So it’s almost eleven on Sunday night, and I still haven’t written any Lily. I would feel bad about this, but I worked on Nita and made a lot of food, most of it now frozen–chicken casserole, beef stir fry, chicken noodle soup, steak quesadillas, tortellini, tuna salad, and coming up next, lasagna–so I feel like a non-slacker. I will get Lily 8 up when the Girls send up something. I think they took the time off so I’d make food–I was eating a lot of sandwiches–and now that the freezer is full again and I’m fed for the next couple of weeks, I’m sure they’ll start sending stuff up again.
And after all, it’s not a book. I just feel bad about promising to entertain and then not following through. Entertainment tomorrow, apologies tonight today.
Personally, if you have to choose between Nita + eating well vs Lily, I’d rather you chose Nita and food. Lily’s a lot of fun but she can wait. I *really* want to read Nita. And I approve of you staying healthy.
That sounds like great food! I’m impressed. Too much of my cooking starts with a jar of pasta sauce.
It was all easy food. Chop, cook, freeze. Chop, cook, freeze. Chop . . .
The important thing is that it all has vegetables because left to my own devices, I’ll live on sandwiches.
This. I’m ready and willing to toss money at you for Nita.
Ditto.
Hmmm. Lasagna. Sounds good. We can definitely wait!
The girls in the basement seem to know what they’re doing, so I’d go along with whatever they recommend.
I made lasagna tonight. Dairy-free (my boys are both allergic) and all kinds of awesome. I may have eaten too much.
Oooh. How to do dairy free lasagna, please? Good lasagna and pizza is something I miss.
Our supermarkets have a great dairy-free shredded cheese called Bio-cheese which I use with soy milk (almond milk works but tastes slightly different) and a pinch of nutmeg to make the bechamel sauce. Everything else is as usual, with the bio-cheese sprinkled in between the layers.
I basically don’t put any cheese in my lasagna, just the vegetable/tomato juice base and bechamel sauce. I do use milk for the bechamel sauce, but as Emily noted, you could use a milk alternative (although I’d experiment a bit first, not sure if it bakes up the same).
I do make add finely diced carrots and zucchini n mine, and add cayenne or, if I have any, 1-2 chilies to give my lasagna some zip (a gentle heat). Nobody has ever complained about not having cheese.
Also, I do a salmon and spinach lasagna. Same basic tomato/vegetable juice base for the red sauce, but instead of using ground beef, I alternate layers of “normal” lasagna fixing and layers of salmon and spinach. Again, I like stuff with a bit of zip so I spice it up but this is also very yummy.
Salmon and spinach lasagna! I must try this!
I don’t put any meat in my lasagna, because I’ve never liked meat and cheese together, so it’s a three cheese spinach lasagna. But I love salmon with spinach, I just never thought to lasagna them. Mental tastebuds are dancing.
DH makes lentil and spinach lasagna. It’s great.
I’m living off strawberries, asparagus, and radishes. This is my favorite food time of the year.
Food is good. It’s also important. And, breaks are important too. Rest, eat, relax. 🙂
Oh! I came here on Saturday and meant to comment that I made Strawberry Rhubarb pie! I’m pretty happy with it, and I even made the crust from scratch and made a lattice top. 🙂
All sounds appealing. It’s not appalling.
And we’re not portentous–we’re polite.
Making food yesterday, writing tonight!
Hey man, you’re a writer,
Go on, get fed.
…
In the style of Smashmouth’s All Star.
I’m glad you’ve got the food.
It’s always wonderful to have a full freezer.
Yesterday’s outing with the dotter was short. Lowes for plants – what kind? Mostly green, I think. Not philodendrons, her favorites, and there’s some $89 phil she wants but they didn’t have it anyway. From Lowes back to My Favorite Grocery because they have the right Lily’s Chocolate for making Keto Snacks. Then Ruby Tuesday for take-away Cajun ribeyes. Lowes was the farthest out (9.5 miles), everything else was on the way back.
I’ll cook tonight, and freeze the leftovers, following (at a very safe social distance) your excellent example, though with considerably less variety.
I wanted to mention starting Lois Bujold’s latest Penric and Desdemona novelette, The Physicians of Vilnoc. It’s about an epidemic. The book was written before Covid-19, so Lois might almost appear prescient. The symptoms seem like some sort of hemorrhagic fever, and 20% in I begin to suspect an equine source. No other spoilers.
Gary, I just finished it. She was indeed prescient, especially about people not wanting to give up things of value as a precaution.
Ooh, didn’t know there was a new one!
Yes’m. Number 8, and I’d swear the epilogue implied, the last. About which, I, on one hand, hope I’m wrong because Lois is an amazing author and Pendric and Desdemona are amazing characters, and another novelette would probably inspire Baen Books to give her a contract for a third trilogy. On another hand, years ago she complained of fans badgering for more Miles Vorkosigan (which she has since supplied) and wished they would just say, “Surprise me, please.” I try to say, “Surprise me, please.” Not just to Lois, but to Jenny and all the other authors with whom I sometimes communicate (Like you, Gin.)
I’d love to be able to buy and read the Nadine book, or the Alice Book, or the Nita Book, or the Lily Book, but I’m not going to say, “Jenny write one of those!” I’m just going to say, “Surprise me.”
You are always entertaining so the basic promise is always met.
Cooking takes precedence over entertainment! I made a roast chicken on the weekend, and since I couldn’t get to the wire rack (for raising the chicken off the bottom of the pan) because of all the stockpiled groceries & birdseed, I cut up a parsnip into rounds and rested the chicken onto that. Turns out, mashed parsnip is an amazingly delicious addition to a nice chicken herb gravy. So, seren-COVID-ipity.
I’ve been eating a lot of blackberries. I like them, but I should be cooking real food like you. Otherwise, I end up eating things I shouldn’t because I’m too hungry to cook. Luckily I cooked chicken/Mushroom burgoungon last week and I still have two meals left. I’m really loving that flavor but any minute I’m going to get tired of it and half to find a new thing to eat.
I need two people. Someone to cook and someone to wander around after me and tidy the messes. Or maybe someone to encourage me to finish one project before I start another. I really am awful about starting the new thing before the old thing is done. Just ask my daughter who is still waiting on her birthday pants. It won’t be hard to finish, it’s just not as exciting as the new thing.
@ Kate George: How are your bees? You are so brave to take that on.
The Bees seem to be doing well. I fed them yesterday and took a look in the hive which is brimming with busy beeness. No more stings!!!
I love this.
You can’t do everything all on the same day.
Saturday I made a pot of chili, and yesterday was scalloped potatoes. Both enough for leftovers, although no pork to go with the left over taters today. I’m spacing the meat out to last me, and lots of stir fry to make it go as far as possible. I like meat, and I’m really glad to have some in the freezer. But it’s not worth risking anybody’s health for, so I’ll make do with what I’ve got.
I did land some very tender snap peas, which are both a snack and a side dish! I’m thoroughly enjoying berries as well, and froze some other veggies. By the way, sweet pepper slices topped with hummus is amazing.
I feel like I blocked the Girls by suggesting this next doodle has to be about Lily, when you & they had bee planning on Dorothy. Don’t mind me, Girls… there’s a reason I’m not the writer!
No, no, all ideas go into the mix but none of that blocks me. You’re good.