(no subject)

[which_chick]

I did not make meatloaf. I was unable to remember the things I needed at the grocery store long enough to buy meatloaf ingredients. *sigh* I must be getting old. I did buy broccoli and more butter and onions, so all is not lost. I also got some bananas on spec. It has been a long time since I had any bananas in the house. Oh, and canned tomatoes. Yay! (And I know for sure that you're all there going What the hell is so great about canned tomatoes? I do not know, precisely, except that I come up with better things to cook when I have canned tomatoes in the house. Even if they're not an active ingredient, they appear to be some kind of cooking catalyst.)



Instead of meatloaf, I made spaghetti (Not the fancy colorful twistinis of imported pasta goodness. Regular whole-wheat spaghetti.) which I ate with sauce that had mushrooms (real) and ground beef (also real) and Classico tomato and basil sauce. I like their tomato sauce as well as anyone's and I am not too proud to doctor bought spaghetti sauce with my own ingredients. I did not put any expensive parmesan on top because I'd served myself an embarassingly large portion already and I didn't figure that it also needed cheese.

The strawberry plants, which looked like absolute shit when I put them in the ground, have made very promising small green leaves. It is at this juncture that new plantings most frequently get eaten off. I am trying not to let my hopes get out of hand. Also, I got a note from the plant people that the raspberries have shipped. With any luck, they will be here by the weekend. While I have a social engagement for Sunday, my Saturday is, as yet, unscheduled and I am planning, weather permitting, to mulch the peonies and roses. I will probably also wind up mulching the strawberries. The "mulch" is free, at least partially because I already paid for it once before it was "mulch". It started out as horse feed, see... I know that it sounds strange, but four to six inches of "mulch" will keep the weeds down with a startling amount of efficacy and it rots down in a year to not be very thick so you can have another go the following year without having a garden two feet higher than you started with in four years. Also, I do not have neighbors who might complain... suburban gardeners who have neighbors should not go this route without taking the neighbors into consideration.

Comments

[not-your-real.livejournal.com]

I put chopped-up onion, mushrooms, green peppers and browned bits of Italian sausage into Classico (the garden veggie primavera flavor, which makes some of my veggie additions redundant but still fresher and therefore yummy) for spaghetti. Yum.

Are you coming down thisaways Sunday? We were undecided on attending that event but I've indicated I might go if the Teep will be there.

[which-chick.livejournal.com]

I will be attending the Ben-o-rama at Matt's on Sunday. It'd be great if you could make it, but if you're not up to it, I will understand. Nobody is at her best on or about the due date.

[not-your-real.livejournal.com]

Ok, I plan to be there. Nothing appears to be imminent on the baby front.

Did you get my email?

[which-chick.livejournal.com]

Yes, but it's so delightful that I figured you would appreciate a large, meaty, and similarly delightful reply instead of "Wow. Got your email. V. tired due to physical labor at work. Been going to bed right after dinner and grandma visiting. So, how about that local sports team?"

Ph33r not, I have much news or at least much stuff I can dress up and pretend is news, and you will have a very delightful email here directly. Honest.

[wootsauce.livejournal.com]

I'm all about adding ingredients. Spaghetti sauce straight from the jar is, in my opinion, only for making english muffin pizzas, and feeling too lazy (read: making lunch for just one person and not wanting to get pans dirty when you still have ot make dinner later.)

[ladyivy.livejournal.com]

I have made spaghetti sauce from scratch on occasion, but I find it is just fine to start with a jarred base and work from there. My usual additions include Kilbasa or italian sausage, and then one or more of the following depending on mood: green peppers, mushrooms, onions, red wine, and fine grated carrot. It takes MUCH less time than simmering sauce from scratch and tastes dandy.

[cousin-sue.livejournal.com]

We usually doctor the sauce, but bc (before children) always made our own sauce.

Grated carrot helps to cut down on the acidity, and we like that a lot. The spouse is big on thin sauces, while I like 'em thick and full of chunks of sausage and vegetables and mushrooms.

Canned tomatoes are important for your pantry. Because you never know if you will need them. We generally get the pureed kind, however. That's just us.