Preserving Celery

I rarely buy celery. Not that I don't like it, but I use one or two stalks and then the rest is waste. Not by my design, just by the fact it is too much for me! Now i am finding ways to preserve celery... In depth Info on celery suggests making a Mirepoix out of it and freeze the Mirepoix. Then one could always dehydrate it and use it soups and casseroles later, or a person could make their own Celery Salt. Who knew there where so many choices?

Infused Vinegar (sort of)

Fennel on the left, Red onion on the right

In the spirit of Crunchy Chicken’s No Food Waste Challenge, I drained the last of my pickled fennel and pickled red onions. And then it came to me- why not save the pickle juice from the jar to use as infused vinegar put on Salad? Now I know this isn’t technically how you infuse vinegar… but it taste’s good so I grabbed a couple of little jars and bottled the stuff up. Tastes great on a green salad, makes a nice vinaigrette when used in place of regular vinegar.

Japenese Rice and Tea Soup- The Weekly Challenge Update

Sharon's Independence Days Challenge- Year 3, weeks 5 & 6
1. Plant something: FINALLY! Started some tomatoes, “Syrian” Summer Squash; pumpkin and peppers in the greenhouse, planted some Camellia Sinensis plants
2. Harvest something: Nada
3. Preserve something: Nada
4. Reduce Waste (recycle, reuse, reduce, repair or compost something): Reused Rice from Saturdays dinner in Chazuke.
5. Preparation and Storage: Hydrated 5 gallon bucket of Coco Peat (Coco Noir)
6. Build Community Food Systems: Helped out at the (L)New Futures community garden digging fence posts, putting up gates, spreading woodchips that came from local power company during last years windstorms
7. Eat the Food (cook or eat something new): Reused Rice from Saturdays dinner in Chazuke.
RECIPE:
CHAZUKE (JAPANESE RICE/TEA/SALMON SOUP)
3 c Leftover cooked rice
1 tb White sesame seeds
1 Sheet asakusa nori
1 sl Salt-grilled salmon
2 -(up to)
3 tb Chopped coriander
1/4 ts Wasabi
2 c Very hot; freshly brewed green tea

PREPARATION
Chazuke (also called Ocahzuke). The salmon version is called Sake Chasuke (Sake meaning salmon, here, not rice wine). There is also a rice-and-egg porridge called Zosui. Divide the rice among four deep bowls. Dry roast sesame seeds in dry skillet until golden, and crush them coarsely (in a suribachi, or a blender or with a heavy knife) and sprinkle them over the rice. Dry roast the nori by waving it over a gas or electric burner for up to a minute; fold and tear the sheet into 20 small rectangles and place 5 in each bowl of rice. If making sake chazuke, remove skin and bones from the salmon and break it into little chunks; divide it among the 4 bowls. Garnish each bowl with a little coriander and a small dab of wasabe. Pour 1/2 cup of very hot tea over each bowl and serve immediately.




Freeze Your Buns off challenge- Still going strong, still at 55/65. Still have nice temps outside so that of course is helping here

One Small Change- Finished insulating the wall plugs and sockets on the exterior walls. Time to think of next months One small change challenge.

Food waste challenge- Ended this one on an up note. The only food I put in the foodwaste bin was about a cup of beer with some onions in it (Yes I was making bratwurst again- this time the brats where local handmade brats from some friends

NOTE ON THE GORILLA GARDENER CHALLENGE: Not an “official” update, but I found the perfect place to place a planter at my GGC site! There is always time to join in the challenge- it is open enrollment folks!

Easy Up? Greenhouses and cooking school- The Weekly Challenge Update

Putting up the Greenhouse Well it finally got nice enough outside (read No Rain!) to put up my green house, from flowerhouses.com. Easy "Pop Up Assembly" my ass, although it wasn't that hard to set up after you figure out the instructions, which I did glance at - last night. Instructions??? I don't need no stinkin' instructions. It went up like IKEA furniture, whose instruction sheets are a language all their own. Now to decide where to put the shelves. The Shelves? I am going to reuse some shelving in the scooter shed. And I need to find some big squares of cardboard to put down as a floor. Then gravel over it. And hopefully this week start some seeds!Also this week I signed up for a class on cooking borscht two ways (I love borscht- and this would also allow me to learn to make it- new use for beets. And I will find out if you can freeze it as well though I don't see why not)
Sharon's Independence Days Challenge: Year 3, week 5

1. Plant something: Nope

2. Harvest something: Sprouts

3. Preserve something: Saved some bread for bread pudding

4. Reduce Waste (recycle, reuse, reduce, repair or compost something): Going to reuse some shelving in the "Scooter shed" in the greenhouse!

5. Preparation and Storage: Set up the greenhouse.

6. Build Community Food Systems: Signed up for a class on cooking Borscht!

7. Eat the Food (cook or eat something new): Pickles, Pickled onions, pickled tomatoes
　
　
Freeze Your Buns off challenge- No changes this week.


One Small Change- Started sealing the outlets and Light switches on the exterior walls-


Food waste reduction challenge- No changes- ate some pizza the next day for lunch at work, Find that I think ahead before cooking supper- as in "What can I make that I can eat leftovers the next day" type of thing.

The Growing Challenge (Extreme Evangelist Edition)- Set up my greenhouse… now to start those seeds!

Greenhouses and fake peat- The Weekly Challenge Update

Sharon's Independence Days Challenge: Year 3, week 5

1. Plant something: Nope

2. Harvest something: Nada

3. Preserve something: Made a big pot of Curried Carrot soup and froze 2 quarts.

4. Reduce Waste (recycle, reuse, reduce, repair or compost something): Got some great Ideas on re-using things at the NW F&G show; Reused an outdoor light fixture from the house before the addition; Chopped up branches for the compost bin for garbage pick up

5. Preparation and Storage: Ordered a greenhouse to start plants in. Have wanted one for years; got a big bale of Coco Noir (Beats Peat) at a local nursery to use instead of peat moss to start plants and use in Hypertufa

6. Build Community Food Systems: Can’t say I did anything

7. Eat the Food (cook or eat something new): Some carrots and onions in more Curried Carrot Soup; ate some pickles
　
　
Freeze Your Buns off challenge- Not so bad as the temps here have been above normal, in fact I am thinking it is early spring - hoping the fruit trees do not agree

One Small Change- Started sealing the outlets and Light switches on the exterior walls-

Food waste challenge- started off pretty good. I was able to get rid of some beer been here since my birthday almost a year ago after reading Red Icculus blog and he had made some brats in beer with onion. Then I went further and made some Curried Carrot and Apple soup, and used the leftover beer/onion mixture in that.

The Growing Challenge (Extreme Evangelist Edition): Ordered a greenhouse to start my plants in, Obtained a big amount of Coco "Peat" (Coco Noir) , contemplating Contcting the school down the street about having the third grade enter Bonnie Plants Annual Third Grade Cabbage Growing Program

Crunchy's food waste Challenge and Giant Cabbage

Well that time of year to go another round with Ms. Crunchy, that star of stage, screen and computer monitors everywhere and her Food Waste Reduction Challenge. So far it has started off pretty good. I was able to get rid of some beer been here since my birthday almost a year ago after reading Red Icculus blog and he had made some brats in beer with onions, black pepper, and brats. Then I went further and made some Curried Carrot and Apple soup, and used the leftover beer/onion mixture in that.


Also I read in Marie's Gardening Blog about how to raise future gardeners. The one that caught my eye was Bonnie Plants Annual Third Grade Cabbage Growing Program To quote Marie on it:

"Participating 3rd graders will receive a free Bonnie O.S. Cross cabbage to plant
grow and nurture. These are big cabbages that can get up to 50 pounds, so
there's an air of excitement for a small kid growing one of these. At the end of
the season, schools select the best cabbage, based on size and appearance. That
student's name is then included in a statewide drawing. Each state's winner is
chosen in a random drawing , by the Commission of Agriculture. The winners get a
$1,000 scholarship to put toward their education. Last year, 1.5 million
students participated in 45 states. That's Ohio State Winner, Dakota Gurney,
with his champion cabbage. I sure hope Dakota likes cabbage".

Gets me thinking... Hey! I got a school down the street... maybe I need to go talk to the third grade teachers about getting involved with this. Or maybe not. Not that I am shy. But I cannot stand sitting in those little chairs! We'll see what the week brings!

One Day a Week for a better planet

I am making one day a week a meatless day. I choose Wednesday as my meatless day- And I would like everyone to join me. I am not talking a challenge here nor am I talking about total vegan-ism either, but taking one day a week to eat less meat. Everything I have read on the topic lists increased health benefits, Reduced Greenhouse emissions, a better world globally. A U.N. study in 2006 found that 18 percent of greenhouse-gas emissions came from the livestock industry, chiefly in the form of methane burped up and otherwise emitted by cattle, sheep and pigs. And it would be kinder to your food budget as well. For all that I can take one day and eat no meat. Recently I have tried a number of vegan and vegetarian recipes, all of which passed the rob test (meaning they are easy to prepare, tasty and just plain good) And I can see no reason people wouldn’t take a day a week and eat better. According to Physorg.com here are the facts about meat - to produce 1 kg (2.2 pounds)of animal protein, 3 to 10 kg(6.61 to 22.04 lbs.) of plant protein is required, depending on the particular animal species and circumstances; - 1 kg of beef requires 15 m3(1771.5 Inches) water, one kg of lamb requires 10 m3(1181.1 inches), while for one kg of grain 0.4 to 3 m3(6.08-194)* is sufficient; - 75 percent of available fresh water, 35 percent of available land and 20 percent of all energy resources are currently used for food production; - between 1950 and 2000, the world's population doubled from 2.7 to 6.7 billion people while meat production increased fivefold from 45 to 233 billion kg per year. The FAO predicts a global population of 9 billion people in 2050, and meat production of 450 billion kg per year. And the other side of this coin is we should reduce our meat consumption. For our health, The Washington Post reports that cutting the meat helps cut our fat intake, which in turn makes us a little bit healthier; and for our pocket books. Price a pound of hamburger lately? Compare that price with a pound of lentils at the supermarket. And please don’t complain to me that your kids or spouses won’t do this… You don’t have to tell them they are cutting out meat one day per week- On your meatless day you could serve Mac and Cheese, (no bacon please) or any number of meatless dishes out there. Need some inspiration? Go to Chile’s blog and look at her recipe collection. One green generation is another blog site that has numerous recipes that don’t involve meat! Here is a link to her recipe collection! So grow a pair and join me on this meatless journey. One day a week- is all I ask! And here is a little inspiration for you-

I am sorry but this cow before slaughter pic just makes me feel like a bad human. Look at her face and tell me she isn't terrified.

* I am not sure of my math on metric conversion, so I will not swear by it

EDIT NOTE: CHILE informs me that Jennifer also has an extensive list of Vegan Recipes

Lentil Burgers, Spaghetti and envelopes: The Weekly Challenge Update

Sharon's Independence Days Challenge- Week 35
Plant Something:Just some Salad Mixture Sprouts
Harvest Something: Salad Mixture sprouts, Lentil Bean Sprouts, mung bean sprouts
Preserve something: Cooked a large amount of rice and froze the leftovers for Topaz, Martin’s chocolate lab who is having some food issues (it’s hell being an old dog)
Store something:Nothing, except froze the rice
Manage Reserves: Bought some fence boards to repair the fence
Cook Something New: Spaghetti with Guiltless Meat Sauce; Red-Icculus’ Vegetarian Lentil Burgers
Prep Something: Made some more sprouting jars- this time out of mayonnaise jars and just drilled holes in the lids for air.
Reduce Waste: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Repair: Did very well on Ms. Chicken’s Food waste Challenge this week (see below); I learned how to make envelopes out of catalogs! Put some crap from cleaning out the garden boxes in the composter along with the last of my mom’s garden stuff. Kept a mayonnaise jar out of the recycling by re-using it as a sprouting jar

Learn a New Skill: I learned how to make envelopes out of catalogs!

Work on Community Food Security: Put up a giveaway this week for the “wonders of Sprouting booklet I got with my sprout order from Canada.

MELINDA'S BUY SUSTAINABLY CHALLENGE: There was very little sustainable buying this week. I went to the NW Flower and Garden show, and attack of the vendors. I just bought a junk art sign that says welcome (couldn’t find one that said GO AWAY!), some seed ballz, lunch at Tully’s, and saw many projects for the house and garden. I also bought some fence boards to repair the wooden part of the fence. But that is repair so I don’t know if that counts or not

Crunchy’s Freeze Yer Balls off Challenge: Still at 55/65. Still freezing my avocados off.

Crunchy’s Food Waste Challenge:
This was a really good week- no food waste at all. Yay me! The only problem I have is my mom- she has decided to send all her leftovers to work with me. Not so easy not to have food waste with extra bowls of spaghetti to eat as well. But I ain’t complaining. Chile was a big help by mentioning that I could grind down those unpopped kernels of popcorn and use them in corn bread!
Sunday- No food waste
Monday- No food waste
Tuesday- No food waste
Wednesday- No food waste- took some leftover spaghetti and garlic bread for lunch at work
Thursday- No food waste- took leftover Lentil Burgers for lunch at work
Friday- No food Waste
Saturday- No food waste

Azalea trees and Bean Sprout waste- Weekly Challenge update

This is what I got in leiu of flowers for Valentine's Day a beautiful azalea tree from Martin. He said "I got it for you 'cause your always plantin' stuff." Luvs it.

Sharon's Independence Days Challenge-Week 34
Plant Something: Started more sprouts- some Mung bean, some broccoli sprouts and a salad mixture: Fenugreek, Lentil, Kamut and Adzuki Bean
Harvest Something: Lentil sprouts, some radish sprouts
Preserve something:
Store something: Vacuum Sealed Some rice into Mason Jars
Manage Reserves: Started building my potato condo ala’ shiba-guyz
Cook Something New: Crab stuffed Avacadoes; A Crab Melt Sandwich- have made a ton of Tuna Melts in my life but never a crab melt
Prep Something: Cleared out a space in the kitchen for sprouting
Reduce Waste: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Repair: See below in Crunchy’s Food Waste Challenge; Repaired the side yard gates to keep Romeo in; Made a junk art table for outside- use a plant stand found at the thrift store and the Glass from the turn table in the old microwave
Learn a New Skill: Nothing really
Work on Community Food Security: Shared this week in my blog how to make starter jars for sprouting, discovered new source for sprout seeds and materials in my neighborhood!

MELINDA'S BUY SUSTAINABLY CHALLENGE: Found the Grainery had supplies for my sprouting- no more mail order for sprouting supplies! Made a glass topped table out of a used 15" plant stand and the microwave turntable I saved from the old microwave when I bought a new microwave

Sammy inspecting the new table

Crunchy’s Freeze Yer Balls off Challenge: Still at 55/65 here.

Crunchy’s Food Waste Challenge:
Sunday- No Food waste Monday- No Food Waste
Tuesday- No Food Waste
Wednesday- A handful of un-popped popcorn, Used the last of the Crab Salad I made on Monday in a “Crab Melt Sandwich” for supper
Thursday- No food waste
Friday- No food waste
Saturday- Well this week shot to hell- found out that bean sprouts don’t keep. A whole jar of lentil sprouts went bad- but I was able to compost the jar of lentil sprouts- or rather put them in the composter

Total Food Waste- 6.5 oz

Cute puppy and Stuffed Avocadoes

CAUTION: Puppy Cuteness ahead. You have been warned!

Romeo loves his new Loofa Dog. And guess what? Romeo loves to play fetch! I was hoping to snap a pic of Sammy Cat being cute eating the Crab Salad from my Stuffed Avacado, but sammy is a cat and they are not cute when you have the camera out. It's a cat thing. You wouldn't understand.
A RECIPE FOR MY PESCETARIAN FRIENDS
On the recipe front, in the spirit of Crunchy’s Food Waste Reduction challenge, I had an over ripe avocado, I needed to use, so I made a stuffed avocado, since I had only one, the rest of the stuffing will go into tomorrows lunch. I used lentil sprouts instead of lettuce, since I had no lettuce and I have lentil sprouts

STUFFED AVOCADOES
Another Sprout recipe
2 ripe avocadoes split into halves
Sauce- (I used my homeade catsup instead of Cocktail sauce, since I had no cocktail sauce or horseradish)
1/4 cup of catsup
1/4 cup of La Victoria Salsa Brava or your favorite hot salsa
1/4 cup of lentil sprouts (if you absolutely cannot stand sprouts, use 1/4 cup of shredded lettuce)
mix all together and add to:
1 lb. of crabmeat or Fake Crabmeat, Flaked ( or put in the food processor- I use the fake crab and the food processor) and 1/4 cup of shredded Cheddar Cheese MIX WELL, split avocadoes, remove the pits and with a spoon scoop the crab mixture into the avocado, top with more sprouts. Enjoy. Also makes a great sandwich, if you cannot find avocadoes or just don't have any try using a tomato with the top cut off and insides scooped out.

Weekly Challenge Update- Chicken soup for the goal

Crunchy’s Food Waste Challenge:

After yesterday's cow fest, i thought I would get a little more sustainable- this was tonights lunch at work

Some chicken soup- No Idea why it turned so dark- all it had was some leftover chicken, some lentils, some lentil sprouts and chicken stock and some leftover peas. It was tasty!

Anyway here we go-

SUNDAY-No Food waste-Froze pizza leftover from Super Bowl Sunday- will take to work as lunch
MONDAY-Peels from an avocado, trying to root the pit-
TUESDAY- No food waste
WEDNESDAY- add coffee grounds for the week from work, orange peels to food waste
THURSDAY-Saved chicken from dinner to make in soup- Chicken Bones
FRIDAY- Made coca cola pot roast- saved and froze au jus to make soup later. Made Chicken and lentil soup in little crock pot for lunch tomorrow-No Food Waste
SATURDAY- Took soup to work, had a second bowl for dinner- No Food Waste

TOTAL FOOD WASTE- 22.7 ounces of foodwaste- The baggie of coffee grounds is going into the compost, I could have boiled the chicken bones to get 100% of the meat but didn't- The avacado peelings and orange peelings along with chicken bones are going into the Yard waste bin to be composted. I could have candied the orange peelings, but since I am diabetic, I thought it wise not to.

Sharon's Independence Days Challenge- Week 34

Plant Something: Some more lentil sprouts, pea sprouts
Harvest Something: Radish sprouts, lentil sprouts
Preserve something: Froze the “au jus” from the Coca Cola Roast I made on Friday for soup
Store something: A bag of lentils I bought, put in a mason jar to use later for sprouting
Manage Reserves: Figured I could turn the garage into a studio to make and sell junk art. Ordered broccolli seeds, mung beans and alfalfa seeds for sprouting
Cook Something New: A grilled cheese sandwich with Tomato and radish sprouts. Chicken soup with lentil beans and sprouts (See above in the food waste challenge)
Prep Something: Got my starter pots ready to go with soil
Reduce Waste: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Repair: Fix a pair of Channel Lock pliers, the holding bolt and nut was stripped out, replaced it! MORE IN THE Crunchy’s Food Waste Challenge above
Learn a New Skill: Nothing really
Work on Community Food Security: Shared this week on my blog how to make starter jars for sprouting

MELINDA'S BUY SUSTAINABLY CHALLENGE: Did good this week. Just groceries and I did buy some repair parts for plumbing in my bathroom

Crunchy’s Freeze Yer Balls off Challenge: Still at 55/65 here.

Sergeant Chile’s Operation Clean Out-Last report as Chile is shutting this one down- but I need to get the garage done, if it is to be a working studio. Figure if I go in there an hour each day it will be done soon

Vegans...Turn Your eyes away!

CAUTION- CARNIVORE ATTACK AHEAD- You have been warned!

With all this talk about not eating meat being the way to go green, and slow cookers i.e. crock pots, it all fired up my carnivore instincts. So I cooked a pot roast in the slow cooker. I know, meat is the root of all evil, but I love a good pot roast. Especially one made with cola! We ate a small bit for dinner, for three people, and have plenty to take in sandwiches for work. The juice left over I will freeze and make soup later. This very well could be the most unsustainable recipe post ever!

Here is the recipe for those who care:

Coca Cola Roast

1 2 1/2 - 3 lb roast- you can go with a cheaper cut of meat like chuck roast

1 can of Cola- not diet as the sugar in the cola is part of the process that tenderizes the roast

1 can of French onion Soup (I used Campbell's)

whatever veggies you want to add

Put roast into crock pot, dump in the soup, dump in the cola add vegetables. Cook on low setting for about 6 hours.

Weekly Challenge Update- Catsup and Birdbaths

My homeade birdbath

Sharon's Independence Days Challenge-Week 33
Plant Something: Just some lentil sprouts
Harvest Something: Some radish sprouts, some alfalfa sprouts
Preserve something: Just some frozen food
Store something: Just some food I put in the freezer
Manage Reserves: Did a quick check of the freezer, made a mental note of whats in there for later, did a quick check of the garage Frigidaire too
Cook Something New: Mung Bean Sprouts Slaw, Homemade catsup
Prep Something: Made some new sprouting lids to fit on mason jars
Reduce Waste: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Repair: This is a tricky one this week- My Microwave died, one of those over the stove models so I had to buy a new microwave and a vent hood- before taking the old micro to the appliance recycling at the local land fill, I stripped the power cord off of it to use on the vent hood and I took out the glass off the turntable and the turntable ring to reuse them as well maybe as a tray or a small table top or something or keep around as a replacement, and I reused all the ducting since it was the same as what I needed; Turned grandma’s roll-away tool box into a sofa table; Bought a lamp, a silver plated tray at thrift store and made a birdbath out of them
Learn a New Skill: Learned how to make catsup- very easy; learned how to make “bows” out of plastic shopping bags- a “skill” that may come in handy for the holidays next season or for gifts during the year
Work on Community Food Security: Got into sprouting again; showed a couple of people at work how I make my sprouting jars;

MELINDA'S BUY SUSTAINABLY CHALLENGE: Well it is all in how you conceive it- I bought 4 Pyrex ramekins, a Pyrex cake pan and a Pyrex loaf pan and a pyrex pie pan at the thrift store for $14 all while I was looking for a cheese grater and I found a metal tube turkey baster!. I finally ended up buying a new cheese grater at the local kitchen shop, so while new it was a local purchase from a local merchant- and was still $2 cheaper than the ones at the grocery stores; My Microwave died, one of those over the stove models so I had to buy a new microwave and a vent hood- before taking the old micro to the appliance recycling center at the local land fill, I stripped the power cord off of it to use on the vent hood and I took out the glass off the turntable and the turntable ring to reuse them as well maybe as a tray or a small table top or something or keep around as a replacement, and I reused all the ducting since it was the same as what I needed, I bought some screws from the hardware to put up my vent hood; But I reused the power cord, and the ducting from the old, saving $$$ and crap from going into the waste stream; Bought some Dog Stew for Romeo at the Natural Pet Food Pantry; Bought a lamp, a silver plated tray at thrift store and made a birdbath out of them

Crunchy’s Freeze Yer Balls off Challenge:Same – 65 when here and awake- 55 when gone or asleep

Sergeant Chile’s Operation Clean Out-Working on straightening up my Craft and Hack supplies into Grandma’s tool boxes

Crunchy’s Food Waste Challenge: first night- made leek soup-found some leeks that definitely seen younger days. Came up with a recipe for Mung bean sprout slaw, before my Mung bean sprouts went bad; Cleaned out Frigidaire to be in compliance with the challenge

What to do with sprouts

I had to come up with a recipe for sprouts, before they went bad and Crunchy gives me a demerit in the Food Waste Reduction Challenge- (I don't mind the demerits so much but I think the whips are totally unnecessary) And it had to be something to take to work in my tiffin. So here is what I went with: loving slaw made out of cabbage or broccoli, I thought mung bean sprout slaw. I simply mixed up my favorite slaw dressing (which I also use on potato salad) and Voila! A crunchy, crispy, tasty slaw made with fresh grown bean Sprouts!

MUNG BEAN SPROUT SLAW
About 1 cups worth of mung bean sprouts
A handful of radish sprouts
A handful of alfalfa sprouts
Your favorite slaw dressing
Toss all together in a bowl- chill and serve!

ROB'S FAVORITE SLAW DRESSING:
¼ cup of mayo (I suppose you could sub a vegan mayo)
1 tablespoon of plain mustard
1-2 tablespoons of vinegar
Agave nectar or honey to taste

Mix dressing ingredients really well. Pour into cabbage, shredded broccoli or on bean sprouts, and then toss. Let sit for a few hours. Also works well as a potato salad dressing

Weekly Challenge Update

Sharon's Independence Days Challenge- Week 32
Plant Something: Some Chives, Rosemary, Basil and Oregano inside for the windowsill in kitchen; Started some radish sprouts; started some scallions bulbs
Harvest Something:Nothing
Preserve something: Cooked and froze some rice (made too much)
Store something: Nothing
Manage Reserves: Bought some seed potatoes that I stored in the garage
Cook Something New: Chicken Marsala using leftover guinea hen from last week


Chicken Marsala using left over chicken
4 cups of roasted cubed chicken
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon basil, dried
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 to 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced (1/2 to 1 cup sliced)
1/2 cup Marsala wine
Preparation:Combine flour, salt, pepper, and basil; mix well. Heat oil and butter in a heavy non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Dredge chicken in seasoned flour mixture. Cook chicken until lightly browned on first side (about 2 to 3 minutes). Turn chicken and add mushrooms around the chicken pieces. Cook about 2 minutes longer, until lightly browned; stir the mushrooms. Add Marsala wine to pan. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 10 minutes. Serve with hot cooked pasta, mashed potatoes, or rice.
*Edit- I use cooked guinea hen- I just stripped the chicken of the carcass and followed the directions, yes even dredging. Come out just fine

Prep Something: Made some “earthtainers” found a new easier way to make them- thanks to book “Fresh Food From Small Spaces" by R.J. Rupenthal that I won in Crunchy Chickens blog
Reduce Waste: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Repair: Reused some old flower pots to plant the chives, Rosemary, Basil and oregano in. I Took Old microwave that burned out to the appliance dump at the local garbage dump; took cardboard boxes that new microwave and range hood came in to the recycle center at the dump. Got my grandma’s old work toolboxes from my uncle- Using the roll-away as a sofa table, the small upper tool box for putting store all my scissors in, paint tubes, small tools in.
Learn a New Skill: None
Work on Community Food Security: Nope

MELINDA'S BUY SUSTAINABLY CHALLENGE:Not to good this week- Had to buy a new microwave and a hood vent fan to replace the Microwave/Hood Vent that had electrical challenges; Hate having to buy and replace appliances. I replaced it with a regular microwave and a separate hood vent. Took the old one to the appliance dump at the landfill.

Crunchy’s Freeze Yer Balls off Challenge: Going good at 55/65. I am over my cold from hell so no need to warm up the house to 70 when I am home.

Sergeant Chile’s Operation Clean Out-Put art/craft supplies in my grandma’s old work toolboxes I got from my uncle. Using the rollaway as a sofa table, the upper tool box in the spare room were I do most of my work!

Crunchy’s Food Waste Challenge: New Challenge- did pretty good- leftovers all week, the only food waste was some orange peels and banana peels in the food waste bin. Put some bread in the worm bin. Froze some rice (cooked too much) to use later in week.

MY NEW FAVORITE THING- TO-GO WARE

So I was reading fake plastic fish one day, As I do daily, and Beth had posted that togo ware had a 40% discount coupon for those who completed their survey. Well having wanted a tiffin for awhile, You bet I took that survey. And I got my To Go Ware Tiffins last weekend and have been enthralled with them ever since. It actually took me some getting used to the bamboo cutlery, but The tiffins are great. I take them to work everyday with the leftovers that I carry for lunch. The discount through FPF's blog made them affordable. I hope lots of folks try them. This is also helpful for the folks trying Crunchy's new challenge- The food waste reduction Challenge. These tiffins are stainless steel, no-plastic containers that hold an amazing amount of grub. They carry along nicely and are pretty rugged. Romeo and I will have to give them the dog park picnic test! A great value- Thanks Beth!

Oh goody- a new challenge

Ok Another Challenge- but this one is important. Americans waste too much damn food. The thinking man (or me) would say plan your meals, use your left overs. I love left overs- it's the only way I get tuna casserole and I loves me some tuna casserole. Anyway Crunchetta, as always good challenge- it will be interesting to see how some of us do at it. Of course greenpa is already admonishing the rest of us to get rid of our frigidaires!