euphrasyne

I have on a pot of leftover soup. I make it about every 2 months or so. Recipe: Throw every* (that makes sense) leftover in the fridge into the crockpot. Add water or broth. Add seasoning or extras as needed. Cook all day. It was a rough week and the family did not eat the leftovers well, so today we have soup. Deboned chicken leg quarters, peas, cheesy Mexican corn, chicken and potatoes in some sort of creamy sauce (I forget what I made), broccoli, half a box of off-brand velveeta. It looked like the basics for chicken enchilada soup to me, so I added in a quart of vegetable broth, a quart of poblano chicken broth, and some salsa. I'll add in some fajita seasoning or cumin later depending on how it tastes in a few hours. There was rice, stuffing, and field peas also, but I felt like people would eat these and that they would not do well with the rest.

When I fell off the ladder and ended up in the ER after surgery, I had a trech down my throat and could not talk. I was also cuffed to the bed because that is what they do to people who are trecheyed so they don't pull it out. I started signing one handed because I know some sign language. The nurses freaked out and started to get me an interpreter before I told them I could hear in sign. Came to reality cuffed to a bed not knowing what was going on with a tube down my throat and started signing. It is good to have multiple ways to communicate,

With kids and teens, you tend to go through a lot of bread. I think they inhale it like cocaine.

That resonates a lot.

' vodka. i lost Wednesday. Today I reclaim reality. The struggle is real. It means a lot to me.

We went to Ikea today. They had a shopping cart full of textiles to the top for $15. It had cushion covers, towels, hand towels, curtains, sheets, loose fabric, and lace. It was all neatly folded--that is how much there was. And it was a big Ikea sized shopping cart. I showed it to DD15 and she said 'take it out of my allowance, this is mine.' I got it for her and I'm keeping the towels and a bit of the green flower fabric, but the rest is for her to have fun with. River got a huge stuffed puppy --probably 2 ft in length. She keeps sitting it down and saying 'stay here puppy.' We have no dogs, so I'm not sure where she learned that, but it is very cute. We went to Mission BBQ for lunch afterwards and I got a big plate to split with R. She ate the smoked sausage! I can barely get her to touch meat that isn't lunchmeat or chicken nuggets and she ate smoked sausage exclaiming yummy! Multiple pieces. It was a good day for everything but my wallet.

My family...is what it is and nothing I do will change anyone else on an adult level. The kids at home are on track for what I want them to learn. The kids away from home know what I have said and are living their lives as they see fit--which is the best possible outcome. The other family....I mostly try to avoid. My views do not need to be everyone's views. This is a hard pill to swallow, but I love my children and everyone deserves to make their own decisions. That being said, River is amazing on preschool, DD 15 is doing well in HS, and I am reading a lot of brain fluff to distract me from current events. DH has lost so much weight that he has gone form XXXL to L. We have a plan in place for X-mas and before, and we are supporting all the kids as best we can. We had 2 days without any form of internet and it was enlightening...A contractor tore up a fiberoptic cable and it was bad. It was a good learning experience on what we had on and off the network.

We are having a lazy, rainy day. I have the heat/air off and a few windows open since it just a light rain and not coming in the house. I prefer the humidity and though it is not dry here, it is less humid than I prefer/ am used to. I was watching The Love Between Fairy and Devil in Mandrin with subtitles, but River came in begging to watch Masha and the Bear, so I have it up on monitor 2 now while I read on monitor 1. Husband is alternating napping on the couch and watching Star Wars spin-offs on his computer. The teen is actually being productive--she did dishes and is now sewing up River's 'MUST HAVE' blanket and organizing fabric by project. I haven't decided on my Halloween costume this year, but I'm thinking through what I already have. DH ordered a giant blow up stegosaurs costume for himself and a ghost cape with hood for the toddler. She really wants to be a ghost and keeps throwing her blanket over her like a hood and screaming OOOOOOOOOOOOOO all through the house. The teen wants to be a matching ghost. We unpacked some of the fall stuff today (we are really behind this year) and she is also toting around a skeleton rat and a skeleton bird. The rat is missing its tail and I can see that a trip to the dollar store is in order.

That looks great! Congratulations on getting it going! I also make pancakes, muffins, cornbread, etc with sourdough. Misc Sourdough Recipes from my recipe file: SIMPLE SOURDOUGH BATTER BREAD 2 c sourdough starter 1 tsp salt 2 Tbsp butter or olive oil 1/2 c milk 2 Tbsp sugar 3 c flour Mix all ingredients, adding flour 1/2 cup at a time (you may not need it all depending on thickness of your starter). Batter will be quite thick. Spoon into a greased loaf pan. Let rise until about double (1-2 hours). Bake at 375° F for 40-50 minutes. SUE'S SALT RISING BREAD Starter: 3 medium-sized potatoes 1 tsp sugar 4 c boiling water 3 Tbsp cornmeal 1 tsp salt Dough: 2 c lukewarm milk 2 Tbsp melted shortening 1/8 tsp baking soda 1 c water 1/8 tsp salt flour Pare and slice potatoes. Add corn meal, sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and boiling water. Wrap bowl in a heavy cloth. Cover and allow to stand in a warm place overnight. In the morning, remove potatoes. Add milk, water, baking soda, salt, and shortening. Add sufficient flour to make a dough just stiff enough to knead. Knead until smooth and elastic; form into loaves. Place in well-oiled pans. Cover and let rise until double in bulk. Bake in moderate oven (about 400° F) for about 45 minutes. Makes 3 loaves. ANOTHER POTATO STARTER 4 c unbleached flour 2 Tbsp sugar 2 Tbsp salt 4 c lukewarm potato water Put all ingredients in a crock or large glass bowl and let stand in a warm place, uncovered, several days. POTATO SOURDOUGH STARTER 1 x unbleached flour 1 x potato water (left from boiling potatoes - waste not want not!) Boil some potatoes for supper, save the water, use it lukewarm with enough flour to make a thick batter. Let it stand a day or so until it smells right. Mmmm... sourdough smell! SOUTHERN SOURDOUGH BREAD 1 pkg yeast (1 Tbsp) 1 c bread flour 1 tsp salt 2 1/2 c warm water 2 c potato flakes 1/2 c sugar Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. Add water, flour, salt, sugar, and potato flakes; mix well. Put in glass or plastic bowl (NO METAL!). Let stand uncovered (I cover mine with a thin cotton dish towel) on counter for 3 days, cover at night. Stir down as necessary. Transfer to a glass jar, cover, and refrigerate 3 to 5 days. Makes about 2 cups. (This is supposed to smell “spoiled”!) To continue starter: Take 1 cup of starter for bread. Add to the remaining starter: 3 Tablespoons potato flakes, 1 cup warm water, and 3/4 cup sugar. Mix well. Let stand on counter 8 to 10 hours, stirring as necessary. Refrigerate and use within 6 days. (I have lost my starter on the 7th day, so I use it, or feed it and give away a starter on or before the 6th day) To make bread: 1 c starter 2 tsp salt 1 1/2 c warm water 6 c bread flour 1/3 c sugar 1/2 c vegetable oil Remove 1 cup starter, feed remaining starter. Let the starter for the bread reach room temperature. Mix flour, sugar, and salt. Make a well in mixture, and add starter, warm water and oil. Beat until blended well. Oil top of dough, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until tripled in size, 4 to 12 hours. Beat down, turn dough onto floured surface, and knead 8 to 10 minutes. Divide into 3 parts, shape into loaves, and place in well greased pans. Oil top of loaves. Cover with plastic wrap, let rise 5 to 6 hours, until tripled in size. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, bake bread 30 to 40 minutes. Bread will rise about 1 inch during baking. The fresher the starter (first 3 days) the quicker the bread rises. (I have never had it take as long as the recipe suggests to rise the with either rising.) *I have used the starter in other recipes that call for starter (rolls, pancakes, etc). *The bread is wonderful. I really like this recipe because you have to add yeast only when you originally make the starter. SOURDOUGH STRAWBERRY BRAID *Please note – this one takes a long time! 1 Tbsp yeast 1/2 c warm water 1/2 c sourdough starter 4-5 c flour 1/4 sugar 4 Tbsp melted 3/4 tsp salt 1 egg 2/3 c strawberry or other preserves powdered sugar icing, if desired Dissolve yeast in warm water. Set aside 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup starter and 1 cup flour. Mix thoroughly and let stand 8 hours. Next day, stir to dissolve crust that has formed. Add 2 cups flour, sugar, butter, salt, and egg. Mix thoroughly. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft, smooth ball. Place in a greased bowl and turn. Cover and let rise 1 hr. Punch down dough. Make a 9-inch square, and place preserves down the middle third. With scissors, cut strips 3" long and 1" wide on both sides of middle third. Fold strips towards center, alternating sides, over filling. Place on greased sheet. Cover, let rise until double, about 30 minutes. Bake at 375° F for 30-40 minutes, or until done. Cool on wire rack. Drizzle with powdered sugar icing, if desired. MOTHEREARTH'S EVERLASTING YEAST 1 quart warm potato water 1/2 cake of yeast (or 1/2 Tbsp dry yeast) 1 tsp salt 2 Tbsp sugar 2 Tbsp flour Stir in all ingredients well, put in warm place to rise until ready to mix for baking. Leave a small amount to keep the yeast going. Keep in a cool place, and add to the yeast all of the above ingredients EXCEPT the yeast. Do this each time and you will never run out of yeast, this is somewhat like sourdough. SOURDOUGH NOT-JUST-BREAD Sourdough bread is so easy and tasty, but sometimes I like something different. A big advantage to using a sourdough starter is that you don't need to keep a store of yeast. You can probably adapt your favorite sourdough recipe as follows: 1. Pizza Crust: Let it rise as usual, but right before baking, stretch it out on a baking pan and use it as a pizza crust. Top it with sauce and toppings, and I usually bake on the lower rack for almost 30 minutes at 350° F. *I tried spreading it out then letting it rise in the pizza pan once, and it was "fluffy", but I like it better like above. *We sometimes fix one pizza and two bread loaves. 2. Cinnamon Rolls: Prepare up until the point of placing in the bread pan to rise. Roll out. Melt 1 Tbsp margarine, and add 1 tsp ground cinnamon. Spread on dough with brush. Sprinkle with 1/4 c sugar. Roll up, cut, and place in pan. Let rise. Bake at 375° F for 20-25 minutes. Drizzle with icing. Refrigerate remaining rolls. Cinnamon Roll Icing: Mix 1 c powdered sugar, a dash of salt, and 1/4 tsp vanilla with a little milk to a fluid consistency. 3. Sourdough on a Stick: (I have not tried this but it sounds interesting!!) You need: sourdough bread dough, or use dough made from plain pancake batter using less liquid than called for. Optional - honey, cinnamon, butter Prepare the dough. Roll pieces of dough into long skinny sausages about 1/4" thick. Wet a green stick and heat it over the coals. Wrap the dough around the warmed stick. Hold the dough over the hot coals until baked, turning to prevent burning. *Dip the dough in a mixture of melted honey, butter, and cinnamon before baking if desired.

I forgot to say that the warmer your counter is, the faster it will work so you need to feed it even more often. If your kitchen stays in the 80s you should remove a cup daily and feed it or sometimes even every 12-18 hours if it is very warm. The cooler the environment, the longer you can go between using/feeding. If you need to feed it without using it, just pour a cup off and toss it. Ideally, you always want at LEAST 2c of starter which is why I suggested a quart jar--that gives you room to mix or overflow. If you have it in a pint, it will be almost impossible to get your ratios correct.

Make your own sourdough by using yeast and letting it sit out. Don't just wait for the air to bring it. Sourdough likes heat better than cold. Freezing flour is fine, but let the flour come to room temperature before you use it. You can actually freeze the starter then thaw it out and use it. It can also be dehydrated and rehydrated (I was sent some at one point a few decades back.) If you are getting that much dark liquid (hooch) off your starter, then you are not feeding it enough. Hooch=starving yeast. You need to feed it more. Also, you need to use it every 1-2 days if on the counter. If you are keeping it in the fridge, it will take MUCH longer to rise and you should use and feed it every 4-5 days. Pour off a cup, feed it and keep going. The easiest and most common feed is a 1:1:1 ratio of starter:water:flour. Some people also use other things in the feed such as potato flakes, but that can be more tricky for ratios and is slightly more advanced. Also, it would do better in a bigger container like a quart. It gives you more room to work with.

I visited with Littlesister yesterday. River tried to touch ALL THE THINGS and nestled down in the fabric Littlesister generously gave me. I thought she might take a nap, but she rallied with the flower she pilfered from the front yard when left and did coloring and math for the rest of the day. Apparently the flower is the BEST THING EVER and she would not go to sleep until I moved the vase into her room. The teen is thrilled with the fabric and we have plans to make several things. After the visit and seeing some of the organization, I have an idea for a rolling cart with bins to preplan meals. I may need to wait until River is slightly bigger since she tends to move things around at the moment. Today is bill paying and cleaning: Dishes, Laundry, Floors.

I am relaxing a bit today. The last month has been crazy busy. Teen started 10th grade. She is in all honors, president of the Art Club and taking German 3 this semester. Every weekend I seem to have a billion teenage girls at my house doing art stuff. River turned 3 and is into everything. We are doing a structured homeschool preschool that I put together half the day and she is well ahead with math (Numberblocks is amazing!) My family is feuding back down south and I'm doing my best to stay out of it. "He said he would SHOOT me if he saw me at [house]! I'm scared for my life!" Lots of drama and I do not want to be involved in it, but they keep calling and trying to embroil me in everything. It is exhausting and time consuming so not much else has gotten done. So we splurged, bought a new mattress so our backs would hurt less and today we just take it easy (other than dishes and laundry.) You know what is eternal? Dishes and Laundry. Death and Taxes are normal answers, but when the funeral is over and the piper has been paid, there are still Dishes and Laundry waiting in the wings.

I've had migraines for my entire life. My earliest memory is refusing to eat and crying at age 2 because my head hurt. MSG has zero negative effects on me or my family. All of the professional studies done show no negative side effects, so a reaction is not common. I usually treat it like an allergy that some people have and it is up to those that have the allergy to inform those cooking --no different than nut allergy or lactose intolerance. My take on all allergies is that those allergic are responsible to passing on that information. I personally am allergic to fish and shellfish. If I don't cook it, I either ask or don't eat it. I also have an extreme reaction to poison ivy. I have to get a steroid shot and a medipred pack every time I get it because it spreads internally on me. My mother can swim through it and have no issues. If someone mows it in the lawn down the street and it blows into my yard, I get it. Life is not fair.

Happy Birthday!

PocketBooks app for your phone will read aloud any book document it can open. It is a very flat tone, but any book can now be an audiobook using pocketbooks. It is free and I've used it for years.

Yesterday, we make a 1200 mile road trip to drop off the teen for summer. We drove to Lenoir City, TN (basically Knoxville,) traded the teen who is continuing on to Northwest Arkansas, and we turned around and came home. We are super tired and the baby is sad about missing DD15. We will repeat the trip in about 2 months. I am not looking forward to it. The plan for today is to see how lazy we can be.

Thanks. I can't eat cake, but I did get a happy birthday fruit bowl. It was delicious.

She sounds very similar to how I tend to make my recipes for kids. Thanks for the introduction to her channel. I love that she talks about the teens eating more. My husband eats 2 hamburger patties while the rest of us eat 1. Actually, I usually eat 1/2 and DD15 eats hers and the other half of mine. We aren't picky about eating around each other. I'm jealous because I'd love to have that many children or bonus children. I have been having a hard time cooking for fewer people for the last decade. I'm slowly getting used to it. I usually don't cook on weekends and we have du jour leftovers on those days. I love how she says 'this season of life' it completely reflects my thought process. I make my chicken, tuna, and egg salad all the same--though I do make a 'different' cranberry chicken salad upon occasion for me and DD15. No measurements: chicken/tuna/diced boiled eggs or combination Mayo Mustard Diced Pickles Salt/pepper Celery Seed I definitely add her to my YouTube subsection.

What is your Favorite? Favorite Color: dark Pumpkin Orange verging on terracotta or copper Favorite Season: Fall. I love Harvest season. It is the time to gather in your work and prepare for a time of rest. Leaves, air, new beginnings as school year starts. Favorite Drink: green tea. I drink it all day long. Hot or cold. Favorite Food: Chicken Scaloppini (without the pasta) Favorite Book: Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen or else Recipes Tried and True copyright 1894 Favorite Movie: I have 3 that are equal: The Dark Crystal, The Princess Bride, Labyrinth Favorite Tool: jewelry pilers because I use it so often. Favorite Pet: Terry Cat who is in my current icon pic Favorite Camping Spot: Over in Luray, VA. I love forest, mountains, and caves. Favorite Place to take a Vacation: The mountains in the spring or early fall. Favorite Garden Seeds/Plants: Basil, Rosemary, Tomatoes, & peppers Favorite Comfort item: Bah the goat. It is a small stuffed goat that I use to diffuse situations. He hops out on my finger and starts chanting 'bah bah bah!' I also tend to use him like a worry rock and rub my finger across it to calm me down.

I adore how similar and different food is across the world. And now I am seriously craving dumplings. Dumplings like fruit cobbler dumplings and chicken and dumplings are delicious. They share nothing in common with traditional stuffed Asian dumplings. The ingredients are occasionally similar, but the amounts are never the same, the cooking methods and duration are never the same, the texture is completely different. Bread dumplings like what you would think of as in chicken and dumplings, the fruit cobbler, and the red lobster are going to have a crumbly, biscuit like texture. You could potentially stuff a western dumpling biscuit type dumpling, but it would completely fall apart if you boiled it in liquid like a normal western-style dumpling. The only way for it to hold together is going to be to bake it and then it is going to turn out more like a stuffed biscuit or muffin. Which are delicious! Note that there is a 3rd type of dumpling that is the western baked dumpling. It is basically something like beef wellington, or apple dumplings and it is an item covered in dough and baked. Sometimes considered a traditional European baked dumpling, it is always baked and has a somewhat crispier outer crust. A picture is worth a Thousand Words: Western Boiled Dumplings--never filled, boiled in a liquid. Noted for its crumb, thickness, and lack of crispiness as a whole. Eastern Dumplings--always filled and fried/baked/steamed/boiled. Noted for its thin, pasta like texture and savory or sweet fillings. European Baked Dumplings--always filled and baked (though I have seen them deep fried in some modern applications): Usually crispy with a crumb noticeably different than boiled dumplings.

Dumplings are more like Asian ravioli than biscuits. They are boiled, fried, or steamed. Sometimes rice flour, wheat, or semolina. Otherwise they are basically ravioli. Traditionally they would never have cheese, but fusion can be fun. I would skip any traditional Asian sauce if using the feta. Instead dip them in some type of marinara, pesto, or alfredo based sauce. If you google feta ravioli, you will find a million fillings, then you can just use your dumpling dough instead. Keep in mind it will be better steamed than boiled with such a wet filling in the dumpling dough. A more biscuit like approach that would be stuffed would be a bao bun or a pork bun. --Those are made and steamed rather than baked. Asian food is almost never baked. I make a similar red lobster recipe. I do the flour/fat/baking powder/buttermilk/cheese and bake it. Then I melt the butter, stir in garlic, and brush it over the tops of the done biscuits. The garlic flavor is more prominent that way.

feta and spinach are traditional companions. feta and chicken also work well. Other additions are sun dried tomatoes, basil, fig, or various jam type fillings.

I've been detoxing physically, mentally, and digitally for a few weeks. I've cut off a few family members entirely for the time being since they keep trying to snag me into fake and/or self-made drama and chaos. I love them, but I cannot be involved in that crazy. They are going to do what they are going to do and it is not my job to mitigate it, fix it, or even give advice on how to avoid it entirely. So, they are no longer allowed to text, call, e-mail, write letters, or otherwise contact me for the time being. I'm going to stick to managing those who live within my house only, the others (who have been treating me badly and stressing me out) do not get access to my skillset no matter how much they scream, plead, or demand. My therapist is happy with the current state of events and tells me it is about time I came to this conclusion and took action on it. I am teaching the baby vocabulary and basic math. I'm doing a lot of craft projects that are simple and listening to books on audible. DD15 is finishing up her freshman year of HS and doing testing. 3 weeks left. DH has upcoming GI surgery and will be starting a liquid diet next weekend. He will be on it for several weeks and on a modified liquid diet through most of summer. Kids are happy because the front yard is full of hops (rabbits) and a stray cat had 5 kittens under our shed. We are feeding outside them because I am a pushover. We are trying to rotate the pantry efficiently and are sorting it by dates rather than item type with plans for the sorting to be done by the end of June. This is a temporary sort so that we can focus on using the earliest dates first and getting back to a good date upkeep. I'm limiting my digital exposure a bit more than usual, so I will post, but probably less than I used to.

I'm taking a small hiatus. I need some help with the vodka so I'm going to go get it this evening. Pray for me if you are into that. Hopefully I will be coping with the world slightly better soon.