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Sorry to say, but this site has been so depressing for a few days. I thought I'd ask an average, everyday question....to make us all feel a little more normal today.


I made Eggplant Lasagna, and my BIL and SIL are coming for dinner. They leave for Cali tomorrow to see their beautiful grand daughter.


Sorry, sometimes we just need some REGULAR conversation.......or at least THIS caregiver does.

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Geaton, I love this recipe. I am going to try it.
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One of my favorite lazy "hacks" is ravioli lasagna when I have to provide a meal for guests or someone recovering at home (especially if you shop at Costco but you can find these ingredients in most grocery stores):

- Spinach and cheese ravioli (not frozen, not cooked, plain cheese ones work too)
- any of Rao's tomato-based sauces (or your fave brand if not Rao's)
- frozen meatballs (plain or Italian, beef preferred but can use chicken ones). I use the smallish ones. Bake them first, let cool, then chop or grind them into smaller pieces in the food processor
- Mozzarella (if fresh, thinly sliced or used shredded)
- Shredded or grated parmesan

Mix the ground up meatballs with the tomato sauce before assembling.

In a deep-ish baking pan, first layer is the tomato sauce/meat mixture. Just a little.

Next: lay the ravioli to cover the pan;
Next: a little more sauce
Next: slices of mozzarella (doesn't have to cover the ravioli)
Next: sprinkle some Parmesan

Repeat for at least 2 layers, 3 should be max. Bake 350F for 30-45 minutes or until sauce is bubbling around the edges and the mozzarella is somewhat lightly browned.

There is no "wrong way" or mistakes in this base recipe except I would make sure there is enough sauce so it isn't dry. I have added pre-sauteed mushrooms and more wilted fresh spinach into this dish. You can us leftover roasted pork as well. You don't have to add meat. Usually the meatballs, sauce and cheese already have enough salt in them so that you don't need to add any.
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Love baked beans and strangely enough, even with FODMAP issues I can eat them without troubles,

I am using my small bullet for egg, white smoothies and really appreciating it. If I’m too tired to cook or even eat meat, this is a great alternative..
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Baked beans adapted to the instant pot.
Because we grew pea beans on the farm baked beans were a cheap staple when I was growing up, but I've never been able to make them taste like my mother's. I think it must be the slow roast in the oven that made the difference, something I'm just not willing to do. But memories of those beans served with a big pan of biscuits... mmmmm.
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Too funny about flying from Florida with the Andy Boy. We grow a lot of produce in Florida and I wasn't sure where the Andy Boy was grown.

They have a website and it looks like the Andy Boy is grown from proprietary seeds from Italy. They have a website that is pretty interesting. There really was an Andy Boy.

I like the rapini because it is more digestible for me than broccoli or cauliflower which are also in the brassica family.
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brandee, absolutely sautée the rapini in good evoo and garlic. It can be tough so hopefully you strip the larger steps or trim them off. The brand they sell here in the Midwest is Ocean Mist and they are a rip-off but literally the only one. My produce dept always asks for Andy Boy and every once in a blue moon it shows up but they only get what's left on the produce truck. When I fly to FL I take home multiple bundles of it on the plane, like some sort of smuggler.
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Geaton,

We have the Andy Boy rapini (broccoli rabe) at our grocery store. It is good to know that is the good one.

Sometimes I'll toss some cooked chopped rapini with my cooked pasta and some small canned white beans and olive oil. Some cooked garlic with the above is good too.
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Brandee, you just described my family foraging. My Aunt & Uncle had a place in the Catskills and on our way up (from NJ) to visit we'd be pulling over and running into fields to grab the "free food". Rapini is an acquired taste (it's bitter but that's what is so good about it after you learn to love it). There is 1 grocery store here in my metro area that sells it, but not the good brand (which is Andy Boy). I eat it every other day. It's a super food.
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I'm excited ya'll are foraging.

I used to date a guy who had 4 Sicilian grandparents. He was a really good cook. He told me his grandparents would forage for greens in upper New York State.

In lieu of foraging he would buy rapini (broccoli rabe) and cook it with dinner.
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@Margaret

OMG, about the mushrooms. I go wild mushroom picking whenever I can. My first husband was Polish and they're all about the mushrooms. I'm pretty much an expert on what can be eaten and what can't. There is nothing so delicious as wild mushrooms. So different than anything farm-grown.
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I read that they are pretty tasteless and the texture is quite soft, sort of like tender scrambled eggs, but done in the oven with bacon, onions and peppers it was delicious. When I was searching I was surprised at how many nutrients they (and other mushrooms) contain!
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cw Glad you’re ok. Did you enjoy itt?
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Still here 😜
I think that people around the world followed that trial Margaret, I know that I did.
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Margaret....goodness....
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Australia has been following a murder that involved death cap mushrooms, deliberately killing 3 in-laws and putting the fourth in hospital. Husband survived because he had been poisoned before and turned down the dinner invitation. Madam served herself and her children on different colored plates. Just watch it with the fungi!
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I've been googling too because it's been decades since I last saw one but I'm feeling reassured, the thing is a totally solid marshmallow inside just as it should be. I think I'll fry it up for supper tonight.
(if you don't seem me any more I guess you'll all know why lol)
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Interesting, CW. I was curious, so I looked at whether puffballs can be mistaken for toxic species, and yep, they can be. You likely knew this, though. :)

-- Yes, young puffball mushrooms look strikingly similar to several toxic and even deadly species of fungi. This external similarity makes them one of the most dangerous groups for novice foragers who forget to inspect the interior. Slicing the specimen cleanly in half from top to bottom is the single most important rule to separate an edible puffball from its toxic look-alikes.--

I'd pass on eating them, just because I'm not that brave. lol But if you do cook and eat them, maybe give a friend a heads-up to check on you within x-amount of time, just in case. (I'm joking... because if you need to do that, then you shouldn't eat them.) :)
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I got out on the trail today after several days of heavy rain and came across a bunch of puffballs, I figured if I didn't pick one the next person would so I grabbed a little softball sized one. Except now I'm afraid to cook it.
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yummm, cherries, I'm going to pick some up tomorrow
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Confirming that this year's seasonal peaches are a real treat!

With every grocery order, I buy one white peach, and one white nectarine.
We share.

Place slices on breakfast plate, or for a snack in the afternoon.
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It's seniors day at my local store and you can bet I was there looking for deals! I've been overeating peaches and melons so when I saw a big display of BC cherries I picked some up to have something different.... I was hanging around on a buy Canadian group a few weeks ago and mentioned I had never seen BC cherries in Ontario, now I wonder if somebody is checking in on those forums? I also found some discounted local plums and a sale on Balderson cheddar, I can hardly wait to get eating!
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Those were exceptionally good prices luckylu, I'm always on the lookout for a bargain!
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I never heard of Vineland peaches ,cwillie.I bet theyr'e good~
When I went to the fruitstand today,they had white peaches.
I ended up buying $10.00 of them,theyr'e so tasty.
Your corn and watermelon prices are better than our's here.Lucky~
New potatoes are one of my favorite vegetables,especially with creamed peas.
Yeah,this is a great time of the year for eating good.Too bad it's not year round~
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Corn and peaches have arrived here too luckylu!
Today I picked up 4 cobs/$1 for my supper plus a huge watermelon for only $3.50 (unfortunately it was imported but sometimes the price difference makes it hard to stick to the boycott). I plan on buying some lovely local Vineland peaches next week and maybe local new potatoes too.
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cwillie...The peaches and corn are in season now here and boy,they're delicious~
Iv'e been to the fruitstand 3 times ,so far.I love to put sugar over sliced peaches and I made a peach cobbler that came out pretty good.
The corn is tri colored....and sweet.
That's the best part of summer....all the fesh fruit and vegetables~
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Chicken, gluten free biscuits (2), peas.
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Oops sorry send not sons. This iPad writes weird things sometimes.

korky welcome. Your plants are thriving! When I had a garden I loved donations. If you are interested there is a garden thread.

cw- nothing like really fresh fruit and veg
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The little yellow plums are in season, yay! Next will come the peaches and corn and local melons and all the vegetables, so many good things to eat! It must be wonderful living in a place where things grow year round 😋🤤🍴
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You're so right! I'm not hungry as I just had breakfast. I'm looking outside at my plants. I used only volunteer plants, salvaged plants and " happy accidents" this year , so cost was zero. They're all doing fine in crazy temps up to 35 Deg C 98 F). I water by hand using waste water from baths. A black eyed Susan rescued from the clearance tray, purple morning glory from an old pack of seeds,scented geranium from a cutting, a quince grown from a fruit in my friends garden, volunteer yellow Californian poppies and best of all beautiful multi coloured antirrhinums using seeds from a plant that grew in a crack in the sidewalk near my home.
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Sons and Pam both sound good.
Pam, I’m sure you’re enjoying that grandson.
Pan fried salmon for supper and my annual overdose of ice cream. I won’t buy any more till next year now.
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