Ham Talk, Your Opinion

 

In a minute--

I had something to do on Saturday, but the rain kept us in. Oh, well. I did manage to get enough sleep. I got sleep by sleeping four hours, staying up two on the laptop, and then going back to sleep at 7:30 am. It is not ideal, especially not in the middle of the night. But, trying to sleep and fretting is worse. 

I was shocked to run out of milk on Friday, so that is one thing we have to do today. Tommy just said he needs milk, too. I suppose we will get bananas, too. Mushrooms are on sale, so I want those. 

At least, I am hanging my clothes Tommy washed yesterday--hand towels, wash clothes, underwear, and nightgowns. Now, he needs to wash dark clothes. If the washer and dryer were inside, I could do this myself. 

Tommy cut all the ham from the bone. Since it was spiral cut, it was an easy job for him. Now, I need to freeze it in portions for meals. 

I love ham. As a child, I remember that ham always "called for" lots of plain tea. Even as little children, we realized it was the ham. It still does or water. We had a spiral ham that Tommy cut off the bone and put in three gallon bags. I need to further separate it and put into portions for the freezer as I cannot eat much ham. 

After eating it once, lots, my feet were so swollen my sandals cut into my feet. So, today, I tortured myself again. I must stop now. 

As you know, I prefer the breast of chicken or turkey because it is dry. Same with ham as the white part of ham is drier. Tommy prefers the red or darker part. Once in the grocery store at the meat counter, a woman and I started talking. Her husband shares my preferences. She was shocked anyone else felt the same way. She had described it as odd preferences before I shared my predilections, also.

I cannot stand to bite into juicy meat! It caused my husband problems at a cookout. Everyone brought their own meat and it was cooked by the group. We all bought a dish to share. I like round steak, thin and well -cooked, dry. The guys teased my husband about buying me good meat since he had a thick, and juicy steak. I have forgotten what. He begged me to eat something else.

So, next cookout, I went to the grill and told them I wanted thin, dry, and gray insides to my steak, that round steak was my preference. That ended their harassing me. 

If I have to eat red ham, I have to put it in a skillet and cook it. Then, it is dry enough for me to eat. Even a roast that is too juicy is not pleasing to me. 

Dinner: Tommy had ham, salad with all the fixins, cranberry sauce, leftover piece of potato. I had ham and rest of last night's salad. 

Wonderful weather--63 degrees F at almost 8 pm. I wonder if March will be so kind.

I need to cook the thawed chicken and the frozen chicken we just put out in the refrigerator to thaw.

How do you like your ham, juicy or dry? Beef and chicken, juicy or dry? 

Tommy is Proposing to Me

 We have talked it over and think it is a good idea. Here is the plan. The PROPOSAL will be special.  Maybe we can get a divorce or just not get married. Long engagement? This idea looks like fun. We certainly laughed about it for an hour. 

Today, I awoke after about 3 hours sleep. I was bummed to be up sooo early. However, I took a nap from 2 pm to 5:30 pm. I have felt well all day until about 9 pm. Now, I feel drained again. 

We went out late in order to get a med I need. Now, Walgreen won't honor my insurance. They sold me two prescriptions on Friday, so nothing changed. Earlier, we went to Publix to get milk for both of us, squash and zucchini, frozen broccoli for the chicken, rice, cheese casserole. I needed bananas and apples. He said he picked up 40 apples before he found good ones for me. 

Tonight, he cut all the meat from a ham I had thawing in the refrigerator. I froze all but some for one more meal. I think I will cook potatoes, squash, zucchini and ham dish this week. He loves zucchini and squash, so he is eager for this along with the chicken and rice dish. No, I am not cooking beans and ham bone unless I feel much better tomorrow!

When he finished, we ate dinner. Then, I froze about seven quarts of ham. Of course, the bags were not full. I had ham and lots of slaw. Tommy had ham, Brussels sprouts, carrots, and another vegetable. Then, he had a ham sandwich and cheese. 

After dinner, he washed the dishes used for slicing the ham--two bowls, knives, forks, baking dish, tray. It was a mess. 

What do you think of the proposal plan? We had a good time laughing about the things we could do not to have to cook dinner every night. 

Birthday Again

 Wednesday was Tommy's birthday. So, we did it all on Sunday and I had nothing for today. I sang "Happy Birthday" to him as soon as I awoke. He laughed because I was so sleepy.

Remember--cake, candles, ice cream and presents happened on Sunday. 

I ordered us a Honey Baked ham sandwich from, the Honey Baked Ham Store and went to Vestavia Hills to pick it up. We drove to Vestavia Hills Methodist Church and found a shady spot and ate. He absolutely loved his sandwich. I should have ordered turkey breast for me.

The church had a garden with sweet potatoes, a "Sweet Potato Garden" on the sign. It looked like they all had been dug. 

We drove around a bit. It was his birthday, so I just let him go whereever. Then, when we came home, I took a nap and he watched Jeopardy. 

I felt worse when I awoke. AND, all the dishes were dirty. I have not felt like standing for a week. And, was not going to ask him to wash dishes on his birthday. I gave him choices--last of the turkey and a vegetable, meatballs and same vegetable, or wash dishes, or KFC or his choice. He chose KFC.

KFC was delicious! 

I still have to make him homemade ice cream even though I bought ice cream. 

Thursday morning, we wash dishes. I wash; Tommy dries. The dishwasher not named Linda arrives on Monday. YAY!

Nothing Christmas to report. I am just too tired. 

Cooking All Day. . .

Okay, not all day. Tommy, who can never stay awake for 30 more minutes at night after midnight managed to stay awake and alert until 3 am for a movie he wanted to see--White Heat. It was good and had James Cagney. But, it was after 7 am before I finally went to sleep...ugh.

I awoke at 11:30 am and thought about cooking. Since I am supposed to wait an hour to eat after I take a pill, I waited. I was famished and had to eat. Then, I discovered I had no bananas!

About 1 pm I gave Tommy a pound of Navy Beans to sort. Well, I asked him. I usually do it over the sink with water in about five minutes or less. He took over an hour. I said nothing because I don't care.

In the meantime, I washed so many dishes and at 6 pm am not done. I can only wash a couple of pieces and then must sit.

When he finished sorting the peas, I brought him 3 pounds of potatoes to peel. That took over an hour, too. He barely skims off the skin and leaves many little black dots on the skin. You may eat those; I want them gone. So, I redid them and put them in the kitchen. He did do the hard part--peeling. Navy Beans are in the crockpot.

I could not find the package of beef ribs I thought were in the refrigerator. He looked and found them still in the freezer. sigh  Potatoes and beef ribs are in the oven, salted and peppered. I have no onions and forgot bell peppers and celery.

Then, I had him slice  the head of cabbage. His hands do not bother him. Plus, all I can find is my paring knife. I asked him to peel off the outside leaves first and came in to find him just peeling the whole thing...lol. Then, I had to show him how to slice it.  I will put ham in the cabbage or in the peas, not sure.   I had put water in the crockpot before I put the peas in. When I checked the beans, there was NO water. Thankfully, I caught it in time.  I don't smell scorched beans, so hopefully all is well.

I made coleslaw since I now had a clean bowl to mix it.

All the vegetables will last for at least three days after I freeze some of the one pound of cooked beans. The meat will be gone by Friday.

We have an outing planned for Saturday, so I want to cook chicken for sandwiches. I will put out chicken to thaw today.  Soooo . . .

ham
ribs
coleslaw
cabbage
Navy beans
potatoes

Jackie Clay said coleslaw can be frozen. I will try that. Also at least two helpings of the beans will go into the freezer for later.

This is more cooking I can usually do in one day. I think I am so sleepy and bone-tired I have lost all feeling. Plus, I have washed soooo many dishes.

I managed  to knock a small Corelle bowl off the counter and it shattered into so many pieces with 4 large pieces that I can find.. Okay, I cannot get rid of italics. There is no broom here, so Tommy is going to vacuum it. Is it gone? Yes, it is.

I have no idea why I have no onions or bananas! Me tired? Definitely.  I went yesterday out to the store especially to get Navy Beans. Then, we looked in the huge garbage bag of cans from the food bank and found two pounds of Navy Beans. We will have them later.

When I was reading the Birmingham newspaper and saw a new Jazz Festival in town. I was absorbed in wondering if we could get in with our problems walking. Usually, we have to walk so far I cannot make it. I pondered this, giving up going but really wanting to go. THEN, I read on and Anne in the Kitchen's son's name was in the paper. At this point all I know is he is one of two people's names. I am not sure if he is first person playing, joining the venue or one of the person's in charge. I don't even remember the venue. Now, I really want to go.

It's 7 pm and dinner will be done about 8 pm.  Maybe I can get some dishes washed that I used. I  went in and I had forgotten to turn on the oven. So, I had a bite of cabbage. I love cooked cabbage. I love everything in the list of what I cooked. I should have prepared the two pounds of carrots.

Mmmm...we had beef ribs, potatoes, and cabbage for dinner.

Sunday Church Breakfast and Found a Penny and Thrift Store

Saturday night I did not want to cook...period! There were two baked potatoes in the refrigerator that I baked about three days ago. A small portion of English peas were waiting since I forgot to give them to Tommy. I gave him a chicken thigh from the freezer and half of another. So, there will be another portion for dinner on Sunday night. And, I will bake sweet potatoes. Two days done! Just the way I like it...lol. It was all leftovers. Oh, and a salad.

This Sunday morning is the Birthday Breakfast for all the people who have birthdays in January. I cooked twelve eggs, six at a time. His tiny skillet will not hold more. I spilled about one egg and ate another when they were done. So, I suppose I took ten eggs. I ate them at the breakfast, too, maybe three. Someone brought eggs, but I could not eat them, ever. The white was showing all over. I had eggs three times, a raisin oatmeal cookie, a flat biscuit, and pineapple chunks. I did wait until the end to get more eggs. I suppose we had two dozen eggs scrambled for 8 people. There was other food to eat, but it was all processed little weenies in a sauce and some sort of one bite of a smoked sausage.

After I scramble my eggs with a beater, I strain them. Somehow, I spilled about one egg. I cleaned up the counter before I left. Some got on a dish towel with clean dishes on it. At any rate, I got to church before the woman who made me move from "Her place." The preacher had the flu, so his wife read Psalms 25, and we came home. YAY!

We went to return stuff. I got a new pair of pants in the place of the one with pills all over it. The jacket I kept as I would lose money getting back what they would give me. This was all sweat suit type stuff. Then, he brought me home to pee and took me back to a thrift store.

I wanted a 10x 13 casserole but, of course, none was to be had in the thrift store. I did get a very pink, floral plate perfect for a cake or cookies or whatever. I found a diamond-shaped little dish that looks like something from Japan. But, I believe it is hand-painted by an individual here and then put in a kiln here. There is a tiny flaw, but I have nail polish sitting in it instead or falling over and being shoved around.

I decided to go further into the store. I got to electronics and found nothing to resell. When I rounded the corner, I found a carrom board with the little stick. I sold these all the time thirty years ago. I can make money from the board. It still has bright paint on it, not faded, not scratched! I just don't know where I will sell it. The board has provenance in the form of where it was made and the date 1970. Maybe it is not provenance, but it is more than the ones I found years ago.

We worked the neighborhood, picking up pink bags with coupons in them. These are thrown on Monday night or Tuesday morning. Some people get them in, some throw them in the trash on Thursday night. I figure the rest are fair play. So, I got five packages of coupons and store ads. I cut out coupons I wanted, threw away the ads, and have saved the rest for my friend who used them for the food bank items. I feel very successful at couponing today.

As I cut/tore coupons, I got to thinking about the Carrom board, There are parts that go with it. I have never found any, but I was hopeful. I sat here explaining all this to Tommy and wishing aloud I could that I could go back and see if there were any. There were two pieces of tape on the board. I went into the store and looked where the board was located. Sure enough, there was a sandwich bag of parts. I took it up front and explained how I had bought the board and how the parts were separated from it. The woman told me to take them. I was trying to show her the receipt, but she believed me and did not treat me like a thief.

I looked at dishtowels that looked new. They were $1.49, too much for me to pay.

And, I found a penny! Watch out Sluggy, I am overtaking you. Tonight, we will have ham or chicken and baked sweet potatoes and salad. There should be enough ham here for three days.

Have you ever heard or seen or used a Carrom Board?

I should be elsewhere

All the fixings for a squash casserole are waiting patiently for my attention. Then, I need to mix up slaw for the church dinner. But, I would rather waste time. 

However, one problem has been solved.  A friend gives me leftovers from a restaurant where her son works. She told me she had creamed corn to give me and blueberries from her bushes. It looks to be about a quart. THEN, she said she was giving me two tiny pieces of ham left over from a ham she cooked for son's birthday. 

When I was putting it away, the pieces of ham were each larger than my fist. I expect one piece will be more than enough for a meal for both of us. YAY! Tommy wants creamed corn with his squash casserole. I may give it all to him. I think I will open a can of green beans. Two yellow vegetables and two carbs don't really go together, but he wants it. Both will be good with ham. Plus, I bought on sale plates that are divided, so the corn will stay away from my other food. 

She said her husband just picks any blueberry and may have gotten some small ones that are not sweet and juicy. Maybe these will be cooked for pie filling with a tiny bit of sugar. I bought blueberries to put in the freezer. I try to keep blueberries in the freezer all winter by buying them in store or markets when they are cheap. 

I also should be making slaw for tomorrow. 

My hair is washed and air drying. I hate to use a blow dryer. I will put sponge rollers in the top when it is dry and sleep on them. I will get curly  hair that will fall to fluffy hair during the day  because I hate to use hair spray. Any kind of volume works for me. 

One of my floor lamps went kaput last night. So, I had to enlist another lamp in its place. I suppose I need to carry lamps to the lamp store and have them rewired. It seems electricians around here don't want to do that. Besides, one has a $90 charge to pick up and will not allow drop offs. NO WAY!, lamp,The lamp store is in another town 25 miles from here!

People tell me to just buy cheap lamps somewhere, like a thrift store. These are 100 years old. I did. buy them second-hand. 

The grocery ads came out. The only things I see that I know I want is white grapes for $1.39/lb.  Oh, and I have not gotten Vidalia onions to dehydrate as I am not up to it, and they are on sale. 

I suppose I should start washing and slicing squash. 

Do you ever procrastinate just as long as you can and push yourself into a corner? This is one of my times, although this is not my style.