book club 69 - lies and weddings by kevin kwan

 2025-69

 

grocery shop - costco november 24

 

yogurt, chimichangas, chicken fried rice, cheese, protein drinks, eggs, socks x 2, organic bags, butter, maple syrup, tortilla chips, roto chicken, grapes, blueberries, cauliflower, granola bars, pico, mayo, vitamins, oranges, apples

$283 

book club 68 - the change by kirsten miller

 2025-68

 

if i could put time in a bottle.......

 my sweet baby boy turned 16.....where does the time go......

reading watching listening loving eating

 

 reading  - panic reading once and future wishes before i have to return it to the online library

 

watching  - bosch, just starting season 3

 

listening  - to the handsome podcast.

loving  - our new couch and the fuzzy blanket i stole from the girl.  there is NOTHING like coming home from work and curling up on a comfy couch under a soft blanket.

eating - nothing exciting.  i am recovering from the stomach flu so there has been a lot of yogurt, toast and tea.

book club 67 - the serviceberry by robin wall kimmerer

 2025-67

 

book club 66 - open season by cj box

 2025-66

 

my moms fudge recipe

 

5 minute fudge

2 Tb butter

1 small can evaporated milk (2/3 cup)

1 2/3 cups sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups mini marshmallows

1 1/2 cup chocolate chips

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

toppings (optional)

Combine first 4 ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.  Cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients.  Stir vigorously until all melted.  Pour into a buttered 8" can and decorate if desired.  Cool and cut into squares.

bran muffins for one

 i have a friend who complains that whenever she bakes anything for her family, it's gone usually the next day; sometimes the very same day.  i seem to have the opposite problem.  i bake and no one in my family cares.  i made these raisin bran muffins based on this recipe, and ended up having to freeze them because i was the only one eating them, and how many can i eat in a day.  

pickles in process from aloha kitchen

 

i made a full dinner from Aloha Kitchen last weekend - mac salad, shoyu chicken and pickles.

10/10 

book club 65 - the takedown by lily chu

 2025-65

 

the salad was the thai crunch and it was a winner

 i went with the thai crunch salad with peanut dressing and it was so good!  i was very happy with my choice.  the night i was cutting up all the veg i had a screaming headache and i decided to omit the tomatos just to cut down on my prep time so i could go lie down sooner.  i think it was the right call.  

 stealthy salad photo

the olive is from another dish on the plate, not the delicious salad

 

 

book club 64 - my best friends exorcism by grady hendrix

 2024-64

 

grocery shop - costco november 8

 

 

peppers, cucumber, tomatos, onions, apples, spinach, pizza, milk, salmon, pico, taco kit, blackberries, butter, bread, gingerale, pretzel chips...maybe one or 2 more things because i'm doing this from memory

$180 

cuban lunch squares - a canadian treat!

 

1 package chocolate chips

1 package butterscotch chips

1 package peanut butter chips

1 cup rice crispies

1 cup chopped peanuts

Melt the chips and stir in the rice crispies and peanuts.  Pour into a buttered 9x13 pan and let cool until firm. 

the hunt for a salad

 i've been roped into contributing a salad to a luncheon next week.  i'm not super excited, i'm more anxious that whatever i contribute won't be good and no one will eat it and how embarrassing would THAT be.

so far these are my top choices - 

Thai Crunch salad that I've never made before

Autumn Apple salad that I have made before, for a potluck, and I know it's delicious, but I'm hesitant for some reason

Bean salad - also delicious, but maybe too weird for a lunch of people you don't really know?

 

 I feel like i could spend hours looking through books and saved recipes, but i just want to get the shopping done and come home and curl up under a blanket and read and maybe watch a show.

 this will also be the 4th dish in 2 weeks i've made for various non-family events.  the stress of finding recipes and making them and hoping everyone likes them has been ENOUGH.

 

book club 63 - accomplice to the villain by hannah nicole maehrer

 2025-63

 

book club 62 - the book of alchemy by suleika jaouad

 2025-62

 

a plague descended upon us. plus grocery shop and a good chicken recipe

 The day I last posted, The Boy woke up with a cold, and immediately gave it to everyone in the house.  He recovered 3 days later, and the rest of us were sick - SICK - for the remainder of the month.  Meanwhile, work was chaotic and every day felt worse than the day before.

I don't know if I have ever been so happy to see a month come to an end as I was for October. 

 And now it is November, and I am feeling ok about the last 2 months of the year.  So far.

I made 2 pumpkin treats in October - cookies and a loaf.  They were both good.

 I made some apple fritter cookies which were fine, but nobody loved them.  We never got to Davidsons Orchard or Desert Hills, and I missed the rest of the Wednesday and Saturday farmers markets downtown.  I am determined to check out the winter market though, soon.

On Saturday we headed out just before noon to Costco, Walmart and the dollar store to get some groceries and baking supplies for a baking fundraiser I was contributing to.

 chocolate chips, ribs, balsamic, rice crispies, dumplings, croissants, brussel sprouts, rotisserie chicken, shallots, toque, food storage containers

$159

 

 We spent $98 at walmart on groceries and toiletries, and then stopped at the dollar store to pick up some baggies to package up the treats in.

 For dinner I used about half the roto chicken to make Chicken Pot Pie Orzo - i believe i found the recipe on tick tok.  Saute diced onion, carrots and celery in butter and oil until softened.  Season with salt and pepper.  Stir in some flour and cook for 2 minutes.  Add a couple of cups of chicken broth and whisk until smooth and thickened.  Whisk in some cream, chopped cooked chicken, and cooked orzo.  Taste and season further if needed.  

blue skies and deers at the park