What We're Cooking

One thing with self-quarantining is that we're cooking more. Normally, we have lunch out several times a week---me with my friends and he at various meetings or while he's out geo-caching. That meant that we either had Lean Cuisines or sandwiches for dinner. I usually cooked about 2 or 3 times a week. And even those meals were very simple: grilled cheese and tomato soup, sauerkraut and polish sausage, vegetable soup, etc.

This week, I decided to try something new. I pulled out a bunch of things I've printed from Facebook or other sights and plan to give them a try. I also went through my recipe box to find old favorites and recipes from friends I haven't made in a long time. I'm going to share the best with you.

Since I have a pretty well stocked pantry and freezer, I tried to only buy things to make the recipes and use up what we already have.

Our menu looked like this:

Sunday,  Butch decided to cook. He wanted to use the air fryer and "fry" chicken---Justin style. He used the basic fried chicken recipe that came in the box with the fryer but added crushed Cheetohs (Justin's idea) and reduced the flour. It was yummy!! He served some instant mashed potatoes and green beans. The potatoes were a Friday "freebie" from Kroger. I was skeptical. They were really good.

Monday, I just opened a can of Manwich that I had in the pantry. We had Strawberry Shortcake for dessert. The strawberries looked so good, AND they had these little Entenneman's pound cakes BOGO. I just bought one box as Publix allows you to do that. We topped it with light Cool Whip.

Tuesday, I made a new recipe that was delicious--and so simple. I served it with 3 Cheese Bread I had in the freezer. I love recipes where you cook everything together and don't have to cook the pasta separately.

One Pot Chicken Piccata

1 T. olive oil

1 lb. boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, cut in to bite size pieces

S & P

2 t. fresh mince garlic (I used 1 t. dried)

3 cups (32 oz.) chicken broth

2 T. fresh lemon juice (I used 1.5 T. of the concentrate)

8 oz. spaghetti, broken in half

1/4 cup capers (I left these out because I didn't have them)

1/2 cup heavy cream

Italian parsley for garnish

1. In a large pot, cook the chicken in the olive oil for 5-7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add garlic.

2. Add all ingredients except cream and heat to boiling. 

3. Reduce heat and simmer 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally until liquid is absorbed and pasta is al dente. Stir in whipping cream and heat through. Garnish with parsley. 

*Notes: I used thin spaghetti. I don't know if that's the reason, but it did not absorb enough of the liquid. We ended up pouring out quite a bit of liquid. I was afraid that if I tried to let it boil away, the pasta would get mushy. I poured out most of the liquid before adding the cream. Also, I topped it with parmesan cheese, because, well, what doesn't taste better with Parmesan??? It was delicious! It would be really good even without the chicken.

Wednesday, I had planned to make 8 Can Soup---an old recipe that I think I got from my friend, Nancy E. I texted Mitchell and told him to come by for some of the leftovers---I was worried about him having some home cooking. That's when I decided that we would have it for lunch rather than dinner so that I could add it to his "care" package. Butch made it while I was out walking. This is the easiest of all. Don't let the ingredients fool you. They really work when combined.

8 Can Soup

Do not drain anything. Dump all together in a big pot and heat through.

1 can Veg-All

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can corn

1 can green beans

1 can Campbells Old fashioned vegetable soup (there wasn't any of this so I just got regular beef vegetable soup)

1 can diced potatoes (these were out too, so I got sliced and kind of sliced through them in the can)

1 can Hormel chili

1 can Hormel chili without beans (I couldn't get these either, so I used 2 cans of the regular)

This was really good too. I hadn't made it in a very long time. We just had crackers on the side.

Thursday:  we had cheese tortellini with pesto sauce. I made a salad with it and some garlic bread.

Friday: we had a charcuterie board with our happy hour. We like to do that. Simple and casual. Originally, I had the bright idea that we'd go over to Stephanie and Nicky's with drinks in hand. We could sit on their front porch, 6 ft. apart. After all, the temperatures are going to be in the 70's. Steph put the k-bosh on that. We're going to give it another week. As the weather gets nicer, we'll be able to get together on the patio in the fresh air. At least that's the plan.

Saturday: Since you are reading this on Saturday, my plan is to drive through Corky's BBQ. They are offering a deal---a slab of ribs, 4 sides and rolls for $2020. Of course I'll use bleach wipes on everything before we open the containers!

We are all taking this really seriously and trying to do the right thing. We are in no way in fear for our lives (although, the girls are worried about us---they think we're old). We're a couple of very healthy seniors with no underlying problems. But, we want to make sure that we are not helping to spread this virus in any way. Honestly, I thought we could have kept our normal life for another week. Butch was more adamant that we do our part immediately, so we did.

One week down. So far, so good. Tomorrow, I'll let you know what we're doing to pass the time.

Friday Funnies

Because we need to keep a sense of humor---I'm going to continue with my "Friday Funnies" posts.

8 Things Parents Did in the 50's & 60's They Could Never Do Today

I'm hoping this post will will be a little diversion from all the anxious-ness going on right now. Plus, it will give you a little walk down memory lane!

I came across an article several months ago. It got me to thinking. I miss a lot about the good ol' days. But there are some things you just can't do these days. In a way, I'm sad about that. Some things were not good ideas to begin with.

1. Letting kids play after dark.
When we were really little, we had to be in by dark. Also, we had to be close enough that we could hear our parents calling us from our house. When I think about that now, it's seems a little weird that our parents would step outside the door and call our names at the top of their lungs. If you didn't hear them, you could count on your friends to pass the word. And you better head home lickety split. When we got older, we were allowed to play outside way past dark.

2. Sending your kids to the store with a note.
That was the time of little neighborhood markets. When I was 2 years old---yes, 2 (mom said I had to grow up fast with Ronnie being one and the twins being newborns---we were all January babies!)---I was sent down the alley a half block to the store with a note. The "nice lady" always gave me a penny for the "pop bead" machine (like a gum ball machine). I loved collecting those beads.

3. Playing in the hose.
Many times, we were allowed to run through the sprinkler. We got drinks from the hose with our friends when we were playing outside. I can still remember that plastic flavor. And then, we'd just play with the hose and drench each other. Sometimes, we'd cause a serious mud puddle and the fun really began. No problem, just hose off! I can't recall the last time I've ever seen kids playing in the hose. That even sounds strange---playing in the hose. You can almost imagine teeny children inside the hose!

4. Correcting other people's children.
OMGosh y'all! This was the worst! If you got yelled at by someone else in the neighborhood, you got it twice as bad at home. And you could rest assured that your siblings would rat you out. They couldn't wait to dart home ahead of you to "tell"! Luckily for us, we were only "hit" by our own parents. No neighbors laid a hand on us, although it was actually acceptable. Now-a-days, parents can't even hit their own kids much less someone else's!

5. Teaching kids how to use the stove or oven.
About the only thing I ever "cooked" was fudge. Reenie and I made it all the time---even in the middle of the night. That way, we got the entire batch to ourselves. I don't think kids cook like that anymore. Most likely they just use the microwave.

6. Kids riding in the back of the car.
Yep, no one thought anything of kids riding "loose" in the back of a station wagon or truck. It was just a way of life. We had large families. It was the only way to get us around.

7. Sending baked goods to school.
I can't really relate to this one as my mom NEVER sent baked goods to school. Nor did anyone else. When we were growing up, there was no such thing as celebrating your birthday at school. School wasn't supposed to be fun--and it wasn't. On the other hand, I did send baked goods to school for my kids in the 70's & 80's. That's all over now. Too many allergies. Honestly, I don't remember any kid I knew growing up as having allergies. We all had the same one: poison ivy! That was it.

8. Spinning kids on the merry-go-round.
Now that was fun. If we were lucky, there might be a parent to spin us really fast. If we had to do it ourselves, it was really hard. You'd run and push along side and then jump on to get a 3 second ride. It was always better if someone else pushed! And then, when you got off, you had that fun dizzy feeling as you staggered around to keep from falling. I can't think of the last time I've seen a merry-go-round. However, it doesn't take much to make me feel dizzy!

So those were the eight things the article talked about. Now you know I cannot have such an odd number. I'm adding two more of my own memories.

9. Climbing trees.
We climbed trees all the time. ALL the time. If we got too high---and we really did---our parents would yell, "Hey you kids! Get out of that tree. You're going to fall and break your arm." We definitely fell out, but nobody broke anything. I'm pretty certain my kids never climbed a tree.

10. Ice skating on a pond or swimming in it.
Thinking back on this, it was probably the most dangerous thing we did. It was not at all unusual for someone to fall through the ice--they just didn't go all the way down. As for swimming, we jumped off of logs without even considering it might not be deep enough. We were pretty lucky that nothing tragic happened.

Yeah, I think growing up in the 50's and 60's was the best. Most of the time, our parents didn't know where we were or what we were doing. We rode our bikes all over tarnation---without helmets! There was no thought of safety. We just had to be home by dinner time. We all took a lot of bumps and bruises and an occasional broken arm. If that happened, you were elevated in the eyes of your friends!

I wouldn't change my childhood for anything!

Catching Up on All Kinds of Stuff

I've mentioned before that I follow over 200 blogs. I use a blog reader so I don't have to visit each one every day. When I scroll through my reader, I pick out the ones I want to read and then just add it to my reading list on my computer. It could be months before I ever get back to it. Mostly that happens when I don't have time to read it right then. As a result, those posts have a way of building up. Well, this time of self-quarantining is perfect for culling through my reading list. I have Ted Talks on it and You Tube videos too. 

Anything that I come across that I think is fun or interesting, I'm going to share with you. 

Today, I'm starting with James Cordon's Crosswalk Concerts. This was the first one I saw---a few months ago. Since then, I've watched a few more. You can find them on YouTube. I think we need to keep our sense of humor at times like this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gjp1kbxEdGU

Then I was reading a blog post from my friend, Deb at Deb's World. This post is from January, but I'm just now getting around to it. I'm reposting this from her blog, where she in turn, pulled it from another blog bearing her same name. It's a quote that I think is very appropriate for these uncertain times.

Life is amazing. 

And then it's awful. 

And then it's amazing again. 

And in between the amazing and awful it's ordinary and mundane and routine. 

Breathe in the amazing, hold on through the awful, and relax and exhale during the ordinary. 

That's just living heartbreaking, soul-healing, amazing, awful, ordinary life.  And it's breathtakingly beautiful.

L.R. Knost

This pretty much sums it up. 

Be healthy and safe!

Self-Quarantine-ing

Sunday, Butch and I decided to do our part and self-quarantine for the next couple weeks. Then we’ll re-access and see how things are going. We’d already cancelled our Sedona trip. But you know me, that just meant I filled the week with other things with my friends. Soooo, I cancelled all of that too.

I decided that if I was going to be home for awhile, I’d do some cooking. I pulled out some recipes, made my list and got to the grocery store at 6:45 a.m. Monday morning. As I suspected, there weren’t many people there. There were lots of empty shelves, but they were restocking as I was there. The pasta and sauce aisle was empty. Luckily, a stock guy rolled out the cart and started putting stuff on the shelves, so I got some spaghetti. 

The vegetable shelves were nearly bare. I needed 2 cans of Veg-all for a soup recipe. I guess I was meant to make it as there were exactly 3 cans left. I took the two I needed and left one for someone else. I try not to be selfish! Check out my blog Sunday about my toilet paper situation. I also have a lot of chicken—because 3 times I thought I was getting ground chuck only to realize later that I picked up chicken breasts! This is from the butcher and is wrapped in butcher paper so you can’t actually see the meat. It’s from Fresh Market. If you have those stores, you should watch their sales. They have ground chuck and chicken breasts every Tuesday for $2.99 a lb. They have them both in the same case--hence the mistake. I’ll be more careful from now on.

I did get ground chuck at the grocery store and they had a good supply. A woman sidled up to me—I’m thinking like “what are you doing?—you know social distancing and all!” She said, “it’s scary, isn’t it?” I’m thinking, "are you nuts?” There’s tons of food to be had. The food situation is not as dire as the media has made out. Just give the stores time to re-stock! The only thing I wasn’t able to get were eggs!! And I know someone who can hook me up—even if I have to drive to St. Louis to get them!!! Thank God for Wicked Chickens!!

So, I called Margarita yesterday and told her not to come for the next two weeks. In the meantime, I’m back to cleaning. I’ve been spoiled for so long. I wasn’t sure I still remembered how! (Only kidding—one thing I’m good at—cleaning). I only cleaned our bedroom, family room and kitchen plus the master bath and powder room. It took me about an hour. My back is killing me! Butch offered to help, so I put him on vacuuming!! 

I’m on the last load of laundry. I’m pretty darn efficient if I have to be! I talked to Connie on the phone for an hour while I was out walking.

So in a nutshell, I started my day at 6:45. I went to the store, started laundry, cleaned, walked and talked on the phone—all by 10:30 a.m.! Now I’m going to treat myself and do some stitching while watching something on Netflix!

We're also planning to do some hiking around town. I came across a list of 5 beautiful places where the hike is a mile. Right up my alley. Plus it will feel good to get out!

I have a few other things planned for us too---around the house. Most involve cleaning and cleaning out!

So, what are y’all doing?

Monday Mystery

It's been awhile since I did a Monday Mystery post. I'm thinking of changing it to "This Can't Be Happening!"

More dealings with the DMV! You just can't make this stuff up!!

A week ago, I tried to renew the license plate on the '59 Corvette. I don't really know what you call that. Some people say "car tags," but I never have. Just doesn't sound right. Anyhoo, I usually do it online---or have for many years. Since the car is classic, it does not require a Marta inspection.
Usually, it's a pretty simple process. A few clicks, enter payment, done.

And now the mystery begins.

A couple days later, I got an email saying that my online renewal had been rejected. What???? The reason was that the license plate on the Corvette had been reported as lost or stolen. WTF???  I was very confused. The only people who would have reported it lost or stolen would have been us. The only way if could be lost or stolen was if the car itself was lost or stolen. Considering it resides in our garage 90% of the time, I thought that was unlikely.

Still, I was second guessing myself. I had Butch go out and check to see that the car was indeed, still in the garage, that the license plate was there and matched the number I was trying to renew. Why didn't I do it---you ask?? No, it wasn't because I was lazy. Duh, I was already dialing the DMV! Already I wasn't happy before I even got through.

Lo and behold, I actually got a person without a long wait. I explained the situation. The woman said, "well, let me see here." She came back and asked all the questions, the VIN number and plate number, etc. I had the renewal reminder in front of me. Yep, she told me that the plate had been reported lost or stolen. She then said that she didn't know what happened, but that there was nothing she could do about it. I would have to come in----OMGosh! Just the thought of having to go into the DMV and wait for hours was absolutely out of the question! OUT! OF! THE! QUESTION! No way! Not happening! Never! Well, unless I could kill two birds with one stone. But then, I still do not have my social security card. So, "NO" not happenin'!

I asked if there was anything else I could do. She said we can get the state on the phone, but unfortunately, the "state" was closed. What?  What did that even mean? The entire state of Tennessee was closed! I had a vision of road blocks set up at every entry point. And then, possibly a wall! And even if the state wasn't closed, how do you get it on the phone!

I said, "Okay you're telling me that you will call the state when it re-opens?" She said, "No, you'll have to do it. I have no idea when the state will re-open. You could try Monday."

I didn't call back last Monday. I probably won't call today. After all, with the Coronavirus, I'm pretty sure the state is still closed. Plus, I'm going to have to call the DMV back to find out WHERE in the STATE I'm supposed to call. Surely they would have the number. Maybe all I need to do is an internet search for the phone number for the state of Tennessee!

Side note--I decided to see what would come up if I did that search---"what is the phone number for the state of Tennessee?" The phone number for Tenn Care popped up (that's our welfare system). And all the area codes popped up. Neither of those would help me. I'll have to call the DMV back. Darn.

Dealing with the government is never fun. And that reminds me. I needed to renew my passport.
Why in the heck does it have an expiration date on it when in actuality, it expires six months before that date. It's a test to count backwards six months to the actual expiration date! Unfortunately, I had two trips planned that would require my passport leading up to the expiration date printed on the passport. So, I knew I needed to get "on" it.

I thought I could just do it online. Nope. I needed to get the passport photo taken. Off to Walgreens. It took about 5 minutes. Then the gal told me that it would take 20 minutes to print. Are you kidding me? When I have a hundred pictures printed, it takes less than that. I didn't wait. I'm becoming more and more impatient with my age---I guess. There's a little more to it than that.

You may recall that I've mentioned living my life on a timeline. Before I leave the house, I figure out all I have to do. I start with an appointment. In this case, I was meeting my friends to stitch at 10 a.m. Then I back up from there with my errands to figure out what time I need to leave. I only allotted 15 minutes for the Walgreen's stop. That's why I couldn't wait---it would have thrown my entire timeline off.

I was going to be back in the area the next day, so I popped in then and picked up the picture.

I filled out the form and planned to send it off with the old passport and photos. I added a trip to the post office to my timeline and sent it some fancy way so that I can track it. There were too many choices---mostly expensive. I don't even remember if I chose "certified" or "registered." It doesn't matter, it off to the passport office. Now I'll play the waiting game. Because, of course, I can't go back to the DMV until I have my passport! 

Hmmmm, maybe I should wait until I get the passport, then take care of getting my Real ID AND the lost or stolen license plate at the same time. Sounds like a great way to spend a whole friggin' day!!

The circle of hell continues! I guess there's really no mystery here. It's the DMV. No more needs to be said!

The Continuing Saga of the Elusive Toilet Paper

The shelves of toilet paper are empty in the grocery stores, Target, Walmart, Sam's and Costco. I guess just about everywhere. The jokes abound. I actually posted a few on Friday Funnies. Still, they continue and most are pretty funny.

Here are a few more and then I'll tell you my toilet paper story.

The run on toilet paper has been crazy. I kept hearing so much about it, that I figured I better check my own supply. I went to the card table closet where I keep the extra rolls. Now mind you, I have at least 2 or 3 rolls in each of our 6 bathrooms. So, I was pretty sure I was in good shape. Still, I needed to make sure. I opened the door to this:

I may have mentioned once or twice about my multiples problem. Apparently, I've been stockpiling toilet paper without even realizing I needed to. And Kleenex!

Currently, I am holding 72 rolls---or 210 depending on how you want to look at it. I've got my family covered. I might even have enough to sell if times get tough!

Honestly, all this means is that I didn't remember that I already bought a supply from Sam's. And even with two big packs, I didn't remember and had to check, yet again! Now we're getting to the root of my multiples problem. Looks like it's more of a memory problem. Hmmm, I think when I visit friends I'll bring a roll as a hostess gift! I'll bet they'll be thrilled!

But one thing's for sure, I should never have to use my "decorative" roll!

Believe it or not, Victoria actually used it one time. I told her it's like decorative towels. They are not to be touched!!

So, how is your toilet paper supply? Fess up. Did you run out and buy some?