Saturdays are for Prepping

Yes, Saturdays are for preparations.

Michael dropped Stacia and I off to do the week's grocery shopping.

He took the Jeep into Big Black Rubber to get studs on.....He was in and out in 20 min.

We baked a dessert and did a bit of prep for Sunday's family dinner.

We couldn't find a pattern for Stacia's next project - and we didn't figure out the elastic in the waistband of the current project either.

The kids went to a game night with the Youth group at Matanuska Assembly of God.

The fridge has begun making a sound like a helicopter coming in for a landing. It stops if you use the icemaker/water.....another service call to the warranty company.  We are STILL working to finish the first call (I only have two burners on the stove) and the second call - garage/vault problem.

That's a Saturday.

#WYFF - Optometrist, Meat, Bananas, Pizza and a Movie

Michael has been having trouble with his right eye.  Trouble as in it's blurry and he can barely see out of it. He also has dry and burning eyes, and sees double from time to time. The VA referred him to a clinic out here. They seem like a really great set up...number 1 in the valley. They documented he is having trouble, ran a bunch of tests, and couldn't figure out why he is having these symptoms. 

As we talked about it at dinner, I googled...."Vision problems and Parkinsons." Who knew? As PD symptoms progress many have trouble with vision. This could be from the meds or the disease itself. Symptoms include dry, burning eyes, blurry vision and double vision. The optometrist didn't think it had anything to do with PD when Michael mentioned it.....I'm not so sure. This is something we will discuss with the neurologist. 

What's a vegan doing with a mini-cart full of MEAT????🍓🍎🍠

A couple of friends (Becky and Lynette)  mentioned Carrs has weekly sales on meat. I went online, signed up to receive their sales ads and checked it out. We don't do a lot of pork - but times are desperate. 🐽  I needed to buy pizza toppings, we stopped by Carrs on the way home from Michael's appointment. He stayed in the car with his very cool glasses, and I went to check out the Carrs meat department.

It was $5 Friday, y'all!!!! They had buy 1 get one FREE on several items, $5 for others....I got a beef roast at $2.99 lb and bought two, I bought one pork roast (one free), one pack of country ribs (one free), pork loins for $5, NY fancy steak usually $12.99 for $4.77 and a couple value packs of chicken.

I moved on to produce and got wonderful grapes for $1.77 a lb, AND scored a case of ripe bananas (40#) for $10.00 - .25 a lb. I also got the name to call and talk to about case discounts. She thought they would give me a discount.

Shopping at Carrs was the most PLEASANT shopping experience I've had so far up here. The employees were friendly, helpful and talkative. The shelves were well stocked. The customers were laid back and friendly - mostly elderly.  If I shop the deals and stay out of the middle it will be fine. LOL

I decided to puree some bananas for muffins and breads, left some whole for "healthy" desserts and smoothies, and chunked up some of the medium ripe ones that had bad spots to avoid. This leaves the .89 a lb bananas for eating. Stacia helped me process them. It will be a bit of time until either of us want to make anything with bananas. 😀😜😮

We ended up with 6 gal bags of whole bananas, 8 or 9 quarts of puree, and one gal bag of chunks.

Earlier in the week, Izaak had given us pizza dough from the restaurant where he works. That made Friday night a breeze. We enjoyed our pizza.....and then watched 'Escape to Witch Mountain'...because we watched 'The Tooth Fairy' last week - we're on a Dwayne Johnson kick.

This will serve as our #WYFF (Where's Your Feet Friday) post - for more check the #WYFF tabs above.

Pittsburgh Pierogies

We first had breaded pierogies in Pittsburgh. The menu called them "Pittsburgh Pierogies."  I went in search of a recipe and now we call them that too. 

INGREDIENTS:
Pierogies (We use potato onion to avoid the cheese)
Panko Bread Crumbs
Nutritional Yeast (or Parmesan Cheese if you desire)
Garlic Salt or Powder
Onion Powder (opt)

You can a host of other optional spices and flavors.

DIRECTIONS: 
Prepare pierogies according to package directions.

While they are boiling, mix up crumbs, Nutritional Yeast, Garlic and Onion powder.  Just make as much as you think you'll need, adjust to your taste.

Preheat a skillet with enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan for 1 - 2 minutes.

Drain pierogies and run them through the bread crumb mixture. The bits of water will make the crumbs stick.

Fry for a minute on each side in HOT oil until crisp and brown. Put on paper-towel lined plate.

Serve warm with Ranch, or ketchup, or BBQ sauce or mix balsamic vinaigrette with BBQ sauce.....you get the idea.

Nose to the Grindstone

You know it's been a "nose to the grindstone" kind of day when the only picture you have to show for the day is a photo of dinner. Pittsburgh Pierogies ARE one of the family's favorites.

There was this picture too. 

Any dinner that costs two potholders and oil burns between my fingers - had BETTER be good. ::snort::

What DID we do today? Thursdays are my day with the washer and dryer. We worked hard on school. We researched how to put elastic in to Stacia's PJ's. Michael cut out more insulation for the RV and is cutting lumber for another project I don't fully understand. I checked in with Bible Babes a bit more than usual as we welcome new gals.

I went to a meeting at IDEA. My family is finding great fun at my expense in the bit of news I'm about to share. I'm going to co-lead a club on homesteading starting in January. What do I know about this topic? Nothing. Though they were wanting to grind flour, bake bread and make butter - and I KNOW how to do that. ::snort:: I silenced Michael by telling him one of the weeks we are going on a field trip, buying root stock and learning how to graft apple trees that will survive up here. He's been wanting apple trees.  Seriously, I met a nice lady at the newcomer orientation. I was asking her questions about gardening and chickens. We were overheard and it was suggested we should set up a homesteading club with different topics and speakers. I know how to organize a list of speakers and workshops. See military life did train me for something. ::wink::

Time to get running....we are reading a couple of chapters of Narnia each  night. Digory and Polly await.

House Seasoning

Claudia D shared this with me when I asked about ideas for cooking Salmon. She said she puts butter, house seasoning and lemon together and grills or bakes it.

INGREDIENTS - DIRECTIONS 

Combine equal parts sea salt, onion powder, garlic powder and pepper.  (I am going to use 1/2 the pepper next time).

I put it in a jar, put the lid on it and shake it up. This jar is working much better than a salt shaker did - the mixture kept getting moist from the humidity.

This has become our house seasoning too! I have it on the table to sprinkle on just about anything, I add it to omelets, fries, veggies.....

Blessedly Normal

The day began with a bang. Jamin sent this shot from their town down the Glenn. 

The borough let us know that they would be clearing brush and trees from the utility easements in our area. From talking with them we expected to lose quite a few trees. Previous owners had planted ON THE LINE - next to the power poles - and we are supposed to give them 15 feet from the poles. Made me sad....but getting rid of the brush sounded really good. The photos don't do justice....much of the brush has died down with fall......They did this last week 

Before 

After

Today, I heard a noise, looked out the window and saw this......

It appears they are cutting branches and leaving the trees. Win Win. They may come back and cut down trees - but I'm hopeful.

The day was blessedly "normal." Michael worked in the garage. The kids and I did school.

Stacia and I tried to catch some falling leaves

The kids went to youth group at a local church for the first time. 

Sunset from our window

Shake and Go Balsamic Vinaigrette

We like Balsamic Vinaigrette. This one from Angela Liddon in, 'Oh She Glows Every Day," is the easiest I've made.  I discovered it is yummy on steak fries, as well as salads.

Notes: Angela suggests adding a dash of liquid smoke, paprika and thyme for a "smoky" dressing, a pinch of dried or fresh herbs (oregano and basil) for an Italian vinaigrette or dashes of cumin, coriander, and turmeric for a slight Indian flair.

INGREDIENTS: 
1/3 to 2/3 extra virgin olive oil, to taste
1/3 C balsamic vinegar
4 1/2 tsp low sodium tamari
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1 tsp maple syrup, or to taste

DIRECTIONS: Combine all in a small mason jar, seal and shake vigorously. Store in the fridge up to a couple of weeks. Shake before each use.

Make it so-free Swap the tamari for 2 - 4 T coconut aminos, to taste.