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weekend off
February 29, 2016
After three busy weekends in a row (wedding, trip to Phoenix, trip home), and a short-but-intense back to work week, it was just delightful to take it slow and easy. Friday, I came home from work, made grilled cheese for lunch, and then baked a batch of scratch brownies. I wanted to bake something, and this was a quick, easy, and pantry-friendly recipe that didn't make a huge batch. And thanks to Costco's absolutely amazing Kirkland cocoa, they came out great (although Spouse said they needed some nuts, and I think that next time I will cut the sugar back to 3/4 cup).
After I cleaned up, and got the brownies out of the oven, B and I took a long nap, and got up at four so he could get his pills and supper. I made pressure cooker pot roast for dinner, which is about as easy as you can get, and still makes you feel like a darned good cook. Spouse enjoyed coming home to a nice, homemade dinner & dessert, I think. I know I really enjoyed not having to go out!
I didn't sleep good on Friday night--probably too much afternoon nap. I was up for a couple of hours in the wee small, so I was glad to not have to jump right up out of bed on Saturday. Spouse had arranged for the roofer to come by at 10:00 am, and pick up the balance of the roof payment, so I had time, even after sleeping till seven, to get some housework and laundry done before jumping in the shower.
After the roofer was paid and on his way, we jumped in the Buick to go get the weekly shopping done. Costco, to get gas, pick up my prescriptions, prevacid, & sinus pills, along with some other necessary items.
Initially, the changes to my health insurance had me worried about getting my meds affordably, but I'm actually doing better--with the old plan, I had to go to a pharmacy I hated, and the drug card got me a 90-day supply for $16 (on each Rx). Now, I can go to the pharmacy I prefer, and pay an average of $6.66 a month for each of mine, and $4.00 a month for each of Spouse's! Yes. All four of our Rx meds, for 12.66/month. Plus stellar service, and the convenience of getting my meds at a store where I actually shop. (Unfortunately, I forgot to take my HSA debit card along, so I had to come home and put in a reimbursement request online for the money. D'oh!)
After Costco, we debated going to Wal-mart, and to Festival, but decided to just go to Meijer instead, because we weren't feeling too peppy. Spouse bought a new bird feeder, on clearance for half off, and we picked up some assorted groceries.
And since that experience didn't wear us out too badly, we took a drive up to the Girl Scout Camp on the north side, and bought some GS Cookies. It was a beautiful, sunny day with temps in the 50s, so they were out selling.
Then we came home, put everything away, and Spouse had a bite to eat and took a nap. I wanted to nap, as well, but was determined to stay awake so I would sleep better in the night. So I made up a cake mix Spouse had found at the store, and wanted to try--a Krispy Kreme cake. It was quick and easy, and I baked it in a bundt pan so it actually looked like a donut. DAMN, is that thing sweet. I served it with some nice tart berries, and that cut the sweetness. I'd totally recommend doing that or serving with strong coffee; otherwise, the sweetness would be overpowering.
After the cake was out of the oven, then out of the pan, I glazed it with the packet of glaze and let it cool on a rack, then cleaned my strawberries, made a nice salad, patted out some burgers, brewed some iced tea, and got some sweetcorn out of the freezer. Spouse grilled the burgers over charcoal, and we had a delightful, summery supper. I got the dinner mess cleaned up, and was so tired by 8:00 that I gave up and went to bed.
Sunday was a nice, homey morning. Spouse made beautiful fritatta for breakfast, full of ham and potatoes, and topped with some sharp cheddar. He was trying out a new technique, and I have to say it worked wonderfully. I think that is going to be a keeper.
After breakfast, I did the dishes, and gave my kitchen a good clean. It was long overdue to have the cupboards wiped down and the floor scrubbed, so I threw it a little love. And while I was working away on the house and getting myself put together, Spouse went out and took down the old bird feeder, and mounted the new one securely on the post. Of course, once he had it up, he decided he needed birdseed to put into it, so we took a quick run up to Wal-Mart for bird food. Picked up St. Pat's and Easter cards for the Arizonans while we were there, as well, since the selection was fairly decent. And, of course the GSA were out front, so we picked up some more cookies!
We had a leisurely, restful afternoon, snoozing, reading, doing "library management" on our devices, and cuddling with the dog. And later, Spouse got up and made a maple-bourbon glazed pork roast with mashed potatoes, gravy, and peas for dinner. Quite delicious, and we had plenty of roast and potatoes left over for Monday's supper. For dessert, Spouse finished the strawberries with some of the donut cake, and I finished the blackberries with mine.
Once the mess was cleaned up, we both puttered around doing our Monday prep, and then Spouse went to bed. I watched a Brit panel show (Bad Language) and played word games for a while, then my Dad called and we had a bit of back-and-forth test calling, as he was trying to get his hands-free calling figured out and wanted me to help him practice. Once he had it doped out, we chatted for a while, and by the time he got from Auntie's house to his, we'd had a nice call. It was about my bedtime, so after I was done, I let B out, then closed everything up and went to bed.
All in all, a very relaxing, not-too-taxing, and altogether domestic weekend for everyone.
Pantry Brownies
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup white sugar (could easily be cut back a bit)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and grease 8x8 baking pan. (9x9 would work fine, too)
In medium bowl, mix together oil, sugar, and vanilla. Beat in egss. combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; gradually stir into the wet mixture until well-blended. Stir in nuts, if desired. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan.
Bake for 25-25 minutes, or until the brownie begins to pull away from the sides of the pan. Cool pan completely on wire rack and cut into squares.
Makes12-16 brownies
Reading: Title: "Princess Sarah and Other Stories" (1897), by John Strange Winter.
Listening: Spoon, JR JR, The Record Company, Blur, Talk Talk
Inked Up: Last Thursday, I refilled the Pilot Metro with R&K Solferino and the Conklin Duragraph with Pelikan Brilliant Brown, changed the Monteverde Artista over to Iroshizuku Tsutsutji, and switched out the Delta for the Waterford Claria, loaded with Anderson Pens' OshKosh Denim. My new Levenger arrived on Saturday, but I haven't messed with it yet, since I had four freshly inked pens in the pen wrap.
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