AKathy's "What's For Dinner?" 09/15

Sorry about your day yesterday leannec. Unfortunately I can relate. Hasn't happened to me in a while. But I know there will be more days like that in my future. Hopefully you are having a good breakfast and can come home and enjoy the rest of your day.

I was up at 4. Rested. I showed up at the farmers market when it opened at 7 this morning and got all my groceries. I'm three loads deep in laundry with only like 42 more to go..🙄 I cleaned my kitchen. Need to move onto the dining and living rooms..I knitted for a little while. I'm going to break and do some food prep. And I've just started a collection of Stephen King's short stories because I'm trying to get in the spooky mood.

Tonight I'll be making crispy tandoori cannellini beans with roasted sweet potatoes (a little yogurt mint sauce for dipping) and some lemon garlic Brussels sprouts.

I have a dinner thread question. I have always had this problem to some degree. But with the plant based eating (today is my return to it) and the garden, non refrigerated produce is taking over my counters. I do not have a pantry. Help me figure out a solution.

Nick made me one of those wooden oblong dough bowls. I pile up the apples, bananas and citrus fruits and use it as the centerpiece for the dining table. I have that same metal basket you do and I used to use it for fruit but we have too much. The rest I just leave out, but the clutter is taking over so I'm probably not the one to comment.

And I'm sorry about your day, leannec. I have those days too.

leannec gentle hugs to you. Hope you are having a much better day ❤️

I'm sorry you had such a rough day leannec. I am glad you are feeling better today.

jeremysgirl I am thinking a tiered system would work well for you.

FIL birthday dinner was a success last night. He was brought to tears a couple of times. My SIL made picture boards and they were so fun to look at. Take the pictures!!! My kids loved looking at the photos of their grandparents when they were their age. With that being said, I am a lot pissed at one of my BIL. SIL sent a text to all of her siblings a few weeks ago because she couldn't find the picture albums at her parents house. One of her brothers replied that he had them and would drop them off. This brought up a discussion with DH and myself that when the time came I wanted the scrapbook that I made as a Christmas gift for his parents years ago. He agreed. Fast forward to last night and I was discussing the pictures with my SIL and mentioned the same thing to her. She told me the scrapbook was one of the things BIL had and brought back but some of the pictures had been taken out of it. I am livid! Why, why, why would anyone do that?

I leave on a business trip tomorrow morning. I really need to start packing.

Dinner will be meatloaf.

pantsonfire I need to get in there and measure my space. I really don't have any cabinet space. I feel like my kitchen is bursting at the seams

With dh's aunt in town to help care for MIL, we get some pretty good meals on the nights when we are over there. Last night was grilled pork chops, stewed potatoes, pinto beans and cornbread, cole slaw, and cucumbers.
We were sent home with leftovers for tonight and I got the recipe for the beans and cornbread. 😁

DH is at “Todds Farm” a HUGE FLEA MARKET trying once again to sell some of his “Junk” Sadly just because he spent X amount of dollars on it many years ago he thinks he will get that back, No matter what I tell him he persists, and every week he brings it all back.

I have my fourth and last load of laundry in, The bed is remade and I have been for a walk, and to get Groceries.
Dinner will be the Ratatouille soup I made last week…it was good and I can make it ahead, so DH can eat while I nap, as I am working tonight.

Leannec, glad you are better today…enjoy breakfast!!
Jeremysgirl…I have the same problem, I really want a pantry, however not happening in this house 😕

I am generally not a fan of cold fruit pantsonfire . Even when I'm eating melons and those have to be stored cut in the fridge, I bring them out and let them warm up.

No! Resourceful and cool. I love snowmen too. They are cute!!

cadoodlebug, I think they're cute. That's the perfect Christmas gift for your card game group. You chose well.

leannec, depression and anxiety are two things that no one needs to have. Take good, loving care of yourself today. Do things that help you to feel worthwhile, loved and happy. This too shall pass. It always does.

I still have my stupid migraine and will for a few days. I could get a shot to stop it, but I don't want to go into a crowd of cooties 2 days before I board a plane and get into a bigger crowd of cooties. Currently I have a cat on my legs and I think the two of us will snooze and rest together.

This afternoon, if my med kicks in, I'm going to cook a couple things for dh to eat while I'm gone. I'm making a lentil soup and Giada's chicken meatballs and orchiette. DH will have plenty to eat while I'm away, cause he'll make his pizza and he has other stuff to eat. Plus, he wants to cook a couple new things. When dh cooks his food is quite tasty.

Enjoy today, my lovelies.

I'm interested in the recipe if it's something you can share easily. 

jeremysgirl , I tend to put most of what is on your counter into the fridge and have a big wooden bowl for all the bananas and just a days worth of everything else. My garlic/shallots/ginger are in a smaller bowl by the knives & spices. Onions & potatoes have a spot in the garage (along with canned/jarred/tetra pack items). Sometime in the morning I put everything that will be used for dinner on a cutting board by the stove. Partly to bring it all to room temperature and partly because I will chop and do prep work when I have time.

FWIW, I do think a tiered system would work for you if you can find something to fit the space.

Sorry to hear depression hit yesterday, but glad you know to prioritize your health, leannec . Hope you are feeling better today.

I'd be livid about the photos, too, stormsts .

cadoodlebug, I'd be more open to a gift like the snowmen if it was closer to Christmas. Then I'd use it (or regift it) easily, but now I have to find a place to put it so I don't forget about it during the holidays (I'm not pulling out the Christmas storage boxes to add it). I don't think how/where you picked it up is an issue.

DH took apart a good portion of my car yesterday, had to run out for a few parts this morning and is back at it. He is very annoyed at how cars these days are not made so it is easy for a guy like him to do basic maintenance. He has been wanting to change out my headlights for years and finally has done it, but the entire front had to come off! He is still working on hoses, filters and a few other things so I don't think I'll get to my pedi today and I might possibly have to use someone else's car to get to appointments tomorrow.

Stuck at home means I'll alternate between reading, crafting and the never ending organizing/purging of the craft space. I'm on strike with my current puzzle and deciding whether to pack it in or slog it out. This is a first for me. I knew it was going to be a challenge when I couldn't get the outer edge done (always my starting point) and now all the fun bits are finished I am getting maybe 3-5 pieces in place a day. It's 1500 pieces and maybe 75% done.

Dinner is going to be Thai Lemongrass pork chops along with stir-fried vegetables. 

I probably didn't make it clear. Each person signs up for 1 or 2 slots during the entire year. I did sweets a few months ago and then signed up for paper products/gifts in December. So the burden doesn't fall on any one person. Several years ago we changed it to this system because before that one person would host and be in charge of all the food and gifts! I really didn't mind but a lot of people complained. We also put in $5 and the winners took home cash. People also complained about that. I thought it was more fun when money was involved!