Different Car Search

 It s shocking when Tommy told me the squash we had bought eight days before was still in the refrigerator, two cups, along with three quarts of strawberries. You have to understand I rarely look in the refrigerator. 

He has washed two quarts of strawberries, telling me that he only lost about five strawberries. Today, I took care of the squash, one cup, anyway--squash casserole. 

I cannot remember the recipe, but sort of know. I tried what I thought a couple of years ago, and it was awful. So, I tried the same recipe with different cheese. I always used sliced American Cheese. But, the last time that was so awful, I tried to use a healthier cheese--Kraft Cheddar. So, this time is when I used sliced American cheese again. 

The trouble is that there was little American cheese. Tommy eats that; I don't. He had about a year's worth in the freezer, most of which we found when freezer was cleaned out. So, he brought out a package sized portion. It had ice all over it, tasted okay, but texture was awful--not cheesy, sort of crunchy, dry and crumbly. 

I cut the squash, put buttered bread pieces on it, along with the awful cheese. Well, it turned out great. I made slaw from slaw mix bought over a week ago! We will eat it soon so that I can mix the other package. 

Since I had put four pieces of lightly buttered bread in the squash casserole, I decided to have no bun with my burger. The burger, slaw, and squash casserole were delicious tonight. 

Well, that is a lot of talk about a very simple dinner! I probably won't make the squash casserole again this year. 

When I first came here, I tried to convince Tommy not to eat American Cheese he had, to eat Cheddar. I told him it was better for him. He said, "I will just eat good old American Cheese!"  When I told him why it was not good for us, he was shocked into silence. Now, he mostly eats other cheese.

Mower did not come today. Cleaner will come on Friday and Sunday. Mower will come on Saturday. I have just about convinced Tommy to use the guy from Lowe's to put up the light fixtures. 

I went into Publix instead of sending Tommy and spent over $40 and bought no food. It was all edible, though. I did buy a quart of Chobani yogurt for me and the cooked Jimmy Dean sausage patties. Tommy won't eat yogurt, and I will only eat two of the eight sausage patties, his reward for not getting sausage and biscuit from Hardees. I did buy Diet Mt. Dew bogo, but only six bottles. I will only drink half one at a time and not very often. I do not need the caffeine. I wish they made it caffeine free. 

I heard this woman on sort of whispered rant. Finally, I asked her if she was talking about cereal. She was. I told her I found it cheaper at The Pig, even when it was bogo at Publix. It was funny as she was raking Publix over the coals. 

This afternoon, a car advertisement came up on my news feed about a sale. I clicked on and had to go through this form to put name and email and zip code. I quit when they wanted my phone number. Three minutes later I got a call from a car salesman from a car dealer in Birmingham. I exclaimed, "Oh, I just knew you dealers were tracking me. At any rate, I agreed to come in maybe tomorrow or Saturday. Maybe I won't if people are coming here. 

I am quite sure I did not put in my phone number. My email was already in the form along with my first name and maiden name. I have not entered that for a car company, either. So, I suppose anyone knows all about me. A friend is so careful so no one tracks her as she browses. I think we have no chance of hiding!

Do you have people contact you after being on the internet? 

When you email or write something on a blog, does the item show up in an ad or a news feed? 

Plans

 Tommy saw two small birds swoop in and sit together on one end of the porch. One bird flew away from the house. The other bird flew to the direction of the birds in the flowerpot. He said she had food in her mouth. So, the little birdies are still there and doing well. I will get a bird house before next spring that will suit her for more babies. 

We left this noon to go and get the ads. It only sprinkled a bit, but we did not shop, just came back home. Tommy immediately looked over the ads and made a list. 

I have been using a bottle of Italian Dressing, Kraft, I believe. It has been too tangy for me, so it has been eaten slowly. Yesterday, it was almost empty. Today, I poured olive oil in it to break the tanginess that chokes me. It was still too tangy. I think the time has come to make my own dressing! Maybe tomorrow. 

I have felt well today, not shaky, getting my own food, and making plans instead of just sitting and trying to exist. Last night, I went to bed around 9:30, woke at about 2 am, went back to bed at 4am, and woke aat 9:30 am. It is amazing what a good night's sleep will do for mind and body. 

Tonight, I made a salad of the rest of the bagged salad, put a bit of grated cheese, and olive oil on it, plus a little bit of turkey, and a whole tomato. My eyes were bigger than my stomach. I also have strawberries to eat afterwards. I suppose what I cannot consume will the a snack later. 

I finally contacted the cleaner. She has not answered the phone. Well, she had surgery on her thumb. She had a trigger thumb. She might be here Saturday. I promised her light work and she can just not do anything that will bother her. I need her to dust and not pick things up, just dust around things I would normally have her pick up to dust underneath, get something down from tall cabinet. She is 5'11". 

Install my printer, show me how to send picture from phone and my camera to computer. Put a thing under the bulb by the door so it comes on automatically at night. Remember, she is tall. Straighten top of my dresser. There is two hours of stuff to do here that will not hurt her hand, hopefully. Oh, stuff needs to be moved from table in dining room so that electrician can get to the light fixture. 

I have installed every printer I have ever had, but this is in a location where I cannot stand and bend to do so. I do need a stool on wheels with a lock for the wheels. 

This tomato is delicious. Tommy cannot stand the seeds and the membrane around them. To me, that is the best part! That is why I like home-canned tomatoes.

He stays in the kitchen four or five hours a day. Tonight, I missed him and asked what he was doing. He was checking to see if some dark rolls were out of date. They were frozen. I took them, smelled to see if they smelled fresh--no moldy smell. Then, I checked each roll for signs of mold. He is cooking them. Then, I will put most of them in freezer bags. When I buy a loaf of bread. I put two slices in freezer bags. It is good to have frozen buns or rolls, or slices of bread. It saves a trip to the store. The Aldi rolls were delicious!

Someone in a comment asked me how much cheese I eat in a week. I finally know. I ate three pounds in eight weeks. I ate 6 ounces each week. Is that a lot? I just finished the three pounds, and just in time, the regular pack is on sale. We may shop tomorrow. I eat more cheese when I make pimiento and cheese. 

I forgot to make squash casserole or freeze squash!  Maybe tomorrow. I will slice one to put in the leftover salad I finally put in the refrigerator. I like raw squash in a salad.

Dogs are still here. Tomorrow, I will call humane society. The city is only removing them to mow the grass. I am afraid they will just put them back.

Maybe we will have a BLT tomorrow. Right now, I need to make a list from the three stores' ads.

Do you like raw squash in a salad? 

Do you like the seeds and squishy membrane around the seeds? 

Is six ounces of cheese too much to eat in one week?

Cheeeese!

 Hallelujah! We found my cheese at a great price--$4/lb, rather than $4.79/ 8 oz. My 8 oz. block of cheese is now worth $2! That is less half of the price.  

As we were leaving, Tommy was cutting the tags and other store stuff from his fake Crocs. I watched him put one shoe on. Then, he pulled out the other shoe--"Damn!" He said he had gotten two left shoes. That was hard to imagine because they were on a plastic holder with tags. We were going to pack them up. He was getting the old shoes to wear once more when he discovered there were two right shoes. We had a good laugh. So, one less chore. 

We both needed our milk. Mine was still $4.49 for a half-gallon at Publix. I got my yearly Nabisco Grahams Original. I like them dipped in milk or with peanut butter. 

I did not sleep well last night, so I cancelled something planned for this afternoon and took a nap. The mower came and the grass looks great. Tommy's gate to the backyard has been off many years. Someone took it off and never put it back. So, mower put it back on. It turns out that the gate only needed to be lifted onto the hinge part of the fence. I don't understand that, but whatever. It is done. I am fixing things that make this place look shabby. Now, Tommy lets me do what needs to be done. 

Last night, allergies attacked me again. I am worse, aching eardrums, tinnitus, sore neck, not throat. When I went to allergist and had tests when I was 21, he came back with results and said, "It looks like you weren't meant to live in this world!" That is how I feel right now. In spite of that, we have had a good day. The sun shone today and it was dry. 

Dinner will be late tonight--turkey breasts, broccoli, carrots, potatoes roasted in a pan. Then, I will have strawberries, blueberries, and grapes. 

Do you have allergies? 

Telephone Woes & Cheese Issues

 Today, Tommy spent another $150 on the device to stick on his arm, Dexcom G7, to monitor his blood sugar. As it turns out, the doctor's office only gave the diabetes supply place his cell phone number. I remember giving them his home number and saying to leave a message. He did, too. Why did they not leave a message? They only called the cell phone and hung up without leaving a message. He is out $300 now. Hopefully, he can recover that and the other $150 somehow. 

In the meantime, his cell phone cannot be paid over the phone. Last night, he called as usual to make a payment. The person entered his cc # wrong. He called back and they entered it wrong again. He called his bank who confirmed they entered the number wrong and told Tommy to tell them to re-enter. The phone company re-sent the number ten times and still the wrong information was sent to bank. He is without phone service and was really upset last night. 

I tried the same thing tonight, and his cc is worthless, the same cc he has used for the last month. His bank says it works. His bank says it is tracphone issue. I was told by phone company that there was no cs because they were cs and no one else in the world could talk to us or help us. I give up, and I am making him give up. Go back to store and see if they can help. He does not want to use any other cc because he gets back money with this card. The cost is only $19/3mos. Now, he is searching for the original contract.

On the internet, I was informed that the cell number belonged to someone else. Okay, I insist after more calls and more internet tries that we stop for tonight. This exhausts me. We check and recheck the numbers we enter. It is not us. 

Today, we collected the ads. None have a sale on Kraft Medium Cheddar Cheese. That is strange there has been no sale on it for at least a month.  

When I made Mediterranean Pasta, it was not right. I thought and thought, trying to figure out what was missing. No luck. Just now, it came to me--feta cheese. No wonder it was off. 

I managed to make no calls that I needed to make today since I slept too long. However, it appears all the head congestion is cleared or clearing out. So, I am not so exhausted. I no longer feel ill. No low-grade fever. Yay for me and people who read here and get frustrated my health is obstructed by severe allergies.  

Both my citrus trees appear to have died over the winter indoors. One time, I was sick with covid and did not get in the room where they are to be watered.  Next winter, I may keep them right here in the living room! Their apparent demise makes me sad.   

Today was a pretty day but tonight we had storms blow through, but not as strong as last night. Nothing exciting happened all day long, just like I like the day to go. We did plug up the larger chargers to our chairs in case of a power outage. 

Do you ever cook something and struggle to figure out what you left out? Or, maybe what you should not have added? 

Has heard anything about supply chain issues with Kraft cheese or any other issues? 

Making Cheese

A great deal of the evening and part of the night was spent watching videos about how to make mozzarella cheese. One man made cheese using dried milk. Another woman called her definitely- pitted aluminum pot "stainless steel."

When I read or view something that is ancient but with modern things that did not exist, I begin to wonder how they did it. How did Romans make cheese without stainless steel pots? Were their pots non-reactive? What did they use instead of going to Kroger to get rennet tablets? I already knew the answer to the last question, but have no young calf freshly slaughtered.

Then, I found an article that tells where in the Iliad that Homer mentions fig branches curdling milk. I suppose I was too young to notice that passage the several times I read the Iliad. At any rate, the ARTICLE was enlightening.

Maybe I will make some cheese...at least once.  I am not hung up on making mozzarella as that was just what was in the list of videos.

Have you ever made cheese? What kind? What kind of milk did you use? Do you have any tips or recipes you have tried?

Groceries--July 1--7, 2018

*sale items

*2 8-oz.Publix Parmesan Grated cheese (like Kraft) BOGO $4/2
*7 pkgs.Oscar Mayer bun length hot dogs, $.99
*9  Kraft Medium Cheddar Cheese Chunk, 8 oz., $2
*2 Kraft grated cheese, 8 oz., $2
1 can sardines, $.99
*Chicken Niblets ~$10
*celery sleeve $1.29
*cole slaw $.99
*Cool Whip $.99
*hot dog buns $.99
one huge tomato for BLTs
*qt. strawberries, $1.49
chips
4 bananas
*cherries, $2.98/lb
cottage cheese
4 bananas
boneless, skinless chicken breasts, ~$10

*sale items

I spent about $65. However, much of the amount spent is for stock-up items. I plan for the chunk cheese to last about two months, even longer for the hot dogs.

Hopefully, the Publix grated Parmesan will be tolerable if not good. The last time I bought a store brand of grated Parmesan cheese in a shaker was about 25 years ago. I could not abide it, so I went back to Kraft.

Two stores had OM hotdogs on sale for $.99. One of those stores had four different varieties, so I chose the bun length. Why not?

I regret the niblets...almost. The sardines were calling to me! I have not found my favorite brand in years--Possum.

The celery was cheaper than WM. I bought potatoes this past week and looked in a bag in the kitchen and have about 3 lbs. This is as good a time as any to make potato salad.

I shopped in four stores. Three had electric carts. Exbf drove me to carts at Aldi and picked me up there, so I did not have to trek to the car with a cart and then back to carts and then to car. These things really help me to conserve my ability to walk without so much pain..

Two Great Grocery Deals

Thursday night, when I was in a grocery store and looking for the Kraft Chunk Medium Cheese, I could not find it. I asked four employees over a period of 30 minutes.

Responses were all mumbled--I don't even know where the cheese in kept in the back. We don't carry it since there is no label on the shelf. I went back there and did not see any cheese at all. Maybe we keep it with the cottage cheese. Maybe it is over in the shelf with cream cheese.

Of course, I had to respond to all these foot-shuffling answers/suggestions which wore me out. Finally, I saw a manager and asked him. He came back with the 16 ounce KRAFT Chunk Medium Cheddar Cheese and told me I could have this for the same price as the 8 ounce. !!!

16 ounces of cheddar cheese for $2.38. I can live with that.

Friday night, after watching all the crockpots being opened at Walmart, I wandered down an aisle at WM where they have picnic supplies instead of Easter goodies. The 38 ounce Heinz catsup was $2.98. There was a hang tag that offered a free any Heinz Mayonnaise with the purchase of the catsup. I had to go across the store to the grocery section to find the mayo. At first, I could not see the quarts, but I was going to get the pint. Finally, I found it pushed back of the shelf or all the ones on front bought.

A quart (32 ounces) of Mayo for $3.98 was free. Catsup and mayo were $2.38 total.

Total Savings--40%
Savings on catsup/mayo deal--55%


Now, if I could just save that much each time I had to purchase anything! One good deal at each store would be worth walking in.

Oh, the third deal was pouches of cake/cupcake mixes for $0.50 each. I got these about two weeks ago. The catch: some were the brightest yellow ever. And, the others were green. Easter colors?

Your turn
Have you found the Heinz mayo/catsup deals? I imagine they are at other stores than Walmart.

Bargains--Food and Otherwise

Since I always check Publix markdown racks, I find bargains often. A Mr. Coffee teapot was marked 2/$14.95, making it $7.50.  The next time I was in WM, the cheapest teapot was nearer $20. So, I returned to Publix and purchased a teapot. It is candy apple red, not my preferred color, but certainly acceptable. I won't pay another $12 for a different color.

At Publix I found Kraft Parmesan Cheese canisters, 2/$6. Since these are usually $3.89 at WM, I bought two canisters. Unfortunately, I had no coupons.



Warehouse Discount Grocery had Kraft chunk cheese, 8 ounces, for $2. This is as good as I can usually get when price-matching. I bought three. These are $2.89 in WM and higher at other stores.

Walmart has 42 ounce canisters of Quaker Old-Fashioned Oats for $3.98. Usually, the same product is close to $5, about $4.89.  Since I had a coupon for $1 off two canisters of 42 ounces of oats, I saved a bit more. I actually bought 6 boxes, figuring this will last me all winter. I will put all this in Ball jars, and freeze for three days, storing it in the cabinet. This way, no bugs will hatch that were in there when I purchased it.

Plus, afterward someone gave me two of the 18 ounces canisters of Quaker Oats. Yay me! I eat hot oats all year long. However, this winter I will have a bowl each day.

In WM a guy was giving out free samples--10 ounce bottles of Downy Fabric Softener. WOW, such a large size. Usually, these type products have free samples that are a little pouch, about twice the size of a catsup packet. I don't use fabric softeners, even free bottles, so I will give this to someone.

An organization gave me two gift cards, one for $50 and another for $25, to help with the cost of going to doctor for cancer--tests, surgery, and checkups. There was valet parking that was not free most of the time. I had to supply drivers with money for the valet parking. At other times, I had to give gas money. This $75 will help plug that hole in my wallet.

What freebies or bargains have you received lately?

Cheese Toast "recipe"

I was at least in college before I ever heard of a grilled cheese sandwich. At my house we ate cheese toast. I don't remember this as ever being a fast and easy lunch, just a snack for hungry kids and teens.

Recently, I have returned to this childhood favorite. "What is cheese toast?" you ask. Simple!

At home, we took a pan, probably a pie pan for one cheese toast. In it you put a piece of bread, not toast, with sliced cheese on top. Put it under the broiler or on bake and leave it until the cheese melts. Easy?

Yes, and the calories in one piece of bread and margarine/butter are not consumed.  Plus, my mother did not have to butter and tend French toast for multiple kids. Of course, I could make this myself and did by at least middle school.

I still love grilled cheese. But, this reminds me of my mother. And, it does not require "tending." Plus, the pan is never dirty. I use the Reynolds parchment paper backed with foil, the stuff I bought for $.99/roll last year.  I can pull off a portion and then half it to make a squarish piece of product and lay sandwich on that.  Of course, I use it paper side up next to the food. The pan will be clean and I can discard the paper/foil. Well, I did use the same piece twice one day.

A post about cheap cell service was posted just a bit ago. Look that over and see what you think if you wish.

Your turn
Did you ever or do you eat Cheese Toast? If you eat this, did or do you call it "cheese toast" or by another name?

Deals This Week and Brown Gunk

Since I love cheese and had run out of some bought on sale several weeks ago, I was happy to see that I could buy Kraft for $1.69. Four 8 oz. chunks of Medium Cheddar and four 8 oz.bags of Five Blend Italian. Price matched at WM.

Milk was $1.99/gallon. Price-matched from Aldi.

Cascadian Farms Granola, a cereal, was marked down from $3.69 to $2. I bought four and should not have. This is good eaten as cereal or out of hands three or five times a day. This was marked down at Publix.

Cantaloupe for exbf was $1. Price-matched at WM.

Kraft Parmesan Cheese in the green shaker canister was $2.79 instead of $3.89. Price-matched at WM. Since I don't have freezer room, I only bought one. There is still one on the shelf and two opened ones in the refrigerator. When I was too ill to find the open one in the refrigerator, one from the cupboard was started. I will eat it before long, especially if I eat spaghetti.

Pet milk, one can for $0.88 instead of $1.28. Price-matched at WM. I bought four at the same price last week or the week before, so I have enough for my projected needs for the year.
...................................................................................................

Today is Wednesday, so another ad is out. Well, it is early in the AM, but when the mail runs, I will have ads for about 6 more grocery stores.  Red, green, and purple grapes are all $1.88/lb. I won't buy many but this is a better price than $3.98/lb., as they will be later on.

There are 18 varieties of apples for $0.88/lb. at Sprouts. I need to get many apples price-matched once again at WM.

The blasted turkey from last spring is in the freezer, hogging room. It needs to come out so I can cook it. I fear there will be an avalanche. In the past exbf has held back the rockslide while I pulled things out. A pound of frozen sausage really hurts my toes! Since I am not as agile as I once was, it is hard to jump out of the way. It depends on when he comes next week as to whether he will participate. I could put several boneless turkey breasts in the space the turkey occupies.

Since I have over-frozen several cans of Cokes, the inside of the freezer looks filthy. It grosses me out, and I know what the brown stuff is! It continually falls onto the floor when I remove food and then I must get the brown ice from the floor. If it escapes me, then I have a brown puddle or dried stain, depending on when I find it.

This evening I am feeling a bit better. Of course, I am fighting the lung/throat/head/ears thing. The uti may have subsided, but I still have meds to take for that to knock it out completely. brown Gunk

Your turn
What deals are at your grocery or market? Have you ever had a Coke spew all over the freezer and then frozen back all over everything as brown gunk?