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Home > Archive: May, 2014

Archive for May, 2014

Is it just me?

May 31st, 2014 at 02:55 pm

Is it just me, or does it seem there are a few new blogs that don't make sense? It seems like they have been copied and pasted from other places and one had an incomplete sentence at the end. If so, what is the purpose of this?

Happy Memorial Day!

May 26th, 2014 at 08:40 pm

Happy Memorial Day!

How blessed we are to live in country that appreciates our veterans and the sacrifices our veterans have made to keep us free.

It has been a beautiful holiday weekend. Yet another blessing.

We took flowers to the graves yesterday. At my husband's dad's, a local veterans' group puts flags on each grave site of veterans so it was pretty heartwarming to see all the flags blowing in the breeze. Where DH's parents are buried, I think the cemetery didn't sell them a very nice plot. It is under the tree, uneven and the soil is very claylike. Grass doesn't grow there and when it rains, mud splashes up. We try to keep it clean, but we don't go out after every rain. I guess it was just a matter of taking advantage of someone when they were in grief.

There is something so satisfying about cleaning house and having things put away and orderly. I just finished cleaning and I like sitting here admiring how nice it looks.

DH is out working in the yard. We had some radishes and green onions from his garden last night. We are going to have some tonight too with our salad.

Speaking of radishes, how do you eat yours when you eat them raw? Both our families always ate them with salt, but a friend eats his with butter.

Hope you had a wonderful holiday.

Sunny Sunday in My Kitchen

May 18th, 2014 at 08:32 pm

After a dreary, wet week in the Midwest, today is absolutely glorious. Warmer, but not hot, and sunny. The plants seem to be saying, "A little sun on this leaf, and here too!" I like seeing the sun outside the kitchen window -- it is like a natural pep pill.

DH is out in the yard, his favorite place. He mowed and is trimming.

After church I fixed brunch of scrambled eggs, sausage, and pancakes with fruit. I cleaned up the kitchen and then put together dough for rye bread, cooked some pasta for a cucumber dill pasta salad, and thought I better use up some cherry tomatoes.

I remembered having a recipe for marinated tomatoes so I dug around and found it. I didn't have as many tomatoes as the recipe called for, so I used less of everything else too, but look forward to enjoying this dish. DH has planted herbs and green onions so I'm thrilled to be able to use some fresh ingredients.

We normally have sloppy chicks on Sunday night, but unfortunately our Aldi has been out of ground chicken. So, tonight I'm fixing a pork roast and will use the leftovers for pulled pork sandwiches. I thought the pasta salad would be good with it as well.

The pasta salad is easy. I don't have a true recipe because we had it a year or so ago at a tea room and I tried to recreate it. I cook some pasta and normally use whatever I have on hand. Depending on how much pasta, I thinly slice a cucumber. If you like cucumber, lots and if you can take it or leave it, less. I then toss with some mayonnaise and some dried dill and chill.

The marinated tomatoes:

4-6 large tomatoes cut into 6 wedges each
2-3 green onions, chopped
3 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons of fresh basil
3/4 cup vegetable or olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar

Mix the vinegar and oil together with the sugar. Pour over the tomatoes, onions and herbs. Refrigerate.

I'm sure if you like other herbs you can use them. I don't use a lot of salt so I don't add it, but if you like salt, you can probably add it while you are mixing it up.

I also made some sun tea. I like taking it in a Thermos in my lunch for a refreshing drink.

Another sunny Sunday in my kitchen!

Not Green

May 10th, 2014 at 08:34 pm

There's a little ditty going around through email talking about an older person going through a grocery check out and how the young cashier told her she didn't know about being green and then it talked about growing up reusing stuff and returning bottles, etc.

Ah, gone are those days.

I saw on Facebook last night where someone posted about how could it be easier to have petroleum products mined, refined, sent to a manufacturing plant, and then the product sent to store where on buys it, uses it, and disposes of it...and the question was is it truly easier to do this than to wash the metal spoon and put it away.

Amen.

As many of you, I take my lunch. I take my utensils too. I have an old set of flatware I use just for that purpose. We bought a new set a number of years ago simply because we had so many spoons and knives go missing it was difficult to set the table.

DH and I were talking about what we do to try and save things, not only for frugality, but because it makes sense for the environment.

I go through a ton of kitchen towels to save on using paper towels. I often use dust cloths and I bought one of those mops that you can put the liquid in and reuse the pad by washing it.

We use cloth napkins for our meals. We use our dishware and I store stuff in glass. I take my coffee in a Thermos and do the same with water and iced tea. (My lunch bag gives me a work out with the glass and Thermoses, but oh well.

We try to use cloth bags for groceries.

We recycle as much as we can. Our city eased up on some of the requirements and take more types of plastic. The other night DH said he wasn't putting the garbage out because it was so windy and we had so little because so much had been recycled. The recycled bin, on the other hand, was pretty full.

I have a love affair with Mason Jars. There, I've said it. I have bunch of them. I started buying them at thrift shops reasonably priced and buy new lids. I use them for a ton of stuff. Right now I have two outside for sun tea. When I have leftover coffee I put it one and put it in the fridge for the makings of iced coffee. When I make chicken broth that I know I'm going to use within a day or two, in the Mason jar it goes.

I think I'm torn between trying to do what is right for the environment as well as save money. Why would I want to waste things?

So, are you green?

Why does Monday always come so fast?

May 5th, 2014 at 12:42 am

Where, oh where, is the weekend? It seemed like it was just Friday night with the anticipation of the weekend showing ahead. It is aleady Sunday night and I'm preparing for work tomorrow.

My dad used to quote this to me: "Saturday night is my delight and so is Sunday morning. Sunday noon comes much too soon, and so does Monday morning." I have not looked it up, but what a very accurate saying.

Our weekend flew. It was fun and the weather was delightful so that made it even better. We went to Arthur and Arcola where are small towns by us and looked around. We stopped at the Amish run bulk food store to stock up on a few things, and we browsed some different shops. Other than the bulk foods, we didn't spent a lot, but had a delightful time. We ate at a buffet called Yoder's which I don't believe it totally run by Amish, but it does have some Amish cooks and the food although not a huge selection, is quite tasty. We met another couple and had a nice time eating and visiting.

Today was church and then home to eat brunch. I had enough leftovers for two lunches. We had sausage, pancakes, and scrambled eggs and fruit salad for dessert. Last night I had snapped green beans, made a fruit salad, and made sloppy chicks because we planned to run around today. It was nice coming home this afternoon knowing all I had to do was heat up the sloppy chicks for supper and making a salad. While I was heating it up, I chopped vegetables and added my homemade chicken broth and some stew meat to the slow cooker. I have an eye doctor appointment tomorrow after school and I wanted to make something in the slow cooker so it would be ready. DH, fortunately, loves beef and barley vegetable soup, so that is what I put together. I made it in my huge one so we will have leftovers for lunch and possibly enough to freeze.

Last night I froze what we had leftover of pork stew. The pork stew was made of leftover pork roast and some vegetables. We had enough for supper and a lunch and still some leftover.

Since we don't eat out very much, it is a treat. Last night was fun not only because we ate out, but also because we met some good friends. They are like us...very frugal and she cooks a ton and they eat leftovers too. We know another couple who are to point they eat almost every meal out...they are the ones complaining they don't have money. No kidding.

Well, I guess I better get back to my school work. Monday will be here before you know it.