Skating On Saturday! Our Daily Dinner

Skating on Saturday!

chuckieb 9 years ago
Good Morning Everyone! It's a gorgeous winter's morning here in the Ottawa Valley. Blue, blue sky and sunshine. I've got a lovely big black squirrel out at my bird feeders amongst the jays, crows and chickadees at the moment. I ran him out some peanuts a minute ago. :) It's -21C/-5F at the moment and supposed to go up to a downright balmy -7C/19F by this afternoon.
We have invited some people over for this afternoon. Skating, perhaps snowshoeing, and hot tubbing are on the agenda I've bought some cool cheeses and cold cuts for an appy tray. I never did make those little snowman poppers with the pretzel arms and the green grape hat when our other visitors were here so we'll see if that transpires today. I'll also make a veggie tray.
Dinner is Chicken Parmigiana with Spaghettini and a tossed salad and dessert is Ice cream and strawberries (Jim's choice). :) I found a really cute ice cream in the store this week called "Canadian Vanilla, Eh!". I'll enclose a picture of it below.
Our fondue was lovely last night. I like the broth base waaaaaayyyyyy more than cooking in hot oil. So much easier to clean up too. The mushrooms just floated to the top and took forever to cook so I don't know that I'll use them again. The asparagus tasted great but were hard to skewer plus they tended to break in the pot so you'd have to go hunting for them later. :) The scallops and shrimp were lovely. I preferred the chicken over the beef although found both good. Once Jim got over his nervousness about whether or not the chicken was 'cooked' he enjoyed both although said the beef just tasted like a cold cut. I realized in the afternoon that I had actually purchased a Fondue broth so didn't need to make one and I'd also bought two Canton dips. One Garlic and one Chinese. Both were tasty. In future I'd prefer to make my own broth and dips.
We haven't had a fondue in probably at least 15 years and maybe more. It brought back fond memories of Jim's college days with a big gang of friends. The fondues would last all night long. I'll put a picture of last night's here as well. You're allowed to laugh at my 'retro' fondue pot. We got two of them when we were married. What a hoot. Will also include a shot of the pond yesterday morning when Jim was still working on it.
The house is clean, the pond is shovelled.....let the fun begin! Have a great day everyone!
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laurieg 9 years ago said:

Good morning!
There is a fondue place a few towns over called the Melting Pot, yummy. But Frank drove me crazy with "chicken phobia" not cooked enought, chicken skewer touching raw meat and then touching anything else. I would like to go again but with someone else lol
Working at Macy's. Frank wants to go look at a car for me. I want to get rid of the mini van but not sure I want to buy anything new because a. I don't want a car payment. B, Rachel is just learning to drive and the thought of her driving a brand new car is not pleasant. C, gas prices just went down so I thought I should keep the mini a little longer. Frank is afraid it will start giving trouble. Since it stalled out twice during the big snowstorms and two weeks ago it bucked so hard on the highway I thought I would be thrown off the horse. Lol
My idea was get a cheap older car and Rachel can practice her driving skills on that and then in two years it would be hers and I could get a brand new car. Unfortunately everything out there is still quite expensive even if it's an older car so frank feels it is better to get a car with a warrenty from a dealership.

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chuckieb 9 years ago said:

Morning Laurie! Sounds like Frank and Jim are EXACTLY the same in the chicken fondue concern. Oh my goodness! Have a good day at Macy's. I agree with you on getting a used car while Rachel (and then Becca!) is learning to drive. Not worth the stress in a new car. Keep looking! What about leasing? We've never done it ourselves so I don't know a lot about it but I know a fair amount of people do do that. Guess you'd still have the car payments though. Good luck trying to decide.

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MissouriFarmWife 9 years ago said:

Laurie - I asked my resident car person (Wayne) and he thought your mini van may have clogged injectors, moisture in the fuel, or even an electrical issue. (Older models with carburetors could be clogged or dirty so air fuel mixture is wrong.) Wayne thought you could put in additive for moisture and one to clean the injectors. NAPA - O'Reilly's - even WalMart carry them. His info, not mine - I am car illiterate!

I agree you definitely don't want a new driver driving a new car - speaking from experience - Bwahahahah. Our daughter almost totaled our Volvo when she was 16. I think they go through a mind-numbing phase or something at that age where they see themselves as a.) immortal, b.) invincible. c.) above parental control, d.) all knowing - etc. If the mini van issue is fixed, it would be a decent car for to drive.
Our 21 yo GS is allowed to drive his mom's mini van but NOT the Saturn that I inherited as part of my dad's estate. He has not gotten experience on icy roads yet and until he buys his own car he will driving on good roads only - per daughter's comments. LOL. She needs to bring him to a parking lot and let him feel the car on ice and how to deal with it. Not my car, though!

Hi Janet. Your retro fondue pot is so cool! I use "older" stuff (GS wording) all the time. Just tell anyone who comments that you are into the "Retro" look and set up a lava lamp to light the table. (I never liked lava lamps - but they are definitely retro.) I will remember the asparagus tip and mushroom floaties experience if I ever do decide to do a fondue.

Do you need a special fondue broth? Have never seen that in our groceries, but then I haven't thought of it before so it could very well be on the shelves. I take it a simple boxed one would not do. But it sounds yummy! Please post the recipe if you do create your own.

If my nose-in-the-air GS comments on using "retro" stuff I simply smile and say, "It works." He was wondering why I didn't - of all things - buy the NEW IMPROVED model of a Swiffer mop because mine was "out of date." - Ha ha. I simply informed him that it still worked and if he wanted me to have a new one he could jolly well go buy it. So funny - he backed down when he thought it would cost him his hard earned cash. It did finally break down from overuse -- ha ha, more likely from stagnation as I am not a super picky housekeeper. LOL And I replaced it. I DO have a mop and pail and should probably use it instead. I think the Swiffer leaves a film on the kitchen floor and PineSol or something milder would be better.

Good grief. I have written a novel again. Well, maybe a Novella.

Wayne caved and we are going to put the sticker on the Gator. My 10 YO GS will have a conniption - he already thinks Grandma has some strange ideas.

It is snowing again. Supposed to get some last night but not a flake. Looks like we slhould be getting an accumulation.

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MissouriFarmWife 9 years ago said:

Thank goodness the "chicken cooking police" are not active in our house. Unless it is showing blood no one complains. Of course, I did banish the "sun room police" so I guess the chicken police would also be kicked out. LOL.

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mommyluvs2cook 9 years ago said:

Morning! Got Briauna and Michael off to the Softball tournament. Have a little time to drink some coffee then off to Caiden's practice. Girl Scouts didn't go so well last night. Our leader has not been coming to the meetings because she works at Marathon (Michaels work) and is a salary employee so she is not on strike and having to work crazy shifts right now. Another Mom took over and is having trouble keeping the girls listening to her. Her own daughter (Katelynn) is HORRIBLE and does not listen and announces she refuses to be good since it's her own Mom. Bri and one other girl is pretty good, but the other girls are not, and they get up and down, go in the bathroom non stop, run around. We try and keep them in line, and they will stop for about 30 seconds then start again. It's Katelynn who starts it, otherwise the girls would be fine. Next meeting we are meeting 30 mins. early and are going to have the girls do games in the parking lot (it's a bank, so no traffic at that time) and maybe try and get some energy out. Otherwise we don't know what to do. Okay rant over :)

Too cool the fondue went well last night Janet! Love your old fondue pot! I have never seen a black squirrel. We only get the boring brown ones :)

Hi Laurie! Michael and I went to the Melting Pot for our 1st anniversary (so almost 8 yrs ago) and we really liked it! It is pretty expensive, but fun and something different :) Good luck on the car situation.

Have a busy day ahead of me so got to get moving! SO looking forward to our fondue party this afternoon! Wishing everyone a great Saturday!!

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MissouriFarmWife 9 years ago said:

HI, Michelle. UGH on the Girl Scout problems. Now I know why I never agreed to be a leader for GS groups! Good luck on corralling the hooligans - er, I mean dear children. LOL. I don't understand why the mother of the child in question did NOTHING to control her. I'm afraid my daughter's behind would have been a bit tender afterwards if she had pulled that stunt. It ruined the time for the ones who behaved. Continue ranting if you want -- I concur on the rant. It is one reason why we avoid most "family oriented" dining, and I have asked the hostess more than once to please seat us away from a family with obnoxious, noisy kids. Unless it is MacDonalds -- but don't get me started. LOL.

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MissouriFarmWife 9 years ago said:

P.S. Have you considered just ending the meeting when the rowdiness starts with a comment that such behavior is not acceptable, good bye kids. Maybe once they are sent home with explanations of behavior problems ----? Of course, if the problem child's mother is still the one doing the leading, that may not help. Aargh!

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chuckieb 9 years ago said:

Morning Karen! I LOVE lava lamps. Always have. Love those big glops floating around in coloured water. LOLOL. I even have an Ottawa Senators Lava Lamp (my fave Hockey team) :) There are loads of recipes to make your own fondue broth and as you can imagine you can totally change it up and make it more asian or with red wine, or beef broth with some herbs and mushrooms in it etc. The one I bought yesterday came in a box and was a Forest mushroom flavour with red wine. It was very tasty but I know I can make my own no problem. Yay for the bumper sticker. Now I want one. :)
I so feel for you with the misbehaved Brownies Michelle. Jim used to be a Cub leader and it was pretty much glorified babysitting. There was always one or two or more bad eggs in the crowd that it was pretty much impossible to control. One was so bad that Jim and the other leaders spoke to the parents and said he wouldn't be allowed to continue coming to the meetings or going on camping trips unless he had a parental escort. That helped quite a bit to be honest. Indeed, running off some energy and keeping them busy is the only way to go. Black and gray squirrels (same species) are my favourite Michelle and they are about the same size as your brown ones. The most common ones we get here are small red squirrels, who, while very cute, are very high strung and grumpy. :) Enjoy your fondue. Can't wait to hear about it. Have a fun day! :)
There are a lot of parents out there who do not seem capable of 'controlling' their children Karen. Benjamin too, would have been in a heap of trouble.
Joce...Tina....hope you guys are okay.
Marie....hope you are getting that laid back cozy weekend you were hoping for. :)

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MissouriFarmWife 9 years ago said:

Tina?
Love the crocuses peeking from the snow!

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Good4U 9 years ago said:

Janet, I JUST LOVE LOVE LOVE The Canadian Vanilla Ice Cream Eh! A super idea for sure! Nothing wrong with your fondue pot LOL it is much much better than I thought:) Oh my those scallops are huge! I like a broth fondue much better than using oil as well. I don't know what Den would think of using chicken either? We have only done beef and cheese fondues since we were married as he doesn't care for seafood. It is a lovely day and it sounds like you are all ready to eat and play when your guests arrive.

Laurie, I had a car called Christine after Stephen King's movie. She did that bucking/chucking thing after awhile they finally found out it was a glitch in the computer and I had to replace it for another computer. However, it did that chucking stuff from the time I bought it. Janet mentioned leasing. Is not a good thing you are responsible for all the maintenance and everything and you are never ahead, b/c you don't own it. At the end of the leasing period they ding you and get you either way in the end. Just keep your eyes out for a good used car. LOL @ Frank and the chicken in the fondue:)

Karen, Saturns are good cars. Too bad they don't make them anymore:( They always seem to drop or stop making really good models of economy cars.

Michelle, What a terrible example Katelynn,s mother has made not reprimanding her own daughter! Shame on her!!! Obviously the other girls know they can get away with misbehaving like that. Also obvious Katelynn doesn't have much respect for her mother and trust me she will be Big Trouble when she gets older! As you mentioned before maybe it is time Bri drops out of Girl Scouts if the next meeting ends out being about the same. It really bugs me when parents don't know how to discipline their children especially in PUBLIC! GRR! They act up and they are taken home or out to the car until they behave! We have black, gray and red squirrels here. LOL and some mixtures which kinda look funny to me:)

Tina, ???

Den has gone to Smith's Falls b/c our Beer Store is closed for a month for renovations. I would have gone with him but I am still not feeling very well. Den will have his normal cheeseburgers and fries and I am thinking of ordering Chinese Take-out for dinner tonight. We shall see how it goes.

Hoping everyone has a good day!

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Good4U 9 years ago said:

GMTA, Karen I was going to say the same thing about the crocuses peeking through the snow.
Bring on Spring!

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MissouriFarmWife 9 years ago said:

Loved the ice cream photo, too!

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chuckieb 9 years ago said:

No, there's nothing at all wrong with my fondue pot but I did get a big smile on my face taking it out of the box as you can tell it was from 'awhile ago'. There's no way I would throw it out since it totally does what it's supposed to plus it has a whole lot of really fun memories attached to it.
I've got the Chicken Parm all done up. Veggies cut for the veggie tray and strawberries sliced for dessert. Need to hop in the shower, get dressed and put my game face on and I'm done. :)
That's interesting about leasing Joce. I'm not familiar with it at all but the owners of the Hardware store I worked at leased all their vehicles all the time.Wow on the Beer store in Perth being closed for a month of renovations. That's a long time. Sorry you're not feeling the best today. Chinese Take out sounds wonderful as do cheeseburgers.

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Good4U 9 years ago said:

Yes sometimes it is viable to lease a car when you own a business it can be a written off. However even then, it is still better to own in the long run. A friend of mine is an accountant and he advises very strongly against leasing vehicles. Den's parents tried it as well and they try everything under the sun to depreciate it at the end. Then you pay the difference and on and on. If you go over their mileage limits watch out the sky is the limit! Let alone if there is a small scratch or dent or something! At the beginning you also have to put a few thousand down as a down payment so to speak. You really have to read the fine print on their leasing contracts. It is very hard to get out of one. Many people still lease though.

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NPMarie 9 years ago said:

Hi all:) Were doing chores around the house today, had a short thunder & lightening show last night..with a little rain..it is supposed to rain again today as well..
Rick just left for a service call in Paradise..so I get a bit of a break..hahaha

Love fondue! I need to buy a fondue pot here soon and make a yummy cheese fondue:)

I'll try to catch up later! I do hope everyone is well & happy:)

Dinner will be homemade chicken pot pie with a green salad:)

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notyourmomma 9 years ago said:

Hi, I slept in late, rushed to bank in the rain. Super sleepy. Had soup and I'm worn out. I don't think the change in meds has helped. I've been snippy and irritated over the tiniest stuff.
Forgive me, dears. Hugs to all. More soup for supper.

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chuckieb 9 years ago said:

Hi Marie! Glad you're getting a bit of rain. I love cheese fondues too but Jim doesn't. :( Yummers on Chicken Pot pit. Sounds fantastic.
Hey Tina. Glad you checked in. You're quite allowed to feel snippy and irritated. Tomorrow is another day. Gentle hugs back.
Guests to arrive within the half hour and it's just beautiful outside.

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MissouriFarmWife 9 years ago said:

We have snow on the ground - about 3 inches now, more coming. Church was canceled again and I doubt we will go anywhere locally because of the roads. No fire calls! Please! Supposed to get 1 to 3 inches where we are and 3-6 North of I 44 but it is still snowing here and we already have 3 inches. Multiple wrecks on I 44, backups in Springfield are up to 4 or 5 miles. I am glad to stay home!

Sun room is warm and cozy. Cats are bird watching in the LR. I'm ready for Spring.

Tina, what Janet said! Hang in there.

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laurieg 9 years ago said:

Hello
We bought a car. Got a good deal. Not brand new it was a 2013 Buick Verano in a Cobolt blue. Has a warrenty until 2018. Only has 36,000 miles on it. We went back and forth but being the last day of the month the guy gave us what we wanted,
We leased a car before Rachel was born and had to buy out the lease because the car seat didn't fit in the back of it when I had Rachel. I agree leasing is good if you constantly want a new car and don't drive many miles. But with a teenager driving It isn't a good idea either and then at the end of the lease you have nothing to trade in.

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