Life Gets in the Way

It is amazing to me how life can get in the way of something I've committed to stick to---like posting daily to this blog.

On Wednesday a.m., while drying one load of clothes and with a load of wet towels in the washer, my dryer died. Fortunately, the load in the dryer was far enough along that they were mostly dry---the towels, though, were another story. I consulted with a repairman who advised that a service call and the repair of the most minimum of the possible problems would cost about $110 (and, of course, would go up from there). Considering the age of the dryer, he felt the most prudent course would be to purchase a new dryer (no, he doesn't sell new dryers).

In this household we have to research everything to death, read reviews, etc. before we purchase anything. Even with 2 of us on separate computers, it took most of the day to not only find what we thought was the best value, but to make calls hoping to find one in stock somewhere. No luck there. So, late that afternoon we purchased one from Home Depot. It had the bells and whistles I wanted and was on sale for $200 off the regular retail price (they had the same brand with fewer bells and whistles selling for the very same sale price but only $100 less than the regular retail price...that's a mystery). The downside is that it can't be delivered until a week from today. I put the wet towels in a big lawn and leaf bag and hauled them to my friend Joan's house and dried them there....and, I get an enforced break from doing laundry for a whole week.

After the hard work of researching and purchasing the dryer, hubby declared (while still in Home Depot) that he was starving---and when he's starving, that means he can't wait even a little bit to eat. He's a bicycle racer who trains hard every day and burns up lots of calories and has a super-fast metabolism. I, on the other hand, don't exercise much and rarely get hungry because I must have the metabolism of a boa constrictor, who eats a big meal and doesn't have to eat again for 7 weeks. Anyway, we popped in to a nearby Mexican restaurant and had dinner---no cooking and no decreasing my food inventory that night.

Then, last night (Thursday) I took my mom to a Kenny Rogers concert at a nearby event center. She's 89 years old and moves slowly. We had the opportunity to eat dinner in a restaurant at the event center and that's what I thought would be best for us. That way, I could drop her at the door before the biggest part of the crowd arrived, go park the car, walk the distance back to the entrance and then we'd be in the building an hour and a half before showtime. It worked out very well. I'd never eaten in the restaurant before and it was a very nice experience. The menu was fairly limited but adequate and the food was delicious. So, another night of no cooking, no inventory reduction (I noticed my husband had picked up a pizza from Pizza Hut, so he was no help in depleting the food glut).

Maybe tonight will afford some progress.

Slow Food Day Progresses to Asian Food Day

Yesterday (Mon., November 26) was a slow food day. I'd planned to bake bar cookies for the crew at the discount grocery but boring, although necessary, tasks got in the way---same story today. Maybe they'll get their treats tomorrow (will try to bake them tonight to avoid unexpected interruptions tomorrow).

Last night's dinner was sirloin steaks on the grill. Hubby took the tank for a fill-up so we are once again cooking with gas---well, he is. I actually do a good job of grilling but I don't remind him so I can get a night "off" from cooking. I did steam 2 small bags of a fresh cauliflower/broccoli combo and rustled up a batch of hashed brown potatoes (frozen). They were both from the DGS, and there's a little more room in the fridge/freezer now.

Tonight's dinner was a fusion of several Asian dishes: vegetable spring rolls, chicken-ginger mini-wontons and a Thai peanut stir-fry dish with rice noodles (all from the freezer and all from the DGS). My main guy is a big time carnivore, so I added some chicken to the stir-fry. It was from a bag of frozen pre-cooked fajita chicken with onions and red and green peppers. The bag said there were Mexican seasonings but, honestly, I couldn't taste them. But, after searing the taste buds right off my tongue with the Chinese hot mustard (made from a powder--very hot) that I drizzled over all my food, I couldn't taste much of anything---but my sinuses are certainly a lot clearer. To add bulk to the noodle dish I also added a can of stir-fry veggies and opened a little jar of sweet and sour sauce to cool off the hot mustard. So, 2 items off my selves but, unfortunately, that little jar of sauce will move into the fridge, for who knows how long?

I'm making some progress on depleting my over-stock of victuals, which is the point of keeping a record BUT I really thought I would be spending next to nothing on foodstuffs while trying to cook with what's on hand. That hasn't exactly been the case. I do think that, over all, food expenditures have decreased but are still more than I thought they would be. I think the problem is that I consider the DGS a treasure trove of goodies and if I see something I haven't seen before or haven't seen in a while and I know I love it, I have to buy it because who knows when or if it will show up there again. Trying to exercise restraint.

Bonanza!

Woo hoo! Made a dent in my food collection tonight by making chili for dinner. Off the shelves came 3 cans of beans: Pintos, San Antonio (combo of pintos and red kidney) and Ranch Style pintos with jalapenos; 1 can diced tomatoes with onion, 1 can Rotel tomatoes with green chilies, 1 small can tomato sauce and 1 packet of chili seasoning. The freezer is also minus a pound of ground beef. All items were purchased at the discount grocery (DGS).

A word about my favorite little store. It doesn't have cooled produce displays such as we see in chain supermarkets. In fact, it doesn't always have produce at all. When there is produce, it is in delivery boxes stacked against the front wall. So, I never know if there will be produce and if there is, I never know what it will be. That's the fun of it---every visit is like a treasure hunt! Sometimes the produce has seen better days, other times it is perfect and sometimes in-between---and frequently it is organic. We are currently working our way through a flat (12 clam shell containers) of beautiful big blackberries: $0.79 per 6-oz container.

Hadn't made this squash casserole in quite some time but it was a big hit at our Thanksgiving dinner this year.

SQUASH AND STUFFING BAKE

2 lb. yellow squash

1 c. (or so) grated carrot

1 onion, chopped

1 can cream of chicken soup

16 oz. sour cream

1 pkg. Stove Top stuffing (corn bread)

1/2 stick butter (melted)

Salt & pepper to taste

Slice squash 1/4" thick and cover with salted water in saucepan; cook until just tender. Drain well (I leave it in a colander in the sink for 15 min., or so). For the carrots (which are mainly for color), I buy a pkg. of shredded carrot in the salad-fixings area of the produce section. Microwave carrots in some water until tender (6 min. in my old microwave---less time in a newer one) and drain well. In large mixing bowl, combine well the onion, soup, and sour cream. Fold in carrots, then gently fold in squash. Pour into a large (13" x 9" or 3-quart) baking dish. In a med. bowl, toss the contents of the stuffing package with the melted butter until stuffing is well moistened. Scatter evenly over top of casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until bubbly and topping is golden.

Best Cranberry Orange Relish Ever

Tonight's mini-feast was chicken piccata--created from a Macaroni Grill boxed dinner: my fresh chicken breasts, MG's seasonings, wine sauce and angel hair pasta. Dear husband is quite fond of the MG dinners and I agree they are tasty. Some are a bit salty for my taste, but the piccata didn't seem so. The boxed dinner was from my discount grocery store (DGS), as were the fresh spinach (cooked) side dish and the basil infused olive oil that I tossed with the pasta. Alas, just one box off my crowded shelves, plus a very large container of spinach out of the fridge. Only a little of the bottle of oil has been used, so it is still taking up space in my larder. The oil, BTW, is Drogheria and Almentari's basil infused olive oil. We are basil fanatics and we love this oil. It is produced in Florence and is a bit expensive: $3.80 for a 2.7 oz bottle--but I paid 55-cents at the DGS!

It's obvious that I have no problem using "helpers" when I cook. I don't want to spend an hour making dinner--there are too many other things I'd rather spend my time doing. So, yes, I use a lot of convenience foods but usually dress them up a bit with additions of meat, veggies, herbs and spices. And, I cook lots of fresh vegetables as accompaniments.

My husband thinks this Thanksgiving's cranberry relish is the best it has ever been--the perfect balance of tart and sweet. Although I begin with a recipe, most years I end up adding another bag or two of cranberries and then sweetening by taste. That didn't happen this year, so I know exactly what went into it. It's a good idea, I think, that I record the formula before I forget it.

OUR FAVORITE CRANBERRY ORANGE RELISH

2-12 oz. bags fresh cranberries (if using frozen, do not thaw before chopping--messy)

1 lg. unpared apple (I used Fuji), cored and cut into chunks

1 lg. unpeeled seedless naval orange (thin rind preferred) quartered and chunked

2 c. granulated white sugar

1 c. finely chopped pecans

I have a very old (about 38 yrs. old) and small Moulinex food processor, so chopping must be done in several small batches. The ingredients can be chopped in a processor or put through a grinder, if you have one, or use a good quality food chopper.

I begin with the cranberries, pulsing until a fine to medium chop has been achieved. Place in large mixing bowl. Next, the apple. Chop and transfer to bowl. Finally, the orange. Pulse or chop so no largish pieces of rind remain and add to bowl. Add sugar and pecans and stir thoroughly. Chill before serving. Sometimes I add a few drops of red food coloring to achieve a better color, but I didn't do that with this batch.

Hooray for Leftovers

Here I am, trying to keep myself honest by keeping a record about sticking to my promise-to-self re: building meals using the food I have on hand, and after just 5 days, I'm already a day behind. I'm blaming Thanksgiving. Even though I did not host a big dinner, I contributed to one, so there was still shopping and cooking to be done and it does take time to get it right. That's my excuse for the blip in my food diary.

So, here's the scoop on Thursday, November 22, Thanksgiving Day: We've shared Thanksgiving dinner with the same family of friends for many years. We have a set menu that we must stick to, or our kids will mutiny. We can always add a new dish if we want, but it can't replace anything on the standard menu. The must-haves that are my responsibility are a sweet potato casserole (whipped potatoes with crushed pineapple topped with a to-die-for brown sugar and pecan confection), a variety of olives and pickles, and the cranberry relish, of which I make about a gallon. The cranberry relish is ground raw berries, unpared apples, oranges (with skins) and pecans....and lots of sugar. When my daughter was in pre-school, the teacher prepared a simple Thanksgiving meal and the parents were invited to share it with the class. The cranberry recipe came from that teacher. It is our very favorite! This year I also made the yellow squash casserole mentioned in an earlier post. Oh, and let's not forget the wine...and plenty of it.

So, what came off the shelf and out of the fridge in the making of the feast? One 20 oz. can of crushed pineapple, 2 sticks of butter, 2 eggs, green olives, pickled okra, candied dill pickles and Wickles spicy pickles.

Today, nothing came off the shelves because there were enough leftovers for a generous meal--the traditional Thanksgiving dinner is my husband's all-time fav. He'd be happy to have it about once a month and he loves leftovers. So, I got a break from cooking. Although I took just 3 side dishes to our repast, they were made in great volume. That way I share my leftovers and we are sent home with containers of food prepared by others. As a result, we all end up with the makings of a complete meal for a second day. Sweet!

Tomorrow, it's back to cooking!

A Sign From Above?

Last night (Nov. 21) was dinner out.I'd planned something with chicken but was feeling swamped putting together dishes to take to our Thanksgiving dinner with friends today, so off to Applebee's we went.

As for cooking with what I have on hand, I made some progress yesterday. I had 4 very ripe bananas, purchased a week or more ago at my discount grocery store (DGS). I had been regularly baking goodies and taking them to the small crew (fewer than 10) at the DGS but hadn't done so in about 3 months, due to a kitchen remodel, several out of state trips and recent house guests. Decided it was time to start the routine again by baking banana bread for the crew.

The recipe that I've used for the past many years is from my friend Joan. This has never happened before, but the batter filled a loaf pan and there was still quite a lot of it still in the mixing bowl--enough for 2 dozen mini-muffins. Can't explain where that extra batter came from. The bananas, flour, sugar and eggs for the banana bread were all purchased at the DGS.

When I delivered the baked goods to the store, I found they had beautiful, unblemished yellow summer squash, all individually wrapped in a sort of sturdy tissue paper--3 for $1.00. I'd been toying with the notion of making my favorite squash casserole to contribute to our Thanksgiving dinner and I took the availability of this beautiful squash as a sign that I should whip up that dish.

In addition to the squash, the sour cream, cream of chicken soup and the Stove Top cornbread dressing used in the casserole all came from the DSG. Just one can and one box off my shelves, but I'm happy with that---and also that there's a tad more room in the fridge, left by the missing sour cream.

The Thanksgiving meal description will have to wait until tomorrow. I'm about to pop, I'm so full and need to read a little before I hit the hay.

Out of Gas

Tonight's dinner plan was to be salmon fillets on the grill. I love grilling...because my husband does it. I bought the frozen salmon at my discount grocery store (DGS) about a week ago: 3 lbs. for $10--what a deal! The fillets were individually vacuum-wrapped and in a bag with a large yummy looking, garnished, table-ready fillet on the front. The front of the bag read: Premium Atlantic Salmon. The fine print read: farm raised in Chile. Hmmm? How can they be from the ocean AND raised on the farm, I wondered. Well, this is how they do it:

Ocean Farms:

Young salmon are grown in freshwater for a period between half a year to over one year. The salmon are then released into net pens in the ocean (typically 100 meters across and 30 feet deep) where they are reared into adulthood.

So, there you have it! At the time I purchased this salmon, I was tempted to buy a second bag, the price being so reasonable and all. But, I hesitated due to a very bad experience with individually wrapped frozen tilapia fillets I purchased at Walmart a couple years ago. I'm pretty sure those fish had been fed river bottom mud, because that's what they tasted like....and I should know. I'm from the Ozarks and have played in a lot of rivers with mud bottoms and, on occasion, unintentionally swallowed some of that muck. Anyway, it was so awful, even my husband wouldn't eat it--and he's the opposite of that Mikey kid on TV who hates everything...hubby will eat anything (except yukky tilapia from Walmart). I was wary of stocking up on too much of an untested (by me) farm fish. If I'd been smart I would've dashed home, thawed some of the fillets, cooked and served them for dinner (the purchase was late in the afternoon). If they'd passed the taste test, I should've been first in line when the DGS opened the next a.m. and snagged another bag. Food in that store sprouts wings and flies out of there. Well, woulda, shoulda, coulda. Didn't do it.

Tonight I put 3 fillets on a platter, rubbed them with some olive oil, sprinkled on freshly ground pepper, some salt, a little onion and garlic powder and handed the platter to the chef and shooed him out to the patio to work his magic on the salmon. His fire stick belched a flame, but had nothing to light. Alas, the fuel tank was empty. Change of plan, change of chef. Heated some olive oil in a skillet, added the fillets and it wasn't long before they were beautifully browned and crispy on both sides, sprinkled on a little brown sugar, let it melt and....Ta da!...dinner! Tasted great! Shoulda bought more. They sold out on the second day.

To round out the meal, there was fresh organic cauliflower (purchased at the DGS for $.49/head), leftover Mexican mac & cheese (frozen side dish from the DGS) and 2 Tbsp. of spinach (DGS), leftover from last night's dinner.

This meal didn't take a single thing off my overstocked shelves but it did make a little more room in the freezer and vegetable crisper.

Abundance

I was recently jolted and humbled when I surveyed the obscene amount of food I have on hand, while many others often go hungry. Some of my stash went to a food bank, but they have rules about Best By dates and dented cans, so many things that I am perfectly comfortable eating can't be donated. I abhor waste, so I had to make a plan.


Here's my story: When I was on my quilt-making kick, I eventually amassed enough fabric to cover Montana in patchwork. I moved on to scrapbooking and my supplies now equal the inventory of a small scrapbook store. A friend introduced me to a tempting discount grocery and my garage has morphed into an impressive supermarket. I don't consider myself a hoarder because I do use the products and give some of my creations as gifts and sometimes even give away the raw materials. But, there is no getting around it, I am a collector....a hunter and gatherer.