more freezer cooking

today is enchiladas
chicken and bean with mixed veggies
i got the beans up on the stove cooking now (dried navy beans this time)
i am planning on 32 enchiladas so that will be i think 8 containers of 4
now each container actually is a meal for both of us with his 'work supper' as well in there
i eat one, he eats two and takes one to work
i am hoping to stretch the chicken with the beans (shhhhhhhhh we won't tell him there are beans in there-what he doesn't know is good for him)
i may put some corn in too
in a few minutes i'll go make the sauce for this
right now i am still struggling with the morning fibro stiffness..... (and it's raining)
now yesterday i processed that pie pumpkin i baked the other day....i ended up giving the chickens the guts as i didn't like the way they looked but the girls were very happy
i made bernie a pumpkin crustless pie....i called it a custart.....hahahaha
he liked it but he said it needed whipped cream which we didn't have.....for once i would agree with him
i couldn't find the ground allspice and didn't feel like grinding the whole allspice so i just put cinnamon and ginger in it......it was pretty good

next i am hoping for a good sale on beef but if not then i am going to have to do with a mix of chicken/pork for meatloafs and such
and i am going to need to deal with that soon...... as i need to have stuff ready for when i am too ill to do anything
i am fighting this disease as hard as i can..... which isn't easy, as i hate being idle.... but i do have to sleep and rest and i can't do what i am used to doing in a day
i keep hoping i figure a way to at least do what i need to when i am better against the bad days..and figure ways to have the bad days not so bad

anyway....right now i am cooking for the freezer..... in a while when that's finished i'll paint

freezer cooking

4 meals of chicken in curry sauce and one of chicken and dumplin
tomorrow if i feel ok
i bake
i also discovered i really need to do a few batches of enchiladas up for the freezer
plus i am working on stuff for thanksgiving
getting as much made ahead as i can.
i don't think bernie will be actually here all day awake (he'll be working that night) but i could possibly do the full meal the tuesday before and have a leftover second meal on the actual day

in other news, i again have insurance starting today
and the fibro is down to a dull roar......thanks to the vitamin d3.....
i need to add vitamin k2 and k3 as well
which i will
and i have discovered that taking the vitamins in late morning/early afternoon is the right time
as if i take them too late they keep me up
i would have never thought that a vitamin D deficiency would cause problems and that taking d would fix stuff
i'm not sure about the other vitamin claims but for me, i've proven to myself that the d works
and works well
the general horrible tiredness in my legs is tolerable now
i can go down to the ducks and while i can't yet do water buckets or grain pans, i can and do bring my beloved ducks in the house at night (i've missed them all so very much- and they have missed me too)

painting and pain

i over did it this week....... i put by almost 50 pounds of chicken breast for the freezer
something i used to do in about 3 hours took me more like 10, spread out over two days
then i basically collapsed
i ended up in bed last night before bernie left for work
i could NOT sit up any longer-
i'm trying to calm down what appears to be a full blown fibro flare, brought on by over doing it AGAIN......
along with going up and down the stairs a zillion times to put the first batch of chicken in the freezer, then doing dishes and some other odds and ends
when will i ever learn? cause as soon as i feel a tiny bit better i go for it...
and then get sick
i am beginning to suspect my days of heavy work may possibly be over

today i am trying to paint
i'm working on a portrait of ducks, black bellied whistling ducks to be exact-- this is a detail part way through of one of the heads.
i like this species of duck very much, although i've never seen it in person, one of my friends took photos and sent them to me after i went nuts over a few photos she'd posted online
she went back and got me photos just for me.
now they have a wonderful red/yellow carmine colored bill, that just blew me away along with a sweet sweet expression in their eyes that reminds me so much of my beloved ducks-- and since i am trying to paint wild ducks right now (doesn't it always comeback to ducks with me?) i figured a good place to start would be with this species..
let me go on record as saying.... pond water sucks the big one to paint
oye
and note to self..... mask out everything and paint the damn pond water first...... then happily paint in the ducks

so that's why i'm quiet again
i'm sick
i'm painting as much as i can
and in between i am deep in thought

i got the fever................ WARNING PHOTO heavy

spring fever it would seems......AGAIN
so these thankfully were on sale at homedepot.....i got three and really would have liked to get more (light blue, a clear purply purple and a white with yellow)--- they looked healthy and are loaded with buds..so they're here now---i have to repot the old ones i have..... and i am going to see about a pebble tray for them
meanwhile we're bracing for a storm..... up to 8'' of snow possible overnight tonight-20 with windchill

i am still wanting a terrarium, but maybe i'll do a water one...... with water plants instead of tropical?
now for today's look back to the archives humor post.......HERE
it is so appropriate for today as it happened during this time of year.....
in painting news.....the quail painting is progressing

oh and...... we have a new duckling..... she is about 3 months old, and had damage to her foot with the extreme cold ......so she came here to live.... bernie is torn about it.....he feels bad for her but at the same time, doesn't want another duck
she's very very scared..... she saw her nestmate/brother get dispatched and processed right before she came. they don't forget that.
so she's resting in her crate..... today i have to bath her and clip her wings
i think she'll be ok, and if i could only convince one of the girls to accept her we'll be great.....it would be best if the younger girls accepted her.....as she is their niece
and we're going to need a name for her i think.....no?

in cooking......i am working my way through chopmeat, (1.99 a pound at giants- i got about 20 pounds and then they ran out...so i got a raincheck too)

chili
meatloaf
salisbury steak
enchiladas

all for the freezer

ok everyone....those who are facing this storm......stay warm and safe
those who aren't
enjoy your week
i am going to start cooking now while watching the snow get heavier

take good care......

zom·bie noun \ˈzäm-bē\

: a person who moves very slowly and is not aware of what is happening especially because of being very tired

: a dead person who is able to move because of magic according to some religions and in stories, movies, etc.

so this is pretty much me today..and the past few days.
bernie's got this now-.......well he is fighting it off now..... he of course didn't get anywhere near as ill as i was.
everything i do, i get the cold clammy sweats, i get super weak and have to sit for a while.....
he's still doing wood,
he told me YOU DON"T BRING THE WOOD IN

ok

believe me i can agree with that one

so today is the start of another marathon cooking session...but it'll have to be slowly done over a few days
this batch is as follows

1. roasted chicken with leeks sauce
2. tomato sauce
3. baked ziti
4. beef stew
5. potatoe with leek soup
6. chicken enchiladas (from the roasted chicken)
7. split pea soup (just for me as he hates it)
8. beef pot pies
9. chicken and dumplins

i am working on it all starting in a few minutes

i will roast the chicken, while that is roasting i'll do the veggies for everything else, and start the sauce.
i'll make the seasoned flour for the beef as well
and roast the potatoes tonight for not only our dinner but for the potato soup
tomorrow i'll make the ziti
the soup
and start browning the beef in the flour mix
sunday i'll shred up the chicken for the enchiladas and i'm going to add some really finely minced veggies to that too
and so on......

i love cooking this way, not only for us for the week but also for us for the freezer
i just hope my strength holds out

the doctor said this was viral......and checked me also for pneumonia
i can tell you that i feel like a damn zombie......the walking dead
only they don't have to cough as much

our new schedule.......

i am still getting used to it

today i cut up the ham for the freezer then made broth with the bone
i ground crumbs for breading pork chops....
and decided that since i have the peppers i am going to make sauce and then stuffed peppers for the freezer

i have to tell you..i am slowly getting used to the schedule......
the hardest part is me thinking ahead to stuff that is going to make a lot of noise and doing that either when bernie gets up or after he leaves at night.
today i realized that i can't run the food processor.....so when he left i did it
i realized that i can't run the vacuum sealer either so tomorrow i'll package the ham and run it after he leaves....
i'll put the breaded pork chops in containers in the freezer..... no noise with that


i think the eye infections made things worse though.... i ran out of eye drops on saturday, i had renewed them after the doctor on friday but the pharmacy was out until today------- so i went all of saturday, sunday and part of today without eye drops
when my eyes feel tired i get exhausted
and they are swollen and smudgy black and red again

ok that's about it.....sorry this is so late,

take good care

before i forget......

first off i want to wish you all the very happiest of holiday seasons

then i want to tell you how to make one of my favorite cookies
(it makes a LOT..... either freeze half or use this as a holiday tray cookie)

i make the dough, and keep it in the fridge.....it keeps about a week in the fridge
it rarely lasts that long with bernie around

thoroughly cream 1 cup of sweet unsalted butter
use the high speed on the mixer
then add 8oz of cream cheese and thoroughly cream that with the butter
add 2 and 3/4 cups of white sugar... scrap down the sides of the bowl and keep that mixer going at high speed
add 4 duck eggs (or 5 jumbo chicken eggs) and beat that batter within an inch of it's life
add 1 tablespoon each of vanilla (remember when i told you how to make it?) and almond extract
and continue to beat it until it's fluffy and smooth and almost looks like frosting

meanwhile sift 5 and 1/2 cups of flour with 4 teaspoons cream of tartar, and 2 teaspoons of baking SODA...... mix this all up very well you can add some salt....maybe 1/8 teaspoon

then stir it into the wet ingredients.... be careful not to over mix.... you can use the mixer on low/med
and stop often to scrap the sides down

DO NOT OVER MIX THIS PART

chill for about an hour

drop by tablespoonfulls on a cookie sheet -
sprinkle some multi colored sanding sugar or sprinkles on the top
and bake between 10 and 14 mins at 350 degrees
until the edges are medium brown

let cool on the tray about 3 minutes then move them to a cooling rack

ok now the variations

you can add some ground cardamon to the dry ingredients
and or some lemon or orange zest
about a teaspoon measure
you can add chips to the finished dough (or part of the finished dough)
or nuts
or sprinkle chopped nuts on top
raisins soaked in liquid can be added to the dough before dropping on the cookie sheet
or cranraisins...... or sweetened dried cherries, or blueberries....crushed toffee.....

or bake without and then ice or glaze later
( i like lemon icing on these just FYI)

we do however make these all year round... they are not just for christmas.

now just a fast update on other stuff.....i have a layout on the board for a nest with quail....
we'll see how that goes
i have the quail in a better/larger/ more quail comfortable arrangement now in the basement, after doing research with google and also quail breeders here.. one got out and was flying around in the duck room but we got it back and they are both fine, nestled together in the alfalfa hay part of their new pen...they also have sand/oyster shell to dust themselves with, and i ground the pellets into crumble for them, and added some bird seed too..........
in knitting news i have about 40 inches of vine lace on that scarf i'm working on......it looks like i also have another 200 yards or so left of the skein so i am going to keep knitting.

bernie starts his new job tomorrow night..... he's met some of the guys when he brought his tool box up to the new shop.

ok i think you folks are all caught up....now tomorrow (this will post monday so for tuesday's post) i have a funny story...... i am liking reposting the archive stories that are funny..... i hope you folks are enjoying them too.
and again i can't say this enough, i wish you all the most wonderful of holiday seasons

a short detour

picking meat off the turkey

adding bones to the stock pot

 i put the turkey carcass into the stockpot after getting as much meat as i could off.
have you done your turkey stock yet?
i got 5 quarts, three of which are in the freezer
the other two....that was our soup base for supper tonight
turkey soup with celery, onion and cabbage!
oh and bite sized raviolis

i love having stock on hand, and i love using the very last of the turkey up!

turkey meat and some stuffing

happy halloween

this is my favorite time of year..it's also for me, the most magical time of year
seeing leaves change to brilliant colors.. the smells of the fall
warm sweaters, cozy fires, comfort foods

this year isn't quite as magical as years past have been-
i don't know if it's that bernie is working graveyard this year...
or is it an aftereffect of the past 18 months or what
but i'm not quite with it this year- and TODAY, at 7am asshole dickwad neighbors fired up duel chain saws and decided it was a great time to rip into a pile of logs!
i was up anyway but had planned on another 2 hours worth of sleep .......yeah that was not happening

i am however doing a lot of cooking ahead type stuff and started the teacup studies in watercolor
the first one for me proved extremely difficult
trying to get the teacup to look delicate, thin, shiny, without being a cliche......
i know a lot of folks like the study when i was finished but i'm not sure about it

ok updates (these really are more for me then i think yous all cause who really cares right about how i efficiently used my leftover pork loin? )

first off i did up a small pork loin roast, low and slow in the oven, which we had the first night, thinly sliced with baked potatoes and steamed veggies
then last night i slivered it all up, part made us enchiladas with mixed steamed veggies, and my 'fast down and dirty too lazy to do it up right' cheese sauce which is simple
some stock, last night was chicken stock
cream cheese and cheddar/jack cheese
first bring the stock to a simmer, cut the cream cheese into little cubes and add it to the simmering stock.... whisking very very often.... add whatever seasoning you want, i added freshly ground pepper, some tiny bit of basil, parsley, a 1/4 teaspoon of good sweet paprika, a bit of mixed citrus zests...
and finally when the cheese was all smooth and dissolved ...the cheddar/jack mix shredded and whisked to melt/combine
if it's too thick add either more stock or some water

i used all that sauce to make up more enchiladas for the freezer .....and i have leftover roast pork for fried rice or something else....(bernie wants me to make fried rice for him but i think not tonight)

i am so going to do this again.....the enchiladas were really good

now i was also supposed to go to town to the antique flea market for teacups, as i need 5 more.
at least 5 more, i figured 2 bucks a pop and then .......i went to look on ebay and etsy.......WTF?
teacups are like 25 bucks! for the ones that i found 'right'

oye
some of the ones i also found 'right' (actually i found perfect) were like 200 bucks!
so i need the muse to sprinkle tons of luck down on me for this series....
i am thinking that maybe after i should just resell the damn cups
what am i going to do with them after i paint them anyway?

in studio news..i think i've settled on a combination of caran and faber-castell artist grade colored pencils... it's a really PITA to sift through all the BS to find all the totally lightfast ones...
really if any of the pencil companies REALLY did a totally lightfast line with decent pencils and a good range (like the pastel lines are) they would CLEAN up.. i swear

so now i am waiting for a few good sales
dick blick never discounts the faber-castell polychromos .....but cheap joes does..
blick has a better price on the caran.... and they will discount them so i am going to get a combination of them-- this is going to take a while i think

in knitting..i am still working on that feather and fan....it's about 28'' long now..... i think it's going to end up about 7' long...... it's such a soothing knit i maybe want to do a second one... in another color....something maybe.... a glowing wine or something like that? for my gray wool winter coat
it's really that nice a knit...
no pattern, just 4 repeats across of the feather and fan variation, with 4 garter stitches on either side....
it's in the jaggerspun zepher and i like it! i got the lilac at rhinebeck on a whim as it was pretty cheap, i got 600 yards... i had planned on putting a collar on one side but i may not now...
it's just so pristine in it's laceyness.....

ok that's about it
i need to go and paint, do dishes, cook......
happy halloween to you all
it's raining here of course (why does it seem to rain a LOT on halloween)

I look like I lost the war & a RECIPE for chicken

I got a mess of a hematoma from the lab stick the other day..... really do NOT have lab work done then go to pt for your shoulders...

dumb, dumb, dumb

gees I swear I am the world's biggest dumb ass

But today I am feeling alot better, as you will see from what I did today.

Ok I have been batter dipping, breading and freezing chicken cutlets.
I have done 35 so far.....
I have 21 to go
that gives me 54 ( yes you did the math right, we are having two for dinner)
which means 27 meals of them in the freezer
( we like breaded chicken breast a lot)
I make my own batter and my own crumbs
the crumbs are 1 part shredded wheat & bran, and 2 parts cornbread.
then I add some herbs and a few spices......
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
I have to tell you it is VERY GOOD.
really, very good.
and also pretty high in fiber too.
I cut all the fat off the breasts, and lightly dust them with flour, then dip in the batter then the crumbs.
I freeze them on wax paper on trays, then put them in freezer bags.
I cook them from the frozen state at 350 degrees until done.....I think it takes about 20-30 minutes.
( don't say I didn't tell you how to do this ok, it is really good)
no I don't have amounts.......
sorry I don't have actual written recipes

I have to do the last 21 tomorrow and then do the stuffed peppers, I will have three meals of them in the freezer then.
I will of course also make tomato sauce. I probably should make a casserole of baked ziti to freeze as well.
hmmmmmm
we'll see if the ricotta is still ok.

lets see............ in other news.
this coming week I am pretty light on appointments I think.......
but after that I got daily stuff and also classes to teach.
I am going to try and take pictures of the tank I am knitting for the Local yarn store.
I also am taking pictures of my soaps and toiletries ( to show packaging) for a webpage for my toiletries business.
I have to take pictures of my dollhouse miniatures for a page for them....
oye
tomorrow is the orthopedic doctor at the crack of dawn....... then I will be home to cook
Unless he decides to twist me into a pretzel.

I imagine the post about that will be pretty funny.........