Monday, December 21, 2009

Red and Green



This picture, taken earlier this year at Aaron's Beach, shows some lovely green marsh grass and a pretty red _____________.

(Fill in the blank with the appropriate term because Chesapeake Bay Woman has never seen one of these pretty red ___________s before and has absolutely no idea what they're called. Pretty Red Marine Plant would be the name I'd give it, although since that's such a mouthful, I'd probably shorten it to Pretty Red. Or just Red.)

Actually, the more I look at this picture, the pinker this pretty red__________ becomes. Perhaps I'm confusing this pinkish________with those red sponges that often wash up on the shore of our beaches. Perhaps I want it to be red so I can claim to be posting a Christmas-colored picture.

Perhaps--just perhaps--Chesapeake Bay Woman is so exhausted from housework; Christmas preparations; Christmas procrastinations; Christmas decorations; Christmas dawdling; Christmas worrying; bad weather; neighborhood Christmas party; kids' bedrooms that are not fit for man nor beast; kids' bathroom not fit for a hazmat team; sick Father; no time off from the paying job this week; a cat that needs to see the vet; a dead blue jay on the front porch; Mother's birthday on Christmas Eve; dinner preparations for Christmas Eve; a boat filled with frozen water and 10 years left on the loan; and Life that she has no time to focus on anything substantive for today's post.

There's a good chance the rest of the week here at Life in Mathews will be just as lackluster and ridiculous stark as ever today's post.

Do you know what that reddish-pink plant is above?

What are some ideas for a Christmas Eve dinner that has to double as a birthday celebration for a mother who, though not vegetarian, loves vegetables? I want to do something different besides the same old Same Old, but it needs to be easy. Different yet easy. Does different yet easy exist when one is talking about fixing a special holiday/birthday dinner?

13 comments:

abb said...

A perplexing conundrum. Let me know what others say. ;-)
And do let me know what that red-pink plant is.

duced is my WV - appropriate!

Sharon Day said...

Looks like a salvia

Occasional Kate said...

I have a phys therapy appt in 6 hours and I have not gone to bed yet and I still have a million and one things to do before I leave this god-forsaken state for the serenity and normalcy of home for a few days. I should NOT be here! I should be asleep!

Anyway!

Roasted veggies. Broccoli, brussel sprouts, asparagus, etc. Put veggies on cookie tray, drizzle with olive oil and garlic powder, roast in oven for a while til they look done, smaller pieces cook faster.

Or cauliflower fritters. Cook some heads in the microwave, chop or smush 'em up, add some cheese like parm, seasonings, and make fritters in the skillet. Google for a specific recipe since that's all I can remember off the top of my head but I think there's more to it.

And there's always soup, which is a nice appitizer; veggie stew, pasta e fagoli, cream of broccoli, ratatouille, etc.

Squash is good this time of year too. Baked in the oven or boiled and mashed into some casserole, can be savory, doesn't have to be sweet.

WV: toricat The crazy stuff that comes from my mouth at almost 4am!

And with that, I'm out of ideas and off to bed! :)

Meg McCormick said...

I like roasted root veggies - I think we may have had this same conversation in the past... A nice baked salmon filet is always a winner, too... maybe some risotto (I have a foolproof recipe for making it in the microwave - don't scoff, it's good). French onion soup - fussy to serve but always delicious.

Daryl said...

I wish I lived closer AND still had Zabars up the block .. they have some yum veggie dishes .. a broccoli casserole ...OR how about pasta primavera?

VW> budowns .. seriously do I need to explain?

ghostless said...

zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes, red onions and large mushrooms. cut into chunks or wedges. put olive oil in the bottom of a long flat casserole. arrange the veggies, alternating them cover with more olive oil, oregano, garlic cloves or salt, shredded romano cheese, or parmasen, and slow cook in the oven at 300 or 325 til fork tender. In the meantime fix angel hair pasta or spaghetti and serve with it when done.

apell is my WV which I think is French for spell which I doubt I spelt everything correctly.
Have a calm week ,,,or you'll end up like I did a few weeks back!!!!

Mrs F with 4 said...

I have no idea on the plant... some kind of succulent?

I have finished my gleaming and cleaning and the in-laws have arrived, and I am waiting for someone to whisk me away somewhere warm-and-not-snowy. Fat chance.

If I'm stuck for different-but-easy, I head for the Chatelaine.ca website, and their recipe sections. It's saved my bacon many times.

Mmmm, bacon, I may just have to have some for breakfast?

WV: tamba... is that like the rhumba?

Unknown said...

I'm calling them chili peppers.

Happy Birthday to your mom!!

Do some fondue stuff. It's coming back in a big way. One of my favorite restaurants is nothing but dipping and dunking every course. It's called The Melting Pot. They are a chain, but not cheap!! You can see their menu online and get some good veggie dipping ideas. Desserts too.

big hair envy said...

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Swiss-Vegetable-Medley/Detail.aspx

This link will take you to a delicious veggie side dish....I've been making it for years!

Happy Birthday, CBMother:)

We are having a little get-together after our Christmas Eve candlelight service. I was going to extend the invite, but I can see that your plate is already FULL!

Don't feel like the Lone Ranger - I still haven't shipped out the gifts that need to be shipped...:/ That darn foot of snow put a damper on my productive weekend!

Noe Noe Girl...A Queen of all Trades. said...

Happy Birthday, CBMother! And many many more. Please save me some cake!

That reddish-pink plant is sand Christmas holly. Yes I made that up.

Yes-different yet easy does exist when one is talking about fixing a special holiday/birthday dinner- it is called RESERVATIONS!

Chesapeake Bay Woman said...

Thank you for all the great suggestions. I still don't know what the plant is, but at least I have some ideas for Christmas Eve dinner.

So far I'm liking Noe Noe Girl's suggestion the best, but I doubt we'd get any farther than Hardees if I had to pay for it, and after my last drive-through experience with them, I swore I was never, ever going back.

Happy Monday.

Noe Noe Girl...A Queen of all Trades. said...

Nick's will let old people and wonky teeth in! Make sure you get the laugh alot table!
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Annie said...

I think I googled red marsh grasses of Virginia, and looked at some of the images....there are a few to choose from and I wasn't sure about the photo...my eyes weren't seeing clearly...!