Community Engagement

Hi there, green beans,

We certainly had a major white Christmas and I can tell you the homemade ice concoction that I used to melt the snow and ice on my wooden stairs worked perfectly; I shared that last month. Plus, I also found that pouring warm water (not hot) is great to de-ice your vehicle doors. It was instant. To de-ice your locks, mix one third water with two thirds isopropyl and spray on your locks and wait; it is almost instant….so I am told.

This year I am all about saving money. I no longer want to waste money on buying food that I don’t end up eating because 2025 is going to be a travel year so I need to save my dinheiro, first stop Portugal.

The following are ideas I got from ‘One Good Thing by Jillee”:

I do like the occasional New York striploin steak so now I cut it into three pieces and freeze two. The fact is I don’t need that much meat and it gives me three meals for the price of one. And I only ever buy it when it is on special.
Shredding your own cheese is less expensive than buying it shredded, makes sense. Plus, apparently cellulose is used to coat the shredded cheese in order to keep it from sticking together. Or it could have calcium sulfate in it, which is commonly used to make ground cement and making tiles. Holy cow, who knew? Well, I didn’t and I have been buying bags of shredded cheese for a long time. I know this is hard to believe but the next time you reach for the shredded bag, take a look at the ingredients. You are getting a lot more than cheese in that bag. And when big blocks of cheese go on sale you can buy them, shred and freeze them and you are pizza ready. Putting a tablespoon of cornstarch will help to prevent clumping.
I love bananas but if they get one brown spot on them, they are history. But now I freeze them and when I want to make banana bread, they are recipe ready. I’m told that they last longer if you separate them and cover the stems in tinfoil.
And if you like smoothies, this is a great Jillee tip - put extra apple wedges, peaches, pears, bananas, chunks of melon, or any kind of fruit that doesn’t look too appealing but is still good into a freezer bag. When the bag gets full, dump it in the blender and make a smoothie!

That’s it for now. Enjoy your month and remember…

Your responsibility is to be an explorer, not a tourist in this adventure that is your life.~Mary Anne Radmacher