Friday the 2nd: Decorating

 I sent to pictures to my friend who made the vase and painted the seal to let her know she was still remembered in our new home.

 

 

Thursday the 1st: Food of the Week

 *Tomorrow I'm making sheet pan balsamic chicken and carrots, from a recipe I cut out of the newspaper about 10 years ago.

 *This is actually a week of new recipes. Tonight I'm trying  salad bar stir fry from Cook's Country, similar to the tagged recipe.  I'm using frozen veggies because they're cheaper than the salad bar.

*Last night I made sesame noodles with shredded chicken. I think the family prefers a straightforward peanut sauce, so I'll do that next time.  

*Tuesday night the Son made tomato-basil soup from Betty Crocker.  I think most of the family prefers a smoother soup, but the son really liked it. I might repurpose the leftovers into pasta sauce.

*Monday night I tried another new recipe, butternut squash risotto.  It was a really good risotto, but I don't think the squash, despite being a labor of love, really added much to the dish. I'll just do straightforward risotto next time. 

*Monday I also made the last picture below, apple-pecan pancakes. They were wonderful. 

 

 

Wednesday the 30th: Chores of the Week

 I got new curtains for the kitchen; they need to be hemmed but I think they are a good solution for this big window that needs coverage but also to let light in. I also got the last frame and curtain rod we needed for the moment. We still need to do new curtains in the basement and find me a desk but no rush on either of those.

I

Tuesday the 29th: Happy Birthday to the red fox!

 Sharing our family birthday candle because it's my brother's 38th birthday, and he's thriving and working hard. 

 

 

Monday the 28th: Saint of the Week

 

Saint Wenceslaus (Vaclav) (OM), King of Bohemia, Martyr

Dates:  September 28                          907-9/28/929    

                Place:  Bohemia (province of Czechoslovakia)

                Importance: raised by grandmother Ludmilla; killed by brother, which pushed country into Christianity

                Food/Symbol:  crown; eagle             Patron:  Bohemia; brewers

                Prayer:  “Lord, you taught your martyr Wenceslaus to prefer the kingdom of heaven to all that the earth has to offer.  May his prayers free us from our self-seeking and help us to serve you with all our hearts.  We ask this…Amen.”

                Quotes:  “At the death of Vratislaus the people of Bohemia made his son Wenceslaus their king.  He was by God’s grace a man of utmost faith.  He was charitable to the poor, and he would clothe the naked, feed the hungry and offer hospitality to travelers according to the summons of the Gospel.  He would not allow widows to be treated unjustly; he loved all his people, both rich and poor; he also provided for the servants of God, and he adorned many churches.”—from an old Slavic legend

 (Picture from Pinterest to https://anastpaul.com/2017/09/28/?utm_source=Pinterest&utm_medium=organic)

 

Friday the 25th: Saying goodbye

 *Top picture is me driving away from the house for the last time after collecting belongings, doing a final clean, and then heading out to sign papers. We signed on the 17th and the new owners signed on the 18th.

*Bottom picture: We threw out a lot moving, including two cast iron dutch ovens that were peeling I actually put them in the back yard to hold mint. So we bought a new one after moving; it's more of a braiser than a dutch oven, but it works for everything except for stew and chili. I probably need to get another one soon for that purpose since the weather seems to have (hopefully) left the 90s for 2026. 

 

 

Thursday the 24th: Food of the Week

 *Tomorrow will be crunchy pork chops. Speaking of which, let me go get the pork out of the deep freeze...

*And back. Today I've already started ropa vieja in the slow cooker. I'm using skirt steak for flank, and I'm hoping it will still turn out okay. I will omit the olives, and we're using pasta instead of rice.

*Last night I made honey-mustard chicken sandwiches.  They were fine, but Aldi's chicken tends to be spongy and have too much moisture to take a glaze well. We also had peaches, leftover coleslaw, and thin fries.

*On Tuesday the Son made french toast from the Betty Crocker Cookbook. His skillet skills on the gas stove are improving; he cut the bread a little thick, but we adjusted and he rounded out the meal with some sausage patties. I think I got four meal parts out of that one bag of sausage patties, so that was a good deal.

*Monday we had sheet pan gnocchi with sausage and peppers.  This time I sprinkled on parmesan rather than tossing it with the gnocchi and oil, and I think it turned out much more even. This dish is always one of our favorites.

*Sunday we had runzas from my mom and then a reuben sandwich kit from Zingerman's. Both were delicious. 

 

Wednesday the 23rd: Chores

 *I found a new place to get oil changes done, and I'm getting my first one on Friday.

*I still need to find curtains and a desk, but it will come.

*Trees are getting removed next week.

*I feel like the next big chore might be getting an assessment of the foundation. I know we need to add a vapor barrier, but I'm nervous there might be more problems than we are expecting. We were told we didn't need a foundation inspection, but I've come to regret that decision already, especially finding out that they did not rebuild the foundation at all when they build the new house on top of it. There is a big crack in the basement ceiling and two cracks upstairs around windows already that are telling me we might have a problem. 

Tuesday the 22nd: Food at the new house

 1: We started Sunday family dinner my first weekend moved back. Mom hosted, and I made homemade ranch to go with cut up veggies.

2. Another first meal, using up odds and ends, was tostadas with a poblano and corn salad thing.

3: I was really good after we first moved here about baking bread; since then we've bought a few loaves but I'm hoping to make bread later this week or next week. 

 

 

Monday the 21st: Saint of the Week (St. Matthew the Evangelist)

 

Saint Matthew (Levi) (F), Apostle and Evangelist

                Dates:  September 21                          d.65    

                Place:  preached among Hebrews and Ethiopians; shrine in Salerno, Italy; possibly martyred in Persia

                Importance:  writer of first gospel; originally a tax collector; writer of Mt. 16:18 (Primacy of Pope); messianic and prophecy-fulfillment emphasis

                Name means:  gift of God

                Food/Symbol: young man, book cake, gold coins

                Patron:  bankers, bookkeepers

                Prayer:  “O God, you chose St. Matthew the tax collector to share the dignity of the apostles.  By following his example and benefiting by his prayers, may we always follow and abide by your will.”

We beseech You, Lord, with the prayers of Matthew, Your apostle and evangelist, 

to assist us that those things 

which by ourselves we cannot obtain may be granted to us through his intercession. 

                Quotes:  “There are points of contact between Matthew and rabbinical writings that are not found in the other gospels.  These points of contact are more than an interest in the Law and allusions to Jewish institutions.  Matthew sometimes moves in the world of rabbinical thought.  He not only is familiar with rabbinical dialect; he uses it.”—John L. McKenzie

                Readings:  Eph 4:1-7,11-13; Ps. 19; Mt. 9:9-13

 (Caravaggio's Call of St. Matthew, found on Pinterest: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caravaggio?utm_source=Pinterest&utm_medium=organic#mediaviewer/File:Caravaggio,_Michelangelo_Merisi_da_-_The_Calling_of_Saint_Matthew_-_1599-1600_(hi_res).jpg)

 

 

Friday the 18th: More moving fun

Pic 1: one of the first things I made at the new house was risotto.

Pic 2: bought Czech white wine at the farmer's market in Andover. 

Pic 3: I was so proud of figuring out where to store the towels. 

 

 

Thursday the 17th: Food of the Week

 *Life is a little crazy since we are under a water boil advisory after the main water pump in town lost power. So here's the plan:

*Tomorrow will be macaroni and cheese as long as the order is lifted. If the order is not lifted, I'll probably do ropa vieja in the slow cooker as it has less dishes.  

*Tonight is probably going to be Thai Pork lettuce wraps (served over rice).  It's going to be a lot of dishes BUT I already defrosted the pork, so I'm a little stuck. My hope is to do a couple of the steps this afternoon, get those dishes washed (I have to soak them in bleach after washing them in the nonboiled water), and then proceed later in the day after Scholars Bowl practice.

*Last night was going to be the lettuce wraps but was Taco Shop instead. 

*Tuesday night the Son made Market Corn Salad from his Betty Crocker cookbook and a bag of frozen breaded chicken. It was really good, lots of veggies, but I felt a little heavy on the cumin. For lunch I had a beautiful salad from Bobby D's in Emporia (pictured below) with excellent burnt ends.

*Monday night I made chicken parm burgers from Taste of Home;  they were very good but next time I want to put breadcrumbs on the outside of them as well.

*Sunday we had chicken enchiladas in red sauce. The recipe actually made 20, not 10, and everyone got plenty. My mom made Spanish Rice as a side, and we had Zingerman's poppy seed cake as a dessert. 

*Saturday I brought home the bag of apples below after searching in vain for peaches.