Getting ready for the cold

Taking a look inside my 2013 Farmer's Almanac at their prediction of the coming winter as well as observing the heavier than normal for this time of the month leaf fall out my windows my thoughts have turned to getting ready for what may be a cold and snowy winter season.
Last year my adult son who lives at home made a few changes that helped our heat bill, he installed a new interior door on the side of our house then using a tension rod hung a plain shower curtain across the top of the basement steps. Both these steps helped to cut the amount of cold air hitting our furnace and I am convinced helped to keep costs under control. He also installed a digital programmable thermostat that allowed us to better control the temperature inside our room, allowing us to reduce the air temperature at night when we are all in bed sleeping and also when we were at work/school during the day. Having 4 pets we kept the temperature at one that was comfortable for them but just slightly too cold for those who don't naturally wear fur. Taking into account an above normal temperature for last year I still beleive these measures were big money savers for us.
The weatherman is prediction lows in the mid 30s for my area tonight. Last year I was able to wait until mid November to turn on our furnace but all the signs point towards not being that lucky this year.
Before getting that furnace running I like to clean it out, taking a shop vac I suck out all the dust and dirt that I can. I wipe down all the exterior surfaces and then install a new filter. Today I purchased new filters ($17) and my son took on the clean up job. We are all set. Our thermostat is still set from last year so it just meant flipping on the heat switch.
Living in an 84 year old house means lots of drafts in spite of storm doors and windows. I have an extra window film kit from last year and will purchase  a second kit this year. The front living room windows (the only ones without storms) will get their covering this week and the remaining windows in the dining room and kids bedrooms as well as the bathroom window will get theirs as the month goes on.
We have two sets of draft dodgers for along the bottom of the front door and the dining room french doors. The new side door is air tight and we didn't discover any drafts that need attention in that area.
Since our house is fairly small my own bedroom has been for the last 20 years in the full walkup attic. This area is unheated with minimal insullation. The entrance to the staircase is inside the closet area of my daughter's room and during the daytime a draft dodger along the bottom of the door keeps the cold air out of her bedroom.
 I am not comfortable running a space heater up there but I do cover the windows with film and have a mattress pad heater as well as several thick comforters and a heavy duty polar fleece blanket. Once in bed I am often too warm during the night. And I do have to say that I don't know if its the primitive conditions or not but I do not often get colds and haven't had the flu in years. I like to think I've built up my constitution and kept down my doctor bills this way.
The final thing we will do is burn a creosote cleaning log in our wood burning living room fireplace and stock up on store bought fake logs. I like these for a number of reasons, while more expensive than real logs I know exactly how long they will burn, they don't spark, and they don't create the creosote buildup inside the chimney that real logs do meaning you can go way longer between having the chimney swept. For me this means I am willing to invest the extra money in them for the few times we actually have a fire.
Along with numerous throw blankets, snuggies (gag gifts that turned out to be pretty practical), and hot warming drinks we are all set for winter's cold.

So many cookbooks so little time

My name is Nancy and I am an addict.
I am addicted to cookbooks. I collect vintage cookbooks as well as all kinds of current ones. I began my love affair with the cookbook in high school. Home ill for several days I had run out of reading material (reading...another blog for another day) and had already made my way through the entire set of Collier's Encyclopedias as well as the Atlas my parents had stocked the bookshelf in my bedroom with. Bored and not allowed to watch tv out of bed I grabbed a copy of the General Food's Kitchen Cookbook. This being the only cookbook Mom actually owned the selection of reading material was slim.   I was soon totally fascinated with the entire chapter on  menu planning, the interesting illustrations, and some of the odd combinations of foods a lot of the recipes put together. Being a teenager I was soon well again and put this interesting oddity away and forgot about it for several years. But then I found myself living in an apartment in college and needing to feed myself and I remembered that cookbook. Fortunately Mom hadn't tossed it or sold it in a garage sale. Over a Christmas break I grabbed that book and also made my very first cookbook purchase, The New York Times Cookbook. Both of these became my first go-to resources and learn tools.  That vintage General Foods cookbook is how I learned to menu plan. In the very first chapter is a discussion of not only combining foods that taste great together but that are also visually appealing. I still grab that book and review the information when I feel myself getting stale or I need to share this skill with my kids. Shortly after getting married my Motherinlaw introduced me to  what has become for me the ultimate cooking bible: The Joy of Cooking. My passion for cooking exploded and my passion for cookbooks as well. The Joy has become something of a tradition as well in the family, I gave it as a shower gift to my oldest son (who also loves to cook) and as a Christmas gift to my oldest daughter, my now exmotherinlaw gave it to my middle daughter as a gift, and I am sure it will eventually show up as a gift for my remaining children as well. Not only is it filled with good recipes it is chocked full of practical kitchen advice and food knowledge.
I was in my late 30s and new to the internet when I discovered that other people shared my odd choice of collectable, the "old" cookbook. By then I'd added to my modest selections with a mid 50s copy of Meta Givens' Modern Family Cookbook (left behind in a dusty cabinet by the previous owners of my new home)  as well as this gem: .
For me the discovery is almost as much fun as the purchase. I love browsing used bookstores, flea markets, garage sales, and auction lots of odd books and finding something I don't have and which looks interesting. And then comes the curling up in the corner of the sofa with a cup of tea in one hand and my latest vintage book in the other as I delve into the mysteries of what was once considered the cutting edge of home cooking and baking. I have found many gems inside the pages of these old books and have confirmed that the old adage of nothing being new under the sun is indeed correct.
The flipside to this hunt for the vintage is my collection of current cookbooks, I have just about every spiral bound Gooseberry Patch book  as well as just about any popular cookbook you can name published in the last 15 years. The only problem that I can see is one of space, I am running out of room to store them and yet I still see more cookbooks I want to own. What is a girl to do?

Sunday Supper: One Dish Chicken Dinner

I love the whole concept of Sunday supper. A cozy meal served in the warmth of home with family  gathered around the table. My weekends have evolved in the past few years into a routine spent not in my own suburban home but in the semi rural home of a dear friend. He has opened his home and his heart to my family and this is where we gather on a Sunday. With several adult children and two active teens it is hard to bring everyone around the table on a regular basis but we do try to get everyone together here as often as possible. When it is just ourselves however I still make the effort to create a special meal.

Today it is unusually chilly for the beginning of October, a temperature hovering around the mid 40s with dark clouds and occasional spatterings of rain. This is the weather that makes me turn to recipes that are comforting and filling to warm up the old empty places inside.
Today's recipe is a fairly new one, this is only my third time making it but it is exceptional in its simplicity.


One Dish Chicken Dinner:
Serves 4-6

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1-2 lbs.french cut green beans (canned or frozen)
2 lbs. new potatoes, cut in half
1 stick butter, melted
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
2 cloves garlic, pressed
In a 13x9 baking dish arrange chicken in a single row down the center of the dish, place potatoes on one side and green beans on the other. Sprinkle evenly with seasoning and garlic, pour melted butter over the top. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

We enjoy this with fresh baked rolls or a crisp salad on the side.

Menu Planning and the October Plan

One of the keys for me to keeping within a food budget is planning and my biggest planning tool is the dinner menu. I don't do breakfast menus or lunch menus, breakfast is a quick meal grabbed on the run during the week and it usually means something like yogurt, a cereal or granola or fiber bar, and coffee. My adult son and my two teens do not do weekday breakfast although they do enjoy a nice cooked Sunday breakfast. On Saturdays breakfast is a DIY thing, cereal (hot or cold), toast, etc. Sunday mornings I like to cook a breakfast usually some kind of eggs or made from scratch pancakes or waffles or french toast or even a coffee cake and some kind of protein, sausage or bacon or cheese.
 

Lunches during the school year are either the school hot lunch (since I run a cafeteria this is always an option for me) or something eaten at home (my teen daughter is home by lunch time each day) sandwiches, soup, salad or leftovers. These options are also our weekend and summer fare.
For me meal planning centers around the dinner table. I like to create an entire month's worth of menus to choose from. That way I have some leeway for who is going to be home, what we all feel like eating, and whether or not the day has turned into something way busier than originally planned.
The first step is for me to dip into my extensive collection of cookbooks and cook booklets as well as several food magazines I receive via my Kindle. I love variety and I love trying new recipes or even new variations of favorite recipes. My goal is to make something new at least once a week if not more often. I then fill in with tried and true ideas. When creating a meal I use a basic pattern: Protein, starch, vegetable and/or fruit. I don't plan desserts, they are a occasional treat.


The next step is the list. I make a detailed shopping list based on the dinner menus, standard lunch and breakfast options and what needs to be restocked in the pantry and/or freezer. I divide the list up according to which store has the best price or selection and then I am ready to roll out and get those groceries purchased.


Although we are several days into October I want to share what the dinner plans are for this month, once a week it is Dinner Date Night with my gentleman friend which makes it DIY night for the kids, we are into high school football season (my youngest is in the marching band) so most Fridays dinner is a hot dog at the game, and in October we have one special event (my youngest daughter's 18th birthday ) which is an entirely separate menu, those things aside here are the plans:
Pumpkin sausage penne, harvest salad
Pumpkin waffles w/ cinnamon syrup, Scottish skillet potatoes
Beef veggie soup, fly off the plate rolls
Beer battered pan fried whiting (new recipe), crispy oven fries, coleslaw
Horseradish encrusted tilapia, Capri blend veggies
Grilled herbed salmon fillet, white and wild rice, broccoli with lemon
Salmon cakes with lime chipotle tartar sauce, mashed cauliflower, peas
Indian corn stew(new recipe), pumpkin biscuits
Spicy meatloaf, mashed potatoes, sweet and sour red cabbage
Steaks , Oven roasted mushrooms (new recipe), cinnamon glazed carrots
Kielbasa and apple kraut, mashed potatoes, French green beans
Pork chops with apple stuffing(new recipe) , German potato salad, cucumber salad
One dish chicken bake, crescent rolls
Lasagna, salad
Spaghetti, salad
New England boiled dinner, corn muffins
Butternut squash ravioli with browned sage butter, salad
Salisbury steak, mashed potatoes, corn
Pork stew and dumplings (new recipe), fly off the plate rolls
Lazy Golumbki casserole, rye bread
Chicken creole, white rice, salad

October Grocery Shopping

Yesterday was my day to do the major shopping trip of the month. I prefer to keep my shopping down to two times a month if I can. One trip, the one I did yesterday is to supply the freezer, pantry, and refrigerator and the second is a milk/produce run. I will also fit in another trip this month for nonfood household and pet items. We have three dogs and a cat and my middle adult son takes care of the dog expenses like food and treats while I handle the cat expenses of food and litter. We split vet bills and meds.
I did three stops yesterday, Marc's/Xpect (a discount retailer), Aldi, and BJ's Wholesale Club (we have a cashback membership shared with my oldest son that pays for itself each year in rewards).  I spent a grand total of $395.08 on food items (out of a budget this month of $450) and $43.59 on household items (out of a budget of $100).
My first stop was at Marc's/Xpect where my total was $41.35 total. The only household good I bought there was contact lense solution, a cost of $9.52.  Foodwise, I brought home:
2 2oz bottles of dehydated chopped onion
1 small bottle of Kikkoman Sriracha chili sauce
a package of King's Hawaiian rolls
2 lb bag of sauerkraut
a bag of wacky mac pasta
two bags of egg noodles
two bags of pappardelle pasta
a box of tapioca
a large cottage ham
20 packs of nonsweetened kooldaide

My second stop was Aldi. I spent $178.91 total, $16.90 on household goods and $162.01 on food.
Household goods purchased: trash bags, one gallon freezer bags, quart freezer bags, toothpaste, and cotton swabs.
Foodwise we stocked up and brought home:
red grapefruit juice
vegetable juice
apple juice
cranberry juice
grape juice
1 box granola bars
1 box sundae cones
1 box ice cream bars
1/2 gallon vanilla bean ice cream
1/2 gallon pumpkin pie ice cream
1 lb. sausage
3 lbs. blsl chicken breasts
one bag whiting fillets
3 lbs. blsl chicken thighs
1 bag cheese ravioli
1 box pierogies
2 boxes french bread pizzas
1 bag shredded hash browns
1 bag buffalo chicken strips
1 bag plain chicken strips
2 lb box elbow mac
6 cans mandarin oranges
6 cans diced tomatoes
2 cans tomato paste
1 can chili style tomatoes
1 can diced green chiles
2 cans stewed tomatoes
1 can wild alaska pink salmon
2 cans pumpkin
1 can sweet potatoes
1 butternut squash
1 jar applesauce
1 jar mild salsa
3 lbs. bananas
1 bunch celery
one bottle orange juice
1 bag 3 romaine hearts
1 bag spring mix
1 cabbage
3 lbs. lemons
3 lbs. granny smith apples
1 box brownie mix
1 bottle ranch dressing
1 bottle chocolate sauce
2 pints raspberries
1 pint grape tomatoes
1 quart mushrooms
1 pck. american cheese slices
2 pcks. string cheese
1 bag baby carrots
2 bags shredded mozzarella
1 block NY cheddar
1 jar con queso sauce
2 pcks. Turkey kielbasa
1 container pumpkin cream cheese
1 container blue cheese
1 pint sour cream
1 quart lowfat cottage cheese
6 pumpkin pie lowfat yogurt
2 boston cream pie lowfat yogurt
7 more lowfat fruit yogurts
8 greek fruit yogurts
1 pint whipping cream
1 pint egg substitute
2 boxes mac and cheese
2 pcks chocolate pudding cups
1 pck vanilla pudding cups
1 bag tortilla scoops chips
1 bag sweet potato chips
1 loaf bread
1 dozen eggs

Our final stop was BJ's where my total was $218.41. I spent $17.07 on a household item, Swiffer sheets (3 dogs+1 cat=LOTS of hair). The remainder of $201.34 went for food (major stocking up of meat) and I came home with:
6 pack of Campbells chicken gumbo soup (for youngest daughter)
1 jar port wine spreadable cheese
2 pack Smart Balance spread
1 large box assorted crackers
6 pack Uncle Ben's white and wild rice
2 pack fresh butternut squash ravioli
1 lb. hard salami
1 large stick pepperoni
7 lamb loin chops (cooked 2 last night, packaged up remaining into 2 packs)
2 pack Panera broccoli cheese soup (for youngest son)
1 soup bone
4 meaty beef bones (divided into 2 packs)
6 lbs. 88% ground beef (broken down to 4 1 1/2 lb. packs)
3 lbs. meatloaf mix (broken down to 3 1 lb. packs)
2 frozen Stouffer's mac and cheese
2 pack Reddi Whip
1 carton dried tropical fruit mix
3 lbs. sweet onions
1 large eye of round (cut down at home into one roast & one large bag stew meat)
1/2 dozen apple cider donuts
4 bags chips
1 gallon organic 1% milk (I pay the extra for organic because it lasts forever)

Catching Up and making goals

Amazingly my vow to start blogging regularly somehow disappeared into all the stuff I ended up doing over the summer. I did keep to my goals of menu planning, staying in my food budget, using my clothesline and growing some of my own vegetables. This last goal turned out to be only a couple of tomato plants and a bell pepper plant and herbs but still it was a small step in the right direction. Much time was spent enjoying good books and warm summer days with my teens, a camping trip and a fabulous week in Kansas with more family. And then before I knew it it was back to work for me and school for the kids.
September was spent getting back into the routine and organizing ourselves.
And now it is October, my favorite time of the year. At the end of September I did a financial review and found some areas where change is needed. I was able to stay under my budget goal for groceries during the summer months due to diligent stocking up of pantry goods but now I need to resupply.
Our old deep freezer finally died beyond repair but I was able to get a new one from a neighbor who had one he was no longer using for only $100. And it came with a turkey and a ham that he was going to ask if I wanted anyhow (single young guy doesn't cook, these were Christmas bonuses). I will cook these up and send back some of the prepared food to him. Sadly we lost all of the food that was in the freezer since we didn't discover it had died until it was too late so restocking this is also a priority. In order to do that  I've temporarily increased our food budget to $450 for food and another $100 for household goods for October and November only.
Our electric bill has been ridiculous so that is an area where we need to be more diligent. And finally last year there were too many impulse purchases made, especially of books. I'm getting out that library card and dusting it off and putting it back in use. And staying out of Target.
My other financial goals for October include: paying off my portion of our Kansas trip to my gentleman friend (critical for me to do this since we will be going back there for the week of Thanksgiving and I want to have my half up front), paying off my sole remaining credit card and then start using that sum of money to finally finish paying a small college loan I took to help my oldest son out with his education. Long term once that loan is paid off (February is my target) I will then use that sum of money and start applying it to my car loan.  And I need to begin rebuilding my savings, after looking at weekly expenses (gas, bowling), monthly expenses (hair, nails) and income I figure I should be able to stash $200 a month in my savings. I am working a small twice a month cleaning job that will easily cover that amount.

Simple and Basic: An introduction

I have always been attracted to a more simple lifestyle. Even as an 8 year old I was fascinated by the lives of the Amish community a short distance from the small town I grew up in. Growing up whenever I was asked what I wanted to 'be' my answer was a wife and mom. My own mom used to say I was born a hundred years too late. I am a fan of laundry on the clothesline, vegetable gardens, homebaked breads, and an afternoon with yarn and a crochet hook. I like vintage linens, aprons, and the smell of lemon Pledge. I like the feel of cool grass under my feet and dirt between my fingers. And I love the look on the faces of the family I love when a homecooked meal is on the table.
When I found myself at the relatively young age of 37 a widow with a family of six to house, cloth, and feed (as well as 3 stepdaughters to nourish emotionally) I turned to the simplicity 'movement' and got down to the basics that had sustained my parents through the depression so that I could continue to be a full time mom until my youngest was in school.
It has been a journey with ups and downs and now my household is down to myself and my three youngest children, one a young adult and the other two teens in high school. I am by no means an expert and my journey to a simplier life is not finished. I find myself backsliding often. I have a job running a private school cafeteria and doing all the cooking that I adore, a gentleman friend who is wonderful to me, and grandchildren who warm my heart. Things are not as difficult as they were in the days following my husband's death but I find myself renewing my vow to myself to keep it simplier. I'm hoping this blog will help me with this goal.
Working for a school means I have my summers free. I do hold down a small part time cleaning job twice a month but for the most part I am back to the days when I stayed home full time with the kids. This means a limited income so I've set myself some goals for the next couple of months.  I will keep to my monthly budget of $350 for food, $50 for nonfood household items (cleaning, health & beauty), I will return to menu planning, list making, cooking and baking from scratch  and avoiding prepared convenience foods; I will dedicate only one day a week to be a 'spending day',  I will hang up my clothesline and enjoy the smell of line dried laundry, I will find simple yet fun things to do with my teenagers, and I will read my way through my local library! And hopefully these things will help me slow down and enjoy the simpler lifestyle I've always wanted. I'll hope you'll join me.