everyday eating during "unprecedented" times
I had the leftover fritters for lunch with some popcorn. Matt got lunch near work.
Did a lot of spinning! Alpaca! Worked on the vintage recipes.
For dinner I made home fries with the last of the cabbage, leftover hot dogs and a little bit of sauerkraut. Trying to clear out the fridge!
This morning I got up and drove across town to the only Michaels in Central Maryland to have the black yarn I needed for my friend’s project. Why was that an ordeal? It’s just cheap black yarn! But I have it now and while I was there I used a 40% off coupon to pick up a mini loaf pan that makes really mini loaves that I think might work for some of the old-timey (and New Zealand) “gem” recipes I’ve been finding in old cookbooks.
For lunch I made myself an epic pulled pork grilled cheese and Matt has his leftover pulled pork over rice.
For dinner the plan was steak and fritters but one (both?) of the steaks was rotten despite being about 6 days out from the sell-by date. I don’t know what happened. Also I realized some chicken was freezer burnt that I planned to have Wednesday.
I ended up making the squash fritters and we debated about getting some take out but we have such poor options here. I finally found some fish cakes I had bought at Lidl on clearance for like $1.50 as an emergency lunch option and we had those.
Not sure what we are going to do tomorrow for dinner–we have a fair amount of vegetables and I think maybe tofu. Maybe some frozen scallops? More hands-on choices than I was hoping for. The chicken was supposed to get me to Thursday so I could shop then. I really don’t want to spend my days when I’m home alone and can work in the quiet driving out to the suburbs to grocery shop.
This morning we got up bright and early and drove all the way down to Hyattsville to take a cable knitting class. It was really good!
We came back and heated up the pulled pork we got yesterday and had it on the rolls we got on the side with some chips and homemade coleslaw. There was so much meat we saved some for another meal.
We ended up napping then we had hot dogs, salad and tots for dinner. I like to plan something super easy when we have to go out of town for something, traffic is awful here. We didn’t hit much but it is not uncommon for what should be a 45 minute trip to turn into 2+ hrs. Lots of narrow highways and few exits the closer to get to DC.
I spun the wool we carded yesterday. I think tomorrow is a “rest day” for the real Tour de France so not sure if I’m resting or not. I wish there was a rest day this weekend! It was a little rough doing two classes and then coming home and doing more fiber arts.
Even though we had a good time at both classes, unless the classes are magically closer to where we live, two days in a row of learning new skills and all that driving was a bit much.
We got up early and made pancakes before heading to a class out in rural Baltimore County to learn how to felt.
Why are these classes always at lunch time? The class was great though; the instructor was really through and demonstrated everything. It was just us and one other woman (who also masked! She’s a biology student in a Masters program) and we all had a lot of interests and had a good time talking and felting.
We all made candle sticks out of wool. The instructor even made us cookies, I brought one home and had it as dessert.
We didn’t really have lunch so we picked up dinner at our favorite pit beef place, also way out in the county. We got pit turkey and then pulled pork with rolls on the side to have tomorrow for lunch after our knitting class in an even more far off area. The idea had been to get lunch in that city after the class and make a day of it but nothing really seems to be open on Sundays, even places that were open when we booked the class. Anyway, we figured we’d be really hungry by the end of the class and stopping closer to home would probably take longer than just coming here and heating up the pork. Of course, we could change our mind and have the pork some other time but at least we have the option.
We were so tired and ended up taking an early evening nap after dinner! I don’t think either of us slept more than five hours last night. Dottie really likes to wake with the sun.
We made a batt for Tour de Fleece and wound some yarn so we can get back to our knitting project book. We have been busy with other projects and stopped for a while.
We ended up getting Italian subs at the further away place for lunch after realizing we didn’t have much here and I didn’t feel up to making anything. They were really packed!
I tried spinning a different type of wool and it didn’t go that well. Honestly, I didn’t feel great today and couldn’t really concentrate. I couldn’t even nap successfully.
We have a busy weekend taking some classes together and I hope it goes well! I have been getting a lot of headaches this week and that makes it rough. I either have had a migraine or the migraine “hangover” all week. Or both in the same day.
Neither class is near where we live, the weather is supposed to bad and we obviously aren’t eating in restaurants which adds another layer to everything. Luckily nothing is during actual meal times this time! But it is a little stressful. We booked the classes months ago assuming we’d feel fine and since it was early July the weather wouldn’t be too bad. Instead it’s hot and humid and we are getting Caribbean style thunderstorms every afternoon and evening.
We are still trying to clear out the tiny basement freezer so we had a very glamorous dinner of fish sticks, tater tots and homemade coleslaw. My goal was to make potato salad so we could have the rest of it on Sunday but I didn’t get to it.
We started watching Vienna Blood on PBS. It should be a vampire show with that name! Our local affiliate doesn’t show it but we donated money last year so we get the whole streaming catalogue. I started work on a weaving project for a friend.
Today I went to Michael’s, Ulta and to Weis to pick up some buttermilk and horseradish.
For lunch we had lox and cream cheese on leftover sauerkraut rye bread. The lox was sell by today so we really loaded it up.
I ordered the book the recipe was from, I had just taken a picture of the recipe from a library copy and wanted to see if turned out before spending money on my own copy. Bread machine books are really hit and miss. Our machine makes 2 lb loaves which some books don’t even include or they insist you can just tweak the 1 1/2 lb recipes in some way and that’s rarely ever done correctly or true.
We were going to have leftover smoked beef but it was too tough to eat as-is so we pivoted and Matt had some hot dogs and sauerkraut and I had a grilled cheese on more sauerkraut rye.
We had some bacon that was sell by like today? Tomorrow? I am trying to bake it. I’ve never done that before but I don’t have the energy for cooking in batches on the stove. I’m tired of these headaches. Anyway, I’m sure I can think of something to use it in. I should have froze it but I thought I had more time. This is what happens when I don’t do the shopping myself, I don’t focus on the expiration dates even if I do write them down with the others.
I have been rewatching Endeavor when I spin yarn for Tour de Fleece and I forgot there was an episode with a literal tiger used as a murder weapon. In season 3!
Did my spinning in the morning, worked in Cooking in Community and started a spreadsheet with recipes I want to make.
Came across this wild recipe sub suggestion.
Had popcorn and the rest of the pimento cheese for lunch.
Waxed my new spinning wheel bobbins. Set my new yarn and set it outside to dry where it got caught in an unexpected storm.
Had the leftover meatballs over pasta for dinner.
Watched French tv.
Matt really showed off today! He made spam musubi with a perfect rolled omelette layer for lunch.
He made rye sauerkraut bread in the bread machine which we had with the beef roast he smoked and some green beans and mushrooms.
The meat was so good! We both had major doubts but it turned out perfect.
I got stung by a bee on the top of my foot so walking isn’t great. Managed to watch some French tv and spin 3 oz of wool for Tour De Fleece.
Worked on Cooking in Community today and did a lot of spinning for Tour de Fleece.
For lunch I had popcorn and Matt got himself the lunch special at the local Thai place. It was getting too late and I needed to eat something!
Then for dinner we had steak, corn muffins and salad with ice cream for dessert. We have so many toppings left from Matt’s birthday! I think he put them all in my bowl. They overwhelmed the scoop of vanilla! I think it was magic shell, caramel, regular chocolate, marshmallow and whipped cream!
Before dinner Matt dashed out to get chicken for Lulu and meat for tomorrow but they were out of pork so he got a $40 beef round roast he wants to smoke? We will see. I guess it is cheaper than takeout?? He also wants to make some bread so we can have it as a sandwich. I feel like he went rogue! At least we have something. I didn’t have a lot of luck last week buying meat but between this and the leftover meatballs we should be in good shape for into the weekend.
For late breakfast we had sausage and hominy and then a blondie.
Didn’t really have regular lunch which might have been a mistake since I got a massive migraine during a sudden storm. Had to lay down a bit and then got up and ate the last of the pasta salad. Laid down again.
Did not get much done today! I did write up a cookbook and a recipe to go up in August in Cooking in Community for the blondies. Finished a novel.
Matt made porcupine meatballs at my instructions adapted from the Alcatraz cookbook which I will post later this week. We have a lot leftover which was the plan!
It is Tour de Fleece so I tried to spin while we watched an old Vera and the wool was so matted or something it was hurting my arm to separate it. Annoying because I picked that bundle because I thought it would be easy to spin and I still don’t feel great.
Rough day! Hopefully tomorrow will be better?
Rachel Eats Dinner 