The Range on a Budget - Weekend Adventures

You know money is tight when you make half dollar pancakes.

OK, that was actually a flipping accident, this morning. The weekend flew by much too quickly. Saturday was chores, a few things to be picked up.  My household likes a good bargain (I am part Scot) and you'd be surprised what you can find if you have a keen eye. A "scratch and dent" sale at a food wholesalers resulted in a lot of new canned goods, marked with a marker on the label with the date to use by, so they can be rotated through regularly, keeping the emergency pantry fresh as well as very stocked.

 For example, this  was only Sixty Nine Cents, found at a discount a while back. 

 Since I'd had a long week, Partner offered to cook dinner last night while I relaxed with some wine from Aldi (don't laugh, they have some decent table wine) with my feet up.  This is what he came up with and it was delicious!  I'm going to check out some of the other Nantucket Off-Shore sugar and salt free rubs, this one was really good! (click on recipe name to open)  Herb-crusted Chicken.

And yes, in honor of the 11th Doctor on this 50th anniversary show night - bow tie pasta.

Sunday late morning  found us sorting through a few other of the bargains.  This fake security camera had a broken part, easily fixed and was $1. 

It has a motion sensor that then flashes a light at you like it's taking your picture. I'm not sure if it will deter anyone but it will be fun to mount up somewhere above the back door.  I wonder if I write "NSA" on it with a Sharpee, anyone will notice.

This Mission table is a current work in progress, found sitting by a trash can on a street, being thrown out.  It had a scuffed particle board top and bottom shelf, but the mission ends were solid oak and in excellent shape but for a few surface scratches.  Quick, stop and load. The top and shelf are an easy replacement with real wood, and with a refinish to hide some minor wear, this will be a nice addition to the Range.

I'm not too proud to grab something someone threw out just as most of my kitchen ware is from thrift shops.  Nothing matches, but each piece is unique and has a story. One I do not know, but can catch a glint of as I wash it and put it away.

I recently got a complete set of very high quality cast iron cookware, including a huge griddle that crash pad neighbors threw out after they apparently ran it through the dishwasher and watched it rust.  A good clean and seasoning and they were perfect. 

There's also a Mission sofa being  repaired and re-stained downstairs.  The "made at home", new black Ultrasuede covered cushions replaced the worn, paisley ones, but considering it was once an $1800 couch and it joined the range for a case of beer, no one is complaining about the work.

But to work, one needs fuel.

Silver Dollar pancakes with Thick Cut Bacon.

Cooking the pancakes on a griddle that still has a bit of Bacon drippings makes for a particularly good little pancake .

Some of the afternoon was games. There was still some cleaning to do, but I can do that tomorrow when Partner is working and I have one more day off.  We will  NOT mention the Mexican train wreck that was my dominoes game but then it was on to cribbage.  The wind chill being down in the single digits today, we were not lured back out of the house to go play with anything 'spody.

I overcame the dominoes disaster by winning more than one hand of cribbage.  After one particularly brutal crib (thanks for the  air of Jacks) . . .

that moved me well into the lead, I managed to fumble the entire deck of cards all over the table

Partner (smiling):  How do you DO that?  You're like the Columbo of Cribbage! 

Barkley went outside once, going to the bottom of the steps and coming right back as if to say "it's too cold!".  He then laid on his bed in the office, sulking because he doesn't know 1000 words like the Border Collie we saw on the news yesterday

If it wasn't for those darn pronouns!

Before you know it, it was time for supper.  I knew what it was going to be.  I'd been chatting earlier  with my good friend Kymber over at Framboise Manor and talked her out of the instructions for her wonderful Lebanese rice.  She gave me the ingredients and the basic amounts (use as much as you like :-) which let me play with what worked or not for my palate.  There was just one extra secret ingredient (cinnamon) to make it my own, as well as pitas and an addition of a side of yogurt/mint/cumin cucumber sauce that offset the spicy  dish perfectly.

 I present the HOTR version of  Herbed Lebanese Rice.

Thank you Kymber, for the inspiration.  This one is a keeper.  It's easy, it was less tan $1.50 a serving, using spices already on hand, would freeze well (like we'll have leftovers after tomorrow), and made enough for more than one meal. Adding more rice to stretch this would easily to feed a large, hungry family.  Plus, it was VERY tasty. Partner raved about it and asked that I make it again sometime soon.

The evening is ahead, so I will be signing off for now.

Thanks for stopping by.  I needed a couple days to just relax and regroup.  It's easier to write, to plan and to work, when I can do this, and I appreciate those of you who wish to share it when I do.
 - Brigid