Thursday's gone....

First thing this morning, I made a batch of bison cabbage rolls. Since the menu plan went the way of all good intentions, I was left with half a pound of bison after last night's meatball recipe.  So, as well as mixing in some rice,  I added some green and red peppers, onion and celery into fine dice (gotta love that Nicer Dicer!) and stretched that meat to make a head of savoy cabbage into cabbage rolls! Surprisingly, hubby was able to put away a whole one, to spite the tomatoes. Things are looking up!  So, now my totally overfilled refrigerator has to accommodate one more dish.  Supper tonight was a pork loin chop ( 1" thick, and more than enough for the two of us) hash browns and creamed corn.  Hubby had leftover mashed potatoes from last night, as he still favours soft foods over crispy brown ones!  Goody. More for me! I do love home made hash browns!  It boggles my mind why anyone would buy the frozen ones when they are so good if you make them from horror of horrors, a real potato or two!


So, that was my exciting day.   My To Do  list is growing longer and longer, but I felt a bit under the weather today, and just wanted to stick to the basics and hunker down at home. The weather has been unusually hot for this time of year, and maybe that is throwing me off my game. I should have known better than to put on our winter bedding!  Just like washing my car brings on the rain, a fluffy quilt brings on an Indian summer.


Ah well. I don't know what will happen tomorrow!  

Winter Bedding

The big change over came today. I know we are having a bit of  a "heat wave" at the moment, but strike when the mood hits, is my philosophy!  So, our bed is made with a nice puffy quilt. At the moment, it is a bit damp from the heavy spray of water it had to remove wrinkles, but in an hour or so, I will put out the pillows and put on the finishing touches!  If only I could get moving on the clothing issues in this house. Rick's clothes are all to big. Mine are all mixed up. Winter, summer, some fit, some are too big, some are too ugly. I have no idea where it all comes from, but I am inundated with garments that no longer fit, or have lost their appeal. Maybe I should just get rid of things one by one as they frustrate me?  Then it won't be quite so traumatizing!  But it will be slow going, that is a fact!

My menu plan  isn't going to work. Too many things the man can not handle, but not to worry. I will take the same ingredients and make them "wet" enough for his tender throat.  So, tonight? The baked cod becomes cod with "higgelty piggelty" sauce...a tastey reminder of our trip to Germany. Ahhhh the land of gorgeous fish and potato dishes!  Simply put, it is heavy cream with a touch of curry, and a few mixed vegetables. Served over the baked fish, with potatoes, it is a simply delightful dish.  Same ingredients, just a different prep method. I was getting too complicated with this menu business, so it was bound to fail!  As for the Waldorf salad? I will still try that recipe, because it intrigues me.  And dessert?  Fruit salad will never go to waste in this house! I will make enough for tomorrow's supper as well as lunch tomorrow.

So, the new menu for today is:
Wednesday:

• Waldorf salad
• Fish in Higgelty Piggelty sauce
• Steamed Potatoes
• Fruit salad for dessert. Yes! DESSERT!  

Tuesday - Grocery Shopping Day

Three stores and more money than I had planned to spend! A grand total of $114.21, but for the amount of time I spent doing it, I was sure I would have cracked the $1000 mark! I had a menu plan, complete with recipes and shopping list, but it is pretty difficult to buy half a stalk of celery. As a result, the total was much higher than it needed to be, with food enough to last two weeks at least.  I am thinking ten pounds of potatoes was a little excessive, but now that hubby can eat a little again, it is opening up a big can of kitchen time!


Speaking of which,  the total was affected by two pairs of pants that jumped into the cart at Costco so I guess the dollar drain wasn't as bad as I think it was!  And of course, the box of protein shakes to supplement hubby's meals added to the total, and that really isn't food per se. I did buy one  exotic ingredient...celeriac to use in a Waldorf salad. Should prove interesting! (I also picked up a matching binder to use for menu plans and recipes.  Hmmm.....I am beginning to see my grocery bill wasn't as steep as I originally thought!)


The menu plan for this week, from SOS Cuisine, using local ingredients:



Wednesday
Dinner:

• Waldorf Salad 2 servings
• Preparation 15 min / Standing 10 min
• 160 calories per serving
• Waldorf Salad
• Ingredients
• 1 1/2 cup celeriac, shredded 200 g
• 1 apples, cut into thin slices 180 g
• 1/4 green peppers, finely diced 40 g
• 1/2 Boston lettuce, or curly leaf 100 g
• 4 tsp mayonnaise 20 mL
• 1 tbsp yogurt, plain, 2% 16 g
• 1 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed 1/2 lemon
• 2 tbsp walnuts [optional] 12 g
• salt to taste
• ground pepper to taste
• Method
• 1. Cut the apples into thin slices, without peeling them, but eliminating the core. Place
• them on the serving plate. Clean the lettuce and place it on the serving plate, leaving
• the centre for the celeriac.
• 2. Peel and shred the celeriac, then put it in a bowl and sprinkle with the lemon juice to
• avoid darkening. Add a pinch of salt. Finely dice the bell pepper and add it to the
• celeriac.
• 3. In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise with the yogurt. Pour it over the celeriac and toss
• well. Adjust the seasoning then transfer to the centre of the serving plate.2 servings
• Preparation 10 min / Cooking 10 min
• 270 calories per serving
• 4. If desired, garnish with walnuts(*). Let rest 10 min to allow the flavours to blend, then
• serve

Haddock with Almonds and Ginger Squash Purée (make ahead)
Winter Fruit Salad


Thursday
Dinner:
Spinach and Mushroom Salad
Basil-flavoured Chicken and Pepper Stir-Fry and Steamed Basmati Rice
Winter Fruit Salad (repeated)


Friday
Dinner:
Cream of Potato Soup "Parmentier" (make ahead)
Mixed Legume Salad
Baked Apples (make ahead)


Saturday
Dinner:
Warm Cauliflower Salad
Pasta in a Bolognese Meat Sauce
Baked Apples (repeated)


Sunday
Dinner:
Cream of Potato Soup "Parmentier" (repeated)
Tuna and Cabbage Salad
Ice Cream with Cranberry Sauce

Every day that passes.....

seems to get me into more of a mess. I did manage to tackle the washing and ironing today, and toss out a few of the man's more "used and ugly" clothes. My closet, however, remains the bane of my existence.  There are too many things in my closet, in my cupboards, and in my house in general. Where does it all come from? Why is there so much after I have so diligently given and tossed? I think my tolerance for junk is becoming smaller with every purge!

As I seek the perfect method for getting rid of junk, I seem to miss the most obvious course of action. Toss it and get on with life!

Eventually? I would like to have a closet like my sister's. They downsized from a large home to an apartment. She has a couple of feet of hanging space for her duds in her bedroom, and more than her share of hall closet. The woman is a leather jacket junkie , and has quite the collection.  She wears simple clothes, but always has that third layer to add snap and pizazz.  But I digress. I have far too much and wear far too little of it.  Once and for all, I need to have a good clear out to start the season off right. The weather this week is unusually warm for this time of year, so I have been given a bit more time to get ready for winter!

Pants Shopping and Other Trials

Saturday we  braved the crowds, and went shopping for new pants for the man. He tires so easily now, but with the two of us on the job, we managed!  He found new jeans, black and indigo, and some twill pants in black. With the shirts he has in his closet, he will be able to manage until we figure out where his weight will land. He is feeling a little better now, so he is out for a walk. I wonder if he wore his new pants?

As for me? I tried on my winter pants to check the length. It is all good. The waistbands are tight, so that gives me a little incentive to hold back at the table a little! LOL  As for the bigger things, out they go. I am fed up with trying on six outfits before venturing out. Fact is? I usually pick a couple of things to wear, and wear them shamelessly!  Even my nighties need weeding out!  The same ones are always in the wash, so why keep the rest?  Ah, the miseries of clothing!