June, 2017 ~ What's for dinner?

Woo Hoo! I'm so proud of the fact that I KNOW it's June! I didn't post my pics in the May thread....... (I'm so lame...........LOL)

Lyn & I went to Orlando today to get a Costco membership to share, something we've meant to do for a while. She wanted to get some stuff for a party she & Bill are having next Tuesday at their house and I just wanted to get out of Dodge (if you know what I mean).

We stopped first at Trader Joe's....love that place! It's just fun to walk around and look at the different products ~ didn't buy much, but I did pick up a few things like CHEAP Jazz Apples from New Zealand. They are the most crisp, sweet apples I've ever eaten. I love to have one for a bedtime snack.

Then we went to The Ravishing Pig Restaurant for lunch. It's a little gastro pub in Winter Park. I had a Spring Pea Soup with crab cake croutons, thinly sliced melon and radishes. It was OK, but the menu didn't mention the cilantro oil & garnish ~ mostly ruined it for me, although I ate it (I wouldn't order it again). Lyn had a Gather's Salad with Spring Greens, mashed avocado, watermelon radishes, seeds and goat cheese with a house dressing. She said that was all she would have needed for lunch, it was 'that' good. Then we split the chicken BLT sandwich that had sliced peaches and frizee lettuce. Man, that was great! It had some sort of bacon jam/aoili and was really tasty. I'd order it again in a heartbeat. Here are the pic's I took:

Hahahaha ~ Jimmy got his dates mixed up. It's June, Jimmy ~ Time marches on!

Here's what Jimmy had to say last night (Posted in the May thread):

"Supper tonight was sausage and peppers and onions. Just juices and oils, and no tomatoes. .....
So....now comes tomorrow. ? What to cook for tomorrow??
I just found out, DD brought over a lb. of fresh ground beef from the butcher shop."

Beth, I just love Trader Joes.. I get a ton of stuff there. I love their greek yogurt.. at 99 cents a container, it is a great price.

Last year, I discovered the Jazz apples. Just love them. So crisp..sweet...juicy..

Their Olive Oils are a great price, as is their Gold Label Balsamic Vinegar. Both of these items make up my salad dressing.

They have a great jar spaghetti sauce also. At a good price, for a quick meal.

I make a weekly trip to TJ's. The grocery store just augments TJ's for me. TJ is just about 6 mules away with the Grocery Store in my own city. Very convenient.

I remember when they opened the first Trader Joe's on Arroyo Pkwy in Pasadena, CA. It was a hit from the beginning. At that time it was more of a convenience store but started evolving to what it is today. I love their cheeses - very reasonably priced. They sell a heavy cream in a plastic bottle that hasn't been ultra pasturized, which alters the flavor. Their blocks of Belgian chocolate are great for baking. I don't do much shopping there though because it just doesn't have most of what I need. We are brand loyal - like Best Foods mayo, Heinz ketchup, Kellogg's raisin bran crunch, Del Monte sweet pickle relish and so on.

Lyn & I drive an hour to go to Trader Joe's and Costco.....worth the fun of a day trip. When we know we're going we'll throw a bag of ice in a cooler here so the cooler is cold and that way we can buy frozen stuff/meats, etc. and it'll be OK on the long drive home.

Lyn loves their mini brie cups ~ just the right size for a snack for her. In the winter I stock up on their frozen French green beans and frozen corn....both are excellent values for the amount in the package.

And I'm with you, Cyn, on the Greek Yogurt....great price!

This time I forced myself to NOT purchase any of their little bite size cookies....OMG, I love 'em! The little 1" chocolate chip with a hint of coconut are so, so good. I love a handful with my coffee in the morning.....and that's why I forced myself to leave 'em at the store this time.

TJ's frozen French onion soup is good.

Has anyone heard from Niagra? I don't believe I have seen her post for a while.

Debbie...Lore hasn't logged on since mid-November of last year. Hard to say what's up since we really don't have any contact except via the forum. Wish I knew.

What a happy guy! Be happy your little guy is creeping, albeit backwards. My DD#2 was a 'ROLLER'...she never crawled but would lie down and ROLL ACROSS THE ROOM! I had to constantly use the 'lint remover' on her to get rid of the dog hair she accumulated as she cleaned the floors. LOL

Tonight was BLT's. Oh, YUM! And the good thing about not regularly having chips in the house is that when you want some with a sandwich supper you have to buy a bag and then they're really fresh!

UNCLE JIMMY wrote:OOoops! almost forgot. The Baby pic of Liam, for June.
Here he is, with his pops.
Grandpa really loves this little tyke.
He just started to creep, but backward.

So Adorable!!!

Hey, Cyn....are you a coffee / chocolate lover? Mocha?

I did pick up something 'new' to me at TJ's ~ Trader Joe's 'Joe's Dark Coffee Squares'.

They're 60 calories / piece. Dark chocolate that is FULL of an almost ground coffee flavor. One is enough to satisfy my 'sweet tooth' in the evening ~ and so far the small amount hasn't affected my sleep at all, which is unusual for me. Usually coffee or chocolate keeps me awake, as well as soft drinks like Coke or Pepsi after about noon.

If you're looking for a treat, pick up a bag and keep 'em in the refrigerator to have for when you really crave something sweet but don't want to blow the diet completely.

Thanks Beth, I may have to check that out. As a matter of fact, I am going to TJ's today!!

I love their mini roma tomatoes. They are good for salads, and not bad for non-home grown. I also need some of those Jazz apples, and cashews, and yogurt and EVOO and Balsamic Vinegar.
and who knows what else!!

I really should have gone grocery shopping yesterday...I hate to go on weekends to the local store.

It is so crowded, you cannot maneuver your cart down the aisles. I just park it at the end and walk to get my stuff.

We are getting a few more days of bad weather. sigh.. Monday and Tuesday.. so I am going to stock up with what I need for food, at TJ.. the rest can wait.

Oh, last week, I did sample a piece of their mixed berry tart... OMG.. so good.. It is frozen, not overly sweet at all. Great for a quick dessert or pot luck, or such.. just thaw overnight in the refrigerator, or 4 hours on the counter. Delish!! add some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream!!! wow...

I have to come up with a week's menu. I am so tired of my recipes I could scream. I guess I will start trolling the net for ideas.

Bugster2 wrote:I have to come up with a week's menu. I am so tired of my recipes I could scream. I guess I will start trolling the net for ideas.

Last night, I was wondering what to make for dinner today, so, I went on my pictures, and flipped through food pics like flash cards.
Came up with Pork Burgers; potatoes and corn. Applesauce on the side.
My problem is, I have to make something agreeable to what Tina can eat so she can digest it without antacids.

I feel so bad for Tina and her current digestion problems. It sure would be nice if her body would straighten itself out.

Debbie - cooking funk is a terrible fate! My problem is a certain someone who doesn't want me to cook the meals I've made for the last 48 years.....yet he has no really good suggestions. Always seems to answer the question "What do you want for supper?" with......"Food. Hot American food."

And tonight was a fairly 'no clue' night. I had some Johnsonville brats that I simmered in some beer and then grilled and I made some macaroni salad because I was hungry for it. He would have preferred I make a tossed salad but since he wasn't cooking it ended up being what I wanted.

Everyone's meals look scrumptious. We had grilled steak and corn and twice baked potatoes.

Norm, your steaks look grilled to perfection! I've not made twice baked potatoes in a long, long time....I think it's about time I revisit that idea ~ maybe with sweet potatoes to keep Mr. Amazing happy. Thanks for the inspiration!

Last time I made steak, Charlie asked if I could make another kind of potato besides baked. I said how about twice baked? At first he didn't remember when I used to make them then he did and was really looking forward to having them again.

Hello!  I hope everyone is having a nice day.

Jimmy, so sorry Tina got shingles.  I had it many years ago and was unlucky enough, like Tina, to get the lesions on my face.  At first I thought it was a reaction to a new Rx I was taking but no, shingles.  I was working as a legal secretary, went in my highrise office via the back door and wearing sunglasses.  I went into my boss's office and told him I came to get work to do at home and when he asked why, I lifted up the glasses and said, "Look at my freaking face, Joe!  I have shingles."  I always joked that it was his fault I got it, as I'd had chicken pox as a kid and his kids had just gotten over them.  He quickly packed up some stuff and I made notes and off I went, right back home.  I think I was looking better after about 12 days and went back to work.

It was funny 'cause Brian was bringing the stuff to work for me and picking up anything else I could work on at home.  He said the receptionist must've told all the women that my husband was there, as he said about 8 or so women managed to come out to the reception area while he was there!  He also said he was exhausted!  I said, "Just to park in the garage and take an elevator to my office and you're exhausted?!"  His reply?  "It was exhausting trying to hold my stomach in the entire time those women were checking me out!"  I almost cried I laughed so hard.  What a goofus!

My first ever experience with taking steroids to treat it -- they worked well but my God, I was eating like a pig until someone warned me.  Painful but I think it's even worse when it's on someone's "trunk", as just to have fabric rub against it when you're dressed would be excruciating.

Was surprised you didn't know there was a shingles vaccine, too, as they ran commercials for years.  Some of the ones that ran most often were the ones with Terry Bradshaw...

After I cut my arm really badly, including all the tendons and the nerve, my doctor prescribed Lyrica for me.  I only took it a couple of days as the nightmares I got were horrendous.  Such terrible, nasty nightmares that I refused to even tell Brian about them.  Glad she's not having problems with it.

A couple of weeks ago, I finally got around to trying the recipe I posted for Stuffed London Broil. Boy, it really came out good. Brian really, really liked it, too. One night I wasn't feeling well and skipped dinner after retreating to our bedroom in early afternoon. He said not to worry, as he'd have leftover London broil. I was lucky the next day to get another piece, as he'd put a serious dent in it! I was glad though, as his appetite is finally starting to come back. His oncologist prescribed some other drug for him and said it should also help him eat more and it has.

He's just about to start a new drug prescribed by his oncologist but the pharmacist at the hospital where the doctor worked called to tell us his insurer would cover half of it but his co-pay would be $2700 a month! He put her on speaker, as I'm trying to take over all of his care, as he's just not being adamant enough (like accepting an appointment for an MRI over 30 days away -- too long to wait when you're in pain). I thanked her and told her we'd contact the physician as we couldn't afford that. She told us about a foundation who would cover it and within about an hour, she'd emailed us the form, I'd scanned our tax return to show we make under $75,000 a year, and between emailing, scanning and signing, we were done. She was great & told us it normally took about 3 days to get approved.

Brian called her back a couple of days later & she said she'd follow up for him (so sweet). After a call from him to allow them to speak to her on his behalf, they said a small delay and answer would be coming. A couple of days later, he followed up again. The sweetie from Walgreens (we don't use Walgreens but these expensive cancer Rx are often only carried by certain drug stores, and this was the drug store he sent it to in the hospital where he treats Brian) was gone, having gotten a promotion (well deserved, I'm sure). Turns out he was denied, said he didn't "qualify." But he didn't ask why, so he started phoning again. Foundation said they had no record of his application (grrr!) but found it and within 24 hours, he was accepted.

We're thrilled, of course, but you get NOTHING, absolutely NOTHING, without bi&ching today -- whether it's with a doctor's office, an insurance company, a provider of some sort. It's exhausting. But I think I've finally convinced him to let me handle EVERYTHING, as I'm much more of a bi*ch than he is and you often need to be. Plus IL keep records of the dates & times I called, who I spoke to, what they said, etc. I have now dedicated an entire steno pad to his medical stuff which I keep on the dining room table and can flip back and forth when they tell me stuff that's inaccurate, like I only called two days ago and not 7 days, etc.

A local TV station started a whole series on varying prices of tests, prescriptions, rehab, any anything medical. You should see the variation in pricing! MRI done at one hospital were $4400, and by going to a local chain, Diagnostic Imaging (where we went 'cause I wasn't waiting over 30 days for his two MRIs since he'd already waited way too long just to get the appt. with the damn doctor!), the MRI was a little over $600. And, of course, your co-pay usually depends on what you're being charged. They have instructions online, too, about how you go about pricing the different tests, too, which is very helpful (you need the coding for the test, for example). If anyone wants the link, let me know and I'll send it along. Lots of reading but you sure can save a lot of money. We were paying $95/month for Brian's Niacin when going thru Medicare and his insurer; we use Good Rx now and don[t go through the insurer and he now pays about $56 a month. I found out you can go to Costco for prescriptions, too, even if you're not a member. Costco has his Niacin for $43.06/month, just a bit of a longer drive and in an extremely busy/busy huge intersection which is a traffic nightmare.

I dread when I get on Medicare, as I'm so afraid of what they're going to charge me for my I.V. medicine, which is just under half a million a year now before insurance. I have a high deductible policy but once I pay that (usually in the first week of the new year -- no lie!), I've got 100% coverage including drugs. Hate to get off that insurance but you have no choice when you turn 65 (Sept. 2018). I'm already investigating what insurers I should go with on top of the Medicare, as I'm scared to death about the price of that medication...

I recently stopped at a farmer's market down in Belle Chasse where I get my nails done and also the city where we have to go to shop at the PX -- its named New Orleans Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base//Alvin Callender Field but it's about 11 miles outside of the city, as it's huge (five square miles). I went there with a bunch of friends when I was in my early 20s, as it's where some guys we knew were flying out of to go help clear out the Suez Canal -- remember that?! It turned out to be wonderful as I got to see a Harrier jet land and take off while there and it was indeed mind boggling to see that huge "plane" stop in mid-air and come down to the ground like a helicopter! Took off the same way, up, up, up and then blasted off -- looked like something out of The Jetson's taking off. My friend, Mary, at the time kept saying "Allender" Callender and I would howl with laughter -- so of course, I've called it that ever since and now Brian does, too!

Anyway, while at the market, I always looked at the bottled products they sell, all made in the state. I bought some Habanero Jelly made here. I make pepper jelly myself (my only "secret" recipe as I promised not to give it away in order to get it) and it's delish but I really wanted to try one made with habanero peppers. It's really good, very hot but not ridiculously so, and has a very nice heat it leaves you with. Anyway, I remember seeing a recipe recently with pepper jelly so I did what I could remember. It had pepper jelly, cream cheese and Muenster cheese slices on it. I made grilled cheese using that combo and they were to die for good. I also tried this with thinly sliced ham, too, and they were good that way as well. But I liked them without the ham, as goodness knows, they were caloric enough with the butter, cream cheese, jelly and sliced cheese. I don't think the recipe included butter on the outside of the bread but to me, that's a crucial part of a grilled cheese.

I am sorry about your husband. I didn't know he had cancer. What kind is it? Seems like so many people are getting the dreaded disease. My sister had stage 4 colon cancer but by the grace of God, a good surgeon and the City of Hope, she beat it. It has been over 15 years so I guess she is cured.