Tag Archives: sourdough bread

Frugal Friday

Posted in Blood test, books, bread, budgeting, California, cancer, cash envelopes, cooking, frugalism, Uncategorized by

I stopped at Trader Joe’s after the infusion and spent$70 on food. Mostly it was bread, some chicken shwarma( TJ’s has this all seasoned in the meat section and for a great price)my son wanted, pita bread, and a few things I’d been looking for. One was Harrisa and I found it on a bottom shelf. It’s used in some vegan dishes in the new cookbook I got a while back,

Also, the YouTuber Vegan channel, Madeline Olivia, made some black bean meatballs with Harrisa and she said that’s what gives their kick, so I thought I’d try that.

Here’s my copycat Panera Broccoli cheddar soup we had for dinner. this was before I blended it in the Vita-mix. I used most of the leftover Costco bag of broccoli I had in the freezer. It was quite good with this loaf of sourdough. My starter is doing really well after a few days of feeding.

The rain is back and so is the wind so no gym or anything today. Plus Dex is still in my system and my face is still a little red. Boy, I looked like a beet yesterday:)

I bought a pair of Levi’s on eBay at a good price. NWT and only 29.99. On the website, they’re $60 so I thought that was a great deal. Right now I only have one nice pair of Levi’s I use to go out on dates etc. And then only 2 sort of beat-up ones for going to the store or around the house. I never sweat pants at home, only right after getting up and we walk, otherwise, I dress in jeans and Bombas T-shirts or my yoga pants to go to the gym. So I will take that cash and put it back in the bank when I’m in town next.

Next week I have labs so that will give us another picture of what the myeloma cells are doing. I have one more infusion at the end of March before I see Dr. L, so I guess ,depending on this one, I’ll decide to either wait or message him about adding in the second dose. Other than that I have PT on Tuesday and then no other appts. I really do prefer my schedule open and flexible but medical appts are necessary at this point.

I don’t have any meal prep to do today so I think I’ll concentrate on the kitchen zone.

Simple Sunday

Posted in bread, California, camping, cooking, Flylady, home stuff, Lake tahoe, seasonal things, Uncategorized, Walking by

I made it around the park 3 times so that’s a big improvement. My knee is definitely improving. I didn’t use the treadmill though at the gym as I thought that might be too much. I did the weight machines twice.

We’ve been having supper out on the patio all week and even had 3 evenings of a fire in the fire pit before we come in to watch Bosch. I only watch TV for an hour or an hour and a half is pushing it. Even movies, we split into 2 nights. We watched Otto this week for 2 nights. It’s a good movie, maybe not a great movie, but still enjoyable.

After the gym, I put the bread in the oven. This is a new sourdough recipe from ‘Everyday Sourdough’ and it uses whey from yogurt making. Since I had just made yogurt I saved the whey. It uses a Pullman pan which sadly I do not have yet. So we’ll see.

Then I did the bathroom zone, vacuumed, tidied the bedroom, and dusted the LR zone. That’s about it for zone cleaning.

My daughter harvested most of the basil and I made four 4-ounce jars of pesto for the freezer.

The next batch of tomatoes you see behind the pesto, I will freeze till I have enough for sauce.

This coming week looks light. No appts, but we may go to Costco. I’ll wait and see what I need. I know I’ll go before our Tahoe trip so I have 2 weeks.

Frugal Friday

Posted in bread, budgeting, California, cooking, freezer cooking, simple foods, Uncategorized by

Except for regular bills, we didn’t spend much. We went to the co-op twice. One trip was @ $23 and the second $8.00, so not much. I didn’t go to Winco or Costco so that’s a win-win. I also didn’t get gas this week but will need it tomorrow or Monday.

All the big bills are already out of our checking. But there’s still water, PGE, and ATT. But those bills aren’t as big.

We also didn’t do a coffee lunch date so no money there spent. We are planning something right around my sister’s birthday to celebrate her life. Even though for most of our adult lives we weren’t that close, after my diagnosis in 2005 she was very supportive and visited annually. Then she got diagnosed with interstitial lung disease and then later lung cancer. So we want to go out and either do a wine tasting( she loved wine as much as I do!!!!). Or do lunch at a restaurant in Auburn that we went to usually when she came to visit.

I meal prepped 4 frozen lasagnas for those nights just don’t feel like cooking. I also canned 3 more quarts of tomato sauce. I also made 2 loaves of bread. One is a walnut cranberry and the other boule but with some rye flour added.

Last night’s quiche.

Oh, I did buy a sourdough bread book that was recommended by one of the UK bloggers I read. At first, I was going to return it as her original sourdough master recipe is not in it but in her last book, but then I looked at the recipes and decided there were enough interesting ones I’d keep the book. Oh, and my fabric showed up for the back of my Japanese indigo small quilt.

I went to the Roseville gym. It seemed busier than normal. Usually, there are only 1 or 2 people there but this morning it was busier.

Thankful Thursday

Posted in California, cooking, Gratitude, home stuff by

First, our weather has been spectacular for June. We can see temperatures in the 90’s and 100’s by now and we haven’t even hit 90. I guess it looks like the heat is coming with 4th of July going to 105 😦

A good week of a gym workout and a swim. I’m so grateful for Roseville Parks and Rec that they have these facilities. Roseville is a fairly wealthy area so maybe that’s why.

We had 2 BBQ’s this week. Last night I cooked some marinated chicken and it came out great. Then we had a big salad with lots of veggies from the farm stand. I am grateful that the CSA farm is right down the road. They work hard at what they do.

My sourdough came out perfectly. After a few not-so-spectacular loaves, I watched some Youtube videos and figured out I wasn’t quite feeding my starter right. I used one person’s ratios and now it is perfecto.

B replaced the wood that was damaged on the kitchen side of the house where the pipe was leaking. He figured it out and did a great job. It wasn’t an easy task as it meant lifting the frame with a jack and then getting the new wood in there.

Simple Sunday

Posted in Blood test, bread, California, camping, cooking, home stuff, Lake tahoe, library, Myeloma, travel by

We’re back home and we had a great drive back with no construction stops. If you know Tahoe, you know that this is the beginning of LOTS of construction and road repair. Lots of delays. But because it was the weekend we sailed on by.

The yard was bursting with flowers everywhere. I’ll get some pictures to post.

This morning we didn’t walk and just got up at almost our normal time. We have lots of laundry to do and I wanted to get going on canning the cherries I ordered. They are beautiful cherries and I got 6 pints canned.

I plan on using these for cherry pie and putting them over yogurt or ice cream. This is just cherries and simple syrup. I plan on making cherry pie filling using frozen cherries but not till later this month.

Then I whipped a batch of yogurt and that’s in the oven now till tomorrow.

I fed my sourdough starter and plan on using that later as it seems to be very happy.

I bought these Bannetons to make more of an oval batard-type loaf. They seem kind of small. I had 2 Bannetons and got rid of them when I decided to just use a bowl but after watching some more You tubes on bread decided to get a couple. Around $20 so I’m ok with that.

The chores are caught up and tomorrow I will do the kitchen zone as that was last week. Then I’ll do the bathroom this week too.

My son said it hailed up there and was chilly. So we had really most of the best days except he did say it was sunny today. Apparently, the hail caused quite some havoc on I-80 with lots of spin-outs.

The BEST news.…. My Kappa light chains came back with only a 1 POINT increase. That’s such good news and now I can relax for another month. I go down to Sacramento on Thursday for my appt.

This week will be going to the gym, and 1 swim. I’m not sure how swimming is going to go since starting today the smaller pool will only have 2 hours for lap swimming. It may be tough for a while. I have books at the library to pick up too.

I sold some Pyrex bowls this morning minutes after listing them. They are in excellent condition and I wanted them gone. I listed them for 40. The person plans to get them later today. We’ll see how that goes. Basically, Z’s friend was talking about vintage Corelle and Pyrex and the lead in them. So I thought maybe I’ll whittle down my collection and then just have some display ones. These bowls are lovely but..

They would take up too much room if separated. I actually was using these for things so I’m thinking better to pass them on to someone who’s a collector or doesn’t care.

The yard is full of rose champion, roses, wildflowers and lots of others. Shasta daisies, feverfew, carnations and much more.

Wednesday stuff

Posted in Blood test, bread, cooking, decluttering, Multiple myeloma, Myeloma, Uncategorized by

The pool was busy again even though there was a sign about Spring Break. I still had a nice swim. It will be a challenge to go over to the outdoor pool but I’ll just have to wait and see how that goes in June.

I’ve been going through some decluttering again and have posted my tortilla press and some houseplants on our Pay it Forward group. I used the tortilla press maybe half a dozen times but it’s not really my thing. The houseplants are not thriving where I had them( the sunroom) and I’m not into just having plants stuck around anywhere. So I thought I offer the 3 to someone who can make use of them.

I’m feeling the urge to go to a new level of decluttering things that aren’t absolutely necessary. It’s, to me, just levels and layers of decluttering and simplifying. What was important even a few years ago, just isn’t anymore. I want the simplicity of useful items and that aren’t just single purpose appliances. I haven’t put on the bread maker yet but it is on my to do list. Also, I really want to pare down to the ‘poetry’ and only have what is essential. That may include getting rid of any duplicates or things that are just lying around. I don’t have a lot of that but there is always something.

A fresh loaf of sourdough.

Some honey in a new honey Ball jar. So cute!!

Here’s the flowering cherry tree. You can’t really see where the top broke off but it’s in the middle area.

Well, tomorrow is my doctor appt. Not much to really talk about except once again when we might start treatment. As I’ve said my limit is when my kappa light chains get to 100. Right now they are at 46.1 mg/L so that was another 6 point jump. Normal high is 19.4, so it is increasing. 😦 I’m not sure what his assessment is but I’m not waiting till they are over 600 like last time. As long as the increases are small it’s ok, if they start doubling then it’s time. It does suck but what can you do?

Simple Sunday

Posted in bread, California, camping, cooking, swimming, travel, Uncategorized, Walking by

Somehow Frugal Friday got away from me as I went down to the gym and when I got home other things needed doing.

I did a small Winco shop after swimming yesterday. $109 including some wine. It was salad stuff and some pantry/frozen items like hash browns. The pool was amazing again with lanes even open. Maybe some of the die-hard swimmers are doing their other exercises outside I it’s been pretty nice out. Anyway, I sure appreciate having my own lane.

This morning we had a nice walk and once again we seem to be the only predawn walkers right now. Yay!!! It was cold but nice.

Then I put the sourdough boule in the oven which I had preheated while we walked so it was ready to go. After the bread was done I headed into the Auburn gym. Again, there seemed to be fewer people than last week so maybe the nice weather has everybody going to Home Depot for gardening stuff?

Once I got home, I made up a batch of chocolate chip oatmeal cookies which are still baking. I froze two logs of cookie dough for later. I also am soaking some Rancho Gordo beans(Marcella), and a white bean as I plan to pressure can them tomorrow.

This coming week is just regular stuff. Next week I have both my labs and doctor appt. My eye scan showed my macular pucker about the same. I’m still on the fence about the surgery but when the time comes and I need cataract surgery, then I will need to get it done. I guess I’m just scared to do it.

Well, nothing new here. Oh, after a week of trying for camp spots in Tahoe, we finally got one for the end of September. Geez, such an ordeal to get spots.

Simple Sunday

Posted in bread, budgets, California, camping, Flylady, meal planning, Pantry, travel, Uncategorized by

Another rainy Sunday.

I went to the gym in Auburn(Anytime Fitness) and did the treadmill and weights. Then I went to Safeway for some groceries to tide us over till we do Costco.

So far the menu planning for the pantry this week is:

Cheese/chile tamales from the freezer( used up the last 4) with refried beans and salad

Beer Brauts from the freezer( the last pack) with peppers, sauerkraut, canned baked beans( my shelf stable beans I canned, and Boca burger for B.

Chickpea curry over brown rice with broccoli( using up broccoli)

Tofu burgers

Chicken noodle soup/ lentil veggie soup

I’ll see what else is in the freezer and add a few more meals. I probably can’t get thru all February but I know I can do another week at least.

I’m back making some sourdough and have done a few loaves already. I plan to freeze 1/2 of each loaf so we have bread ready for toasting or grilled cheese.

I’ll see what else is in the freezer and add a few more meals. I probably can’t get thru all of February but I know I can do another week at least.

I’m back making some sourdough and have done a few loaves already. I plan to freeze 1/2 of each loaf so we have bread ready for toasting or grilled cheese.

There’s nothing on the agenda this week so It’ll just be normal stuff. B did book us a reservation at Napa RV in a few weeks. There are full hook ups which is always a treat and that’ll give us a chance to take Rubi out for the first time this season. It’s only 2 nights but it’s also only an hour and a half away. Maybe with towing. We really enjoyed our stay there last time and knew we wanted to go back. Unless there’s a really terrible storm we’ll go even with a little rain.

The Flylady zone is the kitchen if you want to do Flylady. Just set a timer for 15 minutes and declutter, wipe and clear counters, be sure there are no dishes in the sink or drainer, tidy shelves too. Just do what you can in 15 minutes and then do it again tomorrow. I have a laminated sheet that has my chores for the kitchen and I off each one when I’m done.

Simple Sunday and Happy Rosh Hashanah!

Posted in books, bread, budgets, cooking, Flylady by

The beginning of the New Year for the Jewish faith. I really like the idea of Fall being the start of the new year. Plus leaving behind old ideas, regrets, etc. I read that a Jewish tradition is to throw bread crumbs into running water and that symbolizes letting go. I like that idea.

Friday came and went and I forgot or( really, didn’t get around to posting Frugal Friday). I started out by making the apple pie for Barclay’s birthday. This is before I baked it.

It came out great although the filling needed to be thicker( the liquid part). I did add some cornstarch but it wasn’t enough. I think I will order some Liquid Jel from King Arthur to thicken up pie fillings.

The pan is the KA one I bought last year and it is a GREAT pan for making the bottom crispy and not soggy.

And then on Friday, I wanted to drop off the stuff I had set aside for hospice thrift. But they were closed so I went over to the SPCA thrift store and dropped the ‘good ‘ stuff there. Then I dropped off 2 bags of books at the pet bookstore. So by the time I got home I didn’t feel like blogging.

I used the pressure canner and got the chicken broth done. I followed the instructions and put the weighted gauge at 15lbs of pressure for 25 minutes for the broth. It worked brilliantly and I got 3 Qts of broth and 2 pints. I’ve already used one to make a soup from Chelsea Winter( from New Zealand), mean green soup. Wow, it has broccoli, cauliflower, peas, spinach, onion, garlic, potatoes, and zucchini. You cook it up and then whiz it with the hand blender. Then add cream, parmesan, and creme fraiche( I used sour cream). It was quite delicious.

Today we are off to Costco for coffee( on sale) and laundry soap, etc. Everything adds up and going to the stores seems like a money pit right now. Also, this is the time of year our fall annual bills come due. So right now it seems like everything is a money drain. My goal next year is to be better prepared and have that money in a separate account. It’s there in our savings but I’d like to have a designated account.

I have a boule of sourdough in the oven and when it’s done we’ll leave for Costco. This week the Flylady zone is the LR and then the entryways on Saturday.

Simple Sunday

Posted in books, bread, budgets, cooking, Flylady, home stuff, meal planning, reading, Walking by

We have smokey skies from the Yosemite fire this morning and the sun is an orange ball. The temperature seems cooler but we’re still expecting a high of 98 today. I do hope the firefighters can get this under control. There’s already been a mandatory evacuation down near Mariposa. ugh… fire is scary! We had a nice walk though, and no one showed up while we were there.

I read a few newer books this week including Josuha Becker’s” Things that matter”. I liked it well enough, not remarkable but still a good read. Then Kellerman’s new book “City of Dead”. He’s always pretty scripted but I still like his writing. Then by Kumiko Love( I wonder if that’s her real last name), “My Money, My Way. ” She basically takes most of her ideas from people like Dave Ramsey and others but I still like her presentation and I thought it a worthwhile read about money and budgets. I put a few canning books on hold and I’m still contemplating the pressure canner. I did decide that the All American is too expensive for me (over $ 400) but the Presto is $160 or so and that may be a better beginner option. I’m definitely not interested in pressure canning chicken or beef etc but there are some things I would do that need a pressure canner like chicken broth.

I made some refrigerator bread and butter pickles yesterday, and they looked good. We didn’t plant cucumbers for some reason so I bought 3 at the Farm and got 2 jars out of them.

Here are some of the onions I harvested. I’m thrilled to get some onions.

This morning I started the sourdough bread and will let it do a slow rise overnight and bake tomorrow early. I also made a pie crust for the goat cheese quiche I’m making later. The best pie crust I’ve found is from Joanna Gaine’s book” Magnolia Table”. I’ve made it numerous times and it comes together very easy.

The Flylady zone is the living room zone. I did most of it already but I still need to dust the tops of the Easton Press books.

This week I plan to do a Winco trip for a few things, and B has labs on Wednesday in Rocklin so I’ll see about him stopping at Costco again for a few more things. Other than that, trying to stay cool, and doing my normal stuff.