I have these bursts of energy to cook, two or three times a week and today was one of them. Mostly whatever I make lasts me for a day or two as decent leftovers. In the late morning, I cooked 2 ears of corn in one small covered container and a container of rice above it cooking in the Global oven. The tasty Roma tomatoes—10—from last week’s/ CSA are dehydrating in the Tulsi. Stacked on top on that tray—upside down small glass dish in the middle to support the top tray--are some more tomatoes and a green pepper also dehydrating.
Then, on the stove inside, browned last of ground turkey with some garlic and small purple onion, plus some leftover small pieces of tomato. I like the elephant garlic we get from the CSA better than regular garlic, easier to handle and not so much odor. I like the small onions for the same reasons.
The high heat comes in today and the next few days so no more cooking in the late afternoons.
Since I pick up my CSA share on Wednesday, I like to go through the fridge and clean it out before I bring home the fresh food. So, after cleaning out the refrigerator today, I had some decent leftover veggies so I chopped them up and put them in the fridge. Tomorrow I will put them out in the solar oven to see how well they make vegetable stock. I haven’t tried this before and I really like having some kind of stock on hand. I’ll use the recipe that recommends a bay leaf, two stalks of thyme, some parsley and I think one other herb or spice ??? I see how it's turns out.
Peace, shamba
Showing posts with label solar oven. Show all posts
Showing posts with label solar oven. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Still living and eating ;)
I'm still living and eating but not writing much these days. Mostly I cook a one pot dish with meats, veggies and separately some rice or pasta. Sometimes it's just some veggies and rice for dinner. (I'm very fond of peanut butter/honey/jam sandwiches for lunches which, of course, require no cooking.)
Today, it's eggplant in one solar pot, sweet and red potatoes, onions in another pot and baby beets.
I haven't used egglplant much before this summer but I've been using simple preparations for what the CSA gives me.
peace to all,
Shamba
Today, it's eggplant in one solar pot, sweet and red potatoes, onions in another pot and baby beets.
I haven't used egglplant much before this summer but I've been using simple preparations for what the CSA gives me.
peace to all,
Shamba
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Sunday Cooking ...
My goal in cooking is to have food for 1-3 days. Of course, this involves leftovers; leftovers that can taste good cold or re heated. The cold food will sound better and better in the next week or so.
Today it’s a turkey loaf in the Sun oven and a veggie dish in the Tulsi oven. They could both be stacked in the Sun oven but the potato dish was an afterthought so I just put it in the Tulsi oven. The potato dish is just, sweet potato and red potato chopped medium fine, a little salt, pepper, fresh parsley and dried dill. I usually add some olive oil if I’m roasting them in the electric oven but this time I'm doing without the oil.
Anyway that’s enough food for at least 2-3 days with some fruit or salad greens with it or as snacks. We got some tasty apricots with the CSA stuff last week.
Next is putting up shade screen over the container herbs tomorrow. I feel like there's a race on to do thing before the end of this week! Temps will increase a lot this week, we’ll be at 105 by the end of this week; 110 over next weekend. We’ve had a good May but the heat comes some time.
peace, shamba
Today it’s a turkey loaf in the Sun oven and a veggie dish in the Tulsi oven. They could both be stacked in the Sun oven but the potato dish was an afterthought so I just put it in the Tulsi oven. The potato dish is just, sweet potato and red potato chopped medium fine, a little salt, pepper, fresh parsley and dried dill. I usually add some olive oil if I’m roasting them in the electric oven but this time I'm doing without the oil.
Anyway that’s enough food for at least 2-3 days with some fruit or salad greens with it or as snacks. We got some tasty apricots with the CSA stuff last week.
Next is putting up shade screen over the container herbs tomorrow. I feel like there's a race on to do thing before the end of this week! Temps will increase a lot this week, we’ll be at 105 by the end of this week; 110 over next weekend. We’ve had a good May but the heat comes some time.
peace, shamba
Thursday, May 13, 2010
May 10 and 11th and 12th
Have spent several days with solar oven cooking different things:
1-Beef tenderloin, yes this turned out really well in the global sun oven. I put it in frozen and it came out pretty well. I left it longer than I intended to, about 2 hours instead of 1 ½ hours. It was a little dry but still pretty tender. It was well done, a little more than I like it. I don’t purchase this expensive meat and cook it very often—maybe once or twice a year—but it is my favorite meat meal.
It didn’t taste like grilled on a mesquite fire, of course, but pretty good anyway.
I like vegetarian food but I’m still the meat lover I was raised to be on Midwestern WASPy cooking. :)
2-Baked sweet potatotes. These were better than I thought they would be with a little butter, salt and pepper on them.
3-Eggs. Hard boiled eggs; 4 eggs in global oven for a little over an hour. Actually, it was an hour and 15 minutes.
There are a couple of other egg recipes I want to try that I found at the solarovenchef.blogspot.com and solarcookingathome.blogspot.com -- that last one is Sharlene T.'s blog.
I’m swimming in potatoes from the CSA! I’m eating them but they keep coming in good numbers. It's a good thing I like potatoes; mostly chpped up, like diced but not tiny cubes, with onions and just roasted.
We also got eggs this week, so it seems a good time to make the grits,chiles,eggs and cheddar cheese dish and freeze a chunk of it.
Peace, Shamba
1-Beef tenderloin, yes this turned out really well in the global sun oven. I put it in frozen and it came out pretty well. I left it longer than I intended to, about 2 hours instead of 1 ½ hours. It was a little dry but still pretty tender. It was well done, a little more than I like it. I don’t purchase this expensive meat and cook it very often—maybe once or twice a year—but it is my favorite meat meal.
It didn’t taste like grilled on a mesquite fire, of course, but pretty good anyway.
I like vegetarian food but I’m still the meat lover I was raised to be on Midwestern WASPy cooking. :)
2-Baked sweet potatotes. These were better than I thought they would be with a little butter, salt and pepper on them.
3-Eggs. Hard boiled eggs; 4 eggs in global oven for a little over an hour. Actually, it was an hour and 15 minutes.
There are a couple of other egg recipes I want to try that I found at the solarovenchef.blogspot.com and solarcookingathome.blogspot.com -- that last one is Sharlene T.'s blog.
I’m swimming in potatoes from the CSA! I’m eating them but they keep coming in good numbers. It's a good thing I like potatoes; mostly chpped up, like diced but not tiny cubes, with onions and just roasted.
We also got eggs this week, so it seems a good time to make the grits,chiles,eggs and cheddar cheese dish and freeze a chunk of it.
Peace, Shamba
Thursday, March 4, 2010
What a beautiful day!
Cool breeze but our usual sunny skies with some white clouds! the citrus buds are about to pop open but haven't yet. The pomegrante tree is all leafed out. It only take 3 weeks once it gets a very few leaves open.
I put rice out in the Tulsi oven for cooking in the back patio. It's the first solar cooking dish of the year. :)
March 4th Veggies Are –
Carrots Sweet Potatoes
Citrus Mustard Green
Swiss Chard Lettuce Heads
Dill Turnips
Oranges! And the Chard is gorgeous and lettuce heads HOORAY! Things look very familiar to eat this week. That means just the reading of the names makes me want to eat them. :)
All, i mean ALL of my grains were gone after 2 months of using what I had on hand, I've very fond of cooked cereal for breakfast and that's where most of the grains go. So, I trundled off to Sprouts to fill out my grains list. Picked up some bell peppers for very inexpensive eac. I'm going to dehydrate them in the next few days.
Feeling better than I have for about a week.
cheers,
shamba
I put rice out in the Tulsi oven for cooking in the back patio. It's the first solar cooking dish of the year. :)
March 4th Veggies Are –
Carrots Sweet Potatoes
Citrus Mustard Green
Swiss Chard Lettuce Heads
Dill Turnips
Oranges! And the Chard is gorgeous and lettuce heads HOORAY! Things look very familiar to eat this week. That means just the reading of the names makes me want to eat them. :)
All, i mean ALL of my grains were gone after 2 months of using what I had on hand, I've very fond of cooked cereal for breakfast and that's where most of the grains go. So, I trundled off to Sprouts to fill out my grains list. Picked up some bell peppers for very inexpensive eac. I'm going to dehydrate them in the next few days.
Feeling better than I have for about a week.
cheers,
shamba
Friday, February 12, 2010
Veggies veggies, veggies !
I have been remiss in keeping up with my vegetables from the CSA. Actually, I just haven't felt very energetic this week. My cold seems to wax and wane with the rainy weather. The next week is up to 75 degrees so I'm hoping warmer weather will make me feel more energetic.
So, today is Roasting beets and Roasting Root Veggies. The roasted veggies are good with just about anything so they’re quite easy to eat. They’re also good enough that I want to eat them so they’ll be gone in a day or so.
I’m also going to have to think interms of whole meals being vegetarian instead of just side dishes. That’ll be new for or at least I haven’t done it for long time.
CSA stuff this week:
Arugula Mizuna
Fennel Dill
Spring Mix Carrots
Tokyo Bekana Citrus
the oranges are gone(!), some of the spring mix is eaten. I want to try braised fennel sometime this weekend. I'm always nibbling on carrots so they'll be gone by next CSA day. The greens are always a little more than I can eat raw so I'm going to have to cook more of them. S. would like some arugula and dill and I certainly have it to spare.
Enough sun is available on the back patio for solar cooking again back there.
cheers,
shamba
So, today is Roasting beets and Roasting Root Veggies. The roasted veggies are good with just about anything so they’re quite easy to eat. They’re also good enough that I want to eat them so they’ll be gone in a day or so.
I’m also going to have to think interms of whole meals being vegetarian instead of just side dishes. That’ll be new for or at least I haven’t done it for long time.
CSA stuff this week:
Arugula Mizuna
Fennel Dill
Spring Mix Carrots
Tokyo Bekana Citrus
the oranges are gone(!), some of the spring mix is eaten. I want to try braised fennel sometime this weekend. I'm always nibbling on carrots so they'll be gone by next CSA day. The greens are always a little more than I can eat raw so I'm going to have to cook more of them. S. would like some arugula and dill and I certainly have it to spare.
Enough sun is available on the back patio for solar cooking again back there.
cheers,
shamba
Monday, October 12, 2009
October 9-10th posted on October 12th
Very iffy sun today, temps are in the high 80s but sky is slightly over cast and the light peeks in and out of the bigger puffs of clouds. I put rice, yellow splitpeas, a can of diced tomatoes and some seasoning in the Tulsi oven. I plugged it in to use the electric backup on low to see how that will do today. I soaked the split peas for a couple of hours. These are the tail end of a group of split peas and I suspect they are a little harder with age so I soaked them.
I also have chicken to cook up tonight but that’s going in the inside oven later this afternoon.
My herb plants are doing very well. They are all growing and growing.
Next week one day , I’m trying drying tomatoes in the global oven. I haven't done it before so maybe I should say i'll try! No, this will be a very easy thing to do, I'm sure.
I‘ve inherited some containers with plants from a neighbor. There are several aloes and some other things growing among the various aloe plants. One of them looks like the leaves of a golden pothos or something just like that. I think some Irises are growing between the aloes in one of the pots. Anyway, I’ll have to look those up, blooming Iris would be great or the upright stems/leave plant look pretty good the way they are.
All thei ttime I'm doing anything, I'm watching events in the world--financial and other--about the "big" event that's been p[redicted by the webbots and seems to be happening based on reports of overthrowing the dollar as reserve currency and the grwing debt in the US, the dollar falling in value the past few months rather severely.
anyway, I'm watching
Peace for now, shamba
I also have chicken to cook up tonight but that’s going in the inside oven later this afternoon.
My herb plants are doing very well. They are all growing and growing.
Next week one day , I’m trying drying tomatoes in the global oven. I haven't done it before so maybe I should say i'll try! No, this will be a very easy thing to do, I'm sure.
I‘ve inherited some containers with plants from a neighbor. There are several aloes and some other things growing among the various aloe plants. One of them looks like the leaves of a golden pothos or something just like that. I think some Irises are growing between the aloes in one of the pots. Anyway, I’ll have to look those up, blooming Iris would be great or the upright stems/leave plant look pretty good the way they are.
All thei ttime I'm doing anything, I'm watching events in the world--financial and other--about the "big" event that's been p[redicted by the webbots and seems to be happening based on reports of overthrowing the dollar as reserve currency and the grwing debt in the US, the dollar falling in value the past few months rather severely.
anyway, I'm watching
Peace for now, shamba
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
September 30th, Wednesday
At the last minute, like 15 minutes ago, at 12:55 p.m., I decided to cook in the Global sun oven. I have a pot of beef stew meat, canned stewed tomatoes, some minced onions, and some other seasonings and it’s out there cooking. It wasn’t quite unfrozen so it’ll need all the 3 ½ hours of sunlight it’s got left today to cook.
I don’t know what else I’ll eat with it but I’ll deal with that later.
Okay, it’s 30 minutes later and I’m using up the last ½ of brown rice in a glass jar. I’ll need to open a new package of rice after this. I will use water to cook it in, not broth this time. And it will go in the solar oven under the meat dish when I’m ready to cook it. It only takes an hour or so to cook.
Update Wednesday: Success with the beef stew meat by 4 p.m! I put it in a little after 1:p.m. still pretty frozen. The condensation on the glass door started about 3:30 and I could begin to smell the food cooking a little before that. I got the idea of putting the meat in even if still frozen from the Solar Chef who put some frozen meat of her own in her oven and it was done after 3-4 hours. Also had adjust the oven frequently, including moving the table it was on. If it's on the table it's higher to catch more sun after 2:p.m. Middle of the day is still fine for cooking.
I’m not sure about green stuff tonight I’m fresh out of most fresh stuff.
shamba
I don’t know what else I’ll eat with it but I’ll deal with that later.
Okay, it’s 30 minutes later and I’m using up the last ½ of brown rice in a glass jar. I’ll need to open a new package of rice after this. I will use water to cook it in, not broth this time. And it will go in the solar oven under the meat dish when I’m ready to cook it. It only takes an hour or so to cook.
Update Wednesday: Success with the beef stew meat by 4 p.m! I put it in a little after 1:p.m. still pretty frozen. The condensation on the glass door started about 3:30 and I could begin to smell the food cooking a little before that. I got the idea of putting the meat in even if still frozen from the Solar Chef who put some frozen meat of her own in her oven and it was done after 3-4 hours. Also had adjust the oven frequently, including moving the table it was on. If it's on the table it's higher to catch more sun after 2:p.m. Middle of the day is still fine for cooking.
I’m not sure about green stuff tonight I’m fresh out of most fresh stuff.
shamba
Monday, September 28, 2009
Monday Sept 28th
Sun: I have the last of some brown rice in one of my glass jars to do something with today; not quite a cup. I have more rice but I’d have to open a package or something. So, I do what I do with rice, I’ll put it in the solar oven with some split peas/lentils, maybe add some vegetables at the end of the cooking time, dehydrated minced onions, cumin, coriander, salt and vegetable broth.
I’m losing more sun exposure on the patio faster and faster every day. Its interesting how fast it moves this time of year. I'll have to move i to the front soon.
Saturday: Put a piece of beef with assorted and some leftover veggies in the solar oven pot today. Potatoes, last 1 ½ leeks, carrot, little bit of a leftover onion, sea salt, ground pepper, freshly chopped up basil, parsley and oregano. I’m not sure how much of the fresh herbs really need to be added I’ll guess I’ll know better when the whole thing is done.
Update: the meat dish could have used a little more of the herbs, I’m just chicken with putting too much in dishes.
Wednesday: Used up the rest of the brick of cheddar cheese and grits and assorted other ingredients to make Chile Cheese Grits. I halved the recipe though as it makes a huge amount of food, about 12-14 servings. I’ve cooked the whole thing for potlucks before and kept half for me. The cheese I had wouldn’t have been enough for the whole recipe anyway. Note for next time: more green chiles make it tastier.
So, I have some cheese grits for today and froze the rest and that’s several days worth of food. It freezes well and reheats well. It cooked just fine in the Tulsi solar oven; I hadn’t cooked that dish in a solar oven yet.
Cheers,
shamba
I’m losing more sun exposure on the patio faster and faster every day. Its interesting how fast it moves this time of year. I'll have to move i to the front soon.
Saturday: Put a piece of beef with assorted and some leftover veggies in the solar oven pot today. Potatoes, last 1 ½ leeks, carrot, little bit of a leftover onion, sea salt, ground pepper, freshly chopped up basil, parsley and oregano. I’m not sure how much of the fresh herbs really need to be added I’ll guess I’ll know better when the whole thing is done.
Update: the meat dish could have used a little more of the herbs, I’m just chicken with putting too much in dishes.
Wednesday: Used up the rest of the brick of cheddar cheese and grits and assorted other ingredients to make Chile Cheese Grits. I halved the recipe though as it makes a huge amount of food, about 12-14 servings. I’ve cooked the whole thing for potlucks before and kept half for me. The cheese I had wouldn’t have been enough for the whole recipe anyway. Note for next time: more green chiles make it tastier.
So, I have some cheese grits for today and froze the rest and that’s several days worth of food. It freezes well and reheats well. It cooked just fine in the Tulsi solar oven; I hadn’t cooked that dish in a solar oven yet.
Cheers,
shamba
Friday, September 25, 2009
September 25
Okay, I picked a challenge. I will try? make sure?--how affirmative do I have to be--that I use all my leftovers to the nth degree. And one more part, to use up my produce in whatever way I can find before it rots.
I'm better at these two things than I was a year ago but cooking for one, I sometimes get too enthusiastic about cooking with my solar ovens and make too much at one time. Also, I get tired of eating the same thing after a couple of days.Very Leftover meat and some cheese or egg dishes aren't a problem as some of my cats like them.
I expect I'll end up making more veg broth from scratch with odds and end from the crisper drawer. :)
Peace, Shamba
I'm better at these two things than I was a year ago but cooking for one, I sometimes get too enthusiastic about cooking with my solar ovens and make too much at one time. Also, I get tired of eating the same thing after a couple of days.Very Leftover meat and some cheese or egg dishes aren't a problem as some of my cats like them.
I expect I'll end up making more veg broth from scratch with odds and end from the crisper drawer. :)
Peace, Shamba
Monday, September 21, 2009
September 21 Last Day of Summer
This is the Tulsi with the shadow of the old bush. The bricks that the oven sits on is the best general place to cook on the back patio but I have two small tables I also use to set the ovens on when I need to use it someplace else.
This is the west corner where the dead pyracantha was removed. The container of parsley, basil and oregano sits there right now but I don't leave it there because the sun is still too hot for it there. I wanted it in the photo though. and this is the Sun Oven I was cooking with that day. Also, you can see the corner of the red Tulsi oven in the right side of the picture. This is the sun mid morning to early afternoon in late September.
This is shot of Global Sun oven in the east corner of the patio. It is set up for late afternoon sun cooking 4-5:30. I will be losing this 5:30 sun in the next month. I'll have to cook in the front of the house as all direct sunlight is gone from the patio from November to early April.
Cheers,
Shamba
Friday, September 4, 2009
September 4th
Sept. 4th, 2009:
Wahoo, September! The worst heat is behind us and the worst power bill probably, too. No, I can’t turn off the AC altogether—that’s too much to ask—but it’s definitely running less. And in a few weeks, the reason I live here will be evident and the good weather will continue until about mid-April. J J so, I have lots of good things to anticipate even though we’ll have some moderate heat for next 4-6 weeks.
I need to tell the tai chi teacher at my studio about my solar ovens he was very interested. I also got to visit with a couple of others at the yoga studio. The workshop I wanted to attend has been postponed another month or two. I have to go back to classes more regularly. I’m not doing well with that. But I’ve kept up with the cooking intention pretty well this summer although I broke down and ordered 4 pizzas for delivery over the past month or so. A great splurge they are but they do feed me for about 2 days with salad and other side dishes.
Today, I’m making the curried lentils with raisins, carrots, sweet pepper and some onion in the Tulsi oven. It’s a stovetop recipe but I’m doing it solar today.
The Global oven has a pot with ingredients to make vegetable stock. I used too much water the last time I tried to make this, on the stove top, so I’ll see how it comes out this time.
I have to coordinate solar cooking more everyday since the sun angles are moving fast these days. Less sun in morning and the late afternoon. That means in about a month (?) there won't be any sun at any time of day to cook with on the back patio. But of course, there will be plenty in the front of the house. That's closer to the kitchen, too.
Oh, and yes, the unemployement is up for Aug, 9.7% and the flatlined and maybe tipping over economy is still out there. but today it doesn't matter much. :)
Cheers,
shamba
Wahoo, September! The worst heat is behind us and the worst power bill probably, too. No, I can’t turn off the AC altogether—that’s too much to ask—but it’s definitely running less. And in a few weeks, the reason I live here will be evident and the good weather will continue until about mid-April. J J so, I have lots of good things to anticipate even though we’ll have some moderate heat for next 4-6 weeks.
I need to tell the tai chi teacher at my studio about my solar ovens he was very interested. I also got to visit with a couple of others at the yoga studio. The workshop I wanted to attend has been postponed another month or two. I have to go back to classes more regularly. I’m not doing well with that. But I’ve kept up with the cooking intention pretty well this summer although I broke down and ordered 4 pizzas for delivery over the past month or so. A great splurge they are but they do feed me for about 2 days with salad and other side dishes.
Today, I’m making the curried lentils with raisins, carrots, sweet pepper and some onion in the Tulsi oven. It’s a stovetop recipe but I’m doing it solar today.
The Global oven has a pot with ingredients to make vegetable stock. I used too much water the last time I tried to make this, on the stove top, so I’ll see how it comes out this time.
I have to coordinate solar cooking more everyday since the sun angles are moving fast these days. Less sun in morning and the late afternoon. That means in about a month (?) there won't be any sun at any time of day to cook with on the back patio. But of course, there will be plenty in the front of the house. That's closer to the kitchen, too.
Oh, and yes, the unemployement is up for Aug, 9.7% and the flatlined and maybe tipping over economy is still out there. but today it doesn't matter much. :)
Cheers,
shamba
Aug 22, 28, 31.
August 31st:
1. Okay, the estate has 1 stock left to sell that has to have a medaillion signature guarantee and a letter to order the sale.
2 & 3. Two unclaimed property form to fill out for the State of Arizona. One earlier claim has been settled. How they came up with these two I ‘ll never know but I have the forms to fill out and accompanying documents to prove I got the right to these things! Sheesh, I HATE THESE FORMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And old comadre from yoga teacher training has a small studio of her own very close to where I live. I ‘ve stopped by a couple of times to check it out but once she was closed for a week and then today she had a class going with the doors closed and blinds and a sign not to disturb. Glad to see she’s teaching again and hasn’t had to close down because of economics.
August 28th:
Cooked a meatloaf the other day, had meat that had thawed but I wasn’t sure what I’d do with it so I made meatloaf. We’ve had a few over 110 days again and I wasn’t cooking anything inside! That was Thursday, Friday and tomorrow…
Anyway, meatloaf was great. Made some rice, split peas, some salt, pepper, turmeric and curry powder this morning. I was surprised I didn’t have quite enough sun at 11:00 a.m. this morning in the usual cooking spot when I went out to put in the rice! Sun is moving quickly to change angles these late August days. I put the rice in the oven anyway and it will cook well it’s just starting with only half sun.
The winter laundry is done. This is all the blankets, throws etc. have all been freshly washed and ready to sue in a month or two at night. I didn’t get these done earlier as I had my injured arm to deal with. And I actually found places to put all this winter laundry! So, it doesn’t have to sit out stacked up on the extra laundry hamper after all.
I have to do cat laundry-for winter cat beds—and clean up the front porch, where the cats actually live. Next week, I hope to get to that. I’m not tackling that this weekend though.
August 22:
Nonfood supplies for medicine chest.
Alka Seltzer like stuff (I should never be without these!); paper towels; Gold Bond body and hand cream marked down (I love this stuff for any feeling of irritation or itchiness on skin); Imodium (when you need something like this you need it); some shoe cleaner/polish/scuff mark remover to spiff up shoes and sandals after this summer of sweat, splashed with water from hose watering, cats lying on them, various other small calamities that happen to shoes. I got some standard band aids.
Then I decided I wanted to try leeks in something this week and got some bananas, too. And some wet canned cat food as a treat for the herd this week.
all for now
1. Okay, the estate has 1 stock left to sell that has to have a medaillion signature guarantee and a letter to order the sale.
2 & 3. Two unclaimed property form to fill out for the State of Arizona. One earlier claim has been settled. How they came up with these two I ‘ll never know but I have the forms to fill out and accompanying documents to prove I got the right to these things! Sheesh, I HATE THESE FORMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And old comadre from yoga teacher training has a small studio of her own very close to where I live. I ‘ve stopped by a couple of times to check it out but once she was closed for a week and then today she had a class going with the doors closed and blinds and a sign not to disturb. Glad to see she’s teaching again and hasn’t had to close down because of economics.
August 28th:
Cooked a meatloaf the other day, had meat that had thawed but I wasn’t sure what I’d do with it so I made meatloaf. We’ve had a few over 110 days again and I wasn’t cooking anything inside! That was Thursday, Friday and tomorrow…
Anyway, meatloaf was great. Made some rice, split peas, some salt, pepper, turmeric and curry powder this morning. I was surprised I didn’t have quite enough sun at 11:00 a.m. this morning in the usual cooking spot when I went out to put in the rice! Sun is moving quickly to change angles these late August days. I put the rice in the oven anyway and it will cook well it’s just starting with only half sun.
The winter laundry is done. This is all the blankets, throws etc. have all been freshly washed and ready to sue in a month or two at night. I didn’t get these done earlier as I had my injured arm to deal with. And I actually found places to put all this winter laundry! So, it doesn’t have to sit out stacked up on the extra laundry hamper after all.
I have to do cat laundry-for winter cat beds—and clean up the front porch, where the cats actually live. Next week, I hope to get to that. I’m not tackling that this weekend though.
August 22:
Nonfood supplies for medicine chest.
Alka Seltzer like stuff (I should never be without these!); paper towels; Gold Bond body and hand cream marked down (I love this stuff for any feeling of irritation or itchiness on skin); Imodium (when you need something like this you need it); some shoe cleaner/polish/scuff mark remover to spiff up shoes and sandals after this summer of sweat, splashed with water from hose watering, cats lying on them, various other small calamities that happen to shoes. I got some standard band aids.
Then I decided I wanted to try leeks in something this week and got some bananas, too. And some wet canned cat food as a treat for the herd this week.
all for now
Friday, August 21, 2009
August 19th and August 21
August 19th:
Had a great lunch with B. from yoga. We celebrated our 10th anniversary graduating as trained yoga teachers! J We talked about what we knew of the others who were in our class at Desert Song. She still teaches there and I still go there for classes.
We sat at the bar which was quite comfortable because people were waiting to be seated at tables. She found the seats and they worked out well. We had these wonderful veggie burgers, and a creamed corn with some kind of curry and cilantro. I want that recipe! The burgers and the corn as a side dish were delicious. Their Cole slaw was pretty good, too. I have leftovers for dinner or lunch tomorrow.
Then she remarked on how the restaurant, Houston’s, didn’t look like there was a recession but there were lots and lots of empty commercial spaces in that mall/complex. There used to be small retail shops and offices and businesses but so much of it is empty now. This is true for all kinds of commercial properties these days; the large fancy ones and the little neighborhood strip malls (even if the strip malls have been completely redone like one near me.) The two other restaurants in that complex seemed to have a good business going today at lunch.
Her law firm has had revenue coming in slow down a lot in the last year. I don’t think they’ve had any layoffs there though.
“Excessive heat “for today and Thursday. But the temps are supposed to be “only” 110 and not 115 or so!
Lows sweeping in this weekend to lower temps. Dark is here by 7:15 these days.
August 21:
Overcast day and getting more overcast as the day goes by due to low and moisture coming into the state from the south in Mexico. It is a good day to try the hotter solar oven to see how it does on a day like this. Global Sun oven gets a little hotter than the Tulsi especially on days like this, I bet.
So, I chopped up zucchini, red bell pepper, onion, an ear of corn split in two, celery and carrots and olive oil, salt and pepper and a little garlic. The pepper and zucchini needed to be used in the next few days anyway day or so. Anymore, letting produce go bad seems a terrible thing to do to me especially since I have the easy way of cooking solar. Also, I made a brown rice and split pea dish. These are both in the Global Sun oven, rice dish on the bottom and the veggie sin the sun oven roaster pan on top of it.
I figure I’ll just leave it all out there for longer than it would take with a bright sunny day. Since no meat dish is involved, I’m sure it will cook just fine left out there long enough.
Later in afternoon: sun came out in full force about an hour after I put the food out.
Notes on State budget situation, From PBS program, Horizon on August 20th current
State Treasurer is explaining Arizona budget situation.
-State is broke. General Fund borrowed 386 million dollars to keep the lights on as of August 19.
-need balanced budget signed by Gov. or next Tuesday, we’ll need to borrow again and more.
-State gov can get 5-6 million by interagency borrowing. State agencies can borrow from each other but still need to leave enough money in each agency to fund that agency.
-Banks don’t want to lend to us unless we can pay it back.
-Will be running out of money by the end of October without a budget.
-Takes 6-8 weeks to set up credit facility for State to borrow money.
-some banks may not want to participate.
-Our rating is on a watch of some kind because of budget problems. This causes higher interest if we borrow and our rating is downgraded.
-If no resolution in budget by end of October, we might end up like California with IOUs, delayed payments, etc. Gov will have to decide who gets paid etc.
-New budget doesn’t allow for vote on possibly raising the sales tax in Nov. Why don’t these fools, Republican fools! (is my bias showing here?) in the legislature want the people to vote on this?? They can blame us for voting higher taxes in then and they can avoid any blame! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
-we had last year in 2008 at this time 650 million dollars in the bank. State is spending at the same rate as last year.
all for now, Shamba
Had a great lunch with B. from yoga. We celebrated our 10th anniversary graduating as trained yoga teachers! J We talked about what we knew of the others who were in our class at Desert Song. She still teaches there and I still go there for classes.
We sat at the bar which was quite comfortable because people were waiting to be seated at tables. She found the seats and they worked out well. We had these wonderful veggie burgers, and a creamed corn with some kind of curry and cilantro. I want that recipe! The burgers and the corn as a side dish were delicious. Their Cole slaw was pretty good, too. I have leftovers for dinner or lunch tomorrow.
Then she remarked on how the restaurant, Houston’s, didn’t look like there was a recession but there were lots and lots of empty commercial spaces in that mall/complex. There used to be small retail shops and offices and businesses but so much of it is empty now. This is true for all kinds of commercial properties these days; the large fancy ones and the little neighborhood strip malls (even if the strip malls have been completely redone like one near me.) The two other restaurants in that complex seemed to have a good business going today at lunch.
Her law firm has had revenue coming in slow down a lot in the last year. I don’t think they’ve had any layoffs there though.
“Excessive heat “for today and Thursday. But the temps are supposed to be “only” 110 and not 115 or so!
Lows sweeping in this weekend to lower temps. Dark is here by 7:15 these days.
August 21:
Overcast day and getting more overcast as the day goes by due to low and moisture coming into the state from the south in Mexico. It is a good day to try the hotter solar oven to see how it does on a day like this. Global Sun oven gets a little hotter than the Tulsi especially on days like this, I bet.
So, I chopped up zucchini, red bell pepper, onion, an ear of corn split in two, celery and carrots and olive oil, salt and pepper and a little garlic. The pepper and zucchini needed to be used in the next few days anyway day or so. Anymore, letting produce go bad seems a terrible thing to do to me especially since I have the easy way of cooking solar. Also, I made a brown rice and split pea dish. These are both in the Global Sun oven, rice dish on the bottom and the veggie sin the sun oven roaster pan on top of it.
I figure I’ll just leave it all out there for longer than it would take with a bright sunny day. Since no meat dish is involved, I’m sure it will cook just fine left out there long enough.
Later in afternoon: sun came out in full force about an hour after I put the food out.
Notes on State budget situation, From PBS program, Horizon on August 20th current
State Treasurer is explaining Arizona budget situation.
-State is broke. General Fund borrowed 386 million dollars to keep the lights on as of August 19.
-need balanced budget signed by Gov. or next Tuesday, we’ll need to borrow again and more.
-State gov can get 5-6 million by interagency borrowing. State agencies can borrow from each other but still need to leave enough money in each agency to fund that agency.
-Banks don’t want to lend to us unless we can pay it back.
-Will be running out of money by the end of October without a budget.
-Takes 6-8 weeks to set up credit facility for State to borrow money.
-some banks may not want to participate.
-Our rating is on a watch of some kind because of budget problems. This causes higher interest if we borrow and our rating is downgraded.
-If no resolution in budget by end of October, we might end up like California with IOUs, delayed payments, etc. Gov will have to decide who gets paid etc.
-New budget doesn’t allow for vote on possibly raising the sales tax in Nov. Why don’t these fools, Republican fools! (is my bias showing here?) in the legislature want the people to vote on this?? They can blame us for voting higher taxes in then and they can avoid any blame! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
-we had last year in 2008 at this time 650 million dollars in the bank. State is spending at the same rate as last year.
all for now, Shamba
Monday, August 3, 2009
August 1-3, 2009
I have to confess I helped the consumer economy along a bit by consuming a useful utensil—Global sun oven with the discount I got from using Chile Chews name. I also got one 3 qt pan to use with it. I don’t have anything quite like that in my pots and pans.
This thing is really easy to use after using my Tulsi oven. I'm pretty sure from looking at it that it's easy to use and I will be able to cook the more traditional mid-Western, farm like, WASPy cooking that I learned from my Mom! The Tulsi isn’t hard to use but with it’s flatter design and the pans it came with, I had to adjust the way I cooked foods and what foods I could use in it.
With the Tulsi and after reading food/cooking/prep blogs I have tried more new foods to me and ways of cooking them in the past 18 months than I have in my whole previous life! Couscous, quinoa, beans, lentils, various nonyeast breads, some egg dishes beyond scrambled or hard boiled and all kinds of vegetables I never ate--or knew I had eaten. That would be chards, kales, collard greens and winter squashes. I've liked most of them. The greens just go well in salads and sometimes in vegetable soups. But mostly beans and butternut and acorn squash aren't going to be my favorites. I could cultivate the taste of acorn squash, I think, it smells so good cooking. However, split peas and lentils with veggies and/or rice are just fine.
After reading some other bloggers who deal with solar cookers, I realize how easy I have it using these ovens where I live. On my north patio, where I cook from mid May to mid October, it’s perfectly flat, I have sun all afternoon with no trees/bldgs anything to block the sunlight at all. I have sun well overhead mostly coming straight down. The sun does move across the patio during the day but the middle of the patio close to the north wall gets sun for a good 4-5 hours. I put the ovens out there with stuff in them and they hardly have to be adjusted at all June until after early/mid September. After end of October I’ll have to cook in the front yard. I didn’t do any solar oven cooking after mid November last year until this June. I’m going to try to do more this winter and see how it works.
There’s plenty of unshaded yard to use although the sun angles are much different and my neighbors can see what I’m doing. ;) Two nice African sumacs give us shade and a pleasant yard in this common area. Some neighbors cook on their front porches or use the barbecue that’s near the pool so several of us see each other cooking outside.
Chicken breasts (2) and some liquid I put in with them were in the big oven for 2-3 hours. Great! They didn’t need to be in quite that long but I put them out and did some stuff and took a nap and it was 3 hours later.
Tomorrow, I’m going to use the liquid, maybe with some soup stock I’ve got on hand, or maybe not, and make a soup.
The next Day:
Pot of broth from yesterday and various fresh veggies and it’s in the oven. Wish I had some crackers of some kind. This came out pretty well except it was more stew than soup!
Monday Aug 3: Put the last two pieces of “old” frozen chicken in the GSO to cook. That’s the last of the frozen chicken parts, breasts, legs, thighs, whatever. In for 3 hours, that was more than enough to cook them thoroughly. The cats will get some of it for dinner. Easy to smell it cooking when I go out the patio doors!
AIP thoughts on Monday:
1. Keep on with as much solar cooking as possible through cooler weather even if it’s out in the front common area.
Have to watch where I’ll set oven as the cats will probably want to check it out. So, no balancing it/them on the porch wall; put it on the ground or on the small table out front. I’m at the end of the building so it’s probable if it’s on the sidewalk it won’t be in anyone’s way except mine.
2. Keep closer track of BTUs this winter. I’m sure I could get this usage down some more.
3. I ‘ve hardly used hot water for bathing this summer. Water in cold taps is plenty warm for showers most days July-August from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
4. Idea: Keep plastic pitcher available to put water in that is “extra” at the kitchen sink. It’s surprising how much water this is.
5. When rewiring, put some outside outlets in from and back, please.
6. Idea: Could schedule using electric oven for more things at the same time.
7. Idea: For refrigerator, could schedule taking things out and putting things in instead of so many individual grabs from the fridge. Tricky!
8. When I’m cooking breakfast, either hot or cooler weather, I’ve been bringing cereal to proper temperature and then taking it off the burner to finish cooking or turning the burner off altogether. Also, I’m using the pot lids while this off the heat is taking place.
9. Idea: Have a whole energy audit done? Sometimes utilities will do free audits; but I don’t know if mine would do this.
enough for now, Shamba
This thing is really easy to use after using my Tulsi oven. I'm pretty sure from looking at it that it's easy to use and I will be able to cook the more traditional mid-Western, farm like, WASPy cooking that I learned from my Mom! The Tulsi isn’t hard to use but with it’s flatter design and the pans it came with, I had to adjust the way I cooked foods and what foods I could use in it.
With the Tulsi and after reading food/cooking/prep blogs I have tried more new foods to me and ways of cooking them in the past 18 months than I have in my whole previous life! Couscous, quinoa, beans, lentils, various nonyeast breads, some egg dishes beyond scrambled or hard boiled and all kinds of vegetables I never ate--or knew I had eaten. That would be chards, kales, collard greens and winter squashes. I've liked most of them. The greens just go well in salads and sometimes in vegetable soups. But mostly beans and butternut and acorn squash aren't going to be my favorites. I could cultivate the taste of acorn squash, I think, it smells so good cooking. However, split peas and lentils with veggies and/or rice are just fine.
After reading some other bloggers who deal with solar cookers, I realize how easy I have it using these ovens where I live. On my north patio, where I cook from mid May to mid October, it’s perfectly flat, I have sun all afternoon with no trees/bldgs anything to block the sunlight at all. I have sun well overhead mostly coming straight down. The sun does move across the patio during the day but the middle of the patio close to the north wall gets sun for a good 4-5 hours. I put the ovens out there with stuff in them and they hardly have to be adjusted at all June until after early/mid September. After end of October I’ll have to cook in the front yard. I didn’t do any solar oven cooking after mid November last year until this June. I’m going to try to do more this winter and see how it works.
There’s plenty of unshaded yard to use although the sun angles are much different and my neighbors can see what I’m doing. ;) Two nice African sumacs give us shade and a pleasant yard in this common area. Some neighbors cook on their front porches or use the barbecue that’s near the pool so several of us see each other cooking outside.
Chicken breasts (2) and some liquid I put in with them were in the big oven for 2-3 hours. Great! They didn’t need to be in quite that long but I put them out and did some stuff and took a nap and it was 3 hours later.
Tomorrow, I’m going to use the liquid, maybe with some soup stock I’ve got on hand, or maybe not, and make a soup.
The next Day:
Pot of broth from yesterday and various fresh veggies and it’s in the oven. Wish I had some crackers of some kind. This came out pretty well except it was more stew than soup!
Monday Aug 3: Put the last two pieces of “old” frozen chicken in the GSO to cook. That’s the last of the frozen chicken parts, breasts, legs, thighs, whatever. In for 3 hours, that was more than enough to cook them thoroughly. The cats will get some of it for dinner. Easy to smell it cooking when I go out the patio doors!
AIP thoughts on Monday:
1. Keep on with as much solar cooking as possible through cooler weather even if it’s out in the front common area.
Have to watch where I’ll set oven as the cats will probably want to check it out. So, no balancing it/them on the porch wall; put it on the ground or on the small table out front. I’m at the end of the building so it’s probable if it’s on the sidewalk it won’t be in anyone’s way except mine.
2. Keep closer track of BTUs this winter. I’m sure I could get this usage down some more.
3. I ‘ve hardly used hot water for bathing this summer. Water in cold taps is plenty warm for showers most days July-August from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
4. Idea: Keep plastic pitcher available to put water in that is “extra” at the kitchen sink. It’s surprising how much water this is.
5. When rewiring, put some outside outlets in from and back, please.
6. Idea: Could schedule using electric oven for more things at the same time.
7. Idea: For refrigerator, could schedule taking things out and putting things in instead of so many individual grabs from the fridge. Tricky!
8. When I’m cooking breakfast, either hot or cooler weather, I’ve been bringing cereal to proper temperature and then taking it off the burner to finish cooking or turning the burner off altogether. Also, I’m using the pot lids while this off the heat is taking place.
9. Idea: Have a whole energy audit done? Sometimes utilities will do free audits; but I don’t know if mine would do this.
enough for now, Shamba
Monday, July 27, 2009
July Updates
July 27, Monday :
So, another 113 or so day today; we’ve had a break of a week or so from the “excessive heat warnings” but today the temp is up again. I’m surprised at the difference between 105 and 115 makes; I forget how better it is at the lower number there.
We got some rain last week overnight but that’s been it. We’ve had several near misses as storms seem to form in the early evenings but never quite made it to Central Phoenix or they just didn’t have any rain to dump on us.
So, what better way to use the heat and sun than to try a new solar oven recipe? Curried Lentils and veggies and rice in a separate pan.
I slept badly last night and this is a relatively easy way to be productive today.
Food storage reviewfor the past few weeks:
I actually ran out of oatmeal during my 6-8 weeks or not using my injured arm. (it is now 12 weeks) I thought I had enough for the Apocalypse and beyond but I was wrong! I think I want to keep more than I have had on hand from now on.
I need to use up my remaining brown rice before looking at any other rice I have including the Basmati, which I love.
I DON”T need any more pasta for a while. I’m pastad in plenty. Basta with Pasta! (For a while)
The lentil and dried beans supply is fine. Lentils and split peas are so easy to use; I use them in place of the dried beans a lot.
Picked up some organic canned green beans on sale.
Picked up 4 boxes of whole wheat pastas; didin’t realize until today that I have plenty of all kinds of pastas.
I need to pick up at Sprouts in the bulk section: white sugar, NO more whole wheat flour for a while, granola, steel cut oats/rolled oatmeal.
New cat likes staying in most of the time. I have to keep bedroom doors shut though to keep him and Mariah separate. Nubs needs to do adjusting for this and Mariah, too. We’ll see how it works out.
July 22, 2009:
Went to othopod for 11 wk check up on right arm. It’s almost completely healed. It aches less than it did a couple of weeks ago. Stretching quads every day has done away with almost all ofmy knee pains—who knew such a simple solution could do so much!
I’ll keep on taking the Arnica Montana internally for at least a few more weeks.
Pub pot of chicken breast with veggie in solar oven, the big solar oven. I put it out about 12:30. Put a container of couscous & water out with it—under it actually—towards the last hour or so of cooking time. I’m so hungry thinking about this food, I hope I’m not disappointed in the outcome of the dish. Update: This combination of food worked out just fine.
Mariah, tabby cat, is afraid of the way this oven looks when it’s put up. She doesn’t seem to mind the Tulsi oven when it’s out there at all.
July 14-19th:
Saw, Harry Potter movie; it’s pretty good. Unfortunately, it will be another 18 months before the first half of Deathly Hallows comes out!
More preparedness: Bash’s had Gold Bond skin things on sale about half of what I’d pay at –so I got 3-4 different kinds of their lotions. That should last a while. Often, my skin gets hot and itchy at this time of the year. If stress levels are up, this turns into hives which tends to freak me out.
Also, my favorite shoe store for the past 15-20 years has been the EJs branch at colonnade. They’ve been slowly dwindling away in customers and inventory the past year and now they have gone out of business. I couldn’t let that pass without locking and ended up with 2 pairs of shoes there. Next Sunday is their last day. There are two more stores in north Scottsdale. Yes, it would be worth a couple of trips a year to check them out. But not for several months.
Cheers,
shamba
So, another 113 or so day today; we’ve had a break of a week or so from the “excessive heat warnings” but today the temp is up again. I’m surprised at the difference between 105 and 115 makes; I forget how better it is at the lower number there.
We got some rain last week overnight but that’s been it. We’ve had several near misses as storms seem to form in the early evenings but never quite made it to Central Phoenix or they just didn’t have any rain to dump on us.
So, what better way to use the heat and sun than to try a new solar oven recipe? Curried Lentils and veggies and rice in a separate pan.
I slept badly last night and this is a relatively easy way to be productive today.
Food storage reviewfor the past few weeks:
I actually ran out of oatmeal during my 6-8 weeks or not using my injured arm. (it is now 12 weeks) I thought I had enough for the Apocalypse and beyond but I was wrong! I think I want to keep more than I have had on hand from now on.
I need to use up my remaining brown rice before looking at any other rice I have including the Basmati, which I love.
I DON”T need any more pasta for a while. I’m pastad in plenty. Basta with Pasta! (For a while)
The lentil and dried beans supply is fine. Lentils and split peas are so easy to use; I use them in place of the dried beans a lot.
Picked up some organic canned green beans on sale.
Picked up 4 boxes of whole wheat pastas; didin’t realize until today that I have plenty of all kinds of pastas.
I need to pick up at Sprouts in the bulk section: white sugar, NO more whole wheat flour for a while, granola, steel cut oats/rolled oatmeal.
New cat likes staying in most of the time. I have to keep bedroom doors shut though to keep him and Mariah separate. Nubs needs to do adjusting for this and Mariah, too. We’ll see how it works out.
July 22, 2009:
Went to othopod for 11 wk check up on right arm. It’s almost completely healed. It aches less than it did a couple of weeks ago. Stretching quads every day has done away with almost all ofmy knee pains—who knew such a simple solution could do so much!
I’ll keep on taking the Arnica Montana internally for at least a few more weeks.
Pub pot of chicken breast with veggie in solar oven, the big solar oven. I put it out about 12:30. Put a container of couscous & water out with it—under it actually—towards the last hour or so of cooking time. I’m so hungry thinking about this food, I hope I’m not disappointed in the outcome of the dish. Update: This combination of food worked out just fine.
Mariah, tabby cat, is afraid of the way this oven looks when it’s put up. She doesn’t seem to mind the Tulsi oven when it’s out there at all.
July 14-19th:
Saw, Harry Potter movie; it’s pretty good. Unfortunately, it will be another 18 months before the first half of Deathly Hallows comes out!
More preparedness: Bash’s had Gold Bond skin things on sale about half of what I’d pay at –so I got 3-4 different kinds of their lotions. That should last a while. Often, my skin gets hot and itchy at this time of the year. If stress levels are up, this turns into hives which tends to freak me out.
Also, my favorite shoe store for the past 15-20 years has been the EJs branch at colonnade. They’ve been slowly dwindling away in customers and inventory the past year and now they have gone out of business. I couldn’t let that pass without locking and ended up with 2 pairs of shoes there. Next Sunday is their last day. There are two more stores in north Scottsdale. Yes, it would be worth a couple of trips a year to check them out. But not for several months.
Cheers,
shamba
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
October 23rd and October 28th
October 28th
Markets seem to be holding their own past 2 days—no big swings or freak outs so far this week. Correction at 1:00 p.m.: big late-day move Tuesday, barreling higher and lifting the Dow Jones industrials more than 800 points as bargain hunters, buying in anticipation of a Federal Reserve rate cut, grabbed stocks that have been pounded lower in recent sessions. All the major indexes were up at least 9 percent.
Still pretty warm this week, in mid 90s. I moved the solar oven out onto the front porch today to cook. Used up last of white basmati rice and put in some yellow split peas. It comes out quite appealing with the white and bright yellow together. I put it with some romaine lettuce and salt and pepper today. It was fine that way.
Got reference to see a lawyer about estate procedures.
Cheers,
shamba
Oct 23rd Beautiful Fall Day in Southern Arizona
High just around 90 I think. It’s lovely outside. I could sit outside on the back patio and drink hot coffee at 2:30 p.m if I wanted! Now that’s the kind of weather I like all the time! J
Used Solar oven today but as an electrical oven. No sun at all during the day in the back for cooking and even in the front porch it’s limited after 1-2 p.m. So, I put in some rice and plugged in the oven in the back and turned the oven on it’s LOW setting. It has LOW and HIGH and you have to turn on the LOW switch before you can turn on the HIGH switch. So, far I’ve discovered the LOW is just fine for cooking the things I cooked all summer using the solar oven.
The rice cooked beautifully in the time it cooked in the strictly solar oven, about an hour. This is still so much better than me cooking rice on my inside stove, I may just keep cooking rice this way. J If I do I’ll use it for cooking everything else I’ve cooked in it. I think it might use less electricity than using the kitchen but I don’t really know that.
And it’s still warm enough during the day that I don’t want to use the kitchen if I can since the AC is switched off today. My daytime temperature for turning on the AC is 95 degrees and above. After almost 6 months of AC it’s a pleasure to have it off and come in and out without thinking about it.
Sprinkled about a cup of shredded cheese on the rice it’s last 5-10 minutes and put a pan of frozen peas next to it to warm up. This and some leftover chicken for late lunch/early supper.
Cheers,
Shamba
Markets seem to be holding their own past 2 days—no big swings or freak outs so far this week. Correction at 1:00 p.m.: big late-day move Tuesday, barreling higher and lifting the Dow Jones industrials more than 800 points as bargain hunters, buying in anticipation of a Federal Reserve rate cut, grabbed stocks that have been pounded lower in recent sessions. All the major indexes were up at least 9 percent.
Still pretty warm this week, in mid 90s. I moved the solar oven out onto the front porch today to cook. Used up last of white basmati rice and put in some yellow split peas. It comes out quite appealing with the white and bright yellow together. I put it with some romaine lettuce and salt and pepper today. It was fine that way.
Got reference to see a lawyer about estate procedures.
Cheers,
shamba
Oct 23rd Beautiful Fall Day in Southern Arizona
High just around 90 I think. It’s lovely outside. I could sit outside on the back patio and drink hot coffee at 2:30 p.m if I wanted! Now that’s the kind of weather I like all the time! J
Used Solar oven today but as an electrical oven. No sun at all during the day in the back for cooking and even in the front porch it’s limited after 1-2 p.m. So, I put in some rice and plugged in the oven in the back and turned the oven on it’s LOW setting. It has LOW and HIGH and you have to turn on the LOW switch before you can turn on the HIGH switch. So, far I’ve discovered the LOW is just fine for cooking the things I cooked all summer using the solar oven.
The rice cooked beautifully in the time it cooked in the strictly solar oven, about an hour. This is still so much better than me cooking rice on my inside stove, I may just keep cooking rice this way. J If I do I’ll use it for cooking everything else I’ve cooked in it. I think it might use less electricity than using the kitchen but I don’t really know that.
And it’s still warm enough during the day that I don’t want to use the kitchen if I can since the AC is switched off today. My daytime temperature for turning on the AC is 95 degrees and above. After almost 6 months of AC it’s a pleasure to have it off and come in and out without thinking about it.
Sprinkled about a cup of shredded cheese on the rice it’s last 5-10 minutes and put a pan of frozen peas next to it to warm up. This and some leftover chicken for late lunch/early supper.
Cheers,
Shamba
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Oct 22, Wednesday
DJA down to 8519 today; it was at 9400?? something on Monday. No kickstart to the market or economy seems to keep the engine going for very long. The market only responds positively to any efforts made for a few days or hours the past 5 weeks. Barrel Oil: $66.75; Local gas: 2.93
I noticed that the Tulsi solar ovens (hybrids) are back ordered until early to mid-November. I went to one site to check on a recipe, I’d seen earlier.
Gotta run,
shamba
I noticed that the Tulsi solar ovens (hybrids) are back ordered until early to mid-November. I went to one site to check on a recipe, I’d seen earlier.
Gotta run,
shamba
Sunday, October 5, 2008
October 5th
Okay, sleep patterns last night very badly disrupted. I watched a movie s from 2-3 a.m. and slept from 4-9. Still feel pretty good though. I had washed the past 3 days worth of dishes and cleaned up the kitchen Saturday night. Everything was just accumulating everywhere since last Tusday evening.
Caught up with laundry, got extra cash, went through food on kitchen table (from Safeway store 2 days ago) and got them put away. There were no perishables in there though. I also checked money in the Bof A account (this was my mom's account) and picked up some canned cat food really marked down at Bashas'. I'm running out of sugar--how did that happen?
Got out my solar oven, made corn bread--:) . I haven't used it or cooked much on my own the past two weeks, this is always soothing for me these days so it was time to cook something from scratch again. I used the electric option today as well as the oven being in the sun. It's supposed to cycle between using the sun and electricity--anyway the bread came out very well.
Then I decided Bush's Vegetarian baked beans would go well with the corn bread and I didn't want to make it myself today. Now later, in the afternoon, I decided I wanted some rice for dinner with the corn bread and beans. Sun was all gone but I just plugged in the oven again so I didn't have to move the oven to the front of the house. Beside, it's makes rice so much easier and better than I can on the stove! :)
I moved some whole wheat flour and white flour to where I would see it the next time I look at the storage "shelves" Especially now that the weather is cooling off, 80s during the days, I want to try the bread cooking and pizza cooking I didn't get to this summer.
K. comes this week to come to Mom's memorial, I have some more to call about that and flowers to select this week.
Re: Urbansurvival.com's Fall october 2008 predictions, it's this weeks as a time frame for a rather big event that will be causing some distress for us emotionally for 5-6 months. no guarantees, something will really come about but I'm as prepared as I can be for anything big after all these months of storing, cooking, practicing more for cooking and batteries and cash.
I'll need all these things anyway, it turns out as planning Mom's memorial service and having company this weekend will take some extra from my usual routine.
I expect more stock market grief and financial grief as this event. that'll be bad enough so I hope that's all it is.
cheers,
shamba
Caught up with laundry, got extra cash, went through food on kitchen table (from Safeway store 2 days ago) and got them put away. There were no perishables in there though. I also checked money in the Bof A account (this was my mom's account) and picked up some canned cat food really marked down at Bashas'. I'm running out of sugar--how did that happen?
Got out my solar oven, made corn bread--:) . I haven't used it or cooked much on my own the past two weeks, this is always soothing for me these days so it was time to cook something from scratch again. I used the electric option today as well as the oven being in the sun. It's supposed to cycle between using the sun and electricity--anyway the bread came out very well.
Then I decided Bush's Vegetarian baked beans would go well with the corn bread and I didn't want to make it myself today. Now later, in the afternoon, I decided I wanted some rice for dinner with the corn bread and beans. Sun was all gone but I just plugged in the oven again so I didn't have to move the oven to the front of the house. Beside, it's makes rice so much easier and better than I can on the stove! :)
I moved some whole wheat flour and white flour to where I would see it the next time I look at the storage "shelves" Especially now that the weather is cooling off, 80s during the days, I want to try the bread cooking and pizza cooking I didn't get to this summer.
K. comes this week to come to Mom's memorial, I have some more to call about that and flowers to select this week.
Re: Urbansurvival.com's Fall october 2008 predictions, it's this weeks as a time frame for a rather big event that will be causing some distress for us emotionally for 5-6 months. no guarantees, something will really come about but I'm as prepared as I can be for anything big after all these months of storing, cooking, practicing more for cooking and batteries and cash.
I'll need all these things anyway, it turns out as planning Mom's memorial service and having company this weekend will take some extra from my usual routine.
I expect more stock market grief and financial grief as this event. that'll be bad enough so I hope that's all it is.
cheers,
shamba
Saturday, August 23, 2008
August 21 through August 23
Aug 21
--thought I’d try drying some berries or fruit of some kind haven’t done it yet though.
--Rep convention next week: Dems this weekend. Thank heavens all this political running will be over after going on for 2 years now. At least it will be over in 2 months.
Russians are digging in in Georgia, not moving out at all. WE signed missile shield thing with Poland and Czech government—Russians said they’d be very unhappy about that and they are showing it. Telling NATO they’ll no longer cooperate with them in any way at all! Not good the sounds of this
We are surrounded by the six THINGS, my six divisions anyway, that are coming together to get us in modern Western society. From left to right (yes, some political significance there) :
Climate change
Peak Food – agriculture, transport and prices and availability
Peak Resources—Mining, Forests, Water resources, many material related to manufacturing and production of all the goods we use
Peak Oil & Energy—, natural gas, electricity generation, gasoline, kerosene (Airlines fuel), heating oil, petrochemical products
Peak Money-SS, Healthcare costs,
Geopolitics & Politics—Iraq, Russian in Georgia.
Now that we’re surrounded they will all start to go up, in price and scarcity in availability …. Walling us in?
August 23, 2008
Got Mom’s blood work drawn this week and got her to see our dr, too. She’s only 96 lbs!! Her color and everything looks good, her hair looks good and her sense of humor is goo and she says she’s not feeling any pain anywhere. I’m always afraid weight loss means a form of her breast cancer has come back—but that hasn’t happened in past weight loss scenarios. She still dresses herself and gets her colors and patterns right. She asked me over and over, of course, how old, is so and so “gone”, why is she the last to die (!) and can she still take care of herself personally. These are questions she’s all asked me before so it’s no surprise. I’ve been seeing her more regularly and I sense she wants me to see her more often.
I now do what I never thought I would do with preparing food for myself; I get up in the morning and ask myself “What shall I cook in the sun oven today?”!! LOL! It’s so funny that this solar cooker has been the catalyst for being interested in cooking and fixing better food for me.
I went to the yoga studio last night to see the last installment of the Mahabharata—India’s epic poem that was put in this film form about 10 years ago. It was interesting and I could follow the main characters anyway in the story line since the second installment was shown almost a month ago. There were about 5-10 of us and we might form a small discussion group to talk about it. The whole Mahabharata is like 7 times longer than the Iliad or the Odyssey.
I figure the story with so many characters is like a Russian novel, you just have to keep going in the story and sometimes review the characters listed in the front of the book and you’ll understand more and more as you go along.
Monsoon has gone away and the heat is on today. Hopefully we will have one last round of monsoon storms that makes it here to the Valley of the sun before monsoon season is gone. It’s gone soon after Labor Day which is next weekend.
Cheers,
Shamba
--thought I’d try drying some berries or fruit of some kind haven’t done it yet though.
--Rep convention next week: Dems this weekend. Thank heavens all this political running will be over after going on for 2 years now. At least it will be over in 2 months.
Russians are digging in in Georgia, not moving out at all. WE signed missile shield thing with Poland and Czech government—Russians said they’d be very unhappy about that and they are showing it. Telling NATO they’ll no longer cooperate with them in any way at all! Not good the sounds of this
We are surrounded by the six THINGS, my six divisions anyway, that are coming together to get us in modern Western society. From left to right (yes, some political significance there) :
Climate change
Peak Food – agriculture, transport and prices and availability
Peak Resources—Mining, Forests, Water resources, many material related to manufacturing and production of all the goods we use
Peak Oil & Energy—, natural gas, electricity generation, gasoline, kerosene (Airlines fuel), heating oil, petrochemical products
Peak Money-SS, Healthcare costs,
Geopolitics & Politics—Iraq, Russian in Georgia.
Now that we’re surrounded they will all start to go up, in price and scarcity in availability …. Walling us in?
August 23, 2008
Got Mom’s blood work drawn this week and got her to see our dr, too. She’s only 96 lbs!! Her color and everything looks good, her hair looks good and her sense of humor is goo and she says she’s not feeling any pain anywhere. I’m always afraid weight loss means a form of her breast cancer has come back—but that hasn’t happened in past weight loss scenarios. She still dresses herself and gets her colors and patterns right. She asked me over and over, of course, how old, is so and so “gone”, why is she the last to die (!) and can she still take care of herself personally. These are questions she’s all asked me before so it’s no surprise. I’ve been seeing her more regularly and I sense she wants me to see her more often.
I now do what I never thought I would do with preparing food for myself; I get up in the morning and ask myself “What shall I cook in the sun oven today?”!! LOL! It’s so funny that this solar cooker has been the catalyst for being interested in cooking and fixing better food for me.
I went to the yoga studio last night to see the last installment of the Mahabharata—India’s epic poem that was put in this film form about 10 years ago. It was interesting and I could follow the main characters anyway in the story line since the second installment was shown almost a month ago. There were about 5-10 of us and we might form a small discussion group to talk about it. The whole Mahabharata is like 7 times longer than the Iliad or the Odyssey.
I figure the story with so many characters is like a Russian novel, you just have to keep going in the story and sometimes review the characters listed in the front of the book and you’ll understand more and more as you go along.
Monsoon has gone away and the heat is on today. Hopefully we will have one last round of monsoon storms that makes it here to the Valley of the sun before monsoon season is gone. It’s gone soon after Labor Day which is next weekend.
Cheers,
Shamba
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