My Weblog

Tasty and Easy

I went the other day to Trader Joe's and spent the entire week's grocery budget on frozen food. I like their frozen entrees because they contain only ingredients that I can pronounce. I bought several packages of Gyoza. I eat them as dinner rather than as appetizers as they are served in restaurants. I also bought several packages of their vegetable fried rice. The fried rice is only $2.99 a bag and contains enough for a couple of dinners. I did add some canned chicken and some scrambled egg. The chicken was canned in 2019 when lids were only supposed to be good for 12 months. I need to use that stuff up anyway....... So I used about 8 ounces of chicken and two eggs and that, combined with the frozen rice, filled me up and made enough for tomorrow. Actually, I shared about 20% of mine with Alissa and she indicated she approved too. I also bought some oddball pizza-like items which are more French than Italian. And, I have forbidden myself to buy anything for the freezer til I do some canning. Time to move some of that stuff (all bought on sale) into jars I can store on a shelf.

Anyway, I feel full and sated. And, I "cooked" for about 15 minutes. 

some comes in, some goes out

So, I got the mail today. I got the new power bill and a mailer from Social Security about next year's benefit. The first thing I opened was from Social Security. The benefit I will receive in 2023 is $15 a month more than I expected. (Of course, being an accountant, when I learned the percentage of increase, I figured out approximately what that would come to.) In my opinion, the "extra" is due to the amount of medicare. Then I opened my power bill to the announcement that come January, my bill will go up an estimated $23 a month. That is an increase to my monthly cost of living which I just have to pay absorb. 

I'm going to vent here. However, don't think for a minute I'm ungrateful for anything I have. God takes care of me and I praise and thank Him for that. The government, however, is not doing that good a job. In July, August and September of 2021, an average was struck and The decision was made that I was due X$ every month. However, in October 2021 prices went up; in November, 2021 prices went up, and in December 2021 prices went up. That pattern has continued every month since. So, in January 2022, I got my first check of the new amount determined based on that July, August, and September amount. And by that time, I had already watched my income slip, as compared to prices each month between September and December 2021. My income has continued to be a lesser and lesser amount as compared to prices in January-December, 2022. So, it seems to me that when the January 2023 payment comes in, it will already be 15 months behind where it should be. I've had to absorb every intervening price increase. 

The other thing that irks me is how in the world they can say inflation was only 8.7%. A major portion of what comes in goes back out in the cost of food. In 2021, I could get boneless skinless chicken breasts on sale for $.99/pound. Now, on sale, I pay $2.99 a pound. That's a 300% increase. And, I am sure, between us, we could cite 40 or 50 or more examples of price increases way in excess of 8.7%. 

Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. Now, get out the garden hose and hose me down to cool me down............

Happy Birthday to me...........

For my birthday this year, I got a birthday "gift" I didn't want!  On Saturday the 17th, the computer went down. My computer guy came on the 19th and picked it up and it came back, all spruced up on the 21st. The guy who does my computer work is someone I know through Lowe's. Before, when I needed someone, I asked around. Over and over I was given the same name. And he has proven himself over and over. For me, the tower is heavy. So he picks it up from the house and returns it when he's got it working again. Last time he was here he also installed a new garbage disposal. This time he changed out the HVAC filter. I got back a functional computer in a new case with a faster processor. You can't beat all that for $160.

Of course, I have many many e-mails to wade through that came in during the days he had the machine. I also had a bunch of bills, due January 1, that came in while the machine was down. Since I pay my bills through the bank/internet, I couldn't do anything with those either. My normal way of operating is to do the "checks" when the bills arrive with a later release date. That saves Marci forgetting to pay something by the due date. And, I had put together a grocery order that I couldn't process. I worried about getting the bills paid on time and I was feeling down because Smith's had ham on sale last week, which I really wanted, but I couldn't submit my order. I managed to get all but one bill processed yesterday. And, miracle of miracles, Smith's has ham on special again this week (3rd week in a row). So, yes, of course, I got the ham on special and saved myself $2.00 a pound on a 10 pound ham. I'll probably cook that up tomorrow or Sunday as my "Christmas ham". It's spiral cut so I'll just package the slices up in food saver bags and I'll have ham to eat for months. And, of course, it's bone-in so I can make some good ham broth with that.  I also have a bag of split peas on hand, so I may decide to make some split pea soup for later consumption as well. 

When last we talked, I was working my way through the cooking process of a batch of butternut squash soup. I made a big pot of it, fed myself one meal and froze 7 more packets for later. I had considered canning the excess soup. However, there are some spices that get STRONG during the canning process. One of them is sage, which was part of the flavor profile of the soup. It actually a bit stronger than I would have liked when I made the soup. So, I didn't want to risk it getting stronger while canning. So, I just froze my "leftovers". Once I got the soup put together, it ended up that I had painfully chopped more than I needed. So, I cooked that up and made mashed butternut. There was enough for 3 healthy servings of that as well. So I figure I paid less than $10 for 10 meals of butternut soup and mashed butternut. And, of course, the wrist recovered with a couple of days of ibuprofen.

It's chilly in Nevada, particularly when the wind blows, but the thermometer shows highs right now in the 60's. I lived in TN for 3 years when I was in college. I have a couple of friends who still live there and they're getting day time highs of 4 degrees today. So far, neither of them has gotten the "blizzard" conditions the TV weather people have been talking about.  will thank my lucky stars I'm not there anymore. 

I had some money put away. I decided it was time to bring it into the house. I requested it early in October. Finally, it arrived yesterday. I was not down to broke but it was getting close so it was a great relief when the check showed up. Of course, I had to send them an e-mail before they broke down and released it. But, had it not arrived I was wondering if I was going to be able to pay for the very expensive tax program I use for tax preparation. Thankfully, I don't need to wonder about that anymore. Truthfully, I am about ready to hang that up. The software is SO expensive these days that, for the 2022 tax season, I didn't net much over expenses when all was said and done. I try to be a good person, but I am unwilling to pay for the privilege of doing some one else's tax return. 

Well, that's all the news for now. Catch ya later.

This does not bode well.........

One of my favorite types of vegetables is winter squash. I particularly like butternut squash. I've canned it and I've baked it and I've even used it in stir fry. I really enjoy butternut squash soup. Recently I bought 3 of these squash with a plan to make a large batch of soup. I would, I thought, make enough to freeze or can the leftovers. I decided I'd choose between canning and freezing when I saw how much I had. If I had a large amount I'd can it. If less, it would go in the freezer. My reasoning was that canned foods last longer than frozen--freezer burn is not a consideration with canning. So a couple of weeks ago I bought some leeks to use in the soup. I chopped them up and froze them in ziploc bags. Then I bought a couple of apples which are in the drawer of my fridge. Next, some celery which is in the drawer with the apples, and, finally 3 squashes. I had decided today was the day I would tackle this project. I knew the squash would last a while out in the cool garage, but I wasn't too sure about the celery. So, it seemed a good idea that I get on with it.

I'm here to tell you, it has been a hard day. Remember me, the lady with the broken wrist. Yes, it's been 25 months, but when it happened, the doctor told me it could hurt for as long as 3 years. Well, turns out my previously broken wrist doesn't like butternut squash. I've had trouble peeling them. I've had trouble scraping out the stringy stuff and seeds, and I've had a pistol of a time trying to cut the squash into cubes. In fact, I've worked on it for a long time today and I've only managed to get through 2 of the squash. One is still in a plastic grocery bag in the garage. I have some time before I will head for bed, but I am DONE with butternut squash for today. My wrist is calling me all sorts of nasty names because of what I've put it through today. 

Of course, it's possible to buy already cubed butternut squash in the produce department at the grocery store. And, of course, the pre-chopped stuff is much more expensive than the DIY stuff. In truth, I'd probably feel guilty or lazy buying that pre-chopped stuff at the much higher price when I SHOULD be able to do it myself. 

I'll guess we'll have to wait and see on the final outcome of all this. In the meantime, I'm gonna sleep in my wrist brace tonight and hope that I am able to cube up that last squash tomorrow.

Mysterious Ways..............

"My God will supply all my needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus". Philippians 4:19 paraphrased.

First, let me make it clear--I am not hurting for food. I am still capable of buying what I need from my Social Security. Without a doubt, there are things I need to be able to do/fix around here and I don't have the money for that, but I'm doing okay on food and the bills and the mortgage payment are all paid up. 

If I had to guess, I'd guess this is one of those "you can't out give God things". I recently made a small donation to a Christian ministry. 

I have a client with whom I have worked for a solid 30+ years. He's a nice guy if you can put up with his eccentricities. His father is also my client. Each of them has ways of exasperating me but thank God, I've managed never to communicate that to either one of them. I was sitting here minding my own business this evening when my phone rang. It was "junior". Until a few months ago, "senior" had lived with his oldest daughter. Seems she decided to sell her home and move into a smaller house. "Senior" got a place to rent within a couple of miles of my house. "Junior" was at Senior's place when he called. Seems the oldest daughter had arranged to have Catholic Charities Meals on Wheels deliver frozen meals to Dad. But Dad, being the stubborn and curmudgeonly old man that he is, won't eat the food. He had a dozen and a half of the frozen meals just aging in his freezer. Senior wanted Junior to get rid of the stuff--take it home, throw it out, whatever. Junior picked out a couple of meals he'd like and then called me and asked would I like some of it. He went through naming all the various entrees off to me to see if I'd want this one or would I eat that one. I'm no fool. In economic times like this, I'm not about to turn down free food. The way I looked at it, if the food was just downright nasty, I could feed it to the dog. (She's not choosy about the balance of spices in her food.) Well anyway, within about 10 minutes Junior rolled up in front of my house and handed me 2 grocery bags heavy with 11 frozen meals. 

I chose one that was broccoli cheddar soup which contained chicken, with a side of fried potato chunks. It was actually quite tasty. I ate all I could manage to squeeze in and I had about 3 good sized bites left. I gave that to the dog. I hoped the chicken and cheese would whet her appetite. You wouldn't have believed it if you knew this dog. She carried the little black plastic microwaveable tray across the room, held it in place with her front paw and licked it completely clean! And this is a dog who has to smell everything multiple times before she will agree to taste it. 

God will always find a way to make good on His promises..............

I'm going in..............

My goal for today is to mix together 5 pounds of flour, 3 pounds of Crisco, and some water and salt to produce 20 pie crusts. Yes, I know that sounds crazy. It's just that this is the only recipe for pie crust that has worked for me. And, it freezes beautifully. So, I can make 20 single crust pies or 10 double crust pies. I'm looking forward to making quite a few chicken pot pies, using some chicken I already own, some frozen mixed veggies I already own, and some chicken soup I'm about to acquire. 

Later............

I ended up with 4 1-pound balls of dough and 8 1/2-pound balls. Enough for 16 crusts. Actually, everything might be a bit oversized since i should have come up with the equivalent of 20 crusts and instead I came up with only 16. That's okay. It's a long standing tradition in my family that leftover bits of dough turn into cinnamon rolls. It's a long time since I had any of those........

I will tell you that cutting 3 pounds of Crisco into 5 pounds of flour is some big job. Truthfully, if I weren't such a tightwad, I might have given up halfway through. But I wasn't about to waste all those ingredients. These days, that would be too expensive.

I hereby testify that the orthopedist who worked on my wrist two years and three weeks ago covered himself well when he told me it would take 1-3 years for it to stop being painful. It particularly rebels when I use it a lot. I defy you to mix up that amount of dough without aggravating that kind of injury.

 

CRIME SCENE? CARNAGE?

Yeah, that's kinda how it seems around here. If you come to search, please don't check out the trash can. I've had 7 nosebleeds in the last 5 days. That includes 3 last night.  I'm having a hard time trying to keep my sweatshirts from becoming blood-stained. I don't really know why. My only guess about this is that, due to forced air heating, the air in the house is drier than usual. Based on information from a doctor, that is a factor in wintertime nosebleeds. 

In years past I kept a pot of water simmering on my gas stove. I did this a few hours most days. Now, due to the cost of energy, I am really not feeling that that is an option. I'm thinking that maybe I should wet a cloth with warm/hot water and wear it like a neck scarf. I'm thinking that would, at least to some extent, add some moisture to the air I breathe. I'm also going from room to room to place bowls of water which, as the water evaporates, should help.

A FEW WORDS ABOUT MY CONFLICTED DOG...........

i love this girl, but I just can't figure her out. I'm pretty sure she can't figure herself out. She will come cozy up to my chair and wait for a butt scratch or petting. However, the moment I extend my hand toward her, she ducks. It's as though she fears my hand. I think she was hit by her previous owners. She also will not stand close to her food dish if I happen to be walking past. I've never seen a dog leave its food just because a person is walking past. She will go into the bedroom and jump up on the bed and wait for me. If I stop everything and go sit with her at the foot of the bed, she will come close to cuddling with me. However, if I call her to come to me, she doesn't. 

She has been here about 50 weeks now. You'd think that she would have figured out by now that I'm not gonna hurt her. That's a pretty long time to try to establish trust, dontcha think? I feel bad that she hasn't figured out yet that my kinda love doesn't result in pain. 

I also want to mention that in November, she had a birthday. She is now 6 years old. She's a sweetheart, and even with her quirks, I love her and I feel blessed to have her here with me.

 

Sugar rush............

When I lived in St. Louis, there was a delicacy that reputedly originated in a bakery in St. Louis. It was delicious......sweet, moist, and incredibly rich. Then, years later, I discovered Paula Deen had adopted the recipe and made it her own. Even more, she'd adapted it so that it came in flavors. If you know anything about Paula Deen, you probably know that to her there is little on this earth that's better than butter. I'm not sayin' she upped the butter content, but I wouldn't be surprised if you told me she did. Anyway, I just made me a Gooey Butter Cake in the pumpkin flavor. It's really good. I took the precaution of cutting the sugar and it's still very sweet. I don't know any way to cope with this thing other than cutting it in small pieces and freezing the pieces. I figure, over time, I can actually eat the whole thing, but I am going to have to be careful to have just one tiny piece a day. So, I'll freeze it in tiny individual servings and just defrost when I get the urge for something sweet. Anyway, you can find the recipe online. Just google Paula Deen and go to her website. Once on her website, search for pumpkin gooey butter cake. Then invite every neighbor within a two square block area to share in a tiny bite of this stuff. You'll be everyone's favorite neighbor for years to come. Oops--don't invite anyone who is diabetic. A serving of this stuff just might finish 'em off.

conformist?

I've been watching you tube videos. Everyone is showing off their holiday table or giving their tips for delicious turkey. Pumpkin everything........ Admonitions to be thankful. Well, I am thankful. I'm thankful that I live in the USA. I'm thankful I'm alive today. I'm thankful for the irritating health problem which with prayer has disappeared.  I am thankful for peace and quiet in a home inhabited by only myself, God, and the dog. I am thankful for the God who holds me in the palm of His hand, every day. 

I am thankful I didn't do the traditional Thanksgiving. I gave God a lot of thanks, but I didn't cook Him a turkey or even a pumpkin pie. But, last night, after all those you tube videos, I did make some turkey noodle soup. I had a pint jar of turkey, a quart jar of turkey broth, some noodles left over from my last batch of haluski, freeze dried onions, freeze dried carrots, some celery seed (because I didn't have any celery), so I made a big pot of turkey noodle soup. It was very tasty. I ate my fill and I have 3-4 servings in a plastic container in my fridge for the next couple of days. So, just like so many folks in our country, I have used turkey leftovers to feed myself. I've gotten with the program--conformed.

Don't get me wrong. I could have done the whole special meal thing. I have frozen turkey, potatoes, sweet potatoes, canned pumpkin, freeze dried green beans, cans of mushroom soup, frozen loaves of bread for stuffing. In fact, about the only thing I don't have in the house is celery. And I'll eat all those things, sooner or later, just not on the one day a year we have specified for thankfulness. Truth is, I try to express my gratitude to the good Lord everyday and, mentally, I object to the idea of one special day to be thankful. We should all be thankful and express our gratitude every day to the ONE who orders the days of our lives. 

she's lost

Truly lost. I can't find Roomie. I turned her loose a couple of days ago to vacuum according to her innate programming. I haven't seen her yet. What usually happens is that I go around, looking in all of her favorite hiding spots, and normally I will just spot her as I go along. No such luck. The really scary thing is when she goes under my king sized bed. I live in fear with regard to how I would rescue her from there. I went in there and looked under that bed the other day with a not too strong flashlight and looked. I didn't see her. I just went back in there with a stronger flashlight and I still don't see her under there. I just can't find her. Now what do I do? I guess I better ask the Lord to show up for duty. Of course, He knows where Roomie is hiding.