What I'm reading Wednesday...

Now, let me just start by saying that I haven't been reading much.  Actually I am STILL on the book I posted here two weeks ago.  Yes, I've been really busy, but also this book isn't really catching my interest.  I'm one third of the way through, and sticking with it to see if I've guessed right.  I still may give up...I don't really care what happens to any of the characters.  Note to self:  maybe think twice before reading any book with 'girl' in the title.

Now, one thing I DO like is having it on my old Kindle Keyboard.  It's a library ebook that got returned to the library from my Amazon account days ago when the loan period ended, but it will stay on my Kindle and readable until the next time I turn its wifi on.  

And yes I also like being able to make the font as large as I need.  Today I was in the dermatologist's office to have a spot on my nose looked at.  I was reading without my glasses on, so it had to be pretty darn big.  The pesky nose spot is right where the nose pad of my glasses sit which was making it sensitive and frequently painful.  Now I just have to wear my glasses lower on my nose for two to three weeks while waiting for it to heal up

Done nuthin' weekend...

Mondays are our busiest, most exhausting, days at work.  This past week was a week FULL of Mondays.  And Friday was the Monday-est of them all!

This weekend I have done nothing.  Haven't left the house.  Carey's not home, so I didn't have to cook for or think about anyone else...except Rudy.

I rarely take naps, but sometime yesterday I fell asleep; I really don't know if I dozed off in the  morning or afternoon.  All I know is that when I woke up I didn't know what day it was.  Had I fed Rudy breakfast and let him out yet?  Had I skipped his supper and made him spend the night outside?  Turns out it was neither.  He had had his breakfast, and it wasn't suppertime yet.  BOY, did I need that nap!

Spent this morning doing nothing again, but it is time to do laundry for the next week so I can do the work thing again.  

Oh, how I hope that all the days come in their regular sequence.  One can only take so many Mondays!

What I'm reading Wednesday...

 

The Quiet Girl by S. F. Kosa

Lots of history and historical reading lately.  Now I'm cracking open a psychological thriller.  

Since it's a library ebook, maybe I'm not cracking it open so much as I'm clicking it open.  :)

What I'm reading Wednesday...

 

The Land Breakers by John Ehle

I was in the mood for some historical fiction, and this e-book was an Amazon deal of the day.  I believe it was originally published in 1964.  Set between 1779 and 1784 about the settling of a community in the Appalachians.  Can't put it down.

Out of Many, One: Portraits of America's Immigrants by George W. Bush

Also reading this one by George W Bush.  Each person's story begins with their portrait which was painted by the author, and is then followed by their immigration story.  Easy to read one or a few at a time while also enjoying other reading.  Lovely to read the positive side of immigration.

The Frugal Friday File 2021, week ???...

Successes:
1.  I came home to find two boxes from Amazon.  I was so mad at myself.  I was sure I hadn't purchased anything from them since before Prime Day (which did not tempt me).  I looked at the labels -- YAY! -- they were Jared's.

2.  I'm testing out a different meal subscription service.  This one is a Texas based company.  Two meals have been great; one not great.  I'm comparing the pricing to the last one we used all through the pandemic.  I thought new one would be more expensive, but it may come out about the same.

3.  Skipped lunch.

4.  Discarding all catalogs from the mail without even glancing through them.  Why won't they stop mailing them!  

5.  Three-day weekend with paid holiday.  YAY!

What I'm reading Wednesday...

 

Nobody Will Tell You This But Me: A True (As Told To Me) Story by Bess Kalb

I shared this one last Wednesday and have since finished it, but it bears showing again as it was a winner.  I rated it 10 out of 10 points on my rating system.  Usually I find it hard to rate a memoir, but this one's style was so engaging, and I felt I was there with the family.  I know I would love to read it again sometime.  Lovely, lovely book. 

The Perfect Gentleman: The remarkable life of Dr. James Barry by June Rose

Now I'm on to another non-fiction, this time a biography.  It just piqued my interest when I saw it on Kindle Unlimited.  A child prodigy born in early 1800s, came from poverty but had a few well-placed benefactors, began medical school at 10, served for decades as a surgeon with the British Army, and practiced many medical innovations.  When death came at age 56, it was discovered that the doctor was, in fact, a woman.

This seems like it had to be made up, but it is historically documented.  How have we never heard of this person?

Forgotten notes to myself...

 When I empty my pockets at the end of the day, I put any notes I've written myself that I feel are worth keeping in a little pile on my vanity, and there they stay till I get around to going through them.  Usually it is a quote, the name of a book I learned about from hearing an author interviewed, or a recipe.

Recently going through the pile I found this list:

• 1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix
• 2 bell peppers
• 6 slices bacon
• 4 ounces cream cheese
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 cups shredded cheddar
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless/skinless chicken breasts
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• All in slow cooker?

That was it.  No instructions.  Since there is a question mark after the "all in slow cooker" I'm thinking that it was not originally a slow cooker recipe, but that I thought it could be.  

I do not remember a thing about where I copied this from, but it is in my handwriting.  Today I had everything in the fridge, Carey and Jared are driving home from visiting family, so I decided to give this a try to have in the slow cooker when they arrived home.   

I layered 3 slices of bacon on the bottom of slow cooker, 3 chicken breast halves (frozen), the cream cheese (I just kind of pinched off pieces and placed them onto chicken), sprinkled dressing mix over, then topped with the shredded cheddar.  (I didn't use any olive oil, as the bacon would render some fat since I put it in raw, and my slow-cooker liner is all non-stick.)  I had enough of everything to double the recipe, so I repeated these layers, then poured a cup of heavy cream over the top.  I set to 'high' slow cook setting for 4 hours.  

I'm serving it with linguine, green beans, and garlic bread.  I don't know yet how it will turn out, but it smells divine!  

...Several hours later...

(After awhile I realized that the delicious aroma smelled like jalapeńo poppers that Beau cooks on the grill or in the oven.  Those are seeded jalapeńos stuffed with cream cheese and wrapped with bacon.    This recipe's bell pepper, cream cheese, and bacon was very reminiscent.)

And here's how it turned out:

Thank goodness it worked out, as it really was a bit of a mystery.  It was yummy!  A nice Father's Day meal for Carey.

Hope all the dads at your house had a Happy Father's Day!