A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Banter Hall Coffee House 2316 Chatter is Addicting

I am home from doing some running out in the high heat. I am heading out to do some more before picking my son up from school.
I hope everyone is well.

Me and John Prine are sitting here WAY well..... :wink:

ok so you are listening to music????

Ay-yi-yi!

What a morning I had!

The replacement girl arrived at 10:15, about 30 minutes later than what the agency promised. The problem was, she is unfamiliar with our road & made a mistake & had her husband drop her off in the wrong complex... in the rain.

It took her awhile & several phone calls back & forth between her & the agency & me before they decided to give her my number so she could call me directly. And so then UP the road she came walking in the rain.

Well by that time we only had 45 minutes to get my clothes dry, me dressed, find roll & pack blankets for dialysis as mine were in the washer, my arm done & my medications taken, my tea I take with made. This girl came through the door & hit the ground running! We just pulled the outfit I needed out of the washer & threw it in the dryer. We figured after those few pieces were dry, then she could add the other things I didn't need immediately.

And when my ride pulled in at 11, I was ready! A bit breathless but ready!

I am very disappointed in the girl who walked out -- she is about to graduate nursing school as an LPN and you'd think she'd have a greater sense of responsibility.

I probably would have dealt with everything better if I'd had a decent night's sleep last night but I was up & down until 3 and of course the alarm goes off at 5. Short night!

So sorry for the troubles, Merme. Sounds like the new girl did a great job though, considering the circumstances.

Tamara, I've been thinking of you all day and hope that everything works out.

I had an okay day at work today. Not too excited. My heel does feel a bit better today but it's still a bit sore. Tina, are you part of that heat wave? On the radio today they said that L.A. broke a high temp record. We are in the mid 70's but we're muggy. We don't usually get muggy and it's supposed to stick around for a couple days. I'm thankful it's not too hot to go with it. The boys are watching a movie and we need to go to the store later for dinners for the next couple days. I'm trying to figure what to make for myself. I'm thinking maybe just salads for dinner. Nice big veggie salads.

Yes, LA broke an all time high for any date since recorded history, 113* downtown. We are inland about 60 miles and yes, it was hot today. I don't have a true reading but it was 97* on my shady back porch. But my swamp coolers kept it livable in my house and my a/c in my van. We are good here. And a cold snap tomorrow at only 103* expected. I have had the most wonderful weather year, really.

Glad you're staying comfortable, Tina.

I have a question for all you great cooks. If I wanted to have a white fish, say halibut or cod, and I wanted to eat squash with it what type of squash would you eat with it. I'm really wanted to try squashes since I've only ever had butternut squash soup, spaghetti squash, and zuchinni and yellow squash. I'm trying to branch out on my fruits and vegetables. Thanks!

Cheryl I am particularly fond of white fish w/ a mixture of zuchinni, summer squash & tomatoes sauteed together and used as a dressing over the fish. When you are sauteeing the vegetables, adding a little white wine doesn't hurt, either.

But um, do you really want to try Cod? There are other, nicer white fishies to try.... haddock, for instance.

I have a full-blown head cold. I'm freezing, feverish & have all the aches & pains, sneezy and runny nose & misery. My doc called in an Rx I can pick up in the morning but for tonight I don't have anything to hand. So, I made a good hot toddy and am about to call it a day. Me 'n my blankies will be having a nice, long chat tonight!

We don't have haddock here. I've never had it and I'm afraid to buy a fish I've never had. Cod is okay and cheap. Halibut is great but pricey. Maybe I'll ask my fish guy to recommend something new to me. I want to branch out on squash, among other things, and try new things. I can't have tomatoes and I'm tired of zuchinni and yellow squash.

Have you tried acorn squash?
The spaghetti squash is always good with fish.
Well...as far as I'm concerned everything goes with fish.
Last night I had salmon (thank you, Bill...) and potato chips.

Had a crappy morning so I ended up sleeping all afternoon. Now I'll probably never be able to go to sleep tonight.
...sorry I missed Junie's call.

Yesterday I unpacked 60 shot glasses and put them all on 2 shelves on the wall. One shelf is very sturdy...made especially for my shot glasses by Rachel's husband. The other shelf was kinda flimsy (an antique spice rack)...and I accidentally bumped it while trying to put a plant by a window and the entire thing came tumbling down...CRASH! Out of the 30 shot glasses on the shelf only one broke...one of my favorite ones, of course...from "Air Force One".

So...I picked up all the glasses and had a glass of Chardonnay with my Elavil...then slept like a baby til almost 7pm.

Adding it to the vegetables? I always just drink it while I am cooking.

Oh, I missed the part about the wine. I can't do alcohol either. I'm trying to eat things that have flavor naturally and that are also low acidic. This means no garlic, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, black pepper, alcohol, caffeine (working on that one), chocolate, and citrus. I can't use butter and often use either olive oil or canola oil in it's place, if at all. My taste buds are bored.

I like chicken breasts baked in the oven with just olive oil and spices. Rach told me how to make it, and it is so good.

I use a lot of olive oil in my cooking...or as Rachael Ray would call it "EVOO". I can't watch her freakin' show anymore...she got to the point of making me sick because she actually became a caricature of herself.

I have never watched Rachel Ray.
I would be very bored too, Cheryl. I am a fairly good cook but I'm not sure I could make much that was tasty without at least one of your banned items. Are there any spices on your can do list?
Here there are Mexican squashes that are interesting. Try roasting some cut up pumpkin chunks (raw) with your next meal. That is awesome. Toss some leafy greens in with your sautes, spinach or just about anything.
I have gone to cooking with 'whole' foods as much as possible. Or 'real' foods if you prefer. I use real butter, whole milk or cream or half and half. I am trying to use as little processed foods as I can. Organics where I am able without breaking the bank. I feel pretty happy and healthy with this. I read a lot of labels but I need to start taking my reading glasses with me when I shop.

Good morning. Another warm one today.

Good Morning all.
It is chilly here. It is 50 right now with a promise of 69. We shall see. Tina that is HOT--sorry for you....

Cheryl. Tilapia is good--fried or baked. For baling try lemon pepper. Mom likes it, so you should be ok.

I know yo are dairy intolerant but have you tried the milkes like lactaid & also there is a milk that is made form soy. I would think you could buy it in quarts so as to not let i t go to waste. As for caffeien. why not drink hot decaf green tea??
It is good for you and tastes good to. I make my cold tea with it. But hot would be just as good. and I usually get 2 cups out of 1 bag. worth a try anyway.

I see that Tamara didnt have time to stop by.....

well I am off to ceramics--

Have a lot of fun at ceramics today, Carol.
Our heat is livable. I am not complaining because we have had a most glorious summer.

Good morning...
It got up to 55 here yesterday...it felt so nice, after being so hot for so long.

Oh, YUM!!!!! Baked with some butter drizzled over it and lemon pepper.
If I had some I would eat it right now for breakfast.

Junie, your ceramics class is WAY to freakin' early for me...
I don't get up 'til 8am...go to bed usually between 2 and 3am.
Rachel is an insomniac, too...so sometimes I catch her on here at 5am when neither of us can sleep.

I've been reading but not posting. I've got a very bad cold & feel terrible. Reading what y'all are up to is enough for me today.

Carol, I have tried lactaid and soy. Neither agree much with me so I either use rice or coconut milk. Lately it's been coconut milk. Lower on the glycemic scale and creamier like regular milk. I plan to switch to decaf tea, just gotta kick the caffeine addiction first. I've been loading myself up with magnesium as that's supposed to help with withdrawal. Next week I'm supposed to switch to black tea and then a week after that I should be ok to quit caffeine.

By the time we got to the store last night the fish and meat guy was packing up and closing the department. Thank goodness he's such a nice man and knows me because he went into the cooler and got some fish out for me. Ended with cod, which I'm fine with. I bake it with a little olive oil, lemon juice, and basil. I also decided on acorn squash. I figured since I've had butternut squash soup that technically I've tried it and since I've never tried acorn squash before it won out. Wow are there a lot of varieties of squash right now!

Merme, I hope you get to feeling better very soon. Being sick is miserable.

Cheryl sounds like you have a lot of experimenting to do- I use a lot of different spices with stuff since I have to avoid salt ... google spice mixes for ideas... and all receipes too ...
Merme... hope you feel better soon... colds are a pain ... so far have avioded it but with the boys back in school it's almost inevitable I guess... lots of airborne and vit c being taken .... well off to Sams now ... it's that time again... got to stock up before winter hits us- though with almost 90* days it's hard to remember it's end of Sept here...
Nana

Slow day in here today. Hope everyone is doing okay. I'm munching on salad and pretty soon will be going out to an appointment with someone. Thanks, Nana, I'll look into other spices. See you all later!

Cheryl--did you see what I said about Lemon pepper??

and Cindy: If you like to eat frierd green tomatoes, you can take them and put lemon pepper on them before the flour as well.. It makes them tangy like really young green tomatoes would be. YUM!!!
Mom sent me a recipe that uses corn meal instead of flour on them with the lemon pepper, but I like my corn meal reserved for fried fish & fried okra. Boy, could my aunt make the best fried okra---she was raised in West Virginia, I guess they knew how to do it right there....

well about ceramics--see they used to be open from 8am to 12 noon.
But since the lady owner passed away we thought it was very early to make the men folk in that household get going so now we get there between 8:30 & 9am & stay until noon. So really there is not enough time to get much done---

Cheryl I hope you find fish you enjoy. I can't handle Cod because it is so wormy. If you ever have a chance to try Haddock, don't be afraid. It is a mild tasting, very firm fish served often in the New England states as fillets, on sandwiches & in chowders. I can't suggest spices because I tend to use a very light hand when it comes to spicing.... just experiment. Oh and I hope your heel is recovered.

My girl called off today & the agency sent someone else -- the same girl who bailed me out yesterday, in fact. She did a good job and got some important things done including going to the pharmacy & grocery, but I sent her home a little early so I could go to bed. I just wasn't well enough to stay up and supervise her & she hasn't been here long enough to work independently for too long, needing me to answer questions & give direction. I have no idea who is coming tomorrow. But even if no one comes, this girl got enough set up for me that I should be able to manage getting off to dialysis alone. And I am really hoping my cold is much imroved by tomorrow as well.

I'm not sure what you mean by wormy. The cod I baked tonight was thick and meaty, it was better than I thought it would be. Maybe we have different cod? I know someone who lives in Washington D.C. and she says the halibut out there is terrible compared to our halibut. I really enjoyed the acorn squash, it was very similar to sweet potato. I'll be having the rest of it tomorrow.

Went swimming with the kids after dinner tonight. That was fun except for the part where I dove wrong and smacked my face with the water. Ouch. I'm okay though, just a temporary sting. I'm getting my breathing techniques back and I think I'm ready to try a lap swim without embarrassing myself. I'm going to bed early and I'm really going to try to get up early to run on the treadmill. I probably won't but I really want to and sleep is the biggest thing that stops me. That I just really like my bed.

I have to agree with Cheryl. I like Cod--but I always have it fried.

Just me dropping in to say goodnight.
Everyone have a good night & sweet dreams.
I should be home most if not all of tomorrow

I also like cod.
Good night Carol. Sweet dreams to you.
I am also finally heading to bed.

"the cod worm", whose scientific name is Phocanema decipiens, is a parasitic worm that infests cod all over the world. The worms can be up to 4 cm long & are white to dark brown in color. It is usually mostly removed by the fishery during gutting & washing, but not always completely. I don't much care what Cod tastes like; I severly dislike having to de-worm any fish I buy in case the seller didn't get it all.

Because of my head cold, I haven't had any coffee in a while. I am thinking of making a cup this morning but all I have in the house is my 2nd-best brand of grinds. Yesterday my girl spilled the last of my 1st best brand all over the kitchen floor. So I'm not really sure if I'm going to try the 2nd-best brand while I'm still feeling squeamish.... but I really am wanting some coffee!

Good morning. It has been a long week already. I am glad it is at least half over.

Good Morning,
I just got oldest off to school with hubby... they will pick up girlfriend and then Papa will be back to help get next 3 and neighbor boy off too... got lunches started for them- Nicoli is over his crying jag every day... today he has a field trip to the pumpkin patch and gets to take a sack lunch so he is happy about that... got half and hour before I need to wake them...
Merme hope you feel better soon... did you get your meds at least... Tina you get up way early but I do know it's cause of your heat-- I am enjoying our still warm days for sure... just hope it doesn't decide to change overnight to full blown winter... our mtns are beautiful with the changing leaves ...we may try and go for a ride up today if we have time... get some pics..
well off to get my shower before I need to wake 3 boys and feed them...
Nana

Nana, I get up early all year long. I like mornings. In winter I like to get fires warming the house so my son has a warm home to wake to before school.
In the evenings I am a zombie and I am nearly nonfunctional. If dinner and dishes get done I consider it a good evening.
I am glad there are no more tears for school.

My coffee, yogert and I are here to say good morning !!!

Today I am going to try using the vacuum myself. DH thinks the carpets need cleaned about every 10 weeks- -
I am hoping I can resume using it. There is no excuse for them not being clean. When I told him that he suggested I try to use the vacuum myself--

I also have some jonathan apples to put up.
some will be cut up for pie & some will be turned into applesauce.

Hi Carol,
You be careful with that vacuum... but apples for pie and sauce sound really good- your house will smeel so good... I used to use the cheapest apple sauce I could buy and make crock pot apple butter for my mom... she loved the stuff- I like it but probably won't make any this yr... no one else likes it around here now..
Boys are playing before school- got about 10 minutes before they go... they have been watching Pinochio... found the tape ... all new to them I guess..
Tina I used to always be up early too... I am a morning person just not as early a one as I used to be... I jsut finished my coffee and cheerios too... checked my bills... after boys are at school I will be vacumming and mopping the kitchen... laundry to do too... always something to get done- need to make up my chicken spice mix too- thats a fun job- a little messy but it lasts a yr or so and so much easier and no salt for me... then tomorrow I will make up 20 lbs of chicken for dinners...
Merme I didn't know that about cod... now I have 2 bags of froz and I don't know if I will be able to eat it now... LOL!
WEll off to get the curly top ones hair combed brushed before they leave...
Nana

I have a few minutes before I need to leave for dialysis.

Nana Sherri you are one busy lady and I applaud that! Wish I had half of your energy.

Well, I grew up with that knowledge of cod and so avoided eating it. Then one time, recently, I decided to go ahead and trust that the fishmonger had gotten it thoroughly clean. MISTAKE! There were only 2 worms visible but enough to remind me how much I dislike it finding any.

Whenever I am on a cooking web site and reading about fish recipes I am amused at all the thousands of posts from panicking housewives finding worms in their cod.

Herring is also subject to another type of worm but I only eat herring that has already been thoroughly processed and cooked and pickled.

I bought MacIntosh apples the other day and this morning Maxi asked me to make another pie, so I will do that tonight. Or maybe crostatas.

I LOVE apple butter, Sherri, and it is not sold in Maine. I have friends down home who send me some each Christmas; otherwise I have to make it myself.

It sure is strange without Tamara here in the mornings, isn't it?

Gotta go, my ride is here.

Good morning everyone. Merme, hope you have a good day! Apple pie sounds delicious. A pretty slow day at work for me today. I just have to put in my order and I have until 2pm. The kids get out of school early today which makes them happy. I don't get it, they've only been in school for just about 3 weeks and they already have early dismissals and they have Friday off. I told Joey that we could go goggle shopping on Friday. If we go swimming on Friday it would be free for all the kids. Every last Friday of the month is free for middle and high schoolers. I'm considering looking into joining a gym that has a pool. Depends on how much and if I could make myself go.

I have a nice heated pool a few yards out of my side door. I haven't been in it for well over a year or more. Maybe two.
I have been out with my pole saw cutting a few trees and some branches that were too tall or awkward to trim with a regular chainsaw. Living and growing on hillsides does make for awkward closeup work sometimes. I love my pole saw.

I love tools that make work easier.

exhausted and going to bed, I hope everyone sleeps well,, I finally put a limerick in the writers corner,, it took a few days but finally got in there.

I hope you sleep well too, Diane. I'm about to hit the hay myself. I haven't had a full nights sleep all week and it's catching up to me. See you all tomorrow! Anyone hear from Tamara? Hope she's busy working.

In for 5 to let you know I'm still alive.

I worked for three days and can honestly say that the job is too much for me(it's a job for two men really)..I have been sick for the past two days, my adhesions and scar tissue on my insides are flared up beyond belief to the point of that all I'm passing is blood. I took today off to see a doctor(if I can get an appointment somewhere)..then against my husbands wishes, I must go in this afternoon to quit my job.

I'm rather discouraged but I can't deal with the pain everyday and the fevers 24/7. I'll get back in the next day or two.