Hazardous workplace

This info came to me just 24 hours too late.  I guess my workplace is hazardous.  It wasn't necessary to bold the STOP EATING or Drinking portion of the email.  If there is nothing inside, there is much less that gets hurled out.  Yep, this is higher education.  :)

And, of course, prevention.  So important.

190.  Pepto Bismol
191.  Ginger ale
192.  Rice
193.  Paid sick days
194.  All the company this misery could ask for
195.  Knowing it will be over soon

Chinese Dim Sum, yum yum

I've been gone for a few days.  I thought I'd share a little bit of what I've been doing.  One thing I did while I was away was to try something I've always wanted to try.  (I almost said, "checked an item off my bucket list," but I don't really like that expression)  I went to a dim sum restaurant while I was in Philadelphia.  It was called the Dim Sum Garden and it was delicious.

First things, first.  The most important item in a dim sum restaurant are the soup dumplings.

Soup dumplings, aka Shanghai steamed pork juicy buns

There were eight of these dumplings, to start, but we were so excited to get them we dove right into them before I could snap the pic.  You eat these dumplings by peeling them off the parchment paper into your spoon and then lifting the spoon to your mouth.  Take a tiny bite of the thin won ton and slurp the broth out of the dumpling.  Watch out!  They are very hot.  Then, drizzle a little ginger sauce on it and proceed to finish the dumpling.  There is a little pork meatball inside.  Delicious.

We went to the Dim Sum Garden for the juicy buns, but my favorite thing was the Cold Cucumbers.

Cold cucumbers

These cucumbers were so good.  They were marinating in cilantro and vinegar.  I guess I'm in love with anything with cilantro in it.  So good.  I've got to learn how to make these.

We each had a bowl of soup and shared an order of scallion pancakes.  I had the Chilli Cabbage Shredded Pork soup and my friend, Carol, had the Seaweed and Egg soup.  We finished off the meal by sharing a plate of Pork with Sauce Noodles.

Chili cabbage shredded pork soup

Scallion pancake

I didn't get a pic of the pork with sauce noodles.  Sorry.  This meal was delicious and we were both stuffed.

The decor of the Dim Sum Garden is nothing to write home about, but the food it delicious.  Our waitress was so helpful. She made wonderful suggestions to us for choosing our food, as neither of us had been to a dim sum restaurant before.  She also explained that the Dim Sum Garden was a Chinese dim sum restaurant.  This type of dim sum is much different than a Cantonese dim sum restaurant.  In a Cantonese restaurant the popular way to dine is to arrive at 11 o'clock a.m. and have a brunch-like meal.  The waiters roll carts around the restaurant and the diners take plates of dim sum off the carts until they can eat no more.  They usually stay until around 3 o'clock p.m.  They make an event of the whole meal.

Btw, this was very economical meal, as well.  That may explain why the place was fill with college students.

 

 

110.  A couple days with an old friend
111.  Spending time in an urban environment, it feeds my soul
112.  Husband safely home from a skiing trip in Maine
113.  The first snowfall of the year
114.  Sunday morning in bed, with coffee

Goat

I told you I was going to let you know how the goat chops turned out. Here's a pic of them before they went on the grill. These are shoulder chops, so they have an extra bone in them and aren't quite as easy to eat as the loin chops will be. Let's get down to what is really important. They were delicious. As you can see, they are simply seasoned with garlic powder and black pepper. I always think the simpler, the better. I was warned that goat can be a bit tougher than lamb, so instead of grilling to rare, we grilled the meat to medium. This was the right choice. My husband gave me the chop that was cooked to medium rare and I noticed the chops cooked to medium seemed easier to cut.  None-the-less, the chop was delicious.  I can tell you that goat fat tastes much like beef fat.  We are big lamb eaters, at our home, but I do not like the flavor of lamb fat at all.  I trim my lamb very closely.  This is completely unnecessary with goat.  This was the first time I have eaten goat without having the flavor of the meat masked by a curry sauce.  All I can say is, I'm really looking forward to having the loin chops.

I'm sorry there is no picture of the chops after they were grilled.  The family was hungry and they were quickly snatched away.

50.  A good time management in service (Time Power)
51.  The return of Downton Abbey (third season)
52.  Eucalyptus essential oil
53.  Co-workers willing to lend books that they love
54.  Returning to my small group bible study
55.  Rain instead of snow
56.  Not catching the crummy respiratory thing that seems to be going around the office (knock on wood)
57.  Being busy enough to make the day go by quickly
58.  Relieved of my migrain
59.  Being asked for a kiss by my husband

Soup kitchen Thanksgiving

This year I enjoyed my Thanksgiving dinner at a soup kitchen.

I've spent holidays at soup kitchens before.  Being at a soup kitchen and serving those less fortunate than myself is a great way to stay grateful and to serve others.  I've had the blessing of serving, regularly, for the lunch serving at a soup kitchen in my neck of the woods.  Eventually, I came to know most of the folks that came there by their first names.  Some, I got to know better.  But there is nothing like serving a Thanksgiving meal at a soup kitchen.  People seem to come out of the woodwork to eat Thanksgiving dinner.  In fact, when I've worked a Thanksgiving soup kitchen, the time FLIES by.  Before you know it, it's done.  Then you can go home and eat your own Thanksgiving dinner.

This year, however, I did not serve at a soup kitchen.  This year I ate my Thanksgiving dinner at a soup kitchen.

This soup kitchen.  These folks put out this spread one time a year.  It's a school in Kankakee, IL.  This year three of their guests drove 810 miles to partake in the feast.

Servers rushed around and served us Family Style.  We sat with strangers around tables covered with white table clothes.  The family we sat with counted this Thanksgiving as their seventh at this soup kitchen.  They proudly told me how everything, except their underwear, had been purchased at thrift shops.  They couldn't understand why we had come so far to eat here.  I shared that this was something my mother and father wanted to do.  They had heard it was good and they didn't want the day to be too tiring for my mom.

I admit, I didn't go into this experience with the best attitude.  I was willing to cook and serve and clean-up at mom and dad's house.  I really didn't want to be served at a soup kitchen.  I tried very hard to be positive about this whole thing.  And then I ate the food.  It was not good.  Nothing was freshly prepared.  There were GFS boxes stacked around the room.  This was not what I considered a Thanksgiving dinner.

I have to admit, I'm a little ashamed of myself.  My father insisted that the meal was good.  He was happy there was no clean-up to do.  And, to assuage our reluctance to attend this Thanksgiving event, he planned to prepare a turkey breast just so we could have leftover turkey sandwiches.  And I complained about the pre-cooked; pre-sliced; and reheated in some kind of brownish salty liquid; turkey.  I tried to look around me at all the other guests and consider the situations they found themselves living in day after day.  Nope, couldn't do it.  I was too busy thinking about how bad the boxed mashed potatoes tasted and how bland the gravy was.  I tried to remind myself that Thanksgiving isn't about the meal, but about giving thanks for all our blessings.  It's about getting together with family.  It's a day to set aside a minute or two to be thankful.  But, I was too preoccupied with trying to figure out what that taste was in the stuffing, because it certainly wasn't sage.

So there I was, fully prepared to be thankful and enjoy some time with my parents and I failed.  I was completely in my flesh.  Thanksgiving dinner only comes around once a year.  I love the taste of my stuffing and my gravy is to DIE for.  I think it was Paul the Apostle who said, "I don't understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate."  Yep, that's me.  (I guess I should be a little happy.  I found something the Apostle Paul and I have in common.)

I planned to laugh at this situation and even laugh at my parents and their cheapness.  I mean, we could have gone to a restaurant and enjoyed a meal and had no clean-up, but my dad doesn't trust the servers in restaurants.  (Don't even let me go there)  My husband tried to hard to keep me on the straight and narrow.  He kept telling me to "stop talking" and "don't say anything else."  He was able to tell the lie with a poker face.  He just kept saying over and over, "everything is very good."  He's a great son-in-law.

By the way, I'm cooking a turkey this Saturday.  Why couldn't I just sit and chew and smile and think about that?

Thanks so much all you cooks and servers.  I know you gave up a good portion of your day to feed me.  God bless you all.

701.  I serve a God of second chances and Lord knows I need one today
702.  You can cook a turkey any day of the year
703.  A safe trip to and from my parents home
704.  The opportunity for my son to spend some time with his grandparents
705.  Time together for my family (even if it was being trapped in a car together for 14 hours)
706.  Mom's delicious home-made pumpkin pie
707.  I didn't gain any weight from that dinner
708.  The housekeeper from my building is well enough to go home from the hospital today.  AND, she is retiring from working here and moving to Florida to live with her sister.  God is certainly good.

I like lamb

This is the lamb I'm getting next week.

I think I'll name her, Delicious.  :)

582.  Good study last night.  I'm still processing.

583.  A healthy, pastured lamb and this recipe

584.  A view of the river from my office window

585.  Christian radio and the music they play

586.  A hot shower on a chilly morning

587.  Watching the leave just begin to change color

588.  Observing my son take an interest in his class

Lamb stew

I going to start this post with this HUGE disclaimer.  I am not a food blogger.  Oh, I wish I were.  Food bloggers get to cook all day and take beautiful pictures.  I understand it's super hard to photograph food.  I have absolutely no talent for photography, so this would not work well for me.  On the other hand, I'm a pretty good cook.  The other day I made lamb stew for the family.  It's definitely one of our favorites.  Every year we purchase a local lamb and this makes up about half of the meat our family will consume for the year.  So, the day I make the lamb stew is a pretty special day because there is only so much stew meat available.  I'm blogging this recipe (sadly with no pictures) for my faithful reader Elizabeth at Just Following Jesus.  Elizabeth is an amazing photographer.  Her blog is beautiful as well as inspiring.  She is overflowing with gratitude for all the blessings in her life.  She makes everything she touches beautiful.  And her love of our lord is evident in every word she writes.  Elizabeth, I hope you enjoy this recipe.

1 lb to 2 lbs lamb stew meat.  I ask the processor to give me all my odds and ends into stew meat instead of having it ground.  I'm not sure where it comes from, but I certainly wouldn't waste a leg cutting it up for stew meat.  I have two shoulder roasts left in the freezer and the processor has NEVER given me a shoulder roast before.  I think he usually cut them up for shoulder chops.  I may cut the shoulder chops into stew meat and make this again.  I almost forgot, trim the stew meat as best you can.  I don't think lamb fat is very tasty at all.  The less the better, in my humble opinion.

Brown the lamb in a couple or three Tbs of olive oil.  Salt and pepper the lamb before browning.  Add 6 or 7 large spring onions (chopped up. please use as much of the green as you can, but chop the green part a bit smaller) and 3 or 4 ribs of celery (chopped) after the lamb is beginning to brown.  Btw, I try to chop the celery and spring onion about the same size as the veggies I'm going to roast.  I'm guessing about an inch.

The vegetables are crucial.  Actually, roasting the vegetables is much more crucial than which veggies you actually use.  Although, the delicate flavor of the lamb goes best with more delicately flavored veggies.  I like to use carrots (about 5 or 6), turnips (about 10, depending on the size) and fennel bulb (one or two, depending on the size and whether or not you like fennel a lot or just a little).  I chop the carrots into coins.  Depending on the size of the turnips, I chop them to match the size of the carrots.  I do as well as I can to match the size of the fennel bulb chop.  Toss with a couple or three Tbs of olive oil, a little salt and pepper, then spread on a baking sheet.  Roast at 400 until the veggies are caramelized or pretty brownish (about half an hour).

Back to the lamb.  Add the following to the pot.
1 box of low sodium chicken stock (or 3 cups of home made chicken stock)
1/3 bottle of white wine (I like the fruitiness of a Pinot Grigio)
1 1/2 cups of orange juice (I like to use real oranges, so if you use less don't worry, the flavor is better)
A palm (1 Tbs) full of coriander and a palm of fennel seeds and a palm of orange zest (when you use real oranges this works out great)
If you have any fresh herbs in your refrigerator, mince them and add to this pot.

Let this pot simmer for an hour and a half, uncovered.

When the lamb is tender and the pot has cooked down a bit, add the veg and heat through.

Because I don't flour the lamb before browning the broth is a bit thinner than beef stew.  Therefore, I like to serve this stew over a scoop of mashed sweet potatoes.  I just peel and chop and boil the sweet potatoes and mash them.  No butter.

This stew has a lighter and sweeter flavor than beef stew.  I think it works perfectly with the veggies that are available in my area at this time of the year.  One special thing I'm proud to share is that everything (except the carrots and oranges and olive oil) come from within 20 miles of my home.  I love eating local.  I hope you enjoy this stew as much as our family enjoys it.

214.  I'm going on vacation tomorrow
215.  I'm going to be with my husband and away from all responsibilities for two weeks
216.  I have enough vacation time earned to do this
217.  I don't think my boss will fire me even though I'll be gone this long
218.  I know even if he does fire me, I'll be ok
219.  Seeing acquaintances I haven't seen for a whole year
220.  Seeing friends I haven't seen for a whole year
221.  Relaxing in the sun
222.  Reading for pleasure
223.  Going to restaurants
224.  The ocean
225.  Time to myself 

I'm linking with Becky at Feed my Family Friday (this is most likely a rare occurrence)  

I didn't take this picture, and I'm sure the lamb I get is a bit bigger than this one

Ken Cook's dinner

How hungry must I be to swallow the politics served to me?

Farm Bill 2012, food stamps and environmental incentives altered,

allowing factory farms federal dollars.

“Please pass the buck, um, I meant, salt.”

Money earmarked for small farmers spent on political reelection.  

Hoping the wine will wash away the entitlement taste from my mouth.

Having dinner tonight with Ken Cook and other liberals very nice people seeking the passing of the Farm Bill 2012,  I was tricked into this with the lure of a "cooking class" at the farm I buy my veggies from. and linking with G-man with a 55.

164.  The promise of a rainy weekend

165.  Soup in a cup to eat at my desk when I need to search the internet to study for my dinner conversation

166.  Clean water to drink

167.  Friday, the end of a long, long week 

Updates and other stuff

I finished the piece I'm entering into the Humorous Writing contest at my school.  The more I rewrote and rewrote, the less funny it became, I think.  I'm still going to enter it.  I had a few friends read it.  A couple said it was hilarious, a couple said it was funny, one said it was witty, and another said it read like a news item.  Oh well.  It's my first attempt at writing for a contest.  I don't expect to win, but wouldn't it be great if I did?

I've been juicing.  I watched a documentary called Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.  It was streaming on Netflix.  This guy, Joe Cross, lost a bunch of weight by going on a juice fast of only fresh fruit and vegetable juices.  I don't think I can handle JUST juice, but I'm substituting the juice for two meals each day.  The juice is really good.  I usually make it with a big handful of kale, a cucumber, a stalk of celery, an orange and two apples.  It makes about two cups of juice and it tastes really good.  I have to admit, I get pretty hungry by lunchtime.  I haven't started bringing the juice to work.  My boss and co-workers give me an incredibly hard time about the "green stuff."  I hate when they do this.

I finally recovered from a very bad bout of bronchitis.  Last week was my first full week back to work and my husband's first full week of retirement without having me at home with him while I was sick.  He likes retirement much more when I'm at work.  I don't know what I think about this.  On the other side of this retirement deal.  I got rid of all my husband's dress shirts and ties.  There will be no more tie wearing in his future.  I think he loves this.

I've got a funny work story for you.  Last week I was working on a photoshop project for my office.  I'm not a graphic designer and I'm self-taught on photoshop, so it isn't the easiest thing in the world for me to do well.  I was having a difficult time with the project and I seemed to be making the same mistake over and over again.  Added to this frustrating process were the conditions I was having to work in.  The temperature outside was in the 70's and the building had the boiler cranking the heat up into the mid-80's inside.  I had to open the window to try to catch a bit of a breeze and, unfortunately someone was smoking outside my office window.  In fact, they were chain smoking.  Then, if this wasn't bad enough, the groundskeepers decided to have a conversation.  They were yelling at each other to be heard over the lawn mowers.  ARRRRRRGGGGG.  I couldn't take it.  I couldn't concentrate.  I finally said, "This is too much.  I'm out of here."  I shut down my computer, grabbed my purse and went to lunch.  It was great to get away.  When I got back to the office I was able to focus and finish the project.  My boss returned from lunch and asked me if things were going better.  I told him that they were.  Then he told me he had heard me say, "I'm outta here."  I laughed and continued to work.  After a couple minutes I thought to myself, I'll bet he thought I wasn't coming back to work.  So I asked him if he thought I wasn't coming back and he said the thought crossed his mind.  Hahahaha.  Yeah, I've got this job just the way I like it.  :)

Lastly, my husband is on vacation in South Lake Tahoe.  He's skiing.  I'm home, working, and he's in Nevada skiing.  I chose not to go on this vacation because it was to be a "guys" trip and I did not want to end up being the maid to three guys.  Unfortunately, the two other guys dropped out and my husband went on his own.  No worries, though, he's a friendly guy and makes friends wherever he goes.  He's having a blast.  In fact, just this morning he called to tell me it was a bit windy and overcast today.  He thought he would hang out in the hot tub and then get a massage, later.  Thanks dear.  I really needed to hear this.  You have a wonderful vacation.  :)

78.  My husband is wearing a helmet while skiing
79.  People praying for my husband's safety
80.  My son is really stepping up and helping out while husband is away
81.  Friend offering to take me out to dinner
82.  Learning that my son doesn't like the taste of celery (I had always assumed he didn't like my cooking)
83.  Crisp spring days

Husband having fun in Tahoe

My small life

I've been reflecting on this year of blogging as 2011 is drawing to a close.  As I think about it, I realize, I live a pretty small life.  By this, I mean, I have pretty small wants and desires.  My dreams for my life are pretty small.  I don't think a small life is a bad thing.  In fact, I think if I were to choose the life I would have, I would choose this life I'm living with very few changes.

I know I've done a lot to make my life the small life it is.  I've decided I want to buy local foodstuffs for my family and shop in local stores.  We have a Walmart in our town.  In the 16 years of it's doors opening, I've entered this store less than a dozen times.  It's just not where I choose to shop.  There are a couple new chain department stores in my town and I haven't been in them yet.  Clothes shopping isn't my favorite diversion.  I buy all my produce at a local farm.  I buy my meat from local farmers.  I buy my eggs and cheese from local farmers.  This is a decision our family has made.

Because of the "buying local" food thing, I have to cook my meals at home.  Going out to a restaurant is a rare occurrence for my family.  It's not that we can't afford it.  It's that we choose to eat the food we have already purchased and eat at home.  I am so grateful for the internet and the various cooking blogs out there.  There are so many homesteading blogs with women choosing to can and preserve summer bounty.  I find so much inspiration out there in the blogosphere. 

I don't wear the most fashionable clothing.  This works out well for me, as I don't attend fancy parties and events.  If I do have to attend an event, I find something in my closet I have worn before and it gets another night out on the town.  I don't feel bad about this.  The reality of the situation is, the clothes I wear to work don't make me do a better job and the clothes I wear to a party don't make my personality any more sparkling than it already is.

I don't redecorate my house very often.  I'm satisfied with the furniture and decor I chose early in my marriage and have made it work for every house we have lived in throughout my husband's naval career and second career years.  It's so much fun to think back to the days when our kitchen table served as an end table and to remember the compliments we received on our various homes.

My husband wanted to expand my life this past year by traveling more.  We went on a lot of vacations this past year.  I have to say, it was a bit tough on me.  I'm not ungrateful.  I love travel and I had a great time on each trip.  Maybe if the hurricane hadn't broken my house I would have had an easier time being away from home.  I don't know.  I felt a bit disconnected and pushed for time to get my house fixed and back in order.  There are still quite a few things that need to be fixed and organized.  I'm looking forward to my Christmas break to get some jobs done around the house.  Maybe this means I'm a "homebody."  I don't know.

My hopes and dreams for my family are small, as well.  I want them to be happy.  I want them to be a contribution to society and to be generous to those in need.  I want my son to be able to live independently and to like his job.  I want to teach my son how to make his money work for him while he is working to earn his money. 

The most important people in my life are family.  I wish my mother lived closer to me, but she would probably want my father to come with her and I like him just where he is.  I have wonderful friends.  They are interesting and fun to hang around with.  My entertainment needs are small and my son has introduced me to Netflix streaming.  It's not great, but there is a TON of South Park on it.

My job is pretty small.  I'm a secretary.  And, I've recently discovered, through an "ALL STAFF" email from the president that I'm a non-essential employee.  It appears of the approximately 250 staff members where I work, only 18 of them were deemed essential and given raises.  Evidently, my boss is one of the essential employees.  Gee, I wonder if I helped him out at all?  I guess he did great all on his own.  *He's Awesome*  (sarcasm)

So, there you have it.  I love my life.  It's been fun to share a bit of it with my readers and even meeting a couple of you.  I'm looking forward to 2012.  I'm looking forward to sharing more of my life's journey with you and focusing on being happy on the journey.

kevinsmicrohomestead.wordpress.com

The truth

I've got nothin'.  Sorry.

I was thinking about doing a 30 day blog and exercise challenge, but that just is not going to happen this month.  I just don't have the energy for it. 

I don't want to whine about my house.  So I'm going with one of my Dad's favorite sayings.  "If you don't have anything nice to say.  Don't say anything at all."  I think it's appropriate. 

I hope you took a moment to stop by Kati's CulturTwined blog.  She wrapped up her interview with me.  If you look, you will get to know me even better.  :)

More truth.

"You don't have a Soul.  You are a Soul.  You have a body."

C.S.Lewis

Good stuff on the 'net. Who knew?

I've been inspired this morning.  Well, some of the inspiration came this morning, some of it came over the weekend.  Anyway, I found a couple blogs that just gave me that "Ah Ha" moment.  And I really needed that moment.
 
I don't know how I stumbled upon Lorrie's blog, but I'm so glad I did.  She was just about to start a challenge to eat when hungry and stop when full.  I know, all you skinny girls out there do this naturally.  Well, some of us don't.  And it shows.  So, I decided to leave the comment "I'm in."  And, she called me on it.  So, I'm in.  I'm doing the challenge.  I know portion control is one of the keys to weight loss and know when I'm beginning to feel full, contrary to wanting to stop eating, has been an issue for me.  So I'll use portion control along with stopping and starting my eating with the hungry and full urge. 

Thanks Lorrie.  I'm looking forward to the accountability and encouragement.

Another blog I read is Matt's blog.  I've been reading Matt for a while, but... sometimes I just don't get Matt.  Maybe it's the age thing, I don't know.  Anyway, I still glance at his blog once in a while and see what he is up to.  TODAY was gold.  Matt's post, Homelessness is Next to Godliness, was just what I needed.  I've been struggling with the attitude of a growing number of younger adult christians.  I especially noticed them in the church I recently left.  And, one of them was in the hurtful women's bible study.  I couldn't put my finger on what it was that was bothering me.  I couldn't stand hearing them call themselves "poor" and begging for money.  I mean, I could articulate what I bothered about them, but I couldn't find a "name" for them.  Matt coined the phrase, "Recreational Poverty."  He defines this term this way.

"The difference between these people and real poor people is that they are able bodied, capable of working.  They just choose not to.  They have chosen a life that may be free of idolatrous “things,” but they are also free of responsibility.  No one is counting on them.  They contribute little of value to communities."

Thanks Matt.  I can't tell you how naming it helps me so much.

Please take a moment to look at each of these blogs.  If you like either of them, tell them I sent you.  :)

Just peachy

There is nothing like a productive weekend to make me feel better about myself.  I got a lot done this weekend.  I'm feeling just peachy.  This is another interesting saying.  I wondered where it came from.  I found my answer in http://wiki.answers.com/.

When eaten, some kinds of peaches produce a natural high by interfering with the lipotin receptors in the brain. Since these kinds of peaches were not outlawed until the 1940's, they were commonly sold as a drug. When high off of them, people would often say that they were feeling "Peachy".

Seriously?  High?  Too bad these peaches are outlawed now.  I don't think I'm feeling "high" because I got a lot accomplished this past weekend, but I am certainly feeling satisfied.  It's amazing what can be accomplished when I don't have a migraine.  I didn't get EVERYTHING on my wish list done, but I'm not going to fret over it.

The first thing I did when I got home from work on Friday was to freeze a bushel of tomatoes.  My husband stopped at the CSA farm we belong to and bought a half bushel of seconds.  These are tomatoes with blemishes.  Some of these blemishes are quite serious.  There are bruises, bugs, mold, splits; you get the picture.  I stood at the sink and cut all the bad parts off the tomatoes and put them directly into freezer bags.  I've found when you freeze tomatoes this way, then thaw for use, the tomato will just slip out of the skin when slightly thawed.  When I go to make sauce with the frozen tomatoes, I allow them to slightly thaw, slip them out of their skins directly in the pot and cook down into sauce.  Easy peasy.  My husband also bought a half bushel of roma tomatoes.  These are my favorite for sauce.  These were first grade tomatoes, so directly in the freezer bags.  No work needed.

Here's a bit of tomato information for you.  There are generally two types or cultivars of tomatoes.  There are determinate and indeterminate.  Determinate tomatoes produce a bush and produce all their fruit at once, then stop producing.  Indeterminate tomatoes produce vines and continue producing fruit until there is a killing frost.  Roma tomatoes are determinate tomatoes.  So, you've got to get them while they're available.

On Saturday I froze a bushel of peaches.  Our family LOVES peaches.  I buy what is known as pie peaches when I buy peaches for the freezer.  I called the peach farm lady on Friday to ask if she would bring pie peaches to the farmer's market Saturday morning.  She said she didn't have room, but if I came a bit later in the morning she would see how many peaches she could sort for me.  So, at 11 o'clock a.m. I sent my husband to the market and he came home with a bushel of peaches for me to freeze.  I was so happy.
I did take some pictures of the peaches.

This is a perfect peach

This is a pie peach

You can see what I mean when I speak of a pie peach.  These pie peaches cost $16 per bushel.  This is a VERY good price.

This is a peck of peaches.  There are 4 pecks in a bushel.

I measure the amount of peaches in each freezer batch I make by using a 9 inch pie plate.  I usually make peach pies in the winter.  I make a delicious peach pie.  *I think I've mentioned this before.  I don't make pies in the summer because it is way too hot to bake.  I eat plain, delicious peaches in the summertime.
 

One freezer batch of peaches.  Yum!

I sprinkle some fruit fresh on the peaches and slip them into a freezer bag.  It's a lot of work and my hands get a few little cuts all over them and IF I had arthritis I wouldn't be able to type this post today.

Some of the fruits of my labors.  :)

On Sunday I canned six pints of pickles.  I made Bread and Butter Pickles.  I use this recipe from Cooks.com.  It is delicious and not too sweet.  I love canning.  The canned vegetables are so beautiful in the clear glass jars.  It makes me so happy to see them lined up in my cupboard.  The colors are so vibrant.

The last thing I did on Sunday was make the BEST Eggplant Parmesan.  I used Martha Stewart's recipe.  We had it for dinner Sunday night and it was delicious.  Really.  The best one I've EVER made.

So, I didn't get any items listed on eBay.  I still have peppers I need to roast.  But it was a very fulfilling weekend.  I can't believe this is the kind of stuff that makes me feel so good about myself.

My gift to my husband

We are preparing for the memorial service for my mother-in-law next month.  Husband, son and I will be driving to Indiana to join with the extended family to grieve together and remember grandma.  It's going to be a tough trip.  A few months ago I wrote this post, I can still perform an act of love.  At the time, I thought I had done this.  I was wrong.  I needed to do more.  So, this past weekend I made a small book of photos of my mil with as many members of her family as I could find.  Unfortunately, I didn't have most of the pictures.  I was able to get some great old pictures of grandma when she was a child and when she was a teen and when she was a young mother.  These were such a great addition to the book.

I'm feeling so much more "myself" today.  I can talk about the challenges involved in getting the pics from my husband's sister.  Evidently when they were down in Florida taking care of the apartment and sorting through all grandma's things, there were pictures.  All her pictures.  There were ALL the pictures of grandchildren and nieces and nephews and great nieces and grand nephews and friends.  So, the siblings divided the pics into piles and sorted.  Unfortunately my husband was not able to bring the "community" picture pile home with him for me to scan.  His sister took it home and unfortunately was not able to bring herself to work with the pictures.  We had to call her and ask her to PLEASE scan some pictures for me to use in the book.  Unfortunately she was on a weekend holiday, but she was able to understand the urgency of our desire to make this book, as well as recognize her procrastination in dealing with the pictures.  She cut her weekend short and did the scanning.  I was so grateful.

I used My Publisher to make the book.  I am so satisfied with this company.  I've used them before to make commemorative books for retirees in my work.  The quality is quite good and the turn around time for the books is pretty quick.  I think these will be a nice thing for the sisters and nieces and sister-in-law and anyone else desiring a book of pics.

The other chore I have taken on for this memorial is the structuring of some sort of "order of service" for the memorial service.  We aren't having a minister or doing it in a church.  The family wants to do it at home.  I've been to a few funerals in my time, so I'm sure I'll be able to put together some sort of program.  I would like to have a poem or two.  One that comes to mind is "When Tomorrow Starts Without Me" by David Romano.  I think this will be a good one.  If any of you have any favorites, please leave the name of the poem in the comments.  I'd love to have a few to choose from.  I think I'll include the 23rd Psalm.  This is always a comforting chapter of the Bible.  Even though there will be members of many faiths present, I believe this Psalm will work.  A couple of the grandchildren have asked to play music on the instruments they play.  I think that will be precious.  I hope they really know how to play.  ;)

If anyone out there has any other suggestions, I'm taking all ideas.  I'm feeling just a little nervous about this.  I don't want to step on any toes.  I am the "out-law" in this family.  It's just my nature to have a plan.  I'll put it out there to the sisters and the nieces.  They can do with it what they please.

Oh, and I just heard I'm supposed to make scalloped potatoes.  Really?

This is the book I made, if you'd like to see it.

SoCal = avocados

I have been eating well while on this vacation.  I love the fresh foods I've had offered to me while in SoCal.  In fact, I commented to my husband, I haven't even seen a McDonalds.  I did see a Wendy's, but it didn't have a drive-through or parking.  I really wanted to get a burger at an In-N-Out Burger, but I didn't come across one.  What I did eat was avocados.  I ate avocados on fish tacos.  I ate avocados on omelettes.  I ate avocados on sushi.  I ate avocados on carnitas.  I bought avocados at the grocery and made guacamole in my hotel room.  I love avocados... and they are SO affordable here.

I'd love to share some of the food I ate with you.  It was DELICIOUS!

In La Jolla (this is pronounced La Hoya.  why?) we went to Sushi on the Rock.  I recommend this place.  Great sushi and perfect location.  Even if you aren't "old money" you can eat in La Jolla.  It's not cheap, but it is yummy.

The Don:  Grilled shrimp, asparagus, crab, AVOCADO, layered with seared tuna and served with ponzu sauce (sorry about the spot on my lens)

Barrio Roll:  Tuna, cilantro and serrano chilies served with fresh salsa and AVOCADO

After dinner, enjoy this sunset

In Old Town San Diego we went to the Old Town Mexican Cafe.  You must order the carnitas.  They are the best.

Yeah, those chips are warm

These are the delicious carintas.  The AVOCADO, cilantro, tomato and onion were on another plate

 Flan ('nuff said)

I want to share the images of the talented women making these delicious tortillas, fresh, every day.

How could I forget Scones?

When I blogged about my FABULOUS weekend with my new girlfriends, who are indeed ROCKET SCIENTISTS, I forgot to tell you about the SCONES.  One dear friend brought scones, ready for the oven.  That meant they would be fresh baked.  They would be hot.  Served with clotted cream and lemon curd.  Washed down with mimosas.  Could life get any better?  I don't bake.  Really!  I don't even bake cookies every Christmas.  It's just not my thing.  I'm a fairly good cook, but baking has always eluded me.  There is just something about paying attention to the oven.  I get distracted.  I forget.  I burn.  My new ROCKET SCIENTIST friend, Wendy, says I can do this.  And, she's a ROCKET SCIENTIST, so she knows a lot of stuff.  If she says I can do it, I believe her.  She is going to send me the recipe.  Hopefully she will look at this blog and see how I've been bragging about her and remember to send me the recipe.
Hi Wendy!!!

Another of the ROCKET SCIENTISTS, Deb, bakes bread.  She said I could do it.  Wendy bakes bread, too.  I LOVE bread.  Really, who doesn't?  I am really beginning to re-think this notion of baking.  I've been encouraged and I like the end product.  Seems like a win win situation to me.  I'm really seriously considering becoming a woman that bakes.  I'll let you know.

On a similar subject, I've been considering posting cooking recipes now and again.  I like to cook.  I don't have lots of time, but I like it.  I like using fresh ingredients from local farms.  I'm thinking about this.  Do you think you would like to see some recipes and maybe even a picture?  My last blog featured pictures I took with my iPhone.  I don't have a cool camera, but I have a cool phone.  I wish I would have taken a picture of the SCONES, but I was hungry.  Next time.