Cooking for Other People

The quest for cooking skills continues with more emphasis on frugality and healthy ingredients. I’m trying to incorporate more protein without totally relying on the portion of a cow in my freezer courtesy of a thankful client. I like buying from the tiny, local farmer’s market or the locally grown section at Harris Teeter.

Youngest and I had D and his daughter (FFC – for Family Friend Child) over for grilling this past weekend. I served NY strip steaks, sweet potato gratin, corn and biscuits. During the week I had been experimenting with frittatas and have found a recipe based on bacon (a favorite food group of Youngest) that I will serve when they return for this weekend’s visit. I’m trying to provide a small place of stability where FFC can relax and see how normal people behave. There is zucchini in the fridge for bread today or tomorrow.

It seems like I find something I like and then study/cook it in many variations. It reminds me of Son and how he researches an issue using the immersion technique. To become even more frugal, I would like to get into stir fries as you can use multiple leftovers. Steam some rice, add a small piece of meat with a handful of vegetables and you have a filling meal. Unfortunately, this house has a crappy, solid, electric stove top so obtaining the required heat is not going to happen. I’ve been looking at electric woks and like the versions that are dishwasher safe. Maybe after signing up the next new client, I’ll purchase a wok as a celebration gift.

We have discovered the weirdest and best magazine ever – “All You”. We originally found it at a garage sale here where I bought a stack of magazines, mostly Town and Country, for a quarter each. It was a onetime impulse activity, I swear. I could hear my Grandma rolling over. Anyway, it’s easy to get hooked and Walmart is the pusher – the only place we can find it for purchase (we sneak in and out with blistering speed). It’s a wealth of useable recipes, coupons and household tips. This month’s edition has a recipe for butternut squash ravioli. I can’t wait to try that one – it’s about $1.14 per serving.

Geriatric and Still the Center of my Universe

While Beef is enjoying his life, he is clearly declining. This week he had 3 major falls which I categorize as involving pain, inability to get up without assistance and remaining effects. I’m not going to try to attempt listing the daily falls as he collapses on the floor or trips over the carpet. When Beef has a bad tumble, he falls on his left hip which is his most damaged joint, and then he doesn’t want to put weight on it. Kenzie has suggested giving him shorter walks but I think they are helpful in keeping him as mobile as he continues to be. Beef fell in the gutter full of running water this week and couldn’t get purchase. He was stuck on his back and then rolled and was crying. Another time he fell coming into the front door and was half in and out. Then Beef had what looked like a brief seizure totally freaking me out. When Beef is particularly injured, Silly gives him what aid that she is able. She licks his face; sticks close and lays beside him. She gets worried.

In addition, Beef has one pad that was cut in a fall and he licked all the skin off of it. It looks like a bloody stump.

It’s clear that Beef still finds some enjoyment – wagging his tail at the sight of friends, laying behind me on the days we are here alone, laying in the sun room while I play piano and still enjoys his lifelong favorite treat of bagels (only now mini-low calorie version). But we should all brace ourselves for when belly rubs are no longer requested.

I have a Beau (that you’d like!)

I have been dating a really nice man for a few weeks that will most likely receive full family support. S lives in the neighborhood across the street from Youngest’s apartment complex – it takes about 2 minutes door to door. I’ll give you a snapshot of our latest weekend together:

Friday – Night trip to city with dinner at microbrewery, half of farm team baseball game with fireworks.
Saturday – Me sleep in, S plays golf, then we meet at my house where I cooked and we sat out on the back patio and drank sweet wine under the lanterns.
Sunday – Me sleep in, read, nap. S goes to church and works. Evening we go to Wing Joint and Cold Stone Creamery for treats.

We met on Match, naturally, and have both taken our profiles down and are only dating each other. Not great declarations just two people only focused on each other. We’re in like.

Things you will like immediately about S:
Tall
Handsome (REALLY Handsome)
Appropriate age range (50)
Well Mannered
No potty mouth
Same job for 25 years (sales)
Owns home (townhouse)
No kids
Doesn’t want any kids
Does want to be a grandpa
Physically fit (Basement is gym)
Loves Austin
Has seen me in no make and did not run away

Things that you will have to accept:
S is a Yankee’s fan
Drank bud light in front of me (but microbrew too)
Is initially shy and would NOT enjoy Oldest’s usual interrogation technique
Is not naturally adventurous (but does enjoy new things I introduce)
Was intimidated especially after Googling me but relaxed after discussion
Had never heard of Sour Patch Kids

It’s my feeling (and hope) that S will be around for a while so we can get to know him together. I think S is a keeper.

Yet Another Data Dump

In her usual subtle manner, Oldest reminded me that it’s been too long once again between updates and she’s right. I’ve been even busier than I had expected what with business development, servicing clients and dealing with the developing prototype. In fact, I even slept in the lab for a night this week and spent many hours there during the day. It’s been on the cusp of success many times but then the prototype gets reengineered once again adding time and money. I took the weekend off to focus on other things.

Beef had a fall off the curb that set him back quite a bit for a few days. He was really in pain and you can’t imagine how it feels to listen to him scream. It was so bad on the first night that I slept downstairs on the couch to stay with him. He’s moving much better but I still notice that he doesn’t like to put weight on his back left leg. It was very sad to see an arthritic dog try to walk on only 3 legs. But now we’re back to the full distance walk so this health issue is over.
I took a quick trip to Boston for business. I thought that travel was going to be a thing of the past but I guess that’s never really true.

Youngest and I got to kick off her Great American Tour with a tour of a cookie company. While it was fun and interesting, the kids from a church camp that we accompanied were probably even better. The woman heading our group asked the kids (going into 2nd grade) where they were from and of course they mentioned the church. She remarked (in the usual pleasant Southern drawl) “Then you must really like church”. One kid pipes up (No) and says it’s “not like this is real church, just a summer camp”. We enjoyed picking out a child at a time and then determining their future. Then we traveled to a furniture outlet store and got an inexpensive floor model kitchen table. Cheap but quality furniture is a real benefit to living here. (list price over $600 but purchased for under $200)

I didn’t have much time for major cooking until last night where I made steamed Pacific Salmon filets and grilled vegetables (zucchini, summer squash, and portabella mushrooms). Served with a sweet white from a local winery where I had spent an afternoon earlier in the month. Dessert wine served outside under the umbrella where the pole is covered with sparking lights and under the umbrella are many colored lanterns. Awesome!

Now on to another fun week in Hootersville.

Meal Results

I would make the Crockpot chicken dish again with a couple of minor changes. It was on the bland side so I will increase the cayenne pepper and stir it early and often because the tops of the meat got too much air exposure and without skin, it became too dry. A simple fix would to just stir which is good if you’re around during the day like me, but not worthwhile to those boundto outside work sites (evil grin).

Last night I had a real, and easy, Southern supper: fresh tomato sandwich with a GooGoo Cluster chaser for dessert. What a gourmet!

Fun and Frugal Cooking

While the housing is 61% cheaper down here, grocery shopping hasn’t been as inexpensive as anticipated. With even the Big City Daily Newspaper a joke, I don’t get the local store circulars. After a couple of shocking grocery totals, and visiting some less than stellar chains, I decided to stay mainly with Harris Tweeter and use their on-line sales site.

July starts the new frugal budget in earnest so today’s project is a good start. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs were on sale (a major bargain) so I froze them waiting for a time with nothing planned and a week without travel.

I like to put my ingredients into a Google search so I entered chicken thighs and onions plus recipe and a host of meals popped up. It didn’t take long to identify a good choice that also included another inexpensive favorite, sweet potatoes, with the bonus of being a slow cooking method. Great! Time to myself and an awesome smell permeating the house while I unpack, blog and watch HGTV – this is good living.

Additional ingredients sound odd but potentially tasty – cayenne pepper, paprika and peach preserves. Spices were already on hand purchased earlier on sale for a buck at CVS. The name brand preserves were also on sale in a smaller size which is good as I’m not sure if the leftovers would actually get eaten. One lesson learned – thighs were purchased in a large pack and frozen. I should have split the package before freezing because not all pieces fit in the cooker and I don’t think you should re-freeze defrosted meat. Next time I will not make the same error (boneless, skinless chicken breasts in fridge to be divided and frozen this afternoon). This meal will be a bargain nonetheless.

Rather than place on rice, I’m using barley as an alternative opting for the higher fiber and more filling base. Hopefully, I will be able to make leftovers last longer if it’s a more filling dish. I didn’t have to consider anyone’s taste beside my own as I’m no longer feeding Youngest. I plan to sit down tonight to a proper meal and open a crisp inexpensive Riesling. Will report on results later.

Data Dump

Oldest has made a few mentions about my lack of blogging and normally I would agree – hate the exceptionally long time between new entries on Son’s blog. But I have just made a major life change including resigning a great job, starting 2 new companies, moving to not only another state but a whole new Southern culture, returning to DC to close out old business and finally trying to unpack and make this place into a home. I hereby formally request forgiveness.
So much has happened that it’s not worth the effort to spend much time on recapping the past few weeks so here are some highlights and then we can move on:

· Packing the house was a bigger endeavor than anticipated. Instead of lamenting, Youngest and I lived on coffee, sugar, adrenaline, and the very last night we just stayed up all night packing with about 3 minutes to spare before the trucks arrived. I snoozed on the deck while the movers loaded.

· After months of angst about moving Beef (both the physical challenge and his potential depression with the change of routine, etc.), he trotted into the vehicle across the sagging ramp I hand-made following bits of bagel and then rushed down the more angled ramp as soon as I opened the door in at the new place. He loves it here in large part because I’m here more often than not. The lack of steps in and out are a bonus. He’s practically giddy.

· Frogs are everywhere. I can hear the bullfrogs singing bass in the pond across the street. There are teeny, tiny tree frogs that sing soprano.

· The first night camping on the floor was pretty rough. I stayed downstairs with Beef but couldn’t sleep on the air mattress. I was all “WTF have I done? What was I thinking? I hate this house, I hate Hootersville, I miss my old life”. Then I made the grave mistake of reading a book recommended by DIL but not the best read under this circumstance – The Art of Racing in the Rain. Yikes! I spent the remainder of the night crying.

· Next morning with puffy eyes, I asked Youngest to start a list of things we love here to get me out of regret and back into optimism. She put the first item down herself – “Youngest has a friend here in law school” which made me laugh with humor and gratitude. Other items include the hammock, Biscuitville, lawn service so we don’t mow and the gas fireplace. There are many other items but just making the list gave me a positive attitude adjustment.

· There is a dumpy diner near the entrance of the housing development. Youngest calls it The Shack. I call it Lucille’s after the bartender who has worked there for over 50 years (she’s 78). Back in the day it was a jumping joint with a line to pay a cover charge. Elvis was there and has a booth in Memorial. The drink menu is full of old fashioned options like Singapore Sling, Pink Squirrel, Grasshopper and others in the same genre. Good greasy cheeseburgers and the Regulars are fun. If Lucille is busy, one of the Boys will step behind the bar to help himself and write down the fresh beer on his ticket.

· Enjoyed a nice send off party from former firm. Sat next to CEO who left the door open for a return engagement with even better options. Relief and joy.

· We have a neighborhood “watcher” who knows everyone and is not afraid to make judgments or gossip. He is also full of fun unsolicited advice. But as a friend of the owner, he’s an asset so I hold my tongue and Youngest actually enjoys him.

· Expected an emotional response when retrieving my bike and other goods left behind in the old R-town house that I loved so much. Instead, the new renter does not like the house and his furniture is ugly. It didn’t feel like someone else in my house but like a different home all together. I couldn’t wait to get out of there.

· Stomach started to clinch up during the return drive to DC and the heinous traffic. Tummy relaxed on the return trip. We’ve decided to refer to R-town as “Up North” and Hootersville as “Home”. It’s amazing how quickly we adjusted and how much I already love my new life.

Now moving forward.