Shining Example of My Own Pet Peeve

Alack and alas, I have become a shining example of my own pet peeve--I haven't updated my blog in ages.  I have tons of great excuses and I'd shower you with all of them (and they are very plausible, trust me), but I'm afraid I would scare away the two people who actually read my blog, so I better be careful.

I've been working very hard on my food storage plan.  However, I hit a roadblock in the form of SE.  He said he won't cook any of the stuff I have planned because he doesn't know the recipe or which book it's in.  This is standard excuse #1 why he doesn't feel like he should have to cook dinner. The funny thing is, he knows it's lame, but he still uses it anyway.  I actually made a recipe book with all the recipes in it, bound it, and put it in a very obvious place in my kitchen.  Let's see what excuses he comes up with now!  I may also have to tweek some of the recipes which aren't being well received by the family.  SE says tamale pie is one of them--it's too tomatoey.  I made one up Sunday night that was a huge hit.  Here's how it goes:

1 lb of ground beef
3 c. Botan rice, cooked (measurement is for raw, I don't know how much it makes cooked--maybe six cups?)
1/2 c. soy sauce (and then to taste)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 soup can full of water
1 can of mushrooms

I browned the beef, and then added the cooked rice, soy sauce, soup, water and mushrooms and warmed through.  It was fast and the kids totally chowed down.  It even made great leftovers for lunch the next day.  (It has the consistency of a sort of hamburger helper, only not that greasy.)

I also found a recipe for oatmeal waffles, and those were a huge hit as well--they are definintely going into the rotation.  They were surprisingly fluffy, and didn't taste grainy at all.  The recipe can be found here:  http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Oatmeal-Waffles-2.

SIT1 and SIT2 had a great Halloween.  We carved pumpkins and went to the ward trunk-or-treat, which thankfully was inside and kept us from having to be outside in the cold wind and rain.  After, we went to my parents' house for treats.  We told the kids they could trick-or-treat by themselves around the circle on which my parents left.  They took off in great excitement, only to come back about two minutes later complaining it was too cold.  I could hardly believe that the temperature trumped their desire for candy. Things were sure different when I was a kid!

The garden is all wrapped up for this year.  I may try to can some chicken later on, if it goes on sale, but other than that, I'm all done canning this year.  I can hardly believe it's November already.  My favorite time of year, because I'm reminded of all the blessings which I enjoy.  What are you thankful for?

Food Storage

If you know me or have been reading my blog, you know that I am in the thick of canning season, which rebuilds my stores of all sorts of produce that comes from the garden. I was also raised in a house that had an amazing food storage, and the concept has always been familiar to me.  Recently, I was introduced to the concept of not just storing food--in my case, whatever was randomly on sale or whatever came from the garden, but to actually formulate meals and then buy enough food to be able to create these meals without ever going to the grocery store for fresh items.  This comes in handy if there's a natural disaster, or a disaster of some other kind--like job loss.  Of course, we hope that we will always be able to supplement our meals with fresh items from the store, but what if?  Oh, and is it cheating if my meal plan uses items that have to be frozen?

I recently tried to come up with a family plan that incorporates what I already have stored that will turn into a meal, and then builds so that I have more meals and some variety in the food at that. I dutifully researched, looked into a couple of books, and then made the plan and wrote it down in my planner.  I've lost my planner, but I thought I would write what I could remember so that hopefully you could be inspired, too.

Here's the list of what I can remember. I had more, but they are in my missing planner and I will post them later if I find it.

Meal Options:


Spaghetti
Chili (canned or homemade) with cornbread or Navajo tacos
Meat Gravy
Serity’s casserole
Breakfast for dinner (pancakes, waffles, muffins and bacon/sausage)
Fried Rice
Bean & Rice burritos
Sweet Pork & Rice

meals to try (meaning I'm not storing 3 months' worth of ingredients if my family won't eat it):

chicken rice bake
Tamale pie
Beef & Lentil Soup
Janet's chicken
Teriyaki ham

Side Options:
Frozen corn
Green bean
Peas
Peaches
Applesauce
Pineapple
Pears
Jello

We went to Macey's and bought some powdered milk, powdered eggs and powdered butter to put into the rotation and see how they work.  (A few months ago, we got a small portion to try from a neighbor, but our dog ate it before we could really try it out.)  Anyway, I'm thinking as long as SE gets his chocolate chip cookies, he will gracefully eat just about whatever I fix!

I've also discovered that you can substitute ground flax seed for eggs, and you can substitute applesauce or mashed beans for the oil in a recipe, so I'm going to try putting that in some of the recipes and see how it goes.  I've already tried the flax seed in cornmeal pancakes, and they were delicious. The only drawback to the flax seed is that it definitely looks like it has "grain" in it, so if you have picky eaters, it might not go over so well.  However, I hear it hides well in chocolate flavored baked goods such as cookies and brownies.  Mostly, it's nice to know I have options other than fresh eggs!
If you are interested in any of the recipes I've mentioned, just comment below or send me an e-mail.

Harvest Harvest Harvest Can Can Can

The harvest at the garden continues.  I sent SE away last Saturday so he could have an adventure, and I spent my time making salsa.  Woot, woot! I know--so lame to have time to myself and then use it doing household stuff, but sometimes you just gotta do it. 
I had already canned stewed tomatoes and green beans earlier in the week, but I saved salsa for Saturday because it takes so much time to cook down, and if I do it after work, it ends up being really late at night before I am done.  Not only do I have to function the next day, but I have fallen asleep and awoken to the smell of burning food before. One of our main family rules is to avoid calling Search and Rescue, and I suppose that it applies to canning as well.  Sigh.  That makes Saturday "Salsaday."   I thought I was making one batch of salsa, but I had enough stuff for two, and I ended up with 10 pints.  ("Salsaday is a special day, it's the day we get ready for...well, whatever needs salsa, I suppose. :))  I tweaked the recipe by adding 1/3 cup of lime juice, and when SE tried it, his comment was, "Wow, that has great flavor, and a little kick!"  It's a joke with us every year--we put in jalapenos, seeds and all, every batch but the salsa never even rises to the level of mild. My brother jokes that it's more like tomato sauce.  You can rest assured that I don't waste my yummy salsa on him.  Anyway, this year's salsa might be "mild."

I STILL had extra tomatoes after that, so I made tomato soup and froze it.  I got a really yummy recipe from my neighbor, and I believe it goes something like this:

4 lbs tomatoes, peeled and seeded (I blanch the tomatoes to peel them and then just leave the seeds in since I don't have a food processor that takes them out.)
6 cups chicken broth
2 medium onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 TBSP butter
salt and pepper

Fry the garlic and onions in the butter until the onions are clear and you aren't crying any more because of the smell.  :)  Add everything else to your soup pot, and simmer for 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool.  Blend in a food processor or blender, and return to heat and simmer for 45 minutes, or until it has thickened slightly.  I use a hand blender and just blend it right in the pot.  It can be served either hot or cold.  You can sprinkle it with basil or add a dollop of sour cream. 

Due to the cold spring, I had pretty much figured that we wouldn't be getting many peaches this year--probably enough to eat, but not enough to can.  However, I came home last night with a big bucket of peaches and pears.  I am sure we will eat a lot of them, but somehow I'm going to have to find time to can what we can't eat.  That should be interesting, seeing as how we are going fishing all day on Saturday!  Somehow I have to learn to reconcile Betty Crocker with REI Girl.  Wish me luck!

Let the harvest begin!  We pulled quite a bit of corn out of the garden on Monday--I estimate it's about 1/4 of the total we will get.  We had some last night for dinner. The kids gobbled it down.  I didn't even put any salt or butter on mine, and it was absolutely delicious!   I have three plastic grocery bags full of the stuff, and I have to do something with it quickly or it will spoil.  I know, because I almost lost all the peppers that I took home last week.  We had houseguests during a lot of the time last  week, so they just sat until last night. The skins were wrinkly and they didn't appear to be all that crispy, but I figured because they are ultimately going to be in salsa, it didn't really matter. I washed them, chopped them, and stuffed them into the freezer.  I hope the corn doesn't get all wrinkly before I can get to it.  The tomatoes are about to come on, and it looks like there will be no shortage of them.  I'm trying to think of all the ways that I can preserve them so I don't end up with a kajillion bottles of salsa.  I'm thinking maybe spaghetti sauce or pizza sauce, but I'm not sure I have the patience to sit over a hot pot for 3 hours during the hottest part of summer.  I'm such a wimp, I know!

In other news, SE is making me go camping this weekend--and not car camping, either. That means while they point and shoot, I have to forage for a good toilet option for three days.  THREE DAYS!  I'm looking forward to the cooler weather of the mountains (please don't be cold!) and some time communing with nature.  SIT1 and SIT2 will be joining us, and they are excited that I finally get to go camping with them.  I had to work during their last outing, and the previous two times, they went during the times of year I just won't go camping, period.  It should be a fun trip, as long as everyone behaves perfectly, no one whines, there is no drowning, and we don't have to call search and rescue.  Tune in later to see if my expectations are too high...

Information, please

Can someone please tell me how it is that the rows of corn that were planted four weeks later than the initial rows are now TALLER than the initial ones?  It's kind of weirding me out.  I would have taken a picture, but I forgot my camera.

'Nuff Said

Catching Up

It's summer, which means the days are longer. If that's the case, how is it that I am so miserably behind on everything that I'm supposed to be doing? My house is rather dirty, my car needs cleaning, my flower beds need weeding--I'd go on, but this blog is supposed to be about being optimistic.  Ha ha--I'm even behind on my blogging!  I guess it's time to come out of my black hole and get to work...

The garden is doing so well this year. It seems like we're doing better at weeding this year than ever before! I have been wearing my "gauntlet" gloves when I weed, and they are just the ticket for avoiding contact with the very plants I'm trying to grow. (I get hives when I come in contact with most garden plants.) Thanks to the snow in May, we probably won't have many peaches, and that will mean less canning for me this year.  Oh, wo is me!  I'm sure I'll manage somehow.

NETTLED!

Last Saturday I went on a hike to Stewart Falls with family. It was a gorgeous hike, and despite all the other people on the trail, I really enjoyed myself. While we were enjoying ourselves at the river, I very clumsily tripped on some roots and took a dive, left side first, into a lovely patch of stinging nettle. I didn't even realize it at first, and my nephew, who I shall call Intrepid Explorer, or IE, gave me a hand up. (It was good that he is big enough to do this, or he would have ended up "nettled" as well!) I was brushing off the dirt and I felt a stinging sensation on my left knee. I thought that I must have scratched it, but when I checked it out, there was nothing there. SE was giving me grief about my gracefulness when the stinging sensation intensified like nothing I have ever felt before. (Did I mention this was my first time being attacked by stinging nettle?) I ran down to the river and started splashing cold water on my leg, and then my arm started burning, too. I furiously started splashing river water on it, too. In the meantime, SE was helpfully taking pictures of the welts and offering to pee on them. Since the river water was marvelously cold and gave me some relief, I did not feel the need to take him up on his offer. He said he thought he had something that would help in his pack (he is the Survival Expert, after all), but the best he could come up with was a benedryl or a bandaid. I gratefully took the benedryl, but secretly was plotting to stop at the first pharmacy or grocery store I could find on the way back so I could get some real relief, which may or may not have included chocolate.

For those of you who are worried about me still being in the throes of elephantitus, the welts stopped hurting shortly after I returned home and most of the swelling had gone. Then began the itching phase. In all seriousness, I'd rather deal with pain than itchiness, but since I don't get to choose...

Anyway, the itchiness is pretty much gone this morning. FINALLY! Surprisingly, my favorite cure was not the topical benedryl, but the Bactine, because it had lidocaine and numbed whatever that dumb nettle was trying to throw at me.

For those of you who might be worried, the camera is just fine, since my skin took the brunt of the fall.

As a parting shot, here is SE checking out the offending vegetation. I didn't think of this then, but now I'm wishing that maybe I might have kind of sort of just a little bit given him a push...

What?!?

I had to work last night until 9:30, which is absurd given my line of work. That happens to my bosses, but never to me. It really sucked, and I missed seeing SE entirely yesterday, which was weird given that we were both in town. I noticed, however, that when I tried to have a sense of humor, that it went much better than when I was having a major pity party. I think there's a life lesson in there somewhere...if only I could figure out what it is.

Dear Garden,

I missed you last night. Are you doing okay? SE said that he gave you some loving care and attention, but I wished I had been there to tuck you in and say good night. Will you be okay until I can come again?

Love,

Optimist

Flooding

I just want to give a shout out to my dear friends along Little Cottonwood Creek in Murray. We used to own a condo that bordered the creek, and we still have dear friends that live along there. Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this stressful time. I'm also willing to send SE over to sandbag. In fact, he was doing that for a while last night at the elementary school.

This blog is supposed to be about me being positive despite life's adversities, but I honestly can't think of anything positive to say about this. Let me work on this for a second...


Okay--here's something I could say--SE needed the exercise, and he's always up that time of night anyway.

I hear the creek has crested, but I've also heard there's a chance that it will rise again today, due to hot temperatures. UGH!

Go BIG or go home!

Our family participates in a community garden of sorts--the community being my brother's in-laws, who have graciously invited us to participate even though we are not "blue bloods." (I think it's because they get more help with the weeding.) You can read about my brother's experiences here. We get together every Monday night during the gardening season and work a patch of ground that I understand is about 1/3 of an acre, more or less. Of course, when I'm weeding, it feels like it is definitely more than an acre, but I'll save my gripes about weeding for a later post. My crew and I are responsible for 6 rows that contain asparagus, peppers, beans, cabbage, broccoli and corn. I let SIT1 and SIT2 help plant the beans, and they loved every minute of it. However, they got a little crazy with the seed planting machine and I'm not exactly sure where those bean plants might be popping up.

Back on the home front, I've planted chives, basil and parsley, and I'm getting ready to plant another couple tomato plants and a few more herbs. I think I will buy a couple of packages of geraniums just to add color, and then my flower beds should be full to overflowing. My house is currently for sale, so there is a chance that I won't get to harvest any of the goods I'm working so hard to grow, but we haven't had ANY interest for almost four weeks, so I'm not too worried about it. I always have the community garden, which almost always produces more than we all can use.

I love having the opportunity to garden, both at home at with my brother's inlaws. There's something about being one with the dirt and being able to make something grow!

SERIOUSLY?!?

It says May 24 on the calendar, but...

And wouldn't you know, I finally got brave and planted my little helpless herb starts, thinking that by the end of May, we would be done with snow. I covered them this morning before I left from work, but I worry about them like they were children! (Are they warm enough? Should I unplant them and bring them back in?) I know that I have back up because my brother goes way overboard on his seedlings, but I still have put a lot of time into these little guys, and I want to prove that the "can-even-kill-a-silk-plant" curse does not live on in me.

STOP SNOWING ALREADY!!

Busted!

Last night, we were paid a visit around 9:00 p.m. from a dog who had apparently escaped his owner. His only tag had a vet's phone number on it, which of course, didn't get us anywhere because it was after hours. I debated about what to do, but then I thought,"What would I want someone to do if they found my dog?" I took the dog for a walk in the nearby park, thinking he must have escaped his owners over there, but no one seemed to be looking for a dog. I left him fenced in our backyard, but he kept barking and I was worried the neighbors would complain. We ended up bringing him in the house. However, our dog wasn't much into having a bunk mate, and pretty much treated our guest like an interloper and it seemed like a good idea to keep him separated. SE ended up sleeping in the boys' room with the interloper, and I slept in our bedroom with our dog. I use the word "sleep" here rather loosely, because between the two of them making noises, I don't think any of us, including the dogs, got much sleep.

SE called the vet this morning, got the owner's number, and called. Ironically, it turns out out the interloper belongs to a neighbor that lives less than a block away. He was a cutie, and obviously had a family, so I'm not sorry we did it, but I would like to tell this neighbor that I would like my sleep back and I would also like him to repaint the bedroom where the interloper scratched the door. Sigh.

Message from the Rooftop

I read on the internet yesterday about how a waitress complained on her Facebook page about diners who sat at one of her tables for three hours and only tipped $5. Her supervisor got wind of the post and fired her.


If my supervisor is reading this, then this is what I have to say: I love love LOVE my job, and I think our clients are marvelous. I can hardly wait to come in to work each day and deal with you and them. I think filing is loads of fun, and making copies/scanning is so exhilarating, I wish I could do it more often.

Is that sufficient to allow me to keep my job, or should I keep going on?

Chance at Repentance

In our family, SE (my husband the Survival Expert), drives a 1996 Toyota Corolla and I drive a 2002 Toyota Camry. We had always planned on him driving his car into the ground and replacing it, and mine would just go, go, go. It's a Toyota, right?

Then the engine light went on in my car....

What?!? Why my car? Why not SE's car? I was hoping it was just as sensor or something, so I took it to the equivalent of the Instacare for cars, only to find out....

MAJOR SURGERY! Pick me up off the floor...I was trying mostly not to cry and talk hypersonically, so I just nodded and listened while the poor mechanic crashed my world around my ears. Not only was it broken, but it was broken because I had neglected my car and failed to keep up on routine maintenance. I thought I was saving money, but hearing about this major repair did NOT feel like I was saving a single dime. We did our best, but it was just too much for us to handle, so we traded it in on a new-to-us car, a Toyota Highlander.

I swear I have repented, and this one, which I named Lassie, will go the distance!

GARDEN!

It's time to start the garden again this year. I am so optimistic that I will keep my goal of keeping my rows weed-free this year. Wish me luck! I practiced this weekend by weeding the flowerbeds in my own backyard. I got about 3/4 of the way done before I simply ran out of time, but it looks so much better. And, the bonus is, it should stay that way for at least a week (unlike any kind of cleaning I attempt to do inside the house.) I was rewarded with hives all up and down my arms, and for the first time this year (but certainly not the last), I have to wonder WHY in the world I insist on having a hobby I am allergic to! I have increased my arsenal in the fight against hayfever and hives by purchasing a slew of medications and sinus rinses, and some awesome gloves at IFA that go almost to my elbows.

My brother has promised to supply me with a bunch of herbs and tomato plants, so instead of flowers in my flower beds, I will have useful plants, and it won't cost me a thing for them. God bless him and his propensity to overdo his own hobbies. Now, if I could just convince Mother Nature to stop SNOWING....