Thursday, January 30, 2020

Dead People and Pasta

I thought of an incident in my youth, not a bad memory, but I thought of someone I have not seen in 60 years. I googled his name to find he had died 5 years ago at the age of 71. It gave me a funny feeling, knowing the vital young teenager had died so early. I also felt incredibly lucky to still be alive and kicking.

Speaking of which, I know a guy who can barely walk, has his son and girlfriend living with him because he is bad shape using oxygen 24/7. They take care of him. He is at least ten years younger than I. I called because I had not talked to him in a year. Well, he thought I had died because my house was gone. What a weird thought. He said that maybe I was in a nursing home! He wanted to know if I could drive still. He cannot.

Tommy and I sampled the soup, the consistency of beef hash. I added another can of chicken broth after we ate which annoyed him. He will like it anyway. I know.

Today, I used four coupons, all for Ronco Pasta. I had coupons for 55 cents off 2 packages. So, I bought 8 seven-ounce packages of spaghetti. Each is about what we need for a meal. The packages were $0.99. I am not sure that is a good price. But, if I left that store and went to another for a better deal, I would lose any of the money-saving benefits of using coupons. As it was, I paid $7.50 for 8 packages of Ronco spaghetti.

I could have gotten any Ronco pasta. I also got coleslaw mix, tri-color.

Ronco is the brand I grew up eating. Do you ever eat Ronco spaghetti? I wonder if Daddy liked it because it tasted best to him. Or. was it inexpensive? It is the only brand I use. Do you use Ronco? What is your favorite spaghetti? I will eat other pasta, but Ronco is the only brand I buy and cook.

Today, Tommy gave me the metal can where he used up the coffee. I have an iron pot with three little legs that Mama gave me. Both got a coat of spray paint--Matte Boysenberry. It is a dark, pinky-purplish color. Tomorrow or Saturday, I will plant the purple tulips and daffodils in them. The first year I planted these together, they both bloomed at the same time even though I planted them both in January.

Tommy has no flowers and wants no flowers, nothing in the ground. He really does admire flowers and always told me when mine had bloomed.

14 comments:

  1. that is the best post title ever! :)

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  2. It certainly is a very attention grabbing post title. :) I've never heard of or seen Ronco pasta. I generally buy whatever brand is on sale. Every so often, pasta goes on sale for $.50 per 16 oz. packet and I stock up.

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    1. Bless,
      Since my 55th high school reunion, it seems I find more people in my past life are dead! Ronco seems to not be front and center like Barilla or other brands. It is in a cellophane package, not a box and seems to be at end of pasta/spaghetti display. That is an excellent price!

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  3. Buying the right size is often better than a larger sixe, even if the cost per ounce is cheaper because you don't have waste. I buy the 16 oz at Aldi for 89 cents , but will use for two or three meals a box.

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    1. SAM,
      I HAD a Tupperware container made for pasta, so the uncooked portion could be saved without it spilling all over, loose in an unopened box. If i cook too much...wait, too much pasta? I just eat it with olive oil and Parmesan cheese. This is one food that i am brand loyal because i can tell the difference in taste and texture.

      Delete
  4. I have never heard of Ronco pasta. I prefer Barilla if I can find it on sale. I've really tried to cut back on eating pasta so I guess I could afford to buy it anyway :)

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    1. ladybug,
      I was eating whole wheat pasta, but I am not supposed to eat whole wheat anything. I tried Barilla, and went back to Ronco.

      Delete
  5. I always used Creamette (green box), or whatever was cheapest on the shelf. Most of the time it's just going to be covered with sauce anyway, so it never mattered to me.

    Hubby and I gave up carbohydrates almost two years ago to reverse his T2 diabetes. We no longer eat any grains so no bread or pasta. I have made zucchini noodles to have with a sauce, and that satisfied us.

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    1. Alice,
      I thought the same thing, too, when I started buying cheap stuff. I can taste the pasta even with spaghetti. I lost my spiralizer to the dump! I think zucchini would satisfy me, too. Thanks.

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  6. My kids in their 30s just mentioned 1/4 of their classmates and friends are dead. Car accidents leading cause, then cancer of all sorts then drugs or booze. We have lost a good 2 dozen in the last year due to cancer of our classes.

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    1. Chef,
      I wonder how all my classmates and people I knew, like the man I just found out about died. I heard of one of my classmates was eating cereal and fell headfirst into her food. And, this was 30 years ago! My best friend committed suicide. People I wanted to talk with had died this last time I went to my reunion. I wonder if cancer kills more of our friends now than then.

      Delete
  7. I like Barilla Angel Hair Pasta because it cooks quickly.I like the flavor of it,too.We used to eat R & F pasta. I've never tried Ronco. I never noticed it in the stores around here,but that might be because I was just zoned in on the kind we've been getting for years. I cook the whole 16 ounces at once, and freeze half of it. Then I use it again within two weeks. I reheat it within two weeks in the microwave tightly covered with Saran and a little bit of water and it still tastes good tastes good with chili or sauce. Cooking and then freezing half saves me having to use the giant pot and drainer that are hard on my wrists when washing. I don't know how the second round would taste with just oil and parmesan. My favorite food to eat with parmesan is cooked green beans. I can almost make a meal out of that when I get a green bean craving..

    I'm 66 now, and I've noticed that people that I went to school
    with, kids that grew up in my neighborhood,and my cousin who was near my age starting to pass away now, heart attack, cancers, and complications of Parkinsons. I knew my cousin was suffering from cancer, but the news of the kids in my neighborhood came as a sad surprise after they were gone.It's a wistful, sad feeling to find out they have passed away when in my mind's eye I had been seeing them still alive and well.

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    1. I don't like angel hair at all. I am not sure why...lol. I don't have a pot large enough to cook a lot of pasta, so enough for one meal has to work. But, I know what you mean about large things hurting hands. I think I will try freezing some pasta and see what it is like after being thawed. You eat green beans with parmesan on them?

      You are right about seeing dead people in my mind's eye when they are young and healthy.

      Delete

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