Prep Genrl Weekly prep thread: April 7- April 13, 2024

summerthyme

Administrator
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Thanks a bunch ST, you are the best. Is it okay to add it to hot coffee or does heat adversely affect it?
I doubt heat will do anything to it. It's mostly fat soluble, so if you add coconut oil to your coffee, it might be easiest (and it will certainly improve absorption) to blend it into your spoonful of coconut oil (you could add it to butter, too, and spread it on toast) and then stir it into coffee.

Summerthyme
 

summerthyme

Administrator
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Ugh. Today has just been ugh. I am washing my hands of work and putting it down for now. If I don't, I'm likely to lose my temper at people who don't deserve it.

On the other hand, my plants arrived. Ramps, ostrich ferns, two types of native ginger, and two wild yams.

And I remembered Mothers Day in time to make sure that deliveries would get to Mom and SIL tomorrow.
Did you plant your jewelweed seeds last fall? If not, now's the time!

Summerthyme
 

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
I've always felt that Sam's meat was better than walmart by a long shot, but DH who use to deliver to both says they are the same, but I disagree with him.

I always make my green tea with tea bags, I've never bought a bottle of it.

This is what's in a bottle of green tea:

Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Citric Acid, Natural Flavor, Sodium Hexametaphosphate to Protect Flavor , Green Tea, Ascorbic Acid Vitamin C , Potassium Sorbate Preserves Freshness , Phosphoric Acid, Sugar, Acesulfame Potassium, Calcium Disodium EDTA to Protect Flavor , Honey, plus its 100 calories.

There is nothing in the green tea bags and there are no calories unless you add sweetener to it. I use stevia which has no calories.

Yeah, Cary will only drink it in bottles with all that stuff in it. I stopped buying it for him, since his kidney surgery. I had help from his urologist who also told him to stay away from it. I guess I can buy the tea bags and make iced green tea like you would regular tea. Sweeten with a little sugar and lemon. He drinks black coffee, water, and one beer a day, plus a glass of red wine each night. That's it. I will make the iced green tea, and if he likes it, I can make enough for both of us. Need to add the tea bags to my list. I once bought green tea capsules, so that is also an option for myself.
 

nomifyle

TB Fanatic
Yeah, Cary will only drink it in bottles with all that stuff in it. I stopped buying it for him, since his kidney surgery. I had help from his urologist who also told him to stay away from it. I guess I can buy the tea bags and make iced green tea like you would regular tea. Sweeten with a little sugar and lemon. He drinks black coffee, water, and one beer a day, plus a glass of red wine each night. That's it. I will make the iced green tea, and if he likes it, I can make enough for both of us. Need to add the tea bags to my list. I once bought green tea capsules, so that is also an option for myself.
I just filled a 64 oz canning jar with water and added three tea bags and put it on the table in the front room and later I'll put it in the fridge. Although I don't have to have it cold.

Good for you for wanting to make it from tea bags. God bless.
 

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
I just filled a 64 oz canning jar with water and added three tea bags and put it on the table in the front room and later I'll put it in the fridge. Although I don't have to have it cold.

Good for you for wanting to make it from tea bags. God bless.

Back when we drank regular tea, I made it in a glass gallon jug using 3 of the large tea bags. I'll have to figure out how many green tea bags for a gallon. Do the bags come in large size, too?
 

patriotgal

Veteran Member
Spent yesterday doing piddly stuff. Fed the grand and the great some lunch before they tried to fish. Their effort didn't last long - we had a wind advisory. It was really blowing. I washed more jars. Day before I canned all day, putting up beans, beef, beef stock, pork chops and pork stock. It all looks beautiful on kitchen table. No idea where I am going to put it.

Today I will can more beans, rabbit, pork and beef stocks. I have never bothered with pork stock before but deboned the pork chops and didn't want to waste anything. Canned the beef hearts too. Something else I haven't done before.

Used a jar of beans at lunch yesterday to make sure we like them. We do. Debating what to do with all of grandma's huge canning jars. Quart jars are the largest we need. Right now I have jars and fabric everywhere. Gonna get the jars organized this week. Will do the fabric when (if) I ever get time to sew again.
 

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
I made a dozen cupcakes a few days ago. I have a 13x9 inch metal cake pan with a plastic lid that I put them down in. I've been seeing a few ants in the kitchen, lately, they're worse at night. So, to keep the ants from getting into the cupcakes, I put the cake pan in the oven at night. All is well.

I had baked some bacon wrapped chicken breasts the other night and had lots of bacon left. I used the last of my homemade bacon bits in potato salad last night. I decided to cook out the rest of the bacon this morning for more bacon bits. I always cook bacon in the oven. I got everything laid out and ready, turned the oven on to heat to desired temp. The oven dinged at me letting me know it was ready. Opened the oven door to put the bacon it, and what did I see? Yep. All those cupcakes and plastic lid melted all over my oven!!!!!!!!:hof:I had forgotten they were in there! What a mess. I took the whole mess outside to cool, and Cary has just taken it all to the main garbage can out at the road. So, I started my day off just right. NOT.

I got the oven cleaned good, and the bacon is now cooked and in the freezer.
 

summerthyme

Administrator
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I made a dozen cupcakes a few days ago. I have a 13x9 inch metal cake pan with a plastic lid that I put them down in. I've been seeing a few ants in the kitchen, lately, they're worse at night. So, to keep the ants from getting into the cupcakes, I put the cake pan in the oven at night. All is well.

I had baked some bacon wrapped chicken breasts the other night and had lots of bacon left. I used the last of my homemade bacon bits in potato salad last night. I decided to cook out the rest of the bacon this morning for more bacon bits. I always cook bacon in the oven. I got everything laid out and ready, turned the oven on to heat to desired temp. The oven dinged at me letting me know it was ready. Opened the oven door to put the bacon it, and what did I see? Yep. All those cupcakes and plastic lid melted all over my oven!!!!!!!!:hof:I had forgotten they were in there! What a mess. I took the whole mess outside to cool, and Cary has just taken it all to the main garbage can out at the road. So, I started my day off just right. NOT.

I got the oven cleaned good, and the bacon is now cooked and in the freezer.
I've learned the hard way to *always* put a post-it note on the oven if I leave anything inside. Fortunately for me. Its usually a cast iron pan I've left to cool after seasoning...

Summerthyme
 

patriotgal

Veteran Member
@ Sherree. Friend once crammed a bunch of stuff in her oven to make the kitchen look clean when company popped in. They brought pizza and turned on oven to preheat. Smell of burning plastic reminded friend of her cleaning effort.

I once put cash drawer change ($50 in bills) in microwave at work. Coworker kept forgetting safe combination. Forgot and put breakfast in there to warm up. Sparks and smoke. Nothing but ashes and a paperclip left on a black spot. Talk about money going up in smoke. Then I had to call the boss and confess.
 

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one who has done this. It will get post-it notes from now on if I use the oven for storage purposes again. Now, I have to buy a new cake pan! Cary doesn't like stacked cakes too much. He prefers the sheet cakes, so I use the 13x9 cake pan that has the plastic lid with a carry handle. I've had this one for years. I can imagine how much a new one will cost.
 
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hd5574

Veteran Member
Continuing to plant..things in the garden...
Green beans going in .... peas are climbing...
Every thing else is coming up....and growing
Asparagus roots got here yesterday...large two year roots...so adding 20 more plants...they last about 20 years...we have been here 25 years...so we are replacing some of the older ones now...
The blackberries are starting to leaf out...

Want to get and can some more top round cubes....used some I canned recently and it was great...
Our friend with truck farm will start coming up again this weekend... they sell starts this time of year... so will be getting stuff from them...
So good to see everything turning green again..
Hope all have a wonderful weekend...
 

Meemur

Voice on the Prairie / FJB!
Back when we drank regular tea, I made it in a glass gallon jug using 3 of the large tea bags. I'll have to figure out how many green tea bags for a gallon. Do the bags come in large size, too?

4 bags per gallon if it's Twinings Tea and 5 bags per gallon if it's Lipton, in my opinion. Your taste buds may differ.
Yes, there is a brand with larger bags: Luzianne for iced tea. I haven't seen that here in ages.
 

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
I asked Cary if he would like for me to start making sweetened iced green tea for us to drink. He said he didn't want any, so I'm ordering me green tea extract capsules, instead. I think I will greatly benefit from taking them. The anti-inflammatory properties are just one that I can benefit from. Great for weight loss, lowers BP, too. I might even get Cary to take them as well.
 
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nomifyle

TB Fanatic
I was mostly, aside from health benefits, looking to green tea as something else to drink, with the hot weather coming on I need something cold besides the occasional diet soda (sams not coke).

Its warm in the house and I feel zapped. I've got some things I really need to get done, but just don't seem to be able to drag my self around to get it done.
 

kyrsyan

Has No Life - Lives on TB

etdeb

Veteran Member
I asked Cary if he would like for me to start making sweetened iced green tea for us to drink. He said he didn't want any, so I'm ordering me green tea extract capsules, instead. I think I will greatly benefit from taking them. The anti-inflammatory properties are just one that I can benefit from. Great for weight loss, lowers BP, too. I might even get Cary to take them as well.
What brand capsules?
 

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
All the water is receding, and the ground is drying. 81 degrees and sunny, today, so we'll get to do a little work outside, today. Cary plans to mow. Nothing for me to do out there other than dig a few more green onions. My garlic is waist high, already. It out does itself every year. As long as I can keep the walking onions, chives, and garlic going, I'll have 3 staples for my cooking, perpetually.

I made a big pot of spaghetti sauce with ground beef last night for our spaghetti. I made enough to have again, tonight. I need to make another big pot full to can. I usually get 2-3qts when I can it. We like our spaghetti sauce thick not soupy.
 

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
LOL, I use to make my own spaghetti sauce until I one time I used the jared kind, my youngest son said "Mom that is much better that what you make", so no more from scratch sauce. Now we rarely eat spaghetti, it would be on my diet, but I could make some for DH and freeze the extra.

Cary loves my spaghetti. I've always made it from scratch like my mom did. I've tried the jar sauces, but they are all too sweet for our taste. I stock lots and lots of tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Most of the diced tomatoes are ones I grew and canned myself.
 

nomifyle

TB Fanatic
Cary loves my spaghetti. I've always made it from scratch like my mom did. I've tried the jar sauces, but they are all too sweet for our taste. I stock lots and lots of tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Most of the diced tomatoes are ones I grew and canned myself.
My problem was I didn't have a good recipe. I'd been making it for years so at least my boys had a good foundation. Neither of their wives are much in the cooking department. My oldest son is an excellent cook and my youngest son does a decent job.
 

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
My problem was I didn't have a good recipe. I'd been making it for years so at least my boys had a good foundation. Neither of their wives are much in the cooking department. My oldest son is an excellent cook and my youngest son does a decent job.

Mom didn't have a great recipe, either. Over the years I've tweaked hers into one that we like. Now, I don't measure anything. Just a little of this and a little of that. Lots of herbs and spices, onions, garlic, and bell peppers.
 

nomifyle

TB Fanatic
Mom didn't have a great recipe, either. Over the years I've tweaked hers into one that we like. Now, I don't measure anything. Just a little of this and a little of that. Lots of herbs and spices, onions, garlic, and bell peppers.
sounds good except for the bell peppers. I know most people like them but I guess I just can't stand the texture of peppers. Thank goodness DH is not a fan of them. However, I use to like a good stuffed pepper and I did eat the pepper.
 

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
sounds good except for the bell peppers. I know most people like them but I guess I just can't stand the texture of peppers. Thank goodness DH is not a fan of them. However, I use to like a good stuffed pepper and I did eat the pepper.

Cary is the same way about celery. He hates the texture, so I use celery seeds, instead.

Last year, we had a bumper crop of bell peppers. We got to enjoy stuffed peppers all season, plus several gallons chopped and in the freezer. I hope to have another bumper crop this year if I can get Cary going on the raised beds. He keeps saying that he isn't interested in gardening this year. All he's thinking about are a couple of tomato plants.
 

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
It's so beautiful out, today, after all the rain we've had. 77 degrees and sunny right now. I've just come back in the house from weeding my garlic and onions. I moved another planter onto the deck. The dirt needs changing in it, before I plant anything in it. Got that all done and did more weeding in one flower bed while it was all in the shade. Cary is mowing.

I got a call from Cary's neurologist's office letting him know that he has an appointment with him on Tuesday, instead of waiting until August for his annual appointment. Wednesday is his appointment with his PCP. Thursday is our planned shopping day. Looks like it's going to be another long week ahead.
 

Meemur

Voice on the Prairie / FJB!
It's sunny and in the 80s here. I went for too long of a bike ride this morning, so I'm eating a late lunch and recovering. My behind and legs are unhappy with me, but -- wow! -- was that fun.

We have some wonderful, flat, car-restricted trails here in Iowa. This photo is similar to the trail I was on. The red bud trees aren't in full bloom yet, but they will look like the photo in about two weeks.

1713036299354.jpeg
 
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