Bird Guide Giveaway

                                  

Yesterday Miss MaggieMay and I were down in Silverdale searching fruitlessly for a new suitcase for her.  I'm still mystified that she gave the purple leopard skin beauty a pass.  Anyway, we stopped off at Barnes & Noble because I was looking for a new bird guide that is just for this region. 

 

The guide that I've been using is for the western United States and I find it to be more trouble than it is worth because there are so many birds listed.  When you think that you have your bird identified, you find, after paging over to the map, that it would be a miracle if that was your bird, since it only hangs out in San Diego.

 

After looking at several guides I settled on this one which is pictured above.  This is a great little book with a full page of information on each bird and great pictures, so I thought that since it is getting pretty close to Christmas that I would give away a copy. 

 

All you gotta do is leave a comment at the end of this blog and you will be entered in the drawing.  Just say"I want it" and you are in.  All Facebook comments and "likes" will also be entered.  I will have my neighbor, Tina, draw the lucky name on Christmas Eve.  Multiple entries are allowed and encouraged.

 

Before I forget, Starbucks is having a BOGO on their three holiday drinks starting today from 2 until 5p.m. so if you are out shopping with your best buddy, you will probably need a jolt of caffeine by then.  This lasts until the 16th.

 

QFC Grocery Basket 12/12/12

 

                           

 

Isn't it just like Miss MoneyPenny to ruin your grocery shopping day by showing a disgusting picture of food waste??  There is a method to my madness here and I thought that shopping day was the perfect day to make my point. 

 

Miss MaggieMay and I were talking about this today and we came up with a brilliant solution - don't buy so much food every week and eat up what you do have in the pantry and freezer and produce crisper first.  Genius!! 

 

The big drawback here is that shopping and cooking in order to not waste food takes planning and attention, which is something that our grandmothers were pretty good at.  Especially if they lived through the Depression.  My Grandma DeBolt was a fabulous cook and she did not waste a thing.  I still have this memory of her making baked beans and shaking up the last of the mustard with a little water to get every last bit out. 

 

Last year about this time I ran some cool graphs about food waste and this post was the all time most popular post that Miss MoneyPenny has done, so I thought I would show some more.  I got this one from treehugger.com and it is a good one:

 



 

             

                                            

Pretty amazing, isn't it??  And according to Dr. Andrew Weil we waste 20 pounds per person per month, up 50% from 1970!!  This is just in the United States but is also a problem in other countries.

Anyway, I hope you are not too bummed to go shopping because QFC has a decent ad this week.  Kraft and General Mills are running a Buy 6, Save $6 promotion, so now would be a good time to stock up on their products, like cereal.  Before you shop be sure and check couponmom.com for coupons to make it a really good deal.

Here is my list of worthy deals thinking ahead to Christmas baking and dinner:

C&H Granulated Sugar - $2.50/2lb ($ .50 coupon 11/4/RP)
Gold Medal Flour - $2.50/5lb
Kroger Brown/Powdered Sugar - $2/2lb
McCormick Spices - 50% off ($ .50 coupon 12/2/RP)
Starbucks Coffee - $6.99/12oz ($3 off 2 coupon 12/2/S)
Philadelphia Cream Cheese - $1/8oz
QFC Sour Cream - $1/16oz
QFC Whipping Cream - $1/16oz
Tillamook Butter - $2.50/lb
Tillamook Yogurt - $ .50/6oz
Beef Rib Roast - $7.99/lb - this price may go down so I'm waiting a week
Hormel Cure 81 Spiral Ham - $1.79/lb ($2 coupon 11/4/S)
Fresh Dover Sole - $5.99/lb
California Cuties Clementines - $4.99/3lb ($ .50 coupon 12/2/S)
Colored Bell Peppers - $1/ea
English Cucumbers - $1/ea
Sweet Potatoes - $ .99/lb

Peggy, my daughter-in-law has come up with a good solution to holiday meal waste.  No appetizers!!  It works.  On Thanksgiving we were all so hungry that we ate everything and she said that she just had some mashed potatoes left over.  I agree.  Who wants to spend all that money and all that time cooking and everybody comes to the table full from the appetizers??  This is such a great idea that I can't believe Miss MoneyPenny didn't think of it first.

                   

One More Useful Easy Peasy Recipe

                                      

When I set up the new bird feeding station on the edge of the deck this fall I had no idea that I was going to have so much fun with it.  For the first week or so, the birds pretty much ignored it, then they arrived in droves, whatever a drove is, and I get to watch them from my kitchen window and dining room table.

I soon dug out my 1990 edition of Peterson's Western Birds so I could identify them.  What I usually get are Oregon Juncos, House Sparrows and a few red Finches, but as Henry Mitchell put it in one of his brilliant garden essays, what did I expect - Pink Flamingos??

Anyway, the above handsome guy and a whole gob of his buddies dropped by the other day for an afternoon visit.  Haven't seen him since but according to my guide he is a Chestnut-Backed Chickadee and prefers moist conifer forests along the central coast of California but my backyard is within his range.  I hope he comes back.

Gee - I feel a little guilty about giving you a recipe for chicken after all of that but I'm gonna do it anyway.  QFC had whole chickens on sale this past week and it got me to thinking about how easy they are to cook and how useful the cooked meat is to have around.  I always try to keep a few bags in the freezer, ready to be added to soup or pot pie.

Until recently I've not cared for the texture of crockpot chicken but that was because I cooked it too long and with added liquid.  Who knew??  Didn't you just throw the chicken in the crockpot and head off for a full day at work to return to dinner ready and waiting??  That was the "old" way and it got dinner on the table but nobody was particularly thrilled.

This is my method now and it produces a very good chicken, not quite rotisserie but pretty darn close.  I took a whole chicken, removed the giblets and gave it a wash and dry.  Then I slathered it with olive oil, salt and pepper, and Montreal Chicken Seasoning (the secret).

 

I turned it breast side down because I wanted a moist breast and I did not add any liquid.

I needed to leave the house for a while so I set it to Low for 8 hours.

My bird was almost five pounds so I checked it after five hours and it was almost done.  I turned it over to brown on the top and gave it another 45 minutes.  I apologize to all the food photographers out there but I had to make sure that it wasn't over cooked but not raw, either.

You can tell by looking at the wing on the left that it got pretty browned on the back side but it was too close to done to brown very much on top by the time I got home and got it turned over.

Chicken cooked like this is not only good but it yields a concentrated broth that looks like broth jello.  Here it is after a night in the fridge, with the layer of fat removed.  That top layer is the goodies left after straining and is full of seasonings and flavor.  Don't throw it out.

P.S.

If you haven't discovered Henry Mitchell's garden essays, you are in for a treat.  Give The essential earthman or One man's garden a try.  You will thank me.

Miss MoneyPenny Seal of Approval List 2012

Okay, here it is.  The famous MoneyPenny Seal of Approval list for 2012.  As I look at this, it occurs to me that it is hard to get on this list.  The standards are rigorous and the MoneyPenny Research Team are a tough bunch of skeptics.  Having said that, I also noticed that Miss MoneyPenny is shameless when it comes to cute guys, since there are two on the list.  In my defense, these two guys earned their place fair and square.

I also want to mention that there are two additions to the list, both from Costco.  They are the above pictured Kirkland Signature 100% Colombian Coffee (with my coffee canister that I bought at Starbucks in Seattle in 1995) and the Kirkland Signature Brand Nature's Domain Dog Food.

The coffee is a very fine ground, dark roast coffee that turned out to be very good, with no bitterness.  The cost is great too, coming in at $9.99 for 3 pounds.  I really like the full bodied flavor that doesn't get overwhelmed with the addition of my beloved Coffee-Mate.

I wrote in an earlier post last summer that I was giving the dog food some time before I gave the Seal.  I feed my doggies the "salmon and sweet potato" recipe and it has really worked out to my satisfaction.  The only drawback is the 35 pound bag.  If you drop it, don't try to catch it.  Just sayin'.
The price on this bag last week was $33.69, which is a screaming deal.

Enough said.  Here is the list:

Subway
AAA
Shane, the world's cutest handyman
Mr. CutiePie - my fresh salmon & halibut connection
A gorgeous front yard in France:

                                       

Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream
Electrolux Stick Vac
Pleasant Hill Farm Coffee - 5 pound bag
Kirkland Signature 100% Colombian Coffee - 3 pound can
Kirkland Signature Brand Nature's Domain Dog Food - 35 pound bag
Hose Connectors:

                                     

Prime Rib Update:

It is only two weeks until Christmas Eve!! so I've got prime rib roast on the brain.  I checked the price at Costco when I was there on Saturday and it was $9.99 per pound.  The roasts were beautiful and they even had some that were smaller so you don't have to worry about going broke buying one.  I saw a couple in the $60 range.

I talked to the butcher today at QFC and he said that their prime ribs are $7.99 per pound until at least Christmas, and it is best to pre-order.  I'm gonna wait until the week before to order, as he also said the price could go down.

I will post my slightly updated technique for cooking prime rib soon.

Kitchenaid Dish Drainer Update:

Costco had a coupon for $5 off the Kitchenaid Drainers this time and I could really use a new one.  This drainer is really too big and too hi-tech for my needs, so am passing it by, but will be on the lookout for a new Rubbermaid model.  Here it is:

                                     

QFC Grocery Basket 12/5

                                                


Miss MoneyPenny learned something today.  When you pull a 35 pound bag of dog food out of the back of your CR-V and you drop it - don't try to catch it.  Luckily it was time for my monthly chiropractor visit so I crawled in to see Dr. Calah and she worked her magic on me, so I was able to actually stand upright.  I still have to turn my whole body to turn my neck but I'm on the mend and after a couple more visits I'll be like new.  Lesson learned.  Dog food doesn' get hurt if you drop it.

Anyway, on to the QFC ad.  It is not a bad sale this week, but even the sale prices cause me to catch my breath these days.  Having said that, check out this 5 quart Crock-Pot for $19.99 which is a pretty good price.  I bought my first crockpot with S&H green stamps in 1974 and used the heck out of it.  It was the old kind and the crock was not a separate piece, so washing up was a challenge.  They've come a long way, baby, since then.

Here are my picks for this week:

C&H Granulated Sugar - $3.50/4lb
Gold Medal Flour - $2.50/5lb
Spice Islands Spices - 50% off
Silk Pure Almond milk - $2.79/64oz
Tully's Coffee - $5.99/12oz or 12/ct
Simple Truth Organic Broth - 3/$5/32oz (we make our own but if you run out)
QFC Butter - $2.29/lb
International Delight Coffee Creamer - $2.79/32oz
New York Strip Steaks - $5.99/lb
Draper Whole Chicken - $ .89/lb
Russet Baking Potatoes - $ .50/lb
Broccoli or Cauliflower - $ .99/lb
Fuji Apples - $ .99/lb
Navel Oranges - $ .99/lb
Hass Avocados - $ .99/ea
Roma Tomatoes - $ .99/lb

I'm going to take advantage of the sale on whole chickens this week.  I have one left from the freezer and I have it thawing in the fridge.  I'm gonna cook it in the crockpot.  Stay tuned for pictures.

Amaryllis Update:

 

As you can see things are not looking too good for this kid.  After spending about six weeks in the bathroom cabinet, I took it out and gave it a trim and a good jolt of Miracle Gro.  If I don't see signs of life, out it goes to live again in the compost.  I have this little beauty handy and will be potting it up soon.  You can't have too many amaryllises (sp??) around in the dreary winter, can you??

Fleas in Hadlock Redux

                                                
Yep.  The fleas are back.  It has been exactly 14 days since I dosed the critters with Advantage.  So this morning I hit them with the Frontline.  I've been itching like crazy because I have seen two fleas.  They don't bite me, thank God, but just the sight of one of these nasty things sets me to itching.  As we speak all the dog beds are in the washer.  I'm serious about this.  I really, really hate fleas.  Update in two weeks.

After I dosed the girls and brushed their teeth, I could not wait to get outside and take advantage of the rain free mild weather we are having.  According to MJ, the weather lady, this weekend could be dicey, with temps dropping down into the 30s during the day, so I decided to get out there and finish up the daylilies.

                                                    

Above is what my daylilies used to look like.  Now they are all orange and I'm not sure how this happened, but I suspect neglect on my part.  I've never cleaned them up for winter or divided them but this year has been different.  I actually kept them watered and dead headed this summer and they were lovely and lasted a long time. 

Today I cleaned up five stands in the front flower bed, overfilling my big pink lugger.  It was really easy as they had all died down.  When I was done, I stood back and made a plan for dividing them out and new placement.  Dividing is a cinch. 

All you do is dig up the clump, put some compost and organic fertilizer in the hole, hack the clump up with your shovel, and plant the piece that you want to keep.  Water it in.  Easy peasy.  Then put the other pieces into a cardboard box and leave them on your neighbor's doorstep when they are gone.

While I was out there I was again charmed by the barberries.  Now you know Miss MoneyPenny is on a mission to get more barberries into people's gardens.  These plants really earn their keep in a flower border and there are many different varieties and colors.  Barberries require very little in maintenance, maybe a little pruning of dead branches or to keep it to your desired size.  They don't care what kind of soil they are in and don't get all mad if they are not watered.  They are beautiful and really serve as a backdrop to your more flowery flowers, really setting them off, and the birds eat the berries in fall and winter.  Plus, and this is a big plus, DEER HATE THEM!!

Here is a picture of my barberries.  The first one still has its leaves.  The little green barberry has lost his leaves but has stunning red berries.

 

And since we are showing pretty pictures of flowers, here is what arrived on my birthday from my sister, SmartyPants:

 

Weekend Recap 12/3

                                                      

What else can I say??  The man is beautiful and getting more so as he gets older, and he is a darned fine actor.  You might have guessed that Miss MoneyPenny and Miss Maggie May headed out on Saturday in a driving rain storm to see Denzel's latest movie, Flight.  This was a hold on to your seat and hope you don't have to go to the bathroom kind of film.  We enjoyed it very much but I will tell you that I'm never, ever, ever flying again.  I still don't know how I kept my panic attack under control.  This is a good movie, with the crash as backdrop for the larger issues that it deals with.  And it doesn't pull any punches.

Now, you know that it is cold and wet out there and people are having a hard time, especially this time of year, but I bet they are hungry all year long.  As I talk to people in our community I'm just heartbroken when I hear the stories of hardship.  This is as political as Miss MoneyPenny is gonna get but it is pretty obvious that folks can't rely on the government when they are going through rough times.  This is where we come in.  We gotta do this, kids.

There are so many ways that we can help in our community.  The food bank is easy.  Just buy extra when you are shopping and drop it in the Food Bank bin on your way out of the store.  Cash donations are always welcome and will be used for fresh food.  This is the address:

Jefferson County Food Bank
P.O. Box 124
Port Hadlock, WA  98339
360-385-6321

Deb over at Tri Area Pharmacy says that she buys coats for Foster Kids and takes them to Sleep Country every year for their program, so that would be a good idea.  Makes me wonder what the Foster Parents are spending the Foster Kid money on, but that is not your business MoneyPenny.  For information on this program, call any Sleep Country.  The number for the Sequim Sleep Country is:

360-683-3480

And don't forget the Toys for Tots type programs all over the community.  All you do is pick a tag off of the Christmas tree and buy the gift listed.  No wrapping.  Peninsula Credit Union's tree is for kids in the Tri Area and has had great participation.  There were only a couple of tags left when I was there today to turn in my gift.  They are going to make more tags and you have until December 16th.

I mentioned in an earlier post that Port Hadlock Yarns was sponsoring knitting for homeless teens and they have had good participation, also.  They provided free patterns and yarn for watch caps, fingerless mitts and scarves in colors and styles that kids will wear.  I made two hats and now Cindy has me working on a cowl to keep necks warm.  Here is a picture of my hat:





And since it is holiday time - I don't need to decorate because my neighbor Tina does it up good enough for both our places.  I took these pictures just before dark because every time I went in her yard at dark her super powered motion detector would blast me in the eyes.  She has a daycare so she has an excuse to decorate and she hits all the holidays, and she does it all herself.  I can't bear to watch her hang over the edge of her roof to hang the icicle lights.

 

Food Waste Update:

A couple of weeks ago we had tuna sandwiches with sweet pickles and they were delicious but we didn't eat it all.  This little container held just the right size for a sandwich and it got lost.  Damn.

Cha Ching: $1