Keeping It Going in Alabama: Challenging Project

Sunday, April 14, 2024

Challenging Project

I now know why I've procrastinated so long in creating a new blog - or at least renaming this one. It's a challenge. I really want both of them, but I'm afraid the old content is going to disappear, and I depend on that for my memory! I've spent way too much time this morning working on it and have gotten very little done. I have a picture but can't figure out how to make it smaller. I think the scary thing is when I start writing there permanently. I hope to find out how to put a link on both blogs directing to the other and not having a clue how to do that.

So I'm putting that behind me and moving on.

I have nothing noteworthy to write about now. I have been doing a little recipe testing lately, and I'll record those. I don't know or have time to learn all the fancy ways people put their recipes on their pages. I can't even figure out how to save them in my files any more. I just pin to Pinterest and hope for the best, wading through everything. A day or two of cleaning out those pages would be helpful, I guess.

My next-door neighbor, Noreen, likes to cook, and we're friends in spite of my not liking to. No, maybe because of it, because she's always bringing over just a little of this and a little of that, which makes my life so much better! Here's the soup she brought over one rainy day that was just perfect. It was enough for three meals, and I was so thankful every time I ate it.

We ate a salad at her place one day, and it was just the best one I have had in a long time. I knew I had to copy it as closely as I could, so I got the recipe and got all the ingredients. When I read, "you probably have all these ingredients in your own kitchen," I know not to believe it, but in this case, all I needed to buy was the orzo and some olives and spinach.

Here's a picture of my version. So fresh and springlike.

Noreen was nice enough to make me a copy with her changes, so I'll include that here. I also made some changes, and this is a recipe that just works with whatever you have on hand or like. My printer is still not scanning, so I'll just have to settle for photos.

I'm also in search of eating foods that will hopefully help me feel better. It's hard when I don't know what's wrong with me, but I know I can't go wrong with salmon. I made two dishes last week, and I'm not sure which one I liked best.

I'm not even sure where I got the recipe for this dish. I'll post the one that looks most familiar, but I think I looked at a few.

https://iheartumami.com/bang-bang-salmon-bites/

My piece of salmon was so small, having used half of it earlier, that I used just the whole filet rather than chopping it up. I also was too tired that night to get out the air fryer - which lives in my hall closet - and so just cooked this in a pan on the stove.

I seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic salt, and regular paprika and left off the honey since I'm trying to leave off sugar altogether. Then I swirled the sauce over it along with chopped green onions and poppy seeds - not even toasted. So good.

I varied my sauce ingredients too, and whatever I did was out of this world. I had made enough for 2 or 3 pieces of salmon, so I put some in the refrigerator for something else, but not before licking the spoon. Maybe twice! I enjoy showing the messes I make too.

I mixed mayo with yogurt and added some rice vinegar and just a splash of Bragg's liquid aminos. I was out of Siracha or really any other kind of hot sauce, but I found some buffalo wing sauce that I hoped would work, and it was perfect. I tossed in some grated garlic and a little ketchup, and it was that easy.

This half I just seasoned with salt and pepper and pan seared on both sides. When it was almost done, I added a few pats of butter and cooked a little longer on both sides, adding some baby spinach and tomatoes and then some feta over it all. Tasted great to me!

I've overdone it on cooking this week - for me. Maybe I'll come up with something new next week, but I don't see anything wrong with repeating these 3 things.

We're going to have two more days of rain and cool weather, and then we'll see the 60s. For Mother's Day, I've requested only help with my front porch. It needs pressure washing really bad. I'm not sure anyone has ever done it before.

I've touched up the rocking chairs and will probably repaint the table. I think the cushions are good for another summer, but I might get some back pillows if I find some that match.

The evergreen tree that was so pretty has died. I'm not sure why. That's the second one I've lost.

The apartment people left my front flower bed in a mess because they couldn't get permission to take down those boxwoods that are half dead. So I have some nice new ones and then those scraggly ones. I also am not allowed to plant hostas or anything else on my own because they'll just dig them up "when we do our planting." Like maybe in a couple of years. Meanwhile, I just have a blank bed.

I'm going to try to get away with putting hosta cuttings in pots and burying the pots in the soil. I'll get a couple of ferns and a few other shade-loving things, and it will look a lot better. Maybe a rug, but I'll have to see if the sprinkler wets it first. Then there are two bird feeders to be hung and a hummingbird feeder as well. The cats are going to be happy to sit in the bedroom window and watch them.

The pansies and primroses I got last month have done really well, even if they were in sad shape when I bought them. And the creeping Jenny pot is ready for some coleus, I think.

I can see Noreen's porch over there, looking pretty inviting. She also has a little side porch that gets sunshine, and that's nice to have right now.

I'm going to start my idea board today. It's such a small space that I don't want to overwhelm it, and it's hard not to want a little of everything. There is a sunny spot near the garage in back - sometimes too sunny - and I'll plant some geraniums there.

I don't remember seeing any Lady ferns, but I think I like them better than the Boston ones, and they need complete shade - which I have an abundance of.