TBT: Do You Save These?

In making the shortbread for my husband, I gathered up the butter wrappers I've saved and put them in one baggie - finally. I then got to thinking, do other people still do this? I learned it from my Nana about 65 years ago!

There's always something left on the wrapper and I usually find two wrappers are more than enough. I just need to do some more baking!

AAM Monday: January 12, 2015

While things have happened round here and we both have gone places, it's been a nice good slow start to the year. Staying in, some very cold times, some snow and today the promise of freezing rain. So far just rain.

For the most part, I'm not terribly anxious to go out, go somewhere, be as active as I could. I did get to the gym two times last week and plan to go later today.  But mostly it's been a good quiet time with books, fires in the Jotul and fireplace and watching old tv shows in a mini-binge mode.

Otherwise round here...

Going... out for meals with friends, him more than me but one meal for both of us last night to celebrate his daughter's 50th birthday.

Enjoying...a good meetup with women friends, a lunch that lasted over 3 hours. That's a good time!

Baking...bread! January is a good time to get the bread machine out and so far we've had English muffin bread, jalapeno cheddar bread (for him), and one dud of an old multigrain mix. That 'healthy' bread sits like a great lump but it's actually not that bad. Have a slice is enough to get a carb fix.

Checking...my fitbit daily. I am getting close to having my 3,000 steps goal get bumped up to 4k. If I do my in-house-reminder-5min-walks twice a day, I just need a bit more effort, like walking on the rubber track at the gym to make it. Right now the streets and sidewalks are still icy and full of snow piles. Too dangerous for walking.

Buying...flowers. It's definitely that time of year and the forced bulbs were on sale - 3 for $10 -so I bought mini daffodils and hyacinths. The pretty Delft like bowls are ones I saved years ago for future forced bulbs. A good save! The white amaryllis I bought around Halloween has two massive leaves but still no sign of a flower. I remain hopeful.

pure primary colors

Five on Friday: December 12, 2014

There is a bit of Christmas showing round our house. Not a lot but enough to make it feel a bit festive. We have our skinny old kitchen tree and one band of lights do not work.  But hey, it's a tree and it's up and the cookie cutters are on it so...

Now it's time to get rid of the clutter on the dining room table. Some stuff goes to charity and some stuff goes back upstairs until the reverse decoration process starts.

1. Speaking of that tree, my dh usually is not very enthused about a tree at all. However before my surgery (Nov 11) he asked if he should bring the tree up then! Uh no....and I wasn't even sure I really cared if one went up at all.  Now he believes the tree should have 'more color' meaning MORE real ornaments.  I am not enthused.

2. I am trying to figure out how to back up one folder on an EHD  with my Time Machine. Usually my dh knows some of these odd things but this time he just can't understand why I don't just back up the whole EHD with Time Machine. Mainly because my Time Machine is a 2T and the folder in question is on a 3T. 

3. So far there has been no baking chez moi. I feel a bit obliged to bake something but I am just as happy to miss those calories. Bake something and not eat it? That's not quite in my realm of doable just yet. Maybe these since I don't care for peppermint. Well I tolerate it. Oh who am I kidding. I'd scarf one or two or..

recipe here

4. We got a sweet note from one of the granddaughters. It was addressed as from Mommy and Me but inside the paper was folded into a small square to let me know she was sending me a present.  I suppose she wanted to be sure no one else read it! LOL

5. Fleece! ok, Polartec fleece. I have had a great time getting a couple of vests and pullovers with the daily sales at Lands End.  Now I'd be happy with just one more pair of warm sweats or fleece pants to get me through February.  Moving less than normal still makes me feel the cold more.

Well, that's all from me today. Going out for a bit with a friend and then a German dinner tonight! Hope your weekend is full of good things and that the necessary things get done easily. Ciao!

Five on Friday: March 8, 2013

So what went on this week?

1.  The Snowquester/Saturn snow storm did not leave me with any snow At All. Just rain and winds..yep, that's what we got.

2.  I planned to do some baking while I would be snowed in. So ok, the dreary consistent downpour still made it a great day to turn the oven on. I had the parmesan shortbread prepped and only had to bake it. I should have noticed that the dough was pretty darn soft. Well I did notice but still baked. Epic Fail.

I also think that I will not take the dough out of the fridge for 30 min prior to baking, especially on my soapstone counters which are great for defrosting but not so good for un-chilling shortbread dough.

3. I have been reading "The Forgetting  Tree", having been seduced by the cover, and have found it a pretty slow start. However, once the author gets into the main part of the story, I am seriously confirming my belief not to have any cancer treatment should I be diagnosed with cancer. I reserve the right to change my mind though.

4.  Oh microwave....how I miss you. It died about 10 days ago and in this cold weather, my pot of tea gets cold before I finish it, even with its lovely cozy on. If I could get the bloody new one out of the box, I'd have it plugged in. However, I am not sure I want to risk back strain or breaking the new one while tilting the box to get it out. Yep, 1st world problems again.

5. Even though we never got snow on Wednesday, parts of the county did and it was sure a 'coulda been' one. My exercise class follows the school schedule, so no class. I had very mixed reactions to this. I jumped (figuratively) for joy at the news, just like a kid in grade school! But I also thought...oh I'm missing something that I rather enjoy and know it's good for me. As I waited for my tea to brew that day, I remembered the idea to walk around downstairs as exercise. I include a couple of 'go's round the dining room table, and the kitchen islands in my march. Then I remembered doing this as a small child of 3.  Wow..such a long ago memory.

It was with my Nana who faithfully listened to "The Breakfast Club" on the radio. Periodically - I saw on line that it was every 15 minutes - there was a call to march around the breakfast table.  I don't recall if Nana marched but she had me doing it. I suspect she was grateful to have anything to occupy me every morning. She had me for three years after I was born while my mother worked at a defense job and my father fought in WWII.  Nana was in her late 40s then...menopause and a toddler??? oh my!

Is anyone as old as I am to remember this show? I may not have The Breakfast Club music, but the periodic marching is still a good idea each morning or for all the times I'm sitting at the computer.  Which of us doesn't need those walk breaks!

Drop Dead Thursday

Well it was supposed to be Drop Dead Wednesday but somehow that didn't happen. I did get a lot of digital work (play!) done and got half of it printed. Then the flash drive wouldn't accept jpegs even tho it appears empty to both of us. channeling Roasanna Dandanna...It's always something! Ok so back to looking thru the collection of flash drives for ones smaller than 2G. Old MacMini won't accept flashdrives >1G and it's old MacMini that is printing them, not the new Mac. DH may have the minicable to the thingamajig that allows large flashes to be used. That's a later in the day Maybe.


So today - let's see I need a pressie for a 2 year old like those keys and cell phone. I need to make up a menu for Christmas day (one vegetarian) and write out a shopping list to buy Friday? I want to bake rosemary shortbread (?) cookies. At least I think that's what they were. Martha? If they aren't in my computer file of recipes, I do hope they are in my mail folder. I truly love the search component on this Mac which seem to find my stuff quickly and accurately. No shopping till I find the recipe so that's #1 and then get to a toy store. If all else fails, there are the book stores. In fact the book stores sound like a great trip for me and the man! That is a treat we haven't had for a while and it sounds like it's time to me.

Tuesdays with Morrie, Dorie or Sam?

Today I'll go with Sam, Toronto's Greek Gourmand, since Galatopita is a recipe I've been thinking about since he posted it some time ago on his blog. But now Sam has shared a video. Ain't nuthin' like seeeing the real deal, is there folks?



Now I just have to get to the store for milk and more Cream of Wheat. I thought I was going to get them for breakfast, but hey...why not just have a slice of pie for breakfast? Works for me! (Oh and I AM going to the library to pick up a copy of Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours. Crazy aren't I?)

Pies for both Hemispheres

I know for us here in the northern hemisphere, it's getting hot and hotter. But that does hold the promise of summer fruit and all those yummy cherry and peach desserts. To me the peach is THE fruit. I love mangoes, but I get Real, Ripe peaches round here and oh...I can almost smell them now. For those of you going into winter, well there's apples. I tend to think of apples as almost the most utilitarian of all fruits. Brush your teeth, eat an apple, make the bed... To me apples are fine, sure, whatever...And yes, I have had gems over the years, but thems not peaches.

So why do I say any of this? Well, Not Martha has a wonderful trick (is it truc en francaise?) about baking the little goodies in the short canning jars. Look see!

I can't wait to test this one out and she references other ideas...cakes, frozen desserts. Oh yes....

(REMEMBER THERE IS A GIVEAWAY BELOW...JUST MAKE A POST AND YOU'LL BE ENTERED)

Tea makes it alright

With massive intakes of fruit and doses of JinShinJytsu (hold the ring finger for lung issues), I have my appetite back and am feeling as if I am on the road to recovery. I've always found that JSJ can short circuit something that may be developing in me. Some may say it is mind over matter, and if so, then I have quite a powerful mind. Beware!

Since my dh is not feeling anywhere as well as I am, I decided he might need another dose of scones. Sometimes as J says you just need sugar in your life. I also thought that for a man who can't seem to get warm today, the influx of oven heat in the house would give that special warmth. I like the recipe that I think is going to be my standard since the ingredients are few and relatively healthy with both oatmeal and whole wheat flour in addition to the regular ap flour. Today I added a good 2T of ground ginger as it is a warming spice and also because I had about 2T left when I 'decanted' some into a small jar. ;-) In addition to about 1/2 cup of butterscotch chips, I also added about 2T of very small bits of sugared ginger. Yes, I am trying to sneak the ginger in.

While these baked, and I cleaned up the counter I decided to make tea a bit early this afternoon. I have a couple of bags that are unidentified - label less or otherwise unnamed- so I thought...Go with the flow and trust that this little bag is what you both need and want. Often in the afternoon, if the tea is just for me, or if it is closer to dinner and one cup each is enough, I will use the pot that dear friend A gave me. I always think of her when I use it and remember both how it broke my heart when she moved across the country and also how my dd said Mama, you'll always be friends; you love each other! Sometimes a teenage girl is profoundly perceptive. So A, thank you for your love, thank you for the teapot, and thank you for knowing that the empty space I felt in my heart could someday be filled by the man who became my dh. Isn't the pot lovely?


Oh yes, you wanted to see the scones?? And the recipe is here.

Many thanks to our teacher Virginia Olson

She was patient and she was thorough. I know that I need to practice, practice, practice, but then that is what life is about.