Toor dal yellow split peas

Yellow split peas - 'toor dal' if you go by labels - serves 2 to 3 - 1 cup washed peas, 3 cups water, 1/2 tsp curry powder, salt, bit olive oil, bring to boil then stir, turn on low until peas are soft, add raw carrot, chopped garlic cloves, powdered ginger, cumin, black pepper and salt more to taste - I added a bit of ginger paste and a bit of a curry sauce brick, zucchini, green onions, regular onions, chopped sorrel from my garden - let simmer until everything is cooked through and broth has become less soup and more sauce - pour into glass jar to cool - cook rice to nice and fluffy, make two omelets, reheat and pour split peas onto rice - serve up

 It's what is for dinner tonight.

Mark said he would reheat some of the meatballs that he and Esme made on Saturday - and we could split a pack between all of us with him having some rice.

 

I also learned you can chop up peeled garlic and put it in the freezer - did that today with two heads of garlic that I've been worrying about if they were going to go bad and wondered if they would be bad already when I came to get some for this recipe.  I'm in 'do something is better than nothing' mode.  This bag of yellow split peas and a box of oolong tea were the things I had ordered last month to count as my mother's day - and even though they together cost about ten dollars, my anxiety could still let things get away with me about losing this job to the fire - and having to figure out how to get things right again within a month or so.

But, using it in a good way, using resources on hand in good ways and saving little things and organizing and cleaning can take you a little further towards 'it could be worse and we'll work to make it better'  I will probably feel different in a few more weeks - but I know I can only do what I can do, and some of that is more useful than others, but all of it is better than staring into space / into a screen doing nothing.
 

 

 

On Daddy's shoulders, and bits

This was the picture I had been looking for awhile for the album... and I finally found it.  

Esme was just about two in this picture.

I feel like I'm getting 'the hang of' the sites I signed up for when Esme went  back to public school.  I consider them time-fillers, not time-wasters, as they do take time but they return with savings on our groceries, or gift cards from retailers etc.  

I packed my lunch today with a boiled egg, red curry paste, a tomato, cheese and salad.  The curry paste was a treat for myself -as no one else eats it.  I like it and probably use way too much because I like curry!  Mark made the boiled eggs from an extra dozen from our chickens.  We have all been enjoying the eggs.. it is just we take some time to get to them once in a while and have to make a big scrambled egg dinner to make sure they are being used well.

Mint, Lemon Balm and Grapefruit

 A red poppy from the garden and cut flowers I was given for Mother's Day

There  were other things I could have done with my ambition today - but there wasn't as much of it as I had planned for.  So I talked myself into playing with good smelling leaves.. which wasn't that hard to talk in to (as it was for cleaning or sewing today) as I had thought it would be.  I put on my shoes, grabbed some scissors and went right out.

 There were two trays of mint leaves, and a few rose petals that had drooped on the roses in the vase above.  The large leaves are apple mint, and the small ones are classic peppermint.

I learned a while back to save the smallest bits of leaves and wrap them up in paper towel to dry.  They are actually the most potent - and add a lot to the resulting dried mixture.

 
 

Lunch of grapefruit and peppered mozzarella on toast

The biggest reason to go out to the herbs was for the lemon balm.  I had read somewhere that you could make a facial cleanser with witch hazel from the store (sold by the peroxide and rubbing alcohol) and lemon balm leaves, steeped together for a few days.  I had smelled the grapefruit in the store and Mark said I might be able to use the peel of the grapefruit that way, too - and I saved the peel and put it in a separate jar, covered in witch hazel, as well.  I'll at least have some nice smelling witch hazel, which is a good cleanser all by itself :)  But I looked up the combinations and apparently they are being sold by salons that way.. with other things like aloe vera and tea tree oil in them.. which I happen to have a large aloe vera plant and some tea tree Bronner's soap, as well...  

Packed school lunches

Esme said that there were kids bumping her tray and making her spill things at school - and apparently nothing had been done about that by teachers, so she wanted to start bringing a lunch box to school.  She also wanted to sit with certain girls who sit at the lunchbox table... so there is a double motive there.  We told her she would have to earn the lunch box by taking brown paper bag lunches to school until Christmas Break, which is at the end of next week.  If she does good with those and is actually eating what is sent - she can buy the pink lunchbox at the store.

So, now she is eating ravenously at home, and she 'appeared' to eat her lunch yesterday as the bag came home empty.  I packed her another today, and she seemed to approve of all of the contents.  I had went out to the store and picked up some fruit and better bread etc etc.. to make the lunch more complete.  And I insisted she eat a cheese stick this morning and part of a bagel and milk.  Which, she did.. although she hates cheese she said it wasn't so bad.

Since I don't know and haven't been told if they refrigerate their lunches (Esme says they don't - they stay in the backpack) I have just sent (good) strawberry jam on bread the past few days and assorted other items and a drink to make it balanced.  If she gets refrigeration or a lunch box I can send an insulated sandwich case with a cold pack so she can take bologna sandwiches with ketchup, which she likes.  It might make her a little less picky about what she eats and/or just be a learning experience for both of us.  I kind of like the idea of packing her a lunch at night for the next day - but don't like the idea I might not know what she eats and what she doesn't.  etc etc...