Valentine's minicake. perfect for two

Homemade gluten free white cake (adapted recipe from this recipe from GlutenFreeOnAShoestring using my GF flour blend, a couple Tablespoons less sugar, and powdered egg whites, along with 1 2/3c buttermilk instead of 1 1/3c as my recipe has more whole grain flours. 

I used powdered eggwhites mixed in separate bowl with the water. In hindsight I should have gone ahead and whipped with thr stand mixer to be more eggy...what happened instead was I whipped the butter, added the eggs, and had a bit of soup. Once i added the flour it was normal-thick-looking, and then I added the buttermilk to the batter being pour able. 

Baked in my mini Fat Daddios cake pans. Made three mini cakes and two six-inch cakes. Lovely part of making small cakes (or cupcakes) is freezer for future quick cakes. 

Baked about 30minutes, removed from oven. Pressed down on centers to be flat. Let cool, flipped out on cooling rack. Then sliced in half, rimmed with chocolate frosting, filled with strawberry preserves / jam. 

Chocolate frosting around, then royal icing for hearts and XO trim.  I used.'all natural' food coloring ehich results in a muted red (ahem, pink), but it doesn't have red dye #40!

(Chocolate frosting made with Hershey cocoa recipe and Stam Chocolaterie  cocoa powder). 

Next time I probably would slice on thirds or fours instead of halved, and get more strawberry preserves in it. 

broccoli cheese soup

I received this recipe from a friend and mostly followed directions. Here is what I used and/or how I'd tweak it for next time. 

Ingredients:

3T butter

1 medium diced onion 

1tsp minced garlic 

2T gf flour blend 

2C milk (I used whole)

2c veg broth/chicken broth/water* See note 

1.5 pounds broccoli- diced

1C diced carrots (diced/bite size)

1tsp salt/pepper, Hungarian Paprika

1C American cheese block, cubed

1/2c sliced from block cheddar cheese (white cheddar)

*optional cubed ham, cubed chicken, Avocado

*[note] While we thought TheMike was reacting to Annato /orange coloring in cheese, it turned out he is reacting digestively to celery/celery seed/salt/coriander/cilantro/parsley (which are all part of celery family). 

As to this, I had crock pot cooked a chicken earlier this week using some seasonings *not celery*. 

I had leftover gelatin/stock from this and used it in the recipe for flavoring, and then used water.....as the chicken and veg broth I have on hand uses celery (as most will). 

Directions: 

In stock pot melt 3T butter.  

Add onion. Cook until almost translucent. Add garlic. Cook for a minute. 

Add flour and mix, stir, blend, and cook for 2 minutes. 

Add Vegetable/Chicken Broth/ *OR* water, add milk. Stir. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer, and simmer for 15 minutes. 

Add chopped broccoli and carrots. Use larger pieces if you want that. Use diced/bite size pieces if you want that-or don't want to use food processor /hand held blender to blend to a smoother consistency.  

[I had used larger pieces and then removed, let cool a bit, then blended to puree. Next time i will dice broccoli and carrots to small pieces in prep.]

Cook until veggies are tender, about 15 minutes. 

Add salt, pepper, paprika (and whatever seasonings you'd like- Thyme or Marjoram would be good). 

Add cubed  or sliced cheese.  Stir to blend. 

Top with cheese or avocado if desired. 

Would be good with precooked cubed chicken or diced ham after adding broccoli and carrots - or after pureeing the veggies. 

Enjoy!   Perfect for after a snowshoe hike on overcast day! 

*Denby blue bowls are perfect contrast to first eat with the eyes. 😊 

Meatballs

Meatballs of sorts. 

Using recipe I got from an Italian friend years ago. 

In place of the cornflakes, I save up the ends of my bread in freezer, then thaw, pulverize in food processor, and then lightly toast in nonstick skillet. 

As TheMike has been reacting to celery/parsley/cilantro/coriander, I left out the parsley and added in oregano, thyme, basil, and some fine shred carrots. (Hey, carrots are good in meatloaf, maybe they'll be fine in meatballs!)

The new jar of minced garlic didn't POP when I opened it, so I dug out the few small cloves I had on had, peeled and then pulsed/minced in food processor. 

Recipe:

2# ground meat 

2 cups bread crumbs

1 minced medium onion

3 eggs

1 1/3 c parmasean cheese (I did fresh grated from a small block)

1T oregano*

1T garlic powder

1T fresh ground black pepper

2 tsp kosher salt

*note 4T fresh chopped parsley would be traditional instead of oregano. 

Wash hands and forearms well.  Mix all together in large mixing bowl. 

Traditional is cooking in a skillet in some olive oil and finishing in the oven. 

I prefer to bake mine on rimmed pans. 350°F x 30 min for small, 50 min for large. 

I make large meatballs with a one cup scoop which are great for slicing into lasagna.  Then I make small meatballs . I have three scoops of 1T, 2T, 3T size. Today I made the rest as 1T meatballs which will be great for pasta or meatball sandwiches. 

#glutenfree #glutenfreetastesgreat #celiac #coeliac #soyfree #soyoilfree #foodallergies #foodintolerances 

#beelerspurepork ground pork, #HyVee #butcherblockblend ground beef

Winter Weather Chili

Took time to make a nice pot of chili whilst watching Mary Poppins movie. 

Experimenting leaving out the celery family (coriander and cumin) to which we think #TheMike has been reacting. He doesn't like Cilantro, or parsley. Coriander is Cilantro seed and cumin ie also in the celery family.  

Oregano 2tsp

Thyme 1/2 tsp

Smidgen of Marjoram

Hungarian sweet Paprika 2 -3 tsp

Chili Powder 1 1/2 T

Garlic 2 tsp minced

Onions 1 small, diced

Molasses, 1 tsp

Two cans beans 

Half pound beef (tonight is Waygu that was on extreme sale)

Tomato sauce 1 can

Diced tomatoes 1 can

Half can of diced green chilis. 

Mixed on top of stove 

[Cook onion, put on plate; cooked beef, put in bowl, added onions back to bowl, add garlic, add spices and molasses. Cook for a few minutes.  Add beans, tomatoes,  sauce, chilis. Bring to simmer]

Cover and bake for 90 min @300F. 

#glutenfree #glutenfreetastesgreat #celiac #coeliac #soyfree #soyoilfree #foodallergies #foodintolerances #chili #stormiscoming #winterfood #fiber #beans

Made a quick batch of Irish Soda Bread  too. Yum! 

Chili for a cold day

Really good chili! 

Mist, sleet, snow, and windy day means some warming chili. 

Used #americastestkitchen  recipes as a guideline. 

1# waygu ground beef (it was on drastic markdown today, and I have a freezer!)

1 small onion-diced

Half a can of diced chilis (leftover, otherwise I'd add a whole can)

1 can kidney beans

1 can tomatoes sauce 

1 can diced tomatoes 

1 tsp molasses

1 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp Thyme

1T Spanish paprika

1 1/2 tsp minced garlic 

A couple good cracks of black pepper

I used ATK's recipe of putting salt/baking soda/where on the beef for 20 minutes.  Preheat oven to 300F. 

Cooked the onions. Removed from pan. 

Cooked the beef 3/4. Drained, removed from pan. 

Added in the onions again, added in the spices to bloom, and then the molasses. 

Added the canned items and beef. Mixed well. Brought to a bit of a simmer. Covered and put in heated oven for 90 minutes. 

#chili #stew #soup #coldday #warmfood

#glutenfree #glutenfreetastesgreat #celiac #coeliac #soyfree #soyoilfree #foodallergies #foodintolerances 

Thanksgiving dressing--or stuffing without stuffing it in the bird, and gravy.

What do you call the side of bread with veggies?  I grew up with it called "stuffing" but some say it's 'dressing' since it 's not cooked inside the bird.  Cooking inside the bird is often said to not be good as it can inhibit the flow of warm air through the cavity of the turkey. 

I also think it's just a loss *less* work to bake it in a pan than it is to stuff it in a turkey, then remove it to a dish before serving.  

One of my fond memories as a child was sitting at the table in the days before Thanksgiving (it may have been the weekend before), where I opened loaves of (gluten) bread and tore them apart into small pieces.  This was my first lesson in making stuffing. 

When I have time, and we can prep, I usually buy UDIs bread to dice into cubes, and let dry out a bit via placing it on cookie sheets in the oven for a day or two.  Then I put it in the off oven and let it sit for a day or two. 

For things needed for stuffing, my mom always used onion, celery, and carrots. I had some fennel in the fridge, so I added that this time as well.  Other things needed, salt, pepper, sage.   We always used milk as the wetting agent, but you can use turkey or chicken broth as well. 

The vegetables for the stuffing need to be cooked ahead of time on the stove top. This is something you can do the day or two before, or the day of. 

I know the cooking shows always talk of finely chopping onions. Guess what, they're going to be cooked and put into stuffing and I like it a little larger, and carefree/not uniform pieces.  

Plus, I'm not making a soup where they need to be very small and uniform. 

Partial onion I already had, cut the bottom off, sliced body in half, then had a flat surface for  each half to cut into slices and then dice. 

I always use the red onions when I can after watching Christina Cooks say that they have antioxidants, and they add more color to the dish!  

Three ribs of celery. I cut the bottom and top off. 

Then slice the ribs in half. Larger pieces get sliced into three. 

Then dice into pieces about the same size as the onions. 

Carrots.  Peel

Then trim off the top and the tips.

I cut the carrots then lengthwise to make narrower, and then chip into small pieces. 

The fennel got it's top chopped off, and discarded. 

I then sliced it in half and then into matchstick size pieces, as then into small pieces. 

Fennel tastes a little bit like licorice. It isn't too powerful and just adds a subtle flavor. 

The Mike always thinks I have too many small bowls. 

Do I?  

I like being able to put things into small bowls when necessary. Sometimes we only use one, sometimes we use all six. 

This all needs precooked. Preheat a skillet with butter or olive oil.  Then add in the diced vegetables.  

Sprinkle a pinch of salt over the items.  
Cover the skillet and let cook for a few minutes. 
Then stir, cover, cook some more. 

About five to seven minutes total. 

I used the Aleia's kitchen ready to bake croutons as they were on sale last week when I was at the store. Otherwise, as above, I would have just cubed bread or bread heels I had. 
I used the plain version, so I could add the seasonings we wanted. 

This is my mom's stuffing that I had gotten from her shortly after her stroke. I wish I had thought to do so before in the years, so I could have a recipe with her handwriting. 

On top of the vegetables, the seasoning is added:  thyme, sage, pepper. 

After mixing the seasoning and vegetables together, I put into a large mixing bowl to rest/cool a little. 

After ten minutes or so, I add the bread crumbs to the mixing bowl. 

Fold together well to mix the vegetables and croutons. 

I reused those vegetable bowls because I didn't need to dirty even more dishes!   Two eggs, and a cup of liquid. I used milk. You can use turkey or chicken broth, or a different type of 'milk' if you'd like.  Mix these together in the small bowl. 

Grease your pan. I used a 9x13 pan, but have also put this in a shallower jelly roll pan. I use butter, but you can use the fat of your choice if you need to be dairy free.  

Add the milk and eggs to your croutons. Add more liquid if you think it is necessary. I like it a little drier. If you like it more moist, use two cups of liquid. 

Add to the pan, smooth, cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes at 350F.  For the last ten minutes go ahead and remove the cover and let bake uncovered. 

One thing that I just have not been able to perfect since being gluten free (14 years) is gravy.  However, these days Simply Organic / Frontier Coop has plenty of mixes for making the holiday a little simpler!  

I make stuffing a few times a year. While we usually have it with turkey, we have it with meatloaf as well (and we will have leftovers of this with meatloaf this weekend). 

Served with sliced turkey and cranberry sauce.  


What else do you have for Thanksgiving?  

Previous post on cooking a turkey. 

Time for Turkey

America's Thanksgiving holiday is just around the corner. I know it may seem daunting that this year of 'separate but together' we have to make our own things. Let's break it down into sections. 

One of the things to consider is that instead of having "all" of the sides that you would have at a large gathering, that you pick a few that you can eat that day,  and with leftovers. 

We usually travel to The Mike's family for Thanksgiving. We've already decided to stay home and safe for several reasons: we don't feel comfortable eating inside with the masks off in an intimate space, and we live in a county where the positivity rate is currently 26.4%. That's like an ultra marathon by numbers--and not a marathon I want to be a part of.  I also worked the election and while I had on my mask and face shield, I did help people do curbside voting who had tested positive for Covid.  

For a practice meal, I made a turkey breast, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. When I was growing up, mom would make turkey (or ham, whichever we had won at the Church's Turkey Bingo), mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing/dressing, and a butternut squash.  We would also have green beans, or sometimes (rarely) the green bean casserole. It turns out that while several of us like cream of mushroom soup, we don't actually like green bean casserole!  

Another tip is to make a list of what you want to make and serve, and the time it takes to cook, at what temperature, and if it needs to be cooled (pumpkin pie) or served warm. 

One thing that The Mike thought of a few years ago was to prep a lot of things the day before and just reheat on Thanksgiving day. Mashed potatoes or yams can go in a crockpot the day of to reheat.  Rolls can be baked ahead of time and put in the oven for just a few minutes to reheat/warm. 


First I purchased a single turkey breast from the grocer. (Sometimes in larger metro areas you can find half a bird and get the dark and white meat).  The local store has a brand that is just turkey, no additions that may be questionable with gluten or soy allergies. Best to call the packager to find out what they add to their turkeys. I've made these calls from the store before. Let people look and wonder what, but it also spreads awareness of what should be on the package, and that it's okay to ask these questions!  

I did a small amount of a brine for the turkey breast to help it keep in the juices. I used Alton Brown's version as it has worked well for us with a whole turkey before. When we have done a whole turkey, we used a new, well cleaned (before and after) insulated cooler for the turkey and brine..  I used a small kitchen container for this and submerged it. 

Salt, brown sugar, pepper, allspice, candied ginger. I used water instead of vegetable stock for this.
I let it soak for 15 hours in the refrigerator. 

The next day I got the rub ready to go:  sage, thyme, shallots, parlsey, pepper and salt. Since I was only doing a turkey breast, I used roughly a pinch of the seasonings.  

I used all dry because that's what realistically most people have on hand. Fresh is nice, not buying extra things at this time is nice too. 

After putting in a small container I ground together to break up the shallots and also mix the flavors together. If you don't have a mortar/pestle you can use the back of a spoon. 

Then I added a splash of olive oil and a Tablespoon of butter. 
If you need to make this dairy free, you can just use olive oil and not butter. 

Mixed together. 

Remove the turkey /breast from the brine and pat dry. The skin is already a little separated from the meat.  

Using your clean hands, spread the seasoning mixture under the skin of the turkey. 

I then set the turkey in a pan atop sliced onion, a cinnamon stick broken in half, and sliced apple. (best time to use that apple you forgot at the back of your fridge and that got a little wrinkled--I'm not the only one that has one of those, right?). 

Baked at 350F x 90 minutes. 

If you're going to make the dressing (recipe I will share in another post), that needs to bake for 30 minutes. Thus, 30 minutes before the turkey is to be done, place the stuffing/dressing in the oven. 

Put on a warm platter and then covered with foil to let rest for 10 minutes.  

Warm the plate with hot water before putting hot food on, to avoid 'crazing'/ cracking in the china. 

After removing the foil, you will see just a little bit of juice. This is because we brined, so the meat kept in the moisture instead of releasing a lot of moisture. This is good for a juicy turkey, but bad for wanting juices/drippings to make gravy. 

Served with stuffing/dressing and cranberry sauce. (which I will share in a separate post), and the appetizer snack of sliced bell peppers. 

**One thing that made me spazz out happened in 2012. Mom's last Thanksgiving.  It was a giant turkey: 22# [that my aunt had raised that year] was done before anyone expected it to be. Several of us chipped in, got out the crock pots we had all brought, and I carved the giant bird into sections. Each breast went in separate crockpots with some turkey broth, and the legs and thighs went into another crockpot with turkey broth. We were worried, but they were SO juicy. Maybe it was an organic/free range bird, or maybe it was the brine, or a combination of that and the crockpot with juices. My aunt had ordered the turkey chicks, but didn't get them sent to the processor when it was suggested, so all of the turkeys were much larger than expected.  

 

Not a dream, this is our reality

What a strange year this has been, at the beginning of the year we were facing some changes, and I was preoccupied and apparently more anxious than I had thought I was about the event.  What event? The Mike's company was offering a separation to whomever wanted to take it. It was a great offer, but the company still had the right to grant anyone's separation. Until the middle of January, I was a apprehensive of what was going to happen. Once the date passed, it was more a sense of getting use to being home 24/7 together!   Within a few weeks we were hearing of the virus in Asia, and we were talking of how that must be impacting his former workplace--and relieved he wasn't having to work with changing production due to the virus. 

One pot Fiesta Soup from the cookbook The 150 Healthiest 15 minute Recipes on Earth.
This is so delicious and filling, but the recipe makes a lot-even when halved!  half a pound of 93% ground beef, kidney beans, pinto beans, tomatoes, ranch mix, taco mix, jalopenos, onion, garlic, and corn.  The mixes I used are Simply Organic by Frontier Co-Op.  It is so full of flavor. I can't believe I had been wary of trying this recipe!  I freeze half the can of beans, so the next go 'round I am already set!  

We topped the Fiesta Soup as above  with shredded cheese, sour cream, and avocado. 

Towards the end of the January,  I experimented with Gluten Free Artisan Bread in Five Minutes  A Day  breadbook.  Why? Simply because I have found the recipes to be good, easy,and -most importantly-I had found some pecans and decided to experiment :)   While it is a bit to get use to working with dough that is sort of like gluten dough, but still a little sticky, it works well as, after they say in the book, to let it set in the refrigerator a few hours or a day before using.  I do use my own flour mix rather than the recipe that they suggest in the book. (I had used the book version at first, but found I like using my blend). 

Let me say how much I LOVE the bench scraper I got at a local school surplus auction.  They are great for scooching off the counter, but also cutting the dough into rounds as well.  Most of the time I still use parchment paper under the dough, but it did work well with just the flour dusted counter top too. 

Don't hold back: experiment with gluten free!  

January I had some abdominal pain with exercising, and afterwards, so I decided to lay off and see if it helped. It seemed to, so I thought I had injured something (not sure what, when I was only on the treadmill. . . ). My previous PCP would have told me I was exercising too much and to back off, so that's what I did to be more informed when I go to my internist.  

What to do with left over banana bread?
Why, make banana bread french toast of course! 
I used the Betty Crocker cookbook recipe for banana bread, but added 6T of sour cream or vanilla greek yogurt and it turns out beautifully moist and such a great treat!  

In February we ventured to our state's Cap City to be advocates for cancer with American Cancer Society, and to share our stories.  We were in for a day!    We started off with leaving the hotel room and I almost immediately had excruciating pain radiating on my left side through my body to the back as well as around the outside to the back.  I braced myself against the wall and just kept my torso as set in place as I could.  After what seemed like several minutes, but was probably a minute, the severe pain left and I shouted internally "Not today body, NOT today!"  I had no idea what was going on, but I wasn't going to let my body interfere with asking for more funding for cancer!  My side was sore for the rest of the day from whatever this was. 

At the Captiol we met with our local Representative and Senator, shared my Melanoma cancer experience, my mom's passing from pancreatic cancer, and as we were there with American Cancer Society, we were asking for stricter smoking /juuling regulations, as lung cancer is the top cancer killer--the only one the ACS breaks out into 'smokers' and 'non smokers' statistics, and one where The Mike lost a family friend and an uncle to late stage lung cancer. It is an horrific cancer that is often not diagnosed until late, can grow quickly (or not) and is so devastating.  

While The Mike was driving home, I called the internist's office for this pain. My side was still sore, or maybe my brain was just remembering how awful the pain was.  I had an appointment for the a few days later, and he ordered an abdominal ultrasound which was ten days out.   In the meantime I tried not to worry. I was hoping my Melanoma wasn't inside, and that my pancreas was fine. That's it. That's what I was worried about!   

Clear Lake Iowa Ice Kite Festival.
A definite 'must see' if you're along I-35 in Iowa the third Saturday of February.
Last year we went and there were more kites than this year, but they were also spread out further. This year, the water a 'ways out' was not iced, and everyone was fairly close to shore.  My favorites are the twirling/spiral kites, the Spaceman, and the octopuses that looked like the things from the Matrix when they were flying, especially with the large one and then smaller ones around it as well.

Ultrasound day came and there wasn't much to it. I just had to breathe and hold my breath, and repeat several times.  

The nurse called *that* afternoon. I was worried, and she told me what the diagnosis was to help me rest easy, but it gave me something else to research.  She said the doctor said I could just have this added on to my appointment in April, or I could come in earlier. I wanted to come in earlier. We made an appointment for the next week.   

First, we celebrated The Mike's birthday. He requested a lemon merguine pie, which I have only made a few times, and I think it turned out fairly well.    I used the Wholly Wholesome gluten free pie crust (they had been on sale and I had put some in the freezer). The Mike was surprised I was squeezing lemons and such---as if I was going to skimp and use concentrate for his birthday.  If I'm going to make a convoluted recipe, I'm going to make it the way it's written!  

The next week we met with the doctor regarding the ultrasound. I have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease NAFLD and was only diagnosed because of the excruciating pain. He said most people never know the have it. He said that my long term use of prednisone in my 20s/30s probably played a big part as to why I have this.  When I started looking at the symptoms of this, I actually wonder if this is why my body has been in such an upheaval for the last. . . gah, eight years now. Since 2011 I have been complaining (to previous PCP) about no energy, and increasing weight, and increasing abdominal area.  and she would just reply that I was 'fine' and that I was 'pretty' and that I shouldn't worry. 

So, what to do?  He said to tell the GI when I see them in April.  I called the GI office and was told internist should have ordered blood work and that they'd talk to me when I saw them.  I have no idea what to do for this condition. When I look at things on line I find an article that says to do xyz and another that says to do abc. The literature for main research hospitals says they don't know why it happens, or what to do about it. Great. :( 

The end of February I went on a road trip with my sister M and our friend M.  My niece's team was in a robotics competition-the first I ever attended. They won to advance to Nationals! 

Really is fascinating to watch!  

Sunday morning before we headed back to the competition, we found a restaurant, Ginger Sue's, which had a gluten free menu.  We didn't know what would be available as a soy oil free option too, but we were game to try.  We were glad we tried!    They were able to make omelets for my sister and I without the 'vegetable' oil, and we got a side of fruit (bananas, apples, blueberries) to go with.  Definitely recommend this place!  

Ginger Sue's omelet with subbed fruit 

With the trip to KC metro area, I was a bit leery with the virus stuff in the news, and here I was going to be in a gymnasium packed with high schoolers from all over (it was a regional competition).  We were all a little worried in the back of our minds.  

Back home, March was lunging in like a lion, and I was getting ready for my trip to DC for Melanoma Advocacy.  My nerves with the Covid19 virus was ramping up and I was actually debating on not going. Apparently many others had that idea too. Of the almost one hundred who were registered, only sixty-some came to the event.  

I always have to take a photo of the monument when I land and am leaving the airport. 

Mostly, I could tell in Chicago that the airports were definitely taking a hit mid March. I flew out on the 6th and back on the 11th. I always wipe the arm rests and tray down when I fly and normally I get the 'weirdo' side eye from people.  Not this trip. This trip everyone was wiping things down.  The media was even suggesting wiping down the actual seat. I didn't do that, since I wasn't doing that when I was seated in the actual airport either.  

The airport was easy enough to navigate without having to thread and weave my way through fellow travelers. There were some school groups and I was surprised.  When I got to DC, my sibling there took the afternoon off work -- I'm sure that was hard to do on a Friday ;) and picked me up at the airport. I had wiped my bag down before putting it in the car. We were off to food at Outback Steakhouse and to do grocery shopping, as well as hauling things out of the basement for the trash. My sibling told me that some members of Congress had been exposed to Covid19 at a conference, and I was more leery about going to visit my members on Cap Hill.   

Monday was all day training of what to expect, and hearing from a researcher about gains in treatment and such for Melanoma cancer.  Reminder to use Purell--and no shaking hands!   

A few of us walked to Capitol City Brewing Company and then had to walk through this gorgeous pedestrian area afterwards. 

As we headed out on the day, we were told the changes were no handshakes, and wash more than usual.  We were able to walk from the hotel instead of needing transportation, but most of us carpooled in taxis over to the building for our morning meeting.  I was surprised at the other people visiting the office buildings who had no care. I will gladly hold that door open with my foot, and yes, I am putting as much as I can into my bag to send through the conveyor belt. What we were doing, seems so odd two months later! 

No going in this building for me, and we were blocked from even walking down the roadway. Turns out, our POTUS and VPOTUS were inside, so we were told to cut across the lawn. 

Time to fly home. The airport was quiet, already businesses were canceling travel that was not necessary. I was suppose to have an empty seat next to me, and was glad for it. I was wiping down my plane area when this guy sat down next to me. Not sure why, but he did move to the aisle seat when the doors closed, and I wonder if he just forgot he had an aisle seat and not a middle seat.

Quiet airport .  

An amazing view. I love being in the clouds. . . physically, not mentally ;-)
Flying with American Airlines 

The Mike picked me up from the airport and we went to the grocer to get some quick food for dinner. I picked up some TP, not knowing the situation at home. The Mike questioned, but he didn't really know what the situation was either.  Friday I went back to the grocers to refill the refrigerator and cabinet space, as we had cleared out a lot over the last few months of winter.  We weren't hoarding food, but getting what we needed. . .and then Muir Glen things were on sale at Natural Grocers, so maybe I did get quite a few there.   One thing The Mike said to get was dry beans, so I've been trying my hand at beans from dry instead of bean dishes with canned items.

White chicken chili. . . with a splash of color with canned tomatoes

I've been spending time making masks, and I can say that it is time consuming. I'm not sure how some folks are able to make so many, but I do find it cathartic to do so.  The Mike has started printing some of the plastic pieces for the 'ear savers'.

Olson Mask pattern pieces

My whimsical fabric supply is dwindling. 

My April doctor's procedure appointment with the GI was rescheduled to September. 

I'm suppose to have a doctor appointment this summer. . .will be interesting if that is in person or phone or postponed.  Some nights we just have something simple--and probably isn't good for my fatty liver, and some days we have more fiber and fruit. . .and does fruit count if it's in a cobbler or pie? hmmm.  Fresh apples, carrots and celery sticks are our snacks as well.

I found a bottle of bleach two weeks ago at the grocery store and thought I struck gold!  We don't have any wipes in our house, and I've been making a bleach solution for the spray bottle after shopping. I had about a pint of bleach left in the house. Then last week I found a pack of toilet paper at Target.  Who knew we would be so excited for these things?!    

Keep well, and be as constructive as you can, quarantining and staying safe!

I can't wait to get my hair styled again, but I'll wait to browse stores in person.

Let me know what you'd like to see in the posts!