Saturday, August 30, 2008

Sunday Dinner, August 31, 2008 & A Meme

It's been a while since you've seen the chef with the question mark on his serving tray, isn't it? I've been cooking most Sunday Dinners lately.

But this week I'm not cooking Sunday Dinner. Because it's a holiday weekend and September 1st falls on Labor Day, our checks are already in the bank, so we can afford to eat out for Sunday Dinner this week.

Another factor is that Jessica, Jason and Emmy probably won't be here for Sunday Dinner because Jessica is having to work some extra hours this weekend. The parents of the patient she cares for are out of town on vacation so Jessica and another worker are working extra hours to take up the slack. (The extra hours are a blessing because they can really use the money after Jason's time off while he was job searching.)

As it stands right now, it would probably be me, Lamar, my sisters Cecil and Ducky, and possibly Ducky's granddaughter Genna here for Sunday Dinner. Also, it's the end of the month and I'm getting low on groceries and menu ideas so I'm declaring a no-cooking holiday for myself.


Monday is Labor Day, you know? I'm just taking my holiday a day early.

How about you? What are your plans for Sunday Dinner this week? Go ahead and share your plans/menu for Labor Day too if you'd like! Just share your plans in the comments if you'd like to participate this week.I found this meme at Mammy's blog, MoreThanEnough. To play, copy and paste to your own blog, then highlight in bold type the foods you've eaten. Additional remarks are optional; I tend to do my own thing with these memes.

If you decide to do this on your blog please leave me a comment or email me to so I can read yours.

The Very Great Taste Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp (Lots of times, fried crisp in cornmeal.)
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari (Tried it, hated it. It was like eating rubber bands, but with less flavor.)
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich (With grape jelly ONLY!)
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes (My own
muscadine wine.)
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans (Almost every day in some combination.)
25. Brawn, souse or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters (Fried only, not raw!)
29. Baklava (Possibly my favorite pastry dessert.)
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl (Clam chowder minus the sourdough bowl.)
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut (Homemade is the BEST!)
35. Root beer float ( Tried it; Ick!)
36. Cognac with a fat cigar (Double ick!)
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O (Tried vodka; it's like drinking rubbing alcohol. Eww!)
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects (Not on purpose, but there was this box of buggy cereal...)
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear (The fruit from my sister Ducky's cactus. Eh. Nothin' special.)
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal (I don't like Big Macs.)
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores (Tried 'em. Hate 'em.)
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette (No. I'd hate to know how hungry I'd have to be to eat pig intestines.)
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill (If our chickens that were run over by cars counts...)
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail (No. I ain't eatin' em, even if they are slow enough to catch easy.)
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash (My own homemade version.)
88. Flowers
89. Horse (Probably, but not purposely.)
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish (I think my deep abiding love for fried catfish is well documented.)
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox (Have had both, but not together.)
97. Lobster Thermidor (Lobster yes, but not "thermidored".)
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee (No, but sure would like to try it!)
100. SnakeI'm battling a Summer cold/allergies, whatever. Just think lots of head congestion and a drippy nose, feezing snits and the accompanying issues that go with all of it. Just about the time I think I'm finally getting better I start sneezing and snotting again. Sorry if that's too much information.

It's about time for the farmers to start defoliating cotton and combining rice. After that it will time to combine soybeans, milo and corn, then time to pick cotton and gin it. I don't know if I've ever mentioned it, but there are 2 cotton gins within spitting distance of my apartment.

All the farm chemicals, dust and debris that fill the air during Fall are about to begin in earnest. I don't know if my cold/allergies will get better before Thanksgiving.As previously forecast, Hurricane Gustav is making a beeline for our Southern coast. As I type this Gustav is a strong category 4 and is forecast to become a category 5 before landfall, a major hurricane. Anyone from Corpus Christie, Texas to the Florida Panhandle is in reach of Gustav's destructive effects, with probable landfall now being forecast for the Louisiana coastline, though that will almost certainly change as the storm nears land.

I know that several of my blogging buddies live within reach of this hurricane's landfall.

Please, PLEASE take all the precautions you possibly can before this hurricane makes landfall. If you're in a known danger zone for hurricanes, please consider leaving your home and evacuating inland until the danger passes. No property or personal pride is worth losing your life or your family's life over.

Be safe, my friends. I care about you.I want to wish all of you a very Happy and Safe Labor Day Weekend.



May God richly bless you, and may you have enough to share. For those of you within reach of Hurricane Gustav, may God keep you safe.

44 comments:

Alice Grace said...

Hey, Diane1 My allergies are driving me crazy too! I feel your pain.
Happy Labor Day weekend to you and yours, and I too, am praying for those on our southern coast with this hurricane bearing down. We are in North Georgia, and far enough away from it that we will only get rain most likely.

Aunt Jenny said...

I love what you are having for dinner tomorrow..haha. I am planning on a pot of baked beans with ham and corn bread with cantelope and corn on the cob. I will do the beans in the crock pot so they can cook while we are gone to church.
I loved that meme and did it on my blog too.
Gustav is scary business!! I doubt way up here in the mountains we will get much rain from it...I sure will be keeping all you southern gals that WILL feel something from it in my prayers. I have a grown nephew in Florida that I am especially worried about.
You get cotton and rice..we get turkey dust here! ugh. Everyone's allergies kick up with the cottonwood trees doing their thing too. It is a little cloudy tonight and I am tired from yard work..
have a nice relaxing labor day weekend! We don't have a single big plan..just being together.

Judith said...

A friend made chicken salad that was oh so good. I came home and copied it. Didn't wring a chicken's neck or have to pick its feathers, but used canned chunk chicken, and celery and a little onion, and cranberries and pecans and some mayo. As usual I measured by just guessing at it. Spooned some in lettuce shells and got crackers, and cut up watermelon from the last one of the season and other fruit, and dived in, (the food, not the melon). Have enough for several plates left. Could even call it breakfast. But if family calls wanting to take me out, I could stuff it in the fridge, and be ready real quick. Glad you're getting to enjoy eating out. It's too hot to cook anyway.

Judith said...

A P.S. I am thankful much was learned from "Katrina" and I think another hurricane that hit down South. They have started an exodus so big we can't imagine it. This one has already killed about a hundred people. So I am praying hard.

When we lived in Texas during one down there, I took my children, and we spent two nights in a school, in daughter Bev's second grade class. Ocean water backed up and ruined the city water for a time. But I had filled big containers, so we were alright. The last news I got on this one that's coming is it's a category four, and may get to be a five. Thank you Diane for reminding all of us about it. Now it's praying time.

nancy said...

Diane, Glad you did the meme. Your extra comments are hilarious. Yes, snails are slow enough to catch, but ewww. We'll be just hanging out for Labor Day weekend. Nothing going on, since our truck is having a big problem and I had to cancel a trip to Cincinnati. It's ok, I'll do it as soon as the truck is fixed. I'm going to miss a wedding, though. (couldn't get them to postpone it for me!)
We had fresh-caught Alaska salmon for dinner, which my stepson had air-lifted from the Kenai Peninsula and it arrived this morning. It doesn't get any better than that. Can't do catfish. I don't know why, except that maybe it's because I've seen them alive. :) Ugly suckers.
Love,
Nancy

zztop357 said...

Some of the answers are funny Sister.I may try this one tomorrow.Today I'm still lazing around.
Love you Sister, Donna

BigDadGib said...

Great post Diane,
I'm in Mobile tonight...
headed across I-10 through LA...
going to Houston...

I'm playing Dodge Ball with Guss...

Gib

Lucy Stern said...

Bigdadgib - Houston might not be the best place to come....Gustav is starting to take a westerly turn and it could come here.....Heavens forbid!

Diane - I've been too busy worrying about Gustav to even think about Sunday dinner. We have been making sure we have enough water, batteries, canned food and the likes so we can sit this out. We are about 90 miles from the coast but that is still pretty scarry with that big of a storm. Keep up the praying that we don't get hit. Even if we don't get hit someone is going to get battered!

Hope you are feeling better soon. If you can find some Olive leaf, it will help with the congestion.

Lib said...

Hi Diane,
Hope you enjoy your meal out and a break from cooking.
I'm thinking mac/cheese with ham&peas in it, cornbread , and lettuce/tom. salad.
Hope you feel better soon. Praying for everyone who maybe in harms way of hurricans, I hope everyone will relocate until its over. Some churches here has set up shelters for I think 700 headed up here.
Hope you have a great week end!
Love,Hugs,Blessins,'Lib

Unknown said...

I popped in to see what was cooking at your house and I think it is a grand idea that you are taking Sunday off. I am planning on making a huge pot of veggie beef soup so I can start freezing my soups for the cold winter days that will be here before you know it. Next weekend I will probably be cooking up a pot of chili for freezing and then will come the Gumbo that JD loves.

Two of JD's children live close to Lake Charles, La and his three siblings live there also. We heard from his oldest daughter that they will be leaving for Little Rock tomorrow.

Love and hugs.....

Barb said...

Good grief, my mom's chicken salad sounds good, doesn't it?

My brother Dwain will be arriving tomorrow afternoon for an overnight stay on his way back to Vegas. The budget is tight this week, so I'm making BLT's which is a favorite of his. And mine. :-)

This hurricane is really worrying me. I grew up in SE Texas, right where it may hit, and I've lived through bad hurricanes, but never one as bad as this is expected to be. I truly cannot imagine New Orleans getting hit again, only three years after Katrina. It's such a blessing to watch the orderly and well planned evacuation happening there right now. I'll never forget watching the horror after Katrina.

Have a nice holiday weekend, Diane. I'm glad you get a break from the cooking.

MightyMom said...

hey babe.

momteacherfriend said...

Did the food meme.
You have eaten some very interesting things Miss Diane.

Prayfully watching Gustav.

Carole Burant said...

Good Morning dear Diane:-)

Good for you for not cooking Sunday dinner! We all need time off from that once in a while!! I don't know what I'll be cooking, probably throw something on the barbecue at the last minute. lol So many people are out of town this weekend, enjoying the last weekend before school starts on Wednesday. We're having gorgeous weather as well:-)

I loved seeing what you've eaten from that meme list...you're more daring than I am where food is concerned! lol I've never tasted frog legs or calamari and have no intention on ever doing so!!! Ick! Same for head chesse...ptewweeee! My dad use to love it and I'd gag every time he'd eat some. lol

Poor you with allergies:-( I know so many people are reacting right now. Hopefully it will pass quickly!!

My prayers are with all those who will be affected by Gustav. May they all stay safe!! xoxo

Anonymous said...

Our Sunday dinner was Chilly Concarne.

Happy Labour Day. You know in Norway (and I think most rest of the world), we celebrate it 1st of May :-)

Love and hugs from me and Diane.

Dawn said...

WE had friendship Sunday today and had fried chicken and all the fixin's for dinner. It was fun to all be together, though it was an indoor picnic. DC wants to head to the hills early in the morning and have breakfast and lunch up there - leaving very early to secure a spot by the river.

Have a great week-end!

Linda said...

I'm glad you're getting a sunday off Diane. I'm just going to make some pasta and a salad. It's quick, easy and tastes good.
I hope you'll feel better quickly. That snotty nose thing isn't much fun :-)
That hurricane does sound awful. They have already evacuated people here to keep them out of harms way. San Antonio is always very active in helping with hurricane relief. I'm praying it will lose some of its intensity before it reaches land.
You have a nice weekend too!!

kkryno said...

Hey, Diane. I'm with you on the cold thing. K. had it first; spent his whole week off suffering with it. Just when I thought I'd dodged the bullet, I came down with it. Head and chest and a million kleenexes. Yuck. I'm glad I don't have as much allergy causing elements near my house as you do. You take care of yourself, and enjoy a wonderful night out! We're having left-overs as I can't seem to cook for two (or even six!) people. Oh well, that's like a night off! Have a great week.
Love, Vikki.

kansasrose said...

Hello D!

Enjoyed your meme. I'm just gettin' over some nasty crud...it was worse than a head cold..had to have some med. Hope you feel better soon, take care of your self dear one. Our Sunday dinner plans...I put a rolled rump roast in the crock pot on low setting over night, beefy onion soup mix, potatoes, frozen mixed veggies ( I'm lazy lol) it is now fork tender and the beefy 'gravy' is delicious spooned on bread machine bread slices or the mashed up potatoes. I have my candle lit for folks in path of this monster storm hon...prayin' like a madwoman. These folks don't need any more misery down there God Bless them. Have a peaceful Labor day hon...love, Jen ps. I gotta go visit your sweet Jess...see what she is up to! :)

Sam said...

Diane,

You don't like root beer floats or s'mores??!! How can that be? How is that even possible?? :-) You must have a very refined palate! :-)

Sorry to hear about your summer cold/allergies. Yuck. I hope you start feeling better very soon.

Have a nice Labor Day weekend. (What's left of it!) I hope you're doing well!

Sammy

Brenda said...

Hi Diane, sorry you're under the weather with your cold/allergies.
I'll do that meme sometime, wow, some of those things I've never heard of!
Have a great week.
God bless,
Brenda :)

Kristi said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog. I'm in Pocahontas and I was honestly shocked about the big Red Wolves win. We'll see how the rest of the season goes, but I'm planning to be there Saturday night to see them for myself.

Betty said...

I'm glad for you that you didn't have to cook Sunday dinner this week. I have wondered why you are always the one doing all the work for Sunday dinner. Doesn't seem fair to me.

I hope the storm is not heading your way. If it is, then I hope you and your family will all be safe. Take care.

Betty said...

Oops, I forgot to tell you I hope you are feeling much better from your summer cold.

Hootin Anni said...

Oh Diane...you had me rolling with your #42!!!!

And yes, Hurricane Gustav is about to make landfall, but I live in Corpus Christi, and we were never in the 'threat zone'. Just from mid Mississippi west to Houston/Galveston area only. Today, for us it' will be sunny and calm. So, nothing for us. They are telling us that we'll have 'high tide' flooding maybe.

Hope the allergy/cold is getting better. I suffer from Hay fever for a day or two when the pollen is so bad, but nothing to complain about. Others suffer much more than I do.

Glad to hear that you took yourself out to eat. Where did you go? Cracker Barrel? That would be my choice. [giggles]

Happy Monday, happy holiday.

Mary said...

Diane,

Like Anni, I loved number 42. I have never eaten insects in cereal but did have infested flour one time.

Glad you were able to go out for Sunday dinner and I don't blame you for declaring a cooking holiday. You deserve a break.

I am quite concerned about all of the people in the path of the hurricane and am keeping them in my prayers.

Blessings,
Mary

Putz said...

sp proud of your daughter jess, sso young to have it all together, and thanks to you by giving it to her

Dick said...

Pat fixed a wonderful pot roast for our Sunday dinner and today we are going to her daughter's for dinner.

My newest daughter-in-law was in Gulfport for Katrina but I think she is happy about being up here for this one. Will you guys get some of the nasty weather where you live?

Rachel said...

I had chili for my Sunday dinner. I
love chili, especially mine!

My cold is better. Yes, TMI about your cold! Haha! Hope you are better now.

You don't like S'Mores??!! They are pretty good when you are camping!

Jess said...

Had a good day...so glad you guys could stay and eat.

See you in the morning and yes, you and dad did a pretty good job I think!

Unknown said...

Diane: lol! Glad you could have others wait on YOU for a change. Hope the cold resolves soon too. Summer colds are the worst. (Number 42 was funny!) :D)

Art Is Life, Life Is Art said...

AWESOME LIST!! I love numbers 66 & 75! :o) I really hope your cold passes soon and you feel better. I pray for the best for those within range of Gustav. HAPPY LABOR DAY!! :o)

Lucy Stern said...

Diane, Gustav decided to hang around in Lousiana and we got maybe five minutes of rain from one small feeder band. We have really been lucky here but Lousiana got pounded. It looks like you might be getting some rain today. I know that Ya'll need the rain, but lets hope that it doesn't flood there. Good luck!
Hope your cold is getting better.

Anonymous said...

Spent 3 days on my SIL's cattle farm. My eyes are so sore and scratchy that I would cry. Except salty tears would make them hurt worse. Ick.

You don't like root beer floats? Tsk. Tsk. Sigh.

Susie said...

Hi Diane,
Sunday dinner is a distant memory here. (but we had shrimp linguine)
Very interesting meme, and you've tried some things I haven't!
Hope you're feeling well and enjoying those special moments with Emmy!
love and ((hugs))

Jada said...

Hope you're feeling better and that you had a good holiday weekend! Mine was quiet. Just me, Mom, Dad, and my brother for a picnic at Mom and Dad's on Monday. It was nice to stay home this weekend and get stuff done around the house.

Thanks for visiting my blog and commenting!

Take good care,
~Jada

Lucy Stern said...

Diane, from what I saw on the weather channel, you are getting pelted with rain right now. Please stay inside and take care of that cold.....Hope you don't get any flooding.

Jeanette said...

Hi Dianne, I hope you had a good Labour day weekend, and hope you are safe and sound and the bad weather passes by very Quickly... Take good care...

Mountain Mama said...

In the spring and fall my allergies kick in too. I am alergic to microscopic mold spores and when it gets damp they grow by leaps and bounds.
I need to be using more raw honey and vitamin c. It really helps me.
I rarely know from one minute to the next what is on my menu. But usually have a pot of homemade soup and some homemade bread on hand. I finally learned how to get a good loaf of bread from that bread machine and haven't bought a loaf for over a month. I'm pleased to have eliminated those chemicals from my diet.

auntpearl said...

Just wanted to stop in and say hello and I hope you enjoyed your holiday.
So sorry to hear about your allergies. I know they can make you feel really awful. Get lots of rest.

Take care,
Hugs,

Cecil said...

I was finally able to get into yahoo on Tuesday.. I didn't even try Monday... seems to be ok now. Talk to you later... love, Cecil

Dawn said...

I'm so glad Gustav wasn't as bad as it could have been - but more to come, it seems!

I had to chuckle about Lamar wrecking your china and almost burning the house down! My mom had that white on white china, too. I wonder what happened to it, now that I think of it. I'm sure Jessica was glad to get yours!

I have been using mine (for special occasions) for 40 years now - even though it is not expensive or elaborate, I like to save it and have never gotten any other china. Hard to believe it's been so long!

The girlies are definitely developing their own personalities. Such fun to watch.

Mary said...

Diane,

Please drop by my Writing Nook. I have a little something for you there.

Blessings for a great weekend.
Mary

nancy said...

Jess said you had your 3 hour test today. I'm eager to hear how it came out.
Nancy