Post by UnderProtest on Dec 23, 2015 8:42:16 GMT -5
@shoegal
Some upsetting news for you.....your favorite London store is closed! Not sure what is going on, but several of the shops I like are shutting their retail stores around here (but are still available online). I hate this!
Post by UnderProtest on Dec 17, 2015 17:46:24 GMT -5
Never....especially since we can't have overdraft protection on our account. But my FIL, on the other hand, apparently had $2,500 in NSF fees in one month. Uhmmmm....
Post by UnderProtest on Dec 17, 2015 10:12:53 GMT -5
My year end bonus is that I get to throw another party for my husband's coworkers after not being invited to the firm christmas party (held on Tower Bridge). Boo.
I think ham, scalloped/dauphinoise potatoes, and some kind of veggie (honey glazed carrots and parsnips? green beans?).
I think they are half and half....like either the husband or wife is one, but the spouse is the other. I guess this is a bit of why I am struggling. I don't know what food the British expect.
Hhhhmmmm, I do have to go to the grocery for more flour. I baked cookies tonight and found a great soft sugar cookie recipe! Maybe I could find the stuff for this.
I've made this spinach/artichoke dip several times and it's yummy!
Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip
One 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature One 9-ounce package artichoke hearts (drained jarred or canned, cooked fresh, or frozen, but not marinated) 1 cup steamed spinach (1 pound raw or one 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed), well drained 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 2 garlic cloves 6 large fresh basil leaves 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 2-quart baking dish.
In a food processor, combine the cream cheese, artichoke hearts, spinach, mayo, Parmesan, garlic, basil, salt, and pepper. Spoon into the baking dish. Top with the mozzarella. Bake until bubbling and the top is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.
Serve with crackers, tortilla chips, or toasted rustic bread.
Can you get a sandwich platter instead so there's more variety? Something from Pret would work. And maybe some brownies/cookies from there while you're at it.
I have no potato recipes, but your orzo salad is great and I think you said it's easy.
Veggies and dip are great (but are you using the last of your ranch packets?!). Cheese and crackers are great for nibbling, but if you were going to drop something I think it'd be fine to drop this.
Not sure Pret would deliver on Christmas Eve.
I'll do some kind of dessert.....just not sure what.....maybe Rice Krispy treat Christmas trees and something chocolate ?
Yes, it will be the last of my ranch dip packets (hint, hint ).
msmerymac I'm not familiar enough with the brands and such around here. I had a horrible experience with some ready made meal and don't wait to inflict this upon my guests. Any recipe suggestions for spinach dip? I don't make it because my husband won't eat anything green.
Post by UnderProtest on Dec 16, 2015 11:15:51 GMT -5
So my dear husband invited his coworkers over to our house for a little Christmas get together. Luckily only 2 families are coming this time, but I'm clueless on what to serve. It will be 2ish on Christmas Eve. 6 adults and 5 kids between 1 and 5. My husband is no help other than heavy apps type thing. I'm thinking of the following, but I need help rounding it out:
Ham with rolls and cheese to make sandwiches Some kind of potato thing....anyone have a good crockpot recipe? Veggies and dip Crackers and cheese
This year my FIL and SMIL are making it easy for once and we are celebrating this weekend. FIL scheduled his knee replacement surgery on the 21st for some reason so he'll be recovering on Christmas.
But FIL and BIL are having an epic fight that involves not talking for probably 2 months now. FIL writes these awful guild ridden letters mostly to BIL but sometimes DH. DH convinced FIL to discuss the latest with his therapist. Totally backfired. Therapist said it was loving? I wonder if this was one of those things where FIL heard what he wanted.
My FIL apparently had a therapist like this. The therapist convinced my FIL that everyone else in his life was crazy. Uhmmm, let's find the common denominator......
I was wondering what in the world you were doing up at this hour!
Sadly, we have been getting up at this hour lately. Boy cat seems to lose his mind about this time of the morning, meowing and banging on the bedroom door....he's lonely, hungry, bored, or generally needy. We may as well have little kids instead of spoiled cats.
I'll trade you. My kids are driving me nuts, but they sleep in or play together until a decent hour.
Post by UnderProtest on Dec 16, 2015 6:26:51 GMT -5
Dean & Deluca has one that you can pick the items yourself. It was pretty simple and allowed much more personalization than most. I'm pretty sure the recipients loved it.
Post by UnderProtest on Dec 13, 2015 16:55:06 GMT -5
No real suggestions, just empathy and commiseration. Mine have gotten a bit better since turning 4, but its still tough. I pretty much let preschool do all the crafts and stuff like that. At home, its just survival time. I also can't let mine have the iPad or tv or they spend the next week whining for it. So we just don't have those things as an option.
Post by UnderProtest on Dec 12, 2015 5:36:52 GMT -5
Could you do something at home and keep it warm in a crockpot at their house? A lot of crockpot dishes are oven safe so you could cook it in your oven before going over. A hash brown casserole sounds amazing to me.
I'm here! I have to admit that I do wear the stupid (now green) coat. But I would have much preferred a normal color.
Oh, and his next Mother's Day wasn't great either. He got us tickets to a show (on Saturday night) that HE wanted to see. And hadn't planned drinks or dinner or anything. Plus, when he had asked what I wanted, I said a spa day. I NEVER give him direct answers on gifts so I was utterly disappointed that the one time I make my needs/wants known, he choose to ignore them. He used to be good at gifts, I don't know what happened to him.
I am really proud of DH. He typically needs to spend a lot of time analyzing all the angles of a major purchase. He managed to decide in about 20 minutes, and I think we'll both be happy with our choice.
This is exactly my H, too. Sometimes it drives me nuts, sometimes I love it because he does all the work and I just get to enjoy the best product for best value. I've been training him to understand though that sometimes those extra few days of research isn't really worth saving 10 more bucks
This sounds so familiar! It is why my parents never buy anything, period. My dad has to research EVERYTHING!