Maison Rustique

Good gravy Marie!

I love that!! As someone who has a very limited budget and health issues, I would love to get something like that. Instead of something that I need to find stuff to go with and cook from scratch.

OK, I will embarrass myself and tell you what I did. In another topic I posted about a friend gifting me a huge quantity of chicken drumsticks which I don't like. I portioned them up and stuck them in the freezer to deal with when weather cools down and I'm not in such pain. In the meanwhile, he brought me THREE MORE drumsticks that he had smoked. I tried to eat one of them night before last and I think I got about 4 bites before I tossed it in the trash. I may try making some sort of smoky broth with the other 2. Or not. They might end up being raccoon food. So last night I really wanted something more than tomato and cottage cheese and definitely did not want a chicken leg. I went online and ordered eggplant parmigiana from Olive Garden (just about 5 minutes away) with a bowl of their zuppa toscana and a second carry-out entree of 4 cheese ziti. So, last night I had half the eggplant and half the spaghetti that came with it. I still have half of that, the bowl of soup and the pasta entree. Enough to last me 3-4 more days and including tip, I think it was only around $25. I'm not that wild about Olive Garden, but I felt like I have not been eating enough and I need to do better, so there you have it. Didn't bother with photos--nothing spectacular to see, though I do like their eggplant. I still have a homegrown tomato from my sister and my friend is bringing me some local bacon that he just featured on a TV spot he does. Just keep your fingers crossed that he doesn't bring me more chicken legs!

@Ann_T, your freezer must be ginormous! Another hot weather/bad pain meal for me. Cottage cheese with a healthy glop of tzatziki (a delicious combo and went perfectly with tomato) and my sister and BIL's home grown tomato. Ate some potato chips with, but I was really wishing I had a nice hot, buttered biscuit. (Too hot to even think about turning on the oven.

I hadn't thought of mixing in with some white meat, but am sure I've got a breast or two in the freezer. And, yes, it will end up being very little leg meat, so I think I can make something palatable of it.

@blue_dolphin, they are just drumsticks. Greasy, with veins and tendons. Yick!

My very generous friend presented me yesterday with a family pack (around 15 in the package) of chicken legs. Ugh. I really do not like chicken legs, but I try not to look a gift horse in the mouth. How can I prepare these to trick myself into thinking they are nice white meat chicken?

They look like fun, but if I had them, they'd likely wind up sitting in a cupboard with the other gazillion small gadgets I've bought and never use. Since I'm down-sizing, I've been amazed at some of the stuff I've found stuffed away that I don't even remember buying.

You can order these that are made in KC and stock your freezer. They are quite good.

@Duvel, I would never make all that just for myself! I'm impressed that you did. I'd have been happy to just have the olives, cheese and cocktail. I have never had Raki, but after looking it up to see what it was, I'm dying to try it.

Yes, I have one. Local dairy, but they also have products from local poultry, meat, veggie and other producers. It is pricey but I treat myself about once a month now.

@Ann_T, I followed the directions given here by King Arthur Flour. I've got it in a Mason jar and storing in the pantry.

A friend brought me a little steak pie, veggies and a slice of chocolate cherry pie from a local Irish restaurant. I'll be eating heartily all week!

Took a huge step. I have had Hemingway, my starter from a dear friend who is longer with us, for a few years and have kept it going even though I haven't baked much the past few years with all the turmoil. I have a bit in the fridge on the off chance that the temp drops below 75 any time soon (ha ha) but I have dried much of it for longer term storage. I just don't see me baking much until I am through with house crap. I call it Hemingway because it was the son of my friend's starter that she grew from scratch. She called hers Kevin. Mine is Hemingway because Kevin's son also rises. Sleep well Hemingway! Sorry for huge photo!

My sister and a couple of friends have been on my case about not eating enough. I took the bull by the horns today. Before I left to visit my husband, I went online and ordered a bacon cheeseburger rare to pick up at 3. And since I had paid for it, I knew I would not change my mind because I wasn't hungry. So I came home and of course I wasn't hungry but made myself go get it. I took it all apart so the bun wouldn't get soggy. (I do not like burgers rare but ordered that way so it could stand up to reheating.) I heated half in the air fry of my toaster oven. The burger was OK, the fries were horrible. But my stomach is not happy.

Another extremely hot day and no appetite. Cottage cheese, tomato and sort of crispy pepperoni.

OMG! I hope this heat wave breaks soon. I need those olive crackers!! I take baggies of crackers in the car with me as my lunch on the days I visit my husband. My favorite is the Tamari Brown Rice Crackers, but I am out of those, too. I need to stock up.

Another one meal day. This was easy and quick. Sesame ginger dressing on the cole slaw and Aldi's Korean BBQ sauce on the egg rolls. Egg rolls heated in the toaster oven.

I was not hungry in the least and just couldn't interest myself in making much. I found a twice baked potato in the freezer and a piece of flatbread I didn't use last night. Baked the spud in the toaster oven and smeared the bread with a little peach butter, sprinkled some crumbled bacon on and stuck in the toaster oven, too. I need to remember the peach butter and bacon combo--it was very good.

I've never heard of them. They look like the little cocktail cukes you can get. I love little veggies but highly suspect I would not find these in my area.

I had been dreaming of a margherita pizza since I had home grown tomatoes and basil. I stopped by Aldi yesterday and picked up some flatbread and fresh mozzarella. Then when I went to make it, I discovered that my basil was too far gone. So I subbed in some jarred pesto. Baked in toaster oven. Worked just fine and was delicious. Nothing like home grown tomatoes.

@Smithy, maybe make a hummus with some of them? Refried beans with some Mexican seasonings? Make a summery soup and add some to it? Mash and mix with some tuna and lots of herbs/mayo and stuff a tomato?

I had a pre-baked potato to use up so heated and topped with leftover taco bits--taco beef, fresh salsa and shredded cheddar. It was delicious and filling. My sister brought me a lot of home-grown tomatoes this weekend, so I'll be eating many tomatoes.

That is my favorite sauerkraut! I love it!!

I was supposed to be going to a BBQ at friends' tonight. Instead, I am in semi-isolation due to COVID exposure. (My husband tested positive this morning--it is working it's way through the memory care wing at his facility.) I was very upset to miss it and also upset--made the decision jointly with his facility to place him under hospice care--and was tempted to sit down and just drink a bottle of wine. I did not. I made a meatloaf sandwich to console myself. No pix--sorry.