They might have you take baby aspirin, just to avoid risk of clotting. Just a heads up. At least that was my experience with my broken foot.
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Hi everyone, I am finally feeling like things are somewhat under control for the holidays- even have at least half the presents wrapped. Yesterday Lulu treated me to The Nutcracker as my Christmas present, and she had gotten us front row seats! It was amazing being able to watch the orchestra in addition to the dancing. I took us out for a fancy meal afterwards, which did double duty since it gave me a night off. Here’s what we’ve eaten this week:
Mon: soyrizo and black bean chili with tortilla chips
Tues: curried coconut chicken soup with lime over rice, salad with Asian dressing.
Wed: pasta puttanesca
Thurs: carry out
Fri: dinner out after ballet
Sat: LLD will be cooking
Sun: carry out
I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!
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Greetings, People.
Back home after a mini-vacation in lovely Victoria BC, where we went for three days and two nights to enjoy the holiday ambiance. Leaving the car state-side and taking the ferry over on foot is a fun and stress-free way to explore one of our favorite cities.
Cultural experiences included a tour of Craigdarroch Castle, a review of a gingerbread house showcase, and a visit to Butchart gardens for the holiday lights. Culinary adventures included high tea at the Pendray House, visits to Murchies and several other equally fine bakeries, and a few delicious sit-down eateries, which are in no short supply in Victoria.
As a souvenir, I purchased myself (at an antique and vintage china store) a small two-tiered tea tray in Royal Albert’s “Poinsettia” pattern. I am now challenged to use it!
A few photos at the end of this post.
Back home today and cooking for two in the PNW:
FRI: Dinner out in Victoria.
SAT: Dinner at home will be pork chops, potatoes, roasted carrots, and leftover gravy from last week’s meatballs.
SUN: A new-to-me method of prepping salmon from the New York Times. This one calls for a marinade (which I typically never use on salmon) and use of the broiler. Gift link here. Will serve with some leftover potatoes and a veg TBD.
MON: Soup of some variety. Focaccia.
TUE: Steaks. Scallion-mashed potatoes (probably with added bacon ‘cuz holidays). Green salad.
WED: Christmas Eve, when DH and I typically celebrate at home together. Fried chicken and biscuits.
Green salad. Yep – FC&B is a holiday food!
THUR: Christmas dinner with my family in the city, where there will surely be a big rib-roast and all the fixings. I’m bringing afternoon snackables, to include some sweet and spicy salt-roasted peanuts, and a cranberry-blue cheese log (the test sample here at home met with all four thumbs up). I’m also bringing this year’s batch of home-made liqueurs: blackberry, raspberry, and sour cherry. The liqueurs have been met with enthusiasm over the last few years, and sparked more than one cocktail-making competition among the younger set. Again, taking the ferry on foot, it will take a small roll-aboard suitcase to get it all over there – lol!
Happy holidays to all!
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Sounds (and looks) like a lovely trip. I love a nice afternoon tea. Speaking of which, I vote for your new souvenir generating a new holiday tradition to go with it. It’s not for nothing you’ve spent time investigating and perfecting scones!
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Love the photos! Agree with @CaitlinM that adorable tiered tray is crying out for scones!
You have your days mixed up: Tuesday is Christmas Eve, Wednesday is Christmas, don’t be a day late!!
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Lol - great minds think alike! DH and I have been tossing about the idea of an annual “British Day”, culinarily speaking: Full English for breakfast, scones and tea for lunch (served properly), and for dinner - bangers and mash. We’re thinking October 14 to commemorate the Battle of Hastings, and as an early kick-off to the holiday season.
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Oh, Carp!!! I didn’t even pick that up! Thank you! I would have been seriously ill-prepared by Monday without that notice. 
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If nothing else, you’ll be well fed and carbed out.
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Yes. There is a serious lack of veg in that menu proposal.
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Boxing Day is a lot closer, just sayin’
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We thought about that one, but possibly it’s too close to the other holidays. We’re thinking better to stretch things out a bit, so we’re not over-doing it all at once.
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I made one stop in Chinatown this afternoon instead of the three or four shops I normally like visiting in an effort to replenish my stash of Asian ingredients. Doesn’t matter I still managed to forage for lots of goodies for dinner:
Egg rolls (paired with oolong tea to warm me up after a cold day of waiting for busses)
Pork chow mein and fizzy lemonade
Egg tart and blackcurrant tea
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Grades are in!
For two adults in San Diego:
Breakfasts: A few more scones with advent calendar jams. Post-holiday breakfasts will probably be pumpkin bread.
S: (tonight) Takeout - Ramen and karaage. (From newest location of Tajima, for those familiar with San Diego.) Very good.
Su: Huevos rancheros - vegetarian
M: Will grab dinner out for my birthday. Location TBD. I’m craving good French fries, so that might be the determining factor.
T: A baked pasta with cheeses, spinach and sausage in a red sauce.
W: We will have a big breakfast in the morning (eggs, sausage, potatoes, toast). Dinner will be deconstructed chicken cordon bleu (chicken and ham in a garlicky, cheesy cream sauce), pasta, and peas.
Th: Zuppa toscana - soup
F: Shrimp quesadillas - seafood
I hope you’ll have a low stress winter holiday season!
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Happy birthday!
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Happy birthday!! And congrats on getting the grades in!
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Actuals for Dec 16 week, cooking for 1 in MN, with a couple lunches OUT as holiday treat, suggested by my husband. The final cookie plates for friends were delivered to their homes (timing pre-arranged) and included relaxed hour-long chats and admiration of Christmas decorations. We most often meet at restaurants and I’d forgotten the simple delight of just visiting, enjoying comfy chairs and no meal-prep activity.
Mon: Salmon, sweet potato tots, fresh orange slices, red grapes
Tues: Reheat steak fajitas with toppings, beef taquitos. Beer
Wed: Chicken livers, mushrooms & onion in wine sauce (from Dinner a Day cookbook), over rice. Peas with cashews.
Thurs: Chicken & wild rice with cumin & cheddar, stuffed in acorn squash. Red grapes. apples. adapted from Robin Miller - Quick Fix Meals P.119
Fri: Reheat stuffed squash, grapes
Sat: Red beans and brown rice with turkey sausage. HEAVILY adapted a Paul Prudhomme recipe from A Fork in the Road to quarter-size, used canned red kidney beans (so only 1 C broth & 35 min cooking time), 1/4 C red wine in place of grape juice and cooked brown rice. Added rope sausage (turkey) half-moons, per Julia Pacheco easy version that calls for boxed mix for the rice, beans and spice.
Sun: (today) scallop potatoes and ham
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Mid-day meal will be a little late today - prep was a 2 cliché mess. “Don’t cry over spilt milk” - about 1/4 cup splashed out of the cup onto the edge of the counter at the corner, into a barely open silverware drawer. and dripped down fronts of lower cupboards and onto floor mat. Prep of the cheese sauce halted for 20 minutes of cleanup. “Last one in is a rotten potato”. 2 of the 4 Russet potatoes I had peeled looked fine on outside but showed black/unusable interiors when sliced. My prepped cheese sauce cooled while I peeled and sliced 3 small Yukon Golds.
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Hi folks!
After a week of unplanned and cobbled-together eating, I’m now with fam, getting ready for a busy two weeks.
I had two days of respite before the kids descend, and my main goal was to write out my “secret” (not so much anymore) menu plan incorporating home favorites as well as outside ones for a house of half vegetarians and half eat-everythings, so we are not scrambling from meal to meal as others are wont to do 
For breakfast we will rotate through 3-4 standard Indian favorites, with eggs and bagels (which I carried) and toast (from our delicious bread delivery guy’s pullman-style white bread) always at hand.
So that leaves lunch and dinner, with dinner usually being the simpler of the two meals. One meal skews Indian, the other global, based on who’s feeling what.
It took me a bit longer to work out the first week this time, but I think I’m in good shape.
Week 1 Meals:
– L: Paneer matar, parathas, shami kabab, dal
– D: Mac & cheese, cauliflower cheese, kababs and naan for the meat eaters
– L: Out with visitors
– D: Pav bhaji
– L: Out for our usual celebratory Christmas meal at the fam favorite Chinese place
– D: Puris, potato bhaji, mango pulp, shrikhand
– L: Everyday home food – dal, veggies chapatis, rice
– D: Indian Chinese takeout
– L: Out for South Indian
– D: Dal dhokli, roast chicken, Dad’s special potatoes
– L: Takeout North Indian
– D: Cheesetoast and veggies or salad
This will probably undergo some transformation because it’s missing important things like Mexican and Italian (pizza and pasta both, the travesty) but at least it’s a start
A very happy holiday season to all those celebrating something, be it Christmas, Hanukkah, or the start of a new year!
Good wishes and good eats to you all!
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Hi, all. Feeding 3 or more in the Boston burbs, where I only had enough motivation for planning half a week’s meals. My gift shopping is done (waiting for a few deliveries still on their way here, supposedly) so I’ll take advantage of DH and DS finishing theirs tomorrow morning to wrap gifts. I’m also working tomorrow, somehow, but no meetings, just trying to clean up some stuff and my inbox.
Sun: Korean steak and rice bowls
Mon: cheese arepas, refried black beans, pico de gallo
(DS proposed the arepas and I expect he’ll do most of the work… I hope!)
Tues: my brother decided to come up from Virginia for a quick visit - yay! - and we’re having one or two families over for our annual Christmas Eve gathering with Chinese food. I think we’ll make a batch of Chex Mix and maybe some cookies… haven’t done much planning yet. Oh, lunch: chicken pastina soup - inspired by the NYT recipe but using chicken broth and b/s breasts shredded in it, and gluten-free star pasta I impulse bought.
Weds: breakfast = Double chocolate muffins and cinnamon rolls from a can (DH is a creature of habit…). Lunch = either soup or Chinese leftovers. Dinner = Christmas ham, latke waffles for Hanukkah, and some sort of vegetable tbd.
Thus endeth the plan - Part 2 to follow.
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Breakfasts: ruby red grapefruit and fancy bacon.
Lunches: smoked salmon, sea trout roe, leftovers from snacky dinner.
Monday: repeat of Sunday’s mixed lamb grill, Greek dill lemon rice and Greek-ish salad.
Tuesday: festive snacky dinner. Scored big-time at the posh butcher on Saturday, have big vacuum-packed slices of two different pates, will have one for Christmas Eve and freeze the other for NYE, plus some cheeses and olives and nuts and other good stuff.
Wednesday: Nueske’s smoked duck breast (on rec from @linguafood) with red wine cranberry sauce (gift link), wild rice with leeks and shiitakes, salad of endive and radicchio and something crunchy.
Thursday: NY strip sirloin steak with creamed spinach, roasted mushrooms and steamed and buttered baby potatoes with dill and parsley. I have some blue cheese that may end up crumbled over the steak.
Friday: repeat of Thursday but maybe with leftover Christmas wild rice instead of potatoes and maybe some kind of compound butter on the steak.
Saturday: maybe fried rice with leftover smoked duck breast??
Happy Happy, whatever you celebrate have a wonderful time doing it!!
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