I am cooking country style ribs and fresh corn on the cob and seasoned Brussels sprouts

We had what I call Mexican potatoes. Basically a baked potato topped with taco toppings....shredded lettuce, browned chuck with taco seasoning, diced tomatoes, diced onions and shredded cheese....pop in the oven to melt cheese.

Leftover bean soup. I made two pots of beans and ham yesterday. Mixed beans for my family and pinto beans for my father, who doesn't care for the mixed beans. He also doesn't like the diced carrots I put in my soup. :P

Also made whole wheat banana bread from some overripe, mushy bananas I found on his counter--perfect for banana bread. Diabetic recipe for him, walnuts and an extra banana added for us.

For lunch, I grilled beef short ribs in a mustard marinate, on the charcoal grill. I also grilled some swordfish but will eat that later this week (it had to be cooked in a now-or-never scenario).

For dinner, I met some folks out for our book club meeting at a restaurant, and I had salmon with grilled zucchini, and a large salad.

Breakfast was two fried eggs and a large cup of raw veggie juice (beet, cuke, lime, spinach).

My nephew and his wife are visiting for a few days and asked o go to a famous-with-the-football folks all over the Southeast, the original Dreamland. Their entire menu is ribs, baked beans or slaw, and white bread.

Of course we weren't too hungry later, but he made delicious chicken with tons of garlic (it is the staff of life, isn't it?), and she made marvelous fettuccine, and I didn't lift a finger.

A ood day. Back to normal from here on out.

Grilled chicken breasts, herbed pasta and zucchini cooked with sweet onions.

We had leftover meatloaf, mixed veggies with beans in them, and a boxed couscous/pine nut side dish I had never had before.

I made shrimp paella.

We went out for dinner. One SIL and her husband just got back from Arizona this morning, and wanted to eat with us. Another SIL and her husband joined us, it was his birthday yesterday. Mine too, he is one year to the day older than I am ;0)

We had Mexican food, and I celebrated with a margarita on the rocks after a long day of gardening.

Mine, too, was mostly a Wine Margarita on the Rocks....and I still a bit woooooozy! I also had a salad with Chicken and yummy homegrown tomatoes....but that Margarita...OOOOOOMy.

For lunch I made a plain omelette which I ate with buttered toast. (comfort food) I also had some strawberries.

I ate dinner out. Salad, a half rack of St. Louis ribs, rice pilaf and a medley of carrots and fresh zucchini. Small scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert. It was the senior special tonight.

We had chicken thighs, oven roasted potatoes, broccoli and cucumber salad.

Fried chicken and nothing else. He had a project he had to get done, fast and furiously. I make that when studies are hard so he'll eat something. Luckily, it's incredibly rare.

I have thighs and hamburger in the frig thawing but they weren't thawed. We had a coupon for $4 for a medium pepperoni pizza, so I sauteed some vegetables to add to the pizza.

Oooh, I haven't had ham loaf in years. My g.g.grandmother's recipe is my gold standard and a favorite for family gatherings for generations.

Last night I reinvented our grilled chicken breast from Tuesday by slicing and reheating it in a little ghee with red pepper flakes. I built a great rainbow colored salad and added the spicy chicken on top.

Robert had some homemade Green Goddess and I used my tzatziki.

I've "never" had ham loaf. I'll have to investigate....

DH had leftover pizza. I had 2 microwaved eggs topped with cheese and salsa.

Oh my gosh, ham loaf! Rhizo, would you mind sharing your recipe; I have never made it.

I also have never had ham loaf. I've been told I'm not missing anything, but so many people like it I think maybe I am missing something.

Walnut Creek, your request for a recipe led me to the box with the recipes written on scraps of paper bags, fancy embossed stationery, and notebook paper, all in the beautiful handwriting of long gone family....my mother, her mother, her mother's mother, and aunts from two generations. On the top of my mother's recipe is the phone number of the butcher whom she had "trained" to select and grind the meats for her.

Thank you!

Grandmother's Ham Loaf

1 lb. Coarsely ground ham

1 lb. Ground pork, not too fatty

1/2 lb. (or more) Ground chuck

2 large eggs

1 cup milk

1 cup cracker crumbs (crushed white crackers)

1/2 tsp chopped parsley

S&P

Baste with:

1/2 cup each brown sugar, white vinegar, and water

1 T dry mustard.

Simmer the baste ingredients for five minutes. Baste the loaf several times while baking.

[One large loaf or two smalls. Grease the pans.]

Bake for 60 minutes @ 350.

My Mother's Hamloaf

1 egg

1 lb coarsely ground ham

1 lb coarsley ground pork, lean

1 cup tomato juice

1 cup cracker crumbs

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

Same mustard sauce as a baste.

Short cut: buy the cuts of ham and pork (and beef) and let the butcher grind them together. Coarse grind is a must.

I'm sure that there are lots of recipes on line, too.

P.S. MAKES THE BEST SANDWICHES, EVER.

Today we had hard shell beef tacos and refried beans. Neither girl cared for the refried beans. I was so hungry by the time they got home from school. Hadn't eaten since breakfast, so we ate early.

I'm glad my request took you on a lovely walk down memory lane, rhizo. I could just picture you going through your recipe box and looking at all of the different papers and handwriting. And thank you so much for the recipe. Can hardly wait to try this.

I'm having shrimp....fresh from our boat today...for supper. I haven't decided how I will cook them. I have to make some tartar sauce....I will probably end up frying them.