Christmas Bargain Shopping and a Shared Meal

On September 15 2016 the new discount card I received in the mail from Kohl's becomes valid.  This time I received a 30% off coupon.  I've been waiting for the 30% coupon because there are a couple of Christmas/birthday gifts I want to purchase.  Not only can I use the 30% coupon, they are also offering cash back.  For every 50.00 spent, I will receive 10.00 in cash back vouchers to be spent during the next cycle.

Here's the scenario:

1.Cost of gifts: $460.00
2.Purchasing online through www.ebates.com cash back promotion of .03%  Minus $9.66
3. 30% coupon, minus $138.00
4. Kohl's cash, 60.00
5. 2 you rewards, $15.00

460.00
- 138.00 = 322.00 (coupon)
-9.66 = 312.34 (ebates reward, rounded down)
- 60.00 = 252.00 (Kohl's cash)
- 15.00 = 237.00 ( 2 you rewards)
This comes out to be a savings of 223.00

I like this!  First thing in the morning I will take advantage of the free shipping online and order the items.


Monday I woke up with so much energy that I did a marathon session in the kitchen.  The beef stew and home made bread made a great meal that I shared with friends and family.  I enjoyed the visit and had fun setting the table with a fall theme.   The meal was topped off with a garden salad and jello.  The kids ate mac and cheese with some salad and the jello.  The adults topped off the dinner with a store bought coffee crumb cake while the kids chomped down a few candy corns.

Because I don't use recipes, I just fling
meals together, I was hoping the stew
was good.  I got a few thumbs up!

I meant to take a picture of the table
setting, but got side tracked.  These tulips
were in the center.  You know I love
tulips!

I used the bread machine to make
this loaf.  It was stored in a 'green' bag
which lived up to the claims of the creator.


 

After dinner I sat in the back yard while the kids drew race tracks on the patio and the four year old ate every blackberry she could find on the bushes.  I had a nice time with everyone.  I even had help with the dishes.  Many hands make the work light.

I also made a quiche to use up small amounts of mushrooms and spinach.  The quiche will be cut into single servings and placed in the freezer for future meals.

Nothing was lost when I made this quiche.
The eggs were fresh from a friend's
chickens (I'm sooo thankful) and the
veggies were fresh.

I love the blue color of the eggs.

This picture is for a friend who thinks
when I cook I'm a neat freak.  I just
create and worry about the mess
later.  I do separate clean from dirty
though.  Just ingrained in me from
medical and surgical training.

All clean now.  I thought my hands were
going to fall off after cleaning dishes
four times during the marathon!

Stay safe.

In The Kitchen With Angie (And Other Things)

I broke a rule and went out on Saturday.  The farm market was smaller than I remember it being last year.  Let me qualify that statement.  We have two locations.  One is close to my house and the other location is between my house and my daughter's house.  Because I was going to my daughter's home, I stopped at the location that was between our homes.

I did find a farmer who was smart enough to offer bruised tomatoes at 4/ 1.00.  I scooped up four big ones to make a couple of sandwiches and use the rest for home made pasta sauce.  Those four tomatoes will provide two sandwiches and at least two pasta dishes.  I guess the cost for each would be .25 cents.  Not bad and makes me happy to use what others would think to be inferior foods.  The perfect tomatoes were selling for 1.00 each.

Also into my bag went five peaches that were priced at 3.00.  Sixty cents a peach is OK.  They were local (state) peaches so I scooped them up.

From the farm market I went to pick up my daughter for a trek to Wal Mart where she had to pick up glasses for her sons.  I returned two items and picked up a box of 12 individual packs of cookies for 4.00.  Each pack was .30 so it was a good deal as far as cookies I didn't need.  The original thought was to have them on hand for the grandchildren, but they may not last that long.

After dropping my daughter and her sons off I headed home.  Noticing the Intercostal Waterways bridge was up I detoured to the Dollar Tree instead of waiting in traffic while the boats passed through.  I was looking for one more white container for the pantry and was surprised to see only one white one on the shelves.  Snatched up and placed in the cart, I went on my way.  I also picked up two other items - a spool of plaid ribbon to make a bow and sour patch kids for the grandchildren.

Heading home took a few minutes with a total of 11.00 spent.  The items I returned totaled close to 28.00.

The rest of the afternoon was spent eating a tomato sandwich, removing two of the cucumber plants from the garden, watching BBC documentaries and a quick nap.  The evening ended with a daily call from a friend with lots of laughter and a good night call from my daughter.

Remember the flour I canned?  I wanted to test it out in a recipe so I made ginger cookies with it.  The cookies came out delicious, but I will not can flour again.  It became lumpy and difficult to break up.  I'll use what I have so it won't waste, but not repeat the process. I did have fun experimenting though.

Another experiment was making up a small batch of pancake batter that didn't need anything added but water to make the pancakes.  I did add mild and eggs for a good protein source   This experiment was successful.

I did make one other trip to the book store on Thursday.  My daughter and I bought our date books and we each found a cookbook that interested us.  The rest of Thursday was spent with S and her family as I stayed over night with her pup as my sleeping buddy.

How was your week spent?  Did you enjoy at least one thing this week?  Let us know in the comment section.

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.

Some Savings and Piddling Around the Kitchen

After a quick appointment yesterday afternoon, I drove across the street to grab a few groceries for the next two weeks.  Even with the organic choices I made the total spent was 56.14.  That breaks down to just a smidge over 28.00 per week.  I did splurge and bought a holiday magazine   I call it a splurge because the cost was just shy of 8.00.  As I've said in a past post, magazines no longer interest me too often.  I'm thinking because I'm having a difficult time waiting for fall, I had a weak moment when I spotted the fall colors on the cover.

The last time I was at Harris Teeter, I bought organic strawberries.  I swear just the top layer was organic to be followed by the other kind.  I politely asked the produce manager if this was a possibility and he explained that there were federal laws against such practices.  He asked if I would like another container.  I replied I didn't bring in the berries. His response was, " So you don't want a pack of berries?"   Confusion set in for a moment, then I realized he was offering to replace my loss.

In another aisle (cookies!) I found one of my favorite baker's cookies.  I was so excited it was difficult to retain my composure.  (I did, though.)  I asked the manager if he could contact the vendor to ask if they could stock a certain cookie that I have been craving for,  He took my name and number and said he would call me when they arrived. 

This store knows how to retain their customer base.  It's also the store that has great buy 2 get three sales.  If you remember, I bought five bags of coffee on such a sale paying a bit over 2.00 a bag for the coffee.

Purchasing sale items, the savings was over seven dollars and the berries were at no charge.  I left with a smile in my heart.

This morning I hit the ground running and cleaned the pantry, dated the cans, and reorganized - not only the pantry - but the cupboard I keep my dehydrated foods in.  Finally realizing this task needs to be a monthly occurrence, I put it in my date book to keep on top of it.  Thankfully, there was no waste with the exception of some cookies that I will give to the pup for treats.  I don't buy dog treats because I can't be sure of the quality.  Besides she likes apples and bland people cookies better.

 

I was excited to find an additional carton of 2 quart jars.
The jars that are still empty have water in them in
 preparation of hurricane season.  Since the jars take
up space, I thought they shpu;d be useful. 

Another acquisition this week was two 40 ounce bottles of Tide detergent for 1.99 each.  I used a dollar coupon on double 1.00 day.  They were 2.99 each with a 1.00 off two.

Some time was put aside to grind bread into crumbs, wiz the dried parsley, and mushroom stems into powder.

When the bread crumbs were done, I sealed the jar with the food saver.
I seal jars that I seldom use to keep things fresh for a longer period of time.
 

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.

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.

What's Happening at Angie's House This Week?

For the first time ever I met our eldest daughter for breakfast.  The plan was to meet at a local restaurant, but when we arrived we were informed they no longer serve breakfast.  The closest place was McDonald's so we ventured there to fill up on a breakfast sandwich.  I sometimes crave one of their egg biscuits.

When breakfast was over and we parted ways, I stopped in to the Dollar Tree.   The cashier was a happy woman who sent a genuine greeting my way.  My spirits were instantly lifted from the greeting then hit high when I spied the new back to school supplies.

My daughter brought over two large zucchini for me. From one of them I got five cups of shredded veggie, four cups that went into the freezer and one cup went into the dehydrator.  The other one was sliced and dried for use in winter stews, soups and sauces.  I hope the harvest is good this year so I can dry lots more.  I am impressed with the health benefits of zucchini, but I'm not too fond of the bland taste.  This way I can bake with it and use it in one pot wonders.

I really wish I was a better photographer, but my poor skills will have
to do for now.  The next time there's a class online, I will be the first
to sign up, just so I can do better on this blog.  One jar of the dried zucchini
will go back to my daughter and the other will stay at my house. 
She wants me to keep the shredded bunch.

My neighbor moved, but before she did she shared a few organic veggies with me, one of which was a squash.  Today that squash will also be dried.

Two mornings this week I got up early and spent some time with the two youngest grands.  My daughter needed some help for a few hours on those days, so I went early, then the eldest daughter finished off the morning watching the kids until their mom got home.  This isn't something I do often, but when the parents are in a tight spot I'll watch the kids.  I'm not the grandmother that devotes her retirement to watching the grands.  I've made that very clear to all of my children.  My responsibility ended when my kids grew up.  Their children are their responsibility.  My job is to spoil the grands.  I think I may be good at my 'job'.  Tee hee hee.

I ordered two solar lamps from amazon this week, as well.  Let me tell you they are the neatest little lamps.  I have been testing them out at night to see how well they work and decided I could save on electricity by using them now and having them on hand if the power goes out for any reason.  I thought, even on sale, they were a bit more than I would normally spend, but I felt better after my son in law told me the bulbs were LED and would never have to be replaced.

Aren't these lights the cutest things?  There's even a handle so they
can be hung up.

Our buildings are being power washed this week. My community is small so they have put aside just three days to finish the project.  My home was the first one done.  For those of you not familiar with the humidity in the South buildings need to be power washed every year or so because the humidity tends to leave green slime on them after a while.  Especially the parts that don't get much sun light.

I had to pitch one pot of tomato plants because the rain  did a number on them.  I'm hoping I get at least a few tomatoes off of the remaining plant.  Even if they have to be picked green I can make bread or jam from them.  So far the cucumber plant and the melon plant are loving the rain.  Here's hoping.  I have gotten quite a few berries off of the blackberry bushes with many more to come.  So some successes along with some failures.

I think I may have mentioned in an earlier post that I bought two winter shirts from the thrift store.  They're washed and ready for the first cold day.  The intention is to use them as sleeping shirts, but there's no reason I can't wear them in the house to keep warm during the day.

These shirts came from the Goodwill thrift store. The blue
one was half price for 2.50, the cream one was full price.
The cream one still had the tags on it and the blue one
was never worn.  A simple way of testing this is to run
your fingers over the tag.  If the printing is raised
then the shirt was never washed.

Just to let you know this posted well before it was finished.  I don't know how I did that.  I may never figure it out.  But I will be diligent the next time I have a half finished post to make sure this doesn't happen again.

Stay safe.

What is a 'This and That' Lunch?

I've been a bit ill, so forgive the lack of posting.  I think today will be a 'this and that' post.  When our kids were small and I wanted to use up small bits of fresh foods I'd tell them we're having a 'this and that' lunch.  They loved the term and no noses were turned up at the last piece of cheese or the last carrot in the refrigerator.

This morning I wanted to preserve the carrots that lurked in the refrigerator so I blanched them and they are currently in the dehydrator.  The top rack is half full of bay leaves that came off the plant in the backyard.  I have some parsley that's ready to grind and garlic that is drying. I've been doing light duty things in the kitchen.

Monday I canned five pint jars of cherries with all of them sealing.  The carrots in the garden also got weeded on Monday. 

Since I have to rest more than work this week I have been re watching a BBC series on  the World War II farm in England.  When I like a series, I'm known to watch it over and over again.  Each time I find additional information that I missed the time before.

One of my favorite movies to watch over again is The Devil's Advocate.  I hated it the first time I watched it, I think because I was scared.  For some unknown reason I watched it again - most likely because my husband did.  I went past the crude language that popped up every so often and began to notice the message of the movie.  Looking at Keanu Reeves wasn't too difficult either.

My favorite movies are: The Godfather - all three parts, Nanny McFee, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Storm of the Century, and the Stand.  Once in a while I'll watch Baby Boom.  How's that for an eclectic mix?  I won't even try to figure that one out.

I also own DVDs with Clara, Two Fat Ladies and Jamie Oliver.

I like cook books, too.  My favorite books are written by Ina Garten.  Did you know in a past life she was the Minister of Energy for the USA?  Wow, what a turn around.  She is obviously a person who knows how to navigate success.  More power to her.

I've been missing my mate this week quite a bit.  I think because the anniversary of his passing is on July seventh.  Most widows are interested in someone else by now, but I'm not that bright.  My loyalties still lie with a man I can't see or be with any longer.  I've accepted this is the way I feel and go with the flow.  Maybe there is some sort of glitch in me, but I'll go on the premise 'what I don't know won't hurt' when it comes to this.

Harris Teeter grocery store has buy two packages of coffee, get three free.  The final cost came to about 2.20 a package.  Difficult to beat that price.  I chose the hazelnut as it's my favorite kind of coffee.  I also got a personal size watermelon, bananas, grape tomatoes, and cookies.  The kind with peanut butter in the middle.  Oh, yummo!

The other store I visited was Ross and found a patch (scratch) kit for the hardwood floors.  I've been looking for one for a while now.  Patience, in this case, was definitely a virtue.  The kit has five different shades of stain so it can be used on just about any wood surface.  I feel like I hit pay dirt with this one!

That's about all I've been up to this week.  Time to go rest again.  Stay safe.

Good Food and a 'Me' Day

Welcome to reader, Karla.  It was a nice surprise to see new comments from a new reader.  Thank you.

Something simple has just been revealed to me.  I have transitioned from grocery shopping every week to shopping every other week.  I'm not sure when this occurred, but it has.  I've been cooking up a small storm yesterday and today making some of my favorite foods.

Yesterday morning I made French toast-  the Italian way, cooked in a half inch of olive oil.  Since one egg netted four pieces I had two yesterday for breakfast, one this morning, with one saved for snack time.  This morning's breakfast included only one slice because I also had oatmeal, strawberries with home made whipped cream, and milk.  I was famished.  One would have thought I haven't seen food in days the way I packed it in this morning.  I think the weather has something to do with appetite because the humidity has gone way down after the storm we had last night.

This morning's hog fest!  I'm not a fan of foods being all mixed in
together, but I'm not put off by it either.  There's a famous dish made
 in my home town that's called a garbage plate that is to die for,  I'll eat
that until I feel like exploding!

Last night's meal was a huge stuffed artichoke (which I'll finish for lunch), garbanzo beans with small chunks of blue cheese and dressing, with strawberries and cream for dessert.  I also had a snack last night eating a slice of French bread I cooked up with peanut butter and a glass of milk.  (The loaf I froze the last time I made the bread was defrosted and cooked.)

This is the biggest artichoke I've ever seen.  Yummy!

I love a good storm and enjoyed listening to the thunder last night's storm brought with it.  I had no idea the storm got a bit out of control while I slept.  My back yard is a mess with organic debris this morning.  Thankfully none of the plants were affected.  Even the sunflowers didn't droop from the force of the winds.

I guess I have some work cut out for me today when the
yard dries out.

Yesterday was a take care of me day.  I rested, washed my hair, and did a pedicure.  Not a poke me as much as I can to get the last bit of cuticle removed one.   Just a feels good to have clean feet one.  When I worked I had a pedicure done every month.  I got tired of the poking and prodding so I do my own now.  When someone is working on your feet they have no sensation of the pain they are causing, they only have the goal of removing every thing in sight that doesn't belong there.  Ouch!

The pup was basking in he morning sun when I saw a small lizard run by.  He changed directions when he spotted the dog, but the dog was clueless and just kept snoozing.  I guess even older pups  gain wisdom as they mature.   Either that or she can't be bothered any more.

I'm off to a short appointment.  I hope your day is blessed and stay safe.

Angie

A Low Key Week

The week - so far - has been quiet and slow.  I've been doing piddilly little projects to keep me out of trouble.  Monday I went to my daughter's house to help my son in law with a project.  Nothing he couldn't do by himself, but four hands made the work lighter.  The project took three hours with the two of us working on it, so I imagine it would have taken at least four hours if he were by himself.

I made new bottles of room spray and bug spray since both bottles were close to empty.  I use lavender essential oil for the room spray then for the bug spray I mix the lavender with peppermint essential oil.   Since I was already making a mess in the kitchen I made more hand soap using empty pump bottles I saved.

A short trip to the dollar store netted a pack of chalk board (like) stickers that had greetings on them.  The type of greetings that could be used if someone wanted to make their own thank you notes and such.  Pulling out my small tin of craft items I grabbed a couple of pieces of card stock, folded them, then simply placed a sticker on them.  Plain and simple, just like their creator.  I think by this time  my readers realize I'm not the frilly type.  The cards reflect that fact.  Not super creative, but along the level I'm at right now with my creative streak.



One of the cards is a thank you note card that I can write a
sentiment in that would be appropriate for the occasion. 
The other is an encouragement card that can also have
a hand written note inside.  I know a little girl who will be
receiving this one. 

I also went to a garage sale and found the perfect table for my back hall area.  On top of that I found a great lamp with lots of character.  Another trip to the store,  TJ Maxx this time, and I'm so happy with the results.  The table was the perfect color and size and I parted with 20.00 to buy it.  The lamp was 10.00.  The accessories I bought at TJM were 7.00 and 14.99. The cost of the total project was about 52.00.



The table is a slim parson's table.  I'm not sure how to describe
 the lamp other than to say it's 'cool'.  The mirror was there which
was a gift from my daughter for a birthday.  To say she got
a great deal on it would be crass.  (But, she did!)

Meals this week have been good and made from the pantry.  I made white clam sauce pairing it with bird nest noodles that covered two meals.  I also finished off the French bread I made for breakfasts-once toasted with peanut butter and once toast then sliced in thin strips to dig into soft boiled eggs.  It's difficult to remember what else I had for meals, but those two things remained in memory.

What was your week like?  Was it as 'exciting' as mine?

Ragu Napolitano, Two Greedy Italians

Since I haven't been cooking much these past few weeks my eating habits have a lot to be desired.  For inspiration I have been watching a BBC documentary series called 'Two Greedy Italians'.  I love these guys as they travel through Italy checking out all of the foods native to particular regions.  These are the foods I love such as lemons, cheeses, pasta, and olives.  I've learned that each area in Italy has it's own recipe for  these foods.

I hit the jackpot when one of the gentlemen cooked up what he called Ragu Napolitano.  I'm off to the butcher this morning to purchase a cheap cut of beef, pork ribs, and Italian sausage for this dish.  I have everything else in the house.

I began the day with a hearty breakfast of oatmeal, milk, fruit, and an English muffin topped with peanut butter.  Hopefully this breakfast will be the start of my journey back to healthy eating because I'm one to not eat a meal when I should be eating three a day..  I also brewed tea for iced tea that will flush out the kidneys, making them happy once again.  Plain unsweetened tea is my favorite.

I took a few minutes break from blogging to go to the butcher for the meat needed to make the Ragu Napolitano.  Next to the butcher shop is a garden store that had a sign declaring there was a farm market inside.  Again, I hit jack pot.  Right there in front of me was a bushel of South Carolina peaches,  Ripe
 ones.  Small peaches with fuzz on the skin.  Real organically grown peaches that when I bit into one the juice rolled down my arm.  Heavenly is the only word to describe that first slobbering bite.  Life is good!

The Ragu is on the stove and needs to simmer for 2 hours more.  Add some noodles and I've got a meal fit for an Italian Mama.  I can't wait for it to be ready.  I think I'll pick some of the outer lettuce leaves in the garden and top them with olive oil and lemon juice for a side salad.

A Fun Birthday Party and Dollar Tree

Saturday we are celebrating my grandson's fifth birthday.  He promised his mom that when he turned five, he would be a 'good boy'.  LOL  He's too bright and spunky to be a 'good boy' all of the time.

My daughter and son in law rented a city park for the day so all of the excitement can be let loose in the great outdoors.  My contribution to the food will be a macaroni salad, potato salad, and baked beans.

I got a five pound bag of potatoes a couple of weeks ago for .99.  The mayonnaise was on sale for 2.00 each with a coupon.  The eggs I'll use are the ones I get from the milk man, so they are a bit more of an added cost.  A dozen goes for 3.29 and I used eight for the two salads.  The  baked beans were on sale for 1.67 for a large can.  With my senior discount the savings was .07 a can.  Since two large cans went into the cart the cost was 3.12 for the pass around dish.  I'll add a bit more brown sugar to sweeten them up a bit. The pasta was .49 a box, so I got a good deal on that, too.  So a total of approximately 6.50 plus a few stalks of celery and carrots which were also purchased on sale.

I had to put the macaroni salad in two containers because
there was so much of it..  This turned out super good so I brought
some home.

Let me interject a word of wisdom here.  If your celery or carrots become a bit limp while being stored in the refrigerator, place them in a bowl of ice water for about 30 minutes to re - crisp them.  The only reason they become limp is the moisture was being drawn out.  This stands only if the color is still intact.  Brown veggies are rotting veggies.

I started this post on Friday and got side tracked.  Today is Monday so I can report that the party went well.  All the kids had such fun with water guns and empty water bottles.  The day was perfect - weather wise - so the water that soaked their clothes quickly dried them.  There's nothing like a gaggle of boys running around acting like boys!   The laughter was infectious and so nice to hear.

I didn't realize I could have brought the pup with me if she was on a leash.  Next time we go there, I'll do that and let her check out the lake.  Who knew there was a large lake tucked in the center of our city.

I like this city, even though I have always preferred a rural setting. The tallest building I have seen is the City Center building which is four or five stories.  Needless to say it sticks out like a sore thumb.  Our buildings are no more than two stories and the city is sprawled out like a big suburb with lots of green space and beautiful flowers everywhere.  Small forests are tucked between housing plats for an added touch of nature.

The city is also clean because residents take great pride in the area.  I have seldom seen litter and when I do, I pick it up just like others do.

After I left the party I was close to the Dollar Tree so I stopped in to check things out.  I only
bought four items; shelf liner, Lysol wipes, labels, and computer paper.  I watched a video where the poster used rubber shelf liner in her refrigerator door to prevent glass bottles in the door shelves from shuffling around when the door was closed.  Great idea since my milk comes in glass bottles and resides in the door.

My dollar store finds this week.  The labels will be used to
identify what goes in the clear containers in the refrigerator.
The wipes are for the vehicle and the paper is just because I have a
'thing' for good paper. I know I'll find a use for it.

Accomplishments this past week are:
1. Planted four bean plants.  Since the spinach is going to seed, I'll plant more beans when the spinach is pulled out.
2.  Washed all of the bedding and scrubbed the bedroom.  It's time to wash it again today.
3.   Scrubbed the kitchen with home made orange cleaner.  I love this concoction on the stainless sinks in the kitchen.  It removes the film that accumulates which no one can see.
4.  Watched videos on organization.
5.  Put back all of the items I had to put up when the carpet cleaning man came to clean the rugs upstairs and in the master bedroom.  I let the upstairs wait until I had time to replace things and go through them to sort what I wanted to keep and donate.
6.  Did a small grocery haul.
7.  Went to dinner with the family.
8.  Weeded the garden.
9.  Watered the garden on the days it didn't rain.

Other things I can't remember!

Stay safe.

Old World Stuffed Artichokes

I have my children in mind for this post.  They all love stuffed artichokes so I need to explain exactly how to make them.  They may have a problem getting their spouses or children to eat them, but who knows, maybe some day each of them will try.

This recipe is for one artichoke.  I'm at a point where I don't measure when I cook, so the measurements will be approximate.   This is for you C, Ch, R, and S,

1 fresh artichoke.  If the leaves are wited, skip the artichokes that week.

With a sharp knife cut the stem off as well as the points of the largest (tallest) leaves.  Then strip off (by hand) the first outer layer of leaves.  Use your thumbs to open up the center, pulling outward to stretch the center open to receive the stuffing.

*One cup of bread, cubed.  Day old bread is the best kind to use.
*1/4 t salt (hopefully pink salt)  If you increase the recipe, don't increase this as much as the other ingredients.  One half to three quarters teaspoon for four artichokes works well.
* Pepper to taste
* 1/4 stalk of Celery cut in small pieces
* 2 T onion, cut in small pieces
* parsley to taste
* 1 1/2 t olive oil - a splash more for the water they cook in
* 1 T butter

Mix all of these ingredients together, well, except the butter

Stuff the dressing in the center of the artichoke.  If you have too much you can stuff some between the leaves. 

Place the artichokes, upright, in an appropriate sized pan.  Fill the pan with water a bit lower than the center (half way up the side of the pan.) of the upright leaves - about 2 C.  Put a splash of olive oil in the water.  Place a pad of butter in the center of the stuffing and cover the pan.  Cook on medium high for 40 - 60 minutes.  WARNING:  The water will dissipate.  Check it every few minutes and add more as needed.  They're ready when a leaf easily pulls out.

Remember to eat only the lower soft part of the leaves.  Discard the part in the center that is prickly,then savor the 'heart'. (Bottom center portion.)

Enjoy and don't forget a napkin.  You know how messy your hands can get.   ( I filed this under 'artichokes' so you don't have a difficult time retrieving the recipe.)

I was so hungry that I forgot to take a picture until the
artichoke was half eaten.  Of course I tackled the stuffing
first!

A Blessed and Whirlwind Weekend

Good morning!  The weather is glorious in this part of the world which makes me want to build a bridge - that's how much it energizes me.  Instead of building a bridge, I'll most likely stick close to home and work in the garden.  Saturday was nice, too.  This is a picture of me on Saturday.

I went crazy cleaning and scrubbing the floors.  I got down on my bum and washed the living room floor by hand.  It's amazing how we think things are clean until we get a bird's eye view of them.  There wasn't much dirt because the floors get steamed on a regular time table, but the corners were hiding all sorts of things like little pebbles and Christmas tree greens.  I only found one tiny spider trying to create a new condo home, but he went the route of the one I found in the window when I washed the bedroom window.

Then I cleaned and organized the refrigerator and freezer because I couldn't find the cookie dough balls I froze a few weeks ago.   The cookies were made and the asparagus soup was completed for dinner.  I did find makings for pizza in the freezer so I thawed those out for a nice addition to the soup.

A head of lettuce was waiting to be washed, dried, and put into jars, so I got right on that, as well.  I washed the lettuce in cool water and added a teaspoon of vinegar to the water to kill any bacteria that could linger behind, then sealed it in a jar to preserve it.

After that I got out the home made orange cleaner and cleaned the counters and sinks in the house.  It's difficult to remember what else was cleaned, I only remember I just kept going.

Note to self.  Stop and rest once in a while.  You are no longer young enough to move all day and half the night.  The pain in my body woke me up at three AM and had me  close to tears.  Since big girls don't cry, it finally dawned on me to take some aspirin.  The pain reduced enough to continue sleeping after being awake for one and a half hours.

Easter was a fun day for all of us.  We went to lunch at a local pub, eating on the deck.  The restaurant is on the Inter Coastal Waterways so the scenery was great.  There was a dock off of the deck so, of course, we had to take the kids down there to get a better view of marine life.  The only 'life' we saw was three fish that washed up and never made it back to the water.  The eldest grand spotted a few barnacles on the dock leg for excitement.  Lunch was went down easily and time went by in the same way.  We left to go to number four daughter's house after two hours of yakking and munching.

I stopped at home to grab the kids' Easter baskets, the dog, and change into my jeans before I took the short drive to her house.  The kids played in the yard then sat to color two dozen eggs.

I was surprised to see my daughters both made up a little bag for me.  I'm the simple sort so they popped simple things in the bags for me.  I received home made pickled eggs (from their father's recipe), sunflower seeds, a pretty pen and table of paper, among other small items.  Did I mention Peeps?  Oh yea, they had to be in there, too. 

When I left her house I had intentions of going home, but drove the short distance to the Dollar Tree instead.  I found an entire box of (6 count) my favorite protein bars.  I hope my excitement didn't disturb anyone.  Those who love the dollar store know that the items in there can be there one day and never seen again.  You bet I grabbed those bars!  I considered it my lucky day when I found one lone roll of my favorite wrapping paper that I use for Christmas gifts.  The kicker is it's Made in the USA!  I picked up some bubble gum for when I have the feeling of needing sugar, as well as more grosgrain ribbon and stickers for file folders.

The protein bars are peeking out in the top left corner of'
the picture.  The ribbon looks yellow, but it's cream colored.
I like basic colors so they can used with colorful papers.


 

I best get myself out to the garden to grab those little weeds that think they can live in my yard.  You don't pay rent, you can't live here! Ha!

The seedlings enjoying the spring sun light.


 

PS:  Thank you, Bob, for the song - There Will never Be Anyone Else But You, by Ricky Nelson.  Big girls DO cry.

Recent Accomplishments

(Somehow this post went up before it was completed.)


Life has been a bit slow this week so there's not much to talk about.  The one thing that happened was my daughter and her family came home from California.  There was a death in my son in law's immediate family, so they were on the opposite coast for quite a while.

Today I have an appointment in the afternoon and Marley has her annual check up tomorrow afternoon.

I have accomplished a few things this week, nothing earth shattering, though.  My seedlings are being babied and sprayed with water twice a day and  the windows have started getting their spring cleaning.  I started in the bedroom and will clean one or two a day.  Since they need a thorough cleaning I will clean them one at a time.  The lower part pulls out and into the house for easy cleaning, but I'm not sure how to clean the outside of the upper windows.  I'm thinking the hose needs to come out with the sprayer attached.  There's time to figure it out.  On the very first window I cleaned I found a spider already thinking it wanted to take up residence in my home.  No!  He now has joined his relatives in dead spider space.  If you don't pay rent, you don't live in my house!  Simple as that.

The asparagus I purchased for this week was washed to remove any 'debris'. (did I spell that correctly?)   Some will be cooked up for dinner, then a portion will go to make soup.  The rest will be frozen in a food saver bag for a future meal.  Meanwhile I'll work on eating the fresh green beans and radishes I bought for this week.

Breakfast came late this morning because I wasn't hungry earlier.  A hot bowl of oatmeal and half a bagel will tide me over until mid afternoon.  I'll have my big meal of the day then and a small meal of fresh veggies and peanut butter toast later in the evening. 

Oatmeal is one of my favorite meals.  The bagel is just added adornment!

When we go out to eat at a restaurant I eat so much that I'm filled for most of the day.  But, at home I stick to three meals a day.  My goal is to stay as healthy as I can because I want to be around for my grandchildren to know they were loved by me.  Those thoughts build confidence in a growing mind and body.  Our children didn't have input from their grandparents, as distance separated us.  I'd like to be a part of my grandchildren's life if for no other reason than to reinforce the love that their parents give them on a daily basis. 

For the grandchildren that are separated from me by distance I send cards and talk to them on the phone, then visit once a year.  I'm proud of all of them and love them dearly.

All of the bedding was washed and sprayed with lavender fabric spray this week, as well as the normal two loads of clothes that get washed each week. 

I will also need to return a couple of items to Pier One.  This is what happened.  I watch a couple of ladies on yoo toob.  They are fantastic ladies with quite a gift for decorating.  And their creativity sparks my interest.  I thought I can do that with some inspiration.  Well, no I can't.  I figured out that my style is more cozy than chic.  My style is 'less is more' where their style is 'more is better'.  For them it works.  For me, not so much.  I'm more of a down to earth person, not so glamorous as these ladies are.  I still love to watch their videos, but for entertainment purposes only.

I found I'm most comfortable with clear space than
surfaces covered with multiple items.

The tub area will stay the same.  I have all that I need to be comfortable
when I take a bath. (vs. a shower)

I also de-cluttered a couple of areas in the bedroom.  I don't wear a lot of jewelry so I will be giving some of it to the one daughter who does like adornments.  She also wears the same size shoes I do and can choose what she wants before I donate what I can no longer wear - or need to wear.  Most of the shoes are from my work life and were rather expensive.  I would be embarrassed to say there are quite a few of them so none have experienced heavy wear.  There IS one pair that just could not be parted with -yet.  They are my power heels that I wore to special meetings or after work events.

These are the favorites in my closet.  I have no where to wear them these
days, but I will hang on to them a while longer.

What have you accomplished this week?  Don't be shy.  Share with us!

Stay safe.

Don't Attack My Wallet

Like many women in my age range, I have developed good shopping skills.  I have a sense of what an item's worth is to me and refuse to pay more than the predetermined price.  Looking for a while is not a problem.

Groceries are no different.  Even though we see prices rising steadily, and my predetermined price has to be altered, I won't go over my personal pre set cost.  As an example:  mayonnaise in my area sells for very close to $5.00 a jar.  To me that's highway robbery.  I won't buy it.  To complicate matters, this is one of the couple of items I use that is brand specific.  I'll go without if need be.  I suppose it's a matter of pride.  I'm not sure, I only know I will not buy it at that price.

Last year cream of mushroom soup was $1.29 to $1.59 a can in my area.  I only bought four cans the whole year with a coupon and sale.  I started making my own creamed soups when mushrooms went on sale.  I not only got enough soup for a casserole, there was enough for a side and the stems were dried and crushed to make mushroom powder.  Now all I use is my home made soup.  Don't mess with my generation.  We don't like it.  Especially when you attack what's in our wallets.

I will, however, allocate money in my budget for good meat and dairy products.  Meat comes from a butcher shop.  The smell in the shop could be more alluring, but I recognize the smell as healthy meats.  Most of the time I get my proteins from dairy or nut sources, but about twice a month I eat meat.  Chicken is no longer tolerable as that was the main meat served when my husband was with me for dietary reasons.  One day I looked at the chicken on the plate and said, 'No more'.  I will eat it in a chicken salad sandwich with celery and my favorite mayonnaise, but that's about it.  No more pot pies or chicken and biscuits.  I recently tried the pot pie thing.  Yuk!

The meat I  purchased is to make a pot of red sauce - hamburg for meatballs, pork to flavor the sauce.  That sort of thing.  I will also buy one steak and divide it into 3 meals and freeze them.  It's only been recently that I figured out what to buy to   reduce waste.  It's taken four years to train not to purchase waste.  It's not as easy as you would think to change and - most importantly - hit the target.

Another important item to me is dairy products.  So much can happen to dairy products from the animal to the table that I made a conscious decision to eat less and eat only those things without hormones or additives.  The taste is what I remembered as a child, but the price is quite a bit higher.  So I eat less in a portion than I did before.  The funny thing is, I feel more full than when I ate twice as much of the regular store bought foods.  Who knew?

I'm not advocating that you change out what you are currently doing, or to blow your budget.  My goal is to inform you so when the time comes that you can make adjustments, you'll have a starting point.  No one knows about feeding a large family like I do.  Some things are beyond the ability to institute just now.  Just keep in mind what the changes I've made are so when you want to step forward you'll know where to begin.   Balancing budget and good eats.

The soft boiled egg I was after didn't quite work out.  So I turned it into
an egg on toast rather than an egg I could dip into with the toast.  A
bit of salt and pepper and it was yummy.

Looking For Spring on the Kitchen Table?

In the past couple of days, sometime, I pulled a muscle in my neck.  I'm sure most of my readers have had this experience at one time or another.  It's not very pleasant, to say the least.  Despite this, I have been doing a small task here and there.  Sitting still is not for this woman.  I'm sure the future will bring with it plenty of that non activity.

The wash is done, the floors are swiffered, the counters are cleaned and polished and the Valentine decorations are down.  Dishes are washed and the bed is made.  I never forgot what my mother in law told me years ago, A clean sink and made beds will make it look like you slaved all day.  Brilliant advice! It was a stroke of genius to make the chili a couple of days ago because there's no need to cook dinners.  Of course it wasn't a planned stroke of genius, it just happened that way.

This morning I sat in front of the TV to watch one of my favorite DVDs, 'Purgatory'.  Years ago it was a made for TV movie on TNT.  I've looked for it ever since.  I finally found it a few months back.  I can't remember where, though.

The star is Sam Shepard who is one of my favorite stars.  The blurb says '..The only thing worse than being bad is spending an eternity being good.'  That's all I'm going to say.  It may be on Netflix or even yoo toob if you want to check it out.  You won't be sorry.

Since all this snow has made me yearn for a bit of spring, I made one major adjustment on the kitchen table.  The every day decoration is a set of rectangle place mats that are light in color with a set of round ones over them that are a darker green.  Both sets were purchased on sale.  The lighter ones were bought at Dillard's for 2.29 each, the other, I can't remember.  The round set has been with me for the whole time I've lived here.  It's too far back to remember much about the price or where I found them.

I thought removing the darker round ones would 'spring' up the kitchen area a bit.  A happy face appeared when I saw the results.  It really doesn't take much to make me content.

The centerpiece on the kitchen table went from this....

to this.  Just enough to make me smile.

Trying to figure out how to delete the pictures from my camera on the computer proved fruitless.  The next step was to see if they could be deleted from the camera.  Bingo.  Nearly 600 images disappeared to make room for new ones.  There was even an option to remove all of the images at one time.  Easy Peasy!

A post showing the effects of winter is in order.  They say we are getting more snow tonight.

Stay safe.  And warm.

Look what came in the mail for my birthday from my West Coast pal!  My very own bay tree plant.
This plant makes my heart sing.  Thank you, L.

It's not the snow that is holding everyone back.  It's more the ice that formed
with the rain that followed the snow.

Keeping warm though.