Purple Daylily and Fried Fish

 

Today, I finally took the cardinal wing pattern and one of the wings and delivered them to the guy who will cut them for me. The last place cut them wrong.

When I went to Lowe's for something I could not find, I went to the half-dead plant area and found a pot with daylilies--Purple D' Oro. There are several blossoms ready. Tommy watered it. Tomorrow, I will clean it up, riding it of dead matter.  The strawberry daylily I bought at the plant sale is read to bloom. 

Earlier in the afternoon, we went to see the church that burned here a few days ago. It was sad, appearing to be completely gutted. And Tommy showed me where he lived just before he bought this house. We were actually looking for a certain food truck. We knew where her commissary was, so went there. A cook was gathering the tables and chairs, taking them indoors. He told us where to find the food truck on FB, so we could find her. She lists her locations each day of the week. I asked the guy what kind of food they cook. He pointed to his food truck and said it was all soul food. In his restaurant I suppose it was different food. I asked him what he cooked today--fish and chicken. 

He obviously took a liking to me. I was talking to the older man, a cook, who said he was through cooking for the day. The owner came out with a styrofoam to go box and handed it to me. I was so surprised. He said it was fish. Well, I opened it and started eating with my hands, pinching off bites and devouring the fish. After I thanked him profusely, we drove off. Only then did I realize he had handed me a pack of utensils! I was sort of embarrassed. 

We will go back there to eat one day. I have not had hush puppies in years! Soul Food is notoriously unhealthy, but maybe this place is different.

I told Tommy we were eating purple cauliflower for dinner. He always turns up his nose. I handed him a small piece, about the size of the last joint in my little finger. He ate it without turning up his nose, making a face or spitting it out. We had plenty of protein today, so I am baking vegetables--purple cauliflower, carrots, and potatoes. I put them is a glass casserole with olive oil, garlic powder, and onion powder. They were delicious. He served his own plate. I noticed he had a generous helping of purple cauliflower. So, I suppose he has been converted. 

I have a whole chicken thawing. Tomorrow, I will bake it in the oven or put it in the crockpot. We have potatoes, purple cauliflower, and slaw. So, dinner will be easy. We did not have many carrots to have those leftover. NO! There is no more cauliflower for leftovers. Tommy ate it all! So, he really does like purple cauliflower...lol. 

For the last two or three days, he has been telling me about new flowers that grew from an empty container, asking me what they were. Finally, I stopped on the way to the car. I had bought a six-pack of pink Wave Petunias last summer. When I became ill, they burned up in the heat. Now, two of the tiny pots have a petunia each. I will put those in a hanging pot. 

I had a seed ball and a postcard with paper embedded with seed. Both went into identical pots. Both concepts were wildflowers. One of the pots has a plant with purple flowers. It is about 18 inches tall. I am quite sure these wildflowers would be labeled "weeds," We certainly are enjoying all the flowers even if they are weeds. 

I decided I will no longer buy Nature's Own Keto. It is too thick, hard to gnaw off a sandwich. From now on, I will buy Arnold's. It has three grams per slice, just one more gram than NO, but that is okay. 

The day went well, considering I only slept four hours! It was a good day with no frustrations or arguments with Tommy. No pushbacks, just cooperation. We enjoyed our impromptu ride, the flowers at home, and the birds flying around here. Of course, the fried fish was wonderful. 

Do you like fried fish? Not the Captain D kind. 

Are you surprised when flowers reseed so late? These pots of petunias have been out of the utility room for over two months. 

Has the smoke from Canada affected your skies? 

All the Nothing I Did Today

 Today, Tuesday,I was going to arise early and go to Piggly Wiggly and use the coupon for $5 off when you spend $25. But, I rethought that after I went to bed. Okay, this may be why I cannot go to sleep--thinking. 

I can get the six-pack of Minute Maid jars of oj for $3.40 elsewhere--just found this source. But, they are $3.46+10% at the Pig. So, that was on my list. I went through other things I was going to purchase and thought better of my shopping trip. 

When I awoke at 9:30 or a bit later, I informed Tommy of the change in plans. My med for thyroid needs to be taken an hour before I eat, but by 10:30, not only was I hungry, I was tired. So, I went back to bed and slept soundly. I rarely nap in the morning, so this was strange. However, sleep has been skimpy for the past few days. 

I awoke at 2 pm to loud male voices. I peeped into the living room, partially hiding behind the door facing. "What's happening?" I was sort of whispering and Tommy quickly explained someone had come to fix his home phone line and was checking it. It turned out the problem was at the pole and not in the house. Tommy insists on the home phone line, and I agree with him. Thankfully, this fix was free to him.

He needed to pick up meds from a drive thru at his pharmacy. I needed to pick up one at Walgreen's. So, off we went. I needed to get saline solution. But, the small bottle was $11.99 for WG brand. . NO WAY!

So, I went into Publix and searched and finally found the Publix brand, same size bottle for $2.19. I cannot understand how WG can justify that exorbitant price for sterile water and salt in a plastic bottle. If the price had been $4, I probably would have figured the time and cost to get out of WG parking lot and go right across the street to Publix. 

While I was in Publix, I spied a bottle of pickled Vidalia onions as a woman was purchasing it. We talked. . Wow! The woman said there was no vinegar taste and her husband could eat it with a spoon. I got a jar. If it is too vinegary for me, I can throw some in jarred spaghetti sauce or stick it in a pan with burgers. At least vinegar is not the first ingredient after the onions.

Buying onions reminded me (why?) I needed tartar sauce for frozen bag of fish I uncovered in the big freezer. Now, I know what we are having for dinner. I will make slaw and open a can of corn. Since I eat little fish except home caught and fried, I did not know what besides slaw to make. I am not making hush puppies. Okay, maybe I will. 

I love an easy dinner. 

Tomorrow, I have scheduled an appointment to have a dishwasher installed, delivered from Cullman. Then, we have to get to Cullman for a dentist appointment for me. I need my own dentist. 

Have you ever had pickled Vidalia onions or pickled onions of any sort? Have you found exorbitant prices at some drug stores for things that should be very cheap?

Fish in AirFryer? New Doctor and Cranberries

Sunday dinner: casserole of chicken, soup, brown rice, broccoli, with cheese on top. It was delicious. 

Tommy always is watching tv and not helping to wash dishes until I am desperate. He never refuses, just says okay and starts watching something else. I will not nag or yell at him. I keep saying we need a dishwasher who is not named Linda. I finally told him he may have to wash dishes alone! 

While dinner was in the oven, I told him we had to go and wash dishes so I would have something to store the leftovers. We do not argue and talk in low tones. So, not a big blowup or loudness. It is almost midnight and still he sits!

At one am, I told him I was going to wash dishes that he could dry. Still, he did not come. Finally, he said I should be more definite telling him....geeee!

I asked how he would like different nights for a designated kind of meal--casserole night, pizza night, crockpot night, beef night, etc. He laughed and said that would be like Big Bang's Chinese night and pizza night. 

The more I think about it, the less I like the idea of designated nights. I really prefer leftover night. But, I still don't want to cook to make leftovers...lol.

Monday, I met my new gastroenterologist, the one I have only talked with once. I like him and have no idea what he looks like. His picture on the internet does not seem to match his masked, real person self. 

I bought more broccoli to put into the last night's leftover casserole. I have a bag of slaw given to us. If it is good, we will have slaw. I bought some coleslaw with carrots, so either way, we will have slaw. 

Maybe I will not get  a pumpkin this year. We have lots of decorations. I cannot handle even a small pumpkin, and I cannot use a knife well enough to cut the tough skin. PLUS, the biggest thing is that I don't have chickens with whom to share. They loved pumpkins.  So, no pumpkin, just ghosts in the tree...lol. 

Today, I saw the first Ocean Spray fresh cranberries and paid a premium price-$2/package. I will have some, at least, if cranberries become scarce. I like to dehydrate cranberries for eating out of hand. Plus, when I make Stovetop Stuffing, I add dried cranberries and have no need for opening, buying or cooking them in a separate dish. Hopefully, I can find cranberries cheaper. I do not like Craisins because of added ingredients like oil and sugar.

For Wednesday night, I am considering having fish cooked in the air fryer and hope it works. Has anyone cooked fish in an air fryer? This is fish frozen with a skim of ice on each individual pieces. Was it good? Any caveats for me?