Skimp or Splurge

   I have done my share of penny pinching, but who's to say how we spend
our money? (Our spouse, if we have one).
   Over the span of our lives we may change from skimping to splurging.  Or the other way around.
   We my splurge and skimp at the same time, on different things. (When no one is watching).
I knew a rich woman who sent out checks in recycled envelopes.  I wonder what she splurged on.
   My confession is that I splurge on food.
   On Saturday when I drove to the grocery I contemplated an Angus Philly sandwich to take home for my lunch.  The beef is delicious.
   First, the supermarket.  A bright and beautiful greenhouse of flowers is the first thing you see.  Someone's splurge.  I hurried on to the gorgeous display of fruits and vegetables. A fresh pineapple went in my cart.  The green beans were young and crisp.  I managed the blankety-blank plastic bag to buy beans.
   No one was coming home that week-end so I purchased a small bag of potatoes.
   The display of seafood and meats was over-whelming. Previously I bought crab cakes(imitation crab) , but that day I bought $9 a pound cod.
   The cinnamon almonds were on special.  Soon my list and then some was complete. But I wasn't finished splurging.
   The Red Box Movie Rental was at the store exit.  The credit card didn't seem to connect.  I asked a stranger to help, it was easy for him.
   Content with my goodies, I drove home.  Then I remembered the Angus Philly sandwich.
   Oh well, another day!

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                          Cook whole beans until fork tender.  Add butter and salt.   Parboil potatoes until almost done. Finish cooking in skillet with small amount of oil till crisp. For fish, bring skillet to temp, add small amount of oil.  Dredge fish in flour and Old Bay Seasonings. Brown on one side, if fish is thick cover with lid until done.                    

Cookies

   Half way home from the grocery I had a new thought about the week-end cooking.  I love cooking and planning for the children when they come home.  Desserts have gone the way of typewriters, so I usually have fruit.
  But  the Youngest still enjoy cookies, so I’ll bake Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Since I use chunks instead of chips and put a tiny bit of sea salt  on them as they come out of the oven, they are good.
   So, it was a rude shock to discover there was no chocolate in the cupboard, chunks or chips.  Better planning?
   There are many recipes for cookies, so surely one other will do.  Peanut Butter Cookies!  I haven’t made peanut butter cookies for years.    So I cream the batter and scrape the sides of the bowl and drop them on the cookie sheet.  The recipe says 8-10 minutes.  I go for 9, they look great, so out they come.  Maybe they should have had another minute.

   The second sheet goes in (I do one sheet at a time) the oven.  This time I set the timer for 10.  

But they still look a little pale, so another minute.

   The T.V. news was on and I had to take a look, then---Maybe they were in the oven too long.
   No matter, there is still enough dough for a 3rd sheet.  The last sheet turns out just right.
   When they are cool I look for the container I always use for fresh cookies.

What do I find?  Left-overs from Christmas.

                           Pam’s Peanut Butter Cookies
1 stick butter                                ½ cup yellow Crisco
1 cup B. sugar                              1 cup white sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter          1 t. vanilla
2 eggs                                           2 cups flour
2 tsp. soda                                   ¼ t. salt
1. Cream butter, Crisco and sugars for 5 minutes, scraping sides and bottom of bowl often.
2. Add peanut butter and vanilla. Mix well.
3. Add eggs, mix well.
4. Sift flour, soda and salt.  Add slowly.
5. Beat just until well blended.
   Drop by spoonful onto parchment lined cookie sheet. Press tops with fork. Bake in 350 oven for 8-10 minutes.  (Cookies should puff up all over when done.)
                                         Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie
¾ cup Brown sugar                           ¾ cup white sugar
¾ cup butter                                      2 eggs (room temp)
2 Tbsp. hot water                             1 tsp. vanilla
½ tsp. salt                                         2 ½ cups flour
2 teasp. Soda                                   12 oz. choc. chips or chunks
1. Beat sugars and butter for 5 minutes, scraping sides and bottom of bowl.
2. Add eggs, hot water and vanilla.  Beat well.
3. Sift  flour, soda and salt, Add and mix well.
4. Chill batter in frig for at least an hour.
5. Drop on parchment covered sheet and bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.
Don’t let them darken.  When removing from oven, sprinkle very lightly with sea salt.  Cool on sheet before removing.

Spring Cleaning My Way

  Spring Cleaning as we used to know it is a thing of the past.  But in the dreary days of winter there are some things we can do.  Drawers and cupboards come to mind.
   I have several Everything Drawers.  When I clean one, papers get moved to the next drawer, only a few papers go to the waste basket.
   All the pretty pictures of recipes I have collected are piled near the cookbooks.  So I sort through them, knowing I’ll never make that Baked Alaska.  Just looking at the picture satisfied me.  Pitch that recipe.
   But the picture of a Strawberry Trifle, that’s a keeper.  Perhaps at Easter I could make that.  It goes back on the shelf.




   The danger in this kind of cleaning is that you must read things before you can throw them away.
   The cookbooks are filled with housekeeping hints saved  from magazines.
   Here are a few tips  I have collected.
l.  Polish for wooden furniture:  1 part turpentine, 1 part rubbing alcohol. 1 part linseed oil.
2. Use Mayo to remove crayon marks from walls.
3. Use distilled white vinegar  and equal parts of water for cleaning windows, bathrooms and counter tops.
4. Use cotton ball to bait a mousetrap.
5. To keep moles out of the yard, soak a rag with olive oil  and stuff in mole hole.
6.  Heat the skillet first, then add cold oil when frying food to keep it from sticking.
7. To remove spots from old linens.  Soak in a solution of water and Biz.  Fold linen in a piece of dry cotton sheet and put in big plastic bag.  Refrigerate bag for 3 days.  Remove and iron.
8. Clean mildew: 2/3 cup TSP, 1/3 cup Spic and Span, 1 quart Clorox, 3 quart water.  When using wear gloves,, and goggles, Scrub, rinse and dry.

   Have a happy and clean spring...



                                 Clean for another year.

    Parsley like a good friend, makes everything better.  Years ago parsley was the green decoration on the plate when you were fine dining.  We are better informed now, so we eat it.  We know that chewing on fresh parsley leaves keeps your breath fresh.  It is the yin to the yang of garlic.
    But did you know that dried parsley is less tasty and less healthful than the fresh herb?  Or that it should be chopped just before using and added to hot foods at the last minute?  Italian parsley, the flat-leaf variety, has more nutrients and better flavor than curly parsley.
    Parsley has been known as a medicinal herb for thousands of years.  Today it is accepted in strengthening the digestive system  and helps in stomach and liver problems.
 

                                               

    Here is a recipe with lots of parsley that will make you think spring has arrived.  It is called Gazpacho, cold soup.  It is similar to salsa, and may be used in that manner.  You may add tomato juice  to get whatever consistence you want.

                                         Gazpacho
   2 cans 14.5 oz. diced tomatoes or 4 large fresh tomatoes, ( peel fresh tomatoes)
   2 med cucumbers, peeled and seeded
   2 med green peppers
   2 bunches green onions
   1 bunch parsley
   2 T. onion
   1 t. chopped garlic
   1 ½ t. salt
   1 ½ t. pepper
   ¼ cup olive oil
   ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
   1 cup Bloody Mary Mix (original or bold and spicy)

l. Med. chop all vegetables  (may use food processor, but don’t make too fine)
2. Combine all ingredients and stir.
3. Chill and serve