Weeds and Why I Eat Them

We've all heard stories from the Great Depression and how many folks resorted to eating weeds like dandelions in salads and sautéed. Eating "weeds" goes back a lot longer than the 1930s, however. In Medieval Europe, dandelions and other wild greens were used for medicinal and culinary consumption. Both traditional Chinese and native Americans used dandelions in herbal medicine.

three watercress plants pulled up from
the cracks in a walkway around the garden

What is a weed? One definition is a weed is anything that pops up where you didn't plant it. By that definition, my watercress is most definitely a weed. It pops up every year in early spring in the cracks of the walkway surrounding the gardens. In many regions, watercress is viewed as a weed, and an invasive weed at that.

I started my watercress with some rooted watercress from the produce section at the grocery store many years ago. I had made watercress and butter tea sandwiches and simply had more watercress than I needed. But it's now a wild plant and seeds itself where it pleases.

homemade blackberry vinegar -- wild blackberries
infused in white vinegar in the fridge for 3 months

Edible weeds have a reputation for being sharp or bitter in flavor, most likely why most Westerners don't eat them. However, edible weeds are often higher in nutrients than their cultivated cousins. In fact, In England during World War 2, folks were encouraged to grow watercress from seeds in a dish on their windowsills, as a major source of vitamin C. In addition to vitamin C, watercress and other edible weeds are very high in antioxidants, beta carotene, vitamin K, and many minerals.

tonight's watercress salad with 1 tangerine peeled and chopped,
a single serving of dried cranberries, and a tablespoon of "bacon" bits

So, while I have a fridge and freezer full of vegetables that I could choose to go with dinner tonight, I'm opting for my wild watercress. It will do my body a heap of good. Watercress has a sharp taste, so I prefer it raw in a salad, and dressed with a sweet vinaigrette, made with a fruity vinegar like this homemade blackberry vinegar, along with with sugar, salt, pepper and oil, or an orange juice vinaigrette, made with a small amount of orange juice, vinegar, honey, oil, salt and pepper.

Weeds also can be more tough than a green like lettuce, so when I make a salad with weeds, I slice it chiffonade-style, leaves stacked and sliced into narrow ribbons.

Besides the nutritional benefits, eating weeds is quite frugal. It's just important to only eat weeds that you know have not been sprayed with anything toxic.

Have you tried eating weeds? What were your impressions?

Early Spring Garden Produce

We're in garden hardiness zone 8b, which means the average extreme low temperature is between 15 to 20 degrees F in winter. Early spring is chilly, here, with a slow warm-up as the season progresses. And yet, we can still harvest fresh produce by mid-March each year.

I'll be sautéing these kale leaves to go with tonight's dinner.

The produce we're harvesting is limited in quantity and variety. It's  primarily the biennial greens that I planted last year that over-wintered and are now putting on spring growth, like kale, Brussel sprout greens, and parsley. These biennials will start to produce seeds by sometime in April. We'll harvest  leaves until I need that growing space, perhaps mid-April. 

I thinned these seedlings earlier this week to use as the base for a tossed salad tonight.

The other greens that I can harvest this early are the tiny seedlings that I thin from the flats started under lights for this summer's garden, a mixture of lettuce, chard, kale, cabbage, and Brussel sprout seedlings.

I have 1 head of garlic left from last summer's harvest.
We'll use garlic powder, occasional purchased fresh garlic,
and cuttings from these two pots for garlic until this summer's harvest.

In addition to leafy greens, I also have chives that are up and ready to harvest and the leaves from garlic. In fall, I always miss a few garlic bulbs, try as I might. So in spring, I use those missed bulbs for harvesting leaves, sometimes called garlic chives. This year, I potted up all of the errant garlic in two pots, now sitting close to the kitchen door. My hope is by making the garlic chives more convenient to the kitchen, I will clip these greens often as I'm cooking this spring. And as I run out of fresh garlic, I am also near the end of our onions. It all runs out at once! I'm glad I have the "regular" chives to fill in until I buy another big bag of onions.

If you keep a produce garden, what items are among the first that you can harvest in spring?

When planning doesn't go as planned

One of the complications I came across with the previous batch-cooking and menu planning is I wound up with a couple of extra meals. Sometimes I find I have to use a fresh ingredient before it spoils and it doesn't go with the planned meals, or we don't have 3 or 4 people at home to eat an entire freezer meal, or we just want something else. Whatever the case, the last time around I did wind up pushing a meal or two from the old plan into the new plan. Which meant I didn't need to cook quite as much this time around, and I could push batch-cooking off one more day.

I cooked two weeks of meals in 2 days instead of all in one day, last Tuesday and Wednesday.

Here's what I cooked and how I portioned it for the freezer:

cooked 2.5 lbs ground beef with diced onions, cooked a large pot of chili con carne with most of the meat

• froze 2 cups of cooked beef and onions to use in beef and bean burritos
• froze 2 meals of chili con carne
• ate 1 meal of chili con carne

cooked pinto beans, about 2 quarts once cooked

• added some to chili
• froze rest of cooked beans to use in beef and bean burritos later in week

3 chicken breasts, simmered in water, froze some as is, cooked other 2 portions with veggies and seasonings

• froze one portion of diced chicken in stock
• ate 1 meal of chicken and dumplings
• froze filling for chicken pot pie

made double batch of pizza crust and double batch of pizza sauce and froze

• one pizza was made last Friday
• the dough and sauce are in the freezer for another pizza this coming Friday

I'll be making scratch hot dog buns and dinner rolls this Tuesday, to use Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday.

Here's how we're eating what I've cooked and frozen:

Monday -- We had hot dogs on my daughters actual birthday (a Monday), using frozen buns and hot dogs that I had intended to use the previous week. We also had tangerines and leftover birthday cake.

Tuesday -- chili con carne with scratch cornbread, plus a salad of tomatoes and lettuce from the birthday picnic

Wednesday -- chicken and dumplings with a salad of leftover lettuce/tomatoes, newly shredded carrots and chopped cabbage

Thursday -- just my husband and I for dinner. The meals I made and froze serve 4. Not wanting leftovers, I made scrambled eggs and bacon, plus baked potatoes, and steamed broccoli for dinner for 2.

Friday -- pepperoni pizza #1, green fig-applesauce, and steamed spinach

Saturday -- beef and bean burritos in homemade tortillas with fresh tomatoes and avocados, plus Cole slaw

Sunday --chili con carne over leftover cornbread with a side of buttered carrots

Here's where we are now. Monday -- baked potatoes,. topped with garden greens, cheese sauce, and bacon bits. I had previously thought to use the chicken frozen in stock in a chicken salad or chicken soup, but the rest of the package of bacon needed cooking/eating. So I switched to baked potatoes with toppings for the main tonight. We had pureed pumpkin as a side.

Tuesday -- hot dog cookout on scratch buns

Wednesday -- easy chicken and vegetable soup, using the cooked chicken in stock, seasonings, frozen mixed veggies and pasta, with scratch dinner rolls

Thursday -- chicken pot pie, using the cooked chicken and vegetable filling made when I cooked the chicken and dumplings.

Friday -- pepperoni pizza #2, vegetables on the side

Saturday -- chili con carne, leftover dinner rolls

Sunday -- tuna melt sandwiches, fresh fruit

The big birthday celebration

Here we are at the end of the week, and I'm still in progress of returning to normal routines. Our big birthday celebration spanned a couple of days.

The first of the days was last Saturday, as I'd told you all before. My daughters really wanted a picnic in a local park. Leading up to Saturday, the weather was looking iffy at best. Saturday morning we actually had some sunshine. Then some rain returned. So we made a plan for all to meet at our family home and decide in the moment. As some good luck would have it, there was a break in the rain right around lunchtime. So we headed over to this local park. There are paved walking trails, some picnic tables (both under a cover and in the open), and a zip line. We had the park completely to ourselves. And there was just enough time for us to eat our lunch of BLTs, tangerines, potato chips, and apple wedges, followed by some walking and play on the zip line.  When the rain returned we headed home for cake and gifts. 

The cake

So I need to preface this with some info on my daughters and their cake-baking. They have a reputation (in our family and within in our church family) of baking some pretty outlandish cakes. One cake that has been an item of conversation is the yellow cake, frosted with cooked fudge icing, topped with homemade caramel sauce and some whipped cream.

The cake was my daughters plan. One daughter wanted chocolate chip brownies, the other want confetti cake. The compromise was a cake with a chocolate chip brownie base, topped by three layers of confetti cake, with chocolate ganache in between layers and chocolate frosting on the top and sides. The very top of the cake had a rainbow of sprinkles. And around the base of the cake, my daughters piled up some gold foil-wrapped chocolate coins. The idea was gold at the end of the rainbow. It was a very, very rich cake. Oh well, it was a celebration after all. 

After my daughters opened their gifts, we all sat around the table talking until very late. I think my days of staying up late and then getting up the next day like normal have about come to an end. On Sunday we dragged ourselves out of bed to get to church on time.

So that was the big (in group size) celebration. Monday was my daughters' actual birthday. For the last several years, when we've celebrated with the larger family and friend group on a weekend, we've also done something fun, but smaller, on the day of, if their birthday falls on a weekday.

We hadn't made any firm plans for Monday. One daughter doesn't work on Mondays, the other daughter took Monday off, as it was her birthday, and my husband took the day off to be with our daughters on "their" day. When we all got up, we just sort of impromptu decided to go to the vintage district for the afternoon. And my husband actually wanted to come along with us. (Maybe it was the promise of pie that convinced him.) So we very quickly made some peanut butter sandwiches, grabbed the last of the apple wedges and potato chips, filled our water bottles, and we were off for a rainy day adventure, complete with a car picnic as the rain was significant.

Many of the stores were decked out for Easter. Even the shops that are solely vintage items curated their displays with a focus on spring. The entire town seemed to be feeling the spring vibe, too. Pink flowered trees in bloom and large pots of primroses, tulips and daffodils dotted the sidewalks.

By mid-afternoon we were ready for a slice of pie. While I can make pie at home for substantially less than buying pie from a shop, the fun is really in choosing the type of pie we each would like. So I figured a piece of pie each was part of the fun of celebrating. And with pie in our tummies, it was time to get back on the road and head home.

This was a big birthday for my daughters, and both of them had expressed that they were not looking forward to it. By the end of Monday, they had both changed how they felt about this marker in their lives. Thank you for reading along as I recalled the highlights of their celebration.

By the way, happy spring, y'all!

Planning for my "new" spring tablecloth

Hi friends,

Our birthday celebration was wonderful, but tiring. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow. But today, I want to share my latest project with you.

It looks here like I inherited the lion's share of table linens from my mother, grandmothers and great grandmothers. They've mostly been taking up room in a closet. I just don't use them, as they're either white or ecru. They'll show stains, and they're not very cheerful, IMO. 

I had wanted to use them in some way. Some of these are really lovely, about 100 years old, and even monogrammed. Others are vintage from the 1950s. Those are fun, too, especially the ones with a little embroidery on the corners. 

I was reluctant to change them in any way, like afraid that I'd spoil them if I altered them in size or color. Well, I had a conversation in my head and decided that my grand and great grandmothers would be more pleased if I did alter them in order to put them to use rather than allow them to continue aging, stacked in a closet.

Part of my daughters' birthday celebration included a day in vintage shops up north. One store in particular had tables set in pretty pastels for Easter. It got me to thinking that I could do something special for our own Easter table this year, and not spend very much money. I could dye one of the linen table cloths and a set of linen napkins from my grandmother a pale shade of pink. I think a pale pink tablecloth would be much cheerier for spring than off-white and would go well with our dishes.

I combed through all of the linens and found a pretty damask cloth. 

The napkins don't exactly match, but they do have a damask pattern woven in. They also have a nice hemstitch edge. And there are 12 of them!

Going online I was able to score a 30% off coupon for in-store pick-up at Michael's (craft store) to use on a bottle of fabric dye. My daughter swung by Michael's this afternoon and picked up my order on her way home. My pale pink dye had a total cost of $4.34, including tax and bag fee for the pick-up. I think that's a bargain price for "new" table linens.

I will dye the cloth and napkins later next week when the weather is slightly better, and I can hang them to dry.

One pretty pink tablecloth with matching napkins coming up!

Any March Birthdays Here?

This morning I spent a few hours shopping for a couple of birthday gifts for my two daughters.  I love shopping for birthday presents. This coming Monday (St. Patrick's Day) is their birthday. 

Because it's their birthday, we tend to not do much that is St. Patrick's Day-ish. While the rest of the continent is wearing green, eating Irish soda bread, corned beef and cabbage, and talking about leprechauns, two members of my family are blowing out candles and opening gifts while the rest of us cheer on.

Having a birthday that falls on a holiday,. even a smaller holiday, will mean there have to be some choices and sacrifices by the rest of the family.  It also means that going out to celebrate can be challenging, as restaurants, parks, and other fun venues are jammed with merry-makers for the holiday. We do the best we can and choose venues and times that don't overlap too much with the Irish-at-heart in our community.

This year, we'd planned on a picnic in a local park for Saturday. However, it looks like rain this weekend. So, our picnic may be at home. We'll make it festive somehow. My daughters chose supercharged BLT sandwiches (extra bacon), apple wedges, potato chips, and cake for their picnic birthday lunch. Should be tasty!

Are there any other March birthdays here? Any St. Patrick's Day birthdays? How do you make an occasion festive when outdoor plans are forced indoors due to weather?

Have a great weekend everyone!

P.S. We had the tuna casserole planned, using the homemade cream of mushroom soup that I froze last week. With the casserole we had homemade applesauce from the freezer. Another easy-peasy dinner. Tomorrow I'll make pizza using frozen dough and frozen sauce. All I'll have to do is stretch out the dough, top with sauce, cheese, and pepperoni, then bake.

Cocoa Shortages? Maybe Not?

I made my weekly shopping trip this morning, this time to WinCo. I had heard rumblings from several mainstream news sources that there was a worldwide cocoa shortage brewing. So I added cocoa powder from the bulk bins to my shopping list. 

I got to the bulk bin section and lo and behold, the cocoa bin was completely empty. I asked the friendly woman refilling various bins if cocoa powder was on the list to be refilled today, thinking I'd gladly hang around a little longer if it meant getting cocoa powder in bulk (the bulk is always less expensive than the packaged cocoa powder). She went to the stockroom and came back with bad news. Not only was the cocoa powder not to be restocked today, but the next shipment wasn't due until mid-April. She said her supervisor said something about problems with the shipment.

I made a beeline to the regular baking section, and to my relief, there were several containers of cocoa on the shelf. But, it was so much more expensive than the last time I bought packaged cocoa powder, three years ago. The price on store brand cocoa powder was almost double per pound what it would have been if bought from the bulk bins. Still, I bought 2 canisters of cocoa powder today. 

When I got home, I did a little more reading on the cocoa situation. Here's what I learned. Cocoa prices hit an all time high this past December. 70% of cocoa is grown in Africa, mostly along the west coast. Crops have been poorer than usual due to excessive rainfall and higher than typical temperatures. In addition, a virus has been attacking cocoa trees, reducing their productive years. And finally, supply chain has been interrupted due to political instability, regulatory pressures, and logistical bottlenecks in exporting the harvested cocoa pods. 

One news source suggested that cocoa prices would remain high through 2025. However, I also checked the cocoa futures page on tradingeconomics.com for more up-to-date cocoa trading information. Cocoa futures are trading significantly lower now in March than they were in December. Weather prospects in West Africa have improved and it appears there will be a supply surplus for the current growing season, the first surplus in four years. Cocoa inventories in US ports have climbed significantly since December 2024. The longterm 2025 outlook is for cocoa futures prices to moderate to a mid-point (around $10,000 per tonne) between December's high future's price and today's low future's price, in about 12 months time.

So it looks like a severe shortage for the year has been averted. Still, more and more of the world's population now enjoys cocoa products, which means the limited amount currently being produced has to be shared amongst a larger group of people. 

To the rescue, innovative ideas in both how to grow cocoa and the introduction of newer cocoa substitutes which could replace part of cocoa needed in chocolate-flavored treats and beverages. The combination of the above innovations could take the pressure off tighter supply and keep cocoa affordable, even during poor growing seasons and with more people around the world enjoying chocolate.

I'm relieved that my chocolate-y fix is assured going forward. My personality could suffer some disturbances should my personal supply chain of cocoa be interrupted.

A Question and Your Thoughts About Alternative Milks

On tonight's menu from last week's cook-ahead work, another easy dinner -- chicken in BBQ sauce over brown rice. The chicken was previously cooked, chopped and added to some sautéed onions then frozen in broth. I've added some BBQ sauce and seasonings for flavor. The rice was also previously cooked and frozen. I microwave it to reheat. With the entree we had canned green beans, steamed carrots, and an eggless applesauce cake for dessert.

On to the topic of the day:

I would like your input on some questions about alternative milks.

You all do a lot of research yourselves on many topics. So I thought I'd turn to you to enlarge my own body of knowledge on alternative milks. As I've mentioned many times, I'm lactose intolerant. While I can "cheat" on other intolerances, dairy is the one that I just can't cheat on. I can eat hard cheeses, and I'm so glad for that. However, I can't do dairy milk. 

I'm looking for liquid sources of protein and calcium that are suitable for use in smoothies, puddings, and sauces. For many years I've used soy milk. I think I've been fairly satisfied with soy milk. But I know there's controversy on soy. So, my first question for you: what is it about soy that you feel would be bad for health? Is it GMO or pesticide/herbicide use in growing soy, or is it in the processing of soy? Or is it something else about soy?

For my next question, I've been exploring other alternative milks. I used to use almond milk and occasionally rice milk. Rice milk is very low in protein, so I don't use it any more. I'm now allergic to several tree nuts, including almonds, walnuts, pecans, and cashews. So the nut milks, while a good source of protein, don't work for me either. Have you read about or tried any non-nut alternative milks that are high in protein and contain some natural calcium? Have you tried a milk that you thought had a particularly appealing taste? Have you tried one that you thought was awful?

Just to note, I'm not looking to make my own alternative milk. Instead, I'm hoping to find a ready-made milk/drink that I can buy locally and then alternate with my regular non-GMO powdered soy milk.

Your knowledge and suggestions are very appreciated. Thank you in advance.

Making Candied Orange Peel in March With December Oranges

Tonight we had Tex-Mex beef over rice. Both the seasoned beef/peppers and cooked rice were made a week ago and kept in the freezer until today. I added some salsa to the beef as it reheated and seasoned with salt to taste. With the beef over rice we had orange segments (leftover from making candied orange peel) and steamed frozen spinach. Tasty and easy.

I talked about making candied orange peel several years ago in this post. I still make some every year, but thought I'd post about it again. This morning I was cleaning out the garage fridge and came upon 3 oranges that I had bought in December for using in candied orange peels. The oranges were surprisingly still in great shape. So, today I made the candied peel. 

Making candied citrus peel is a great kitchen task for when you have a couple of other chores that will keep you close to the kitchen for an hour or two. For me today, I also baked sandwich bread and cleaned up the nearby family room while the orange peel was simmering.

The post referenced in the above paragraph also has some "instructions" on how I peel an orange to get good, cut sections of peel (with non-ragged edges) using a spoon. 

Candied Orange Peel

After washing and peeling oranges, cut narrow strips of the peel (outer orange part as well as inner white), then simmer them in a pot of water for 10 minutes. Drain, refill with fresh water, and simmer again for 10 minutes two additional times. Drain one final time.

Rinse the saucepan and make a simple syrup of 1 part water to just over 2 parts sugar. For 3 large oranges, I used about just under 3/4 cup of sugar in just over 1/4 cup of water. Heat and stir until sugar is dissolved completely. Add the drained orange peel strips and simmer for 25 to 35 minutes, stirring often, until the strips have absorbed almost all of the syrup. In the final 3 minutes, you'll need to stir the strips continually, to insure none scorch on the bottom of the pan.

Remove the candied strips from the saucepan with a slotted spoon and spread on a sheet of waxed paper or a Silpat liner. Allow to dry out overnight. Roll in powdered sugar, if desired.

We eat some of this candied orange as is. But most of it I dice and freeze to use in baking, like in sweet breads, muffins, and cookies or in stewed fruit such as prunes. The candied peel keeps frozen for a couple of years.

1960s Refrigerator Roll Recipe

tonight's dinner

For dinner tonight, we had the vegetable and beef soup. In addition to the cooked, diced beef and onions that I froze on Monday, I added some of the beef stock I made the week before, leftover carrots and potatoes from last night, plus frozen peas, and dried and frozen garden herbs. After seasoning to taste, the soup was ready. Super duper easy. We had dinner rolls (using the refrigerator roll recipe mixed up on Tuesday) and apple wedges with the soup for our dinner.

making hot dog buns and dinner rolls today
to make hot dog buns, roll the dough into long thick ropes, then cut to size

In the comments the other day, Farhana asked if I could provide the recipe for these rolls. 

This recipe is from the 1960s passed down to me from my mother. It makes very tasty rolls.

Refrigerator Roll Dough

1 3/4 cup warm water (105 to 115 F)
5 teaspoons active dry yeast
3/8 cup sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1 egg
1/4 cup soft butter or margarine
6 cups all-purpose flour

melted butter or vegetable oil, about a teaspoon

Pour warm water into a large bowl. Sprinkle with the yeast. Stir in until dissolved the sugar and salt. Beat in the egg, the butter/margarine, and 3 cups of the flour. Mix well, until mixture is smooth. Mix in flour 1 cup at a time. Knead until smooth and elastic and forms a large ball.

Drizzle the melted butter or oil over the top of the ball of dough and spread to coat. Cover the bowl securely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours, or until doubled.

After 2 hours, punch the dough down in the center, recover with the plastic wrap, and return to the refrigerator. The dough may be stored in the refrigerator for 1 to 3 days, punching down daily. 

When ready to bake rolls, cut off the portion that is needed. Cut and shape into rolls as desired. Place on greased baking sheet and cover with a non-terry tea towel. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk.

Bake in a preheated 400 degree F oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown.

What I like about this recipe:

• It makes delicious, soft rolls, suitable for burgers, hot dogs or dinner rolls. I use for burger and hot dog buns, crescent rolls, and ball-shaped everyday dinner rolls.
• The dough can be mixed up one day and then baked a day or two later, or baked a little at a time for up to 3 days.
• I can substitute some whole wheat flour for part of the all-purpose flour, up to half without decreasing the loft or soft texture. When I want a mostly-white roll or bun, I substitute just 1 cup of whole wheat flour for a cup of the white flour.

As an estimate of how many rolls this dough makes, with this batch I made 10 good-sized hamburger buns, 4 hot dog buns, and 4 dinner rolls. My mother's recipe says that one batch of this dough will make up to 3 dozen rolls. Those were 1960s to 1970s sized rolls, and were assumed to be just dinner rolls. A single burger or hot dog bun is about twice the size of a 1970s dinner roll.

How has prepping/cooking 2 weeks of meals on one day benefitted me?

Tonight we had the beef in BBQ sauce over homemade buns (baked yesterday) with steamed carrots, Cole slaw, and oven-roasted potato wedges (done in beef fat). Casual and tasty. Today I just had to reheat the beef, add BBQ sauce, slice and steam the carrots, and make the Cole slaw. 

Here are just a few reasons that I'm really loving having spent Monday cooking:

• When I discovered I should have started garden seeds 2 weeks ago, I had the time to quickly get some of the seeds started before serving dinner, then finished with the task after dinner.
• My daughter had her boyfriend for dinner with us. Because I'd planned our meals out in advance, I didn't have to take time to think of what to serve.
• I had extra time to pack up and ship a gift to my new great-nephew. This was no easy task, as it's framed and contains a pane of glass. (My daughter got her start in paid artwork in her teens doing letter brush. She paints the letters of a name or first initial, using flora and fauna in the letters. Even though she's moved on to illustrating books, portraiture, and commercial artwork, she occasionally gets a commission for letter brush or caricatures. I commissioned her to do my great-nephew's name in Scottish highland flora and fauna.) I wrapped and wrapped the framed artwork in bubble wrap. I think it will survive transit halfway across the US.
• A repairman arrived this afternoon to see if he could repair our stove. I had time to "babysit" him and didn't have to worry about not having time to get dinner started.
• Tonight, Wednesday, is usually one of my daughters' cooking nights. Although I took over for her (part of my personal birthday gift to my daughters, cooking for them this month), it wasn't that big of an ordeal for me. I like that I was able to do something for someone else with a fair amount of ease for me.

Yep, I think this is working out pretty well for me. We'll see how the second half of the month goes when I get there.

here's one of my daughter's letter brushes

February 2025 Grocery Spending

the frittata just before going into the oven

Last night we had the chicken, bread dressing, and gravy along with frozen mashed pumpkin and frozen broccoli with the last of the fall turnip greens. Tonight we're having the pepper, onion, and sausage frittata with tangerines, fresh tomato and avocado slices, and some of the rice that I cooked yesterday (reheated in the microwave). 

Also today, I made a batch of refrigerator roll dough for the hamburger/sandwich buns, hot dog buns, and dinner rolls. I baked 10 burger/sandwich buns this afternoon and will bake the hot dog buns and dinner rolls tomorrow or Thursday.  The dough will hold in the fridge for 2 or 3 days. I need the burger/sandwich buns for tomorrow night's dinner. We'll be five tomorrow, and I don't know if we'll be four or five the night we need the remaining burger buns. I'll freeze half of those buns after they cool.

What's on your menu for dinner tonight?

Now on to what we bought and spent this month.

Feb. 11  Walmart 1 can frozen orange juice, gallon milk, 10 lbs flour, instant coffee, frozen spinach, 2 packages turkey snack sticks, 2 lbs raisins, block of cheddar cheese, 5 lbs carrots, 3 lbs apples, 1 bundle celery, 3 lbs tangerines, 8 lbs potatoes, about .75 lb fresh green beans, 1 head cabbage, several Roma tomatoes, 4 avocados, and a bunch of bananas. Spent $66.07 I was buying some foods for Valentine's brunch and dinner today, but also replenishing our fresh and frozen produce,

Feb. 12  Town & Country I bought 1 dozen eggs plus Valentine's gifts for my husband, daughters, and son and daughter-in-law today. Spent $3.99 on food.

Feb. 21 Town & Country 3 dozen eggs @ $3.99/dozen. Spent $11.97. My daughter took me to Town & Country to buy 2 treats for me as a Valentine's gift, some dried dates and some low-sugar coconut candy bars. We swung by the egg cooler to pick up a more eggs. At this date, a dozen eggs were selling for $6,49/dozen at Fred Meyer (Kroger).

Feb. 24 WinCo frozen breakfast sausage, frozen peas, frozen spinach, frozen broccoli cuts, wedge of Parmesan cheese, block go cheddar cheese, block of mozzarella cheese, package of bacon, 1 lb Italian turkey sausage, family pack boneless/skinless chicken breasts, 10 lbs all-purpose flour, 2 cans tuna, 5 lbs carrots, 1 head cabbage, 1 bundle celery, 2 bunches bananas, 6 lbs apples, 2 lbs tangerines, 1 red pepper, 1 green pepper, several Roma tomatoes, 1 gallon milk, about 2 lbs bulk peanuts, about 1.5 lbs bulk raisins, about 1.66 lbs bulk salt, about .33 lb bulk powdered milk, about .5 lb bulk cornstarch, about 1 lb bulk peanut butter, and 10 lbs potatoes. Spent $97.60.

Feb. 28 Walmart My daughter picked up 1 package of uncured beef hotdogs for the family. Spent $5.23

I spent $184.86 in-person shopping this month. Also, our next beef delivery was charged to our credit card at the end of the month, an additional $359.00, for a grand total for February of $543.86. I'll try to keep March's spending low to help bring down the monthly average.

A day of cooking for two weeks of dinners

Welcome to March, everyone! I'm so glad that January and February are now behind us for this year. 

March is such a fun month in my family. It's my daughters' birth month. We always do something fun to celebrate. In addition to other gifts for my daughters, I'll be taking over their cooking nights for the whole month. So today I spent the morning and early afternoon cooking and prepping for the next two weeks of dinners. 

I started by choosing the protein sources for several days of dinners, about 3 pounds of boneless chicken and 3 pounds of boneless beef, plus some frozen eggs one night, a couple of cans of tuna for another night,  hot dogs, a pound of ground beef, and cheese plus pepperoni for two nights of pizza. I simmered the chicken in water for an hour until cooked, then divided the chicken into 3 meals. I also braised the beef with spices and a little water, dividing it between 3 meals once cooked. 

I had a green and a red pepper to use and 3 large onions. I sautéed those and divided between the meals planned for them. I made a batch of scratch cream of mushroom soup for the tuna casserole. Following the soup, I used the same pot to make the gravy for chicken, stuffing, and gravy. 

I used the chicken cooking liquid in the bread dressing, the gravy, topping off the containers of chicken/peppers/tomatoes and the chicken for bbq chicken over rice, and as part of liquid for the scratch cream of mushroom soup. I have about a pint of chicken stock leftover, now in the freezer. And I made a quadruple batch of rice, which I divided into 4 portions, freezing 3 and will use the 4th tomorrow evening. 

Seeing what I had to work with, I made up a dinner menu for the next two weeks.

• beef in BBQ sauce (I'll serve over buns along with oven-roasted potato wedges)
• Tex-Mex beef and peppers, served with rice
• beef and vegetable soup with dinner rolls
• chicken, bread dressing, and gravy
• chicken, peppers, onions, canned tomatoes, and herbs, served over rice
• chicken in BBQ sauce over rice
• tuna noodle casserole
• two nights of pepperoni pizza
• egg, pepper, onion, cheese frittata
• 1 hot dog cook-out
• 1 burger barbecue

In addition to these meals, one night we'll be eating at my brother's, and another night we'll have a birthday lunch or dinner (menu to be determined). Almost all of what I cooked today is in the freezer, marked with the date when to use each. 

The cooking and clean-up was extremely efficient. I cooked multiple nights of various ingredients in one go, reused pots, pans, cutting board and knife before washing. And I let the mess get big then did a huge clean-up at the very end. I spent about 5 hours planning, cooking and cleaning up. The house was quiet today, so I had the kitchen completely to myself for my work. Today's work was well worth the effort.

Tomorrow I'll do some baking for the next couple of weeks, to include a batch of cookies, some hot dog buns, some burger/sandwich buns, and a batch of dinner rolls.

I'll still need to prepare vegetable side dishes/salads/fruit each night and put the finishing touches on the meals that I partially prepared today. But I've got a good start and a plan for each night for two weeks.

A dinner using odds and ends from the pantry and freezer

For the last two months I've been sorting through the fridge, freezers, and pantry. This is not the season to stock-up on foods, so I'm using this time to use up odds and ends as I find them. I almost have the small stand alone freezer cleaned out. I'm hoping to defrost that freezer before we get a new delivery of beef in March. Last summer I emptied and defrosted the large chest freezer, so I pretty much know everything that is in there. The kitchen freezer and old fridge/freezer need a good clean out. And I'm getting to those bit by bit.

Due to our mouse issue this week, I made sure to go through everything in the pantry and the cool storage room, put bags and sleeves of foods into hard-sided containers. I found a bunch of opened snack foods -- pretzels and the like. I piled all of those into a kitchen glass jar that sits on the counter. And I put all of the opened sleeves of crackers into a tall and narrow tin that also sits on the counter. 

I came across some dried fruit and one fruit snack stick (like a stick of fruit leather). These were a little long in the tooth, so I planned on using them right away. On the shelf with herbs I came across an extra container of dried thyme that I didn't know we had.

So, with all of these odds and ends, I planned tonight's dinner specifically to use as many as I could. I came up with a tuna-noodle casserole, bound by a homemade cream of mushroom soup (using soy milk powder, dried mushrooms, frozen celery leaves, frozen parsley, big spoonful of dried thyme, onion, garlic, butter/oil, salt, pepper, and a bit of flour). I added extra frozen celery to the casserole, along with two cans of tuna, frozen peas, fresh celery, mixed shapes of dried pasta, and topped with some aging saltine crackers crumbled and grated cheese.

To go with the casserole I made a stewed fruit, using 2-year old dried rhubarb, prunes (both 2-year old purchased and home-dried from last summer), and the dried fruit snack stick (a year or two past the sell-by date) cut into bits. Believe it or not, the stewed fruit was really yummy. I had also found some several year old dried apricots in the pantry. They smelled like socks, so I composted those. Perhaps, TMI?

Dinner was tasty and purposeful in use of ingredients.

My grocery spending has been relatively low for both January and February. We're really working on using what we have, especially the foods that have lingered longer than the rest. I'm so glad to have used all of these odd bits from the pantry and freezer. More stuff that no longer occupies space in my mind.

To recap,  the foods I found (that I didn't know were there) and used in tonight's dinner: 2 baggies of old prunes, 1 fruit snack stick, 1 bag of frozen home-dried rhubarb, 1 small bag of home dried prunes, a canister of home-dried thyme, stale saltine crackers, multiple mixed shapes of pasta (mostly macaroni, some shells, some wagon wheels), frozen celery, and frozen parsley.

How are you doing with using up odds and ends in your kitchen? Is this a time of year when you don't grocery shop as much or stock-up as much as other times? Hoping for low grocery spending for the month of February for both you and I this year!

The goings-on with me this week

I'm struggling with pain this week. This is residual pain from my dental surgery a month ago. I've seen the surgeon twice since then and my regular dentist once (yesterday). The surgeon ruled out any sort of complication with the surgery. The dentist thinks I have a jaw strain, which sounds like it wouldn't be that big of a deal. But when it flares up, the pain is intense. The good news is I'm having fewer and fewer days with the pain. The bad news is any time I have the pain, it's as bad as it ever was. I may have a small tear in a ligament, which would explain the pain. Anyway, I did something to trigger a bout of pain earlier this week. It exhausts me and I swear it feels like I lose IQ points with the pain. I do have a treatment plan now. So that is encouraging. I'll keep doing the recommended things, and I know I'll be fine at some point.

In other exciting news around here, my daughter thought she saw a mouse in the house the other day. She wasn't sure, so we dismissed it. Then the next day she positively saw a mouse. We cleaned up all of the possible hiding places, bought and set several spring traps, then this morning we got the little furry critter. I do feel badly about using the spring traps. But it had to be done. We can't co-exist with mice indoors. One daughter went to Ace Hardware to pick up the traps. In the rodent trap aisle, there were two other customers also buying traps. One man told my daughter that his wife sent him out to "buy every trap they have." Fortunately, this gentleman didn't follow his wife's instructions to the letter, and my daughter was able to buy the 2 packages we wanted. This must be rodent-in-the-house season.

Today was an almost spring day. The sun was out for a little while. The crocuses and daffodils are coming up. And we went outdoors this evening to see the planets, without putting on jackets. Some pretty good moments in a day that began a bit rough.

How has your week been so far? I'll be back to regular posting tomorrow afternoon. 

How have grocery stores/chains changed in your area since 2020?

I'm getting back to shopping around at different stores, as I did prior to the pandemic. 

Previously, I would shop the deals at several different stores, maybe not each week, but over the course of the month. A couple of examples, I could count on bananas being the best price at Trader Joe's for many years. Milk was routinely marked down to unbelievable prices at both Fred Meyer (now a Kroger store) and QFC (also a Kroger). Fred Meyer had the best clearance rack of all the stores, except for meats. I could find some of the best marked down meats at QFC. Alberstons and Safeway had good loss leaders. And I found filling in around the edges was best done at Fred Meyer for their everyday low prices. Once WinCo opened near us, I often shopped there for the bulk bins. And I'm sure I've mentioned before, we have a farm stand on the highway that I always shopped at when my daughters were in high school (near their school). In the fall I stocked up on long-keeping produce at Country Farms when it was marked down to clear for the year. By shopping so many different stores each week I was able to keep my grocery spending to under $200 per month.

Then came 2020 and the fears. I switched from cherry-picking deals in-person around town to getting pick-up orders mostly at Walmart, with occasional in-person shopping at WinCo. The pick-up orders at Walmart were a pretty good deal. Their prices were still very reasonable. And, if they happened to be out of something I ordered, they substituted something better either in quality or quantity. I remember ordering 2 12-ounce bags of chocolate chips for baking. They were out of the 12-ounce size, so I got 2 24-ounce bags instead.

I slowly got back to shopping in person in 2022. But I stuck to Walmart and WinCo, as I had become accustomed to getting all of my groceries in one haul each week.

Fast forward to this past year. I've noticed so many inconsistencies in pricing between the different stores in my area, so I've gone back to getting the best deals at each store. What brought this to mind is a recent visit to Town & Country, the small NW chain where I found brown free-range eggs for $3.99/dozen earlier in the month. Well, one daughter wanted to buy me a treat from T & C for Valentine's Day, but she wanted me to choose it myself. She knows I prefer treats made with basic and few ingredients. T & C specializes in my kind of products. I had a good idea of what I would want, some of these dark chocolate coconut bars that are lower in sugar than the mainstream chocolate covered coconut candy bars. So my daughter and I went to T & C last Friday and I picked out by small bag of treats. And while we were there, I wandered around a bit, checking prices on many of my "usual" grocery items. This is kind of a high-end grocery store. So it took me by surprise that not only do they carry eggs at a great price for the PNW for right now, but they had several other items that were priced more favorably than Walmart or even WinCo. I picked up 3 dozen eggs while I was there. I'm thinking that Town & Country will be my go-to store for eggs for the next few months at least, picking up a couple of other favorably-priced items as well, as needed.

Meanwhile, I needed a particular brand of a particular supplement that I can only find locally at our Fred Meyer. I stopped in there on the way home from church on Sunday. I checked all of the prices on my "usual" grocery items in Fred Meyer. I've been in Fred Meyer a dozen or so times in the last year. I do buy some gardening stuff there every spring and summer. They're the only local place I can buy composted chicken manure, and the price is pretty good. I also buy my vegetable seeds at Fred Meyer, as they not only have a good selection, but seeds are always discounted there. Those are the good things about Fred Meyer. What I've noticed this last year is their clearance section has shrunk considerably and the prices really don't seem all that great any more. It's hard for me to imagine that Fred Meyer used to be the all around low-price store in my area. Their produce is always more expensive than Walmart and WinCo. And I haven't seen them advertise Senior Discount Day since early 2020. All of the deals that I used to find at Fred Meyer are now gone. I've not seen milk marked down at all in the last year or two there. I used to buy 8 gallons or more of marked down milk (for a steal) and freeze it all. 

And then there's Walmart. Walmart is very close to our house, so when I just need one or two things, I go there. However, Walmart isn't what it used to be price wise. Their prices used to be so competitive with WinCo on practically everything. Now, I often find products for 50 cents to $1 more at Walmart compared to WinCo. What I can say about Walmart, though, is they've increased the variety of options for different foods. I can find some higher end brands at Walmart that I didn't see there before. And it's still close by, so I do go there for some items.

Safeway bought up Albertsons a few years ago. One of the first things I noticed is the deals disappeared. Albertsons and Safeway both used to have great loss leaders, competeing for a share in the business. I check their ads online each week and find very little that I consider a bargain now.

WinCo is the only store that didn't change all that much over the last 5 years. They're also the only store in my area that never offered curbside pick-up. I still really prefer to shop at WinCo over the rest of the lot (except for the few items that I can get elsewhere for less, like the eggs at T & C, or the items that WinCo doesn't sell).

I occasionally have to go to Target for a specific item. I always cruise through the grocery section. Once upon a time I found best prices on some items there. Now, their grocery products all seem much higher priced than expected.

At all stores, I've seen tremendous price increases. But at some stores, these increases have been more excessive than others. One thought I've had is the stores that offered curbside pick-up incurred additional costs for this service, both in hiring additional staff to shop for customers and, as in the case of Walmart, giving away some of their profits in the generous substitutions they made when out of stock of an item ordered. Another thought, in the case of store chain mergers/acquisitions, some chains don't feel the need to compete on price point as they once had.

Grocery shopping on a budget poses new challenges for me. I'm having to reestablish where to buy each item, to get best or close to best prices. My mental shopping "rules" that I once held for myself have all changed. But I like a challenge. So I guess I'll figure this one out.

I did wonder if you'd noticed changes in your local grocery chains, either since 2020 or even some time earlier. Have you witnessed many mergers and acquisitions of chains in your area? Does it feel like stores aren't offering the great loss leaders any more? Do you have some stores that you shop more than others, and has that changed since 2020? Have the huge price increases affected some stores more than others? Just curious if what I've seen locally is happening elsewhere.

Where does frugality go when you're no longer financially strapped?

Baking sourdough bread today because it's fun, and because I can.
And it saves money on groceries.

Does frugality go out the window entirely, or do most folks hang on to some frugal habits and patterns even when they don't need to?

First of all, I think most people become more financially stable over time and not overnight. Few of us have a rich uncle who will leave his entire estate to us. And few of us will win the big jackpot in the lottery in our lifetimes. In this vein, I believe that most people add in a few of the formerly unaffordable expenditures slowly and only in modest amounts. I know in my own case, we never had that moment where we suddenly felt so well-off that we could buy and do anything we pleased. Instead, as finances allowed, we added just a smidge more luxury to our lives than we'd previously had. For example, as we've been able to afford a higher utility bill than in early years, we've still only increased the temperature that we keep the house daily in winter by 2 degrees F. 

Another aspect to consider is the attitude toward one's early frugal choices. Did being frugal always feel like a burden, or did frugality feel more like a series of "smart" choices to achieve an end? I think if frugality was interpreted as some sort of punishment in life, then once a person had greater wealth, they'd be more likely to spend without much care. For my own family, we chose frugality as a means to an end, the end being me staying home with the kids while still affording the American dream of home ownership.

Further down this line of thought is how long one was frugal and how that impacts their choices after financial stability is achieved. If a person has simply always lived a financially careful life, from early childhood through adulthood, many frugal habits are just that, habits. If my husband and I had only needed to be frugal for the first couple of years of our marriage, frugality may not have become ingrained in our way of being. As it is, it took us close to 20 years to become financially well-off enough to not always feel like we were on the edge.

As my husband and I become more and more financially secure, we continue to make mostly frugal choices. We do allow ourselves to spend more in a few areas, but overall we choose to use our finances thoughtfully. We now spend a little more on higher quality items, especially in regards to food.We spend more to buy higher quality beef and more variety in off-season produce. But I still continue to bake all of our bread and cook almost entirely from scratch. We could afford for me to buy some more convenience foods or high quality bread products, but we choose to buy the basics and cook from those. At this point, it feels a bit like financial waste to spend more for convenience that we don't necessarily need.

We continue to build our cushion accounts for emergencies and our retirement. It's possible that we may wind up with far more than we will need in our later years. That's okay with us. We don't feel the need to spend up to the limit every month or use every last penny we have. I see both my husband and myself considering all manner of expenses every day. I believe that we will always carry frugality with us in this life.

How about you? Have you been careful with spending your entire life, or did circumstances lead you into frugal choices as an adult? As you grow more and more financially secure, do you think you'll significantly ease up with your spending, or will you just allow modest luxuries? Will you always consider yourself to be frugal?

Storage for My Dried Beans

Cleaning out the cool storage room today and I came across a few small bags of dried beans purchased in 2023. They're nearing the sell-by date on both varieties, chickpeas and navy beans. Of course I wanted to know just how much longer these will be good. I had other questions, too. So I did some reading. Here's what I found out.

Does that best-by date really mean that's when the beans will no longer be edible?

Several sites I read said dried beans are still edible even after expiry. It's a best-by date. The beans are still perfectly good to cook with for 1 or more years past the best-by date when stored in the manufacturer's plastic bag.

What are the enemies of dried beans?

moisture, direct sunlight, insects, oxygen, and heat

Can dried beans be kept in long-term storage for emergencies?

Yes, but they need to be kept from their "enemies." First, a little preventative work is recommended to kill off potential insect eggs by freezing the packages for 36-48 hours or heat kill on a baking sheet in a 250 degree oven for about 20 minutes prior to storage. Next, dried beans should be kept in airtight containers, like clean and dry canning jars. 

The jars do not need to be processed or heat sealed, and the lids can be previously used ones. Once in jars, or other airtight container, keep the beans in a cool and dark location. Storing in this simple manner, dried beans will last for up to 3 years past the best-by date. By the way, a 1-qt canning jar holds approximately 1 1/2 pounds of dried beans.

If you want to keep dried beans for 5 or more years, vacuum sealing is a better option, as it removes excess air from the package before sealing. Beyond vacuum sealing, various airtight containers used in conjunction with oxygen absorbers can extend the life of dried beans for a decade or longer. Finally, some folks store their dried beans in the freezer. Many sources indicate that dried beans will keep indefinitely in a freezer.

Do dried beans lose nutrients when stored long term?

Yes and no. The vitamins in the beans will degrade gradually. However, the protein, calories, and minerals will remain intact. 

How can I know if my dried beans have gone bad?

Smell and/or appearance will be the tell. If the dried beans have an off odor, beyond their usual dried bean-y smell, or if the beans have noticeable mold or fuzz on them, it's best to compost these beans. It's possible beans with a higher fat content can go rancid over time. And if moisture has become an issue where the beans are stored, and they're not in an airtight container, that's when mold can develop.

I went the simple route and stored my beans in clean canning jars, tucked into a cool and dark corner of our cool storage room. This room is on the north side of the house, and even in summer, this spot remains fairly cool. This is where I store our grains, vegetable oil, and canned goods. If nothing else comes of moving the found dried beans to canning jars, at least I'm now aware of how much I have and am making plans to use them up. I see some hummus in our very near future.

How about you? Have you ever had a problem with cooking old dried beans? How old would you think is too old for dried beans?

"The American aim is that every man, woman and child may enjoy the better things of life."

This was a quote at the beginning of a 1941 sales/informational film, It Happened in the Kitchen. While this was basically a sales pitch for modernizing an older kitchen, that statement made me think about the "better things of life" from a 1940s perspective.

These days, when we think of the good life, we often consider expenditures for travel, fine dining in restaurants, a beautifully-furnished home, the latest smart phone, and other toys and luxuries. This isn't us, necessarily. But our current culture seems to push more and more extravagance in order to be satisfied in life.

In the 1940s, I do think American tastes and expectations were simpler. Perhaps the better things in life included a small starter home for the young family, an automobile ("an" as in singular), some leisure time on the weekend to enjoy with your family, and ample food. Add in a drive in the country on a Sunday afternoon, an occasional picnic, and a new dress or shirt each year and you felt like you had it all.

I'm trying to see my own life and its "better things" from a 1940s perspective. We now have a good solid roof over our heads to keep us (and our belongings) dry and a brand new furnace to keep us warm. Our freezer and pantry are well-stocked, and we have leisure time to enjoy picnics in spring and summer. We even have two cars, now, giving us freedom of transportation even when someone in the family has the other car out for the day. I suspect 2-car households were pretty rare in the 1940s. 

I don't think we're "bad" people for wanting to travel or eat out or have a beautifully-appointed home. Those are all really nice luxuries that many of us are fortunate enough to afford from time to time. But I do think it is a helpful mindset to consider that even without those luxuries, we are blessed. My tummy is full tonight and my room is warm. Those are blessings. 

Culture puts out a lot of noise about what we should want and how we should think. I'm trying to tune that noise out and think for myself. I've asked myself what I really want in this life, what are the better things in life for me. The answer for me is to have my family around, cook some good food for us all regularly, own a nice enough home to enjoy, have some ease in life so I'm not constantly worn out, own a reliable car so we can go interesting places for day trips, and have zero debt. Those are the better things in life.

The film was interesting and informative. Even if I don't plan on redoing our kitchen, it is helpful to see how I could organize my storage for greater efficiency and repurpose space to meet my needs more closely.

How do you define the better things of life?

Do you save meat bones for making stock?

This afternoon, I was cutting some beef off of a bone to make beef and vegetable stir fry for dinner. I had some extra time, so I thought I'd make a little stock with the beef bone. Then I remembered the bag of uncooked beef bones that I had in the freezer, accumulated over the past 6 to 8 months. So I made a nice large pot of beef stock, browning the bones first, then simmering in water with simple seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder). It came out delicious, and now I feel like I got full value from the cuts of beef.

I routinely make chicken stock from chicken bones and ham stock from the ham bone, but I've only made beef stock once before. I wasn't thrilled with that batch of stock. I later figured that it lacked flavor. Hence adding some simple seasonings to this batch of stock.

I've been making a lot of soups this winter. I had depleted my supply of chicken stock and have just one more container of ham stock and a few containers of pumpkin stock remaining. So, I will be glad to have additional stock ready for more pots of soup or to add to sauces.

How about you? Do you use leftover meat bones for making stock? Do you a favorite type of stock? Do you have a method that works for you?

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day, friends! Wishing you a very lovely day and weekend ahead.

We have heat!!! The new furnace is in, and it already feels like it heats the house faster than our old one. Last night was a cold one. 

The living room got down to 57 degrees F overnight and the bedrooms hovered around 50 degrees F. At 5 AM the air felt so cold around my head that I just got up and turned the fireplace and space heaters back on. We didn't want to leave them running unattended overnight, so I turned them off when I went to bed on Thursday.

The four of us had a delicious Valentine's brunch in front of the fireplace. We listened to music on spotify and enjoyed a few minutes together. One daughter had to rush off to her job for the weekend and the other needed to work on her latest commissions. My husband took today as a work from home day to be here for the furnace installation and the brunch. After brunch he got right back to the computer.

I baked the pie for dinner early this morning, keeping the oven going to add heat to the kitchen. Any heat we could get was helpful. Have you ever been so cold that your body seemed to have a memory of being cold even after the temperatures had warmed up? That's how I feel right now, an hour after the new furnace has been working. I'll keep myself moving and will feel warmed up in no time.

The saga of the failing furnace has now come to an end, thankfully. I'm grateful to live in a time when the homemaker doesn't normally need to spend so much time thinking about increasing the heat in the house. We just push a button and forget about it.

Anyway, have a wonderful day and weekend!