Tuesday

NBSquared2017 · August 2018

Is everyone sleeping in today?

Last night was so great. We bought new pillows from Macy’s and a cutting board and a mesh strainer from Crate & Barrel.

H and I love to cook together and since I was gone last weekend he was itching to get back in the kitchen with me. We like to make a pepper crusted steak with shallots, thyme, and garlic and we make a blue cheese compound butter is amazing with the steak.

We tried a new side dish last night. There is this really awesome Asian fusion restaurant that we love and they make these really awesome crispy Brussel sprouts with garlic, chilies and fish sauce. I have tried for months to make this dish and it never tasted the same.

Well, last night we recreated the recipe! I found this really old article from when the restaurant first opened where the owner was talking about the sprouts being the most popular dish on the menu. There was no recipe, but the trick to the dish is deep frying the Brussel sprouts with no batter until they are crispy. We were baking them and that one little tweak elevated the entire dish. I love food so much lol

levioosa · August 2018

All of that food sounds amazing!

Studying for my final today. I’m also trying to hunt down some medical records from a practice that has since split into three separate practices so that should be fun. Yosemite is still stressing me out like crazy and I feel like we’re going through the five stages of grief for our vacation. I’m going to try a few more places today and if that doesn’t work out then it looks like we might go to Vegas. It’s basically the polar opposite of camping/Yosemite but honestly at this point it would be much less stressful and I’d save a ton of money not cooking for 12 people. Plus I’d get three extra days back to deep clean the house and organize my life that would have otherwise been spent meal prepping for the original trip. Everywhere else in the same distance radius for camping is either booked, too risky (first come first serve only) or doesn’t allow campfires.

6fsn · August 2018

Back to school haircuts, out to lunch, and roaming Barnes and noble. Then a quick trip to the grocery (hahaha. It’s never quick with 3 kids).

ShesSoCold · August 2018

That sounds awesome, NB. I love to cook too and H is starting to get into it. He's a great sous.

I am, again, in awe at the incompetence of my department. I do employee benefits for an insurance agency. This morning, my coworker who has worked here for twenty freaking years, asked me for a phone number of the carrier we use most often. Like, I have this number memorized. It would be like a cop of 20 years asking for directions to the county jail. Last week, nobody knew our agency codes. Again, something we should know or at least be able to locate easily.
Yesterday I found that my other coworker, who is out this week, received a termination request in May. She put it into our system and documented that she received it, but she never actually terminated the employee. Now we have to cover the costs of 2 months of this guy's insurance because we're dumb.
I'm doing my best to make procedures, contact spreadsheets, etc. for whoever replaces me when I leave. Because this shit is nuts.

Other than that, SSDD. Got my chicken marinading just in time for it to rain and to not be able to grill it.

levioosa · August 2018

@ShesSoCold what about cooking the chicken in a cast iron skillet? It’s not grilling but it should give it a nice depth of flavor.

CharmedPam · August 2018

NBSquared2017 said:

Is everyone sleeping in today?
Last night was so great. We bought new pillows from Macy’s and a cutting board and a mesh strainer from Crate & Barrel.

H and I love to cook together and since I was gone last weekend he was itching to get back in the kitchen with me. We like to make a pepper crusted steak with shallots, thyme, and garlic and we make a blue cheese compound butter is amazing with the steak.

We tried a new side dish last night. There is this really awesome Asian fusion restaurant that we love and they make these really awesome crispy Brussel sprouts with garlic, chilies and fish sauce. I have tried for months to make this dish and it never tasted the same.

Well, last night we recreated the recipe! I found this really old article from when the restaurant first opened where the owner was talking about the sprouts being the most popular dish on the menu. There was no recipe, but the trick to the dish is deep frying the Brussel sprouts with no batter until they are crispy. We were baking them and that one little tweak elevated the entire dish. I love food so much lol

Ok, not a steak eater but the sprouts sound AMAZING. Pass along the recipe if you are willing to give up the family secret?

Last night I went out to dinner with some old coworkers of mine to my favorite Lithuanian restaurant. I was home by 8, and very embarrassed to say, sleeping by 9. So yeah, up at 4:30 for my workout which meant there was no time crunch and I could extend the treadmill longer to burn off a bit more than I normally do because of what I ate last night! Wouldn't do that every night but an indulge here and there is good.

tonight I am trying to make falafel and beef kofta (kafta?). I hope to do what you did @NBsquared2017, and replicate from my favorite place. Spoiler alert: It won't happen.

charlotte989875 · August 2018

My Dad is coming out of the ICU today; he’s been there since Saturday night so this is a good sign. Still no idea when he can go home but at least this is a step in the right direction. My mom hopes he is sufficiently scared to start making some lifestyle changes. Let’s hope so.

Still sick. Worked from home yesterday after lunch and probably doing the same today. I’m cold, exhausted, and my body aches.

ShesSoCold · August 2018

levioosa said:

@ShesSoCold what about cooking the chicken in a cast iron skillet? It’s not grilling but it should give it a nice depth of flavor.

Yeah that's the plan. We have a 2-sided cast iron grill/griddle pan so we'll use that. It's just so much nicer to grill and get the heat and the mess and the smell out of the house.

CharmedPam · August 2018

ShesSoCold said:

Other than that, SSDD. Got my chicken marinading just in time for it to rain and to not be able to grill it.

aw man more rain in the future? I think my BBQ is broken so I rarely grill anymore. I have a pamperd chef grill that I love and has kinda taken the place of grilling outdoors for me. Plus, it's easy to clean. PC for the win!
edit: grill pan. Not grill. Although we have one of those at the condo.

levioosa · August 2018

ShesSoCold said:

levioosa said:

@ShesSoCold what about cooking the chicken in a cast iron skillet? It’s not grilling but it should give it a nice depth of flavor.

Yeah that's the plan. We have a 2-sided cast iron grill/griddle pan so we'll use that. It's just so much nicer to grill and get the heat and the mess and the smell out of the house.

The heat is the worst part of cast iron cooking for me. We have a small kitchen and it basically heats up the whole house. Cost effective in winter. Awful in summer when it’s 108 out. I do have to say though, I never thought I would prefer a steak any other way than grilled but I make a mean cast iron steak.

charlotte989875 · August 2018

Hey @kimmiinthemitten is today primary day??

cupcait927 · August 2018

@ShesSoCold Are you able to make a case to the insurance company and see if they are able to term the employee back to May? I have employer groups come to me all the time with terms they forgot to process and about 90% of the time, we're successful in getting them termed back (as long as it's not more than a few months). This is for both medical and ancillary lines. But after reading your post, it sounds like you work for the actual company and not a broker - I'm on the broker side.

@NBSquared2017 another request for you to share the brussel sprout recipe! Sounds delicious!

Had a crazy morning already. I was on my way to work and found this little dog, covered in dirt, running down the road a few miles from my house. I pulled over, scooped her up and knocked on a few doors near where I found her. No one claimed her so I turned around and brought her home. H was less than thrilled but I wasn't going to leave her there on the road to get hit or attacked by an animal (we're out in the country). I posted a few pictures on FB to our local community page and after an hour the owner contacted me. Very happy she's on her way home and it made me want another dog. Now I'm at work with very little motivation to do much at all.

mrsconn23 · August 2018

So yesterday went to shit quickly. I had a panic attack. DH came home and took me to medcheck. They hooked me up to an ekg, took my blood sugar. Heart rate and bp were high, but nothing hypertensive. I have to follow-up with my regular doc for more tests to rule other stuff out. I was already thinking about getting in to see him and I've been looking for a counselor, because I have been having a ton of anxiety and my sleep has been messed up for months. But I also was dragging my feet because it all made me anxious. Vicious circle. You really do feel like you're dying when you have a panic attack. It was the first time in working from home for 7 years that I was truly afraid that I was alone. I slept all afternoon. I feel mostly normal today. I told my best friends so they can help keep me accountable for taking care of myself. Apparently, I didn't realize how much I was hoarding the stress of everything that's transpired for the last few months. :-/

CharmedPam · August 2018

mrsconn23 said:

So yesterday went to shit quickly. I had a panic attack. DH came home and took me to medcheck. They hooked me up to an ekg, took my blood sugar. Heart rate and bp were high, but nothing hypertensive. I have to follow-up with my regular doc for more tests to rule other stuff out. I was already thinking about getting in to see him and I've been looking for a counselor, because I have been having a ton of anxiety and my sleep has been messed up for months. But I also was dragging my feet because it all made me anxious. Vicious circle. You really do feel like you're dying when you have a panic attack. It was the first time in working from home for 7 years that I was truly afraid that I was alone. I slept all afternoon. I feel mostly normal today. I told my best friends so they can help keep me accountable for taking care of myself. Apparently, I didn't realize how much I was hoarding the stress of everything that's transpired for the last few months. :-/

oh no, @mrsconn23, that sounds terrible. My cousin suffers from severe panic attacks too. Glad you're OK. Do you have any steps to take to try to push off some of that stress and take some "me time"?

ShesSoCold · August 2018

levioosa said:

ShesSoCold said:

levioosa said:

@ShesSoCold what about cooking the chicken in a cast iron skillet? It’s not grilling but it should give it a nice depth of flavor.

Yeah that's the plan. We have a 2-sided cast iron grill/griddle pan so we'll use that. It's just so much nicer to grill and get the heat and the mess and the smell out of the house.

The heat is the worst part of cast iron cooking for me. We have a small kitchen and it basically heats up the whole house. Cost effective in winter. Awful in summer when it’s 108 out. I do have to say though, I never thought I would prefer a steak any other way than grilled but I make a mean cast iron steak.

Yeeeesssssss a cast iron pan is the only way I make steaks. That's actually our plan for tomorrow. I sear the shit out of 'em, then throw the pan in a 500 degree oven until they're (barely) cooked. Then while they're resting, I saute onions and mushrooms in that awesome steak juice. MMMMMM I'm so excited about that now!

cupcait927 said:

@ShesSoCold Are you able to make a case to the insurance company and see if they are able to term the employee back to May? I have employer groups come to me all the time with terms they forgot to process and about 90% of the time, we're successful in getting them termed back (as long as it's not more than a few months). This is for both medical and ancillary lines. But after reading your post, it sounds like you work for the actual company and not a broker - I'm on the broker side.

I tried. It's written into the policy certificate that we can only term 60 days retroactively, so they can't give us an exception unless it was their error. I've talked to managers and supervisors and at least done everything I could do. Hopefully my coworker will come back on Monday and be able to find an email she sent or something back in May, but I doubt it. We're on the broker side too.

mrsconn23 · August 2018

CharmedPam said:

mrsconn23 said:

So yesterday went to shit quickly. I had a panic attack. DH came home and took me to medcheck. They hooked me up to an ekg, took my blood sugar. Heart rate and bp were high, but nothing hypertensive. I have to follow-up with my regular doc for more tests to rule other stuff out. I was already thinking about getting in to see him and I've been looking for a counselor, because I have been having a ton of anxiety and my sleep has been messed up for months. But I also was dragging my feet because it all made me anxious. Vicious circle. You really do feel like you're dying when you have a panic attack. It was the first time in working from home for 7 years that I was truly afraid that I was alone. I slept all afternoon. I feel mostly normal today. I told my best friends so they can help keep me accountable for taking care of myself. Apparently, I didn't realize how much I was hoarding the stress of everything that's transpired for the last few months. :-/

oh no, @mrsconn23, that sounds terrible. My cousin suffers from severe panic attacks too. Glad you're OK. Do you have any steps to take to try to push off some of that stress and take some "me time"?

I haven't made any immediate plans. But honestly, a lot of it is in my head. That's why I think counseling will help. I'm a worry hoarder and I need to get the tools to stop taking on every little thing as something I need to carry and concern myself with. I'm really bad about worrying about the smallest things when there are big things going on because it's the need to feel control of something when everything else is out of my control.

climbingsingle · August 2018

NBSquared2017 said:

Is everyone sleeping in today?
Last night was so great. We bought new pillows from Macy’s and a cutting board and a mesh strainer from Crate & Barrel.

H and I love to cook together and since I was gone last weekend he was itching to get back in the kitchen with me. We like to make a pepper crusted steak with shallots, thyme, and garlic and we make a blue cheese compound butter is amazing with the steak.

We tried a new side dish last night. There is this really awesome Asian fusion restaurant that we love and they make these really awesome crispy Brussel sprouts with garlic, chilies and fish sauce. I have tried for months to make this dish and it never tasted the same.

Well, last night we recreated the recipe! I found this really old article from when the restaurant first opened where the owner was talking about the sprouts being the most popular dish on the menu. There was no recipe, but the trick to the dish is deep frying the Brussel sprouts with no batter until they are crispy. We were baking them and that one little tweak elevated the entire dish. I love food so much lol

Yes for new stuff!

NB, am I remembering correctly that you're in NJ? I live in NY and work in Jersey.

Anyway, I have a ton of work to do, but I do not want to do it today. I'm already ready for this week to be over.

cupcait927 · August 2018

@mrsconn23 I feel you. I've had two panic attacks this year and they're awful. H and I both struggle with anxiety and depression. I finally got on meds about a month (very low dose of prozac) and have been seeing a counselor. It's helped tremendously.

@ShesSoCold Ugh that sucks. Fingers crossed your coworker has something, anything on file.

CharmedPam · August 2018

On another note, I bought $65.00 worth of peanut butter on Sunday and it's arriving today. I can't wait. Man, I love peanut butter.

levioosa · August 2018

mrsconn23 said:

CharmedPam said:

mrsconn23 said:

So yesterday went to shit quickly. I had a panic attack. DH came home and took me to medcheck. They hooked me up to an ekg, took my blood sugar. Heart rate and bp were high, but nothing hypertensive. I have to follow-up with my regular doc for more tests to rule other stuff out. I was already thinking about getting in to see him and I've been looking for a counselor, because I have been having a ton of anxiety and my sleep has been messed up for months. But I also was dragging my feet because it all made me anxious. Vicious circle. You really do feel like you're dying when you have a panic attack. It was the first time in working from home for 7 years that I was truly afraid that I was alone. I slept all afternoon. I feel mostly normal today. I told my best friends so they can help keep me accountable for taking care of myself. Apparently, I didn't realize how much I was hoarding the stress of everything that's transpired for the last few months. :-/

oh no, @mrsconn23, that sounds terrible. My cousin suffers from severe panic attacks too. Glad you're OK. Do you have any steps to take to try to push off some of that stress and take some "me time"?

I haven't made any immediate plans. But honestly, a lot of it is in my head. That's why I think counseling will help. I'm a worry hoarder and I need to get the tools to stop taking on every little thing as something I need to carry and concern myself with. I'm really bad about worrying about the smallest things when there are big things going on because it's the need to feel control of something when everything else is out of my control.

Wow, the bolded describes FI in a nutshell. He's convinced every time he's having a heart attack. Hugs mrsconn and make sure to take time for yourself today. Time-out if you need to or if you start to feel overwhelmed.

NBSquared2017 · August 2018

Weird - my post disappeared?

Reposting sorry if it duplicates.

Sprouts

Vegetable oil
1 PD sprouts
3 tbs fish sauce
1 1/2 tbs of sherry vinegar
1 tbs EVOO
2 serrano peppers
1 habanero pepper
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp fresh ginger, ground
1 tsp fresh cilantro, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Cut the bottoms off the Brussel sprouts then cut the sprouts in half.

Combine the fish sauce and sherry vinegar and set aside

Heat the olive oil, then add and sauté the peppers, garlic, and ginger (about 3 minutes), set aside

Heat a pot with vegetable oil and once hot – drop the brussle sprouts in the hot oil. (Be careful – I washed mine and failed to account for the water the leaves would hold and I got popped a few times)

Deep fry at a high temperature until the leaves are brown and crispy.

Once removed from the oil toss them in the in fish sauce, sherry vinegar, and pepper sauté.

Add cilantro once plated and add salt and pepper to taste

6fsn · August 2018

Giant hugs Mrsconn. You’ve made a huge first step.

levioosa · August 2018

CharmedPam said:

On another note, I bought $65.00 worth of peanut butter on Sunday and it's arriving today. I can't wait. Man, I love peanut butter.

Wait, how is peanut butter $65? You just bought a ton of it, or is there some super gourmet peanut butter that I am not aware of?

NBSquared2017 · August 2018

climbingwife said:

NBSquared2017 said:

Is everyone sleeping in today?
Last night was so great. We bought new pillows from Macy’s and a cutting board and a mesh strainer from Crate & Barrel.

H and I love to cook together and since I was gone last weekend he was itching to get back in the kitchen with me. We like to make a pepper crusted steak with shallots, thyme, and garlic and we make a blue cheese compound butter is amazing with the steak.

We tried a new side dish last night. There is this really awesome Asian fusion restaurant that we love and they make these really awesome crispy Brussel sprouts with garlic, chilies and fish sauce. I have tried for months to make this dish and it never tasted the same.

Well, last night we recreated the recipe! I found this really old article from when the restaurant first opened where the owner was talking about the sprouts being the most popular dish on the menu. There was no recipe, but the trick to the dish is deep frying the Brussel sprouts with no batter until they are crispy. We were baking them and that one little tweak elevated the entire dish. I love food so much lol

Yes for new stuff!

NB, am I remembering correctly that you're in NJ? I live in NY and work in Jersey.

Anyway, I have a ton of work to do, but I do not want to do it today. I'm already ready for this week to be over.

@climbingwife - yep! I live in Cherry Hill and work in Philly!

climbingsingle · August 2018

NBSquared2017 said:

climbingwife said:

NBSquared2017 said:

Is everyone sleeping in today?
Last night was so great. We bought new pillows from Macy’s and a cutting board and a mesh strainer from Crate & Barrel.

H and I love to cook together and since I was gone last weekend he was itching to get back in the kitchen with me. We like to make a pepper crusted steak with shallots, thyme, and garlic and we make a blue cheese compound butter is amazing with the steak.

We tried a new side dish last night. There is this really awesome Asian fusion restaurant that we love and they make these really awesome crispy Brussel sprouts with garlic, chilies and fish sauce. I have tried for months to make this dish and it never tasted the same.

Well, last night we recreated the recipe! I found this really old article from when the restaurant first opened where the owner was talking about the sprouts being the most popular dish on the menu. There was no recipe, but the trick to the dish is deep frying the Brussel sprouts with no batter until they are crispy. We were baking them and that one little tweak elevated the entire dish. I love food so much lol

Yes for new stuff!

NB, am I remembering correctly that you're in NJ? I live in NY and work in Jersey.

Anyway, I have a ton of work to do, but I do not want to do it today. I'm already ready for this week to be over.

@climbingwife - yep! I live in Cherry Hill and work in Philly!

Ok cool. I'm more north. Work in Bayonne.

Mrs.Conn - sending you all the the good thoughts and vibes.

NBSquared2017 · August 2018

climbingwife said:

NBSquared2017 said:

climbingwife said:

NBSquared2017 said:

Is everyone sleeping in today?
Last night was so great. We bought new pillows from Macy’s and a cutting board and a mesh strainer from Crate & Barrel.

H and I love to cook together and since I was gone last weekend he was itching to get back in the kitchen with me. We like to make a pepper crusted steak with shallots, thyme, and garlic and we make a blue cheese compound butter is amazing with the steak.

We tried a new side dish last night. There is this really awesome Asian fusion restaurant that we love and they make these really awesome crispy Brussel sprouts with garlic, chilies and fish sauce. I have tried for months to make this dish and it never tasted the same.

Well, last night we recreated the recipe! I found this really old article from when the restaurant first opened where the owner was talking about the sprouts being the most popular dish on the menu. There was no recipe, but the trick to the dish is deep frying the Brussel sprouts with no batter until they are crispy. We were baking them and that one little tweak elevated the entire dish. I love food so much lol

Yes for new stuff!

NB, am I remembering correctly that you're in NJ? I live in NY and work in Jersey.

Anyway, I have a ton of work to do, but I do not want to do it today. I'm already ready for this week to be over.

@climbingwife - yep! I live in Cherry Hill and work in Philly!

Ok cool. I'm more north. Work in Bayonne.

Mrs.Conn - sending you all the the good thoughts and vibes.

Near Trenton? We go up that way a lot when we take the Amtrak into the city! Bayonne is where we cruise out of when I take Royal Carribean cruises.

OliveOilsMom · August 2018

MrsConn - Hugs to you. I hope getting in to see a counselor and your regular doctor will help put you in a better place.

Charlotte - Good news about your dad! Hopefully he will take this seriously and start making better decisions.

DD was in such a hilarious mood last night. Sometimes I just love to watch her do her thing. It brings a big smile to my face!

Tonight is National Night Out. Our local neighborhood has something at our community park, so we will head over there after dinner. Not sure how long we will stay. I guess it depends on how much stuff there is for DD to do. The main township park will have fireworks later, but we won't go over for that. It's after DD's bedtime.

charlotte989875 · August 2018

OliveOilsMom said:

MrsConn - Hugs to you. I hope getting in to see a counselor and your regular doctor will help put you in a better place.
Charlotte - Good news about your dad! Hopefully he will take this seriously and start making better decisions.
DD was in such a hilarious mood last night. Sometimes I just love to watch her do her thing. It brings a big smile to my face!
Tonight is National Night Out. Our local neighborhood has something at our community park, so we will head over there after dinner. Not sure how long we will stay. I guess it depends on how much stuff there is for DD to do. The main township park will have fireworks later, but we won't go over for that. It's after DD's bedtime.

Thanks, I hope so. He now has COPD (mainly from 40+ years of smoking) and they’re worried about congestive heart failure. He smokes, doesn’t exercise, won’t see a doctor when he’s sick, and won’t listen to my Mom (who has been a nurse for 40 years). Hopefully this is his wake up call.

CharmedPam · August 2018

levioosa said:

CharmedPam said:

On another note, I bought $65.00 worth of peanut butter on Sunday and it's arriving today. I can't wait. Man, I love peanut butter.

Wait, how is peanut butter $65? You just bought a ton of it, or is there some super gourmet peanut butter that I am not aware of?

Bought a ton of it. A sampler pack of Legendary peanut butter. They have peanut butter cup, peanut butter chocolate chip, pecan pie, blueberry and apple pie! The reviews are REALLY good, so I needed to test them all. Yup, $13/jar (and only 16 oz a jar) and I know it's crazy.
edit: blueberry cinnamon bun. Not just blueberry. Even better.

VarunaTT · August 2018

@mrsconn23, I'll help cheer you on. You're recognizing the issue and trying to move on it. That's a huuuuuuuuuuuuge step and you can be proud that you're taking it.

SSDD. I need to get my sleep schedule back in order, it's messy. Somehow I've started going to bed at 11-midnight and I need more sleep than that allows for with getting up to go to work.

ILoveBeachMusic · August 2018

Thanks for the recipe @NBSquared2017 I love brussel sprouts! Hugs @mrsconn23, DS2 has been having anxiety attacks ever since GF broke up with him. We've been recommending for him to get counseling - but you know leading a horse to water and all that. We've talked him through it so far.

I had a massage today - oh sweet relaxation! My neck and shoulders have been killing me for the last week and now they feel soooo much better. Before that I had a doctor's appointment - yearly exam. Best numbers for blood work in a while! Yay BeachMusic. All that exercise is paying off. Now I have to go fix dinner!

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