A Lazy Day

I'm being so lazy today. I guess its okay to be lazy now and again.

Yesterday was suppose to be my day for sheet washing. I didn't do it because of all our errands. So this morning I was going to wash the sheets. I went to get the sheets and DH had made the bed... so no way was I going to strip the bed of the sheets after him being so kind as to make the bed for me.

DH has been helping me out a lot lately. I'm having problems with my back. Way back in 1993 I herniated the disc that is bothering me now. I had surgery back then and the doctor took out just a slither of the disc to relieve the pressure on the nerve. Now the disc has all but disappeared and there is pressure on the nerve. My back throbs, my right hip, thigh, calf and foot have pain running down them. It hurts to stand long and is torture to walk very far. About two weeks ago I had two steroid injection in the disc area in hopes for relief of pain and to avoid surgery. I go to the doctor Monday and I'm sure plans will be made for another surgery.

Back to something a bit more pleasant... being I was being lazy today I did have time to edit pictures I took the other day. I took more pictures of another Elephant Ear Bloom. I used blue foam board for a back ground and no flash this time, so the picture is more subdued than the last I posted.



For dinner (our big midday meal) DH cooked hotdogs and hamburgers on the grill. I heated up some canned baked beans to go with it and I fixed some baked sweet potato chunks. Just chunk some washed and dried sweet potatoes into 1 to 2 inch chunks. Mix a bit of oil with coarse ground pepper and cinnamon (I also added a bit of orange peel this time) in a large bowl. Add the sweet potato chunks and stir until well coated. Place on a jelly roll sheet (I line it with the no-stick foil). Bake in a 425° oven until tender and desired browness .. about 20 to 30 minutes depending on the size of the chunks. Today I preheated the oven and used regular oven setting. When I use speed bake (some ovens call it convection) I don't preheat and the potatoes are usually done by time the pre-heat bell goes off. The amount of oil, pepper and cinnamon depend on how much you are making. For me and my husband I used two smallish potatoes (what we usually have for a baked potato serving... smaller than what they serve in restaurants). I used a couple of tablespoons of canola oil, but any oil can be used. I just did a few grinds on the black pepper grinder... set on a coarse setting and spinkled a bit of cinnamon in. There are enough hot dogs and burgers for tomorrow :-)

After dinner we watched tapes of the shows that we don't stay up late enough to watch. Then I've read blogs this afternoon. Such talented ladies on here.

I did make iced tea today. For some reason I've begun to like it. Things change...

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A heart that loves is always young. -- Greek proverb
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What's Cooking & The Day

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I love Fall! The light is soothing the sweetness in the air of the last honeysuckles and the tea olive trees. The wild flowers with the insects visiting them are pleasant to the eyes. This time of the year gets me in the mood for the season's fruits and vegetables.

A few days ago I made a Sweet Tater Casserole. It was soooo good!



I didn't get the best picture of it.. my better pictures seem to be of spiders and bees :-)

Yesterday I sauteed some Golden Delicious apple slices.



I didn't follow a recipe and probably should have. I washed, cored and thinly sliced the apples. I sauteed them in some Smart Balance (maybe a ¼ cup) and when they were almost tender I added some honey(maybe a ¼ cup) and a sprinkle of apple pie spice and simmered until tender. I think it would be better with brown sugar. Maybe I'll look for a recipe and play with it :-)

Along with the apples we had grilled steak (that we had gotten months ago on sale), broccoli with cheese and a big batch of rice. Today we had the leftover steak and I stir-fried the rice with onion, banana peppers, green peas, bacon bits, an egg and teriyaki sauce .. and Frank added a couple of jalapeño peppers that were a little on the hot side. It was excellent.. but my ears burned :-)

We eat our big meal at midday... I call that dinner. Today this lovely dinner was late. We voted earlier this morning. No lines and I'm so glad that is over with. Then we went by the bread store. Yeah.. its a day old, but still good. It cost less than the super market. We buy a few loaves and put them in the freezer. We pinch pennies... or should that be nickels now... when we can. Then we went by the Marine Base and asked questions about some of the Tricare insurance. Then to the commissary... we were lucky and found a few slightly dented cans of green beans, enchilda sauce and Crystal Light Lemonade on the reduced rack. It was a busy morning. This afternoon we have watch tv shows that were recorded and even took a brief nap.

No quotes today...