It's only November 9th, and I'm already feeling the Pressure and Panic of posting every single day. This is a completely spontaneous post; I have zero idea what's coming out of my brain and fingers here, so buckle up. Let's go.
1. Dave's Killer Bread: Are you aware of this product? I fell in love with it over the summer, specifically the 21 Whole Grains and Seeds variety. It makes fantastic toast, and it has become my go-to lunch. Sometimes I just use a butter-olive oil spread, and sometimes I make avocado toast with sliced tomato. Other times I use a bit of marmalade. Two pieces of Dave's bread and a large cup of decaf and I'm good. It's quite a good source of fibre, so it's been lifechanging in that regard. The biggest drawback is its price. I cannot believe I pay $6 for a loaf of bread. But so worth it.
2. Stonewall Kitchen Orange Cranberry Marmalade: This is the aforementioned marmalade that I use on my toast. My BFF Leanne introduced me to it when I last visited her in Maryland. It's so addictive--just the right balance of of bitter and sweet. She was kind enough to not only send a jar home with me, but to also tell me where she got it (the At Home store). Luckily, there is an At Home near me, so I can go get some whenever I need to. Good thing, because Rick discovered he likes this marmalade, too, and he is quite generous with it on his English muffins. It, too, is pricey, but I like to feel I deserve this indulgence. It's not like it's a $10,000 diamond necklace.
3. Dinner Blahs: It's almost 3PM, and I have no idea what to make for dinner. Moreover, I actually don't want to make dinner. Nothing sounds appealing, either, from freezer, pantry, or carryout. I've already made dinner every day this week. Why must I do it again? But here's the thing: if I don't make/have dinner, I'll get increasingly crabby and fussy and downright petulant by about 7PM. Nobody wants that. So...! It's time to forage about in the cupboards, freezer, and pantry and see if anything at all inspires me (and quickly, too). And how annoying was it to keep reading the word Dinner over and over again in this paragraph? Sorry!
That's three, and that's Thursday. Will I make it to Friday? That's too far ahead right now. Let me figure out din-- this evening's meal-- and I'll get back to you.
Fletch loves Dave's Killer Bread - either the green (1st choice) or yellow (2nd choice). I don't really care for it. I'll eat it (heck it's carbs, why wouldn't I?), but it is certainly not at the top of my list. I do like marmalade though and I keep thinking I want to make my own - maybe when I retire? Pasta is on the menu tonight. I sauteed up some garlic, onions, peppers, mushrooms and olives. Added roasted garden tomatoes that I had in the freezer and hot Italian sausage that Fletch grilled a couple of nights ago. We will pick some greens from the cold frame to make a salad and boom! Dinner is on the table. Hope you find something easy to make or have.
ReplyDeleteVera--Yes, the green wrapper is the one I adore. Your pasta sounds delicious. We just had pasta a couple of nights ago. Rick had another big lunch provided by his boss (Thursday ritual), so he wasn't very hungry. Tomato soup with crackers satisfied us both.
DeleteI like to scroll on https://www.thekitchn.com/ or Pinterest for something that looks interesting. I rarely follow recipes, so all I'm really looking for is inspiration and then I can use whatever happens to be in the pantry/fridge. I hope your din--evening meal is all sorted by now!
ReplyDeletemaya--I love The Kitchn for the same reason. That may be where I found a really good recipe for roasted sausages, grapes, and onions. I love that served with naan.
DeleteWe ended up with just tomato soup and crackers. Rick had a big lunch and I wasn't very hungry.
If we buy bread from one of the local bread bakeries, the loaves are up to $10+.
ReplyDeleteBecause Steve is very likely to get called out right before dinner (I swear the fire siren is attached to my fridge door) ....we keep ready-to-eat meals in the freezer. If you are really, REALLY feeling hateful about cooking, they aren't half bad. Depending which you pick, they aren't half bad FOR you.
Dee--Goodness! That is pricey, but I'm sure it's worth it. I'm a fan of really good bread.
DeleteYou know, I should actually start making larger dinners and freeze the leftovers. That would help to solve this problem.
We have a meal plan every week and follow it religiously. I'm always a tiny bit jealous of people who must be a) better cooks than me or b) live close to grocery stores when they don't have everything in planned in advance! But in a crunch, I make popcorn and scrambled eggs and call it dinner. LOL.
ReplyDeleteNGS--A meal plan--but what if you don't feel like eating what's on the plan that day? Is that when scrambled eggs become dinner? Still, I probably should try to get a plan together, at least a little bit.
DeleteI have a very well-stocked freezer in the basement, so I can freestyle easily. It's always full of chicken, pork, a little beef, some sausage, and shrimp.And veg. And I always have the basics in the pantry. It's just that I don't always feel like throwing it all together into Something. (I know--first world problems.)
I've been thinking about trying that bread - and it would be really good for Mike. I shall have to investigate. As for dinner - I messaged Mike a while ago & said that I'd eaten a muffin as big as my head at 10:30 & skipped lunch so could we have salad for dinner. It's a go! Not too many more "salad" days around here (I don't like it when it's cold out), but today has been in the 80s.
ReplyDeleteI just had a long phone chat with my friend in NC, and she told me about the gorgeous weather. She's an Ohio transplant, too. I felt very sorry for myself here in NEO at 51 grey, windy degrees. Sigh.
DeleteI'm the same with you about big dinner salads once it gets into the cooler months. I'd rather have soups and chili and pastas.
This is Canada - I can only read about these brands. My 'go to' at present is something I can put in the oven and ignore for an hour while it cooks itself. Meatloaf, spareribs, roasts, all of that. Plus, the kitchen is warm, especially if I lean on the oven.
ReplyDeleteI just got committed to another pie, as well. Just one this time, but three are just about as easy as one, provided you buy the crusts. Shh. I am not telling my coworkers that.
Truth time? I never want to make dinner. I have never much enjoyed cooking, and after sixty years of providing an evening meal to suit himself, I am so over it. Unfortunately, himself is not over eating it. So ... more leaning on the oven door in my forecast.
Mary--Perhaps you have something similar in O! Canada to these things. Certainly there is some fibery, seedy bread somewhere. And marmalades of all kinds can be found in gifty shops.
DeleteI buy pie crusts, too. And the only pie I make is a chicken pie (or chicken pot pie, as some call it). I've never had a complaint, and if anyone asks, I tell them immediately. What do I care?
One of the best tricks I've learned is the sheet pan dinner, and I make it often. So easy and everything goes on and in at once. And, as you said, it keeps the house warm! (I just have to remember to take meat out of the freezer and want to eat it.)
It's all very tiresome after all these years. Now that children are gone, can't we dispense with this duty, too? Sigh.
The bread sounds like a wonderful treat. I don't eat bread, but if I did.
ReplyDeleteI make big batches of dinners, so that I can plug in a crockpot and heat up leftovers. It works for me. On the days I do a Costco run, I treat myself to a rotisserie chicken. Bam, dinner served. One food that I love: cool whip. There I said it and I don't care who knows. Damn, I love cool whip.
This is not the best post for me to read or comment on - I'm not able to eat or drink (even water) till after my test tomorrow. The test takes 4 hours. I'm already hungry and it's 10 pm.
Ernie--I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you for this test! Go get a big tub of Cool Whip afterward and treat yourself. I once knew a woman who used to eat it frozen, like ice cream. She kept dozens of tubs in her big freezer in the basement and just went down there with a spoon every once in a while.
DeleteI love rotisserie chickens. Why didn't I think of that yesterday? I could have just had Rick pick one up on his way home from work. Damnit. We get two meals out of one of those.
Do they still make chocolate Cool Whip? I'd eat that.
Thank you. I'm at the test now. I got here an hour and 10 minutes early, because LET'S GO. I am sort of relieved that during the test, I'm having the same pain in my side (I had to drink a BBQ sized packet of something). If I have the same pain, then I assume it is the same SIBO and then I can feel less like a lunatic and more like they just never got rid of it last time and they better figure it out this time because I'm not sure I can survive this test process again.
DeleteI don't know if they have chocolate cool whip. I've never tried it. I'm laughing at a woman eating frezen cool whip like ice cream. That hadn't occurred to me. I believe cool whip is fat free, so maybe it's healthier than ice cream.
Ernie--Sadly, chocolate Cool Whip is no longer a thing, unless you find their Seasonal Delight chocolate flavour in select markets (according to Google). Probably not worth the trouble whisking in cocoa powder. Is Hershey's syrup GF? Make yourself a sundae of CW, peanuts, and chocolate syrup. You've earned it. LET'S GO!
DeleteI can't believe I spend $7 on a loaf of bread. But it's a sourdough loaded with walnuts and cherries and like your favorite, a couple of pieces makes a great breakfast or lunch. I will look for Dave's next time I shop. Sounds good, too.
ReplyDeleteJean--Ooh, that bread sounds wonderful, except for the sourdough part. I've never been able to fully enjoy sourdough. Perhaps loaded with cherries and walnuts, though...I'd like to try it.
DeleteDave's comes in two sizes--thin sliced sandwich size and a larger, full size. I get the larger size. It's chewier and more moist. Just perfect.
The Stonewall Kitchen Orange Cranberry Marmalade sounds like a great find. I'll look for it at our Kroger, some branches carry Stonewall brand. Thanks for the suggestion.
ReplyDeleteAlly--You're welcome. It's so good! I hope you find and enjoy it.
DeleteYes. The Dinner Blahs are so real! It's like every day at a certain time, every single thing I planned with enthusiasm sounds as appealing as cardboard, and my energy level for prepping a meal is at zero. I even tried to persuade my husband to get pizza last night (it's National Pizza Week!) but he deferred pizza to another day so I had to cook the meal I'd planned. (Fajitas.) It was delicious! But pushing past that feeling is SO HARD.
ReplyDeleteSuzanne--You completely understand. I mean it. I even have no desire for the meal as I'm cooking it, but once I sit down to eat, I'm fine. I actually appreciate and enjoy what I've made. But, as you say, getting there is the hardest part.
ReplyDeleteI hate that we have to eat EVERY SINGLE DAMN DAY. So exhausting. I sometimes have motivation early in the day, go to the store, get ingredients, all of that...and then when work is done and it's time to cook, I think, "WTH was I thinking? Can't we have eggs or something?" Sigh.
ReplyDeleteI have a couple of expensive things that I buy, and I don't care how much they are. I was thinking about it the other day, and may make a blog post about it after I finish my Alphabet, unless I can make it a W, X, or Z. Oh, now I know! W is for Worth It! Thanks for the inspiration.
J--Exactly. Some weeks, I even get meat out of the freezer for the week and have a marvelous plan. Then the day comes, and I have no desire at all to prep and make the plan. And I'm stuck. It feels like a trap, a punishment for my organization and forethought.
DeleteI'm looking forward to W Is For Worth It. You could even fudge it and make it X Is For eXpensive Necessaries.
I'm still trying to come up with a post for today. I'm running on fumes.
Thanks Nance, you never know, I might just do that. At this point, I'm thinking my X is definitely going to be an eX word. I'm so glad you're blogging every day! Sometimes it's hard to think of things, but you're doing great!
DeleteWe love Daves Bread. I get the 21 grains too, but the Thin version. Maybe they're all thin? Anyhoo, it's delicious and expensive.
ReplyDeleteI've not had marmalade in a while---sounds like s sweet treat.
Nance, you know I feel the same way about dinner! How about a Grilled Cheese with Dave Bread??
BB Suz--I prefer the original, wide-pan version. I don't use it for sandwiches, just for toast, so I like the bigass slices.
DeleteI try not to eat grilled cheese--or much cheese at all--anymore. Cholesterol has become an issue for me. Sigh. We are the same in that way, too. Alas!