<p>For the second year in a row I didn’t buy candy. Procrastination pays off. </p>
<p>One upside of this storm is I’ve lost 3 pounds, as I’m not snacking since I’m working at a friend’s dining room table and not hitting the office candy bowl every time I go to/from the bathroom.</p>
<p>Last night we had pork chops with apples and mashed potatoes & gravy and brussel sprouts.
And gummy bears made with organic fruit juice!
( we have lots of little kids in the neighborhood- I sat on the front porch in costume so I didn’t have to keep getting up. It was a blast!)
I have no idea what to make tonight. Maybe toasted cheese sandwiches.
I wish I could figure out the dressing for an arugula, roasted yam & pear sandwich- it was so good.
H demands protein on his sandwiches though, even if it is vegetarian.
;)</p>
<p>Butterfingers, but I agree, they are really sweet! (my all time favorite is the milkyway, also too sweet)</p>
<p>Tonight keeping it simple with large dinner salads…I put a bunch of stuff on the table and we all help ourselves to: cucumbers, dried cranberries, croutons, cubed turkey breast, feta cheese, lots of veggies, roasted peppers, cheeses, nuts, etc.,etc.,etc.</p>
<p>Meat on the barbecue…sorry it is still warm here.</p>
<p>Butterfingers, no question.</p>
<p>We had four kids, which is the most we have had in twelve years at three different houses</p>
<p>^^^ Love a “salad bar” like that!!!</p>
<p>I’ll probably have meat on the barbecue tonight even though it’s not superwarm here. I’ll grill unless it’s pouring rain. Last night we had pork roast glazed with marmelade, apricot jam, chopped up apricots and some rum. Veg was mashed turnips with turnip greens and sauteed Jerusalem artichokes.</p>
<p>Butterfingers, definitely. KitKats are too bland for me. But my all time favorite is Snickers. Haven’t eaten a full sized one since I was a kid, but I still fantasize.</p>
<p>Dinner tonight? I have no idea. I’m planning on baking bread today, so maybe just fresh bread with jam!</p>
<p>abasket:</p>
<p>We do large dinner salads often here, maybe once a month or so. It’s the best way to get lots of healthy food into my family all at once! </p>
<p>My S2 loves most vegetables, but for some reason refuses to order a dinner salad at a restaurant, but will eat them at home…whatever works! 
Last night we even cut up some oranges to put on the salad…anything’s game! (except leftover halloween candy! :D)</p>
<p>Since DH is still absent, except for a few hours during the wee morning, I’ve invited my girlfriends over for dinner. I got my need for a burger last night at Applebee’s so I’ll do a pasta with my homemade sauce and a big salad tonight. </p>
<p>Put me on fan of the big salad for dinner list.</p>
<p>What should I make for dinner Sunday when we have friends over? I’m thinking pork. I’m in the mood for a pork roast, I think. And I’m thinking braised carrots and roasted brussel sprouts. But what for the starch? Wild rice maybe? Maybe just good ol’ Uncle Ben’s wild rice mix. Have done that for company before and they raved and thought I was brilliant!</p>
<p>Last Sunday I had out of town family for dinner and I made a big beef roast - served with tons of veggies and then for the starch I did the Crash Hot Potatoes - HUGE hit!!!</p>
<p>sewhappy, we rarely do starches any more, but the CSA has foisted some slightly starchy foods on us. The last batch had Jerusalem artichokes. Mine were little and a pain to peel, but I used this recipe, and they were really good. Not unlike potatoes, but a slightly different flavor: [url=<a href=“http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetarian-recipes/sauted-jerusalem-artichokes-with-garlic]saut”>http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetarian-recipes/sauted-jerusalem-artichokes-with-garlic]saut</a></p>
<p>Those artichokes look really good. And easy! Our friends aren’t really artichoke type folks, though. I once made them roasted cauliflower and they were somewhat traumatized. I also love mashed potatoes with pork but what sort of gravy? I distrust my ability to produce a gravy from the pan drippings.</p>
<p>Do the Crash Hot Potatoes present well for company? They sound completely delicious. And maybe don’t need gravy.</p>
<p>I put my Crash Hots on foil that is well olive oiled. We were not eating “fancy” so I was able to serve them buffet style as is, but I think they could also be lifted off the foil and arranged on a nice plate out of the oven and hot if you don’t over do the toppings. Maybe just top them with some olive oil, garlic and herbs and maybe a little parmesean or feta. No gravy needed.</p>
<p>I’m going to try and not sound dumb, but it’s not going to happen: I’ve been craving macaronic and cheese, but the really, really good kind so I’ve searched this thread for the conversation you had about it and googled Beecher’s mac and cheese. It says to use Just Jack cheese and Flagship cheese. I don’t have time to order it since I want to make this for family dinner tomorrow night, so when I go to the grocery store, what kind of cheese do I buy?</p>
<p>^I’ve been having good luck with Raclette in mac&cheese type dishes lately. Gives it a kick that I wan’t getting from my normal cheddar and jack combo. Found it in Trader Joes by chance.</p>
<p>Thanks, Abasket – that is helpful</p>
<p>Thanks, everyone for all the great ideas. There are a lot of things I want to try now. I made Emaheevul’s sweet and spicy chicken stir fry tonight. It was pretty good. I’ve never made short ribs before, but interesteddad’s recipe sounded great, so that’s tomorrow night. myturnnow’s son’s pizza sounded good, so that’s on the weekend agenda, too.</p>
<p>We need new dinner ideas so bad, I ate chips and salsa for dinner last night because I am sick of everything we cook. Tonight I am thinking it may end up being popcorn. I’ve actually been asking for the chicken stir fry and BF thinks it’s too much work… am not sure how to work with THAT! </p>
<p>I’ve been getting up early lately and taking care of all my chores before going to work, so that combined with the weather makes me think it’s time to buy a crock pot so I can just throw something in in the morning and not have to do anything when we get home. But finding good dairy free crockpot recipes has been a pain… not very many gravies and broths are safe. We made a beef pot roast a few weeks ago and just threw in the meat, some potatoes, and the broth and it was SO SALTY… it had to have been the broth we used, but it’s the only one I know that’s dairy free. It was such a bummer we haven’t tried anything else lately. 
I HATE salt.</p>