Month: May 2023

daily recap · what we ate

Day 1155: Doughnuts

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This morning I went to our favorite old school bakery to place an order for Matt’s birthday cake at the end of the month. I offered to bake but he said he wanted it to be low stress. A coconut layer cake was only $17 so you can’t beat that! His birthday is on Memorial Day this year and they are closed Sundays so I had to get it for a couple days early. Got a couple of doughnuts while I was there too! Somehow they didn’t melt when I was running errands.

I had it with some of the coffee Matt ordered me from Costco. Luckily I liked it because I think we have 10 lbs of it.

After the bakery I went to the library and Aldi. Grocery stores still aren’t “normal”. This time they had a lot of meat but the dairy was really hit and miss. Like they had plain yogurt but not flavored in the big containers, salted butter but not unsalted, hazelnut creamer but not caramel, low fat sour cream but not full fat. On the upside, produce was super cheap as things start to be back in season. Mushrooms were 99¢ and the baby cucumbers were $1.20. That’s less than half what they were a couple weeks ago.

Matt had physical therapy and picked us up sandwiches at the Italian market since I was shopping and we didn’t have anything here to eat. He got two different ones and we each had half of each and one tasted really bad! Like rotten peppers even though there were no peppers on it. He didn’t even notice it tasted like a beach trash can. Luckily he didn’t get sick but it was so gross! I don’t know how he didn’t notice. It makes me sad because it’s the only deli we have locally and now I’m a little off them. They aren’t cheap but normally they are so good, it’s worth it.

I spent most of the afternoon in the hammock reading and thinking about my weaving project. I don’t love love how it turned out and am not sure if I have time to redo it or make something else.

This afternoon I realized the back of my phone is completely smashed. I tripped coming in the house with the groceries and banged against the door with it in my pocket so maybe that did it? I thought the newer iPhones were supposed to be tougher. This one scratched really easily; I’ve never had a scratch on a phone before! It has never had good battery life and would randomly crash. It also has never been good to talk on; no one can ever hear or understand me. Can a phone be a lemon?

I went ahead and ordered a new one to pick up at the Apple Store and a case from Target. That is not money I wanted to spend today! But I think it will literally fall apart in my hand at any moment. I’ve never seen anything cracked that bad before!

I ran into some people on an online group I’m a long time member of who otherwise seem educated and smart who kept clinging to 2 year old Covid info and were unaware of the fallout of the ending of the state of emergency. I can’t imagine being that unaware and unconcerned about the world around me.

For dinner we made rice pilaf with mushrooms and asparagus and coho salmon. Easy peasy!

Matt had his piano lesson so I watched Saint X on Hulu a bit. I tried reading the book years ago when it came out but couldn’t get into it. The writing wasn’t great as I recall but the show isn’t bad. I remember thinking it was an interesting idea.

I got a fun PR package in the mail I can turn it a meal next week which is always good! I haven’t been responding to a lot of pitches since I was busy with the book but I have some more time now.

daily recap · repurposing leftovers · what we ate

Day 1154: Peanut Noodles

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I got up early and made some corned beef hash with the last of the corned beef and parboiled potatoes from the other day.

I spent the bulk of the day doing cyanotype with flowers I pressed and fresh clovers. While I was waiting for the sun to do it’s thing I worked on my knitting.

Then I listed a ton of board games on eBay which took forever! I really want them out of the house. There are some games that are fine but after playing them once or twice we just haven’t reached for them again. We have so many games we do really enjoy it doesn’t make sense to hang on to ones we aren’t playing.

For dinner I sautéd the leftover pork chops and some cabbage and tossed with soba noodles and peanut sauce I threw together.

Leftover pork chops are the bane of my cooking existence but it turned out pretty good.

daily recap · what we ate

Day 1153: Pasta Salad

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We were supposed to go out this evening but we didn’t feel well. No one slept well last night and I had a migraine yesterday.

But at lunch time I thought we’d be out at dinner time (the plan was to just have a snack when we got home) so I made our main meal for lunch—pork chops and pasta salad.

Worked on prepping my weaving project most of the afternoon.

At dinner time I had some popcorn and Matt made himself everything matzo brei.

Then we watched the new American Bake Off on Roku which is cute but also ignored the Jewish origins of babka? That was an issue with Paul and Prue a few years ago in the British version but I guess they never learn.

We also started the next knitting project in our book—wrist warmers that seem a little small (but who knows) on double pointed needles. A little tedious!

daily recap · repurposing leftovers · what we ate

Day 1152: Corned Beef Hash

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This morning I went to the “study group” meeting of my weaving guild. Our theme this year has been dyeing yarn and a member did a presentation about wool tincture dyes she used on various alpaca yarn she spun.

On the way back I stopped and picked up some cupcakes at a bakery not far from where we meet.

I enjoy the study group and attending in person (it’s a hybrid meeting) but it does end up taking up most of the day. It took me almost an hour to get there and then I didn’t get back until around 1pm.

For lunch we had leftover pancit. I didn’t have a ton left so I was happy to have a cupcake for dessert!

I wove another placemat.

For dinner we had the leftover corned beef as hash. We added some sauerkraut to it which was tasty.

We watched some Dalgliesh while Matt finished up his knitting project.

daily recap · what we ate

Day 1151: Pancit Bihon

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Chill day! Matt made pancakes for breakfast and finished the yard and planting.

I tried to plan out some weaving projects on the big looms but I don’t think I got anywhere.

He wanted to get take out for dinner so picked up some pancit bihon and lumpia. Both were extra good!

Worked on my weaving on the rigid heddle while Matt practiced the piano.

daily recap · what we ate

Day 1150: Ruebens

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It was a sunny day and the beagle got us up at 7:30 am so we drove up to the plant sale at Union Mills about an hour away. Every event there is always so organized and the people are so nice.

We got pineapple sage, mint, some tomato plants for my dad, highbush cranberries, Greek oregano and some hot peppers.

They also had their own cookbook with recipes that used the flour they mill there. Perfect for our project!

Then we went to the aptly names Pork and Beans store and I got an ham salad and Swiss sandwich on a pretzel roll and Matt got the meal deal for a hot tavern ham sandwich on a pretzel roll with potato salad, a drink and chips. I don’t think I’d get it on a pretzel roll again, it was really thick and hard to eat. I think the roll would be better on a hot sandwich but the ham salad was solid. Plus my sandwich was only $5!

We stopped at the Carroll Country historical society and they were really weird when I asked them about recipes/cookbooks. Like it was the most bizarre idea in the world. The man even condescendingly asked if what I was really looking for was a book store. I literally explained the grant project to him. No, I’m not looking for a book store.

We drove to the farm museum but it was mostly closed so we didn’t go past the visitors center. They are having a big event tomorrow so maybe they are saving staff for that.

I had a good coupon for Joann Fabrics and our closest Joann always smells like solvent (I email corporate every time!) so we stopped at the one near the mill. I picked up some pillow forms for the pillows we knit a couple of months ago and Matt got some new knitting needles. Somehow one went missing in the middle of our project. I think Dottie might have grabbed it and hid it somewhere? She’s a strange little dog.

Matt planted most of the plants and mowed some of the lawn while I read and had a couple Cheetos.

I put corned beef in the slow cooker before we left so I made Ruebens with marble rye and homemade dressing. So good! A very Swiss cheese and sandwich heavy day but it was nice to have something fun and easy for dinner. We had apples on the side rather than make a side dish. What goes with Ruebens?

Watched some Icelandic tv and knitted. And split a weird cookie dough Milky Way bar I got in York a couple weeks ago. It would have been better in dark chocolate.

daily recap · repurposing leftovers · what we ate

Day 1149: Lemon Sticks

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Today was a little exhausting. I got up early and had some caffeine and two hard boiled eggs.

The flower mart started today. I hadn’t been in years so I thought it would be fun to go and I had heard they might have a community cookbook for sale at one of the booths. Parking is always a nightmare so I paid in advance for a spot on SpotHero in a little lot I’ve parked in for other events/activities in that part of the city. I got to the lot and there were no spaces left! I don’t know if they overbooked or if someone was parked there without paying or what but I couldn’t stay there. I called SpotHero and they offered a spot further away—closer to the Harbor— but I just got a refund and drove around until I found a empty looking street like a quarter mile away but not downhill.

I got the traditional lemon stick (half a lemon with a peppermint stick you suck on), looked at plants, got a planter that looks like a rowhouse and a strawberry bag from some city school students who started a crochet company. The girl who made it was there and excited to sell it!

The stalls were all selling super heavy, fried/greasy food so I didn’t get anything else. I was already a little car sick from circling the festival looking for spots for so long.

I met up with my grant partner and we bound 55 copies of the book we wrote for the grant. Only 45 more to go! It was really awkward because I had the super heavy binding machine with me and I couldn’t park in front of their house so they had to run out and grab it while I double parked and then parked a couple blocks away.

They are going to print more and then I guess I will bind the rest myself at home. It wasn’t hard, just tedious.

I got home at like 5 and made myself “nachos” with the leftover bison chili. Matt had some chicken and rice for dinner.

I knitted and we watched Yellowjackets. I really don’t know where we are going with this! Matt seems to think it’s going to be really wacky/surreal but I’m not sure.

Trying to figure out what to do this weekend. We had a couple ideas (plant sales) but they are all about an hour away and that sounds exhausting. I feel like every time I try to go somewhere lately something goes wrong no matter how much planning goes into it.

It’s supposed to be nice out though so it would be good to do something outdoors after all this cold weather. Sheep & Wool is this weekend but I hate to give them money after they were so weird and backed out the cookbook project they begged me to write after I had already started working on it—without even seeing any of it. They were so unprofessional. That was such a massive waste of my time for months.

daily recap · repurposing leftovers · what we ate

Day 1148: Sausages

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Ran out to the regular supermarket and picked up horseradish, Cabot Vermont cheddar and rye swirl bread this morning. I wish Aldi or Lidl carried these things. The loaves of Pepperidge Farm rye are like half the size of the white bread but still $5 a loaf.

For lunch I made myself salmon salad and had some popcorn. It was really good! Matt went into work since he didn’t on his usual days and got lunch at a Haitian food truck but it wasn’t very good.

I finished one of the placemats I was weaving but then the dog bumped my loom and I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to make the second one. It’s for my guild challenge so maybe just one would be okay?

For dinner I sautéd the leftover cabbage with spices, onion and Knockwurst and served it over mashed potatoes. Great way to use up leftover cabbage and some potatoes that were getting old.

Worked on my knitting project and read a book. Not a bad day!

Tomorrow will be busy so I was trying to get some things done before the weekend.

daily recap · what we ate

Day 1147: Pit Beef

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Did a morning grocery shop but it might have been too early because the shelves were really bare. I think I got enough to squeak into next week but there wasn’t a lot of variety in the meat and fish department.

Matt had a doctor’s appointment near the best pit beef place way out in the county so he picked us up lunch there.

The mac and cheese and the sandwiches (we split pit beef and pit turkey) were good but the coleslaw was odd. It tasted like corn syrup?

I didn’t feel great so I did a little work and took a short nap.

I really wasn’t hungry for dinner after our big lunch but made some coho salmon, broccoli and heated up the leftover potato wedges. I only ate a couple bites of the salmon so I can have that for lunch tomorrow. We have some broccoli leftover too.

Started our next knitting project from the book.

daily recap · what we ate

Day 1146: Cabbage

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When am I going to see the sun again? It’s cold and damp and miserable. It could be worst but it isn’t great! Is this what living in England is like?

Got some reading done and made tuna for lunch. I tried the Middleswarth “The Weekender” Bar-B-Q Potato Chips I picked up in PA and they were oddly bland. I saw rave reviews for them online but I feel like I’m missing something. I don’t think I would have guessed they were barbecue chips. I was hoping for that elementary school lunch experience and didn’t get it.

I worked on C&L for a while in the afternoon and practiced working the binding machine with a copy of the book I printed out. It looks good!

I went to make dinner and the sausages I was going to make were spoiled. I bought them a while back but the expiration date was still a ways off. Very frustrating. I was going to have them with leftover potato wedges and sautéd cabbage. We are really down to no groceries (planning to go tomorrow) so Matt dashed out to the sub shop and got us their chicken tender, fries and cornbread meal and I steamed some cabbage to have with it.

I really didn’t feel like take out but I’ve been trying to eat down the what we have on hand and not overbuy groceries so there just isn’t much here to pivot to. At least it was cheap!

We do have some leftover chili but chili twice in a row is a bit robust and I wanted to save it for a day later in the week when I know I will be out all day and won’t want to come home and cook.

Anyway, we have some cabbage leftover that’s nice and par-cooked and I will go to the shops tomorrow and get more food.

Honestly, I’m bored of coming up with meals! We’ve had a bad run of food being bad before it’s expiration dates (from all different stores) and stores still aren’t predictably being fully stocked. I keep having ideas for meals and not being able to get something basic or I go to make something and it’s spoiled. It feels like everything in most aspects of every day life is going downhill. It’s a tiring way to live.