Thursday Blackberries

 When I boiled the 7 or 8 chicken breasts, I decided to season them with many seasonings. Tommy was going to bring me the little jars and a bowl for me to make a concoction of spices to dump into the pot. 

I used in varying amounts:

salt, pepper, basil, dry mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, celery seed, parsley, ground sage. I love sage-y chicken or turkey. But, that is a taste for Thanksgiving. 

Wednesday night, I had chicken and more than half a can of green beans and raw purple cauliflower. After I ate some chicken, I took the rest, shredded it and had an onion roll chicken sandwich. I put just a bit MW in it. Tommy had tomato, chicken and something else.

The chicken was not just boiled chicken. All the seasonings made it delicious, but subtle. I can add it to anything I cook. 

By the way, I love purple cauliflower. It lasts longer and stays pretty longer, both a plus. I am turned off by brown cauliflower or even bits of brown that I know is just oxidation. Since it was only $2 for a huge, fresh head, I will be looking for purple cauliflower again. 

Tonight, I am boiling potatoes for potato salad that will not be ready for dinner. Of course, I mix the onion and boiled potatoes while potatoes are hot to infuse the potatoes with onion. I still have Vidalia onions to use. 

Dinner Thursday night: bought meatballs, green beans, raw cauliflower florets. Tommy will have potatoes with onion in them. He likes this simple meal. Of course, it is just the beginning of potato salad. Dinner for me: boiled potatoes, 3 meatballs, more than half a can of green beans that were drained, soaked in fresh water, and then drained again.

Speaking of green beans, Tommy opened a can of French Cut Green Beans. I hate the French Cut. I eat them anyway. I did discover they are best in green bean casserole. Now, I have to eat the rest of these nasty beans!

Tommy picked four blackberries and brought me three. Maybe I need to freeze these until I have a cup or so to make something. Some are very bitter and some are sweet. I am not sure why the difference. They are very black and ripe. We will have five more plants for next year since five of the six cane pieces took when stuck in a pot. They still survive. He may have gotten the sixth one upside down. 

Today, Tommy saw a huge yellow butterfly visiting the flowers, especially the wildflowers and the one hummingbird feeder. Then, a hummingbird visited all the flowers and the feeder. He said he stood very still so as not to disrupt their feeding and so he could enjoy them. I enjoy seeing the bees in the clover.

Do you ever get just a couple of blackberries and save them for a larger portion for jelly, or tiny cobbler? 

Do you have a preference for cut green beans or French cut? Or, does it vary with how you eat them or in a recipe? 

I Snagged a Neighbor

 He usually takes Tommy garbage can to the road and brings it back. He was returning it to us. I had things to say and questions. He told us two weeks ago he was going to drive his bus RV to the northwest two weeks ago. Well, the story is he became ill in Arkansas, returned home, tried again and never made it out of Alabama even though he was going to be gone six weeks. While he was here, I asked him about the grill. I was doing it right! However, he said the gas was not coming out right. He used a lighter. He told me to get one of the long lighters, which I can do. The guy from Lowe's has offered to come by, so I think I will take him up on the offer. 

At the store, Tommy went in and purchased $20.02 or 11.18 lbs. of boneless skinless chicken breasts. I told him to get at least ten pounds and ask for still-frozen packages. He said they were all frozen rock-solid. I suppose the meat guys had restocked the meat counter before they left for the day.  Four packages are still in the refrigerator and two are in the freezer. My back was hurting badly before I made more room. If I can clear out more room, I will get more bscb before the ad ends. 

If I can get two more packages in the freezer before they thaw, I will. Otherwise, I will bake the four packages and freeze one breast to a bag. Yes, I will need to clean out more of the freezer. I found a frozen package of American cheese, about an inch thick pack. Tommy was screaming that there was some in the refrigerator...lol...well, now there is more. 

At Publix I saw what appeared to be a mother and her three children. The mother could not take her eyes off her phone. The teen had his eyes glued to his phone. A five-year-old little girl was carrying a fat little baby that looked to be young enough not to be walking. The teen boy ran into the little girl carrying the baby. He was engrossed in his phone. The little girl stumbled, almost falling down with the baby. The baby was being tossed to and fro like a rag doll as the little girl stumbled and valiantly tried to regain her footing and thankfully did. And, all this was in the front of the store in the road! My heart stopped! 

Between an inhaler and guaifenisen, I hope to get my breath back. I was too weak and feeling breathless to go in the store. Really, I need to use two inhalers, maybe three different ones. 

When we came home and exited the car, the air was so much more comfortable for me to breathe. It must have rained around here since it is not so hot. 

I suppose we will cook the steak in a skillet tonight. 

I bought Truvia Monk Fruit. It was bogo, so this is a cheap way to try it. I wanted just Monk Fruit. However, this has erythritol. Well, Tommy brought it from my list.

He washed my towels and such, so I have to hang those up no matter how I feel. 

Every year, I refresh my stock of school supplies. It just seems the right thing to do for fall. I now have Crayola Washable Markers. As I see sales, I will get other items. Many of the items, I will give away. 

Dinner: Tommy will have steak, potatoes, carrots, maybe tomato. I will have steak and a can of green beans.

Do you still buy school supplies at the back-to-school sales? What do you buy? 

Do you juggle items in the freezer to add a good buy?

Do you see frightening instances of phones almost causing accidents or actually causing accidents? 

Di

Saturday Successes

 Saturday, we needed to pick something up in Cullman. Since it was supposed to rain, I was leery of going. Tommy woke me at 7:15 as I asked. Even after leaving at 8:10, things went well. We needed to miss the rain forecast for Saturday and get home in time for the Iron Bowl.

Hoping to find a cheap turkey breast, I went to two stores and found two for $1.69/lb. Publix was an in and out trip. The turkey breast was $17.88 for a 10.58 lb. breast. 

In the other store, Betty Crocker brownie mixes in a pouch for $1.29--got 4. Three disposable bread pans--came to $1.40 for each pan. The turkey at this store was $8.72 for 5.16 lb turkey breast. I wish both had been smaller. 

We both went into this store. He bought five cans of the Double Luck green beans I love for $0.69 each. He then had a receipt to enter the drawing for $100. Of course, I had my receipt to enter, too. As I was inside before him and well into the store, I called him and alerted him to apples reduced--$1 per bag of 4, so he bought a bag. 

In about 2018, I won this drawing and had $100 to spend on groceries. Maybe we will have a repeat of good fortune this year.

Got the mail from the PO. 

The turkey breasts were the only food I looked for and seemingly the only good price I found except for the green beans. However, I searched for them, so maybe more bargains were out there.

Have you found any good prices still left from Christmas ads? Any deals at all, food or otherwise? Are you still eating Thanksgiving food and enjoying it? Or, have you reimagined it?

Tommy wanted to eat at Chicken Salad Chick again. He is really a fan of this place. I had the Classic Chicken Salad again, no soup. I had to order a sandwich or could not get the scoop of chicken salad. So, I order a croissant on the side. It is lying in the box in the car, wasted. Tommy had Fruity Fran on wheat bread. We drank water even though Tommy asked if I wanted a drink. I let him have my cookie. 

We drove by my lot and came home! We beat the rain and arrived home about 1 pm. By 2 pm I was in bed for a nap. I only slept three hours and feel like I need another nap. 

I worried I would not be able to easily fit the turkey in the two holes in the freezer, but had absolutely no trouble. I think we might have to return to Cullman for business, so maybe I can get two more at that price, hopefully, two small turkey breasts. Turkey breasts are less than the cost of bscb--half the price per pound. 

Today was a good day despite my lack of sleep and worry about rain. If Auburn had won the Iron Bowl, it would be nearly perfect. Tommy is a little discouraged, as is my son. 

Gas price is down to $2.91. 

In a few minutes we are watching a Lifetime Original premier of the The Twelve Days of Christmas Eve. Okay, this looks good...a Scrooge-like character. Tommy is heating a roasted chicken leg, sweet potato, and frozen mixed vegetables.

If you have checked, what price are turkey breasts where you live? 

Change of Plans, Yukon Gold

 Today's well-laid plans were thwarted, sort of. We had planned to go to Cullman for a few things. But, about 11 am, Tommy was looking at his day planner and commented that I had a doctor's appointment at 2 pm. Sooo, I got ready to go to the doctor.

This was a doctor who expected to see me in 2020. Now, he got to see me. I had to have a blood draw and have found my new phlebotomist. One stab and she got a vein. It hurt like fire for a moment, but nothing intolerable. 

By 3:30, we were on our way home and the traffic was very heavy. It was good to be home in one piece. Neither of us wanted to stop for bathroom or food or another chore. It was a 50-mile round trip! Too far for a doctor visit. Okay, I am getting old...lol. 

We did nothing at all today other than Tommy drove me. This was a specialist I had seen before the pandemic. Like He said when I explained I was avoiding people and hospital procedures when the pandemic started, "It looks like covid is here to stay." So, we got on with the visit. I have only met him once and like him then. I think he grew a beard and mustache because I did not recognize him at all. 

We talked things over and he made plans, but that all came to a halt. He told me he would not put me to sleep until I had the stent problem taken solved. That is what I was trying to tell him. So, some things are on hold with a few tests for the next few weeks. 

He gave me samples in order for me to see if they work for me. I thought it was a prescription med, but it is otc. They gave me three boxes. I thought there were a lot of pills. Each box had a white bottle with child-proof cap and FOUR tablets. It seems to me this is an excessive amount of packaging. Remember when samples were in a little foil pouch of even a bubble pack on cardboard? 

Dinner tonight: leftover baked chicken, leftover baked carrots, green bean casserole. He is so good about eating everything that I try sometimes to make something new and tasty, green bean casserole won tonight. The half cup of leftover casserole is here for him tomorrow night. 

Every time I have made green bean casserole, I have used cut green beans. Tommy opened two cans of French-Style. I was miffed but did not say so. Actually, the French-style are better in the casserole. 

What kind of green beans do you use in the casserole? Do you prefer one over the other?

The other day, I put about five pounds of chicken breast in the refrigerator to thaw. So, I will bake those tomorrow. 

We have not had potatoes for almost two weeks, I think. I cannot find Yukon Gold potatoes? Do they still exist? I always had them at a Christmas meal in Birmingham and sometimes bought them. But, now they seem absent from the shelves. 

Sweet Potatoes and a Yard Sale

 Saturday, we went to Cullman to the Festhalle Farmer's Market. There were few vendors left when we got there about 11 am. But, my sweet potato farmer was there. His 40 lb boxes of sweet potatoes were not there, just 32 lb boxes. I got the last one. Maybe I will go out to his farm for another box. This won't be enough. 

He also had a $5 container of really tiny squash, bred for their thin skins and smaller seeds. Good. The squash I bought at the grocery store were tough as leather and had huge seeds. 

The whole day was warm and downright bright! The blue skies were so bright! I must get prescription sunglasses. I was blinded all day. The day was very warm, so I decided I should get out something summery and wore my striped outfit, the one with a floral print, too. The red t-shirt I was going to wear will be appropriate all winter long, but the summery one won't. 

We drove another 15 miles out in the country for a sandwich from the Mennonite store, Dutch Oven Bakery. We shared a sandwich that had turkey breast slices 1/2 inch thick. The slices were thin but stacked high. It was delicious and plenty. We both had a peach fried pie, hand-pie. It was awful. First of all, there was dribbled over it an icing of powdered sugar. Plus, the pastry was flaky like store bought goods. The filling was thickened, very thick, lacked peaches but had too much sugar. I never did find peaches, so quit eating. 

They sell wrapped candy by the piece. I had pecan in caramel dipped in chocolate. I chose peanut butter filling dripped in chocolate for Tommy. These went up from 3/$1 to 60 cents/each. We sat under a tree and ate in the car. We could get out and eat at a picnic table, but the wind was very rough. 

The store where I bought Double Luck green beans for $0.69 still had plenty. Five cans came home with me. I should have bought another 10 cans. 

At the PO I had a huge package, dishes I ordered from Belks at a great sale price. I hate them, so they are still in the car to return them. They are they type dishes that have the scuff marks on the pieces like they are old and scuffed. Nasty looking. 

On the way back from the bakery, I wanted to go to the orchard to get apples. But, Tommy passed it. Usually, I would have him turn around and go back. But, today, I told him we could go there next time. I had assured him he should stop at a yard sale we passed on the way out and told him not to stop. But, at the first yard sale I spotted on the way in, on the way out we did stop. 

I found books for a quarter apiece. I purchased a workbook, the kind with pages to copy for children. The activities were all early childhood lessons and the first part was reading readiness. If my back had not been hurting so, I would have shopped more. As I was digging around in my purse and came up with only three fivers, she said to just forget it. Okay. 

This is just the type book I would have bought to use at the daycare. Many of the pages were ripped out, but still stuffed into the book. Okay, I am ready to go. Oh, this table also had about a dozen tiny, blunt scissors. This sale would be great for a mother, home-school teacher, or a teacher. I didn't ask the woman what the setting of the teaching was. Now, I wish I had looked for manipulatives.

The best part of the day was getting home to a nap. Well, having a meal ready for after the nap sure helped my happiness. 

Decluttering--I found the top to one of Tommy's Tupperware canisters. He says he bought these at a five and dime. No! I also salvaged and put into the dishwasher another one of my Tupperware bowls and lid, something I sent home with food. One lid from a cheap container is in the trash. I will probably work on this box intermittently for the rest of the evening and tomorrow. Hopefully, the box is empty by Sunday night. We will have even more walking room in the kitchen when I finish. Yay for decluttering! 

We had leftovers: pork roast with bbq sauce, rest of squash and zucchini for Tommy, salad with grape tomatoes for me. 

After dinner the microwaved peach fried pie was better, sort of. At least there were peaches in this half but not many. Still, the pastry part was like a fresh glazed doughnut, not what I was hoping. It was still too sweet. And, strangely, the gelled part did not get softer when heated. 

How did your Saturday play out? What is on the agenda for Sunday? Do you like fried pies?

FIRED!

 My friend lost her job. Yes, she did, all for a child deliberately shoving her down. I forgot to say that the child ran to one side of her and chanted--"that's what you get! That's what you get!"

Wednesday morning, she received a voice mail or text, forget which, saying to just stay home today because of her injuries.  So, this is how she fires people all the time. Then, she told her that safety was her primary goal at her daycare. This is how she fired the last woman who lost her job this week after being out ill. She also told her just to stay home one more day to be sure she was well. 

The daycare owner told her she would put her on-call all this week. She tells all people she fires this, too, before firing.

The kicker is my friend was due to receive a $3K bonus in October! She will never get it now. She really needed that money. There were witnesses and video, but it will all disappear, probably has by now. 

As we drove by her house at 9 am this morning going to Cullman, her car was home when she should have been at work. I told Tommy I was worried and would call about 10 am when I knew she was up. Well, that was stupid. So, if she had fallen or was dying from a concussion, it might be too late. I called and she relayed the info to me. She will go to Walmart to try and work there. 

We drove to Cullman to sign papers and use a cc. That done, we went to Publix for my milk. We would rather stop there than after we had driven back to Publix here. I went to another store to get the Double Luck green beans. I counted out 10 as I felt for dents. I managed to get 11 cans...lol. Eggs were expensive $6.99 for 18 eggs (39 cents/egg). At the second store I paid $4.89 for a dozen eggs (41 cents/egg. I was at the second store and was not driving back for 2 cent/egg saving, 24 cent/carton.

At the PO I gave Tommy money to pay for my PO box. As it turns out, I paid it online. I do not remember that. Hopefully, I have not signed up for autopay. 

Dinner tonight: Tommy had the other hamburger from last night, peas, and mashed potatoes. I had cheeseburger, whole tomato, whole can of green beans. Neither of us had bun. 

Today, it was 75 at noon and really hot in the car with humidity of 33%. I love that humidity. Outdoors, the weather was perfect, not hot at all. The skies from the time we left until we came home was deep blue sky for miles, all the way to Cullman and back. 

Gas in Cullman was $2.98/gal. So, I guess we can use the gas savings to buy eggs. 

Are prices for things like eggs and gas coming down at your town? I hope everyone is safe from Ian.

Tuesday Stocking Up

 After Sue and Kim told me to plant the Romaine, I did. However, the reason I was waiting was because I was afraid the winds and rain we expected would beat it down. Sure enough, the storms raged, the wind blew and the rain beat down. Since it is dark, I cannot see how the Romaine fared. 

The Romaine in a pot on the porch may not last long as it is extremely hot there, hot much sooner than the back yard garden where I planted it last year. I may go to Lowe's and get another two plants for the backyard. 

Tuesday, I did something I cannot, must not, will not do again. I helped someone at a level that made me hurt like I have not in a long time. I can barely walk and everything hurts. 

A person could not make it to the food giveaway since she had a three-hour job. I offered to pick it up. Not only did we have to bring it into the house, we had to take it back out to the car, and then put it into a plastic box in her driveway. Usually, food and such is in a bag and tied hard. So, I can feel that one bag is meat, another is bread, or there might be produce. 

This time, the only bag that gave away a portion of its contents was a bag with frozen meat. Lots of the other items were just thrown in the window of the car--bagels and such.  The plastic box is too low and too short. So, I had to work bent to the ground, open the bag with meat and spread it out and arrange items so the box would close. I imagine in two hours the meat was all thawed. My back and knees will not recover for the rest of the week. 

Besides chicken breasts and drumsticks, I received ground bison and ground pork.  Some days, we receive lots of meat, mostly meat. Today was that day. Other days, there is so much bread we must freeze half a dozen items. One day, it was several salad greens. Unfortunately, one day was 90%  sweets.  Thankfully, the freezer stores most of the excess. Then, I give away the rest, what we will not eat. 

The woman we helped was overjoyed with her food. But, she must make it easier for me to drop it off at her house. I don't want to be responsible for storing it here! But, she has never asked for us to do so. 

Today, was supposed to be bad weather with possibilities of tornadoes, high winds. With that there is a chance of losing power. The news is over and it appears we are safe here even though there have been tornadoes elsewhere. 

Tuesday, I caught the last day of sales in ads at Publix. I found Libby's vegetables 5/$4. That made green beans $0.80/can, a great price. You did know I would be purchasing green beans? I bought two of Newman's Own spaghetti sauce 2/$4. I bought ten cans that had Dec. 2024. No, I have not overbought. green beans. 

After today, we have at least seven days of sunshine forecast. That makes me happy. 

Did you have storms today? How bad? Have you planted more than two Romaine plants? 

Double Luck

~~Wednesday, we went to Cullman where I exchanged the Hunt's Petite Diced Tomatoes for the same variety with no salt. 

~~Since I had only one key to the lock I put on my second storage unit, I went to the locksmith and paid for a new key--$3. That was much cheaper than a new lock. 

I had not gone to PO Saturday, I checked Wednesday, got lots of mail--only one piece that was not junk mail. 

At my yard, the daffodils in the back yard, the old ones, are slow blooming.

BK at the lake watching ducks was fun.

The Double Luck green beans that were $0.69 are not available in No Salt version. An employee told me that the company will quit marketing these green beans in our area. They will quit supplying them to the Southeast because they don't sell well. WHAT??? I was upset. 

He said the best peaches ever, Argo, will not be sold in the Southeast, either. Argo peaches only come in a large can, 29 ounces, I think. These peaches are so good because they are soft and look raggedy. I know the other brands have nicely cut peaches and these don't. But, they are my favorite brand. They are products of same supplier.

There was other stuff, but I am tired, so might write again on Friday. 

While I was talking to the employee, I asked him about the Food Club salted butter that was $1.50/lb. He said the store bought the butter short-dated, and they knew it was short-dated. When it was gone, it was gone. So, now I know. Remember that the date was March 8 or something really near. It is all in the freezer, so that will extend the best-by date. So, no more cheap butter from this store. 

Have you ever seen or bought Double Luck green beans?

Saturday So Busy and "Marching" Record

 We went to Cullman Saturday. I got the mail and went to the Farmer's Market where I bought:

A mess of green beans $2

dozen eggs $4

peaches--seven for $6

zucchini $4 with yellow squash added to make it $6,

2 yellow squash 

I used coupons for free produce, and they are in $6 denominations, so I get something to make up the extra cost, hence the 2 squash. 

The green beans came from the guy selling eggs. I asked him if I could just get $2 of green beans. The other guy at the booth started bagging up a whole mess of green beans and I reminded him I was only buying $2 worth. He said, "Well, this looks like $2 worth of beans to me." So, he was being generous because I am a regular customer and love to talk chickens. Good deal! 

I went to a store and bought tomatoes and Vidalia onions. The market only had green tomatoes, and I am not a fan of green tomatoes. I should have bought a couple to fry for Tommy. 

Saturday night, we had meatballs and green beans cooked in foil in the oven and sliced tomatoes. It was delicious. The tomatoes should have been added to meatballs and beans. Tommy like the whole green beans--"different way to cook (whole) and different taste (olive oil and garlic), good." The meatballs were cooked and frozen, so just needed heating.

On Friday, I "marched" for 10 minutes, a new record for me. Tonight, I will do the same. Okay, it is getting late and I am about to drop, so tomorrow. 

Saturday morning, I cooked breakfast to avoid buying Hardee's sausage and biscuit. Tommy ate bread and two sausages. I had three scrambled eggs and two sausage patties. Next time, I will only have one sausage patty. The Johnsonville Sausage patties were on sale this week, so I have three packages of premade sausages. 

After sleeping an hour and a half on Friday night, I took a two and a half hour nap, getting up much sooner than I really desired. Hopefully, I can work my way back to a semi-normal sleep pattern. 

Saturday was a really good day.