Err........wait a minute that didn't come out right. What I meant to say is "Don't hate me because I'm well-fed"!
Yes, I made a fresh batch of Greek yogurt yesterday. And, I never told you, but when I was at Albertson's the other day, they had raspberries on sale. Now, I have to tell you, I don't know as I've ever bought fresh raspberries before. Maybe, but if I ever did, I don't remember.
But curiousity and the attractive price point encouraged me to take a risk and buy some.
Today, for lunch, I had the marriage of 3 perfect ingredients: fresh Greek yogurt, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and fresh raspberries. Probably about 8 fresh raspberries. I stirred that all together and in the process bits of the raspberries and some juice got all mixed in with the yogurt. It was really wonderful!
I could not buy organic milk. At the rate I use it, the extra cost is prohibitive. And the raspberries weren't organic either--I wouldn't have paid the price they wanted for those. But, I at least had the comfort of knowing no beetles were killed to harvest their red juice to color the yogurt. And I knew that only 1 tsp of sugar was added. And, I was rewarded with a wonderful treat for the palette. What more could I ask? And best of all, I still have some raspberries and some yogurt left in the fridge and there's more sugar in the sugar bowl, so I can do it all over again tomorrow!
Alright, you know I have been concentrating on catching up on my errands this week. I started with 11 on my to do list and I've whittled it down to 7. I had really hoped to do better than that. I have finally decided I have to switch to Plan B. What is Plan B? Well...........
I am going to make it my business to carry stuff to the van as I am able. And, when I get everything loaded for one destination, I will deliver it. If I don't get it all lugged to the van in one day, I'll keep on it the next day. Sooner or later, "Stuff" will leave the premises which is the ultimate goal anyway. For example, I decided my first destination would be the church. I have gathered up two boxes of paper scrapbook supplies, pretty much the last of the lot. And I unearthed that box of Gideon Bibles in the garage. I could NOT carry the box of Bibles. I carried an armload of 6. That left me a free hand to negotiate doors, etc. I made 3 trips with Bibles yesterday. And I moved one box of scrapping supplies. I still need to make one final trip with Bibles and load the ones already in the van back into the box which I have now repaired. And there's another box here in the house that needs to be moved. I'm hoping to move the contents of that box in one trip, but it's pretty sizeable and I don't know if I can do that. So, I've unearthed an empty box and if I have to, I'll get the contents of that box out of here in several trips.
And that is Plan B.
There is some amount of poor planning on my part in all this. I did not think about the fact that the church office is closed on weekends. So, unless I get everything loaded up early enough to do a drop off today, that stuff will be in the van til Monday. Well, I'm not proud of my poor planning, but having the stuff in the van, ready to go, sure beats having it in my house! It's still progress.........
YOGURT MAKING BY THE NUMBERS
Several weeks ago I posted a recipe here that I found on a blog for making Greek-style yogurt in the crockpot. I have struggled with that recipe through 3 or 4 sessions. In the meantime, I have done some research. And, I have concluded that that particular recipe may work for some, but it doesn't work for my crockpot which doesn't seem to heat to the necessary temperatures.
Yesterday, I went at it again, only this time I did it by the numbers. The first step is to "scald" the milk which means heating it to 185 degrees. I used a saucepan and did that on the stove. Took 12 minutes of intermittent stirring but then I was done. (The crockpot recipe calls for 2.5 hours on "low" which never got the milk to the appropriate temperature.)
The next step is to allow the milk to cool to 110-115 degrees. Once it is cool enough, you can add your yogurt starter (either yogurt from the store with active cultures or 1/2 cup saved from your last batch.) Well, the crockpot recipe called for turning off the crockpot for 3 hours and then adding the starter. Instead, I allowed the milk in the saucepan to cool which took about 30 minutes with me stirring it a bit at the very end to expose more of the milk's surface to the cooler ambient air. That got it to the appropriate temperature at which point I added the yogurt starter, stirred, and dumped it all in the crockpot. Wrapped the crockpot in a blanket and let it work its magic.
Well, let me tell you, doing it by the numbers was by far my best idea yet. And doing part of it on the stove shortened the process considerably! AND, when I opened the crockpot 8 hours later, I couldn't believe how thick the product was! Yes, it still needed draining, just like always, but much less than before. So, by the numbers, and using a combination of stove and crockpot--well, that's the way to go in my book!
I need to get this show on the road. That CT update always puts me behind on my day, but it sure helps me to stay motivated. Anyway, let's have some eyecandy and move on..........
Here's a winner by Christy. It's hard for me to believe her son, Henry, is going into 4th grade! I've known Christy since this guy was tiny! I love the design of this page. I really like that Christy chose to use the alpha borders vertically instead of horizontally. Also, the contrast paper behind the photos is a great idea because it really draws the eye. Well done, Christy!
Karla did this one. It's a page with lots of "white" space, but it gives you another look at one of the patterned papers in the kit. I really like Karla's little clusters, both to the left of the photo and beneath it. I also like that she grounded everything on that enlarged "chalkboard" element!
Thank you, ladies, for honoring me by choosing my stuff to scrap your memories!
Now I'm off to see what I can do to make my world a better place. YOU be BLESSED today!
I am always a bit startled when Thursday rolls around. A big day in my life is Friday. That is the day I write my CT update. It is my day to be accountable, on the design side of my life, to someone. And, boy, do I try to make sure I actually have something to show them! So here it is, Thursday, and I think I'm gonna be okay with my deadline. My fall kit is almost complete. I need some journaling strips and maybe some word art strips, alphas and I'm done. Phew!
Yesterday was kind of a lost day. Much of what I planned to do did not get done. I couldn't even motivate myself to do an errand or two. I also didn't get much done around here. I did, finally, find an afterburn of motivation for design. Otherwise, I'd have to a cop to an unsuccessful day........
I think the thing that is holding me back on the errands now is that 3 of the 5 remaining things on my list require substantial lifting and carrying. I have about 4 boxes that need to go to someone else's house. I can't do that right now because I have to leave the stuff at the door and the occupants are out of town.
I have two boxes to donate to the church--full of paper scrapping supplies. I've given them boxes and boxes of stuff in the past, but I think this is the last of it. They use it in their art classes and are always grateful for it. There is also a broken box, in the garage, full of Gideon Bibles. I am aware that these are supposed to be returned to the Gideons. However, I tried doing that with a couple of boxes of Testaments in the past and no one seemed to be able to pick them up from my house. Finally, they were rain soaked and I had to throw them away. I think that giving the Bibles to the church is a better use than letting them sit on my front porch for months and months and finally putting them in the trash.......
And, I do have some stuff to go to the drop off for my charity of choice. A big black bag and at least one box.
And, the simple fact is I don't really want to carry the stuff to the van!
I had intended to do some vacuuming around here and that didn't happen, so I guess I'd better get some of that done today. Also, some dusting. And, I think it's a yogurt making day. I'm down on the yogurt supply to about one serving (a small one) and enough to start the next batch. I am not going to fool around as much with the crockpot. As far as I can see, that just uses my time as I am out there, continuously, checking to see if the milk is hot enough to be called "scalded", or cool enough to add the starter. I think I am going to do the scalding on the stove and let it cool there as well. Once it is at an appropriate temperature to add the starter, I will probably put it in the crockpot to do its thing and turn scalded milk into yogurt.
Well, I'm not feeling overly chatty this morning, so I'm going to show you some eye candy and then toddle off. And, lord knows, I have plenty to do today!
Laura did this cute page featuring her nephew Aiden. Laura does not have kids, so there was some moaning and groaning about a back to school kit. After all, usually one uses a back to school kit for back to school photos. And those are tough for her to come by. I think she did a great job on this layout and was able to really show the versatility of the kit. She comments that she really likes the texture on the solids. I do too! I've used this denimy texture before on occasion, and it just seemed "right" for this kit. Anyway, didn't Laura do a great job on this layout?
Lori did this page and I think it's darling. I'm so glad she used that plaid as her background paper, just in case you are a little spooked by the thought of a patterned paper for a background. Everything shows off really well against that background, dontcha think? Fun photo and fun page, Lori. Oh, and she even included that cute owl. I love that owl!
Alrighty, mucho to do and never enough time to do it, so I'm outta here. YOU be BLESSED today!
With big time computer problems and back problems cutting into my work day, I have not done a "new stuffs" post for a couple of weeks. I want to get that straightened out today. (I THINK I finally conquered the last computer related problem last night so, before something else happens, I want to get this done.)
When I was a kid, the neighbor boy and I and our imaginations made a number of "expeditions". By the force of imagination, we were pirates, we were part of the Crusoe family, marooned on a deserted island, we were Christopher Columbus (and friend), exploring the new world........ All on a couple of wooded building lots behind our houses. We had oodles of fun, right there in our "back yards". I have no doubt you have kids or grandkids who do the same things in backyards around the world. Here is a cute kit to scrap those adventures.
You know I am usually all about bright colors, but for this kit, something more neutral seemed appropriate. This makes this kit remarkably versatile, ready to scrap any photo in your stash.
I have left this kit on sale at 30% off because I wasn't able to advertise it in a timely manner. Go grab it now! Or, you can buy the separates, just the papers, just the elements, or just the alphas. They're all on sale.
Bright colors are generally my trademark--I love playing with bright colors. So, for the most recent kit, School Rules, you'll see I've migrated back to fun colors. This kit is not overly heavy in "school" stuff. Just enough to carry out the theme. But, it is perfect for many kinds of photos, with papers appropriate for both masculine and feminine layouts. I do have to tell you that there are owls in 4 colors in this kit and I think they're about the cutest owls I've ever seen, LOL.
As always, you can buy the full kit or you can buy just the elements, just the papers, or just the alphas.
for anything I might say for the next 5-10 minutes. I just had my first sip of coffee. It will improve as the caffeine hits the blood stream. Try to be patient.
Well, I discovered a tax cheat in operation yesterday. I took my pink handbag to a shoemaker for repairs. It's a great handbag with lots of pockets and the ability to carry half my life with me if I so desire. The "handles" are like belts which buckle on. There are "belt loops" that are supposed to hold the ends of the straps in place. However, though the bag is reasonable quality leather, it looks as though they just cut some slits in the top and tucked those "belt loops" in. I don't know, maybe they used some glue along the way.
Anyway, the "belt loops" keep coming loose. So, I took the thing to a local shoemaker. One was loose to my knowledge. They stitched it in place and the price was $8. They claimed another one was loose and they fixed it "for free". Then they showed me that another one was "torn". It looked like the leather was cut, if you want to know the truth. To fix that would cost more. Well, I really wanted the purse to be functional, whether or not that cut existed before I came into the store. He gave me the price and I asked for a receipt. This, he said, would raise the price because in order to give me a receipt he had to enter the sale into the computer system. Hmmmmmmmm. And, there, on the counter, was a 3-hole spiral bound notebook which listed the day's sales. I am more than sure the total from that 3 hole notebook would not tally to the day's sales in the computer, KWIM? If they weren't small potatoes, I'd report them to the IRS and claim a reward!
So, anyway. The purse is supposed to be "fixed". I also went to the grocery store. I did not go to El Cheapo because what I really wanted to buy was a spray bottle of Oxiclean. I'm telling you, I've fallen in love with that stuff. If I could, I'd buy a 55 gallon drum and never be without it again! The way it goes after set-in stains is darned near miraculous.
Anyway, it's been years since I've had any laundry additive/pre-treater like that in the house. And I don't ever want to do laundry without it again! Particularly as long as I am saddled with an HE washer. Last time I bought the stuff, I got it at CVS Pharmacy. Yeah, I know, weird. I paid $3.29 for the bottle. I didn't go to El Cheapo to buy it. I don't have a lot of faith that a store that doesn't stock the Magic Eraser is going to carry Oxiclean and I didn't want to waste time looking for it. So I went to Albertson's. Big store, should have it in their selection of products. Indeed they did. It was "on sale" for $3.69, marked down from $3.99. Makes me think I should have stuck to CVS as my source of this stuff!
So, those are the errands I took care of yesterday. I really wanted to shine on the whole errand-running thing, but in the end, I decided I'd rather be done with the errands than sit at home for that little sliver of time.
I also got some work done around here, though not enough. I just keep telling myself as I scrub and sort that it's getting marginally better every day......... I sure hope that's true. It will LOOK better when I drag some of the donation stuff out of here........
So, what's left on the errand list? I need to go to the bank, drag some charity stuff to the drop off, go to the Post Office, and drop some stuff off (as a donation) to the church. I also need to take some stuff to someone's house, but I learned yesterday that they're out of town and I don't want the stuff sitting around on their front porch for days. So that errand may have to wait til next week.
I am getting down to the point where I am going to have to lug boxes and bags of stuff to the van before I can run the errands. I'm not looking forward to that part though I'm sure it won't be as bad as I imagine.
I did not do any vacuuming around here yesterday and I really want to work on that today. We've had rain and I don't want to run the vacuum over wet carpet. And, my back has been misbehaving, and as a result vacuuming had to be put on hold. However, I'm mobile today and, so far, the sky is blue with not a cloud visible. Seems like a good day to get that done.
I also dusted my way through about half of the office the other day and I should try to finish up the remaining half.
I DID get in a good workout last night. Did my treadmill time and the extra stuff (free weights, yoga, etc.). Even added in some crunches. I've been hoping that the walking and the work on the Total Gym would work my abs, but I don't see that happening, or, at least, if it is happening, I don't see any improvement. Supposedly, as you move, the "core" muscles tighten to support/balance your body. Well, maybe so, but it's not enough. So, I broke down and started doing crunches. Ugh! I hate those.......
I made something totally delicious and totally sinful the other day. It isn't behaving like it's supposed to, but nothing changes the fact that it is over the top yummy. I found a recipe for fudge, made in the microwave. I HAD such a recipe years ago and it was amazing. So, I tried this recipe.
Now, you have to understand that I am singularly unsuccessful at making fudge. I can't distinguish a "soft ball" from a "hard ball" to save my life. When I make fudge, you need tools to eat it. Either you need a spoon to spoon it up or you need a hammer and chisel to break off a piece. For me, it seems, there is no in between!
So this recipe called for 1 can of sweetened condensed milk, 12 oz chocolate chips, 1 TBS cream and 1 TBS of butter. You dump the can of sweetened condensed milk into a microwave safe bowl and add in the chocolate chips. Then you microwave it, stirring about once a minute, til the chocolate chips are melted. Then you are supposed to add the cream and the butter, stir, and pour into a greased pan.
Well, let me tell you, the taste is indescribably good. Someone suggested you could add some milk chocolate chips to sweeten it, but, honestly, I think that is entirely unnecessary. Of course, you could also add nuts or whatever to it, stirring to incorporate, just before you pour it all into your prepared pan.
This is NOT my original recipe. I loved that recipe because it ALWAYS worked. However, it is gone now and I've searched the net and can't find it anywhere. For taste, the above recipe can't be beat--at least in my book! I know you're waiting for the "but". Well, here it comes........ It is VERY soft. It is so soft it is almost impossible to get a clean cut of it. And, once you do get a messy cut of it, what you cut adheres to the knife. I noticed that someone else commented on this recipe that it was not appropriate for gift giving because it would soften if not refrigerated. Yeah, well......... Despite that, it is the best tasting stuff I've had in years! So, if you don't mind eating your fudge off of a table knife, go for it, LOL. Honestly, I just might try it again, even if it requires eating off a knife, just for the taste!
If you're going to make it, just be sure you have a good stash of clean table knives, cut a piece for every family member on their very own knife, and chow down!
Okay, eye candy. Let's do some of that and move on!
This is a two-pager by Deanna. I think I love everything about this! That cluster on the first page, to the left of and below the photo is super. I particularly love the stitching. And what fun photos to illustrate the joys of homeschooling! Great job, Deanna. Deanna used School Rules by yours truly, HotFlashDesigns, available exclusively at A Cherry on Top.
Yesterday started off better than I thought. I did indeed get that shopper gatherer thing done. I also stopped at Lowe's and got those pins for the bookcase. Sadly, last evening when I tried them, they are too small. I guess getting this bookcase put back together is like any other home improvement project--always requires more trips to the hardware store than you can imagine.........
I did manage to deal with almost everything that was on the kitchen table. I still have 2 plants for which I need to find homes. I think I can put one of them in the kitchen windowsill, as is. The other will have to move into one of the public areas of the house and will definitely need a better, more attractive pot before that happens.
I also got all the stuff I've gathered up to donate listed out and into a big black bag. Since I plan to try to get that dropped off this week, maybe I can check around Savers, the second hand charity store to which I plan to donate, for a better looking plant pot.
And, of course, I tried to reassemble the bookshelf, but that bombed out in that I bought the wrong sized pegs. Good thing the hardware store is near by. I was pleased yesterday to ask for help at Lowe's to find those things and to get the help I needed. The Lowe's employee actually seemed enthusiastic about helping me! That's a good thing.That is something that has NEVER happened to me when I've gone to Home Depot, and that is the reason I head to Lowe's every time.
So, I have 7 errands left on my list. Most can be accomplished by going hither/thither/and yon in the neighborhood. One requires a trip across town. Thankfully, I'm planning to try to double up on most days. If I can keep up the momentum, that will help me knock off the entire list this week. That will definitely be a load off my mind. In some cases, it will require some lifting and carrying, and my back is misbehaving this morning, so let's pray that lets up.
We are still having super unusual weather here and I am so happy! It actually rained yesterday at Tara. I don't call it "rain" until there's enough to actually make all the concrete around the house wet. Well, it did that yesterday! And it stayed cool. After my shopping gig, I was back in my own driveway around 12:30PM yesterday and it was only 78 degrees out! Wow. Today the forecast is for a high of 91 and weather says it's only 71 right now. A great day to open up the house and air it out!
So, I got an e-mail from a client who wants to drop off his tax stuff. With the rain, I probably need to be home when that happens so his records don't get soaked. However, I e-mailed him back to let him know I needed to be out and about with all these errands. I let him know that I would arrange my day around his arrival. So far, no response, so I guess I will just continue on as planned........
So, about today.......
I made some progress on the fall kit yesterday, but I need to move a lot faster on this. I really think I should have been done with design by Sunday. And here I am still messin' with it. But, it's looking really good, so I guess I can't complain about that. But, I WILL be working on this today.
I can't finish up clearing the table in the kitchen til I find a decent looking pot for that plant. But, I can wipe the table down and maybe move things around a bit to make it look better out there.
I am going to try to lug my donations for Savers to the van today. That way, when the spirit moves to send me in their direction, the stuff will all be loaded up.
It is relatively dry outside right now, so I want to run the vacuum cleaner. I am only planning on doing this room today. With my back in iffy condition, anything more would either be based on faith or foolhardiness.
I am thinking I want to do some shredding today. Correction: a LOT of shredding today. If I can finish that up, one corner of this office will look MUCH neater. If I were somehow to get that completed today (and I think that will take a miracle--remember, my shredder only runs 2 minutes at a time, then shuts down for 20 minutes to cool the motor), I have several other cluttered spots that need to be cleared.
I think all that will keep me out of trouble for today. We shall see.......
How about some eye candy? It's been a while since we've done that.........
Two weeks ago, our featured kit at A Cherry on Top was a kit called Expedition. Karen used Expedition to scrap this layout featuring a trip she and her husband recently took while on vacation. Her journaling is very well done and I really like the blended photo combined with the actual photos across the bottom of the page. Do you agree? This looks great!
Ms. SarahWhithers created this layout with our back to school kit. I think it's so cool that she used famous quotes in lieu of photos on this page. I also really like the "message" of the quotes. And, of course, you can always pick out her layouts in the gallery because of excellent design and small but perfectly placed accents. Gorgeous layout!
Okay, I got an early start on this day and I'm not going to blow it. YOU be BLESSED today.
I could get lost for hours. Literally, hours. People post recipes for the most evil things--Butter cake with salted caramel butter cream frosting, Trisha Yearwood's Key Lime Cake (I LOVE key lime anything), cream cheese poundcake, peanut butter fudge, and microwave fudge (I had this recipe years ago, lost it, and have been searching for it ever since). Good heavens, people! I think I gained at least a couple of pounds just looking at the pictures! What I need is recipes for low carb meals or salad dressings! All I can say is that it's all a big uh-oh!
Facebook is full of this kind of stuff too. I think it's all a plot to kill me, LOL.
Well, I've got to get some stuff done around here. Bills for September due dates are coming in and by Wednesday, my survivor's benefit $$ will hit my bank account. I guess I'd better pay some bills. I don't worry too much about the big companies like Nevada Energy or AT&T, but I know my yard guy needs to be paid.
I am thinking today will be a "finish the project" kind of day. I want, once and for all, to clear the kitchen table. I've been picking at it, but picking at it isn't getting it done! I also want to fill up the donation bag I've got going, get it in the car and ready to go. This will also help with clearing the dining room table, at least for this round. I have gathered up enough clothes to make a decent sized load of dark clothes. What is holding up the works? Well, in that load will be a pair of denim shorts. I ironed some patches on those denim shorts last time I wore them. The patches have come loose in spots. I need to iron those patches again. Now, how big a chore is that? 5 minutes, maybe, if you count the time for the iron to heat up? This should NOT be holding up the works!
I have a bunch of errands that I need to run. Running errands is one of my least favorite things in the world. To me, they just create a hole in my day and break any concentration I may have mustered for other tasks. If I had 2 extra nickels, I'd pay someone to do them. However, I do have a functional van and an almost full tank of gas, so, I'm thinking I need to do one errand a day (at least) this week to try to catch up a bit. So, I have some specialty shopping that needs to be done today. I need to go to Lowe's and buy those clips to hold the bookshelves in place on my broken bookcase. I'd love to see my love seat again, but right now it's covered in scrapbooks I've removed in the repair process........ All held up by a 15 minute trip to Lowe's. I hate to admit it, but I'm pretty sure there's a Lowe's within 2 miles of my house! I have a package that needs to be mailed immediately. I need to go to the bank. Just stupid little stuff, but it needs to be done so I can quit thinking about it.
So, an amorphous plan for the day, which, of course, includes design. Still working away on that fall kit....... For the amount of time I'm putting into this thing, it'd better sell like hotcakes!
Gotta go. Back later and I just might have some eyecandy for you! In the meantime, YOU be BLESSED! I'll be blessed if I can knock some things off my arms-length to do list, LOL.
I THOUGHT I lived in Southern Nevada. I THOUGHT this was August. Obviously this cannot be true. For 3 days in a row, we've had overcast skies. THAT doesn't happen in Southern Nevada. And, when I made a milk run to 7-11 today, between 4-5PM, the temperature was 68. The only thing I can figure is that someone spiked my mocha frap with some kind of kick-a-poo joy juice.
The good news is that there was finally some rain here at Tara. I mean actual rain. The kind that thoroughly wets the ground. Wow! Love that! I always get just a little excited when I see cloudy skies, but most of the time any rain either falls on the other end of Las Vegas or goes right on past me to Arizona. I was feeling guilty for holding off on the extra watering. After all, I haven't done that since Tuesday. Wednesday I wasn't home and by Thursday the clouds were moving in. Well, I can stop feeling guilty now!
I think I am becoming famous. Unfortunately, it is not exactly what I had in mind. Several weeks ago, I pinned on Pinterest two recipes. (Actually, I've pinned more than two, but........) I pinned a recipe for beef with broccoli in the crockpot and for the old fashioned rice pudding I finally made last night. And every day I've had notifications that one or two or three people, or more, have repinned one or the other. Today, however, it seems to have "gone viral". Holy Toledo. I got one notification that included 47 repins and 3 likes! Now, when I pin scrap stuff, how come I don't get results like that?
It's late and I'm headed to bed. Be back in the AM.
So, around 2:45 I got up to use the restroom. I didn't turn a light on, just navigated by the available moonlight/starlight/streetlight sneaking in through the windows. Sat down to do the intended business and happened to glance into the bathtub. This thing was AT LEAST 3 inches across, maybe 4. Yes, I was indeed shocked and filled with awe at the size of that thing.
Tarantulas are fairly common in the desert. And they are supposed to be "harmless". Some insane people even keep them as pets. I don't care. They still scare the daylights out of me. I don't like "bugs". I use that term in the generic sense--yes, I'm aware that tarantulas are technically not "bugs". Anyway, the "bug" I am most afraid of is a spider. And tarantulas are spiders on steroids. If they're not spiders (I am not going to do the research to determine their genus, etc), they look like spiders on steroids and that's enough to scare me.
I don't know where it came from. I can only guess somehow it made it's way in through the sewer pipe. If so, that is where he/she/it returned! I have one of those hand held shower heads. I turned that baby on full force with the hottest water and eventually managed to wash that monster down the drain. It took so long to make that thing go away that the bathroom mirror was all steamed up when I was done. And the door was open! You can see that was A LOT of hot water! Then I let the hot water run for quite a while, hoping to do a thorough job of boiling that thing alive in the drainpipe, if, indeed, I hadn't already killed it. Then, just to be sure, I put the drain cover on.
I went back to bed. Do I need to tell you that sleep was not immediately forthcoming? First, there was the hit of adrenaline caused by the heat of battle. And then, of course, I had visions of his/her/its gangster sisters and brothers launching an attack in large numbers, using their combined strength to lift that drain cover right off and come marching into my bedroom. Finally I had to pray for sleep. I asked God to act like St. Patrick in Ireland. Whereas St. Patrick is credited with marching all the snakes out of Ireland, I put God in charge of marching anything bug-like right on out of this house. Finally, I fell back to sleep.
I may never use the restroom in the middle of the night again as long as I live! You know, just in case another of those things slips by God.......
So, a few weeks ago, I ran across a recipe for "old fashioned rice pudding" and pinned it. I am utterly shocked at how many times that recipe has been repinned. I mean, "old fashioned rice pudding" isn't new or "hot". But, given the interest in the recipe, I finally decided to give it a try.
It is really good. I was happy that it was not cloyingly sweet, which is how I remember rice pudding. I thought it had a bit more nutmeg than I would have preferred, but the combined smell of nutmeg and vanilla baking sure perfumed my kitchen!
Here are the ingredients: 1/3 cup uncooked rice, 4 cups milk (scalded), 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tsp nutmeg, 2 Tablespoons butter, and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract.
The instructions go like this: put all of the ingredients into a flat baking dish and bake at 300 degrees for 1.5 hours or until pudding is thick and creamy, not dry. You are also supposed to stir, with a fork, every 15 minutes, scraping down the browned bits from around the edges and mixing them in as you go along.
I had some trouble with the recipe, and I am convinced it is due to the variation in oven temps. We were going nowhere fast. Nothing was getting browned and the "pudding" was more like soup and making no discernible progress. Well, finally at 1 hour and 15 minutes, I turned my oven up to 325. That seemed to be what was needed, although it took another half hour at the higher temperature before the pudding actually came to the consistency of pudding.
Anyway, I thought the final product was really tasty. And the texture was good. Somehow, I expected more browning, but that didn't happen. I just might be tempted to slip the baking dish under the broiler for a minute or two next time. And, yes, there WILL be a next time.
I know, I know, I'm supposed to be doing low carb. And mostly, I am. And, rice isn't low carb. However, you remember that I've decided I WILL eat what I own. I am not going to throw stuff away because it's not low carb. I had a 20# bag of Basmati rice. I did give a good bit to my DD months and months ago. Then I cleaned out the pantry and found more! So, yes, I have a WHOLE lot of rice. And, I'm going to eat it, though I will pick and choose my times to do so.
Today, I had Greek yogurt with a bit of honey for lunch and steamed cauliflower with cheese sauce for dinner. That is a pretty low carb day! So, I figured today would be an okay day to make "old fashioned rise pudding" and even eat some. I'm glad I did.
Today was upload day for a new kit at ACOT. The back to school kit is now in the store. For a while there, I was pretty busy. I had uploads going, I was being messaged on Facebook, AND I had a phone call in the middle of it. I used to pride myself on my ability to "multi-task", but these days I find it better to tackle fewer things at a time.
Well, I'm not going to hang around. I've spent a lot of the day deleting e-mails and doing backups and I still have a LOT of both to do. See ya on the flip side.
