Monday (er, Sunday) Stuff On the Way to Other Stuff: I Must Be Hungry

 I seem to have a bunch of recipes in this week's version of Stuff. I didn't plan to -- it just happened. Is it that more people are cooking at home, due to Covid? Or economizing? Or just that it sounds more comforting to bake, especially, when it's gloomy? (Rain and wind are gusting outside as I write this.) 

     Michigan's perpetually overcast weather this time of year has taken its toll on both of us. It's hard to be cheerful when you're looking at gray skies and trees gradually stripped of their fall beauty. Colorado had a foot of snow last week -- soon it will be snowing here, too. Update:  it did, later on Sunday.

If you haven't already done so, please don't forget to vote. It really is very important. 

Doesn't it feel like we're in waiting mode, anyways? Waiting for Election Day (and the umpteen commercials accusing/praising anybody and everybody of everything) to be over. Waiting for results -- then figuring out how to deal with those.

 What can I say, but ... welcome to November.

Thought I'd post these late Saturday night -- I have a deadline to meet this weekend, and you may have a rainy weekend you don't know what to do with. Why not bake something?

Dozens of extremely cool travel tips. Which I plan to use, when we're allowed to travel again. (From Broke but Beautiful)

What  does the future hold in store for Japan...and us? The predictions are uncertain at best.

French fry tuna casserole. The name is offputting, but the results are quickly made, and look delicious. Gluten-free, as well. (From Penniless Parenting)

How to save money on heating your house...including some wacko (but fun) ideas. (From Budgets Are Sexy)

'Scooter visits Nana.' I love these goofy doggy-tales from Get Me to the Country. P.S. There are more links to more Scooter stories at the end of the post. Plus:

A less-than-cute (but reasonably accurate) look at what people in care homes have been enduring through this whole Covid 19 period. IMHO, this is one of the great travesties of 2020.

A visit to the rusty blue dumpster - Part I.  (From Things I Find in the Garbage)

Five ways you might be able to help erase your student loan debt.

"What's the most unusual things landlords have found after their tenants moved out?"  Quora wants to know.

A quick peek at Christmas goodies from Target...and Home Depot. Think houses in the forest. (From Thistlewood Farms)

A funeral for a cat...in London's Southwark Cathedral?

Ten weird medieval drawings -- including a "very sad dog," some strange anatomy pieces and animals jousting with each other.

"What I ordered -- versus what I got." An uncomfortable slideshow that I know all too well from recent experience.

Crockpot cinnamon roll casserole -- I know, this sounds wacky. But it might be your Christmas morning breakfast, it's that special.

Who ARE the mystery people behind the Crusteaz brand?  (Actually, it's just one lady and her husband.)

Helmut Norpoth's "unconditional final" prediction on the upcoming presidential election. His model only missed on two of 27 elections since 1912: John F. Kennedy in 1960, and George W. Bush in 2000. (Bush won against Al Gore in the electoral college, in spite of losing the popular vote.) In case you're wondering, Norpoth's results in 2016, publicized nearly a year before Election Day, had the probability of Trump winning, instead of Hilary Clinton, at more than 80%.

More predictions here -- all based on various formulas, historical precedent, etc etc. More here, too.

Not to mention the Truckers Poll and Taxi Poll.

Pecan Pie Truffles -- thanks to Shugary Sweets.

"Lessons learned from my 2019 tax return."  Especially if you have a large business, or are a professional who owns your own biz. (From White Coat Investor)

"Lessons learned from the 2008 financial crisis."  (From Financial Samurai). Also:

The first rule of financial independence: Never lose money. If at all possible.

Wardrobe and prop boo-boos that didn't fit the movie's time period. 

Kaiser rolls during quarantine -- a how-to bake from Oprah magazine.

The biggest Social Security changes coming in 2021.

States with the highest and lowest sales tax rates. Of course, our Colorado is one of the highest ones. Figures.

Do those Civil War era wool quilts REALLY contain Civil War uniform cloth? Barbara Brackman thinks not. I'm less skeptical -- but value Lyn Lancaster Gorges' opinion, too. (In the article, Gorges says that in all the years she and husband Wil have been examining quilts with this claim, they haven't found one with authentic wools yet. And they have a lot of experience with actual uniforms.) 

"Here's why we're not endorsing a presidential candidate:" a gutsy, insightful look into MLive's coverage. (That's Michigan Live to you non-mitten staters. Actually, it makes me rely on them more.)

And...

Here's why 780 National Security and Military leaders decided to endorse Joe Biden. Also illuminating. This post does seem to point out more why these leaders are anti-Trump, than it does to argue that they're pro-Biden. And some interesting reasons why, as well...some of them very well-put.

Teriyaki salmon. (Thanks, One Hundred Dollars A Month)

AOC shows her support for the "working class" she includes herself in -- by wearing a $14,000+ wardrobe when profiled by Vanity Fair. She takes some shots at Trump (you figured that, already) and gripes about not being able to afford an apartment in Washington, D.C. (Maybe she should sell a suit or something. VF said she was given the suit she was pictured wearing on the cover. Which makes it ok, right? Oops, now AOC says she just borrowed the clothes -- and booya to all those nasty Republicans who noticed her talking about poor people who can't make ends meet, and how she dresses to relate to them. While wearing an $800 dress in the accompanying photo.)

The two men who have correctly picked the most presidential winners over the years -- only now they disagree with each other.

The fate of the Franklin Expedition's pocket watches and other decorative items -- fashionable accessories for Arctic Eskimo wearers?  The Franklin Expedition, and polar exploring in general, include some fascinating mysteries.

A couple finds 'walls of whiskey' inside their upstate NY home.

What the Bidens earned after his stint at the White House. 

A winter storm...and Rainy Day Doughnuts.  (From Diary of A Stay At Home Mom)

Have a great week.

 

Bosses Worth Remembering...

 ...deep down in your gut, that is, because they make you sick. In more ways than one.

Like this treasure:

More Jerk bosses shamed via the internet. These are particularly interesting, when you've had one. My personal favorite is still the Ann Arbor boss I worked for in the early 80s. One memorable day, she loudly castigated her Promotions staff for missing a catalog deadline, then stomped out of the office. The rest of us kept working-- I went home at midnight, others stayed all night. We finished in early morning, and made the deadline.

     Her superior, Big Boss, was full of praise for us. Everyone got the day off, and the all-nighters got the next day, as well. These were grudgingly awarded by Fearless Leader, who was used to taking credit for what we were praised for -- and letting us have it (literally) when we weren't. 

Unfortunately, Big Boss had apparently heard FL's tantrum the day before...so she couldn't announce she'd managed the whole thing.

She bided her time for a few months, but eventually made up for our 'treachery' by FIRING the entire department, with the exception of one artist, who could keep things going temporarily. Thankfully, we'd moved to Colorado by then, or I would have been a goner, too.

The Funniest Political Statement Ever Made --

Ronald Reagan, on the age issue...

 

But(t)...

 ...yes, this is vulgar. But funny!

Frugal Hits & Misses: October Report

     We're snugly ensconced in The Mama's barnyard. The dogs love running between our fifth-wheel and The Mama's house -- they get spoiled in both worlds. We'll be here until late November, finishing up some things, seeing our brother's family and spending time with cousins. We haven't traveled up to the Upper Peninsula yet -- but we will, before leaving again for Colorado.

Thank you, Gentle Readers, for stopping by regularly! My blog 'followers' are still quite modest, compared to FB 'friends,' but the blog is getting 5,000+ hits monthly on a regular basis. I'm honored -- and humbled.

You can get this sticker from Zazzle.com (via Pinterest)

FRUGAL HITS

(some of these are from late September)

 *Read a LOT of books... mostly free ones checked out from the library, but also some sale books via Goodwill that I'd always wanted to read. Some were research for The Book revision. 

*Some wonderful Western history books on Baby Doe and Horace Tabor for our library. These will come in handy for future writing. (Tip: If the seller offers a 'Best Offer' option, never pay what they're asking. My offers have rarely been turned down.)

*From the Michigan thrift stores: $3.99 blue canning jar; $1.25 hardcovers (for The Mama, and a Christmas present); kids books for 50 cents each; a coffeemaker for $6.99. Some Christmas items for regifting, including a Snoopy ceramic doghouse/cookie jar ($5.99). All at 15% discount, because I'm a senior now!

   Our Michigan nieces and nephews think of a trip to the thrift shop as great fun -- which amuses me greatly.

*The Brick earned a $5 Amazon giftcard -- just by using Swagbucks. It didn't cost a cent; I got one for $25 last month. And you can do it, too.

*Two beautiful pots of mums -- one from each daughter. Another pot for The Mama ($4.99), plus a purple kale plant ($1.99) for me. Beautiful, vibrant color -- and edible, too!

From Old World Garden Farms - via Pinterest

*Do your math -- even for small decisions. Case in point: King Soopers had a pile of yellow and orange peppers bagged up: 99 cents each. Then I noticed -- some bags had four peppers, others had three. (Peppers looked to be the same size, by the way. ) Both were a great buy, but the 4-pepper bag was a steal.

*Multiple markdowns, including pancake mix, tomatoes and soup -- all because our local Walmart suddenly has a clearance shelf. Always check your favorite store -- they may have started one of these, and few people have noticed. Found more good stuff at the Michigan grocery store -- including a pound package of pasta for 47 cents.

*Free jar of pasta sauce from Safeway, thanks to their 'rewards' program. I've been buying regular pasta sauce whenever I can find it on sale -- have you noticed that tomatoes have gone up considerably in price? Right now, at least, pasta sauce can give you the same amount of tomatoes for chili and Mexican food -- at much less. Also found at Safeway: 19 cent pound bananas.

    At Daily Deals, a discount food place in the Grand Rapids, MI area: 99-cents/lb boneless skinless chicken; $1.37/lb burger; 79-cent 14 oz. packages of Ballpark beef hot dogs and Hillshire Farms smoked sausage. I haven't seen prices like this for years -- and they were brief. I was glad I stocked up on extra and put it in The Mama's freezer.

Oooh...I wish. But where would we put them
in a fifth-wheel?

*Made Brazilian and British food dishes for a friend's elementary school class -- countries of the world. Including Bakewell tart, which turned out beautifully.

*Got rid of STUFF. Both the Brick and I donated a lot of clothes that didn't fit, or we weren't wearing.

*BIG containers of chili garlic sauce and citrus-flavored soy sauce -- from Amazon's Warehouse Deals. (I still can't find the soy sauce packed away from our move last year.) They, as well as beef jerky I'll use for Christmas stockings, were marked down. As in waaayyy down...and free shipping.

*Found a penny in a parking lot. Another penny in our house. As far as found money goes, though, this lady's got me beat. Big-time.

*Ate at a hibachi place with friends. (That's where we used up a Groupon that was expiring -- and I found the penny.) Tip: they'll generally give you extra rice, for no charge. Dump the unused sauce in with the rice, add whatever leftover protein and veggies you couldn't eat...and you've got a nice lunch for the next day. 

*Lunch out with Daughter #2 and Son #1 -- who paid. (The sweethearts.) That visit included a trip to 'Sally's,' our name for Salvation Army. Tip #2: If you're in a wealthy area, or a university town (like Boulder) with well-off students, ALWAYS check the thrift shops. We found a heavy-duty saucepan, popcorn popper, hand-pieced and quilted wallhanging ($2.90!), a Thai puppet (Christmas present - $2.99), several other Christmas presents, and t-shirts to replace some that are wearing out. ($3.90 and $2 each) Also a pair of Nike sneakers in good shape ($4.99).

*Supper out with The Mama -- she paid. (We paid for some meals, too, including Little Caesar's pizza and breadsticks. Kept the sauce and used it on my own homemade pizza!)

*Threw away two pairs of pants (for me) and a pair of shorts (for the Brick). This is really difficult for me to do, but they were old and shredded. The shorts actually dated from our Brazil trip in 2008.

*Watched quite a few series on Amazon Prime, including The Night Manager, Hunters and Missing 411. (We share this membership with Daughter #2.)

*We voted! That in itself is of great frugal importance.

*Almost used up all the paper napkins I've been stockpiling for years -- including a few stragglers from Daughter #2's high school graduation, almost 20 years ago. (Go ahead and laugh. She did.)

*A few more $2 videos and $3 books from the library used bookroom. Including a Dickens tome and an unusual history on typescripts and paper. We still borrow a lot of videos from the library, including the latest Godzilla -- I love the Big Guy. (The Brick was less than impressed.)

*Finished with drum lessons. My teacher gave me another pair of 'sticks' -- and two pages to practice 'scales' while we're traveling. I hope to get in another lesson or two before the end of the year.

*More photos for the new stories in The Book, and some upcoming articles. Thanks to sales, they were $1-3 each. I own these photos, instead of renting them, so they can be used indefinitely.

*Saturday-night suppers with friends. We took turns supplying the entree, salad and dessert. In return, we got thoroughly trounced at Ticket to Ride.   

FRUGAL MISSES

*Two new computers purchased. Both of our laptops are dinosaurs in the computer world -- the Brick's, especially. His has been ailing and working increasingly slowly for the past year -- mine is starting to show its age, as well. 

     He got the best prices possible, and put one on a credit card to get the cashback...but still.

*Got some insanely hot green chilis, by accident. They smelled ok. I bought them on sale. But the minute I cut into one, a cloud of spray went out -- and we both started coughing. A tiny bit, minced into our breakfast eggs, was almost unbearable. And touch my face with my hands? Forget it, until I scrubbed multiple times. These were just too hot to salvage. (And we LIKE spicy food.)

    If the military needs a new weapon, they're welcome to these.

*Delay on Social Security payments -- the Brick got his, but I did not. (Our credit union changed the routing number on our account -- and who paid for it, with delays? We did.)

*Discounted clothes from Zulily weren't nearly as nice as the photos showed. Lesser-quality fabric, not the best-cut...and almost impossible to return. They weren't even good enough to pass on to someone else. I won't be ordering this way again. 

*A lunch out -- that we paid nighttime prices for. As the Brick pointed out, we got more food...and it was only $1 difference for each entree. And, I reminded myself, we got enough leftovers for another full meal. Be still, my Hollander heart. (It didn't like it much.)

*White peaches - two bags worth. They were a great price. They also were hard as rocks. Days later, they softened a little -- but started spoiling, as well. Slight flavor, too. (I tried billing them as 'good fiber' to the Brick, but he wasn't buying it.) At least the apples and mandarin oranges - also purchased at discount - turned out better.

November should be fairly quiet -- but I'm looking forward to that peacefulness. 

Here's last year's October report.

And last month's.

Things I Don't Understand -- The Halloween Version

 One of my private amusements are collecting Things I Don't Understand. I've got all sorts of them sprinkled through the blog, as you know. Here's the Halloween version to add to the batch. Enjoy. 

This had to be included, for obvious reasons.

Children of the Corn, unite.

Picked out a costume yet?

Carries the weight of us American citizens on his shoulders...
I guess.

Unnerving...

Happy Halloween.

Bakewell Tart

 Back in the 19th century, Mrs. Greaves ran the White Horse Inn in the English town of Bakewell. Business was extra-busy that day, and she had no time to supervise her new cook's making of the inn's special: jam tart. The cook hadn't made one before, so she took a wild guess -- and spread the jam on to the bottom of the tart, instead of mixing it in with the filling. 

Voila -- the Bakewell Tart. It was an immediate hit with Mrs. Greaves' customers. 

News of the cook's delicious 'mistake' spread, and soon the town of Bakewell became famous for this simple tart. (We Americans would call it a 'pie;' shoo-fly and 'chess' pies are a bit similar.) It is surprisingly easy to make, thanks to pressing your piecrust into the pan, rather than fussing with rolling the dough out. Mix up the filling, dump it in, then decorate a bit -- and you're done. 

My rendition of Bakewell Tart was adapted from this recipe, but there are plenty more to choose from. You could try 196 Flavor's version, or Spruce Eats' version. This version is considered 'traditional...' but I've seen several others pegged the same way.

BAKEWELL TART (my way)

All photos from allrecipes.com

----------------------

CRUST:

5 tablespoons softened butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups butter

ice water (about 1/4 cup)

1/2 cup jam -- raspberry is traditional, but I used raspberry/rhubarb the first time, and peach the second, with great success

-------------------

FILLING:

(use generous measures of the first three ingredients)

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar (save a tablespoon)

2 eggs

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons almond flavoring

-----------------

1 cup almonds, walnuts or pecans

----------------

Start oven at 375 degrees. Crust first -- mix flour and butter together until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add ice water, a little at a time, until it starts to form a ball. Press with your fingers into an ungreased pie pan as evenly as you can -- press with a fork all around to make a decorative edge. Spread with jam.

Mix filling ingredients together and pile into the crust. Sprinkle with saved sugar, and arrange nuts in a decorative pattern on top of the tart. Bake 30-35 minutes until tart is lightly browned and bubbling. 

Tart is very rich -- Serve warm or cold up to 12, with a puff of whipped cream. Or not.

 Hot tea and coffee go well with it, too.

Add almond fondant on the top, plus cherries, for a Cherry Bakewell.

A similar tart is made in Gloucester, thanks to an old recipe found by a councilman. They call it a Gloucester Tart...but whadda they know.

A 17-Century Nun's Prayer

 ....which we might all consider praying, in these election times.

Monday Stuff On the Way to Other Stuff: Colorado Wildfires

 If you've ever been to Rocky Mountain National Park...it's not looking the way it used to be. 

We've had huge wildfires erupt in Colorado -- one came terribly close to Estes Park, forcing evacuation of both the town and Rocky. (Grand Lake had already been evacuated, as well as some other areas.) A God-sent snowstorm saved Estes and slowed the fires' spread, as well as the help of firefighters and other personnel. (A heartfelt thank you to all of you from this Coloradoan.)

Things are still scary there. Scarier still, because we're now in Michigan, and can do nothing to help the kids if it gets dangerous. The closest fire to them -- Calwood, near Jamestown -- at about 10,000 acres, is approx. 60% contained. All the fires after it -- and there are a number -- are much bigger, in various percentages of containment.

All we can do it wait -- and pray.

Update: The snow IS helping. East Troublesome is still going strong, but many of the others are considerably more contained. See here for more.

Update:  Amy Coney Barrett was approved, and sworn in as Supreme Court Justice tonight, Oct. 26.

Meanwhile: 

"Perfect" movies: the 25 best, as rated by viewers.

The Covid tally -- most infections, U.S. (India runs a close second.) Most Covid infections per capita: the U.S. is eighth, behind Israel, Panama, Kuwait and others. 

A psychic resurrects one of Drew Barrymore's dead relatives -- only the relative in question is very much still alive!

Does Joe Biden think he's running against a Bush? Note use of the word "with," for Democrats who say he was referring to George Lopez, who was hosting the interview/rally -- and Mrs. Biden's muttering "Trump" under her breath. Whoo boy.

'My windowsill pond:' what happens if you scoop up a jarful of pondwater and place it on your windowsill?

The Strand bookstore in New York City is in big trouble... and in danger of closing.

Ten flea market finds worth a fortune.  (From Listverse) Also from them:

Medieval era dishes you can make today.

A 60s-something retiree who lives beachside -- on $1,000 a month.

One of the best Christmas-themed stories I've ever read.  

The Columbia disaster -- it was worse than most people realize. An article on the Challenger disaster is next...scroll down to read it, as well.

35 Christmas pies, including peppermint, eggnog and other unusual flavors. (From Taste of Home) Including this chocolate eggnog pie:

A therapist has unexpected bridal attendants in her party -- her students!

A creepy (and fascinating) look at where some of Colorado's unusual charaters are buried.

A mother's footsteps -- 13,000 years old

If you liked Ballad of A Sausage Roll -- I found a tasty update: fry up one of the sausage sections with chopped zucchini and onion, then serve it with a side of macaroni and cheese. Mix the leftovers together for another tasty entree. Delicious.

    You might enjoy three of my other food-based blogs: Christmas Goodies, Holiday Goodies and Cheap Tasty Good. The latter is just starting up, but will include a lot of the frugal-based recipes Holiday Goodies has specialized in, as well.

"What's a life hack everyone should know?" A fascinating set of answers via Quora.

Joanna Gaines' best pancake recipe. (She makes her own mix, too.)

"Stan" the tyrannasaurus skeleton fetches  31.8 million at auction -- considerably more than its original $8 million estimate. (Fellow appraisers, take note.)

Some classics from yours truly, including:

Presents for less.  (This should come in handy for the holidays.)

Saving on your food budget -- Part I. 

                                                  Part II.

Have a great week. 

Well, That Was Interesting...

 Hopefully you also watched the Presidential debate on Thursday evening. If not, here's a link:

Some of the same statements and 'facts' from the first debate were trotted out -- but by and large, we got new stuff. Good examples: North Korea, and whether Hunter Biden got his dad involved in his deals. (I was particularly surprised that the moderator brought the subject up by asking Joe Biden about this. Many media sources have been ignoring or downplaying it. Obviously, she thought it more important than that.)

Maybe some people thought it boring -- it wasn't. But thankfully, it was easier to understand what each person was saying, thanks to a minimum of interrupting. 

    Ironically, Biden was the first to interrupt. But Trump didn't hesitate to do his part after that, either.

Now on to Election Day. The agony is almost over.

My Pants Fell Down On Main Street

 

My piano students will recognize this classic right away, because it's one of the first songs I ever teach them. Played with a fist, rather than fingers!

    *My pants fell down -- my pants fell down -- my pants fell down on Main Street.

    *I pulled them up -- I pulled them up -- I pulled them up on Main Street!

Work Hard

 

Look Carefully...

 

(Thanks to friend Tommy for sharing this. You weirdo.)

Things I Don't Understand -- Politically Speaking

 I love all the strange parts of our wacky, mixed-up world. (Then again, I love this stuff, to begin with.) 

 Right now, in the heat of the election's final weeks, every opinion is on full -- and often loud -- display. Here are some that should amuse, shock and surprise you -- whoever you're planning to vote for. (Take a look at the 2016 Presidential version, if you need a refresher course.)

And while we're at it -- will SOMEONE please take President Trump's Twitter account away from him?

 

I still find this conclusion fascinating, considering... this.
Not that Mrs. Clinton ever did this, back then or even now. Naah. 

One of my contacts says this is an implanted device to help 
him with stuttering. I could find no reference to this, however. 

Every single one of this year's candidates
 has had similar "faces" to different people...

My favorite Nick Sandmann cartoon

I've tried to be an equal opportunity offender, in spite of my natural tendency toward conservatism -- and noticing that anti-Trump articles in the media far outnumber the anti-Biden ones. (Even though I had similar misgivings about both candidates in 2016.) So if I didn't lean far enough for your taste...who knows, I may be redeemable. Someday. Maybe.