Vintage February Desserts and Treats

I know that Valentine's Day is now in the rear view mirror. However, I thought I'd share some photos from my vintage 1959 Better Homes and Gardens Holiday Cookbook and my vintage 1963 Better Homes and Gardens Birthday and Family Celebrations Cookbook. Not all are Valentine's oriented. I included a couple of the recipes so you could get an idea of how those items would be made. Enjoy!

Six February desserts
starting at top:
Pink Meringue Hearts
Washington Pie
Chocolate Chiffon Pie
Frozen Valentine Rounds topped with Gelatin Heart Cutouts
Red Devil's Food Cake
Red Cherry Pie

large: Valentine Cake
individuals: Strawberry Hearts (gelatin dessert)

the recipe for Washington Pie (for Washington's birthday)

a blurry close-up of the Washington Pie
more of a cake and not a pie with a vanilla pudding
filling, vanilla glaze, and chocolate drizzle

another Washington birthday treat

For Lincoln's birthday -- no photo of the finished Lincoln Log cake.

From reading the recipe, it's a chocolate jelly roll cake with peppermint ice cream filling

 and chocolate glaze over the rolled cake.

Valentine Ring-around Salad
gelatin salad with cottage cheese, cream cheese, gelatin, salt, seedless
green grapes, pecan pieces, chopped chives, whipping cream,
then topped with raspberry gelatin heart cutouts

Salad Hearts made with fruit cocktail, lemon jello, maraschino
cherry syrup, lemon juice, cream cheese, mayonnaise, mini
marshmallows, cherries, whipping cream, red food coloring

heart cutout sandwiches

Cherry Meringue Torte
large round meringue, baked
then filled with a layer of whipping cream, then cherry pie filling,
and finally a heart made of remaining whipping cream

Since we have to eat: Cheap & Cheerful Suppers for the Week

A little over a week ago I wrote about my meal plan for that week. I had a beef roast and a whole chicken to use for meat for the week. By Friday I had roasted the chicken and used it in 2 meals. Friday is our pizza night, so we set the chicken aside for a day, then used the last of it Saturday and Sunday. Here are the meals we made this week.

Friday

scratch pepperoni pizza

steamed spinach

tangerines

applesauce snack cake

Saturday

chicken, vegetables, and dumplings

applesauce snack cake

Sunday

chicken and vegetable tortilla soup

dried prunes

applesauce snack cake

Monday

tuna-macaroni salad

avocado slices

gingered pears

pecan pie (My daughters baked us a pecan pie over the weekend. Wasn't that sweet of them?)

Tuesday

ground beef stroganoff

brown rice

steamed broccoli

tomato slices

pecan pie

Wednesday

spinach frittata

turkey bacon (I said yesterday that I didn't buy any treats when grocery shopping last. I forgot about 3 packs of turkey bacon -- on sale -- and 1 pack of pork bacon for Valentine's Day.)

oven fries roasted in beef fat

avocado, celery, cabbage salad in homemade apple cider vinaigrette (This is the apple cider vinegar that I made in the fall.)

tangerines

Thursday

beef fajita enchilada casserole (slow-cooked beef, peppers, onions, canned tomatoes, seasonings layered with corn tortillas and topped with cheese, then baked)

canned green beans

sautéed cinnamon apples

By Friday I just wanted to bake something sweet, but I wanted it to be easy. So I went with an applesauce snack cake. I've posted this recipe before, but I'll add it here again. It's a winner and so easy to make. It freezes well, so you could cut the cake into squares or in half, wrap and freeze some for another day. No eggs, no milk. And you can mix the batter right in the (ungreased) pan.

Applesauce Snack Cake

1  2/3 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup brown sugar (or white sugar with a spoonful of molasses added to the liquids)

1  1/2 teaspoons ground allspice (or cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg or any combination)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup applesauce

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vinegar

Mix flour, sugar, spices, baking soda, salt with a fork in an ungreased 8 X 8 X 2-inch baking pan. Stir together the liquid ingredients and incorporate with the dry in the pan.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes at 350 degrees F, or until the top springs back when pressed lightly.

This Saturday we're planning a Valentine's brunch for the four of us. It'll be low-key, but I hope tasty. I'm planning on waffles, preserves and homemade fruity syrup, bacon, sausage, and a fruit salad using fresh pear, apple, banana, and tangerine. I'm not sure what I'll make for dinner, but I am planning a cherry pie for dessert. 

What was on your menu this past week? Have you planned anything for Valentine's Day? Have a lovely weekend!

Stress Shopping vs. Mindful Shopping

I recently heard someone say that a blog is simply a person working out their issues in a public way. So, here I am today sharing a current issue of mine and how I'm working it out.

This is the cart after leaving the produce department, before adding anything else.
I filled the seat and the full bottom of the cart with fresh produce.

Grief shopping

I went grocery shopping over the weekend and spent almost $200 for a cart full of groceries. That's a high for our household. I was grief shopping. It wasn't that I was filling our cart with expensive processed or treat foods. I was buying the usual foods, just in excessive amounts. I really didn't want us to run out of any of our "regular" foods. We count on having these foods to maintain consistency in our days. And especially right now, that consistency is especially important to us.

A story from my younger years

I was 24 and my sister was 26 when our mother was dying. One day when we were talking, I confessed to my sister that I'd been spending more money than usual. She revealed that she had been doing the same. 

We were living through a terribly stressful situation -- losing our mother bit by bit each day. Much of what I purchased were actually useful and would help me set up a home a couple of years later. I worked in a department store. I did buy some nice clothes, but I mostly bought household items, like small appliances, silverware and dishes, and linens. We use almost all of these items today (a mixer quit on me years ago). However, I can see in hindsight that my shopping patterns then were unhealthy. Fortunately, I didn't incur any negative consequences as a result. But this was my first experience of large-scale stress shopping.

What drives stress shopping?

Stress shopping, grief shopping, retail therapy -- these are all names for a disordered type of shopping experience that attempts to relieve negative emotions. It's a bandaid on a problem that wasn't properly dealt with. 

As far as I can see, there are three primary features of stress shopping, an attempt to impose some control, an attempt to reestablish safety and comfort, and the activation of the pleasure center of the brain with a dopamine hit.

Control -- grief is a period that lacks a sense of control. It feels like a free fall with no visible safety net at the bottom. Stocking up is a way that I ensure we won't run out anytime soon, my method to impose control over our situation.

Comfort and safety. Food is comfort for many of us. We stock up on foods that we enjoy. Having the same basic foods that we've always enjoyed boosts a sense of emotional safety. Keeping regular routines and meals provides a place of refuge in a difficult period.

The dopamine hit counters these feelings of stress, albeit temporarily. Shopping addictions are a real thing for a reason. For some people, making a purchase provides an instant "high". 

What's the answer to stress shopping? 

Mindful shopping. Mindful shopping involves thoughtful planning to meet one's needs. Ironically, mindfulness is also a way to regain control in one's life through reflecting on needs, creating a plan for their fulfillment, and making that happen with purpose. I can still purchase comfort foods while being mindful, just perhaps not in excessive quantity. 

How can I implement some mindfulness in my shopping going forward this month? 

Well, it's not like I can return some of the food that I purchased after having it in my kitchen several days. Unlike returning the purchase of new shoes or gadgets, I can't recoup what I spent on those foods. But, I can ensure we use what I bought, through thoughtful use of the most perishable foods first, And, for my second (and final) shopping of this month, I can use what we have in abundance instead of buying new foods. I may need to buy milk, cheese, and one or two other necessary foods. But I believe that we can refrain from buying much more. I expect in another couple of weeks (when I shop again) that our family will be in a better place emotionally, and my shopping will be under better control. In the meantime, there is zero reason for us to get takeout or dine in a restaurant while our fridge, freezer and pantry are so full.

How about you? Have you ever found yourself stress shopping or buying items that you wouldn't normally due to the stress or grief in your life? How did you handle it?

Loving Through the Darkness: Supporting My Grieving Husband

finding peace in planting flowers

As a wife, I have the need to make my husband's life feel okay again. I've had to move myself forward, so that I can be a supportive help to him. Today was a beautiful, sunny day. It was cold, but the sun was beautiful. I had bought some spring flowering bulbs and plants over the weekend with the intention of filling a pot with spring cheer. The work was good for me, the sunshine was invigorating, and the result was uplifting. In the process I found myself connecting to the birds chirping and woodpeckers pecking in the background. And the ducks, the ducks are back in the pond again! My husband likes to take them a small handful of cracked corn around lunchtime. 

When I've been very down before, finding what is lovely in this world lifts me up. I've also been listening to some of my favorite hymns while doing chores around the house. Pretty flowers, friendly wildlife, meaningful music -- these are things that help me find peace in difficult times. 

It helps to nurture something or someone else, too. That could be tending these plants, or my husband feeding the ducks, or cooking for my family. These little acts bring us back into the world of the living, so to speak.

Most of what we do when we're supporting someone else in the grieving process are considered small acts -- a hug, a shared prayer, a kind ear, a baked treat. I think the small acts are the most welcome in times like these. And it's easy to sprinkle these moments into my husband's day, providing a comforting place in our home for him to find his own peace.

Grief doesn't go away overnight or after a shared prayer or after eating a favorite meal. It hangs in there like an invisible cloud in the room. It's an unseen weight that the bearer carries throughout their day. But I hope to be the partner he can count on to share in this burden, the two becomes one concept of marriage.

Hi friends,

I'm sorry I left my blog so abruptly last week. Our family had some really sad news. My husband's brother passed away. I'm trying to get us back on track this week, while still processing our grief and shock. Again, I'm sorry if you looked for a post from me and didn't find one nor an explanation until now. I hope all is well for you and your families.

What's been the very best money-saving kitchen tool for you?

There are lots of kitchen tools that are simply essential for cooking, such as knives, pots/pans, measuring cups/spoons, mixing bowls, etc. But there are a few tools that many folks might think are non-essential, but having them save you so much money over time.

I did a Google AI search for money-saving kitchen tools and it suggested Soda Stream, bread maker, citrus juicer or reamer, immersion blender/food processor, digital food scale, instant read thermometer, reusable silicone storage bags/bowl covers, and a quality chef's knife.

From its list, I wouldn't buy a Soda Stream because we don't drink soda or sparkling water enough to warrant spending the money. I would see it as a toy. 

I do have an instant read thermometer that I use for making yogurt, heating liquids to a correct temperature for a recipe, making candy, caramel sauce, and preserves, and to test meat temperature. It is a convenience over old-fashioned methods, but I wouldn't consider it really money-saving for my uses. I would still make jam, jelly, candy, and cook meat, but would use methods like dropping a bit into cold water (for candy), or indications like sheeting off a spoon (for preserves),  coating a spoon for a custard, or wiggling the leg of poultry to test for doneness. The only true money saver would be using it for making yogurt. I don't know any other way to tell when the milk is at the right temperature to have a successful batch.

We have a second hand glass citrus juicer that comes out of the cupboard a few times per year. I wouldn't make more dishes with citrus juice if I had an electric juicer or a reamer.

A digital food scale has been on my want list for a while. It would be nice to weigh meal portions, both raw and cooked meat, dough for baking, flour and other baking ingredients. But this is a want for now. Would it save me money? It might for creating specific sized portions (preventing overeating or under-eating of more expensive ingredients or meals). I might also be able to bake a better loaf of bread if I could be more precise, or 3 uniform loaves of bread when I do a larger baking, instead of 1 large loaf and 2 smaller ones, as often happens.

I have both an immersion blender and a food processor, and yes, I do think both of those are money savers. I cook and process whole pumpkins every fall to make my own pumpkin puree for baking and smoothies. An immersion blender can save a lumpy batch of gravy or puree microwaved vegetable mixtures with stock for quick soups. Both are handy and save us money.

There's an appliance that Google didn't suggest, but that I would put at the top of my list of money-savers, a stand mixer with a dough hook. We've had two stand mixers during our (long) marriage. The first was my parents and handed down to me when we were first married. When it failed, we bought another one. Even paying "new" prices, I still believe this has saved us a bundle of money. I've baked between 3 and 5 loaves of bread every week for 11 years with this mixer. That's 2288 loaves of high-quality whole grain bread. If I saved only $1 per loaf, I saved $2288 with that mixer. And I use the mixer for other recipes as well. 

So, how about you? is there one kitchen tool that you feel has been the best money-saver compared to its original cost?

Planning This Week's Meals

It's February!

One daughter picked up this Nordic Ware heart-shaped cake pan at
an estate sale, and the other daughter loaned us the Command Hook
to hang it above the stove for February.

I ordinarily don't plan the full week in advance. However, this week's schedule is peppered with appointments and obligations, most of which are midday to early afternoon. So I need to have a plan, and one that will be easier on some days more than others.

On Sunday, I pulled a large beef simmering roast and a whole chicken out from the freezer. The chicken will take 3 days to thaw in the fridge, so I don't plan on roasting it until Wednesday. I won't think too much about actually cooking that meat until then.

The beef roast was thawed enough by Sunday afternoon to slice off some for a beef and vegetable stir fry. The rest of the beef should cover two additional family dinners. Monday is my day at home. This afternoon I'll pot roast it with onions, garlic, thyme, and rosemary. Closer to its finish, I'll add 1 meals worth of carrots and mushrooms to the liquid. In addition to the carrots and mushrooms, I'll steam some frozen broccoli and roast some purple potatoes. While I am cooking in late afternoon, I make a pot of brown rice to use tomorrow. I will also bake a large plum cobbler, using frozen plums, for dessert Monday and Tuesday, and a batch of whole wheat sandwich bread.

On Tuesday, I'll reheat the remaining beef and season it with chili powder, cumin, and home-canned salsa, serving over quickly reheated brown rice. I'll make burrito bowls with the beef and rice, adding canned corn, a fresh tomato, and fresh avocado. We'll have some sort of cabbage slaw on the side and the remaining plum cobbler for dessert. A mostly easy dinner night.

Wednesday morning, I'll season the whole chicken and prepare it for the oven, but keep it in the fridge until the afternoon. When I return from my appointment, I'll roast the chicken, then make a gravy with the drippings and frozen chicken stock. I'll serve hot chicken and gravy sandwiches over slices of whole wheat bread along with frozen mixed vegetables, celery sticks, and a fresh fruit salad.

Thursday is another appointment day, but earlier in the day than the previous two days. As I know myself, I will likely be tired. I'll serve leftover chicken in gravy, a stove-cooked bread, celery, and sage stuffing, steamed fresh carrots, canned green beans, and sautéed spiced apples.

Friday is pizza night. I make a quickie pizza sauce with tomato paste, garlic powder, oregano, red pepper flakes, and salt. The dough is fairly easy and fast to make as well. We'll have whatever frozen vegetables are left in the freezer. and applesauce on the side.

Saturday I'll deal with any remaining chicken from the whole roast chicken and make chicken and dumplings.

So, Monday is my really busy cooking and baking day. But the rest of the week should require less of my hands-on time in the kitchen. I think I can do this.

I do need to get to the store to pick up milk. My appointment on Tuesday takes me in the opposite direction of Walmart. I may find another store nearby to get milk. Or, I may wait until Wednesday to get milk, as that appointment is near Walmart. I have a small amount of fresh and frozen milk remaining and some powdered milk in the pantry. We can go until Saturday without a proper grocery shopping for everything else.

Okay, so the above was all Monday morning's plan. It's now Monday mid-afternoon, after doing a bunch of cooking and baking already. I can see some real life changes I need to make. 

• Monday's pot roast -- I opted for a dried herb mixture instead of going outside and picking fresh thyme and rosemary, which would have required washing the herbs. I saved myself a little time there. I got the bread and cobbler baked, and a batch of rice is in process cooking right now.
• Tuesday's leftover beef turned into bowls -- the roast doesn't look nearly as big today after pot-roasting. There's really enough for 1 1/2 family meals and not 2, as far as beef protein goes. I don't want to cook beans. (Time) So, I boiled a bunch of eggs. It may sound weird, but chopped eggs added to the bowls will boost the protein and hopefully will taste just fine once salsa is on everything. Also, I found a green bell pepper in the fridge. I'll chop part of that and add to the bowls along with tomato chunks, brown rice, canned corn, and avocado chunks.
• Wednesday -- there's a good chance the celery will be all gone by Wednesday. So I need a back-up plan for this vegetable. I do have lots of cabbage still. So, if there's no celery, I will do another cabbage salad, changing up the dressing and any other fresh veggies I want to add.
• Thursday I'm good. Even if we're out of fresh celery, I still have frozen garden celery I can use in the stove-top stuffing. 
• No changes needed for Friday's pizza night or Saturday's chicken and dumplings.
• I still haven't determined when I'll pick up milk. We went through the last of the gallon jug this morning and are halfway through the frozen milk. I made a jar of powdered milk for those wanting to use milk in something. Tuesday, right after my midday appointment would be the best time. But that appt is a dental one. I'm having two older fillings drilled out and replaced. They're both falling apart. My problem with planning on stopping by a store after the appointment is I'm usually pretty frazzled after any dental appointment. Wednesday's appointment is more business, and I could easily pick up milk on my way home from that one. But I don't know if our milk supply will hold out until then. The problem with asking anyone else to pick up milk this week is everyone else is as busy as I am this week. It looks like I'll have to wait and see when is the right time to go out for milk.

That's my plan for this week's meals. I tend to prefer simple and basic meals for everyday evenings. I imagine I'll need to tweak small parts as the week progresses. But at least I have a plan, and I won't have to spend time each day trying to figure out what to make each evening.

I know many of us here don't make weekly meal plans on a regular basis. But do you plan meals a week at a time during busy periods? 

Cheap & Cheerful Suppers and End of Month Grocery Shopping

Friday
scratch pepperoni pizza on sourdough crust
tomato and avocado wedges
roasted broccoli and cauliflower

Saturday
vegetable fried rice topped with beef and broccoli

Sunday
burrito bowls -- beans, corn, rice, avocado, tomatoes, salsa

Monday
tuna-macaroni salad
steamed mixed vegetables
tangerines

Tuesday
beef and bean chili
scratch cornbread
carrot-raisin salad
stewed prunes

Wednesday
Mexican-ish salad -- shredded cabbage topped with shredded beef, pinto beans, cheese, tomato, avocado, with salsa, mayo, vinegar, avocado oil dressing
leftover cornbread
pumpkin pudding

Thursday
spinach and onion frittata
oven-roasted carrots, purple potatoes, mushrooms

apple and crabapple sauce

Shopping the week

I use a specific organic whole wheat flour that isn't carried in most of my local stores. And it can be pricey when bought at either of the two stores that do sell it. I ad found it on sale at one of the stores this past fall and bought several bags (5-lb bags). But now it's no longer on sale. Fortunately we have the internet to help us find good deals on specific products. I found this flour at an online store that I've used before with two stackable coupons. Because I bought 4 bags (plus some magnesium), I received free shipping. At the double coupon price, my flour was less than what I'd found locally on sale. Spent $26.02. 

I also went to WinCo for a big stock-up. I don't have a photo this time. It was too cold to take my time. I just wanted to get everything put away and grab a hot cup of tea as quickly as I could that day. Anyway, this is what I bought:

4 small bags frozen mixed vegetables (still on sale)

2 large bags frozen broccoli cuts (cuts are less expensive than florets, but you still get lots of chopped floret pieces)

2 heads of cabbage

5 lbs carrots (they were sold out of 10-lb bags today)

2 bundles celery

2 3-lb bags (that really weighed 3.5 lbs ea, so I got 7 lbs total) of onions

8 large oranges

2 lb bag mandarins

12 Fuji apples (still crisp and juicy)

4 large Roma tomatoes (so much more flavorful than the slicing tomatoes I bought in December)

4 avocados

several bananas, maybe 7 or 8

4 Bartlett pears (same price per pound as apples)

3 green peppers

1/2 lb mushrooms

1 gallon whole milk

2 lb block cheddar cheese

quart Greek whole milk yogurt

2 dozen eggs

1/2 lb pepperoni (for pizzas, enough for 3 large. I bag it up into 3 smaller bags and freeze until needed.)

1 large bag frozen pork breakfast sausage (my husband has these every day)

about 1.25 lbs bulk raisins

1/2 lb bulk chia seeds

1/2 lb bulk peanut butter powder (I put this in smoothies as well as mix with a little water to eat by spoon as a hi-protein snack)

3/4 lb bulk dried apricots

1/3 lb bulk almond flour

small bag bulk flax seed meal

2 pints fresh DIY grind peanut butter

1 lb yeast

5 lbs organic all-purpose flour (same brand as whole wheat, but easy to find in stores and a better price)

1 bottle mustard (on sale this month -- I'll buy a couple more next time to put away for summer cook-outs)

I spent $106.59 at WinCo. With the online shopping, I spent $132.61 this week. For the month of January (one other WinCo trip, one Walmart trip, plus pro-rated portion of quarterly beef deliveries), we spent $404.14. That's just over my upper grocery limit. Not horrible. I'll see how grocery spending goes next month.

My normal monthly range is $375 to $400. However, this does feel fairly typical for us now. We've made a few changes to our diet in the last few years. We're eating higher quality beef, more produce, and adding in a couple of individual items (like the full fat Greek yogurt, greens powder, beet powder, and organic flour). It all adds up. It was just 6 years ago that we were spending about $250 per month for the four of us. Hmph. So back to this month, spending about the same as November and December each, but no holiday to buy for. However, produce prices are also higher in winter, and we've run out of our own garden fresh produce by this point in the garden cycle. 

What was on your menu this past week? If you lost power this past week, I'd be interested in hearing how you managed meals. In fact for anyone who has lost power before at any time, how did you do meals? 

For my household, our power is usually restored with a few hours to overnight. Even so, we can cook here without electricity, as our stove-top is gas and can be lit with a match or lighter. Before our gas stovetop, I was able to heat water and soup in a power outage, using candles in a shallow pan in the oven on the bottom rack, then placing a pan of water or soup on the rack just above.

Brain-storming ideas for dinner when inspiration is lacking

This was my thought this morning. How to come up with a dinner plan while feeling totally uninspired. I slept poorly and felt like there was nothing but fog between my ears today. Here's how I combat decision fatigue when it comes to putting a meal on the table.

I actually have a couple of starting points and strategies that work for me. When I can't seem to make headway with one method, I skip to the next.

Strategy #1: Use It Up (I start here, as I don't want to waste food.)

• I take a quick inventory of everything that needs to be used up, including the fridge and pantry. Some days I find an about to expire or already expired can of something in the pantry, and I'll use that as a jumping off point. Other days I find fresh produce or cooked meat or grains that have seen better days and should probably be used asap just to "save" it. 
• After discovering a handful of foods, I think about the possibility of using any of them together, hopefully coming up with at least 3 of these "needs using" foods.
• Next I think about the natural seasonings that go well with these foods. Sometimes, the different foods will become different components of the meal, and the likely seasonings aren't used across the board, especially true when planning both the main meal plus dessert. In any case, thinking about natural pairings of seasonings and foods helps me come up with some ideas.

So, for example, if what I have to use soon is leftover cooked chicken, a can of sliced beets past the best by date, some cooked rice that's been in the fridge 4 or 5 days, some leftover pancakes, and a very ripe avocado, I may use the chicken, beets, rice, and avocado, but leave the pancakes for another day or freeze them. I know that we enjoy sage, thyme, and onions with chicken, so I may put together a casserole with the rice and chicken, and those seasonings, maybe making a white sauce or a gravy to bind it all together. However, I have the avocado and beets to consider. I could make an avocado and beet salad. Or I could switch my casserole to a Tex-Mex themed one, mixing chicken, rice, cumin, and chili powder together on the stove, and top the servings with avocado chunks or a quick guacamole if the avocado is too far gone for chunks. I could make a quick marinated beet salad to go on the side.

Strategy #2: Pick Your Poison, I Mean Cuisine

• I begin this technique with considering what types of cuisine we enjoy, and what have we not had for a while. Alternatively, I sometimes consider what cuisine we have had recently, but that we like enough that we'd happily eat it again. For my family, we enjoy Tex-Mex, Italian and Quasi-Italian, Asian of various origins, Curries, All American, and Greek cuisines.
• If I'm repeating a cuisine, I consider whether we have the same or similar ingredients to how we've had that recently. Oftentimes, if we've recently made an Asian stir fry, we still have lots of ingredients that could go into another stir fry. However, instead of a full blown repeat, I brainstorm other ways I could serve those same foods. For example, I may make egg rolls in a bowl, or an Asian-inspired soup with dumplings.
• If I want to make a cuisine that we haven't had recently, I simply pick one of the handful that my family always enjoys. And then I check for ingredients that will fill out a meal in that cuisine. Quasi-Italian is always a popular cuisine in our family, which includes foods like pizza or pasta casseroles. But instead of pizza,. I may make pizza sandwiches, where I use thick slices of sturdy bread topped with usual pizza toppings (cheese, tomato sauce, pepperoni, olives, green peppers), then either topped with a second slice of bread and grilled in a skillet, or leave open-faced for toasted pizza sandwiches.
• Either way, recent cuisine or not so recent cuisine, I brainstorm the easiest way to make something along the lines of the chosen cuisine, hence the pizza sandwiches or egg roll in a bowl.

Strategy #3: Start With Protein

• This technique doesn't require that I look for ready to expire foods or even think how I'll prepare anything, at least not just yet. Instead it simply prompts me to pick the protein for the meal before I consider anything else. Once I have a protein figured out, the rest seems to fall into place.
• I may consider what other proteins we've had recently and choose something different, or I may think of a different method of preparation for that same or similar protein. In any case, after choosing the protein source, I choose a cooking method. If I diced or cubed beef the night before, I may braise and shred tonight's beef. If I made a quiche earlier this week, I may make shirred eggs tonight. 
• Following the protein choice I plan for a carb side and a couple of produce sides -- often one is a fresh fruit side that requires minimal prep.

Strategy #4: The "Pretend We're Getting Take-out" method

• I ask myself, and sometimes all the other members of the household, what restaurant food have we been craving lately? What would we order if we went to XXX restaurant?
• Cravings for us are often for fast food style meals, like burgers and fries, tacos, or submarine sandwiches. Home-cooked versions don't need to be exactly like what a restaurant serves. I try to think of ways I can approximate those restaurant meals using what I have at home and with minimal cooking. If I have potatoes on hand, oven fries are a possibility. Burgers don't need regular burger buns. Hamburgers can be served on toasted bread. If I have the ground beef and some potatoes, I can make burgers and fries at home, adding some fresh fruit and frozen veggies to round out the meal. If we were a plant-based household, we might opt for soft tacos, using seasoned beans as the protein filler in homemade flour tortillas. Add some leafy greens and chopped tomato, and voila, tacos.

Strategy #5: Favorite Type of Meal

• What's your favorite type of meal? Do you prefer salads, casseroles, soups, or sandwiches? Find the basic ingredients to use and salad your meal, or casserole the meal, or soup the meal, or sandwich the meal. Just turn all of what you have into a salad, or casserole, or soup, or sandwich. We've put some pretty crazy things into sandwiches, and everybody has loved them. Ditto on salads. Soup works for an all-in-one-pot meal. Let your favorite type of meal guide the food choices you make.

Strategy #6: The "Whatever" Method

• When we're completely indecisive, I make the executive decision to randomly choose a protein, a starch, a fruit and a vegetable. No real planning goes into coordinating flavors. And "flavor" may simply be butter, salt, and pepper. It works. We are fed. And the clean-up is a breeze.
• This is a last ditch effort to just get us fed a balanced meal. It is really enough to eat this way, even for extended periods. The only risk is boredom with meals. I can attest that this works, as this is how my family ate when I had a young son, newborn twin daughters, and a husband who worked in the city, but we lived in the suburbs. I had no outside help with the kids, and dinner needed to be thrown together in 15 minutes right after my husband returned each night (so he could hold at least one baby). I rotated the different ingredients, so even over many weeks, we were eating balanced. A family favorite quick meal was a piece of buttered and toasted whole grain bread topped with a chopped boiled egg, with frozen peas and orange wedges on the side. It was complete, balanced, and filling. Whatever -- it worked.

I oftentimes combine a couple of these techniques. For tonight's dinner I blended Use It Up with Start With the Protein. I found a head of cabbage that had seen better days in the fridge, After peeling off the bad portions, I had a substantial amount of fresh cabbage to use. I also found a can of pumpkin in the pantry that was nearing its expiry. I had some cooked pinto beans from previous nights this week. I wanted to finish those off soon. Because we'd already had 2 pinto bean meals this week, I wanted to add some beef to the meal for our protein. So I chose a small hunk of beed that I could braise in seasonings and water, then shred. We like salads, and we like Tex-Mex, so I seasoned the beef and beans with onion, garlic, green pepper, cumin, and chili powder, and used sliced fresh cabbage, chopped tomato, and diced avocado for the salad part. I added shredded cheese and a dressing of salsa, mayo, avocado oil, and vinegar to the salads. I used the canned pumpkin in a dessert -- spiced cornstarch pumpkin pudding. We also used up the last of the cornbread from Tuesday's dinner.

As a final note, these aren't recipes, but strategies that I use to help me think of ways to prepare the foods we already have on hand when my mind feels blank. Even on my worst nights, I know that I can overcome the "what on earth should I cook tonight" energy.

Tell me, what strategies do you use to brainstorm the night's meal? Do you have other ways of dealing with decision fatigue or kitchen-focused brain fog?

What do you do with empty tissue boxes?

In the past I've used them to store thin plastic bags, like the kind grocery stores used to give free (before the plastic bag ban here) or flimsy produce bags. Tissue boxes really do well for storing the thin plastic stuff. You can continue to cram more and more in, and then they are still easily pulled out one by one, as you need them. But I can only use so many plastic bag dispensers in the house.

corralling my socks

Here's what I've been using them for in this past one to two years -- organizers for my dresser drawers. I have three boxes for socks, organized into white socks, black socks, and assorted socks, one box for bras, one box for undies, and one box for tank tops. 

tanks rolled up neatly and easy to find

All of my "inner wear" are stored in one large drawer in the dresser. Previously, I'd try to keep the socks all together, the tanks in a stack, and undies and bras in their spots. But in real, everyday use, the socks and stacks got knocked around, and I spent way too much time each morning searching out a clean tank top. (I wear tank tops on all but the hottest of days as a base layer.)

So I made quick conversions of the tissue boxes into dresser organizers. This is such a game changer for my morning dressing and decisions on laundry timing. I know in a instant if I need to do a load pronto, and I can grab exactly what I need in seconds every day. I also think I'm getting just a little more into each drawer. For instance, rolled up tank tops store very compactly compared to folding and stacking. Ditto with undies.

The bonus is, I can transform the tissue box into a storage box in a minute, simply by pulling out the plastic opening stuff, cutting to each corner on the diagonal, then bending in each flap.

I tape down the flaps when I feel fancy, or leave them untaped if I want to just get the box formed and into the drawer. Boxes loaded with socks sort of hold the opening open. 

Anyway, just my organizing tip for the day. What do you do with those empty tissue boxes?

How is everyone faring?

The only snow we have is on the dining room table centerpiece -- fake snow on the pinecones and greenery.

Hi friends, 

I'm taking tonight off from posting. It's been a crazy week for me. On top of others issues, our internet went out and it took a few days to get it resolved. They ended up recabling our house, drilled a hole into an outer wall and replaced all of the equipment. But today we have internet again. I had been using the very limited data plan on my 10-year old phone to post, and I have to say that was less than easy. My phone would not tether to my laptop. But maybe that's a good thing. It kept me from hitting my limit and leaving me with nothing for the next 2 weeks. Anyways, that's resolved. But I'm tired. I'll be back to posting tomorrow and will catch up on comments, too.

How is everyone doing? How did the snow and ice storm affect you and your area? We've been cold (for our area that is), but no snow whatsoever. Do you live in one of the areas with widespread power outages? I've been praying everyone is okay.

Be back tomorrow!

Cheap & Cheerful Suppers Using What's on Hand

Friday  (no movie and pizza tonight tonight)

chicken and vegetable soup
sourdough bread and butter (I'm almost out of yeast)
orange wedges
dessert--last of the Christmas cookies

Saturday
pumpkin-sage-sausage soup (using chicken stock from yesterday)
tomato chunks topped with homemade 1000 Island dressing
toasted cheese sandwiches on sourdough bread
tangerines
dessert--applesauce-raisin bar cookies

Sunday
scrambled eggs
oven fries with homegrown purple potatoes
steamed carrots
frozen spinach
dessert--applesauce-raisin bar cookies

Monday
beef stew
homemade sourdough bread and butter
Asian cabbage-tangerine slaw
stewed prunes
dessert--chocolates I found in the pantry from a year ago

Tuesday
tuna-macaroni salad, using the last stalks the fresh celery with their leaves
last of the crackers from Christmas (I'm cleaning out the pantry, can you tell?)
carrot sticks
steamed frozen broccoli cuts
dessert--homemade sourdough cinnamon-spice rolls or applesauce-raisin bar cookies

Wednesday

Italian-style ground beef, canned tomatoes, fresh green pepper and seasonings over spaghetti noodles for the family, over shredded cabbage for me (I've been eating too much bread lately)

canned green beans

fig-applesauce

dessert--more applesauce-spice bar cookies

Thursday

spinach, onion, and cheese quiche, using frozen spinach and one of the last 3 onions

brown rice

frozen mixed vegetables

spiced, sauteed apple chunks from the freezer

dessert? not sure what we'll have. There are still apple cookies and sourdough cinnamon rolls.

I made dinner in the morning on Thursday, as I knew I'd be gone for the afternoon. So this post is coming to you before dinnertime in the US.

As titled, I used what I have on hand for this past week. Still no grocery shopping in the forecast. Maybe soon.

What meals could you make using just what you have on hand? Judging from past comments, I think all of you could come up with a week or more of pretty great meals!

Now's the time to use those foods I said I would once it's mid-winter

In the fresh produce drawer of the fridges (kitchen and garage) we are down to half a head of cabbage, 3 pounds of carrots, 3 medium onions, a bunch of heads of garlic from the garden, 1 Roma tomato, 2 avocados, 1 orange, and 3 green apples, plus 3 bananas in the fruit bowl. If you're a small household, that may sound like a lot of fresh produce. For my family of 4 adults eating absolutely all of our meals from home these days, this won't last long.

In the dairy department, I have fresh, frozen, and dried milk, lots of butter, about 18 eggs, a dwindling block of cheddar cheese, and enough mozzarella cheese to make several pizzas. We also have 2 whole chickens and perhaps as much as 12-13 lbs of beef.

I last did a big shopping 2 1/2 weeks ago at WinCo. I stuffed our two fridges with produce and dairy. A week and a half ago I made a quick (and small) shopping trip to Walmart to get some bananas, a gallon of milk, coffee, and frozen spinach.

So, yes, it does sound like we have plenty of foods to build meals from, p.l.e.n.t.y. However, I'm often driven to grocery shop by the amount of fresh produce we have at home. Apples, oranges, tangerines, and stalks of celery make great and quick grabs for lunches and snacks. However, here's where all of the dried and frozen foods from last summer will lend a hand.

In late summer to early fall I made 120 dried fruit rolls, several gallon bags of prunes, a bag each of dried apples and dried pears, and chopped rhubarb, plums, apples, pears, and Asian pears for the freezer. I also made batch after batch of preserved green figs, froze several pies worth of cherries, lots of berries, and made several batches of applesauce and crabapple sauce. I froze all of the carrot tops, beet greens, and garden celery, chopped. I cooked, pureed, and froze 3 large pumpkins. Plus I've been stocking up on various canned and frozen vegetables as I find them green-tagged (month-long sale) at WinCo.

Now is the time to use this preserved produce bounty. 

This week I've been bagging up individual servings of prunes and dried apples. I also pulled a bunch of fruit rolls out of the freezer. And I thawed more crabapple sauce, apple sauce, and pumpkin puree. I bought a can of frozen orange juice concentrate the last time I shopped at WinCo, and just this morning I made up half the can for some of our vitamin C needs. The prunes, dried apples, sauces, and juice are providing individual servings of fruit for my family until I get to the store. And even with an ever-shrinking supply of fresh vegetables, we have plenty of frozen and canned ones to keep us awash in green and orange to get through many days. A final addition, I'm making lentil sprouts to add a crisp freshness to meals.

At this point I'm thinking, "you know, I really don't need to go grocery shopping." Meanwhile, my family would probably appreciate if I restocked everything soon. So, we'll see. Will I go grocery shopping on Thursday or Friday or Saturday, or will I wait until Monday? At least I know no matter when I shop again, we've still got lots of fruits and vegetables to satisfy our needs in the meantime. Using what we have.

What's wrong with this picture: A free and fun game thanks to youtube and AI

My family and I have been playing a game of sorts with AI generated art on holiday or seasonal videos found on youtube. We try to find all of the things wrong with an image. Some are real doozies. I thought you might like to join in on the fun.

Here's the first one to start. What looks wrong in this image?

If you need to see a larger image, here's the link to the video with the art.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBlK-ofGBU4

AI art number two -- anything strike you as odd in this image?

Link to larger image here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEo1EmRArbQ&list=RDCEo1EmRArbQ&start_radio=1

Here's another good one, AI image three

Link to larger image and video here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wWr4ptbOGo&list=RD9wWr4ptbOGo&start_radio=1

And finally, AI image number four. This is a good one. You should be able to find 4 to 5 problems with this picture.

Here's the link to a larger version of this image.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQFdUBRsQww

We've had a lot of fun this winter trying to find the wrong things in each Ai image. As one of my daughters has said many times, I'll miss when this stage of AI is gone. It's been hilarious at times.

Are you entertained or annoyed by the problems with AI images? We'll be back to more serious posts tomorrow.

A type of list I hope you never read from me

You know those posts or vlogs that are titled "10 foods I no longer buy," or "10 foods you should stop buying, " or "I stopped buying these 10 foods and why you should too." I couldn't in good conscience write a post like that. And here's why.

1) My list of foods that I can honestly say I will never, ever, ever buy (either again or for the first time) is too short to even reach 10 items. So let me think, what would I even put on such a list. Okay, here's one, caviar. I would put caviar at the top of my list. And not because it's expensive. But because it has a texture that I can't stomach. Three of my family members actually think it's good stuff. Not me. I won't be buying any. Two, offal with exception to liver. Some people say when done right, dishes made with offal are delicious. I'll eat liver, but not the rest of the organ meats. And that's my complete list of foods that I'll never buy. I reached two entries, and neither one had anything to do with frugal choices or nutritional benefits.

There are many foods that I try to minimize or even try to avoid. But I can't say with certainty that I'll never buy those again. If it's a financial thing (it doesn't make good sense to spend my money on a particular food), who knows? Our finances may drastically improve at some point. or our priorities on how to spend the money we have may change. Even a pricey food like Wagyu beef could someday make it into my shopping cart, if we had a special celebration and the financial circumstances allowed it. If it's a nutritional thing, telling myself I won't ever have a particular food again just sets me up for obsessing over it. And I can say with absolute certainty that that approach never ends well for me.

2) Just saying I won't buy something in a blog post sort of implies that I think you shouldn't either. Why else would I publicly write my list of foods I won't or will no longer buy, unless I thought you friends should jump on my bandwagon. Who am I to say what someone should or shouldn't buy with their own hard-earned money or what foods they should or should not consume for their good health? I'm neither a professional financial planner nor a dietitian. Although I've studied nutrition as a lay person for about 50 years, I've studied it for my own personal use, not to make suggestions for someone else's health and well-being. What I can do from a financial point of view is suggest ways to reduce the cost of foods someone may enjoy. I can also share garnered nutritional information, and you can see if that info applies to your own life.

Besides all that, those "10 things not to buy" titles to posts and vlogs remind me of click-bait. An irresistible headline that leads to negative and fear-based content, which may or may not be based in truth. When I think of it that way, it feels a little slimy. Frankly, I have too much respect for all of you to do that. 

But just out of curiosity, are there any foods that you can with certainty say you'll never buy?

Cheap & Cheerful Suppers and This Week's Shopping

a whole chicken rubbed with herbs and ready to go into the oven

As you'll see in a minute, several of this week's meals were based on a whole roasted chicken from Tuesday. There's still some meat on the carcass. So, I'll make chicken stock and remove the last of the meat from the bones on Friday. I think we'll have chicken soup for lunches this weekend.

Here's our menu for the last week.

Friday
pepperoni and pepper pizza
mixed frozen cauliflower and broccoli, steamed
tangerines

Saturday
burrito bowls (shredded beef, pinto beans, seasoned canned corn, fresh bell pepper, fresh tomatoes, avocado, cheese, salsa)
stewed prunes

Sunday
leftover tea sandwiches, carrot and celery sticks, trail mix, cookies, cake, and orange segments from earlier today, plus steamed broccoli/cauliflower mix and breakfast sausage links -- a very easy dinner.

Monday
Mex soup -- leftover (from Saturday) beef, beans, and corn, plus frozen peppers, fresh onion, canned tomatoes, seasonings, cheese, cilantro, and beef cracklins'
green bean salad -- canned green beans in vinaigrette
no sugar added applesauce bread pudding recipe here

Tuesday
roasted chicken and gravy
steamed baby potatoes in their skins
steamed carrots (I steamed extra carrots to add to my morning smoothie on Wednesday)

frozen peas
sautéed spiced apples

Wednesday
leftover chicken and gravy
sautéed spinach, garlic, and onions
frozen cauliflower, steamed
brown rice (I made extra for Thursday)

Thursday
chicken fried rice, using leftover chicken, leftover rice, fresh mushrooms, celery, frozen mixed veggies, and an egg
Asian cabbage and tangerine slaw
gingered pears

I also did a little shopping earlier this week. Last week I mentioned we'd run out of bananas and need more this week. I went to Walmart on Tuesday for bananas and a couple of other items. I chose Tuesday to go because Tuesday is Value Village's Senior day -- 30% off any purchase -- and Value Village is right next door to Walmart.

At Walmart, I spent a total $29.30 on the following:
1 gallon milk $3.13
decaf coffee $8.77
regular coffee $8.77
bananas $1.14
6 bags frozen spinach $1.26 ea (frozen spinach has been hard to find at WinCo since sometime in fall, due to a nationwide recall)

As I said, I also wanted to go to Value Village for another flannel shirt for myself. This new one makes 3.

At Value Village I spent $3.84 plus tax for the above flannel, sage buffalo check shirt.
I saw the same shirt on Poshmark, previously-owned, for $12.00 or $4.88, pre-owned on Mercari. I got a pretty good deal and didn't have to pay shipping.

I don't know how you launder flannel shirts, but I've found that machine washing followed by hang drying helps the flannel last longer and gives me a neater looking shirt once dried, as compared to running through the tumble dryer.

How was your week? Any special meals you particularly enjoyed? Do you wear flannel shirts in winter? Is there a brand you think is better than others? 

What Are Your Sourdough Tips?

My first loaf of the season -- extra tangy from a starter that had been dormant for 10 months.

I know there are a few of us here that make or have made sourdough bread and keep or kept a sourdough starter. So I thought I'd ask you friends for tips.

Every January I get my starter out of the fridge and work to revive it. Winter is not the best time of year to do sourdough in a house that stays around 64 degrees F during the day and dips down to about 61 degrees F at night. Starters generally don't do very well in colder temps. But this is the time of year that I actually have time to babysit a starter.

Here are my two tips for keeping a starter or rising dough warmer in a cold house.

1) When I've got a bowl of dough to rise, I set the bowl over another bowl of warm water. The top bowl (with the dough in it) sits an inch or so above the water level of the lower bowl. And the water is just warm and not hot. During the day I periodically rewarm the bowl of water in the microwave. Just before bed at night (if allowing to rise over night) I rewarm the water one last time. It's enough to give my dough a boost.

2) For the starter itself, I leave it on the counter just behind the warming bowl and on top of a dish towel. We have quartz countertops, which stay cool to the touch all day and all night long. Placing a dish towel underneath the jar of starter insulates it just a smidge against the cold countertop.

What have you learned about making sourdough over years? Any tips for lofty loaves? What do you do to revive a dormant starter when it has sat in the fridge for a while? Do you have a particular spot in your kitchen for proofing dough or keeping a starter vibrant?

No Sugar Added Apple Bread Pudding

In my pursuit of less added sugar this year, I ventured into the realm of no added sugar desserts this week. I made a no added sugar apple bread pudding.

I had a bunch of bread crusts leftover from tea sandwiches over the weekend -- once cubed, a little over 2 cups. I also had some applesauce from our tree apples thawed in the fridge. I asked Chat GPT for a recipe for bread pudding with no added sugar, using applesauce and apples. Here's what it came up with.

2 1/2 cups bread cubes
3/4 cup applesauce
3/4 cup milk (I used soy milk)
1 large egg
1/2 large apple, peeled and finely diced (I used frozen cubes of apples, with peel on, about 1 cup)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup raisins (I used about 1/3 cup)

I also added 1/8 teaspoon salt, definitely needed it.

What I wish I would have added was 1 teaspoon vanilla and an extra egg.  As it was, though, the bread pudding was sweet like a homemade muffin and had lots of flavor. An extra egg would have made more of a custard. And the vanilla would have added to the flavor. It also might have benefitted from a tablespoon of melted butter added to the liquid mixture before combining with the bread cubes, apples, and raisins.

I baked mine in a buttered pie plate at 350 for about 25 to 3o minutes, until a knife inserted came out clean. Once done I cut it into wedges.

Delicious! I'll make this again with an extra egg, some vanilla extract, and a tablespoon of melted butter.