Question of the week

[Guest guest]

White elephant gifts are always fun! Best place to find them is garage

sales! Found a chia pet, still in the box, once! That was a hit!

 

Audrey S.

 

On Thu, Dec 11, 2008 at 11:17 AM, Donnalilacflower <thelilacflower

> wrote:

 

> I already was asked to make my potato salad, appelpaj, my Mexi-Italian

> Salsa, and Mexican Rice.

> At 4pm we will be at a Christmas party on 12-25 and we have to wear an ugly

> Christmas blouse or shirt or ugly jeans or pants and bring our white

> elephant gift. LOL

> Donna

>

>

>

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

We enjoy making sweet treats for Christmas. Cookies and sometimes

candies. Our favorite is peanut butter balls, they are very simple, I

think the recipe is in the files, its peanut butter, powdered sugar,

rice crispies, and a little margarine. These can be dipped in chocolate

to make buckeyes too. MMMM so good. Cant wait to start making them.

 

Cherie

[Guest guest]

I always make choc covered marshmallows (veg* this year), nut rolls and bread

for my family visits

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Question of the week...what's in the fridge/freezer to make fixing veg meals

easy?...

 

My fridge is FULL!

 

     I normally keep soymilk (vanilla, chocolate--yum!--and sometimes a " plain " ,

but always have vanilla).  I keep skim, lactose-free " dairy " milk for my DH--he

can't seem to let go of dairy milk, even though if he drinks the regular kind,

it does a number on his stomach!)

I keep (usually) some cheeses--because I like a fast sandwich or some over my

other foods now and then.  I also keep plain or vanilla (fat-free or lowfat)

ORGANIC yogurt in a large carton--also just for me.  (My yogurt has no gelatin,

BTW.) 

 

     I am very concerned to consume larger amounts of calcium-rich foods because

osteoporosis is in my family--my grandmother, my mom, and now even my dad have

been diagnosed.  I do NOT want to take those prescription meds advertized for

" bones " , so I try to keep the diet high in calcium.

 

     However, my fridge has other foods in it.  I keep LOTS of veggies in the

bottom drawers all the time:  Always have:  carrots, onions (or in the cabinet,

usually only already-chopped onions in the fridge), Romaine lettuce, and some

kind of fruit.  I like to keep bell peppers,

sometimes celery, seasonally, I keep parsnips (winter) and summer squash or

cucumbers

(usually mostly in summer).  I like to have tomatoes in the warm months, but I

don't like them at all when they aren't locally available.

 

     I keep a HUGE jar of mayonnaise (I am a mayo-freak!), 2 kinds of mustard,

organic (I hate corn syrup!) ketchup, several kinds of condiments, including

some veg. Worchestershire sauce, horseradish, dark soy sauce, and a particular

kind of locally-produced (from a Mom & Pop Italian restaurant near here) SWEET

Italian salad dressing that is good on almost EVERYTHING! 

 

    Note: If any of you are EVER in Jacksonville, Illinois, head for a local

grocery store and check out the " Lonzerotti's Sweet Italian Dressing " that they

sell here.  I know a retired couple who live half the year in Texas.  They order

a CASE to keep down South so they don't have to be without their favorite salad

dressing!

 

    I sometimes keep green Spanish olives, sometimes have a container of ripe

olives--I don't usually have any " fancy " olives, though.  I love to have a small

(or large) jar of artichoke hearts--not the vinegary " pickled " ones, just in a

salty liquid.  Something about add ing artichoke hearts to a food or salad--I

LOVE it.

 

    I have some almond butter in the fridge, too--don't eat it too often, but

it's there.  I keep hummus in there, from time to time, also it varies.  Oh yes,

and I sometimes have a carton of cottage cheese and ]cage-free organic eggs. 

I've been trying to get eggs from a local place that a friend recommends (very

small farm and chickens are definitely treated well and not caged or

confined...), but I have not made the connections to do so as of yet.

 

    Freezer:

       I keep packages of Quorn " balls " , Quorn naked cutlets, and boca burgers

and grounds.  I have a couple packages of Quorn " grounds " , but prefer Boca

grounds, I think.

I have lots of " odds and ends " of frozen vegetables to add to soups or other

dishes...

I have at least a carton (empty waxed juice carton) of home-squeezed tomato

juice for a soup--still need to use that one up. 

 

I like to keep baby green lima beans and edamame  (shelled) in the freezer, as

well as

a couple of " treat " foods: small frozen pizzas. (I've seen nice veg. ones by

" Kashi " brand, and have tried a couple from Schwanns', although most of theirs

are meat-based.  I keep a lookout when I go shopping to see what is out there,

in other words)  I have some Boca Brats in there, and my other  " treat " is a bag

of frozen onion rings (Schwann's), a bag of 

frozen " jalapeno poppers " (also Schwann's).  Occasionally, I have also had a bag

of those

Schwann's seasoned potato wedges to pop into the oven and heat up.

 

One more freezer item:  Whenever I make them (the mood has to strike!), I fix a

LARGE batch of pancakes or waffles and then freeze what we don't eat right

away.  My DH especially loves a lunch or supper of pancakes/waffles, maybe an

egg or something (he's tried soy sausage and says it's okay) and maple syrup for

the batter-thing, some fruit and that's his " ideal meal " .  Heating up frozen

pancakes or waffles, in HIS opinion, is not a bad thing, and for me, THAT is one

easy, convenient meal to make!  :->

 

I'm sure there's other stuff I could have mentioned for my freezer and

fridge.  Didn't want to

get too much the boring details!  I haven't had breakfast yet--I need to go and

check out what's there and fix it!  Ha! 

 

Blessings and peace!

--Laura B., in Illinois

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Question of the Week - What varities of Produce is in season in your

 

Uh...where WE live, it's getting pretty cold.  This weekend and next is our last

for the Farmers' Market.  (I didnt' go today, just had too much produce from

last week still in the fridge!) 

 

What we've had lately are cabbages, Brussels sprouts, turnips and parsnips are

starting to get ready, now--once they go thru a frost (and we've had a couple),

supposedly, parsnips are " ready " to pull.  The market vendors have had some fall

apples, a few pears (last weekend) and cider.  Our beekeeper has quit coming to

market, because he says the cold makes the honey turn to crystals.

 

I think there are a few places (a couple of towns north of here) where there are

produce stands along the highway that stay open thru November with pumpkins

being the primary product for sale.  There are a lot of winter squashes and

pumpkins, some are selling ornamental stuff (gourds and colored corn, which

usually aren't edible).  I know there are onions, and maybe a few other

cold-weather vegetables out there. 

 

Once it gets REALLY cold, the vendors just sell the " keeper " veggies and that's

the end of the season until sometime in late April or early May, when Market

starts back up and we have the early veggies again.

 

Recently, however (it goes against logic, actually) the market had some very

nice leaf-lettuces and green onions. We've had a cooler-than-average summer and

a damp one--lots of rain and even more rains this fall, too--I guess the

" spring " lettuce and onions got a good start as late-summer crops and we had

things that are unusual for this area for this time of year for farmers' market

produce.

 

That's all I can think of!  Last night I had a steamed " melange " (mixed-up bunch

of stuff) of '

sliced Brussels' sprouts, carrots, green onions, and some ripe bell pepper

strips with a few

quick Asian (Ra-men type) noodles thrown in at the last.  The sprouts were a

little strong, but I had kept them in fridge a bit longer than I should have and

had to peel most of the outer leaves from each one--they'd gone yellow on me. 

But I like green veggies and orange ones together...usually the flavor and color

mix make for some good-tasting stuff!

 

Peace and blessings!

--Laura B., in Illinois (where it's getting COLDER and colder!)