Saturday, September 24, 2022

Saturday Curb Find, This and That

Last week, the np got wind of my difficulty sleeping. I did not mean to tell her, but it slipped. Sooo, she is going to solve that problem and gave me something to sleep. Since I did not want it, I did not take it. Friday night, I decided to try it out since I needed sleep for the next day. Well, I am still groggy, not feeling particularly swift or well. I hate this feeling. This is why I take nothing for pain of sleep. 

That means I did not feel like stopping for green bean stock up. Lynda wanted four cans, too. I did not feel like going to the farmer's market for my 40 pounds of sweet potatoes. I did get out of the car for one thing.

A block from my place, I saw pink flowers in the gutter. Tommy turned around and I rescued a pink geranium. Okay, I got out of the car three feet from the plant. I carried it straight to the porch here, and he dumped the dirt from one of my pots in the trash can and plopped it into the pot. I suppose he will water it when he waters all the flowers later today. Right now, he is watching an Auburn game. I absolutely never bother him when an Auburn game is on tv. 

Ordinarily, I would dump dirt into a place in the yard that needed more dirt. But, that is not ever on his radar, and I will not argue or do it myself today. I am just too tired. 

There is a red geranium in a hanging pot, and now there is a pink geranium on the porch. I don't know if they will survive winter or if they are annuals. I suppose not annuals since the one I found is very large. So, I will have to read up on that. 

Friday night, about 7 pm, I put some sort of pork roast into the crock pot. It was half-thawed so I put it on high in order to get it out of the pot and into the refrigerator before we went to bed. Ordinarily, I would have waited until later and put it on to cook on low or medium all night in order to take it out in the morning. But, I knew we were leaving by 8am, and I did not want to do it half asleep and in a rush. about 1 am, I slammed it into a glass storage dish and refrigerated it. Today, I will freeze some of it in bags holding two portions. It appears we have about 8 portions of pulled pork or 4 meals for two. This will be great with bbq sauce on it and eaten with slaw. 

Last night, we had a huge salad with a whole tomato each and other items we both love. Mine had shredded cheese and chopped chicken breast. His had crumbled hamburger cooked with onions. We both fix our own salads, getting what we want. Until about six months ago, I made a salad for Tommy after consulting him about his preferences. Now, my back hurts too much for that. 

Later today, I have about ten pounds of chicken that I will put into a turkey bag for more meals. Maybe I won't if I am still groggy from this pill to sleep. I am going to take a nap. We left within five minutes of 8 am and arrived home within five minutes of noon. I did not even want to stop at good yard sales. 

While I eat asparagus, I have never cooked any. Tonight, I will figure out how to cook it and have that for dinner with whatever we decide.  (I have a vague idea.) Tommy said he would eat asparagus if he had to eat it, but he does not care for it. Oh well! I love asparagus, so more for me. 

He peeled the sweet potatoes we microwaved. I  puta tiny bit of brown sugar and cinnamon on them and stirred them well. He will eat these as they are not my favorite sweet potato and taste nasty. I am waiting on Beauregard. Georgia Jet would be better, but they do not store well. 

This morning, I was not too cold as I went to the car in a short sleeve. However, the car air was chilly and the arm rest and seat were frigid. I grabbed a fleece blanket to cover my arms. As soon as I got the car turned on, I turned on the heat. When we both finally were too warm, I cut the ac back on. I suppose this is the beginning of cool weather. I will carry a sweater or light jacket in the car for the few moments I need one each time I am in the car. I just hate this new development. But, the temperature is now 82F. 

Okay, I am headed off for a nap when Tommy gets back in from getting the mail. 

Do you eat asparagus? Do you grow it?  Is your weekend beautiful with a cloudless sky like it is here? Anything exciting, boring, or mundane happening in your life?


22 comments:

  1. I love asparagus, isn't it funny how the weather can be so cool in the morning and then by afternoon you are sweating?

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    Replies
    1. Kim,
      A person cannot dress for the cool weather and not expect cool all day. That is what sweaters were made for.

      Delete
  2. We do like asparagus, although it can be a little expensive.

    Our weekend weather has been good so far, much cooler :)

    All the best Jan

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  3. I like the taste of asparagus very much, and I like to put a little bit of mayonnaise with a touch of parmesan cheese stirred in, to spoon just a little over the asparagus. It seems to bring out the flavor even more for me. I gently cook my asparagus in a covered container in the microwave to just steam it. I have never grown any asparagus, but I remember when we were viewing our house (back then they used to let the owners be present). When we were looking outside in the back yard the little old lady who lived here was so proud of her asparagus bed in the back yard, the gingko tree she planted, and the persimmon tree that grew back there. She was so sweet. She also left her stove here for us when she moved because we asked if she would be needing a stove where she was moving to. It was a very good, but older model Kenmore. We still use that stove and I don't have any desire to get a new one. We had to call a repairman once in the 44 years we've lived here and he was able to fix the problem. A part of the oven knob was stuck and wouldn't turn to allow me to turn the stove on. I thought it was broken. Much to my embarrassment, there was a buildup of grease in one of the parts of the knob. I never realized it had two parts, so I never cleaned them in about 44 years. He fixed it by cleaning it with wd 40.
    He still had to charge a fee for the visit but didn't charge for anything else. He did say that if any of the parts of that stove get broken they no longer manufacture the stove parts for that
    stove because it was made in 1954. Same year our house was built. Same year I was born.

    It was a real pretty day here. My husband and I just had leftovers from other meals for our dinner tonight. Easy Peasy. Left over pepperoni, onion, mushroom Omellette with tater tots on the side, leftover Pizza, and my husband had a small frozen dinner, too. It turned out to be a pretty big dinner after all.
    Have a nice day tomorrow.

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    Replies
    1. susie,
      I love old appliances! I would check online and other appliance places since someone might have parts from a cannibalized stove. You are very lucky to have it. Maybe the stove will last as long as you do!
      When I was at a friend's house, she mentioned her ca opener would not work. It made a sound but she could not get it to cut the lid. I looked at it and told her it just needed to be cleaned. She was so embarrassed. The cutting mechanism was funked up beyond belief.
      One day after Tommy cleaned the stove, I could not twist the knob to turn of a burner. He had to come and wrench it to turn it on. I had him pull off the knob since I could not. There was so much underneath, gunked up stuff. He had been taking a wet cloth and just running it over the knobs, getting it very wet. So, it all stuck. He said he never knew knobs on stoves had to be taken off and cleaned. Now, he knows. If he had just wiped with a dry cloth, there would have been no problem.
      A two-piece knob would be a puzzle.
      I stayed to show our home against the wishes of the realtor. I told her she could show it or not, but that I stayed. Later, she said I added lots to the home tour, things she did not know to show people.

      Delete
  4. I like asparagus raw or cooked. I usually only get fresh in the spring, when it is in season here. Much cheaper then.
    Geraniums in my area have always been annuals. You might be able to over winter them inside, but they would not survive the winter in IN.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cheryl,
      They won't be coming indoors. I have two huge pots on the porch that I plan to use to protect my potted plants. I will stuff them in there and cover the plants, maybe under the carport since it would not be a pretty sight on the porch. Otherwise, I will just be happy I have a free pink-flowering plant for now. Thanks.

      Delete
  5. I am rather 'meh' about asparagus. My family all love it. Hubby planted 40 crowns this year, when they went on sale planted 40 more!! We laugh as they are supposed to keep giving spears for 20 plus years! We decided they will be our children's inheritance. Between that and the rhubarb we grew from seed this year, spring is going to be busy in the future. Last year at Thanksgiving, I wrapped the asparagus in bacon and cooked it in the oven, it was a BIG hit.

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    Replies
    1. Irene,
      That is a lot of asparagus! I hope your children love asparagus! Oh, man, rhubarb and asparagus! I love both. I have bacon and Tommy loves bacon, so maybe he will be more willing to eat it. I feel like he could do without it forever since he only eats it when he has to eat it, like at someone's home. Thanks for the bacon idea.

      Delete
  6. I only like asparagus in asparagus and pea casserole, which uses canned asparagus. Do you microwave, or reheat the food you cook in batch in the oven? I tried batch cooking/reheating, and found it really didn't save me much time. We generally dislike most things once they are microwaved. I turn leftovers in to other things during clean up, basically, casseroles which just get popped in a 350 degree oven. The days I serve those I count as not cooking.
    Weather here is clear, sunny, low 60's. It's Autumn in the PNW for sure!

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    Replies
    1. Meg,
      I absolutely love canned asparagus, the whole spears. I count it as a treat, a very expensive treat. We microwave the food when reheating. We don't notice any loss of flavor. I doubt I have the energy or standing power to make leftovers into new meals. But, it certainly sounds like a great idea.
      Summer does not want to leave here, and that is fine for me even though the slightly cooler temps are refreshing and promise things like pecans and fresh sweet potatoes.

      Delete
  7. I never liked canned asparagus - I thought it looked disgusting, as a kid. Then I tried fresh asparagus roasted in the oven and yum. Now I do it in a hot pan with a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper and do kind of a stir fry, so it gets a bit browned and that's my husbands favorite way of cooking it. Saved turning on the oven during the summer months. I also cut it up and do a quick stir fry and then put on a paper plate to remove some of the oil and then add into my scrambled eggs when I make them. A good way to use up a small amount that wouldn't be enough for a normal sized serving. Ranee (MN)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I actually prefer the canned, but do enjoy fresh. I asked Tommy about eating asparagus just now. He said, "I prefer not to but I will." When I asked if he would prefer it wrapped in bacon, I thought he would jump at that. He did not. I have never had bacon cooked in a pan, just wrapped in bacon or grilled. Thanks for the idea.

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  8. I either oven roast (400 degrees) or sautee my asparagus. Just like Rae, I use nothing more than salt & pepper and a bit of olive oil. It reheats just fine in the microwave.

    I have only had canned asparagus once; it tasted very metallic. I suspect it was a cheap brand.

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    Replies
    1. Sue,
      Thanks. I doubt I will have leftovers to heat...lol.

      A metallic taste would turn me off canned asparagus forever.

      Delete
  9. Hubby doesn't love asparagus so we don't eat it often. When we do, I cook it in the oven as mentioned above, with olive oil, salt and pepper, and maybe some parmesan cheese. I also like it fresh and cut up as a topping on salad. It gives a nice crunch.

    I wondered if anyone would mention a side effect some people have. I must admit, I never ate asparagus growing up. I was probably in my 30's or older before I had ever had it. Later, I thought something was wrong with me. For some people, it gives urine a VERY strong odor. It took me a while to figure out that the asparagus was the cause. Maybe it is similar to how cilantro tastes like soap to some people.

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    Replies
    1. Alice,
      I have heard about the asparagus pee. But, I have never noticed it. I think that is so strange. Thanks for reminding me.




      Delete
  10. When I eat asparagus I cook them lightly always, like rubbed with oil and lightly grilled, or sautéed slightly. never boiled.

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  11. I am certain you have heard of the conjoined twins named Chang & Eng Bunker. I once read that one of the ways that Doctors used to test which of their organs were separate or shared was to have one twin eat asparagus and then they smelled the urine of the other. They determined that they did not share kidneys or their bladder.

    I like fresh asparagus cooked semi crisp. When it gets too soft I don't care for it. John would only eat the tips! I usually lightly stir fry or steam the spears. Another way is roasted in a hot oven with olive oil salt & pepper. Contrary to what many people think the fatter spears are more tender than the pencil sized ones. If you hold the raw spear between your hands and use a downward motion with the end portion the spear will break at the tender point. Many times the ends are woody and tough.

    John liked canned asparagus on a salad. It is too mushy for me.

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    Replies
    1. Janet,
      Yes, I have heard of them. But, I never heard this about their organs. Interesting.

      I prefer the mushy canned. Otherwise, the tips and slightly below are best. Crisp does not do it for me.

      Delete

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