What's cooking ~ JANUARY, 2020

We go to Eastern Caribbean....St. Thomas, St. Croix, etc. We do drink bottled water (but mostly other stuff that isn't water.....) and we've never had a problem with the ice. It's something I never really thought about before we went, naive person that I am. I just loved the different foods and the scenery in Island areas.

I'm not a swimmer so I don't go more than ankle deep in the water. Tried to snorkel once with DD#2 and found my claustrophobia was horrible with the mask. But that's one of MY phobias, one of many and I'm really proud of each and every one of them! LOL

Back in the day, they didn't offer pills to prevent the dreaded trots. What is so strange, is that my sister and I bought a Coke at a high end hotel. We drank out of the same glass. I got sick, she didn't and she drank most of it. The last place you want to be is on a boat sick.....all of that rocking.....

Poor Bugs....I've never experienced any problems like that, not even rocking on a boat. Just the opposite ~ smooth sailing and beautiful skies. It always amazed me every time we cruised we had beautiful weather ~ until we got back home and the snow & sleet & overcast skies took over.

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The contractor started working on the house today. The master bedroom, closet & bathroom are striped naked. I said to the guy taking out the baseboards & carpet that I really hoped there was hardwoods underneath......our house was built on a concrete slab ~ no hardwoods here to be sure! LOL

Tomorrow they'll be starting in the kitchen so I'll be without for a few days. They have to cut out the backsplash & tear off the tile countertops. He said my countertop should be installed on Saturday. So, I guess we'll be eating out for a few days. (no complaints from me....)

Tonight I've got one of my marinated steaks thawed and I'm going to have it with some boiled baby potatoes and steamed cabbage ~ Dane picked up a 'just picked' head of cabbage last Friday at the farm market. It tastes really sweet.

Bugster2 wrote:Crybaby - when it rains, it pours.

Today I discovered a catastrophic freezer failure. I guess I didn't shut the door tight a few days ago and everything was partially defrosted. I had a bag of frozen bread dough that had defrosted and risen to the size of a small pillow. I had to toss 99% of what was in there. All of my steaks, all of the seafood, veggies, soups and whatever else. A turkey too! Too dangerous to take a chance. Well, now we don't have to eat it down. A very expensive loss. I cleaned the shelves after they were emptied. I hope I don't fill it back up like it was.

So sorry, Debbie! I know how this feels as after Katrina we lost a small fortune in food; I forget what the insurance company gave us for it without recent receipts but it wasn't anywhere near the value of the food we lost -- yep, steaks from the Gourmet Butcher Block, seafood dishes, frozen shrimp both peeled and unpeeled with heads on, gumbo, etc.

We too have to be careful when closing our freezer door (I think you have the same type we do, with the French door freezer on the bottom), as it's very easy to leave it open. Ours makes a noise to let us know a door is open but it's not a loud noise at all. And I've learned if I overfill the darn freezer even if the door and the shelves in the freezer move easily, if there's something sticking up too much, frost will accumulate on the seal of the freezer which indicates are was getting inside.

So sorry this happened to you. Not only is it a financial hit but it's terrible to lose food you prepared and planned on pulling out one effortless evening!!!

The freezer is not a bottom drawer. We do have one and it beeps if left open. This unit is just a stand alone freezer. It could have been me that didn't close the door properly, but I think it was Joe. He has done it before. Probably when he went out to grab some bread.

Lore, we loved the one cruise we went on. Brian really didn't want to go as he worked in shipping but I talked him into it. He insisted I get a stateroom on the highest deck offering them and also that we not cruise for more than a week.

I laughed, as I'd already picked out an expensive stateroom on the highest deck and I didn't want to go for more than 7 days either. We had a hard time finding a cruise with FEWER ports of call as we wanted a lot of cruising time and didn't feel like hopping off the ship constantly. After the first day, Brian looked at me and said, "I could stand 14 days of this easy," and I agreed.

We had a table for only four for the cruise and we loved the NJ couple, Harold and Marsha, who shared our table. They were fun t be around and also didn't come to breakfast but one day of the whole cruise, so we had the table to ourselves every morning, which was nice. At dinner, Harold would regale us with stories about where they went and how he didn't like most of the places. Hilarious.

When they came to breakfast one day and our Italian waiter offered Marsha a selection from a tray of pastries he was holding, he looked at me in a panic after she told him what she wanted. He asked her again and she said it again and I guess because we were there every day, he looked in panic at me and Brian. Marsha told him, "I'll take the CROYSANT" -- that's just how she said it too and the poor waiter had no clue what she wanted. I whispered to him, "She would like the croissant," and Marsha busted up laughing and said, "Everyone in NY or Jersey pronounces it CROYsant. I forgot where I was and that the French pronunciation would proba bly be used here."

You'll have a ball, Lore, even if you didn't know a soul on that cruise. Having friends and family with you will make it all the more enjoyable for you and your family!

Bugster2 wrote:The freezer is not a bottom drawer. We do have one and it beeps if left open. This unit is just a stand alone freezer. It could have been me that didn't close the door properly, but I think it was Joe. He has done it before. Probably when he went out to grab some bread.

That's a shame. But there's no use trying to pin the blame on anyone when it's already done. If the freezer is in the garage or somewhere where it wouldn't bother you, put a sign on it reminding all to CLOSE THE DOOR SECURELY!

NormM wrote:

This looked DIVINE, Norm!!!

Thanks for posting pics of Joshua for us, Beth. I feel like we've watched him grow up. Can't believe he's a sophomore in college already, but his major sounds so interesting.

Again, thanks for sharing your family with us.

I was so ready for supper tonight....and wouldn't you know Dane had a hard time getting the charcoal to get going. But when it finally got hot it only took 5 minutes for my steak to cook. Actually, it worked out really well because I had steamed the baby potatoes and then decided to drain them really well and added some butter to the dry pot ~ a good bit of s&p and let them soak up that goodness. The cabbage was so sweet, I almost thought I had added sugar instead of salt. Nothing like a really fresh vegetable!

Just as we sat down for supper Dane's sister called and I forgot to take a pic until part way through my meal....so it is what it is......

Oh, I'm sure I'll have a good time. I like being on the water. We used to own a houseboat. My preference would be to do a trans-Atlantic crossing, but that's not what my children do. The shore excursions really don't appeal to me, but in Belize I will meet up with some friends that I haven't seen for a few years. They spend 6 or 8 weeks there every winter.

I'm sure where ever you go, Lore, you're bound to have a great time! Isn't it great to have other people wait on YOU for a change? ((That's such a fun thing for me!))

When my father was in the Navy, he said the rocking of the ship made him sleepy. He said he never slept so good in his life. No seasickness for him.
Joe came up from Cabo San Lucas in a 50 foot Hatteras. It took a week and he was sick the entire time. The same thing happened to him when he flew in from Phoenix in a 4 seater plane. He is very sensitive to movement. Hense, he does not like to fly or go on boats for very long.

Thank you Michelle. Charlie found a Poke Bowl restaurant that is delivered by Grub Hub and ordered that for us for dinner last night. We both liked it. It is now the third time we have eaten from that kind of restaurant.

Katie and Joe love poke bowls. We have an excellent sushi/poke place 1/2 mile from the house.

This morning I walked downstairs in semi-darkness and promptly slid across the floor and landed on my back. Cat barf. My back hurts. I hope I didn't do any damage.

I don't think there will be any dinner. I have asked and asked Joe what he wants this week and I get no response..We have nothing to eat since I lost my freezer contents.

No cooking tonight.....we went out for Mexican. I'll cook tomorrow and then on Thursday we'll go out after his golf scrambles. My week is shaping up just fine....LOL

Chinese carry out tonight.
Tina has a pot of rice pudding cooking from the leftover white cooked rice. Ummm!

NormM wrote:Thank you Michelle.  Charlie found a Poke Bowl restaurant that is delivered by Grub Hub and ordered that for us for dinner last night. We both liked it. It is now the third time we have eaten from that kind of restaurant.

I would imagine those poke bowls would appeal to you and Charlie, Norm. I'll bet if YOU put together a poke bowl, it would probably look like a work of food art! I think many of those poke bowls I see in magazines and online are really pretty.

Bugster wrote:We have nothing to eat since I lost my freezer contents.

I wish we had room for a stand alone freezer, Debbie. I know we really don't NEED one since there's only two of us but I always wanted one. I don't know if your freezer was in good organizational shape but gradually filling it up again will at least give you a chance to organize it really well.

I remember how bummed out I was to lose our freezer contents after Katrina so I'm really sorry that happened to you. I don't feel like the doors on fridges close as easily and as well as they used to. Like I said, we have to watch to make sure we don't leave one of the doors open, whether it's one of the fridge door or the bottom freezer drawer...

There were things I had in the freezer that Katie never ate or Joe never ate that I wanted to get rid of but couldn't. I can't throw away good food. Well, now it is cleaned out. I now have a 2 loaves of bread, pine nuts, wheat and almond flour, butter, bone-in chicken breasts (bought on sale today) a half chunk of chuck roast and a 3-inch piece of pork shoulder. I forgot - a small container of lime juice I didn't toss. Maybe I should.

Lock your doors and windows and don't let anyone near you.

Bugster2 wrote:Lock your doors and windows and don't let anyone near you.

Haaaaaa!.... You got that right.
Don't worry, they call me "Sanitary Jim"...
I have my own cup, dish, bowl, and silverware.

I have my own hand towel in the bathroom too. I don't even use the toothpaste they use. I have my own hidden in the closet. t- paper for me is hidden also.

I was watching an old noir film last night. It had a couple of lines that had me in stitches.

1.

Man #1: Can I get you a burger?

Man #2: Nah, I had one just before you came. I can still taste the harness.


2.

Man #1: Looking at a photo of a woman.
What a dish!

Man #2: A little too highly seasoned for my digestion.