euphrasyne

If you ever go out for Italian or such and they sprinkle that herb mix in a plate and cover it with oil so you can dip the bread in it, that is what I call 'bread' seasoning. Everything bagel is a type of bagel that has all the toppings on it, sesame seed, poppy seed, garlic, onion, salt. I put it on top of bread before baking, or use it to season chicken for baking. Sazon is a Mexican/South American spice of salt, pepper, cilantro, achiote, garlic, cumin, oregano and sometimes paprika or tumeric. I also have tropical sazon which has garlic and tumeric and onion as well as some of the others. I have sage and oregano in the garden as well as rosemary and basil. I use them seasonally. I used to keep gumbo file, but I was the only one who liked it and it is hard to find here so I didn't replace the last bottle I finished. Never heard of Pepper Chere or Quarterdeck. I'll go look those up.

There was an issue here moving the USS Wisconsin to its permanent drydock at the museum. DH was in charge of creating the plan to dismantle the top and reassemble it on the other side of the bridge. I'm wondering why that shipyard is moving historic bridges instead of building around them. Not practical my rear end. If my DH can dismantle a battleship, he can assemble a yacht.

That shelf has 2 more racks and I keep my smaller spices in a different cabinet. Garlic, Curry, Paprika, Cinnamon, and lemon pepper are things I keep massive stock. Without listing amounts, this is my current spice inventory (yes i use them all. some more than others.) Condiments & sauces and things like taco seasoning packets or gravy/soup/dip packets I track under a different category. These are just large bottles/bags of spice. I'd love to hear what other people consider their necessary spices. Spices Allspice Spices Basil Spices Bay Leaves Spices beef bullion cubes Spices black pepper Spices Bread Seasoning Spices Cajun Spices Caraway Spices Cardamon Spices Cayanne Spices Celery Seed Spices chicken bullion Spices Chipolte Pepper Spices Cinnamon lbs Spices Cinnamon Sticks Spices Cream of Tartar Spices Cumin Spices Curry Spices Dill Spices Dried Ginger Spices Everything Bagal Seasoning Spices Fajita Seasoning Spices Garlic Minced jar Spices Ginger ground Spices granulated garlic Spices Ground Cloves Spices Italian Seasoning Spices Lemon Pepper Spices Montreal Cx Seasoning Spices Mustard Ground Spices Mustard Seed Spices Nutmeg sm Spices Paprika Spices Pectin Spices Peppercorns Spices Pickle Crisper Spices Pink Salt Spices Poppy Seed Spices Poultry Seasoning Spices Pumpkin Spice Spices Roaster Garlic Herb seasoning Spices Rosemary Spices Salt Spices Salt Grinder Spices Sazon Spices Thyme Spices Tumeric Spices Whole Cloves

I blame @Annarchy for the new addition to my spices. I broke down and ordered some from Amazon. I can't wait to try it. Tonight I already have a big pot of borracho beans with hamburger going. (The containers are what they say they are but probably not the brand that is on them. I buy most spices in bulk and empty it into the quart jars as needed. If you have ever asked yourself if someone can actually use 50lb of cinnamon before it goes bad...why yes I can.)

That looks amazing. I have to find some tomato bullion. You have given me a new goal.

Actually, you paid 3.23 in surcharge because they charged you 8% tax on top of that. sneaky (badword) Subtotal 77.67 is after the 2.99 then *1.08 =83.88

I have never seen tomato bullion. I buy the large chicken (Knorr pollo) bullion from aldi for very cheap. I must find this tomato bullion.

I looked it up, smelling weird things is called phantosmia. It only started after I fell and hit my head/liver and I've had several negative 'rona tests since then. I really want to downsize into a single story house and DH may finally be seeing the light. I've been getting back twinges to go along with my knee problems and he has back/hip/foot issues. We are both getting older and losing the steps would be a blessing for both of us. I'm jealous of all the amish type shopping. We are still trying to rotate the pantry and empty one of the freezers so I'm limiting our current intake to perishables and revolving items. I'm trying to rotate down to nothing (pretend we are moving) so I can restock from scratch. I'm wondering if I can make the candied jalapenos out of dehydrated jalapenos. Its been six months since the accident, but I still get very tired easily and headaches. The baby keeps me busy as she can run faster than me. Now she has discovered toast with peanut butter and we have peanut butter everywhere. Fortunately DD13 thinks DD1 is her mini me and loves to chase after her. We had snow last week and they loved playing in it. I put thick slippers on DD1, plastic bags over the slippers and a loose rubber band to keep them on. It worked well and she did not have walking issues but stayed dry.

DH is having a lot of issues with his foot. He went to Dr. yesterday and has to go back in 2 weeks. For the last few weeks/months I keep smelling overcooked vanilla everywhere I go. I thought it was something in the house at first so I got some of those scented plug ins. Turns out it is me. I'm the only one that smells it and it is in every place I go. I am also getting daily migraines. I've had them all my life but even at the worst it was only 2-3 a week. Its been down to every other month or so the last few years then since the accident it is every day. I'm going to make stroganoff tonight. I put the pot I'm making it in on the kitchen island and filled it with all the shelf ingredients that I'll need and the recipe card. I'm hoping that helps me remember to start it early enough since it takes about 2.5-3hours to make.

I make a marmalade with orange, grapefruit, and lemon. I wonder if that would work or if the cooking would destroy the compound needed.

Its cold today and everyone is home due to snow. A big pot of soup is calling my name. Soup du Jour Sauté 1 lb mild pork sausage. Add in 1 diced onion, heaping spoon minced garlic, and remainder of container mushrooms (slice them first) on the verge of bad. When cooked through, add 1/3 c chicken bullion, italian seasoning to taste, 1 can potatoes (whole white potatoes, cube them), 1 can spinach, 8c water, 1 c whole milk powder (just the powder, non-instant, 1qt measure of it--4c makes a gallon). Simmer for an hour.

I would love to get your recipe!

We made cuban sliders and mexican tomato soup. Cuban Sliders Cut a pack of hawaiian rolls in half lengthwise to make tops and bottoms. Make a sauce by melting 2 sticks of butter then stirring in 3 T dijon or spicy mustard, 1T worcestershire sauce, 3 T poppy seeds. You will need to wisk a lot while butter simmers over medium to get the mustard to incorporate. Spread 1/3 sauce on bottom rolls and 1/3 sauce on inside of tops. Grease a casserole dish and layer bottoms, cooked pulled or diced pork (this time I used diced leftover from a spicy Asian port butt I made), 1 or 2 thin slices of ham lunchmeat folded into quarters on each slider area (12 sliders) (can use large slices of homemade ham just laid across top if preferred.) Keep layering a slice of pickle on each slider, enough provolone to cover every slider 2 layers deep, tops, 1/3 (remainder) sauce. Use a cookie sheet, cast iron pan, or something to flatten them. Make sure you get a good squish so they are not higher than the top of the casserole. Cover in foil and bake 350F 30m. They are very messy and need a fork to eat. If you leave off the butter sauce on top they can be hand food, but will not taste as good. Same method for any combination. cooked chicken, marinara, mozzarella = chick parm sliders. ham, pineapple, provolone = hawaiian sliders, etc. Mexican Tomato Soup Variation Mix in pot, puree with stick blender, heat through. 2 cans tomato soup, 1 1/2 can whole milk, 1/2 can heavy cream, large spoon candied jalapenos (maybe 1/3 c total?), salsa to taste (*1/2 c chunky mild -- I just scraped it out of the jar with a spoon), handful dehydrated onion, sprinkle garlic/salt/pepper to taste. This was a hot, rich, indulgent soup. I licked my bowl and everyone else said please make again. It was not very spicey but had a small kick. Next time I may add fajita seasoning or cayenne. I had bought a jar of candied jalapenos at DD13s school craft fair. They are SO good. I need to either find that woman again or try to make some myself. I think she called herself Nanny's Kitchen. It is my new favorite ingredient for everything.

I was so tired last night that I just put away the cold items and ate my Arbys while vegging at the computer before bed. This morning I got up and put away all the dry goods. I made an 'upstairs bag' for stuff that belongs in the upstairs area (meds, laundry care, hygiene, etc.) I'll take it up later. Today I need to fold Mt. St. Laundry and reconcile the inventory. The very long, list on both sides, paper on my fridge isn't a shopping list, it is a 'we ate this out of or added it to the inventory' list and I reconcile it to excel when the paper gets full. I don't inventory items that go in the fridge, drinks, chips, baby food, and canned applesauce because we just eat too much of those to bother. Same with the small fridge freezer no inventory zone. Icecream, breakfast items, fruits and veggies I saved bits and bobs of, DH's eat this and burn forever peppers, etc. I'm glad that I didn't actually NEED anything last night. We had to drop off the truck & hit the ATM b/c this week is allowance week (she gets paid every 2 weeks on DH's payday.) I decided to go ahead and do the shopping so we had fewer trips out. I wanted green tea b/c I was low and produce for salads & such (lettuce, tomato, onion, peppers.) I was unable to find peppers, but I did get the rest. We had run out of splenda, but I can always make due with sugar for the sweet tea if I have to. DH likes it sweet so I usually do 1c splenda and 1c sugar. Sometimes 1/2 c splenda and 1 1/2c sugar if he complains. I did find some good indian sauces & veggies on closeout at Food Lion. I also scored a pack of 8ct medium tip sharpie chalk markers (wet erase type) at BJs for 14.99. I've been drooling over them at Michaels, but a 5ct pack runs around $30. Coffee beans or grinds store best in the freezer.

We went to the store this evening. The power steering went out in DH's truck (yes the truck we JUST spent $800 fixing the airbag chip issue.) So we dropped it off at the shop then hit up Aldi, BJs, and Food Lion. O MY WORD. Snow is on the forecast for Friday night and apparently everyone, their cousin, dog, and mother was at the store. Everywhere was out of a lot. Bread zip. Heavy cream zip. Lettuce low, bell pepper zip, corndogs zip. Splenda type sweetener (measuring bag, not packets) extremely hard to find --bought all 5 bags of Food Lion out. Lots of other empty shelves notably in the bread and frozen areas. The lines were super long and took longer to check out than to shop. at Food Lion they had 5 of 9 registers open and EVERY line went from the register all the way down the isle to the back wall. It took us 45m from enter line to check out. I'm lucky I have DD13 at home. She watched, fed dinner, and fed night bottle to DD1. I did not expect it to be this bad considering the snow isn't until Friday and it is only the 19th. My freezer that was having sealing issues is starting to have issues again. DH got me a new one and then fixed the older one with a new seal so I currently have 2 large upright deep freezers. I'm trying to empty the older one and keep it empty b/c I'm worried about it. I'm trying to decide if I want to garage sale/craigslist the baby's outgrown items or just donate them or give them to a new mom. I grew up super broke so I'm tempted to try to make money, but I'm currently in a blessed (not THAT blessed) position, so I'm also tempted to donate/give away the stuff. It is a hard choice for me. I'm having a few personal issues and I'm praying for the strength and patience to get through. I'm in my 40s and I still like stickers. I'm really happy for the planner sticker fad. I've started a daily planer journal with a lot of washi tape and stickers. Quotes for this week include: 1. You are not stuck. You are just committed to bad behavior. 2. Do not blame clowns for being clowns. Blame yourself for going to the circus. 3. Make careful choices. Salt and sugar look the same.

We are about 10-15 years from DH retiring. We keep talking about staying here vs traveling or moving elsewhere. I want to downsize no matter what we do. DH keeps sending me links to buy a bunker. I think he may be more into the prepper life than me at this point. This is hilarious b/c he lived an urban go-pick-up-dinner-for-tonight life before we got together. What is that country song? "I saw the light I've been baptised by the fire in your touch and the flame in your eyes I'm born to love again I'm a brand new man." I have to say I'm intrigued and could actually see myself living like that. Vivos xPoint The Worlds Largest Survival Bunker Complex | Vivos Survival Shelters and Bunkers (terravivos.com) and a youtube video about it too. I told him that I was game but I'm a weak southern woman and I may not survive the snow in South Dakota. Interesting tidbit....Tom Brokaw grew up in Ft. Igloo (these bunkers.)

It has been my experience that friends and strangers treat you and your house better than family. When my MIL lived with us ..... oy! it was bad.

I had a box of the Aldi lemon pound cake. We don't eat a lot of cake and I wanted to use it up. The back had directions for a coffee cake. I followed them and OMG. I made it on Thursday evening and it is now gone by Saturday afternoon with just the 3 of us here. 1 Box Aldi Lemon Pound Cake Mix 1 c milk 4 T butter 1 egg Mix all and pour in greased brownie pan. 8oz cream cheese 2 Tb Milk Lemon Glaze packet from cake Mix Mix all and drop dollops into cake mix. Swirl with knife. Bake 350F 30m. Total cost under $2.

I went to see the neurologist about my memory issues since the accident. It was a complete waste of my time. He wanted to treat my migraines, but not my memory because 'there isn't a pill for that'. Freaking pill-pushers. Modern medicine is a JOKE where they are much more concerned with making money than understanding a problem. DH went to get his inspection sticker on his truck, but the airbag chip was not coding properly so we had to get that fixed. We got that fixed LAST YEAR at a different place. They charged us $830 to fix it...again. Yea inspection sticker. I broke down and bought myself a new flat cast iron pan. I wanted it mostly to make biscuits and small pizzas. Amazon.com: Lodge Cast Iron Griddle, Round, 10.5 Inch : Everything Else I got it because it is what my favorite internet cook uses for biscuits. She is a lady from Alabama who uses the old biscuit bowl method as well as some great old Timey Alabama recipes. My papaw was from there and he is the one who taught me to love cooking. DH bought me her cookbook for christmas. Cooking with Brenda Gantt | Facebook Friends & family in MS are posting FB pics of empty Walmart/Kroger shelves. Mainstream News is citing shortages of Chicken, Cream cheese, hot cheetos, & potatoes. We buy all those things so I am inventorying my pantry and checking prices for those. If they have gone up significantly we will not buy. If I am low but prices are still reasonable, we will stock a bit more. Otherwise we will ration the pantry or substitute something else. Farmer's cheese can be used instead of cream cheese and it can be made from powdered milk if needed. I have enough canned chicken & frozen chicken to withstand whatever. I have a great deal of dehydrated & canned potatoes; rice is a good substitute in most situations. As for the hot cheetos.....they will just have to sprinkle cayenne (I have quarts) on some popcorn or eat cheese straws or something. I am going to stock up on Lipton diet green tea citrus; I've noticed that it is harder to find lately. It has 5 calories and I drink about 5 bottles a day. Not the best habit, but it is better for me than sugary soda, coffee, or sweet tea. DH got a booster shot Wednesday (3rd shot.) He is feeling pretty bad. His arm hurts a lot where he got it and that shoulder also. He has been laying around for 2 days. We are living pretty complacently and happily where he gets the shot for work purposes and I do not get it. I think all these people I read about cutting out friends & family for getting/not getting it are crazy. I got sick of the standard table topics (how was your day, what is your favorite food, etc.) prompts for dinner. I found some middle school essay topics, formated them into excel and printed them & cut out. We draw one or two and hold an opinion share (not a debate, no one is wrong). These have been much more interesting and thought provoking for everyone. Middle School Topics.xlsx

I made a big batch of collard greens (2 big bundles) back on the 1st. I did the standard onion, garlic, bacon, ACV, chicken broth. We ate about 2/3s of it but I had some leftover. I may have a new favorite soup. This is some seriously good soup. Collard Soup Leftover cooked collard greens 1 can chicken fresh stuffed pasta (ravioli, tortalini,) can be frozen or dried. Dump leftover collard greens (maybe about 4-6c?) into a large stock pot. Add (I added about a gallon). Add 3T chicken bullion and can of chicken. Bring to a boil then add stuffed pasta. (I used a container or mushroom ravioli that I'd frozen.) Cook 2-5m or until pasta is done. Serve hot. SO GOOD.

Yesterday was collards and today I had a craving for cabbage rolls. I'm going to need some air freshener after the family gets done tonight. Cabbage rolls (makes 2 casserole dishes worth) 1 head cabbage 1 c rice 1lb ground beef 1 can diced tomatoes 1 sm onion diced (used vidalia) 2 eggs 1 lg jar ragu (i used tomato, garlic, onion flavor) worcestershire paprika minced garlic brown sugar Cut a V to remove cabbage core and boil for 10m. remove leaves with tongs as they are done. Cool. Cook rice with 2c water until done. Cool. (can use leftover rice if desired. Amounts do not really matter.) Combine cooked rice, ground beef, tomatoes, eggs, onions, and paprika & garlic to taste (I used a lot. Maybe 1/8c) Combine Ragu with desired amounts of worcestershire, paprika, and brown sugar. I didn't measure, just add and taste. Prob 1/8c of each. Spoon a bit of ragu mix in bottom of 2 lg casserole dishes. Put 1/4c beef/rice mix into each cabbage leaf, roll up, and place in casserole on top of sauce. When done, pour remainder of sauce over top of cabbage rolls. Bake 350F 60m. You can also just shred cabbage combine all as an 'unstuffed cabbage' casserole. Cooking times remain the same.

I love those. It looks very neat.

Some of the receipts list the item size. Like the macaroni went up in price and down in size by 4oz. I also know that the chicken nuggets went down by half a pound in size. The produce, meat, etc is all price per lb. Eggs and flour are definitely cheaper than I used to pay. Some of that is probably because I have access to an Aldi here.

It is chilly today and I'm tried so I put on a big crock of pantry potato soup this morning. Mostly I was trying to use up the dairy and bacon bits that were left in the fridge for the last 2 weeks. Everything was still good, but only 'use it today or toss it' good. Pantry Potato Soup--all amounts are approximate 1 lb processed cheese (half a brick of leftover aldi velveta) or any melty cheese 3c potato flakes 1 carton dehydrated hash browns 2 T minced garlic 1/3c chicken bullion 3 cans evaporated milk 7-10 c water (depending on how thick you want it to be) half a bag of real bacon bacon bits from aldis pepper to taste 1/2 c dehydrated soup vegetable mix with seasoning (basically dehydrated mixed veggies and Italian seasoning heavy on the thyme.) Dump everything in the crockpot and cook on high 4 hours. Puree a bit with a stick blender to break up hashbrown shreds, but leave some chunks. Serve with a dollop of sour cream, shred cheddar, bacon bits, and some cut green onion.

I was balancing out 2021 this morning and I came across one of my price lists from my 2006 receipts. It is interesting to note that some things have increased in price, but a few have actually decreased. These amounts are out of my price book/ receipts and are what I actually paid. *I did use coupons both times but am not including them in the list price. ie I had a $4 off purina coupon and a $20 store rewards credit at BJs so it worked out a bit better than $19.99* but that was the list price and what it rang up for. Also, the 2006 prices were from Vicksburg, MS and the 2021 prices are from the east coast. It is a bit more expensive here, but only by a few cents per item from what I saw while visiting MS last week. A few prices from 06: Off brand 2 ltr soda =.50 GV mayo 1.48 Bananas .48 lb Toys R US wooden number puzzle 1.98 8lb potatoes 3.99 Single pack ramen .10 Nyquil 5.87 5lb flour 2.26 Banquet chicken nuggets 2.98 L'Oreal foundation 7.98 (used to wear the True Match--about 11 now) Clorox bleach 1.88 PC diapers 10.56 (.07 per diaper) 18 ct eggs 1.22 4 ct tomato pack .97 Tofu 1lb 1.88 Kool Aid brand .20 lg salsa 1.98 (quart) Purina Cat chow 25lb 9.92 Vidalia onions .88 lb 1 lb strawberries 1.77 community coffee 4.33 lb McAllisters orange cranberry club 6.19 Applebee's Fried pickles 4.99 Shells & cheddar macaroni 1.28 Gas: 2.05 gal yesterday's prices 2021: Off brand 2 ltr soda .79 Aldi mayo 1.89 Bananas .39 lb Ramen 12pk 2.99 Nyquil 8.49 5lb flour 2.19 Banquet chicken nuggets 4.49 Clorox bleach 4.99 BJs diapers .138 per diaper for BJs brand 12 ct eggs .59 4 ct tomato pack 1.99 Tofu 1lb 2.09 lg salsa 1.49 (pint) Purina Cat chow 25lb 19.99 Vidalia onions .99 lb 1 lb strawberries 2.99 Chilis lunch combo 1/2 sandwich and soup $8 Shells & cheddar macaroni 1.59 (4oz smaller than it used to be) Gas: 3.15 gal