Nov 14, 2016 |
Cooking. Crafting. Scheduling. Podcasting. Editing. TV fall premieres.
Everything but writing.
That’s what’s had my focus lately. That, and Paradise Bay’s Tradefest.
Tradefest Level Seven, baby!
Oh, like y’all don’t play games on your phone! Get over it!
Here it is, mid-November. Say whaat? Is that even real? Didn’t we just start this year? And yet, I know that can’t be true because I’m getting ready to put up my Christmas tree this weekend working on next year’s award-winning media presentations already.
More Media Mojo!
In case you missed it, I’ve been back in touch with Winco. Yes, that Winco. The Winco of my food post dreams. Guess who’s on the list to create some fantastic new (or at least revamped) recipes? Yup, that’s right. That would be This Girl.
And I have some new budgeting tips for my overcoming debt posts. A few editing projects just completed, and a few more lined up for the new year. I thought I told you all this already, yes? No? Oh, honestly, dear. We simply must start getting together more often, shouldn’t we?
It really all stems from my word for next year. Which I can’t tell you yet, because it’s not next year. I can tell you, I didn’t seek it. It found me. Here I was, writing feverishly editing intensely watching MacGyver when I realized what was needed was a change-not-change. How’s that for a tease, a hook, a keep-’em-coming-back-for-more statement?
Did I mention I have plans to blog far more frequently than the current, soon to be previous, year? Will that make you happy?
Because, after all, if you’re happy, I’m happy. Aww, we work well together, yes?
We’re talking some sweet Scarlett O’Hara stuff. A regalia of recipes. A plethora of podcast posts. I double-dog dare you to say any of those five times fast.
Oh, and did I tell you I have the ending to NOLA all figured out? Guess what I’ll be doing the next six weeks . . . ! [By the way, for a sneak peek, check out the video on the top right corner of this blog page. Turn up the volume and watch my YouTube video: Meet Momma Tristan.]
So buckle your seatbelts, love. This Girl’s getting back in the driver’s seat.
How do you like them apples?
“Give them a reason to care about you. Then they’ll care about what you write.” ~ Molly Jo Realy
With an open book and a mug of sweet tea,
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
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Mar 4, 2015 |
I love WinCo. But that’s not news, right? I love that they love me, too.
WinCo Wins – Cooking More for Less
Ask me any day of the week, and I’ll tell you, I’m in love with their Bulk Bins. You can buy as much, or as little, as you need. Are you shopping for one basic recipe, or hosting a large dinner party? They’ve got you covered.
From pastas and starches to snacks and candies, buying in bulk is crazy economical.
My favorite is their long white rice. It’s a staple in my house. At just pennies per pound, I can pick up five pounds of rice for less than half the price of any pre-packaged bag.
Last week began my Empty Nest. I thought cooking for one would be lonely, but instead I find it to be fun and inventive. Each meal preparation offers more leftovers, and I love planning foods that are freezer-friendly. With less groceries to buy, I’ll also be able to experiment more and create new recipes. I’m looking forward to sharing this new adventure with WinCo.
I love being in my kitchen, cooking and baking. But sometimes, I love staying with something familiar and easy. For my first week of eating alone, I cooked once. Once. And ate five times. Not bad for saving a few dollars while eating healthy.
Using my personal Aroma Housewares Rice Cooker, I steamed two salmon filets over white rice and diced green chilies in chicken broth.
Green Chili Chicken and Rice
The first night I ate both salmon, but typically I’d save one for the next night. Once the salmon was gone, I added a can of chicken meat to the rice mix. With each serving, I enjoyed a flour tortilla and a glass of milk. That’s an average of just $1.50 per meal.
Talk about filling and feeling good!
The extra benefit of using my rice cooker, is that once it cools down, I can store the pot in the fridge.
As usual, my relationship with WinCo is a Win-Win situation, and I can’t wait to create new #CookingForOne recipes, and more.
And Frankly, My Dear . . . that’s all she wrote!
You may also enjoy reading:
WinCo Wins
My Real Italian Kitchen: Polenta and Sauce
Stocking up the Pantry
Mar 1, 2015 |
For several months, I’ve not been writing. At least not to the extent I was last summer.
It wasn’t writer’s block, exactly. I had a lot to say. I just got in my own way of saying it.
The thought had come upon me that what I had to say was far less valuable than what others had to say. That my words were less worthwhile than life.
I stumbled over the thought that perhaps
I am insignificant.
I’ve been going through the motions, attending critique groups, writers club, and special events. I’ve been editing and socializing and marketing and networking and doing all the things a successful writer does . . . except writing.
There are some moments that belong to others, stories I shouldn’t share. Seasons that are too personal to blog about. And life that moves too quickly to put it on paper.
February brought adventure into my world that I didn’t know it needed. Not only did Dot get engaged, they are already married and next week, heading to Seattle for a great opportunity for both of them. I’m utterly sad to see them leave, but it’s with open arms that I can let them go, and embrace the new part of my life.
“You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”
~ A. A. Milne, “Winnie the Pooh”
I was suffocated with a momentary fear that I don’t know how to be my own person. I’ve lived my live so consistently for other people . . . what will it be like to live alone?
And I saw the doors open on a new horizon.
I’m already chatting with WinCo Foods to create new #CookingForOne recipes.
My friends want me to share my journey of being pushed into an Empty Nest so quickly.
I’ve discovered that girlfriends, writers, and God are more important now than before.
There’s no lack of writing material for this new life.
I’m going to turn the extra room into a media/workout room.
I can write late into the evenings without interruption.
I’m able to stay out later, go out more often, and do more things because there’s not a second person’s schedule or dinner plans to coordinate with.
I’m no longer a single mom. I’m just single. And I’m okay with that.
Of course, I still have five cats and writing and home improvement projects. Those haven’t changed. But I’m seeing life differently.
I’m seeing it boldly and in living color.
I’m seeing HOPE.
HOPE is the thing with feathers . . .
Later this month, I’m having an Empty Nest party to celebrate my new adventures.
And I’ve decided that celebrating every day is an adventure in itself.
And Frankly, My Dear . . . that’s all she wrote!
You may also enjoy reading:
2015: HOPE
But I’m not good enough to attend a Christian writers conference . . .
Winco Wins
I am Defined. And I am a Mystery.
Aug 18, 2014 |
My Real Italian Kitchen: Polenta and Sauce
WinCo is still one of my favorite places ever. My last two grocery shopping trips stocked my pantry so thoroughly, I’ve not been back for well over a month. When you’re on a budget for time as well as money, that’s a big deal.
Last month, I picked up a tube of ready-made polenta, with absolutely no idea what to do with it. It stared at me from the refrigerator drawer every morning. It begged me for attention every evening. I still wasn’t sure how to prepare it. Luckily, WinCo directed me to their polenta recipes on their website, including how to make it from scratch. I also searched the internet for other creative cooking ideas.
Polenta is an Italian cornmeal that can be made into a porridge, or sliced for baking or frying. As a porridge, it’s a delicious breakfast or side dish. You can slice it extra thin to add to your deli sandwich. Fried or baked, it can replace pasta or rice for an easy lunch or dinner. It’s even a great mini breakfast when topped with maple syrup.
The Polenta I picked up was already seasoned with basil and garlic, so that ruled out a breakfast porridge. For my first experience, I opted to slice and fry the polenta on my stove, and top it with a blend of pasta sauce fortified with additional spices and an extra can of sliced mushrooms. I began by slicing the tube of polenta into 1/2-inch round slices.
San Gennaro Polenta
My favorite pasta sauce is Newman’s Own Sockarooni. It has the perfect balance of seasonings and vegetables. I often add browned ground meat to the mix, or serve it over meatballs. For this polenta dinner, mushrooms were the extra touch.
Sauce and Mushrooms
While the sauce simmered, I heated up my large frying pan with about 1/2-inch of olive oil. Of course, Bertolli Extra Virgin Olive Oil is my favorite. It has just the right blend of natural oil and flavor without a heavy, greasy taste or feel.
Bertolli Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Once the oil was nicely heated, I carefully placed the polenta slices in and covered them to minimize splattering. After five minutes, it was time to fry the other side. This was tricky, because even though I love being in the kitchen I’m not a big fan of cooking with a lot of hot oil. I managed to flip the polenta with very little mess, and after another five minutes of covered frying, I transferred it to a paper towel to absorb the excess oil. In just two more minutes, dinner was ready.
Served with a simple slice of garlic toast and a refreshing Pellegrino water, my Italian dinner was complete.
My Real Italian Kitchen: Polenta with Sauce
The polenta was on sale for less than $4. The sauce was $2.50. Mushrooms $0.69. Garlic toast $6 for 12 slices. The most expensive part was the Pellegrino, at an average of $0.83 per bottle. The polenta dinner, while small in size is big on taste. We were able to get five good meals plus a little extra for a small snack. (Dipping a fried polenta in sauce is heaven, in case you were wondering.)
That’s an approximate $2.75 per plate. Not bad for a delicious Italian meal.
Polenta is so versatile in both flavor and use, no wonder it’s the food of choice for Northern Italy. And, in My Real Italian Kitchen.
San Gennaro Polenta with Basil and Garlic
And Frankly, My Dear . . . that’s all she wrote!
You may also enjoy reading:
Stocking up the Pantry
Stocking up the Cabinet
Too Hot to Cook (June’s Meal Plan)
WinCo Wins: Lunch for a Dollar!
WinCo Wins
Jan 3, 2014 |
Baked Frittata
I’m changing how I do my meal plans. The last few months, I’ve been throwing together what I can find. Buying for one meal at a time.
With Dot’s schedule (read: college, work, boyfriend), together-at-the-table time just isn’t as frequent. But that doesn’t mean I can’t still cook well even on those evenings she’s not home.
This year, in keeping with my Word of 2014, my Better Plan for meal prep is improving:
Taking what I have and working with it. Why buy what I don’t need?
So last week I made a list of what I had and shopped only for what would compliment my stock. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I had more than I realized, and needed less than anticipated.
I’ve also opted to not schedule our meals. That is, there is no calendar as to when we’ll eat what we eat. As long as I have a month’s worth of dinners on the list, I’m not planning any particular sit-down. Dot is often called to work extra hours, or go out with friends. And then there’s those days I just don’t feel like cooking.
So my improved goal for my 2014 Meal Planning includes making healthy dinners and eating the leftovers before cooking something new.
Ratatouille In the Slow Cooker
I already have more than enough to make nearly everything on this month’s dinner list:
- Slow Cooker Pork and Kraut
- Lemon-Grilled Salmon
- Ratatouille
- Turkey dinner
- Grilled chicken
- Grilled Ham & Cheese Sandwiches with Tomato Soup
- Baked Frittata
- Slow Cooker Chili
- Potato Chip Casserole
I’ll need just a few more items like one can of chicken meat, and frittata ingredients. Each meal offers at least one more day of leftovers, and perhaps a tasty lunch as well. Of course my family is small. My meal plan isn’t “one size fits all”. But the idea behind it is.
I’m also giving two days a month over to Dot. She’ll plan, buy, and make at least two dinners that each over another day of leftovers. She gets to develop more Home-Ec skills (do they still call it that?). I get a day off.
It’s a sigh of relief to not be burdened with a cooking schedule. This frees up time and allows for those unexpected interruptions. If Dot’s not home to eat, she knows it will be waiting for her return.
I am looking forward to having a better kitchen relationship this year, as Santa blessed me with a Cuisinart 5-in-1 Griddler. Hence, the multiple “grilled” dinners suggested above.
It’s also a delight to find myself once more in love with WinCo. When I need to, of course, I shop elsewhere. It’s been months since I’ve had the joy of shopping that most wonderful WinCo, and I’m eager to regain my monthly excursions. Who knew grocery buying would be on par with Nirvana? And yet that’s how I see it. A plethora of inexpensive, brand name choices. Coupons. Discounts. It’s definitely my bliss.
Slow Cooker Pork and ‘Kraut. Twenty dollars. Five ingredients. Eight hours. Ten dinners.
Would you like to start your own Meal Plan pantry? Download my STOCK THAT checklist to begin. (You may also want to check out my emergency supply STOCK THAT 2 checklist, too.)
How do you plan meals around your family’s size, schedule, and wallet? Let me know your ideas on feeding families for less!
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
You may also enjoy reading:
WinCo Wins
WinCo Wins: Lunch for a Dollar!
Too Hot to Cook (June’s Meal Plan)
Poverty: My Story
Stocking up the Pantry
Stocking up the Cabinet
