I told you Burge was next door.Finally, no breakfast special, but still about a $1 cheaper than most.Replacements, Ltd. Looking out from ManCave.Replacements, Ltd. Enjoying some reading.My classic Library view for reading a few books.Reading the February Issue of Our State MagazineLate afternoon sun shining on the magazine rack.
So, David’s has discontinued their breakfast special, but it still cost about a dollar less than many other breakfast restaurants.
I stopped by a health foods store, and then drove to Farmer. Yep, not much there. I then rode past the NC Aviation Museum and came back to Food Lion to buy some Apple Cider Vinegar and Splenda sweetener packets. The Ginger/Lemon/Honey drinking vinegar I bought just wasn’t vinegary enough, nor sweet enough. Then I headed up to Replacements, Ltd. to see if I could find the young woman who had given me a great deal of her time, my first (and only up to this point) visit. She left before I bought the Lennon Golden Julliard patterned seafood fork, so any commission she should have received was lost. In our brief visit, I got the impression that the young woman was divorced and that she had at least one child. But, she wasn’t there yesterday, even if she still works there.
I then drove directly back to Asheboro to No.1 Chinese Buffet and had lunch there. My first plate I focused on the chicken on a stick, the green beans and the wonton & egg drop soups mixed, with chopped green onion and fried wontons. And, I think I also had a small slice of banana, very little rice and some fried chicken livers. The livers had chopped jalapenos. One dish, maybe chicken had fried jalapenos, and the livers had fresh chopped jalapenos.
As I was paying at the counter, there was an older Chinese gentleman (perhaps the owner) and I got to thanking him for the good good, which I mentioned specifically: chicken on a stick, the green beans and the wonton soup. He thanked me, and we actually shook hands.
I then drove over to the Library. I had a strong desire to just drive home, but thought it would be a waste not to at least stop in to see what new things they had.
I took the slightly longer way back to Fayetteville, staying on Hwy. 421 from Sanford over to Lillington and then back down home. I did this because of the lateness of the day and that I knew there would be a bunch of traffic on Hwy. 87 around Spring Lake.
About four miles from Siler City, on Hwy. 64, they are furiously building the Wolfspeed manufacturing facility. They were paving some roads nearby but still working on the gigantic facility. The size of this complex is massive and impressive.
I stopped at the Food Lion in Lillington to buy 2% Milk and then headed home.
I made almost a quart of the Ginger/Lemon/Honey Vinegar, but instead of honey I used a combination of Splenda, Agave Nectar and Sweet n Low, and I used ground powdered ginger and reconstituted Lime juice. Still, it came out tasting surprisingly similar to the “store bought.” Oh, just thought, I used both Apple Cider Vinegar and Red Wine Vinegar. I like the flavor of Red Wine Vinegar and use it a lot in my cooking & eating. And for portions, I used two part of the Apple Cider Vinegar, about .25 Cup of Red Wine Vinegar and 1 Cup of water.
KITCHENDAO Citrus Lemon Peeler Zester Tool with Specially Designed Channel Knife to Save Effort, Ultra Sharp Lemon Rind Twist Peeler Tool Bar Bartender Lime Lemon Stripper for Cocktails Kitchen (Amazon.com link) It costs about $10.
I bought this kitchen tool in order to cut orange rind in strips to add to my homemade Dolce “K” Sweet Olive Mix. This was my attempt to recreate the Whole Foods version. And, it worked! I actually think that my version has more flavor, although I don’t know the actual ratios of the various ingredients so I can’t absolutely recreate the same mix each time… yet. Note the Orange rind shown in the mix here.
The peeler portion of this tool does a great job of cutting long narrow strips of rind, but there is still a good amount of pith on each strip. *I just tried the zester part of this tool and it does a better job of cutting just the rind and very little pith. So, I have rethought the mix process and decided to use zest and not the wide rinds cut into half inch lengths. And, the zester worked quickly for the whole orange.
This morning I had decided to fix fried apples & bacon for breakfast, and to make some Bigelow “Constant Comment” tea. Constant Comment has citrus highlights and in the past I have added dried orange slices to it for more orange flavor. I added some of the orange zest to the hot tea. But, I also added some of the orange zest to the frying apples. I think the zest made the tea and the apples more distinctive.
As a precautionary tale, you will need to freeze (or at least put in the fridge) the rind because left out, they will start to mold.
The zested orange rind looks good in the Dolce “K” Sweet Olive Mix. I also think the liquid in this becomes less pungent over time. I made a new batch of liquid and put the olives in it.
A few months ago I was in the CVS on Law Road looking to pick up a prescription. I glanced over to my right and down and saw a box of single serving bags of the Well Market Popcorn (White Cheddar flavor). They were giving away free sample as they were changing their popcorn vendor. I took one of the bags and when I got back to my car I opened it and tried the popcorn. It was very good popcorn. It was so good that I determined to seek out this popcorn in CVS in the future.
I don’t recall how long after I had first tried the popcorn that I was standing in front of the CVS shelves on which they had the Well Market Popcorn for sale. I think they had a discount on the large “family” sized bags so I bought one. This too was delicious popcorn.
I had my annual eye exam and found that the clinic actually had two locations separated by a small parking area. I had always gone to the location further away from Cape Fear Valley Hospital. Not this time. It was an overcast morning, but it wasn’t raining when I went in. However, by the time that my exam was over it had started to rain fairly regularly. I think I asked a technician if there was a “loaner” umbrella I could use. I knew I had an umbrella in my car which was parked near the other location’s entrance. I figured I could walk to my car, exchange umbrellas and then leave the loaner with the front desk at the separate location. But the technician said she would walk with me. She got an umbrella for herself and handed me one too. We walked across the small parking lot to my car and I handed the loaner umbrella to her thanking her.
Her name was Stephanie, but I didn’t recall that from the first meeting. I decided to leave a present of Well Market Popcorn for her and stopped a few days later at the CVS next to Cape Fear Valley Hospital and bought a bag. I think I also had a small bag of Peppermint Bark that I also gave her.
I had my annual, in hospital visit, for my pacemaker a few days ago. They check my pacemaker four times a year, and do three of those checkups remotely. The checkup this time probably didn’t last more than 10 minutes.
The male nurse/technician told me that when they replace my pacemaker battery that they replace the whole unit because it is wrapped in titanium. Oh, Joy!
This photo is of the top parking level at Cape Fear Valley Hospital.
All you do is take one packet of the powdered Ranch Dressing (Hidden Valley is the standard & costs about four times more than, the Food Lion brand which costs about 50 cents a packet) and pour it in a jar of Dill Pickles. I use the GV Dill Pickle Spears from Walmart. I pour out just enough pickle juice to make room for the dry Ranch Dressing powder. You want to try and make the juice cover all the pickles. Put the lid back on, shake it up, and put it in the fridge for a day to let the flavors soak in.
A cousin of mine mentioned that he thought the skins of the pickles became tougher after they were brined in this Ranch Dressing & pickle juice mixture, and I think he is right, but the jar of pickles usually is gone before the skins become too tough.
Oh, and I definitely reuse the Ranch Dill pickle juice from new jar of Dill Pickles to new jar.
*I bought some whole dill seeds in order to try and sprout them. They didn’t, but I put some of them in a jar of Ranch Dill Pickles and I think they have “kicked it up a notch.” I guess they’ve added more dill flavor.
Currently $2.34About $2 at Walmart.About 50 cents.Whole Dill Seeds
Wakame Seaweed Salad
I wanted to fix the Wakame (seaweed) Salad like the one I bought at Publix a few years ago, and that was also offered at a few restaurants as a side dish. Over the last few years I’ve bought various brands of seaweed (perhaps some were not Wakami) to try and reproduce this dish, but none were anywhere near it. Last year I found a jar of “Seaweed Salad” that looked a lot like what I had eaten, so I bought a jar at Golden Hex in Cary. Golden Hex is a European Foods specialty store, which carries many canned goods from various European countries, but also has a meat & cheese section, and even various candies.
The salad from Golden Hex was not “perfect” from the jar, but the ingredients I added to it did make it “PERFECT”. The additions included toasted sesame oil & seeds, soy sauce, vinegar, and some sweetener. *I think there was also some hot pepper flakes. *Not sure where I found the ingredients list, but probably online because I can’t imagine coming up with the ingredients from memory.
I guess if I would just read the ingredients listed here, I would know.
At Walmart for about $6.
[NOTE 04/12/25]: I made some more of this last night. I poured out the liquid from the seaweed which was a little salty and vinegary. I added:
toasted sesame oil,
red wine vinegar,
soy sauce,
red pepper flakes,
white sesame seeds, and
some sweetener.
* I had talked with one of the owners of Golden Hex and he knew this item but it wasn’t in stock at the time. He said he would order it. I don’t usually put much trust in someone saying this, but maybe a month & a half later I was in Golden Hex again and asked some of the staff if they knew if they had any of the seaweed. They didn’t know, but eventually we found it stocked on the shelf. Apparently, he had re-ordered it. I bought two jars of it, so now I have 2 because I used one last night. **I’m going to try the Walmart brand and see if it works.
Aisle A36 ***I was surprised to find, with the help of Alex, a Walmart employee, that they actually had the Seaweed Salad. It was in the refrigerated section but there was no Aisle A36, and I got it home and it worked just fine. I even added a little ground ginger and it was just as good as the Golden Hex version that is unrefrigerated. [end NOTE]
[ADDENDUM 04/16/25]: The Walmart Seaweed Salad is delicious, and it is super easy to add the other ingredients that make it “perfect”: toasted sesame oil, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, red wine vinegar, white sesame seeds and some sweetener. And I added some GV Wonton Strips and sprouted Mung Beans. This is a really satisfying combination… and alas, I’m going to have to not eat it too often. It is high in sodium and sugar. I could imagine the combination being so wonderfully “diabetic friendly” but it is NOT. I checked with the Gemini AI. Oh, well. The sodium is a natural part of it coming from the ocean. [end]
[ADDENDUM 05/31/25]: I hadn’t had this in a while and this time I added some of my Mung bean and broccoli sprouts and it was just as good, perhaps even a little more crunchy. *My quinoa sprouts don’t seem to be. They are supposed to sprout more quickly than most other seeds, but these don’t seem to be at all. They may not be the actual seed, but some processed seed. [end]
[AND MO ADDENDUM 06/28/25]: I just had another Wakame Seaweed Salad, but I added several things. I first added some of the wonton strips. I’ve done this previously and they should be a “must” because they add crunch at little or no cost, nutritionally. But, this time I thought about adding some almonds. Yeah? I’ve never thought of that before and when I added some, they were pretty pleasant in the mix. I already had the Mung bean sprouts, which are also a “must.” They definitely add crunch, and deep down inside I think they’ve got to be adding a bunch nutritionally. And, as I ate the almonds, the thought of even adding some dried cranberries creeped in… and I think they might work also. I think the thought of cranberries & almonds came from some other salad. I’m not sure if I would ever go walnuts, but it might be worth a try and walnuts and cranberries definitely applaud each other.
**I’m tacking this on, from the next day. I made my Souped Up Wakame Salad today, and added all the bells and whistles, and it was FANTASTIC! So, Walmart Seaweed Salad, toasted sesame oil, soy sauce, red wine vinegar, red pepper flakes, white sesame seeds, Agave Nectar, Equal, a little garlic powder, almonds, dried cranberries & wonton strips.
Example Scenario (Serving Size 1):
Walmart Seaweed Salad (1/3 cup): 75.0 calories
1 tsp Toasted Sesame Oil: 40 calories
1/2 tbsp Low Sodium Soy Sauce: 10 calories
1 tsp Red Wine Vinegar: 0 calories
1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes: 0 calories
1/2 tsp White Sesame Seeds: 20 calories
1 tsp Agave Nectar: 20 calories
1 packet Equal: 0 calories
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder: 0 calories
Almonds (1/16 cup whole): 42 calories
Dried Cranberries (1/16 cup): 23 calories
Wonton Strips (1/2 tbsp): 8.75 calories
Total Calories = 238.75 calories
That all combined makes one delicious snack.
[end]
[ADDENDUM 08/03/25]: Damn! Sorry I didn’t scroll down further and remind myself of the almonds and dried cranberries. They do make this dish so good. But, I did add some mung bean & broccoli sprouts to this with the wonton strips and it was good too. If I haven’t said it previously, and even if I have, the wonton strips are a gift. They add crunch and there isn’t enough negative to not add them. [end]
[NOTE 09/28/25]: Yes, again. The seaweed I had in the refrigerator hasn’t gone bad. I pretty much recall all the ingredients, which is a surprise to me. It’s as if I naturally know what should go in this. I even did the Agave Nectar and Splenda without looking at the menu. The one thing I forgot, but added were the white sesame seeds. It is a pleasing little interlude. of flavor. [end]
Dolce K Sweet Olive & Fruit Mix
I have yet to order the Spanish Marcona Almonds (blanched). Above, I show a zester that I bought to zest the orange rind. It works well. I don’t have the amounts of each ingredient to use, but the first time I made this was “spot on.” Once you have your marinade, you just put the olives in and wait for a day or so, and they take on the marinade flavor. I think I should just use currants and not raisins, because the yellow raisins I used rehydrated to almost their original size, and at first I thought they were olives.
I bought some of the Mix from Whole Foods after I had made my own, to compare the two. I actually liked my version better. It seemed thicker, and more pungent. I also think that I can reuse the marinade several times, but just add a new jar of pitted olives. *It does take a day or so for the new olives to take on the flavor of the brine/vinegar but they do.
*Funny, once I knew how to make this, I stopped eating it. I haven’t had it in a long while. Not that I don’t still like the flavors.
I had a simple Cucumber & Sweet Onion Salad tonight. I’m not sure I think of it as a “salad,” but I’ve grown up with it since I was a child. My Aunt Sis made it, and it is so simple: sweet onion, cucumber (with or without the skins), vinegar & sugar (or in my case now, sweetener). Maybe a little salt would cause the flavors to “pop.”
*I’m not sure of what kind of onion my aunt used, because we didn’t grow up with Vidalia onions, and “sweet” onions only came along after the Vidalia became popular. My guess is that the “sweet onions” don’t take the name Vidalia because they aren’t grown in the “Vidalia” region of Georgia much like certain wines or chesses can’t take on a specific name because they don’t come from a specific region of France, or Italy, or elsewhere. *Now that I think of it, we didn’t grow up with English Cucumbers either, but I don’t recall regular cucumbers as being as bitter as they now are.
But then I came upon an Asian Cucumber Salad online that piqued my interest. So much so that, I got up and made a test sample to see if it would have a distinct flavor… and boy, IT DID!
First, you’ve got to know that I’ve fallen in love with the flavor of “Spicy Chili Crisp.” I found this while looking for something to add to my Stir-Fries, as a “change-up” flavor. It is about the cheapest chili oil that you can find, and it only costs about $5 at Walmart. And I like it just from the jar. It has an earthy flavor.
My version:
INGREDIENTS
English Cucumber
Spicy Chili Crisp
Toasted Sesame Oil
Red Wine Vinegar
Garlic Powder
Splenda Sweetener
Salt
Sesame Seeds
Romaine Lettuce (if you have it)
I’m thinking that this sauce would spiff up more than just cucumbers. Maybe Cannellini beans, or even green beans, or the two combined. Maybe this direction is based upon me thinking about a 3 Bean Salad, where beans are combined with vinegar & sweetener. Kidney beans & Garbanzos?
I have some pork chops that I think would go well with this Asian Cucumber Salad. Another thought, is using this sauce either on raw or roasted cauliflower. I’ve had something like this on roasted cauliflower, but I didn’t have the sweet vinegar. I think that is exactly what it would need. Oh wait, the roasted cauliflower had turmeric & garlic. I usually prefer sweet to savory flavors.
Spicy Asian Cabbage
I had steamed cabbage tonight and added Spicy Chili Crisp, sweetener, toasted sesame oil, and white sesame seeds. I may have liked these flavors together better than the Spicy Asian Cucumbers. I ate this with a pork chop that had agave nectar and some lime juice. I did not add soy sauce or vinegar, although that should be at least one taste test later on.
Yes, I do like the Asian seasonings with the steamed cabbage. I have made this about three times and I like it each time. I’ve also tried “smashing” the cucumbers to provide more surface area for the sauce to stick to. After I smash them, I sprinkle on some salt and set it in the fridge. After a while I pour off the liquid that has leached from the cucumbers and then add the Asian seasonings.
Broiled pork chop, charred onion, pickled beets and Asian Steamed Cabbage.
Note the one fried peanut (the red bean) that comes from the Spicy Chili Crisp.
I can think of few gifts from a friend that are better than “the wrong gift.” Why would I be happy to get the wrong gift from a friend? Well, isn’t it obvious?
It shows that they were thinking of you and wanting to please you and get you something special. How much more of a gift could you want?
I have given many gifts in my life and most of those gifts were probably the “wrong” item. They probably weren’t appreciated because what I placed value upon wasn’t necessarily what “they” thought was of value. “My bad!” I guess I’ve waited about 40 years to say that phrase willingly, “my bad.” I made a mistake, but it doesn’t mean I love you any less. Or cherish our friendship any less. You’re special to me, and I am very thankful for all our years of knowing each other and you welcoming me into your home and life. I hope there will be many more, although neither of us are “spring chickens.”
So, I’m going to be looking up recipes that use Wasabi Powder… a lot of frigging, stinking Wasabi Powder;-)
Reader’s Digest: Magic Foods for Better Blood Sugar
One of those books that I must have found at a library book sale for a buck or two. It’s re-enforcing that my choices, for the most part are good and in line with eating better. There is a test on pp. 60-61 regarding my current eating habits, and I think I did pretty well… Yeah, I did. I just checked and I scored a 27 which was pretty good.
But I just read that Agave Nectar is terrible because it causes blood sugar spikes, and a quick google has found nothing positive about using it. But, somewhere inside, I feel that there is something special about AN. If nothing more, that it causes chocolate syrup or honey to dissolve in cold milk. *If you’ve ever tried putting either of those in cold milk you know that they don’t mix well. They fall to the bottom of the glass, but if you add a little Agave Nectar, and stir, they completely dissolve.
I’ve been enjoying the Greek Gods Yogurt with various fruits or fruit purees that I have made. I pureed some raspberries and added a little Splenda, or I pureed a persimmon and had that with the yogurt. And the other night I added some walnuts to the mix. Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries. Loved it all.
I’ve been eating more oranges. Found the Cara Cara orange at Pate’s to be really flavorful. I bought a zester on Amazon and have actually zested several oranges before eating them. I put some of the zest in a sandwich bag and put it in the freezer, and some in a baggie just for current use. The current use is to add it to my Constant Comment hot tea for added citrus flavor.
*But, my goal was to have plenty of orange zest to go into the Dolce “K” Sweet Olive & Fruit Mix (Whole Foods) that I’ve learned to make at home. I haven’t gone back to my test batch that has been in the fridge for several weeks now. I don’t expect it to go bad, but who knows.
Recently, I’ve made some good Chorizo & Lentil Soup, and a good Seafood Chowder. I added more smoked paprika and regular paprika to some Spanish Chorizo (without the skin). I’ve got a basic ingredients list for the Seafood Chowder. The four seafood items currently include: cod fish, chopped clams, bay scallops and shrimp. I also include okra (fresh when I can or frozen), onion, potato, tomato & zucchini.
Since seeing Lee’s Fresh Market ad on TV, and then tracking them down just a couple of miles outside of Benson, North Carolina, I have shopped there repeatedly. It only takes me about 37 minutes one way, back through Erwin to get there. The two things I’ve bought the most there have been their Pepper Bacon and their Thick Cut Pork Chops. As long as the pork chops are on sale, what a deal! I can make at least 3 meals out of each pork chop. If they are a pound each, and even with the bone, you are still going to get a 3.5 or 4 ounce chunk of meat, and they are delicious when broiled in the oven.
[02/08/25]: And, I just broiled one tonight. I found two packages like the one shown above in my freezer and took one out to thaw. I only cooked one for dinner, but yes they still make about 3 meals. Amazing to me how quickly it cooks, being as thick as it is. I think it took about 10 minutes on the first site and then I flipped it for maybe another 4 or 5 minutes and it was done. The meat is still tender & moist on the inside with just a few charred edges, and it’s not raw, but just slightly pink on the inside. I’m now in my Asian seasonings era, so the English cucumber had some Spicy Chili Crisp Oil, Toasted Sesame Oil, Red Wine Vinegar, Splenda Sweetener & Soy Sauce. The Stir Fried Green Beans had Toasted Sesame Oil, Ground Ginger, Red Pepper Flakes and some Soy Sauce.
I look at the image below of the chicken gizzards and yes, they were good. But, I was thinking of buying some chicken livers and Stir Frying them along with some of the green beans. I had a couple of helpings of the Stir Fry Green Beans at the “No. 1 China Buffet” in Asheboro, North Carolina last week.
I picked up a container of chicken livers at the IGA across town this afternoon, but the outside of the container had bloody smears and I couldn’t make out whether the livers were fresh. I put them back thinking I would stop at the IGA in Eutah Shopping Center. That is where I had taken the picture below, previously, of the gizzards. Eggs and chicken prices have gone up, although ALDI’s still has a dozen eggs for under $5, but livers & gizzards are still reasonably priced. [end]
I’ve also bought a bunch of the Sanderson Farms Chicken Gizzards at IGA. They looked good in the store and they translated well in the pot. An earthy flavored delight, that goes well with blackeyed peas and well seasoned collards.
I wanted some collards and blackeyed peas for New Years Day. A little bacon grease starts either, but then I added a white potato to the canned collards. I don’t need to buy a large bunch of collards and cook them down for just one person. The blackeyed peas just need time to morf into something delicious with some chopped sweet onion. The onion goes good on the collards also.
I do eat a bunch of nuts, and some dried fruit. I don’t eat a bunch of dried fruit because of the extra sugars, but I like a couple of pitted prunes (the really moist, shiny dark ones), a pitted date every so often, a few raisins with some roasted pumpkin and walnut pieces. I like the wasabi/soy powder on the pumpkins seeds. I like almonds and cashews, and I love raw peanuts in the shell from Pate’s. I ate them repeatedly for about 3 months until they were no longer available.
I’ve been drinking “Bill’s Drink Mix & Some Real Juice” for months now, and almost every day finishing off a 1 Litre carafe. There are four ingredients in this drink and it doesn’t work for me if any one of them is missing. They include: orange juice, cranberry juice, Pomegranate Lemonade Mix, and Sweet Tea Mix, with water. The majority of this drink is water in which to dissolve the two flavor packets from WalMart.
I bought a new electric wok (Aroma from Amazon) recently, one as a test, and the other as a wedding gift. When I saw the quality of this purchase, I ordered the second one. I go through stages of eating a lot of stir-fries, and then none for a long time, but once I’m into it, they are so easy to prepare the basic ingredients, quick to cook, delicious to eat, and finally cleanup is a breeze.
I like both chicken & shrimp as my protein, but then I want sweet bell pepper, onion, carrots, and a little pineapple. Add some soy sauce and toasted sesame oil, some spicy chili crisp & a little Splenda. If you have the Stir Fry Vegetables great, and Sugar Snap or Snow Peas are icing on the stir fry. And I try to finish off with a slurry of corn starch. Although I love rice, I rarely have rice with my stir fry. I might include a few Angel Hair noodles in the stir fry to soak up some of the juices. *I have stopped by the local Chinese restaurant and picked up a couple of egg rolls to go with my stir fry. These are one of the few fried items I still eat, although some good fried chicken from the Seaboard Station in Hamlet is always appreciated.
I so want tortilla chips to be healthier because I can just imagine that all the ingredients I put in my homemade salsa are healthy: roasted garlic tomatoes, onion, roasted jalapeno & poblanos, some chipotle peppers, some Salsa Ranchera (Herdez) and a little Splenda.
I like making hummus at home. The basic ingredients include: garbanzo beans, tahini, cumin seeds, lemon juice (lime), olive oil and maybe some water to thin it out, if necessary. I like to eat hummus with carrot sticks, some sweet onion & sweet colorful bell pepper. I especially like eating smoked oysters with hummus. The problem is that hummus is high in calories.
I was getting a half loaf of whole wheat, multi-grain bread sliced at Publix and happened to look down and see a bag of Sourdough English Muffins. They looked good, but I knew that regular English muffins were horrible for blood sugar spikes. So, I quickly googled to see if sourdough was diabetic friendly. The AI said, “Yes,” so I bought both items. It has a lower GL than other breads.
I had bought some fresh ham at the Harris Teeter near Pharaoh’s Legacy across town. This ham was pre-sliced and I checked the price online and it was 1.5 lbs. @ $3.99. That’s a great deal. *I have found this ham also at LIDL, but currently it is about $6 for the 1.5 lbs. I divided the ham up when I got home and froze half. I then made an Egg McBill (like an Egg McMuffin, but at my home) using the sourdough muffin. I toasted the bread first, then added a slice on each side of Wegman’s White American Cheese. I heated a slice of the fresh ham, but because it started to “pop,” I only microwaved it for about 25 seconds. I also took a large egg and beat it in a bowl adding, Dulse, ground Long Pepper, salt, and garlic powder. I microwaved the egg for about a minute and a half. **I’ve now tried the Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain English Muffin and it was good, but I prefer the “Knock Your Sprouts Off” – Reduced Sodium, sprouted grain bread from Aldi’s.
I had already put half of the ham on each toasted, melted cheese side of the muffin and I dumped the cooked egg on one of those slices. I put the two halves together and went and ate a delicious Egg McBill. Or is that Bill McMuffin?
Forgive the messy look of this sandwich. The muffin started off distorted and I had to make all the other items fit, but take my word, “This was a very satisfying breakfast.”
I mentioned that the fresh ham was an excellent buy, as was the thick cut pork chops on sale, but another “good buy” is the whole rotisserie chicken at Harris Teeter. I like the meat better at HT than Publix, which tastes a little mealy, and costs about a dollar more. The HT Rotisserie Chicken costs about $7.99, but I can make from four to five meals from the one chicken. The last meal is probably a chicken salad.
*I can also use the chicken carcass & skin to make homemade chicken broth. I freeze some onion tops & bottoms, carrot ends & celery ends (stalk and tips). When I buy a rotisserie chicken I pull off the different meals and then pull off the remaining meat to make a chicken salad, but then I am left with the chicken skeleton. I put that along with any skin I have saved in my stock pot and add the frozen veggie leftovers, along with any fresh carrots, onions and/or celery that I might think is needed. Add some S&P, some garlic or garlic powder and any other seasonings and let it simmer for at least a couple of hours. Strain the broth into containers. I use empty Greek Gods Yogurt containers that have a good snap on lid. I think I filled about 4 containers full with a little left over last time. What’s left in the bottom of the stock pot looks like the refuse that gets caught in a flood.
I have found this Hatfield Ham at LIDL, I think, but I haven’t bought any in a long while because I think the sodium & fat are prohibitive.
Nutrition Facts
SERVING SIZE 3 OZ (84G)
SERV. PER CONTAINER 8
AMOUNT PER SERVING
CALORIES 110
CALORIES FROM FAT 35
% DAILY VALUE†
TOTAL FAT
3.5G
5
FAT FREE
0
SATURATED FAT
1G
5
TRANS FAT
0G
CHOLESTEROL
30MG
10
SODIUM
700MG
29
TOTAL CARB
3G
1
DIETARY FIBER
0G
0
SUGARS
3G
PROTEIN
14G
VITAMIN A
0
VITAMIN C
0
CALCIUM
0
IRON
2
†PERCENT DAILY VALUES ARE BASED ON A 2,000 CALORIE DIET.
I find it difficult to imagine that I’ve not got a page dedicated solely to the Round Bone Lamb Chop. Well, I find it difficult to imagine that I could write a whole posting dedicated solely to anything, as my mind goes off on one tangent after another. I will write something and it will remind me of something else, and something else, and something else…
But, here goes.
I now have a brand new “non-electric” wok from VinChef. It is beautiful on the inside and on her bottom.
I mentioned the “oven safe” wok first because it is perfect for broiling a couple of round bone lamb chops in the oven.
I’m not sure of the first time I ate a round bone lamb chop, but I definitely had several pleasant experiences eating a lunch special at Sherefe in downtown Fayetteville, North Carolina. They are no longer located there but they seared the lamb chop very well.
I do remember going to Sherefe for their round bone lamb chop lunch special one time. It must have been a long time since they had last offered this special, because I order it and when it arrived at my table I saw the char it had on the lamb chop and realized that it was exactly what I wanted. I guess I was expecting it to be boiled.
Sprouts – Australia
I saw a good looking lamb chop at Sprouts recently and took this picture of it. It’s not a “round bone” chop, and it’s from Australia and not New Zealand (as is Publix).
I may have even bought a round bone lamb chop at Sprouts, but normally I buy from Publix because they seem to have the freshest presentation, even though their Greewise brand is imported from New Zealand.
I was in Publix and was about to buy some dark, whole grain bread, and while at the counter, I noticed a package of Sourdough English Muffins. I quickly checked online asking, “Is sourdough diabetic friendly.” The answer came back, “Yes.” So, I took half a loaf of the dark, whole grain bread, and a package of 4 (I think.) sourdough English Muffins and headed to the checkout.
I fixed a homemade Egg McMuffin yesterday using one of the sourdough muffins and it was okay, but I didn’t toast the bread. I may have put the muffins in the microwave and melted the cheese slightly, but the sandwich was “lacking.” But I made a mental note that I should toast the bread in the oven.
I made another Egg McMuffin, at home this morning, and this time I toasted the Sourdough English Muffin in the oven first. I used the copper colored wire rack that Mary Ann had given me some time ago. After I got a little char on the bread, I added a slice, on each half of the muffin, of Wegman’s White American Cheese and let it melt a little while I was cooking the egg in the microwave. It takes about a minute and a half to get the egg just right. One minute and there might still be a little runniness, and add another 30 seconds and the egg is cooked, but not dry.
Somewhere late in the process, I put a slice of the fresh ham, that I had bought at HT (across town), in the microwave but because it started popping, I stopped the heating at only about 30 seconds. I rarely buy “fresh” ham and I did check the package before I bought this to see how much sugar was included and it said only 1% which I thought was very good. I didn’t think to check the salt content. This ham was already cooked and sliced just a little thicker than sandwich thickness. *I thought of using two slices, but then decided not to, and one slice was enough for this breakfast sandwich.
So, the sandwich was: top of sourdough English muffin, slice of White American cheese, slice of fresh ham, microwaved egg, slice of White American cheese and the bottom of the sourdough English muffin. I think I had some garlic powder, Dulse, and S&P on the egg, and a little olive oil, in the egg, and on the bottom of the microwave onion cooker.
This toasted egg, ham & cheese sandwich was delicious. It “hit the spot,” and I would definitely want to have this again.
The fresh ham I bought was a pretty good sized chunk of meat so I divided it up and froze two chunks in the freezer and had a small amount in a sandwich bag in the fridge. I already know that the dark, wheat bread I bought, even though I only bought a half loaf, is too much for me to finish before it goes bad. I still had a little of the French Baguette (LaFarm Bakery, but purchased at Whole Foods) left in a plastic bag but noticed it had become moldy so I threw it out. The Sourdough English Muffins are in the fridge. *And, I’ve just decided to half the half loaf of wheat bread and put half in the fridge also.
Hatfield Ham @ LIDL
*I see that online this 1.5 lbs. (24 oz.) ham is only $3.99. This seems like an excellent price to me. You could get six 4 oz. servings from this ham. *When I couldn’t get the Hatfield ham at HT I went looking elsewhere. I think I paid about $11 for the same sized package of ham (not Hatfield), but then I realized that the $3.99 price I quoted was probably NOT for the whole ham, but was a per pound amount. **And, I just checked and now HT is showing the 1.5 lbs. ham for $7.99 and that appears to be the total cost. It doesn’t say “per pound.” ***I liked the flavor and texture of the Hatfield ham better that what I bought at Walmart.
[NOTE 02/14/25]: Surprise, surprise! I was shopping in LIDL today and while looking across the meat section I saw that they sold Hatfield Ham. I saw what I wanted, and bought it. I want to see if the ham makes the difference when I am making my “Bill McMuffin.” [end NOTE]
SproutsHarris Teeter
While in the new HT, I also checked the availability and price of the Plain Greek Gods Yogurt (see above – 01/04/25). *And because HT has been out of the Plain Greek Gods Yogurt a couple of times, I went looking for another vendor. Sprouts has the Plain for about 20 cents more, but they have it.
I just had some of the plain Greek Gods Yogurt with some blackberry puree that I made. I added a few walnuts to this and it was even better.
Something I started yesterday was taking a small “shot” of red wine vinegar, turmeric, fenugreek powder, Splenda sweetener and a little water if needed, to thin this drink out. I’ve read before and in the “Magic Foods” book I’m currently reading, that vinegar can help regulate blood sugar. Feungreek may also have this sugar regulating control, and I don’t recall why advantages turmeric has, but I think the term is “Golden Milk,” when you mix a little turmeric powder with milk. When I add a little sweetener to that it reminds me of egg nog. Not exactly, but “on the road to.”
It seems that the mixture of vinegar, turmeric and fenugreek causes the mixture to coagulate. Maybe the fenugreek does this because I haven’t noticed that result when adding just turmeric to milk.
*I was “talking” with an AI, ChatGpt the other day about this drink and “out of the blue” it asked me if I had to shake up the jar when I took it out of the fridge. I didn’t prod it for this observation. From it’s vast databank, it knew that Turmeric did not mix with vinegar or water, and would settle in the bottom of that kind of mix. Sort of like when Gemini realized that I was setting up my 2001: A Space Odyssey HAL 9000 scenario. The can be sharp, and they can be an “Idiot Savant.”
I don’t have the year, but I met Mary Ann down in Charleston, SC where she was attending an education conference and then we drove down to visit Yvonne at St. Simons Island, Georgia. Spivey was still alive.
It was extremely hot weather, both in Charleston and on St. Simons Island. The above photo was taken from the porch dining area of the Waterside Restaurant on Shem Creek, which is across the river from Charleston. I think I had a very good “Wilted Spinach Salad” this visit and came home and repeated the salad successfully. I think a little hot oil over the baby spinach leaves does the trick, and it also has a boiled egg chopped up in it.
It may have been my first visit to the Waterside that I had a “Shrimp Po’Boy” sandwich with fries. There were good fried shrimp and slaw on the sandwich, but the addition was a “curry remoulade” sauce. The word “sauce” may be redundant depending upon what “remoulade” actually means. As I recall, at the time, I couldn’t find a good definition of “remoulade” online. Definitions have gotten better since. The curry remoulade made this sandwich and I came home to try and make this curry remoulade. I came to the conclusion that all the ingredients I needed were: curry paste (Pataks), small capers, and mix those up in Duke’s Mayo. The flavor was close enough and I made a small jar and kept it in my fridge for various sandwiches. It was good on ham and chicken sandwiches also.
Mary Ann and Yvonne in Yvonne’s kitchen on St. Simons Island.
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On another visit to Georgia, I travelled to Thomasville which is near the Florida (Panhandle) border to visit Sweet Grass Dairy. At that time they had both goats and cows and made various types of cheeses from both animals. You could also actually visit the dairy where the goats were located and milked.
I don’t recall the dog’s name but I think the cool concrete walkway felt good to his belly.
Jessica’s parents owned the dairy at that time. This is Jeremy & Jessica. Jeremy is married to Jessica. They would take over the cheesemaking and open a restaurant that was located in Thomasville. They later got rid of the goats, and stopped the public visits to the dairy. But for a while they had a store located near the dairy where the public could buy their cheeses and other products. The dairy was several miles outside of town.
I bought a bunch of cheese my first visit, and packed it all up in some coolers I had brought along for the long trip back to North Carolina. On my second visit, I think I bought some Pecan Oil at their newly built store, and gave some away as gifts.
During my first visit to Thomasville, I ate at Liam’s Restaurant, but on another visit Liam’s was closed and I ate lunch next door at Jonah’s Fish & Grits Restaurant. The restaurant was crowded that afternoon. I enjoyed my meal at Jonah’s and I think I had a Lobster Bisque soup.
The food was good, but the special item for me that day was the size of the cutlery. The dinner knife, spoon and fork were all very large, and I liked the feel of these in my hand as I ate. I enjoyed them so much that when I came back home, some weeks later, I drove up to Smithfield, North Carolina to the Lenox Outlet and found an Oneida cutlery set that reminded me of Jonah’s cutlery. I bought them and they have been my main cutlery every day since.
The only negative about this Oneida cutlery is the dinner fork and the salad fork are so close in length that when I put it away from the dishwasher, I have to compare the sizes to figure out which is which.
The Lenox Outlet closed many years ago and there have been few other stores in the outlet that I want to visit. I may visit Carolina Pottery once a year, just to connect with the current holiday. It’s been a while but I also enjoyed shopping at the Pepper Palace.
I’m sitting in my easy chair in my living room at 2:41-2-3 am starting to write this blog entry. I am awake at this time, most mornings. I reach over to a glass beer mug that has a hot citrus drink and take a sip. I really do like the flavor of “Bill’s Drink Mix,” hot or cold. I created this drink combination about a year and a half ago, and almost every day since, I’ve drank about one carafe, cold with ice. But I’ve also heated some up in the microwave, and found it delicious each time.
Neither the picture of the beer mug nor the glass carafe are my actual items, but they are quite accurate as to how each looks. I’ve had the glass beer mugs (6 of them) since Russ & Deborah Savage donated them to “The Hem of His Garment,” over 30 years ago. When I saw them, I priced them and then bought them and took them home. I had them before I moved to Fayetteville, North Carolina from Jacksonville, North Carolina in 1995. The beer mug is “microwave safe.” It better be as many times as I’ve used one of these to heat water for tea, or re-heat coffee. I bought three of the glass carafes (each with a tight fitting plastic cap) probably ten years ago at a specialty shop near Crabtree Valley Mall in Raleigh. *I may be lying to you about where I bought them, but I do recall buying some glass containers at that store.
[02/18/25]
Well, I guess there comes a time for all.
Note the packet shown below. Each packet is a single serving and they come in a box of 10 each, at WalMart. One of their GV – Great Value products. I normally just slice off one end of the packet with a knife and then pour the contents (a powder) into a carafe of water, and also adding the other juices.
“Bill’s Drink Mix” consists of four items: a little orange juice, a little cranberry juice, one packet of “Iced Tea” mix from WalMart, and one packet of “Pomegranate-Lemonade” mix from WalMart. And, I must have all four of these items included to make “Bill’s Drink Mix.” Any one of them left out, and I wouldn’t be a long-time fan. *I have however replaced the flavored tea packet with actual brewed tea, and the tea can be plain tea, or a more exotic flavored tea. Of course this substitution occurred as a result of me running out of the flavored tea packets. And it’s never certain that I will find both of the flavor packets when I go looking for them on the WalMart isles. **I still long for the “Lime” flavored packet to return to the shelf. The unadulterated version, not the “Lime&XXX” version, like “Watermelon Lime.” The lime flavor was excellent. It wasn’t a favorite at home, but often after lunch, I would enjoy a limeade made with one of these lime packets. I don’t know why.
And, before “Bill’s Drink Mix,” I had two flavors that I alternated back and forth between: “Fruit Punch,” and “Dragon Fruit,” but neither had that citrus punch that I came to appreciate in my mix.
As I started to re-read the above article I came upon the idea of several items that I have used for over 30 years, and still continue to use to this day (and hopefully several more days). The three items that first come to mind are the classic beer mugs that I bought at a thrift store in Jacksonville, NC perhaps a few years before I moved, in 1995, to Fayetteville to live & work. So that’s at least 30 years ago. As I said above, I have one of these beside me as I write, filled with “Bill’s Drink Mix” and served hot this morning.
The next item is the “Revere Ware” frying pan made in 1978. The company stamped the manufacture date on the bottom of each pan or pot that was made. Paul Revere, long dead, delegated the task of making this pan for me.
When I think of how much use this pan has had over the years, and I just roasted some Brussels Sprouts, walnuts & cranberries in it last night, it brings out the New Englander’s frugal nature in me. And I was born in North Carolina. Grew up in North Carolina. And, have only been to New England once that I recall. But I did enjoy my visit with my friend, Gary Golden, very much. It was winter, and snow was all around. I will say that the one shortcoming is the handle. Not that is has not weathered well since 1978, but that it’s not oven proof, so I can’t bake or broil something in the oven with this pan.
*I’ve been on Etsy and seen Revere Ware pots and pans on sale, and some going back to the 1940s. I might think about buying one of these as a present for a young man who is going off to college (and is allowed to cook),
Below is me fixing my Zucchini/Shrimp/Kielbasa dish. Several years ago I made this from scratch early one morning and liked it so much that I’ve repeated it a myriad of times. Six ingredients: beef Polska Kielbasa, shrimp, zucchini, onion, pasta shells & a small amount of tomato (I didn’t want a strong tomato sauce for this dish.). I usually only use a couple of Campari tomatoes, quartered and they disappear into the sauce, except for leaving a light hint of red. I add S&P and garlic powder, but I also add red pepper flakes and maybe even a little cayenne powder. It is a spicy dish, but each item is supposed to be a little island of flavor, with no one thing overpowering the others.
Before leaving the Revere Ware, I would like to mention that I also have a couple of 3 Qt. pots, a 2 Qt. pot & a 1 Qt. pot that I use quite often.
I noted that the pots did not have a manufacture date on their bottoms, and in reading online the logo was changed in 1968 and manufacture dates were no longer stamped on the utensils. Eventually the company was sold to Corning, and the headquarters moved to Indonesia.
I bought a “steamer” insert years ago, that is not Revere Ware, but was made to fit the pot perfectly. This insert has gotten a great deal of use throughout the years. I love steamed asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, and cauliflower. Anything that I need to steam goes into the insert which has worked faithfully for many years.
Several years ago, I bought a “cheap” set of Guy Fieri pots & pans at Belk’s and they each had glass lids. What was nice was that these glass lids also fit my Revere Ware pots (but not the skillet) perfectly. I like being able to put a lid on a pot and be able to look through the glass at what is cooking. However, most times I will leave the lid off. I said “cheap” set, but they look to be quality, and have lasted, and are oven safe so I use these when I am broiling a steak, pork chop, or lamb chop in the oven.
Since I’ve been a batchelor all my life, I have had the opportunity to use and reuse many items that if I had a wife, she would have had me “throw out those old things” long ago. I would have had new dishes instead of the “Gibson” restaurant blue stripe plates that I bought as a set at a store in Jacksonville, NC. They were factory “seconds” so some of the striping wasn’t up to par, and a plate might have a slight warp, but none of that has stopped me from using them almost daily since. The picture shows one of my actual plates, with a favorite meal that just happened to be a vegetarian delight: corn on the cob, fried okra, a tomatillo & onion chutney and sliced tomatoes.
I bought the dish set and then was surprised when I turned one of the dishes over at home and saw “Gibson” imprinted on its bottom. I had to do a double take, because of how the “G” and “i” run together, but no, it said “Gibson.” I went online and found that there was a Gibson Company that made dishes. So as a bonus I ended up with a set of monogramed dishes at no extra cost.
Tomatillos remind me of green tomatoes, but they have a different flesh than tomatoes. *”Chutney…” I’ve eaten at the “Blue Willow Inn,” in Social Circle, Georgia, several times since my sister Donna first introduced me to the place many years ago. In fact, and maybe it was my first visit, Donna treated me, my dad Bill (her & my dad), and his wife, Sara (Donna’s mother, but not mine.) to the crowded Sunday buffet. We sat together at a table on one of the side porches and enjoyed the meal and time together on a sunny Sunday afternoon in Georgia.
*I see from their web site that the restaurant must have been closed for a while but is about to reopen. I did think the buffet was a little pricey for what you had to choose from, especially since you could get most of those same items at other “country” restaurants and at a much lower price. And, the ambiance had changed greatly for me when the wooded area behind the restaurant was cut down and a small “strip mall” was built there. I don’t care how old and beautiful the home is if you plop it in the middle of a business district.
One time I was walking along the inner circle of the Blue Willow Inn buffet (it has a U shape so you can have customers walking on both sides of the food) and I took a couple of fried green tomatoes from the bar. I then noticed that they had “tomato chutney” in a small dish beside the fried tomatoes, so I put some of this on the tomatoes. The tomato chutney was sweet and I found it “decadent” that you could have two different flavor profiles that compliment each other from the same fruit. The sweet ripe red tomato complimenting the savory fried green tart tomato.
The following story was added the next day from most of this blog posting, as I recalled another one of my visits to the Blue Willow Inn. I had finished eating and was trying to leave Social Circle and get back on I20 and I was heading back in an easterly direction, but I don’t know why. It was late in the day, and if I had been driving all the way back to Fayetteville, I wouldn’t have eaten at the Blue Willow Inn.
I didn’t see street signage pointing to I20, but I drove down a road quite a ways. I knew I was heading in a westerly direction, and I didn’t want to go back toward Atlanta. Eventually, I decided to turn around thinking I had gotten on the wrong road. I believe I even made it back to Madison, Georgia before heading back to where I thought I20 was located. Unfortunately, the road that I chose took me across I20, but there were no ramps either on or off I20 on this road. But, I continued on and tried to head in an easterly direction. Those roads wound in giant undulating swaths through country, but never was there a road heading back to I20 and an on ramp. I must not have had a smartphone, or at least a smartphone with an Internet connection because I had no map to reference. And eventually I began to wonder if I would run out of gas somewhere in this Georgia countryside. If you look at a map, I must have headed to Eatonton from Madison and only in Eatonton and Lake Oconee was I able to get back to I20. But what a circuitous and angst filled route.
And once I got home and the Internet, I went back on Google Street View and found that before I turned around in Social Circle, I had been just two miles short of getting back to I20.
And the third item that I have probably had the longest is my “John Wayne” P38 – Military Issue field can opener. *I was never in the military, but I grew up (Swansboro, Hubert, Jacksonville, Camp Lejeune) around Marines. I’m thinking that a Marine may have rented one of my aunt’s (“Sis” – Carrie Kellum) mobile homes (trailers) and having eventually moved out, left his John Wayne in a kitchen drawer, where in came directly or indirectly into my possession. However, I do recall that someone told me that the Marines called this tool a “John Wayne” and after all these years I finally googled for the reason “why.” **Seems that John Wayne did the “voiceover” on a military training video for the P-38 can opener. ***I do know why they called the rough brown toilet paper John Wayne. The joke goes it is called “John Wayne” because it’s rough, and tough, and it doesn’t take crap off of anybody.
What’s Mine is Mine… Sometimes.
As I re-read above about what an imaginary wife might have made me do. “Throw out those old things,” regarding the Gibson dishes I had, or the old Revere Ware that has continued faithfully to perform, I was reminded about something that happened to me a year so so before I moved to Fayetteville (1995).
I worked at Coastal Carolina Community College for a couple of years before I moved to Fayetteville. During my time at Coastal, I taught a few introductory computer courses (they were on the quarter system, not semester) and I worked in their computer department doing repairs, maintenance and software installs & upgrades on PCs. I was also working to complete an “Associates” degree dealing with PCs. *My age has stopped me from remembering the exact title of the degree, but if I scrounge around in my old papers, I think I may still have the degree that I earned. It was in a sturdy little folding, thick cardboard holder.
I had come across an old Marine Corps hooded poncho probably at “The Hem of His Garment.” That was the ministry that included a thrift store that helped supply donated items for people in need, and the profit from the sale of the donated items also went to support those in need.
The old poncho was made of a heavy rubber, a dark avocado military green, but despite a few holes it did it’s job well. It may not have looked good, but it did keep the rain off my head and body when it rained. So, I would take the poncho to work and leave it on a shelf just inside our office door. There was a young, attractive girl (woman) who I think was volunteering in our department, and she several times mentioned how awful the poncho looked. And I would “laugh it off” because it didn’t belong to her, and what she thought at least about the poncho didn’t matter. Well, at least it didn’t matter until one day I realized that the poncho on the shelf, was no longer on the shelf.
She had been cleaning up the place (office) and had taken it upon herself to throw my old poncho away. She didn’t ask me if she could throw MY poncho away, she had just done it. And, when I confronted her about it, it was obvious that what I thought about her actions mattered just as little to her, as what I thought about her demeaning my old poncho had meant to me. Nada.
I have given away a bunch of stuff through the years, and I’ve even given up stuff intentionally when I perceived that someone else wanted it more than I did, but this act made me angry then, and when I rarely recall it, still makes me quite angry to this day. What’s mine is mine, sometimes, but don’t take or throw away something that is mine until you check with me first. And if I don’t want you to take it or throw it away, you better not take it or throw it away.
,aspect=ignore)
Bill Gibson, II 