Good morning ladies,

I woke up around 5:00 and couldn't go back to sleep. Hate that but took advantage and walked to Stop & Shop for a couple of things I needed. Actually enjoyed it and nobody in the store that early. Thank you for your kind words everyone regarding the job. Just never thought at my age I would be going through this. Scary times..  Hat, happy you found hubby : )  I LOVE scali bread! Wish I logged on before I went shopping, def would have gotten some. Kar, a week off with your hubby, how awesome! What a love to take you out to dinner! tt, praying you don't need a root canal. I shudder at the thought... I am a big baby when it comes to the dentist. Harry is a riot and love hearing your stories about him. Cloudy here too. I think I am going to get in my PJ's and chill today. How lazy am I??  lol!  DD and BF are going to Costco this week. She told me she is going to pick me up some chicken thighs and legs. She knows I love chicken and my freezer is empty. Can't remember the last time it was. I may have her pick me up some pork chops too. Been craving smothered pork chops.  Kar, I figured out the skenderizing was slenderizing. I misspell all the time!

Pingo, keep forgetting to tell you how happy I am your son is here! I know you must be loving it : )

Make some lemon and/or lime bread and put in freezer for later?  BTW, the Christmas tree shop sells little ceramic bread pans - the mini size is a dollar.  Right now they are selling harvest and Xmas themed ones.  I keep a good supply, make many at a time (the recipe below would make 6 mini loaves) wrap and freeze and voila! instant gifts.

I must say that my good old wedding gift Joy of Cooking has great quick bread recipes.  One thing I do not need to search the Internet for.  Here's the orange bread recipe, Pingo, I know you are an experienced baker so can substitute as necessary.

Makes 2 standard loaves.  preheat oven to 350. 

3 cups AP flour

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt.  combine and add

1 tsp grated rind

1/2 - 3/4 c sugar
  (the larger amt makes it more cekelike.)

combine and beat

1 egg

1/4 c oj

1 1/4 cups milk

2 tsp oil/melted butter/melted shortening

(options) add 1 cup nuts, dried chopped fruit

pour in the liquids to the flour sugar mixture.  Mix swiftly until just combined. bake in two greased loaf pans about 50 minutes or until just done (toothpick test.)  (Less time of course for mini-loaves.  I'd check around 20/25 minutes.)  Of course this is a low fat recipe so good for the diet conscious.  I'm sure you could use the coconut oil you love....

Hats, that recipe sounds good. It is almost a muffin recipe. Could make some of those too while DIL is here. Thanks. Especially thanks for typing it out on a Sunday morning.

Back after a breakfast that started out bacon and cinnamon raisin toast, and then as I plated it thought, heck, that needs an egg, once over lightly!  Delicious, and enjoyed browsing through the paper, Globe, of course.

The sun has worked its way up here, Hats. and it's nice out, I can verify as I had to go out the back door, around to the front driveway to pick up the paper where it had been tossed.  Scared away blue jay fnishing up the pieces of kibble that Harry had knocked off his plate.  Free brunch for all!  Speaking of that, want to check and see if the apple peelings and cores I threw up back from the crisp, are gone.  Better watch out, I'm thinking deer, but those pesky turkeys may be enjoying them!

You're ambitious, Amber, out and back so soon.  I'm not going to make S&S today, I know.  Laziness in capital letters has set in.  It was so good not to have to be showered and dressed by 7:00 this morning.

Hats, I'm going to check closet and see if I have any antibacterial mouthwash left from when I had a tooth implant - eons ago.  Probably ineffective now, if it is there.  Didn't figure Crest mouthwash was powerful enough, so have been rinsing with warm salt and water, an oldie from my mother's bag of tricks.

BTW, your orange bread recipe sounds good - and easy.  None in the house right now, but am copying it.  More than once I've wanted to make one.  I do have my hot orange coffee cake that I think came from Globe pages.

Pingo, when you say limes, I think key lime pie.  I'm sure Martha or Ina has ingenious recipes on their websites for ways to use them.

Wondering how and where Mothermitzi is - hope there has not been any family illnesses.  If you're still reading us now and then, would love to hear from you, especially reassurance that all is alright with you.

Off to clip coupons, do a wash, and  try to find something good in freezer for supper.

TT,   I believe in that the alcohol is the effective item in mouthwash, so in a pinch, swish a little gin or vodka or whiskey around, then swallow.  kills two birds with one stone - germs and pain (as in I'm feeling no....)!

Pingo, glad you liked the recipe if subbing lemons and limes I would use the higher sugar amt because they are more tart than oranges.  It also said it slices better on the second day.

I could just have suggested Gin and Tonic with lemon, and Margaritas but I was feeling constructive.

MM I second TT's wishes and wonderings....

Hats, I remember my mother having us swish whiskey around in our mouths when we had a toothache!  i am not a baker, but that recipe is easy even for me : ) I'm sure we won't hear from Kar a lot this week with DH on vacation. What a nice surprise for her! Weird for me to not be planning Thanksgiving but happy DD is spending time with BF's family. Plus I will see them later in the day for dessert. BF's family has mostly girls and his Dad died when he was young like DD's did, so his family is thrilled she is having a boy : )  I am too as DD is my only child, so a boy is thrilling. So looking forward to this bundle of joy to arrive! 

mm, hoping all is well too...

Sorry to be such a hyper-poster today, but here's something I have been thinking of for a couple of weeks.

Remember that Kar and Pingo, among others, were posting about whether canning jars can be safely reused?  Well I recently joined Pinterest and there's a million uses for old jars on there.  So I thought I would suggest looking there.

TT, I think you would love Pinterest especially and you do not have to be on Facebook to be on Pinterest altho they are pretty "tightly coupled."  You just sign up with your email address which is not revealed.

BTW I was out in the yard a while and I found some gifts from Hurricane Sandy.  About 60 pinecones, several large and many small spruce branches which I put aside to make an Xmas door decoration with (will marry them with the cones and some ivy which is taking over my woods) and a bird's nest, which, sadly, was too wet to be used so I shredded it and used it to mulch my new tulip bed.

Amber, just saw your post.  I am about to become the great aunt of a boy. 

First time in three generations has there been a first boy in our family! But of course, it evens out the further you go back.

I am glad for your DD that the BF's family is pleased.  No wedding pressure?

Hats, first boy on his side in years, so loving that for them : ) Plus DD's father was the last boy on his side. Just fitting all around..  No wedding pressure, at least not from me. They are planning on getting married eventually but not now. Different today I guess. But I remember my mother telling us girls (3 of us) to be virgins when we got married and found out when my Dad died and found their marriage certificate, she was pregnant with my oldest sister! Felt so bad she felt the need to hide it and quite honestly would have been better off not marrying him. He was an abusive person. But I get it, no options back in those days like there is now. So I am very unjudgemental.

I am a hyper poster today too! : ) Looking for a job is a full time job, so actually enjoy the weekends when the pressure is off.

Alright!  Chicken legs in hand, along with a quart of Brigham's frozen pudding ice cream!  I think it was MM who used to enjoy that long with me.  Soft enough to scoop out, and I could eat half the quart if I let myself.  What a zoo up  there today, and along the way too - isn't there a Pat's game this afternoon?  Surprised at all the cars heading towards mall.

ETA:  Coupon for ice cream in today's paper, plus it was on sale to begin with - now that's what I call a bargain!

DD and BF just left a little while ago. I am pretty much overwhelmed. They went to Costco and stocked me up with food, cat food and toiletries... I don't announce how my unemployment check is a $600 a month loss from my regular income but she knows I am struggling... makes everything else small in life. i am blessed.

Just seen your post tt. She bought me chicken thighs and chicken legs. They are packaged in 8 pieces. i am defrosting a pack now. My grill is stil setup, so planning on grilling them. The leftover chicken will be refridgerated. Love cold chicken : )

That's nice that your DD is doing what I'm sure she has seen you do many times in the past - lend a helping hand.

Hats, of course you can reuse canning jars, lol!  You can even reuse them for canning as long as they have not been washed in the dishwasher (etching) or scratched by metal utensils.  If you get a jar back, and you don't know if it's been scratched, you can use it for any of 1000 things other than canning. 

I had chicken for lunch, too.  It was leftover uncooked from my anniversary Brussels sprouts braise; it wouldn't fit flat in the Dutch oven.

Bless your DD, Amber. How nice of them to go shopping for you. Many of today's young people only think of themselves. Good to know, there are still wonderful caring youngsters around. You have brought your DD up right. What is it they say? The apple doesn't fall far from the tree (or something like that).
DS brought home a terrible cold - probably from his ordeal in JFK with all those waiting people. He wants soup, and I offered to make homemade chicken soup, but he told me, I have cooked enough for him already, so we are going to a place tonight, where they serve Vietnamese soup.
I will still pick up a chicken on our way home, and cook it in my pressure cooker. It will be convenient to have, in case the rest of us starts sniffing.
tt, frozen pudding is DH's favorite too, tt. I should get him some.

Pingo, thank you so much for the kind words for my DD. But your DS sounds like a charm too not wanting you to go out of your way. So we both did well : ) I lived in Dorchester for many years and my cousin dated a Vietmamese man who introduced us to the culture of his food. I remember fondly my DH, me and DD going with them to a little hole in the wall restaurant in Dorchester for soup. My DH loved it!! Not my cup of tea, but loved seeing him enjoy. My DH was 6'3 inches and her boyfriend was 5'5. Best friends! Always loved seeing them together : ) I love being able to share memories on here. One of the reasons I keep coming back ; )

i spoke too soon! Happy to see  you on the board Kar : )

In response to kargiver's comment:

I smell chicken legs cooking - is it yours on the grill, Amber, or mine in the oven?  Smells delish whichever it is.

Lost power for a couple of hours this afternoon, and now the TV doesn't have the announcement of what program you're watching on the bottom.  Hoping next time I shut it off and then on again, it will reappear.  Hate having to make calls after power outages, they try to walk me through it, and I'm the least technical person around.

Friends of G.T.'s told me about Pinterest too, Hats.  I hesitate because I hate giving out my email address.  They said the same as you, that I would love it.

Pulled out the pillow cases to work on them, but there they sit.  Yesterday I got quite a few of the stems and leaves filled in.  Did have a few various cards to write messages on and get ready for mail this afternoon, and now the light is fading.

Did I tell you the roofer found a little green and white marble up under the shingles?  Have it on my kitchen table.  -  Speaking of finding things - just got off the phone with G.T.  They have been getting their garden stuff bagged for pick up, and he was doing a lot of clipping.  After filling quite a few bags and getting them to the curb, he found he had lost his clippers. Went in the garage and got another pair so he could finish up, and when they were all through they were putting things away and his partner said, "There's the clippers - you'd put them in your back pocket"!  I told him it was like me a couple of days ago, raging around here looking for my glasses because I knew I would need them to check prices in my poking - passed by a mirror - I had them on!  What was that you were saying earlier, Pingo, about the apple not falling far from the tree?  lol

tt, i am still waiting for my chicken to defrostt, i missed you terribly..

Aw, you're just saying that.

TT, I have a special free email that I use only for giving out to people and organizations I do not want to hear from.  (gmail, hotmail, yahoo are some examples of free services.)  I had to go to it once to confirm my pinterest sign up, but now all the pinterest stuff goes there and I don't have to bother with it.

Kargiver mentioned doing that one time too.  I'll have to have someone show me.  I know I can have more than one email through Comcast.  Would that be the same thing?