Shelby

I know right?! I mean. Vanilla beans???! Those are almost as expensive as a one night stay lol.

AGREED!!!!!

I got a package in the mail from my mom yesterday. She sent me these neat jar lids for fermenting: I have cabbage that's been in the fridge forever so I'm going to attempt sauerkraut again. Last time it got moldy. Crossing my fingers for this batch to turn out.

I haven't eaten there in forever, but I've always liked Olive Garden. The salads that come with the meals ARE really good. Since we eat so many salads now I am always on the lookout for new- to -us dressings. I can get this at Dillons which is a Kroger store. Good stuff.

I'm surprised I'm not waking up in Texas this morning. We had 60 mph+ winds ALL night out of the north. When it calms down I'm going to go outside and beat my wind chime to death because it's driving me crazy. On to the food: Oyster stew and salad. I need to stock up on frozen containers of oysters--those come in handy Stuffed poblanos using Sam's rotisserie chicken and RG beans. That same night, because I had some extra time, I experimented and made a "pizza crust" out of cottage cheese and eggs. If I recall the ratio was a cup of 4% fat cottage cheese and two eggs. I seasoned with Italian seasoning and added some grated parm. I had to bake it for much longer than the recipe said. It was.....meh. But, hey, I tried lol. Zucchini lasagna and salad Apple galette for dessert Venison chili and salad. Yes. More salad lol. And MORE salad. Big salad night with stuffed mushrooms SV'd steak--really tender, creamed spinach and the most awful cauliflower "risotto" that I found in the frozen section at the store. That went right in the trash. For the first time in a zillion years I didn't plan anything for Fat Tuesday dinner. I don't know exactly why except the weather has been a hinderance in getting deliveries (I'd have loved to have gotten a muffuletta sandwich from Central Grocery)...but also the carb thing comes into play too. Sigh. So, I thawed out the last of the oysters. Made a salad with some diced salami and a few croutons as an homage to the muffuletta. Sautéed some peppers and onions along with jalapeno cheese sausages. Did some deviled eggs. AND the splurge was a tiny pan of cinnamon rolls--it's not King Cake but close enough. The rolls were done in the little 6" pan that I got for the IP. I've been craving cinnamon rolls and if I made the usual big pan we'd have eaten waaaaaaay too many of them.

Well, I did some googling and I get what @Laurentiusis saying. I think once in a while beans are ok--I won't feel so guilty about making them. @Maison RustiqueI have tons of beans, too. I give a lot to my mom when she comes--I may mail her some soon actually. I wonder if your friend who brings you food would like some of your beans? Make him take a few bags

Anyone still in the bean club? I am. And I need to not be. We're trying so hard not to eat many carbs. But I can't seem to cancel due to FOMO. I'm excited to try the hot sauce.

NO such thing! (((hugs)))

Awwww cute!!!!

I love that spreader in the pate.

I just trudged in through the snow to thaw out and see you in flip flops by the fire. Sigh. Looks heavenly. My toes are jealous.

WOW your new digs are super cool! I LOVE the stove. I LOVE the pull out pet tray--I've never seen that before. The goldfish bowls!

I've told you before but I'll say it again. I'm in awe of you. You're so strong. I can't wait to see what you get up to next. Your darling is smiling down on you and is so damn proud of you.

I'm hoping all of our cold is killing the damn squash bugs. Probably not, though. They're like roaches and will rule the earth after we're gone.

My meals have been booooooring. I've barely been taking pictures. I want sushi. And homemade ice cream. And a mountain of pasta. Basically I want all the carbs lol. Tuna melts using red bells. For that horrid Super Bowl--I really meant to revive the Super Bowl food thread but I forgot. Anyway I made a layered salad. Sigh. I really need more salad recipes. This was good and actually lasted a good three days in the fridge. Potato skins. I had an epiphany. There really aren't many carbs in just the skins and you scrape most of the potato out anyway. I crisped them up really well and then stuffed with cheddar and bacon. Dabs of salsa and sour cream after baking. They were really tiny potatoes. These were a hit. I ordered bbq from Joe's in KC. Ribs, brisket and burnt ends. The splurge was Mac and cheese that we've been craving. The cheesy cauliflower is ok but it's not the same lol. Rollups using the rest of the brisket The last of my venison meatballs and sauce over zoodles with (sigh) salad lol. Valentine's Day: I reaaaaaaaalllllllllly have a craving for either lobster tail or crab legs and was willing to splurge and buy some online. However we had a snow storm coming and I wasn't willing to risk them not being delivered on time or even at all (having a really bad experiences with FedEx that started the first week of Dec.). So, I found two choice steaks in the freezer. It was too cold to grill so I had Ronnie do them on the stove. Really good and tender. Next to last of the oysters that I have frozen. I can't believe they've lasted this long and been so good. Stewed tomatoes, brussels in cream sauce and sautéed mushrooms to go with. Big splurge was Ronnie's favorite chocolate sheet cake. I have always made a regular size one with the intentions of freezing most of it. However.....we always end up eating it all. SO, I found a recipe that is for two. I was shocked to find that I actually had the required 9x7 pan. Fits perfectly in the steam boy. I could've eaten the whole cake. I didn't and shockingly there are two pieces left for tonight.

I'm so sad to read this. I really enjoyed John and followed his sailing adventures with great interest. Several years ago he even sent me a detailed trip map so I could follow along. He also shared his wonderful sausage roll recipe with me. I've made them so many times since. @Anna N also set me straight and taught me that cheese has no business being even in the same room as a sausage roll. I miss her and I miss John .

You guys take awesome vacations I don't know why I read your blogs when I'm hungry. I want alllllll the seafood.

Looks excellent, Norm Turkey roll ups. Roasted half a chicken with cauliflower pilaf and salad--the chicken actually had a liver and a heart in it like the good ole days. Chicken fajitas Roasted turkey quarter, wilted spinach salad and brussels sprouts Went to the doctor with Ronnie (I hadn't met his new doc yet so I thought I should go). He got a stellar report! All of our lower carb eating has paid off. Levels are all excellent and he's lost 20 lbs. So, while we have to stay on track, I don't feel so bad making a pizza once in a while.

Ninja Swirl by Creami Soft Serve and Ice Cream Maker A bit pricey....but it looks interesting. I quickly googled and I don't see it for sale anywhere but at Crate and Barrel.

Ohhhhhh, now you're going to make me tell on myself. Just a jar of Bertolli Alfredo....sauteed mushrooms in the pan first. Then warm the noodles. Was it great? No. Did it help my pasta craving since I haven't had any in 100 years it feels like? Yes. IMO those noodles are best in an Asian type dish. Nothing special Dressing of Hellman's mayo, red wine vinegar and sugar (Splenda) along with broccoli, red onion and sharp cheddar.

Thank you! I never knew this. Will definitely do next time. I've had many a time where I almost lost an eye.

This literally made me drool. Brrrrrrr. Everyone staying warm enough? I hope any California friends are safe and ok. What a start to the new year. We're still snow packed with a good 4-5 inches on the ground. Some spots are bare due to sun melting--that's good for the deer to feed. Been cutting lots of firewood. Burning lots of firewood. The birds are eating me out of house and home lol. Thankfully FedEx has quit being weeks and weeks behind in deliveries and I have 3 more bags of seed for them. I've been bad about taking pictures still. Probably stems from the low carb cooking that continues to challenge me. We splurged and had a small pizza. Hot wings and broccoli salad. I don't usually put hot sauce on the wings but I did this time for some reason. Ronnie wanted fried livers and gizzards for his birthday. Lotta frying. Livers are not my fave to fry because they pop so much. Not the greatest picture but they were good. Another little splurge...beans to go with chicken fajitas. Spanish "rice" (cauliflower) too. Lamb chops and stuffed mushrooms. Ronnie had his doc appointment where they take blood --he goes back next week for the results. Praying that the levels are down from last time so that I can make a pizza or have some bread without feeling like I'm killing him lol. So, just to be safe, big salad night which really kind of sucks in the winter time. I didn't even add broccoli in order to save on carbs. Finally quail with Brussels sprouts and konjac noodles with Alfredo.

I like Bumble Bee whole baby canned clams.

The orangutans! The little bears! LOVED seeing them. Yeah, I agree with rotuts, this last meal looks AMAZING--not that the others didn't look good but I'd love to try every dish that you guys had. As per usual, I don't know how you guys do it--the humidity would KILL me. I will never travel to the places you do so I really love that you take us along. HUGE thanks for taking time to do this and for taking so many descriptive pictures along the way. I'm sad it's over

I know. Rub it in why don'cha