dfish

I hope you recover quickly with no lingering after effects. @bennybear Sorry about the cancer spots, but thankfully it was found and can be dealt with. @marshhawk I would be fired quickly from your job. I can't ask for money, especially that much money. I hate when people make the assumption that I have that kind of money sitting around looking for something to do. I would be tempted to never donate again. But, something else in your post struck terror in my heart. I started and went through the great appliance breakdown during the pandemic. Thank goodness for those stimulus checks! But, now I am in a new house with different appliances and I could start all over! Pray that doesn't happen. @Vict0riann In case I forget tomorrow with the hustle and bustle:

Good morning, everyone! It is supposed to be a brilliantly sunny day here in mid-Michigan. I'm heading out to pick up the turkey and then making the stuffing and an apple caramel crumb pie. @Seasick Sailor I am going to make that brussels sprout/cauliflower dish. It sounds so good! Today's meal will end our run on butternut squash. At least till next year. But, there are many good options for a side dish for tomorrow's table for those of us looking to freshen up the offerings a bit. This meal can be made with butternut squash, acorn squash, delicata squash, sweet potatoes, or even carrots. https://foolproofliving.com/roasted-butternut-squash-salad-with-bulgur-and-tahini-dressing/ This next one is a great vegan addition to the menu. It is a sheet pan recipe so only one pan to wash! https://thefamilyfoodkitchen.com/delicata-squash-salad/ This last one is an adaption of the first one by America's Test Kitchen. I enjoyed the special meals ATK did on the Koningsdam before that partnership ended. https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/09/27/recipe-americas-test-kitchens-roasted-butternut-squash-salad-with-creamy-tahini-dressing/ Wishing everyone a wonderful day!

Messy painter/baker checking in. Not only am I a messy baker, I am a dangerous one. I managed to kill my hand mixer and blow a circuit in the kitchen. The electric in the kitchen is working again, the pie smells great and the mixer is in the trash. It was time to replace it anyways. It is from the Harvest Gold era. I also can't find my measuring cups. I remember seeing them, but have no clue where I put them. Now that I don't need them I should go back through the cupboards and they will probably jump out at me. Also missing in action is my Harvest Gold crock pot aka slow cooker. And my alarm clock. Not high on anyone's list for walking off with them, but annoying all the same. One pie down, one to go. Tomorrow I will make the stuffing and store it overnight in the garage along with the turkey. I pick that up at the butcher's tomorrow. Sue and I will make a run to Peel and Pare, a local kitchen goods store that also has the best coffee. Then we're coming home and peeling apples. When tomorrow's prep work is done we are binge watching The Crown season 4 since Sue hasn't seen it. Remember, she's the Luddite that won't get WiFi. She also only gets 3 stations on her TV.

YEAH!!! Large item pickup just came by and removed the kitty litter container sculpture. I will now have to think of another descriptor for the house to give to visitors.

@1ANGELCAT

Good morning, everyone! No early morning errands today. I'm going to take advantage of the warm up in temperatures to get in a nice outdoor walk. Then, I'll start making pies. Today's meal continues our run on butternut squash. I do think the butternut squash could be replaced by acorn squash or even sweet potatoes. I think I would like the seasonings and flavors in this dish, but the carbs are a deterrent to me. I can handle one of the main ingredients, but all three put me over the top. https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/butternut-squash-chickpea-lentil-moroccan-stew/ This next one looks even better. Without the chickpeas the carb count comes down, so maybe a couple of bites? https://www.eatwell101.com/coconut-butternut-lentil-stew-recipe This next one uses a combination of brown and green lentils and says you can substitute pumpkin for the butternut squash, or even (horrors!) carrots. https://www.supperwithmichelle.com/2016/11/butternut-squash-and-lentil-stew/ This last one is from the American Heart Association and claims the title of Healthy. Still, there are a few too many carbs for me. https://recipes.heart.org/en/recipes/moroccan-lentil-stew-with-butternut-squash Here's hoping one of these works. Wishing you all a wonderful day!

I was thinking the same thing. I want to paint my bedroom so I can fix all the nail holes that now stand out. And, I don't like the color. And what else do you do in the winter? Hey, you're allowed to cheat now and then.

I am familiar with Ariel. My parents used to get Ariel for special occasions. I use it to make hot spiced wine for the holidays. Just one request: bring a white as well for Carolyn @Cruising-along and me. Ladies, @Quartzsite Cruiser, @Cruising-along @superoma @ger_77 and any other member of messy painters guild, I think we should have a virtual baking get together, complete with cardboardeaux.

@Quartzsite Cruiser and @Cruising-along it makes sense that messy painters would also be messy bakers. I used to bake for Christmas but haven't done any in recent years. My mom always talked about the cookies her grandmother made, so I tried to make some of the same. She didn't have the recipes, so I did my best. She loved springerle, so I made those. I also made a German spice cookie. Each year I tried another butter cookie recipe, but none were as good as her memory of Nanny Huener's. Maybe since I don't have to drive anywhere over the holidays, I'll toss some flower on the kitchen floor and make some cookies. Hopefully, @marshhawk will come through and provide us with the cardboardeaux so needed to have the baking turn out as well as the painting.

I didn't bother to check them all. Some had a little bit in them and others looked empty, but there were too many to bother with.

Good morning, everyone! It is a chilly start to the day in mid-Michigan, but it is supposed to warm to the 40's. That will be welcome. That is good news! Any idea what caused the outage? Busy morning planned here. I have to stop by the credit union and write checks from my Ohio account to my Michigan account. I can transfer funds electronically but the Ohio credit union only allows a transfer of $750 per day. I want this done a little sooner than that would allow. After that I am taking my brother in for blood work and seeing if I can get an appointment. I dropped off my paperwork three weeks ago and they said they would call me, but haven't. I'm running out of medication. Then, I'm stopping by the grocery store for the last minute shopping before Thanksgiving. I figured DB would want to stop there on the way home as well. We seem to be focused on butternut squash lately. I love the squash as well as acorn squash. The first recipe is a Thai red curry. Remember that curry doesn't have to be really hot. https://littlespicejar.com/thai-butternut-squash-red-curry/ Today's meal should be a pleaser for the vegetarians/vegans in the family. https://www.noracooks.com/butternut-squash-curry/ If you have carnivores among you, you can have a bowl of shredded chicken or shrimp for them to add to the curry. https://healthynibblesandbits.com/vegan-butternut-squash-curry-with-spinach/ Time to get moving! Wishing everyone a wonderful day!

That is exactly what we used to do. We were going from Midland to Binghamton, NY. To go around the lake was several hundred miles longer and with 6 active kids in the car that was a no go. We always cut across Canada and were delighted to know we were international travelers. Niagara Falls was a highlight of the trip. I forgot to mention that they, like the previous owners of my Ohio house, left us enough paint to open a paint store. They could have used some of that kitty litter to dry it up and put that out on the curb. Next month! The neighbor lady next door found it quite entertaining to watch them walk the cat. I am curious about DS and DDIL's house. It is always fun to remodel and decorate when you first move in. We will be doing some painting here, but I don't think we need to remodel. Just freshen up. Previous owners put nails in where ever they could find a space, so we need to take care of those and then paint. @JazzyV When is your trip? I hope these issues resolve before then. @0106 Tina, I am glad you had a great cruise! You certainly earned it. @rafinmd I'm glad you made it to your destination safely tonight. Safe travels the rest of the way home.

Charles de Gaulle is no picnic either. I was in an aircast and on crutches. The Frankfort airport arranged for wheelchair transport to the gate and also said they had put in a request for a wheelchair at de Gaulle. On the plane the flight attendant confirmed the wheel chair request on the ground in Paris. But, when I got off the plane all the wheel chair attendants stood there with a smile on their faces shaking their head no. I barely made my next flight. I had to go through security again and the woman there was horrible. She took away my crutches and took off the air cast and left me standing there on one foot. Then she got mad when I said I needed help to stand there on one foot with my arms straight out so she could wand me. That experience provoked a letter writing campaign on my part.

@Cruising-along The previous owners left a lot of curious things behind. I found a file - the kind you use to break out of jail - in the front coat closet. There were empty Pepsi cans here and there. I found out from the neighbors that the woman used to walk her cat around the backyard on a leash. The first thing Sue and I did was scrub down the bathrooms - it was obvious they had not been cleaned. Then we scrubbed down the kitchen and the fridge. Technically they met the requirement of broom swept clean because they didn't leave behind piles of trash all over the house. Just stuff in the garage and out on the front lawn. I've been missing you and Henry. I really enjoyed getting to know you both better on our cruise. @Sharon in AZ so sorry to hear you've been so sick. I sure hope you do continue on the path of recovery. Don't do too much! @Crazy For Cats Last summer our Norway trip was booked under one booking number but we still got our free bottle of champagne the 2nd week. It was technically a b2b. Donna and I had a glass for sail away and then we shared it with the neighbors.

Welcome home, Jacqui! Thanks for sharing your pictures with us. Madeira is certainly beautiful.

Sounds like progress to me. Let us hope it continues in that direction. I was thinking the same thing. I guess the cat was pretty upset with the inspector when he came through. The house did have a slight cat pee odor, but our realtor had the carpets cleaned as a closing gift. I don't smell it anymore. Or maybe I'm nose blind to it now. I'm just wondering why they didn't dispose of them on a regular basis.

Good morning, everyone! It is a frigid 15F here in mid-Michigan. Right now it is sunny and bright, but it is supposed to cloud over by noon. HIgh temp today is 26F. Once a month the city has large item pickup. You put what you need to get rid of on the curb and they take it away. So, today's job is to move the 300 kitty litter containers to the curb along with some boxes. The kitty litter is courtesy of the previous owners. Today's meal looks really good to me. Probably too high in carbs for me, but it still looks good. These butternut squash/black bean enchiladas are very versatile. Switch out the squash if you like. Do the same with the beans. You can even add chicken it you'd like. Make it vegan using a vegan cheese. https://www.feastingathome.com/butternut-mole-enchiladas/ Here's one with chicken if you're a carnivore like me. https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/mole-enchiladas/ Now this sounds really interesting. The filling is the butternut squash and black beans, but the mole sauce is made with Guinness. That I have to try. https://eatingaway.com/2020/03/03/marriage-of-convenience-butternut-and-black-bean-enchiladas-with-guinness-stout-mole/ All that gooey cheese is calling my name. Wishing everyone a great day and here's hoping our travelers returning have had a safe trip home. And for our travelers setting out, take lots of pictures and check in often.

@GTVCRUISER

Good morning, everyone! It is a cold but beautiful morning here in mid-Michigan. We got a dusting of snow overnight, but places north and south of me got dumped on. The storm split to go north and south of Midland and then reconnected to go on to dump on Buffalo. I'm making a list of what I still need from the grocery store for Thanksgiving. I have the turkey ordered and it will be picked up Wednesday. I like the fresh ones I can get at the local butcher shop. I just need the fresh stuff - the rest has been purchased. Today's meal is a good one for the vegetarian members of the family. The mushrooms are coated on one side with panko and muenster cheese is filled in the cap of the mushroom. It doesn't take much to make them. https://weareliferuiner.com/crispy-mushroom-muenster-sliders-2/ This next one doesn't include the cheese, but it could easily be added. https://www.kosher.com/recipe/mushroom-sliders-8066 This last one is a variation on a mushroom swiss burger. https://iambaker.net/mushroom-swiss-sliders/ Sounds like a great menu item for watching football. Bon Voyage to @summer slope and @StLouisCruisers. @Cruzin Terri I'm glad you have a cruise coming up to take you away from the house woes for a while. I'm hoping @kazu has an easy disembark and trip home. @rafinmd Roy, thanks for your reports from your cruise. @Crazy For Cats I'd trade this meal for the Tamarind any day of the week. @marshhawk I think you are lucky to be rid of that awful boss. Move forward and best of luck.

So glad you enjoyed them. I may whip up a batch for the day after Thanksgiving.

Good morning, everyone! It is cold! It is 27 F right now with a high of 33 expected. I don't think I'll be walking outside today. Today's meal is quite interesting. I know I'd like the peperonata part. I generally like sardines, so I'd give this a try. Peperonata is a side dish from southern Italy that features sweet summer bell peppers cooked down in plenty of olive oil until they're meltingly soft. https://www.seriouseats.com/peperonata-bell-pepper-italian-recipe Those peppers could go with just about anything! For the sardine part, look for sardines that are on the bigger side. What you buy in the tins in the grocery store are a bit too small. https://www.copymethat.com/r/MiFUPgfbA/baked-sardines-peperonata/ A serving suggestion is this one served on toast. https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/sardines-peperonata-wholemeal-toast I can taste the peppers now! Wishing everyone a wonderful day. For those traveling, please be safe.

This is the kind of weather that inspires me to make soups and stews. We had several bursts of blizzard type snowfalls. They didn't amount to much, but it was nasty out there. So, I make this: This is the soup from yesterday's meal of the day. It was quite tasty! My other project was finding someone to plow my driveway this winter. I finally found a company and signed them up. I had a nice chat with the guy on the phone. Yesterday I enjoyed my chat with the woman from the county refuse collection services. Once a month they have large item pickup. You put large items that don't fit in a trash can out on the curb and they pick them up and take them away. I commented on how we had moved in on Saturday, had someone do the leaves for us on Sunday and the city came by and picked them up on Monday. She said they were waiting just for us. The deadline to get them out to the curb had been the previous week. I did rustle around in some boxes today and found my slippers. I still haven't found my alarm clock, but I have no need for that right now. It is here somewhere.