DECEMBER 2019, What's cooking this month??

UNCLE JIMMY wrote:

Bugster2 wrote:My freezer is so crammed I feel like a hoarder.

Ill bet ya I got you beat; or shall I say "My others" got yours beat! hahahahahaha

We have got to start eating it down. I have ham bones (2), steaks, a turkey, cod, salmon, shrimp, scallops, a whole tub of vegetables, soup, jars of Better Than Bouillon, Minor's shrimp and clam base, bread, bread dough, cookie dough, chili, ham, hot dogs, lemon and lime juice, alfredo sauce, marinara sauce, tomato sauce, and more. It needs a purge.

No clue of what to eat. Had a little snow ( 1 - 1/2 inch dusting ).
Tina is up at the church doing mailings for donation$.
I'm sitting here fat, dumb, and happy. hahahahaha Just being a good boy!

Slapped a pork roast in the slow cooker for dinner.

I am going to the DMV tomorrow to renew my license. I just hope I can pass the eye exam.

I have to go to the UPS store and the grocery store and bank. When i get home I have to tear my closet apart in hopes I can find a key to the safe. Joe has one, but I have no idea where the other one went to. It can only be in my closet drawers.

I did some burgers on the grill tonight. Dane had picked beans so we had those and some cabbage with bacon & onion. It was just enough for the two of us. ((translated: NO leftovers!))

Chinese on way here as I type this!
Egg rolls / hot & spicy egg plant / pork fried rice / spare ribs pork /

I found the key to the safe it was on the floor, right underneath the hook where I had it hanging. I must have knocked it off.

no cooking tonight......

Golf Scrambles day so we'll go out for a late lunch. I always suggest to him he eat enough to last him through the night......

LOL

Yesterday Lyn & I went to our little local Chinese restaurant for an early lunch. It's a cuisine her Bill won't eat except for the plain white rice. He wouldn't touch a vegetable to save his life!

I told her the ladies from my Saturday luncheon group really like the shrimp & Chinese vegetables so that's what we each ordered. She loved it ~ fresh, BIG shrimps with a nice assortment of vegetables with a light sauce. The lunch plate comes with soup and an egg roll and either white or fried rice. A great deal for $7.95.

This Saturday the Ladies' Group is going to Olive Garden for lunch. I was checking out the menu on line and I'm intrigued by the zucchini noodles primavera ~ with a light basil cream sauce. I like that it doesn't have chicken in it. I'm thinking of giving it a try instead of my usual soup & salad choice.

The pictures always show such perfectly plated lunches.....we'll see how it really is.

I am not sure there is any place out here that you can get any meal for $7.95 other than In-n-Out. We went out for a burger and shake for Joe - nothing for me and the bill was $21.00.

Went out with sis to a great Greek restaurant yesterday. Food is great, decor is tacky and old and tired looking. But, the most important part is the food right? Lamb Kabob, rice, yummy roasted potatoes, and a salad. Sis had mousakka which she loved. I tried it, but the cinnamon was a bit too much for me.

Tonight I've got a bone-in, skin-on chicken breast in the oven with a sheet pan of carrots & parsnips. I'm making some of the baby potatoes, steamed in a small amount of water and a pat of butter.

It's been drizzly all day ~ not cool, really, but overcast and 'ugly' outside. I thought a nice oven meal would fit the bill.

Joe picked up some cooties at the doctor's office and is sick with a raging cold and stomach issues, so he just wanted a sandwich and is laying low. I hope I don't catch it.

Bugster2 wrote:Joe picked up some cooties at the doctor's office and is sick with a raging cold and stomach issues, so he just wanted a sandwich and is laying low. I hope I don't catch it.

Debbie.... spray him down with lysol spray....

UNCLE JIMMY wrote:

Bugster2 wrote:Joe picked up some cooties at the doctor's office and is sick with a raging cold and stomach issues, so he just wanted a sandwich and is laying low. I hope I don't catch it.

Debbie.... spray him down with lysol spray....

I have been spraying and wiping down everything he touches with Lysol. You should do the same.

Well, here I go again......

Today was Ladies' Luncheon at Olive Garden. I had the zucchini noodle "zoodles" primavera. It was quite tasty and the zucchini noodles were al dente, not overcooked at all. I think there was carrot, onion, mushrooms, broccoli & roasted red peppers included in a very light basil/lemon cream sauce. I would order it again, it came with soup or salad.

When I got home Dane told me to call Lyn back ~ and, low & behold, we'll be meeting them at one of the country clubs for supper.....

So, no cooking for me tonight! Woo Hoo!!!

There was a beef tenderloin/crab special at the Country Club tonight. Dane & Lyn decided on that: two 3 oz. tenderloin medalions with a small crab cake & bernaise sauce. I ended up ordering a small filet without the crab/sauce. The meat was cooked perfectly and everyone enjoyed what we ate.

The servings are smaller than in, say, a big chain restaurant. I think my filet was a 5 oz. ~ which is fine with me. It came with mashed potatoes & a green bean/carrot mix. I was full and I think both Dane & Lyn were, too. I think Bill ended up ordering chicken parmesan with a side of fettuccini & red sauce. But the prices are so reasonable. My beef filet dinner was $19.99 and Dane's 'special' with the little crab cakes was $21.00. And to have it cooked perfectly to your liking is fabulous! That's sure better than a burger wrapped in paper!

Lyn had suggested we go out for Christmas dinner and we talked about it tonight. In the past I've cooked at her house for 10 - 12 people. This year she's planning on 6. Most of the restaurants and country clubs are open for the holiday but they have a limited preset menu. And the prices are 2 to 3 times what we paid tonight. Hardly seems worth it.

So I suggested we have dinner at her house again but make a much smaller meal than in the past. I said instead of a big prime rib maybe just getting a prime tenderloin....cooks in, what, 45 minutes. And easy....just a seasoning of s&p and it's set. I can make a small casserole of mashed potatoes the day before and we'll have green beans (home grown), the shaved Brussels sprouts (because she loves them any way they're fixed), maybe a creamed corn if they have fresh available. And we'll buy a fruit tart at Fresh Market as a big splurge dessert. We might make a small salad but that's still not a firm choice. Bill just asked if we could have pickled red beets.....and I just happen to have two jars already made in the garage refrigerator because I always make them for him this time of the year ~ his birthday is Christmas Day so it's my gift to him. For such a picky eater it amazes me that he loves red beets ~ what an odd choice of vegetable when he only eats green beans & corn otherwise.

So, I guess we'll be having a Christmas dinner after all. Only difference is, it'll be more like a regular night's dinner instead of a big production.

I wasn't planning on cooking this year. They're suppose to start on our remodeling and I know I'll be a wreck having people in and out of my house all day, every day. I'm already sick of packing stuff up so Dane can stash our stuff in the attic. I'm sure it'll all be worth it but I don't like to work this much.

It must be nice to be able to afford to eat out as much as you do. Twice in one day! What luxury!

When is a good time to bake Christmas cookies? I never know what day to start.

I have just spent the last 4 days reorganizing my movie collection. I got two new media towers that i had to assemble and I have boxes of movies that I have recorded off of TV. Had to alphabetize all of them for the umpteenth time. If i were to die and go to hell, i would be filing and alphabetizing. I hate doing it. I have never liked office work. My husband says he would be stripping furniture. LOL.

My friend's daughter works for Chanel. She gets special invitations to Louboutin shoe sales. Louboutin shoes start at about $700. She bought 9 pairs! She got her shoes at about $250/pair. Must be nice to do that. Even if i had the money, I wouldn't buy them. They have stilletto heels and I am way too old to try and wear them. I would break my neck trying to walk in them, plus I would look ridiculous. It is funny how you need the type of face and hair to pull off wearing certain clothes. I think she is going to ruin her feet.

Bugster2 wrote:It must be nice to be able to afford to eat out as much as you do. Twice in one day! What luxury!

It IS nice to be able to go out to eat whenever the mood or opportunity strikes.

But I don't think it's so much being "able to afford" going out to eat as it is choosing where to spend. We all make choices and Dane & I have chosen to enjoy our retirement and living within our means in an area where we find it affordable and comfortable.

I would guess our monthly mortgage payment is considerably less than yours. I know for a fact you spend 100% more on pet food and care ~ because we choose not to have any pets. You spend 100% more on pool supplies and maintenance ~ because we do not have a pool.

So, if you want to live the life of luxury you could easily do it by choosing to live in a different area of the country where costs are less and have less of other things.

You are right Beth. Moving out of state would have been cheaper for housing but not utilities. Food is cheaper out of state. Gas is less out of state. Just about everything is less but the weather is great out here and Joe refused to move out of state. The only way it will happen is if I divorce Joe and get rid of Katie. Then I am not sure things would be any better because I now only have half our assets. I still might do it LOL. I am tired of being a maid, butler, cook, housekeeper, gardener. Some days a studio apartment seems like a real luxury.