Thursday Progress

About that beef pasta recipe:

good but I think if I did my fia sauce with 

added meat, spices (including garlic) and onion as it 

instructs, it would be better than the can of 

tomatoes along with tomato paste. 

However, the way it is is very handy for may types of dishes.

My thoughts above are for more when you want to use it to make

a pasta with fia sauce, which is the best sauce I've ever found. 

(it's without meat which makes it so versatile!) 

***

I talked with my niece R. today who is 3

via video chat on our phones.

she loves to see my things, as she says,

meaning small things I have in various places,

plus just things in the house, like dishes. 

She seems to love all things domestic and has a

really good memory.  

She loves to see my very tiny wooden caddy for doll-house

size cutlery that is about the size (the cutlery) of my finger nail! 

Every time we talk she wants me to dump it out,

and then watch me put each piece back in, 

piece by piece. 

If I show her any food (a chip, nuts, watermelon) she wants to 

have me eat it so she can see

(and then she asks her Mom, my sister, for the same at her house LOL!)

She's really sweet and at an age where you are learning so much

and still so innocent.... it's a sweet fleeting tender age...

I treasure these times.

***

So the pasta sauce, a lot of it I plan on freezing for

easy meals for later.

Crazy as it sounds, I am missing my red lentil soup. :) 

***

I had one of my Mom's chocolate revel bars today.

Oh they are so good! 

***

I would love to make her bran muffins, but don't have 

the ingredients... 

someday, DV...!

***

Each day, the end, I feel quite tired;

even though my life is fine, stable, if not a bit on the 

very predictable side, i.e. daily walk and being home the rest of the time, 

I think this prolonged isolation must be quite fatiguing. 

***

God be with you all...

Wednesday: a freezer is defrosted

Whew.

Mr Husband and I tackled the freezer together.

We emptied it, putting things in coolers

and freezer bags and under blankets and towels to 

keep it cold while the freezer was unplugged

and defrosted.  Mr Husband brought the boiling water in pans

down and did that part of the work

while I did things up in our home.

We put it all back together, my Husband taking 

notes of everything, as to what it was and where we put it.

Later he made a spreadsheet (google docs!) of everything.

Between that and that we used our long table that was upstairs in our 

flat and we had to carry it two flights down (or 3 depending on what you view

as one flight of stairs!) and into the garage and then back up again.

I was quite exhausted the rest of the day,

the poor night's sleep the night before not helping with that.

Tomorrow I hope to get the house back in a better more tidy order.

I have a lot of chicken broth, wonderful jars of pasta sauce,

fruits, vegetables, meat and treats.

Years of work really.

And a LOT of work today to get it back in a workable order.

I am thankful....

Tuesday: Doing the Hard Things

Our 9 to 12 grocery delivery was here at 8 AM. 🍉🍉🍉🍉

 The key to reheating chicken soup with rice is to know that it will be too thick when in the fridge for a day. Adding a cup of chicken broth makes this soup fresh and new again! And we toasted the biscuits and had delicious hot soup and hot biscuits for lunch! My second trick is to be careful not to over bake the biscuits so that toasting perfects the leftovers!🥣🐓❣

I made my Mom's favourite banana bread recipe,

other than that I did not have walnuts.

***

I keep thinking of a phrase I have been seeing around: "I can do hard things" ... we really are in a difficult (though it could be WAY worse, my Mother reminded me: we are not at war/hiding for our lives etc) but it is hard. The isolation. Realizing that we have, at least here where I live, another month to go before things open up, that was hard. I don't know when it will be safe to go back to NYC and I do miss it. My Husband and I discussed that being in NYC is one thing but *getting* there by public transit is another thing entirely. I miss my NYC library, and Trader Joes. I miss being in church, seeing friends there who remind me that I have friends, if that makes sense. I miss going somewhere without fear. We have not been to any stores (other than corner store) since March 15 and that seems like a very long time ago. 7 weeks and other than being out Sunday March 15, my Husband's last day in NYC was March 9th and I was last in NYC February 25th. All I can continue to do is realize that this is so tough for everyone and that many have it much harder than myself, with my Husband being able to work from home. But I know that it is good to realize that others have it way worse but I also know that it is OK to realize that it is hard also for myself. But we must keep going. We must, as my Grandma reminded me, seek to stay close to God, to pray, to be thankful. 

Monday Brightness: Searching for Light on a Grey Day

Today I began in earnest,

well, this afternoon at least, 

in reading Supper of the Lamb by Capon;

I am finding it enjoyable and refreshing.

***

I found chicken soup in the freezer!

I used the rest of Trader Joes Limone Alfredo Sauce

that I found in the freezer with some chicken also 

found in the freezer... (we have one in the garage

and are trying to use things up as we can)... 

I am realizing how a little chicken, especially in a Pasta,

can go along way.... 

***

I wrote the following earlier on Capon's book,

I want to share my thoughts here as well...

I loved how Capon's book reminded me to pay attention 

and see the wonders that God has put before us. 

That Capon talks much of food makes me relate to it very well, 

as I love cooking and baking. 

His reminder for us to live with attention and thanksgiving

 was a great thing to read.....

Also, about Capon's book, it reminds me of An Everlasting Meal 

which I am going to have to look at again as well. 

Capon's book, of course, pre-dates this one by a few decades. 

***

Interesting to read Capon's book as it also talks about the idea

of cooking with excellence but, though I don't know if Capon fully likes the word,

economy.  I think that he can go far, from what I have read so far,

in both using everything you have and also seeing that

you can use what you have and still make something taste delicious. 

***

Already I am hearing of possible shortages due to food chain problems

because of the dread virus, as we call it.

I am thinking that the lessons that I am guessing are in the rest of 

Capon's book + a book like Everlasting Meal can teach us more about 

how to make our food good, delicious, still nutritious all while not wasting food

or needing to stretch what we do have.

Really good lessons to have and to think about.

***

We must seek to not live in fear

(and some of my biggest fears are about food scarcity) 

but seek to be proactive about things, as we are able.

I guess figuring out ways to use less of what we have, 

at least when it comes to meat,

and still making good meals is what I have in mind...

***

Well, I am thankful for a good day.

Not that it was a fully easy day, but that it was still good.

***

I am waiting to hear about a friend's son who fell ill 

and who is a grocery store worker in Canada. 

There is so much and so many to pray for.

***

Oh! have to mention:

I made Marion Cunningham's Rescue Biscuits 

(from her cookbook lost recipes and substituted oat milk

for milk and used an egg powder substitute... 

and it worked perfectly!

I did not need them to be vegan for the soup dinner we had

but wanted to know if it would work and we had oatmilk to be used up.

So I am going to try other breads as well and see what happens...

a week after Pentecost (thank God still weeks away) is the Apostle's fast

and we fast 2x a week other than after big feasts, etc, so 

it's handy to know what I can do vegan in terms of baking! :) 

***

Well, it's getting late so I better finish this post.

***

May God have mercy on us all!