Humor will not be tolerated!! -Portia

I had no idea xanthan gum was a thing you could just buy and add to things. Would one find a tub of it in a lot of gluten-free pantries, or is it just something you like to have on hand?

Last night we had a big salad with lots of things in it, and tonight I think we're having corn on the cob, baked potatoes, chicken, and more salad.

I think we still have a container of xanthan gum. It was definitely a staple in our gluten-free cooking.

Yeah, it's definitely a gluten-free staple and I didn't have any idea you could just buy a bag of it before I was gluten-free. But I've started experimenting with adding it to things other than gluten-free baked goods where it might be useful, and I've discovered it makes whipped cream stay whipped for a long time (which is awesome because then you can use it as frosting) and it makes beating egg whites to make meringues or marshmallows happen much faster. It's expensive, but you only ever need a small amount of it. For two cups of cream, for example, I would add maybe 1/4 teaspoon.

You can buy it in bulk at WinCo.

We're going out for dinner (it's our anniversary tomorrow!), but for lunch we had hash. It's a quick, easy meal because you just fry up potatoes and add in whatever other meats, vegetables, and spices you have on hand. I baked potatoes a few months ago and had extra so I cubed up the cooked potatoes and froze them. I just pulled out the frozen potatoes, frozen hamburger, and frozen vegetables, thawed them, and cooked them up with eggs, cheese, and spices: salt, pepper, onion, garlic, sage, thyme, sweet basil, parsley, and oregano (all spices I had on hand). Another bonus is that hash freezes really well. So, you can make a bunch of extra and throw it in the freezer for a meal some time when you can't or don't want to spend a bunch of time cooking. Yum!

We had pasta salad. From a box, because my mom isn't feeling well and, though I would've been fine to make it for real, I was just as happy to make it from a box. The tomatoes were the best part, though.

We had leftovers. The Hawaiian/Mexican Haystacks. They remained delicious.

Last night I made quesadillas (pretty much the same ingredients as the burritos I ate two nights last week, but whatever) for myself, and porridge for my roommate who has malaria.

For my birthday dinner, my husband made Shake-N-Bake chicken, cheesy potatoes, and salad. Then we had cupcakes for dessert. Yum!

Last night we had some sort of marinated chicken (Catalina dressing, maybe?), some cheesy potatoes, and salad. And homemade bread. With trifle for dessert. It was delish.

We had pork with béarnaise sauce, sauteed green beans, and mashed potatoes, with chocolate-topped rice crispy treats for dessert. And candy.

Chicken a la king, fresh strawberries, and banana muffins. Quick and yummy (especially if you buy chicken on sale, pre-cook and cube it, and freeze it for some time when you're in a hurry).

taco soup!

Maybe pad thai noodles with shrimp and some kind of garlic sauce - I'm running out of food here, but I don't want to do any major shopping because I'm moving in 3 weeks! Wow, that's really soon!

We had won ton salad. Yummy. I think...darn it, they threw it away. I was going to have some more.

Leftover night! When I was a kid, I HATED LEFTOVER NIGHT WITH A BLOODY PASSION! But now that I'm the one cooking, it's just so nice to have a night off. Leftover night is now a godsend. Funny how that perspective changes...

Pot roast with potatoes, onions, mushrooms, and fried parsnips.

Leftover chicken thighs with peppered cabbage with my favorite bread (asiago sourdough artisan. I've really gotta figure out how to make that.) and watermelon and honeydew.

sweet potato fries with fry sauce and broccoli... jet lag

Fajitas, courtesy of my sister. Yum!