Almost December

Let's talk about December and what it has in store for you....

1. How much importance do you place on December holidays?  Do you plan and prepare? Is that part of the fun for you or would you rather dispense with it? 

I don't know how much importance I place on the holidays, but I do enjoy them. At least I did pre-covid. Now I am not so sure.

Things have changed and our family is spread across the country, so the big family Christmas celebration is not something we have anymore. My granddaughter lives in Oregon and as much as I would love to have her here at Christmas, I truly believe kids need to be at their own house Christmas morning.

I do plan and do prepare then usually change plans mid-way through. I am an over decorator for the holidays and even though I do use the same decorations year after year I make sure they look different each and every year. 

I was feeling hopeful that we could do a bit of entertaining this year, but now that Omicron is on the horizon I guess only
time will tell.

2. Food is a big part of the holiday season.  Which foods and treats do you most look forward to having?

We have some foods that we enjoy every year. Instead of a Christmas dinner, we have a Christmas brunch, and a huge breakfast casserole is always served. Along side of it we might have turkey, goose, lamb, ham . . . whatever strikes my fancy, and whatever vegetable sides appeal to me a few days before hand. It changes every year, but there are a few contestants also. Each year I make peanut butter fudge, praline fudge,  spice cookies, and spritz cookies. They are always on a platter for brunch.  

There is no other meal for the day until dinner which is always tomato soup and grilled cheese.

3. It is a season for family, friends, guests and giving.  Would you write a bit about how it all comes together for you in December?  

Our plans are always very organic and happen as they happen. I do not ever have a Christmas "script" and just go with the flow. I enjoy spontaneous entertaining (as long as the house is presentable)  

4. Life changes and traditions alter due to those changes. Has anything changed for you and if so how? If not, would you mind sharing your traditions with us?

Almost everything has changed. Both my parents and TheHub's parents are deceased and only one son lives in town. He and his wife split their holidays between each other's friends and family. Son3 and his wife will be in Europe  this Christmas (hopefully but that depends on Covid travel restrictions) and Son1 and family will be in Oregon.

TheHub's siblings have done what normally happens after the parents are gone, and have split into celebrations with their own family's children and grandchildren. 

My sister and her husband will still be here for Christmas brunch, and we might invite our neighbors this year.

This year we were in Oregon and were able to be a part of our DIL's first night of Hanukkah, which was lovely. I loved being a part of a tradition that is thousands of years old and am very thankful she included us in it. I also loved how our granddaughter scrounged up a Hanukkah gift for one of her friends who was very interested in Hanukkah and also wanted to be included in the ceremony.

The 47th Week Is In The Books

This has been our travel week and we are having a ball. These are just a few highlights of the week.

Friday:  We went to the Van Gogh immersive event and really did enjoy it. Immediately after leaving, we drove to the airport to pick up a rental car.  We came home, changed clothes, ate a quick lunch, tossed our bags in the car and headed out to Indiana. We got into Lafayette at 1a.m. and fell asleep almost immediately.

Saturday: We drove the 2 hours into Chicago, turned the car in and took an Uber to Union Station. What a beautiful remnant of the glory days of train travel. Mid afternoon we boarded and were in a room on the upper level.  We had an attendant who made sure we had everything we needed for the day, then came and transformed our room into bunk beds for the evening. 

Sunday: Obviously we were still riding the rails, and spent part of the day in the observation car. We saw a lot of North Dakota and Montana. Like most things I learn, I tend to learn the hard way.  If you are on the Empire Builder, do not decide to take a shower when the train has a 30 minute stop in Minot (even if it makes perfect sense to you to shower while the train is not moving. I was in the shower already bath gelled when they turned the water off for refilling the tanks. I had choices. I could stand in the coffin size shower for 30 minutes or punt. I punted and had TheHub grab me some water bottles for a cold and fast "shower"

In case you were wondering the meals were fabulous, including white tablecloth service in the evening.  

I was pissy about not driving, but I would definitely do it again.

Monday: We arrived in Portland, walked outside the station and got big hugs from the most beautiful girl in our world. Son1 drove us to our hotel so we could check our luggage ( It was only 10 am and way to early for us to get our room)  then we went to their house. Pip had plans for me.  I had given her a Raddish subscription as part of her birthday gift.  I was there just a few minutes before we started making Apple Harvest Bread ( from the September box) and Ghoulish Goulash (October, obviously).

We spent the rest of the day visiting with them, then eating before going back to the hotel

Tuesday: We stay at a hotel near Son1’s house. It has a large indoor pool and Pip loves to swim so it is a match made in heaven. She came to swim then stayed the day with us. You know who will get their grandchild anything she wants, including pizza, lemonade, and Hershey bars?

Wednesday:  TheHub had a migraine so he holed up in the hotel room with the room darkening drapes drawn. I went to their house to do some cooking for Thanksgivng. When I got back TheHub was feeling a little better but not great and I was tired from standing most of the day. Instead of going to grab something for dinner we decided to use room service. It was a fabulous indulgence.

Thursday: Thanksgiving feast with all of DIL1’s family. It was a great day Christmas complete with kids magic shows and dance performances. 

It has been a great week and I am filled with gratitude for each minute. Two years is too long to go without seeing Pip. Damn you Covid

Have a great week and look for your joys. They are always there even if you have to hunt for them   

May all your weeds be wildflowers,

Anne

And So It Begins

 

THe Time Goes and Goes

We are now finished with the 46th week of the year and time just keep marching on and on. I am headed out today to begin our adventure to see the most beautiful girl in our world. I plan on spending my time with her  instead of blogging. 

This is a list of the daily joys for this past week. Next week's list should be a bumper crop of joys~!

Friday: TheHub and I had our new normal date night, and picked up BBQ. We are looking forward to getting out and about a bit more, but with our scheduled trip approaching we decided to do little and limit any possible exposures to anything.  

Saturday: We had a couple of quick errands then came home to watch football. Alabama played New Mexico State and it was a full on slaughter.  The only consolation NMS had was a hefty payout for the TV rights to the game. Roll Tide, because I am a Bama fan, but it was hard to watch. It was so hard to watch that we clicked on the Auburn game instead.

Sunday: We FaceTimed with the most beautiful girl in our world, which is a wonderful treat for me! Then (yes I know we are late to the party) we began watching Yellowstone. We liked the first episode enough to want to continue watching it, but I honestly think I like Succession better.

Monday: I got a ton of stuff done at the house and stayed at home all day cleaning cabinet fronts. Not a glamorous day, but the kitchen looks so much fresher. 

Pip must have been seriously bored when she got home from school because we had a long FaceTime visit. Her best neighborhood friend was not at home so she no after school playmate. Her loss was definitely my gain.

Later we watched another episode of Yellowstone.

Tuesday: We will not return home until the Monday after Thanksgiving. I like to get the house decorated quickly for the entire month of December. Since we will not be here I decided to get a little advance decorating done. The foyer was the project of the day, and was dressed for the season.

Wednesday: I put on Christmas music and decked the dining room, and the living room (except for the tree. It will happen once we get back) Then I added Christmas to the den ( minus the tree also) 

Thursday: I gave myself the best gift ever. I hired a company to wash my exterior windows. TheHub an I mutually agreed that from now on exterior windows and gutters will be a hired job. No more climbing on the roof to clean the dormer windows! 

The Independence Place of Alabama had their annual stage performance and I was able to go. I sat grinning from ear to ear while crying happy tears. 

Go look for your joys. You will find them no matter how small.

May all your weeds be wildflowers,

Anne

Holiday Reminder

It's not too late to sign up!

 It is that time of year for the yearly Blogger card swap. It is a pretty simple process. You will receive 3 names and addresses of Bloggers or Blog Readers, send them each a card and get 3 cards in return. I personally have loved sending and receiving cards from Blog Friends, near and far.

If you are interested in joining in this year please send your name and address to haljam27@gmail.com. I will sort through all the participants and have your list ready,  by Dec.1

If you have already sent it and had it confirmed that I received it, we are good to go. If you sent it without getting a response please re-submit!

Gathering the Fragments

I know I am pretty bad about sticking to a planned menu, but most days life interferes with whatever I thought I was going to do that day, so why should meals be any different than the rest of the time?  When things go as planned, so do meals. And when they don't, well, it's anybody's guess.

What I planned:

1. Keto chicken spaghetti, tossed salad

2. Salmon croquettes, brussels sprouts, potatoes of some kind (or none)

3. Taco salad

4. Veggie meal TBD later but possibly black eyed peas, turnip greens and cornbread

5. Kraut and sausage, green beans, carrot and raisin salad (?)

6. Take out

7. Something else with chicken, just don't know what

What really happened:

Monday: Keto chicken spaghetti, tossed salad

Tuesday: Taco salad, toast or corn chips

Wednesday: Sausage and kraut, green beans, toast

Thursday: Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup or beef broth

Friday: Full Moon BBQ take out

Saturday: Hamburger patty with onions and gravy, hash brown, tossed salad

Sunday: Homemade vegetable beef soup

Used from the freezer:

1 pack chicken

1 pack spaghetti squash

1 pack taco seasoned ground chuck

1 pack Conecuh sausage 

1 pack green beans

2 hamburger patties

2 hash brown patties

1 pack chicken broth

Put into the freezer:

Nothing!!!!!!!

What's next:

I am making no meal plans for this week. We will be in town until Friday afternoon so our meals are going to be a mishmash of any odds and ends we have around the house. Some things will be from the freezer and I have no idea what else we will be eating. I don't really care either.  All I know for sure is that after breakfast Friday,  I don't have to do any meal planning for 10 blissful (?) days.

I had bought tickets for the Van Gogh immersive show the day they went on sale. Little did I know a couple of weeks later we would be leaving for  our trip that same day. 

Originally we planned to rent a car and drive to Portland. (Our goal was to take things inherited from Mom that we could/would not ship to Son1's family)  Then we would fly home. About as soon as we made our return flights TheHub started complaining about how long the drive would be and how tired he would be, so he started changing our plans.

Now we are leaving the Van Gogh exhibit, renting a car and driving to Chicago where we will board the train for 45 hours. The train does allow much more baggage than a plane does, so we can pack most of the things we were taking by car and store them in the baggage car (the exception being two art pieces that we will have to ship now). 

There was an agreement struck before I would agree to the train trip. One of the items they inherited was Mom's sterling flatware service for twelve. (One of the main reasons for the hand delivery is because I will not ship it or fly with it in checked luggage at the airport.) Because our sleeper room will only lock when we are inside it, TheHub had to agree to lug every bit of the silver with him any time he leaves the room.  Petty? Maybe but this silver has been around and in use since the early 1950's. Mom wanted them to have it and pass it down eventually to Pip. I am not going to let anything happen to it if I can help it.

So if you are traveling westbound on the Empire Builder and see a dude with a heavy backpack every time he walks through the train, it might possibly be TheHub!

Have a great week staying on plan, going off plan, or with no plan at all

 

Pollyanna Days

Week 45 of the year is over. How can that be possible? Life passes by so fast.  This week was interesting. Things were neither exciting nor dull, but just rocked along in a fairly predictable pace. I have seen My Beloved Sister a good bit this week, which is wonderful because no one makes me laugh as much as she does, and what's better than genuine laughter?

Friday: I was alone and feeling sorry for myself, so I found a Netflix show, "Sisters",  to binge and then I binge read. Binging is not something I need to do often, but it was kind of nice for one day!

Saturday: TheHub had to work entertaining a group from Boston,  so we did not do our usual running around. Instead I did a little Christmas decorating  (yes, I know it's early, but we have some weird circumstances going on ) while waiting for the ball games to start.  DIL2 came over after babysitting her adorable nephew to watch the game with me. Bama and LSU played and, by the skin of their teeth, Alabama won. Roll Tide!

Sunday: We were tired and there was a wonderful nap involved!

Monday: The doorbell rang and I was expecting it to be a guy bidding on some work I need to have done. Instead it was one of my  neighbors. I have not seen is a long time. I technically live in the same neighborhood I did when she lived two houses away, but we moved over 20 years ago to the section I am in now. In reality we live just 3 or 4 blocks apart now, but the way the streets wind around makes it feel  much further. She came in and visited for a while. It was so nice to catch up.

Tuesday: My beloved sister and I had another meeting with the attorney. I think we are mainly racking up fees for them. After the meeting we were hungry and found a fabulous new joint in Bluff Park. The Electric has a funky and groovy vibe and is a salad and sandwich restaurant featuring a full bar.  The wedge salad was so big I ate half for lunch, we had 1/4 for dinner and the remaining became my lunch the next day!

Wednesday: TheHub woke feeling really bad so he went to work anyway and stayed in his personal office and having no contact with anyone until his Covid test came back__ negative! (Personally, I can't believe he went in at all. I am pretty sure that is how crap spreads!)

He was still feeling rotten and came home early. Even feeling like crud, he still wanted to go look at the two options we had narrowed  down for our joint everything present. Fortunately we made a decision. I am glad because I am tired of looking!

Thursday: We had to go to one of our friend's funeral. It was held at our church and was such a lovely celebration of his life. He was a great guy and will be missed very much. We left right after a thunderstorm had passed, and suddenly it is fall. All the way home the leaves were brilliant. Ok maybe they were just wet and looked brilliant but it was a beautiful ride home remembering Jim, a true gentleman.

I do have a request to make of any of you who stream music with Spotify. Please go and grab "Grow" by Helena Hallberg (artist). This is my daughter-in-love's newest single that dropped 11/12 at midnight. She is trying to get some traction with it and would seriously love any of you who felt inclined to download it. Even if it is not your musical taste, it would still help her a lot if you added it to a playlist. I snagged it a 12:03 a.m.

Now go find your joys. They are always out there even if you have to hunt for them a little.

May all your weeds be wildflowers,

Anne

Creamed Collards with Sausage

In looking through various keto recipe sites I found a creamed collards recipe that sounded intriguing__ kind of. I used a little of the original but altered it to fit my southern tastes. This is the version I made because honestly what is better than smoked sausage? (Specifically Conecuh sausage)* Before I go on, let me say this is not a pretty dish, but the flavor is outstanding!

The weather has not been cold enough here for the collards to lose their bitter taste so I used 2 bags of frozen cut collards. Call me a cheater if you have to, but it surely made this an easier prep than washing, cutting,  and washing again before cooking them.

This is the only song I know of that talks about cooked greens!

2 bags frozen chopped collards or a big bunch of fresh

2 (ish) cups chicken broth

1 large onion, chopped

1 clove garlic (minced)

1 pound smoked sausage, cut into coins (see change below)

1 teaspoon olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon -1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (this is a to taste thing)

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

4 ounces cream cheese**

1-2 tablespoons heavy cream (could use milk but milk is not keto)

Cook the collards in a largish pot until they are done. Done is a relative term. In the south we like them fairly soft, but you do your thing with them. Drain off any remaining chicken broth (or do like I do and Dave it for the bowl kept in the freezer that holds all remnants to go in a future soup) and set aside for a few minutes.

In a skillet add the oil, onion, and sausage until the sausage is hot and the onion is soft. Then add the garlic stirring quickly and wilt it. Put it in the pot with the collards and add salt and pepper, vinegar to taste and the all spice. Get everything piping hot, but you have to stir pretty much the entire time. Add the cream cheese and stir, stir, stir until it is melted evenly throughout. Add enough heavy cream or milk to reach whatever consistency you like. Serve in a bowl  along with some cornbread. Yum! This made enough for dinner for 2, with an additional lunch and dinner for 1. I will be doing this often during the winter because I love a one dish meal.

What I will do next time: I will quarter the coins so I will have bits of sausage in every single bite.

* Conecuh sausage is made in Alabama and is the best smoked sausage I have ever eaten. Go ahead and buy the best in your area. 

** For a lower fat option Neufchatel cheese might work, but I honestly don't know since it melts a little differently.

Blogger Holiday Card Swap

 It is that time of year for the yearly Blogger card swap. It is a pretty simple process. You will receive 3 names and addresses of Bloggers or Blog Readers, send them each a card and get 3 cards in return. I personally have loved sending and receiving cards from Blog Friends, near and far.

If you are interested in joining in this year please send your name and address to haljam27@gmail.com. I will sort through all the participants and have your list ready, hopefully before Dec.1

Ho Hum!

Do you ever have weeks that you only accomplish the bare minimum because you just aren't feeling like doing more than has to be done. I had one of those weeks last week, and this is the result of my lackluster performance.

What I had planned:
1. Chili, coleslaw, cornbread

2. Creamed collards with smoked sausage, cornbread

3. Spaghetti with meat sauce, tossed salad

4. White bbq chicken, caulitato salad, tomato slices (dicey)

5. Takeout

6. Grilled swordfish or salmon croquettes (weather will edecide) with some sides and salad

7. Polynesian chicken, rice or caulirice, green beans, pineapple slices 

What really happened:

Monday: I had bought some keto Polynesian cooking sauce and it was a great night to give it a try. The verdict__the sauce is OK but nothing to really write home about. I did sautés onions and peppers and added it to the chicken and sauce which made it feel more like sweet and sour chicken, especially since I served it over pineapple bits.

Polynesian chicken over pineapple, saffron rice (or none), coleslaw

Tuesday: The night was really cool and perfect for dinner in a bowl.

Chili, Fritos (or none) coleslaw

Wednesday: I had a spur of the moment invitation to meet a friend for dinner at a local joint. TheHub picked up something to eat on his way home. 

Thai Basil Chicken from Pho Pho, and whatever TheHub bought.

Thursday: I have been wanting to try this ever since I read about it, though I did southify the original recipe quite a bit.

Creamed collards, toast

Friday: TheHub had some people in town (business thing) and had to take them wining and dining. There is a huge difference between the two of us when the other will not be home for dinner. I just looked in the freezer and pulled out some frozen leftovers.

Leftover vegetable soup

Saturday: TheHub left fro the ballgame much earlier than normal. Those same people we was entertaining Friday night also went to the ball game with him and Son2. I was bored hungry early in the day so I ate my dinner for lunch. DIL2 came over to watch the ball game with me, fortunately I had other leftovers for her.

Leftover collard greens, DIL leftover chili

Sunday: This was just a regular Sunday with plenty of time to cook, but not a lot of desire.

White bbq chicken (cooked in the oven instead of grilled), caulitato salad, toast

What might happen if I can get out of the doldrums.

1. Keto chicken spaghetti, tossed salad

2. Salmon croquettes, brussels sprouts, potatoes of some kind (or none)

3. Taco salad

4. Veggie meal TBD later but possibly black eyed peas, turnip greens and cornbread

5. Kraut and sausage, green beans, carrot and raisin salad (?)

6. Take out

7. Something else with chicken, just don't know what

Have a great week staying on plan, going off plan or with no plan at all!

Just Doing My Own Thing

It was suggested anonymously that I was Pollyannish about my life because "no life is filled with nothing but joy". 

My life is far from perfect and crap happens all the time, but my blog is not my bitching post. Life is difficult for everyone and my troubles are mine, no one else's.  I do not feel the need to share the things or people I might be upset with. I don't want anyone to read my blog and assume I am perpetually pissed off. Yes, I can bitch, moan and groan with the best of them. I am easily angered (it never lasts long) and am about as sarcastic as they come. But that is not what my blog is ever going to be about. 

I can choose to wallow in what is going wrong or I can opt to not let unpleasant things rule me. Given the power of choice, I will choose concentrating on happiness and joy every time. 

So Anonymous, if my choosing joy pisses you off, then adios, don't let the door hit you in the butt on your way out.

 Friday: My Beloved Sister and I drove to Restaurant Far Away to meet My Beloved Cousin, her husband, My Other Beloved Cousin, and our Uncle Bob (the international cool guy uncle) for lunch. Uncle Bob is the spryest, most together 95 year old you will ever meet, and is the only remaining sibling of our mother's and father, respectively. The restaurant was about 45 minutes away so we left my house at 10:45, just to make sure we would be on time for a noon lunch. We knew we would be a little early, but we were allowing for traffic. 

We ate and laughed, talked and laughed some more, then finally left to go home. I pulled into my driveway at 4:30. It was a long lunch, but was wonderful to see them. (BTW we tipped the waitress  3 different times while we were there, because we figured we occupied 3 different turns of her table)

TheHub was pulling in as I got to the front door, he changed clothes so we could have a most unusual date night. We went to get our Covid boosters, then headed to the grocery store to pick up a little more Halloween candy. We have a several new families in the neighborhood and I have no idea how many to plan for this year. I had rather have too much than too little, so anything leftover will go straight to the freezer. When we came out it was raining and we both decided to just go home, make a simple dinner and read.

Saturday: We woke to a very cool (cold if you live in Alabama) wet day. We were both not feeling great, (reaction from the covid booster)but we still had a few things we needed to get done for the day.

I had scheduled a pick up for some furniture we were donating to a non-profit that outfits homeless veterans apartments. Win/win! They came early which enabled us to get an earlier start on our recon mission. 

I think we have enough information to make a decision, and pull the trigger on purchasing our gift to each other. 

The last place we went was in the same area Son2 and DIL2 live so they met us for lunch at a very nice new restaurant. Kudos to their small city for creating a beautiful public space . It is a large outdoor area with a huge covered seating space, a stage for outdoor performances, and restaurants surrounding it. One of the restaurants featured some flower art, though it looked like  people had helped themselves to a few of the flowers. Why?

Flower art: dia de los Muertos

Sunday: The biggest joy was waking and feeling so much better. Saturday evening TheHub had a slight fever and I could not get warm. A good night's sleep helped both of us so much. The bonus was the day itself. After a cold wet Saturday, Sunday was glorious, bright, sunny and warm for the perfect Trick or Treat night. 

And what could be more wonderful than having a bunch of adorable kids knock on your door! Happy Halloween to me!

Monday: After a meeting with attorneys, My Beloved Sister and I had a late lunch at a local restaurant.  The trick to safe dining out is to go after 2. Virtually no one eats then!

Later I put my fall/winter bed put together. I change things over according to the weather, not the calendar and we have just started having cooler weather. My heavier bedding is perfect now. The comforter is a paprika color, but I had to change the pillow shams I love. They are a deep royal blue and I would hate for anyone to see my bed and assume we are Auburn fans.

After TheHub got home from the office we ran and looked again for our joint "everything" present. At some point we have to quit looking and make a purchase, but there are so many options to consider. While we were out we noticed the sky was brilliant red so we hurried up to our spot on the bluff. We missed the actual sunset, but the sky was filled with pinks and oranges and reds. We sat there talking until the last bits of color were gone. 

Tuesday: The day was mostly a ho-hum kind of day, though I did catch up via the phone with one of my  best friends.

Mid-afternoon my favorite neighbor texted me that 2 police cars were in front of my house with the officers talking to each other through their car windows. She suggested I hide anything incriminating just in case they raided my house. I told her I was sure the keto police had called VHPD and ratted me out, because I had 2 unopened packs of full size Hershey bars left over from Halloween. 

Wednesday: Ugh! I started cleaning my holiday closet, which is a fancy name I use for the weird closet in one of the upstairs rooms that holds everything but the kitchen sink. I came across several items I no longer need nor want, so I offered them for the taking on our neighborhood FB site. Hooray I have takers for them without having to drive to Goodwill. 

I also met a very dear friend for dinner. She had moved to Nashville many years ago, but has returned to Birmingham. I always have so much fun with her and we plan on doing it again one night next week!

Thursday: I was sipping my coffee when TheHub called to talk about getting some things done around the house. I told him I had rather wait until after our trip. Then he told me the event I had invited some people  for lunch prior to said event was scheduled Dec.2 rather than the first week of January like I thought it was. Yikes!  We return from Portland November 28, so those Thanksgiving decorations I had just put out went back in the box and I began stripping the house to make room for Christmas decorations. 

I think I need to find the wizard and ask for a brain. I believe the only joy here was finding I had the incorrect date while I still have 2 weeks before we leave. Now it is time for me to get off the computer and get my rear in gear.

Have a great week finding your joys wherever they may be.

May all your weeds be wildflowers,

Anne

 

Thought for Food

As usual my plans and my reality did not coincide. I am not one of those whose days go according to plan, so why would I think my meals should? Sometimes I am a slow learner. Even so there is that little bit of me that thinks it is possible.

Planned meals 

1. Butternut squash soup, cabbage, roll

2. Chili, cornbread, roasted Brussels sprouts

3. Creamed collards with sausage (Jury is out on this but I am trying it anyway)

4. Anniversary dinner out

5. Grilled swordfish, salad, asparagus, and something else

6. Hub has a dinner meeting so leftovers for me

7. Chicken, rice (orcaulirice), green beans, tomato slices 

 

Changed plans (as usual)

 Monday: Got busy doing nothing and threw this together at the last minute

 Butternut squash soup, coleslaw, toast

Tuesday:  It was our anniversary and we had planned a night out. I put on my big girl undies and actually sat inside the restaurant. Good thing the tables were far apart or I probably would have not stayed there. I am so glad I did because the food was delicious.

Our waiter asked if we were celebrating any special occasion and we told him it was our anniversary. The hostess put rose petals on the table and the manager came to wish us a Happy Anniversary and offered a complimentary dessert. Excellent customer service!

Bacon wrapped scallops, Caesar salad, asparagus. (me) Oysters, red snapper over couscous, mushrooms (TheHub), bite size delicious chocolate something,  mini creme brûlée,  and bite size pumpkin cheesecake.

Wednesday: TheHub was supposed to be out of town but changed his plans. Lucky for him, he let me know early in the day or he would have been stuck with a PB&J.

Roast Chicken, saffron rice (or none), green beans, tomato slices

Thursday: I was cleaning out the crisper and noticed I had a bunch of bell peppers that had to be used PDQ. So once again dinner planned itself.'

Stuffed bell peppers, leftover saffron rice or caulirice, tossed salad

Friday: We  went out together Friday evening, bit it was not our usual date night. It was rainy and cold and we both decided we had rather just go home and have a quick bite there.

Crustless pizza (cheese, sauce, a ton of veggies and pepperoni)

Saturday: We ran a few errands then began feeling the effects of our Covid booster so we headed for home, put on really soft clothes and only wanted something seriously comforting for dinner.

Vegetable chicken soup

Sunday: When I made our meal plan for the week I did not even think about it being Halloween. Since my sons were little bitty things we have had the same Halloween dinner and even now that the nest is empty we have continued that tradition.

Hotdogs or wieners and fixings, coleslaw (me), delicious smelling chips (TheHub)

Used from the freezer:

2 quart bags of chicken broth

2 packs of green beans

pack of ground chuck

1/2 bag mixed veggies

1 pack hot dogs

Put into the freezer:

2 packs sliced cooked chicken

And now on to this week where things are planned but not set in stone

1. Chili, coleslaw, cornbread

2. Creamed collards with smoked sausage, cornbread

3. Spaghetti with meat sauce, tossed salad

4. White bbq chicken, caulitato salad, tomato slices (dicey)

5. Takeout

6. Grilled swordfish or salmon croquettes (weather will edecide) with some sides and salad

7. Polynesian chicken, rice or caulirice, green beans, pineapple slices 

So have a great week staying on plan, going off plan or with no plan at all!