Wednesday, August 12, 2026

Use it Up, Make Do and Eat Well - A Few Ideas

 Good day to all.  Hope this finds you all safe and well.  It is a very gloomy looking morning here.  I can hear thunder off in the distance.  It is far away, but I can still hear it.  It looks to be another day where we will have storms in the area later on.  Oh boy (not).
Almost every day this week has a chance for storms at some point.  Yesterday got a bit scary in the afternoon.  It got looking dark out, so I walked out back and put the cat food in the greenhouse, and the kitties were all just hanging out on the walk.  Then BOOM - out of nowhere came the wind.  I got the food in and the kitties went running (ended up in greenhouse) and I got back in the door and all heck let loose.
The wind was horrible - 60 - 70 mph straight line winds.  I had a ton of limbs and sticks down (sure cleans out the old trees).  It really scared Bitsy - he stayed in hiding for hours.  Two neighbors to the west had some significant limbs come down.  Yesterday was trash day, so many of the bins were out, and they were tossed like toothpicks - those cans are heavy!  Around the city trees fell and fell on vehicles and one took out a house.  I was so blessed.
Then we had rain in the early evening hours - no wind or bad stuff then.  
To the north and east of here, many counties are flooded.  They have had between 6" and 12" of rain since yesterday morning.  Nothing like that here thank goodness.  More to come.  Not a good weather week for sure.
PLEASE if in any of the flooded areas - stay safe.  Do not try to get through standing water.

Something easy. used what I had, and ever so TASTY!  I made this yesterday.  It is a flatbread topped with cream cheese onion powder, sliced tomatoes and shredded cheddar cheese.  I made it in the air fryer.
Oh my goodness, it tasted like the most decadent grilled cheese sandwich ever and a combo of a tomato sandwich.  So very, good and very filling.  I will make again, sor sure.  It doesn't get much easier.
Now you could use anything - tomatoes, onions, peppers, mushrooms, bacon or olives.  You can use whatever you have in the way of cheese.   USE IT UP!  But, let me tell you the taste sensation of the cheese and tomatoes was fantastic.  Great use for those fresh tomatoes!

Here are a couple charts with some good ideas.  New ways to do things and new things to think about eating.  It is great when we can have new ideas using up the things we already have. It sure can save money as well.


If you have an air fryer - it isn't just for fries and wings anymore!!!!   I have not done a couple of these but have used mine for many of these ideas.  I have not made oriental dumplings, but egg rolls are great.  They really do 'freshen' up stale items.  Love it for pizza, fries, chicken, fish and have even made a mini one-person lasagna in mine.  Not a bad $10 deal I got at a yard sale!!! (and I thought I would never use).


These ideas might help someone.  I just wish they could the pictures to match the descriptions.  That drives me bonkers.  But you can read the ideas and find something that works for you and gives you a sugar free and healthy breakfast or even lunch or snack.
Use what you have and get creative.

I know I have said the word so much - but it my word this year.  Get creative.  Use what you have and experiment a little.
There are so many combinations of things that can be made - so many we just don't think about.  There are many ways to fix things and not heat the house or use the power of stove/oven.

Do you have any 'out of the norm' ideas to share that you really like?  Share please!
Give us all some new ideas.

If you are in any of the weather areas or the fire areas, I pray you stay safe.  Leave if you must, and please, please just don't temp fate.  Be safe.
Have a great day.

16 comments:

  1. I saw that bad winds and rains were coming your way. So happy you are safe.

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    1. Thanks. We have already had rains this morning and it looks nasty right now - another round coming! This is really something for this time of the year.

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  2. Cheryl, I’m glad that you did not have flooding or damage but I know that limbs and sticks can make a big mess. (My neighbor is a retired fireman and just recently he cleaned the tree debris off my roof.) It sounds like the Midwest and mid-Atlantic had some really wild weather. You are right to warn people not to drive through flooded areas. Of course cars can be damaged but people can drown, too. “Hide from the wind, run from the water” is the thing we hear over and over again in my area. Nine people in my county died in flooding during Hurricane Helene two years ago.

    Your flatbread, tomato and cheese concoction looks delicious. I need to be on the lookout for an air fryer when our yard sale season begins in the autumn. Barbara M.

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    1. Thank you - me too. I sure feel sorry for people - watching the news this morning, boy it looks bad in places. Even roads washed away. The area is really getting hit hard for sure.
      The say around here "turn around - don't drown".
      So sad for loss of life -storms sure can be nasty.
      Oh, I can't tell you just how delish it was. Sooooo yummy. You could make in the oven too. I was never planning on an air fryer - but saw this one (Ninja) for $10 and new, so I figured if I didn't use, someone would love it. Best $10 I have spent in years!

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  3. I will save that air-fryer chart for my son. I don't have such a thing, but would consider buying one - if I see one at the charity shop or a yard sale, but I'm not visiting those often as I'm trying to get *rid* of things, not buy more stuff! :)

    Glad you are ok. I had to replace the windshield on my car because a hickory nut fell and broke it in a storm Sunday night. Glass is fragile!

    MaryB

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    1. I never planned to have one - but couldn't pass it by for the price and brand. Figured someone would like it, if I didn't. I have been to a yard sale this summer.
      Oh my gosh, a nut? That is crazy, that it broke your windshield.
      Hope you have no problems getting it fixed.

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  4. Making boiled eggs in the air fryer is a new one for me… my aunt and I have four eggs in the air fryer now to try it out. Egg salad is planned. Recovering from surgery, I am trying to increase my protein intake and with it being hot for many of us this time of year, I am enjoying unbaked refrigerator protein balls.. there are other “cookie” recipes online that one can make that are not baked also. It’s using up a nasty protein powder that we don’t want to use in smoothies for breakfast, and tastes acceptable in the protein balls so we don’t waste it.. I am trying to get my “heat related “ cooking done early in the day, and just microwaving to reheat to try to keep the house cooler. Made an instant pot black bean soup this morning. The heat and humidity doldrums of summer are certainly here in my area of Wisconsin. Julie V.

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    1. That is one I have not tried - look forward to hearing what you think!!
      Smart to increase your protein for healing. I have had protein balls that were quite good.
      I totally understand not wanting to heat the house up with cooking. I don't mind the stove, but try to avoid the oven. Bean soup sounds good.
      Glad to hear you are getting active and doing things. I hope you are improving each and every day. Happy healing.

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  5. We had rain yesterday. But the silver lining was it was just enough that we realized the sump pump was struggling. Fortunately, our plumber was able to come right away. So thankful it didn't fail on one of those torrential downpours we've been having!

    I'm going to try that cream cheese tomato concoction! Sounds yummy!

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    1. So glad you figured it out before you had a real problem. All about timing!!!
      I found it to be one of the best bites I have had in ages - seriously! I hope you enjoy!

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  6. So thankful you and the fur babies are all safe❤️
    My, that grilled cheese/tomato pizza looks so good!
    We’re just having hot and dry weather here in OK right now🥵
    Stay safe and comfy,
    Mary

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    1. Thank you. We survived again today - just day after day of storms.
      It kind of looks like pizza - but just cheeses and tomato - no sauce. It was so tasty. It could be made in the oven or probably even in a skillet with a lid - so cheese would all melt.
      Sorry it is so dry there - hope you get some relief soon.

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  7. Yes, that was a very nasty storm. Our neighbor's pine tree fell on their car due to the strong winds. Many people in our county have no power. So many trees down and so much damage. We have been very fortunate in that we didn't have any damage or lose power. Our utility company said it was the biggest outage in their history, and they have been around for over 100 years. We will be getting more rain and thunderstorms through the weekend, but thankfully, nothing like on Tuesday.
    We love our air fryer. We bought ours on a Black Friday sale a couple years ago. We use it all the time! Your flatbread looks yummy. Darcy

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    1. It sure was nasty. The winds were just crazy and did a lot of damage, especially for not being a tornado. And goodness, the rain and the flooding - my heart hurts for all those affected. It is so sad.
      I really do like my air fryer - didn't think I would. It sure keeps the house cooler in the summer - I have good stuff without the oven or prolonged cooking on the stove.
      It really was yummy.

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  8. I need help with a huge head of red cabbage. Anyone have a recipe I can cook and then vac freeze for winter consumption? We have too much food from the CSA and I know how lucky we are! I already gave our young neighbor couple a big bag from last week and we have our weekly pickup this afternoon! Eeeekkkkk

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    1. I don't know if you can or not, but you can make slaw and can it and it is very good. I have made it several times.
      If you go to the top of my blog on the upper left side there is a white box - type in canning cole slaw and it will bring up a post about how easy it is to do. It is water bath - so super easy.
      You could also make a nice pot of veggie soup and add it - and freeze or can for later. Maybe make some cabbage rolls and freeze. Hope you find an option.

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