The What's For Dinner Tonight Chat

[Celiac Mindwarp]

That's it, I am now officially free from all kinds of stuff. Some of which I can't even pronounce. Wish me luck, or something .

What's really scary is I gave up drink years ago (combination of interesting rashes and idiocy). But can you imagine what I was like when I was drinking?

Weeeeeeeee

[IrishHeart]

That's it, I am now officially free from all kinds of stuff. Some of which I can't even pronounce.

As I have said many times (to the boredom of the entire internet world, I am sure )

.............If you cannot pronounce it, you should not eat it. (what can I say? I am married to a chemist and I think if my Grammie

did not eat it, neither should I)

Rule #1 for newbies reading this thread: If something has more than 5 ingredients and you cannot pronounce the words in the ingredients,

DO NOT EAT IT !! IMHO

[love2travel]

This is my cheesy/dairy/grainy .....swan song.

Fliet mignons in a balsamic syrup with goat cheese.

Smashed garlic and parmesan -reggiano potatoes

Corn

Pots au chocolate with bourbon vanilla whipped cream

Champage

(That last part is a New Year's Day tradition).

Gonna be some major creativity going on around here the next few weeks.

The MindWarpster and I are taking a new culinary path.......caio, cheese, au revoir

cream, toodl e-oo starches and grains and bon voyage booze.

I've been behind with the forum as of late and it looks as though I've missed some good stuff! This dinner looks fabulous.

[love2travel]

As I have said many times (to the boredom of the entire internet world, I am sure )

.............If you cannot pronounce it, you should not eat it. (what can I say? I am married to a chemist and I think if my Grammie

did not eat it, neither should I)

Rule #1 for newbies reading this thread: If something has more than 5 ingredients and you cannot pronounce the words in the ingredients,

DO NOT EAT IT !! IMHO

I so agree with the above. Michael Pollan says it very well, "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." HOW TRUE!!! When he says to eat food, he means real food, none of this fake fandangled crud we have grown so accustomed to. Many of you are aware that icky things like margarine and Cheez Whiz are one molecule short of plastic, right? What are we doing to ourselves? I mean, seriously. We do not need it. I become passionate about this issue because I cook nearly everything possible from scratch. Not that everyone has to do that, but when you make your own broths, crackers, cookies, even vanilla - you know precisely what is in them. Not only is this best for us, it is best for everyone. There. Lecture over. Time for recess and time to reflect.

ETA "In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan is outstanding. Lifechanging, really. It should be required reading in all schools and homes. Well, perhaps I am pushing it just a bit but this is important stuff.

Edited January 2, 2013 by love2travel

[IrishHeart]

Well, perhaps I am pushing it just a bit but this is important stuff.

On, honey...when it comes to culinary advice, the pearls of wisdom that drop from your

lips are all we should ever hear. Thanks for the "back up."

We. adore. You.

P.S. How is the snow.??............and how are those Yummy cabana boyz???

[IrishHeart]

I've been behind with the forum as of late and it looks as though I've missed some good stuff! This dinner looks fabulous.

It was, I admit it.......that balsamic syrup is heavenly..

........just getting ready to have the pots au chocolate and the last glass of Veuve Clicquot

Cheers!

[Adalaide]

As I have said many times (to the boredom of the entire internet world, I am sure )

.............If you cannot pronounce it, you should not eat it. (what can I say? I am married to a chemist and I think if my Grammie

did not eat it, neither should I)

Rule #1 for newbies reading this thread: If something has more than 5 ingredients and you cannot pronounce the words in the ingredients,

DO NOT EAT IT !! IMHO

I was pretty geeky growing up and have become more so now. I am sort of the mother of a chemist. Okay... so she is a few months from finishing high school and heading off to college but she knows what her plans are. At any rate, I can pronounce some pretty "unpronounceable" things. I guess I get to eat more stuff than a lot of other people.

[love2travel]

On, honey...when it comes to culinary advice, the pearls of wisdom that drop from your

lips are all we should ever hear. Thanks for the "back up."

We. adore. You.

P.S. How is the snow.??............and how are those Yummy cabana boyz???

Wow - thanks for making my day with the compliments! It feels sooooo good to be loved. I am adamant that we take control of our own health (as much as we can) and do good things for our bodies, such as growing herbs or vegetables or ingesting things that our mothers and grandmothers used to. When you think about it, it is doubtful that my grandmas would have even heard of over half of the yucky stuff going into our so-called "food" these days. They would be appalled. Most of this is for the sake of convenience. Companies like Monsanto (the very word makes me cringe and induces my gag reflexes) do not have our health at heart. I guess what I am trying to say is we don't need most of those snacks (including the gluten-free ones) to begin with. When I was first diagnosed I scrambled for things to eat because I felt I deserved all these extra things that I never, ever used to even consider buying. I even bought COOKIES! Seriously. That makes me blush. It is so rare that I buy a snack because I just make all I want/need. I've come to crave fresh raw fruit and vegetables.

Oh, for crying out loud. My summaries are about half an hour long. Take. Control. Of. Your. Life. Cook and eat REAL food!

[IrishHeart]

Addy, hon--maybe you are just messing with me now (as you sometimes do ) but

I can pronounce some "unpronounceable" words too, but I am not going to eat them.

When I said "to avoid a list of more than 5 ingredients,"

I meant packaged foods that include so many preservatives and chemicals that

they are no longer healthy.

Propylene glycol

Cochineal

Methylparaben

METHYLCYCLOPROPENE

ASTAXANTHIN

BENZOIC ACID/SODIUM BENZOATE

BHA (BUTYLATED HYDROXYANISOLE)

AND BHT (BUTYLATED HYDROXYTOLUENE)

CANTHAXANTHIN

glycerol monostearate

MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE

OLESTRA

POTASSIUM BROMATE

SODIUM NITRITE AND NITRATE

Yup, pick up any number of packaged foods and read the label and then see what it means..and decide if this is a "good idea".

[love2travel]

On, honey...when it comes to culinary advice, the pearls of wisdom that drop from your

lips are all we should ever hear. Thanks for the "back up."

We. adore. You.

P.S. How is the snow.??............and how are those Yummy cabana boyz???

The snow is, well, quite abundant. Our winters are just too darned long!!! And the cabana boyz? What boyz? I have no idea what you are talking about.

[IrishHeart]

Oh, for crying out loud. My summaries are about half an hour long. Take. Control. Of. Your. Life. Cook and eat REAL food!

Ditto and Ditto!

[IrishHeart]

The snow is, well, quite abundant. Our winters are just too darned long!!! And the cabana boyz? What boyz? I have no idea what you are talking about.

"denial."..........yup. .that works.!

[GottaSki]

Take. Control. Of. Your. Life. Cook and eat REAL food!

Absolutely -- I think this should be our slogan on c.com for 2013 -- heck well beyond this year

And RBJ pizza shall be served regularly!

[love2travel]

Absolutely -- I think this should be our slogan on c.com for 2013 -- heck well beyond this year

And RBJ pizza shall be served regularly!

It would be a great slogan. Along with the RBJ pizza bit!

[Adalaide]

Addy, hon--maybe you are just messing with me now (as you sometimes do ) but

I can pronounce some "unpronounceable" words too, but I am not going to eat them.

When I said "to avoid a list of more than 5 ingredients,"

I meant packaged foods that include so many preservatives and chemicals that

they are no longer healthy.

Propylene glycol

Cochineal

Methylparaben

METHYLCYCLOPROPENE

ASTAXANTHIN

BENZOIC ACID/SODIUM BENZOATE

BHA (BUTYLATED HYDROXYANISOLE)

AND BHT (BUTYLATED HYDROXYTOLUENE)

CANTHAXANTHIN

glycerol monostearate

MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE

OLESTRA

POTASSIUM BROMATE

SODIUM NITRITE AND NITRATE

Yup, pick up any number of packaged foods and read the label and then see what it means..and decide if this is a "good idea".

Can pronounce all those. I took a chem class a year ahead of schedule in high school, we were informed the first day it would be graded on a curve. I um... ruined that for everyone else and was "responsible" for more than one person failing the class. Best teacher, best class, I loved that guy. He wore a bow tie too. Damn shame it was his last year teaching.

I remember the day I really took stock of what is in a bag of french fries. Who the hell eats that crap? There are twelve... TWELVE!!! ingredients in french fries. Last time I checked there are supposed to be potatoes, salt, and a large dose of clogged arteries which I can add at home myself. I shudder to think what I used to eat. The packaged stuff is pretty rare for me these days, although I do occasionally indulge.

Oh, for crying out loud. My summaries are about half an hour long. Take. Control. Of. Your. Life. Cook and eat REAL food!

This is pretty much where I am now. If I think to myself that my Grammy would be ashamed of my dinner, I'm doing it wrong. She may be 2000 miles away, but she is still in my kitchen every day.

[kareng]

My grandma lived to be 100 ( born in 1898). She ate bacon, butter, lard, real sugar ( lots), coffee,etc. she did like an occasional 7 Up , packaged crackers, and Suzette's chocolates. But mainly foods she made herself from whole ingredients. I told her my little 18 mo old liked frozen corn ( he wanted it still frozen) and she said, very seriously, " I think frozen is as healthy as fresh or canned". Frozen foods were new during her life!

[Adalaide]

My grandma lived to be 100 ( born in 1898). She ate bacon, butter, lard, real sugar ( lots), coffee,etc. she did like an occasional 7 Up , packaged crackers, and Suzette's chocolates. But mainly foods she made herself from whole ingredients. I told her my little 18 mo old liked frozen corn ( he wanted it still frozen) and she said, very seriously, " I think frozen is as healthy as fresh or canned". Frozen foods were new during her life!

My Grandmother keeps saltines and Ritz in her house. She also keeps a jar with Milky Way which are my grandfather's weakness, but they're the teensy little ones and they maybe go through a bag 2 or 3 times a year and only because the "kids" (meaning grown grandkids or smaller great grandkids) are getting into them. Soda in cans is kept around for upset stomachs. Other than that I can't think of anything packaged in her house that isn't cereal. She still speaks of the one time in winter when bread wouldn't rise and she had to buy a loaf almost in hushed tones as if it is some dirty family secret that a store bought loaf of bread made it into her house. I do lots of frozen instead of canned things, but so does she. She actually keeps 2 deep freezers in her basement, one for meat and one for veggies and fruit. I'm sure with my brother's haul of 6 deer this season she has quite the freezer full now! Hm... maybe it is time for a visit. This is sounding pretty delicious.

[Celiac Mindwarp]

Worth learning to pronounce prosciutto . And I am sure someone's Grammy ate it...

[IrishHeart]

This is pretty much where I am now. If I think to myself that my Grammy would be ashamed of my dinner, I'm doing it wrong. She may be 2000 miles away, but she is still in my kitchen every day.

My beloved Grams is a lot farther away than that (wherever heaven is) but she did enjoy one or two packaged things.

Corn Flakes is one.

She loved them! with the milk that came every morning from the dairy truck. In glass bottles. (gawd, I'm old)

...and I always picture us together in the backyard, shelling the peas she grew, or grinding the meat from the butcher herself -- the grinder was bolted to the pantry table (I called it making meat spaghetti), the loving way she hand rolled rice -stuffed grape leaves, and the grapes she magically made into "fruit sheets" that we cut into strips and then rolled walnuts inside--think "fruit roll ups" (long before those things hit the market shelves)... ooh, or the roasted lamb and the Armenian pizza called Lamejun...all fresh herbs, spices and garden tomatoes and peppers and the cold room she had off the kitchen where she stored the garlic, the tubers and the herbs hanging upside down to dry.....just wonderful memories.. Her house smelled like love.

Amazingly strong woman coming here at 18 and making a new life for herself after fleeing the invading Turks... aw crap, now I'm crying.... I miss my Grams.

she did however, make terrible coffee....you could stand a spoon up straight in that sludge cup.

[GottaSki]

Good News on the Cabana Boyz front (& backs )

We need look no further than the volleyball courts of South Mission Beach - I spied many glorious candidates this morning - no pics - I know a few people down there - with my luck a photo of me taking pics of/oogling at our candidates would end up on FB!

[GottaSki]

Breakfast for dinner tonight - new batch of RBJ going in the crock soon to coat the men's waffles

Not sure I shared - I have now tasted the redunculous substance with no ill effect - keeping it to just a taste until I reach the six month of improved health mark - counted Thanksgiving Day as start of clock.

[IrishHeart]

I spied many glorious candidates this morning - no pics - I know a few people down there - with my luck a photo of me taking pics of/oogling at our candidates would end up on FB!

Or worse.

News at 11: Crazy ski-goggled woman caught taking semi nude pics of bronzed young men.

Claims it's for a "secret society of women who need them for their enclosed private compound to perform various duties such as shoveling, serving drinks, eating gourmet meals and just being hunky. Possible reanimation of dead handsome male celebs also involved in the bizarre cult plans..... Charges pending..."

Not sure I shared - I have now tasted the redunculous substance with no ill effect

seriously....anyone reading that sentence on its own?....would wonder exactly what the hell we are up to on this thread.....

and congrats on all these victories.

[Adalaide]

Breakfast for dinner tonight - new batch of RBJ going in the crock soon to coat the men's waffles

Not sure I shared - I have now tasted the redunculous substance with no ill effect - keeping it to just a taste until I reach the six month of improved health mark - counted Thanksgiving Day as start of clock.

WOOOO!!!! I'm waiting until I'm free to eat bacon to make some. I know I could just make it and refrain from eating it. I know that in theory I have the willpower to refrain, after all I've made it this far with all this other crap. But I'm also honest with myself, I'll tell myself to double up my topamax and dig in and probably still end up half blind.

seriously....anyone reading that sentence on its own?....would wonder exactly what the hell we are up to on this thread.....

I doubt that is anyone's business. At least we know that any men who wander along will roll their eyes and call us a bunch of crazy old broads and promptly leave before they end up kidnapped and put to work shoveling snow half naked for our pleasure.

[Celiac Mindwarp]

Unless we have just found a recruiting ground. I may not be helping.

Burgers, sweet potatoes, sprouts, carrots, broccoli and avocado oil. So far so good.

[IrishHeart]

Burgers, sweet potatoes, sprouts, carrots, broccoli and avocado oil. So far so good.

Roasted Chicken, sweet potatoes, carrots and coconut oil. Ditto.