Food. Glorious Food

I planned to go to the farm market this morning, but I can't seem to muster up the enthusiasm to go out into the 107 degree heat index weather.  The humidity is great for my plants, but not humans.

I was in a store with my daughter S two days ago and felt ill.  The store had air conditioning, but I feel they were trying to save money because it was pretty warm in there.  I thought I ate something that didn't agree with me at the time.  After I was in the air conditioned vehicle I began to feel good again.  Since then I have only gone out briefly in the evenings to water the plants and briefly in the early morning to pick anything that needed to be harvested.

The cucumber plants love the heat.  I have quite a few to process that have been picked the last two days. 

I guess I have a project to finish this weekend.

Since it's so hot meals have been light.  Oatmeal with raisins and milk for breakfast or a bowl of cheerios with bananas and milk.  Lunches and dinners are mostly made up of veggies and fruit with peanut butter toast for protein.  Lots of water to stay hydrated and staying in the cool house will hopefully keep me healthy.

A while back I got 15 pounds of free flour.  The bags first went into the freezer then into the refrigerator to be stored until they were used.  I haven't been baking because it's summer and I am not in the mood.  So.... I canned the flour in the oven!  Fifteen pounds of flour fit into 4 two quart jars along with 2 one quart jars.  Since it was a new found skill I had lots of fun doing it.  One minor detail.  The jars were suppose to be in the oven on low heat for 2 hours, but a nap happened and they were in there 3 hours.  This weekend I plan to open one of the smaller jars to use in a ginger cookie recipe to check out if I can still use the flour.

The resulting mess when I tamped down a full jar.

The jars were hot so I used cloth
between the cool counter and glass
jar to prevent any cracking of
the glass.

In the oven at 215 F.

The finished product.  I learned this is
a lost art that our ancestors used to preserve
foods.  Only to be used on dry goods.


Stay safe!

Kitchen Goodies and Marley

Life's been a bit low key this past few days.  The weekends are usually spent at home with Sunday a day of respect for God.  The good thing about resting on Sundays is Monday morning I'm filled with energy and do quite a bit of cleaning before breakfast.  (Breakfast is normally mid morning for me.)

Yesterday (Monday) was no different for me.  I hit the ground running by cleaning the two bathrooms on the first floor, washing two loads of clothes, swiffering the hardwood floors, cleaning the kitchen, and cleaning out the master bedroom closet.  The laundry is put away which brought me to clean out the closet.

I don't remember eating breakfast, but I do remember lunch was a ham sandwich loaded with mustard and mayo, topped with lettuce on a roll I made from frozen bread dough.

Which brings us to the frozen bread dough episode.  I was watching a grocery haul video on yoo toob and she had green peppers.  I stopped the video and went across the street with pup in tow. Not only did the peppers hit the cart, so did strawberries,  melon, bananas, a cucumber, Cuties (small tangerines), chick peas and the frozen bread dough.  The dough was to satisfy a craving for cinnamon and sugar covered fried bread dough.

When I got home one loaf ( three to a package) of the dough ended up on the counter to defrost while I made a salad with the veggies, then one with the fruit.  I won't add melon to the strawberries and bananas again.  I ate the entire melon by the end of Monday - all by itself.  Veggie salad is still left over so I will eat that for lunch today. 

The dough was turned into four fried breads and seven rolls.  The rolls are gone, so I took out the second bread loaf to make a simple loaf of bread Monday.  Since the oven was still hot I made up a cinnamon coffee cake to eat as this week's dessert.  I'm not sure if it will last the entire week.  If not I have some Forbes taffy from the ocean front to hold me over.  Although I wouldn't turn away any taffy, my favorites are licorice and cinnamon.  My son brought me a pound of taffy when he was here visiting and went to see the ocean front with his family. (And his sister's family.)  So I'm covered.

Three rolls?  Didn't I say I made seven rolls?  The other
four were so good.  Three of them warm with butter
and home made peach jam.  Yum yum!

This morning I had two slices of the bread toasted with peanut butter and jam.  Of course, I had to share with Marley.

Marley has been ill for a couple of weeks.  She had a huge seizure on the 23rd of March.  The vet has informed me that boxer pups are a breed that often have brain tumors and the seizure is a sign of that.  As you can imagine my heart was broken as she is my constant companion.  She can no longer sleep with me because the vet said she could hurt me.  When she came out of the seizure she growled at me twice.  I've never seen her be aggressive in any way in the past.  The vet said this was common because the dog is disoriented for a period of time.  As well as confused.  So now I tuck her in on the couch and both of us are lonely through the night.  I check on her a few times each night to make sure she is warm enough or has not suffered another seizure. 

My sweet girl cuddled up on the couch. 

Marley's eyes are filled with pain -pain I could do nothing about.  The days were spent in tears so I took her back to the vet.  He prescribed pain pills which have been effective removing the sadness and pain in her eyes.  I'm thankful about that.  She still eats, drinks water and uses her doggie 'facility' on her own.  So I will take care of her until things become unbearable for her.  I sure do hope 'All Dogs Go To Heaven' after life on earth.  I won't think about that until the time comes for her to go to sleep.  She will be my companion and will be cared for with love until that time comes.

Cinnamon Coffee Cake (Cost Effective and Yummy)

I was looking for my chocolate chip cookie recipe yesterday.  In the back of my mind I remember being lazy and not putting it back when I was done with the card.  I have yet to find it, but I did come across a recipe I forgot I had for cinnamon coffee cake.  It sure sounded good.  Only thing is I wrote it in pink and had to get the magnifying glass out to read it.  I took the time to re write it in black ink with larger printing.  It really sounded good after that so I made a batch in the seasoned cast iron pan - the bottom lined with parchment paper.  The recipe needed two bowls, one for dry ingredients then one for the 'wet' ingredients.  At the end the dry ingredients were stirred into the wet ones.

The recipe was simple, cost effective, appealing to look at, and delicious.  This was my dinner last night with a big glass of milk and coffee to follow.  Nothing else!  I do this sometimes, not eat right.  Just because I want to.  Sometimes - just once in a while - we have to buck the system to feel the freedom.  Not often, mind you, just once in a while.  I don't do things other women do for a treat, such as pedicures and makeup.  This is what I do for a treat for myself.  Right out of the oven with a touch of butter.

THE RECIPE

In a bowl, beat 1 EGG. Add 1/4 cup OIL and 1/2 cup MILK.  Set aside.
In a second bowl combine 1 1/2 cups FLOUR, 3/4 cup SUGAR, 2 teaspoons BAKING POWDER, 1/2 teaspoon SALT.
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir with a fork until combined.  Pour batter into a greased pan. 

Topping
Combine 1 tablespoon MELTED BUTTER, 1 tablespoon FLOUR, 1/4 cup BROWN SUGAR, 1 teaspoon CINNAMON until well blended.  It will look crumby.  Sprinkle on top of batter.

Cook in a 375 oven, 25-30 minutes.

I didn't have brown sugar I could use (hard as a rock) so I made some using 1 cup of sugar to 1 tablespoon molasses.  It worked out great!

The bowl on the left has the wet ingredients beat together. 
The one on the right contains the dry ingredients that were
added to the wet ones.

The finished dish, minus dinner!  Warm from the oven.

Let me know if you try this recipe and how well you enjoyed it.  Or if you didn't.  I give it five out of five stars.  How many stars would you give it?

Stay safe.

New Feature and Food (And Curtains)

Monday mornings I'm always inspired to do a project around the house.  Sunday is my rest day and by the time it's over, boredom begins to set in.  The best thing on my Sundays is Downton Abbey.  Oh my, I love that show.  I have two seasons on DVD, but I'll have to get the whole series because I will watch it repeatedly.

This morning's project was scrubbing down the powder room.  I pay more attention to this bathroom because I have four grandchildren that use it and I don't want them to catch any germs in my home.  The baseboards and floor were cleaned with a solution of bleach.  The sink and toilet also received the bleach treatment.  Walls were wiped down and clean towels were hung.  All ready for little hands.

Do you remember the curtains that were ordered from Penny's?  They were in the mailbox and since my daughter was stopping by I asked her to hang them for me.  I opened the package and to my surprise there were two different color panels.  Two!  The packing slip was correct and the product was incorrect.   So now I have to go to Penny's and fix the solution.  I actually paid for shipping to my home so I didn't have to wait until I could get to the store.

I'm not sure if you can see the difference in color as well
as I can in real time.  One panel is ivory and the
other one is brown.

A few weeks ago a friend gave me a bowl of her chili.  It was so yummy I asked for the recipe on facebook.  A reply never came so I just took it she didn't want to share.  So I went on a mission to see if I could make it.  Another friend gave me her recipe and it was good, but not what I was looking for.  C was visiting with the chili friend and begged her for the recipe because I was driving everyone crazy about the recipe.  Come to find out, she never saw the message and is writing the recipe for me.
That recipe had five kinds of beans in it and was packed with protein, not to mention chocolate.  No wonder I liked it so much.

There's one more helping of the chili I made on Friday.  That'll
be my dinner tonight.  Anxiously waiting for THE recipe.

WORD of the WEEK

El-bow grease:  Hard physical work, especially polishing and cleaning.  (Something to think about!)  Definitely a calorie burner!

The Dog Treats Are a Bomb!

I watched a video that demonstrated how to make healthy treats for the pup.  It was simple enough -

slice up a sweet potato sprinkle garlic on it and dehydrate it.  Her dogs loved the treat.

Slices of sweet potato in the dehydrator before the
drying process.  I got  32 slices from a medium size
potato.

I had one sweet potato in the fridge and followed the directions, thinking Marley would love these as a treat.  No, she does not.  So I'll be adding sweet potato to my dehydrated veggies I use to make soup.

The finished product, sprinkled with garlic powder.

The sun was shining through the clouds Saturday morning so I took the opportunity to sweep all the leaves and debris from the patio to put on the soil in the garden.  It looked so neat and clean.  The feeling of pride came over me as I stood back to witness the result of my efforts.  An hour later, a strong wind and pouring rain slid in.  My patio again needs cleaning.  I guess that is the meaning of pride before the fall.

This is quite a pile for the small space I have in my yard.

The last of the blackberries trying to ripen before the frost.

The pile of leaves went into the garden to nourish the soil
over the winter.

I did a small grocery shop at the beginning of the week.   Other than that, I've stayed home the week nursing a cold.  I'm not a true germaphobe, but when I'm sick I make sure the bedding is washed often and the kitchen is free of as many germs as possible.  Re - infecting myself - or others - would not be wise.

The store visit was short as I only picked up tomato soup, bananas, and protein bars.  I chose the bars that were on sale, but I won't be choosing that flavor again.

I like the brand of protein bars, just prefer other flavors.  The
soup is yummy and holds four servings that are very filling.

 

I also made a loaf of bread which I would show you in a picture, but it's all gone!  So good and cheap, cheap, cheap.

As you know, I have a list of yoo toob videos I watch.  This morning I watched a rather crude one that depicted the evils of processed foods. Although I tend to agree with the concept, a video needs to be encouraging to young families and presented in a way that gets them thinking, not feeling inadequate.  There are lots of families in this country that can't afford to purchase all the best foods for their families.  It would be ideal, but this is real life.  These families try to do the best for their children, but can't always buy the best of foods.  It's a balancing act, to say the least.

This is a comment made by a mother that I could feel the pain in her heart when she saw the video.

(Comment removed to delete video)

          

            

I don't often offer the name of my blog on other sites, but I felt like this mom belongs here with us.  I hope she takes me up on my offer.  Even more so, I hope the blog helps her.

Stay safe.

A Nice Weekend Spent With Family

It's pretty cold for these old bones of mine so the camis, knee socks, and long sleeve shirts have come out in full force.  I'm not complaining because where I use to live got snow this past weekend.  Normally there's a frost before the snow falls, but that was not the case this year in the North.  Just thinking about the cold up there brings shivers to the very center of my being.

Saturday was an active one for me.  Daughter three and I went to a yard sale with quite a few vendors at the local VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars).  They hold a sale every fall to raise money for the post.  They also sell lunch food such as barbeque sandwiches and chips to make extra funds.  We didn't eat there, but many others did.

I made a purchase that was unexpected.  I bought six vintage plates that I have no where to store or even a use for bur they were so beautiful I couldn't pass them up.  The edges have 14 karat gold trim so they even need to be hand washed.  Since I hand wash most things anyway, that part is not a problem.  They were marked $10.00, but when the man saw me walk away, he lowered the price to $5.00.  What was I to do, I ask you?  Since I recently de cluttered the kitchen cabinets, I'm sure there will be a place for them.  To take care of the use problem, I'll be using these plates each night for dinner.

I fell in love with these plates.  You could say it was love at
first sight.  It's funny because this is not my normal decorative
style attraction.

When we left there we hit up three more residential sales with little luck.  Then home for a rest.

Daughter number one spent the morning at the baseball field with her sons for make up games.  Later in the afternoon she met us at number three's house for an early dinner of spaghetti.  The two of them lined up their kids and walked to a convenient store for cold drinks while I stayed back with the pup and enjoyed the quiet I knew was soon to disappear. 

I have enough quiet at home and also enjoy the noise of happy kiddos playing and even bickering.  Sibling bickering brings a smile to my heart - I do so miss the sounds of family life.

Sunday was a low key day for all of us.  I watched a video about dehydrating food and thought I have lots of dehydrated food.  Perhaps it was time to use some of it to test it's flavor. (Hoping I did things the right way.)  So I got out carrots, green beans, squash, mushroom powder. green peppers and a vegetable stock I had in the freezer.  I made these items into a soup them added a rue to make a vegetable stew which I put on a slice of bread,  I was pleased to note I did dehydrate the veggies correctly as they plumped up and softened to their original state.  The one mistake I made was using stock made from asparagus.  Too strong, but I ate it anyway and so did the pup.

I also decided I had too much celery in the refrigerator so I blanched most of it and dehydrated it.  Even though the celery was cut into small pieces it took about 15 hours to fully dehydrate.  The rest of the day was spent in lazy mode.

My goals today are to wash the bedding and vacuum the rugs.  Let's see if I meet them.  It's not that the goals are lofty, but I've been tired feeling lately - even though my blood work shows no problems.  If there is a day of good energy, I seem to need two days of rest to build up energy again.

Stay safe.

The Week in Review

I'm not sure if my USA readers know this, so I'll jot it down in case there's someone who doesn't know.  WalMart  price matches all flyer prices of local grocery stores.  It's safe to bring the flyer with you to get the lower price, but if you forget and are challenged by the cashier, their customer service has the weekly flyers.  The only items WalMart does not price match are store brand items or buy one get one free when there is no price in the ad.

There's a Kroger where I live and this week they have some prices that can't be ignored.  Kraft block cheese is 1.49 and Honey Nut Cheerios are 1.29.   I know most kiddos like apple juice and this week's price on Motts brand is -get this - .99 cents for the 64 ounce bottle.   Bumble Bee tuna is .50 a can, well worth a trip across the street for some price matching activity.

At Kroger you have to purchase five items to get that price.  At WalMart, you don't need to.

Here's the Kroger ad for this week.  Keep in mind the prices may vary due to location.  I have a friend in the Midwest who has better prices than we do in my area.

https://www.kroger.com/weeklyAd

I took the short journey to the farmer's market yesterday for tomatoes.  I pad 3.00 for nine tomatoes and received 3 large ones for free.

Since I was on a roll crossing off items on my list, I went to Walgreens to buy rubbing alcohol.  I got 6 bottles and with them came two free first aid pouches.  After I load them with the appropriate items one will go in the vehicle and one in the house.

Next on the list was returning an item to Target and checking out the dollar spot.
I had some luck at the dollar spot because all the new fall items were in.  They had grill fire starters, tissue, and goodie bags for Halloween.   Three dollars later and I am more prepared for the fall season of running noses, trick or treaters, and grill meals.

Sunday my daughter and her family came for a meatloaf dinner.  The weather was perfect because a cold front came in the night before and brought a feeling of fall air.  I had bought five pounds of organic carrots for 2.99 that were huge, so I only needed two to feed the five of us.  A nice sauce of brown sugar and butter and they were so good.  The meal was topped off with a salad and a big pot of rice (the mix recipe I posted in a previous post) and banana bread for dessert.

I prepared two meatloaves because I thought if we could all get on the same schedule we could enjoy each others company.  But, daughter number three's family schedule didn't match up, so her family will come another time.  The second meatloaf is patiently waiting in the freezer.

On Sundays there is a cooking show on QVC.  I turn it on as background noise and like to see what's new in the kitchen.  I seldom purchase anything, but today I bought a cookbook.

My readers know that I covet my grandmother's sauce and meatball recipes.  Even though my cousin and I spend a lot of time in the kitchen with grandma D, neither of us paid attention to most of her recipes.  This cookbook is put together by Frankie Avalon, who is also 100% Italian.  The recipes are his grandmother's - straight from Italy.  I know the food is different in the regions in Italy, but I'm hoping there will be some of my grandmothers recipes in the book.  One can only hope.




I brought down the fall garland I bought last year and enhanced it with paint that matches the wall color.  I like things muted so I was happy with the outcome.

The garland is drying.  I'm not sure it looks so good in this
picture, but it looks very nice to me as a finished product.  When
the sun is up, I'll take a picture of it on the fireplace to show-
vase how nice it looks.
 

Also this week I dried more mushroom stems and celery.  The celery needs to be blanched before it's dried,  After it's dried it is so small, but it rehydrates to look the same as before it was dried. I now have enough veggies to make a quick soup in the winter when I'm in a lazy mood.  The soup will be packed with vitamins from peppers. celery, carrots, mushrooms, bay leaf, and parsley.

The celery before it went into the dehydrator.  When it came out
it was the size of a tiny stone.  After it's cooked, it will look
like this again.

I hope your week went well.  Let us know what you accomplished this week in the comment section.

Stay safe.

Better Than Boxed (Think famous brand) Rice Mix

Rice Mix
2 C uncooked rice
1 C uncooked spaghetti, broken into small pieces
1/4 C dried parsley
6 T. chicken or beef bouillon
2 t. onion powder
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/4 t. thyme, optional

Mix all ingredients well and store in an air tight container. Cook for twenty minutes as you would any rice on the stove top.

Pigs in a Blanket, Italian Style!

My son called me today from 'up North' which is around 900 miles from my home.  He wanted my recipe for pigs in a blanket.   A little shy about how I murder the original Polish recipe, I asked if it was my own recipe he wanted or the real one.   You see I'm 100% Italian and my husband was German and Polish.  The recipe came from my husband's grandmother, but I felt an inert need to Italianize it. 

He wanted my own recipe.  It follows for him to use or anyone who has a need to eat Polish food with an Italian twist.

1 large head of green cabbage
2 cans of Hunts spaghetti sauce
1 cup uncooked rice (makes three cups of cooked rice)
1 pound hamburg
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

Remove leaves from the cabbage by placing the head in boiling water for a minute or so.  Remove and use a sharp knife to remove the outer leaves from the core.  Rinse and repeat until all the leaves large enough to roll a mixture in are removed.  The inner leaves can be turned into cole slaw or cut up and cooked with the pigs in a blanket.  Slice off the hard spine of each leaf so the leaf will be easier to roll.

In a pan of water, cook the rice for 10 minutes.  Drain and rinse.  Place in a bowl and add hamburg and salt and pepper.  Mix well.

Place desired amount of mix in the center of the leaf and fold down the top part of the leaf.  Fold in the 2 sides, then the bottom.  Repeat with each leaf.

Line the bottom of a 9x13 oven safe dish with most of the first can of sauce.  Place the pigs on top of the sauce.  Cover the pigs with the remaining sauce.   Cover and cook 40 to 50 minutes in an oven on bake setting.

This recipe fed 6 people with a couple leftover for one lunch.

Serve with fruit and a salad.  Frugal and yummy!

Guest Post, Elise Griffith

Angie has a special treat for you today.  Cookbook author, Elise Griffith, has written today's post.  One of the many things that binds us as friends is her desire to feed healthy meals to those in need.  I know you will enjoy this post and I hope you'll comment to thank Elise for her efforts.

 

More families today are cooking and eating at home than were a decade ago. Part of the reason is to save money--the food budget is often an expense we can adjust more easily than fixed bills. Another motive is to know what it is we’re eating. At the grocery store, we can pick organically grown produce, meats from animals that haven’t been fed hormones or antibiotics, and read labels. As food prices for certain items rise, we can adjust what it is we buy. We can stock our pantries with basics and take advantage of sales. Angie recently gave an excellent, comprehensive list of pantry staples to keep on hand so your family can always have a nutritious meal available.

While you’re shopping for those staples, would you be willing to pick up one extra item to donate to your local food bank? As blessed as many of us are to be able to shop for food, a growing number of folks (mainly children and seniors) aren’t always sure where their next meal will come from. Very often when I’m in one of the three grocery stores in my town, I’ll see a man or woman in their 70s or older picking up a package of meat or some other item and pondering whether to add it to the very few items in their cart. Eggs in my coastal area are currently $5.00 or more per dozen; what was once a cheap source of protein is now as expensive as a pound of beef or lamb.

One of our neighbors is 94 years old and still volunteers every week at our local food bank. As a “thank you”, volunteers receive one bag of food. It used to be an independently run program where volunteers picked up donations from the grocery stores, sorted and distributed the food to the needy here. A few years ago, though, our county had to partner with Feed America… all donations going to a warehouse to be sorted and bagged, then sent to individual community food banks. The result has been brown paper “Harvest Bags” filled with smelly, spoiled meats and rotten produce. Can you imagine receiving such a bag? What if that was a critical source for food in your household? Would you want any child or elderly person eating gray-green, foamy meat or soft, moldy vegetables?

Angie loves Dollar Tree, and I do, too! Canned meats, chili, stew and beans are available there and provide a source of protein; canned vegetables or fruits are better than spoiled “fresh” produce. No matter how tight your budget, a dollar (or less) can help one person in need have a safe meal. Often ordinary citizens are able to make a huge difference with very little time or money spent.

Here’s a recipe using Dollar Tree food items that would feed a family:

Pepperoni & Mushroom Baked Spaghetti

 

·         ½ (16 ounce) package spaghetti noodles, cooked, drained and cooled

·         1 egg, well beaten

·         2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

·         2 medium, Roma tomatoes, diced

·         2 cups sliced mushrooms

·         1 (26.5 ounce) can spaghetti sauce

·         1 (1.75 ounce) box sliced pepperoni

·         1 cup part skim, shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 9 x 11 inch baking dish with cooking oil spray. In a large bowl, combine pasta, egg, parmesan cheese, diced tomatoes and 1 cup of sliced mushrooms, tossing with two spoons until evenly mixed; transfer to baking dish and spread evenly. Spoon and spread spaghetti sauce over pasta mixture, arrange pepperoni and remaining mushroom slices over sauce and sprinkle with shredded mozzarella. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove from oven, cool slightly, cut and serve.

 

Angie's two cents.

I was thinking about the idea of providing unspoiled foods to the country's population that can't afford to put balanced meals on the table for themselves or their families.  I feel like my personal efforts are a dim representative of the need in this world.  WHAT IF:  Each of us writes a commitment in the comment section - a simple 'I do' - to provide one item for a local food pantry each week?  A can of on sale tuna, fruit, veggie, spice, anything that will provide nutrition to another.  I would be a happy girl if this idea grew across the globe.  If we encourage our friends and family to commit to purchasing one item a week, this could be a movement that demonstrates that there are plenty of good and caring people in this world

. I would be so happy if we gathered together to make an effort to prove that good can overcome  all the evil that appears in the headlines.   Are you with me?

 

Stay safe.  

 

 

 

 

Stocked Pantry List

There have been times I've posted about organizing the pantry mainly because I have a difficult time with how to organize it.  I have to be satisfied that I make a stride each time I tackle the problem.  Although it's taken me about three years to get to where the pantry is, I know there is still a ways to go.

One thing I have never addressed is what should be in a well stocked pantry and why the foods could some day be very important to have available.

The major reason I am comfortable with a well stocked pantry is I have no idea what the future may bring.  We've all seen life turn in a matter of minutes.  A job could be lost, or illness could strike. or the weather could prevent us from leaving the house.   There are a number of reasons why it's prudent to have a stocked pantry.

When I say pantry, I'm referring to any area that your food is stored. You may live-in an apartment or small home or a mansion.  The space doesn't matter, how the space is used is what does matter.  When we were raising our family my husband made shelves above the stairs going to the basement for storage.  Being creative with the real estate you have is a good idea if you're looking for space.

A well stocked pantry includes:

Baking Supplies
flour
sugar
brown sugar
honey
confectioner's sugar
yeast
baking soda
baking powder
salt
shortening
vanilla
evaporated milk
dry milk
molasses
corn syrup

Vegetables
canned
dry (dehydrated)

Fruit
canned
dry (raisins and apricots contain iron)

Meat
canned chicken
tuna
beef
Spam
bacon bits

Spices
parsley
dried onions
garlic powder
Italian seasoning
cinnamon
any spice blend you use on a regular basis
chicken cubes
beef cubes
salt
pepper

Cooking oils and fats

Grains (and more)
oats (can be ground down to add to bread)
bread crumbs
dried eggs
dried tomatoes
dried beans (your choice)
corn meal
rice

Condiments
vinegar (lots of uses for vinegar including disinfecting)
ketchup
mustard
mayo
jam
peanut butter
canned cream soups
Any additional items you use on a regular basis

If you have eggs, milk, flour, grain, baking supplies, fruits. veggies, spices; any dish can be made.
A sampling of the dishes can look like this:
pancakes and eggs
corn fritters
cakes
casseroles
rice and beans

If you have anything to add to this list (it was made from memory) please add a comment to help other readers be prepared for life's little hiccups. 

Stay safe.

Corn fritters with peach jam.

Strawberry jam.

Home made bread before the oven!

Preparing breading for fried green tomatoes.

Yummy herb bread.

Dill picles

Canned beans and veggies

Pickled Beet Recipe

A reader asked for the recipe for pickled eggs.  Her wish is my command! It's such an easy recipe to put together.

Pickled Eggs
1 dozen hard boiled eggs, shelled and cooled
One 15 ounce can of beets, juice included
One can water (Use the beet can)
One can vinegar, white or apple (Use the beet can)
Raw onion, thinly sliced, to taste.

Pour beets and all liquids into a glass or ceramic container.  I use a big recycled pickle jar - with the lid.  Add onions and peeled eggs.  Cover and refrigerate.  You can begin to eat them two hours after they are made, but best if consumed after 24 hours and beyond.  The brine can be stored in the refrigerator and reused at a later time when the eggs are gone.   The longer the eggs sit in the brine, the more pickled they become.

I only pickle six eggs at a time, so I use the full can of beets with half a can of water and vinegar.

I love the beets and onions, too.  This is a fermented food which I'm told is a healthy choice for digestion.

Pickled eggs after 48 hours.

Dollar Tree and Charity Shops

I made my weekly trek to the Dollar Tree this morning.  I found my favorite cereal, Special K with Berries, in a pack of four single serve boxes.  I was so excited my first thought was to wipe the shelves clean of them.  Then common sense invaded because I knew this was no deal as I normally won't pay over 2.00 for large single box.  If I run out and can't find this price, I just wait until I do.

Also in the basket was a can of peach halves - from South Africa.  At first I said no, wrong country.  Mainly because I have been trained to think only our food is good. That may have been true at one time, but not any more.  So I checked out the ingredient label.  The first ingredient was, in fact, peaches.  The second ingredient was sugar.  Real sugar.  Not corn syrup or fructose, but real sugar. You bet I want that can of peaches in my cart.

Added to the cereal and peaches was chicken stock, a name brand package of feta cheese, and raisins.

 I also checked out two charity shops for winter tops.  Again, I did well, spending 9.00 for three long sleeve pull over shirts.  The black one is a Ralph Lauren that sells for 48.00 online, the aqua shirt is an Architect which is listed for 22.00 online.  Both of these tops cost1.99 each.  The striped shirt was from Old Navy and cost the most at 4.99.  Goodwill sells all of it's long sleeve shirts for 4.99.  I went there first this time.  The next time I will go to the other shop first.  A lesson well learned.

Angie's Quick Organizational tip:  If a task takes a few seconds to do, do it right then.  Example:  Putting  away an item or washing up a knife.  Your home will feel so much better to you with as few items out as possible.

If I Had Any Wish to Come True, It Would Be....

Have you ever seen a beauty pageant contestant  asked the question, " If you could have any wish what would it be?'  (Paraphrased)  The answer most likely will have something to do with world peace.  We'd all like to see the world's peoples get along, but as things stand at this moment it appears we have a while to wait. 

If I were asked that question my response would be I'd love to see good healthy foods on every table in the world.  I'm not talking about a huge bounty of food.  I'm talking about good food.  The word organic is a buzz word in this country, but that's exactly what I would like to see -if I had my way.

The American population is so tired of 'enhanced' foods that even an East Coast chain now offers a burger with no hormones or antibiotics.  Of course we don't know the country of origin.  Our food in this country has been desecrated and most of us are in the know.  The only thing is prices can be so overwhelming that young families can not always afford the prices demanded for pure organic foods.  Therein lies my heart. 

I'm saddened when people can't afford food.  I'm a proponent for the food stamp program only because no one should go to bed with an empty stomach.  The numbers say we are an obese nation.  The numbers don't give a glimpse into the reason why.  We do over eat, but it's because we are often hungry because our food has been boxed and chemicalized. (Is that a word?)  If you can pronounced the ingredients on the food package label it simply means you have a master's in chemistry.  We are becoming an unhealthy nation. I'm so glad people are starting to buck the agri - system.  In any way they can.

One of the benefits of being broke when the kids were small was that I couldn't give in to requests for food items that were not basic.  If we had a cake on the table it was made at home.  Potatoes were bought in bulk and milk was always available, but no fruit roll ups or individually packaged
oatmeal with swirls in it were on the list.  Our kids were taught to eat well. 

I will say here that I'm no food Nazi.  I've been known to finish off a box of cheap chocolate covered cherries in two days.  Or enjoy a Hostess snowball with a glass of milk and insist it's a breakfast of high protein content.  Not often, but I get it.  Sometimes we just have to buck the system.

This post has nothing to do with political views.  It is nothing more than the cries from the heart of a mother who wishes nothing but the best for the world's children.

I can't say how blessed I feel to be able to purchase organic
fruits and veggies, along with the minimal success of
my garden this year.  The strawberries were on sale for less than
the 'regular' ones and the bananas were .79 cents a pound.
I only bought two bananas this week to offset the cost of the berries.
The one apple will last for two snacks and supply more potassium.
The cookies have lots of spice in them which contributes to a
healthy diet.  I also bought a block of cheese.


Today's Breakfast
Cheese with crackers
Strawberries
Black coffee
It doesn't get much better than this!
Stay safe

This and That and a Pickle Recipe

Last night it rained.  That in itself is not news.   What is news is the very low clap of thunder that shook my house.  It was so loud and a bit scary.  It was so close to the lightning that my daughter was thinking it was the lightning.  I noted, however, it was a couple of seconds after the lightning.


That I took a shower this morning is not news either.  The news here is the pup walked in to the shower with me and got lathered up, rinsed off, and enjoyed the hot water on her back.  After a towel dry and blow dry she was good to go.  A quick run around the house and to her napping position she went.

Let me introduce Marley to you.  She is a great companion.
I often tell her how much my husband would have liked her -
 and spoil her.  If he were still with us, I have a feeling
she would be his dog, not mine,   

Remember the refrigerator pickles I made last week?  I just finished snacking on them and they are so good.  I promised the recipe for you if thy were good.

Items Needed

1.Any clean jar with a lid (New or recycled)
2.White vinegar
3. One quarter cup of Salt (The recipe calls for course salt, but there was no such thing when I learned how to can pickles, so any salt will do.)
4.Three (3) Cups of water
5.Two (2) cloves of garlic for each jar
6.Cucumbers, sliced in any way you like them.
7.Two (2) sprigs of dill for each jar.


Heat the water and salt until the salt dissolves.  IMPORTANT  Let this cool to room temperature before pouring in jars.


To each jar add 1/4 cup vinegar, garlic, pickles then top off with salt solution.  Remove air bubbles and cover with lid tightened.


Leave in a dark cool spot for 7 days, turning upside down the first day, then right side up the next.  Repeat for seven days.  Enjoy!

My costs were minimal since I grew the garlic and cucumbers.  I did purchase dill (mine didn't survive). vinegar, and salt.  Even if I paid for the items the cost would have been lower (much) than the ones bought in the grocery store that are stored in the refrigerated section.

I submitted some pictures on a blog called 'Down to Earth'.  It is written by a woman who has published a number of simple living books with a major publisher who has well over 18 million hits on her blog.  She invited her readers to submit pictures of a favorite spot in their homes.  Mine were published.  Because of her kindness in inviting us to publish our blog addresses - if we had one - this blog received over 10 times the normal hits in each of three days.

One of her readers wished I'd open the curtains to view the woods as this is what I talked about.  It never occurred to me to do so.  So here, vroon, is the picture I promised you.


This is the blog address   http://down---to---earth.blogspot.com/

Here you go, vroon.  I had to be quiet as there was a bunny
chomping on some clover when I went out to take this
photo.  He was too far away to get a picture of him,
although I tried.

A Busy Week is Now Behind Me

I'm sure my readers are familiar with the weeks that fly by leaving you wondering where they went and what did you do anyway.   That was last week for me.  Nothing profound happened, just, it flew by. I took pictures to prod my memory for the blog.  Thankfully, because I'm shooting mental blanks right now.

Let today be the start of the list of accomplishments for the past week.  First thing I went to pick up my new glasses.  Being older and having a desire to preserve my eyesight as long as possible I opted for transitional lenses.  The sun now bothers my eyes.  The transition is slow and hardly recognizable
But my eyes are thanking me for spending a bit more to help The lady who was fitting my glasses had pity on me and provided me with a cool animal print case that has a hard cover and snaps shut.  Animal print not being my first choice in most things, this case being the exception.  Things really are relative, wouldn't you say?

How cool is this case?  I'm styling!

From there a stop was made at Marshall's.  I picked up a cute container to keep next to the bed to put my night time items in.  It has front pockets, but I have no need for them now.  Maybe in the future they will come in handy.  The clearance section had multiple items in it so I found a journal that I'll use for next year's notes.  I started using a journal this year to jot down any notes as reminders of things not to forget.  The pages on the left, I jot down reminders and on the right, I jot down recipes and projects.  Things I've tried (such as making hand soap) I mark with a small strip of colorful  washi tape as an indicator that I like it and will incorporate the recipe into my life.
I also have a journal that I use to record my gardening dates and tips and outcomes.  This journal will be used until it's full, with the year written before notes are taken.

The bedside organizer holds the remote, tissues, glasses case
and a note pad in the event I remember something I don't
want to forget.  Did that make sense?

'In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different'.
(Coco Chanel)  This described me to a tee.  The being different part.
Seeing the rest of the sentence I consider a gift as I was always under
the impression that being different than the mainstream
population was considered unacceptable.  Something
I struggled with until I was around 50.
 

There's a big movement concerning datebooks.  My daughter and I go to the book store each summer to purchase our date books for the coming year.  We go in the summer because her year begins in September with the start of school.  Both of us are happy to have the books with little to no embellishments.  The trend is to purchase multitude types of stickers to decorate as well as commemorate special dates such as birthdays.  I've never been one to go all out and crazy over anything, so I don't see me getting on board with this trend.  I do put a sticker next to birthdays which helps me to spot them at a glance.  

It appears the two lizards in my garden had a baby.  He is braver than his parents and zips by the pup while she is laying in the sun.  Of course she totally ignores the little guy.  It seems she can't be bothered.  None of the plants have been ravished by bugs, only by too much rain.  Wait, I lied.  The sunflower has huge chomps out of a couple leaves, but doesn't appear to be effected by it as each of the four plants have produced flowers.  One of them must be nine feet tall as it towers well over the top of the six foot fence.

We are never too old to learn new things.  I just learned something this past month.  Let me preface this with letting my readers know that I have never been into fancy makeup or clothes or grooming products.  It's just who I am.  I've secretly looked up to women who knew how to use products to enhance their inert beauty, but I don't know how to, nor do I have a desire to enhance what I am.   I do have a desire to care for what I've been given.  I keep my personal space clean ad free of dirt.  Face always washed and hands washed more times a day than anyone would care to count. (The hand washing came from working in the medical field.)

The feel of moisturizers on my face is unpleasant to me, until recently.  I was become gaunt looking so I increased the water intake.  This helped a bit, but nothing noticeable.  Then I discovered a product from Japan that promised to hydrate the skin.  I was apprehensive, but the promise was I could return the item with no questions asked.  The belief that these types of products were just hype to sell something was still in my mind.  With a mental picture of my friend, Kyoko, I thought it was worth a try.  OMGosh!  The product does indeed hydrate.  I love the face wash so much, I went back this month to purchase the moisturizer.  The gaunt look is gone and my face is plumped up once again.  I'm now a believer.  But, not in all product claims.

I'm not advocating the purchase of this particular
product,  I'm only saying that there are really products on
the market that do indeed follow through on their claims.


 

This week also had a visit to the famer's market at the end of the day with lower prices on tomatoes and peppers along with a free ear of corn. 

I also went to the wholesale flower shop to look for a BOGO deal which I found in some beautiful yellow flowers.

Stay safe.  Feel free to share what you've accomplished (or did not) this week in the comment section.
 

Time to Prepare a Hurricane Bag

I just watched a video that reminded me I have been lax in providing a seventy two hour hurricane bag.  One thing everyone knows in this area is to be prepared for a hurricane at home and if people need to evacuate the area.  The newspapers put out booklets every year and the news channels talk about being prepared for the hurricane season.

I am always prepared for a storm in my home, but I've been lax about gathering together items in one place to take with me if there is a need to evacuate.  Time to be diligent and make a bag up.

I used two bags, one for food, then one for equipment to prepare or eat the food and clean clothes.  As far as water is concerned I can grab it from the garage while heading out the door if I need to evacuate.   I also have 2 disposable grills that I bought at Wal Mart a couple of years back.

The food bag needs to be filled with long lasting items that have an expiration date at least six months out.  I don't want to have to worry about  the food often so my bag is filled with food that has an entire year before I have to worry about it.  Since there is only me, the cans are single serve ones as is the cereal.  Another thing is because it gets so hot here in the summer, I can't store my bag in the ideal place - the vehicle.

The food bag (or container of your choice) needs these items:

Breakfast for three days for each person
Lunch for three days for each person
Dinner for three days for each person
I added snacks like packs of cookies, tea, coffee packets, and bubble gum.
Don't forget water
You may want to add a couple of small bottles of wine!

Here's a sample of the food I have packed in my bag. 
The beans are for a protein source, as is the tuna packs.

Also needed:

Matches or some sort of igniter
A source of light: candles, flashlight, solar lamp, etc.
Some sort of pan, I'm using dollar store aluminum pans.
Eating utensils, paper plates, cups
Prescription medicines
Band aids and antibiotic ointment
Cleansing wipes

Because the bag is for three days only, small amounts of these items are all that is needed.

In the vehicle I can store a blanket and an atlas.

Wherever you live in this country abnormal weather patterns can emerge.  It's a beautiful land, but with beauty can come unforeseen calamity. Being prepared for such things is prudent and will reduce stress if a weather condition forces you out of your home.

Accomplishments and Favorites

This month I have a few favorites, but not too many because I haven't researched or purchased too many new things.

BOOKS

The book by Carolyn LaRoche, Undercover in Six Inch Stilettos.  This is an up and coming author with a flair for humor, romance, and suspense.  Here's a blurb from amazon to get you started.
If you find you have an interest in purchasing the book, it's available on www.amazon.com in
Paper back and e book format. 

As a transparency statement Carolyn is my daughter.  Her numbers are high for a new author and she tells me she is very popular in the UK.  I always told my kids that I didn't care what their chosen profession is, to only be the best at whatever they chose.  It looks like Carolyn was serious about following this advice.  She also teaches forensics in a local high school as her Master's is in this field of study. 


Cyndi Mills has a great life. A handsome husband that is totally hot for her, a beautiful daughter, and friends she could trust with her life. Her life should feel complete, yet she feels something is missing. She knows her husband won't approve when she takes on a job where her closest friend is a cross dressing bartender, her mentor has a feather boa for every occasion, and her alter-ego spends every shift shaking her... um... assets. She manages to keep her new career a secret from her husband, Jason, until her co-workers start disappearing. Cyndi is determined to find the missing girls. Unfortunately, solving the case means her overly protective cop husband has to know where she goes every Friday night and the killer soundtrack of 80's rock won't matter to him one bit. Cyndi's thrown deep into the case when she becomes a confidential informant.

With her marriage and family on the line, will she risk everything to find justice?

http://www.amazon.com/Undercover-Stilettos-Secret-Lives-Police-ebook/dp/B00ZK3M87K/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1436360620&sr=1-4&keywords=carolyn+laroche

FOOD

Washington state cherries.  As long as they are available, I'll be snacking on them.  I canned five jars for a winter treat.

Organic tomatoes that a neighbor shared with me.  The flavor was so 'tomatoy'.  I miss the true flavor of veggies that I remember from childhood - before our crops were messed with.

PRODUCTS

A pack of ten Mylar blankets.  People use them to cover their windows in the summer to deflect heat from the sun.  I'll be putting them up on key windows this week.  I hope this lives up to the great reviews I read.

VIDEOS

I'm a sucker for the homecoming videos that pop up on my fb page from the Veteran's site.  I normally need facial tissue while watching the happiness of families reunited after a soldier's tour in the Middle East

I'm a big fan of the Royal Family in the UK.  The new pictures up on facebook of Charlotte's christening are adorable.

The Tudor Farm (BBC documentary) on yoo toob is packed with information that could be used in today's simple life.  However, I won't be raising any hogs or chickens in the near future.

Accomplishments

Dried 4 cups of pumpkin that I froze in the fall.  This way I'm not pressured to use it before it gets freezer burned.  When I want to make bread, I'll reconstitute it.

There are two quart bags of blackberries in the freezer, with a whole lot more to come.  The berries on the bush are in different stages - some red, some green, and some still in the flower stage.  I'll wait until all of them are picked to process them.

I tried to get a shot of all three stages of growth on the berry bush.

The bedding is washed and put back on the bed.

Some items that need to be hand washed are hanging over the shower door.

Some bay leaves are also dried and sealed in a canning jar.

I documented what was in the freezer and pantry so I don't waste money re buying what I already have.

A trip to Sam's club and the kitchen now has 10 pounds of flour, 10 pounds of sugar, vitamins (my son in law insisted), an eight can pack of baked beans, and tuna.  I also stocked upon toilet tissue and facial tissue.

Some blackberry leaves were also cleaned and dried for a tea in the colder months.  These leaves are said to aid in digestion.

What are your accomplishments this week?  Let us know in the comment section.

Stay safe.