Quick and Easy Meals ft. Non-perishables

So, we like many in our area and country and world are stuck at home. We are only going food shopping every couple weeks and ordering what we can. Because of this we are relying a lot on non-perishables throwing in some other things when we can. I thought that I would throw-up some quick and easy recipes that we have been using to avoid just ramen noodles.

  • Sausage Gravy Noodles
    • This meal idea comes from my partner’s mom. All you need for this recipe is some sausage to brown or cook, vegetables (onions, bell pepper, whatever you have on hand) to saute, noodles, and a condensed soup like mushroom or cream of chicken.
    • To assemble: cook noodles like normal; saute vegetables together with sausage if you want; when noodles are being drained cook condensed soup like a gravy or sauce (DO NOT add water); then combine ingredients. Season to preference.
  • Loaded Nachos
    • A lot of this just depends on what you have on hand besides tortilla chips and a cheese that melts well. Add beans. salsa, corn, cilantro, ground meat, shredded chicken, etc.
    • To assemble: make nachos add ingredients.
  •  Tuna Salad
    • What you need: canned tuna, mayo, pickle juice, salt and pepper. Optional ingredient: chopped pickles, celery, red onion.
    • To assemble: mix ingredients, add to bread or eat with crackers.
    • IF YOU HAVE THE CHEESE: make a tuna melt please for those of us who do not.
  • Rice-based anything
    • Yes, there are a million rice dishes from fried rice to risotto. For this I am also throwing in rice cakes, rice pudding, and rice crispy treats.

What are some of your favorite pantry meals?

Stay safe and healthy.

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Activities for self-isolation

So I’m stuck in my house. I should rephrase that I am currently permanently located in my apartment to keep myself and others healthier at least for the time being. So besides work (which has been a lot lately) here are somethings my partner and I have been doing.

  • Dancing! – We dance a lot normally cause it’s a fun thing to do. But lately we have been dancing to keep spirits up as we head back to work or are cleaning again or whatever.
    • Try it Silent Disco style. Everyone has their own headphones and is listening to their own music but dancing together. It is super fun and looks super funny.
  • Cards – I personally come from a Gin Rummy playing family, but that doesn’t stop my partner from beating me every time we play. We also have pulled out some of our goofier games like Goat Lords. With just the two of us we can’t always pull out the board games.
    • I personally have rocked a couple games of Solitaire but also when it’s just me playing  I cheat so…
  • Yoga/Stretching – This was not turned into a competition to see who could hold stretches the longest.
  • Lunch Dates – My partner and I  are both lucky enough to work from home during this unsettling time, but after a long day of calls and meetings on meetings we need a lot of unwinding time at night. So we’ve been moving away from the desks and having lunch together for 20 minutes and chatting about everything that’s annoying and all the things we are going to have to do the rest of the day and what podcast we are listening to.

What have you been up to? Please stay safe and healthy.

 

Universal Book Recommendations

So I know a lot of people in these unsettling times are looking for things to read. I feel like a lot of times people want really specific book recommendations like just like X,Y, and Z that they have previously read. But I think that there are lots of books that people would like if they picked it up. So here is a list of universal book recommendations that I think at the least people will enjoy reading.

All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot (pseudonym): This is an autobiographical collection of stories of an English vet in the 1930s. We start with James as a new young vet surgeon in Yorkshire.

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood: I feel like most people have at least heard of this book or at least the TV show. It is a dystopian classic about a woman adjusting to a new world order.

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster: Milo is a bored boy who is stuck alone in his room, when one day the phantom tollbooth shows up. He is transported to the Kingdom of Wisdom where something is amiss. Bonus- you will learn what letters of the alphabet taste like.

Journey into the Whirlwind by Eugenia Ginzburg: Another nonfiction! (I actually surprised myself in this). Journey into the Whirlwind is a autobiography of a journalist who lived during Stalin’s reign. Most has to do with her time in the Gulag and relationship that formed in the Soviet Union.

The White Dragon by Anne McCaffery: This is a classic set on the World of Pern. It follows Jaxom, a young man trying to find his place in the world as a ruler and a dragon rider. He and the white dragon (who is not supposed to exist) are try to prove their place in the world.

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire: This is a short mystery about a school. A school where children find their way after returning to this earth from a portal world. There is something for everyone and it’s a a quick story.

Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples: (Adult Recommendation) This is a graphic novel series that follows a two soldiers on the opposite side of raging galactic war have fallen in love and had a child together. It has great artwork and is a beautiful fresh story.

No matter what stories you like I think that you will enjoy these. Have fun and stay safe!

3 episode theory

I love television. If it can be considered a hobby I feel like watching TV may be one of mine (yes, very cool I understand). Truly there is some incredible television that exists and some that simply stinks. There is just so much of it to try! You could spend years of your life watching pilot episodes of television show and your whole life committing to just a few. How is one supposed to know which ones to pick? I over the years have developed a 3-episode theory that I apply to every show before I commit.

Episode 1:The pilot -The hook in. Pilots tend to be a highlight for many shows. More time is spent on them and they are made not just for the viewers but for the networks to invest in. Someone truly saw potential here! A lot of effort, a lot of promises, a lot of introductions or crazy plots that can make it hard to connect.

Episode 2: The set up – The writing staff has been finalized and a season has started. This episode sets up the main arc for every character. It’s a lot of set-up and intrigue and trying to live up to the promise of the pilot.

Episode 3: The normal – The season has started to settle in. This is your average episode, maybe a filler (if you are cynical). These are gonna be a majority of your episodes. If you like this one, if it has new jokes, characters are starting to arc, plots are starting twist, etc. continue watching. The show has grown and settled

You may ask why not just watch the pilot? Because you can’t get a full grasp of where the story is going.

You may ask why not just watch episode three and get it over with? Because that will ruin the story for you if you should like it. Commit to the three episodes and you’ll know for sure if it’s the show for you, if not you only wasted the time of a bad movie.

So if your stuck at home right now, pick a show any show and give my three episode theory at try.

Best of luck and let me know what shows you try!