Friday Food: Solo Soup and Salad

Friday 

Short version: Soup for me, Spanish tortilla on the road

Long version: Every member of my family left this day for a road trip to Tucson to visit family. I stayed home to take care of the animals. Until they got home on Wednesday, I was only feeding myself.

So!

I had a container of chickpea soup in the freezer that I took out to thaw. It was meatless, so this night I ate it just as it was for my Lenten Friday dinner.

The texture of the potatoes and carrots after freezing wasn't great, but it was fine.

A. was planning on camping this night, so for them, I made a Spanish tortilla--minus the bacon I usually add--that could either be heated in their campfire or eaten cold if they couldn't have a fire. 

Saturday

Short version: Sausage-y soup for me, my mom's food on the road

Long version: I had enough of the soup left to have some more for dinner, and this time I added the last link of Italian sausage from dinner Thursday. 

It was better with the addition of sausage. Unsurprisingly.

A. and the kids reached Tucson this day. They stayed with my parents, and my mom made them brisket and mashed potatoes. Probably a salad, too, since there's usually salad at my parents' house. And ice cream cake, because it was my dad's birthday. I wasn't there to celebrate with him, but my gift of four rowdy children and one tired husband arrived right on time. Happy birthday, Dad!

Sunday

Short version: Vodka and popcorn for me, Chinese buffet on the road

Long version: I had a delayed lunch this day that meant I was not all that hungry at dinnertime. So I just had a vodka and seltzer and some popcorn for my dinner.

Unless you are or have ever been the primary cook for a very hungry household, you cannot appreciate how freeing it feels to decide to have just this for dinner.

A. brought the children to a Chinese buffet for dinner this night. He described it as "an intense" experience. Everyone except Poppy had at least four plates of food. Buffets are definitely the way to go for our voracious crew.

Monday

Short version: Salad for me, hold the lettuce

Long version: I had made chicken stock a few days previously, using the bones from the chicken we had before everyone left. The meat I pulled from those bones went into my salad, which didn't actually have any lettuce in it because I was too lazy to wash and dry any. Instead I just put in cucumber, pickled onions, bell pepper, and some pickled beets I found when I cleaned out the refrigerator.

I did take a picture of this, but it turned out very blurry. Probably for the best. It was a very ugly salad.

I do have a rare mid-week picture of my refrigerator, though, because I cleaned it this day.

Not how it usually looks.

I'm not sure what my family ate this night. I think my mom said something about Mexican food.

Tuesday

Short version: Hamburger patty, squash

Long version: I found a few storebought, pre-made hamburger patties in the back of the small freezer that had been in there since A. bought them for hunting a few months ago. I cooked two of them this day. One was my lunch, and one was my dinner. The squash was the last bit from the two big squash I cooked and pureed for the freezer a few days previously.

This always makes a huge mess.

I had left about a cup of pureed squash in the refrigerator, which I had this night with a little butter and maple syrup.

I have no idea what my family ate this night. They were on the road home and stopped at a motel for the night.

Wednesday

Short version: Meatloaf, roasted potato cubes, green salad with vinaigrette

Long version: This was the meal I welcomed the travelers home with. A very straightforward Mom kind of dinner.

Thursday

Short version: Sausage and Spanish tortilla, raw cucumber or carrots, disgusting pie

Long version: The travelers brought home quite a bit of the Spanish tortilla I had sent with them. It had been kept cold, but still needed to be used promptly. I didn't think it would be popular just by itself, so I added some fried pork sausage to it.

The boys had this in burritos. The others ate it just as is.

I had been to town this day with one boy. He saw a display of pies in the grocery store there and asked if he could get one of the small ones. They were only five dollars, so I said he could. He chose some kind of chocolate creme thing. I knew it would be disgusting, as indeed it was. The kids ate it, but they did note that it wasn't much like the pies I make.

I should hope not.

Refrigerator check:

Back to refrigerator Jenga.

Okay, your turn! What'd you eat this week?

Making the Grade

It's school progress-report time! These are viewed with varying levels of interest by my children. The boys mostly don't care, although all of them do very well in school, so they don't have much to worry about.  

Poppy, however, is VERY interested in her progress reports and report cards. This is the first year that she's had actual grades, and she scrutinizes them carefully*.

Her latest progress report apparently inspired her to grade me, which was one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time.

Not too shabby.

So obviously my strengths are cooking and gardining. (Yes, with an "i." It's like Anne with an "e.") I do pretty well with caring, getting them to bed, and the woodstove. Cleaning needs a little work--I have to agree with that one--but the overall score is good.

I've never once been tardy. Go me. 

I'm not entirely sure what all those excused absences are. Maybe when I was gone at basketball games and so forth? I do know what the one unexcused absence was: That one night by myself at the hotel is obviously inexcusable. 

If I can get through this motherhood gig with an overall score of 99, though, I will take it.

*She also has absolutely nothing to worry about with her grades, which makes this a pleasurable activity for her rather than an anxious one.

Snapshots: Paw Prints

I got some eggs from my friend, and Poppy was delighted with the tiny egg included.

"It's a baby egg! It's so cute! Can I eat it?" She did.

The trees and plants are confused by our very warm winter and think it's spring.

The apricot tree is in full bloom.

And two tulips are open. (Ignore my finger. I had to take this very quickly before Jasper could see me leaning over and lick my face.)

Despite the warmer days, we have not yet given up on the woodstove for the season.

Which means kindling splitting continues apace.

Remember all those tumbleweeds? They have now commenced blowing around. I actually drove through a little tumbleweed twister on my way to the village this week.

All those things that look like spots on my windshield are tumbleweeds.

We've lived in this house for almost eight years now, and I just noticed these cat paw prints in some concrete around the base of the house.

I bet this cat was displeased at the state of its paws after this.

There you have it! My life, snapshotted.