This recipe is for me, a winter recipe because it asks for the use of the oven, which I never use in the summertime. It can be modified to be done on top the stove if you want to go ahead and make it in the summer. This week's menu has a couple of oven recipes, this is one of them. I will try to get in one recipe per week per the menu for that week from now forward. We'll see how it goes. Thanks for asking. Tuscan, White Bean Artichoke over Polenta Ingredients: 2 TB EVOO 1

It's true. I have monitored the free section on Craigslist for some time now, usually looking for some little thing I need, like free 5 gallon buckets. I check Facebook Marketplace now and then. And I also check Nextdoor freebies now and then. You really can furnish an entire home for free by picking up items, free, from nearby. I am including beds, sofas, recliners, dining tables, patio tables and chairs, kitchen tables, end tables, dressers, coffee tables, hanging macrame p

Yes it was, but I think that I am done with the taxes. It was fun for a while but then the forms would not print out correctly and that started to give me conniptions. However, got that figured out and while I am never sure that I have gotten everything right I am pretty confident that they are done correctly and can be sent off to those who like to squander my moolah in various ways. Now - on to the stuff of norm. Did I say Norm? As in Normal? LOL. Yeah. I did. Anywho, It'

I am eyeball deep in doing the taxes. That's one thing that's happening right now. I am looking at habits. Habits formed in childhood and those I purposely worked on making as a young adult, as an adult, and now as an old gal. That's another thing that's happening right now in my little world. When I was a kid my family moved around a lot. I was raised up half in the city and half on farms. We lived in Ohio - in the city, in Georgia - in the swamp, in Texas - in a dustbowl, a

Here is the last post for now on this Series. Keep in mind that the initial cost for items will make the meal cost more than it will next time you make it as well as make other meals cost less. It's up to you if you feel that meal is worth the extra expense and it's also okay to leave out some ingredients. Substitutions are always an option. This is another of my favorite meals. I don't serve this one often because it does cost a little more per serving than many of my other

Hi. This is going to sound like it's expensive, but once you purchase the initial pantry items it is actually budget friendly. What would you consider to be cost effective per serving? $4 ? $2 ? Cooking and eating at home is going to be cheaper no matter what, so start there. If you spend $4 per serving for 4 people that's $16 for one meal. If you do that three times a day that is going to turn out to be $48 per day. And that IS expensive. It's what most people spend current

Yes, you really can feed 2 adults and 2 children on only $40 per week. I am providing the menus for a week plus the grocery list for those menus below. What building in New York has the most stories? The public library. Feed 4 people on about $6 a day or $40 a week. This plan assumes you have a stocked pantry. Items not included in the grocery list are italicized (in the menus) so that you can shop for them if you need to do that.           Grocery list: Grains & Breads $4

I think I might be back on schedule here. Getting my groceries delivered on Thursday again. So here is this weeks menus: Turkey Dinner. (I had frozen turkey from Thanksgiving that I needed to use I was thinking). So stuffing, gravy and green beans with that. Instead of cranberry sauce which is loaded with corn syrup and sugar I'll be using 'warm' mixed berries. Red Lentil Chili. (The red lentils seem to cook faster so watch your pot) with corn muffins. The Tofu pu

Understanding Inappropriate Laughter Inappropriate laughter occurs when a person laughs in situations where it is socially or culturally unacceptable. This type of laughter can be involuntary and may not reflect the individual's true feelings about the situation. Or, they may have just found the situation downright hilarious. Several factors can lead to inappropriate laughter: Emotional Regulation: Laughter can serve as a coping mechanism to manage stress or anxiety. In tense

Working on trying to stick to a schedule of sorts. I have changed it a few times, AFTER printing it out of course. It being the first part of the month there are bills to pay and there is stock up to do on the inventory for the pantries. (If you read pantries as panties then you have a gnat in your eye like me. LOL ) How on earth do people really get bored? There is always so much to do. I think it's really that are tired, too tired to get up and do the stuff that needs to g

I have gotten off schedule a bit and that's okay, nothing is written in concrete. I still have one meal to cook from the last menu, which is Rosemary Dijon Chicken. For the rest of the coming week: Ratatouille on Polenta Tilapia and Rice Medley Pasta and Chicken in a Pumpkin Sauce Gnocchi N Brussels Sprouts Last night was baked potatoes with leftover Awesome Sauce and cauliflower florets. That was not on the menu. It was a spur of the moment suggestion and it was quite go

I am hearing a lot about "clean eating", so I thought I'd answer an inquiry about it here. It seems to be really trending right now, the idea of clean-eating. Honestly, it isn't new and it is not any different than what I have been posting about all along. So what is it? It refers to eating foods that are as close as possible to their natural state. This encourages us to make our meals from scratch to make them as “clean” as possible.  Once just a buzzword, “clean eating” is

Here's this weeks menus. Homemade Pizza with yogurt crust. Black Bean Cheese Burgers with the fixins. (Have to use up the rest of the batter). Greek Zucchini Rotini Chicken Burritos and Fruit Salad And of course Friday Fish with Baked Potatoes and Green Beans It might not sound like a healthy menu to some, especially if you just say cheese-burgers, pizza, burritos and pasta. As you can see, it really is better than it looks because of the ingredients and the preparation.

Cravings can sometimes feel like a challenge when trying to maintain a healthy diet. Last week, mashed potatoes were the star of the cravings, and this week, the desire has shifted to fresh salads with a bold, tangy dressing reminiscent of Roquefort cheese. Store-bought salad dressings often contain preservatives, added sugars, and unhealthy fats, which can derail healthy eating goals. I cannot have them especially if they contain "gum-gums". Luckily, there’s a delicious home

Well that can of worms I opened spilled out into my entire office, out into my library, out into my living room, and is threatening to crawl into my kitchen. This is a most frustrating affair. Am I a hoarder and not just a pack-rat? Geez. I am trying hard to organize, sort, consolidate, re-box, re-label, donate, toss and make sense of all this stuff. This all in the hope of finding new space in that closet for stuff that needs a home that is not out in sight. Wish me luck. I

These are uncertain times. After years and years we finally got a healthcare system to help folks get semi-affordable health insurance with the Affordable Care Act. Many folks call it Obama Care. Some states refused to adopt it but they were required to offer something in it's place if they did not. It certainly was better than what was offered previously, which was nothing at all if your employer did not offer insurance or if you could not afford the premiums at all. Now

Hey there. It's Wednesday, so today is the day I order the groceries for the coming week and all the items needed to make the goodies on the menus created yesterday, plus all the usual daily stuff. So without further adieu, here are this weeks menus: Chili and Cornbread Tilapia Fish, Air-Fryer Fries and Butter Peas Black Bean Cheeseburgers with Buns, Fixins, and Chips Chicken Fried "Steaks" , Country Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, and Green Beans Sausage & Peppers with Orzo and

I am in a weird state of mind today. I decided (since it's cold weather and I need to do indoor things) that I would get started on my downsizing project. ie: get rid of stuff and organize what's left. I chose to start on my office closet. What a can of worms I opened there. Here I sit looking at the stuff lying on the floor that fell when I tried to remove a box full of heavy stuff. I admit I have trouble getting rid of useable items. I donate lots of stuff but I throw away

I believe. I believe in everything. Ghosts, Unicorns, Fairies, God, Elves, Leprechauns, Gremlins, Angels, Aliens, etc. I am not a believer in Karma. Just sayin'. So, I have this other blog where I talk about God and the Universe and my thoughts about that topic. If you have an interest in that sort of thing let me know and I will give you the web address via email. TreeCityStar@outlook.com Apparently, there is a new show on Netflix called "Do You Believe". I haven't check

Okay, so this weeks menus include a lot of homemade things. The weather has changed and this means more indoor time, which means, more...