June, 2017 ~ What's for dinner?

bethk wrote:Lyn had a car that needed to go into the dealership for service in Orlando so we left at 9:30 this morning and spent the day putzin' around Orlando.  We went to a mall and she found some clothes.  We were at a mall we don't normally stop at and we came across a home decorating store with the most affordable stuff.  We put together a little silver/black vase & artificial flower arrangement for her house that was really cute.

Then, when we were driving to the dealership we passed a Smash Burger Restaurant.  OMG!  I didn't know Orlando had that restaurant.  My grandchildren asked me to take them to the one by their house in Indiana one time when I was babysitting them because their parents were out of town.  My Tori told me I'd LOVE the vegetable frittes ~ and she was right!  They're nothing more than raw green beans and carrot sticks that are flash-fried in oil (I assume the same as the french fry fryer) and simply seasoned with a garlic/parsley salt.  

I had told Lyn about the place so she was game to go there for a late lunch.  Turns out they have ground beef burgers, chicken breast sandwiches, ground turkey burgers (Lyn's favorite) and vegetarian bean burgers ~ all with your choice of bun and toppings.  

I got Lyn hooked on fried dill pickles a few years ago so she got a side order of those and I got the vegetable frittes and we split them.  It was just what I was hungry for....and what I commonly refer to as my 'fat fix' meal....anything deep fried constitutes a good 'fat fix' for a fat junkie like me!  LOL

And, Jimmy, you would have loved the burger....it's like an old fashioned butter burger ~ ball of meat on a buttered flat top griddle smashed down and crispy on the irregular edges ~ Hence the name, Smash Burger!

Lyn was amazed at the taste of the still al dente fried vegetables....they're a little greasy but they still TASTE healthy!  Hahahahahaha

Bugster2 wrote:Has anyone ever smoked a chicken? If so, what did you think of it?

Norm wrote:Yes prime tastes better. It has more fat. It has to taste better, right?   My favorite all around wood for smoking is apple.  In Texas, were they smoke a lot of beef, one of the  most popular woods is oak. (Not mesquite- it burns too hot for smoking, but it's OK for grilling)

Here is something I saved from a while back.

Wood Flavor Chart - Cooking.com Forums

Beth wrote:I've been making this with pork or chicken for the last 50+ years and I haven't changed much about how I make it in all that time. I know I add way more stock than the original recipe called for but that's because my family likes it 'saucy'.

Niagara Visitor wrote:Dinner last night was seafood chowder............. that may be dinner for the next week too, for I made waaaayy too much.  Bass season opened on Saturday, so I had fresh bass on Saturday, and my fisherman son kept two large carcasses for me with lots of meat left on.  Then I found a huge fresh salmon head in a grocery store, cooked those three to make a pot of broth, then I added some shrimp, squid, and small octopus that I bought frozen.  Lots of potatoes, spices and cream at the last.  It is a big pot full.  I think I have to go up and down the hallways here in the building and give a bunch away!  

bethk wrote:Goodness, he is such a cutie!  I can't believe he's 8 months old!  Time sure does fly by fast the older I get.....tomorrow you'll be posting pics of him leaving for college.

cookingirl wrote:Jimmy,
He is beautiful!! such a happy baby.. hope this continues.. and he has awesome grandparents, with loving Great-Grand-Parents!!

Such a lucky little boy. He has 2 pools! one for the beach and one for the yard!!

Crybaby wrote:Liam is indeed an adorable baby, Jimmy -- he is always smiling and looks so happy.  Just loved that little "shaded" pool they put on the deck for him!  They have such cute things today.

That's a cute picture of your daughter-in-law holding Liam, too.  How's her mother anyway?  I'm curious as to what was wrong with her leg...

You didn't feel like going to the shore with Tina?  Man, I wouldn't have passed that up for anything.  Hot as blazes here and more rain than we're used to getting in June -- heard we were over 8 inches past the normal amount of rain we get in June, and that was last week.  It has rained since then so we might break a record for June.  We're over 10 inches over our average annual rainfall as well.  

But when it's not raining, it's humid as all get out.  Except for yesterday and Monday -- it was a lot drier as a cool front had come in -- temps were a bit milder but the real plus was lower humidity.  So I went and got my hair cut yesterday since it was a good hair day!!  The best part of getting a hair cut for me is having someone else wash and blow-dry it!

Crybaby wrote:

Beth wrote:I've been making this with pork or chicken for the last 50+ years and I haven't changed much about how I make it in all that time. I know I add way more stock than the original recipe called for but that's because my family likes it 'saucy'.

Beth, that's just what I wanted to know -- how you make your Sweet & Sour Pork.  I didn't think any of it was laughable, even how you cooked the veggies in stock until they got to the crispness you wanted.  Sounded quick and easy and I will definitely be making that.  We have a pork tenderloin in the freezer so this would make good use of one of those tenderloins for sure.  Many thanks!

Uncle Jimmy wrote:Thanks Michelle. He is always happy. He rarely cries unless he hits his self with a toy, or if he is hungry. At the restaurants or in church,
he is so well behaved.

As for as ME going down there, and ME sitting on the beach? Uh Uh!
This boy is a shade tree lover, and a freshwater lake boy too!
Poor Tina got her feet sunburned, and her left arm and face burned.She had sunscreen cream on too.  LOL

DIL's mom, was transferred to Heath Village Nursing and rehab center last night. No word on what she had yet.... They inserted a sponge and a drain on the inside of the leg so it doesn't swell again.
Her sister is with her, and Tina will see her there later.

bethk wrote: