Last Week in Dinner Land

Monday is the day of the week when I pretend to map out our meals for the week. I do look through the fridge and freezer each Sunday to see what I might be needing to buy/use during the coming week. Then some time during the week I change my mind, at least about some meals. 

This is what I thought might happen last week:
1. Grilled scallops, tossed salad, potatoes of some kind
2. Bbq ribs, caulitato salad, green beans(/)
3. Grilled lamb chops, mashed potatoes, tossed salad
4. Tomato pie, wedge salad
5. Grilled burgers with fixings
6. Take out
7. Take out

And this is what we really ate:
Monday: We had a small slab of ribs leftover from the lake weekend, so this was mostly a planned over meal.
Bbq ribs, corn on the cob, coleslaw

Tuesday: Because TheHub was off work on Monday, Tuesday felt like a Monday. I proceeded with my Monday routine then remembered it was really Tuesday and we were going to have to run back to the lake place and spend the night so I could meet a guy for a new internet installation there. My car was in the shop so TheHub and I planned to drive down together and eat dinner at the lake. I knew I needed something that was easily portable
Meatloaf ,mashed potatoes (instant, from a pouch) green beans (frozen, in the lake fridge)

Wednesday:  The ATT guy was scheduled to be at the lake place between 8 and 12. I woke at sunrise and got ready just incase they showed up at 8 instead of 11:45 which is when they actually arrived. I am just glad my car was in the shop and I could not have driven down in the morning anyway or I would have been seriously teed off!  By the time TheHub got to the lake after work and did the one chore he had planned on doing, it was later when we finally left. (I had already done everything I could possibly do there and personally was done with tasks)  
Chicken dinner meal takeout from Jack's

Thursday:  Since we had spent the night at the lake Tuesday and I had been there all day Wednesday, it felt like this week had 2 false Mondays. It was a weird feeling! At some point during the week I had taken a pack of chicken tenders  (3 actual tenders) out of the freezer. I must have intended to cook something as food prep to freeze, but never did it. Instead ,when I remembered they were thawed in the meat drawer, I had to cook them right then. To heck with meal prepping, it just became dinner.
Chicken, peppers, onions, tomatoes and black beans cooked in Mexican seasonings. lettuce wedge

Friday: We really do miss our Friday date night like we used to have. Unless we had something more pressing, we went out to eat every Friday. Most of the time we went somewhere inexpensive, but it had to be somewhere that alcohol was served. For TheHub, having a drink, glass of wine or a beer with the meal on Friday was his reward for slaving away in the salt mines all week. As long as I did not have to cook, I was never picky about where we went. Enter Covid__that bitch! Now our Fridays are totally different. If we are going to the lake I do cook something to take for an easy meal, but if we stay in town we either grill or do take out. And now, we stop at ThePig for a bottle of wine or a six pack. 

The Red Pearl take out, basil chicken and pea leaves (and wine from home)

Saturday: It was just one of those days! It was hot and we had a few errands to run which just made us  hotter. Nothing like soaring temps, high humidity, in and out errands so the car a/c never really cools, and masks! When we got home we were limp noodles. Dinner plans went out the window and we wanted just cold food.

Huge tossed salad with greek feta dressing

Sunday: We were having a very small birthday celebration of sorts (TheHub's idea. I would have been perfectly fine without it) and invited Son2 and DIL2 over to eat. Since everyone but me had to be at work early Monday morning we decided to have our birthday dinner as a late lunch.
Hamburgers with all the fixings, pasta salad, birthday cake 

Now on to this weeks menu suggestions, which we all know are suggestions at best. Such is life!

1. Seared scallops, potatoes of some sort, green beans, tossed salad

2. Huge salad meal, rolls

3. Grilled steak, tossed salad, rolls

4. Veggie dinner: lady peas, okra, sliced tomatoes, cornbread

5. Roasted turkey breast, green beans, mashed potatoes, gravy

6. Some one pan chicken meal. Unsure, but something portable, to take  to the lake

7. Take-out

It's That Kind Of Day

This is certainly not original, in fact I saw it on Facebook this morning, but I thought it is well worth passing along. Have a great and kind day!

Nothing but that Joy

 I thought I would open with a song this week. I think if we all paid heed to this message it might make finding our joy so much easier. I was totally unfamiliar with this song until a Facebook friend posted this last week.

In a former life we went to elementary school together, then my family moved and I lost touch with him until about 2 months ago when we reacquainted through a mutual Facebook friend, who I also went to elementary school with, and whom I had also reacquainted with about 2 weeks prior to that. 

I hear everyone gripe about Facebook and it is not my favorite medium, but I can control what I choose to read or not, plus I can still be very good friends with people who have totally different beliefs than I do, because my criteria for friendship does not demand my friends share my thoughts or ideals. Plus, if not for Facebook how the heck would I ever have been reunited, even virtually, with L and J?

As usual for the year, I am listing the joys I find each day. Some days are chock full of joyous things and some days they hide and I have to hunt for them. But they are there every single day, even when things looks bleak. 

My intent is to re-read each week  on New Year's Eve starting with Jan 1, 202 and realize that even for a difficult year, joy could and was found every single day. I might even add to the joy while re-reading with a glass of wine or an adult beverage and some chocolate. 

So here is my list of joys for then 36th week of the year.

Wednesday: Chocolate__delicious chocolate brownies!

Thursday: My kitchen table sits in a bay window overlooking the back yard. I am not a big fan of curtains, so my windows there are bare. We also keep the light over the table on until I go to sleep each night. Bright lights through a window at night means lots of flying bugs gather on the windows. Bugs gathering on the windows brings a lot of spiders to catch said bugs attracted to the light. If I know I knock the webs off in the morning, they are back before afternoon.

I have been seeing hummingbirds flitting around the potato plants and on the lantana and marigolds in the back, but Thursday morning about 10 inches from my face I saw a hummingbird dive bombing the spider webs then feasting on bugs that had been caught in them. Next they returned to catch and eat the spiders. I had no idea they were omnivores. What a joy to see those murderous little critters up close and personal!

Friday: We decided to go to the lake for part of the weekend., TheHub thought he would get off of work early and we could scoot down mid-afternoon. No dice on that front! By the time we finally pulled out of the driveway it was rush hour so we made the decision to take our time and do a few errands instead of busting our tails to hurry up and sit in traffic most of the way down.  4 stops and a shared order of French fries later we were actually almost halfway there., We pulled in the driveway there just at sundown, but we had talked a lot, listened to some really good music and knocked 4 tasks off of our to-do list.

Saturday: I woke early when the sky was still gray to watch the sunrise over the lake. It was gorgeous, again and because I woke so dang early, I had breakfast ready butt early. TheHub and I got dressed and went out to do a few errands in a town about 20 minutes away. After finishing we stopped by a joint famous for their fried pies and each got one. (We saved them for dinner) When we got back to the lake  we had lunch then I took a nap. I never take naps and it felt great! Unfortunately after the naps I had some chores outside to do, but was rewarded with a completely clean deck and screened porch. Perfect timing to watch the moon. It was a gorgeous and huge amber moon and when it was rising it left an amber trail across the water diagonally on  the eastern part of the lake. Sometimes looking at something so beautiful moves me to happy tears.

Sunday: I woke early Sunday and was standing in front of the picture window looking at the lake while I drank a cup of coffee. As I stood 

there another hummingbird decided it would like a spider for breakfast. The bird was no farther than 4 inches from my face. I brush all the webs down when we get to the lake but the kitchen windows are too far from the ground for me to reach with my spider web getter, so they stay webbed. I am thrilled they do. About mid day we bailed on the lake, ran some more errands then visited Son2 and DIL2. I loved seeing them, but Shelby the dog was thrilled to see TheHub and me and ran in circles around us until we would pet her, then she would begin all over again finally sitting as close to me as possible so I could give her belly rubs. Because in her dog mind she knew we came to see her, not Son2 and DIL2.

Monday: TheHub and I planned a lazy Labor Day and just ran a couple of errands before puttering around the house while watching the FedEx golf championship. I have never watched it before and honestly still just like to watch the leaders on the last few holes. I had never thought of it in terms of dollars and cents, but one errant putt on the 18th cost one golfer 500k.  

Tuesday: My cousin's son came to Mom's to gather things for his new home. I am sorry for the reasons he needs a new house, when he had a wonderful home before, but life throws curveballs at all of us some time or another. All we wanted him to do was claim them, but he actually moved most of it. Until it was bare I did not realize how large Mom's den is.

Woo hoo! He did ask us not get rid of several more things because he will not know exactly what else he needs until he gets better situated.

Songs for the Seasons.

I have linked to the Tuesday 4 questions provided here by Anne (yes there are more than one of us!) It is fun to play along.

I am beginning this post with Vivaldi's  "Four Seasons" autumn, but have included winter (my personal favorite) spring and summer below

1.Can you name songs that remind  you of autumn , spring, winter or summer? Vivaldi’s Four Seasons for all the seasons. 
Specific songs are: 
Fall: "Autumn in New York" especially the Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong cover
Winter:"River" by Joni Mitchell 
Spring: "Where the Boys Are" by Connie Francis (The movie would play on tv every year during spring break) 
Summer: "Hot Fun in the Summertime" by Sly and the Family Stone


2.Do you like background music when eating or shopping? 
I do like it most of the time. TheHub and I were shopping during Christmas and the particular store was blaring rap. It was so loud we could not even hear ourselves talk, so we left the store.
Do you play background music at home? 
 I listen to music every day and we listen to music every night during dinner generally jazz. TheHub has a few favorites and we seem to listen to Thelonious Monk more than any other particular person while we are eating.

3.Christmas music begins playing some places as early as November just before Thanksgiving. Do you have a favorite Christmas song? 
 I love the German carol “Still, Still, Still. 

4. Songs bring back memories. Would you share a song that triggers memories, good or bad, for you?

Good memory__The guy who lived next door to my college boyfriend was a DJ at an oldies station while he was attending school. He aired late night and would often play songs he would dedicate to us.  "Stand By Me" was one he played occasionally. 

What's For Dinner?

I have been trying to make a meal plan every week and, to be honest,  I am unsuccessful cooking by plan nearly every week.  I try,  I fail, and we eat anyway.

And yes, I know this song is not technically about food, but just look at Saturday and you will see why it leapt into my brain!

This is what was planned for the week:
1. Crack slaw
2. Chicken Florentine over rice or caulirice, tossed salad
3. Peas, okra, cornbread, coleslaw
4. Hamburgers and fixings, tomato onion and cucumber salad
5. Grilled lamb chops, caulimash or regular mashed potatoes, broccoli
6. Seared scallops, tossed salad, baked potato (or none) rolls or keto rolls
7. Take out

And this is what really happened
Monday: We had enough okra from the garden to had a serving of air fryer okra each. I also a half bag of peas frozen.
Lady peas, okra, sliced tomatoes, sliced cakes

Tuesday: One thing you can take to the bank__I do take out very well!
Take out from Blue Pacific (because we love Thai)

Wednesday: I had a kind of lazy day and did a lot of piddling around. Since I had done little I pretty much was required by some moral code to keep from being a total sloth, to get my tail in the kitchen and cook, I fully intended to make chicken Florentine, but I had no spinach so I had to do a quick punt.
Chicken and broccoli over rice

Thursday: I had absolutely no intention of making this meal but a huge bag of okra was placed on TheHub's desk Wednesday afternoon by one of his co-workers.  I truly do appreciate her generosity and am trying to make every bit of food count. So I made some for dinner and froze a big pack of it. This winter it will be a very appreciated addition to a dinner.
Okra, corn on the cob, tomato slices

Friday:  We decided to go to the lake for part of the Labor Day weekend. I have said before when we go late on Friday I like to take something that only needs a quick reheating. A one pot dish is a bonus.
Crack slaw

Saturday: On his way home from work on Friday TheHub stopped at a grocery store near his office and picked up 2 slabs of ribs they cook nearly every spring and summer holiday. Saturday morning we woke early and drove to Clanton, about 20 minutes from the lake place. We were looking for a screened door for the porch. Struck out on that! But we did come home with mums, 3 shirts for me, house slippers for TheHub and 2 fried pies from Peach Park (Clanton's tourist trap for everything peach, plus local produce, ice cream, cobblers, and of course fried pies. We got one apple and one peach. Yum!)
BBQ ribs, tossed salad, baked beans, and fried pie ala mode

Sunday: I knew we would be getting back from the lake sometime Sunday and like we normally do, we were later than we had planned. Fortunately Friday while I was making crack slaw, I whipped up something for Sunday night. After I warmed it up for our dinner I realized I had enough to freeze for another meal. I love it when that happens!
Sloppy Joe's, pickles

So I did not hit the 50 percent mark! Life goes on and we were fed. Now on to a new plan for a new week, which there is a snowball in Hell's chance I will actually cook I may or may not follow.

1. Grilled scallops, tossed salad, potatoes of some kind
2. Bbq ribs, caulitato salad, green beans(/)
3. Grilled lamb chops, mashed potatoes, tossed salad
4. Tomato pie, wedge salad
5. Grilled burgers with fixings
6. Take out
7. Take out

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

Joy

And now brings the end of the 35th week of 2020, the year that is lasting forever! (Or just seems like it is) My aim, as usual, is to record my daily joys to read on New Year's Eve and hopefully be reminded that every single day has something joyous, though some days you have to look really hard to find it.

                             Train passengers singing brings me great joy. Hope it does you too!

Wednesday: Jumped through another hoop dealing with Mom's estate. I had to change her car title to my name so we could legally sell it to the new owner. After over 4 weeks of waiting I finally received the new title in my name and was able to meet the new owner and turn all the paper work over to her. Wiping my hands clean of one more thing!


Thursday: I woke insanely early at 4:45. It was still dark and I was wide awake so I made a cup of coffee and sat at the kitchen window to watch the lake awaken. Before dawn the lake is a gorgeous silver then right before the sun rises it becomes this glorious shade of apricot mirroring the sky. It lasts about 3 minutes before it turns  a tangerine shade, which  lasts for about two minutes, then right as the sun peeks over the hills the entire lake is golden for about another two minutes, I did not have my camera so this is just the apricot phase taken from my phone. It is still beautiful but not quite as apricoty as it is to the human eye. There is a huge joy watching the changes and if the mosquitos did not find me so delicious I would have taken pictures of the entire sequence. I managed one shot then made a hasty retreat from the deck back into the safe haven I call the kitchen.

Friday: I finished the second book I was reading then sat around twiddling my thumbs and doing a few chores. The main joy was TheHub who called and said he was headed back to the lake at a little after 2.  It was nice to have some wheels to go somewhere else. We drove around and did a little exploring before finding a new to us place to pick up some take out for an early dinner

Saturday: On our way home from the lake we did several errands, laughed and talked about everything and nothing. Drives to and from the lake give us some uninterrupted conversation time, which is a true joy. After completing all the errands and buying enough food to restock the lake kitchen, we grabbed a couple of hotdogs. Any night I don't have to cook is joyous.

Sunday: My cousin  and her husband stopped by on their way to the airport. It was great to see them even for the few minutes we visited. She is an excellent artist and had drawn a picture of Mom that she found on my Facebook page. It is actually my all time favorite photo of Mom.  My uncle, Mom's 94 year old brother, made a custom frame for the drawing. He does excellent work and made a walnut frame with a seagull inlay at the top of the frame, which is appropriate since the picture is one of Mom at the beach.

I also met another cousin and her husband at Mom's house. Mom had several pieces of furniture that belonged to my grandmother. Many of them are almost a century old and we wanted them to stay in the family, but neither my sister, Son2  nor I wanted them and it would be too costly to ship them to either Son1 or Son3.  They took a chest and a rocking chair, along with a lot of other things from Mom's. There is serious joy in letting go and passing things on.

Monday: It was a slow unhurried day with some drenching rain, along with sun, heat, and extreme humidity. There is immense joy in having a screened porch to sit on and enjoy the rain, and then having a/c to move into when the heat and humidity rear their ugly heads.

Tuesday: One of my dearest friends lost her husband a few weeks ago. Funerals in times of covid are horrid. You don't get to have the normal physical support of friends who would be there 10 minutes after they got word of the tragedy. Instead you have to rely on text, cards and flowers, along with food brought and left on the garage counter to keep contact at a minimum. I missed our conversations but had to let any phone call be on her terms. Today she felt like talking and we got to talk about how she is feeling and then we talked about some happier things. There was serious joy talking to her, even if it was sharing her grief.

I hope each of you look and find joy every day. It is out there, but sometimes it is a sneaky little $*!+.

Projects:

1. Took care of replacing the alarm system at the lake place

2. Rearranged the living room (kinda because the piano has to live in the same place it always lives and I had just recently moved the couch)

Tuesday 4 September

I am bored with covid and I am bored of staying in. I am still not going to go out and about other than an occasional run to the grocery store so I am looking for things (other than things like housework or yard work) to keep me connected with others while mostly self isolating. I found Tuesday 4 while I was visiting  Martha's blog, Seaside Simplicity. I decided I needed to play along and they very graciously are letting me.

                                                           But first a song, of course!

1.What memories does September bring back to you of school, autumn, songs, movies? Would you share with us?
September is the month I was born, so my earliest memories would have been birthday things. Then it became the start to each year for school. September meant a new binder, pencils, crayons and shoes. Clothes? As needed only, and since Mom made everything we wore there was no back to school shopping for us. Obviously the song I posted here was the first one I thought of. I was dating a really nice guy during my freshman year at college. In May I left and went home to a different city from where he lived. I would hum/ sing (mostly hummed because I really did not know the words)  this song over and over for a week or so after I left, until he called and said he would like to come for a visit. 
Though he is not a household name, some of you might recognize his nickname. I call him TheHub. 


2. September is the first of what are called the "ber" months. and the end of summer and beginning of autumn. Which do you enjoy more, summer or autumn and why?
When  I was a kid I enjoyed summer more and even when my sons were young I loved summer because they were free of the routines that bound us to home. 
Later fall became my favorite season. The weather is cooler but never cold here, there is much less humidity plus it is football season. Roll Tide, Roll!

3.Have you ever gone apple or pumpkin picking or gone into a corn maze? What was that like? 
There are a couple of pumpkin patches around here where I could go but why? I can buy a pumpkins within a mile of my house. I live in Alabama and even though there are some (very few) apple orchards, the apples that grow well here are not spectacular, so no I never have gone.  Ditto with a no on a corn maze.

4.Are fall weekends different for you than summer weekends? What do you enjoy in autumn?
Fall weekends mean college football games. In a normal fall TheHub and Son2 go to all the home games and I stay home and watch them on TV. This year they are doing things a little differently. The powers that be decided to only fill 20 % of the stadium seats. We had to option to purchase some (still unsure how they are deciding who gets tickets and who doesn't) but if you opted to not purchase them it would not affect your season tickets in the 2021 season and you would retain your same seats.  After several phone calls back and forth TheHub and Son2 decided they had rather wait until next year. Now if about 80 thousand other people will decide to forego their tickets the stadium will be good to go.
I also love Honeycrisp apples, chai, soup and some fall art festivals, which I am pretty sure will not be taking place this year.