Friday Coffee Klatch

[lhall]

Good Morning Everyone!!

Since I made coffee just 1 hour ago I can't remember what flavor I have today. :rolleyes:

I'm off today and have tons to do. I'm Myster Reader again for Ginger's class, and then I'm going to stay and help with their apple project. I may stay for lunch (they eat at 10:45 too).

Otherwise I need to do some cleaning, run some errands, pull out fall clothes, cook dinner & bunco food, plan the menu for next week and pick a dessert to make for Sunday night, plus make a phone call about a job. That's just today. Whew, I'm tired already.

I've got to work tomorrow, then we're going to dinner with DH's family and my dad to celebrate my birthday. I think DH is going to try to get his car to carmax tomorrow too. He's selling it and my dad is letting us have his truck. We're doing a dinner group thing for families through church and we've got the first meeting on Sunday.

What is everyone else up to?

Leigh

[slknight]

Good morning, Leigh!

Nothing too exciting going on here. Tonight is Supper Club, but I'm not sure I'm going to go. It's been a very stressful week, and I'm feeling the need to hibernate.

My sister was going to come down tomorrow and help me clean out my basement. I am on this clean-out kick and am trying to simplify. She was going to help because you know how sometimes you need the honesty of a sister to say to get rid of the sweater you've had since the 8th grade? :p Anyway, she's gotten sick, so I'm not sure if she's coming. Maybe on Sunday instead.

That's it. Also menu planning and the usual stuff.

Susan

[SueK]

Good morning Leigh and Susan and everyone who posts after me,

Not too much planned here. We are finally starting to work on the nursery this weekend. I got the paint yesterday so DH will do that. Then I can put up the border and start getting the closet and changing table, etc., organized. I only have 5 weeks left, and was 2 weeks early last time, so I was starting to get panicky that nothing was ready yet.

Have a fun weekend guys!

[slknight]

Hey, Leigh. Happy Birthday!

[eas11]

Hello Leigh and Susans :) and everyone else later!

Happy Birthday Leigh, hope it's a nice day- sounds busy!!
Usually by the time I see this thread at work it's so long, I don't even have time to read, let alone respond, but I'm not going to work today.

Sorry about your stressful week, Susan. Hope this one is better for you. Can you please send your sister here after she gets finished helping you? :D

Sue, I hope you have fun decorating. It will feel great to get it finished, I'm sure.

We got the news yesterday that DH needs surgery to repair a leaking heart valve. It will most likely be November. Right now we're kind of numb about the whole thing, and need to do some more research, 2nd opinions, etc. Although we knew this was a probability even before the surgery consult (we share a PCP and she reviewed all the test results with us) it was still a shock yesterday to hear it and actually talk about the specifics of surgery. I'll probably post about it later looking for advice, possible local connections, etc but it is hard right now to talk much about it :(
Otherwise, Rosh Hashanah starts tonight. I am cooking today and having good friends for dinner tonight. Will be spending a good portion of the weekend at holiday services- a good time/place to be right now. I needed an easy main dish for tonight and am making Miss Mollie's Crockpot turkey.

I wish everyone a great weekend. It's nice to actually get on this thread for a change!!!!

Ellyn

[hrk]

Good morning. I am finally back at work on a Friday morning after a 4 month maternity leave and Hurricane Isabel last week.
Leigh, Happy Birthday. Hope you have fun celebrating this weekend.
Sue- Good luck with the nursery. DH and I had so much fun decorating Logan's nursery. What colors or patterns are you using?
Susan- Good luck with the cleaning. Hope you get a chance to destress this weekend.
Well this weekend will be a busy one for us. It is Rosh Hashanah, so I am leaving work early to cook for this evening, then it is off to temple. And Logan has his first baby sitter tonight so I have to get everything set for her. Tomorrow we will be in temple in the morning and then cooking again for friends coming over tomorrow night. Sunday we have to run around and get all the things that Logan's daycare needs us to provide cause he starts daycar on Wednesday. It is gonna be a busy weekend, but the New Year is one of my favorite holidays and I love that we have Logan with us to begin a happy and healthy New Year.
Happy Friady
Heather

[Peggy C.]

http://www.millan.net/anims/giffar/tartbits.gif

Happy Birthday to Ieigh, Canice, Stephanie and Lara!:D

I'll be back in a bit.

[Peggy C.]

I'm baaaaaaaack.;) Sorry about that I was really hoping to be the one to start it today so that that piece of cake would be at the top. Share everyone there is plenty to go around.:D

Leigh your plans do sound exhausting. I hope you have a great birthday of course spending time with your girls is the best way to do that and since you are the mystery reader you'll be doing that. So where are you going to dinner tomorrow night? Do you get to pick or have you scared your MIL to death?;)

Susan sorry you've had a stressful week. I say take it easy and play with your DS and DH this weekend...that sweater from eigth grade isn't going anywhere.:p

Sue I second the request...what color are you doing the nursery? How is your DD feeling about everything?

(((Ellyn and DH))) I'm glad you have a peaceful weekend ahead of you and that you will be among people that love and support you.

Heather it sounds like between you and Ellyn you're cooking for 1/2 the country.;) I'd love to hear more about both of your menus...or maybe I should just go check out the Rosh Hashanah thread on the great food board. Good luck with the sitter for Logan tonight...I'm sure everything will be fine, but I can imagine it is nerve wracking the first time.

Well last weekend ended up being pretty quiet after all. I only had to sit for my nieces for a couple of hours and wow was I glad. They couldn't agree on a single activity to do together and when we would decide on something one or the other lost interest w/i minutes and would quit.

DH= and I ended up working in the yard on Sat. for a full 7 hours! Yikes, but it looks great. We were just doing little projects that were overdue, but in combination with each other they added up big time. The neighbors are probably thrilled!

As for this weekend it should be another quiet one. (Yay!:D) No plans except to go and watch the football game out somewhere on Sunday. I'm going to try Sandy's beef stew in the crockpot and have it ready for when we get home from the game. I might invite my BIL over since my sister is out of town. Funny thing, he is the cook in the family but everytime my sister goes out of town w/o him we ask him over to dinner. Weird.

Tomorrow I think I'll be doing some heavy duty cleaning. It is supposed to rain all day and most of our laundry is done so I think I'll pull up all the area rugs and mop everything. Maybe wash the walls in a couple of rooms.

That's it....be you all wish you had my plans. Oh and apples might be involved if I can get to the local orchard.

[SandyM]

Happy Birthday, Leigh! Enjoy your weekend!

Ellyn - I'm so sorry to hear about your DH. How scary! Please know that I'm sending good thoughts and lots of prayers your way. Please do keep us posted.

Susan - I'm with you on the clean-out mode. I go through that every spring and fall, I think. It feels good, once it's done. ;) Especially since (apparently, like you :p ) I'm such a packrat.

My brother, SIL and I are driving to Buffalo this afternoon for a cousin's wedding tomorrow. It's a quick trip - we're driving back on Sunday. Jim is staying here to stay with the dogs and keep tabs on mom and dad. I didn't feel comfortable leaving them here alone, and he was all too willing to skip out on the long drive there and back. :D

Hi to Heather, Sue, and anyone else joining in. Have a great weekend, everyone - and Happy New Year! :)

[hrk]

Ellyn
So sorry to hear about DH needing surgery.
Hopefully celebrating the New Year this weekend will provide some comfort and hope during what I can imagine is a very scary and stressful time.
Peggy C.- Don't you know it is a requirement for every Jewish holiday to make enough food to feed a small army :D Actually tonights menu is very simple, ginger glazed game hens, broccoli and rice casserole, challah (not homemade but that's my goal for the new year) and frnch apple pie for dessert (we made it to the apple orchards alst weekend). Tomorrow my half is Brisket and a sweet potato/cranberry bake. Oh and of course apples and honey for both evenings.
Heather

[SandyM]

Hi Peggy,

Please clean out your PM box - I tried to send you some info about the stew, and it got bounced back to me!! :D

[SueK]

Here's the nursery stuff I decided to go with. I have tons of Raggedy Anns from when I was little, so I'll be putting them up around her room as well.

http://www.raggedyannland.com/newragannan3.html

Ellyn- sorry to hear about DH's surgery. Please take care!

Heather- good to see you back! Glad to hear Logan is doing well.

Peggy and Sandy - have fun weekends, too!

[clairea]

Good morning everyone! Leigh I hope you have a good birthday. Sounds like you have a busy day planned. Susan I hope you get a chance to relax a little this weekend. Sometimes curling up at home is exactly what you need to do:) Sue Have fun decorating! Ellyn You and your husband will be in my thoughts. MIL had that surgery a few years ago, and while it was nerve-racking she is fine. I know it is scary, though.

Hi Peggy and Heather and anyone else posting after me.

I'm going to spend most of today cooking for Rosh Hashanah tonight. DH doesn't usually go to services since he either has to go alone or we have to pay several thousand dollars for a "family membership" to the temple in order to get tickets for me and the kids to go with him. (He is Jewish and I am Christian). We do celebrate at home, though. I also need to plan the food for DS's class picnic in a couple of weeks, and call people to bring it. Other than that we have a pretty quiet weekend. I have to take my car in for service and DD has a birthday party to go to, but that is about it. I want to try to get some yard work done, and the house just generally "spruced up" a little, as we have someone coming next week who might be interested in buying it.

Claire

[Peggy C.]

Originally posted by SandyM
Hi Peggy,

Please clean out your PM box - I tried to send you some info about the stew, and it got bounced back to me!! :D

Done, evidently I'm a packrat also!;)

Sue I love that them! So cute and who doesn't have a special place in their heart for Raggedy Ann.

Heather your menu sounds great!

Hi Claire.:D

[Gracie]

Hi everyone!!!

Leigh - Happy Birthday! It sounds like a very full weekend for you.

Susan - LOL about the sweater! I've never carried around all those old clothes from apartment to apartment to house, etc. Although I do have a little stand-up box with drawers that I bought in elementary school during a trip to Ocean City! I still use it as a jewelry box.

SueK - congratulations on starting the nursery. You'll be glad to have that out of the way so you can relax if you're early again.

Ellyn - I'm sorry about the news about DH's surgery. Once he's had the surgery, will that cure everything and he'll be completely alright?

Peggy - DH did lots of yard work last weekend and I know what you mean about the neighbors appreciating it! We're ignoring the back yard since excavation will hopefully be happening soon. I've done Sandy's beef stew in the crockpot and it turns out fine.

Sandy - your beef stew is on my menu this week, too. It's the only beef stew I ever make anymore. How did you end up thickening it when you made it the last time?

Heather and Ellyn - happy New Year!

I have a quiet weekend planned. I have to do some catching up at home since I was in Chicago from Sunday to Wednesday. Last night we went out to the trial run for a new country club that's opening up. Our friend is the food and beverage manager. They simulated a wedding to train the staff on working together and the processes of getting all the food out to the tables, etc. There were about 350 people there. Everything was free, including open bar. They served a combination of haddock, chicken breast and filet along with lyonnaise potatoes and mixed fresh vegetables as well as soup and mixed greens salad. They even served wedding cake so the staff could practice slicing and serving it.

If it doesn't rain too much I'd like to get some apple picking in, too.

I have a big meeting this morning from 9:30 - 1:30 - ugh.

Hi to everyone else posting at the same time as me!

Loren

[Peggy C.]

It seems that there have been a lot of hard and hurt feelings on the bb lately. I'm sure most of this is just misunderstandings or judging something for what it isn't. At any rate there had been mentions of cliques etc on the other stuff board.

I want to make it clear that anyone who is reading this thread at anytime is welcome to join in. You don't need to respond to every last issue, but if something interests you pop in. We'd love to see you. I know we may seem like we know each other pretty well and the fact is we do kind of since we talk every friday, but that doesn't mean we don't want to get to know you too. So grab a cup of your favorite beverage and join in.:D

[SandyM]

Wow, Loren - how neat that you got to go to a "mock reception"! :D

Regarding the stew, I chickened out with the roux (I'm normally pretty confident rouxing it, but this was a double batch, and I was feeling weird about it. I took some of the juice from the stew and mixed it with corn starch, and then added it back in the stew. It worked like a charm. :)

What I was going to tell Peggy is that I do NOT use garlic salt (or powder - whatever the recipe calls for). I mince fresh garlic and sauté it with the beef. I doubled the batch and used 3 cloves of garlic. That was so not enough! I should have known better. Be liberal with the garlic, girlfriend. :D Also, Yukon Golds work best. They seem to cook evenly with the beef. I once used Idaho potatoes, and the meat got done before the taters. By the time the potatoes were done, the meat was overdone.... :rolleyes:

Anyway, glad you guys like the recipe.

Sue - the Raggedy Ann nursery stuff is adorable!!

Claire - enjoy your weekend, and Happy New Year to you too! :)

[SandyM]

Originally posted by Peggy C.
I know we may seem like we know each other pretty well and the fact is we do kind of since we talk every friday, but that doesn't mean we don't want to get to know you too. So grab a cup of your favorite beverage and join in.:D

Yeah. What she said. :)

Well done, Peggy.

[lhall]

I'll third what Peggy said. This thread is a way to pass the time on fridays when no one wants to be working. Please join in, we'd love to here from you!

Thanks for the birthday wishes! Gotta run to get to the school!

Peggy, I get to pick. We're going to a place called Simpatico. It's on the square here in Marietta and locally owned. It's an Italian Bistro style place, or so their website says. We've never been.

I'll be back in a few hours. I've got another store to hit. Why oh why does Target have dance tights in Ginger's size in every color, but the one her dance school requires? :rolleyes:

Leigh

[beejayw1]

Originally posted by Peggy C.
I want to make it clear that anyone who is reading this thread at anytime is welcome to join in.

(waving) Hi, all!

Nice post Peggy C, and it states what I think most of us know, or should. I guess we go in cycles.

But this is a group of accepting, caring people.

So, just sticking my head in to say hi and have a great weekend. Keep your fingers crossed for me: I have a hairdresser's appointment on Sunday. She's an honest-to-goodness stylist and I've seen her cuts: nice. Maybe now for the first time in 5 years, since I moved away from 'home', I can have a decent haircut!

Ciao!

[Chefzhat]

Good morning! I'm only here for a minute - I have to get dressed and take my mom shopping for clothes. If it's anything like the last time it will be a totally frustrating day, nothing fits, and nothing costs $9.99 or less:( My mom is the last of the red-hot spenders (not).

My dh is out of town from now until next Wednesday - it's very quiet around here!

Hi to everyone before!

Sandy - you can send that stew recipe my way . . . sounds delish!

Ellyn - sorry about your dh - hugs. You must be very worried.

So I feel like a hollywood movie star - a new "upscale" store just opened up here in our town and I ran right off and purchased a Juicy Couture black velour hoodie and pants. Ooo la la!

Waves to all before and after!

Debie

[Gracie]

Originally posted by SandyM
Regarding the stew, I chickened out with the roux (I'm normally pretty confident rouxing it, but this was a double batch, and I was feeling weird about it. I took some of the juice from the stew and mixed it with corn starch, and then added it back in the stew. It worked like a charm. :)

Also, Yukon Golds work best. They seem to cook evenly with the beef. I once used Idaho potatoes, and the meat got done before the taters. By the time the potatoes were done, the meat was overdone.... :rolleyes:

Wow I never noticed that about the potatoes. I always buy Idaho russets unless I buy red potatoes. I think I might try the cornstarch this time and see whether I like it better thicker or thinner.

We had to have surveyers come to resurvey the yard for the addition. We had a survey done when we put in the pool 6 years ago and apparently they didn't plot out where the house was in relation to the property line! :rolleyes: It was good enough to put in the pool, but apparently not good enough for the addition (which will be following the lines of the existing house). So if the house is non-conforming, the addition will be too and we'll have to go for a finding or a variance which will add about a month onto the start of the project. Our architecht thinks it's fine, and he's looking at the same plans (he drew up) as the building inspector so hopefully I'm worrying for nothing. Not to mention the additional $300 for the survey and whatever the 20-minute out-of-area cell phone conversation is going to cost. :D And this is just the beginning of the project...

Loren

[eas11]

Sue, thats cute! I never had Raggedys when I was a kid but I always liked them.

Shanah Tovah, Heather, Claire and anyone else who celebrates themselves and/or with their family. Wishing you a beautiful, peaceful year.

Peggy, along with Susan's sis to come here and help declutter inside, could you come help make the outside look beautiful??!
Good thing I'll be spending the weekend clearing my mind!!!

Thank's all for your good wishes, everyone.
Ellyn

[SandyM]

Hiya Diana -good luck with the new stylist. I FINALLY found someone I like that doesn't charge such that I need a 2nd mortgage on my house. :rolleyes:

Loren - maybe I had a weird batch of potatoes that time. I just know it put me off, and I'm sticking with the Yukon Golds for this particular dish.

Hey Debie - you can do a search for Oven Baked Beef Stew - but if I get to it first, I'll send you a PM with the recipe. See you in about 5 weeks! :D

[linsleyd]

Good Morning all! I'm a little late this morning because I forgot all about the Klatch! :o It's been a few weeks since I've been at work on a Friday!:D

Sue, love your theme! It's going to look soo cute!

Ellyn, my thoughts are with you and your husband.

Sandy, I'm off to go look for that stew, sounds great for the upcoming cool days!

Leigh, have a wonderful birthday and that rest. sounds like it should be good!

Peggy, I understand the yard work! Last weekend we woke up to our neighbors having their tree trimmed, so of course we had to have the guy cut down our one tree and our other neighbors cut down one so now for the first time (and unfortunatly missing the summer) we have light in our backyard! Course, now we have to clean up all the wood...!

Happy New year to all celebrating!

Hello to all I missed!

We have our annual Street Festival tomorrow celebrating our town's 150 years. It should be fun as long as it doesn't rain! A friend also has a annual picnic for the Festival so I really really hope we don't get rained out! Sunday the Eagles play Buffalo (Beware Sandy!) and we'll be going to friends house to watch them play (course our friends are huge buffalo fans so it should be interesting!)

And other than that thank god it's friday because I so don't know how I'm going to get through the day! :D

[JoanneOR]

OK, Peggy, I'm going to take you up on your offer! I've always thought about joining in, but by the time I read the thread, there are so many posts I feel funny just jumping in.

So, here I am! It's Friday and I don't want to work!

Happy Birthday Leigh!

Ellyn, I'm so sorry your DH has to have the surgery. I know that's very scary. Do you know when it will be?

Diana, good luck with the hair stylist. I've been putting off getting my hair cut, because I just can't find a good stylist. I haven't been happy with a hair cut in a long time. DH thinks I'm nuts.

Susan, I just did a major "clean-up" of my clothes. I collected a huge bag of stuff that I haven't worn in years, that just sits in my closet. I figure if I haven't worn it in five years, I'm not going to! DH found the bag and was pulling out stuff saying you should keep this, I loved that dress, etc.... I told him if he would clean out his side of the closet I would have some room to keep some of my clothes.

We actually have a slow weekend, relatively! Tomorrow is my son Jameson's 7th birthday. We are having the grandparents over for dinner and cake. Next week we're having a party for him at Chuck E. Cheese. I've avoided the place for seven years, but I had to give in this year! He really wanted to have it there.

[HDgirl]

Good morning all,

It's been a while since I've klatched. Missed you guys.

Ellyn - sorry to hear about your DH.

Happy Bday Leigh!

Haven't been up to much. DH= has started a project "before it snows" in the backyard. Ya know how you do one project and it cascades into this huge deal? Welcome to my world.

My DS got his motorcycle license and now wants to ride my bike. Yeah, right!! He's done some parking lot time and tomorrow morning he's going to ride my bike and I'll be passenger with DH=. We are going to ride to breakfast. Should be a good first outing for him.

Think I'll do some cooking over the weekend but that's about it.

[linsleyd]

Joanne, happy birthday to your son and good luck at Chuck E Cheese!:D :D

[lorilei]

Wow guys - seems you've been klatching for a while now. I feel like I'm LATE!! :)

Am thirding or fourthing all the welcoming thoughts to others who join our klatch. We love "new" friends around here... and the doors are always open!

Ellyn - Am sending out many warm thoughts to you and DH. And hugs... and support. I know how scary news like this can be, and I'll pray that the medical experts can get to the bottom of this and grant your DH help and healing. YOu'll be in our thoughts all week and beyond!

Leigh - Happy Fantabulous birthday to you!! I hope your weekend reflects everything good -- and that this next year of life grants you many excellent surprises!

Diana - Seconding those "good hair" wishes. I just happened upon another good stylist after mine moved away... and am wishing the same for you!! I know how tough it can be to make a change!

Susan - Am wishing you lots of good "cleaning out" vibes. I know the feeling... we just cleaned out our basement a couple of weekends back. And even though we JUST moved into our house a few months ago, it really needed it!!

Good luck to Claire and everyone else cooking up a storm this weekend! And a blessed Rosh Hashanah to all! I love the thought that this is a time of the year for forgiveness and hope... wishing both things to all!!

And I know I missed people while sending out my greetings... so hello to all of you... and many wishes for a GREAT weekend!!


Our weekend is a mixture of activity and rest. Today I have a dentist appointment (fun, fun) and tonight we're going out to a fairly new, trendy restaurant in the arts district downtown -- and then to a suspenseful play called "MINDGAME", which should prove to be interesting. It's in a very intimate theatre with a unique set-up, and we have really good seats. So, I'm looking forward to it.

Saturday and Sunday are still up in the air. I know we should fertilize our lawn... and do some cleaning at home. But I'm hoping for some honest-to-goodness R&R in between all of that. I have to grocery shop and maybe do some meal planning (I'm not nearly as adept or regular at that as many of you). That stew is also starting to sound better and better. And since the weather has cooled down pretty drastically, that might be on my "to do" list as well. Maybe with some horseradish mashed potatoes -- if I can skip them in the stew :)

Am gonna go and get some work done -- but I'll be back. ANd I don't mean that in a terminator sortofa way :D

[slknight]

Ellyn, sorry to hear about your husband. I'll keep fingers crossed it all goes well.

Diana, that reminds me! I really need to get my haircut too. I wonder if I can fit that in this weekend.

Loren, where's the new country club? Have you ever been to that one in Georgetown, MA? It looks very swanky.

Happy New Year to all who celebrate.

Ok, funny (embarassing) story about Raggedy Ann. My sisters and I were all "home" at my parents' house last month. My parents are on the declutter kick too, and were trying to get rid of some of our childhood stuff while we were there. So my Mom pulled out a bag of my old stuffed animals to see if I wanted any of them. She said, "Oh, here's your Raggedy Ann doll. Gosh, I bet it's worth something now." My parents will never get rid of anything because they always think it might be collectible and "worth something.":rolleyes: So I said, "I don't think she's worth anything; I drew boobs on her!":o :D :eek: I have no idea how old I was when I did it, but I took a magic marker, and ahem, enhanced certain parts of her body.:eek: :eek: :eek: Guess it's not too valuable now, huh?

[Gracie]

Joanne - welcome and Happy Birthday to DS!

Karen - I'm sure your DS will be very careful on your bike. Even though both of you ride, I'm sure you're still nervous about him until he's got some experience under his belt.

Lori - your night tonight sounds great! Have a wonderful time! The stew really is wonderful.

Susan - the country club is the Tewksbury Country Club. They built the entire building from scratch. It's beautiful. Two stories, small function rooms upstairs and the large one downstairs. Tons of polished inlaid wood, large fieldstone fireplaces in all the major rooms upstairs and down and vaulted ceilings everywhere - even upstairs. Handpainted, tasteful murals occasionally. There are also a couple of small dining rooms for serving golfers with those hang-on-the-wall plasma tv's. And LOL about your Raggedy Ann!!!

Hi Linsley and anyone I might have missed!

Loren

[JoanneOR]

Susan, that's very funny about your Raggedy Ann! So, did you save it?!

Karen, I would be nervous, too, about one of my sons on a motorcycle. My DH has quite a few, so, I am sure our day is coming! Although my youngest is seven, so I have a few years before I have to worry about it!

[Peggy C.]

Welcome Joanne, I love love love your DS's name. If I may be so bold does he have a middle name? Also love the story about your DH picking through what you were getting rid of and suggesting he clean his side so you can keep more. So something I would do. As a matter of fact I was getting of the bus from work the other day with a big bag of clothes I'd just purchased and kind of said over my shoulder to one my friends that I needed to smuggle everything under DH='s radar and the whole bus broke out laughing and admitting they have to do the same thing.

Susan..LOL! I can't believed you defaced (now that isn't the right word is it) raggedy ann.

Lori your plans tonight sound great...I don't think I'd like to see live suspence theater. I know I'd make a fool of myself...I'd jump or gasp or something. Oh I'm about 3/4 of the way through Half asleep in frog pajamas....and I'm loving it!

Karen good to see you. That ride tomorrow sounds good. Nice and short and you'll be there to supervise and critique.

Linsley have fun watching the game. It sounds like it should be fun to you know who is favored?

Hi Debie and Diana.

Sandy thanks for the tip on the stew. I have some russets I need to use before they go bad (we can not keep potatoes fresh in our house and can not figure out why) so I'll make sure to cut them kind of small. However if they have gone bad I'll get the yukons...I love the way they look.

I made the easy chicken santa fe last week and jus thickened it with a couple of tablespoons of corn starch mixed with water...it worked fine.

[lorilei]

Loren - Thanks for the good wishes. I really do hope that tonight turns out to be fun. We haven't had a real "night out" since the move (due to a lack of money), so I'm looking forward to a real date night.

Am sending YOU good wishes with regard to your remodelling. I don't envy you all of the rigamarole that comes with the planning stages, but I'll be very excited to hear from you once they've actually started the work. It seems like such an exciting time!! May you find all the money you need to do what you want!!!



Am so happy that this stew appears to be so popular. :) Now - a question for those of you who have made it... do you thicken it AFTER it cooks in the oven? Obviously I haven't read through the recipe yet.


Peggy- I'm half afraid of making a fool of myself tonight as well. I guess I'll have to grasp really tight onto DH's arm just to make sure I can't jump TOO far. We're right up by the stage, so I'd hate to hurl myself headlong up there or something equally terrible!!! :rolleyes: :confused: :eek:

Glad to hear you're enjoying "Half Asleep..." It's one of my absolute favorites! Actually, Robbins is just really good. And addictive :)

[KristinK]

Good morning everyone!

I hope to get some baking done this weekend - just some cookies and brownies, plus a carrot cake for my Dad's 50th :eek: birthday Sunday. My parents are going to the shore for a quiet weekend to celebrate, and I'm going home to keep an eye out for my younger sister. She has a birthday party tonight (lots of birthdays mentioned on this thread today!), so I'll stay at my place tonight and pick her up in the morning. She's having some friends over tomorrow night, which explains the baking, because it finally gives me some people to bake for since DBF doesn't eat any sweets. Actually, I don't eat much either - but I still love to bake! Sunday night I'll make the birthday dinner, although we're not actually celebrating his birthday until his party in October. I might try to take my sister out tomorrow to look for his gift, although I'm still waiting on my brother for his input (he's a busy Harvard grad student now - and he's the main reason my Dad's party is almost a month after his actual birthday!). Right now my poor Dad has to settle for a card and some cake :)

Happy Birthday to Leigh and Jameson! And Happy New Year to Ellyn, Heather, Claire, and anyone else celebrating this weekend. And welcome to Joanne, and any other new Klatchers.

((((Ellyn and DH)))) I am keeping you in my prayers.

[lorilei]

Kristin - I like how you say that: "JUST some cookies and brownies AND a cake..."

I like to bake -- but to me that sounds like quite the undertaking :) Hope everything turns out really well!


Susan - Just have to get in my harang about that poor Raggedy Ann doll... Now isn't that just proof that we're all affected by body image issues from a very early age??!! ;)

Hope that comment isn't offensive -- I think the idea for your nursery is incredible. And I LOVED Raggedy Ann/Andy as a child. :)

[linsleyd]

Lori, have fun on your date night, I know the feeling of not having one in awhile! Dh promised me when he's done with the job he's been on since June (:rolleyes: ) he will take me out. I can't wait! Sometimes I just get so tired of eating at home! :)

Peggy, I don't even want to look at who's favored because it can't possibly be the Eagles since they decided not to play this year. (they have yet to win a game). So, I'm sure they'll get a beating. :mad: :rolleyes:

Susan, that's funny about that doll! I used to draw on stuffed animals and all that all the time. I guess it's better than the walls!

Kristin, have fun baking! I don't eat sweets and neither does DH so I always have to give them away and I love baking, too!

[gertdog]

Good Morning all! I echo Peggy's invitation to join the thread- I am here because I just barged in one day- I didn't even bring coffee- and it couldn't have been a more welcoming group. :)

Happy Birthday Leigh, and Happy New Year to those celebrating this weekend.

Wow, I am late today- or you all are early. :D

Sue, your Raggedy Ann nursery will be adorable. I loved the RA books as a child, and I have Ann and Andy dolls that were my mom's. Unlike Susan's, however, my dolls didn't hit puberty. ;)

((((((((Ellyn and DH)))))))) I'm so sorry to hear that your DH will need surgery. My FIL had open-heart surgery for the same reason a few years ago. It was scary but everything went well. I will be thinking of you.

Diana, good luck with your new stylist! I like my old stylist in Ithaca so much that I haven't even bothered to find someone in NJ- I just wait until I'm on a business trip to Ithaca and I make an appointment with her.

Peggy, thank you for the birthday cake. That's what I had for breakfast today. :o It had apples in it though, that counts for something, right?

Hi to Linsley, Joanne, Loren, Sandy, Lori, Debie, Claire, Heather, and HDGirl- and anyone else who drops in to klatch today! :)

I had a nice birthday yesterday. DH came home for lunch with a gorgeous bouquet in hand, and we also went out to dinner at my favorite local restaurant. My present is tickets to see Mary-Chapin Carpenter, Dar Williams, Shawn Colvin and Patty Griffin in concert on Tuesday night. I'm so excited! I am not familiar with Patty Griffin but I love the others.

This weekend I am hoping to go furniture shopping. My birthday present from my parents was $$ for furniture (hmmm.... mom comes to visit, sees our apartment and sends $ for furniture :p )- actually we've been wanting a bedroom set for a while so we'll see what we find. Other than that, I might try baking my first bread of the season. There is a recipe for an orange-almond yeast bread that I would like to try. And that's about it from me!

[gertdog]

Ack! Gremlins!

Originally posted by JoanneOR

Any Cubs fans here?? I'll be watching the games as much as possible this weekend. This town will go crazy if they actually make it to the playoffs. Or, any Astros fans??

Joanne, I am such an idiot! All this time when I've seen your posts on the BB I have assumed that the "OR" in your screen name stood for Oregon, so I've always imagined you out there in the Pacific Northwest. Then I see your Cubs question and FINALLY look at your location- Chicago! :o :o :o

All of DH's relatives are in Illinois and will die with joy if the Cubs actually make it to the playoffs...

[JoanneOR]

Thanks, Peggy. Jameson's middle name is Patrick.

I think I need to do some shopping to replace what I am giving away! Actually, I try to smuggle books in under DH's radar. He thinks I have way too many (I do), and thinks I should read what I have before I buy more. Actually, I have an order coming from Amazon that I hope I can intercept before him!

Lori, have a great night at the theatre. Sounds like fun! I need a date night! Anyone want to babysit??

Kristin, I love baking, too. Unfortunately, I do eat alot of it, so I try to only do it when I have somewhere to bring it or people are coming over. I'm making the lemonade layer cake for Jameson's birthday tomorrow, which he requested. I still have to figure out what I'm making for dinner.

Any Cubs fans here?? I'll be watching the games as much as possible this weekend. This town will go crazy if they actually make it to the playoffs. Or, any Astros fans??

[SandyM]

Hi Lori,

I like my stew with a thicker gravy (the only thing I really like a gravy in). When I make a single batch, it thickens up to my liking quite nicely. Unfortunately, I must have been too liberal with the liquids when I made a double batch, because it was a bit watery. That's why I had to make an emergency thickener. ;)

Have fun tonight - and good luck at the devil's - I mean, dentist's office. ;) :p :D

[KristinK]

Originally posted by slknight
My parents will never get rid of anything because they always think it might be collectible and "worth something."
Too funny! My mom is the same way. Oh the junk she has saved :rolleyes:

Lori - Well when you put it that way, it does sound like quite an undertaking! I was planning on mixing up some icebox cookies tonight and baking them tomorrow, and I might even make the brownies tonight. I need something to pass the time while DBF plays basketball until 8, as usual. Oh wait, I will have to make some time for dinner too ;)

Joanne - Yup, I have dessert planned before I've decided on dinner too! Carrot cake is my dad's favorite, so that was an easy decision. I'm making the one from CL Complete.

Linsley - Go Birds! DBF and I are going to the Redskins game next weekend. He wanted to get tickets to the Bucs game, but he woke up sick the morning the tickets went on sale, and sent me instead to go wait in the rain by myself :( The game sold out before they even opened the sale, and by the time I got up there, most of the other games were sold out. Fortunately, my Dad came through with some company tickets ... unfortunately, we still got stuck with the bottom of the draw. I'm excited to check out the new stadium, even if it hasn't been very lucky for them yet...

[SueK]

Originally posted by gertdog
My present is tickets to see Mary-Chapin Carpenter, Dar Williams, Shawn Colvin and Patty Griffin in concert on Tuesday night. I'm so excited!

Stephanie- have fun! These four ladies were in our town last week for a concert and although I didn't go, it got super reviews, so I'm sure you'll have a great time!

I just found out that John Mayer is coming to town on Oct 31st, so I'm debating on whether to get tickets. State College has trick or treat that Wed instead of actually having it on Halloween night (due to a PSU game the next day :confused: ), so I could probably go. But my due date is the next day. So I don't know whether to get tickets and take the chance that I won't have given birth by then. I have a good friend that works at the arena and I told him if I go, and go into labor at the concert, that would sure be something to put up on the Jumbotron! :)

[lorilei]

Originally posted by gertdog
Sue, your Raggedy Ann nursery will be adorable. I loved the RA books as a child, and I have Ann and Andy dolls that were my mom's. Unlike Susan's, however, my dolls didn't hit puberty. ;)


I concur about that nursery. I know I said it above, but I really do mean it.

I CONSUMED those books as a kid. And read them over and over. Did you read the whole SERIES of them, Stephanie?


Originally posted by SandyM
Hi Lori,
Have fun tonight - and good luck at the devil's - I mean, dentist's office. ;) :p :D


UMMM, Sandy - that's naughty.

My dentist happens to be a very NICE Jewish man :) And so I'm even planning to wish him a happy Rosh Hashanah when he gets done mutilating my mouth!! :D

[JoanneOR]

Sue, wow, that would be cutting it close with the John Mayer concert! I actually have seen the Rolling Stones and U2 when pregnant. Although not that close to my due date! I was about seven months pregnant both times.

[JackieO]

I <SO> don't want to be at work today, but alas, I have a ton of stuff to get done.

Just wanted to pop in and say "hi" to all my Friday friends...not too much on my plate this weekend, except I'm trying out a new hair stylist (skunk time!) tomorrow, and DS is in a tennis tournament at our "new" fitness/racquet club.

My big news for the week: I ordered a new car! A Saturn Vue. Actually, DH decided to buy it for me for our 25th wedding anniversary, which is coming up in December. It's silver, in honor of our silver anniversary....and I actually got him to spring for the leather interior and "comfort package" that includes heated seats! :D

Gotta get some work done.

Enjoy your weekend, everyone!

[Peggy C.]

Stephanie what kind of bread do you think you're going to make. I was thinking about trying the potato bread in the Oct. issue. It sounds pretty yummy and I love how soft potato bread is.

Lori, I'd love some other recommendations from Tom Robbins.

On my way to break I'll be back.

[SandyM]

Oh Lori - I adore my dentist too. It just too me several incarnations of Evil Dentists (and thus my analysis above) to find him. If he retires, I'm getting false teeth. ;)

[linsleyd]

Oh, Sue the jumbotron comment just got me! LOL! I'm sorry but that would just be awful and it would be my luck that the minute the concert started my water would break!:D

Kristin, very cool you are going to the game, I would love to check out the stadium. DH and our friend were supposed to go up to Buffalo for this game but the tickets sold out before they could get them. I think people put a little too much stock in the Eagles this year, but all we can do is hope they pull around!

Jackie, congrats on the car, very cool and a very good DH you've got!

Stephanie, I was thinking about bread this weekend too. I just need to get some yeast, it's been awhile since I've felt like making bread. Course, I really do need to break in the Kitchen Aid mixer, she's yet to knead!;)

[gertdog]

Originally posted by lorilei

I CONSUMED those books as a kid. And read them over and over. Did you read the whole SERIES of them, Stephanie?


I'm pretty sure I did read them all. Those stories had me absolutely convinced that my dolls and stuffed animals came to life when I was out of the room, and that my Raggedy Ann was the leader. I would come into my room after being out and be so certain that the dolls were not EXACTLY as I left them- a sure sign that they had been at play and scrambled back into place when they heard me coming.

Peggy, I was bad and bought two of the BH&G special issues this week- Holiday Cookies and Holiday Baking. The Holiday Baking issue has a recipe for Almond-Orange bread that I thinkn sounds wonderful, so I thought I'd try that. And a cookbook I received for my birthday (please say it isn't weird that I read the whole cookbook last night) there is a recipe for "Matchless Sourdough Oatmeal Bread" that has me intrigued. :)

[lorilei]

Hey Peggy -
Glad you're enjoying the book so much... I have to admit, I just couldn't stop laughing at the born-again monkey :)

The next Tom Robbins I'd recommend would be "Skinny Legs and All" or "Jitterbug Perfume" -- two classics, in my mind. "Another Roadside Attraction" is also amusing -- and quite quirky, as are all of his books :) If you can envision how a baboon, a drug dealer and a giant end up possessing the mummified body of Christ ... there's Tom for you.

I never read "Even Cowgirls get the Blues", but have also heard that's good.

[eas11]

Stephanie, what great birthday gifts! The concert sounds wonderful! I've seen Patty Griffin and Shawn Colvin in concert. Have never seen Dar, even though she's around here often and one of my favorites. M C-C's Passionate Kisses is one of my favorite songs-HAVE FUN!

Around here the Red Sox fever is heating up BIG TIME!!!
DS would be VERY upset if heard heard me even mention another teams name! And now it's also The Pats, and won't be long till I start hearing about The Celtics as well....

Break over, back to my kitchen tasks!

[lorilei]

Hey Stephanie -
Firstly -- YES, I'm still convinced our dolls had adventures when we weren't looking :) My Holly Hobbie was the leader of my dolly trove.

Hey -- are those BHG annuals any good? I haven't spotted them on the newsstand yet, but I'll check them out if they look promising!!

[Jasmine-Rose]

Good morning everyone. I haven't been to the Friday klatch in ages and I've missed it. I'm home today and I've scheduled the cable guy, the plumber, and the HVAC guy to come in and attend to some maintenance that needs to be done. It's great when you can get them all to come on the same day!

Sorry I'm too late to catch up on everything. Happy birthday to those celebrating this weekend. Happy New Year to those celebrating the holiday. Happy Autumn to everyone not celebrating anything special!

Since I can't go anywhere while I'm waiting for the servicemen, I'm putting my time to good use in the kitchen. The first batch of bread dough is in the refrigerator for an overnight rise. I'll be putting four more batches in there during the course of the day. I think I'm going to need a bigger refrigerator! I'm doing an experiment - making a simple French-style bread dough with three different kinds of flour to see what the differences will be. I have Artisan flour, French flour, and KAF Bread flour. I'm looking forward to the process. I'm also going to make some banana bread (new recipe that calls for barley flour and rice flour), and perhaps some Rosemary Potato Rolls. It's going to be a dreary weekend here so it's the perfect time to play with lots of yeast.

An aside - for anyone looking for new cookbooks, take a look at Hamilton Books (http://hamiltonbooks.com). They don't have a huge selection, but the prices are great. I just ordered Bernard Clayton's Book of Little Breads (or something like that) for just $5.95 plus $3.50 for shipping. Can't wait to receive it!

Loren, the chicken recipe you posted on another thread (the one from Take Out Tonight) is on the menu for dinner tonight, along with a salad of baby spinach, arugula, English cucumber, grape tomatoes and yellow bell pepper, and some dinner rolls (Parmesan and Black Pepper). I'm looking forward to trying it after seeing such wonderful reviews.

Sandy, your stew recipe will be in my oven next weekend. I substitute barley for the potatoes so I can freeze it. Thanks for that recipe!

Last night I was at Kitchen, Etc and I bought one of those apple peelers/corers. 'Tis the season and I'll be making apple pie either this weekend or next. Mmmmm.....Penzey's cinnamon and apples!!!!

Time to make a cup of tea (Red Rose English Breakfast) and put Joy back to work on that bread dough. We're enjoying this quality time together ;) .

Have a great weekend, everyone.

[gertdog]

Lori- aaaaaaaaa! You had a Holly Hobbie too? I had HH paper dolls, color forms, doll, and even nightgown. My sister was the Barbie kid in our house- she had all the slinky evening gowns, and I had HH and her patched dress and apron. :rolleyes: :p

I like the Holiday Baking issue better than the Holiday Cookies one- there was more in there to inspire me.

The baking issue has-

An article on cinnamon, ginger and vanilla in baking (w/recipes of course)
"Greatest Hits" recipes
Apple pie recipes
European tarts and pastries
Angel food cakes
Heartland breakfast breads
Holiday harvest breads
Appetizers
Global gifts
Cookies

I suspect that these recipes are repeats from the regular BH&G magazine, but since I don't subscribe to the magazine, it's okay with me! :)

[slknight]

Originally posted by eas11

Around here the Red Sox fever is heating up BIG TIME!!!
DS would be VERY upset if heard heard me even mention another teams name! And now it's also The Pats, and won't be long till I start hearing about The Celtics as well....



Ellyn, DH got tickets to the first Red Sox home game, which I believe is the 3rd game in the series - next Saturday. He is walking on air.:D

[HDgirl]

Everyone have a great weekend. I can't keep up today. See ya next Friday!!!!

[lorilei]

Stephanie -
Yes, I had a Holly Hobbie :) I believe her leg fell off at one point, so I pinned it back on with a safety pin and referred to her as "Holly Hobble" for a while :) But she was well-loved.

Thanks for the preview. It's drool-worthy :)

I don't get BHG either -- so any recipes they'd have in there would be news to me. I find that their holiday issues are usually pretty good. "Woman's Day" has some good stuff too -- though I haven't bought any of their stuff recently.

[JackieO]

Originally posted by lorilei
The next Tom Robbins I'd recommend would be "Skinny Legs and All" or "Jitterbug Perfume" -- two classics, in my mind. "Another Roadside Attraction" is also amusing -- and quite quirky, as are all of his books :) If you can envision how a baboon, a drug dealer and a giant end up possessing the mummified body of Christ ... there's Tom for you.

I never read "Even Cowgirls get the Blues", but have also heard that's good.
"Roadside" and "Cowgirls" are DH's two favorite books of all time! I read them when they first came out and didn't quite appreciate the quirkiness at the time (too young, I guess), but yes, the premise of finding the mummified body of Christ makes a not-too-subtle religious statement! :p

Someone clue me in on the stew that was discussed earlier.....the cold weather is upon us, and stew this weekend sounds mahhhhvelous!

Leigh -- happy birthday and tell us what you read today as Mystery Reader!

[MKSquared]

Holy klatch! It's crazy in here today!

Happy Birthday, Leigh!!!
Happy New Year, everyone celebrating it.

I totally forgot it was Friday until I hopped on the boards. I'm sitting in a library computer lab, drinking in the smell of a coffee shop lext to me - I can hear the milk foamer going, and the smell of a cup of Grog is just begging me to come over. I have all of $4 in my pocket, though, and that's got to get me lunch, too. Sigh.

Just got out of a really interesting lecture - about the development of agriculture around 12,000 years ago. At one point, the lecturer polled the class and asked who'd had quinoa before (it was cultivated in S. America). I raised my hand, but she didn't see - and then decided that only the one guy in the corner had tried it. I was a little upset, actually! :p I wanted to jump out of my seat and yell, "I have a huge jar of quinoa in my cupboard, sitting next to my kamut and my bulgur, and in front of my barley!" I held off, though.

Thanks again, everyone who sent me good wishes yesterday on my GRE. I'm still a little amazed at my math score. My verbal score isn't bad, but holy cow, did I do well on math. And this, from a girl whose calculus teacher told her, "Mary Kate, math is not in your bones!"

:p

[SandyM]

Congrats, MKat - that's awesome!! :)

[Peggy C.]

Kristin it sounds like you'll have a nice weekend with your sister and your baking. If I was planning on baking 3 things in one weekend I'd be breaking out in a cold sweat. I just get distracted too easily and would end up combining 2 of the recipes or something stupid.

Bye Karen have a good weekend.

Jackie congrats on your up coming anniversary! I love that you're getting the silver vue for it. It sounds great.

Lori and Jackie thanks for the info on T. robbins books. I remember people mentioning "Skinny legs..." previously so I was pretty sure I'd order that next. I love the born-again monkey also and the way the main character refers to herself through out the book.

Hi J-R we've missed you around here. I keep thinking that the next time DH= is out of town I'm going to go kidnap a plumber for the day. He keeps saying he can do all the plumbing we need done, but never seems to get to it.

And I'm sure you'll let us know the results of your bake off.

Joanne thanks, he has a great name.

[lorilei]

Hey Jackie - Here's the recipe for that stew. I haven't tried it yet, but it's gotten RAVES from lots of people :) It's Sandy M's baby... and it looks like something that's right up my alley. Straightforward and cold-weather-friendly :)


Oven Baked Beef Stew

1 Tbsp. oil
2 lb. stew meat, cut in 1½" cubes
1/3 c. flour or 1/4 c. cornstarch
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. marjoram
12 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
10 oz. beef or vegetable broth
1/2 cup dry red wine
2 cups cube peeled potatoes
1 cup sliced celery
4 medium carrots, sliced
3 small onions, quartered
1/4 tsp. pepper

Preheat oven to 325º. Heat oil in 4 quart Dutch oven over medium. Brown beef cubes in oil. Add flour, salt, garlic powder, marjoram and pepper. Stir in tomatoes, broth and wine; mix well. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Add remaining ingredients, mix well. Cover; bake for 2 hours or until meat is tender, stirring twice during baking.

I usually add fresh green beans during the last hour of baking, and frozen corn if I have it. I love my stew loaded with veggies.

[JoanneOR]

Congrats Mary Kate!

Wow, it's hard to keep up with this thread!

Holly Hobbie! I had forgotten all about her. OK, major confession here. I had Holly Hobby checks. My DH (then boyfriend) teased me so much. I finally changed over when we got married. He refused to use them.

Jackie, that's awesome about the car. What a wonderful DH you have. Congratulations on your 25th!

Jasmine, that chicken is great! We had it this week. I had a sandwich with the chicken and melted provolone cheese the next day. That was almost better than the dinner!

[Peggy C.]

MK that is a funny story about the quinoa! I would have been upset too. Oh and congrats on your scores!:D

[MKSquared]

Oh, Joanne? I totally thought you were in Oregon, too. :) But I'm a Cubs fan since I was in middle school - I'm really excited that they're doing so well. I'm setting my sights on this new guy - he's an Astros fan, though, so it's making for some intense rivalries.

Go Cubs! :D

[eas11]

Doll people: The Seinfeld episode was on a few nights ago where Susan brings her doll collection to George's apt. One of the dolls looks like George's mother and begins to "talk" to him. There's a funny scene where he takes the doll to the coffee shop and she starts yelling at him about the way he's eating. :D :D :D

Susan, how'd the DH score the tix? I imagine DS will be sleeping out at Fenway one night to be on line for SRO tix.

[badunnin]

Jumping in on page 3 today! :o I'm at the office today (yeah, that like NEVER happens). I'll head to the gym in a bit, then hopefully up north. Mom wants to come with me (Sandy - yes, I'm thrilled :rolleyes: ) so we'll actually see when I can get her out of the house. I'd like to be there by dinner, which means leaving by 4 at the latest. I'd ideally like to be gone by 1, but I doubt I'll be seeing that.

No class tomorrow morning - wooohooo! I still have a ton of work to get done, but none of it requires a library, and if I take my laptop, I can do it while overlooking Lake Huron, which is a lot more pleasant than overlooking my neighbours yard. :o

And speaking of concerts, I'm totally psyched that I get to go see Blue Rodeo 3 days after my birthday - less than 2 weeks away now. Yippeeee!!! :D

Take care everyone!

[slknight]

Originally posted by eas11


Susan, how'd the DH score the tix? I imagine DS will be sleeping out at Fenway one night to be on line for SRO tix.


Actually, the tickets he got are Standing Room tickets. They went on sale about a week ago (last Friday night maybe), and we just kept trying online all evening until we got some. I think he might be going with his brother because I'm hosting the klatch that day (and wouldn't really want to go anyway).

[SandyM]

lol Bethany! :) Oh well. Try to enjoy yourself, and stay warm up there. Gonna be chilly down here, I suspect it'll be chillier on the lake. :D

[JoanneOR]

Mary Kate, that's funny. I never thought of that, but I guess it might seem like I'm from Oregon because of the OR. Actually it's the first two letters of my last name.

That Seinfeld episode with the doll is hilarious! One of my favorites. That and the one with the marbled rye bread.

[Kayaksoup]

Originally posted by badunnin


I certainly hope it will be chilly! I'm very much looking forward to my flannel and wool clothing. And fleece. And big fluffy socks in my hiking boots.
Must be nice. Its going to be 27F here today:mad:

[MKSquared]

*grin*

So, everyone ... you know what Bethany did earlier this week? *snicker* ... she calls me, on her cell phone ... (should I continue?)

[badunnin]

Originally posted by SandyM
lol Bethany! :) Oh well. Try to enjoy yourself, and stay warm up there. Gonna be chilly down here, I suspect it'll be chillier on the lake. :D

I certainly hope it will be chilly! I'm very much looking forward to my flannel and wool clothing. And fleece. And big fluffy socks in my hiking boots.

[Kayaksoup]

So I guess I'm just jumping in here. Hi everyone:D Hope you all will have fab weekends. After my marmalade/baking marathon yesterday, I think relaxing is all I'm going to do today.:rolleyes: Oh and going to a BBQ.

[Kayaksoup]

Holy Gremlins:eek:

[lorilei]

Originally posted by Kayaksoup
After my marmalade/baking marathon yesterday, I think relaxing is all I'm going to do today.:rolleyes: Oh and going to a BBQ.

Good for you! That's the sort of day we can ALL appreciate, I'm sure.

If you really want something to do, you could volunteer to go to the DENTIST for me :p

[Peggy C.]

Originally posted by JoanneOR
Mary Kate, that's funny. I never thought of that, but I guess it might seem like I'm from Oregon because of the OR. Actually it's the first two letters of my last name.



I could be wrong, but something tells me there is some punctuation in there also.;)

Hi Bethany, enjoy your day off of class!

[badunnin]

Originally posted by Kayaksoup

Must be nice. Its going to be 27F here today:mad:

Do you mean 27C?

[Kayaksoup]

Originally posted by badunnin


Do you mean 27C?
Yeah:o Sorry, been typing up a lot of recipes....:o

[Peggy C.]

I'm pretty confused :confused: but MK continue please.....

[badunnin]

Originally posted by Kayaksoup

Yeah:o Sorry, been typing up a lot of recipes....:o

LOL! I was going to say, I'd kill for 27F!!!! I love being all snuggly.

[Kayaksoup]

Lorilei, I have to go next week so I'll pass on the Dentist this time;)

stupid 30 second rule keeps nailing me this morning.....

[MKSquared]

The gremlins have all converged on this little thread. Yikes.

So, anyway ... Bethany calls me on Wednesday. Not only is she driving on the highway, talking on her cellphone ... but she's driving a big honkin' SUV. In those few moments, we were both everyone we hated. (I was talking on my phone in a store, actually!)

*snicker* :)

Have a good day, everyone! I'm off to grab lunch before my next two classes!

[Kayaksoup]

Originally posted by MKSquared
The gremlins have all converged on this little thread. Yikes.

So, anyway ... Bethany calls me on Wednesday. Not only is she driving on the highway, talking on her cellphone ... but she's driving a big honkin' SUV. In those few moments, we were both everyone we hated. (I was talking on my phone in a store, actually!)

*snicker* :)

Have a good day, everyone! I'm off to grab lunch before my next two classes!
LOL

HAve a good one, Mary KAte.
And I am off to buy some rice krispies, because despite my plan to do nothing, I think I have to make the Salted Peanut Chews Val posted yesterday:o :p

[emily]

Man, I've been up since 7:30, thinking I'd get here and be able to post in a timely fashion to the klatch and lo and behold we're at the end of page three!

I've only read the first page, but wanted to get my post in before page 4 ;)

(((Ellyn))) Positive thoughts for you and your DH.

Like Linda said it's going to be hot here this weekend. I'm so ready for soup/stew weather, but I guess if I'm forced to I can go enjoy the beach a little longer :p

Definitely going to be menu planning this week. I need to get some serious budget controls in place. Oh and most exciting, I start school on Monday!!! Woo hoo!

[lorilei]

Hey Emily -
Well, heck -- why didn't you get up a couple hours earlier to join us ??? :D LOL

How are things going? I can tell you're excited for school to start, but have you been settling in well?

Too bad about that heat :rolleyes: It's a little crazy -- these twists and turns our weather has been taking. Our temps are actually a bit BELOW normal right now -- and we're catching up on almost a FOOT of rain that we were behind from the summer!! It's really grey and not so cheery out right now -- but I'm not complaining, cuz it IS a good excuse to snuggle up with a blanket!

So, what's on the menu plan so far?

[Peggy C.]

Em yay about school! Have a nice relaxing weekend because I'm sure it will get crazy fast.

[lhall]

Emily LOL!

I missed most of the katch too!

Jackie,
I ready My Moster Mamma Loves Me So and The Goose That Almost Got Cooked. I stayed to help with an apple project. I told the story of The Little Red House With A Star Inside You cut an apple crosswise and the seeds make a star pattern. Then I stayed for lunch.

I'm so behind. To add to everything...the phones are out, no dial tone but the DSL is still working.

Hi everyone thanks again for the birthday wishes!!

Leigh

[Kayaksoup]

Emily, that's why I never post here usually. By the time I get to the computer, the Klatch is 4 pages long:rolleyes:
Ell, I think I'm ready to start those peanut things. Got the Crisped Rice Cereal, ready to roll.

[badunnin]

Originally posted by MKSquared
The gremlins have all converged on this little thread. Yikes.

So, anyway ... Bethany calls me on Wednesday. Not only is she driving on the highway, talking on her cellphone ... but she's driving a big honkin' SUV. In those few moments, we were both everyone we hated. (I was talking on my phone in a store, actually!)

*snicker* :)


Narc!

I admit it, I was everyone I hated. It wasn't a big honkin' SUV, though, as MKat mentioned. It was a Buick Rendevous. I was picking up dad from the airport, which turned out to be an absolute nightmare.

Lobb ya MKat!

[emily]

Linda - if you need anyone to sample the peanut things or have any baked good or even better ginger marmalade that you just can't consume, I know of a loving home that would adopt :p ;)

Lori Why, yes, I have been settling in quite well. I love my neighborhood. Have comparisson shopped all the little food stores that surround me :) I have sort of an instant community between my BB friends, my housemates and their friends and this little tea shop that I've decided to become a regular at. I absolutely love Vancouver.

So far on the menu is that ginger cake that was posted on the BB a few days ago and one of my 2 repeat recipes, a black eye pea salad from several years ago. Both of those will be heading with me to a pot luck tomorrow.

The menu planning will only be until Thursday as I have a friend coming in from Houston (if I followed baseball, I'd add in a Go 'Stros!) and I don't know if he'll want to be eating my cooking or going out.

Leigh - Happy Birthday and good luck with the interview. You did mention back on page one that you have an interview next week right...

Peggy - I'm not sure how much time I'll have at home, but at least one of the days should be relaxing. However, today I'm going to explore some of the ethnic grocery stores and maybe the Punjabi market. Then there's the ski and snowboard swap this afternoon at the big stadium where I'm hoping to find a really cheap snowboard. Tomorrow, I think I'll be spending the day in a park somewhere with Terri-Lynn and her adorable sons. But so far nothing for Sunday, and that suits me just fine ;)

[eas11]

Hi Emily, can't wait to "hear"/read about your school adventures.
I wish you were here to bake for me today, I'm resorting to store bought dessert, BUT, the bakery is FABULOUS!!
This is the 1st time I'm actually able to follow the klatch through the pages since I'm home today.

Continuing with the Seinfeld theme, I know if I was home in NY now I'd be waiting on line for a yummy chocolate Babka for dessert. Love it! I always wondered how that funny episode played out of the NY area???

[Peggy C.]

Leigh was Ginger surprised or did she know you were the mystery reader?

em that's cool that you already have so many friends in BC. Have fun at the park with Terri-Lynn and her DSs

[Kayaksoup]

Anytime Emily:D

[KristinK]

Originally posted by MKSquared
So, anyway ... Bethany calls me on Wednesday. Not only is she driving on the highway, talking on her cellphone ... but she's driving a big honkin' SUV. In those few moments, we were both everyone we hated. (I was talking on my phone in a store, actually!)
So I was driving beside a Hummer this morning...

:cool:

[badunnin]

Originally posted by KristinK

So I was driving beside a Hummer this morning...

:cool:

LOL! I was driving next to an H2 the last mile or so, and after I hung up with MKat, she called me back and left a message that there was an H2 parked next to her! :eek: :D

[JackieO]

Lori Thanks for posting the stew recipe. I think I might have tried it (or something similar) last year....it looks familiar and yummy.

I need to get back to work -- I took pictures at a meeting yesterday, and even with a digital camera, I'm still a bad photographer! :eek: At least I have a lot of (bad) pictures to choose from!

[colleency]

Good morning! Afternoon to most of you.:p

Peggy - Thank you for posting the welcome to all. This is my favorite thread, and I look forward to it each week, whether I have time to post or not. At first I was timid, but everyone on the boards is so nice! And your posts have inspired me to order 1/2 asleep from the library.

Sue - The Raggedy Anne theme is so cute! I had to write Anne and Andy on my dolls, because they looked just the same with their clothes off, and I thought they would be upset if I put them in the wrong outfit.:rolleyes:

(((Ellyn + DH)))

Sandy - I've been wanting to tell you how much I love your quote. I'm a huge Heinlein fan.

I've added Baked Beef Stew to my list, but it's still to warm here for stew. Although it's usually foggy when I leave in the morning and foggy when I get home.

This weekend I'm going to try to give blood (Red Cross in CA had a major failure in their blood storage system and they lost ALL supplies!).

And it's cleaning weekend, which we've put off for two weekends now. If we put it off again, I guess we're getting a maid! Although I don't know how a maid would wade through all DH's stuff to clean anything.:mad: And he got too busy to go to the grocery store, so there's no food in the house. He swore he'd go today. The funny thing is, I'm actually not cranky about the lack of cleaning or shopping. :confused: Maybe I'm getting over myself. :D

Probably everyone has signed off by now to enjoy their weekends, but happy new year to those celebrating, happy fall to those on the East Coast, happy summer to those on the west coast, and happy weekend to everybody else!

[emily]

Jackie - the best thing about the bad digital pictures is that you can immediately delete them and no one has to know ;)

Ellyn - I wish I was there to bake for you today. I bet you have mixing bowls, a whisk, measuring spoons (actually we have those too ... I bought them yesterday :rolleyes: ). The lack of my baking supplies is what I miss most.

Although, yesterday, I discovered that the mom 'n' pop grocer down the street from me has a vast selection of bulk goods including all kinds of flour, sugars, etc. :D :D

I've just returned with a pot of rhubarb-vanilla black tea and some toast. I got the bread with Terri at this awesome hole-in-the-wall Russian bakery. It's a super dense, hearty wheat/flax/rye blend. Great with the pb and bananas I have on it :)

[lorilei]

Alright guys -- I'm outta here.

Looks like the conversation is lilting over here anyhow -- and I have to get to the dentist!

Have a great weekend all! And happy cooking and relaxing!

[lhall]

Emily,

I applied for a job via Monster.com and got an email to call the HR dept of the company. I emailed him and told him I would try to call from the cell phone later. So, it's not an interview, but I might get one.

Sounds like your are settling in well!

Peggy,
No, Ginger didn't know I was going to show up today. She was very happy that I could stay for lunch too! She told her class it was my birthday so they sang happy birthday to me. It was sweet.

Colleen,
LOL! I'm good at putting off cleaning. In fact...I'm doing it right now.

Leigh

[emily]

I've been putting off the cleaning here too. I'm replacing a couple in our house, but they haven't moved out yet. So there are five of us here with one bathroom and no dishwasher. Yeah.

I've done all the dishes three or four times now and I've given up and have begun doing only my own. As much as I hate seeing a stack of dishes in the sink, I'm going to let the couple (who are the only ones who don't do their dishes - good thing they're the ones leaving ;)) clean up after themselves.

Good morning, Colleen. There are still a few west coasters here, although in a few minutes Linda and I are headed off to explore ethnic markets :) It's been cold every morning when I wake up, but then immediately heats up, so I wake up craving soup and then by night time only want salad. However, I know that soon enough I'll have cold, damp weather. Mmmm, soup.

Leigh I understand now. I hope that you manage to connect with the HR director at some point and hopefully you like the company and want an interview. Because of course they'll love you :)

[colleency]

Ooo! The dreaded dish stack-up! I hate that. Five adults in one house. Urgh.

I love soup, but DH won't eat it. :( So I make it to take to work!

[emily]

The great thing about soup is that it's so easy to freeze in individual servings to have as a quick lunch or dinner in a pinch. And how does your DH write off a whole course ;) Soup is one of my favorites. Except potato - blech.

[Kayaksoup]

i could wax poetic about soup. But I won't. I don't make my own anymore, but I eat it everyday for lunch. And my BF swore he hated soup, because it didn't fill him up. But he eats it now. Unless it has chickpeas in it:rolleyes:

[lhall]

I love to make soup. I'm like Emily. I like to make a ton and freeze it. I thawed out the last of Jewel's Garlic Harvest Soup last week. YUM!

Leigh

[Gracie]

My meeting is finally over! I had a lot to catch up on!

Kristin Your baking weekend sounds like my weekend last weekend. I get in these moods and plan to make 3 or 4 things to last at least a week. Have fun!

Stephanie Happy Belated Birthday! I haven't seen the new BHG supplements for the holidays. I love the holiday issues so I'll have to look for them. Seems a bit early, though.

Jackie Happy 25th anniversary! What a great use of silver for a present!

Elaine You're going to have to get Joy a sister to keep up with all your baking! I hope you enjoy the chicken as much as I did. What apple peeler brand did you get? I've had the Progressive from Kitchen Etc and the Pampered Chef one. Neither did very well. I always found that I had to end up peeling the apples anyway. Let me know if you find one that really works.

Susan I am so jealous that DH got playoff tickets. I'm really excited this year. I've watched almost every game this year and I need to have that time pay off with a World Series win!

Mary Kate congratulations on your GRE scores!

Joanne I'm glad you liked the lemon chicken. I thought that the OR in your name meant you were an OR nurse after you said that you worked close to the hotel in Chicago where I stayed. What is the Seinfeld episode about the marble rye? I watch Seinfeld faithfully - it falls during dinner and we are eating in the living room these days.

Ellyn I loved the episode with Susan's doll looking like George's mother. That was a great idea for a show.

Hi to Bethany, Emily and Colleen and anyone else I might have missed.

Loren

[Peggy C.]

Originally posted by emily
Soup is one of my favorites. Except potato - blech.

How about eel or chicken soup?;)


Not to seem rude, but when Emily was in Ohio a few weeks ago we decided just to make dinner at my house and since I needed to shop for it I asked if there was anything I should avoid buying. She answered eel, she really doesn't like eel. LOL! Ok no problem. Oh and I don't like chicken....talk about ends of the spectrum!;-)

Sue - The Raggedy Anne theme is so cute! I had to write Anne and Andy on my dolls, because they looked just the same with their clothes off, and I thought they would be upset if I put them in the wrong outfit. OMG this had me laughing out loud. And just what were they doing out of their clothing?:eek: Colleen hope you enjoy the book when you get it.

[KristinK]

Have you soup-lovers received your October issue? It's chock-full of soups and stews!

I'm hoping to convince DBF to start taking soup for lunch, otherwise, I'll never be able to try all the recipes I want.

[Peggy C.]

Originally posted by KristinK
Have you soup-lovers received your October issue? It's chock-full of soups and stews!

I'm hoping to convince DBF to start taking soup for lunch, otherwise, I'll never be able to try all the recipes I want.

I really want to try the hunters stew that is on the cover, but it will need to wait until next week when duck is in our budget!:o What others look good to you?

[KristinK]

Peggy, the Hunter's Stew sounded good to me too, although I'd probably just use chicken instead of duck.

Hmmm, what else? The Chunky Potato-Crab Chowder stood out to me, and most of the Inspired Vegetarian soups (not the mushroom or onion ones though, blech!). The Quick Fall Minestrone looks good, as simple as it is.

Ooh, I am getting hungry now!

[JoanneOR]

OK, I really don't want to work today! I found a web site with synposis (what's the plural of that??) of all the Seinfeld episodes.

Loren, this is a synopsis of the rye bread episode:

George is invited over to a girlfriends parents house and brings a marble rye bread for them as a gift. In addition his father and mother accompany him and create quite a stir. George accidentally takes the bread he intended as a gift with him when he leaves. Jerry and George plan to reaquire a Rye Bread after George's parents hold onto the original. Kramer agrees to give the parents of George's girlfriend a carriage ride pulled by his trusty horse Rusty. As Jerry goes down to the bakery to purchase a Rye Bread he discovers the last one has been sold. He offers the old lady that purchased it far more than she paid but she refuses. Jerry then takes the bread and runs down the street with bread in hand after calling the lady an old bag. Kramer's horse has some gas problems after eating all of the beefy food Kramer fed to him because he overbought. The horse ride is cut short because of the smell and the family arrives back just as Jerry attempts to toss the bread up to George who waits inside the house for the bread. After many tosses it is finally decided to use a fishing rod to reel in the bread. After a joyful sigh of relief, George discovers his girlfriend and their family staring at him in disbelief.

Soup sounds great! I love soup, but don't think I've ever actually made one. I'm definitely going to try a few this fall.

I never knew anyone who actually had eaten eel! Not something I'd want to try, either.

My poor DH had a big scare this afternoon. It was sort of my fault, but not totally. He picks up Ian at 11:30 every day from kindergarten. Today he goes there and there's no kids outside. He asks the teacher at the door, who is a substitute, where the kids are and she says they've all been picked up. He freaked out, thinking someone had taken Ian. The teacher didn't know what was going on, so he went to the office. It turns out it was hot lunch day and the kids stay till 12:00. I always remind DH about these things, but I totally forgot today. So he had Ian call me and tell me what happened. I'm sure I would have freaked out, too. But, all is well. Ian was inside eating chicken nuggets.

[linsleyd]

I WANT MY OCT ISSUE. Unfortunatly I just received September which I had already purchased at the newstand because I didn't think I would ever receive it. WAA.:( :D

I like the idea of the crab one...mmmmm...crab......<drool>

[lhall]

Joanne,
How scary for your DH, but also annoying that the sub didn't just say I don't know ask in the office! I'm glad things turned out ok.

I can't believe I'm almost done with my whole list of things to do today!

Leigh

[JoanneOR]

Leigh, you got me thinking, why did they have a sub at the door? The regular teacher knows all the parents who pick up the kids. If a sub is there, she's not going to recognize the parents. I'm sure there were just a few today, because most do the hot lunch, but still.

[gertdog]

Linsley, if you received your Sept. issue after the 20th, I think CL will extend your subscription by a month if you call and ask.

I remember well the rye bread episode of Seinfeld but was not familiar with the doll one!

Joanne I'm glad Ian was inside- your poor DH! Kind of curious how the teacher (even if a sub) could just think all the kids were gone?

Colleen, I also LOL about you having to write Anne and Andy on the dolls. I think my Raggedy Anne had "bloomers" sewn on, and Andy's pants were sewn on too.

I can't wait to make soup! I'm going to try the vegetarian cashew chili from the Oct. issue. Okay, it's kind of a soup...

[Gracie]

Joanne that is really scary. You are right about the sub at the door. She could have let the kids go home with anyone and not known the difference.

What website did you find with all the Seinfeld synopses (I don't know the plural of synopsis either!). That sounds like a great thing to do when you don't feel like working.

Loren

[lhall]

Joanne,

I didn't think of that, but good point! They shouldn't have done that. I'd call the office and complain. I know in Ginger's class there are two teachers so they should have had the regular teacher at the door.

Leigh

[JoanneOR]

Here's the web site with the Seinfeld episodes:

http://www.movieprop.com/tvandmovie/Seinfeld/favorite.htm

I think I will call and ask about the substitute. It could be that there was another teacher with her before my DH got there. You would think that she would have known about the hot lunch, though, especially since there would have only been a few kids going home at the regular time.

[Peggy C.]

Joanne that would have been scary! I agree it does make more sense to have a regular teacher at the door than a sub. My sister told me a story one day that had me freaked and I already knew it had a happy ending.

She was at the softball field w/ her 2 girls one was playing the game and the other was playing on the playground near by, but not really visible. So they take walkie talkies so she can keep in contact with the one at the playground. She said she beeped my niece just to check in with her when a very firm man's voice said 'who is this' my sister said she literally flew to the playground but on the way she'd determined my niece was fine and what she'd heard had been interference. She slowed down and then realized that another Mom had heard the voice also and was hot on my sisters heals in case she needed help. Thank God everything was ok, but it still gives me the willies just thinking about it.

[lhall]

Peggy,
I'd have done the same thing as your sister.

It's officially Grand Central Station here. :D I have 5 girls playing the back yard waiting for the Easy Bake Oven to preheat.

Joanne,
At DDs school they give parents a bright piece of paper and ask you to write your child's name on it in the window. That way they know which child goes in which car. If you have more than one child they wait with the youngest child's class, and you only put one name on your paper.

Leigh

[Peggy C.]

Leigh are they baking you a birthday cake?

[Peggy C.]

Mmmm sounds good will there be milk served? What time should I be there. Hey speaking of cookies where is jennifer today?

[lhall]

No, but we're out of cake mixes. They are making chocolate brownies and sugar cookies with melted chocolate on top. I had an 'episode' with 1/2 a bag of chocolate morsels last night and they are using up what's left.:o :o Well, Ginger doesn't like the plain sugar or chocolate cookies so I also have to make them fancy or she won't eat them.

Leigh

[JoanneOR]

Leigh, that's so cute about the EasyBake oven. I can't wait till Caitlyn is old enough to use one. I saw a show (don't remember which one) and it must have been on Food Network where they were making recipes in an easybake oven. One was some peanut butter and jelly turnover thing. There were some others that actually looked pretty good, but I can't remember what they were.

Peggy, that sounds like a scary situation in the playground.

It's getting dark and "thundery" here. Just in time for rush hour traffic. Yuck! I hope the Cubs game isn't rained out.

[sunberst]

make me pudding. chocolate pudding.

[lhall]

Joanne,

They now have a blender for smoothies and things and a "Real Oven" by easy bake for making 'real' food like pretzel. I don't know what the difference is between the two, other than the price. :D

I finally got rid of my orange oven that I got when I was 5. I didn't have any more pans and the new ones don't work.

Leigh

[colleency]

Originally posted by Peggy C.


OMG this had me laughing out loud. And just what were they doing out of their clothing?:eek: Colleen hope you enjoy the book when you get it.

:rolleyes: I didn't feel that I had enough clothes to go around, because each of my dolls only had one outfit, so I would switch around. My neighbor made my raggedys, and they had removable bloomers, which I loved to put on one of my other dolls, because it went so well with her shoes. You'd think from that that I would be a clothes horse, but it didn't stick. ;)

DH says he doesn't like soup because he had to eat so much of it in college. He ignores me when I point out that not only does he still like donuts, pizza, and burgers, but also that my soup is better than Campbells.:rolleyes:

I would be really freaked out about the missing child/cafeteria misunderstanding. How scary!

May I please have an easy-bake brownie? I've never had one. Mmmm...tasty!:D

[sunberst]

Originally posted by JoanneOR
It's getting dark and "thundery" here. Just in time for rush hour traffic. Yuck! I hope the Cubs game isn't rained out. making me nervous. i cant have this dragged out any longer.

[Peggy C.]

Originally posted by sunberst
make me pudding. chocolate pudding.

:confused: I'm guessing it has to do with the easy bake oven, but since I was a deprived child I never had one.:( But evidently neither my sister or Leigh were! ;)

[lhall]

I don't know Peggy. I've never seen Easy Bake Pudding.

Leigh

[sunberst]

no easy bake.

just PUDDING.

[JoanneOR]

Don't cook the chocolate cake mix all the way and you'd have pudding :)

OK, it's late and it's Friday and I want to go home!

Sunberst, I checked and it is delayed. If they cancel it, they'll probably play a double header tomorrow. If they have to have that one game playoff with Houston if there's a tie I don't think I could handle the suspense!!

[lhall]

Sunberst,

Sorry, all I have is cook & serve vanilla.

Leigh

[sunberst]

Originally posted by JoanneOR
If they have to have that one game playoff with Houston if there's a tie I don't think I could handle the suspense!! it is suppose to be on monday at wrigley if that happens (cubs-astros tie breaker). oh the suspense.

[Peggy C.]

Gotchya sunberst!

Joanne and sunberst wishing you and yours a safe commute home.

Colleen thanks for the clarification on the nekidness of RA and RA!

Ok ladies I'm out of here. Thanks for all the laughs today.

[colleency]

Here you go, sunberst. Enjoy!http://www.cok.net/photos/misc/food/pudding.jpg

[lhall]

Have a great weekend Peggy!!!

Leigh

[sunberst]

Originally posted by colleency
Here you go, sunberst. Enjoy!http://www.cok.net/photos/misc/food/pudding.jpg yum. pudding.

happy weekend to all. eat lots of pudding.