SoberLeigh

Hope that your weekend is going well, GC.

Gonnachange

So far so good. Make that very good. Thanks for your good wishes.

Last Night

Very uncharacteristically my son and I went to the movies; it was his suggestion when he found out The Martian was still playing nearby at a theater that has limited seating, reclining chairs that anyone would be happy to have in their house, a full bar, a menu that includes sushi, and waiter service. We ate dinner elsewhere, but did order popcorn while watching the movie. My son had a soda and I drank the water I smuggled in. [/Gangster]

For no good reason I was up really late last night which the puppy did not have any sympathy for this morning. My wife walked her, but I couldn't fall back asleep so I'm dragging a bit. Fortunately I don't have any hard exercise planned for the day, but I do have some house stuff that needs attention.

Enjoy the day!

SoberLeigh

Good morning Gangster GC.

glad you had a great weekend.

Gonnachange

Thank you and good afternoon to you. Yes, the weekend went well and although I went out Friday and Saturday nights it was much quieter then the previous two weekends.

Yesterday

After taking care of some house stuff (it never ends) I grabbed the NY Times and watched some football with my son. Because we went out Friday and Saturday for dinner I hadn't cooked the shrimp I wrote about a couple of days ago so I did yesterday, making a shrimp stir fry that I served with rice. Only problem was that there were no leftovers for my lunch today.

Today

I had a most excellent workout this morning and then hung out with my son before he went to the library to do some homework. I'll be walking the puppy for the second time in a short while.

My plan for tonight is to grill steak with a side of roasted cauliflower and then watch some Monday Night Football while putting the finishing touches on the menu for an eight person party we're hosting on Friday.

Later SR. Time to walk the pup.

SoberLeigh

I've never tried roasted cauliflower - only mashed, steamed and, of course, raw. How do you prep cauliflower for roasting?

Gonnachange

It's really something how versatile cauliflower is. Here's what I do:

I head cauliflower cut into 1 inch/2.5 cm florets
2 tablespoons EVOO
Salt to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400F/200C.
2. Put florets in a single layer in a roasted pan or rimmed baking sheet.
3. Drizzle with the EVOO and salt to taste. I use less than 1/2 a teaspoon. Toss to evenly coat the florets.
4. Roast the veggie for about 30-35 minutes, stirring twice, until it is golden brown and crisp tender.
5 Serve.

Notes:

You can make many variations of this by using garlic powder, curry powder, hot pepper flakes, etc.

SoberLeigh

Thanks, GC. It sounds easy and delicious!!!!!

Gonnachange

You're welcome and it is both of those things plus being economical. An average cauliflower will serve 3-4 people depending upon their appetites.

SoberLeigh

Economical - all the more appealing!!!!

Gonnachange

Right?

As you probably already know cauliflowers have a long shelf life, especially when refrigerated, so if you ever find them on sale buy more than one. The supermarket I do most of my shopping at usually sells large ones for $3.99, but a couple of weeks ago they were on sale for $2.50. Also there's a fruit and veggie market near me that normally sells decent size ones for between $2.50 and $3.00.

Gonnachange

Last night went as planned and I was in bed at a reasonable hour. This morning I met a friend for breakfast, did battle at the supermarket with the hordes doing their (US) Thanksgiving Day shopping and then went for a brief run. A walk with the puppy is next on my agenda, but she's currently sleeping in patch of sun coming through a window so I'm going to hold off until she wakes up.

SoberLeigh

Sleeping in a patch of sun - aaaah, the life!!!!!

Gonnachange

As Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen sang many decades ago, it should have been me.

She slept for about a hour after I posted. Yes, quite the life.

Tonight

Dinner is going to be baked breaded chicken breasts with a turnip casserole. Not sure what's going to be happening after dinner, but it won't be a late night.

Since I wrote about it yesterday, I should mention that I finalized and shopped for our dinner party on Friday. The menu for a surprisingly tough group of people to cook for will be:

Rosemary focaccia with a basil infused EVOO for dipping
Roasted chick peas (Garbanzo beans)

Butter nut squash and roasted garlic soup

Indonesian ginger chicken
Roasted asparagus
Baked red potatoes

Dessert will be provided by the guests.

I may make the focaccia bread tomorrow, but will likely wait until I get back from the gym on Friday. Everything else will definitely be made on Friday.

SoberLeigh

Sounds absolutely delicious, GC.

Gonnachange

Thanks SL. No dairy, no red meat, and no a few other things that some people won't like or are allergic to. For larger parties I can get away with making multiple entrees and a wider assortment of supporting dishes, but for a crowd this small it becomes overkill. With this group it's always a challenge, but they're my cousins and sister so I don't mind meeting the challenge. Additionally, I must add, I could take the "easy way out" as my wife suggests and cook menus that I know they've enjoyed in the past, but I can't bring myself to do so.

Gonnachange

I went to bed later than expected, nothing terrible, because as I was about to pack it in my son came home and we hung out and talked for about 45 or so minutes. Good times, well worth it, and I was still able to get a proper amount of sleep.

I was at the gym this morning which was more crowded than normal due to the college kids being home, but I was able to get in a good workout without interruption. I have a couple of more dog walks in my future and I think I'm going to make the soup and bread for Friday's party this afternoon. Dinner tonight is going to be bone in pork chops and I'm leaning toward making a mustard sauce.

I'm feeling good about tomorrow morning's race and am looking forward to sharing the experience with my wife and daughter. Although he came last year to cheer us on in the snow I think my son will opt to stay home this year. Whatever he decides is fine, but what I would really like is for one day the four of us run the race together.

Tangent Alert

Actually, what I would REALLY like is for him to start being active and stop being a couch potato. Running, lifting, martial arts, tennis, swimming, yoga...I could go on. I don't care what he does just as long as he does something, but after many years of ineffective prodding and him watching his parents and sister get 'er done he still has no interest despite the fact that I know he has body image issues. At his age it would not take long at all for him to rectify that.

SoberLeigh

Have a great race tomorrow, GC. I'll be thinking of you.

It's so easy to get in shape when you are young; hope he finds the motivation to get active.

Hope you have a fantastic Thanksgiving, GC. I may not be able to post for the next 24-48 hours so am extending my wishes for blessings today.

Gonnachange

Thanks. As I wrote a few days ago it won't be the usual walk in the park for me that 5 miles usually is, but I'll be fine and it will be an enjoyable time.

One of the nice aspects of running with my wife and/or my daughter is that during the race we stay together. No matter what. As the family member who was up until about a year ago in the best long distance endurance shape I insisted upon it and they were both thankful that I stayed with an encouraged them and now that that my health situation has changed they have adopted the same philosophy and make sure they stay with me. I appreciate it, but frankly would prefer to be the one holding back.

So true and I've been hoping the same for years. As you can imagine it's been frustrating. At various times he's had interests in martial arts, swimming, and lifting, but they were all short lived. We've never pushed him to do a specific activity because that's a losing proposition, but have always provided support when he showed interest in something. And we've never been overbearing and tried to push him to be a competitor in anything; he's not good enough of an athlete and that's fine. His mother, my wife, isn't either yet she's in very good shape. Even if I wasn't the anchor she had to drag tomorrow she wouldn't come close to winning the race; she's come a long way with her lifting, but isn't about to enter any competitions; etc. Point is, like me she's active and that's all that matters.

Thanks for the good holiday wishes and the same to you.

Dee74

Time for a new thread
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...y-way-3-a.html

D