Almost 4 Hours Sleep, Steak Butter

 This was my list of things to do on Tuesday. Some are pushed to Tuesday. Those are noted.

Tuesday--Over six pounds of bscb cook. 

Emptied food storage containers, leftovers, eaten. 

Tommy emptied dishwasher, hand washed some dishes.

I washed popsicle maker.

Some done. The rest pushed to Tuesday--Fold two loads of clothes--kitchen towels and my towels.

More books sorted in hall and living room. 

Tommy--Bought keto bread, milk for me, milk for Tommy.

All that was on four hours sleep, but I am fading fast. It was lovely and hot outdoors! I have watched the disasters unfold in Hawaii and the West where the hurricane is dropping water on the desert. All the sun streaming in the living room just shows and emphasizes all the dust in here. Ack! 

I did watch The Miracle Workers at 9 C. Next week is the last of the End Times Series of Miracle Workers. Does anyone else watch this on TBS?

Once again, Tommy got very loud and vehemently declared he would not eat something. Two days later I noticed he was eating it and ate it for several days. He said he would never eat any of the Steak Butter, that it did not sound good. I explained it was to put on a steak when cooking it. He still was loud and in denial. I told him it had no steak in it, that it was for putting on steak but it would work on bread. He is so funny. He did tell me it was not as good as what I made. Okay!

Dinner for Tommy will be leftover baked chicken, baked squash, baked carrots, sweet potatoes. All yellow/orange. 

For dinner I did not feel I could chew anything because of TMJ. I had a bowl of oatmeal, half a banana, 8 inch carrot baked, green beans, piece of keto bread. I did have half an apple, sliced thinly so the peel could be chewed a bit. I could not eat chicken. Bread crust was too hard. Not really, but it was just too hard for me to chew. Even cheese I ate earlier was too much to chew. 

I was talking to someone from England who said condensed milk was diluted over there to drink. Same with evaporated milk. Now, I know people drink Pet evaporated milk diluted. But, I have never heard of anyone drinking Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk. Have you? I know some people from England read this blog.

Usually, I take a nap when I sleep so little, but that did not happen today. 

Do you put butter on steak? 

The Coronation Watch & Cucumber Sandwich Recipe

 Tommy woke me at 3:30...ugh. I made the cucumber sandwiches before and during the coronation. It was wonderful. George seemed to do a superb job as holder of the train. Charlotte was so pretty in her special dress, her hair up and a floral crown just like Kate's. I am surprised that Kate never gives Louis "the eye" to stop him. Yes, he is young but too old for his shenanigans. 

I was surprised Kate and some other royals had coronation robes on at the coronation. Harry seemed genuinely happy to be there, back in his element, I suppose. Finally, I found out who the woman in blue was, the one who carried around the sword, it seemed, during the whole coronation--a politician. And, I was mystified as to the identities of the two women in white who followed Camilla--her sister and another attendant. 

The tears in Charles's eyes during the ceremony were touching, almost making me cry. I was totally shocked at his disrobing partially and the screens put in front of him. The architecture in Westminster Abbey certainly added to the pageantry below. 

So, these are just a few of my thoughts as I watched. Finally, I had to go to bed, just before the crowd reached the balcony. Did you see the horse that was spooked and could not be brought under control, smashing through the barricade and into the crowd? 

I slept for about four hours, got up, then took a 3-hour nap in the afternoon. It was a good coronation watch. I caught up on the rest of the coronation celebration as best I could. After the nap, I made meatloaf and put Tommy's into two halves of a bell pepper.  We had leftovers with it--a bit of Suddenly Salad, and a huge tossed salad. 

I made the cucumber salad filling just before the coronation coverage started. Usually, I serve these on little cut rounds of bread made into sandwiches. Not this time as I just made a sandwich with two slices of bread and cut into rough fourths. I ate nothing else during the night, no matter what I had prepared for the munchies. 

I ate strawberries for breakfast and blueberries after dinner tonight. I was going to make deviled eggs with avocado (green eggs) but did not. The eggs are boiled, so I can do it as I wish later. 

The cucumber sandwiches are delicious, but presentation is everything. I got this from a friend who was a cater who made me promise not to tell anyone, that was 40 years ago, she no longer caters, and sort of quit talking to me , and I don't know why. But, she had a strange life filled with violence and sexual abuse since she was a young child. We were thick as thieves until I went back to school. So, now I will reveal this simple recipe she might have gotten elsewhere. 

I use a cookie/biscuit cutter/jar/tin can. Size is the important thing to me. I make sure it is the diameter of the European cucumber I buy. You will know when it is correct. I don't want the cucumber hidden or hanging out, just a bit smaller than the bread so it shows.

Use room temperature or softer butter to spread on the rounds of bread. You want it to be the thinnest smear, not much at all. The idea is to keep the mix and the wet cucumber from making the sandwich soggy. I usually am transporting these for an hour to my destination. 

Slice the cucumber as thin or thick as you wish.  I try for around a eighth of an inch. 

Try to put the filling on the other buttered bread without crushing the bread. putting on just a little bit, sort in little smears or dots and then spreading keeps the bread intact. 

So, you have bread, butter, cucumber, and cream cheese filling, Good Seasons Zesty Italian dry mix. Do NOT use the whole dressing package with one 8 oz package of cream cheese. Use it to your taste. 

I use cream cheese and half a little packet of Good Seasons zesty Italian dry salad dressing mix. Let the cream cheese reach room temperature, put the dressing on top and mash with a fork until mixed. I did not use the whole package. Try it and see what you prefer. This "recipe" can be made using your own dressing mix, any herbs you please in any combination. There is too much sodium and soy in the mix, so next time I will make my own dry mix. 

The last two times I made this for others to consume, I had Tommy help me with the bread rounds and cucumber slicing. In the past, I have used two different breads that were different bread hues. This added interest to the sandwich tray, I think.

This was my first coronation and my last, I am sure. So, staying up for it, even with little sleep was fun. 

Did you stay up or get up for the whole coronation? 

Did you watch the balcony part? 

Did anyone see the musical part, the entertainment part? I did not but will find it on laptop later. 

What impressed you the most? Or, surprised you?

Food and Free + Aldi Trip

 Today, we went to get food from a giveaway. 

Huge pork loin roast, at least 5 lbs.

18 juice oranges

dozen grapefruit

10 lbs potatoes

3 lbs red onions

3 tomatoes

4 sweet potatoes

4 huge premade hamburgers, 6 ozs each

3 lb. bag of grated cheddar cheese

2 half-gallons organic milk

dried organic apples

Kind peanut butter clusters

dried figs

two boxes Great Grains cereal

dozen cans of carrots, corn, black-eyed peas (will give to friend)

4 cans of chicken breast

Cookies, candy bars, granola bites 

Russell Stover sugar-free candy

Cetaphil facial cleanser

We asked to take a portion to a neighbor, but they forget to give her a box of vegetables. We gave her some of our vegetables and all the cans of food. She did get the cans of food, though. Well, we kept the chicken and green peas from our box. 

We also got chicken tenders, more, smaller pork loins, hamburgers, chicken breasts, lemonade tea (gave away), and many packages of cheetos. We gave away most of the Cheetos! 

Lynda has been sickly. Monday, I shared some Hall's Mentholyptus cough drops, today I gave her guaifenesin. She says the kids in the daycare where she works sneeze in her face. I suggested she wear a mask. When the kids ask why, she can tell them they sneeze all over her face and do not cover their mouths. 

Tuesday dinner was hamburger but no bun, salad with tomato. All was free.

Monday night, I slept two hours and managed to get a two-hour nap today. Tuesday bedtime should be early.

Since I did not take my Tuesday medicine until midnight, I stayed up until 1:30. ugh! Then, I only slept 7 hours. 

So, Wednesday morning here and Tommy is mansplaining to me again. I asked what Obama said, and he explained it was a sound-bite to get people to listen to the story later. He did not know the answer. If he does not know the answer to my question, he goes off on a tangent of mansplaining! Just shoot me now! I could easily ignore this, but he just mumbles on and on while I miss the next three minutes of whatever. Otherwise, I would just ignore the mansplaining! Do you get mansplaining from anyone?

We are now going to Aldi for butter and eggs. Okay, just returned. It was a nightmare in Aldi!

It was not crowded. Usually, there is produce all over the floors and boxes everywhere. That was not true this time.  

The butter was full-price on the shelf, but I found an ad and the butter in the ad was same butter on the shelf. But, that was extra steps I did not need. The egg cartons were soft feeling, like they were damp. That was skeezy feeling. And, many eggs were broken. So, I had to sort that which meant turning loose of the buggy causing me pain, making me feel I might fall. 

Finally, I think I got unbroken eggs. I left with four cartons of eggs @ $1.97/dozen and three pounds of butter@$1.97/lb. I eat lots of eggs but not much butter. There will be other sales for butter before I need more butter. 

So, no more Aldi for a long time. I think this is only my fourth trip ever to Aldi! 

Better News on the Egg Front

 The new Aldi ad has butter for $1.97/lb. I was hoping for this development! Wednesday, Tommy can go in and get some. I will have him check out the eggs, too. They are not on an ad, but maybe they are simply much cheaper. Plus, Anne confirmed the butter price and said eggs were $1.99. Anything but $6/18 eggs.

Tommy needed to get the form for filling out his taxes from the library. Hueytown library said they never got the forms, so he called Bessemer library and we drove there. Bessemer is very close, right up against Hueytown. He has been talking about getting the form and booklet for weeks. It was time. I suppose I know what he will be doing furiously for the next couple of days. 

The neighbor who mowed Tommy's yard and then paid for someone to mow his yard and Tommy's has moved. So, another neighbor mowed the yard today. He barely got in corners and did no weed eating, so I suppose this is the way it will be. I hate it! 

Okay, I must take a nap and go out again. 

Bargains

 We went to Cullman today, leaving here at 9:30 AM and arriving here at just before 4 PM. We got a lot done. His knees hurt and my feet are swollen! 

~~ delivered Pepsi cans and tuna-type cans to friend to give to mutual friend so she can turn them into money for her septic bill. Also gave her water bottles to recycle. 

~~went to my lot where hundreds of daffodils are ready to bloom. These have been in the yard prior to 1977. The ones I planted in a sunnier place are in full bloom. Tulips I planted several years ago are up about three inches. 

~~Publix had the Hunt's Petite Diced Tomatoes I had bought at BIG BOX for $0.98/can even cheaper-bogo, $1.74 for two, I think. I cannot find the receipt. So, that would be $0.87/can. I had already decided to buy more 10 more, so this saves me a bit.

~~I found butter once again for $1.50 lb. and bought all six packages on the shelf. They had more in the back, but I just got the six pounds. I don't bake a lot. Bought reduced package of Rice a Roni stir fried rice. Tommy will like it. I might, but thought it would be something different. I have plenty of vegetables for it and will add some meat for a whole meal.

~~paid my property taxes at the courthouse. 

~~ate at BK

~~stopped at Verizon to find out how to get to voice mails. Once I knew to hold down "1" to get to voicemails, I set it all up myself.

~~went to PO

~~went to bank

Dinner on Thursday night--thinly sliced chops from a pork loin, zucchini leftover from last night, carrots baked with chicken last night, leftover turnip greens. I love leftovers! 

No, I did not win the PCH! Have the scammers called you? It was 75F today...so nice. What is for dinner at your house? Is spring showing up yet?

Checking the Stores in The Kitchen

No, I have not catalogued all the food. All I need to do is check what I have that is on sale each week. I know I should write it all down, but until there is light in there, I am not much inspired.

Piggly Wiggly had StarKist Chunk Light Tuna for $0.77 +10%. So, it is about $0.85.  That is not the lowest I have ever seen it, but who knows what it will be going forward. I bought 4 cans last week and had another six cans with 2023 from shopping other times.

Five cans on my shelf had 2023 as the use by date. These I found today at the store had 2024. Since I came into a bit of cash I was not expecting, I bought 20 cans. Tommy helped, too, of course. Before January 2024, I will have finished these if I buy no others. January 2024 is 42 months from now. So, if I find tuna  cheaper, I still will not have too much. StarKist Light Chunk is the only tuna I will eat.

When I find a better price for SK, if I do, I will buy those, too. I feel safe from mercury when I eat Chunk Light as it has the lowest level of mercury. Plus, since Fukashima, I worry about radiation. I can eat tuna twice a week, but I won't.

Shopping is much more than putting food into the cart and paying for it! While getting 20 cans of tuna, I had to check each one for dents. Last week, I bought a dented can. I did eat that one first! Then, once I bring it home, I want to label each can. So, I get out a magic marker and write "24" on the top and on the very front, very deliberately writing very neatly, using numbers as taught to children, nothing swirly or cutesy. This is a lot of handling of cans that are not too heavy. Over time, my hands and wrists hurt!

After checking for dents in the cans as I got them off the shelves, I let three slip through. The dents I rejected were on the sides of the cans. The dents that slipped through were dents on the bottom edge of the can! So, I wrote "dent" on those.  Dented cans will be eaten first.

I bought:
3 12-packs of Caffeine-Free Coke on sale.
20 6-oz cans Starkist Chunk Light Tuna--$0.85
12 oz can Hormel Roast Beef and Gravy $3.44
12 oz. can  Armour Roast Beef and Gravy $4.31
24 0z. jar Ragu Spaghetti $1.71
log of Kaukauna Port Wine Cheese $3.73
8 oz. Kraft Medium cheddar $3.30
I Can't Believe It's Not Butter $3.10
cookies $.24
Wheat Thins--Hint of Salt
Special K Red Berries bogo $4.62 for 2
Olivio Spread
Celery Seed
1 Beefsteak Tomato $2.09

Since this was a little extra money, I bought things I normally would not--like celery seeds. Special K Red Berries is too expensive unless it is on sale, bogo today. I will eat this too fast. It will be a snack at night, not breakfast.

I have plenty of Cokes, so should not have bought these right now at this price. Oh well. I bought two brands of roast beef and gravy to see which was best. I always buy Hormel, so I thought I would try the Armour and see if it was worth the extra cost. Probably not!

We certainly do not need any more vegetables or fruit, but the tomato was different.

One night, we are going to have a snack-y dinner, and the Port Wine cheese and Wheat Thins are part of that. Vegetables and fruit will round that out with a bit of chicken salad. The thought makes me happy. White/green grapes are going to be $.99 starting tomorrow, Wednesday.

I need to quit eating real butter according to the doctor, so I Can't Believe It's Not Butter was the best I can find. Oh, bought Olivio, too.

Dinner tonight: Romaine and tomato salad with squash, carrots, zucchini, Grated cheese for me, chicken on top for both, corn on the cob.

Questions: What is the best Heart Healthy "butter" have you found? I forgot the other questions.

Butter, Dinner, Weight

Since I mentioned to Tommy on Thursday that it looks like he is gaining a lot of weight, he has absolutely quit snacking! Please do not think I was being critical of him. He did not. He ate crackers and peanut butter once in two days. For lunch, he had cheese and an apple. I figure in one month I will see a change in his girth.

I have NOT in any way tried to monitor his intake as to kind or quantity.

Now, I need to be as diligent and pay attention and adjust food I eat.

I need to get a refund and am afraid of handling money. So, I will take a plastic bag with me and have the cashier put the money in the bag. Then, I can bring the money home and clean it with a Lysol Wipe and let it sit for a week before I touch it again.

Yesterday was the day I should have watered my garden. I was too beat by the time I was going to water the reservoirs. Today, when I went out to water, I was shocked to see three of the boxes were fine. the fourth, the one holding cabbage and kale plants needed water badly. The cabbages and kale were very wilted. I have to do better than this.

Tommy's metal shed is falling down. That is fine with me, but it has electricity to it. The box inside will have to be removed safely.  Otherwise, I would help it fall. And, he is okay with it falling as it is dangerous, leaky and an eyesore. I just want the concrete pad for table with umbrella and chairs.

I have been doing things, basically piddling, but accomplishing things like decluttering in various places around the house. I washed a load with new panties and nightgown, plus various other things to wash.

A decision to leave the butter out of the refrigerator was necessary to avoid the consumption of too much butter. I rarely use the butter, but when I made a grilled cheese sandwich, I could not avoid larger chunks/slices than I needed or wanted. You know how hard it is to spread cold butter on any kind of bread!

Since I bought glass storage dishes from Publix with snap lock lids, I pressed one of them into service for butter. I can leave it on the counter and not fear bugs getting into it while it still is warm enough to spread easily. The dish is about 7" x 7" and a bit larger than I need. But, it seals and works.

I have seen huge rolls in the grocery stores of what is called Roll Butter.  As of yet, I have not determined if this is cheaper than pound boxes. Have you ever seen or heard of this?

We have a bottle of mayo in the refrigerator, the kind that sits upside down and the squirt end always has mayo ready to dispense. Tommy had never heard of using mayo instead of butter. So, I made his grilled cheese sandwich with the mayo. He declared it okay and said he could not have told the difference if I had not told him.

While I have no intentions of making my sandwich with mayo, it is good to know I can use it if butter runs low. I have thought this for a long time, not just in the time of Covid19. Do you ever use mayo for grilling your sandwich?

We only went outdoors for laundry, watering, and mailbox. There is a Modern Family Marathon which is on from noon to midnight, or something like that. We love it, so watch.

Tonight, we will have leftover chicken breast, potato wedges baked in the drippings of the chicken pan with carrots and Bell pepper wedges and a piece of celery.  Tommy gets the bell pepper and celery...lol. I love seasoning with Bell pepper not eating the Bell pepper or celery.

I have a recipe about how to used a box mix of brownies to make waffle brownies. I might make that tonight and freeze the extra brownies. They sound really delicious.