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.

V is for Vegetables in Hamburger Helper

We like Hamburger Helper in our house. We REALLY like it. My daughter LOVES it. She's made it twice just this week. But, we also add vegetables to it. It's not just meat, sauce and noodles for us. 


First Deb made Beef Noodle Helper to which she added French-style green beans. It was delicious. Today she made Philly Cheesesteak Helper and added whole kernel corn and peas. I might have liked it better without the peas, but it's still good. It's not that I don't like peas, but they added a "sweet" to it that I'd have rather not had in something called Philly Cheesesteak.


Adding vegetables allows Hamburger Helper to be a one pan meal instead of having to dirty another pan to cook a vegetable separately.


Do you make Hamburger Helper (or something similar)? When you do, do you change it up in any way?

Best Laid Plans

In yesterday's post, I said I would be cooking chicken today because it was going to be a cool day. Well...it WAS a cool day, but I slept half of it away. I don't know why - I just couldn't stay awake. Eventually, though, I did decide to cook and, as is often the case when I make plans in advance, I didn't cook chicken. 

I went rooting to see what we had, thinking we might have a meal "kit" on hand that I could use the chicken with, but instead I found Hamburger Helper Four Cheese Lasagna. I knew I had hamburger in the freezer, so I got a pack out and put it in the microwave to thaw. I also got a can of corn and a can of peas out to add to the dinner along with the meat, noodles and sauce packet. It was far from gourmet, but it met the need and tasted reasonably decent. I added ketchup to mine, but that's a personal thing. 


There is enough left that my daughter can take some to work for lunch and I can have some for breakfast instead of the chocolate Malt-o-Meal I've been eating. But, then, I might still have the Malt-o-Meal and have the Helper for lunch. I'll decide tomorrow.


You know, there's really nothing wrong with Hamburger Helper. It's true that all processed foods (or almost all) are high in sodium, but if you want something quick that tastes fairly decent that you can tweak here and there, it's not a bad way to go. And, there are plenty of off-brands out there that match it pretty well in quality, so it's nice to have a few tucked away for a day when you just have no creative juices flowing. It comes together quick and can be changed up with ground chicken or turkey - or even ham. I'll never turn my back on Hamburger Helper.

Meals at Midnight

That's right. You don't have to be a college student to decide to cook dinner at midnight (or just past, in our case). I just didn't feel like cooking yesterday and my daughter had a date, so she wasn't here to eat. But, when she got home from the movies, she asked if I had made anything because she was hungry (apparently, the date didn't include dinner). 


I had thawed a pound of hamburger, but when it's hot and humid, I'm not always anxious to go into the kitchen to work on a meal. So, we will "graze" rather than dine. But, by midnight, it had cooled some, so I offered to make some hamburgers (which I have been craving for a while). Or spaghetti and meat sauce. But, she wanted green beans and tomato sauce. I knew we only had a single can of tomato sauce which wouldn't be enough for this very simple, yet tasty, meal. 

She went to the pantry and pulled out that can and a can of diced tomatoes and two cans of French style green beans and I went to work. I browned the beef, then added the drained green beans followed by the tomato sauce and tomatoes. We usually serve this with fried potatoes, so I quickly cooked up some frozen French fries to go with.


I prefer this with straight tomato sauce, but it wasn't bad. My personal tastes are to use a single can of beans with their liquid plus ground beef and at least one can of tomato sauce. But, my daughter is a huge fan of French style green beans, so we got a double helping. Season to your taste - we added fresh ground salt and pepper. 


Although it was late, it was just what we both were looking for. Something a bit more substantial than tuna or peanut butter, yet reasonably healthy. Yeah, it was late, but heck - you're only young once (well, I can dream, can't I?)

An Online Benefit for the USO and our Troops; plus FOOD!

I have another blog that is newer than this one. It is for my Avon business while this one is personal. But, I do want to tell people about the benefit.


Avon has a variety of fundraisers that representatives can do. Sure, they can be lucrative if you connect with the right group, but I really don't pursue that. However, ever since I first saw this particular program, I have had an interest in participating. 


This is a type of "gift in kind" fundraiser wherein part of the funds go to the organization and part of the funds are used to purchase a product gift pack that the organization will hand out to our overseas troops. 90% of the price of the item goes directly to either the USO or to cover the cost of the merchandise to be given to our troops. The remaining 10% covers the cost of taking the orders and processing the payment to Avon. Avon takes care of the rest.

You don't have to ship anything, you don't have to donate huge quantities of money, you don't have to worry about who's getting the money. You know up front where it's going.


There is a PayPal link on the other blog for placing the order and making payment. You DO NOT have to have a PayPal account. The payment can be processed without your having an account, so there's no fussing with having to link it to your bank account and what have you. Just fill out the info and, after verification, the payment will be received. Debit cards or credit cards are fine. You don't have to be rich to help out, but if you're able and want to, you CAN purchase more than one kit to be given to more than one serviceman or woman. It's entirely up to you.


Here is the link to the other blog. You can read more there about the program and about the products our service personnel will receive. As I say there, the sales will benefit me with my Avon standing, but I'm not going to be getting rich with this. It's just something I want to do, that I don't feel like there is a financial ulterior motive for me to do it. The link is here.


Of course, I'd love if you bought some Avon using my storefront link, but not everyone is a fan. And, that's OK. But, I doubt there are many people who don't appreciate that our troops are willing to risk their lives (even if we don't agree politically with the reason they've been sent) or that the USO sends entertainers into some dangerous theaters of operation in order to give the troops a morale boost. Seriously, is there anyone out there who never saw or enjoyed Bob Hope entertaining the troops? The men loved it!! So, would you please consider giving something back to the men and the USO for all they've done for us?


AND NOW.....TONIGHT'S DINNER


Of course, I have to add something about food. I didn't have my dinner finished when I posted the first part, but now it's done. We've finished eating and I now have the obligatory photo to share with you all.


I wanted to use some of the hamburger that was in the freezer. I took it out a couple days ago to thaw and it's been in the fridge ever since. I decided I needed to use it and found just the thing online. Hamburger Stew!


I took the pound of burger out, put it in the pan and started the fire. I love my potato masher (one of those curly ones, not those ones with the square holes in it that I wouldn't even use on potatoes) because I use it to break down ground meat that I'm cooking. I hate having huge lumps of ground meat in my recipes. So, I started cooking the meat, added onions, a can of stewed tomatoes, a can of sliced potatoes and some powdered beef base for added flavor. Then I got out the leftover corn and carrots I had frozen a couple weeks ago for future use and added them. Once all that was hot and simmering, I added some leftover broccoli and the smidgen (not a precise measurement, naturally) of lima beans that were still frozen along with some more powdered beef base and water. Once all of that came to peak heat, I added some ditalini pasta (again, no measurement - just until it looked like enough), turned the fire down and let it slow cook while I worked on the first part of today's blog entry. Eventually, I turned the fire off completely and waited for everyone to come home.


My son was the first to arrive. I asked him to look at the pot and tell me if he thought I should thicken it or if we should eat it more like soup. That's when I learned that "looks like enough" can be too much. The ditalini had absorbed all the water!!! So......I added two more cups of water, some fresh ground salt and pepper and some pot herbs along with a can of tomato sauce. I reheated the pot and stirred it thoroughly and supper was ready. Of course, I forgot to take the picture until two of us had already had some, but there's plenty in there, so I got a decent photo of the stew/soup (I REALLY don't want to call it "stoup". I mean, I like Rachael, but there is a line I draw.) 

You can see how many little pastas are really in there. 

So, tell me - is this something you'd eat? Seasoned to your tastes, of course, but do you like one pot meals like this - easy to throw together, no constant attending necessary? My kinda cooking!