Wednesday, July 31, 2019

7.31.19: End of July 2019 - Suggestions from My LOFT and My Pantry Challenges

We've made it through another month!!
Hello, end of July!!
You went by so quickly!!

I'm a little bit behind on posting,
about a week and a half or so.

First up:
Suggestions from the LOFT
Chicken Salad with Pecans, Cranberries, and Vidalia Pickled Onion Strips
This is from two weekends ago when it was soooooo hot and humid!
I had bought already cooked chicken from the Giant Eagle deli
on purpose for this.
A way to beat the heat!!
I further diced up the chicken, added a couple of packets of dried cranberries & pecans pieces, some pickled Vidalia onion strips, Miracle Whip, and then, to clean out the Miracle Whip jar,
I used some of the pickling liquid from the onion strip jar.
Put it in tortilla boat and called it lunch!
Also had it on bread later.
It was filling and hit the spot!

In an attempt to use up stuff from my freezer, 
I came up with the above dish:
Applewood Chicken Strips and Stouffer's Four Cheese Pasta with Bacon
This was "just OK" -
meaning will I ever try that again?
Nope.
But I will say it was easy to zap and you had supper!!
But when you end up throwing most of it out, yeah, not worth it!
Lesson learned!!

Spaghetti with Meatballs and Meat Sauce
with Mixed Veggies
I've been hungry for spaghetti for a few weeks and threw this together this past weekend.
I had some Italian meatballs in the freezer to use up and came up with this.
I like to do things differently....
so in place of spaghetti sauce, I used a can of sloppy joe sauce.
I also added a bag of frozen vegetables to the sauce to get in some vegetables
(think green beans, peas, carrots, and corn).
Add some onion and celery, too!!
And I really like leftover spaghetti!!
 I like to add a few squirts of ketchup to it before microwaving the leftovers.
It works for me!! 

I also baked!!
It was too warm last week to do it!!
Here's what I made:
Milk Chocolate Brownies with Chocolate Chips and Walnuts
(to celebrate National Milk Chocolate Day)
Sour Cream Rhubarb Bar Cookies

Recipe for:
Sour Cream Rhubarb (Bar) Cookies


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, if making cookies.

Otherwise, spray a 9x13 inch cooking dish with cooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together:
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

3. In a large bowl, beat together with an electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy:
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar

4. Add and beat to combine:
1 egg

5. Beat in, making sure all the ingredients are well combined:
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

6. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and beat until combined. Add another 1/3 of the flour mixture and repeat until all the ingredients are combined.

7. Stir in:
2 cups rhubarb, diced

8. For cookies: Drop rough tablespoons of batter onto prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Bake 10-12 minutes, until the edges of the cookies start to brown and the top of the cookies get a little color. Let cool slightly, then remove to a rack to cool completely. Makes about 40 cookies.

9. For bar cookies: Pour dough into prepared 9x13 inch cake pan. Bake approximately 25- 32 minutes, keeping an eye on it. 
I did a toothpick test at 25 minutes and it was still "wet" in one spot, but looking good. 
Gave it another 5-7 minutes to bake, toothpick test showed they were done! 
I noticed that as this cooled, it does drop some. 
Came out very moist and tasty!! 
Will make again!!!

Last creation made this weekend:
Pork Chops with a French Onion Mushroom Gravy
over
Quartered Potatoes and Diced Carrots
(done in the crockpot)
This one was completely a 
"let me throw this together with this, that, and the other thing" 
kind of dish.
Turned out pretty good.
I may attempt this again on another day,
with some tweaks.

$5 Pantry Challenge:
I'm a wee bit behind on posting what I was able to find to add to my pantry for $5 each week, that wasn't part of my grocery budget.
About 3 weeks (if you count this week) behind.
So here are the "deals" I was able to find:
5 Del Monte Super Fruits - Diced Peaches in Pomegranate Juice
$1 each
These have made for tasty snacks!

Last week:
 9 Cans of Giant Eagle Condensed Soups
@ 59 cents a can
Went over a little bit, by 31 cents, but worth it - they were on sale!
I use condensed soups in cooking!

This week:
2- 8 oz  Frozen pkgs of Dole Fruit and Veggie Orange Medley
(mangos, mandarin oranges, bananas, sweet potatoes, and pineapple)
Half price!!
So, basically, two for the price of one!!
$4 total
These will be used to make fruit smoothies...
I had one for breakfast this morning....
Yummy!!!

A fun purchase I made recently were new sheets for my bed:
They're microfiber and I really like the colors.
I can't recall the last time I bought new sheets....
At least 10 plus years?
And some of my sheets are showing it!!!
Thus, a little splurge...
and I was able to find some reasonably priced new ones!

Other fun stuff the past few weeks included two trips to the dentist for a final fitting of my new partials and then, picking them up yesterday.
I have a six month check up next week....
Too bad everything couldn't have been done all at once!
Oh, well!

I had my brakes done on the car earlier in the week.
My sister and brother-in-law have a garage and I take the car there to have it worked on.
Am very happy to have the brakes taken care of.
Next on the agenda before inspection:
Repairing a hole in my rocker panel
and replacing a wheel bearing on the front passenger side.
After that, I should be set to have it inspected!
YEA!!!

I'm feeling very
Blessed Beyond Measure!

Love and prayers,
Sue


Saturday, July 20, 2019

Suggestions from the LOFT: 7.20.19 - Keeping Cool in the Heat

Happy Saturday, all!

Trying to keep cool today in the middle of this lovely heatwave we're having here in NW PA.
I don't know about you,
but I hate the heat and humidity combo!!
Well, maybe "hate" is a strong word -
maybe "strongly dislike" would be just as accurate!!
In any case, you have to adapt!!

Suggestions from the LOFT
Since the weekend is to be so warm
(heat index is to be in the 100's),
this gal knew that there was no way, Jose,
that she was going to bake.
Nope, not gonna do it!
But that doesn't mean I can't make things using some modern conveniences- 
like my crockpot and my fridge. 

I currently have BBQ Chipped Chopped Ham in the crockpot.
Chipped Ham and Bavarian Ham that I got from the deli, 
cut up into strips, and placed in the pot.
Add one thinly sliced Vidalia onion and a bottle of Kraft Hickory Smoked BBQ Sauce, 
and let it cook for a few hours until heated through and the onions are cooked!
BBQ Ham and Onions (for sandwiches)
These will go on some nice hamburger buns,
with some chips on the side OR
some fresh fruit.

Here's what I have in the fridge to snack on
during this heat wave:
 I'm being brave, 
showing you what's in the fridge.
But at the same time, 
there are ideas that come to my mind when I look at this.
There's shredded chicken for chicken salad sandwiches
OR
chicken noodle soup (crockpot).
Leaf lettuce to go with the chicken salad.
Water, water, and more water!!!
Keeping Hydrated!

Watermelon, pineapple chunks, cantaloupe
for a potential fruit salad.
There are pork chops in the blue bag
that will be done in the crockpot -
still thinking about how I want to do those.

I love fresh fruit!! 
Pineapple and Watermelon Chunks
Cantaloupe
Shredded Chicken for Chicken Salad
Green Leaf Lettuce 

Let's not forget some cold snacks from the Freezer!!
Sorbabes Raz'n Berry Sorbet
Some Outshine Fruit Bars
Lime
Raspberry covered in Dark Chocolate
(Not shown: Banana covered in Dark Chocolate)

Sometimes, 
things just have to be easy peasy.
Easy to make
Easy to bake
Easy to create

Well, folks, LUNCH is ready!!!
BBQ Ham on a Soft Kaiser Bun
topped with some Mt Olive Simply Vidalia Pickled Onion Strips
with a side of
Rippled Potato Chips

And to finish my lunch?
Watermelon!!!

That's my creative bend for this warm and humid day!!

Feeling 
Blessed Beyond Measure
today!

Love and prayers,
Sue



Monday, July 15, 2019

Suggestions from the LOFT: 7.15.19 - and Other Stuff!

Happy Monday to one and all!!!
Hope you enjoyed your weekend!!!

Time to share with you my Suggestions from the LOFT from the past few days!
And today's suggestion is for sure a Left Over Fridge Tip!!

Sometimes, I just get cravings for certain things... like sauerkraut and potatoes.
Odd combo, I know, but I like it!

After rooting through a few crockpot cookbooks, I came across one for a Sauerkraut and Sausage Dinner.
Very easy to make!
Sauerkraut and Sausage Dinner
3 cups diced red potatoes (I left the skins on)
1 1/2 cups diced carrots
16 oz Polish sausage (recipe calls for 8 oz), cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 can Bavarian sauerkraut (I did not drain it)
A diced up Vidalia onion
1/4 cup water
Cooked it on high for about 4 hrs or so, until the veggies were tender

Of course, I had leftovers!
So what I did for lunch today was to spray one of my cast iron skillets with butter flavored cooking spray and put part of the leftovers in the skillet.
Seasoned with some salt and pepper.
And tossed in some real bacon bits.
Oh, I was really careful to not get too much sauerkraut juice in there... some, but not a lot!

I was aiming for the meat and veggies to get a little brown and this is what I got.
Pretty good the 2nd day!!
And I still have leftovers left over!! 
I may do this again for supper - 
we'll see!

I also made a dessert yesterday:
Triple Orange Fun Fluff
I'm calling it Triple Orange because it has Orange Tangerine Jello in it,
along with Mandarin oranges.
Fun Fluff because -
well, I added fun miniature marshmallows to it,
along with part of a container of Cool Whip, 
and some chopped walnuts - 
after it started to set up -
just because I wanted to
and because it was fun to do it!

Tastes pretty good, too!

Other Stuff
So happy to see flowers starting to bloom out in the yard:
They've just started to bloom within the past few days! 
Even the color of weeds makes me happy!! 

$5 or Less Pantry Building Challenge:
Again, the idea behind this "challenge" is to spend $5 on something to build your pantry with.
This $5 isn't part of your regular weekly food budgeting monies.
This week, I took on the challenge and was able to complete it
at the DuBois Walmart.
Look what I got!!
12 8-oz cans sliced peaches 
10 8-oz cans fruit cocktail
2 Betty Crocker Yellow Cake Mixes
all for $4.06!!!

The peaches and fruit cocktail are all those smaller cans that you would put in a lunch bag.
Regularly, they're 88 cents each and I got them for 10 cents apiece!!
Their "best by" date is September 2021!!
A savings of $17.16!

The cake mixes are normally $1.24 each.
Their "best by" date is February 2020 and the only thing I can see wrong 
with them is that the boxes were a wee bit banged up.
Otherwise, no issues!
They were 93 cents apiece!!
A savings of 62 cents!!

Add those up and I saved $17.78 on those items!!

LOL - I just had a thought....
So glad for that "Consumer Math" class I took my senior year in high school!!
It comes in handy sometimes!!

Well, that it for now....
May your day be 
Blessed Beyond Measure!

Love and prayers,
Sue


Monday, July 8, 2019

Suggestions from the LOFT: 7.8.19 - And Other Stuff

Happy Monday, one and all!!!

Have some Suggestions from my LOFT today from the past 
few days here - that I actually did yesterday!

Sometimes I have these cravings for fruit....thus, I keep a bag or two of frozen fruit in my freezer all the time!!
It makes it easy to toss into a blender along with some vanilla yogurt and orange juice and call it a smoothie.
Which is something I did on Friday last week -
altho, I must admit that I froze part of the smoothie
to make like a sorbet for later.
It was delish!
Mixed Fruit
 The rest of the large bag I had opened went into my largest 
measuring bowl - can we say peaches, pineapple, strawberries, red grapes, and cherries?
(I'm having another dish as I type this up!)

I had chili for both lunch and supper yesterday, since I didn't really have any the day before (Saturday) when I made it.
Topped with shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream -
yummo!!!

But I hadn't baked anything!!
And I like to bake on the weekend!!!
So, last evening, I knew I wanted rhubarb something, so....
 Old Fashioned Rhubarb Pudding Cake
 The girl got her rhubarb!!! ♥

Other Stuff
Today, I slept in.
Which felt great to do! 
I knew, though, that I needed to go for blood work at the local hospital.
I usually plan on doing a number of things if I'm going to be out of the house,
so I also knew a trip to the Clarion Walmart was going to happen, too.

Blood work went fine.
Corrine, who took my blood today, also drew my blood a few weeks ago.
She, in my book, is awesome!!
No pain, no pinch!!!
YEA!!!

Drove over to Walmart, got things on my list, and things not on my list.
LOL - no surprise!!

There's another blog I follow online, A Working Pantry, that does a weekly post called
$5 or Less Pantry Building Challenge.
The idea is that this $5 is not part of your regular weekly food budget, 
but is used to help build your pantry.
I like the idea, to be honest.
But I honestly don't deliberately do it...
but....
I did today!!!

I found these 5 cans of apricot halves in a clearance section for $.75 each, regularly $1 each.
Not sure why they were on clearance....they only had the 5 cans.
The expiration date is March 2021.
And I do like apricots!!!
Not to mention, now I can make things that call for apricots!
So, to spend $3.75 for them, I feel good about it!

I do have to admit that I splurged today by going thru the Arby's drive-thru on my way home.
And I will admit that I will most likely not be doing that again for a long time.
Too expensive!!!!
The meal was delicious -
Just not worth the price!!
Now I remember why I rarely eat out!!

Other fun finds for the day were some material for the quilt project I'm working on, some reduced drink mixes (for my water bottle), and a 3# bag of Vidalia onions!
LOL - those are the things sticking out in my mind right now!

When I got home, and was putting things away,
I got a phone call from my PCP's office.
A little background info:
I had had blood done before my last appointment there last month.
When I was talking with the PA, he was suggesting that I see a nephrologist.
His concern was in regards to my kidney function numbers.

We discussed it and it was decided that I would have the blood work for my BUN, GFR and Creatinine done again. 
This time, no fasting.
If he was still concerned, we would be making an appointment with a nephrologist to see if there was something that needed to be done with regards to the medications I'm taking.

At that appointment, I spoke to him about my not wanting to be referred to a specific doctor because of the experiences I had had with him.
I told him that I had discussed it with the PCP at one time and we had decided my numbers were doing well enough that I could just see the PCP.

Not to mention, I'd gotten to the point where I was only seeing the nephrologist every six months and a number of times, those appointments got cancelled and rescheduled.
I wasn't happy about seeing him again, as I really didn't care for his "bedside manner."
He said he'd refer me to someone else to avoid that!

So... I think to humor me....
the PA said, "OK, let's redo the blood work in two weeks and see where things are."
I was cool with that.
And was even going to be on board with his suggesting a different nephrologist, if one was needed.

Well, happy, happy news!!!
The news is that my numbers are pretty much staying the same, so no need to see a nephrologist!!
And I don't need blood work or a visit at the PCP office until December!!

I do have to keep an eye on things, with regards to my kidneys and such, but otherwise, am doing well enough to finally, after seven long years,
to go from doing blood work every three months to every six months!!

And yes, tonight, I am feeling, very much
Blessed Beyond Measure!!

Love and prayers, 
Sue

Saturday, July 6, 2019

7.6.19 - Suggestions from the LOFT

It's Saturday.....and that means it's time to get creative!

Thus a post for you all with 
Suggestions from the LOFT 
(Left Over Fridge Tips)!

I went searching thru one of my cookbooks looking for some variations on chili and actually came across a recipe for something else!!
 Barbecued Black Beans with Sweet Potatoes
 I threw these beans together in my baby crockpot.
I have to say,
it is delicious!!
I really wasn't sure it was going to be any good!!
 This is so good, I'm going to share the recipe with you!!!

Barbecued Black Beans with Sweet Potatoes
Makes 8 servings
(Ideal slow cooker size: 4 quart)

Place 4 large (10 oz each) sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 8 chunks each into your slow cooker. 
Combine the remaining ingredients and pour over the sweet potatoes:
15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium onion, diced
2 ribs celery, sliced
9 ozs Sweet Baby Ray's Barbecue Sauce
Cover.
Cook on high for 2-3 hours or on Low for 4 hours

I did go ahead and make my chili as well!!!
This will be great for leftovers this week!!
Chili with corn

It was a good day to crockpot and blog!
This is my fourth and final post of the day!!

May you always be
Blessed Beyond Measure!!

Love and prayers,
Sue

Suggestions from the L.O.F.T.

Let me give you a little background on what just might become a regular part of my blog.
Suggestions from the L.O.F.T
(aka Left Over Food Tips)

My classmate buddy, Allen D, came up with this title a few weeks back.
Allen and I have known each other a loooonnngg time...
OK, since 1st grade, if you must know.
And he follows what I do on Facebook when I cook.

Matter of fact, another classmate, who is also..
wait for it....
Alan D...
(LOL - I'm not kidding!)
gave me a new nickname at our recent class reunion:
Food Porn Queen.
Because of the pics I post of food.

Well, LOL, to be honest, I'm flattered!!
Both of these men are sweethearts and I'm blessed to call them friends.
But it's truly an encouragement to know they get a kick out of something that I consider to be a joy in my life, some of my creative outlets:
Cooking
Baking
Taking pictures of those creations

Allen suggested that I have a website called
Suggestions from the L.O.F.T
because of what I do with my leftovers.
I told him I would seriously consider a regular blog post instead by that name.
A website sounds like work... 
My blog is just something fun I do...

Plus, I do live on the top floor of my building, so I guess we could call my place a "loft" of sorts, right?

So here we are!!!
Or is that.... Here I am!!!???!!!

Anyways, I'm thinking of just using the title and adding the date that I did it.
And adding any interesting tidbits to go along with it.
Sound good?

Now, I don't know what you have in your pantry to work with, but I'm blessed to have a variety of things to use.
And I do use leftovers to create new things sometimes.
And a pantry can include your fridge, your freezer, your cupboards, an actual pantry if you have one, canned goods, fruits, veggies... you get the idea!!

Let's start with June 15th, shall we?
Well, that's what I've decided to do since that was right after the last post about anything food related that I blogged about.
Here we go!!!!

JUNE 15th
 I was laying in bed and remembered that I had a box of frozen French toast sticks that I needed to use up.... and wondered.... could I use them to make bread pudding???
So, up out of bed at like 5:30 AM to put the idea into action...
I let them thaw out and dry out for a few hours and then whipped up the custard base that went over the top.
Topped it with pecans....

While that was soaking, I remembered I had some leftover pickle juice left from a jar of Mt. Olive Simply Vidalia Pickled Onions in the freezer.
And some Vidalia Onions in the onion bin...
Yep, you guessed it!!
I made my own pickled onions!
Pickled Onion Strips
The onion was sliced very thin and put into the brine.
After about 24 hours of pickling time, they were good to eat!
And definitely tasted like the original product!

I had put out some stew meat to thaw, intending to make beef stew.
But I changed my mind!
Instead, I created my own Beef Stroganoff in the crockpot, using the meat cut up,
a can of drained mushroom pieces, a can of mushroom soup, some beef broth, and some pickled onions (and maybe a little bit of pickle juice for fun!)
The rotini were added later.... it turned out great!!
Beef Stroganoff

I added some dried cranberries, dried cherries and golden raisins to the top of the bread pudding before baking.
Turned out delish!!!!

 French Toast Bread Pudding

JUNE 18th
What does one do when there are leftovers in the fridge?
One gets creative!!!
I'd been hungry for Hamburger Soup for a while, so I put some ground beef out to thaw.
And started looking to see what else could go in it:
Red potatoes, a bag of frozen veggies, a can of diced tomatoes, some beef broth
It was so good!
Hamburger Vegetable Soup

JUNE 22nd
Slow Cooker Italian Chicken and Veggies
This was so really and easy to make.
 Just marinated Italian chicken breasts (that needed to be used up from the freezer),
 cut up red potatoes, carrot sticks, and diced onion, 
topped with a bottle of Italian dressing and cooked slowly in my slow cooker. 
Chicken was nice and moist and the veggies were tender!!!

JUNE 23rd
And what did this girl do with those leftovers?
Added pasta!!!!

JUNE 29th
Unstuffed Cabbage Roll w/Kielbasa (Crockpot)
I had some carrot sticks and shredded coleslaw mix that needed to be used up, so it all went into the crockpot along with the kielbasa (instead of my regular ground beef).


 Roasted Veggies
I whipped up some roasted root veggies (red potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, and onion) using McCormick's Toasted Onion & Garlic Potato Seasoning Mix

Cinnamon Raisin Bread Pudding
OK, I have to tell you that the credit for this particular variation goes to my cousin Barb's hubby, Ken.
I had seen them at the local Giant Eagle last week and I had a loaf of reduced-in-price Cinnamon Crunch Raisin Bread in my hand when they called my name.
It was Ken's idea that it would be good in bread pudding, so....
yep, just had to try it!!!
And it turned out great!!!

JUNE 30th
Tuna Salad Sandwich with Apples and Walnuts
Sometimes a girl just wants something easy peasy for lunch.
That's what this was!
Got the idea from the California Walnuts website!
I had mine on homemade white bread and toasted the sandwich in my toaster oven.
This hit the spot!!
(Those are crushed fried onions on top.)

And for dessert:
Sliced Macintosh Apples with a dollop of Lekkco Belgian Dark Chocolate Spread

JULY 1st
Leftover Unstuffed Cabbage Roll over Penne Pasta
Simple and easy way to use up leftovers!!

That's pretty much it for the last half of June!!! 
I will be posting a shorter edition of
Suggestions from the LOFT
later today.
(I tried a new recipe that I want to share!)

May your day be filled with good things 
and your life be
Blessed Beyond Measure!

Love and prayers,
Sue