I'm just wonderin'. I have two full freezers plus two refrigerator freezers totally full. Couldn't slip in another thing. It's crazy! I have a small food pantry in the kitchen. I have a huge and a smaller food pantry downstairs. I'm wondering. How long can I really go without doing a big food shop? I like to shop. I like bargains. I like to always have plenty. Of EVerything. But I have too much.
I guess it's good timing. Everything happens for a reason. Our income went down down down when Papa switched jobs from Chrysler back to a hospital lab. Down! And for a while we were supplemented. But that is about to end. I will be tightening the belts even tighter very soon. I've always been good at kitchen economy and I think now it's time to really show my skills.
In the next months, my blog should be including what I'm doing to use it up and not buy. One of the blogs/newsletters I'm subscribed to continually asks "how low can you go?" I think it will be pretty low...out of necessity. It also has another message continually drilled in that does ripple in my mind all the time..."shop at home first." I have sooo much here, of everything, that I must do exactly that. It's been paid for with hard earned cash so it must be used.
When I do shop, I will be doing only what I call good shops. That's the free or nearly free shopping trips. It includes times when I come home with my steal of a deal happy bags. I will continue to keep the savings antennae up and pass on any info I think you might want to hear. I think this all means, Mama Sage is back to blog! The real Mama Sage has stood up!
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Our New Year's plans aren't. It all started out that the kids told me that we were having a kids New Year's Eve party here. My immediate reaction was a loud, resounding NO! Papa has to work tonight. He has to sleep until 10PM. Now how nice would it have been to have a house full of kids here while he's trying to get his zzz's? Nuh-uh. Nope. No way. Well then I talked to Papa about it and he said as long as they were outside with the firepit, in the family room in the basement, or in the livingroom and diningroom area it shouldn't bother him. Okay. I let the boys know and the plans were started.
And then one kid decided to go skating. And then another was having her friends over. And then another.... And on it went until the only party crowd we'd be having was going to see the 9PM fireworks downtown (from my yard) and call it a New Year's night. Oh and the parents who were going to be here for the bash ended up with plans too. Soooo the food is...in the freezer.
But I'll still stick with tradition. I got the lasagna made. I've got the pork loin thawing to cook with the sauerkraut tomorrow. I've got blackeyed peas in the waiting. I think we have our bases covered. Well I thought. Then I did a tradition hunt and was amazed at the weird "good luck" traditions there are for New Years.
Did you know that anything in the shape of a coin is a tradition? Did you know greens were traditional? And did you ever hear that you should quickly eat 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight? The one that makes me sort of cock my neck in wonder though is lentils. Never heard of that. But okay. To each his own.
Whatever your plans; whatever your traditions, may health, wealth and happiness ride your tail and chase you clean through the whole new year.
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Mama's Lasagna (today's version)
- 15 lasagna noodles and a dog to pick up the pieces that fall on the floor when you break off the ends of a couple
- parsley
- any kind of shredded cheese you'd like
- giant jar of spaghetti sauce - home made or store version, depends on your time and energy
- 6 already cooked breakfast sausage patties left from Christmas brunch (yes, freeze 'em after the meal and use 'em later...all good) ,chunked and mixed into sauce
Then you'll want to grab a bowl and mix the following together...
- giant industrial size container of ricotta (you can use cottage cheese but drain it really good)
- about 2 cups mozarella cheese (I buy the huge bags and freeze in 2 cup amounts in zippies)
- at least 1/2 cup parmesan and/or romano
- 2 eggs
This is a no cook noodle lasagna. Pour sauce on bottom of pan. Make one layer of noodles. If you have to break them, do so that all parts of the pan are covered. Next glob around and smooth a layer of the cheeses. Pour another layer of sauce. Your next layer is noodles, then cheese, then sauce, then noodles then sauce. Cover tight with foil and bake at 350 for about an hour. Remove foil, sprinkle with the shredded cheese then sprinkle with parsley. Return to oven about 5 minutes to melt and brown the cheese.
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Tuesday 28th...
We had our little Emmi on Tuesday. She's getting so big! When we don't see her for even a day or two it feels like we've missed so much. We found she had a new little tooth today. Yep. #3. Another on the bottom. I was so sure she'd cut the top teeth next. This little one is already showing us she is her own person. :-)
Adam went back to his home in Raleigh on Tuesday. He was here for a week and it just seemed so short. We were a little concerned his flight would be held up, canceled or changed, but nope. Cleveland was open and evidently they had Raleigh's up and running. When they showed all the cars in his area slippin' and slidin' on the news it looked like there could have been problems.
MAN what's up with this gas?? This is nuts! And now they're saying $4 soon and $5 by summer?? Are they out of their minds? And wow. They raised minimum wage what, 12 cents? Gee thanks.
It took me forever, but I finally finished the photo files. I think those are my most important files. To me personally anyhow. I have them all filed by month, day and year and they are backed up in two places. Two external hard drives. Once they were all backed up for sure, I cleared my memory cards to start the new year. And now...the paper files. UGH!
While I was doing all that, I watched some of the cute Hallmark movies I'd recorded throughout the month. I think one of the cutest was The Night Before the Night Before Christmas. I wonder if they'll put any of these on video so we can have them to watch year after year?
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Wednesday 29th...
I was surprised today with a text message video of little Miss Emerson walking with the new walker activity center we got her for Christmas. Awe. I don't know how to do videos on here or I'd add it. So cute! It won't be long until she's off and runnin'. Nine months old. wow Where does time go?
Dusty is doing doggie clips and wanted to have her boss help her learn a proper cocker cut. Oh my our sweet Nelly looks so good!!
I love surprises. I got a cool surprise today when my granddaughter
Brandi and her friend came by. It was so NICE having someone drop in! Brandi is an amazing kid. I can see her doing something really special in her future. Graduation is just a couple months away and then on to college. sigh
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Thursday 30th...
Okay. Laundry done. Kitchen cleaned. Time to move on to the next job. I AM PROCRASTING! I admit it. I don't wanna do it. When I do, it will get done. And I do know it's one of those things that looking back I will figure out it too barely any time and wasn't nearly as bad as dreading it was. Dread. What wasted energy! lol
And I made "I DUNNO" for supper
- I took a huge package of stew meat, a big ol' onion sliced in "petals", a bunch of celery chopped and a bunch of mini carrots and crocked them for about 6 hours on high. Then it went into the frig to settle out the fat.
- For the "I DUNNO" I took about half of it and put it in my wok-ish fry pan. Love that thing. Farberware. Gift from my mother-in-law years ago. Without that and my pasta pot I wouldn't know how to act in the kitchen. I swear.
- I mixed 3/4 c. brown gravy mix with 2 c. water, 1 c. red wine and 1 c. beef broth (I used from the crockpot juices minus the fat) and poured it along with a big, big can of mushroom pieces and stems and a shake of sugar. We served it over noodles and it was great!!
I told you Brandi was a sweetheart! She proved it again by bringing me and Papa some ice cream from her work. Yummy!! Can't wait
to try it. I think we have grape, toffee bits and chocolate chip cookie dough. Mmmmm.
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Friday the 31st, New Year's Eve...
It was the day that ... changed
I hate the change so much that I didn't even go out and watch the first fireworks at 9 tonight. I just don't like it. I thought I'd have a bunch of kiddos here to enjoy the evening with and now I don't. Oh well. I just hope everyone is out there having safe fun. I love 'em all and want everyone safe.
Kennedy got here a little after 4 and it wasn't long before Brandi, her friend Alisa and Casey came by. They picked her up after visiting Emmi a little while.
Well, with plans changed, there won't be the meatballs, wings, soft pretzels, make your own pizza, and so on and so on....not happenin'. Oh well. I think I won't plan any more anythings. If they happen, okay, but I don't want to plan again. I get to sad when it goes down the drain. Yep. Not one single event here this whole month. Not because I didn't want it; because life changes. The circle goes round. And one day, this younger generation will sit and wonder where time went. Just like we are.
~~Mama Sage