Learning

So, here we are. School started a week ago and I am not there. And I do not miss it. At. All. I enjoy being home with Veronica while Nathaniel is at school for a few hours a day. He is learning and I am learning. (And I hope Veronica is learning too!)

Today, for example, I am learning how to reuse scraps of food. We had carrots last night, and I've used onions this past week, so today I am making chicken stock. I also had some celery ends from when I ate celery over the weekend. All those go into a pot with two bone in chicken breasts and fill with water. Boil for a while and strain once through a colander and then a second time through cheese cloth. I freeze them in one cup bags so that when I need a cup of chicken broth, it's there. No chemicals, no msg, no preservatives, and no salt. But tons of flavor!!

I am also learning how to make jam and freeze veggies. I have been shopping the reduced for quick sale shelves lately. Am I embarrassed to admit that? Yes. Is that reality right now? Yes. (So I guess I'm learning humility too.) Anyway, last week I got 6 green peppers for $2, when they are usually $1 each. There was nothing wrong with them, they were just getting a smidge soft. I bought them, took them home and cut them into strips and put them in the freezer. I used some a few days ago in our oven baked fajitas (recipe on and they were delicious.

I have similar plans for carrots. I can get a two pound bag for a dollar, and carrots are the kids' favorite vegetable right now. Clean them and peel them, cut into coins and blanch. Drop into an ice bath and then package for freezing (keeping the ends for more stock, of course).

So I'm learning to live within my means. And for me, that means a lot of cutting back. I'd like to cancel our cable, which could save us some more money, and probably help me to play with my kids more. Maybe we'll revisit that when I clear up my minor health problems (eye scratches, conjunctivitis, and some other issues- it's been a brutal two weeks!!!) Speaking of which, I should probably go put my eye drops in. I've been on antibiotic drops for 3 days now for the left eye, after having done a week for the right. I said it had been rough!

But stay tuned to see what else I am learning how to do. Sometime this week, I am going to attempt to make English Muffins from scratch as well as from scratch biscuits that are similar to the kind that come from a can. (They can be frozen too, and baked from frozen.)