What's for dinner?

[Daddymem]

veggie soup with veggies from our gahden

[glenn kangiser]

Sassy gave me a big bowl of your lentil soup earlier today, Homegrown so it was comet effect all over Costco shopping this afternoon.

I nearly exploded before I go out of the cash register line.  Lentil soup -- a gastronomic wonder.

Tonight it was Lacy Crisp Chocolate Cookies and a corn dog.  Sassy went back to work..

[Homegrown Tomatoes]

"comet effect"-- did you coin that yourself?

[glenn kangiser]

No -- It's old in bathroom humor.

After the main body of the comet passes, it leaves a long dissipating trail -- possibly clear to several isles, but since the comet is so fast, many may not even be aware it passed through, but may still be forced to wander unknowingly through the tail. (That is the effect achieved anyway).  The comet hopes to continue to wander about the galaxy (or store) undiscovered.

[Daddymem]

Looks like Red Robin boigahs tonight!  Yummmmmm

[MountainDon]

RR does have great burgers

Tonight we're dining a little more upscale. Not sure what's on the men u, but it's the dance club Winter Ball. It's usually a very good catered dinner. Looking forward to it.

[Homegrown Tomatoes]

I've never eaten at a Red Robin before... a friend told DH the other day that we should take the kids there sometime, though.

[MountainDon]

They have a nice variety and a grilled salmon burger too.

[glenn kangiser]

RR does have great burgers

Tonight we're dining a little more upscale. Not sure what's on the men u, but it's the dance club Winter Ball. It's usually a very good catered dinner. Looking forward to it.

Cool  going to the ball, Don.  Hope it's great.

I wanted to go to the policemen's ball out here, but I was informed that policemen out here don't have balls. hmm

On another note-- I really like the Teriyaki Burger  with  pineapple on it at Red Robin.

[Homegrown Tomatoes]

Tonight it's roast, taters, and carrots, though at the rate I'm going there's no way I'm going to be able to eat a lot of it!  I'm so darn full from eating lunch out (Mexican food).  The weather is exceptionally gorgeous today, so I have to get outside for a little while!

[MountainDon]

The food at the ball was great to so-so. The grilled chicken breasts were superb; marinated is some kind of southwest oriented flavor, a little spicy. The prime rib beef was great. The potato wedges were good, nicely seasoned. The veggies, a small whole carrots and bean mix were so-so. They were hot/warm with a herb and oil mix, but they were basically raw. I like raw veggies when they don't pretend to be cooked veggies. The dinner rolls were not as soft and fluffy as they should have been; this was not chewy because it was a crusty chewy on purpose thing. They seemed to be a bit dry. Desert was good, a chocolate cheesecake; but I've had better.

There was one thing that happened that was shoddy and unprofessional in my opinion and I hope the club president raises holy hell over it. This was held at the ABQ city convention center. We've held it there in previous years. In previous years the club used an outside caterer who was very good. This year the convention center management has a new rule; no outside private catering. Catering must be done by the 'chefs' in the centers own kitchens.

Okay, this is one of those planned events where the club has to guarantee the number of dinners to be served. Nothing wrong with that. But how in the world do they end up running short on dinner plates by around 30 or so when we tell them the number of dinners?  I was in the next to last group and had to wait while they work crew rounded up some more plates. It's not rocket science or brain surgery. But perhaps typical of how some many government run entities are capable of screwing up.

Years ago we used the Hilton, but the club has outgrown their available space. They were superb in everything they did.

[sparks]

Chicken pot pie. Wife is on vacation (business trip). And our cat seems to be picky also. Ughh.

[Homegrown Tomatoes]

Still cleaning out the freezer.  Tomorrow night it looks like it's going to be oxtail soup.  May have to go out and dig under the snow and see if any of my green onions are still green (they usually take the winters here rather well) and add them.  Haven't decided whether to cook the oxtail soup with seaweed or kimchee...  Probably the kimchee to get it out of the fridge.   The seaweed is dried, lightweight, and doesn't take up fridge/freezer space.  The kids are so wound up about moving that they're going like the energizer bunny... I could hear them upstairs talking until just a little while ago (they were awake until nearly 10:30 local time!!!!  I put them to bed before 8 PM! )  They keep asking every single day if we're moving today... for them, it's just a big adventure.  My little one was jabbering on this evening about moving and she said she was going to pack her 'Ary-cauny' chickens up in a crate and put it between their car seats in the truck, and that her "cow" was just going to walk to Oklahoma and meet us there (we don't have any chickens at the moment, nor do we have a cow....)  She has been talking all day about her "Ary-cauny" chickens laying blue and green eggs... don't know what suddenly brought it up, but she's already picked her breed of chickens for when we move back to OK.  (We used to have Aracaunas, among other chickens, and they were her favorite... I am amazed that she remembers them at all.)  Little one was also asking me today if we could have a beehive when we move so that we could have our own honey.  Kids....  the older one has informed me that she wants to raise Buff Orpingtons and that we can eat all the "grouchy" roosters.

[glenn kangiser]

We had a grouchy buff.  He was a mean one.  Still have an Aracauna - never lays anymore.  Too friendly to eat.  Oh well.   Maybe we could eat just one leg.

[Homegrown Tomatoes]

That's what I liked about the Aracaunas...they weren't skittish.  We also had a few brown leghorns and a couple of other misc. chickens (can't remember what all else, off the top of my head.)  Aracaunas eat like horses, though.  We had this big, pretty Aracauna rooster that we just couldn't eat because he was so friendly... his name was Anachronism because his clock was always a little off and he was bound to crow at the oddest times.  One of the leghorn hens was a great layer, but she acted like she was totally terrified of everything, so we called her Chicken Little because she acted like the sky was falling every minute of the day.  Some of the Aracauna roosters thought that they could whip anything, including the kids and the dogs, so they usually ended up as dinner. 
http://blufiles.storage.live.com/y1pIF0xsB2mbiw-tXTjqJ8nEmPHveNMSeK0X4LG8TWlMPxMKi5XAld7tuNe75YlwcRd7sYkXjdYvHk

[Homegrown Tomatoes]

I posted a link to a picture of Anachronism... he was so pretty.  Sorry, forgot to mention what the link was.

[glenn kangiser]

Nice one.  I had a few fighting roosters that were pretty -- just raised them -- one would attack me every time I cam into the pen.  I kicked him clear across to the other side -- he thought a little bit before attacking after that.

[Homegrown Tomatoes]

Ox tail soup is still a go for tonight... and I'm making some more of the dutch oven bread, this time 100% whole wheat... we'll see how it turns out.  It smells really good at the moment.  It's almost warm enough out today that I hate to turn the oven up to 475 degrees, but the bread is worth it if it turns out good.  I also got some pumpkin out of the freezer (from our garden) to make some pumpkin bread for breakfast the next couple of days.  It'll have to be whole grain, too, as I don't have any white flour (a little oat flour, buckwheat, millet, rye, and whole wheat, though... can take my pick.)  It tastes really good made with WW.  Still avoiding going to the store.  Hope not to have to make another trip before moving.  Veggies are getting a little sparse, though...

[Homegrown Tomatoes]

Well, I just got the whole wheat version of the dutch oven bread out a little while ago.  The loaf wasn't as firm and fluffy as the mixed grain one... but it does taste good.  It's good and crusty, not chewy at all.  Perfect for going with soup.  The wheat bran I rolled the loaf in kind of scorched a bit, though, and I had to reduce the cooking time by a few minutes to keep it from burning. 

I contacted a relocation company that works with the company that offered DH a job in OK this morning to ask a few questions.  I told them we still haven't officially accepted the job, but already we've had two mortgage brokers call and email just since I talked to them.  Enough to drive you nuts.  If I want a loan, I know good and well how to go about getting one.  Besides, why would I take out a loan when we haven't sold our house here?  Grrrr...

[Homegrown Tomatoes]

Tonight is roast, taters, and carrots, and maybe some corn on the cob. 

[Drew]

Dan's making enchiladas while I run around town.  Planet Organics delivers on Wednesdays so that will be what our daughter calls "Baked Potato Bar".

Planet Organics (www.planetorganics.com).  It's not my own garden and it's not a CSA, but it is a whole lot better than Road Warrior Tomatoes from Safeway. 

It warms my heart to see someone making money at this.  Sure, there are always some details we'd like to see fixed in the schema, but the overall direction is good.  Let's just make sure that the "certification" process doesn't blind the consumer to asking the rest of the questions, nor keep the small grower out of the marketplace.

[Homegrown Tomatoes]

Leftover roast.

Anyone want to come help me clean?  A real estate lady is coming over tomorrow to appraise our house.     We still have flooring materials piled in the sewing room, etc., and the rest of the place ain't its usual clean self, either.

[glenn kangiser]

Clean up? hmm

Uhhh, I have to go work in the shop Homegrown.

[Sassy]

I just got back to the cabin after being away for work - gotta clean here now...   

[glenn kangiser]