic today and see about getting Mom's ring in another setting. I went once and jeweler was not there. So will try again. She had 4 diamonds in a band, one was hers, her mom's, and two aunts. Might put some of my birthstones in it to make a nice ring. Will see what he offers. Need some things at the dollar store (wally world) as I always spend too much there!!

Will come back home and make Chuck a dessert out of strawberries and rhubarb. He has been doing lots of favors for me lately. I fixed him 4 different dishes last week.

Helen so proud of you moving to Texas. My DD would love to have me move there. That would not be the best as I have kids here too, none are close to me so guess I am in the middle of all of them. I own my own home so why buy another one. Can only wish you happiness and hope you will like it there. What part will you be in? I would like it in the winter but summers are too hot. But ours has been hot too.

Hope you all have a good day!

Marlene

[cfniervt]

Good morning friends! We had a heavy down pour for about 30 minutes this morning and now raining steadily out so that is good and cooled down about 25 degrees from yesterday! Sweet@

Ann- Thanks for starting us off this morning. We also had the second longest heat wave on record here. My Basil did really well in this heat too! I need to make some pesto tonight I think.

Lori- I am still "finding" my way in this new position. So far I do not think I have screwed anything up! LOL State sent me my budget of $42,000 so that is good. My DH replaces the screens on dropped phones a lot! That is a good part of his business! LOL He says "Yeah! for clumsy people and kids! LOL

Tasty- That Jam sounds really good I love anything fig! DH took me out for pizza last night so I did not have to cook! Love that man!

Elza- Hope you have a cool and easy day! See you later!

Birdy- The thunder is what woke me this morning! Loud boom to start off before the torrential downpour! 4:45am! There is a club here called Stellafane that makes the telescopes. They have a gathering every August and we have about 5000 come into town for about 4 days! Sleep all day and up all night so we don't hardly see them. My brother is an "officer" in the club so I get to go up one night and look through the telescopes. wonderful fun. I have seen the space station in one! Was so cool. They have huge and small ones. They do the "Silly scopes" on Okemo too. I love going each year.

Marlene- My Mom had a ring that she wanted me to ave but it got stolen at the nursing home. I have so mad about it. She had it for 85 years and it was her Aunts. I had it fixed for her once and so she wanted me to have it. An aid told her she needed to take it off to wash her hands and Mom never saw it again. The aid says she put it in her pocket for her. No!

Helen- I, too, wish you well in selling and the move. Glad you can do this and be so near your DD. Just so long as you stay on this post! Got that!

Chris (one frozen HC on it's way down the gullet!)

[wilderness]

Good morning.  70 here this morning but the humidity is still at 100%.  We had a heavy storm go through about 3 this morning.  Lots of noise and a real light show.  We got close of 1/2 inch of rain.

You asked about pictures of my yard.  At this point I have only one bed and had that all cleaned out but now the ferns from the woods have taken over so that is about all you can see.  My other bed at the moment has nothing in it as I am redoing it completely.  Things really got away from me when I started working again in 2014 so now it is an uphill battle to get it back in shape. 

These pictures are of my side yard that you hear me speak of.  It is beside the walk into my house.  It was grass but very difficult to mow so I took all the grass out, put down plastic and covered it with sand.  I haven't even got this set up yet but these pictures are from a couple of years ago.

I had a brief idea this morning that I might get some housework done today but it is too nice to stay inside.  I will just continue to get things done outside.

Have a great day.

Bet

[nancycooksnj]

Good morning friends.

Betsy, Congrats to your DD! She sure is one bright kid!

Nice pictures Bet. Is that a German shepherd dog I see in the background? That's my favorite breed of dog followed by a Great Dane.

We had a thunderstorm early this morning with lightning flashing right over out bed. Or so it seemed :| .  It's supposed to clear up by this afternoon.

Helen, It's a big decision to sell your home full of memories. However, I know you will enjoy being close to your DD. And Texas has the warm weather that you like.

I'm leaning towards Tyler Florence's chicken marsala for dinner tonight.

Enjoy your day.

Nancy

[wilderness]

Thanks Nancy.  Trouble was part German Shepard.

Finished my front deck this morning.  Finally no more baskets to make.

Bet

[nybirder]

Bet--are you going to be able to slow down now and enjoy that nice spot under the canopy once in a while? :)

Birdy

[wilderness]

Birdy, maybe in September just before I have to start moving them all into the shop for next year.  I will also start taking cutting for next year soon.  I have some colors that I don't have enough of.  I still have between 80 and 100 to plant.  Just put in 18 more going up the driveway.  Usually I have more than geraniums but the annuals I started in February and March didn't do well at all this year so am scrounging to find plants to fill containers.

Bet

[annrms]

Afternoon! The .2 inches of rain was predicted, but we've gotten much more! Not minding that!!! Now waiting for the cool air to arrive!
DH is busy in the kitchen making pickled red onions.
Bet - Your flowers, deck, and side yard are lovely! You can tell you've put a lot of loving work into your outdoor projects. I like the base of your birdbath!!
Chris - The verde sauce I make has no nuts and lots of other ingredients. I saw a chef make it when I took a class at BU...even though it has the type of olives he dislikes, he enjoys this sauce. Makes enough to freeze two portions, too.
Birdy - Love the Vermont Country Store in Weston. We're overdue for a visit.
Tasty - Yum on the cherry-lime jam!
Lori - Good thing you bought the insurance on your phone.
Nancy- I printed out Tyler's recipe the last time you mentioned it, but I didn't make it! My loss; it looks really good. Do you use the porcini mushrooms?
Good Friday, folks! Waving!

[nybirder]

Ann--with all the samples the Vermont C S gives out I could easily eat myself through that place. They are pricey but it doesn't cost anything to browse--unless you keep finding things you can't live without! LOL!

Blowing the cool air your way, Chris and Ann. It feels sooo good to have the window open and a nice breeze coming in. It's in the mid-70's right now and could get down into the 40's overnight. Yess! Just what I like.

I looked up Tyler Florence's Chicken Marsala recipe. I was surprised to see a version for a single serving which is perfect for me. I usually wing it--nice to actually see a recipe. Ann--are you talking about fresh porcini's? Even with the high Italian population here, I don't think I've ever seen them for sale in our markets, only dried. Another thing that I wonder about . . . in the full recipe he calls for sweet marsala and in the single serving, just marsala. Now, I've never seen any mention on the wine bottles that the marsala is either dry or sweet. We get one choice, period. Is all marsala considered sweet? Again, with our Italian population you'd think that there might be some choice if there is.

Hope you have a nice cool night for sleeping.

Birdy

[tamaralynn]

Good Afternoon,

This morning dragged by and this afternoon is rushing by so quickly! I worked at the resale and it was very slow. I came home and we had lunch then I checked in at the hospital for my bone density scan. It was over in about 5 minutes, but I had to wait about 20 minutes to get checked in and pay my co-pay.

Now I am home and starting to cook the pork roast. I decided to make baked mashed potatoes-an old TOH recipe. I bought ready made mashed taters to help speed up the process.

Bet, your yard is so lovely! just gorgeous.

Lori, glad you got the insurance and were able to get the glass screen replaced.

Tasty, your baked goods sound delicious.

Chris, I am sorry about the loss of your mother's ring. I also had one form my mom in a jewelry box and one time when we were away I came home and it was gone along with a couple other things. I think it was taken by one of our son's so called friends.

We got another heavy rain coming through last night. We have hot days and a chance of rain most every evening this coming week.

Well I need to bring the dogs in and finish putting groceries away. Have a super day whatever it holds!