My Favorite Fast Food Revisited – & – My Fascination with Water Taken to a Silly Level

Let me start by stating that Taco Bell serves my most craved fast food. As a kid I liked their named Mexican pizza, however inauthentic its name. These days I stick with the beef burrito supreme because the so-called pizza always seemed just a soggy mess. I guess that didn’t bother my childhood self.

Today, following my husband’s request for Taco Bell’s new steak grilled cheese burrito I decided to bring home a burrito supreme for later and a Mexican pizza. I thought our air fryer might crisp up the item.

And did it ever (!); three minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit turned my late lunch into what might well be a new favorite junk food treat. Sad to say, his pick proved a disappointment. He did enjoy the chicken grilled cheese burrito the last time and plans to order it again in future.

Now I’ll show you my goofy desktop water feature. Since all my tropical fish died I’ve been loath to get more. I hope to eventually start keeping aquatic plants in my smaller aquarium. Meanwhile, this old chipped plastic storage bowl entertains me while typing.

Did you know Taco Bell was named after its founder, entrepreneur Glen Bell? And can you imagine why I and so many others are mesmerized with the random nature of both running water and flames?

As a bonus, here is a clip of my serial chewer, Polly. She only seems to do this for attention. Like our cats are so neglected. ~rolls eyes~ I definitely use electrical cord protectors on her favorite targets.

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A Simple Fix

Sad to say, a while back my decades old flip flops began breaking apart. So I bought new from a local dollar store. This pair’s soles are thick and comfortable. However, the attached straps dug into my skin.

On a whim I tried swapping out the hard plastic with my old soft rubbery straps. It worked! If only I could wear them on a beach and not just to the pool.

Trading the uncomfortable
blue for orange suits me.

Ah, well. Now I have a linguistic question showing my age.

Have you ever heard flip flops called thongs? Do you prefer open or closed-to footwear?

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Tips and Tricks

I have become a real fan of fresh fruit, whether in a smoothie or whole. By happenstance, I learned that pineapple juice is an excellent preservative. I’d bought some to make homemade sweet and sour sauce. It turned out okay but my crab Rangoon wasn’t worth the effort. Grapes, apple slices, banana bits, and what have you stay fresh in the refrigerator with a dose of the sweet/sour nectar – for over a week! I also learned that black cherry Kool Aid powder gets everywhere, yet putting the water filled (or empty) pitcher on the fridge door shelf contains the annoying dye.

Outside the kitchen, I learned that hummingbirds don’t need their sugar water dyed red. And powdered sugar is bad for their health; they don’t need the cornstarch additive.

Remaining on the outside, where I’m now enjoying a lovely evening, I’ve discovered that I can legally own a flamethrower. Flame’s a great poison free weed killer. For now I enjoy using my little butane torch purchased for cooking use.

Still in the garden area, one of the best things I ever did was take a free course on pruning woody plants. You want to cut at the branch bark ridge, especially for trees. Otherwise, they can become diseased or even dangerous from sudden breakage. A local arborist calls this method ‘Treevorkian’, per Dr. Kevorkian’s infamous legacy.

On a funny note, years ago I purchased a pot of what the garden center called ‘snake plant’. He could tell me little else about it. After moving the withering, tropical looking plant to a shadier region I know have a spreading monstrosity that, while beautiful, shoots up stinky flowers – cadaverous smelling. Right this moment I see three shoots from where I sit. Hence I will never try selling this house in April or May. ~grin~ A contractor almost gagged one spring. Heh… And the same goes for prickly pear cactus. A single pot has overtaken parts of my yard.

Outside the home, my little town needs a lesson. Please mark a closed road before resients drive blocks out of their way. There are exactly two intersections allowing entrance and egress. And while I appreciate the infrastructure improvements, not knowing which way to go is annoying. It’s a first world problem, for sure, however this adds stress I don’t need.

My husband’s surgery was an apparent success – no cancr cells detected around the surgical sight. Therein lies another tip. If you require general anesthesia, know that a paralytic is included. This restricts bathroom activity, shall we say, and taking steps pre-op make the tummy region much more comfortable days after.

Forgive me if you’ve read any of this stuff here before. I appreciate you stopping by. Connecting with awesome bloggers keeps me sane.

Did you know that any cacti species are a Midwestern United States native?

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From ‘Preppie’ to ‘Prepper’

Way back in the early nineties, before office employees dreamed of working from home, I dressed like an absolute yuppie. Preppy better fits this post but it’s a bit of a joke. My cousin’s hand-me-downs were nothing popular students wore in the 1980’s. ~sigh~ Anyway, times sure have changed.

Because of inflation and possible food shortages beyond ongoing supply chain issues, fashion is the least of my concerns. I have added and/or changed numerous habits.

Dried coffee grounds & tea leaves will
benefit our vegetable garden.

An unused ice bucket holds what
I have thus far reaped...

Preserving tough meat in the
form of jerky is not new
but sure is tasty...

I will break this down into smaller
packages and vacuum seal each
with a moisture absorber.

Below is a tip unrelated to these uncertain times. I prefer my improvisation over the cheap plastic fruit juicing tools our grocer sells.

Are you stocking up on anything? And on a lighter note, do you miss fashions from any particular era?

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Sneezes and Substitutions (and lots of food related links!)

Are you familiar with the trope of a person sneezing over a dose of black pepper? Well, that’s been me my entire life. And now, much as I enjoy spicy food, the first bite can also trigger sneezing. It seems my sinuses get more sensitive day by day.

Today I seared a tuna steak and my sauce caused this phenomena. Just a few minutes ago it was my twice spicy Samyang noodles. My husband won’t even eat them anymore as he considers the heat too painful. Ah, well, more leftover for me.

On a less sweat-worthy note I looked up a recipe for peach cake. It’s something we enjoyed in the 90’s from a boxed mix and can’t find anymore. Doubtless neither of us should eat it. Perhaps this fact gave me the craving after all these years.

Anyhow, I found an old fashioned recipe. Ripe peaches aren’t available but I think it can be converted to accommodate canned. Other folks shared some neat tricks for such things as substituting cake flour and powdered sugar with more common staples. And almond extract, as it turns out, can be omitted in favor of vanilla extract. This cake calls for both, so I won’t spend money on any of these rarely used items.

When I decided to make a chicken pot pie yesterday (a cold weather comfort dish) I found my shortcut ingredient missing. But someone else came to the rescue with this easy way to make your own cream of chicken soup.

Do you like ramen noodles? What is your favorite comfort food?

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My Syrup Returns the Favor

Ginger cookies.... Mmmm...

On the same day as my moldy maple syrup discovery I decided to bake molasses ginger cookies. After assembling, measuring, and mixing all dry ingredients, the butter soft and stand mixer ready to go, one missing item became glaringly obvious. We were out of molasses.

Of all things, I thought. And once again I wasted time and effort by jumping into action before gathering every ingredient.

In a strange twist of fate, real maple syrup makes a respectable molasses substitute. As an added bonus, my husband found and implemented another Internet tip on stopping a stand mixer from bouncing up and down during use. The racket is awful and that movement can damage attachments.

A simple screw adjustment does wonders.
Here is the Youtube video.

If you don’t now, would you ever consider owning a stand mixer? Did you know there are KitchenAid stand mixer attachments for use with fruits, vegetables, and even meats?

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Microwave Magic – No Muss No Fuss Corn on the Cob

July in the Midwestern United States means a wonderful thing – fresh produce, including corn on the cob. Yum! We bought our first half dozen ears at Saturday’s outdoor market.

In past we bought it from the grocery store. Not anymore. The sweetness begins turning to starch fast, and this process accelerates as soon as the ears are shucked. That last was news to us.

Last summer I painstakingly peeled back each husk, removed what silk I could, pulled up the husk, then soaked them several minutes while my husband fired up the grill. Then my guy found this YouTube video by Matt Taylor.

What a revelation! Popping an ear straight from the shopping bag into our (1100 watt) microwave for three minutes cooked the kernels to perfection. And just as shown in this image from his video, the silk came away clean.

Is that not beautiful?

Do you know why they are called ears? Is there a similar shortcut you would recommend for a favorite vegetable?

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Refilling the Soap Dispenser

 I discovered an easy fix online. Use the stem of the pump to keep a bubble from forming.

~shakes head

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Helpful Hints – or – Peculiar Pointers (depending upon your viewpoint)

Almost every day lately I discover tiny, simple tricks to cut down the time and energy spent on mundane tasks. Or preserve items, as it were, such as cilantro. I just love those flavorful leaves on foods like this home cooked Thai style chicken and mushroom soup.

Chicken broth infused with lemongrass,
while a splash of very stinky fish sauce
brings surprisingly great umame!

But I find the delicate herb turns brown fast despite refrigeration. Then it occurred to me that removing the stems, bagging and sealing the brightest greenery, preserves its fresh flavor.

Sorry about the glare...

Overall, my husband and I make a great cooking and gardening team. With chores like laundry I tend to be on my own. And it’s a minor annoying when he becomes impatient to show me something on television while I rush putting away our clothes.

Yesterday, I thought about his occasional aid in hanging shirts. He’ll stand by the bed and toss me individual items. Instead of dragging him off the couch, I brought my T-shirt laden vanity table bench close to the closet. And voila! It went so much faster.

A Temporary Laundry 'Table'

Another pet peeve is biting insects. I know many can relate. Some of us seem to be tastier than others. Years ago I discovered a handy Sportsman’s stick repellent that makes it easy to target my most vulnerable bits of skin (elbows, wrists, calves, knees, and ankles in particular) without inhaling poisonous aerosol sprays.

The only bother with it is the top screws off but the product itself needs to be held in place, which isn’t easy with my small hands. Instead of struggling this past weekend, I tucked a cotton ball in that bottom well. The electrical tape holding the ‘stuffing’ in place is easy to remove if more cotton is needed.

30% Deet!

Are you a popular menu item in the insect world? If you suffer, have you tried a Deet infused product such as I swear by?

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Thumbs Down and Oiled Up

My coping mechanism during these unprecedented times has been endless solitaire played on my iPod Classic. Yes. This means a spin/click wheel. I know virtual card games are available for my iPod touch and laptop. There was just something extra comforting in the old familiar technology.

Image from eBay

Unfortunately, hundreds of games predominantly using my right hand caused a mild repetitive stress injury. Oops. Hitting the space key is now my left index finger’s job, no easy feat. Oh, well, I’ll no doubt work it out. And reading is an excellent, painless pastime. Meanwhile, before my topic goes all oily, here is more fun with my stop motion camerawork.

The poor dear has no idea she’s on candid camera. When she appeared in the living room I went back and stopped filming at just the right time, no editing needed. Sorry it’s so dark and grainy, but isn’t she just the cleanest cute little kitty?

Sad to say, I also bring up oil due to the pandemic. One handy item nobody else has mentioned to my knowledge is petroleum jelly. My husband purchased a small jar some years ago for fire starting. Last week I recalled the material’s soothing and moisturizing properties.

We picked up a larger tub during our final trip inside the local grocery store. I’ve since reserved my favorite lip balm sticks for portability. A lifetime of lifesaving steroids in my asthma medications resulted in dry eyes, as well. Too bad the jelly would blur my vision as my eye drop stock is drying up. Heh… Not Sorry.

Do you have any petroleum jelly at home? Is there another item or activity you would suggest to restore some comforting first world normalcy?

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Food Flip - a Kitchen Shortcut

My husband and I teamed up in the kitchen yet again, this time to cure some beef jerky. I did all the knife work for starters while he made the marinade, then together we laid out the pieces on our dehydrator. After drying for several hours, it was baked a short time for food safety. He removed the two baking trays and found the meat too hot to lay out for the excess grease to drain.

Lime and liquid smoke infused, this tastes better than it looks.

Since our friend Phoenix arrived with his computer, I took over that final step. And at this point I discovered a new trick, preferable over painstakingly placing each individual piece. I placed paper towels on top.

Probably used more than I needed. Heh...

I patted them down well.

All tucked in...

Next comes foil...

Almost done.

Over that I inverted a clean baking sheet. Holding the trays together with a firm grip, I flipped them both over.

Sorry for the glare...

This is likely something other folks already knew from either personal experience or perhaps some cooking show, but I was tickled by my discover.

Do you own a dehydrator? Are you familiar with the many foods this process helps preserve?


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You Don’t Say, Technological Growing Pains, & Misc. Tidbits

Yesterday I returned a phone call to a gal I’ve known for over forty years. She is forever asking when my husband and I will drive across state to visit. Heaven forbid she make the drive south.

~sigh~

Therefore it should come as no surprise this introvert contacts her out of loyalty more than enjoyment, especially as she so often sounds on the verge of emotional breakdown. This conversation indicated a more manic phase, which I don’t mind inasmuch as it indicated a positive mindset. But whenever I attempted to respond with my take on the current subject she talked right over me.

So I just shut up and listened with minimal murmurs of support. After a while she took a breath and said, “You’re not saying much. What have you been up to?”

Ooookay…

To my credit I didn’t laugh and just replied that there wasn’t much to say. The look on my husband’s face when I shared this was priceless.

Meanwhile, I took a rainy afternoon walk around our hilly neighborhood. The sound of raindrops on an umbrella (or roof, what have you) is so soothing. This time I stopped to photograph a colorful mailbox, never thinking to do so before Pam’s creative inspiration. ~grin~ And I know she will like the color scheme.

Purple!

And that brings me to computer issues. My laptop, while converted to Windows 10, has a ‘skin’ that mimics 7. It’s not perfect, and now I need a newer version of MS Word (I’m still using the 2003 software, believe it or not) for better compatibility. At least my iPod touch should be easy to access now.

Right? Well, not yesterday.

However, this morning I thought to go into PC settings → devices → Autoplay, and select the option to import pictures for the Apple iPod.

Got it! Whew…

Now if I could just get my Bluetooth keyboard to connect automatically as before. ~shakes head~ It needs to be ‘paired’ with my Bluetooth dongle every time now. That’s what happens when you choose retirement over owning the latest hardware. I’ll take that trade any day.

Ah! My husband just notified me that he’s worked out the tricks to making MS Word 2007 work in Windows 10. You can imagine how his acumen led to a long career in IT, both as an Airman and later for General Motors. Some changes he implemented remain in use, I believe.

Do you agree it’s the small wins that add quality and joy to our cluttered modern lives? What little victory have you won lately?

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Seal of Approval & a Photography Cheat

My husband’s cooking/baking fascination has resulted in several new kitchen gadget purchases. I won’t complain. Besides being wise with finances, he convinced me years ago that most of his picks prove very useful.

A few weeks ago he researched vacuum packing machines to make sealing food for the souse vide method easier and more efficient. Since its use goes far beyond that, this seemed a great investment, especially since he found rolls of plastic much less expensive than the bags.

The compact unit (atop our portable blue cooler) and, of course, the plastic rolls.

Our next box of frozen pierogi will receive the vacuum seal treatment after I’ve boiled and pan seared what we want for the meal. No more yucky freezer burn after we’ve forgotten an opened box.

Pot Roast Leftovers

What about that frustrating, rock hard brown sugar? I looked into options, discovered tight sealed crocks for sale, and realized we already possessed the solution. Just cut the bag open, take what the recipe needs, then use the Foodsaver to reseal it.

Doesn't the brown sugar look like a pillow?

Oh, and my easy camera trick is for dabblers like me with no professional equipment or training, nor honest desire to spend time rectifying that. I’d rather watch cat videos than tutorials.

 ~grin~

Besides, my photos aren’t for money making purposes, just fun. So, moving on, my most common photo fail is a shadow cast by the lens when using the built-in flash.

Photo Fail

The solution? Hold my Canon PowerShot SX130 upside down. Heh… And voila! That shadow you see here disappeared in the final result higher up.

Do you have a collection of kitchen gadgets? Is there one you find most indispensible?

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Things Nobody Teaches You & Other Tidbits

The older we get, my husband and I discover more and more little life improving tricks. Sometimes I call them “Duh Moments” due to how obvious they are in retrospect.

Mmm... Smell the carnations (more on this later).

For example take dental floss, of which my younger self wasted a fair amount. A few years ago I finally figured out that the ideal amount for proper teeth cleaning is just about the length of my forearm. Duh… It makes sense to get a rough measurement.

The next one was less obvious, regarding dishwasher settings. Our machine is far from new, but well advanced over what my mother used. Its option to turn off the drying cycle seemed great. Why not save electricity? Well, don’t do it, at least on a regular basis in humid Southwest Ohio. The constant moisture caused mildew buildup within that took a while for us to notice. Yuck. I now reserve that setting for rare occasions.

Don’t like drying toothpaste gunk beneath the newfangled flip-top cap? Unscrew the thing, instead. My dear man pointed that one out. Oh, and he converted this laptop to Windows 10 without incident. We didn’t have to recover a single file. Whew! His effort is much appreciated.

I, meanwhile, continue striving to exercise. Yesterday I considered getting on our NordicTrack. Then, looking around at various clutter, opted to do some tidying. I started with the kitchen before picking up things to take downstairs, especially off the hearth and mantel where I had too many tchotchkes. In case you're unfamiliar it's pronounced choch-ka(s), Yiddish for brick-a-brack (I tend to forget how regional slang tends to be). In an hour I worked up quite a sweat and felt good for neatening the downstairs a bit, as well as the main living areas.

My final tidbit is true frivolity, but also the newest idea of which I’m quite proud. Our beautiful crystal vase, a wedding gift, is way larger than I can afford to fill. While silk flowers can be nice, fresh carnations give off one of my absolute favorite fragrances. I only buy when they’re marked down, and lucked out at a $2 bunch whose petals and scent remain lovely longer than expected.

The final trick I’ll share involves flower arranging. I wanted to keep their appearance neat and stems from leaning against the glass, impossible without some sort of support (I didn’t splurge on other cut vegetation). To my pleasant surprise, a submerged shot glass fit the bill. Later, I added strands of artificial ivy, a reusable asset dressing up my fragrant display.

Surprise! The clear glass within crystal turned invisible.
But you can kind of see how it corralled the stems.

Did you know both cut and planted carnations bloom longer than nutrient gobbling roses? Do you prefer one type of flower over the other, whether in vases or gardens?

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