Of Air Forc coupon charity, hints, & a recipe for those holiday leftovers

Hope that your Thanksgiving is blessed & happy.

Due to computer glitches, no blog was published last week. Today’s is published in lieu of that. The next blog will be published on December 2nd.










From the Jewish morning prayers:

The L-rd supports all the fallen ones & straightens all the bent.
The eyes of all look to You with hope
And You give them their food in its proper time;
You open Your hand , & satisfy the desire of every living thing.










CHARITY FOR THE HOLIDAYS:

Did you know that many of our American service people are paid such a pittance by Washington that they are on food stamps? At least members & their families are given the benefit, when they go to the Commissary to shop, of being able to use coupons that expired up to 6 months ago. Approximately every 2 weeks, I send a package of new coupons that I cannot use plus expired coupons to US Air Force personnel. If you are willing to help, please send your unused coupons to me (Deb Sanders) at 1140 Sutter St, Apt 211, San Francisco, CA 94109-5654. Full disclosure: I will look through the coupons, &, if there are any that I can use, I will so use them & not send them on. This personal use accounts for about 5% of all coupons.










HINTS:

Every few months, spray your kitchen dust pan with a polish like Pledge ™. The dust will fall right off into the trash can.

So that you & your family are protected against price gouging in an emergency, keep about $200 in cash in the house, in one-dollar bills. Merchants may refuse to give change in those circumstances, so you would lose only up to 99 cents if you can present dollar bills.

File folder labels from an office supply store are much cheaper than special freezer labels, especially if you cut them in two (there is a line for cutting indicated). They will stick on very well.

Set new pantyhose & nylon knee-high’s in a solution of liquid fabric softener & water for 15 minutes & then air-dry, before wearing them for the first time. The resilient result will please you.

I market for groceries just once a month, which makes it easier to practice economies. I purchase 2 dozen eggs. When I get them home, I hard-cook one dozen. Once they are cooked, I turn the whole caboodle from the pot into a colander & run cold water over. This cracks the eggs. I then refrigerate them. They thereby peel easily. I mark the container on both ends “HARD,” so that I cannot mistake them for raw ones.










RECIPE OF THE WEEK:

Here’s one way to recycle those Thanksgiving leftovers in a way that your family will love. There are lots of ingredients, but the dish goes together easily:

Garden Turkey Casserole:

¼ c canola oil
10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed
8 oz canned mushrooms, pieces & stems (this is generally 2 cans. You can also use fresh mushrooms, sliced – try an egg slicer – if you can manage their price)
2 celery stalks, cut in thin & narrow slices
2 medium carrots, sliced in half, & then cut thinly
½ large or 1 medium onion, chopped
Optional: 1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 c shredded turkey, or chunks of turkey
½ c whole wheat flour
2 eggs, beaten lightly
½ tsp baking POWDER
½ T salt
dash of pepper
3 T dried parsley

Spray a 2-quart casserole dish with cooking spray.

Place oil in a Dutch oven. Add all the vegetables except the mushrooms (that is, add the spinach, celery, carrots, onion, & -- if using – the bell pepper) & sauté for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Remove the Dutch oven from the heat. Add the mushrooms, turkey, flour, eggs, baking powder, salt, pepper& parsley. Stir very well.

Pour & scrape the mixture into the casserole dish. Bake for 25 minutes or until a straw placed in the middle comes out clean (the eggs have set). Do not be concerned if there is still bubbling around the edges.

Let stand for 10 minutes before serving to 5.

Of everyday miracles, buys of the month, helpful hints, & fried rice

A REFLECTION ON EVERYDAY MIRACLES:

“The Talmud [a set of books commenting on the first 5 books of the Bible, called by Jews the Torah] states that most often the beneficiary of a miracle does not even recognize that he was saved or what it was that saved him. Divine providence is often cloaked in natural phenomena, & the direct hand of G-d is concealed.” (Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski, M.D., in LIVING EACH DAY (Artscroll [Mesorah Publications], 1992), page 51, paperback)









GREAT BUYS OF THE MONTH:

(1) This is the time of year to buy those turkeys. I spent just 49 cents per pound in a “buy one, get one free” promotion.

(2) Salvation Army’s thrift stores in many localities have a half-off sale on or near every major holiday. In today’s Veteran’s Day sale, I purchased for a total of $5.70 the following:

That I had been praying that I would find:

A black-&-white top that can be worn with either casual or dressy outfits, &
A slacks hanger that accommodates 5 pairs.

Additionally, I found & bought things that I enjoy having:

Leo Rosten’s THE JOYS OF YIDDISH,
A tension rod to hang diagonally over the bathtub, to supplement my drying rack when I hand-wash., &
2 sets of binder dividers,

In my experience, no other thrift store has bargains like these from the Salvation Army.









HELPFUL HINTS:

One can freeze anything that needs to be loose – from blueberries to hamburger patties – by placing them on a baking sheet (don’t use a cookie sheet without sides, as the items you desire to freeze will fall right off at your touch.). Once the items are frozen, you can take them off the sheet & wrap them for long-term freezing. (Remember to label what you freeze.)

If you want to light a match, & the striking surface on the box has worn away, you can use an emery board for the purpose of striking the match.

When you iron on a patch or commercial appliqué, place a sheet of aluminum foil (not much larger than the patch) underneath the clothing (with the patch on top of the clothing). The foil will increase the heat, & ensure true adhesion. Then, you can just peel it off from the back of the clothing.

Turn cans upside-down before you open them. The food that was on the bottom (before you turned the can over) will come out easily that way.

A turkey baster reserved for use with plants makes an excellent substitute for a mister. It allows you to moisten the soil around the plant without disturbing it.










RECIPE OF THE WEEK:

Generic Fried Rice:

The day before, prepare 4 cups of RICE (preferably BROWN) & refrigerate it once cooked. On the day upon which you plan to cook the fried rice, break up the clumps of rice with a cooking spoon.

Chop an ONION (1/2 large or 1 medium), Mince 2 cloves of GARLIC, Chop a stalk of CELERY,& Slice an inch of fresh GINGER (or ready 1 tsp of dried ginger).

Chop 1 cup of any MEAT, or shred 1 cup of POULTRY, or cube ½ pound of TOFU.

Chop up to 3 cups of any VEGETABLES (fine to mix them). [For example, in the winter, I’ve used happily everything but the outer leaves of a small cabbage, shredded & 1 carrot, grated. (If you use cabbage, save the outer leaves for stuffed cabbage.)
In the summer, I’ve successfully combined ½ lb of green beans (cut into 2” pieces), corn kernels from 2 ears of corn, & 1 jalapeno pepper (with the seeds & ribs removed)]

Scramble 3 EGGS, hard, & set aside.

Place 2 T of oil (preferably PEANUT OIL) in a Dutch oven. Saute the above onion, garlic, celery, & fresh ginger (if using fresh) till fragrant.

Add ¼ CUP SOY SAUCE & dried ginger (if using dried) to the Dutch oven. Stir. Add the MEAT & the 3 cups of VEGETABLES. Stir. Return the scrambled EGGS to the Dutch oven, then add the rice. Stir & stir again till all is incorporated.

Makes 4 hearty portions as an entrée.

Of prayer to heal the nation, who would buy this?, hints, & a pasta recipe

AN EPISCOPALIAN PRAYER, NICE FOR AFTER THE ELECTION:

The country needs to heal after the bitterly-contested election. Here is a prayer used in the Episcopal Church that might help:

O L-rd, show Thy mercy upon us;
And grant us Thy salvation.
Endue Thy ministers with righteousness;
And make Thy chosen people joyful.
Give peace, O L-rd, in all the world;
For only in Thee can we live in safety.
L-rd, keep this nation under Thy care;
And guide us in the way of justice & truth.
Let Thy way be known upon earth;
Thy saving health among all nations.
Let not the needy, O L-rd, be forgotten;
Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.
Create in us clean hearts, O G-d;
& sustain us with Thy Holy Spirit.









THIS WEEK’S HINTS:

To save energy, preheat your oven when making baked goods only when you are halfway through with preparing the mix or dough.

If your child is of car seat age, put a plastic dishpan on the carpet in front of his feet. It will pick up all sorts of spills, making “less work for Mommy and Daddy.”

VERY IMPORTANT: New banking regulations regarding your checking account make it possible & highly likely that any company to which you issue a check will debit it from your account as an electronic transfer the moment the company opens your envelope. So, you can no longer count on any time for “float” of your money.

For those who sew on a machine, here are 2 hints:
(a) keep the foot of your machine from wandering by placing it in a plastic bag, closed with a tie & taped in place.
(b) for portable machines, use a rubber mat such as a mouse or even a jar opening doohickey underneath your machine to keep it in place. You may need to use more than one.

Use thimbles on your thumb & forefinger to keep from grating yourself when you’re trying to grate carrots, cheese, or what-have-you.









WHAT YOU DON’T NEED & CAN MAKE YOURSELF IN A CINCH ANYHOW:

Originally priced at $24, on sale for $14.99, are brooches (pins with several stones in them – made with acetate, according to the revealing details) that are attached to satin ribbon in a coordinating color. The catalogue copy is enthusiastic about how you can wear this jewelry with or without the ribbon ….









RECIPE OF THE WEEK:

SPAGHETTI WITH BEANS, PEAS, AND TUNA:

3 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly
1 medium onion, chopped
2 T canola oil
8 oz spaghetti, broken into thirds before cooking
1 can (6 oz) chunk light tuna, NOT drained
2 c peas, frozen & thawed or fresh
1-3/4 c beans from your freezer stock (see the blog dated September 10, 2004) or one 15-oz can of beans (I used red kidney beans)
28 oz crushed tomatoes
1 tsp EACH salt, dried basil, & dried oregano
freshly ground black pepper to taste

(To save on washing, cook the spaghetti in the same Dutch oven that you’ll make the recipe in.) Prepare spaghetti & drain it in a colander. Heat oil in the Dutch oven, add onion & garlic, cover, & lower the flame. Saute. Stir at the 10 minutes mark, then sauté for an additional 10 minutes. Stir. Add tuna, beans, & seasonings. Stir thoroughly & bring to a simmer (you’ll be able to see some bubbles at the sides of the Dutch oven.). Cover, lower heat, & cook for 15 minutes. Stir, & continue cooking for another 15 minutes. During that time, run cold water over the spaghetti in the colander, & use your hand to break up any clumps. Stir into the Dutch oven the peas & spaghetti, & cook on medium until heated through. Serves 4 as an entrée.