Thank you all for the comments on the last post about using a microwave oven. 😍😍😍 I think I'm going to keep it for now. I checked online to see if I can get a microwave/convection oven, but the ones I found are too expensive. I remember having a small microwave/convection oven in one of the studio apartments in Paris, and I used it often for baking. If I can find one for a reasonable price, I can save space in the kitchen.
Yesterday I received the air fryer. This morning I fried mushrooms, potatoes and bacon. I also fried fish for lunch. Potatoes and bacon came out nicely, but mushrooms were a bit too dry for my taste. I didn't add any oil. I marinated fish overnight in a mixture of olive oil, rice vinegar, turmeric power, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Then air fried two coated in bread crumbs, and two without. I'm very happy with the results. I plan to try several recipes in the booklet that came with the fryer. It's nice to be able to cook with a very little amount of oil. And cooking is fast too. Maybe with the air fryer and the range, I don't need a smaller convection oven. I have to see if I can make toast in the air fryer.
After sitting on the fence for months, finally I switched my cell phone plan to Mint Mobile. I was able to keep the same phone and the number, and now the monthly bill is over $30 lower. With the previous carrier I had unlimited calling, text and data. With Mint plan, I have unlimited calling, text and 4GB data. So far I didn't notice any difference in the quality of calls. I don't use the phone that much anyway. 😊
The other day I saw this weird looking bug on a passion fruit. It's a Florida leaf footed bug.
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| Florida leaf footed bug |
I removed all dead plants in the front flower bed. Because there was no rain for weeks and I neglected to water plants, everything was dead. I had yellow lantana and purple petunia there. I am thinking of adding Florida native plants there. They have to be able to tolerate full sun for 7-8 hours, and ideally drought tolerant.
It's time for another summer photo scavenger hunt! Mary-Lou posted 2021 Summer Photo Scavenger Hunt list on her blog. The prompts are:
- A Breakfast of Champions
- Favourite Time of Day
- Something To Represent Home But Not The Building
- Head In The Clouds; shapes or interesting patterns
- The Art Of The Fold
- Something That Makes You Laugh or Happy
- What's In Bloom
- Window Views
- Something Older Than You
- The Delivery Van/Truck Making The Deliveries
- The Shape of Round/Circular
- Something That Is Cause For Celebration
- Your Marie Kondo Moment – Or Not
- Inside Your Fridge Or Cupboard
- Your Best Doodle Art (not public graffiti)
- A Guilty Pleasure; Something That Recharges You
- An Exit
- Upside Down, Right Side Up
- Steps, But Who's Counting
- Decades Of Sharing; find something in your home that is from the 70's or80's or 90's or 00's
ALTERNATES
A: show off your COVID safety; masks, cleaning, or other related supplies
B: a local landmark
C: the most beautiful landscape photo of the season
There are only two rules; photos have to be taken from June 1st - September 30th, and by you or a loved one.
Who wants to join me? 😀
Take care everyone. Stay safe. 🌻🌻🌻
XXX
Nil
That's an interesting looking bug! I hope it doesn't damage your passion fruits. Thank you for sharing about your air fryer. It is something my daughter has been saying she might want to try. Being able to fry things without oil sounds like a good idea to me. Native plants should probably do just fine in your front garden bed. I'll be interested to see which plants you decide on. :)
ReplyDeleteGoogle says Florida leaf footed bug harms roses and citrus. I don’t have roses, and we can’t grow citrus well in FL because of citrus greening, so I think the bug won’t cause too much damage in my yard. 😊
DeleteMy ideal plant should be perennial, look good with and without flowers, and should be able to live without water for a long time. LOL I don’t think such plants exist. May be cacti 🌵. 😁
Glad you got it and are enjoying it! I have found when I am going to try and "fry" something a spritz or 2 of olive oil makes a big difference
ReplyDeleteThank you Anne. I’ll try it next time. 😊
DeleteIt's smart to put Florida plants in your garden bed. I bet you're right about them surviving better. Big savings on the phone bill, way to go!
ReplyDeleteI need plants that survive my neglect. 😀
DeleteYour air fryer cooking looks delicious. I had Virgin mobile service for a few years. It was inexpensive, but I had lots of issues using the GPS while traveling. I switched back to Verizon and had no more issues with dropped GPS. Not a bit of difference with the phone and text though-both were equally acceptable. Data is never a problem for me. I have never gotten close to using 1 GB ever. Enjoy the long weekend!
ReplyDeleteI didn’t think about using GPS. I’ll see how it works on my next trip.
DeleteWhen I saw your comment, I wondered ‘what long weekend ?’. Took me a while to realize it’s already Memorial Day weekend. 😁
Thank you Anita! I hope you too have a wonderful weekend.😊
Hi Nil!
ReplyDeleteI'm very encouraged by your success with the Air Fryer. I have a colleague here who has switched completely to an air fryer and won't go back to the old days for anything. It's definitely something for me to think about. But space for it will be an issue. Since my husband also cooks, our tiny kitchen is very much a shared space. It used to be a very neat and organized place but after 20 plus years, I'm tiring out neatening up after my man!!
My microwave takes up too much of tabletop space but I know that the minute we get rid of it, we'll regret it so the space it occupies remains its domain.
Our kitchen used to be so organized but now with the kids grown some and food needs quadrupled, space is a premium indeed. Short of renovating it, I don't see how we can make the space for anything else.
So, these days, I spend time in Pinterest kitchens. If I can't have a dream kitchen, well, I can at least drool over others', can't I?
Ahh Pinterest! I used to spend hours looking at beautiful gardens and craft ideas on Pinterest. These days I follow similar themed Facebook pages. 😊
DeleteI couldn't manage without my microwave as I use it to cook and to reheat. I bought an air fryer but have hardly used it and it's taking a lot of space in my tiny kitchen so I have decided to sell it.
ReplyDeleteYour air fryer cooking does look good!
The air fryer does take more space that I thought because of its shape. So far, I like it, but it’s too early. 😊
DeleteGlad that the air fryer purchase has worked out well for you, Nil. My husband ordered one many months ago, used it once, and then decided it wasn't for him and sent it back. Many of our friends rave about theirs. Our problem is limited counter space and we would not be able to keep it in sight and once something is out of sight it's not often used, like our crockpot. We have a microwave only because the apt management would not let us not have one when a kitchen remodel was done. The older kitchen didn't have one which was OK with us, but it did need a remodel, so we have one which isn't used a lot.
ReplyDeleteI have the same ‘out of sight out of mind’ problem, Beatrice. My kitchen is also small, so I’ve been trying to maximize counter space. It’s not easy.
DeleteAir fryers are so very popular right now. I hope you enjoy using yours, Nil.
ReplyDeleteI do, Belinda. I use it almost daily now, mostly experiment with it. :)
DeleteHi Nil, That is an interesting looking bug. I'm sorry to hear about your plants. With that Florida heat, they must need a lot of water. The air fryer sounds cool.
ReplyDeleteWe got about 1/2 inch of rain yesterday. Grass is parched because I don't have sprinklers. I really have to water plants more frequently. :)
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