Tuesday, February 14, 2023

Tuesday Tips and Throwback

 Howdy everyone!  Hope this day finds you well.  Yes, it is Valentines Day!  If you celebrate this day - I hope you have a lovely one.  I have never been much into it - just another of those made-up days to get people's money!  LOL
I know there is some history behind it - but it was never something I celebrated much, except as a kid.
Not my picture - but this looks so much like Momma kitty did.  Have a happy day!

DRU asked the other day, if I could repeat a couple ideas that had been on some very early posts.  I know one or two have been shared a couple times - but it always is nice to get a reminder.  Times can be tough for people - so any tip to help extend the budget is useful.


Casseroles are always a great way to use bits and pieces of things.  Here is a basic formula to help make up any kind of casserole your heart desires.  There are no real rules - use what you have and make a nice new meal.  Click on recipe to enlarge.

Click on pic to enlarge
Now I know I have listed citrus cleaner before.  It is easy to make, uses up scraps and it smells fresh and clean.  It also helps to keep ants away.
Remember peels can be used in different ways.  You can zest the peels and freeze for future use for flavoring.  You can place the peels in a pot of water and heat on the stove or small potpourri pot for a great smell.  They are great for refreshing your garbage disposal.  Place in it, turn it on and grind up.  The kitchen smells lovely - I did this just last night!


Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Oooooh egg pucky!

I have been hearing about the bird flu and the affect this will be having on eggs.  I am sure you have heard the stories as well.  My first reaction to rising prices was "horse pucky" (sort of!).
According to reports, tens of thousands of egg chickens have been destroyed.  Eggs are rising in price.
Last week at Aldi, eggs were up .80/dozen from the week before.  That's a pretty big increase in one week.  Prices are supposed to hit the peak price this fall and the high prices are supposed to last through Spring of 2016.   We have a few holidays in that time frame, and many involve baking!

The price of chicken hasn't risen yet, and they say it won't.  Egg chickens and meat chickens are raised separately.  I am not believing it!  I have been purchasing chicken and vacuum sealing and freezing whenever I find a great price. (I love my vacuum sealer).
I have also been getting eggs for the future.  HOW you ask?  I am freezing them!

I am using muffin tins to freeze eggs in.  My ice cube trays have small compartments and I always buy large eggs.  Simply use cooking spray or lightly grease tins and pop an egg in each unit.  Break the yellow for more even freezing.  Once frozen I pop them out and store in freezer bags.  I manage to get 2 dozen eggs in a gallon bag.  I put a layer of wax paper between them.  Eggs will last well upwards of a year frozen.  **Always thaw in the refrigerator and not at room temperature.
Buy now while cheap and store for later. 
Egg pucks!!!!!


I have also been using another muffin tray to make large ice cubes as well!  We go through a lot of ice in the summer and I refuse to PAY for it!  So along with the  regular ice cubes I am making giant ones!
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Here is a reminder on freezing eggs.  I copied this from the post in 2015.  NOTICE the comments at the beginning of that post about the price of eggs and bird flu!!!!!!!!  Hmmmm - people think this is a new problem.  Nope - it happens every so many years!
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***Buy whole chickens when you can.  They are generally MUCH cheaper than buying select parts.  You can get so many meals from a single whole chicken.  I have read many a post about getting a good 8 meals from one chicken.  You can have fried or bake, you can make pot pies, soup, casserole, stir fry, pieces on salad, or chicken salad.  Then you can use the bones and scrap for making stock.
I know some people only like certain parts - but when making soup or pot pie or something like that - all parts can be tasty!!!!  

**Bread, unsweet cereal, crackers of all sorts, crushed chips or even pretzels can be used for all sorts of things.  Use as a breading when frying.  They all make great extenders in things like meatloaf, salmon or tuna patties, even a quiche.  
I have mentioned before a great way to extend eggs for a crowd - add crackers (crushed) & a little water to your egg mixture.  Scramble as usual - and it all tastes like eggs and really extends them.  We used to do this all the time when camping.  I always add some extender to quiche recipes.

**Load up on veggies at your meals.  Many don't like or can't eat rice or pasta (carbs) - so veggies can extend your meal.  Frozen veggies are generally pretty cheap.  Now make sure you buy plain veggies -- not the ones with glazes and marinades (they cost more).  Canned, might be cheap - depending on what you use.  Fresh and garden veggies are wonderful.  This is a great way to extend a meal and it is healthy as well.  No need to make meat the front runner of the meal (use smaller pieces).  
I use a lot of pasta or rice - to extend my meals.  I love both and can eat them with no side effects.  I know not everyone can.  Just another option!!!!!

There you go.  The first three items are from June of 2015 posts!!!!!  That was my first month of being on blogger.  Gosh, a lot of time has passed by since then.
It is almost hard to believe I have been around here since then.  I thank you all for being on this journey with me.
I love that newer readers are going back and reading the older posts.  That makes me happy.  THANKS Dru - for the suggestion!!!!!

Wishing you all a sweet day.  Take care.

24 comments:

  1. I buzz up bits & bobs of crackers, chips, pretzels, etc to add to the bread crumb container in the fridge. Careful with flavored crackers, etc. Casseroles can be topped with bread crumbs, stove top stuffing, biscuits. Eggs can be pickled for a great protein snack. I'm with you re: whole chickens. I get many meals from a 6lb chicken - roast chicken, sandwiches, soup, casserole, stir fry. Meat is no longer the star attraction in meals. I hope my skin doesn't turn green with my meals yesterday - pea soup for lunch, asparagus for supper.

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    1. So many uses for the crumbs! I love it. No wasting anything.
      It is amazing how many meals you can get from a chicken or a roast. Whole generally costs much less.
      I agree - some meals I don't even have meat - so no star here.

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  2. Hey Cheryl. Love your blog. Read every post. Re: chickens eggs. Yes, small scale farmers use the chickens for both eggs and meat. Large scale egg farmers and chicken farmers have to have separate barns. To cut down on bird flu all that I know have to have a shower in shower our policy. They can only have one kind of production either eggs or meat chickens. It is costly to lose a whole flock. I know as my SIL and her family lost 90,000 recently hatched birds. It cost them a whole years wages. I am in Manitoba Canada and lots of small scale and large scale operations have lost a lot due to bird flu. Even if you have been at someone’s house who has a bird I.e. a canary you cannot go into a chicken barn.

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    1. WOW - that is very interesting. Facts that I did not know.
      I guess my point in reposting, is that people think this a new thing and it isn't. We have paid high prices for eggs before. Not new in 22/23! We seem to forget or out of sight out of mind. Just like 2008 - so many seem to have forgotten how bad the economy was. This is all nothing new.
      Thanks for the info.
      Thank you for being here and following along.

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  3. Eggs definitely went up in price in the past few months, but I notice the prices are coming down again. What frustrates me, is the fact that the farmers aren't seeing very little of the increase, it's going into the pockets of the corporations who own the grocery stores. The chains love to blame this or that for the increases, but when considered across the country, it's a mere blip in the production chain. It's a different issue with the items we import - when there is a break in that chain it has major impacts as we saw during the pandemic. In other words, buy local when you can.
    Okay, I'll get off my soap box now. Have a good day!

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    1. I have noticed prices coming down some as well. I agree with you! We are told part of the story and then the corporations keep making record profits. Something wrong with that picture.

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  4. Vacuum sealers are a good thing! I have some chicken breasts I need to bag up and put in the freezer. The vacuum bags cut down on freezer burn and the frosties that collect in the regular freezer bags.



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    1. That was a fantastic invention for sure!!!! I love my vacuum sealer. Save a lot of meat from freezer burn.

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  5. Freezing eggs has saved me from having to buy when the chickens slow down production in the winter. It's a great tip.
    I like your idea on making ice cubes in the muffin tins too. We have an icemaker but the large ones would really be handy, especially in Summer. Thanks for that tip Cheryl.

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    1. Freezing eggs sure does come in handy. You always have them on hand, and can freeze when the price is down.
      Big ice cubes are really nice in a tall glass of tea or water. They just last longer. Shoot, you can freeze tea, or lemonade or whatever as well!

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  6. Chicken (meat) prices have started falling here. Not as much as I'd like, but they are coming down. Eggs, not so much. Last week, I bought a bag of flax seed and am going to try that as an egg substitute in my next baking foray.

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    1. I didn't notice the chicken prices as much as egg prices going up at first. Sure it has gone up, but I haven't had to buy much - thanks to freezer.
      I have enjoyed using mayo in some of my baking instead of eggs.

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  7. ,I use flax eggs for baking all of the time but only in baking recipes that call for one or two eggs. If the recipe calls for 3 or more eggs I use two flax eggs and the rest real eggs. Cookie

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    1. Good to know. I usually replace and egg or two in baking with mayo. I have flax seed in freezer, just haven't used it in baking yet.

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  8. Awwww.... Love the kitty photo, your mommy kitty must have been beautiful.

    Thank you for the ideas and taking the time to repost them! I enjoy egg bites, baking scrambled eggs in muffin tins. This morning I made some 'baked' eggs in shell in my instant pot. Love those for my first meal around 10:30 or 11am.

    Yeah, Valentines day is so sweet for little children I think. Our little grandsons traded little cards last week when they were over. It is interesting though...I noticed a while back on xanga blogging back around 15 years ago...People were starting to treat Valentines like Christmas in the way of gifts. I saw a mom buying her daughter cutesy (little frog princes print) under clothes and things like that when it used to be a cute card or candy, just simple little token gifts if any.

    I remember even when a little girl in third grade my poor mom had to stand up for simplicity for our Valentines party. Another mom who was used to spending a lot of money from a high dollar state was wanting to spend almost $3 for a stuffed velvet heart with stuffed elf on top for each girl in class. This was 1968. My poor mom had to diplomatically tell the lady that the dime store plastic heart cases that opened up with conversation heart candies would be more appropriate. I've always been proud of my mom for standing for what was right. I remember til this day her on the wall phone in the kitchen explaining to the lady. I felt sorry for my mom! And I had to face her little girl the next day too...Oh well, it wasn't too bad. : )

    I hope you are having a sweet day, I'm over here decluttering and planning my dinner. : ) God bless and hugs!

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    1. Momma kitty was gorgeous - big, gray and fluffy.

      Yes, I remember we made bags or boxes in class for cards. We would all get those packages of assorted cards to hand out. Them mom and some of the other mom's would make goodies. Mom always made heart shaped iced sugar cookies. Everyone loved them. Boy, I would love one of her cookies today. My nephew and I was talking about that Sunday. No matter how I try - mine don't taste like hers (I use her recipe). It must have been the LOVE!
      Your mom sure did the right thing. I bet a lot of other parents were happy she did as well.

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  9. What a nice "throwback", Cheryl. Thank you. It's snowing and blowing here this Valentine's Day. We just had a guy out to check our pellet stove; I'm so grateful for it this winter!

    Eggs vary here in price now, some weeks $7 and some $4. I think it has to do with supply/shipments, as we're remote rural. It's surprised me, though, how many have forgotten the last recession (2007-2011). It was rough. Many people learned many new-to-them things during that time. Many people pulled out grass and flowers and planted eatables. Carpooling to work was a thing. Stores were selling out of canning supplies. It was a back-to-basics period in the U.S. as home foreclosures shot through the roof. The government bailed out many financial institutions, the airlines, etc. Hubs went 8 years without a cost of living raise; increases for medical insurance (employee portion) doubled. Each of those years we were operating on less net income and had one, then 2 sons in college.

    Anyway, I don't mean to ramble, but we've all seen this before. We all got through it. We'll get through now, too. Thanks again for the flashback! --Elise
    P.S. Thinking of Claire, Debby and Frances, who've been absent of late. A few others, too. If you're reading, could you let is all know you're okay?

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    1. Oh yuck snow - my friend in OR. is getting snow today as well.
      We have rain and winds coming in overnight again.
      I know, so many seem to have forgotten. It was quite a lousy time for finances and housing then. My G used to flip out over the financials ever day!!! The market finally bounced back and the money came back up - but it was scary.
      They had given out so many home loans and then BOOM - it all went down the tubes.

      I have been thinking about the gals who are missing as well.
      PLEASE check in and at least say hi!!!!!!!!

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  10. I love my vacuum sealer and I was so happy when our youngest bought one as well. Since he lives alone he uses his much more than I use mine and I use mine a great deal.

    It got really cold today with a brisk wind. I think we might be going back into winter here after spring teased us for a few days.

    God bless.

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    1. Great - love that your son has a vacuum sealer and uses it! I sure like mine.
      We are warm and windy and going to rain tonight - then warm for a couple days and go from 60's to 20's in a matter of hours on Thursday!!!!!! Crazy for sure. It isn't going to stay real cold for too long though.

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  11. Hello, all!
    I've been sick for the past 10 or so days. Feeling better but can't shake that dern cough. My house is a mess and I have lots of laundry! And isn't it so typical that hubs had a couple of extra work projects that needed extra hours?! We used the last of our frozen fast food yesterday so tomorrow's meals will be a surprise to everyone!!
    No idea if it was a regular cold or a COVID cold cuz the home tests don't work on me. Doesn't matter cuz they're both the same in treatment. It's the cough and tiredness that kick my butt with COVID.

    Hubs is home! I'll post again tomorrow! 😁

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    1. So sorry you are sick! Hope you get all on the mend quickly. Poor kiddo! Sending you lots of warm healing wishes. Hugs from afar!!!!! Drink your fluids and get your rest.

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    2. Debbie, Hoping you feel better soon. That cough seems to hang on.

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  12. I don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day either. It’s a made up holiday and I, not going to partake in it.

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