Rotisserie Chicken... Asparagus with Parmesan... Oven Roasted Potatoes... Sautéed Mushrooms and Asparagus Stems

 Quarantine supper tonite...   Live from NYC...

February thaw...   47°F sunny...  mild...  felt like spring for a few hours...  birds singing...  chirping...   hopping about the trees...  squirrels standing on the deck rail nibbling acorns...  little piles of shells remaining...  snow melted away in spots...  grass visible for the first time in weeks...  made sure to be outside today...  enjoying the brief respite from winters arctic blast...  the remainder of the country in the deep freeze 🥶 all of us under threat of more ice and snow to come.  

Coffee ☕️ eggs over easy with toast and a banana for breakfast...  discussions of dinner veering toward chicken...  one of our favorites.  After work took the hubs to PT...  his appointment late afternoon...  ran a couple of errands...  then hustled home to prepare dinner.  Mr Sam asking for snacks while chopping potatoes and asparagus...  slicing mushrooms...  finally giving him a piece of turkey to munch.  

Supper tonite...  rotisserie chicken...   roasted asparagus with olive oil and Parmesan...  oven roasted potatoes...  sautéed asparagus stems with mushrooms and garlic...  alongside a glass of Sauvignon Blanc...   a piece of crystallized ginger and echinacea tea for the hubs...   anti viral insurance after PT.   

Covid vaccinations on the rise...  34 million receiving at least one shot 💉...  over 12 million fully vaccinated...  when you’re eligible make that appointment and get your jab 💉 on!  Until then...  you know what to do...  double mask up...  sprint through the market...  limit all interactions...  and wash those germy hands 😷💕

How was your day?   What on your plate?   Thoughts?

Meatless Monday... Cucumber, Garbanzo Bean, Red Onion & Beet Salad with Queso de Friér

 Quarantine supper tonite...  Live from NYC...

Vanilla skies...  light drizzle...  thermometer 35°F...  chilly damp day...  schools closed for the holiday...  no one out...  few cars on the road...  too miserable for even squirrels and birds to venture forth.  

Coffee ☕️ oatmeal with cinnamon and craisins... warmed the tummy...  no supper inclinations...  instead a trip to the store to purchase a new microwave...  our 35 year old machine finally warming its last dish.  Spent a bit of time researching quality and price...  settling on a newer version of the same unit.  Off to the store...   Presidents Day sale...   the machine back ordered about a week...   excellent price...  worth the wait.  

Mr Sam doing a smidge better each day...  less wobbly...  the hubs improving as well...  the brace keeping the knee steady while permitting flexing...  stairs becoming easier...   neither of us suffering any ill effects from our vaccines 💉 at all...  arm discomfort cleared up and fatigue eliminated with a good nights sleep.

Supper tonight...  meatless Monday...  a crisp salad of cucumber...  garbanzo beans...  red onion...  beets...  & basil... in a balsamic vinaigrette...  on the side queso de friér...  pan fried...  unfortunately no browning this time...  pan wasn’t hot enough...  flavor delicious though...  topped with basil and a bit of olive oil.  A glass of wine 🍷 rounded out the meal...  green tea for the hubs... dessert a slice of banana cake.

Dangerous weather effecting two thirds of our country these next few days...  please folks...  if you are in the path of these storms...  hunker down at home if possible...  make lots of warm soups...  stews... chili and hot teas.  

Tips from the hubs...  industrial plumber...  If you lose power and have no heat...  open the cold water taps to allow dribbling hopefully keeping pipes from freezing.  Be careful with propane heating units to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning... and the same with generators too close to the house.

Inoculations proceeding...  demand outpacing supply...  when you become eligible don’t wait...  make that appointment and get your jab 💉 on...  until then you know what to do...  double mask up...  short market trips...  limit all interactions...  and wash those germy hands 😷💕

How was your day?   What’s on your plate?   Thoughts?

Valentines Day Supper... Banana Cake with Cinnamon Crunch Topping and Leftover Chinese Food

 Quarantine supper tonite...   Live from NYC...  

A quiet Valentines Day...  last nights freezing rain melting away with  35°F on the thermometer...  gray skies...  haven’t seen the sun in days...  no one out on this dreary Sunday save a few dog walkers hustling along huddled into coats...   scarves wrapped around faces against chill winds...  even the dogs hurrying along...  their nails clicking on the cold cement.  

Rested up in the morning...  coffee ☕️ scrambled eggs with smoked Gouda and onion rolls for brunch...  late day excursion to the market then off to Mom’s to delivery groceries and spend time socializing masked and distanced.  She is back walking her laps twice daily...  fully recovered from her sore knee...  no apparent adverse reaction from her vaccine 💉 Tuesday.  

The hubs relaxing...  leg elevated...  brace supporting...  keeping an eye on Mr Sam...  less wobbly today...  his appetite excellent.  

Came back from Mom’s a bit late...  leftover Chinese food from last night on the menu...  eggplant 🍆 broccoli 🥦 chicken 🍗 brown rice 🍚 in a delightful sauce served alongside pork dumplings 🥟 made for a quick and filling supper.  Dessert a banana cake with cinnamon sugar crust...  moist and tender...  wild sweet orange tea for the hubs.   Our Valentine’s Day relaxing and pleasant...  ready for the week of storms ahead.  

Covid infections still present throughout the US...  variants from the UK, South Africa and Brazil spreading fast...  when you are eligible sign up and get your jab 💉 on!  Until then...  you know what to do...  double mask up...  short market trips...  limit all interactions...  and wash those germy hands 😷💕

How was your day?   What’s on your plate?   Thoughts?

Chinese Food and COVID Vaccines 💉

 Quarantine supper tonite...   Live from NYC...

Today was the day!  Made the one hour drive out to the vaccine site and got our jabs 💉 on!  It was such a happy experience...  everyone giving and getting the vaccines in great spirits...  smiling...  all the recipients feeling like we won the lottery 🥳  a cold gray day...  28°F at the warmest...  snow...  freezing rain...  sleet...  all taking turns throughout the day.  No matter...  we were to thrilled to care.

Coffee ☕️ and oatmeal with craisins and cinnamon to start the day...  both of us nervously excited.  Vague discussions of supper inconclusive...  to pumped to focus that far ahead 😂   Arrived early for our jabs 💉 quick in and out...  stopped for burgers 🍔 and a shake to munch in the car on the drive home.   Two hours post vaccine feeling a bit of soreness at the vaccine site and somewhat sleepy.  Took a power nap and a couple of hours later both of us feeling ready for food.  Ordered in from a local Chinese take out...  enjoyed our supper with a delicious full leaf tea courtesy of Xouxie Que...  

thanks so much...  it was a perfect accompaniment to our supper 😋

Our family is once again whole...  no one hospitalized...  recovery well on the way.  We are incredibly grateful for all the love and support ❤️

Mr Sam’s appetite has returned... his balance improves daily.  The hubs getting stronger and more able to ambulate... his physical therapist pleased with the progress he is making.  

Inoculations outpacing new covid infections...  52 million doses of the vaccine 💉 have been administered in the US...  1.6 million per day...  soon as you are eligible get your jab 💉 on!!  Until then...  you know what to do...  mask up...  short market trips...  limit all interactions...   and wash those germy hands 😷💕

How was your day?   What on your plate?   Thoughts?

Tilapia in Mustard Sauce, Glazed Plantains in Agave with Lemon, Quesadillas

 Quarantine supper tonite...   Live from NYC...  

Vanilla skies...  temperature in the high 20’s...   luckily only a light breeze...  few folks out and about...  dogs in sweaters hustled by their owners huddled into jackets, scarves, hats and gloves...   quiet streets...  too cold for outdoor activities.

Coffee ☕️ meeting brief today...  cottage cheese with black pepper for the hubs...  Friday...  fish day...  in between work...  dropping the hubs off for PT...  errands...  banking...  post office...  few chores needing attending to...  Mr Sam wobbling around the kitchen...  appetite increasing.   Got a chance to chat with DIL’s Dad at home today!  Skin color looks healthy...  still needing supplemental oxygen...  O2 sats much improved...  appetite excellent...  hydrating well...   recovering nicely 🥰

Supper tonite... tilapia fillets dressed in mustard sauce...  plantains glazed with agave nectar and lemon juice...  quesadillas...  Sauvignon Blanc alongside and mandarins for dessert.  Simple...  flavorful...  😋

Covid vaccinations still outpacing new infections...  when eligible make an  appointment and get your jab 💉 on...   until then...  you know what to do...  double mask up...  short market trips...  limit interactions...  and wash those germy hands 😷💕

How was your day?   What’s on your plate?   Thoughts?

Pollack Cakes, Tater Tots and Green Bean and Mushroom Bake with Frizzled Onions

 Quarantine supper tonite...  Live from NYC...  

Another dose of snow overnight...  covering the 5’ piles of dirt and ice with a lovely layer of fresh powder...  tiny pairs of footprints across the front yard...  a squirrels hops...  by early afternoon melting sidewalks...  saving us from shoveling...  the lack of breeze making the air comfortably cool.

Our coffee ☕️ meeting today accompanied by mini pancakes 🥞 a treat for us both...  all aye votes for a fish supper...   sides undetermined.  A busy day planned...  chores needing to be done...  work (working from home = always being able to go to work...  regardless of the weather) the ever present pile of paperwork...  gah! 

DIL’s Dad is home...  improvement continues...  still battling exhaustion...  able to ambulate with assistance...  balance returning...  appetite on the rise...  lots of hydration...  still needing supplemental oxygen but O2 sats looking much better...  we are out of the woods and feeling hopeful for a full albeit slow recovery 🥰

Mr Sam getting a wee bit better each day...  still wobbly at times...  appetite near normal...  lots of begging for snacks...  a few loud meows 😻❤️

The hubs recovery coming along nicely...  PT twice weekly...  brace working well for support...  walking more easily...  minimal discomfort and swelling post PT ♥️ 

Simple supper tonite...  breaded pollack...  tater tots...  green bean and mushroom bake with frizzled onions atop...  served alongside a lovely glass 🍷 of Cabernet...  the last of the coffee espresso chip ice cream for dessert 🍨 

Appointment for covid vaccines Saturday confirmed today for the hubs and yours truly...  nervously excited for our 1st doses...  looking forward to beginning our adventure toward safety...  doing our part to help America fight the pandemic.  The news today revealing there will be enough vaccine for 300 million Americans to get theirs no later than July 2021.  

Do your part...  as you become eligible make your appointment...  let’s all work together to defeat this virus 🦠 and bring our people together in health.  Until then...  you know what to do...  double mask up...  short time at the market...  limit all interactions...  and wash those germy hands 💕😷

How was your day?    What’s on your plate?   Thoughts?

Burger Night

 Quarantine supper tonite...   Live from NYC...

Azure skies...  few clouds...  the calm between storms...  squirrels out and about...  digging in the snow...  scurrying up and down tree trunks...  leaping from branch to branch...  flocks of birds chirping...  calling to one another...  glimpses of life.  

Morning coffee meeting... hubs enjoying cottage cheese with black pepper...  a banana and Irish breakfast tea for yours truly...  unanimous votes for a burger supper.

In between sessions delivering additional groceries to Mom...  no ill effects from her vaccine 💉 save a bit of soreness in the upper arm.  She is so pleased...  happily awaiting her 2nd dose in 3 weeks.  Her 32 year old  grandson...  also vaccinated yesterday...  feeling healthy as well. 

DIL’s Dad home from hospital...  exhaustion...  still on oxygen...  lost weight...  drinking LOTS of fluids...  appetite returning...  the covid battle is brutal...  Pray that no one you love ever has to deal with this disease...  week 3 and still fighting to recover.

Supper tonite...  onion rolls with Munster cheese...  ground beef burgers...  remoulade for the hubs...  dijonaise with lime for us non-spicy folks...   romaine leaves and a lovely glass of Cabernet...  coffee espresso chip ice cream for dessert.

South African Covid variants spreading rapidly in several states...  UK variant spreading in most states...  vaccinations still outpacing infections 10 to 1.  Make that appointment as soon as you become eligible...  get your jab 💉 Better to have a vaccine than be in hospital battling this horrific disease that has stolen nearly half a million American lives...  until then...  you know what to do...  double mask up...  short market trips...  limit all interactions...  and wash those germy hands 💕😷

How was your day?   Whats on your plate?   Thoughts?