Thursday, August 30, 2012

Adventures in Tupperland

So, I have done it again. Every once in awhile, I do go overboard. I might of made just a little splash on Monday night.

It wasn't my fault. There is something so compelling about the smell of the plastic, the glowing colours and the promise of sublime Martha-ness with every snap of a lid. It makes a room full of women reach mindlessly for their purses ...you can not fight it. It is totally irresistible.  To this woman in particular.  I willingly, albeit eagerly, surrendered a sizable portion of the checking account to my friendly, informative pusher er, Tupperware representative. Sigh.

Dreams of a perfectly ordered freezer materialized as she extolled the virtues of the plastic.  I resisted.  I placated myself with a nice little storage set for the frig....they stack, you know. And it was two sets for the price of one! That means I could give one to my dear daughter in law, and we would both be well on the way to super efficient home cold storage.Why, the two cup container would be just perfect to corral those sweet snap peas, and the four cup? And who doesn't have cherry tomatoes to stow away every grocery day? Of course, I needed the small pickle keeper to stow away those refrigerator pickles that by their sheer homemadeness deserve a home more fitting than a mixing bowl with a tatty bit of saran on the top! It even has a great name....it is a Pick-a-deli. Not a  glass mason jar, or a used margarine container....nope. This is pure class with its own moniker, not used by any other item of it's ilk. So smart...and coordinates perfectly with the stackable sandwich meat keeper. Imagine! Three levels of deli meat easily procured in one fell swoop from the depths of the Amana. The fact that we only buy one variety at a time just didn't seem important when I saw how the one lid topped three, count them, three levels of storage. Sigh. Maybe weak is an understatement.

I admit it. I am a weak woman when confronted with coloured bits of plastic promising more than the last wrinkle cream I bought. Hopefully, though, I will also be one with a super organized refrigerator, come two weeks or so, when the goodies are delivered! 


 In my defence, or rather in defense of my frivolity, years ago, I outfitted  all of my kitchen cupboards with modular mates. Every day I bless those lovely containers! I bought enough of them to contain every single product in my kitchen, from the smallest bit of spice to a bin to hold the jumbo sized box of cereal. They make my life so easy, and I literally have not had to clean the pantry from top to bottom since.  I simply take out the containers, wipe the shelves and replace them. I always know where to find something. Each time I use something, I make sure to put it back in its spot in the cupboard, wiped clean. The sticker shock of that little project has kept me away from Tupperware for quite a few years.  In a moment of weakness I decided that I could handle just one Tupperware party.....but as I know now, for an addict? One container is too many and a hundred is not enough.....

WELL, as I learned,  they have a similar product for the freezer. I know this will be the first purchase until every single frozen item is encased in flexible plastic, with purplicious lids. Of course, there are little snowflakes and a fill line to remind me not to overfill, to maintain maximum freshness. And such wizardry of design to allow maximum airflow between the containers. And who could resist the special for party goers only? A lovely set of ice cube trays that will not lose all of their water on the long trek from sink to the freezer....I HAD to order them, didn't I?  In the grand scheme of things, I am sure I am a minor player in the great Tupper game of life. I just can't tell you how exciting it will be to get rid of all the twist tie bags of frozen peas and half bags of shrimp! Imagine not having to fight with forty three bags to find the peas! Ah yes. Tupper dreams........ 

                                             




Menu Plan - better late than never!

As you noticed by my absence, things haven't been running too smoothly or according to plan around here. However, I do find that I have had time to sit and plan the menu for the coming week.  It helps that I found a couple of recipes online that I am ready to try, that sound quick, easy and a little different PLUS they use what I have on hand in the house!
 
 
Wednesday August 29

Ham and Cheese Sandwiches

Thursday August 30

Dinner Out
 

Friday August 31

*Lemon Herb Roasted Chicken & Salad

 

Saturday September 1

Greek Salad with Chicken
 

Sunday September 2

Fruit Blintzs
(Made with home made stewed Italian Plums)
 
Monday September 3
 
Frig Gleanings Salad
 
Cucumber Pickles
 

Tuesday September 4

Out of Town

 
Lunches:
 
1.       Cottage cheese & strawberries, pepperoni sticks
2.     Egg salad sandwiches
3.     Veggies and dip
4.     Canned beans
5.     Avocado toasts
6.     salad
 
*Lemon Herb Roasted Chicken
- this is a slow cooker recipe, but I am going to use my LeCrueset oval roaster in a slow oven
 
  • Prep Time : 10 min
  • Cook Time : 5-6 hours min
  • Ready Time : 15 min

Servings

4-6 Servings

Ingredients

  • 4-6 pounds roasting chicken
  • 1/2 cup onion, chopped
  • 1-2 tablespoon olive oil
  • juice of one lemon
  • 4 sweet potatoes, halved
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/3 teaspoon paprika

Directions

Place the onion in the cavity of the chicken and rub the skin with the oil. Place chicken in the slow cooker. Squeeze lemon juice over chicken and sprinkle with remaining seasonings. Add sweet potato halves. Cover and cook on Low 8-10 hours or on HIGH 4-5 hours.
 
 

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Mani Pedi day!

Oh the pure joy of it!  How I do love getting pampered! I have found a good salon, that isn't extremely pricey - a real salon with privacy!  It was a very good experience. I was in the salon for two and a half hours, so yes, I really did get my money's worth!  Next on the agenda is a brow wax. Just may go for a polish change at the same time, once this stuff chips. Nice dark 40's red...gotta love that red polish on the old fingers!  See? 



 And LOOK! I have another one  just like it! And ten toes, too!







On the 'face front', I am in the midst of another skin care line trial, and so far so good. If it works, I will write more, but so far? I feel the calming effects, and I must say, so far it does feel like a good thing!


Cleaning day tomorrow, so must tidy up in the morning. I always swore I would never clean before cleaners came, but I guess some things are just meant to be taken back once you send the words out into the universe.  There are certain things I like to be put away, so they don't have to fuss with moving things - spend all of your time polishing and vacuuming, ladies!  LOL This is such a joy. Who knew that getting old would have such perks? My  number one perk was actually having nails to take to a salon to get worked on! Usually, one hard day of scrubbing and I am back to stumps.  I love having lady of leisure hands!   Years ago, I  invested in good rubber gloves...time to use them!

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Why oh why....

do things have to wear out and be replaced? Couldn't they just make life easier by letting you choose one set of appliances at the beginning of your life, and just let you keep living with them till the urge to cook has completely left your old frail body?

They compound the insult by adding features that as soon as you see them,  just gotta have them...that leaves me wondering if I really need a convection oven at this stage of my life. When we retire, will we not have time to allow the cook time an extra 25%? Where am I in a rush to go these days?  To warm up a can of soup on a cold winter's night, or roast a bird or two on a Sunday, do I really need the deluxe model? Well, turns out I do. I NEED  those industrial metal knobs with exotic red, heat resistant indicators set perfectly into the steel. 

Well, then there is that new type of lighting in the frig. I NEED the LED lights. I do.  How can I say no to a frig with lighting like the special effects on a StarTrek set? They promise me such easy visibility of soon to expire fruit, veg and dairy products. Why, to not purchase such a frig would be insane. I would be condemning myself willfully to a life of poor nutrition. Yep. Add that to the bill.

That leaves the dishwasher. Of course, we NEED to be able to configure the interior to deal with the  huge serving platters (that have a special place in the refrigerator for just such occasions) and other detritus from our huge cocktail parties....that we never have, but just might if we had such an easy way to clean the platters after the guests have left. 

The thing is, buying stuff for your real life, isn't nearly as exciting as buying into all of the possible lifestyle activities that are promised in an appliance showroom!  So, once again, we made our way home to our old reliable kitchen, where I made guacamole and taco chips for our supper. With a  good stiff Mojito in hand? Those old white boxes in the kitchen are lookin' pretty darn good!