Eating at my dining room table

 

There is no question that I have a lot of things, and I enjoy my things very much. One of the things that I try to do is use my things.  My home is filled with both family pieces and pieces that I have acquired over the years.  While most people are minimalists these days, I am on the other side of that spectrum, and I have absolutely no issue with that.  That is one of the reasons that you will often see me post my table settings and my Sunday meals online.  I enjoy using what I have and I enjoy sharing that with other people.

It reminds me of meals when I was growing up.  Almost all of the meals we ate were at the table.  We did not sit on the couch and eat very often.  Now, if someone was sick, they could eat somewhere other than the dinner table but that was about the only excuse for not eating at the table.  As most of you know, I was very close to Grandmother and spent much of my time with her.  Oh, what I would not give to go back and do that again.  But when I sit at my dining room table, I am almost immediately transported back to my childhood.  

First of all, my dining room table and chairs belonged to Grandmother and hold a special place in my heart.  So many holiday meals and Sunday lunches were eaten at this table during my formative years.  But I got to thinking the other day that I don't remember not eating at this table any time I was having a meal at her house.  When it was just the two of us, be it breakfast, lunch, or dinner, we would sit at the table and eat.  She sat in her place at the end of the table, and I sat to her left.  I always sat to her left no matter the occasion.  When I would spend the night, we would have dinner at the table and breakfast there the next morning.  It was never in her breakfast room but in the dining room. If we had a snack like ice cream or some of her homemade cookies, then we would have that in front of the television in the den.  But meals were always at the table.

So as I sit at my table and have my meals, even when I am alone, I think of her and those glorious times we had when I was a child.  I try to eat at my table several times a week.  Of course, I do enjoy having others over for the holidays but it's the everyday usage that is special to me. I find comfort in that.  Now it is time to share that comfort with others.  So, let's share a meal together at Grandmother's table.  Shall we?

Too many plastic containers

 

I admit that I have been slightly on the lax side of my "one drawer at a time" purging of the house as I am still working in the kitchen.  One on hand, I am disappointed at my progress but on the other hand, I have had other things to fill my time and so I needn't feel badly about where I am. So, my next cabinet to work on is where I keep all of my plastic food containers.  You just don't know the joy I am experiencing in my anticipation of working on this LOL

Mind you, there are other things in this cabinet.  I keep all of my mixing bowls here and most of my every day serving bowls.  I keep kitchen gadgets like my mandolin, my sifter and my cookie press.  But somehow, the plastic containers have just taken over.  While they were once well stocked on one shelf, now they are on all three shelves in the cabinet.  How does that happen?  It's like they multiply when I'm not paying attention.  

Not mine but you get the idea!

I am partly to blame because I will look at something like the container that my sandwich meat came in or the container that the soup came in, and I will be like "this is a great size, and I can definitely use it." And then it becomes like doing a puzzle or playing a game of Tetris trying to find room in the cabinet for yet one more plastic container. I almost always manage to wedge it in somewhere but then it becomes a very dangerous adventure when I try to pull something else out to use.  One false move and everything falls out of the cabinet. 

So, with this cabinet, it really is time to purge.  Thank goodness for recycling.  I can always get rid of some that way. There is just too much, and I do not enjoy getting stressed out simply by opening a cabinet door.  Of course, I could always just leave it and let whoever is in charge of my estate sale (years down the road) deal with it.  But that would be unkind LOL  I'll let you know how this goes!

Going to the lake

 One of the things that I want to do this year and that I wanted to do last year but never quite did is go out of town on weekend trips.  An entire weeks' vacation is financially not going to happen right now, but I have accepted that. So, I am looking to do more day trips and weekend trips. A lot of that will depend on money, of course, but also who I know that will invite me into their home for a few days.  The thing about that is I hate to ask because I don't feel that comfortable.  It is not that I do not think that my friends would not enjoy my company, I just do not feel like I can say to anyone right now "Hey, let me stay with on your couch for a few days" Ah, well. That just shows me that I need to be more involved in life outside of my own house.  

Having said that, this coming weekend I will be going out of town for a few days, and I am looking forward to it.  Jason, my roommate, and his husband Marc have their home at Lake Royale, NC.  It's near the Raleigh/Wake Forest area.  I have not been there since their wedding several years ago and I am quite looking forward to it.  We will be celebrating Jason's birthday. And this will be one of those trips where I just relax.  We have little on the agenda besides eating and that is fine with me.  I will take a book to read and just relax.  I know we could all use a little more relaxation in our lives.

My goal is to try and do this at least once a month.  Not go to their lake house but get out of town for at least one day.  Even though I have lofty travel goals of places like Charleston, Savannah, NYC, etc., there are many places here in NC that are just a few hours' drive away.  I think I can do that, but time will tell.  And budget.  That budget is always ever present, but it is what it is. We shall see how that goes. Want to join me?  Just let me know. 

Recipe of the week - Cucumber Salad

This cucumber salad is one of those dishes that I grew up with but did not enjoy as a child.  This is a congealed salad and in my kid's mind, Jello should be sweet not savory.  Mom really loved it and made it quite often. As an adult I have grown to love this.  I have made it for several get-togethers, and it always goes over well. While I recognize that this kind of dish is not to everyone's liking, it is still a good side dish.  This past Easter, I decided to make this salad and this time I tried it in a Jello mold.  I have never used a Jello mold before, but I was very proud of how it turned out. This is a great dish for warmer weather so I hope you enjoy it!

Cucumber Salad

1 medium cucumber

1 3oz package lime gelatin

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup boiling water

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup 4% cottage cheese

1 small onion, finely chopped*

Peel and seed cucumber.  Shred and pat it dry then set it aside. Combine salt, gelatin and boiling water in a bowl.  Stir until dissolved. Add mayonnaise and cottage cheese and mix until well blended.  Stir in onion and cucumber. Pour into your mold or Pyrex or whatever dish you are using.  Refrigerate until set. 

*the original recipe called for 1 small onion, grated.  I find that to be too messy, and I never do it correctly, so I basically just mince mine and it works just fine. 

Open a New Window - Angela Lansbury

 I have had an interesting introspective 24 hours, and this song just feels right today.  

Fun things update - mostly food LOL

 Going back and reviewing my list of things to do for fun, I have not been able to cross anything off since last I updated.  That is not to say I have not enjoyed the past month, it has just been on the quiet side.  I have been cooking a lot, which is always fun for me.  I came up with a salmon dip recipe that I really enjoyed and so did Lois, who I like to share my cooking with.  I had found a recipe on the back of a box of crackers that sounded really good. But, not paying attention, I forgot to cut the recipe out before I recycled the box.  So, what I did was look up recipes for salmon dip and pulled from different ones to create one that I thought sounded good.   This is not my normal way of approaching a recipe, but I was determined to trust my instincts.  The dip turned out really well and I will share with you all at a later date.  I also tried a new green bean recipe.  It's actually a casserole, which I always enjoy, but it's simply called creamy green beans.  This is another keeper that I will share with you soon.

I hosted our traditional Easter dinner last Sunday.  We had a great meal and a great time.  I do love setting my table and getting everything ready.  I love using my things, which you know.  My goal is to create a table that is both inviting and comfortable.  I believe I achieve that. It was me, Lois, her sister Ruth, our friend Kathy and my roommate Jason.  The food was good and we had a great conversation throughout the meal.  I loved the company and it's always good to see my friends. And no one was sitting at the table staring down at their phone which was even better.  The only time a phone came out was after dinner when Jason was showing pics of his home renovation.  It was a good time.

I went to see Dad and June back in March.  We always have a good visit, and I hope to go back soon. I try to take them some food each time I go.  Some for the fridge and some for the freezer.  June does not cook like she used to, which is just fine.  They have groceries and get Meals on Wheels several times a week.  While they appreciate that, those meals are pretty devoid of flavor.  Working with many people on special diets, I totally get why that is.  So, I want them to have some good homemade meals ready whenever they want some.  I know they appreciate it and it makes me feel good to contribute somehow to their lives.  They are very special people.

This will be a weekend of domestic bliss.  Grocery shopping is done.  Laundry is going.  It's my version of fun LOL 

Recipe of the Week - Ina Garten's Meatloaf

 I have only watched a handful of Ina Garten's cooking shows.  I don't know why I haven't watched more because I did enjoy them.  Maybe one day.  Anyway, I was watching a cooking video on YouTube where they made Ina's meatloaf recipe.  I wanted to try it because it did not seem to be too complicated like some meatloaf recipes.  And I have never had much luck with meatloaf.  I have tried several different recipes, but none really hit the spot.  This one, however, did. It was magnificent.  Absolutely delicious and not hard at all. I am definitely going to make this one again.  If you like meatloaf and have not tried this before, I highly recommend it!

Ina Garten's Meatloaf

1 Tbsp olive oil

3 cups chopped yellow onions

1 tsp chopped fresh thyme*

2 tsps kosher salt

1 tsp fresh ground pepper

3 Tbsp Worcestershire

1/3 cup canned chicken stock

1 Tbsp tomato paste

2.5 lbs ground beef**

1/2 cup plain bread crumbs

2 XL eggs, beaten

1/2 cup ketchup.

Preheat oven to 325.  Heat olive oil in a sauté pan.  Add onions, thyme, salt and pepper.  Cook until onions are translucent but not brown.  Remove from heat.  Add Worcestershire, chicken stock and tomato paste.  Allow to cool slightly.  In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except ketchup.  Shape into a loaf on a sheet pan covered with parchment paper.  Spread ketchup evenly over top.  Bake for 1  hour and 15 minutes until meat thermometer reads 165.  Place a pan of hot water under meatloaf while cooking. 

* I could not find fresh thyme at my grocery store so I used 1/2 tsp dried instead

** I used 70/30 ground beef and it was fantastic