Marlene

I'm still so full from dinner, I'm not sure I want to contemplate breakfast. Besides, I still need to clean the kitchen up. Don's gone to the gym and of course Ry is still asleep, so I don't have to do anything about breakfast yet. I had thought about Eggs Benedict, but that seems to require more energy than I currently have at the moment, so maybe omelettes. And bacon. Oops. I'd better go take the bacon out. And mimosas. I love mimosas and only ever seem to have them on vacation, but I figure I deserve one this morning. Dave, I'm impressed your improvising on that roast. Apart from the mushroom thing, it looked awesome. Susan, Russell's recipe for honey garlic wings is pretty much how I make mine (although I've never thought about using sherry, but it makes sense to me) I'd still make the Asian wings though.

Diinner tonight was a feast fit for a king, or queen in my case. We started off with cocktails which I did not take pics of. Another Manhattan for me, this time with Regans bitters (absolutely perfect) and more scotch for Don. I ended up with a ridiculously large roast for three people. We were supposed to have company, but since the weather all around is is awful, they couldn't make it. In deference to my husband's recent dental surgery, we ended up with mashed potatoes, but oh my this dinner was awesome. Prime Rib: Broccoli au gratin. I used the mustard struesel for this, and a cheese sauce that comibine cheddar, montery jack and parmesan cheeses. I also used panko crumbs for the topping. yorkshire Puddings. I am so in love with my popover pans for these: Mashed potatoes and gravy. Plated: Ryan enjoyed a Rob Roy (or shirley temple) for dinner While we had a gorgeous Amarone: I also need to confess, that I not only slipped today, I fell off the wagon with a crash. Half a pack later I was wondering WTF I was doing. Dont' despair folks. I'm not done. It ain't over till the fat lady sings and I'm getting right back on that wagon. Sn no one needs to beat me up for it. I did a fine job of that all by myself.

It's been snowing here, so a bit of baking was in order. First we made chocolate chip and chocolate chunk cookies: I forgot to take pics of the cookie dough making process. Besides I had to work quickly or Ryan would have eaten all the dough raw. And then raspberry jam filled muffins with a strusel topping: (Ok, maybe I overfilled them) Time for a coffee and a smoke. Oh all right. I'll just have coffee. Then it's on to blanching the broccoli (It figures, I've never blanched in my life, and now I'm doing it every time I turn around), and make the topping for the gratin. I'd like to make Janet's nuts as well, but that may have to wait until tomorrow. The roast will take about 3 hours so it needs to go on around 4:30 ish and I need to make the batter for the yorkshire pudding so it can rest. I really want a cigarette.

Wise words, coming from Marlene? ← Is that any way to talk about your partner? This should make you very happy Susan. I've got a 10 lb Prime Rib for three people. I'm going to have to think leftovers!

Think of it this way Dave. You're going out of town. The ones left behind won't have you to cook for them for a couple of days. Leftovers. You'd be doing them a kindness.

big roast.

They are. For a brief time, WS experimented with shipping to Canada. They included at least one free box of these in every Canadian order. I had so many of the damn things I started giving them away as gifts.

I was so hungry by the time the lad got up, I was in a hurry. Bacon tomorrow I think, although it will be Canadian back bacon because I think we're going to attempt Eggs Benedict.

Ryan finally rolled out of bed at noon, so I made pancakes. And just for you people, I made Canadian pancakes: With butter and syrup please. I made 5 of these. I got one. Ryan got the rest. This afternoon we'll make cookies and because Susan's muffins look so good, muffins of some sort. I'm also going to make the mustard strussel for my gratin although I'm going to use a cheddar cheese sauce for the cheese part.

Breakfast is rapidly turning into lunch here as the lad is still asleep. In the meantime, I've been munching on flatbreads coated with kosher salt and sesame seeds on top. With butter. This is enough of the salty crunchy thing to keep me going for a while.

Susan, do the asian wings. Get them marinating and make them ahead. Meatballs are good. Honey garlic is my preference. Cheese and cracker trays?

I thought about trying the Regan's but Don wasn't sure it would work. Perhaps that should be on the list for tonight! (right after I recover from this hangover. ) I love that oil. It's one of the best olive oils I've ever come across. Oh yeah, the price is way scary. I use it for special things, like the steak and I toss pasta with it. I definately don't use it for frying or cooking oil! It's also wonderful mixed with some of that balsamic and used as a crusty bread dipper. Miss M. I am s glad to hear you are doing ok. Day three is hump day, so they say and your daughter is right. This is a head game. It's amazing what this can do to your mind. I've been known in the last few days to encourage my friends to light up just so I can smell the smoke. Um Dave, did you eat anything last night? Susan, would it help if you went to bed as soon as your kids do? Or better yet, tell Paul to deal with the kids and you go to bed! For me, mornings are the worst time. Morning all. A quick glance at the weather page shows we are under a winter storm warning, although our area can expect to see most of it as heavy rain, possibly freezing, if the temp doesn't hold. This is a perfect day for cooking projects. Being audit season, my husband was up and gone at the crack of dawn, and the friendly giant (known as Ryan) is still asleep. I'm thinking pancakes for breakfast this morning. Today is roasting day for the three of us, and yes, mine will be Prime Rib with roasted fingerling potatoes, yorkies and broccoli gratin. I should probably make some sort of dessert so I'm off to look at cookbooks for inspiration.

I also have to say that these are the martini glasses that caused me to be treated like a criminal at Canada Customs. They were available at WS by internet only. And WS does not deliver to Canada. As I was going to Chicago that weekend to visit a girlfriend, I ordered the martini glasses and a a set of old fashioned glasses to match and had them delivered to her house. Of course the box was too big to fit in my suitcase so I carried it. Canada Customs "what's in the box mam" Me: Martini glasses sir. "Canada Customs. "right. Step this way please" The next thing I knew I was in this little room with a spotlight being grilled by short people with no sense of humour. Don and Ryan were waiting outside to pick me up. Canada Customs" Do you have a receipt for these glasses mam ?" Me" No, they were a gift. Canada Customs: Well how much were they? Me: I have no idea. I'm not in the habit of asking the price of gifts. Canada Customs: Well, Mam, you know you have to declare gifts and their costs. Me. No I didnt' know that. Would that be in US or Canadian dollars? Sir. Oy

And so another day almost done. Tonight being Friday and a husband who actually made it home at a decent hour, cried out for cocktails to start. For me a Manhattan, with one of the bitters I picked up on my recent trip to New York: For Don, Scotch, this one he picked up on a recent trip to the UK: Ceasar salad to start. I make my dressing in my KA and it works wonderfully I have a huge salad bowl. This actually has a stand but I didn't use it tonight: Then on to the main course. We decided on the Porterhouse steaks tonight and we grilled. It was way warmer here, +5 C which for Southern Ontario at this time of year is positively balmy. I coat the steaks with olive oil, sprinkle with kosher salt and paint with balsamic vinegar: A touch more overdone than we normally like, but still awesome: Dessert? Who wants dessert? Definately not us, although Ryan had another one of the cupcakes.

Same here. I'm not eating any more than usual, except for the fact that I'm actually eating something in the morning now. Which today ended up being another half grapefruit. But you really didn't need to see another picture of grapefruit did you? I have noticed how nice my car smells though since Don had it cleaned inside and out and it hasn't been smoked in since. Little bonuses.

Aviation 2 ounces gin 0.5 ounces Maraschino liqueur 0.5 ounces lemon juice It's one of those classics that I'd never heard of it before jumping into the Cocktails forum. The garnish is two of these, a jar of which I got as a present. The glasses are cool, aren't they? (thanks, btw) They're out of an impulse-buy travel kit, as is the pick. I'm not sure anything else in the kit is going to last -- we'll find out when I go to Tampa a little later in the blog -- but the glasses were worth the price of admission. ← Hmmm, I think I might have all the ingredients for this. I'll check. Of course I don't have cool glasses like those. I want some.

Bacon bits and croutons are done: Those two large pieces you see on the side are for me to munch on. I like larger "bits" for the salad and I'll chop up some of the bacon a bit finer for baked potato topping. Salad dressing is next. Well after I have the nap that seems to have become my afternoon ritual! In my new almost familiar funk state, we bought three porterhouses and three boneless rib eyes. Now I can't decide which ones to make. Maybe I'll let Don figure it out.

This is absolutely the best analogy of what we are trying to do that I've ever heard. And the one that puts it in the best context for me. I can relate to this.

Back from grocery shopping and will now commence to making bacon bits and croutons for the salad tonight. If there's one thing I'm really picky about, it's real bacon and real croutons in ceasar salad. Oh and I think I've solved the salty/crunchy something to do with your hand that you wish was a cigarette thing. Pretzel sticks.

I think we'll let Dave be the non smoker for all three of us . What's in an Aviation Dave? It looks good! Oh and I really like the glass too. And I've got enough bacon here for all three of us if we need it.

I'm really liking that mustard struesel topping Toliver, but I want a cheddar cheese sauce. So, I think I can play with this enough to use the topping, make a mac and cheese like sauce and fifi I agree, no eggs.

This sounds like an interesting plan. I'm sure I could wing this. Question. I did find a recipe for brocoli gratin in the Company's Coming Cheese cookbook. But, it says to add 2 eggs to the mix. Wouldn't eggs make the dish more cake like? I'm looking for something creamy. Sort of like broccoli and cheese sauce but baked int the oven so the top gets brown and bubbly. Like a really good mac and cheese. Hmmmm, mac and cheese sauce and broccoli. This also has possibilities. The eating machine rolled out of bed early (10:30) and promptly made himself two peanut butter and jam sandwhiches before I had the opportunity to offer to be motherly and cook breakfast.

Don't beat yourself up partner. I did that yesterday and it just feeds the rationale to smoke more. The thing to remember is that you're not giving up. We slipped. It happens. . We're human trying to do one of the hardest things known to man. Have some comfort food and get thee to a drug store. I only bought a week's supply of the patch because I don't really want to be on a 10 week program of the stuff, but obviously I can't do this by myself right now. As Dave said, "whatever works".

Now you are getting into my kind of dreams. Perhaps I will dream of stainless steel mushrooms. ← You are an evil woman. By the way folks, I still need recipes for broccoli gratin. I'm going shopping, and I'd rather not go twice if I can help it.

Molrning everyone. It's a lazy rainy morning here. Rain. Its the beginning of February and it's raining in Southern Ontario. This has been the strangest winter. Not that I am complaining since I"m not a skier. Ryan is still asleep and depending on what time he decides to roll out of bed (teenage boy + sleep = noon usually), we'll decide what to have for breakfast/brunch then. In the meantime, coffee for me, and ooooh, possibly a bagel. I'm rapidly becoming addicted to those. I'm liking the patch too. Yeah, it's not cold turkey, but I was pretty much ready to toss in th towel yesterday. I had a couple of cigarettes and was ready to tell Snowangel and Dave that I couldn't do it. Even though I'd picked up Zyban weeks ago in preparation for this, I had a real aversion to taking it nor did I want to use the patch. I had been adamant that I was going to do this on my own with no crutches. Ha. By yesterday it was too late to start taking Zyban because it takes a week or so to kick in which wasn't going to help. My husband suggested the patch and offered to find me a hypnotist. (I may yet take him up on that one) The mornings have been the worst for me. I woke up the past two mornings desperately wanting a cigarette. This morning, I don't. As I said last night, it's true that I am getting some nicotine in my body, but I think this is a mind thing as much as anything else. Down the line I'll have to deal with the nictoine issue, but as Dave notes, the actual addition to nicotine is small. So right now, I'm getting a second chance to get a handle on all the other issues that come with smoking and while I might be getting nicotine, I'm not getting the tar and all the other chemcials they put in cigarettes. So while Dave and Snowangel are ahead of me in terms of total abstinance (yea team!) I'm still in the game. Yesterday I thought I'd struck out. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. I feel pretty good this morning and a lot more confident. It helps that we are going into the weekend and I'll have my family around to help me keep busy. As for dinner? I think I'll keep it simple with steak, baked potatoes and maybe a ceasar salad. Ryan's been asking for ceasar salad and I haven't made one in ages. It means a trip to the store, but I think we can manage that.