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| Neighbor's citrus hanging over the fence. 👀 |
Thank you friends for all your get well wishes. 💗
I'm fully recovered from cold now, and have been busy catching up with the work that I missed last week, and reading blogs.
I was two weeks ahead of the online course work before I got sick, and now it's only one week! I don't like this at all. I plan to start another module today, so I can catch up.
The week was a busy one with two tests and a mammogram appointment. The mammogram was normal, and I was able to grade both tests by Friday to free up the weekend somewhat.
Because I didn't make any new recipes for a while, I decided to try this eggs baked in red wine recipe by Sarah Moulton. I don't have 1 cup casserole dishes or ramekins, so I used a small cast iron pan. It was delicious, and a very filling meal.
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| Eggs baked in red wine. |
I bought a packet of soy meat (also known as TVP or textured vegetable protein) from the nearby Indian grocery store, and cooked it like meat. By itself it doesn't really have any taste, so I added a bunch of spices and cooked it in coconut milk.
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| Lunch - brown rice, soy meat curry, sauteed broccoli and a salad. |
I weeded the flower bed in the front yard, but didn't have time to fertilize the plants. I also made a small batch of coconut oil soap. The recipe is from Chel at Going Grey and Slightly Green. She makes the prettiest soap. Recently she mentioned using room temperature method, and adding beeswax to harden soaps. So I decided to try both at once. 😊 My previous batch of soap failed because it took so long to reach trace, then it didn't harden at all. I couldn't figure our what went wrong. So I was reluctant to make a large quantity of soap again. Chel's coconut oil soap recipe uses only 500 g of coconut oil, so I thought it was a good recipe to see if lye was still good. I had used her recipe once successfully.
Everything went well, and hopefully I will be able to enjoy these soaps in 6 weeks or so.
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| Coconut oil soap. |
After a couple of weeks without rain, finally it rained today! ⛆ For about 10 minutes! Still I'm happy that plants got much needed water. I was watering plants every other day, but grass had started to turn brown. I don't have a traditional lawn, or a sprinkler system. I'm trying to add more Florida friendly plants, and recently found this very helpful website.
Bitter gourd vines are doing well. Aphids finally killed two long bean vines, and ants killed the only Serrano pepper plant. So it's time to prepare the beds again for something new. Perhaps something that ants and aphids really hate. 😉
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| Bitter gourd. |
Have a wonderful week, everyone.
1)
2)
Next week's to-do list:
1) Fertilize flowers and passion fruit vines.
2) More decluttering in the spare room.
XX
Nil
So good you are feeling better! Those soaps look good Nil.
ReplyDeleteThank you earthmotherwithin. 😊
DeleteGlad you are feeling better, Nil. It's wonderful when wellness and energy return, isn't it! Your soap looks great; I really must make some instead of just thinking about it!! Meg:)
ReplyDeleteThanks Meg. 😊
DeleteI miss reading your blog. I hope you will start writing again....
Thanks, Nil. That's really kind! I have half a post written ...
DeleteNil, I hope your soap turns out although it is a hard soap anyway and doesn't really require the beeswax but it is always fun to experiment. I have to take my coconut oil soap out of the moulds after a few hours as it hardens so quickly. Glad you have recovered.
ReplyDeleteChel, I was planing to make olive oil + coconut oil soap, so I had already grated some beeswax. When I decided to use only coconut oil, I added beeswax anyway. :)
DeleteI already took soap out of the molds.
I'm glad to read that you are feeling well, again, and the mammogram results were normal. :) My daughter and I like to watch Sarah Moulton's cooking shows. I hope this batch of soap turns out well for you. Hope you get caught up with all your work this week and have a wonderful week.
ReplyDeleteThis batch of soap is working well, Bless. I already took them out of the mold.
DeleteHave you ever tried Sarah Moulton's recipes? I like her weekly night meals, they are very easy to make. :)
I'm glad you're feeling better, Nil. The baked eggs look delicious. The soaps look so pretty. I like the rose mold. I hope you have a great week. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Belinda. Hope you too have a great week. :)
DeleteGlad you are better. You did get a lot done lately! The soap looks so nice and creamy. Your cooking looks good and healthy. Even with not much rain, things look green there! Andrea
ReplyDeleteYou live in a very nice area, Andrea. Here, without rain everything start turning brown very quickly.
DeleteWonderful meals, they look yum! And I love diy products like your soap, great idea! So glad, you are felling well now. Have a lovely week☺
ReplyDeleteThanks Natalia. I plan to try your recent croissant recipe one of these days. I'll let you know how it goes. :)
DeleteYour meals always look delicious. Good luck on finding plants that aphids and do not like. I am glad to read you have recovered from the cold and did not fall too far behind.
ReplyDeleteThanks Anita.
DeleteHeheee I think it's one of my dreams to find plants that aphids and ants don't like. It's hard to get rid of ants in Florida. :)
Hooray for rain, even in small amounts! Glad you feel better, at least well enough to do some creating!
ReplyDeleteWe got more rain last night! Plants are all dancing now. :)
DeleteGood luck with the soap making! Hopefully you can get ahead in your online class, it gets stressful when you are only one step ahead of the students.
ReplyDeleteYes, I always like to prepare well in advance, and now I need to catch up. :)
DeleteHi Nil, I missed your last post where you mentioned being unwell, so I'm glad to read you're feeling better now. I've tried those tvp products and can't get to like them at all, but your meal looks delicious. Bringing ladybirds into your garden can help control aphids, they feast on them, and they like frilly plants.....fennel, queen anne's lace, dill. Maybe you could pop some in here and there as companion plants, along with strong scented plants like garlic and nasturtiums, and herbs like basil and oregano. Hope you can get rid of them. Have a good week.
ReplyDeleteLast year ladybugs moved in when aphids appeared. This year I didn't see any. When I asked the feed store if they had any, they said it's still too warm for ladybugs. I'll try planting garlic. I love garlic and if aphids don't like them it's a win win situation. :)
DeleteI'm also not crazy about tvp. I think it's like tofu. There's no taste unless you marinate it in something tasty. And sometimes I think it's like eating dry rubber pieces. :)
Ha ha yes, I agree, so much like rubber!! I do like tofu though, but yes, it does need good strong flavours for it to be palatable.
DeleteYour soap looks great. I love coconut oil soap. It's so hard and long lasting. That meal you prepared with the eggs is beautiful, too. You always sound very busy and productive. It seems like you have a lot of variety in your diet. Mine tends to be repetitious, but enjoyable. Hope you are able to catch up on everything and that you are feeling healthy and strong.
ReplyDeleteI try to add different colors to my plate, Stephenie. I learned it from my mom. She always make sure the plate is colorful. :)
DeleteI am glad you are feeling better this week and I hope you can catch up with your course. I get really stressed when I am behind. I have to deliver all my lecture recordings a minimum of two weeks early because accessibility legislation here mandates that we provide full transcripts. So happy to have a learning technologist to help out with that... I hope you find new plants that are not much liked by aphids. Nanette knows way more than I do and I won't speculate on any plants that might be suitable. Your food looks delicious, particularly the wine baked eggs. I love eggs and could eat them every day, three times a day... Have a lovely week x
ReplyDeleteI'm the same Christina. It really stresses me out when I'm behind. I use a lot of videos with captions made by difference government departments. Fortunately topics discussed in my course line up with the work they do, so I don't have to create too many videos. :)
DeleteLots of things to be grateful for in this post, Nil. First, that you're feeling better and that it rained and the soaps turned out well. I have watched only a handful of Sara Moulton's shows on PBS and only tried 1 recipe, but the one you tried looked good and there;s nothing like cooking something in a cast iron skillet. I have a 10-inch one and a dutch oven in which I make bread...really like using them, but that weight!
ReplyDeleteOh yes, Beatrice. That's the downside of using cast iron pans. I love them and have several, but taking them out of the cupboard under the counter top is like weight lifting! :)
DeleteI'm glad your feeling better. Your soaps look great even if they took longer thank expected. Cute molds.
ReplyDeleteSurely some of your neighbor's citrus fruits will fall into your yard when ripe! :)
Heheee, Neighbors don't like those fruits because they think it's too tart. So I'm allowed to pick the ones on my side. :)
DeletePlants, native to your part of the country. That certainly sounds wise. And think of all the water that would be saved. If only everyone would only grow native plants!
ReplyDeleteI understand how you like to be ahead, on work things. It is always great, to have a cushion of time, as it were. Hope you catch up soon. But things like colds, happen. And we have to get our health back, first!
Gentle hugs...
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The main reason for wanting native plants is I like easy maintenance plants in the yard (can you tell how lazy I am?). And yes, they use less water which is great for my water bill. :)
DeleteHi Nil, I am always looking for new ways to cook eggs and your Red Wine recipe looks amazing. I never thought to bake eggs this way, although I love Spanish Eggs.One day I will make soaps, yours and Chels soaps are so inspiring. Now that I have some beeswax, perhaps that will give me the impetus to do it. Thanks, Pauline.
ReplyDeleteHi Pauline, I think you will love eggs baked in red wine. It’s very tasty.
DeleteSorry to hear you have been unwell Nil. It always slows us up when that happens. So glad to have you back.
ReplyDeleteI am reluctant to make soap, as I am scared of failure lol! The weather is nice at the moment so I should give it a try. I love seeing Nanna Chel's pretty soaps, and so wish I could make some. I just need to find some bravery!
At first I too was scared of lye, Tania. But I followed Rhonda’s instructions and it was not hard at all. Give it a try. If I can do it, anybody can. 😁
DeleteThat is something I always thought I would like to try--soap making. I didn't realize it took that long to cure.
ReplyDeleteYour meals look wonderful, too. Between all of that and tests and classes you have been a busy girl. I am glad you are feeling better now. xo Diana
Soaps last longer after curing a while, Diana. 😊
DeleteHope the neighboor will let you have a couple of his lemons since it's hanging on your side of the fence! Those recipes sounds and looks great! I have used soy meat before when trying to lower cholesterol. Whau! Making soap sounds great I should give it a try someday.
ReplyDeleteI didn’t know soy was good for lowering cholesterol.
DeleteActually neighbors don’t like those citrus (I think it’s orange) so I’m free to pick the ones on my side. 😊
Re: Your comment on my blog...
ReplyDeleteBooks by Elizabeth Fair.....I got 2 on my kindle... Not sure if I looked in my library or not. But they are very old English books, so I can see, why our libraries might not have them.
Sadly, if they did have them, they probably have not been popular, and may have been culled from the shelves, and sold at used books sales in libraries. Maybe....
I got mine, from Amazon, for my tablet...
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