Garden Update

Time for another garden update?  Yes.  Sure.  Let's do this.

 Flowers on the sugar snap peas.  After I took the picture, I noticed set fruit.  Yay!

 Set fruit on the roma tomatoes.  I haven't staked these yet, but they're still compact and standing strong.

 Coming soon to the zucchini plants: flowers.

 I think these are beets?  Maybe?  We also definitely have at least 3 volunteer tomato plants in this bed.  Who knows if they'll have enough time to produce, but I'm leaving them in the ground to do their thing.

 The corn is definitely knee high.

 A few of the purple basil plants are variegated.  So fun.  And nope, I haven't thinned these yet.  Haven't been able to bring myself to do it.  Soon.  Maybe. Also, who's eating my basil?  Hmph.

 Look at those radish seed pods.  So fun.  I tasted one, but I don't think it was quite ready yet.

Here's our first carrot.  They're supposed to be about 4" long when fully mature, which is why this particular variety is good for growing in containers.

That's it for now.  What's growing in your neck of the woods?

Shepherd's Pie: a Recipe

Shepherd's pie was the first food that AKD ate with us as a family, and it remains one of his favorites.  I like it, too, because it's pretty easy, and a complete meal in and of itself.  While technically, shepherd's pie is made with lamb, and the same recipe made with ground beef is cottage pie, to me and my family this will always be shepherd's pie.

I'm a little surprised that I haven't shared the recipe with you before now, but better late than never, right?  Also, AKD's going to be responsible for feeding himself starting in September, and he wanted the recipe.  In honor of AKD, I've included the ingredient amounts in the instructions.  So. much. easier.

Here it is:

Shepherd's Pie

(makes ...a lot... we like leftovers of this meal, but it's super easy to cut the recipe in half or freeze half)

(to print this recipe, click here)

2 lb ground beef (I use 93% lean)
1/2 c. flour, or proportional amount of another thickening agent
2 c. beef broth (or 2 c. water with 2 beef bullion cubes dissolved in it)
Two 16 oz bags of frozen mixed veggies (or equivalent amount of cooked veggies of choice)
About 4 c. mashed potatoes (I loosely follow this recipe, but instant works, too)

• In a large skillet, brown 2 lb ground beef.  Do not drain.
• Add 1/2 c. flour or equivalent amount of another thickening agent.  Stir to distribute, and cook over medium high heat, stirring, for a minute or so.
• Slowly add 2 c beef broth, stirring constantly until combined.  Bring to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally until gravy is thick.
• Add two 16 oz bags of mixed veggies and stir to combine.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
• Pour mixture into a 9x13 pan, 2.5 qt dish, or two 8x8" pans.
• Top with about 4 c. mashed potatoes.  Some folks put the potatoes just around the outside edge, but we spread them over the entire surface.  
• Bake at 400°F for 40-45 min or until potatoes start to brown.  This almost always bubbles out of the pan, so place a large baking sheet under to catch drips.
• To freeze, prepare as listed, including baking.  Let cool completely, then wrap well and freeze.  To bake, cover with foil and reheat at 350°F for an hour, or until hot.

Menu plan for the week of June 29

Finally (finally), it's going to be July this week.  Anybody else feel like this summer is lasting for.ev.er?  Like seriously, it feels like it should be nearing the end of July, rather than the end of June.  I'm surprised every time I look at the calendar.  The fact that we're in for a solid two weeks (maybe longer) of decidedly late July/early August weather makes it seem even more so like we should be closer to the end of summer.

Although honestly, this year, the end of summer might just mean cooler weather, rather than the usual kids heading back to school.  I definitely do not envy our school district's decision makers right now (or ever, really).  No matter what they decide, there will be a significant portion of stakeholders not happy about it, and there will definitely be Monday morning quarterbacking on this decision.

Anyway, here's what we're eating this week.

Supper:

• Shepherd's pie, rolls, applesauce
• Nachos, guacamole, taco toppings
• Lemon butter steak and broccoli (probably with additional broccoli on the side)
• Kielbasa and cauliflower stir fry/Kielbasa and potatoes, mixed veggies
• Grilled pork chops, grilled Brussels sprouts, garlic toast
• Grilled bone-in chicken breast (if I can find any--I haven't actually seen any in stores in at least 6 months, maybe longer), corn on the cob, watermelon
• Hamburgers, buns, chips, carrots

Other:

• Italian cauliflower salad
• Italian pasta salad
• Muffins
• Biscuits and gravy (I'm hoping this stores and reheats well--I'm getting a little weary of my usual meal prep egg bake)

I'm done! 20 for 2020 update

Well hello there, friends.  Guess what?  Yup.  You read that right: I finished my 20 goals for 2020.  Now I can sit around doing nothing for the rest of the year.  

Kidding!  Mostly kidding.  

Here are the two goals I completed in June, bringing my total to 20 for the year:

1. Remove a popcorn ceiling.  Well, I did it.  It wasn't necessarily difficult...  OK, it actually was difficult.  Most of the removal went well and was easy, but there were lingering bits, and I found it impossible to actually get the ceiling smooth enough to paint.  Let's just say, I understand now why popcorn ceilings are so popular with builders--they cover up all imperfections, meaning the builder doesn't have to put much effort into finishing the ceilings.  I gave it a valiant effort.  There was so much sanding, and so much dust.  I couldn't see, and I was sweating in my dust mask.  But I did it.  And I am never going to do that again.
   
2. Make and install towel hooks/shelf in the bathroom.  Oops.  I guess this goal is not fully complete, because the hooks have yet to be installed (pending painting of the bathroom), but I did make the shelf/towel hooks.  Finally.  I think this goal was on my to-be-completed list every month this year.  I was so intimidated for some reason.  Or maybe I wasn't really sure what I wanted.  Or possibly (probably) both.  It seems fitting that this would be the last goal completed for the year.

Here is the list of previously completed 2020 goals:

1. Make sauerkraut. 
2. Grow an amaryllis. 
3. Drink tea.
4. Make cloth napkins for more seasons.
5. Track something.
6. Buy a statement necklace.
7. Make a box to sit on our toilet tank.  
8. Make a particular wooden sign for a friend.
   
9. Make mayonnaise.
10. Make maple syrup.  
11. Watch the Star Wars movies in timeline order.  
12. Start seeds indoors. 
13. Make a reusable bag out of a chicken feed sack.  
14. Finish or decide to abandon that darn puzzle.  
15. Make a cast iron skillet handle cover.  
16. Plant something new. 
17. Wash outside windows.  
18. Log 50 activities on Strava.  

So.  Now what?  Well, I have a handy list of potential goals to choose from for next year and/or a handy list of projects to do if I feel like doing a project.  Conveniently, there are 21 of them, but I suspect some of the rest of these will still be completed this year.

Here is the handy list of remaining possible activities:

1. Crochet a cowl
2. Crochet a poncho
3. Make reusable food wrap
4. Make a pretty apron (I would have to find a pattern I like first.  Also, a sewing machine)
5. Make lip balm
6. Make soap
7. Make a console table/thing to keep the step stool from dinging our wall.
8. Make a frame for the B
9. String art
10. Install pallet wall
11. Install gallery wall (we had a gallery wall, but there was just something off about it.  I was never happy with it.  Too symmetrical, maybe.  Or the frames were too close together.  Or maybe too big or too small in scale for the wall.  So I'm afraid to try again, lest I not like it again.  I think a gallery would look better on the wall we're intending to palletisize (absolutely a word), but I don't know if I will want to cover up so much of that wall).
12. Light an outdoor tree (there is a sledding hill between our house and the tree I want to light, so I'm not sure it'll work.  Either there will be an extension cord that we will have to avoid while sledding, or the lights will have to be solar or battery powered, which, of course, would drive up the cost of this project).
13. Go to a movie by myself (not sure what's coming in 2020, but there's bound to be at least one movie that I want to see, but no one else in my family wants to see).
14. Hang the W (MC made a beautiful wooden W sign that needs hanging).
15. Repair moose pillows
16. Can apple pie filling
17. Grow and can pickles
18. Obtain a working sewing machine
19. Make and install towel hooks/shelf in the bathroom.  I have the hooks.  I think I probably have the wood (I need to go through the stack of pallet wood to see if I have a combination of sizes that will add up to the size I want).  It needs to happen.  Now it's just a question of how long it'll take for me to actually take action.
20. New floor.  It's time.  It's past time.
21. Stencil a welcome mat.  Because our storm door opens outward and is very close to the porch surface, we won't be able to actually use the welcome mat at our own house, but I really want to try the technique.

Menu plan for the week of June 22

Today, as I'm writing this, I am tired.  I find myself longing for "before."  Before I had to wear a mask to leave the house.  Before I carried hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes in my car.  Before I had to wonder and worry about whether my kiddos will be able to meet their new teachers in person in the fall, and whether there will be a football season for my rising senior.  Before everyone was home all the time.  Before I was hearing daily updates of how many are sick, how many are hospitalized, how many have died.

It hasn't been all bad, not by a long shot.  There are definitely positive things that have come from pandemic and staying at home.  But it's not all good, either.

I suppose, with time, the longing for before will fade.  I remember feeling like life would never return to normal after the terrorist attacks on 9/11/2001, and it hasn't.  But it has, too.  It's a new normal--the post 9/11 normal.  I am longing for before, but will settle for post pandemic normal.  Because I kind of have to.

One thing that remains the same, regardless, is that we have to eat.  So here's what's on the menu this week:

Supper:

• Sheet pan chicken fajitas, tortillas, guacamole
• Walking tacos
• Beef stroganoff, mixed veggies, applesauce
• Italian sausage sheet pan meal
• Pizza, salad
• Hot dogs or brats, buns, grilled asparagus
• Grilled chicken, salad, carrots

Other:

• Italian cauliflower salad
• Cookies?

(Not) Empty Garden Tour

Welp.  I was planning on doing an empty garden tour for y'all this year.

That didn't happen.

So, here's how it looks this week.

 I have eight Roma tomato plants in one of the raised beds.  I was wanting Amish paste tomatoes, but couldn't find them.  Romas are determinate tomatoes, which means they will pretty much produce all of their fruits at one time, which makes them perfect for canning.  I'm not pruning these tomatoes this year, hoping for more fruits.

 Here are some sugar snap peas.  Only about half of them came up, so I replanted, and I don't think any of the replanted peas came up.  Hmph.  We love sugar snap peas around here, so I'm kind of sad about that.  No blooms yet.

I planted some Sakata's Sweet Melon (above) and Otome Watermelon (below) near the trellis on which the peas are growing.  The peas will probably be done by the time these melons begin climbing.

 I've got four strong zucchini plants growing.  I'm planning on eating some fresh, of course, and also freezing spirals.

 I've got about 10 sweet corn plants, and I planted an asparagus bean in each of the six corn squares in my raised bed.

I think I probably have beets growing in one of the raised beds.  Having never grown beets before, I'm not sure what they're supposed to look like, and only one of three squares in which I planted beet seeds actually has anything in it.  I also planted a dozen beet seeds in an egg carton inside, partly so that I could have more beets, and partly so I would know what they looked like, and none of them have germinated.  Hmph.  Well, hopefully we'll get at least one beet to show for my efforts.

The strawberries continue, and the little green worms are back.  I've been hand-picking them and feeding the worms to the chickens, and I think I must have started earlier in the infestation this year, because now I'm only finding about 5-10 worms per day on the strawberries.  Unfortunately, most of the strawberry leaves are damaged, and I think that's why the strawberries we're getting are small.  I've eaten a few strawberries, but most of them are going to the chickens this year.

 The carrot jungle is doing really well.  I really should do some more thinning, but it's really difficult, emotionally, to pull perfectly good food plants out of the ground.

 We have two cherry tomato plants this year.  Well, maybe three.  This one is a grape tomato.  It's flowering (obviously), and there are even a few tiny fruits.  Because cherry tomatoes are indeterminate, I am pruning these plants to encourage strong fruits on the main stem.  The other cherry tomato we're growing is a yellow cherry called Sun Sugar.  This is where the maybe three plants comes in.  I was pruning the sun sugar and came across a bigger sucker, so I cut it off and stuck it in the dirt.  While it's by no means fail-proof, I've had success propagating tomatoes this way in the past.

 One of the fun things about ordering seeds from Baker Creek is that they include a free surprise seed in each order.  This year, I received a packet of purple basil seeds.  So fun!  I definitely need to thin these as well, and will be adding the thinned seedlings to a salad.

And finally, here's what the radishes are looking like.  Whoops.  They bolted, so I guess we're letting them go to seed.  In my research, I discovered that the seed pods are edible, in the same way that pea or bean seed pods are edible, so my plan is to add a few to salads, and possibly save some seeds as well.

That's it for now.  Are you growing a garden?  How's it going?

Menu plan for the week of June 15

This never happens, y'all.  Our bananas almost never get to the point of becoming more ripe than the ripeness at which people want to eat them.  In fact, I buy bananas every Tuesday, and they're usually gone by Saturday.  But the little person, who is the most prolific banana eater, got braces, and decided it was too hard to eat bananas.

I don't know.  I feel like bananas are pretty easy to eat, even with braces.

Regardless, we have four bananas that are almost too ripe for anything other than baking or smoothies.  Whatever shall we do?

In other banana news, the big person bought a bread machine, because he's an adult and adults do things like buy bread machines.  And one of the suggested recipes in the owner's manual (which may or may not be the correct manual* for his particular machine, because he never got around to comparing model numbers) is banana bread.  But it's not banana bread as I have always made it, as a quick bread.  It is banana bread with yeast.  It's a yeast banana bread.  Have you ever heard of a banana bread recipe that uses yeast?  So strange, but also, why not?  People use mashed bananas to substitute for fat in baking sometimes, so...

Anyway, AKD decided that was the recipe he wanted to make to test the machine and it turned out really good.  It looked good.  It smelled good.  It tasted good.  He was so tickled, and has proceeded to eat it for just about every meal since.

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

Supper:

• Grilled chicken with Caesar salad
• Tacos, taco toppings
• Pasties (from the freezer), beef gravy
• Leftovers
• Hamburgers, buns, chips, corn or carrots
• Grilled pizza, salad
• Grilled pork chops, mashed potatoes, grilled green veggie

Other:

• Something with bananas

* He bought the bread machine used, and found the manual online.

Taco pasta salad: a recipe

I've been making batch lunches for my two oldest boys, since everyone's home, and leftovers don't last very long around here.  And they're hungry!  Everyone insists on eating every 5 hours or so.  A couple of weeks ago, I made taco pasta salad, and they liked it.  This salad can be served warm or cold, and it's a fun salad to bring on a picnic.  Here's the recipe.

Taco Pasta Salad

(adapted from here)

1 lb pasta (I used rotini, but use what you like)
1/3 c. olive oil
3 T. lime juice
1/2 t. ground cumin
1 lb meat, taco seasoned (I used ground beef, but feel free to use what you like)
1 (15-oz.) can corn, drained
1 (15-oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 c. halved or quartered cherry tomatoes
1 c. diced bell peppers (I used yellow and red)
1 c. sliced black olives
2 c. shredded or cubed cheese (optional--I used sharp cheddar)
4 green onions, thinly sliced and/or 1/2 medium red onion, diced

1. Cook and drain the pasta according to package directions.  Cool if you're serving this salad cold.  Place pasta in a large serving bowl.
2. Whisk together 1/3 c. olive oil, 3 T lime juice, and 1/2 t. ground cumin.  Pour over the pasta and toss to coat.  Alternately, use about 1/2 c. of your favorite prepared salad dressing.
3. Add remaining ingredients to the pasta and gently stir (I left out the cheese since one of the people who were going to eat this don't like cheese.  The other person just added some to his portions)

The Taco Pasta Salad will keep for about a week in the fridge.  Individual portions can be heated up if desired.

Let me know what you think if you try it!

Quarantine Quotes

*Disclaimer: what our family is experiencing is not quarantine.  It's just that Quarantine Quotes sounds a little snappier than Safer-at-Home Quotes, so that's what we're going with.

We decided fairly early on in our state's Safer at Home initiative that we needed to keep track of the funny things we said.  And now, since school is done for the summer, and most of us who are spending time at home would have been spending time at home anyway at this point, we're done keeping track.  We needed to immortalize them somehow, and saving pieces of paper makes me itchy, so I'm putting them out into the world electronically, for all time.

For your reading pleasure, I present: Bluefield Family Quarantine (Safer at Home) Quotes.

• I could lick the condensation; maybe it tastes like chicken. --Bubby
• I'm older than the Hubble Space Telescope. --Bubby
• You couldn't bike away from an armadillo.  --Bubby
• That's why we need a complicated latch: so the octopii can't get in. --Scarlet
• Cody's not going to lay an egg. --Scarlet
• Scarlet: Did you change your underwear? Unnamed child: I didn't know you wanted it done right away!
• I usually like throwing up. --Sawblock
• I need a ... grass chunk. --AKD
• How am I supposed to go poop without making loud noises? --Bubby
• I can get naked all day long! --Sawblock
• I can store more hair on my head. --Bubby
• Are you ok? Avocados are dangerous! --Scarlet
• He's preheating his rock! --AKD
• Sawblock: Ooooh.  I just thought of an idea. Scarlet: Does it involve chickens?  AKD: And a zipline!
• Don't point the strawberry at your mother's eye. --Sawblock
• Is she ... touching ... the avocados? --Bubby
• No.  If you walk up to somebody, they're going to notice you have three legs. --Bubby
• Do our shoes like alcohol? --Bubby

I feel like most of these definitely fall under the you-had-to-be-there category, but anyway, hope you got at least one chuckle out of our list.

Menu plan for the week of June 8

Hi, friends.  Our kids' last day of school would have been this week.  It's a bit surreal.  So I guess now we can move on with our "summer."  It is what it is, and we'll get through, but it's just so strange. 

In the meantime, there is food.  Here's what's on the menu this week:

Supper:

• Crock pot creamy Italian chicken & cauliflower, Brussels sprouts
• Mac-n-cheese with smoked sausage, broccoli
• French toast, sausage patties, fruit
• Hot dogs, buns, carrots, chips
• Hamburgers, buns, grilled broccoli, salad
• Sunday night stew, mashed potatoes
• Leftovers

Other:

• Again, not sure, but there will probably be something.

18/20 for 2020

Yup.  Just two more goals to go for 2020.  And then maybe I'll get a head-start on 2021.

Just kidding.  That's probably cheating.

*****

Here are the goals I accomplished this month:

1. Plant something new.  Imagine a fruit that looks like, and has the texture of, a granny smith apple, but tastes like honeydew.  That's what I'm growing!  I'm also growing a new-to-me (and smaller, which increases the likelihood that it'll mature during our growing season) variety of watermelon, and yellow beets (along with a lot of things I have grown before).  The beets are already in the ground, and the melons will be there soon.

   

   These are my Sakata sweet melon starts!  They should be going in the ground soon.

2. Wash outside windows.  Oh, this was a saga, as my friend KT can attest (everyone needs a friend who will listen patiently to the latest window washing update).  But it is done for the year.  Feel free to judge me for only washing windows once a year.  Because actually, it's more like once every five years.
3. Log 50 activities on Strava.  This happened by accident.  When I envisioned the goal, I was thinking 50 outdoor activities.  But I joined some Strava challenges that were specifically for indoor, solo activities, and it just happened--I logged over 50 activities in Strava.  I'll take it.

*****

Here are the previously accomplished 2020 goals:

1. Make sauerkraut. 
2. Grow an amaryllis. 
3. Drink tea.
4. Make cloth napkins for more seasons.
5. Track something.
6. Buy a statement necklace.
7. Make a box to sit on our toilet tank.  
8. Make a particular wooden sign for a friend.
   
9. Make mayonnaise.
10. Make maple syrup.  
11. Watch the Star Wars movies in timeline order.  
12. Start seeds indoors. 
13. Make a reusable bag out of a chicken feed sack.  
14. Finish or decide to abandon that darn puzzle.  
15. Make a cast iron skillet handle cover.  

*****

Here is a goal I plan to work on in June (ha! I am determined to make this happen this year, but at this point, it's kind of a joke to put it on the to-be-worked-on-this-month list, since it's been there so many times):

• Make and install towel hooks/shelf in the bathroom. I actually cut the wood, y'all, which means this project is moving right along!  At turtle speed!  The current hold-up is I can't wrap my mind around how to clamp my shiny new pocket hole jig to the wood so I can drill the pocket holes safely.  I need to just do it, because my mind is not going to be able to picture the correct configuration--I'll need to try something, then adjust accordingly.  The chick-brooding is coming to an end, which means soon I'll be able to clean, take down wallpaper, repair walls, and paint, which means that sometime the shelf can go up.

I only have one goal that I plan to work on in June, because if I work on more than one, I'll be done for the year.  Which wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing?  But it seems wrong.

*****

Here is the list of remaining potential goals:

1. Crochet a cowl
2. Crochet a poncho
3. Make reusable food wrap
4. Make a pretty apron (I would have to find a pattern I like first.  Also, a sewing machine)
5. Make lip balm
6. Make soap
7. Make a console table/thing to keep the step stool from dinging our wall.
8. Make a frame for the B
9. String art
10. Install pallet wall
11. Install gallery wall (we had a gallery wall, but there was just something off about it.  I was never happy with it.  Too symmetrical, maybe.  Or the frames were too close together.  Or maybe too big or too small in scale for the wall.  So I'm afraid to try again, lest I not like it again.  I think a gallery would look better on the wall we're intending to palletisize (absolutely a word), but I don't know if I will want to cover up so much of that wall).
12. Light an outdoor tree (there is a sledding hill between our house and the tree I want to light, so I'm not sure it'll work.  Either there will be an extension cord that we will have to avoid while sledding, or the lights will have to be solar or battery powered, which, of course, would drive up the cost of this project).
13. Go to a movie by myself (not sure what's coming in 2020, but there's bound to be at least one movie that I want to see, but no one else in my family wants to see).
14. Hang the W (MC made a beautiful wooden W sign that needs hanging).
15. Repair moose pillows
16. Can apple pie filling
17. Remove a popcorn ceiling
18. Grow and can pickles
19. Obtain a working sewing machine
20. Make and install towel hooks/shelf in the bathroom.  I have the hooks.  I think I probably have the wood (I need to go through the stack of pallet wood to see if I have a combination of sizes that will add up to the size I want).  It needs to happen.  Now it's just a question of how long it'll take for me to actually take action.
21. New floor.  It's time.  It's past time.
22. Stencil a welcome mat.  Because our storm door opens outward and is very close to the porch surface, we won't be able to actually use the welcome mat at our own house, but I really want to try the technique.

Menu plan for the week of June 1

I'm a day late on the menu plan, friends, because, well, you know why.  If not, go ahead and click "previous post" down there at the bottom of the page.  I'll wait.

School ended, without a lot of fanfare.  I did make an ice cream dessert to mark the occasion, but even with a special dessert, the school year just sort of fizzled out into nothing.  I've never really enjoyed the end of the school year celebrations because I don't like being around a lot of people, and also, I don't like being hot, but this way, with no fanfare, just seemed a little not-right.

And now what do we do, right?  I mean, most of the attractions that the kids and I would normally visit during the summer are closed right now.  State parks, which we enjoy, are open, but super crowded.  I feel like the summer is going to proceed in the same way that the end of the school year did.  Day will blur into day, and the summer will eventually fizzle to an end.

And now, please join me in praying that in-person school can happen in some sort of way in the fall.  I mean, yes, it would be nice for these people who are here all the time to leave sometimes so they're not constantly a part of my mental load, but even more than that, I just can't even imagine how difficult it would be for a teacher to teach students online that they've never met in person.  Or for students to learn from a teacher they've never met.  It would be so very strange.

I know that this pandemic is not going away anytime soon, but I am fervently hoping for enough of a reprieve to at least get the school year underway in person.

Anyway, here's this week's menu plan.

Supper:

• Pasties (hot dogs for the pasty haters), broccoli
• Grilled chicken skewers with Caesar salad
• Omelets, fresh fruit (hope I can find a good watermelon this week--it'll be my fourth try)
• Crock pot sausage with peppers and onions
• Take-out
• Pizza, salad
• Hot dogs or brats, buns, grilled veggie, chips

Other:

I don't know.  Probably something for lunch.  Maybe some cookies or muffins.

No title

I have never claimed to be perfect, friends.  I have hesitated to speak my heart on this matter, because I wasn't sure I'd be able to put the right words together.  But I realized that I have to try. 

As violence creeps closer to my side of the river, I am fearful.  I am afraid that the riots will reach my town, and I'm not really reassured by the mayor putting the National Guard on stand-by or the sheriff's department saying they have extra precautions in place and are cooperating with their law enforcement partners.  I do not like this feeling that I may not be safe.  I'm supposed to be doing a job over there today, close to where there has been some property damage, where stores have been closed and boarded up as a precaution, and I don't really want to.  Why should I put myself into potential danger?

But y'all, I am a white woman living in rural America.  I have the privilege of living in a place where I feel safe, almost all the time.  I have the privilege of not putting myself in unnecessary danger.  I have the privilege of knowing that my local police force won't assume that I'm up to no good.  I can go for a walk around the "block," and not be afraid.  For me, being home equals being safe, and to be honest, it is unlikely that the riots will come here.

For so many, being afraid is a daily occurrence.  For black men living in America, feeling unsafe is a way of life.  Black men don't feel safe in their own neighborhoods, friends.  They don't feel safe jogging around the block.  They don't feel safe walking down the street.  They don't feel safe at the dog park.  Even if they happen to live in an affluent suburb or in a "safe" rural area.  For them, it isn't even a question of whether they will be in danger--it is a question of when.  And unfortunately, they're afraid, for good reason, of those who are sworn to protect them.

That is just wrong.

We are broken, friends.  I don't see a solution, but I do see hope.  Let's keep talking about this.  Let's listen to each other, because it seems to me, relationship is the only way through.  Let's be good humans.  Let's love each other.  Fiercely. 

One more thing: don't mistake violence for protest.  The rioters don't care about George Floyd or institutional racism--all they care about is stirring up trouble, and they are doing an excellent job at that.  The rioters are making racial disparity in Minneapolis worse, by scaring and displacing residents who have nowhere else to go, by burning down grocery stores, by causing public transit to be shut down. 

In this epicenter of the storm, the protesters are peaceful, just wanting to be heard, and stirring up trouble of a different kind.  The protesters are stirring up heart trouble for all of those of us who didn't realize this problem exists, or those of us who have become complacent, or those of us who don't think they can be a part of a solution.  Oppression is only possible if those who are not oppressed won't stand for those who are.

5/18/2020

I'm sad today.  I am weary and worn.  I feel inadequate, so less-than, practically worthless.  I know.  It'll pass.  But today?  Today is rough.

Supper:

• Shepherd's pie, rolls, applesauce
• Nachos, guacamole, strawberry fluff
• Chicken bundles, green beans
• Spaghetti, garlic toast, broccoli
• Hot dogs/brats, buns, jello, corn on the cob, chips
• Chicken basil burgers, buns, grilled green veggie
• Summer sausage hobo packets

Other:

• Taco pasta salad--this is lunch for the adults who like/don't mind eating pasta
• Some kind of muffins that people who live here like, but not like so much that they eat the entire batch in less than 2 days.
• Some kind of cookies that people who live here like, but not like so much that they eat the entire batch in less than 2 days.  Bonus points if it's also a kind of cookie that I don't like.
• Cheeseburger soup?  I'm concerned about ground beef supply, and it seems indulgent to use a couple of pounds of our limited supply just to make lunch for myself.

Strawberry Fluff: a recipe

The other day AKD mentioned that he thought it would be good to have strawberry fluff: like green stuff, which some people call Waldorf salad, or caramel apple salad, but with strawberries.  My personal strawberries aren't ready yet (I saw a few flowers the other day), but somebody's are, because I've been seeing them for cheap at my grocery store...or, more accurately, in my grocery store's sales flyer.

So I decided to look online for a strawberry fluff recipe.  And I found a few, but they all contained cream cheese, which sounded delicious to me, but was a no-go for AKD.  So I had to make my own recipe.

All of the people (who tried it) liked it.  Strawberry fluff won't replace caramel apple salad or green stuff in our menu plans, but we will definitely be adding it to the rotation.

In the tradition of green stuff, strawberry fluff is light and slightly sweet, with just a little bit of crunch, a perfect summer side dish or dessert when strawberries are in season.  Here's the recipe.

Strawberry Fluff

Click here for a printable copy

• 20 oz can crushed pineapple, undrained
• 1 pkg (3 oz) strawberry flavored gelatin
• 1 pkg (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding
• 1 lb strawberries, hulled and chopped, about 2 cups
• 1 c. mini marshmallows
• 1 c. chopped walnuts (optional. Substitute pecans, pistachios, cashews, or macadamia nuts if desired)
• 1 pkg (8 oz) whipped dairy topping, thawed
• (optional) crushed pretzels for garnish

Mix together crushed pineapple with juice, strawberry flavored gelatin, and instant pudding mix.  Add strawberries, marshmallows, and nuts, and stir to combine.  Fold in whipped dairy topping.  Top with additional whole or chopped nuts, if desired, or top with crushed pretzels just before serving.

Menu plan for the week of May 11

Hi friends.  It's May, which means we've got May flowers, right? 

Well, we do have some tulips that are blooming, but that's about it for us.  It's been unseasonably cold the past couple of days, which has me wanting to curl up by the fire with a book.  It's been kind of hard for me to believe that it's May the past couple of days.  It's sort of like when we went to Hawaii, and I had to keep reminding myself that yes, we were in the US, and yes, it was still winter.  Yes, it is May.

Meal planning was difficult this week.  I mean, when is it not?  But it seemed like even more of a slog this time.  The funny thing about that was I actually only had one blank spot to fill on the calendar.

The kids made breakfast for me yesterday, and later on in the day, one of them said to me, "I think it's hard to cook for other people."  Yup.  Sure is.

Anyway, here's what's on the menu this week:

Supper:

• Bacon ranch meatloaf, mashed potato (that's right--one mashed potato, because that's all we have), green beans
• Tacos, Strawberry fluff (we're making this one up as we go along)
• Chicken bundles, green beans
• Italian Sausage sheet pan meal, applesauce
• Hamburgers, buns, carrots
• Pizza, salad
• Grilled pork chops, mashed potatoes (hopefully we'll have more potatoes by then), grilled broccoli

One week chick update

When last we spoke (about chicks), I wasn't getting any (chicks), at least not that day.  I had been assured that my Blue Cochin and Cream Legbar would be coming at the end of May, and that my California White, along with my bonus Speckled Sussex and Americana, would be coming the next week.

Imagine my surprise when I actually did get a call the next week, saying my chicks were in, and would I like to come pick them up at 1 p.m.?

So I picked up my California White and my two bonus chicks, and asked about the other chicks that were supposed to come at the end of the month.  Yes, they were still supposed to arrive.  Yes, the hatchery guaranteed they'd come.

In the week that they've been with us, the Minis, as we've chosen to call them, have settled in nicely.

This is Charlotte, the California White.

Charlotte is the loudest of the three, and is possibly the ring leader?  It's a little too soon to tell.  She is definitely plotting an escape, and I think she'll be capable of it before we know it.  Charlotte was the first to perch on the little roost, and she spends a lot of time there gazing longingly at the open top of the brooder.

This is Buttercup, the Speckled Sussex.

Buttercup likes to peck at Charlotte's feet when Charlotte is on the roost.  Buttercup is also super fast, zipping around the brooder, seemingly at random.  When I took the Minis out for their photo shoot, Buttercup decided to spend the whole time trying to dust bathe on the towel (I'm going to go get the girl a dust bath as soon as I'm done typing).  I took a short video, but I guess I must have deleted it accidentally when I was deciding which photos to show y'all.  That makes me sad.

This is Guacamole, the Americana.

She is so fluffy!  Guac is the biggest, and also the calmest, of this group of chicks.  She seems pretty laid back.

Unfortunately, Guacamole has developed a cross beak. 

See how her bottom beak doesn't line up with the top?  This can be caused by weak genetics or improper incubation temperature or just bad luck.  A cross beak makes it difficult for a chicken to eat or drink, and because of that, it can be a fatal condition.  There's nothing that can be done about the cross beak, unfortunately.  Nothing will make it better.  So far, she's eating and drinking well, and if she does start to have a problem, there are some things we can do for her to make eating and drinking easier, but her future is uncertain.

I got another call from the feed store yesterday.  Apparently, all of the Cream Legbars are sold out for the season.  And the Blue Cochins are all spoken for.  Yup, the very same ones that the hatchery guaranteed would be available at the end of May.  Would I like an olive egger and a light brahma?  Yeah.  No.  No more chicks for us this year.  Maybe we'll try again next year.  Or not.  Although I think a lot of hatcheries have been having trouble keeping up with demand, and it's not the feed store's fault, I don't think I'll order chicks through this particular feed store again.  I'll go with a store that orders from a larger hatchery.

What a strange and disappointing chick season.  Of the three chicks I ordered, I actually received one, and of the three chicks I received, one has a potentially fatal condition.  Ugh.

Nonetheless, I am happy to have the chicks that I do, for as long as they're with me. And, on the bright side, chick care has become a lot less complicated now that we're not getting a second set of chicks four weeks later.

So that's that.  And those are the Minis. And that's all for now.  Take care, friends.

Bread Machine English Muffins

Yup.  I made English muffins, friends.  Finally.

I saved a recipe, printed from some website, for years, intending to make English muffins.  I bought muffin rings...in 2013 (thank you, Amazon, for keeping track of that for me).  I almost got rid of those muffin rings while decluttering my kitchen too many times to count.  It took a pandemic for me to finally make the English muffins.

It turns out, English muffins are super easy to make, even if you don't have muffin rings.  With just a few ingredients and some patience, you too can make fresh, delicious English muffins in a few hours. I used my bread machine to mix, knead, and raise these, but you can definitely do these things by hand if you don't have a bread machine.

Here's the recipe:

English Muffins

adapted from here

1 c. milk
3 T. butter, melted and cooled
1 egg
1/2 t. salt
2 t. sugar
3 c. all purpose flour
1 1/2 t. yeast
cornmeal (for dusting)

• Add ingredients, except for cornmeal, to bread machine in the order listed.
• Start the dough cycle.  After about 5 minutes, lift the bread machine lid to check on the ingredients.  If needed, scrape down sides.  If the dough seems too dry, add water, 1 t at a time until it comes together.  If the dough seems too wet, add flour 1 t at a time.
• When the dough cycle is complete, on a surface lightly dusted with cornmeal, pat the dough into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick, and cut into rounds using a cup, a biscuit cutter, a muffin, ring, or even a tuna can.  You can gather up scraps and cut more rounds, for a total of 8-10.  Alternately, divide the dough into 8 equal portions, and pat each portion into rounds about half an inch thick, then dip both sides in cornmeal.
• Cover and let rise for 20-30 minutes.
• Heat a cast iron skillet or electric griddle over medium-low heat.
• Cook the muffins, until they are golden brown, about 5-7 minutes per side.
• Cut with a serrated knife and serve warm.  Any extras can be frozen, and heated in the toaster or microwave.

Cricut brag post

I definitely go through periods of time where it seems impossible to do anything creative, and the advent of our state's stay at home order seemed like one of those times.  So here I was thinking that I had done hardly any Cricuting in the past few months, but in the midst of the impossible, I've been able to find pockets of inspiration.  I was planning on making this Cricut brag post part of a Random Thoughts with Scarlet post, but I've done enough projects since my last Cricut brag post in February that you're getting a whole separate post.

Here they are, in reverse chronological order.

 I made this sign for my aunt--it's an inside joke between her and my uncle.  It's pretty rustic, but I love the way it turned out.

 I made this sign for a friend whose female kitten keeps attacking my friend's husband when he tries to enter my friend's office.  I figured my friend's husband needed a sign to remind him to stay out, because he keeps going in there, despite Elf the kitten's insistence to the contrary.

 I kind of flinch when people refer to what's happening right now as being quarantined, because we (most of us) are not quarantined.  If we were quarantined, we wouldn't be able to go anywhere at all.  Nowhere.  Not the grocery store.  Not to pick up take-out.  Not to go for a walk.  Nowhere.

But this is what the customer wanted.  And when the customer is a high school senior whose k12 school career is ending nothing like she expected it to go, I'm willing to flinch a little.

 Hubby's cousin welcomed a new little one, so I made a onesie.  So sweet.

 Bunnies for Easter.

 Carrots for the bunnies.

 I'm hoping this holds true for this year.

These projects were completed before our state ordered us to stay home.

 This one might look familiar.  I made a similar sign for a silent auction.  This one is for my brother and sis.  Actually, I'm not sure my brother even knows about it, so maybe it's just for my sis.

 I made this sign for a friend of mine who has two grown children.

 I made this sign for a friend.  It's something her youngest kiddo said when he was 5 or 6 years old.  I love this idea!  Did your kiddo say cute things when they were young?

One of our pastors shared that in a meeting, she had been asked what her word of the year was.  Not having really thought about it before, she sort of panicked and said the first word that came to mind.  It's not a bad word, and I hope it's been a good guide for her in 2020.

Menu plan for the week of May 4

It's May 4th today, or, as one of my kiddos keeps reminding me, May the Fourth.  I got nothin' special for today.  Except maybe today is the day we finish my Star Wars goal.  Except our library has started circulating materials again, and I'm on the list, so maybe not.  There's nothing special as far as food goes, though.  If you were having special food for May the Fourth day, what would you have?

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

Supper:

• Cheesy mini burgers, rice, broccoli
• Nachos, guacamole
• Breakfast pizza
• Spaghetti, green beans, garlic toast
• Hot dogs, buns, jello, chips, carrots
• Chicken basil burgers, buns, asparagus
• Fend for yourself

Other:

• Mexican quinoa with grilled chicken