What's for dinner?

[mellie]

I might start this one meal a day challenge, to get back to my pre- RA ( before tonns of steroids) goal weight.
I am a brunch muncher, might make this my main meal .

Yes - the 3 meals a day culture is nonsense.

Just one hamburger - even without the chips and a can of coke
has all the calories you need for one day -
especially when you get to over 40 years old and you're not physically active.

Sounds good to me, and cheaper too. You are right about the over 40 thing, unless you're especially active, marathon training etc.

[Bobby]

I might start this one meal a day challenge, to get back to my pre- RA ( before tonns of steroids) goal weight.
I am a brunch muncher, might make this my main meal .

Yes - the 3 meals a day culture is nonsense.

Just one hamburger - even without the chips and a can of coke
has all the calories you need for one day -
especially when you get to over 40 years old and you're not physically active.

Sounds good to me, and cheaper too. You are right about the over 40 thing, unless you're especially active, marathon training etc.

yes - most people eat far too much food -
3 or 4 X what they need.
That's what causes the middle aged spread.

[Bobby]

I had forequarter lamb chops last night.
It's a cheaper cut than straight lamb chops but I made it perfectly - how?

I put it in a saucepan and cooked it slowly - with a splash of olive oil -
on the smallest gas element with the smallest flame for 45 minutes -
turning once and using a plate on top to keep the steam and fumes in.
It came out juicy and tender.
I also cooked a potato with it.
I used Worcestershire sauce on the lamb when I ate it.

You can also cook it in a casserole dish but the stove top was also OK.

[Jasin]

X2 large Turkey drumsticks tonight.

[mellie]

Home made burgers with chips. BOOOORRRIIINNNGG.
Daughter’s request.


I make ours on Turkish bread, better flavour at least, with fenugreek seeds. Lol

Nigella and sesame seeds, rather.

Some Turkish flat bread has the fenugreek leaves, seeds, but not these. These are smaller, rounder, more like hamburger rolls only oval. I cut them in half.

[tllwd]

Prawns, squid and barramundi with spirals pasta and garlic, parsley, chilli, white wine sauce.
Good on warm day.

[mellie]

I had forequarter lamb chops last night.
It's a cheaper cut than straight lamb chops but I made it perfectly - how?

I put it in a saucepan and cooked it slowly - with a splash of olive oil -
on the smallest gas element with the smallest flame for 45 minutes -
turning once and using a plate on top to keep the steam and fumes in.
It came out juicy and tender.
I also cooked a potato with it.
I used Worcestershire sauce on the lamb when I ate it.

You can also cook it in a casserole dish but the stove top was also OK.

Nothing wrong with cheaper cuts Bobby, they're often more flavoursome anyway, but shhhh or they'll put their price up too.

[mellie]

Prawns, squid and barramundi with spirals pasta and garlic, parsley, chilli, white wine sauce.
Good on warm day.

Hopefully not that horrible seafood mix that some seafood shops in malls sell? Or supermarkets.
It's not fresh, never buy pre- cut seafood mixes period, the smell of it tells you that it's cut up days old fish from their window display that they couldn't sell.
Nasty stuff!!
If I can't see the eyes glistening, I refuse to buy it.
Fish shouldn't smell fishy, nor feel slimy, EVER!

If it's fresh.

These days, I only buy frozen, because it's snap frozen and likely to be less oxidised than anything else you can buy in your supermarket or suburban fish shop. If you are a coastal dwelling person, better off with a fishing co-op or at least a fish market on the water.

Looking forward to going home ( Sydney) to enjoy my Sydney rock oysters, freshly shucked after Christmas. We are having two family Christmas' this year.

Melbourne ( Vic) Family Christmas and Sydney family reunion + Christmas.

I never spoil my seafood with sauces, other than fish and chips at Avoca Beach omgosh, which is very lightly battered.

They told my mum their secret ale they use in their batter ....honestly life changing!!

I'll never use regular beer again in my batter.

( apologies to Nanna Cook who insisted on full strength XXXX in her fish and chip shop which my grandparents owned in Mudjimba QLD) wasn't just a fish and chip shop, was a post office, general store, newsagents, bloody milk run, paper run omgosh.... my poor grandparents, no wonder they retired early.) Even had a chemist section which sold basically everything a pharmacy would other than prescription meds.
Nan having a nursing background knew her stuff.

Anyone here old enough to remember a product called " blue bags?
Grandparents used to sell these too , for tourists to treat their bluebottle stings, and other stinging marine animals .
And good old mosquito coils ha ha ...

I think some of you would laugh if I told you some of the things they sold in their shop at Mudjimba

But I promise you, my grandparents nailed the art of fish & Chips.

I still use her recipe, just one minor tweak re- ale.

That's all.


Apologies, Avoca Beach!! This is where the fish &chips are happening, my son lived right on Avoca beach for a few years and this is the closest I have tasted to my grandparents fish & chips except when I make it myself.

But there's nothing like eating seafood on the water, salt-water filling your nostrils..... I do miss this aspect of Sydney, but most certainly not the other aspects that I have already mentioned.


Speaking of Sydney, guess who's going to be moving into my parents neighbourhood?

Hint- Cococabana!!!!

Needless to say, the community aren't exactly chuffed about it. Lol tongues are already wagging in the nearby retirement villages re- his young mistress

They'll be sharing the same local shops ,amenities as my parents, because where they're moving, doesn't have too many close options unless you drive 20 minutes in traffic. Ha ha ha

I'll keep you guys posted following his sacking post federal election, I might be unlucky enough to see him at Christmas myself. ....

I would keep walking and pretend I didn't see him of course, but I have bets going on with my parents that he won't be seen out with his girlfriend.... because I don't believe they're a couple.

Never have

[mellie]

I do miss Sydney, miss my family and close friends who live there still the most. My childhood friends.

So, a move home isn't out of the question.
Definitely not.

When the feelings of nostalgia overwhelm me more in Sydney when we touch down, than they currently do when we return to Ballarat, that's when I'll return.

I've made a lot of close friends here in the Rat, our church family is here too, so.... if we return, it will likely be due to my RA having gone next level or if my eldest daughter and the rest of our Ballarat clan comes too.

Perhaps I'll buy a holiday house / unit there, right next door to Albo.

I think there was a Kevin Bloody Wilson song about something like that........

[tllwd]

Hopefully not that horrible seafood mix that some seafood shops in malls sell? Or supermarkets.
It's not fresh, never buy pre- cut seafood mixes period, the smell of it tells you that it's cut up days old fish from their window display that they couldn't sell.
Nasty stuff!!
If I can't see the eyes glistening, I refuse to buy it.
Fish shouldn't smell fishy, nor feel slimy, EVER!
If it's fresh.
These days, I only buy frozen, because it's snap frozen and likely to be less oxidised than anything else you can buy in your supermarket or suburban fish shop. If you are a coastal dwelling person, better off with a fishing co-op or at least a fish market on the water.

I usually catch my own seafood but can't paddle my kayak now because of shoulder damage so have to do with frozen staff.

BTW, for plump and juicy prawns sprinkle little bit of baking soda on them and put in fridge for 10-30 min. For firm juicy fish heavy dry salting for 5-10min or 5% cold brine for 20-30min would do the trick.