Last Saturday I scored a great deal on broccoli at the local produce market. Here it is, Sunday and we still hadn't eaten it yet. It still looked good, and was only starting to get a little soft. Our meals this week don't call for a hot vegetable until Wednesday, but if I waited til then, it would be inedible.
This is where blanching (and freezing) comes in super handy.
I usually always steam all fresh veggies, unless they are going into a recipe, so this is almost the same thing. I have a steamer basket that fits perfectly into one of my pots--they came together. All I do is heat up the water until boiling, add the veggies and let them cook til they're at the consistency that we like. Turtle likes his more on the softer side, I like mine with crunch...so we try to aim for something in the middle...and usually the veggies on the bottom of the steamer are the softer ones.
Anyway, with blanching, you steam the veggies until they are almost done. Then you grab them out of the steamer (USE TONGS, don't be a moron and burn yourself!!) and plunge them into a bowl of cold water. The cold water will slow the cooking. Wait til the veggies have cooled, then toss into a zip top bag (as my pal Alton Brown would say) or a freezer-friendly container, throw 'em in the freezer, and voila! Frozen veggies JUST LIKE the ones at the grocery store. Granted, you probably paid more money for these guys (vs. frozen)...but if you can do a little more work by saving them before they go bad, you'll save money in the long run.
When you're ready to eat them, you can defrost them and cook them in the microwave.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Sunday Sunday Sunday!
Where has the weekend gone!? It's 2:52 PM as I'm typing this.
Turtle is feeling under the weather so he went back to bed for a nap around noon. We got up late and skipped church. That happens about once a month around here...we are SO good about going that we feel badly when we don't go (graaaah, Catholic guilt!) but he was not feeling well when he got up around 7, and I have a weird backache thing. I'm going to attribute that to other things going on (trying to keep this blog TMI free, or attempting to do so) and/or too much shoveling the snow that never ends.
So, I'm putzing around...did some laundry, dishes, cleaned up my Facebook profile/settings/etc a LOT, joined Twitter, checked in on some message boards. Oh! these social media obligations! *fake faints*
Now I need to finish organizing the office/library room. Ugh. All of those papers...what to do with them? I found this list from Suze Orman the other day at work.
No, I don't work in finance. I'm not even a huge fan of Suze (remember those SNL skits with Kristen Wiig? LOL "I've got my jacket...this great necklace...my fake tan...") but a coworker had lent me a copy of O Magazine because one of our books was excerpted in it and I wanted to capture it for our media files. So I was doing a little extra-curricular perusing of the magazine and stumbled upon that list.
I'm hoping this list will help me to get organized. I used to be really really organized, but then I added another person to my files, and then we got a house, and everything kinda blew up. Maybe it will help you. How do you keep your financial files organized?
Also for the record, besides not being a huge Suze fan, I'm also not a huge Oprah fan. I have a love-hate relationship with her. I get the food/eating/weight thing...truly. I get her big heart and wanting to help people. What I don't like is how people follow EVERY. SINGLE. WORD. she says like she's a modern day prophet. Sheeple. I also have a little bit of an issue with her and the book industry. LOVED how she ripped James Frey apart during the Million Little Pieces scandal. I was working at a bookstore when that whole nightmare blossomed. Ugh, disaster. But I don't like how people just read things because she said to. Yes, encouraging reading is WONDERFUL. Suggesting books--great! It's a slippery slope for me, personally, when people are reading something ONLY because she said so. I encourage free thinking.
Wow, that was way off topic...I had a great weekend. Usually I spend a lot of time on my own, but on Saturday I had a special visitor. My roommate from college came to visit me (granted, I had a lot of different ones in the 4 yrs but this one lived directly WITH me for 3 of them) and we had a great visit, albeit too short. It's always too short, even when I've stayed at her house talking til midnight, then driving almost 3 hours home! LOL
Turtle and I went out for dinner later on that evening, which is rare for us, came home, and attempted a game of Scrabble...but the tiles and bag were MOLDY. Gross! Must have happened at our old place since it was mold-infestation city...soooo glad to be out of that place now. After we chucked the tiles and bag, and scrubbed our hands, we made tea/coffee and sat around and talked. It was super nice and super rare. He's been stressed a lot lately about work and since he works Saturdays we don't get a lot of time to hang out or have date nights. I hadn't said anything because I can't change his work schedule or stress, so why make him more upset, but it turns out, he'd been feeling in a rut too! So we're going to try and do this a little more often.
I ended up going to bed early (not even 30 yet and in bed before 10 on a Sat night!) but we had a really good chat. Cornball time, but I love my husband. A lot. Even in the bad times, I'm still a pretty happy girl...
OK now on to the paperwork!!!! But I must show you this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2bxtF0NArQ It's Suze and "Suze." Enjoy!
Turtle is feeling under the weather so he went back to bed for a nap around noon. We got up late and skipped church. That happens about once a month around here...we are SO good about going that we feel badly when we don't go (graaaah, Catholic guilt!) but he was not feeling well when he got up around 7, and I have a weird backache thing. I'm going to attribute that to other things going on (trying to keep this blog TMI free, or attempting to do so) and/or too much shoveling the snow that never ends.
So, I'm putzing around...did some laundry, dishes, cleaned up my Facebook profile/settings/etc a LOT, joined Twitter, checked in on some message boards. Oh! these social media obligations! *fake faints*
Now I need to finish organizing the office/library room. Ugh. All of those papers...what to do with them? I found this list from Suze Orman the other day at work.
No, I don't work in finance. I'm not even a huge fan of Suze (remember those SNL skits with Kristen Wiig? LOL "I've got my jacket...this great necklace...my fake tan...") but a coworker had lent me a copy of O Magazine because one of our books was excerpted in it and I wanted to capture it for our media files. So I was doing a little extra-curricular perusing of the magazine and stumbled upon that list.
I'm hoping this list will help me to get organized. I used to be really really organized, but then I added another person to my files, and then we got a house, and everything kinda blew up. Maybe it will help you. How do you keep your financial files organized?
Also for the record, besides not being a huge Suze fan, I'm also not a huge Oprah fan. I have a love-hate relationship with her. I get the food/eating/weight thing...truly. I get her big heart and wanting to help people. What I don't like is how people follow EVERY. SINGLE. WORD. she says like she's a modern day prophet. Sheeple. I also have a little bit of an issue with her and the book industry. LOVED how she ripped James Frey apart during the Million Little Pieces scandal. I was working at a bookstore when that whole nightmare blossomed. Ugh, disaster. But I don't like how people just read things because she said to. Yes, encouraging reading is WONDERFUL. Suggesting books--great! It's a slippery slope for me, personally, when people are reading something ONLY because she said so. I encourage free thinking.
Wow, that was way off topic...I had a great weekend. Usually I spend a lot of time on my own, but on Saturday I had a special visitor. My roommate from college came to visit me (granted, I had a lot of different ones in the 4 yrs but this one lived directly WITH me for 3 of them) and we had a great visit, albeit too short. It's always too short, even when I've stayed at her house talking til midnight, then driving almost 3 hours home! LOL
Turtle and I went out for dinner later on that evening, which is rare for us, came home, and attempted a game of Scrabble...but the tiles and bag were MOLDY. Gross! Must have happened at our old place since it was mold-infestation city...soooo glad to be out of that place now. After we chucked the tiles and bag, and scrubbed our hands, we made tea/coffee and sat around and talked. It was super nice and super rare. He's been stressed a lot lately about work and since he works Saturdays we don't get a lot of time to hang out or have date nights. I hadn't said anything because I can't change his work schedule or stress, so why make him more upset, but it turns out, he'd been feeling in a rut too! So we're going to try and do this a little more often.
I ended up going to bed early (not even 30 yet and in bed before 10 on a Sat night!) but we had a really good chat. Cornball time, but I love my husband. A lot. Even in the bad times, I'm still a pretty happy girl...
OK now on to the paperwork!!!! But I must show you this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2bxtF0NArQ It's Suze and "Suze." Enjoy!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Random things about me
1. We have three bathrooms in our house and I just used one for the first time today. How long have I lived in my house? (answer at the bottom of the blog) Yeah.
2. I'm a renegade in the kitchen. I often use cake pans for cooking things instead of big cookie sheets. Like last night's fish. Two fillets in each cake pan. Why not? Cooks the same, plus the cookie sheets WERE dirty...but since I cook someone else does the dishes....and...yeah.
3. I check my checking account balance online daily. Sometimes multiple times. I think I'm hoping that some magical fairy will deposit money in there for me...
4. I've never taped a show with a VCR. I don't know how. Now that technology has moved on, and I'm still in the 90s, you can add DVR or TiVo to that list. Don't have them, don't want them. Also related, I'm really not into TV that I need to STOP. EVERYTHING. FOR. A. SHOW. There's much more to life than that.
5. I work in publishing and I never read. I think it's because I read all day at work and read about books. I know lots about books I've NEVER EVEN read. I think that's kinda cool. I do LOVE books.
2. I'm a renegade in the kitchen. I often use cake pans for cooking things instead of big cookie sheets. Like last night's fish. Two fillets in each cake pan. Why not? Cooks the same, plus the cookie sheets WERE dirty...but since I cook someone else does the dishes....and...yeah.
3. I check my checking account balance online daily. Sometimes multiple times. I think I'm hoping that some magical fairy will deposit money in there for me...
4. I've never taped a show with a VCR. I don't know how. Now that technology has moved on, and I'm still in the 90s, you can add DVR or TiVo to that list. Don't have them, don't want them. Also related, I'm really not into TV that I need to STOP. EVERYTHING. FOR. A. SHOW. There's much more to life than that.
5. I work in publishing and I never read. I think it's because I read all day at work and read about books. I know lots about books I've NEVER EVEN read. I think that's kinda cool. I do LOVE books.
Saving money
I promise I will talk more about this stuff here, too. I do want to talk about it. I have plans to talk about it.
I'm such a procrastinator.
Food is fun. Houses are fun. Other stuff...usually also fun.
Money is not always so fun. I will try and make it so...
I'm such a procrastinator.
Food is fun. Houses are fun. Other stuff...usually also fun.
Money is not always so fun. I will try and make it so...
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Lenten food update
Just a quick post since I'm preheating an oven and waiting for milk to boil. Here's what we've been eating this Lent, so far:
First Monday (I forgot the technical name): shrimp scampi, rice, asparagus
"Ash" Wednesday: tuna melts (it was quick for after work)
Friday: pizza (one pie had red sauce & mozz, one was white with spinach & ricotta--YUM)
Wednesday (today): frozen mahi mahi fillets (thank you Costco) with a panko breading, mashed potatoes, salad.
I would have loved to have made Alton Brown's Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi but we have no macadamias. (That recipe is GOOD, btw) I just used his directions for how much panko, how much flour, how much butter. I'll throw some lemon juice on the fish in lieu of the coconut milk. We do have THAT, but I'm not wasting an entire can for 2 TBS.
Friday will probably be shrimp scampi again. Turtle wanted shrimp Alfredo, but no dice. See previous post as to why. At least with this shrimp scampi I can use butter and Parmesan cheese!
I promise I will get more creative...we have fish sticks from Costco in the freezer too! Don't you just want to come to OUR house?! ;-)
First Monday (I forgot the technical name): shrimp scampi, rice, asparagus
"Ash" Wednesday: tuna melts (it was quick for after work)
Friday: pizza (one pie had red sauce & mozz, one was white with spinach & ricotta--YUM)
Wednesday (today): frozen mahi mahi fillets (thank you Costco) with a panko breading, mashed potatoes, salad.
I would have loved to have made Alton Brown's Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi but we have no macadamias. (That recipe is GOOD, btw) I just used his directions for how much panko, how much flour, how much butter. I'll throw some lemon juice on the fish in lieu of the coconut milk. We do have THAT, but I'm not wasting an entire can for 2 TBS.
Friday will probably be shrimp scampi again. Turtle wanted shrimp Alfredo, but no dice. See previous post as to why. At least with this shrimp scampi I can use butter and Parmesan cheese!
I promise I will get more creative...we have fish sticks from Costco in the freezer too! Don't you just want to come to OUR house?! ;-)
No Groceries Challenge
Turtle and I decided on Sunday to try this. To go as long as we could without buying groceries. We spend a lot of money on food (I think), especially since we're just two people! I'm trying to save money...
The only items we are allowed to go to the store for are dairy (I eat a lot of Greek yogurt, but only when I'm down to my last one), bread, cold cuts, or if we're expecting company. My college roommate might be coming for a visit on Saturday, she has a 4.5 yr old and a 2 yr old, and I don't have exactly kid-friendly food.
We have a freezer in our basement, filled with meat, veggies, some bread products (mostly rolls) so it's not like we're going to be bare-bones in no time.
I think this will be fun! But of course, Turtle suggested that we have shrimp Alfredo on Friday night...and I was like, "nope, no cream, no store." Shrimp scampi it is! ;-)
I'll keep you posted.
The only items we are allowed to go to the store for are dairy (I eat a lot of Greek yogurt, but only when I'm down to my last one), bread, cold cuts, or if we're expecting company. My college roommate might be coming for a visit on Saturday, she has a 4.5 yr old and a 2 yr old, and I don't have exactly kid-friendly food.
We have a freezer in our basement, filled with meat, veggies, some bread products (mostly rolls) so it's not like we're going to be bare-bones in no time.
I think this will be fun! But of course, Turtle suggested that we have shrimp Alfredo on Friday night...and I was like, "nope, no cream, no store." Shrimp scampi it is! ;-)
I'll keep you posted.
Neighbor update
After making two loaves of banana bread, I decided to just sent a thank you note. I broke into one of the loaves and I thought it was fine, but Turtle thought it sucked. More for me then! The other loaf I gave to my brother as part of his birthday present--he loves banana bread in any shape or form.
I think a thank you note will be just fine. But now there's more snow in the forecast. Maybe I better start perfecting my banana bread recipe...
I think a thank you note will be just fine. But now there's more snow in the forecast. Maybe I better start perfecting my banana bread recipe...
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