Yesterday was one of those days to attend to some of the piddly little chores that if left undone will turn into big jobs. Got enough accomplished to satisfy my inner Susie Homemaker.
There was one jar of chicken breast in the fridge that hadn't properly sealed when I canned the chicken, so I turned that, along with a quart of turkey broth and some veggies and seasonings, into soup. And then thought, "What the heck," and tossed in a cup of rice to turn it into a nice chicken rice casserole. Tastes really good even though it looks suspiciously like the dog food I make for my two little ankle biters. Wound up with enough for supper tonight and a couple of containers to freeze for later.
Also had a half a quart jar of home canned peaches that needed to be used, so I made a batch of peach muffins. They were good as dessert last night and even better as breakfast this morning.
This week's grocery advertisement has some pretty good sales going on, including ham. The bad part is that the store will only allow one ham to be sold per coupon per purchase, and as I want at least three to can, I will be seeing more of my friendly neighborhood bus driver than I care to. But then, strawberries are on sale this week, too. My supply of strawberry jam has dwindled over the winter, so I can buy enough for two or three batches of jam and enough to freeze a few containers for later. They will be really good over ice cream this summer.
Looks like rain is headed my way today. It is a good day to give these old arthritic bones a bit of a rest. I'm working on finishing up the last of the crocheted granny squares for the afghan I'm making for oldest granddaughter. That turned into a bigger project than originally planned, but it is for my granddaughter. She is worth the extra time and effort.
And later I will dive head first into an 1800's murder mystery. I love those old mystery stories. There are all sorts of twists and turns in the plot and the descriptions transport me back in time. And that is a pretty good place to be on a rainy Sunday afternoon.
Opus 2024-397: Absolutes
5 hours ago
Oh, for some rain. Here it's 35oC in the shade - we've had temperatures like that for the past 8 - 9 days.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait for the proper cold weather to hit, so that I can fire up the Rosie. I've had enough of this summer...
Dani.....I expect that by the end of August here, I will be feeling what you are feeling now! I would be perfectly happy to have spring and fall all year and skip summer and winter altogether.
ReplyDeleteI like reading books written in times past. You not only get a story, you get a history lesson as well. Books written today about those times are all conjecture or wrong information, it seems to me. To writers of those days, though, it was simply every-day life.
ReplyDeleteGorges...I totally agree. I think there was a time, maybe the mid-1800's, when every other housewife aspired to be a writer. Even if the story line isn't the greatest, the descriptions of their homes and horse drawn buggies and what was for sale in the local general store and farm life, are wonderful. I love mysteries. I would rather read one of the old mystery books than the new ones. The old timey ones have great plots that peak my interest and curiosity and keep me wondering "who done it," while I think that many of the new ones rely on shock value.
ReplyDeleteReaders law dictates if one writes of a book one must list title of the book for we the other readers. Not many of left in this old world. We need to stick close one to the other....
ReplyDeleteI want to lick the spoon after your make your strawberry jam. Just wrap it in plastic and I'll get there as soon as possible.
My grandmother, and mother, used to make fig preserves and jam. The preserves were good, without any flavorings, but they found out you can put strawberry flavoring in the fig jam and get a reasonable facsimile of strawberry jam.
ReplyDeleteI didn't really like the "strawberry" jam, and wished they'd just left the jam as fig.
Stephen.....I downloaded a pot load of books from www.gutenberg.org. (Project Gutenberg). Right now I'm working my way through the mysteries by Anna Katherine Green. Next time I post about a book, I will list it. You are right. There are very few of us readers left. Personally, I get really cranky if I have nothing to read. Watching a screen just isn't good enough.
ReplyDeleteHope to have enough berries hauled home by mid week for jam making. I'll not only save you the spoon, but also a pint jar full. Good stuff!
Jess.....I've never had fig jam. I'm not even sure that figs are raised in my corner of the world. But it sounds wonderful. When I was much younger and lived further north, I would pick chokecherries. The fruit is small, mostly seed. And sort of bitter/sour to eat. But when the juice is extracted it makes great jelly. That and wild blueberry are favorites, along with the memories of taking my kids out into the woods blueberry picking.
ReplyDeleteAh spring time It makes us drop our guard over winter. Too cold today for yard work. I am making rolls for dinner, using your Amish Bread recipe. So far so good.
ReplyDeleteRob.....There is hope. I saw a hint of green on the trees down along the river yesterday. Those rolls are so good. I'm making the same recipe on Saturday to take to my daughter's house for Easter.
ReplyDeleteIsn't riding the bus hard? Seems like you would have to carry all your packages in your arms. I guess it would be safe in daylight, though.
ReplyDeleteHarry.....If I lived in Minneapolis, I would avoid riding the bus because of the dangers involved. But here in the suburb, the buses are small, maybe 20 passengers tops. The drivers are helpful and the passengers are mostly neighbors. I've never had a problem.
ReplyDeleteI bought one of those wire mesh laundry carts with wheels and a handle. Call it my "little old lady shopping cart." I only buy enough groceries to fill the cart, which makes transporting them easy. The only hard part is dragging a full cart up the stairs to my apartment, but by rolling it up one stair at a time, it can be done.
I made a choice. I could own a car, make car payments and insurance payments, buy gas and tires and pay for upkeep. Or I could ride the bus for groceries and have enough money from my Social Security check to do what I wanted to do. Seemed like a no-brainer. And if I need to go somewhere that's not on the bus route, which doesn't happen often, I call a kid. I have four. All are in the area and are good to help if needed.
Your chicken casserole sounds really good.
ReplyDeleteLinda.....It was pretty good, considering there was no recipe - just toss in a little of this and that! Sometimes my accidental type of cooking turns out and other times - not so much. Thanks for stopping by.
ReplyDeleteDon't let the Somalis get you! I didn't know you lived close to Minneapolis.
ReplyDeleteHarry.....Not to worry. My little corner of the world is pretty quiet compared to Minneapolis. I am southwest of the city by 25-30 miles, and a whole world away as far as the city crime goes. I haven't been to downtown Minneapolis in years and hove no plans to ever go there.
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