Ravencajun, I have some beef ribs in the freezer--think I'll copycat your recipe. Not so crazy about beef ribs but they were on sale at some point. Gadgets, you put me to shame because you always seem to eat so healthy. Need to take some lessons from you!! Pam, nothing tastes better than a well-done (as in blackened) hot dog from the grill. Love cucumber salad too. I make mine in a creamy sauce with dill, but like the vinegar onion cucumber salad, too. How do you make yours? Georgysmom, I'll sure be glad when you're home--miss you so much here!! I read in your other post about being tired of eating out and understand that feeling. Although I could use about a week of it right now. This hot weather makes me lose my appetite. Not that THAT would be a bad thing since I have 15 pounds to lose. Kathleen, we had rain sometime in the night and it was cool and breezy this morning. It felt wonderful, but warmed up fast. Hope you're feeling better. I had to turn the air on because it was making me feel a little queasy and knew I wouldn't sleep with it so hot. When I turned it on, it was 83 inside. Groan!

Nikki's downtown is a southern style food cafeteria that I have been going to for years. The two servers know every time what I want, and I don't have to say a word. They just plate it up as I go down the line :o) Fried snapper fingers, hominy, spinach! Sooooooo good. Only place in town that serves hominy.

Rhizo, I'm working on writing up the recipe for the "Jamaican Jambalaya" but it is difficult since one of the steps was make a dish of roasted sweet potato, plantain and onion, eat half of it, refrigerate the rest overnight, and add that to the Jambalaya. For the most part though it involved cooking the ingredients in a large skillet, setting some aside, and cooking others, eventually adding more and more until they are all in the large skillet, then lower heat to a simmer until the rice is done. Cooking plantains however is easy. The hardest part is waiting until the plantains are ripe enough. They are usually greenish-yellow when you buy them, but i feel they are best when they are completely black on the outside, which can take a couple of weeks after you buy them. Once they are ripe, it couldn't be easier. Lightly score the peel lengthwise, remove peel and slice plantain into 1/4 thick slices. Add oil to a large skillet, heat over medium high heat until oil shimmers, add plantain discs, cook until browned, flip, and cook the other side until browned. Remove to plate with paper towel. Lightly salt and serve.

DH and I went to a financial planning meeting we were invited to by our banker. It was in a local restaurant. Appetizers: platter of chicken satay, boiled shrimp and tuna tartar with tomatoes on flatbread. Salad: I had the house salad, mixed greens, goat cheese, cranberries and a cooked pear.( DH had the caesar.) Entree: Filet Mignon Dessert was an assortment but i just took the vanilla ice cream. This post was edited by ellendi on Fri, Jun 27, 14 at 8:21