The Yogurt Struggle

Friends.  The yogurt struggle.  It's real.

My favorite way to eat yogurt is to begin with creamy homemade Greek yogurt, add sweetener and vanilla, and top with chopped strawberries and homemade granola.  It is so good!  Mmmm...

The difficult part, the struggle, if you will, is making sure that I have all of those components available at the same time. 

I'll have yogurt but not granola. 

Or granola and yogurt but not strawberries.

I'll have strawberries, but by the time I get around to making the yogurt and granola, they will have gone bad. 

I'll have granola, but by the time I get around to buying strawberries and making yogurt, the people who live here will have eaten it all.

And I know, I know, I could compromise.  I could use a different fruit.  Or seeds or chopped nuts instead of granola (not store-bought granola: never that).  I could buy yogurt, even.  Or switch it up completely and go with cookie dough yogurt (yogurt + honey or maple syrup + peanut butter + mini chocolate chips).  But it's just not the same delicious combination of creamy and crunchy, sweet and tart.  And it is a struggle to coordinate this yogurt perfection. 

I've figured out a couple of things over the years to help myself out.  I realized I can buy strawberries when they're on sale, chop them up and freeze them, then add them to my yogurt--the only issue there is I need to plan ahead a little so the strawberry chunks have time to thaw, but when they thaw, they release yummy strawberry juice which infuses the whole yogurt with strawberry flavor, so freezing them is maybe even better than using them fresh.  And now whenever I make granola I triple the recipe and freeze 5/6th of it.  The family can't eat what they don't know is there, and they rarely venture into the freezer in search of sustenance.

The thing I can't really make ahead is the yogurt, and unfortunately, that's the most daunting of the three.  Making yogurt requires good planning skills--which sometimes I have, and others not so much.

This week, the stars have aligned and I have all three: yogurt, granola, and strawberries in the house.  It's been heavenly.

*********

I finally got the opportunity to try this little hack.

See my ducks in the background? 
Me, either, but they're there *somewhere*
I hope

So cute and fun, don't you think?  Super useful and functional, too.  I've got yogurt and strawberries in the jar and granola in the little cup on top. 

To do this you need a wide mouth mason jar with lid and sealing ring, plus a little plastic cup, like the ones you can buy fruit in.  Put food in the jar.  Put other food, that you don't necessarily want coming into contact with the first food (in this case, the granola, because I don't want it to get soggy during storage and transport), in the plastic cup.  put the lid on the cup, then turn the cup and lid over and place on top of the jar.  Use the sealing ring to hold everything in place. 

If you use a larger jar, you can also put a plastic cup inside the jar, resting on the lip of the jar, if you have two things you want to keep separate until serving (like with a jar salad, put the salad in the jar, dressing in the cup in the jar, croutons in the cup outside the jar).

My first Cricut project

I finished my first Cricut project!  Well, I guess it's actually my second, but I kinda don't count the trophy.  Because it was so easy?  And a joint project?  And it's not actually all the way done yet because Hubby has yet to put the date, the winner(<-- me)'s name, and points on it?

So, my first Cricut project.  Yay!

I asked Bubby months ago what my next wooden sign should be, and he told me we needed a Dinosaur Crossing sign for the chicken coop.  I, of course, agreed.

I forgot to take any pictures in the beginning because I was so excited to finally be getting started, so I'll just tell you what I did to get to this point.  First, I made the stencils on the Cricut using clear contact paper because that's what I had, and the internets told me it would work.

Then I cut the board (yes, I used safety glasses), sanded it, and stained it.  I used a walnut stain that is probably older than our marriage, but miraculously, it worked.  Then I painted using white craft paint--the kind you can get at craft stores for less than $1.  After it dried, I sanded again to take some of the paint off and give it a weathered look.

After wiping off the dust, I applied the contact paper stencil, and painted the chicken footprints in a dark green color.  After the paint was dry, I removed the stencil and moved on to the words.

So, here's the thing.  Yes, contact paper totally works as a stencil--it works really well, actually, but if you use clear, it's gonna be really difficult to see where you're actually applying your design.  Yeah.  So.  I did my best.  Below you can (not really) see the letter stencil applied over the chicken footprints.

Next, I painted the letters a dark gray.  Here's where I tell you that I should have used different colors, because there's not enough contrast between the green and the gray.  But honestly, I'm not sure what colors I should have used, because I love these colors for this sign.  Maybe a bright blue for the footprints?  Or brown footprints and green letters?  I don't know.

After the paint was dry, I removed the stencil, then I sprayed it with a clear sealer.  I really like how it came out, and I'm sure the girls will appreciate the new signage.

My final step will be figuring out where I want to put it.  Near a door seems appropriate, but I haven't decided which one yet.

Y'all.  I am pretty much obsessed.  Now I'm downloading fonts and making .svg files using Inkscape--two things I never imagined I would do--and dreaming of all the fun things I need to make.  This not actually having a Cricut machine is really cramping my style.

Here's my project-after-next.  I love this saying--and it's ~perfect~ for me.  And isn't that font the cutest (SuperVillain)?

When If I figure out how, I'll share the file with y'all so you can make one, too.  

My next project is the pretty complicated stencil project.  I ordered some stencil material, and the file is all ready to be cut when the stencil vinyl arrives.  I'm in the process of tearing apart pallets for another project, so I'm going to appropriate some of those for my stencil project (I seriously can't wait.  It's going to be amazing and perfect for the space).

Seriously, let me know if you need want me to make anything for you using the Cricut (and not just wooden signs--it can do t-shirts and water bottles and the lamp on my desk and your laptop and furniture and mugs and just about anything that has a smooth-ish surface). 'Cause I've only got so many places to put things, and I'm gonna run out eventually.

Menu plan for the week of May 20

I have noticed that we're going through snacks a lot faster these days.  I'm not gonna point fingers, but it's AKD's fault.  I think.  I mean, he came home from school and all.  Last week I filled our snack bin on Sunday, and by Thursday it was pretty much empty again.  (By the way, I'm still using that same box for snacks, only now it's divided into four sections--I put a different snack (or two) into each section (at least one section is always fruit), so they're easier to find.  Also I'm a little compulsive about organization).  I'm heading to Sam's Club this week to stock back up on the kids' favorites.

In other news, I've set a loose goal of trying to make muffins every week (loose as in, not sure how long it'll last, but it'll be nice in the meantime).  Last week it was chocolate muffins (<--these were really good), and this week it'll be AKD's professed favorite--lemon poppy seed (he's looking for a new recipe for me to try).  I guess that's kind of not-other news, because the presence of muffins should help with the snack situation.  Maybe.

Here's what's on the menu this week:

Supper:

• Chicken Alfredo with fettuccine (left over from the IP extravaganza), spaghetti, or zoodles (the ones I froze experimentally a couple of weeks ago--if they thaw well, I might have to plant more zucchini than I had originally planned), veggie medley
• Tacos
• Hot beef sandwiches, buns, mashed potatoes, raw veggies
• Fend for yourself
• Pizza, salad
• Hamburgers, buns, mashed potatoes, grilled broccoli
• Brats or hot dogs, buns, green stuff, chips, raw veggies

Other:

• Lemon poppy seed muffins
• Greek yogurt
• Taco bean soup
• Apple pie

10 Minutes in the Word: John ~ a Review

Lately I've been reading a new devotional from the 10 Minutes in the Word series: 10 Minutes in the Word: John.  Each of the 46 chapters highlights a verse from the day's reading, then gives the instruction to read the day's scripture from John, followed by a 2 page reflection on the reading, a prayer, and a couple of questions for further reflection.  The book is perfectly sized to fit in a purse or briefcase, and each day really does take 10 minutes or less to read.  I really appreciate the built-in ribbon bookmark to help me keep my place.

I like this book.  I appreciate the fact that this devotional series in rooted in scripture, inviting the reader to study more than just a few verses of scripture each day, like many other devotionals I've read.  I was a little disappointed, however, to discover that the readings skip some parts of the book of John, as I was expecting to have read all of John by the time I finished the devotional, but when there are gaps, I just read the extra so I'm not missing anything.  I also appreciate the questions for further contemplation.  I find myself revisiting them throughout the day. The book breaks up John into easy to read sections, focuses my attention on the ancient writings, and helps me to apply the words of John to my life today.

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

I need a Cricut

Ever since I made my chicken sign, I've been plotting and dreaming about the next wooden sign I was going to make.

 

I had three in mind, of varying complicatedness.  One was quite simple--just two words, and I figured I would use the same technique that I used on these mugs to make that one.

By the way, I saw a picture of one of these not too long ago, and it seems to be holding up well--

I don't know how often it's used, but the technique seems to have worked.

Another was pretty complicated--ten words, each in a different font--and I figured I would make that one at a workshop, like I did the chicken sign.  Paying someone to make the stencil and put the sign together for me, and provide all the paint, would be totally worthwhile.  The other was moderately complicated, but it wasn't worth it to me to pay for another workshop to make.

And then, my life changed.

You know how sometimes you'll have a revelation, or gain an insight, and suddenly everything is different?  Like there's the time before, and then there's the time after, and nothing is ever the same after that?

That's what happened.

I found out our library has a Cricut available for patron use.

It was life changing, this knowledge.

The Cricut is a cutting machine.  It can cut all sorts of materials, including paper, craft foam, metal, and vinyl.  I guess it can even cut fabric and craft wood.  There are other brands of machine that do the same thing, but Cricut seems to be the most popular, and after a bit of research I've discovered it's the most user-friendly as well.  And one of the things Cricut cuts is self-adhesive vinyl and stencil material.  Which means that suddenly, I can make whatever I want as often as I want with stencils and self-adhesive vinyl.

This is the first thing I made:

I had to make my own trophy*.  Which is completely OK, because I GOT TO USE THE CRICUT FOR THE FIRST TIME.  It was easy and fun.  And easy. And fun.

And I am hooked.  Seriously.  There are so many crafty thoughts pinging around in my brain right now.  I started designing the stencil for my pretty complicated wood sign--I think I have it how I want it now, and I will definitely show you when it's done.  I have another word all set to cut and apply to a box, and I cut stencils for the moderately complicated sign.

Except I can't really make whatever I want as often as I want because I have to share with all of the other thousands of library patrons (none of whom have actually used the Cricut yet), and I have to do it during library open hours.

So I've decided that I need a Cricut.  So I will have 24 hour a day access.  That is not at all ridiculous or frivolous.

You probably need a Cricut, too (if only so I can use it when I see ya).



*the trophy's not done yet--Hubby needs to put the winner's name on, and he feels about the label-maker almost the same as I feel about the Cricut.  I don't want to deny him that pleasure.

Menu plan for the week of May 13

Hi friends.  Another week, another menu.  This week I'm pulling some meats from the freezer, including the ham leftover from Easter, and some taco seasoned meat leftover from a couple of weeks ago.  It seems like eventually we should run out of things to use up, and maybe we will, but I kind of figured everything that needed to be used up would be used up by now.

Here's what's on the menu this week:

Supper:

• Cheesy (and not so cheesy) ham, potato (or cauliflower), and bacon casserole, peaches
• Nachos, guacamole
• Pulled pork, buns, green beans
• Fend for yourself
• Hamburgers, buns, raw veggies
• Grilled chicken, strawberry cobb salad
• Grilled pork chops, grilled Brussels sprouts, mashed potatoes, pears

Other:

• Yogurt
• Bacon, Avocado, and Egg salad
• Breakfast burritos
• Chocolate Chip Graham Cracker Mini Muffins

We have ducks ~ and the Bigs are 2!

We have ducks.  And sometimes they're all in a row.

We have ducks in the same way that we have deer and turkeys and coyotes and opossums and bears (I wonder how those cubs are doing...)--sometimes they wander through our yard.  A pair of ducks has been hanging out in one of our seasonal ponds.  They paddle and dunk, and occasionally they line up in a row.  I have seen the drake on the pond more recently than the hen, which leads me to believe hope that she is now happily sitting on her clutch.

I walked the perimeter of the pond this morning, hoping to find the duck's nest, but all I found were some deer ticks (two, so far) and an old rusted aerosol can.  So either my duck doesn't have a nest, at least not here, or she is well camouflaged. 

Since they've decided to hang out here, I'm sure this pair is clever, so I choose to believe their nest is just very well hidden, and that, in about 4 weeks, we'll have ducklings, too.  I hope the pond lasts that long.

Not my duck.

Speaking of birds that may or may not belong to me, the Bigs turned two yesterday!  Happy, happy hatch-day to my girls.  I neglected to do anything special to help them celebrate (besides setting them loose to enjoy a smorgasbord of worms, bugs, and grass for an hour or so, and wishing Esther a happy birthday as she groomed herself while sitting on my knee), because I've been preoccupied with Indigo for the past couple of days.

Indigo hasn't been doing well--she's been moping around, and she refuses to tell me what's wrong or how I can help her feel better.  After Hazel's sudden death last month, I admit I'm a bit paranoid when it comes to the chickens' health.  I'm pretty sure Hazel died from something that's not contagious, but I don't really know.  Indigo was a little better yesterday, and today she's better than yesterday, so she seems to be on the mend.  At least she's eating again, although she's hasn't given us any eggs for several days.

I'm making it up to the Bigs today, the second anniversary of their homecoming.  I brought them hard boiled eggs and strawberries this morning, and I think we'll kill the bag of Grubblies this evening.  I also got them a gift--dried mealworms, which we'll dig in to this weekend, I'm sure.

Menu plan for the week of May 6

A few days ago, I found 2 pounds of bacon in my freezer.  It was a little like Christmas, only better, because the bacon was completely unexpected.  And even though I already had 6 pounds of bacon, that I knew about, in the "starter" freezer, it was still a nice surprise.  And one can never have too much bacon.

This week, I'm back to using stuff up.  I'm making Mexican quinoa with grilled chicken that's been in the freezer for months.  I'm also using up the last of the spaghetti sauce that I made who-knows-when-but-probably-more-than-a-year-ago, and the leftover Easter ham.

Here ya go:

Supper:

• Shepherd's pie, applesauce, rolls
• Chicken nachos (using leftover chicken chili verde from Sunday), guacamole
• Angel hair pasta or zoodles with meat sauce, garlic toast, salad, green beans
• Cheesy (and not so cheesy) ham, potato (or cauliflower), and bacon casserole, peaches
• Hamburgers, buns, chips, raw veggies
• Fend for yourself or out to eat
• Peppered steak with portobello mushroom sauce, strawberry cobb salad, grilled broccoli

Other:

• Mexican quinoa with grilled chicken
• Taco seasoning
• Yogurt
• Bacon, Avocado, and Egg salad
• Frozen zoodles

9 for 2019 April Update

Hi friends.  It's the last day of April, which means it's time for a 9 for 2019 goal update.

In April, I:

• Went on a playdate with myself  to Hobby Lobby.  Oh, how I love all.the.things at Hobby Lobby.  Maybe someday I'll actually even buy some of them.

• Made and installed a chicken swing--So far, the girls have regarded the chicken swing with a equal parts mistrust and disdain.  I did manage to get two of them up on to the swing separately, one by picking her up, and placing her on the swing while feeding her Grubblies, and the other by holding a bowl of chopped hard-boiled egg so that the girls could only reach it by hopping onto the swing, but I didn't get pictures of either.  I think that the ladies needed to have been exposed to the swing as babies in order for them to enjoy it (take note, new chicken mamas).  The good news is, the swing will already be in place the next time we have chicks around here.

This month, I also bought material with which to cover my box.  Well, material with which to cover the top of the sides--I'm having trouble deciding what to do with the bottom.

And I finally started on that darn Facts of Life book.  I decided that I should work on it for 15 minutes a day, but then I realized that 15 minutes at a time is not enough, and that I don't have the fortitude to do it every day.  But I've started.  And even if I don't ever work on it again, what I have done will be helpful for those who need it.

I had already completed:

• Crochet a purple scarf, which I told you about here. 

• Playdate with myself  to IKEA, which I told you about here. 

• Replace dish cloths

• Put together a traveling charger kit--You know, cords and wall chargers that are specifically designated for travel.

• Make vanilla extract.

I still need to: 

• Go on playdates with myself  to downtown and the Arboretum, for fun and inspiration.

• Plant sunflowers by the chicken coop--These will be multipurpose sunflowers.  They'll be pretty, provide shade, and provide food for the chickens.  The challenge will be keeping the girls from eating them before they get strong enough to withstand the chickens' pecking.

• Cover a box that I store things in to make it pretty--I've been meaning to do this for years.  Even though it's a box that I use in our master bathroom, so hardly anyone ever sees it, it will make me happy to have a prettier receptacle.

• Facts of life book--This goal, of course, is continued from last year.

Wow.  Not much left.  Well, except for the never-ending Facts of Life book--that's much.  How are you doing on your 2019 goals?

Menu plan for the week of April 29

Well, the Instant Pot is heading back to its home this week.  Last week Hubby said that I was sure using it a lot for someone who doesn't like it.  Again, I am so thankful that I was able to try one before buying, because I was pretty sure I wanted one until I actually used it.  It's not that I dislike the Instant Pot, it's that I can do all of the things it can do using other methods, and it doesn't fit in my appliance cupboard.  Well, ok, it just barely fits in my appliance cupboard if I take the inner pot out and store the lid separately.  Also, that silicone ring really does pick up unpleasant odors (I'm really hoping I can get that smelling better before I give the pot back).

The main advantages of electric pressure cookers, as I see it, are:

1. being able to make slow-cooker type meals much faster
2. being able to make rice and pasta recipes. all in one pot
3. being able to cook using less energy and without heating up the kitchen on a warm day

And those advantages are just not all that meaningful to me.  Well, the not heating up the kitchen on a warm day is meaningful, but that's why I have my grill and my slow cooker.

The yogurt, by the way, worked the second time.  Turns out there are three settings for the yogurt button, and the first time, I had it on the less setting for incubation instead of normal.  Don't ask me what one would use the less setting for, because I do not know (if you know, feel free to enlighten me).

This week, I've got one last Instant Pot recipe that I didn't make last week.  I already have all the ingredients (and I'm using up some chicken thighs from the freezer), so I'm gonna make it.  Here's what's on the menu this week:

Supper:

• Instant Pot Pepperjack chicken
• Nachos (regular nachos, as requested by the children, who have grown weary of recycled instant pot meat nachos), guacamole
• Chicken, bacon, ranch sliders (I was going to do this one in the Instant Pot, but decided the slow cooker version was easier), raw veggies
• Pizza (crust, sauce), salad
• Hamburgers, buns, chips, jello, roasted asparagus
• Hot dogs or brats (maybe we can pretend they're light sabers), buns, oven fries, green beans
• Chicken tacos, guacamole (gotta have guac on 5th May)

Other:

• There is no other this week.  Well, there probably is some other, but I don't have the brain power to think of it right now.

Menu plan for the week of April 22

You guys.  My Instant Pot yogurt failed.  Yogurt is the one thing that I was thinking the Instant Pot would make easier.  It was the thing that made me think maybe I did want to own an Instant Pot.  Not that making yogurt in my slow cooker is difficult, but I do worry about the cultures getting too cold as I wrap their towel blanket around them and put them to bed.  The Instant Pot (Duo and better models) has a yogurt button, which tells the Instant Pot to keep those lactobacilli warm--without a blanket. 

I'm not sure what caused the fail, because if I had known I was doing something wrong I wouldn't have done it, but my working theory is that my instant read thermometer reads low, and I killed the bacteria by putting it into too-warm milk.

I'm going to try again, of course.  Wish me luck.

This week, we're planning on making more Instant Pot meals, some of which were suggested to me by people trying to convince me that I want an Instant Pot.  Do you Instant Pot?  Drop some of your favorite recipes in the comments.

Supper:

• Instant Pot elk roast
• Nachos (using chicken chili verde leftover from last week), guacamole
• Instant Pot taco soup
• Instant Pot chicken alfredo (I think I'm adding frozen veggies to the pot)
• Instant Pot pizza pasta casserole, salad
• Instant Pot pepperjack chicken
• Something grilled, with a grilled veggie, and some sort of starch

Other:

• IP Yogurt, take two
• Cookies or muffins or maybe both
• Instant pot popcorn

An Open Table (God's Extravagant Love)

One of my favorite things about my church is that Communion is served at an open table.  That means that anyone can come and partake of God's holy meal. 

And I do mean anyone. 

source

You don't have to be a certain age; you don't have to have taken a class.  You don't have to be a certain gender or race, of a certain economic class or level of education, or have a certain sexual orientation.  You don't have to be a member of our church, or any church.  You don't have to understand what Communion is about--because let's face it--do any of us truly understand the mystery of God with us in this holy meal?  All that's required is an open heart and a desire to seek after God.

And here's why: It's not our table.  It's God's table, and God gets to decide who is welcome, not me, not you. 

Who did God Incarnate invite to His table?  Whom did He break bread with, hang out with?  Jesus hung out with the margins of society: the sinners, the seekers, the questioners, the sick, the poor, widows and orphans, children.  Jesus hung out with the people who knew that they needed Him.

You know who Jesus didn't hang out with? 

Jesus didn't hang out with religious leaders who knew the rules so well they were able to exploit them in any way they wished, and often did, to their own profit.  Pharisees, who thought they could earn their salvation by following the law.  It's not that Jesus didn't want to spend time with the Pharisees or that He wouldn't have welcomed them. He invited them, too.  But they didn't want to spend time with Him.  They were so sure that their way was the right way.  They were so sure that they didn't need Jesus because they had the law.

I remember feeling taken aback by this wild, open invitation to the table the first time it was issued to me.  It felt so reckless, so extravagant.  When I was small, one had to fill out a little card and hand it to the usher in order to take Communion in our church.  It was such a big deal for church kids to go to Communion classes and to celebrate First Communion.  It was a right of passage, and it made us feel a little more grown-up.  I remember going to churches where I wasn't allowed to take Communion, because I didn't believe the "right" way--their way--and Communion is sacred.

Those churches are right: Communion is sacred, but it isn't sacred because of us.  It isn't sacred because we carefully curate its participants, ensuring that all those who partake are holy enough.  Communion is sacred because of the One who serves it, and the One who meets us in its mystery.  Communion is sacred and holy because of the One who invites us into relationship through the sharing of a meal.

Today's the day the church celebrates the first Communion, ever.  Come.  The table is set.  All are welcome.

Put on Your PJs Piggies: a Review

Put on Your PJs, Piggies is a sweet board book illustrated by Sydney Hanson, following 4 piggy siblings through their bedtime routine.  The illustrations are lovely, and the piglets are so cute.  Little ones will definitely identify with the different parts of the piggies' nighttime routine, and it might make bedtime for human readers a little easier because of that.  I love that Daddy pig suggests counting sheep, and there are actual sheep to count in the barn :) 

Put on Your PJs, Piggies is a rhyming book, of course, meant to be read aloud.  A couple of the rhymes are a little forced, and every time I've read the book, there's one page that always makes me pause because it seems like there's a mistake on that page*.  Still, it's a cute book, and a must-have for preschool pig-lovers.  I personally probably wouldn't purchase the book, but I would definitely borrow it from the library.

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

*One page reads, "our day on Bedtime Barn was fun, But now our piggy day is done."  I think it should be, "our day on Sunshine Farm was fun."

Menu plan for the week of April 15

Hi friends.  Are y'all curious as to how we're doing with the Instant Pot?

Well, so far I've done the "water test," made hard boiled eggs, Kraft mac-n-cheese (yes, from the blue box, because I could), and warm-me-up sausage quiche.

The hard boiled eggs took about the same amount of time as they would have had I steamed them on the stove, by the time the pot came to pressure, cooked, then released pressure, and were about as easy to peel, however 4 out of my 12 eggs cracked in the cooker.  They're still good to eat, but they don't look very good.

The Kraft mac-n-cheese also took about the same amount of time as it would have taken on the stove.  The noodles were a little softer than we're used to, so next time (if there is a next time), I would cook for a shorter time and do a shorter natural pressure release.  The one advantage was I only had one pot to clean, verses a pot and a colander.

The quiche was not a success.  I ended up baking it in the oven for 40 minutes after cooking it in the IP for 20.  This was definitely not a time or energy saver, as I usually bake that quiche for 40-45 minutes anyway.  In the Instant Pot's defense, I used a deeper dish than usual, and it was probably too full.  But I wanted to make the full recipe so it would be a fair comparison, and my regular dish doesn't fit in the Instant Pot.

If I had to decide right now, I think I would accept and use an Instant Pot if someone gave it to me, but I would not purchase an Instant Pot.  I am so very thankful to have the opportunity to try before buying, as I'm thinking I would have a serious case of buyers remorse if I purchased one.

Anyway, I have lots of Instant Pot recipes on the menu this week (and a few next week, too).  Maybe the Instant Pot will reveal its gloriousness to me yet.  Wish me luck!  I'll keep you posted.


Supper:

• Rice burgler--I thought about making this as a one pot meal in the Instant Pot, but I think for my first IP rice experience it should be just rice.  So rice in the IP, everything else on the stove.
• Chicken chili verde--in the Instant Pot.  I'll have to add more liquid because the 8 qt IP that I'm borrowing calls for a minimum of 2 cups of liquid.  Trying to decide whether I should do this pot-in-pot or just straight up.  Hopefully it'll be OK.
• Instant Pot Beef & broccoli
• Instant Pot Chicken burrito bowl
• Pancakes, eggs, bacon, fresh fruit
• Hamburgers, buns, oven fries, grilled veggie
• Best Instant Pot Honey glazed ham, corn, applesauce

Other:

• Instant pot yogurt
• Maybe an Instant pot dessert?  Like a molten lava cake?

Menu plan for the week of April 8

I'm trying to decide if I want an electric pressure cooker.  They seem to be life changing for people who have and use them, but I'm not sure I would actually use one, or that I'm willing to give up kitchen space to store one.

As I see it, the main advantage of electric pressure cookers is that you can cook slow cooker type foods much faster.  So if you find yourself at 4 p.m., having planned a slow cooker meal, but having forgotten to put the meal in the slow cooker (and possibly not even thawed it yet), you could put said slow cooker meal in the pressure cooker and it'll be done in time for supper.  But the thing is, I don't make a whole lot of slow cooker meals because my family tends to not like those sorts of meals, so that's not that much of an advantage for me.

Other kinds of things that I might make in a pressure cooker, like mashed potatoes, hard boiled eggs, rice, or yogurt actually take about the same amount of time in a pressure cooker as they do using other methods, because the cooker has to come up to pressure, then cook for however much time, then release the pressure*.

So I'm just not convinced.  I put it to Facebook, and overwhelmingly, my friends told me that I did want an electric pressure cooker and that I wanted a big one.  Well, all except one.  She got an Instant Pot for Christmas, and it sat on her counter for a while until she decided to relegate it to the garage.

And she's lending it to me.  So I can try it out.  For an unspecified period of time.  I don't think my friend knows that the last time someone lent me a pressure cooker for an unspecified period of time, I kept it (thanks again, mom & dad), and I still have it.

Anyway, I'm excited to try it out.  I actually already had a pressure cooker meal on my menu for this week that I was going to make in the slow cooker.  Next week, I'll have a bunch of pressure cooker recipes, I'm sure.

Do you have an electric pressure cooker?  Do you use it?  What do you make in it?

In the meantime, here's what's on the menu this week:

Supper:

• Two ingredient Instant Pot shredded beef tacos (by the way, don't get excited about that two ingredient thing--it's actually five.  FIVE!), taco toppings, guacamole, tortillas
• Hot dogs, buns, carrots, fresh fruit
• Fend for yourself
• Pizza, salad
• Chicken tenders, carrots
• Hamburgers, buns, grilled veggie
• Nachos using shredded beef leftover from Monday, guacamole

Other:

• Oatmeal chocolate bars (I didn't make these last week because we still had another dessert that we were eating on.  The other dessert is *almost* gone, so I'm sure I'll get to the bars this week.
• Some kind of muffins.  It's been a while since we've had muffins in the house.
• Warm me up sausage quiche.  The girls are laying a lot of eggs.  Gotta use 'em up.

*with these foods, I'm told, the advantage is not in time, but in the fact that you can set it and forget it.  Nothing boils over or makes a mess (well, unless you do a quick release and liquid comes spewing out).  There are two foods: mashed potatoes and dry beans, that always (and I do mean always) boil over when I cook them on the stove.  I'm just not sure that's enough of an incentive to store something that big in my kitchen.

Hazel

Our sweet Hazel left us on Sunday.  We found her scrunched in a corner when we checked on the girls in the afternoon.  I don't know what happened to her.  She laid an egg, and then died.  In retrospect, there were signs that she wasn't feeling well--she had been moving slower than the other girls (which I thought was just because she was bigger), we got a couple of blood-streaked eggs from her, and she passed some watery stools, but all of those things are normal things that happen with chickens from time to time, so I wasn't too alarmed.  Chickens are experts at hiding sickness or injury, so we didn't know there was anything wrong enough to cause death.  Poor Hazel.

 

 

 Hazel was Bubby's favorite.

Miss you, girlfriend.

Menu plan for the week of April 1

Hi friends.  Remember last week, when I asked for suggestions for using some of the not-regularly-used-in-our-household ingredients languishing in my cupboard?  Well, my fraternity sister, Bert, came through for me, suggesting I make oatmeal chocolate bars using sweetened condensed milk, very similar to this recipe.  So I'm going to make them this week.  Thanks, Bert.

If you want a shout-out on my blog, let me know: what should I make with evaporated milk, turkey gravy, a jar of what I think is probably homemade chocolate cake mix, four candy canes* and/or unflavored gelatin?  Bonus points for not making me buy any new ingredients.

* because it turns out, in addition to the three candy canes I found in the cupboard last week, I also had a small bag of already-crushed candy canes, which was the perfect amount for the cookies I wanted to make, and there were four candy canes, not three.

Here's what's on the menu this week:

Supper:

• Pizza, salad
• Hot dogs, buns, carrots
• Fend for yourself
• Chicken tenders, roasted broccoli
• Corn dogs, carrots
• Hamburgers, buns, oven fries, roasted Brussels sprouts
• Oven fried chicken drumsticks, mashed potatoes, broccoli/cauliflower/carrots

Other:

• Oatmeal chocolate bars
• Pickled eggs
• Taco bean soup (using the tomatoes from our garden that I blanched, peeled and froze in August) and/or egg roll in a bowl (using the cabbage that I shredded and froze months ago)