Planning ...

... for when the weather turns cooler. Because sometimes when it does, it does SUDDENLY and EXTREMELY. So I washed my coat and my hoodie jacket today, just to get them fresh and clean to start the fall season. Let the cold fronts come!

In the Freezer

I've been crabby lately when I want to cook something, and put onion or green pepper in it, and I don't have any. So I fixed this little matter. Green peppers and onions were on sale for a good price, so I got six of each.


Green peppers ready to cut in strips and put in baggies.




Six peppers filled three baggies with strips. Well, sort of filled them. Mostly filled them. I could probably have squeezed that all into two baggies! Oh well. I can use them as strips in fajitas, or they chop good when frozen to add to chili or something.




Next, I fixed three onions, keeping three for fresh use for awhile. I did the same thing, to just rough-slice into "strips," then if I want to chop them later, I can.




Part-way through slicing the onions, I had a little ... tear problem. Actually a very bad BURNING EYE problem.



Staggering trip to bathroom to wash eyes with cold water.


Trip to living room to get mini fan.


Back to kitchen to plug in said fan to blow the onion fumes the other way!


It worked. :)


Three baggies full of onion strips ready for the freezer. Both the peppers and onions, I wrote the date on each little baggie, then squeezed out as much air as possible. Then I put the green peppers and the onions each in a bigger bag, expelling more air, to try to control freezer burn. Now if I want some green peppers or onions, I HAVE SOME READY. It just took kick-starting myself to actually do it - this summer heat has really gotten me down. September starts in a few days, so maybe it'll take a hint and let some cool air move in! And some rain with it. Then I'll cook a big pot of chili with green peppers and onions.

Easy Casserole

Thought of a casserole today and couldn't get it out of my head, so I threw it together tonight to see how it would taste. I knew younger Son wouldn't touch it, and when I told Hubby what was in it, he wasn't interested. But as of now, before bedtime, it is GONE! Older Son and I cleaned it up! We each had some for supper, then I had a bit awhile ago for an evening snack, and he just now cleaned up the rest!


Easy Hamburger-Corn-Noodle Casserole


1 lb. hamburger
1 can condensed tomato soup
1 can corn
1/2 pkg. dry wide noodles, COOKED
salt
pepper
onion powder
garlic powder
paprika
cheese


Preheat oven to 350 degrees, spray a 9" X 13" pan or baking dish. Brown hamburger, drain. Add soup (undiluted), a dab of water, corn, cooked noodles and spices to taste. Pour into baking pan or dish. Top with shredded or sliced cheese. Bake for 30 minutes or until heated through. Try not to eat the whole thing at once, if you like this kind of thing.


I intended to cover this with a load of shredded cheese, but the guys ate it all! Not a speck of shredded cheese in the fridge. So I just grabbed a few slices of prepared sliced cheese, and at least had some kind of cheese on it. This is really versatile, you could add other veggies, like green beans (none of my guys will touch!), or any kind of noodles or pasta. Any kind of cheese. Just however you'd like it.


The only thing older Son and I agreed on was that it baked up kind of dry, though the taste was GOOD. I figure the noodles absorbed moisture, even when cooked. So maybe add a little more water or maybe some broth. Anyway, this will be a keeper, easy to make, and at least two of us will eat it!

"B" is for ....

.... Beautiful, Basic, Boiled EGGS!


Ready to boil.



Cooling down.



Freshly-boiled eggs mashed with a fork, with butter, salt and pepper. YUM!!

Tomorrow is a church dinner. Roast beef is going to be provided, so we're all to bring other stuff - side dishes, salads, desserts, etc. So I made a dessert tonight that I haven't made in awhile, but I've taken it a time or two before and it goes over well.


I was shopping for ingredients, and couldn't remember if it was 2 small boxes (4 servings each) of instant vanilla pudding, or 1 large box (6 servings), so I got the 2 small boxes. Of course, when I looked at the recipe, it called for the large box!


So I made the 2 boxes, and ended up with more of the "pudding" part than I needed. So I made an extra little fancy dish of it, then made a seperate small bowl of broken up graham crackers, sliced bananas, and the leftover pudding.


"Luscious, layered blueberry dessert." (With a small dish of extra.)




Dish of banana-graham cracker pudding.




LUSCIOUS, LAYERED BLUEBERRY DESSERT


14 whole graham crackers
1 pkg. (6-serving size) vanilla instant pudding
1 c. whipped topping
1 can (21 oz.) blueberry pie filling


Line a 9-inch square pan with whole graham crackers, breaking crackers, if necessary. Prepare pudding mix as directed on package for pudding. Let stand 5 minutes; then blend in whipped topping. Spread half the pudding mixture over the crackers. Add another layer of crackers; top with remaining pudding mixture and remaining crackers. Spread pie filling over top layer of crackers. Chill 3 hours. Makes 9 servings. Note: Also delicious with cherry pie filling.

Refreshing Snack

This sounded good for a "snack" --- Cherry yogurt with granola cereal scattered on top.

Home Decorating '60's-Style

This is my Grandma W. sitting in Aunt C's house, in the mid-60's or so judging by the picture of my cousin on the wall. Aunt C liked the "Early American" style, and she had that lamp table for years and years, she may yet, I'm not sure. But the decoration of this room just takes me back to a whole different time. Being an older adult now, I have a whole different perspective as I think on how my mom and grandmas and aunts kept house, decorated, etc. Lots of interesting, happy memories to think on how each lady made her home "hers," just as I want to do today. A home reflects those in it, after all. :)

Delicious

Store-bought cinnamon-raisin bread, toasted, with Lehman's Amish-style Peanut Butter Whip. Yum!


http://www.lehmans.com/store/Kitchen___Pantry___Amish_Peanut_Butter_Whip___1097575?Args=

A Quote

"Housework is something you do that nobody notices until you don't do it."


Ain't THAT the truth!!!


When the house is (comparatively) neat and the dishes are done, etc., no one comes by. When I get tired or overdone and things just don't get accomplished like they should, then all kinds of people end up trooping through the house! *sigh*

I Love Dry-Erase Boards

Dry-erase boards are a life-saver for me! I'm so scatterbrained, I need to make lists and write everything down or I WILL FORGET. So we have a big board on our refrigerator, where we write grocery or supply needs, things coming up to do, I make notes about something I might like to blog about, and of course, sometimes I make a to-do list. Only here, I called it a "toe-doe list," a joke from i-Carly on tv. :)



I don't always have so many things to do each day, but if I do get a day where I have several things, it helps IMMENSELY to write them down, then check them off. First, it gets everything out of my head where it may confuse me or be forgotten. Second, it kind of keeps me on track, with little goals to shoot for. "OK, what's next on the list?" Then, I just focus on that without worrying about the other things. It's satisfying to see the checkmarks added through the day.


I also got another dry-erase board the other day, with calendar markings on it. It's good-sized, and I have it in another place where we can all see it. I have to say I'm obsessed with calendars, so I love making a new one each month with all the dates and things to do, using colorful dry-erase markers. It's so easy to add something or change something if needed. And the detail-obsessed, artistic side of me is happy!

Bursting