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

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

Class Reunion

This particular post will pretty much be picture-heavy.

My 45th high school class reunion was on June 21st and I had a great time!!

Name tags had our pictures from our senior year -

A definite blast from the past, eh?

I want to give a shout out to whomever took these pics and posted them on Facebook under our BAHS Class of 1974 page - they are awesome!! 

(Thank you to Barb Brinkley and Sheree Chittester Brody!!!)

Enjoy!!!

BAHS Girls of 1974

Front row (l to r): Ginger Stahlman Glenn, Andra MacBeth Snyder, Teri Carnes Whiteman, Barb Brinkley, Denise Powell Eble, Kim Byerly, Sandy Cochran Smith 

Row 2: Karen Knapp (only the top of her head, but I know those eyes!), Sherry Keck, Rae Lyn Ohl Dobson, Beth Clarke Fishel, Janice Hetrick, Theresa Slike, Deb Hetrick Young 

Row 3: Ramona Osborne Kennedy, Sheila Lindemuth

Row 4: Janet Carrier Sarvey, Annette Davis Packett, Molly Kerr Northey

Row 5: Rhonda Kelley White, Sandy Reinard Haag

Row 6: Sue Wilson, Lila Bachelier, Dawn Ellen Shaffer Defelice

Row 7: Mimi Deible Lacy, Kay Doverspike, Rita Chalfant Joyce, Becky Gilbert Fitzgerald 

Row 8: Debi Vallosio Ruffner, Sally Hice Allgier, Beverly Dinger

Top row: Ann Racchini Wood, Sheree Chittester Brody

 BAHS Guys of 1974

Row 1 (l to r): Phil Hetrick, Jim Smith

Row 2: Rodger Long, Bob Ford, Charlie Schreckengost, Don Richards, Ray Basinger 

Row 3: Jim "Bo" Daugherty, Harry Reinard, Brad Miller

Row 4: Mike "Cy" Young, Tom Butler, Steve McPherson 

Row 5: Ron Sprague, Mike Painter

Row 6: Alan Dobson, Jim Stahlman, Harry Confer

Just for fun, while taking the group pictures, we decided to go ahead and take pictures of our elementary school chums as well.

I absolutely ♥loved♥ this idea!!

(The only picture I wasn't able to track down was the one taken of the crew from Sigel!}

Here's the Summerville Crew:

Front row (l-r): Sherry Keck, Denise Powell Eble, Deb Hetrick Young, Janice Hetrick; 

2nd row: Jim Smith, Rae Lyn Ohl Dobson, Sue Wilson; 

3rd row: Jim "Bo" Daugherty, Ron Sprague, Beverly Dinger, Phil Hetrick

Northside Crew:

Row 1: Becky Gilbert Fitzgerald, Barb Brinkley, Mike Painter, Sheree Chittester Brody, Rita Chalfant Joyce

Row 2:  Tom Butler, Karen Knapp

Row 3: Kay Doverspike, Ann Racchini Woods, Steve McPherson

Row 4: Beth Clarke Fishel, Teri Carnes Whiteman, Mike Young

Row 5: Lila Bachelier, Alan Dobson

Pinecreek Crew:

Row 1: Janet Carrier Sarvey, Bob Ford

Row 2: Sandy Reinard Haag, Brad Miller

Row 3: Dawn Ellen Shaffer Defelice, Sally Hice Allegier, Harry Reinard

The rest of these are from around the dinner tables where we enjoyed a good time of food, laughs, and fellowship.

(If I know names, I will post them!)

Alan and Rae Lyn (Ohl) Dobson - Jim and Marybeth Daugherty 

 Andra MacBeth Snyder and Kay Doverspike

 Barb Brinkley

Becky Gilbert Fitzgerald and Annette Davis Packett

Beverly Dinger and Sue Wilson (hey, that's me!)

Bob Ford, Mike Young and Harry Reinard

Brad Miller (on right)

Charlie and Kathy Schreckengost

Debbie Hetrick Young and Sherry Keck

Debi Vallosio Ruffner, Mimi Deible Lacy, and Molly Kerr Northey

Glenda (Powell) and Harry Confer

Jim Smith, Tom Butler, and Rodger Long

Jim Stahlman and his wife

LOL, love how Barb caught these girls!

Karen Knapp, Ann Racchini Woods, and Janet Carrier Sarvey

Kim Byerly, Theresa Slike, and Sandy Cochran Smith

Lila Bachelier and Beth Clarke Fishel

Mike Painter, Don and Janice Richards

Phil Hetrick

Ramona Osborne Kennedy and Denise Powell Eble

Ray Basinger and Janice Hetrick

Heidi and Ron Sprague

Sally Hice Allegier, Dawn Ellen Shaffer Defelice, and Sandy Reinard Haag

Sheila Lindemuth

Sheree Chittester Brody

Steve and Rhonda (Kelley) White

Steve and Wendy McPherson, Rita Chalfant Joyce

Teri Carnes Whiteman, Ginger Stahlman Glenn, Roger Glenn

Must admit.... it was fun to go thru all of these pics again!!

So many good memories!!

(And everyone still looks a lot like they did in '74!!)

This has been a labor of ♥love♥!

I am

Blessed Beyond Measure!!

Love and prayers,

Sue