What I'm reading Wednesday...

The Smell of Other People's Houses

by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock

I finished this one last night.  I picked it up at the library solely based on the title.

The Widow's War by Sally Gunning

I'll be starting this one next.  I believe it shares characters from Bound by the same author, which I really liked.

There's no such thing as extra...

When I put a new roll of toilet paper on the holder today, I realized our supply was very low.  Uncomfortably low.  Possibly the lowest it has been since I started keeping my own home.

Master bath

Two lonely little rolls on the tippy-top shelf corner.

One day my husband was carrying in groceries, and he started putting away some of the items.  He announced with exasperation, "You don't need to buy toilet paper for a long time, we have enough extra rolls."

Office bath

Zero rolls on the shelves!

His attitude points out just ONE of the differences between us.  I don't believe the term 'extra' pertains to staples that never spoil.  They are not extra, they are just...waiting.  You will ALWAYS need toilet paper.  It will NEVER go bad.  So I think it is not unreasonable to have it stored in any empty space available.

Guest bath

Zero rolls in the cupboard...

I think this comes from my mortification at being sent next door (repeatedly) to 'borrow' a roll of toilet paper from the sweetest neighbor in the world that we girls referred to as 'Old Faithful' as we could always count on her having, and generously sharing, whatever we were caught in need of.  My mother had a lot on her plate between work and home, and sometimes even the necessities weren't the first priority...which is why they became my first priority, I guess.

Guest bath

...and only two lonely rolls peeking between the bars!

My son-in-law says I have crappy toilet paper (pardon the pun), as he prefers only the most soft and cushy for his tushie.  (My septic system loves the one ply.)  I can picture a day coming where he and my daughter are cleaning out my house (after I have gone to my reward), and will be carting bags and bags of toilet paper to Goodwill.  :)

It's time to restock!

A friend in need...

Joolz always has the yummiest looking things on her blog.  Yesterday she had Lamb Koftas and Yoghurt Flatbread from Julie Goodwin's book Homemade Takeaway that made my mouth water.  I commented on her post that I had to have one!  Bless her, Joolz emailed me the recipes.  :)  

I'm posting similar photos to the ones she posted, so she can see that I actually meant it that I needed them now...

...and that I had success!  The misshapen looking flatbread peeking out from the bottom of the stack was one that I ripped into to taste hot out of the pan.

 Oh, it was exactly what I hoped it would be!  Filling, but at the same time rather light with all the fresh veggies...a perfect transition into Spring.  A sort of Eastern Mediterranean Taco, if you will (we're all about the tacos in our part of Texas).

Now here's the funny thing:  I have a feeling mine ended up pretty differently from the book's recipe.  
1) I had to use beef instead of lamb.  
2) I unintentionally used Cumin instead of Coriander.  (Coriander is one of those things that I always confuse in my head.  I know it's also known by a different name, but I always think it's cumin when it's actually cilantro.)
3) I completely forgot to buy pine nuts, so they got left out.
4) I had no fresh mint for the yogurt dressing.
5) And lastly I forgot to serve with lemon wedges.

I was telling Jared this as he was stuffing his face enjoying his dinner, and he said I'd just have to make them again correctly for comparison research.  :)

I need to post the recipe as I made it so I won't forget it either, because it passed the make-it-again taste test.  

Thanks, Joolz!

Frugal Friday File, week 10...

Successes:
1.  Carey's received annual bonus.  Fed the savings.

2.  Checked library web-catalog before buying Kindle special $1.99 book by an author I enjoy.  Library didn't have e-book, but I will pick up the hard copy I reserved, since I need to make a trip to the bank next door anyway.  Also reserved some DVDs I've been meaning to view.

3.  Last week's aching back is much better, but it was definitely time for a visit to chiropractor.  I waited till our CPA called to say taxes were ready to sign, so we could combine the 40-mile trip (their offices are next door to each other in the town we previously lived near).  And since we were going, Carey took some junk metal to the recycle center in same town...he only got $5 out of it, but it kept it out of a landfill, and didn't require a special trip.

4.  It has been raining all week.  Staying home out of the rain, and having no-spend days.

5.  While I was baking meatloaf and baked potatoes for one supper, I baked the rest of the bag of large baking potatoes at the same time.  After supper, I made all the extras into twice baked potatoes.  They are now individually wrapped and in the freezer for easy sides for future meals.  Frugal of time and money.

Keep Tryings:
1.  Buying butter from convenience store in a pinch = $$$


Frugal From the Kitchen This Week:
Saturday:  (not frugal dinner out)
Sunday:  Sunday dinner at Kasey's
Monday:  Chicken Casserole
Tuesday:  leftovers
Wednesday:  Meatloaf, Baked Potatoes
Thursday:  Frito Pie
Friday:  Soup & Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

What I'm reading Wednesday...

While You Were Mine by Ann Howard Creel

The cover does not come close to hinting at the story.  I probably would have passed it by, except that I loved a previous book by the author.

This story is about a nurse in WWII New York.  She takes a roommate to help with expenses.  The roommate, newly married to a soldier fighting in Europe, is pregnant.  After giving birth, she becomes increasingly troubled, convinced that the lack of word from husband means that he has been killed in combat.  She takes less and less interest in baby, becomes more and more distant, until one evening the nurse comes home from work to find her packed and leaving...without the baby or a forwarding address.

Nurse cares for baby, waiting for mother or father to appear at any time to reclaim her, and becoming more attached to her every day.

Seven random thoughts on the 7th...

1.  So tired of the political bull$*!+.  Zero good choices.

2.  I have been waiting for an ebay purchase for 2 weeks.  No problem with seller; my dissatisfaction is with the postal service.  According to tracking number it was mailed two weeks ago in Massachusetts, then traveled to New Jersey, then to Washington State, where it sat for several days.  Then to Dallas, then to San Antonio for a few days.  It now indicates that it is at my local post office, which supposedly attempted to deliver today, and supposedly left a notice that my "receptacle [was] full/item oversized."  There was no notice left in my receptacle or on either door.  In fact there was no mail at all left in my empty receptacle.  Granted the item I am awaiting is too large for said receptacle, but no more so than has been delivered many other times, when they drive right through the open gate, up the driveway, and ring my doorbell.  Irritation has set in, because I have to be gone tomorrow, and rain is predicted.  Do NOT want package to be rained on!

3.  CPA has finished our tax preparation.  Getting a refund.  Yippee!

4.  Got annual blood-work results back; good numbers.  Yippee!

5.  Today was quilting day at the library.  We were working on a quilt to donate to the library for a raffle fundraiser (in appreciation for the use of their facilities).  Fabrics are all from the Downton Abbey collection.  We got most of the top pieced today.  Borders will be added later, making it a nice large quilt.  The series finale aired here last night.  We are all fans, but we couldn't discuss it, because one of our group hadn't seen it yet.  I kept accidentally letting facts slip about finale events...all of them false.  I know...I'm a pill.

6.  My head is so congested tonight; I'm a mouth breather.  The humidity today was high.  Great.  My favorite part of warm weather.  Not.

7.  Still enjoying banana cake.  Mmmmmm.  :)

Just desserts...Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting...

Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

recipe at What's Cookin' 4 Miles North of Nowhere

The more my aversion for the grocery store grows, the more adventurous I get with my recipe substitutions.  

Today Carey came in to tell me that he was going to run some errands.  After he had been gone for awhile, I phoned him asking that he pick up some butter at the grocery store while he was out.  Unfortunately he had already been to the grocery store and was on his way home.  I had the nerve to ask him to go back.  He refused, but he did stop at a convenience store on the way home and paid an exorbitant price for some.  (I later found butter which I had stored in the freezer.  ugh)

So there was NO way I was going to do anything other than 'make do' when I found that I was also short of powdered sugar for my cake icing.  Really short.  Like about a cup and a half short of the three cups called for in the recipe.  

I considered putting regular sugar in my food processor and grinding it to powdered consistency.  I have done that in the past, and it worked somewhat, but it took forever and still had a slight crunch of granulated sugar.

Since I was already planning on leaving the cake in the pan and just frosting the top, I didn't have to worry about needing the frosting to be fluffy or hold peaks.

I made the frosting with what I had...tasted it...definitely needed more sugar.  So what the hell, I added about a quarter cup of corn syrup to it and whipped it some more.

It's tasted fine, and no one even noticed.