In My Home This Week: Blooming Away

Truly the blooms are done with at the moment, though I'm hoping some of the iris I transplated will bloom and by end of this month I expect the roses will be ready to burst...but for now it's all new greens.  I admired the variety of greens in our world this weekend as we traveled in a more southerly direction to see the Kingsland trio of grands.  All sorts of colors from citrine to deep pine green.  It's a regular patchwork look when you top a hill and see a long view of woodland stretched before you, a different colorwave than autumn, and yet oddly reminiscent of it, with a few rusty reds and golds just to break up the monotony of only a hundred or so variations of green.

I overspent my long pay period's portion of grocery money though the frivolity was missing and instead I sported four bags of sale priced chocolates which we'd done without since February.  I don't really consider that frivolous.  It's not quite the necessity it was in years past but it's not quite luxury either.  So I didn't shame myself too badly about going over.



Frivolous was our stop today at the meat market, where I purchased two lovely ribeyes for a gasp worthy cost and brought them home to pan fry.  So tender...so good...so much!  We ate only one of the two, so look for those to show up in our menu this week.

Steak, Panfried potatoes, Salad, Lemon Meringue Pie
Not a hard meal to prepare after travel, and not exactly instant food either.  John told me how he wanted the potatoes cooked: cubed and fried in butter.  I put a lid on them to let them steam slightly which hastened the cooking, and added a tiny bit of finely minced onion for flavor but he was quite right.  They were the perfect side dish to our steak...I bought two and we ate just one.  I figure we should get two meals off the second one because really we don't need that much meat all at once twice!

on my own

Steak, Potato and Cheese Burritos, Salad with Pico de gallo, Mandarins
I'll use a portion of the steak, leftover potatoes and make an attempt at making Tortilla.  Our Aldi only carries brands with yeast in them.  No clue why, since any recipe online clearly has no yeast at all.

Black and Blue Salad, Corn Chowder
Obviously I won't serve all these steak meals back to back.  That is just too redundant, but I've put them all together to show how I will use the leftovers.  I'll make a big salad with tomatoes and sweet onion, Blue Cheese Dressing.  It is meant to be warmer but I mean to have corn chowder simply because it will soon be entirely too warm to think of soup and I like soup!

Oven Fried Chicken, Potato Salad, Butter beans, Corn Muffins, Ambrosia with Banana
I generally don't fry chicken in oil, preferring the oven method, which I find just as crispy if misted gently with oil.  John mentioned potato salad this afternoon on the way home.  It's something he really enjoys.  I like it warm and that's the way I serve it right away.  Then I refrigerate it and John eats the leftovers.  Suits us just perfectly.

out with Mama

Macaroni and Cheese, Sliced Tomato Salad, Green Beans, Carrot Cake
I didn't buy cheese at all this pay period....No clue what I wasn't thinking!  John picked up some 'hoop cheese' and it's nice and sharp.  I plan to use some in my Macaroni and Cheese, along with a lovely Iberian cheese that is reminiscent of Asiago.  It's a Spanish hard cheese made with sheep and cow's milk and has a nice 'bite'.  It should pair nicely with the Hoop Cheese in the cheese sauce.
I did buy a half dozen cream cheese.  I want to make a cheesecake very soon, but I've been wanting carrot cake for quite a while and haven't made it yet.  I'll try to find the Ellie Krieger healthier carrot cake recipe which has whole wheat flour and makes a single layer.  That should be just right for the two of us. 

This Week In My Home:

Jobs last week:
Passover begins Friday at sundown.  I will make sure to clear all the yeast from our freezer and cabinets.  I have a mere handful of items so this part will be no big deal.
Cleaning deeply, especially in the kitchen, vacuuming the seams and crevices of our chairs, and vacuuming our car.

Quarterly review.  

Pay bills.  

Grocery shopping. 

This Week:

I want to look closely at what I already have on hand and attempt to come up with a Spring/Summer look for the two bedrooms.  Just a little fresh touch in this one last area of my home.

Return to  deep cleaning mode.  I'll start back with the kitchen.  I don't expect this to be as intense as it was two months ago, but I know from experience there is always some little job that could be done.  I don't know yet what I'll focus on but I'll share it later in the week.  

Clean off the front porch.  I mean take everything off it and get it ready for a good washdown.  I need to paint it this spring and it needs a hard cleaning first.  I'll do this in stages.  

Work on the little flower bed right next to the back steps.  It's looking a bit shabby.  Some of the Bouncing Bet has managed to come up around the inside edges.   I'd like to weed, perhaps put down some fresh weed mat.  I have some fresh plants I'd like to pot up.  They are perennials but will look nice for the Spring and then I can transplant to another spot in the yard.  

Put together some outfits for spring using what I have.  I'll set up five or six if I can and have them ready to pull off the hanger and wear.

Remember these tasks are all in addition to the usual round of housework.  They are not meant to be the main work but the 'extra' stuff that I want to tend to.