Sable Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 I'm taking a break from working on my taxes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparklepuppies Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 Having Easter dinner with our friends tomorrow. I'm in charge of a bunny cake. Which I'm not sure how that happened, because I always make an egg cake, not bunny... Anyhow, we'll see how it goes. I'll also make cookies and maybe cupcakes. I am also making Easter bread, after the eggs get dyed this evening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grazhina Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 I made meatloaf for dinner tonight. I've been making the same meatloaf for 40 years and it's always been really good. DH used to hate meatloaf before he strated eating mine. The problem is, for the past 6 months or so, my meatloaf hasn't been coming out right and I don't know why. I'm making it exactly the same as I always have, but it's coming out wrong. It's been hard, or rubbery. Today I tried to compensate by adding more breadcrumbs and DH said it was gummy. DS agreed, and the flavor just isn't quite right. Come to think of it, I've been having a similar problem with Salisbury steak and meatballs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 ..... The problem is, for the past 6 months or so, my meatloaf hasn't been coming out right and I don't know why. I'm making it exactly the same as I always have, but it's coming out wrong. It's been hard, or rubbery. Today I tried to compensate by adding more breadcrumbs and DH said it was gummy. DS agreed, and the flavor just isn't quite right. Come to think of it, I've been having a similar problem with Salisbury steak and meatballs. Did your brand of bread crumbs change by any chance? Maybe the composition changed at the manufacturers. I use regular oatmeal rather than bread crumbs in mine and my mothers family always crumbled saltines for theirs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueirishmoon Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 I always go light on the breadcrumbs when making meatloaf or meatballs. I love my meatloaf recipe- 93% lean beef, an egg, some breadcrumbs, a little parsley, onion, and nutmeg, mixed well, then garnished with bacon strips on top and some ketchup. Mmmm! Also got something nice in the mail today: I won a door prize from the online mini show. I opened my package and got the cutest little Easter basket with marbled eggs and faux chocolate bunny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CheckMouse Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 I found a recipe for meatloaf as a young bride and I've been cooking that one ever since. It calls for oats (uncooked oatmeal) instead of bread crumbs. I figured the oats have more nutrition than bread anyway, and it is delicious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 We're back in Missouri. Got here mid afternoon yesterday (Saturday). I read for a good bit of the way so wasn't paying attention to the passing scene, so the occasional glimpses made the change in the decreasing amount of greenery as we drove northward all the more apparent. Our magnolia tree is in bloom, but not much else. Many of the perennials are coming back. We're home early enough this year that the weeds haven't taken over, so getting the garden looking spiffy won't take nearly so much work. I was shocked to see what the tree man did to our maple. He was supposed to remove two dead branches, but it appears he lobbed off the ends of every branch bigger than the thickness of my thumb. The poor thing is a shadow of its former self. I am pissed at my friend who was here to supervise, as the trimming couldn't be scheduled until after we left last fall. No wonder the bill was so high! I hope the severe pruning hasn't shocked the tree too much. We'll be having Easter dinner with friends today. I want to bring something, so I dug out my lamb cake mold. I cut a corner by using a packaged pound cake mix, but despite being road weary, I got it baked last night and will decorate it this morning. For the second year in a row, Lloyd has forgotten how to restart the hot water heater. He sets it to "vacation" before we leave, but somehow can't remember how to get it fired up again. We need to have the annual HVAC tune-up, so we'll have the service man turn it back on. Meanwhile, cold showers for a few days! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 Brrrr!!! Cold showers? Yikes!! Glad you are safe and sound from your trip. Happy Easter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chapchap73 Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 Happy Easter to all! Grazhina, did the fat ratio on your meat change? I always use 80/20 ground beef. Long ago, I made a meatloaf that was horrible because the store I was getting meat from had changed the ratio without me noticing. My brother and his wife are coming to Easter dinner today. Made my first gluten-free pie yesterday. It certainly looks pretty, hoping the taste is good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grazhina Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 Grazhina, did the fat ratio on your meat change? The only thing I can think of is that there's something different about the meat, because it's not just my meatloaf, but meatballs and Salisbury steak that seem to have changed their cooked texture too. In the past I've always used either 85% or 80% with great results no matter which I used. A couple of times in the past few months I've bought beef that tasted a little odd. It wasn't like it was old or anything, didn't have an off smell, looked good, just tasted different from usual after it was cooked. I've read that lots of people don't care for "grass fed" beef, finding the taste to be a bit gamey. I've come to wondering if some of the beef in my area supermarkets is from cattle that are getting a different sort of feed than they used to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 I can recall that butter used to change flavor from season to season as the local cows went from pasture to barn feeding over the course of the year. That doesn't seem to be an issue now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debra from Olde Cape Cod Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 I remember when you could tell when the cows were eating spring grass, the milk tasted alot better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdlnpeabody Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 That was before my time. Now cows are all fed some kind of unnatural mixture while crammed in giant feed lots. Probably why it tastes the same all year. I can't stand store bought orange "juice", either. Most sour stuff I ever drank, and I know why. When we had orange trees in our yard in my youth, the receiving plant wouldn't take them. We had picked them as they had ripened. They told us the oranges would be rotten by the time they reached the processing plant. We had to pick them weeks early, so they were all small and very green. The only way to get orange juice made from fully ripened oranges, is to find a farmers market or local fruit stand and buy locally grown oranges (hard to find in Florida these days) and make it yourself. I have an eye exam tomorrow morning, so I won't be at work. The last time I went to the eye doctor, I made the mistake of going to work afterwards. I couldn't get anything done with my pupils blown out. Dilated eyes are useless, unless you want to trick your friends into believing that you ate wild mushrooms. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 I spent yesterday setting up appointments to interview 5 Realtors and met with two of them. The last one I'll see on Thursday, and Friday I'll let them know who will be listing our house. I spoke to the woman who does house contents sales and learned that she is no longer doing them as her husband is ill and needs her attention. She doesn't know of anyone else who does what she does -- essentially hold an indoor yard/garage sale to clear out a house. I have two options: an auction, which locals are telling me are not well attended here any more and tend to bring in little $$, and selling it off myself. The house sale lady said she could come for a couple of hours to help price items, since that's the most difficult part of the adventure, but I'd have to do all sorting and organizing myself. I can bring in friends to help on sale days, and my detail-oriented friend said she'd help with the organizing and display. I was naive to think this could be done easily. One more adventure. The sale lady did give me the name of a local resale place that she says will buy furniture, so that's a start. I think I'll begin in the library. Lots of old papers that need to be evaluated. Some to be scanned, some to be shredded, a few to be kept. This, plus getting the garden blooming is going to keep me off the streets for a good long spell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Oh, I don't envy either one of you with eye appts. or real estate headaches. Sounds awful. Good luck to you both. My daughter had to go back to work so I'm on my own with my kiddos now and I'm far from ready. Yikes! Still can't drive ~ probably another 2 weeks before that happens. Hard when kiddos have so many activities. Wish me luck trying to survive the next couple weeks til I'm really physically ready for this. I need to stretch myself a bit further. I can do it, yes I can! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Of course you can do it, Selkie! Just don't overdo it. You know what will happen if you do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Thanks Kathie. I'm just overwhelmed with my first morning on my own. Kiddos are all bathed, dressed, fed, backpacks packed, teeth brushed, and out the door. Whew! Naptime????? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueirishmoon Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Yes! Naptimes are FUNtimes, LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chapchap73 Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 On my way to a nice nap right now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbnmini Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 That was before my time. Now cows are all fed some kind of unnatural mixture while crammed in giant feed lots. Probably why it tastes the same all year. I can't stand store bought orange "juice", either. Most sour stuff I ever drank, and I know why. When we had orange trees in our yard in my youth, the receiving plant wouldn't take them. We had picked them as they had ripened. They told us the oranges would be rotten by the time they reached the processing plant. We had to pick them weeks early, so they were all small and very green. The only way to get orange juice made from fully ripened oranges, is to find a farmers market or local fruit stand and buy locally grown oranges (hard to find in Florida these days) and make it yourself. I have an eye exam tomorrow morning, so I won't be at work. The last time I went to the eye doctor, I made the mistake of going to work afterwards. I couldn't get anything done with my pupils blown out. Dilated eyes are useless, unless you want to trick your friends into believing that you ate wild mushrooms. Jeremy- the best OJ I've ever had came from a local orange grove north of Sarasota - Mixon's. Every year I try to convince my parents to stop on their way home and buy me some, but my Mom just doesn't want to fool around with bringing a cooler home. Dangit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Visited the uncle doc today about my arm and it shows a significant bleeding in the elbow joint, yay me.... Nothing broken just a pain in the, well elbow... Anti-inflammatories subscribed along with resting... Thank goodness I am a leftie! Had a sharp"white" sensation in the arm when we were hauling in wood planks for the loft area which I suppose was a bad thing as I have been hurting since then..doc compleme ted me on putting a pressure bandage on it (me: well that was necesseray since we needed to continue working with the renovations, doc:huh?!? Me: well we had the planks and plans for those so now they are installed, docc: with that? Pointing at my arm, me:well hubby did most of it as I only held in place, cut to measure with the saw...) at that pointthe doc only shool his head, prescribes the meds and said good luch with the renovations along with a good luck to hubby having a stubborn wife.... Oh well, it will heal I am sure... Hugs 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Whoa Anna, take care of that. You don't want it to affect your ability to mini, now, do you? Two arms/hands are needed for lots of stages!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 We came home today because tomorrow we have to go sign tax forms and pay the accountant and Thursday is my semiannual PE with our family doc and Friday we and our pickup truck will be loading all the stuff for the Pensacola Jazz Fest this weekend. The Wetumpka crater is still not open for touring, but Jasmine Hill was in full bloom. We got to visit twice with our friends from Montgomery, once on Saturday because one of their daughters and her hub's family were camping across the campground from us; and we got together last night for supper and a too-brief visit. We did get in a good half-day's hike at the park and I got over two miles on my road trike before tiring; I'm going to nag my doctor about putting a burr under the cardiologist's saddle! Three of the nice restaurants we ate at last time are closed, but we found two more that we didn't know about last time, plus an excellent BBQ house in Montgomery. The thrift store next to the city hall in Wetumpka is gone, but another has opened up next to an antique/ flea market mini-mall; there are several of those in the Montgomery/ Wetumpka area and I hit paydirt at one with a Houseworks plan book and at another with a repro of a Sears housebuilding catalog from 1910 and another one yielded a pre-WWII set of four mini pewter dinnerware place settings still sewn to their card. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cathy C Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 I'm glad you had a nice trip, Holly. Sorry you had to come home for taxes and the doctor, but the Jazz Fest sounds like fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Jazz Fest is a blast! We belong to the Jazz Society of Pensacola and all year long the group works to raise money for two projects: this two-day jazz festival, which is free to the public and the student jazz competition that gives $cholarships to the top finalists in high school instrumental and vocal and college instrumental categories. This year we had nine finalists, and in addition to their awards they will also perform at Jazz Fest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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