Buffering

Whew.  I packed a lot into the weekend...

When don't I? 

I was getting sick of just pony tails AND having my hair make the back of my neck sweat.

So french braid it was for the day. 

On Saturday, I purchased the materials to finish the deck.  Did I rebuild the deck? no.

But the materials are sitting in the back of Meri's old pick up until my BIL comes tomorrow to haul the truck away.

I guess I better move them again today...

Also on Saturday, I got a batch of yogurt going.

Also on Saturday, I pulled out my weed trimmer and the two 100 foot extension cords I gave Robb for our anniversary... *aren't I romantical??* and was able to reach clear to the back fence with them.  I went down one side of the fence on the south side of the yard and then back up the other side of same fence.

Aside from the really tall grass that wove itself into the fence, it looks really nice.

Maybe I'll get to the other fence by next weekend. 

Maybe not.

I also found an older electric trimmer in my garage!  I must have bought it a previous year and got the plastic wire all messed up.  I'll see if I can fix that and let Meri use it on her yard...

Since I was on a roll, I also trimmed up a bunch of weeds back in the woods until the little plastic wire on the trimmer snapped off due to a tree trunk I accidentally smacked with it.  I'd fixed it so many times, that I gave up and went and exchanged it for the electric chain saw.  

Chopped down many little trees that were growing through the fence, keeping us from being able to open the gate.  Well the gate is now open but being blocked by a felled tree that is still attached to the trunk...  The chain fell off the chain saw because of my stupidity getting too close to the dirt and angling things.

And the tree wouldn't break off...  darn.

So I figured that was God telling me to go in the house and relax the rest of the day.

I put everything away and went in.  Who was I to argue with God?

Leon got me signed up for Roblox and I stumbled around in the app for a while wondering what the heck I was doing.  Apparently your character has to die in order to gain materials for Leon's character...  ummmm... this is a sucky game.

Then with some time left until supper, I harvested a bunch of rhubarb and made rhubarb chutney, a savory, sweet, oniony sauce.  Oh yummmmm  It's even great in yogurt!

But I put it on my pulled pork sandwich that night and wow.  It was good!

I KIND of followed a recipe and here is my rendition.

RHUBARB CHUTNEY

Pulled out the food processor and chopped up half a left over onion from the fridge.  It was just a normal yellow onion.

Cleaned and hand chopped up the rhubarb into little chunks to fill 4 cups.

The rest went into the freezer in 2 cup baggies.

THEN in a sauce pan...

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion minced as above

1 dash salt

4 cups chopped rhubarb

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 cup dried cranberries like craisins

1 or 2 cinnamon sticks

directions:

Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium head.  Cook onion until softened.  5-6 minutes.

add salt.

Stir the rest of the ingredients in and cook, stirring occasionally until rhubarb softens and begins to break down.  6-8 minutes.

Discard cinnamon stick before serving.

Store in the fridge until someone eats it all.  It does freeze well too.

I also made homemade pesto with the basil from my herb garden.  It looks like the basil had a bad hair cut...  Eh - it's 2020...  EVERYONE has a bad hair cut right now!  

There has GOT to be a quicker way to trim off the basil leaves...

I'll google it...

HOMEMADE PESTO

2 packed cups of basil leaves - previously washed and patted dry

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup walnuts as I don't have pine nuts

salt

Put in the food processor and pulverize it.

I lined an ice cube tray with plastic wrap and put little dollops of the pesto into each little cube.  Then covered with more plastic wrap and froze it.  

When you're ready to use it, thaw and add parmesan.  I guess there is no reason not to add the parmesan ahead of time.  I'll do that next time I make it.

Robb and I got to DUO with Maddy for a while on Saturday as well!  I cannot WAIT for this Covid stuff to go away so we can see them again and meet their two crazy dogs!

I miss them so much.

After supper, I binged watched several episodes of Lark Rise to Candleford on Hulu.

I love it!

It's basically Little House on the Prairie in England.

And I love the fact that all my favorite BBC actors are in it!  The mom of Rose on Dr. Who, Dawn French from Vicar of Dibley, the guy that looks just like Hugo from Vicar of Dibley also, but I found out is actually not.  I've seen Laura in something else, but couldn't find it on IMDB, Yeah, her name on the show is actually Laura...  and her Pa and Queenie has been in a ton of stuff I've watched too. I think Death in Paradise for the dad... 

Mrs. Cropley from Vicar of Dibley is in it too!  

I know... I just keep name dropping from shows you've never watched and you have no idea who these people are, but oh well... 

I suckered Robb into watching the first episode with me last night.  It'll be our together show now until he gets sick of it.  I don't think he will...  And I don't mind rewatching the first few episodes.  If he does quit, I'll continue on with it.  There are 4 seasons, so we'll be set for a while.

Sunday, after church, I went to see Ada in a light sprinkling of rain.  Can't wait until the nursing home opens up, but I guess for now, we're just happy that she's going to finally get a hair cut next week!  after waiting three months...

I went home and it was chill outside, so I called Meri and asked her if she'd like a smallish pan of tortellini with pesto that I was planning on making for supper.  Um yes.

So I made a big pan for us and a smaller one for her and Shub.

CHICKEN TORTELLINI with PESTO

Here's the recipe that I made into my own, since it was loosely followed...

3 packages of tomato, basil tortellini from Aldi - the dried kind.

A few handfuls of the pulled pork leftover from the previous dinner - About 2-3 cups worth

you can use chicken or no meat if you want.

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 green pepper, seeded and chopped

1/2 onion (minced in food processor again) (that way the onion doesn't make your eyes hurt!)

6 ounce jar of tomato pesto from Aldi and 4 ice cube tray lumps of homemade green pesto

3-4 cups chicken broth.  I used homemade bone broth from October.

1/2 cup milk

1/2 jar of leftover Aldi Alfredo sauce

a dollop or two of sour cream

2 cups shredded cheese to top

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Put butter in medium size skillet and medium heat.

Add onions and green pepper and cook until soft.  About 4 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, add the onion mixture, pesto, broth, milk, alfredo sauce, sour cream and salt and pepper.  

Whisk well.

Put tortellini pieces into a large greased baking dish. 

Pour mixture over the tortellini and stir around.

Cover pan with foil.

Bake with foil on for 20 minutes, then with foil off, stir the tortellini around to make sure all is covered with sauce, top with cheese, then bake for another 20 minutes until the cheese is bubbly.

Enjoy!

Meri and Shub came over to get the pan I made for them and I was draining the vanilla yogurt that I'd also made on Saturday.  Shub had a taste and really liked it!  So I sent back a container of it just for him.  He also wanted me to give the recipe for it to Meri so she could make some too.  So I sent her the link also.  He also tried the chutney with it and liked that too.  

I guess he just likes food!

And Meri is going to be busy making all these things for him.

This morning, since the grass was nice and wet from the rains we've been getting, I logged over 1700 steps this morning spreading Scotts lawn weed and feed stuff all over the yard.  

Dandelions and the clover are TOAST, I tell you!

and possibly my tennis shoes.  They were drenched and so were my socks.

Oh well, need to have a nice looking lawn!

And it's not supposed to rain for the next few days, so the timing is good.

At least I HOPE the weather man hasn't lied again, like he did on Saturday!

I think the week days are made for me to rest up for the next weekend.

So I'm buffering here and gearing up for the next two days to work my little heart out!

Have a wonderful week!