IT’S WHAT FOR DINNER TONIGHT

GOOD MORNING WORLD

The title is the catch phrase for Rachel Ray.  She whips up these yummy dishes and then tells us that this could be ‘what’s for dinner tonight’.  These food filled dishes sit there on her counter looking lovely as they are presented with all the flare of the professional which she is of course.

We are having guests for dinner tonight and I have no idea what I am going to serve.  Several choices have been running through my mind and none of them have stopped and taken root.  Well except the dessert.  That is all decided.  I saw a strawberry recipe in the newspaper yesterday and it seems so simple and will hit the spot.  I even have special dishes that my sister gave me years ago in which to serve it.  So today I am working backwards it appears.

Usually I can plan a dinner with no problem.  I know what I am going to serve buy the appropriate groceries and go from there.  This is a dinner redo as it were.  Last week we were going to get together with these same friends.  I ended up waking up bent over with an attack of sciatica and could not move let alone make a meal for others.  I had to email a sorry to them only to discover they made a ricotta pie to bring with them. I really was feeling even lower when I read that on the email.  Until I received the following email from them later.

‘We are taking the pie to a ME friend’s house tonight who is ill. We are also taking dinner for her, her husband and her mother-in-law. I prepared it this morning and afternoon. We will eat with them as well. This misfortune of your back has brought great fortune upon our friend’s household. See you next week.’

My response to them is that I ‘love pay it forwards’.

Isn’t that the way though if you pay attention.  We make plans and God laughs and shows us HIS plan.  That same evening last Thursday turned out to be a night we needed to be alone as issues had to be dealt with and they were uncomfortable.  Had we not had the evening to deal with them the meal could have been full of tension.

Have you ever simply made a point to sit and review a situation that was changed only to discover the change was better than the plan?  I do it all the time and the only explanation I can come up with for it is that God had a better plan for me.

All this still does not solve the problem of what I am going to serve before the strawberry dessert?  I guess I will go to the store and see what pops out at me for meat and go from there?  Life is such an adventure is it not.  Before I take off I will do one more thing to prepare for dinner!  I will get the puzzle off the dining room table.

…..ONWARD TO MORE MISADVENTURE…(and the grocery store)

 

 

 

LOVE IS…..

GOOD MORNING WORLD

Many many years ago ……it seems this should be continued by saying…..in a land far far away lived a_________.  A fairy tale and I did love them.  I am not so thrilled about shows like ‘Grimm’ that have turned them into horror.  I also have to admit that some fairy tales were quite frightening.  I mean really, when the witch says she is going to put you in an oven, the tease that your aunt who lives with you gives you when she says she is going to throw you in the oven has new meaning!  Luckily by the time my aunt was teasing me with that I was almost too old to fit and she meant my sister AND me so that really would not have worked!!!

I loved fairy tales and stories.  We used to be read a story every night.  When we would spend an afternoon with Auntie she would read to us as well.  I do still like to have someone read to me.  Lots of times on long trips I will do the reading of whatever book we are sharing at the time.  Isn’t this all love?

What is love?  Oh my goodness I am not going to go down that path.  Philosophers smarter than I have looked at this from all angles with no definitive answer.  Poems, odes, books have been written about this subject.  It is in the Bible.

I have a favorite book about love.  It actually is a sequel.  The first book was called “Happiness is a Warm Puppy” written by Charles Schultz of course honoring the world’s favorite dog Snoopy of the Peanuts cartoon series.  The book of love was a gift to me Christmas in 1966 from my sister who signed it “#2 sister” which boggles me now as this sister was here before the other two?  Her inscription said, “Always remember, as Snoopy would say, ‘Love is the whole world wide!'”

The book of love that Charles Schultz wrote was called, “Love is Walking Hand in Hand”.  You rarely see my husband and I that, even in our advanced years, we are not walking hand in hand.  It is a connection to each other during the simplest of activities.  Besides walking ‘hand in hand’ Schultz says that:

Love is…..sharing your popcorn

…..getting a glass of water for someone in the middle of the night

…..wondering what he is doing right now this very moment

…..a phone call

…..liking people  (with a picture of Snoopy smiling)

…..meeting someone by the pencil sharpener

…..is a flag

…..visiting a sick friend

.           …..eating out as a family

…..hating to say goodbye and there are more….

The thing that comes across in this book is that it is the little mundane things for life like mussing up someone’s hair or tickling that are the simple expressions of love that mean a lot to many.  Am certain you all have some fun ideas of what love is for you and yours.

This past week we celebrated my husband’s birthday with a meal he requested.  The chosen vegetable, peas and pearl onions, used to be purchase together in a box by Bird’s Eye.  As so many other things have this must have disappeared as I could not find it.  Could not even find frozen pearl onions.

For me one of last week’s expressions of love was peas and pearl onions.  Love is peeling a bag of tiny pearl onions to cook with some frozen peas to give someone you love a treat!  Who knew love could be onions?

…..ONWARD TO MORE MISADVENTURE…

MONDAY MONDAY

GOOD MORNING WORLD

As you know usually I like Mondays. This one has dawned with a bright sun after a pink tinged sunrise.  Now does pink tinge mean I must be worried about weather or not???  The house is horridly quiet.  I cannot anticipate little shuffles coming in to give me hugs this morning.  When I had my desk on the adjoining wall our youngest used to be able to make and end run across the family room and jump in my lap and hug.   I moved the desk.  He was getting so big the chair would occasionally tilt after 25′ run!!!  They all still come in around the corner and hug ‘The Grandmama’ before they sit to watch ‘kid’s shows’ for a bit to wake up.  It is quiet today!  That is okay.

I am disconnected from the list of to-dos that must be completed by the end of the week.  The list is long the task not all so easy and the time finite.  I will do what I can with the time I have and accept as best I can any failure.  That is okay.

I have not been successful in my try to keep my posts to under 500 words I noticed recently.  I will give it an effort again.  I have a sneaky suspicion that today’s post may be the first of this next trial.  That is okay.

The house is in a state of total ‘uncleanliness’.  Again I will make a list – a very long one – and do what I can.  In fact if I plow through the paperwork on this desk I bet I can find a list I made a few months ago that will have all the same to do jobs on it.  Those were not complete as I am betting there are no scratch offs on that list.  That is okay.

I have a ton of emails to clean up on the computer.  I have a few that I must create for publication next Monday and of course I have the blog to write for the next 53 days.  OH my that is a shocker.  It is only 53 days more.  It seemed such a hard task when I was looking at 365 days.  I may just make this one goal.  I wonder what it will be like in 54 days.  It appears I spend too much time on the computer.  That is okay.

I have a dentist appointment later this morning.  It is to review what we have done so far to fix a pain I am still living with.  It is my least favorite kind of appointment.  I will survive this yet again.  That is okay.

After this appointment I can focus on the festivities of tomorrow.  We are going to quietly celebrate my husband’s birthday.  I will go shopping this afternoon to find something I think he might like.  He is a man of few needs and lesser wants.  One could say he has everything as he has me.  The laugh would circulate the world.  It will be fun to focus on the dinner as it is not his regular choice.  Instead of the normal Risotto con Pollo alla Piedmontese (that is chicken and rice in a tomato sauce for us) he wants stuffed pork chops with gravy.  It is the stuffing and gravy that he wants – the pork simply houses it all.  That is okay!

It is a random Monday morning.  It will not be the lazy day I enjoy and yet it will be a good day.  In the end isn’t it what we make of our day, our life, and our loves that is important?  It is our choice.  If doing what I can is not enough then so be it.  That is okay.

…..ONWARD TO MORE MISADVENTURE…

FROZEN FOOD MONTH – WHO KNEW?

GOOD MORNING WORLD

More to the point yesterday was Frozen Food Day!  These amazing little celebrations fly right by with no acknowledgment at all.  I must stop and congratulate this day!!!  You have come a long way Baby!!

Does anyone remember the original frozen foods?  I believe I did a whole blog on TV dinners.  It was on Nov 24, 2012 ‘Thanksgiving and more’.  I remember looking them up on Wikipedia and finding the origins.  Frozen Food is so much more now.

In case you thought I was kidding!

http://www.nfraweb.org/promotions/promotion.aspx?PromotionId=58

It’s the 30th annual National March Frozen Food Month in 2013!  An exciting tie-in with DreamWorks film,The Croods will support the theme “Discover a Whole New World of Frozen.” NFRA will be placing a national FSI and running a consumer sweepstakes on itswww.EasyHomeMeals.com website. Now is the time to start planning and building partnerships for a successful promotion to invigorate March sales!

36 Million National FSI Circulation

A three-page FSI with a circulation of 36 million will drop on March 3, 2013. It will include coupons and product photos of the participating brands. The FSI will announce the DreamWorks film, The Croods movie tie-in with the “Discover a Whole New World of Frozen” theme and the consumer sweepstakes hosted onwww.EasyHomeMeals.com.

Consumer Sweepstakes

Promoted nationally in the FSI, the Family Adventure Sweepstakes will attract consumer interest and entries. Consumers can enter online atwww.EasyHomeMeals.com. NFRA members are encouraged to promote the sweepstakes as an added value to the consumers.

Facebook Freezer Giveaway

A four-week Freezer Giveaway courtesy of Hussmann will engage fans on the Easy Home Meals Facebook page. One freezer given away each week will drive consumers to our page and promote March.

Golden Penguin Awards

March Frozen Food Month will offer another opportunity to win the prestigious Golden Penguin Award for outstanding merchandising during March. Awards will be presented at the National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Convention in San Diego, October 19-22, 2013. See the Golden Penguin Rules and Entry Form for more information.

This is big stuff.  I am not a huge fan of pre-prepared foods.  I am a scratch cook for the most part excepting things like pasta and bread.  Used to make our bread and no longer do that.  I have to admit that frozen pizzas are so much better than the old cardboard with tomato sauce days.  Tuesday night in fact we had three different kinds for supper.  Freschettas brushetta thin crush had a flavor as good as one I’ve eaten in a restaurant.

Then there is the convenience.  I have a Schwan’s man!!!   I have had a Schwan’s man since 1982.  He brings frozen food to my door.  When we moved from state to state I got in touch to have deliveries started wherever I was living.  Our first move to a new state I saw the truck one day and almost followed it.  The child with me in the car shouted for me not to act so silly!

They have a variety of foods.  Convenience of casseroles and frozen vegetables and of course the ice cream.  In the heat of the summer this saves me lots of issues with shopping!  They also do have the best vegetables I have tasted.  Flash frozen is the key I understand.

I am a pain in the neck about fresh.  Have not always been and am now.  If I have a steak I want it bought today.  I will freeze it though it really is not ever as good as the day it is purchased.  Same with fish or any other meat.

My habit when going to Maine was to stop and get fresh haddock for my treat as an evening meal upon arrival.  I would put together a small chowder as I unpacked or sauté a piece of fish to have with a salad when I was done my chores.  One time I was at the grocery and there was a definite difference in price – fresh was $1+ more than the ‘frozen on the boat haddock’.  What was the difference I asked?  The salesperson said the frozen was done right on the boat so minutes from the water as opposed to the fresh having to travel in from the catch to the store.  I bought a little of both.  That night I cooked a piece of each.  I had to admit to myself that the ‘frozen on the boat’ actually tasted better.  Who Knew?

Frozen Food has come a long way.  Having a Schwans’ frozen beef pot pie to celebrate!!!  Happy Frozen Food Month.

…..ONWARD TO MORE MISADVENTURE…

OLIVE GARDEN QUALITY FOOD

GOOD MORNING WORLD

I like to cook and think I have mentioned that a time or two.  I am not sure what my favorite food to cook is.  I try lots of things.  I even make things up or adapt recipes.  Last night was one of those occasions.  I had mini peppers in multiple colors and needed something to go with them to use them all before they spoiled.  Chicken Cacciatore came to mind.  I had no recipe so did what I could remember and hoped it worked.

I bought the chicken for supper and to prepare some small chicken pot pies for later meals.  I boiled the chicken till it was cooked then cooled it.  I then cut up the colorful peppers, a red onions and celery for the main dish.  I cut some of the chicken into large chunks and put it in the pan with a jar of mushrooms and the veggies and covered it with a small jar of spaghetti sauce.  As it cooked it did not look like enough broth so I added a can of tomato soup and stirred.  It still looked to be lacking some so I added some of the broth from boiling the chicken to the consistency I wanted.  I let it sit and cook away.

I then took the rest of the chicken and cut it into little cubes.  While I was doing that I boiled some small carrots and three potatoes in the chicken broth till they were soft.  I divided the chicken; semi- cooked carrots and now peeled and cubed potatoes into the 8 small pie plates and covered them with chicken gravy thinned with the broth.  The broth went a very long way!!!  I bought pie crusts and made circles of them and covered the pies and threw them in the freezer to cook later.

What a lot of work and what a great reward as I looked at all I had done in a very short time.  The Chicken Cacciatore was cooking away on the stove and smelling great.  I cooked up some spaghetti to go under the sauce.  Salad and a baguette finished the meal.  As we were eating it my dinner companion said this is great a couple of times. Finally the ultimate was this is ‘Olive Garden Quality’ good!  I said thank you – we like the Olive Garden – and said I thought Italian food was probably the easiest to copy.

That became the question of the rest of the meal.  What is the easiest ethnic food to cook?  My companion thought it might be Mexican.  I thought not as you have to make tortillas for most dishes.  Is it Italian?  Is it German?  I am thinking it really is English.  Food from England is fairly plain…bangers and mash, steak and kidney pie.  Though as I think of it my first Yorkshire pudding could have been a weight in a trash can.  It is an interesting question.

The other side of the question is that I am betting a lot of the foods we have here may not be authentic.  I was surprised to hear that Italians do not have pizza over there as we do.  I was just as surprised to read in my cousin Christine’s blog (penattheready.blogspot.com) that she was eating pizza in France where she is currently in residence.  Even Julia Child had a hard time converting French cooking for us all.  One of my favorite cookbooks is ‘Cooking Yankee with a French Accent’.  It is from a lady in Maine who had a cooking show on the local network in Portland years ago.  I think French cooking would be the hardest to duplicate.   

So what do you think is the easiest? 

Smaaklike ete! Lekker eet! (Afrikaans)  Guten Appetit! Mahlzeit!  (German) Vær så god! Vel bekomme! (Norwegan) Smacznego! (Polish)  ¡Buen provecho! ¡Buen apetito! ¡Que aproveche! (Spanish)  Smaklig måltid!  (Swedish)   Afiyet olsun! (Turkish)  Ăn ngon nhé / Chúc ngon miệng   (Vietnamese)  Thokoleza ukudla! (Zulu)

…..and the above in our words……..Bon appetit! Enjoy your meal!

…..ONWARD TO MORE MISADVENTURE