Sunday, August 26, 2012

Keeping Current - or at least trying to

I thought I'd take advantage of things and try to stay a bit more current with my blog. I still haven't done any real cooking other than throwing some hot dogs in with some Bush's Baked Beans and heating them up. Yet, I did enjoy them. I happen to like beans with wieners quite a bit. I'll even put the beans in the roll with the dog instead of mustard. So, that's one foodie item I can post about. That was yesterday's lunch.

Later in the day, Tom and I went to Starbucks for some coffee (hot for him, iced for me) and then to the store so he could get cat food and orange juice. Then we went to a local thrift store because they were having an end-of-summer 50% off sale I wanted to check out. I was able to get three new tops for myself plus a couple shot glasses to send to my son who collects them.


Buffet Interior - food tables
Then, last night, my friend Tom and I went to the largest Chinese buffet in the area up in Cinnaminson. It's called Hibachi Grill and Supreme Buffet. They're reasonably priced and have more food than any place I've ever been. And, if someone in your family hates Chinese food but everyone else wants to go, they'll be OK because there is an entire section of "American" food like mashed potatoes and gravy, roasted sirloin, roasted prime rib, baked ham, green beans, corn, pizza, rolls, and other tasty items. They also have the largest fresh fruit table I've seen with HUGE strawberries! I don't even like strawberries and I was impressed.


After eating, we drove to Bottom Dollar Foods where I picked up some hamburger for just over $1/lb. It's 73% lean, but heck - for that price, I'll pour off the grease! It's a great deal! I also picked up some cereal, milk, dry cat food and cat litter, both of which I needed badly. We humans can find alternative sources of necessities, but house-bound cats can't.

Today's breakfast was a couple more hot dogs and beans and a small cup of chili my daughter made at a friend's last night. She does make some mighty good chili - I was disappointed that there wasn't more. But, tonight we had Chinese takeout. Both of us had sweet and sour chicken with fried rice. She doesn't use the sauce and I do. Sometimes, having something that's breaded and fried just satisfies a craving like nothing else can.

And, just now, I was able to acquire a handmade box to keep the litter box in that helps keep litter from getting all over the floor and being in view of anyone walking nearby. I have to go pick it up tomorrow. It's on the big side, but we have three cats, so anything that can help control things works for me - plus, it should cut down on some of the dust they scatter as well as the gravel.

Now, off to watch my Storage Wars marathon. I do like that show, even though I'll never be someone who can afford to buy a storage locker. It gives me some ideas on smaller items that might turn a buck down the road.

Friday, August 24, 2012

A Foodie Update


Wow - it's been a month since I was last here. Lots of things happening, some good, some not quite so good, but we still plug along.

I haven't done a lot of cooking at home for a while, so I haven't really had anything to post about foods from my kitchen. But, I have been treated to dinner a few times and I've enjoyed it.


Tom made me dinner twice this week. Both times he made meatloaf. I really enjoyed the first one. The second one not quite as much, but that's because he put way too much mustard into the meat mixture and I'm just not a mustard fan - especially Dijon! Yet, he used 90% lean beef and the loaf was so tender because he made sure there were good fats added to the meat (he used cream when he moistened the bread). There were onions as well as eggs and Worcestershire sauce. Other than the mustard, which only added a touch of flavor the first time, both meatloaves were excellent in construction and texture.


The first dinner also had broccoli and egg noodles. I made a sauce from the meatloaf drippings for the noodles. It was all really good. The second dinner had frozen string beans and couscous. I'm NOT a fan of frozen vegetables. I know they're good for you, but I just don't like their flavor or texture. I ate about half of them just because I know they were good for me. But, I couldn't make myself finish them. The couscous were kind of bland and dry, so I ate them mixed with the meatloaf.


Tom's brother made dinner on Sunday. It was actually pretty darned good, too. He made Shepherd's Pie. If you want to be precise, it would be Cottage Pie, because it was made with ground beef, not lamb. He gave me way too much, but it was good. His only problem was that he didn't add ANY salt to the dish, so we had to add it on our dishes because it was very bland.


In all three cases, I was able to bring a plate to my daughter, so she got to have a home made dinner, too. Well, the one time she actually came to Tom's house to eat. The other two times, I brought it to her.


I have to say I like being spoiled, having someone else do the cooking. I'm not going to complain, even if Tom's brother isn't my favorite person.

A CoverGirl&Olay Review



Now, I want to tell you all that I have become a BzzAgent. I receive products for free in exchange for a review of those products. The first products I received were CoverGirl +Olay 2in1 Foundation and Pressed Powder. Now, I've never been one to wear a lot of makeup. I've never liked having anything make me look "fake". I had my makeup done professionally one time and when I saw myself in the mirror, I went in and washed my face. I didn't look like myself at all! But, when I tried this foundation, I have to say that I felt that it did a wonderful job! It went on smoothly and didn't at all appear to be caked on like some foundations can look. I looked in the mirror and it was still ME! I could tell that my coloring was more even, but it didn't look like I had makeup on. The only thing I added was some blush on my cheeks. I don't wear eye makeup, but did like that my skin tone was even and smooth-looking without looking artificial. The anti-aging formula in this foundation and pressed powder are perfect for our not-so-young skin. This isn't my daughter's makeup.

I have oily skin and I didn't feel "greasy". I liked that about it and would recommend it to others for that reason.