Saturday Stuff

Posted in books, California, meal planning, Walking by

Still a bit dexed out, but I think if my daughter drives, we can go to the pet bookstore. I’d also like to get the Santa Fe washed. It’s fun to go check out the books and DVDs. I did buy a Blu-ray of The Lincoln Lawyer a while ago and watched it last night. I liked it.

Still a warm day today with temperatures in the low 90s. It is nice right now, and I had a nice walk. A few people at the park, but that’s just the norm now.

I made homemade pizza last night using 1/2 the TJ’s pizza dough. It stretched out quite thin, and with just a small amount of sauce, this time I used TJ’s whole milk mozzarella. It came out excellent. Their pizza dough is a fabulous bargain and stores well. It probably upped my calorie count for the day, but I’ll consider it my cheat day. I did lose a few pounds, but it seems at least one pound came back. At some point, I will go back to my PCP and get the Zepbound prescription. But right now I really don’t want to add anything to what I already take.

Tonight I think I’ll grill up some chicken, and I have some broccoli to use too. If I don’t feel like that, then I’ll do the chile relleno from TJ’s with some home-canned beans.

Well, off to start the day.

Friday Things

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Frugally, I spent $150 at Trader Joe’s, plus some of their Charles Shaw wine. I did get several frozen things for some fun meals like chow mein, cheese tamales, and a chile relleno. A spinach pack, which hopefully is safe to eat. Oh, plus two candles, and another orchid. I was YouTubing orchids and when I can expect a spike, and mostly it’s during their active period, winter and spring. So I guess it’s just a matter of being patient.

Then yesterday, after Infusion, I stopped at our local and quite famous produce pie stand ( Ikeda’s) for tomatoes. ($39) I’ve been really craving my favorite summer meal of thick-sliced tomatoes and mayonnaise on bread. So I got one heirloom tomato and a few others that were local. The heirloom was sliced up when I got home, and it did not disappoint. I also got some of their homemade salsa and chips and a potato salad. I was a little surprised that all of it was excellent. Usually I find fault with stuff like that, but not this time. Ikeda’s was started by the Japanese family Ikeda back in, I believe, the 70’s or maybe earlier. My son went to preschool with one of the younger boys. I believe their children are still the owners/managers, as I saw one of them yesterday. They are famous for their pies and fruit.

Today is a Dex day, so I’m homebound and just chilling. Not sure what I’ll get up to. The temperatures are back in the low 90s, so morning is nice, but then by 3 it’s getting too hot to be out. I’ll probably do some watering outside early.

This is little Wormie (smudge) on the Ikea chair. He’s the one attached to my daughter. All our chairs are cat chairs, and we just have to squeeze in next to them.

Beans went to the vet yesterday my daughter took him), as we wanted to be sure he was ok, since he’d lost weight. The vet said he seemed fine and took a blood sample just in case, and said to do another round of worm medicine. He was a good boy here, my daughter said!!!

All in all, a good week.

Midweek Musings/Thankful Thursday

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I’ve had a few productive days. I mostly cleaned up the laundry room. A little left to do, as I needed the step ladder to get some cob webs down, and it wasn’t in there. My daughter must have it somewhere. But there’s one in the house I can bring out. Found it!!!

It’s really hot again (95 yesterday), and that totally unmotivated me. I think it’s the same for a while, but that’s summer in California( at least in the Sierra Nevada foothills). SF, Berkeley, Bay Area, it’s quite different, as this is the foggy time of year. ( see update)

When I was at Costco, I was getting my Swiffer dusters, which I use almost daily. I walked by the Swiffer mop set. It was such a good price ( 14.97) that I bought one. I used it once already, and it seems to do a good job. I just need a hook to hang it somewhere.

My son is coming up today, as he is taking a few days off from work to be here and work on the barn. He wants to empty one side at a time and rearrange things. The barn is really his domain now, so he can do that.

Thankful Thursday

Yesterday was cooler, and it was even nice to be outside some. I’m thankful it was, as my son was working in the barn and it was not boiling.

Today is also a very nice temperature. I have Velcade this morning, and then I’m going down to the library to get my holds. I’m always grateful for the library and books in general.

I have my August budget ready, and it looks ok so far. X amount of dollars only goes so far, and that’s it. Still, I’m grateful for what I have. I asked on the Facebook Myeloma group when the last funding was, and the consensus seemed to be a while ago. So it’s just a matter of checking daily.

I forgot to book my labs for Monday morning, and nothing is available. So I had to book on Tuesday, but much later, near noon. Not too happy about that, but it’s my own fault. I checked a few other labs, and nothing in the early morning was available. Fortunately, this is not a fasting test, although the glucose will be higher as I will have eaten breakfast.

After the library and Velcade, I’ll come home and see what needs doing.

How to make homemade butter

Posted in California, cooking by

When I go to Costco, I often buy a half-gallon of heavy cream. Some I use in cooking, like for a mustard cream sauce for chicken, but then I make butter. So I’ve been making butter like this since the 1970’s when, in fact, I drove with my friend Shelly over to a town called Cool. There was a cattle ranch, and the woman sold raw milk by the gallon. Some of my original gallon jars I still have are from that time. With the gallon of milk, I would separate the cream from the milk and make butter. But in those days, Barclay would use a quart ball jar and shake it till it was butter. Believe me, that was a workout, as it took maybe 30 minutes. Shelley worked for the Forest Service with Barclay on the fire crew and then later was the first female fire lookout for Duncan’s Peak. It was really her who influenced my bulk buying and buying/making simple things.

So, of course, this is not raw milk and I use a food processor.

First, leave the cream out for a few hours to warm up. It goes faster.

Just set the food processor on low and add the cream to the fill line. With the warmer cream it takes maybe 10 minutes. If it’s cold longer.

Then separate out the buttermilk. That can be used for pancakes, etc.

Then get a clean dish towel and squeeze all the remaining buttermilk out. Some people run it under cold water. Then I usually cut it in half and roll it into a log. Then I wrap it in parchment paper and usually freeze until ready to use. Sometimes I do herbs or salt-and-pepper ones. When cooking, sometimes there will be some residual liquid, and that’s fine; it’ll just cook off.

Let me know if you try it.

Monday Menu and misc.

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Last night we had pulled pork, rice, and beans from the freezer. It was good. We used street taco tortillas, and that made it fun. This is the one from Costco, and it’s very good. Not fatty at all. It’s not the Costco brand, so make sure you check. I can’t remember the name, but it’s in the refrigerated section. We have tried the Costco brand, and we didn’t like it.

Things from the freezer to use this week:

Salmon, and I think I’ll make couscous on the side.

Chicken tenders, I will figure out either grilling or making them in a recipe. I’ve been using Test Kitchen, cooking for two. We like chicken piccata, so maybe that. Or, I do have some cherry tomatoes lingering, so I could do a one-pan dish.

In the fridge, I have some tofu to use up, so maybe a tofu scramble. I also have some broccoli to use.

I have some hot dogs left from Costco, so I’ll do that with saurerkraut and maybe beans.

As I mentioned, the chest freezer is looking great. Once it gets a little emptier, I’ll have my daughter defrost it and start fresh. As a matter of fact, I plan to go out to the laundry room and do a clean-up out there. Plus, I need to measure for a door since the one there was taken off because it was coming apart. Of course, my son or daughter will have to do it, but I’ll pay for it.

So once I get out there, I’ll check what else needs using up.

Today, I’m not going to the pool or gym, but I am going down to Costco as we are out of eggs. Plus, I need to return a pair of pants I ordered online. The legs are too tight for my liking. I also need some Swiffer dusters. I don’t want to stock up; I just get what I need for the next week or so.

What’s on your menu? Curious minds want to know.

Simple Sunday

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A nice morning. It seems a bit cooler, and there are some high clouds. My walk was nice. There were a bunch of cars parked, but I only saw one other person, so it must have been a meet-up spot.

Today is my Auburn gym day. I can’t say I feel very motivated, but I will go anyway.

Ha, update: I left my key fob at home. I was not thinking, and it wasn’t in the VW, where I always keep my gym bag. So I got to the gym and looked under my TJs bags, and there was no gym bag. For some reason, I had brought it into the house. Oh well, I went and got the oil changed, a car wash, and filled buggy up.

Now that I’m home, I’ll regroup and see what I need to do.

I made a homemade pizza last night. Didn’t come very well. I used fresh mozzarella and overcooked it. Well, it has been a very long time since I’ve made a pizza. Not sure about tonight, I’m sure I’ll figure something out.

The new season of Patience is out if you’ve watched it before. I don’t think it’s as good. I’d give it a B-.

Anyone watching anything good? ideas?

The new show Ride or Die is good so far. I like the actresses.

Saturday things

Posted in California, cancer, home stuff, LLS, Myeloma, Walking by

I didn’t get to a post yesterday. I went down to the gym, and by the time I got home, I forgot about it. I walked this morning, so I plan on not going to the pool, plus that’s gas.

I plan on doing some house chores and popping down to Holiday for a few things. I need some cottage cheese, hot dog rolls, and a few other odds and ends. I really don’t feel like going out to Auburn, especially since I’ll go tomorrow.

In the next few days, I need to get the oil changed in the VW and wash it. I may stack that on tomorrow, but I’ll see how it is then.

This coming week is also when my LLS grant officially closes. Of course, the grant $ was gone in May, so once it hits the official date, I can start checking when it opens up for Myeloma. Sometimes it’s a few weeks. It’s a matter of checking multiple times a day, as once it opens, everyone who has been waiting gets on the site. Fingers crossed, since I’ve not had reimbursement on my UHC insurance, which went up $60 to $360. UGH!!!

Here’s a fun picture of the bookcase in the mirror and our Quaker wedding scroll.

Thankful Thursday

Posted in budgeting, budgets, California, cooking, decluttering, Gratitude, swimming by

I am very glad the cooler temperatures are going to return. not cool, cool, but better. Today is 93, and tomorrow back in the 80’s. I really dislike the heat, so it’ll be better.

The tree trimmers from PGE were here yesterday to take 2 small oaks. I went out there with them and wasn’t too pleased at them having to take them, but they were under the power line. I didn’t go back out to see how it looked, but I will this morning as I need to water the bamboo out there.

The pool was busy, but I’m grateful to have gotten a lane mostly by myself, and then later someone came in with me. Someone was talking about the day before at the pool and said it was so busy she finally gave up waiting for a lane. I’ve only had that happen I think twice in all the time I’ve been swimming, so I’m grateful that usually it works out.

I’m grateful for the AC units in our windows. We have 5, but only use the 4, in the LR, entry way, bedroom 1, and bedroom 2. It makes a big difference. Of course, that means our electric bill will go up:(

Today, I plan on staying home ( at least as of now). I need to do some tidying and put things away. I also need to take out the recycling. I did think about going down to the gym and doing my weights, but I think I’ll wait. It’s early yet, so I may change my mind.

I’m thankful my CPAP is mostly working well. It is controlling the sleep apnea, and my 02 is better at night. Going by the RingConn, I drop to 90 a few times, but then the line goes up to 95 or even 97, which means the pressure ramps up. I tried using some mouth tape that was recommended on the Facebook group, but that night my 02 was at 89 for more than I want ( like 30 minutes). So I went back to the chin strap. It’s ok, it bothers my face a bit, but I need it to keep my mouth from opening. It still does open some, but this controls most of it. I ordered a different one from Amazon, so maybe that one will work better. This was not a problem until the doctor increased the pressure settings on the ResMed. Before that, I didn’t have a problem because the pressure was much lower. Oh well, it’s working.

I’m working my way through the chest freezer, and it’s going great. Yesterday, I took out 2 bags of apples( from a friend’s tree) that I had cut up last fall. I put them in the crockpot, and it cooked down to a lovely applesauce. We had it with dinner. I’m not planning on canning any, just plan to eat it. I also pulled out a turkey and cooked that. Mostly, after it was cooked, I took all the meat off and froze it. In the future, I only plan on doing the Diestel turkey breast. Much easier and better quality. So that really freed up some space. I think I’ll keep the chest freezer as the refrigerator one is too small to hold much, but I want it to be less packed. I’ll go out there today and see what else I can use up. BTW, the chest freezer is out in the laundry room, which is at the back of the house. Barclay built it there, as there was no room in the house for a washer and dryer.

A menu for the week, sort of…

Posted in books, budgeting, budgets, California, cooking, home stuff, Uncategorized by

Last night we did do the Kirkland meatballs with Rao’s sauce. I threw a few egg noodles in, too. It was good. NO salad because I didn’t feel like making it. The humidity is awful, and we are not used to humidity here in Northern CA. I think today is about the same. There are some clouds that are keeping the heat in and the humidity high. Ugh…

So, I have some chicken defrosting so one night will be something with that.

I have 1 pack of tofu, so I’ll do something with that, maybe a tofu scramble, so that the veggies get cooked( don’t want the horrible parasite!).

I have some shrimp in the freezer, so maybe a shrimp scampi-type thing.

I might open some home-canned pintos and do a nacho-type thing. I’ll have to check what I have. I know I don’t have any corn chips because we were doing low carb. Maybe I’ll just do bean bowls. I do have some taco meat in the freezer I could pull out.

Past that, I have no idea. I probably should pull out some cookbooks and get some ideas.

I’m mostly home today and need to do a sweep through the house. Plus, I need to mop. Then the plan is to go over to the pet bookstore and maybe the nursery. After that, find some lunch.

I read two of Marcia Muller’s books, which take place in SF. I like her writing. These were not new at all. I think one was from 2006. A quick read and entertaining. Next up are two Stabenow books. All these I picked up at the pet bookstore. They are $2 a piece. Cheap entertainment.

I haven’t had any off days, which I’m pleased with. I’m still only getting 2 bottles down in a day, but that’s way better than before. Also, tracking my 02 has been good. Overall, it’s all in a good range.

This week, I plan to go to the pool and the gym in Roseville. I’ll probably tack on a Trader Joe’s stop as well. I don’t need anything from Costco, so I’ll skip that. Ok then, I’m going to go pick up cat puke!!

Simple Sunday

Posted in budgeting, budgets, California, cooking, Uncategorized, Walking by

I woke up to a crimson sunrise. It didn’t last long but was quite spectacular. It’s also cloudy out, which is going to make it more humid. I did go for a walk around 6:30. A little later than my normal, but still nice. There were maybe 4 other people. The park these days seems to always be busy or have more people than it used to. I guess that’s true of everything; freeways, gyms, and stores seem to have more people than ever.

I’m managing more water and plan to do so today. I’m getting 2 1/2 bottles( 16 ounces), so ok, but needs improvement.

Last night we had chicken tenders and a tomato mozzarella salad. The chicken is low-net-carb from Costco (Real Food, I think it’s called). It was very tasty. Tonight, I think we’ll do something with meatballs. I bought some Rao’s from Costco, so we’ll use that. Maybe top with more fresh mozzarella.

I started watching The Bear, which I had no idea what it was about. It’s good, maybe intense, but good. I’d like it if it had more food stuff, but it’s a drama, so it’s more about the people. Other than that, no new shows. Grantchester comes out on Sundays, but I’m not sure if I can see it tonight or have to wait until tomorrow.

I’m probably going to the gym this morning, although I seem to be moving slowly.

Another open week, which I love. My daughter and I are going to go out for lunch tomorrow and maybe to the bookstore.