2023:FOOD- RECIPES AND PROBLEMS AND INTERESTING STUFF WHILE SHOPPING

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January 5

while fixing lunch of boiled carrots and peas with onion, catsup and Grape Nuts this happened. Looked like a peas & carrots Popsicle no flash - flash

January 13

bought two sweet potatoes, finally got around to roasting them. Washed and peeled then cut into chunks. placed in bag and added 1/4 teaspoon Bells and a dollop of olive oil. Tossed and roasted in 275 oven for one hour. smelled good tasted great. froze 4-5 servings.

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bought Thomases English Muffins since they did not have the sandwich rounds I like. The muffins were heavy and doughy and almost inedible. I even searched the internet for how to cook. Before this just toasting them for 2 minutes a side would brown them. The advice was to oven bake them for 5 minutes a side at 350. They were still sticky and heavy and would not brown. NO MORE ENGLISH MUFFINS!

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January 23

well  bananas were lousy for a while so I switched to clementine oranges. Sometimes even the organic one suck- this one was very soft and watery.

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  a few days later I washed and cut an apple so I could saute it for an after lunch treat. agh it was bruised so much I ended up eating the entire apple minus the bruising.

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February 1

made cookies yesterday they seem a bit too sweet so I will alter the recipe. I did use up honey, but still same amount of "sugars". Normally I used only molasses. The baking powder was about to expire. I do wish they would sell it in smaller cans!
Basic recipe I SHOULD follow

preheat oven 375. line pan 9x13 with foil and parchment paper.

1/2 c oil

3/4 c molasses

1 pk Mott's applesauce

1-1/2 t vanilla

blend the above 

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 c whole wheat flour

1/2 c flax seed meal

3/4 t baking powder

1 c oats 

mix the above dry ingredients in a bag and slowly add to wet in mixer

bake 25 minutes TRY to remember to flatten with big fork halfway through baking

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February 14

I now have small scissors expressly for cutting the top off the Folgers single pack instant coffee. It has in tiny print "tear here" and it doesn't LOL

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February 18

I was hankering for some curly spinach to add to my Yukon gold potato, fresh carrots and peas supper tonight. I have not bought spinach in decades! And this breaks away from my usual broccoli etc meals. Which is what weekends are for- breaking away. So I could not find loose fresh spinach anywhere in the store. Bought Baby spinach in a lovely clear package with a zip to open seal. nice! oh but I forgot what a royal pain in the ass washing spinach is when it is not nice big curly leaves. I'll have to start supper preparatoion 30 minutes earler 

what supper usually looks like

the spinach

other things in condiment aisle I would likely never buy

I should have checked the sodium content ha ha

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February 11

why do people do this. If they think someone needy comes along and needs 50 cents they are wrong. geez

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February 16

my ugly supper :)

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I was hankering for some curly spinach to add to my Yukon gold potato, fresh carrots and peas supper tonight. I have not bought spinach in decades! And this breaks away from my usual broccoli etc meals. Which is what weekends are for- breaking away. So I could not find loose fresh spinach anywhere in the store. Bought Baby spinach in a lovely clear package with a zip to open seal. nice! oh but I forgot what a royal pain in the ass washing spinach is when it is not nice big curly leaves. I'll have to start supper preparatoion 30 minutes earler .

other things in the store that I would not buy but caught my eye.

foods I would not eat but...

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supper with that baby spinach,Yukon Gold potato, peas and carrots

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February 25

This time no baking powder at all! Last week there were large cans which would take me 5 years to finish! I wish they sold the small cans like they used to . It was about 2 inches tall. so had to google the recipe for baking powder- cream of tartar and baking soda. wow cream of tartar is almost 6 bucks for a tiny jar. so okay that problem is solved. Now all I need is more space in the freezer for my cookies LOL

recipe from google for baking powder I see I need arrowroot or cornstarch now too LOL

To make your own baking powder – some say with fewer metallic undertones than the commercial stuff – mix one part baking soda to one part cornstarch and two parts cream of tartar. For example: 1/4 teaspoon baking soda + 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar + 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch = 1 teaspoon homemade baking powder.Aug 20, 2009

found out why cream of tartar is so expensive

reason cream of tartar is so expensive

"Cream of Tartar (AKA tartaric acid, chemical formula KC4H5O6, Potassium bitartrate) is formed during the production of wines made from grapes.  For commercial production the crystals that precipitate out in industrial fermentation vats are collected and purified into the white powder that you buy at the supermarket.  The process involves multiple stages of chemical purification, filtration and drying.  The cost is high because the only known source or tartaric acid is from grapes, and because of the costs of processing involved in purification, as well as packaging, shipping and handling.

The same crystals will precipitate out from chilled grape juice but in too small of quantities to be useful at the home scale, unless you are making a lot of wine or grape jelly and have a chemical plant in your back yard.

Jun 17, 2014 in Baking, Ingredients, Kitchen Science | Comments (0)

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February 26

Sunday Supper

I have Brussels sprouts on Sunday

s and Wednesdays. I was finding all my vegetable stews were beginning to taste bland to the extreme. So this past week I have eliminated the Grape Nuts  on Monday, Tuesday,Thursday, Friday and maybe Saturdays It helps me chew things but also robs the flavor from the vegetables. At the same time I was having edamame, peas, cut green beans, cauliflower and broccoli in the weekly stews. Maybe that is too many conflicting flavors. Now during the week I will have just 3 vegetables with or without the edamame. add garlic powder. And still have the broth from cooking as a bread soup after. a round piece of bread toasted well. Cut 6 ways like a pizza and slathered with Smart Blance and placed on top of the broth. It is very soothing.

So this Sunday I tried something different. Edamame this time seems very tough and it needs 30 minutes of cooking in a lot of water. 12 minutes into that I add my 4 thick slices of zucchini to boil for my hot salad with olive oil and apple cider vinegar and Mrs Dash. That cooles for 8 minutes pick those out and slice in quarters and toss with the dressing. 15 minutes into the edamame cooking I add the Brussels sprouts. 5 minutes I pick out and slice in half. Then half a cup of cauliflower florets. so 10 minutes for all of that to simmer. drain off 1 cup of broth and set aside. Sprinkle those vegetables with 2 tablespoons of Grape Nuts, 2 heaping tablespoons of Smart Balance and a 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder. a small squirt of catsup and reduce that for 5 minutes. Let it rest in the bowl for 5 minutes and then eat. It was tasty.

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February 25,

bought baby kale this time in fresh produce. very sandy and too much work so I hope there is frozen loose spinach this coming week.

went down the pet aisle for bird seed and this cat food display caught my eye

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March 4

So there was controversy  about Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben products. So they changed the names  to: Pearl Milling Company and Ben's Original. So "Aunt and Uncle" were the offensive words? LOL. Marketing sure boils down to eye catching colors- note- Pink Stuff. No I did not buy it. And mouthwash now is markedly announced as  "Zero Alcohol". Is this so people can safely drink it if a Friend of Bills? I knew a few customers where I worked in the 60s whose parents drank mouthwash and vanilla for alcohol content because they were on a list in town. Ancient history. There also used to be "cherry sheets". oh my how times have changed. Now to the attention getter the color Pink. For a minute there I thought I was in a Victoria's Secret store

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March 3

Bought baby spinach fresh a while ago and it was so much work to get it ready to cook I bought baby kale. All because there was no frozen spinach or bagged regular spinach.
well this kale says tripple washed on it and it was still sandy!

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March 11

someone make this stop!

For anyone over 55 this triggers a redrum button. The neon is bright green.

AND if you lost your dog please do not place signs at intersections where they are impossible to read or photo.

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March 19

Raspberry Oranges. Just wish they would sell ones that were fresh and did not taste of mold. The following week I bought

a bag of Pixie oranges there were like 5 in a bag and they were almost 7.00 BUT they were delicious BUT again too acidic so that was a one time deal with me ha ha

April 1

Pixie oranges are delicious! Tiny and about a dollar a piece. But too acidic for me boo hoo.

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April 3

while trying to make my cookies- the inner peel off lid inside the baking powder failed.

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April 8

puffed granola and limited edition chocolate strawberry Cheerios

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April 8

unmanned customer service booth

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April 22

Maybe I just never noticed but it seems like more things are sold in GIANT size these days. who has a refrigerator big enough for this stuff?

May 6

a three legged carrot I did not eat- the ends were black so to the compost they went. I swear packers have a pile of bad stuff they add to each bag

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June 3

Cap'n Crunch's 60th birthday. I have never eaten them. In fact never actually knew they existed until maybe 20 years ago.

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May 10

more carrot humor I call it a cartwat

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June 20

Made my oatmeal cookies today. I use 1 pack of Mott's unsweetened applesauce to replace eggs. When they say unsweetened they do not lie. I thought I would eat a pack. wow tart! Cookies smell good cooking though

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A friend in Germany used to travel a lot and send me photos of his meals- main course, desserts, wines etc. This time he sent a photo of German pizza etc and what they call detox water

I thought this looked so refreshing and pretty. I would never drink it but ... :)

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note to stop buying rainbow carrots- last batch were so tough even boiling for 30 minutes they were hard.

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A few weeks ago they did not have the yogurt I can tolerate- Fage  Best life or whatever it is called- lactose free. In fact all they had was 2%. well I suffered through 2 containers which last me a week a tablespoon each day. oh my the gas pains and bloating were horrible.

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June 1

I  eat edamame each night. Only version available for too long was the out of pod one at Star Market- Signature brand. Grown in China. They were tough took 30 minutes of cooking to make them "less than hard". They had the organic brand but in the pod on occasion. I was not crazy about unpodding them but. finally got tired of the Chinese ones and stick with the Organics one. Tender and no big deal unpodding once I realized they were 100% better. But looked at the bag one day wondering what the serving size was- I boil 10 pods at the most which equals 20 edamame beans. On the bag- serving size = one bag.  I was floored- who can eat that many?

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June 3

Cap'n Crunch 60th Birthday

I have never eaten this cereal :)

June 21

opened a new decaf coffee. Starbucks Verona dark roast. At first it smells like a skunk before it is brewed but wow I love it. almosy to the end of the bag on August 1.

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July 1

luttered entrance at Star Market. Still my favorite store but this is so off putting. It is for impulse buying. yeah just what we need.

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August 16

I love Grape Nut cereal. At the beginning of the pandemic they were vacant from shelves in the stores. Then they came back. But not the same. Has anyone eaten this dessert? Must be like eating sour milk, tart berries and aquarium gravel. I only eat them in my hot meals. Or if for breakfast they have to soak in boiling water to soften. What happened?

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September 13 2023

Made my oatmeal raisin  cookie bars today,been a while last batch was March. Lots of clean up. Busy day. ate supper and decided to wash face and brush teeth before doing dishes. good grief my face was bright red!. I know I had to open the oven at least 5 times with 375 blasting me in the face. So guess I need SPF 100 inside the house now. I should maybe check and see if I have any eyelashes left.

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December 15

All of a sudden I hate baking cookies.

Making Honey Peanut butter cookies using sunflower seed butter. Doing this to use up baking ingredients. The dough is stiff. Mashing them with a fork they are all over the slippery cookie sheet. They say bake until edges are brown and be careful because cookies made with honey tend to burn quickly. Set timer and did not  hear it go off. Smelled like they would burst into flames so I knew I better haul them out of the oven. They are fine. But looks like this recipe will make 100 cookies. Think of all that forking! So second batch I made them bigger. Still looks like 2 more batches to go. shoot me now. One did taste mighty good though. Third or fourth and last batch was one big cookie enough already!

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