At Last and AC

 I wrote this post once. Things were so screwed up, I actually abandoned the post and started anew. I will delete it later. Now, the stress of trying to fix that post has taken its toll, so I must rest my brain...lol. 

Tommy left at 8 am, sat while they diagnosed the problem and was home by 11:30. It is the radiator wearing out somehow. I forgot the details. I am so glad that we were not stranded in this heat by the radiator giving out. The horn problem is in the steering column. So, that yearlong or more problem will be solved. He would have left the car, but they said they had no one at that time who could have taken him home! So, now he has to get up even earlier to go on Friday.

Tommy emphatically states (loudly) that he does not need to drink water, that his coffee and Pepsi and chocolate milk will work to hydrate him. This is really a stressor for me since I feel he is foolishly ignoring medical advice and endangering not only himself, but me since I am in the car when he is exposing both of us to high temps. If he passes out, he could kill more people, too.

While watching the weather tonight, a visual was on the screen as the weather guy talked. "Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and sugary drinks" Tommy saw it, I read it to him. He is silent. 

Then, shortly thereafter comment slipped through my security measure from an idiot who calls herself Blog Reader--"who cares if tommy[sic] likes pepsi[sic[over water....! Yum." and it goes on. What an idiot she is! I CARE! She claims to care, yet she encourages dangerous behavior. 

Tommy's car is visually a wreck--dings, peeling paint, has not been washed in at least four years. We cannot even see through the windshield. But, it will be cool and have a horn tomorrow. I don't judge a man by his car, but it is indicative of most he does except his finances.

I slept from 3 am to 5 pm today with the help of 3mg of melatonin. I was up twice to use the bathroom and went sound asleep afterwards both times. About 9 am, I thought I would get up, called Tommy, and went back to sleep. That makes 14 hours sleep except for calling Tommy and five minutes of TV. 

When I awoke after 5 tonight, I had cookies and milk. Since I have been feeling light-headed and out of it, I had to follow my own advice and drink water. It definitely makes a difference.  Of course, I had been sleeping and not much occasion to drink water. I am not often without water in my hand or by my side. If we forget water, we pay $2 for a bottle for me. 

Tonight, we put six pounds of chicken tenderloins into the oven with a mess of green beans, one carrot, broccoli, and spices--onion powder, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. I made cole slaw. There will be chicken to freeze, to store to eat for a few days, and vegetables for at least three dinners. Right now, Tommy is cleaning up items from cooking.

Friday, Tommy will have to take the car in again for the work. They had no one to bring him home. He will pay Lyft if they still have no one tomorrow to bring him home! Tommy did make sure to remove our air compressor, and charger, the small, expensive items to get the car going. 

So, we finally had dinner--chicken tenders, green beans, broccoli, carrots, potatoes, and slaw. Delicious and satisfying. The chicken was so tender and needed little chewing. Slaw, surprisingly, needs little chewing. Of course, I could have chewed more and made the cabbage mush to swallow. Now, to freeze most of the chicken. 

I know people who pride themselves in never washing their car or fixing dings. It is funny. However, letting mechanical things get worse is not cool or funny. Do you know anyone who never washes the car? 

The one things he does is to remove every bit of trash on the floor and seats of his car...sigh. Right now, he is in the kitchen storing all the food, all the vegetables in one dish with chicken in the dish, too. The rest of the chicken I will freeze a bit later tonight. We mostly have a rhythm when we work together in the kitchen. We know what each needs and what process comes next. Good deal. 

Tonight, we were using the last of the Italian seasoning. So, I decided to just mix my own since it is so expensive. I copied down everything in the bottle with the screw metal top and holes--oregano, marjoram, thyme, basil, parsley. Then, he found a second, unopened bottle. 

I smelled each seasoning in its bottle. I was surprised that basil smells nothing like basil. Instead, it smells peppery. Is that right? I have never bought dried basil in a bottle. 

All the kitchen towels are folded. Tommy put them away for us. And, we cooked chicken. Maybe tomorrow, I will get my towels folded. We do need to cook ground beef, too. Maybe tomorrow?

Today, Tommy came into the bedroom to talk to me about 5 pm. As he left, I asked him if he thought it was hot in the bedroom. He said it was. Yet, I think the ac was set at 70F. The actual temperature in the hall where the thermostat is located was 74F because the ac unit could not run enough to lower even the hall temp to 70F. The ac struggles. I feel sorry those without ac or inadequate ac. I think the best solution to the heat in the front of the house would be several crepe myrtles. Of course, he disagrees! lol 

Today was a good day because I had lots of sleep last night, but the energy lasted only about three hours! 

Do you have anyone in your life who takes chances that could kill you both? 

Do you know anyone who neglects the cosmetics of a car? 

Do you have anyone who works with you in any capacity that anticipates what you next need?

Who is hot? I know some people are having cooler temps. 

Erythritol and Heart Disease and Rhubarb: Update

Carlee Russel in Hoover admitted it was all a hoax--no child in a diaper on the interstate, no abduction, no help from anyone, all a lie. I do feel sorry for her, but the search for her was an expensive waste of resources. Her "abduction" made the national news  last week and so did her confession this week. 

 I will let the two links below speak for themselves. Since it was put in candy and gum, I have avoided it because of the gastrointestinal problems it caused. So, I suppose I should avoid it for my heart. Hopefully, I can find 100% stevia to use. Maybe there are no side effects with stevia.

Erythritol Risks

Erythritol side effects

Mayo Clinic on Eryrithol Mayo Clinic disagrees with the harm. But, I want to err on the side of caution.

Last night, I needed corn starch to put in the rhubarb. Tommy could not find it at all. So, I suggested he look in the dead zone between sink and microwave. He could not find it there, but managed to declutter it a bit. It looks like a smaller dead zone and neater, too. Now, it is up to me to find the corn starch elsewhere AND to further declutter the dead zone.

I cut almost 8 lbs. of rhubarb. Some, I cut against my thumb while trimming the ends. That got old fast. Today, I found a huge slit in my thumb with a flap of skin, no blood or sore. I knew it hurt when I was doing it. Since this had to be ordered and it is hot all over, I wonder from where it came. Is there a cold spot in Canada where it can thrive. It appeared to have been cut the day before. 

A woman saw it in my cart and asked if it was rhubarb. She was amazed and wanted to know where I got it and where the store ordered it. We both lamented that it won't grow here--too warm. 

I cut enough to fill a gallon bag and a quart, plus another two cups that I cooked. Tonight, I will blanch and freeze it in two cup bags. The cooked bit will go into a rhubarb crisp. No, not putting strawberries in it. While looking on the internet, I read that people often put apples in the rhubarb crisp instead of strawberries. 

Tonight, I will cook some more of the cheap bscb. Tommy tried to help and got out a baking sheet. No, not that, but never mind, just water the plants. So, he went back in and got out the crock pot. No, water the plants. I  will use a large two handled pot and boil it with lots of herbs and spices. 

EDIT: Nope, put it in cooking bag--two chicken breasts, potatoes, carrots, Brussels sprouts and onions, spices, and water. That was dinner. There is chicken leftvoer for another dinner.

Now, boiled chicken may gross out some people. But, it is tasty with many herbs and spices. Plus, we use it in dishes. As it is, it is perfect in a keto bread sandwich dressed with cheese, tomatoes, and lettuce. Of course, I do use MW. Some will go on the grill since the daily storms and rains have let up for the week.

The weather is still mid-90s here, but the humidity is down to 60%. The lower humidity is a relief. And, no chance of rain until Saturday. It is much easier to breathe!

Do you cook strawberries or apple in rhubarb?

What is your experience with pure stevia? 

Tommy Dropped a Sharp Knife on His Foot

 The weather was fit to grill when I wanted to, but I could not get the grill lit. The tank was on/open, I turned on the gas on one burner, and then punched the starter button. I did this a dozen times or so. Then, I had Tommy check everything. He tried. He consulted the Product Guide. So, we turned it off.

He was disappointed, so I told he could put it in a skillet, which he did. These were so thin, about 1/4 inch. So, they cooked and browned quickly. He had pork and beans and tomatoes on his plate. All of a sudden, I saw something on the floor in several places while he was trying to sit down with his plate. When I asked him what he spilled in front of his chair, he walked trying to see what it was. Well, he was smearing blood! Now, that needs to be cleaned up. I used a baby wipe to see where he was bleeding. It seems that when he dropped his knife and fork, the steak knife slashed the side of his foot behind his big toe. I put Mupirocin on it after cleaning it with a baby wipe. Then, I took a Kleenex and put the stretchy bandage from my iv, and that is holding it all together. 

He has refused to use the special tub I bought him for a foot wash, one just like mine with a handle. (He paid for both.) NOW, he will if I have to wrestle him to get it done...lol. There was sooo much blood. I will have to look at it to see if he needs to have it sewn up. He will either go to er tonight or doctor tomorrow.

I had put the chicken tenders, two potatoes, one carrot, and a bit of baby carrots in the oven, so I had some of that. We watched A Capitol Fourth 2023. It was entertaining. So are the fireworks behind the Washington Monument. I missed one thing, a little girl dancing to Tina Turner song, just an audience member, so I will see that again. 

People are shooting off bottle rockets all around, with an occasional boomer. It was a good Fourth, nothing spectacular. Tommy said he got four drops of rain on him when he went out to water. He brought in three blackberries. I ate one and he ate one and he threw away the one with white on it. Mine was bitter and I don't know why. 

Tonight, later, I will have some Jello and fruit. 

I am Proud to be an American. The End. 

Where did you go and what did you cook or eat on the 4th of July 2023? 

Sunday Easy Cooking and Plant ID

 Sunday slept over 8 hours.

Did nothing. 

Went looking for a food truck. 

I had a 9 gram carb lunch.

Made up for it when I made and ate chicken and dumplings and followed that by baked bread and butter. 

I boiled bought, frozen dumplings in broth and water, seasoned with salt, pepper, and rubbed sage. Since cooking the hen in the crockpot was done Friday and the dumplings were done. This was simple. 

The dumplings were thin and looked like pie crust. Mine are thicker, soft, and flour-y. So, I put these into flour. That way, the broth on the chicken and dumplings was white and thicker with flour. This dish tasted almost like my mother made.

I ate these by dipping cooked dumplings and broth into a bowl and then putting in the amount of chicken I wanted. So did Tommy. I suppose there is enough chicken left for 2 more meals for him. I have two more meals from the breasts. So, he had three meals, and I had four. That is 7 meals from one hen. I think he had another meal, really, so 8 meals. 

We also have a bit of meatloaf from what we thawed. It will be eaten tomorrow. That means I have to cook on Tuesday! Rats!

One of the blue pots of wildflowers is about two feet tall, maybe shorter. The flowers are tiny clusters. One day, a flower that looked like a red poppy bloomed, too, on the same stalk as the little purple clusters of flowers. Today, the wind blew off the red flower that looked like a poppy. Does anyone know what this flower can be?

The bachelor buttons should be blooming by tomorrow as they are opening and showing color. It should storm here in a bit. I just hope it blows none of my pots off the ramp or table.

How are your flowers? Hosta? Vegetables?

Groceries and Tupperware

Chocolate above was less than $1 for 3 oz. bar.

 Of course, yesterday's good sleep is followed by a 4-hour nap last night. But, I did get up at 8:30 and start the day with a bit of reading on the internet. I washed my hair and bathed. 

Then, between the two of us, we put a chicken in the crockpot. We have our movements and separate tasks for all of this. Neither of us moves until we inform the other. That way, we are never bumped off our feet. Today, I have really been dizzy since I ate and don't know why. So, Tommy carries the knives...lol. 

In a bit, we are off to take recycling to Publix and get milk for Tommy, apples for me. The ads were not much this week, forgot what. But, the pork butts are $1.89 or something close to that price. Hopefully, Tommy will go in and get it since this store is the most difficult for me to get into and out of as I have to walk to far. Carts are not allowed outside of the store. I was told it was for my safety because if it rained, I might be electrocuted on the electric cart. 

Why do people think customers are ignorant. Can you imagine how an electric cart maker could stay in business if carts were that dangerous? I honestly think some of the doom peddlers believe it themselves. 

Tommy went into the store that carts are kept in the store only and bought a huge pork butt. One of us will cut it in half, cook one piece and freeze the other half. 

Then, we saw or Tupperware lady from Mississippi, stopped and shopped. She remembered my name and the fact I wanted a pie keeper. (She said she had my name and what I wanted in her phone.) But, she did not have one. I did find things to replace what went into the dump--pasta keeper, tall and skinny container for juice or whatever, midgets or smidgets or something, and another tall cylindrical container ($5 piece that sold for $25 originally. Tommy even paid for it, volunteered because I did not have my checkbook and she did not take cards. I bought the one piece for $5 that was $25. I suppose it was not a good seller or it was the last she had. 

This woman comes from Mississippi and sets up in a grocery store parking lot across from her family's restaurant. She spends the night with family. So, her only cost is gas to get here. She knows I cannot get out of the car and stand for long, so she cheerfully brings me what I want to see and shows me new items. I told Tommy that I would not have spent a dime if she acted like I was an irritant, a problem. Of course, I do have to sit while she waits on others who come to shop. 

Publix--Peter Pan PB bogo, gal of Publix milk for Tommy, dried marjoram, dried oregano, apples, bananas, tiny teeth grater. I had to get a rain check for Angel Soft. Diet Coke Caffeine Free, and Special K.

The Pig--bologna, hotdogs for the freezer, a2milk two half gallons that cost $2.85/half gallon as opposed to $4.99 at Publix, Vidalia onions, free mustard for buying $10 of groceries.

We were so tired when we arrived home about 6 pm. However, the chicken in the crockpot was delicious smelling and falling-off-the-bone done. Tommy made himself a salad and I put chicken on his plate. He had the last of the herb butter on a piece of French bread or some bread that was not loaf bread. I had chicken breast, and slaw. Shortly before dinner I was starving and had a huge salad. 

Tommy and I were discussing salad dressings. He hates Ranch Dressing, and I love it. He prefers Italian and I prefer not to have vinegar because I am allergic to it. However, I do love Italian dressing. Well, he told me he had been eating Ranch Dressing. I was shocked. He said he put either sweet or dill relish on top of the Ranch on his salad. So, I will make dressing for him and let him put in the amount of relish he likes before I put it in a jar with lid. I am trying to avoid all the stuff in store bought dressing that is an allergen for me or that is bad for us. 

Okay, it is 10:30 and the chicken is cool enough for Tommy to take meat off the bone. I may make chicken and dumplings on Saturday because I have sale dumplings to add. We will see. 

Have you ever had a Endangered Species Chocolate bar? 

I am going to use Anne's recipe for salad dressing first, but do you have a good dressing recipe?

Are you a Tupperware fan or not? 

I Received Four Extra Hours on Thursday

 It felt like we were given four extra hours today. We were both ecstatic. Well, I was. We had one of those appointments today where the repair person would be here between 1 pm and 5 pm. Well, I just knew he would get here about a quarter to five. No. He was her at 1 pm. This is the guy who will repair my lift recliner. 

The whole undercarriage will have to be replaced. This will be pricey. He helped us beyond the chair carriage. I asked him what he knew about the battery to get my feet down when we lost electricity. He pulled out a box sitting on the floor and showed me where an nine-volt battery. It is just that easy. He does think the battery is good for only one use. Plus, he told me about the big battery case that must be charged and can be used without plugging it into the wall. I feel fortunate that he was so knowledgeable. 

About 12:30 pm we were out of here to do things we needed to do today. 

The thing we went to SAM's on Wednesday to buy was wrong. So, that had to go back on Thursday, and they did not have what we needed. The return was easy. Tommy got us a hot dog and diet drink for $1.38. These are the foods that will cause hardening of the arteries. So, neither of us need them. Thankfully, we live far from Homewood! 

At Publix, Tommy tried to return something and get another, different flavor. He had to bring it home because this was something not on the shelf. There were no nine-volt batteries. But, I did use the coin machine instead of rolling coins. Well, Tommy kept putting the job off, so I ended up just paying the coin machine to count pennies, nickels, and dimes. 

I had 75 quarters and thought I would just spend them a few at a time. I only saved about 20 cents by holding them back. These coins were what I had saved over three years. Some were picked up, some were from the bottom of my purse or pocket. All told, I have $30.28. This is my plant fund. 

Tonight for dinner, I will bake some chicken slices and vegetables--carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and sugar snap peas. Maybe this will offset the huge hotdog we had along with a huge bun and a huge diet drink. For breakfast I had blueberries, strawberries, cheese, and milk. So, the Sam's treat was the only bad thing today. 

It seems that when I have to stay home for a repairman, that everything I want to drive and do is urgent. I am antsy the whole time. Do you hate to stay home for someone who will come eventually? Once I waited all day and got a call that the repairmen had run late and I could wait another four hours the next week, not even the next day. I was fit to be tied. 

Today, was a good day even though we did not get everything done. And, Tommy was not so sweet today, but not as horrid as some days. 

We drove to Piggly Wiggly and Giant to get ads. 

He returned something at Big Box and the money was put back on the cc. 

We arrived home about 5 pm, having spent our free four hours doing things that needed to be done. So, essentially it frees up other days and hours. 

How was your Thursday? Did things go smoothly? Do you hate waiting in the four-hour window for a repairman to come? 

Short Cooking Video That I Love

 I love this VIDEO.

There is something about it that I love. It is nine minutes long, but wonderful.

The Video Below, not so much. Oh shoot. Just click on the words Video Below in the sentence before this sentence. 

Well, I discovered there are several other videos of this family cooking over a fire and eating with their hands.

How do you feel about these videos? Interesting? Makes you hungry? Relaxing? 

A Day to Do Nothing

                                                                Would you recognize him? 

                                                                       Milburne Stone

After a hard day of watching someone cleaning, it is difficult for me the next day. I was on my feet more, sitting on my walker seat more, and stressed more on Sunday. After she left, we got the dishes in the dishwasher, so a bit more effort during the day. I did take a nap, but naps are no longer refreshing. I wake less exhausted, that's all. 

It seems today I mostly sat. We did go looking for a pink bag of ads and coupons. There were none, so that means I have to make a list from ads on the internet. 

I have, however, done a tiny bit of decluttering.  tiny  But, any decluttering is better than nothing. The table to my left seems to gather things. I have no idea how...lol. 

My car is finally back in the carport. It has been out since Tommy got hit. Then, when I put it back the other day, it was in wrong, so it needed to be changed. I have to put the car near the brick wall on the right so I can get out without feeling I might fall two feet to ground.  Plus, it must be parked where I don't hit the carport support and ruin the door finish. And, he needs to be able to push his walker beside it to washer in utility room to the front of the car. He said he can get by on the brick side. Well, that involves scraping my car! So, NO. 

In my optimistic head, I planned to call UHC today, but did not. I also needed to get new cell service. Did not. I should have put paper in the newly cleaned out drawers and I should have looked for my pink blanket. There is always tomorrow. I really was truly tired today since I need recovery days. 

Wow, it will be 70F here Tuesday and 72F on Wednesday. Tonight or tomorrow, I need to find my pink fuzzy blanket and Tommy needs to sort the items she took from his dresser drawers. 

In Tommy's sorting of his books, he is getting rid of five huge books, tomes (large and oversized), all about the Civil War. I absolutely did not encourage getting rid of these scholarly books. I will keep one as I need to know more about the subject. 

Dinner: baked chicken breasts and thighs, potatoes, and carrots. I will have an apple later. Dinner was delicious. Tommy added a chunk of bread to his plate. The chicken was very tough, but it was 195F inside, so I suppose it was safe to eat. Now is the time I wish for a pressure cooker. I will put the chicken back in the oven sans cooking bag and cook it more. I had four chicken breasts that weighed over five pounds for the pack. 

One chicken breast must have been nearly two pounds. Of course, I mean one side or half of the breast. I wonder how miserable that hen was before it was slaughtered. 

Okay, now I must put all the food away in freezer or refrigerator.

Is your energy at a level that causes you to need to rest after any exertion?  Does a portion of a day out of the house and in the car or at a doctor's office make you need two or three days to recover? 

Plans Changed Multiple Times Today

 I had a good plan until it was not a good plan due to my mistake. The plan Friday morning was to buy bscb at Publix today. Then, I decided why not eat the half of the turkey breast reserved for our eventual Thanksgiving meal and buy a new breast cheaply for $1.49/lb. and thaw it. The plan was a good one until I found a turkey breast at Publix for over $32. It seems the ones for $1.49 are gone, sold. Or, the price was only through Wednesday. 

The chicken breasts were an exorbitant price, nothing I wanted to pay. We went to another Publix. No turkey breasts at $1.49. I bought milk for Tommy, and we headed home. I was exhausted and the sun was low in the sky. 

We sat in the park for about 15 minutes and talked. I made a new plan. We would go home, and I could search the freezer. That plan was working until lots of frozen rocks fell from the freezer quite an avalanche. Since I could not read what was on the packages because of no light near the freezer, I called Tommy. He took the large package over to the sink where there is a measly light, and read it--a whole chicken. So, it went into the refrigerator to thaw. I did not hurt as much as I thought I would.

The things that fell out were meatloaf and field peas, among other things. I was rushing to see The Great Christmas Light Fight. We hurried and heated meatloaf, leftover sweet potatoes, and field peas for dinner. We had three minutes to spare. Then, he realized he read the wrong thing and The Great Christmas Light Fight was not coming on. Bummer. 

We watched Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer. I love that song and movie. Now, we are watching It's a Wonderful Life. I have to see this once every year. 

While I was picking frozen food off the floor, I found two chicken legs, so that is thawing as a meal or two for Tommy. A package with two hoagie buns will be eaten, probably by Tommy with peanut butter on them. I need to go check and see if something is hiding in the dark that escaped from the freezer.

There are two great gaps in the freezer that are for turkey breasts when I find ones that are cheap again.

I did not get the sweet potato bread baked. Maybe I will bake it tomorrow evening. Don't hold me to it. I told Lynda I might bring her some on Wednesday. I told her it would be Thursday, and then Friday. This evening, I told her it would be baked someday. I will be glad when my sense of taste recovers. 

I piddled at decluttering and picking up bits of trash from the table beside me. Yes, we can tell a bit of difference. 

The fall--my knee collapsed quite a few times on Thanksgiving. So, I used my cane. Today, the collapsing and almost falling stopped. My hand and shoulders hurt. I appear to be recovering nicely and I can still bend my left knee, something I could barely do before I fell. I am achy in places, but not really hurt except for the left knee pain. 

What movies or specials do you love to watch each holiday season?

A Nightgown with Pockets!

 Tommy bought a nightgown for me after I told him what to get. It has pockets, deep, side-seam pockets! Can you believe that? This nightgown feels like the brushed nylon ones I wore many years ago that made me so hot. This one is brushed polyester, so not sure how it will be to sleep in it. Polyester does not make me sweaty like nylong does. But, I have other plans if it does not work out for a nightgown.

The nightgown may be perfect for wearing in the house, but not sleeping. It is long, has long sleeves, a high neck and keeps the draft from this house from freezing me. Plus, I will have my phone in the pocket. My summer nightgowns don't have pockets. 

I planned to go to Cullman today, but it was raining. About a quarter to noon, Tommy said it would be okay to go. So, in 15 minutes, I finished my breakfast of a turkey sandwich, washed, dressed and we were in the car. 

The Farmer's Market was closed tight. This was the last day and we got there in the last 45 minutes of the year. Oh well. We went to PO. I was going to pick up Tommy's paint by number that had been mounted. But, time was short as we needed to be back here by 3 pm. We came screeching in at 2:45. whew 

The worst weather today was about five minutes of mist. Right now, it cold and miserable after a day of gray skies. Because I was ill and still feverish, Tommy left the heat up a bit for me last night. Hopefully, he will not want to turn it down tonight, either. 

Since today was the last day for present ads, I went to Publix, had someone put the Publix app on my phone and the coupon for a2milk. So, I paid the same for a half gallon of my milk as Tommy paid for a gallon of regular milk. 

It is only 8 pm, but feels much later since I had no nap and am still sick and become exhausted easily. If it weren't for the fact I need to take meds and sit up for the next three hours, I would go to bed right now. 

I have been looking for red and some green construction paper. The package I bought had one sheet of red and no Christmas green. On Amazon I could find packs of each color for about $25. Same at Office Max for red or green copy paper. I just don't need a ream of either. At Publix, I found Crayola construction paper, 89 sheets, 8 colors for $3.39. Perfect This has been something I have searched for all year long. 

Tonight, we had turkey for me and chicken cubes for Tommy. We both had baked carrots and broccoli and two Chips Ahoy chocolate chip cookies. I had about a Tablespoon of shredded medium cheddar cheese on my turkey. I am too tired to talk about the ads, but they were good. Tomorrow.

I am so delighted and proud of my nightgown with pockets. Have you ever had or even seen or heard of a nightgown with pockets? 

I Swear with My Hand on a Cookbook

 In order to get everything done and as cheaply as possible, I am doing Thanksgiving in stages. Today, I made a list of everything I will need for the meal. Next, I will check to see if I need to buy those items. Then, from this week onward, I will watch for sales for those items.

One thing I did was prepare Tommy and the refrigerator for the day. I told Tommy we had to keep the top shelf of the refrigerator clear enough to hold a turkey in a pan to thaw. For him, that means not opening a bottle of juice. Telling him this was also to help me remember not to buy too much milk, no matter cheap the price. 

Today, I tried to bend in front of the big freezer to find a turkey at the bottom. Since there is no light in the room, I am doing this blind, so to speak. I felt and felt until I thought I felt the rounded mass of poultry. 

When I pulled, I finally dislodged a turkey breast. YAY! When I put this one in the oven, I will dislodge another turkey or turkey breast. I swear with my hand on a cookbook that I will never, ever buy another whole turkey no matter how cheap it is.  They are too much bother for me to hold and put in a pan and then into the oven. I barely got myself standing after getting the breast loose from the freezer. 

Tonight, I decided to cook the two chicken breasts in a chicken, soup, rice, green bean casserole. I might put cheese on the top if I have what I want to use. Otherwise, it will still be delicious. Tommy said to put broccoli in the casserole. So, I put in frozen broccoli florets, bought on sale, bogo from Publix. I did add a tiny jar of pimiento. Tommy does not like pimiento, but if I drain the juice, he says it is fine. So, I drained it. It looks like a pretty Christmas dish. There will be several nights of leftovers from this. 

I mashed 2.5 large bananas, one too ripe even for me. These will be used in a banana bread. Maybe this will be made before Thanksgiving, maybe not. Don't hold me to anything cooking-related...lol. 

PAM is going to kill me! I staggered out of the kitchen to find an inhaler. I know I can put a smear of oil in a casserole. Why do I do this? Yes, I might get the device that will mist oil in pans. 

Today, about 4:30 pm, Tommy looked to see if we had any mushroom soup. He said we did not, so we headed out to Publix before it became too dark. When we got home, I found lots of cream of mushroom soup. He did not look in the place where I put it. Oh, well. We were going out for bread, anyway.

I told him to get low sodium soup if he found it. Well, he called and said there was a no salt variety and a low sodium variety. The low sodium variety had 750 mg sodium and the no salt had something like 5 mg sodium. I still need to examine all the other ingredients in the no-salt can. That will be done soon, maybe tonight, maybe not.

This morning, we spent time in the kitchen. I washed about two dozen snap-lock lids for the glass baking/storage dishes. Tommy dried them and organized them so much better than I would have. He had found a bin I bought from DT and keeps the sizes together. While he was drying, I finished cleaning out a drawer.  He has held onto fuses since before his fuse box was changed for a breaker box. So, more in the trash and less stored useless items. 

Just now, I asked him how long it had been since he had a fuse box. Never. So, he has had a breaker box since he moved in here in 1980. The fuses were from the last owner! He has kept their stuff for over 42 years. He had no idea where the little light bulbs were from or if they worked as they were from the previous owner! 

It is getting chilly out. Tonight, tiny children were still in shorts and shirts. 

At 11:15 am, I was ready for a nap since I slept less than 5 hours. Of course, I always hope for sleep, so maybe tonight will be better.

The ads start today, but I found nothing of great interest to me. How about you? Any good sales? 

Absentee Voting, Building a Fire, and Other Things

 I did mail my request for an absentee ballot on Friday, unsure if it would be received in time for me to get an absentee ballot in the mail. Well, I got it today, filled it out and mailed it back. Noon on Tuesday is the deadline for it to arrive at the polls. I wonder if I will ever know if it is received. 

The ballot and three envelopes and an instruction sheet came in an envelope. The top of the ballot was folded down and needed to be refolded to go into the inner envelope called "inner secrecy envelope." That envelope had to go into the "affidavit envelope."

I had to sign the back of that one and have it signed by two witnesses or have it notarized. That was a pain. One person never answered the voice mail, the other person was ill and could not come out, the next person's voice mail was full or something. Finally, we got the first person, and it is done! Whew!

While we were at the PO, I bought more "Forever Stamps." I got two sheets of very pretty flowers for me and a sheet of elephants for Tommy. We both still have stamps from before the last time the price went up. So, we are set. We mail few letters, but I hate to need a stamp and have to go in to buy one or more at a higher price. I did not care for the Christmas stamps, so I will check later for those. Last year, some of the stamps were only winter scenes.  I like those. 

I have finished A Dog's Purpose except for 10 pages. My eyes were bothering me, so I just quit. I would still highly recommend this book. So, this was two reading sessions, basically. It is not a short book, 325 pages. Okay, I finished the book. This book is a real tear-jerker. Well, my eyes were wet a lot. 

Here is a story for you: To Build a Fire. Click on the link to read the complete text of the short story by Jack London. It has a dog in it, but it is about building a fire. And, it is only ten pages.

Slaughter House Five by Kurt Vonnegut will be my next book to read. Have you guessed I love literature? My son is also an English teacher and both daughters are readers, the youngest teaching reading.  

Right now, 5:30 pm, I am sort of depressed. I have nothing cooked or planned for dinner. I do have sweet potatoes baked and salad fixings. He said the ground beef was some he just took from the freezer, so at least he won't be eating iffy meat. If I had chicken breast, I would be happier right now! 

Okay, I expressed my desire for chicken breast from Publix, saying it was just too dark for us to go out. Well, within three minutes Tommy had convinced me to go. Ha! I did not expect that at all. It was delicious and so was the sweet potato.

An eclipse is happening tonight. So, I suppose I will stay up for that. 

When we went to the PO, we got the pink bag with ads and coupons back in the neighborhood. We will go through those tonight, maybe before I post this. 

When I mentioned my friend having rats, that was six months or more ago, not now. The purpose of mentioning it now was to say I think Extra-Strength Tylenol killed rats. So, no problem with rats at the moment. People gave me advice as to who to call for help. 

We had a record high of 88F today. Right now it is 78 and very pleasant. The temperature can stay right where it is today. By next Monday, the temperature will have dropped 50F degrees. 

Tonight, I had Tommy go into the hall to help me get out some food and other items from the back bedroom. It was a disaster. He can be so helpful or an a$$. Tonight was his a$$ night.  I did all I could, knowing it will wait for me and be here tomorrow. Why does work never abandon me?

He hates me to tell him something he says he knows. Tonight, I muttered words someone on TV had said. I repeated the phrase in astonishment and was not talking to anyone. He asked what I said. I repeated the words. He went into a rage, saying, "I heard that! You don't have to tell me!" It took a lot of arguing for him to know what went on because he just kept yelling at me. Now, my stomach is very upset. 

I think we are both staying up or getting up for the eclipse. How about you?

Did you go to the polls on Tuesday or vote by absentee ballot or another way? Do you buy Forever Stamps?  

Free Food, Decluttering, "Cream Of"

 Some turn up their nose at the idea of free food. Growing a garden is one idea. Getting surplus from friends or neighbors is good, too. 

Growing one plant in a container works for beginning gardeners or those without space or time or motivation. 

The years I picked up free produce for my chickens were good years. I also ate from that box as did Tommy, taking apples to his house. The owner knew I ate some of the stuff, acknowledged it to me, saying to eat all I wanted from the box he was dumping. 

Now, I grow free food in the window from scraps. Tonight, I saved lots of money by using window-grown onions. Just save the bottom of the onion after using the green tops. Put it in water until roots grow or grow longer. Mine had roots when I put them in water. Now, they can be planted in a pot or in the ground. I just reached up with scissors and snipped off all the tops.  Then, I used scissors to snip them into half-inch pieces. Green onions went into the chicken casserole even though they were not in the recipe. 

By looking for green onions still viable, I grow all the green onions I can use. I just keep cutting off the tops to use. Carrot ends are a good source of carrot tops, greens for flavor and nutrition. At some point I was going to plant them all in one a flowerpot on the porch. But, when I went out one night, roaches were all over the end of the celery I was regrowing for the tops. Now, water in a short glass container in the window works. I will put it in soil before winter because I think it might grow better. I don't know. 

CLICK HERE for a guide to growing 19 different vegetables from scraps.

Last night, I did not get my 7.5 hours of sleep, but that was my fault. I went to bed later than I would have, read longer and then wanted to get up at 10 am to watch Meet the Press. I love that show. So, I took a nap. I am okay with that because I did get my allotment of sleep I need.

The next-door neighbors have decorated their porch for Halloween, the first yard decoration I have seen for the season. The woman on the other side have four extra vehicles where the whole gang came to work in their mother's yard, clearing and hauling to the street. They also put up a huge trampoline in the backyard, right next to the chain link fence for her grandchildren. It looks dangerous to me if someone accidentally bounced off. Maybe they are not through and will move it out a bit or put up a mesh fence. My friend a block away has been lopping and moving the lopped limbs to the road. Everyone has been busy outside, it seems. The mild temps and lack of precipitation and low humidity have inspired people to spend hours working outdoors, it seems.

Tommy is watering the mums and last of the summer flowers. I need to store them somewhere over the winter so that maybe they will bloom next year. 

I have decluttered a bit more. Tommy has plenty of hangers, but he wants to keep every last one, all the hangers from dry cleaning. A few wire ones are good to keep, but too many is ridiculous. There was a pair of rubber rain pants in that box. He says they are too long, coming all the way above his chest. Well, they are about half the waist size he needs, too. So, those will go. That makes one more box empty. 

A basket of soups was retrieved from the back bedroom to replenish the kitchen supply. I think I will start making my own "cream of" soups. Even the healthy request type has enough sodium to kill a person. Now, there is a space in that room that was filled before. 

The chicken thighs were actually legs stuffed in closely, so I only saw round shapes and thought they were thighs. When I remove food from the freezer, sometimes I mistake what cut of chicken I have. There is sage and a bay leaf cooking with those in the crockpot. The breasts, rice, soup, and broccoli are in the oven. 

I put the chicken in first instead of last. Then, when I put in the soup and broccoli, I forgot the rice. It will be okay and the whole dish will cook, but I will have to add water and cook it all a bit differently since the rice went on the top. To top it all off, I forgot to put foil over the pan. THEN, I could not squeeze the foil tight because the glass casserole was too hot. There will be dinner and legs for the refrigerator for Tommy. 

Dinner turned out fine, delicious! 

There are recipes for the "cream of" mixes online. Do you have a different one? 

Have you taken advantage of less than torrid conditions to do outdoor work this week or do you have plans as the temps rise again?

What vegetables do you regrow from scraps? 

Salad Soup

 We bought two Fresh Express American Salads this past week because it was on sale for $3 each. Of course, we went to the food giveaway and received another four bags. And, a friend gave me her salad. So, I have more salad than we can eat without it going bad. I told Tommy that we were going to have salad soup! He said, "Well, I hope you can put some beans or meat or something in it to make it a little more." I laughed. 

The American Salad Blend has iceberg, Romaine, carrots, red cabbage, and radishes. We also got two carrots that I think will go into the pot along with a couple of potatoes we received. We also were given 4 carrots and 4 potatoes last week. Of course, that was the week I bought 4 pounds of carrots! And, I have potatoes left from two weeks ago.

I received another box of huge stuffing mushrooms. I am going to cook the mushrooms and maybe freeze them or just stop the deterioration and store them in the refrigerator. I certainly don't want them to go to waste. We received two Roma tomatoes and four bananas.

I received a package of huge turkey tenders, two packages of ground beef, and a pork loin, and chicken/onion/pepper on skewers. This is more than enough meat for two people for a week. 

Tommy went into Publix to get the last day of sales. Everything but apples were reduced. Wednesday starts a new sale week. He took a list. Even though my apples were not on the list, he remembered, called me and got apples. He bought--toilet paper, Kleenex, cherries, 2 Chunk Medium Cheddar Kraft cheese, a bell pepper, two apples, 3 Dasani water. 

I never buy Kleenex, but my nose is running like a faucet. Cherries finally came down where I felt like they were affordable, but still expensive. I needed the bell pepper for the meat loaf I want to make.

About the list, after the cleaner picked up clothing, I cannot find the black and navy-blue dress I wear to color my hair. I actually thought it was hanging in the closet! So, I suppose I will find a tank top or the rattiest of my nightgown and wear that for color and trimming of bangs.

So, those are the plans today--salad soup, meatloaf, hair color, bangs trim. Leftovers are for dinner. It is 6:30 pm, so I need to get busy. I have not been lazy today, just did other things. 

Tommy took out 3 packages of chicken--two chicken breast packages and one package of thighs--from the freezer. I will cook these and the packages of poultry from today so that I can freeze it. A little pepper and garlic powder leave these capable of being seasoned with other spices when we use it later. 

Have you ever had salad soup? Of course, I am being silly by calling it "salad soup." What would you put in with five bags of salad? 

So, five bags of salad go into a pot for salad soup.  

Recovery and Vegetable Oil

 Tuesday night, it blew and stormed something fierce. Wednesday morning, all my flowers were bedraggled. Since Tommy did not need to water, I pressed him to deadhead. I hope he did not do more, like cutting off the new blossoms that don't look like flowers yet--liveheading. 

He put Miracle Gro on everything except the succulent. Now, at 8 pm, it has been storming and blowing again. So, I hope there are blossoms tomorrow. 

I put a chicken in the oven and it is out, so Tommy had chicken, corn, peas for dinner. He opened the peas and put glad wrap over the top and stored in the refrigerator two days ago. That is gross. I never store food in cans. But, I don't eat peas, so I am not going to mention it. 

Now, I have three other packages of chickens and 2 pounds carrots and an onion for the oven. I am tired already. I took today to rest. Good thing. I slept 10 hours, soundly, and did not get up until 1:30 pm. Monday and Tuesday wore me out--dentist and cardiologist. Thursday will be a hard day, so I am not doing anything more except put the other chicken in the oven. Tommy will get the meat from the bone from the whole chicken. And, the three other packages don't need anything except storing after cooking. Most of it will go in the freezer in serving portions. 

We sometimes make a pickup at a business. One day, this new guy was so rude. He was new and not doing the job well. I suppose he finally caught on as he has been so cheerful and nice, very accommodating, going beyond the job expected. He is all smiles and cheerfulness. I am glad he is catching on and glad he is not so unhappy as he was before, but not cheerful for our sake alone. He seems happier. 

Thursday, we have help coming to put shelf paper in the cabinets. If they have time, I will have one get a turkey from the freezer. Maybe one will have time to cut the stems growing around the tree we had trimmed. Tommy killed a huge swath of St. Augustine grass. He said that is always what happens with Roundup. I told him that the grass needed washing to get the poison off. He had never heard that. I have also put plastic or newspaper down to catch the Roundup, sometimes plastic, sometimes cardboard boxes flattened. He can make a mess or cause problems! 

If I had told him to hose off the grass, he would have yelled and said I did not have to tell him everything, that he knows somethings. No, not nearly enough. 

I got three half-gallons milk for $10 and found Cheerios bogo, so got those, too. Full price, the milk would have been $14.97 for three half-gallons! Of course, I bought bananas.  Zucchini and squash were pretty and cheap at The Pig, so got those while I bought two gallons of vinegar for $2.24 each, a good price right now. Vinegar, zucchini, and squash are all much more expensive at Publix. I need to pick up 8 more gallons of vinegar at The Pig before they disappear or the price goes up. A $1 coupon on the two boxes of bogo Cheerios helped even more. 

My recovery is not complete from a stressful dentist and cardiology visit and Thursday will be a hard day, too. At least, ten hours of sleep will help me feel a bit better or not so wrung out and Thursday will not be so hard. 

I bought eggs for almost $3/dozen. I checked to see if any were broken, but did not lift them up. The next time I scrambled eggs, two were broken on the bottom and leaking the white. So, ten eggs cost me 30 cents each. Next time, I will lift each egg like I usually do. As it is, I don't know if we broke them or they were broken when I bought the eggs. It has been years since I came home with broken eggs!

I will not use Canola or Soybean Oil. But, a very few times I do need a vegetable oil. What oil do you think is best for us or the least harmful? I am buying Corn Oil with trepidation. I don't want to be caught without oil for the very few times and in the small amounts I use it. 

Once, I found vegetable oil for a very cheap price and a decent date. I bought 6 bottles and put them in the refrigerator to keep the date from catching up with me and it all going rancid. My kitchen was very hot in the summer. A woman who helped me said to me in a tone that pitied the old lady--I should just store it on a shelf so I would have more room in the refrigerator, that it did not have to be refrigerated. He tone was what made me angry! 

When I told her the price I paid and that the expiration date would come around before I used the oil and the kitchen was hot, she was puzzled and then it dawned on her. I used the oil beyond the expiration or "use-by" date and it never went rancid. Some days, I do know what I am doing! lol

I have all the olive oil I can use and only buy it bogo. What vegetable oil do you use? What would you not use? Do you ever have anyone give you useless advice while posing as the expert who knows better than you because you are old? You know that condescending tone?

It is almost 10 pm and Tommy is in the kitchen taking the meat off the chicken. I will get the second pan of chickens, carrots, and onions out at 10  pm. Cooking late was better than cooking this afternoon. We both had dinner, so not eating this late. He never peeled potatoes, so they did not get cooked. He was not troubled, but he loves potatoes. 

We bagged up all the skin, fat, bones, and juice from the chicken. My friend will feed what she wants to her dog or put it over the dogfood. Nothing was wasted! I left a chicken in the crockpot so long one time that the bones were so soft we were accidentally eating them. 

Tonight, I put only garlic powder on the chicken pieces to cook it. I have other tasty spices, but they have too much sodium. From now on, I will use mostly fresh garlic and garlic powder and less of the sodium laden stuff. Tommy won't care, because it will be tasty. He uses too much sodium and drinks too many Pepsis, but I cannot control that as he is in denial. But, I don't need sodium, and I control the tastiness of our food.

Oh, the carrots were so tasty and the onion. My mother seasoned with mostly salt and pepper. Everything she cooked was delicious. She did use celery and bell pepper for seasoning, too, as in a roast, soup, or spaghetti. She did use other spices in spaghetti. We did use garlic, but we kids hated it. Daddy was not subtle in using it in food.  

He eats so much healthier without knowing it...lol. 

Okay, it is time to freeze baked chicken for other meals. Have the storms been loud and wet where you live? If so, have they beat down produce or flowers? What have you cooked in a big batch to eat now and freeze for later? What did you have for dinner tonight? 

How We Work

 I don't want to write. I had a very upsetting and insulting call to my cardiologist office on Tuesday. Writing about it will come later. But, it is still eating at me, the disrespect, accusations. 

The way Tommy and I "work" is different. I told Tommy to remind me at the next commercial break so we could hurry into the kitchen and put away cans of chicken. He did and I told him to go ahead and get out of my way. He knew I cannot get past the walker if he is in the position he needs to be to help me. But, sometimes he waits on me to "make sure I am coming."

"Hurry" is a relative term. We both have to get to our feet and Tommy has to get to his walker. We struggle and are slow even with the lift chairs and Tommy's walker is beyond his reach because of the leg rest going up when he sits. I have to wait for the chair to lift me, too. Then, I just wobble off to the kitchen. I try to hurry, but that can cause me to get more wobbly. I do get less wobbly as my legs adjust. 

Eight 15-ounce cans of chicken, like large tuna, maybe 12 ounces, have been sitting in front of the microwave in the way since Tuesday. I had him sort chicken in the hall closet and get out anything for 2021 and 2022 so we can use those before the year is up. We had no 2021. 

I cannot get them to the shelves unless I keep walking back to the counter carrying one can at a time. So, he handed them to me one at a time and the job was done in one-tenth of the time it would have taken me alone. Neither us had to move, just stretch a bit. 

In order to use these cans up by the end of the year, I decided to make chicken salad or pasta salad for lunches. Tommy informed me he does not think of pasta salad as a lunch option, so he won't be eating it at all. Apparently, he does not want it for dinner either...sigh. However, this means I won't have to share. And, I can put celery in it. I know I have seen him eat pasta salad here and cannot remember on what occasion. 

So, we work, just less often, less vigorously, and differently. Of course, this all happens to all of us over time. But, it is getting very different here. Full on canning all day long has given way to small batch canning of pints, etc. 

We didn't miss one word of Gunsmoke by working together during a commercial! Plus, I could not have done much more, anyway, since my back was hurting with all the bending I had to do. Something heavy needs to go on bottom shelves. Also, we won't be using chicken daily. 

No matter your age, how have your work habits changed over the years? 

Wednesday, Food, Questions Answered

 Wednesday, I awoke feeling much better. MUCH better. I am still unwell, but feel human again. My joints don't hurt and chest is not tight and burning. 

There is some sauce left from the spaghetti we had and a package of pizza mix, so I will make that and top with the meat sauce and cheese one day. Well, Tommy does not want that until he has some chicken and pork. So, that will go in the freezer Wednesday night for another day.

Taco soup is just a matter of throwing in cooked ground beef, and cans of food--tomatoes, corn, black beans, rice and a package of grated cheese. Oh, and taco seasoning. I will do that on Thursday. The plan was to do it today, but it did not happen.

Tommy went into Publix and got slaw mix and zucchini. We had slaw on Wednesday and will have it on Thursday, so the zucchini will be cooked on stove in olive oil and garlic. 

Even though it is late on Wednesday, I will go into the kitchen and freeze half the pork cutlets, two, for another meal. Tommy wants pork cutlets on Thursday. 

Before bedtime but after 10 pm, he disappeared into the kitchen and washed the large pot and small pot and something else I used to cook, a skillet I think and cleaned the sink again. He is helpful. I rarely have to ask him to do anything. 

Even stirring up the slaw after putting MW, mustard, salt, pepper, sugar and vinegar in with the slaw mix exhausted me. He microwaves the meal and brings it to me. I am grateful and thank him every time he does something for me.

The weather is beautiful, but I cannot get out to enjoy it unless we take a drive. I don't need fresh air as that is the problem. I just want the sun, greenery, and flowers. We go out every day in the car unless it is raining. 

I always grated cabbage on a box grater until 1990 something and I had a traumatic hand injury. I could do nothing with my hand at all. The other had been injured years before. So, after a few months of missing eating slaw or buying it at KFCs, I started buying slaw mix in a bag. It is the best I can do right now. Tommy would not be happy grating cabbage.

About the purchase of plastic utensils. When I bought the cutlery, Tommy was unhappy. I took it back only because the package said not to leave food on the items and not to let soak in water. Well, that is just crazy. So, I took it back. He was happy for that. We had a talk later.

I told him the dishwasher could wash all the utensils and we could keep plastic for when we really needed it. He said he was willing to pay the cost of plastic utensils. I did not understand. He said he would be the one left to dry all the utensils and sort them. Actually, cutlery can be placed on a dishcloth and they dry very quickly. I can take care of this sitting down. Utensils are easier for me to dry. Heavy glass bowls and storage bowls are not easy for me to handle. So, when I find cutlery that is not so delicate and fussy to care for, I will get it and we will be off plastic in that area. It takes time with him.

The hummingbird has not been back! 

Do you ever have to go slowly with a recalcitrant person?

Bluapple, Dogs, Hummingbirds

The TODAY SHOW has a bit on about products we cannot live without. I saw the BLUAPPLE and ordered it. This is an expensive little apple in which you place a packet to absorb ethylene gas that is put off by ripe fruit and causes other fruits to ripen. 

The little packet is activated charcoal. 

I think I could use any little container and punch holes in it. Then, I could fill little squares of coffee filters with activated charcoal. This would save money. But, it is done. Tommy was all for this and paid for it. 

Have you used this technology? Have you heard of it? 

We ran out of spoons and have been forced to wash plastic spoons. Tommy does not want regular cutlery. Today, he said, "Do you think you could find plastic spoons on the internet to order?" So, that is what I will do. 

It is Thursday afternoon and I must cook this meat! But, I can barely walk or sit up. But, Tommy will help.

The people next door finally put up the dog pen. Instead of it being a square, they bolted it together in one long fence that runs from their patio to their back fence. Good! Now, the children don't wave, just stare. I suppose the parents are mad and talking about us. They will still get cupcakes when I can manage. The dog house is as far from here as possible in a far corner.  It seems it is best where it is under a tree instead of where they were going to put it where it has full sun all day. 

I saw the first hummingbird today! I was so excited. When we were talking to Lynda in her driveway, Tommy saw a hummingbird at the edge of her patio. So, they have arrived. 

As awful as I felt, we had to get the meat cooked. I went and held onto the sink and told Tommy what to bring me. I put in a cooking bag four huge thighs and six chicken tenders, half a red onion, three small potatoes, and five carrots. 

Tommy had already gone to the kitchen to brown a huge package of ground beef. When I went in there, he asked me if I were going to peel the carrots. I said I was not and if he didn't have time, we just would not have carrots. I came back and he was scraping the carrots on his walker and stirring meat at his elbow. So, we had carrots, too. 

He had turned on the oven, so the chicken and vegetables went in quickly. I had to recover in the living room while he finished the beef. We ate while we watched Gunsmoke. 

I thought I had a second package of chicken tenders thawing. When Tommy put all the thawed meat in the sink, I was thinking one package of tenders looked very old, maybe not good. When I started loading up the cooking bag, I realized that one package was pork loin chops. I suppose it would have been okay, but I did cook the pork in a different bag. 

There are two "meals" of chicken in the refrigerator--one glass container with thigh and two chicken strips and three pieces of carrot, another container with thigh and two chicken strips. Plus, a third container with chicken. Six cups of ground beef are in another container. Five pork loin chops and onion are still in the oven. I will most likely freeze all the chops and eat the chicken the next three meals. I am going to make taco soup tomorrow with some of the ground beef, freezing two cups of the soup. I will freeze at least five bags of one cup each of the ground beef after putting some in the taco soup. 

Normally, I would have made half the ground beef into a meat loaf, divided it and frozen half. But, I was not up to making meatloaf. Maybe I will make Spanish Rice with brown rice, using up the some of the ground beef. A can of green beans will make an appearance somewhere. I want cole slaw, so we may get a bag. Well, Tommy will have to go in to get it. 

We have plenty of salad fixings to have a salad with the chicken. There is plenty of fruit to eat. I don't dare eat any oranges or grapefruit since I am very allergic to citrus and especially in the spring. 

I am not better nor getting better. I may call the doctor in the morning. 

Cooking Marathon

 Thursday, at 6:15 pm, we cooked meat. I had three package of chicken tenders from Publix, a total of about 5 lbs. and a package of six huge drumsticks, also from Publix. I used garlic powder on all the chicken. I put all four packages into one cooking bag that cost 60 cents. They went into the oven. 

Garlic powder tastes nothing like garlic to me. I like both, but it is so easy to sprinkle the powder over all the chicken. Plus, there is no salt. I never use garlic salt. Garlic is delicious. By using garlic initially, we can put any kind of spin on the cooked chicken.

Then, I put the pork loin, a small one, into the crockpot. I had left it frozen solid on the counter in front of the microwave which is next to the freezer. I use this bit of space to place things as I work things into the crowded freezer space. Well, four hours later it was sitting there still, limp and fully thawed. So, two days later I am cooking it. No, I don't think it spoiled. Tommy sees how dark it is in the kitchen although he swears he can see just fine. grr. So, he got the crockpot on high. Oh, I washed the teriyaki flavor off, so we can eat it. There is enough flavor left. It is in the freezer for Easter. 

While I was unpackaging the chicken, He cooked and chopped 1.75 lbs. of ground beef. Lots of it will go into two packages for the freezer since he is done. 

The rest of the ground beef will be made into a meatloaf and cooked after the chicken comes out of the oven.  Okay, meatloaf done and in two packages in the freezer. I did not have bell pepper, so I will somehow get it incorporated into the meatloaf later.

This makes over 30 helpings of proteins for meals from what we prepared in thirty minutes. His help is immeasurable! 

Now, for the vegetable front. I sit in my chair and put the month and year on top and front of cans so I will know which to eat first, not when they will kill me. After I got up from a long nap Thursday, Tommy told me what he found. There was a can of black beans under the edge of my chair. It was crushed almost in half! That can will be eaten in the next few days unless I find it was crushed and opened. I cannot believe I did that. 

Tommy asked what we will have of those meats for dinner. I told him--your choice. So, he chose chicken and a salad. I know I will have chicken and tomato, not sure what else. 

At this point, I still need to make the meatloaf. Okay, meatloaf done. I used one of the cheap cans of tomato paste. I might use a smidgen of catsup on top. I had no bell pepper, so I will cook it without bell pepper, find or buy some before we eat it and poke little pieces into the done meatloaf. We both love bell pepper in meatloaf. I used the last tablespoon of catsup in the bottle for the top of the meatloaf. 

Oh, and I finally made the hummingbird food! 

While I napped, he washed the rugs from the bathroom and hung them on the ramp railing to dry. I asked or he would never have done it. 

Friday morning

I had saved the juice from the crockpot pork loin. I used it with water to cook navy beans. Plus, I shredded the cabbage for slaw. It will be a coarse slaw since I cannot use the grater like I did before hand injuries.  I may use some of the cut cabbage for colcannon or for soup, and will definitely freeze some. 

That cooking marathon was fun but tiring. Do you having cooking marathons? 

"What All is in That Chicken Salad?"

 Sunday, I made Martha Stewart's Hot Chicken Salad. Tommy was heavily involved. He washed a bowl. I carried the cheese and knife in to my chair. He brought the grater, washed the bowl and brought it to me. I chopped the celery and but he brought it to me, brought me Mayo, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and the chicken. When I had chopped, grated, measured, he carried it all back and put it in the refrigerator. He turned on the oven and put on the topping. Then, when I asked him to make himself a salad to go with the chicken salad, he said, 

"What all is in that chicken salad?" 

I was speechless. I told him I would surprise him. He accepted that. He does not mind at all helping me so I do not have to stand. I am grateful and thank him profusely. He like this, celery and all.

copied below from practicalparsimony@blogspot.com

I don't remember if I got this from a magazine or someone gave it to me after I tasted it at a church dinner.

Family Circle
Martha Stewart's Hot Chicken Salad

2 cups chopped celery
2 cups chopped chicken or turkey
1 cup mayonnaise (I use 1/2 cup or less)
1/2 slivered almonds (I never use this)
1/2 shredded sharp or mild cheese (I use medium cheddar)
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 crushed potato chips

Combine everything but chips. Mix well.
Turn into a buttered casserole.
Sprinkle with crushed chips

Bake at 450 for 20 minutes.

On a busy night this is easy to assemble if chicken is already cooked. I havepre-chopped the celery to hurry the assembly. Sometimes, I chop the chicken or turkey as I put away leftovers of either. The whole casserole can be assembled ahead of time, leaving off the chips. I crush the whole tiny bag of chips.

Less mayo does not affect the taste or texture of anything. almonds are too expensive.

In order not to have chips to tempt me, I buy the little lunchbox size of chips. In the past I have bought the bag that is about 8 inches high. I do not need a regular bag of chips.

Have you ever Martha Stewart's Hot Chicken Salad? 

Tonight, Tommy wanted to watch "The Weakest Link." We did. I just cannot stand that mean woman, Jane Lynch. She is not funny at all to me. Do your like her?