Which is sort of a joke as speed isn't exactly working too well for me these days. However, I am in full food prep mode and moving along, even if it is at the rate of a turtle's progress. :)
After putting away my groceries I shredded two heads of cabbage. They are in zip lock bags in the fridge and tomorrow morning they will go in the dehydrator. The rest of the veggies will be shredded in the morning and will go in the other dehydrator. I am drying them separately because some dry faster than others. When everything is dry they will be mixed together and packaged for storage.
It rarely happens, but this time there was a mix-up in my order. I ordered frozen hashbrowns and got Simply Potatoes. Frozen hashbrowns have already been blanched and can go directly into the dehydrator. I'm not so sure about the Simply Potatoes, so I sent them back. I will just re-order in two weeks.
The 4 lbs. of frozen green beans are resting comfortably in the freezer until I am finished with the fresh veggies.
Over the weekend, 15 lbs. of hamburger will be browned, packed into pint jars and canned. I decided to can the hamburger plain. As much as I like having taco meat canned and ready to use straight from the jar, upon reflection it makes more sense to me to can the burger without seasonings so it can be used in a variety of ways.
This past week I learned a lesson that falls into the category of 'what not to do.' Do not leave bags of apple slices in the freezer for 5 years and expect them to be good. After slow cooking them all day I wound up with much of them being the consistency of soft leather. The apples were just in the freezer way too long and this was the result of freezer burn. I expect they would have been fine being frozen for a year, but 5 years was just too long. There were 3 bags of peach slices that were frozen about the same time, with pretty much the same results as the apples.
I took time to make a pan of Rice Krispy bars. Makes me think of my childhood where they were considered a special treat. Still are. I messaged Oldest Son telling him there was a possibility that there would be Rice Krispy bars at my house. He messaged back that I would see him as soon as he got home from work.
Bribe them with food. Works every time. :)
Opus 2024-395: Built, Not Chosen
5 hours ago
Your son is a lucky man! - lol
ReplyDeleteI'm the lucky one, Gorges...It would take much more than a pan of Rice Krispy bars to pay him for all he does for me.
DeleteOK Speed Demon, take it easy, you don't need another ticket. R.C. with a cup of coffee. Yummy.
ReplyDeleteSlow and steady wins the race, Rob...There is no prize for finishing quickly. Lots of rest and coffee will do the trick. :)
DeleteSee the kids are fast to get it done. While us more experienced folks like to take our time and enjoy it, before its all gone. When we where kids dinner had to be done in 30 sec to eat and get back outside and play. Ah the days we had food coming out of our mouths still chewing and running to play
DeleteYeah, Rob... think I like my slower pace of life these days.
DeleteAnd the rice krispie bars were wonderful.
ReplyDeleteYes, they were, Son!
DeleteI like my life as a "Turtle". Sure beats the crazy stressful days of working full time.
ReplyDeleteI'm waiting for a new stove to be delivered. The best part of renting is when something breaks and I just have to open the front door to have someone else take care of the problem. When I went to turn the burner off after cooking dinner Sunday night, the burner stayed on. Thankfully I have access to the electrical panel and could turn the stove off there. So new stove in just a few hours and this one has a self cleaning oven, whoopie!
Cheers, SJ
SJ...There's a lot to be said about living as stress free a life as possible. I'll take my 'turtle' paced lifestyle any old time!
DeleteGood for you on getting a new stove!! That must have been a bit scary when you couldn't turn off the burner. Like you, I can get to the electrical panel if necessary, but I wonder just how many these days would know how to use it like you did. My old landlord replaced my stove and fridge just a few years ago. It was lovely to have new appliances. Although I have owned homes in the past, I am sure I would not want to do so now. I love it that somebody else shovels the snow off the sidewalks and sees to the day to day maintenance. I really like the part when I can call my landlord and tell him 'his' toilet is broken and ask when he will be here to fix it. :) There are things I don't care for in apartment living, but at this stage of my life, the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages by a long shot.
Yes, I too need the help with the snow and general maintenance. Last year, I thought there was a leak in the roof and the maintenance guys were there within 3 hours - after dinner and on a holiday. Great response for sure.
DeleteFound another dog under the old stove, lol. The hard part about all this is that I would have paid a little more money for a better quality stove. But at least this one works. And, yes the joy of being a former homeowner of an older house is that I know about electrical panels.
Last night we had our first big rainstorm. Poor dog was beside himself and kept bringing his stuffy toy to me for comfort. Today I'll start the task of cleaning up my gardens...slowly of course.
Take good care, SJ
SJ...I had to smile when I read about your finding another dog under the stove. When my landlord and I cleaned out under the old fridge before installing the new one, we kept pulling out handfuls of cat hair. His remark while laughing at me was, "Looks like you can build yourself a whole new cat." Lucky for me he loved animals, having several pets of his own.
DeletePoor Mr. Dog...they don't know what the noise is all about, they just know they don't like it. When I had my Yorkies, one was not at all bothered by storms. The other would beg for my lap at the first clap of thunder.
It is going to be one of those slow days for me today. The high temp and humidity are back with a vengeance. I am finishing up with the dehydrating today but the hamburger went into the freezer until it cools down enough to do some canning. We have had little rain this summer and the pretty little tree outside my front windows looks all but dead. I have to wonder if Mother Nature is saving the moisture to dump on us in the form of snow this winter. :)
I'll trade you a pan of rice krispy bars for an oreo blizzard from DQ!
ReplyDeleteSon...Make it a strawberry blizzard and you've got yourself a deal!!
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