euphrasyne

I am contemplating moving all my rosemary to the front garden bed by the porch.  It is uncouth? probably.  but it grows well and my hydrangeas do not.   

Paid the bills. 

Did the Federal and State taxes and filed them.

Read a book.

Sorted through some computer files.

Overall, productive day.     

Don't cook the aquafaba.   It does better raw, whip it longer or add more cream of tarter.  Don't skip the cream of tarter it is what gives it structure similar to an egg meringue.  I used to make it several times a week when I lived in MS.  You may need to cook the liquid to reduce it then cool it thoroughly.   Colder whips better and it really does need to have a slightly slimy consistency.  

Chickpea aquafaba makes an excellent delicate textured whipped cream.  add vanilla or almond extract for the best result.  Also, tofu can be made from any bean and chickpeas and lentils each make really good 'tofu.'  As whipped cream, it only stays structurally sound for a few hours, so make it just before using.  It can take awhile (7-10m) to whip up, so use a wire beater in a stand mixer for best results.

In general the recipe is:

3/4c liquid from chickpeas (home canned is fine.)  If cooking liquid, reduce it by half before measuring. It should be thick and slimy.

1/4 t or more as needed cream of tarter

2/3c powdered sugar

1 T almond extract or vanilla

2 T oil* optional

Beat liquid until foamy.  Add tarter, beat to peaks, add sugar and extract.  Beat until desired consistency.  Beat in oil for 'creaminess."

India is mostly vegetarian, and some do eat beef depending on religion. Some Sikhs do eat beef, though it is not common.  I went to school with a sikh girl who did eat it.  They also have rampant Jainism in India where it is vegetarian without root vegetables (no potatoes or garlic or any roots.)  Practices in India are closer to mid Africa than America.  The traditional kitchens look nothing like what you would find in the US although the more modern ones are closer.  This being said, Indian food is my family's favorite cuisine.  Chana masala wins hands down for everyone.  Shahi paneer for me, and the Americanized tikka masala for DH.  You would be amazed at what you can make from chickpeas.  Aquafaba --chickpea water can even be turned into whipped cream with a close texture and flavor.  

Not much motivated this month, so I'm doing the bare minimum on everything but the kids.  Existential crisis and all that.  But we are living and mostly happy so that is a plus.  

I prefer dry heat as I grew up in MS and know moist heat can cause issues.  So I know that keeping water out is usually a good preservation technique as things in the swamp go bad fast.  To each their own.  

If you want a to the penny how much does life cost me estimate, start an excel sheet.  List the prices of everything (with fees and taxes) that you purchase.  Each day list how much of what you use and link the amount to the side cell.  Run an adding total per day.   I can set this up a blank if anyone needs.   Then factor in weekly (eating out, car gas, random purchases), monthly (house, car, gas, electric, etc.), Semi--annual (water, pest control), and annual (taxes on cars, houses) expenses.  Add in expenses where needed and set your formula based on daily/weekly/monthly/yearly.  I have a budget that runs from 20 years ago till I'm 100 (probably dead before then.)   I don't usually factor in my per item costs, but rather prefer to set a budget that I occasionally go over and I can see how it impacts me.   But it would be easy (if time consuming) to track individual purchases.  

I will try just about anything (not bugs.)  But I wont try this:  Please add recipes that should not exist to this thread.  

Spam-dy

Every time I go shopping, I write lists in a notebook.  I write the store name, underline it, then make the list with advertised prices and sizes below each store section.   I page per shopping trip.  When the notebook is full, I file it away and start a new one.   I've been doing this for 20 years.  It is the best way to see how prices really change.  Make sure to either checkmark purchased items, or only single line through them so that they are still readable.  My last filed notebook has pink lined paper and goes from 12/26-12/30 of 2014 up until  the trip on 1/6/23.  My current notebook is in excel, but I think I liked the notebook better.    

I keep minced garlic in the fridge and whole garlic on the shelf.  Seriously garlic everything.  Its a natural antibiotic and we stay healthy because of it.  DD15 has only been sick once in her life and I passed on garlic love to her.  Say yes to health and garlic.  Black pepper is a diuretic.  Great after stomach issues to stop constipation.  Turmeric is a great antiseptic topically.   Spices have many uses.   It is sad that knowledge has been lost over time.  We eat tasty, spicy, and healthy.  Spices aren't just for flavor.  

My child...got into the fridge, got 2 mini bell peppers (yellow and red about 1" and 3" respectively) and has been toting them about for 3 hours now.  DH and I are arguing over 'whose' child she is because she is doing this.  I'm insistent she is his b/c he eats raw bell pepper and I do not.  Truthfully, I'm just happy that she has been quiet and distracted for the last few hours.  The loss of 2 mini bell peppers are worth the peace.    

It won't let me edit to add that DH had to put new handles onto the pantry to attach the baby locks to keep DD3 out.  It was a serious issue for the last few months.  I had to buy new paprika, cinnamon, and mustard.  Kids are awesome, but kids suck.  Seriously, kidproof your preps.  also i have tomato bullion now.  

My current pantry: and I mix a lot.  all bulliion is currently powder jars and not cubes.  Seasoning makes life happy.  There can never be too much garlic.  

I am grateful its not worse.  I fall way too much for my comfort.  I am doing a whole lot of nothing this weekend to compensate.  

I am good.  My  chin is swollen and horrid but  otherwise fine,  

Wednesday night, I fell over the baby gate at the bottom of the stairs when it swung the wrong way.  I fell up the stairs.  Now my face looks like the poster child for domestic abuse.

That having being said, I like cottagecore.  I also like more modern approaches as well as Frank Loyd Wright/ William Morris prints.  I'm eclectic.  It annoys my kids to no end and I love that.  Keep them guessing.   I buy what I want. DH is a die hard military molle, nine line fanatic.  It is what is is.  

The new aesthetic schemes basically work by taking the original or word and adding -core to the end of it.  They also sometimes pick something specific and add -core.  ie goblincore.  Kids and their newfangled words.  Cottagecore used to be called romantic country style.  It matches the old magazines for it exactly.  I've got some with that style dating back to the 1970s.

D15 is heavily into cottagecore.  Lots of mushrooms, plants, home sewing, cooking for friends.  The clothes are simple, but romantic.  

I'm making a giant pot of scratch ragu.   Ragu the brand is just a misnomer for ragu the dish which is like saying cake.  It is is a vegetable, meat, tomato concoction cooked for a long time.  I'm using hot Italian sausage decased, most of my fresh veggies, some of my canned veggies, dehydrated veggies, V8 juice, and the rest of a can of open Prego, as well as fennel, Italian seasoning, and a very large switch of rosemary from my backyard.  Least there be any doubt there is more than enough garlic and olive oil to support an army.  It takes hours and should end up about 1.5 gallons of ragu for various usages. Tonight the usage is over pasta and French bread b/c that is what Hubbie adores.    Otherwise I'm reading or finishing reading several books in my kindle que.  

How to cut grocery costs: use what you have.  Make menus from items in stock.  Can or freeze what you do not use that day or as leftovers.  

All the recent posts remind me: Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold.  Peas porridge in the pot nine days old.  Sometimes it is important to keep using things until they are your limit of done.  The bigger the limit the better.  Know how to get to the limits that you can reach.  

DH likes this one because it makes a nice, firm loaf.  The one I prefer isn't firm at all.  I make it all the time and it has seen more church potlucks than Jesus.  

Banana Bread makes 2 8x4 loaves

3 bananas ripe.  You can toss in freezer 1h to make them ripen.  Its ok if they come out brown and yucky out of freezer.

2c sugar

1/2 c butter

1c milk

1c pecans or other nut

3c flour

4 1/2 t baking powder

1 t salt

2 eggs

1 t vanilla

cinnamon to taste

splash nutmeg & cardamon

Cream sugar, butter, and banana.  Add remainder.  Bake in greased pans 350F 60m.  

Do you want a very moist bread or a more firm one?

Yep Each for GREEN bell peppers from Kroger.  its crazy.   I just tossed in a handful of dehydrated instead.  Aldis was completely out and It was also 1.25 at lidl last week.  I did pick up a small bag of mini colored peppers for 3.99 from Lidl

I'm in southeast VA, we don't have Winco and I've never seen one anywhere between here and MS.  My options here are

Kroger (often)

Harris Teeter (never)

Food Lion (sometimes)

Walmart (oh heck no)

Aldi (often)

Lidl (often)

Whole Foods (never)

Sams (nope)

BJs (a few times a year, but BIG trips)

Costco (nope)

Asian Market (a few times  a year in big trips)

Royal Bazar (Indian) (few times a year big trips)

We may have a few others in VA Beach, but I'm not driving that far through the toll tunnels unless it is for the Asian Market or Indian.  

Further South we also had Sack n Save, Piggly Wiggly, but not here.  

Some people prep for hurricanes.  Some prep for nuclear disasters.  Some prep for the zombie apocalypse.   I prep for economic hardships as much as anything else.   There is a time and place to use your preps, and when Eggs were $5dzn, that was time.   Now Bell peppers are !.25 each and that is time.  I have plenty of dehydrated and I USE THEM NOW.   If I refuse to use the resources at hand, then I'll never make it to a 'worse' resource needed time.  That is my philosophy.  30 years from now, I have time an energy to replace the bell peppers I'm using today.  I'll appreciate them more today than cleaning out the pantry in 30 years.