Post a good thing that happened in your life today

[Allan Bell]

2 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

Yeah, Dave -- Trad can work at a garden cookout . . . if you have a large garden.

 

Sinatra had all the gifts -- the voice, the timing, and the ability to read the lyrics as if he was doing it for the first time. On that Vegas Basie album, he's at his best. My son, who's a musician, played that album for me, for us, the night before I left Montreal. His is a state-of-the-art vinyl system.

 

And I also agree that Betty is slightly wrong in remembering The Teddy Bear's Picnic.

 

If you go down in the woods today, you're sure of a big surprise
If you go down in the woods today, you'd better go in disguise
For every bear that ever there was 
Will gather there for certain because 
Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic
 

It was often played as a tuba solo. 

 

I have to play that one for Jackie's teddy bears.

 

Before she passed away she asked me to look after them and I could not say no. So there are five teddy bears sat around in my lounge.

 

Their names?  Grizzle (the boss), Pollyanna (his wife), Libby, Arthur and Bruin (of course).

 

Perhaps I should buy and learn to play the tuba.

 

Allan

 

Edited April 4, 2022 by Allan Bell

[Allan Bell]

 

Wohooo!  I have saved £5 a month by renewing my mobile phone contract with the provider.  That is half of the LR subscription found. Just waiting to see how much I am saving for renewing my broadband account with the same provider. Hopefully the other half.

 

Allan

 

[CAROL SAUNDERS]

Costco were doing a very good deal on air fryers so I thought I would try one.  Mine is a 6.7 litre one so quite large but that's fine.  Very impressed with it so far, roast potatoes in 20 minutes and perfect😄  I can also fit a 7 inch shallow cake tin in it, enabling me to do my favourite blueberry pancakes😄  Also hopefully it will save on energy as I won't need to use the oven as much......

 

Carol

[Michael Ventura]

12 minutes ago, CAROL SAUNDERS said:

Costco were doing a very good deal on air fryers so I thought I would try one.  Mine is a 6.7 litre one so quite large but that's fine.  Very impressed with it so far, roast potatoes in 20 minutes and perfect😄  I can also fit a 7 inch shallow cake tin in it, enabling me to do my favourite blueberry pancakes😄  Also hopefully it will save on energy as I won't need to use the oven as much......

 

Carol

 

I have been super happy with mine! I have used it for all kinds of foods.  From meats to veggies...haven't tried bakery items, like breads yet. .  I love that it doesn't give off heat so my kitchen will stay cooler in the summer and I do think it saves on energy.  My oven is an electricity hog, takes way too long to get up to temp for preheating.

[CAROL SAUNDERS]

12 minutes ago, Michael Ventura said:

 

I have been super happy with mine! I have used it for all kinds of foods.  From meats to veggies...haven't tried bakery items, like breads yet. .  I love that it doesn't give off heat so my kitchen will stay cooler in the summer and I do think it saves on energy.  My oven is an electricity hog, takes way too long to get up to temp for preheating.

That's good to know Michael and a very good point about the kitchen being cooler in the summer😀  I'm still experimenting with it so a bit trial and error at the moment but everything has been edible - I just need to get used to timings i.e., the first batch of celeriac fries which normally take about 45 mins in the oven, I put on for 15 minutes, next time it will be 12 minutes, they tasted fine although looked a bit frazzled😄

 

Carol

[Allan Bell]

1 hour ago, CAROL SAUNDERS said:

Costco were doing a very good deal on air fryers so I thought I would try one.  Mine is a 6.7 litre one so quite large but that's fine.  Very impressed with it so far, roast potatoes in 20 minutes and perfect😄  I can also fit a 7 inch shallow cake tin in it, enabling me to do my favourite blueberry pancakes😄  Also hopefully it will save on energy as I won't need to use the oven as much......

 

Carol

 

I agree to the reduced use of oven and hob. Electric and gas in that order.  Using microwave most of the time now to save on use of gas and electric. Got to make savings where possible.

 

Allan

 

[Betty LaRue]

15 hours ago, Dave Richards said:

Hi Betty. I remember a song from my childhood with that “if you go out in the woods” line which I think is called “The Teddy Bears Picnic”.

Thank you!

[Betty LaRue]

11 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

Yeah, Dave -- Trad can work at a garden cookout . . . if you have a large garden.

 

Sinatra had all the gifts -- the voice, the timing, and the ability to read the lyrics as if he was doing it for the first time. On that Vegas Basie album, he's at his best. My son, who's a musician, played that album for me, for us, the night before I left Montreal. His is a state-of-the-art vinyl system.

 

And I also agree that Betty is slightly wrong in remembering The Teddy Bear's Picnic.

 

If you go down in the woods today, you're sure of a big surprise
If you go down in the woods today, you'd better go in disguise
For every bear that ever there was 
Will gather there for certain because 
Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic
 

It was often played as a tuba solo. 

It was a fun tune, for sure. Yes, now the lyrics sound familiar to me. After all, I was six. I also remember this non-classical, something mother sang off and on for years. All that stuck for me was this:

Sioux City Sue, Sioux City Sue
Your hair is red, your eyes are blue
I'd swap my horse and dog for you

 

Edited April 4, 2022 by Betty LaRue

[Betty LaRue]

I think (please Mother Nature) spring has arrived. My lawn guy mowed Saturday, trees are blooming, and I am sneezing. Hurray, except for that last part.

[Allan Bell]

13 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

I think (please Mother Nature) spring has arrived. My lawn guy mowed Saturday, trees are blooming, and I am sneezing. Hurray, except for that last part.

 

Try not to sneeze too hard, it might put your back out.

 

Allan

 

[Betty LaRue]

5 hours ago, Allan Bell said:

 

Try not to sneeze too hard, it might put your back out.

 

Allan

 

Actually, Allan, it begins with a cough, followed by about three sneezes with coughs between. Those paroxysms cause my injured right leg muscle, the one that causes severe groin pain down to my knee, to spasm badly.

So it’s “cough, sneeze, Oohh, cough, sneeze, Oohh! Sometimes it’s cough, sneeze, sneeze, Oh!

My son looks on with a raised eyebrow and a wince.

[Allan Bell]

28 minutes ago, Betty LaRue said:

So it’s “cough, sneeze, Oohh, cough, sneeze, Oohh! Sometimes it’s cough, sneeze, sneeze, Oh!

 

I know the lyrics but the tune escapes me.

 

Allan

 

[Ed Rooney]

 

I decided to make an arrabbiata sauce on the weekend. Not my favorite but one I don't have a picture of. I bought all the fresh ingredients but then decided I didn't want any pasta. I remembered that I'd bought some chicken winks at M&S. I've totally given up on chicken breast -- tough and tasteless. Wings and legs and thighs still work. So when I got that basic sauce cooking in olive oil, I added the wings. Yum. Here you go: 

 

 

 

[Vincent Lowe]

On 04/04/2022 at 15:45, CAROL SAUNDERS said:

Costco were doing a very good deal on air fryers so I thought I would try one.  Mine is a 6.7 litre one so quite large but that's fine.  Very impressed with it so far, roast potatoes in 20 minutes and perfect😄  I can also fit a 7 inch shallow cake tin in it, enabling me to do my favourite blueberry pancakes😄  Also hopefully it will save on energy as I won't need to use the oven as much......

 

Carol

 

When my old gas cooker packed up I decided to take the opportunity to revamp my kitchen - redecorate, install a cooker hood etc.  I was without a cooker for a few weeks so in the mean time I bought a halogen oven - something like this.  It cost me about 20 quid at the time and I thought I would be lucky if I got a year out of it.  That was about five years ago and I'm still using it - I've used the oven in the new cooker just twice in all that time (on the two occasions when I've cooked a whole chicken).

[Bryan]

2 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

 

I decided to make an arrabbiata sauce on the weekend. Not my favorite but one I don't have a picture of. I bought all the fresh ingredients but then decided I didn't want any pasta. I remembered that I'd bought some chicken winks at M&S. I've totally given up on chicken breast -- tough and tasteless. Wings and legs and thighs still work. So when I got that basic sauce cooking in olive oil, I added the wings. Yum. Here you go: 

 

Looks very tasty Edo. 

 

We've recently discovered  M&S Hoisin Duck Noodles. £5 and cooked in a wok or frying pan in 5 minutes. Very nice indeed for an occasional treat. Sainsbury's do a version for £4.50 but, having tried both, and although the Sainsbury's product is Ok, it's worth paying the extra for the M&S 

 

 

Edited April 5, 2022 by Bryan

[gvallee]

2 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

 

I decided to make an arrabbiata sauce on the weekend. Not my favorite but one I don't have a picture of. I bought all the fresh ingredients but then decided I didn't want any pasta. I remembered that I'd bought some chicken winks at M&S. I've totally given up on chicken breast -- tough and tasteless. Wings and legs and thighs still work. So when I got that basic sauce cooking in olive oil, I added the wings. Yum. Here you go: 

 

 

 

 

This is Chef standard. Impressive.

[wiskerke]

4 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

 

I decided to make an arrabbiata sauce on the weekend. Not my favorite but one I don't have a picture of. I bought all the fresh ingredients but then decided I didn't want any pasta. I remembered that I'd bought some chicken winks at M&S. I've totally given up on chicken breast -- tough and tasteless. Wings and legs and thighs still work. So when I got that basic sauce cooking in olive oil, I added the wings. Yum. Here you go: 

 

 

 

I bet you're watching BBC MasterChef. 👨‍🍳😁

 

wim

[CAROL SAUNDERS]

10 hours ago, Vincent Lowe said:

 

When my old gas cooker packed up I decided to take the opportunity to revamp my kitchen - redecorate, install a cooker hood etc.  I was without a cooker for a few weeks so in the mean time I bought a halogen oven - something like this.  It cost me about 20 quid at the time and I thought I would be lucky if I got a year out of it.  That was about five years ago and I'm still using it - I've used the oven in the new cooker just twice in all that time (on the two occasions when I've cooked a whole chicken).

Wow that's amazing and brilliant it's lasted so long, I hope my new air fryer does😄   It has the space to cook/roast a whole chicken but I'm not brave enough just yet to try,  I'm still in the learning process but so many recipes on line, I just need to learn how to set the temperature manually🤣  I think setting up a new iMac would probably be easier than learning these new kitchen aids🤣

 

Carol

[spacecadet]

I've been on the Zooniverse survey counting penguins and I've just had my first image of Adelie's. Makes a change after pages and pages of gentoo and chinstrap.

 

Also the odd Antarctic shag. Although the weather is a bit warmer this week

Edited April 6, 2022 by spacecadet

[Bryan]

Spent a couple of hours this morning with other Sustrans volunteers planting yellow rattle in an area of grassland designated as a wildflower meadow.  The yellow rattle feeds off nutrients in grass roots, so inhibiting the growth of the grass and allowing wildflowers to prosper.  I look forward to returning in a year or so to see if it has been successful.

 

Then got home to find a POD sale had popped in, won't make me rich though at $5 !

[Ed Rooney]

19 hours ago, wiskerke said:

I bet you're watching BBC MasterChef. 👨‍🍳😁

 

wim

 

Never seen that show, Wim. Don't have a TV but I see it's on YouTube. In the States, I sometimes watched Culinary Institute of America doing tests.

[Betty LaRue]

On 06/04/2022 at 02:36, CAROL SAUNDERS said:

Wow that's amazing and brilliant it's lasted so long, I hope my new air fryer does😄   It has the space to cook/roast a whole chicken but I'm not brave enough just yet to try,  I'm still in the learning process but so many recipes on line, I just need to learn how to set the temperature manually🤣  I think setting up a new iMac would probably be easier than learning these new kitchen aids🤣

 

Carol

If they are on your diet, try frozen chips (French fries to me). Don’t thaw. They are one of the easiest. Spray or coat with a small bit of olive or a Avacado oil, and air fry at top heat, for me it is 400 degrees. Put about 8 minutes on, take basket out and shake at 4 minutes. Then fry a couple more minutes, checking they get deep golden but don’t burn, then the other two if necessary. Add minutes if you need them. All air fryers are different, you’ll eventually become familiar with yours.

[CAROL SAUNDERS]

3 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

If they are on your diet, try frozen chips (French fries to me). Don’t thaw. They are one of the easiest. Spray or coat with a small bit of olive or a Avacado oil, and air fry at top heat, for me it is 400 degrees. Put about 8 minutes on, take basket out and shake at 4 minutes. Then fry a couple more minutes, checking they get deep golden but don’t burn, then the other two if necessary. Add minutes if you need them. All air fryers are different, you’ll eventually become familiar with yours.

Ah thanks so much Betty, I can't eat too any carbs as they upset my stomach so instead of frozen fries, I do celeriac fries, I've tried them twice now they are good but never go as crispy as normal fries but they taste good.  Today was blueberry pancakes for lunch in a 7" shallow tin inside the air fryer and tonight was salmon fillets and courgette (think eggplant?) salt/black pepper dipped in garlic olive oil and thin coat of red pesto - 10 minutes wow!  Tasted so much better than in the oven.  Also tried a jacket potato, not for me but again it was excellent, crispy on the outside and fluffy inside - other half even ate the skin!  First time for everything😄  I have a beginners airfryer cookbook hopefully arriving tomorrow also, I think I'm getting hooked😄 Tomorrow I may try rump steak but a little unsure of settings, also I like mine medium rare, my other half well done so will need to keep a careful eye of them.  What could possibly go wrong😄

 

One thing I'm unsure about is I've been putting the food on the metal rack within the basket, not sure if this is correct and the food just needs to go in the bottom of the basket....

 

Carol

[Betty LaRue]

5 hours ago, CAROL SAUNDERS said:

Ah thanks so much Betty, I can't eat too any carbs as they upset my stomach so instead of frozen fries, I do celeriac fries, I've tried them twice now they are good but never go as crispy as normal fries but they taste good.  Today was blueberry pancakes for lunch in a 7" shallow tin inside the air fryer and tonight was salmon fillets and courgette (think eggplant?) salt/black pepper dipped in garlic olive oil and thin coat of red pesto - 10 minutes wow!  Tasted so much better than in the oven.  Also tried a jacket potato, not for me but again it was excellent, crispy on the outside and fluffy inside - other half even ate the skin!  First time for everything😄  I have a beginners airfryer cookbook hopefully arriving tomorrow also, I think I'm getting hooked😄 Tomorrow I may try rump steak but a little unsure of settings, also I like mine medium rare, my other half well done so will need to keep a careful eye of them.  What could possibly go wrong😄

 

One thing I'm unsure about is I've been putting the food on the metal rack within the basket, not sure if this is correct and the food just needs to go in the bottom of the basket....

 

Carol

You surely have a different model than I do, so who knows? Mine is a Power XL Vortex, 7 quart capacity.  It has a basket, and is so easy to clean. Pop in the sink with hot water & soap and a scrub brush, 3 minutes and it’s clean.
Sounds to me like you’re on your way. I did pork chops in mine, but decided I like them better in my oven, on broil. Seasoned with Montreal Steak seasoning with a small pat of butter while broiling, each side after I turn them.

https://www.target.com/p/powerxl-vortex-air-fryer-7qt-black/-/A-76544202

Edited April 7, 2022 by Betty LaRue

[Betty LaRue]

My son, who has been staying with me to help out since early February, isn’t a housekeeper. Oh, he washes dishes, starts the Roomba to vacuum the floor, but he doesn’t mop, he doesn’t dust, he doesn’t clean bathrooms. And he likes to pile 5 pairs of his shoes up here in the living area rather than keep them in his downstairs bedroom. I’ve been going a bit mad seeing clutter and dirt. He’s packed my refrigerator freezer and my basement freezer with so much food I don’t think I could squeeze a toothpick in, let alone find the meatloaf I fixed and froze before surgery. It’ll be freezer burned before I find it. And the basement family room has clothes piled everywhere. Yes I raised him. Where did I go wrong?

 

His dog threw up on the kitchen floor two days ago, and he cleaned it up. Then he got a handful of paper towels and spray cleaner to further clean that area. The paper towels came up black with dirt and grime.  Horrors! It hadn’t been mopped since I cleaned the house spotless before surgery and I’m sure his dog is tracking in a lot of grime between trying to get under my feet and trip me. She likes to silently follow me and step on my heels or get between my feet as I walk. I’m no longer used to a dog underfoot and as unsteady as I still am, that’s dangerous.

Yesterday, even though I still have a hard time standing up straight, I mopped the kitchen floor and my own master bath. So I’d say I’m slowly on the mend. It reminds me when my labor started with my last child, and between pains I scrubbed the kitchen floor on hands and knees and waxed it before taking off for the hospital.

Son is flying away for Friday afternoon, Saturday, Sunday, and I’ll pick him up Monday evening. My daughter and hubby is leaving for a resort area on Saturday. I’ll be on my own with no support system for the first time other than his dog, who is loving, but I’ll be caring for her and praying she doesn’t trip me. I cannot bend over and clean up vomit, either.

I must get my taxes done, and find some time to clean a little bit while he’s gone. Maybe at least dust. Wish me luck. My son will start a new job April 18th, and he’s looking for his own place. I’m ready. Wish I could afford a house cleaner to come in and get my house back where I need it once he moves out.