Hey Folks!! Just wanted to share with you what was for dinner tonight. It took a whopping 4 1/2 hours and was pretty delectable. A pack of ribs out the freezer, rice left in the fridge, two boxes of Scalloped Potatoes from Aldi’s, and frozen veg (a bag of cut green beans and half leftover of mixed vegetables).
Voila! you get dinner in 4 1/2 hours later.
One thing I’d like to note on. I came out thinking a simple dinner with some tucked away frozen items, leftovers, frozen veg, and pantry item turned into a wonderfully delightful dinner that happened to be nutritious as well! Spices on hand for the ribs. A gift of on sale grapeseed oil with a combo of warmed up water with chicken bouillon powder, butter, and sugar made the braising liquid. Lots of whole spices to simmer in the braising liquid and roast off into little nutty texture bites. The Scalloped Potatoes were basically a half-premade Tarte de Tairtaim in a cheddar and blue cheese sauce. I zhuzhed the ingredients of butter, water, and milk. 4 cups of water, a whole stick of butter and probably about 3/4 cups of milk tempered on the stove then baked off and air fryed and finally broiled for that nice crust! Nutmeg on top, some dollar-something-store Garlic & Pepper Seasoning and salt for the sauce for Two Boxes. I usually warm up frozen veg, sometimes canned in a little water (think about braising ratio as well). Feel free to add a whole bunch of butter and salt and everything nice else ya like. The Garlic & Pepper was also in my liquid. My Mom cooked the rice last night and we had lots left.
We got to dessert and my companion brought some Butter Pecan ice cream we got in sale generic for 2 for $5.
If there is a common theme you’ve noticed: everything was bought on sale. The pantry, stocked, and frozen items have taken over what little remains after fresh items and non-perishables such as milk, butter, and bread. The days of bacon bacon bacon and an unholy assortment of deli meats and breakfast delights seem to have vanished when it was so cheap to order out before and I would skip cooking to go to work.
These days, I work from home with minor Excursions for check-ins amongst businesses and otherwise.
Like a fine tune-up. Even for my early 20s and all the jobs and financial ways of circumvention and waiting I have chosen; it’s incredibly hard to make ends meet right now. My business and other positions that are paid for by the Gov; simply didn’t meet the tax rate and I still paid two years in a row when I needed them the most ie. Medical Bills and being kicked out of my Undercover Boss positions (imagine prejudice and bigotry in my face of all faces, and I’m the one here to help.. anyways)
My health started to fail and things were terminal for a few years and I’m back up running than ever, unfortunately The Economy – is not.
I knew after hearing of nearly every entry level associate to manager at one of my old Undercover Boss positions had to pay their taxes in 2022 when they normally get a refund, I knew there was expected-disruptions in the financial freedom I had found myself in on my “personal money” that I’d actually get to hold onto after I was 18, notably. I’m 23 nearly 24, and I’m hoping on the long way of “putting it away” where I can’t take it out works. I know a lot of Gov workers that have decided to take the same route throughout their Career(S). Most started as military-branch members.
My companion is of another generation and I asked him if it was worse than when he came along in the 50s. The similarities of zhuzhing up canned ingredients, frozen dinners, cheap generic snacks, episodes of fasting and solely nutrient dense foods. Hardly time for the fun-snacks. Hardly money for that chocolate bar or soda I really want now. Most nice plate set wares thrifted for old-glass, even if the dinner parties have stopped now and we only invite over a guest or none. Leftovers are not admonished as promised.
He simply answered “Yes. It is worse.”
I struggle to find that Humanity perceived as history is not made everyday. I’ve taken some titles. It isn’t a Book Publisher or record-counter to affirm you’ve made history. It isn’t one person alone to convince you, Society has Repeated themselves.
Hold onto your hats, dear folks.
Regardless of all struggles and circumspect adversity tied in with food and financial stability, I will brightside it for you… It was really Delicious 😄😌☺️
And for that I’m thankful, and I hope the ice cream isn’t being sold on sale en masse one day – that means people aren’t buying ice cream!!
If there’s one struggle that my companion and I have is the struggle of food-stability along with disability, conditions, and threats to our health we on-goingly healing through, it’s the Diabetic Spectrum and functioning-InsulinResitance problem… The days I crave a soda instead of 3 spoonfuls of sugar and I’m not sure if I’ll have enough for coffee tomorrow, if there’s anything I think about – people deserve to have cheap dessert.
If the pantry is stocked, the freezer, and the fridge has enough to get by on.. go to the deli and get that slice of cake, box of danishes, donuts, pie for Sunday Dinner and Special Occasion Cheesecake.
It makes all the difference when the World feels a little more Sweet.
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