suzilightning

that's very,very low for our household. because he is called into impromptu meetings johnnybird gets sandwiches in his lunch everyday. he can grab one between meetings or munch on them while working at his desk. currently on the menu are: chicken with avocado, turkey with cranberry chutney, meatloaf and meatball sliders. for lunch at work to day it was tuna salad on freshly baked bread.

1030 am on the hawkwatch - turkey salad with minced shallots, celery salt and miracle whip and a dollop of cranberry sauce from the can. other days it is cottage cheese with fruit or yoghurt.

...and they are back in the supermarkets as of this past wednesday. .99 at shoprite with 10.00 in other food - hey, i had to do my biweekly shop anyway. now johnnybird is enjoying them, trying to call in the broadwing hawks and bald eagles...

rained off of the hawkwatch by 3 pm - back to 9 hour days tomorrow. had a quick chance to shop and picked up toaster strudels for johnnybird, fresh cantaloupe for me along with some cottage cheese and yoghurt. got a cauliflower that will either be pureed(john's preference) or roasted(mine) to go with the pot roast we will have for dinner tomorrow - guess who wins this one? besides the pot roast in the oven there is some gravy with meatballs on top of the stove for dinner tonight. some pasta with gravy and some sauteed yellow squash as well. the birds should be flying big time over the next week so we will be living on chicken sandwiches, pb & j, yoghurt, cottage cheese, fruit and dry fruit loops. though i did score some mallomars to induce the broadwings and eagles in......

it's 730 am and i've been up for half an hour and still no desire for food to put in my stomach. i will probably have a coffee or hot cocoa in the next half hour then some fruit and cottage cheese. even as a kid when my grandfather made breakfast for us i was NOT a food eater until around 10 am or so. i still remember having "breakfast" when visiting my mom at around 1030 or 11 am. we would be up and have coffee and a piece of pie around 630, do some chores then cook up some flounder, potatoes and lima beans.

just got one: Love Soups by Anna Thomas. when my list of must copy out recipes hits 25 or more i have to buy the book. first time in about 4 years and this is the book.

add johnnybird to the group. i also buy the bags of minis so he can keep a bag in his briefcase. just in case he is stuck in a long meeting he will at least have a little something to snack on...and maybe offer around the table.

johnnybird's tomatoes are starting to come in - including a green one he accidently knocked off. will fry that puppy up so he can try it. am catching up before heading upstairs to do a mini-marathon cook: Les Halles mushroom soup to send up to my mil and some sweet and sour meatballs that i will serve with jasmine rice for dinner. since my husband believes that his plate should be 2/3 carbs; 1/3 protein and just a whiff of veg i am going to mince up the leftover mangoes, onions and red and green peppers and put them in the sauce - along with minced water chestnut in the meatballs. leftovers will head to poughkeepsie as well.

have been a soup fool lately. cooking and freezing to send to my mil and bil in poughkeepsie. we each get a bowl or cup then the rest is frozen in 1/2 cup, cup or 2 cup sizes for individual eating. so far there is in the freezer: tomato, potato and basil corn chowder ratatouille garden vegetable making mushroom soup later also sending up some leftover boeuf a la mode that they can heat up and put over noodles. also some sweet and sour meatballs.

add 15 more for me... i do actually add things as well as giving them away. 2 CIA books - Spanish and French and 13 Art of Eatings that someone gifted to the library and were about to be sold so i rescued them. can't wait to read the one on Alsace and the one on Champagne.

we are inviting some neighbors over for the Julia dinner tonight first up will be stuffed mushrooms. the main course will be boeuf a la mode served with buttered noodles(johnnybird's request) and accompanied by ratatouille. chocolate mousse for dessert. all i have to do is reheat the beef in the sauce, pop the mushrooms into the oven and make the noodles. the ratatouille is keeping warm as i type. now for a nice shower and a glass of champagne.

hmmmmm.....does anyone know Linda Ellerbee? or how to get in touch with her? it would be interesting to get her take on this topic since she shared a birthday with Julia and wrote in her book, "Take Big Bites", about learing of Julia's death as she was finishing up her 50th birthday hike of the Thames. am thinking of inviting the neighbors for dinner sunday if the weather is nice for a julia dinner. off to study MTAOFC for possibilities.

just found out one of my patrons, who kindly made an outstanding bun bo hue for me, is really good friends with the owner of viet ai. if they cook pho anything like her i have got to get me there. on a recent trip to morristown noticed a place on 10E near rt 53 called Lemongrass. it bills itself as viet/thai and the menu does represent it. stopped to get some take out and got the house special pho with tendon, tripe and two kinds of beef. a medium order was a quart of lightly cinnamon scented beef broth, thai basil, a small container of sauces - one hot, one reminded me of hoisin, the meats, lime, sliced jalapenos, bean sprouts and cilantro. driving back to the arsenal to check the bird boxes was killing me. i was literally drooling from the scent of the broth. this 6.00 plus tax find gave me 4 servings. have to go back to pick up the hardware for my kitchen cabinets soon - hopefully on friday - am planning to try another version and maybe something else. can't wait. http://www.lemongrassnj.com/

sunday it was lobster roll all around. friday found some pre-steamed lobster claws so picked up two packages. picked the meat and tossed gently with some finely minced shallot, homemade mayo i made using some tarragon vinegar i have and a fine sprinkling of minced tarragon, flat leaf parsley and chives. pop into a butter toasted new england hot dog roll and serve with a side of tomatoes. now that is summer on a plate.

sunday finally was a day i could cook so after the farmer's market it was: tomato pie. no, not pizza for you north jersey folks. have some small, chicken pot pie pans so made a pate brisee, blind baked it for about ten minutes at 325. then a subtle swipe with some dijon mustard, some sauteed shallots and scallion on the bottom, four or five slices of peeled and seeded fresh tomatoes that had been lightly salted, drained and patted dry with some paper towels. topped with a mix of grated sharp cheddar, a little bit of mayo and some minced fresh oregano and basil. into the oven for about 25 minutes then cool to room temperature. macaroni and cheese with chopped ham and english peas. campanile with a summer vegetable sauce of shallot, scallion, summer squash, a few leftover yellow beans and about 2 Tbsp of pesto from the freezer. today it's back to hot and humid without a breeze, plus i'm single so trying to decide between a bowl of multigrain cheerios or a salad of fresh heirloom tomatoes with some ricotta salata and some basalmic. course i do have a bit of leftover mac and cheese...

when johnnybird was in pathmark two days ago he spied some "wild alaskan salmon" so bought two pieces. last night was the first day we would be together for dinner since sunday so i cooked it for him - notice i didn't say us - because as many times as i have tried it i just can't eat it. so sauteed it in some olive oil and finished it in the oven with some fresh dill and served it with a sauce made from faux sour cream, dill, some lemon, minced cucumber and a tiny squeeze of anchovy paste. local fresh broccoli and tiny potatoes that were boiled in salted water then finished with olive oil and some shaved dill as well as some chives.

Here is your chance for a few new ones. Don't be shy, it is actually easier for me to ship 2-4 books to one address than to ship one - and many times cheaper with the new US postal boxes. Los Barrios Family Cookbook - Trevino, Diana Barrios The Best of Food & Wine Delia's Vegetarian Collection - Smith, Delia Cooking from the Hip - Cora, Cat Foods of the World: The Cooking of Spain and Portugal - Feibleman, Peter Libations of Life: a Girl's Guide to Life One Cocktail at a Time - Brun, Dee The New Vegetarian Cookbook - Abensur, Nadine Papa Rossi's Secrets of Italian Cooking - Bennett, Victor Patricia Yeo: Cooking from A to Z - Yeo, Patricia If you are interested please pm me. I answer in order received.

the last few days have been on the road running errands and trying to find hardware that won't look too bad on our refinished cherry kitchen cabinets circa 1960. this necessitates some quick stops for what I feel is fast food - one from an old standby and one from a new place found by accident. wednesday off to a 1230 appointment so i swung by Thai Nam Phet. tom yum gai and curry puffs. i can't eat more than that - and not even all of it as i brought one puff and half the soup home. the curry puffs (4) and the sauce - i know it is supposed to be for the "salad" that comes with it - are to DIE FOR!!! not too spicy a filling and with a wonderful flaky crust that gently enrobes the filling then crumbles to the tooth. today was another venture to find hardware - YES!!!! - ordered and here in 10 days or so. on the way i noticed a place that said it was thai and vietnamese. no time to sit down so i got an order of pho - house special though i couldn't work the tendon too well. the beef was perfectly cooked and the broth is to die for. some noodles then a slurp of the broth, some crunch sprouts and a touch of sambal then a slurp of the broth. i will go back and try some other things here for sure. http://www.lemongrassnj.com/

today it was up at 615. had a macaroni cheese in the oven by seven and had some for breakfast at 8am. the extra macaroni became macaroni salad that will have tuna added to it for a cold salad lunch. really hot so i get up, clean, do chores and cook before the heat of the day then downstairs in the cooler part of the house from 2-7. picked up some mince that i will probably make into some chili for tomorrow morning and then reheat for friday am. am single until late sunday. have to think about what is in the farmers market to make for lunches/dinners for next week for us.

1. what is your location? 2. what is your time frame? chowder? lobster rolls(claws and knuckles only). use the tails for a lobster chowder or a kind of filet with bacon(tail wrapped with prosciutto just barely kissed to warm and slightly brown the prosciutto) i'm assuming that by succotash you mean corn and lima beans. on long island/ne nothing else is included - including tomato or okra. if tomatoes are at their best what about tomato/basil oil shooters? what about duck breast or venison (both hunted in the fall) with some sort of a compote of beachplums/cranberries? hushpuppies are not new england - corn fritters with maple syrup or honey are new england. striped bass - ok if your guests like oily fish. in the fall how about halibut or flounder en pappilotte? good luck

like food muse but stuff with blue cheese and drape with prosciutto de san danielle then 5 minutes of so in a 400F oven sang, just gave back the keller book but i think i remember they were dried figs. can you slice and dehydrate? fresh fig bars? process and jar with some honey/juice? good luck or if you want to ship them to me,...

i tend to flip breakfast and dinner - something that with a lot of hard work and small meals has helped this almost 60 year old broad lose and keep off 65 lbs to date. i would rather have more of the complex carbs with protein earlier in the day - leftover stir fried rice or pasta with some chicken for breakfast then dinner that night, usually before 6 whether i am at work or a day off, maybe some crepes with applesauce and fruit or a frittata with vegetables. during the rest of the day every 2-3 hours some yoghurt with fruit and some clear broths with some herbs and i am a happy camper. when it is really hot and sticky i like the idea of cereal with cold, cold milk or a smoothy.

i wish i could eat celery. i used to love the crunch of the middle third that had that little hollow in it - filled with peanut butter or pimento cheese or blue cheese. the lower third would be stringed then used in mire poix, thinly sliced then diced to go into clam chowder or lobster salad or chicken salad or would go into the bag in the freezer just before it went south to go into the stock pot. the top part with the leaves could also be minced to be used in salads or the tiny leaves chopped and put into the soup or as a garnish. the first wings i had a the anchor bar in buffalo came with both celery and carrot sticks and plenty of blue chesse. alas as i have aged i find myself in the tiny minority that has a problem with a sensitivity to celery that can cause a rise in blood pressure so i no longer indulge. now it is carrots. thinly slivered and dressed with a honey and sesame dressing and jicima. tourned and then cooked in some homemade veg stock and finished with a drizzle of sage honey and fresh dill. cooked and made into a carrot souffle that can go either way - sweet or savory with the addition of herbs, spices and/or toast dope.

well, it was "a moderate" 98F today after the first set of errands and the gym though the humidity was much more than yesterday. there were two gents at my house reconditioning my kitchen cabinets - oh, the horror is about to begin!!!!- who i amply tipped for their work and inconvenience so i opted for a bar lunch before the second round of errands and kitty sitting for a neighbor. i have to tell you since the economy went south a few years ago i try to eat out once a week at one of a few local places for lunch. my husband, johnnybird, and i eat out maybe 4 times a year since a) he is sweet but a bit fussy and b) i'm a pretty good home cook. where i do indulge myself and sometimes my dangerous dining companion, 'chelle, is at lunch. we are the scouts and if i can find something that he will find acceptable to eat i will bring him. thai? bring on the curry puffs, thai iced tea and tom yum gai. my pad thai and thai fried rice is more to johnnybird's taste. chinese? not so much... see thai italian? found a great place with the owner in residence making fresh pasta and good, fresh seafood for him and homemade cheese ravioli and ethereal polpette for me. another place that makes a great bolognese sauce that is used to make a fresh pasta lasagna - without tons of ricotta and chewy mozzarella mexican - real mexican not tex mex? got my eye on a few places to try barbecue? take out for a co-worker and me next monday. today it was an old standby: The Warehouse Grille. i can walk into this place any day and feel comfortable sitting at the bar with my book or magazine to read. usually it is a Stella but since i had more running around to do it was an Arnie Palmer(non-alocholic) also known as a half and half - half lemonade and half iced tea. the perfect thing for the weather here in nw nj today. i had major oral surgery several months back and it takes time to get your mouth back. today i was feeling strong so i ordered the beef sliders (2) with special(horseradish) sauce and fizzled onions minus the american cheese and was able to actually eat them!!!! all that i needed to make it perfect would be some coleslaw....