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| Ham and Egg Noodles Casserole |
I made a ham and egg noodles casserole over the weekend - boiled half the bag of egg noodles, stirred in a can of cream of celery soup, a can of mixed vegetables (which needed using up), and some ham that I had in the freezer and thawed. I put it all in an 8" x 8" baking dish, sprinkled some pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika and baked it at 350F for about 30 minutes. Daughter and I had some of it for our dinner on Saturday and I served a portion for neighbor T (daughter took it over and left it by T's front door). Neighbor T had called and said she had fallen, earlier in the week; she was OK, she said, but a bit sore and achy.
Today (Monday), I had a long chat with cousin P. She has sold her house and is in the process of getting rid of her household items, in preparation for moving out (she's moving out of state and will not take anything with her other than a few personal items). She is a bit overwhelmed with the task of emptying out her house after being there for over 30 years! She had asked me, earlier, if I wanted anything from her house and I had told her no, that I had plenty of things to get rid of, myself. She asked me, again, today, too; in particular, if I wanted two religious statues that her husband had. Again, I declined.
I spent most of the day putting the blanket together. I joined all the squares and started to crochet the border. I should finish it, tomorrow. I will post pictures after I have given the blanket to my friend.
In between joining the squares and starting on the border, I caught up on my blog reading, took the trash cans to the curb for pick up in the morning, and checked on the garden. The passionfruit plant had fallen over, pot and all; I think it was too top heavy for the pot it is planted in! I put the whole plant, pot and all, inside another, bigger pot and wedged that pot in a corner, to keep it in place! Later in the evening, I chatted with friend R.
The forecast has been telling us a major storm is on its way! It has already dumped a lot of rain and snow in northern California and in the mountains. It started to rain here, in southern California later in the evening. So far, we've had a gentle rain. But, heavier rain is expected tomorrow (Tuesday). We need the rain, but, not so much that we get a month's worth of rain in one day, as that will cause flash floods and mud slides, especially in the areas damaged by recent wild fires.
Today, I am grateful for:
- Rain for the garden
- A working heater
- Time to crochet
- Weekly trash pick up
- Chatting with family and friends
Today's joyful activity was crocheting.
Plans for tomorrow include finishing the blanket, washing, and drying it; finishing another couple of gifts, and, hopefully, getting some holiday cards written and in the mail!
How was your Monday? What are your plans for Tuesday?
I hope you don't get so much rain to cause any problems. I expect it took some self-control to refuse items from your cousin. It sounds an horrendous task for her to empty her house and dispose of all of her possessions and start over again elsewhere. I look forward to seeing your completed blanket.
ReplyDeleteSo far, it has been a very gentle rain, in my area, at least, which is being absorbed by the thirsty ground. Not sure about other areas, though.
DeleteIt did take some effort to decline my cousin's offer, but, I have more than enough items that I am trying to declutter! My cousin is overwhelmed with the task, but, it sounds like she is making progress! Thank you, Eileen; I will post the pictures sometime next week. :)
That casserole sounds like comfort food, for sure. I'm sure neighbor T enjoyed that. It would be a daunting task to empty a house after 30 years. I know, we have done it for relatives twice now, which reminds me I need to make a serious dent in stuff myself. I am beginning to think the only way I will accomplish it is to downsize and move house. Good for you for declining those items, as I have made the mistake of accepting things out of supposed kindness to just end up pitching them later (and hoping I was not found out.)
ReplyDeleteMy Tuesday is starting with a little blog reading, then bill paying, Pilates, lunch, haircut & color and hopefully finishing some Christmas cards. It will be a full day.
The casserole turned out well and I'm glad I was able to share some with T.
DeleteDownsizing, or moving, provides good motivation to declutter, doesn't it? Thank you; I was rather tempted to accept the religious icons, but, I have plenty of my own!
Sounds like you've a busy day! Enjoy! :)
Your noodle casserole sounds delicious (for me no ham)- it is amazing how versatile creamed soups are in making a yummy base. How timely & kind to share with a neighbour. I am looking forward to seeing the finished blanket.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mary-Lou; the casserole would be good without the ham, too. One could make a white sauce, if creamed soups weren't available, but, they are convenient to have on hand, aren't they? I was happy to share with T. I will be posting pictures of the blanket once it is done. :)
DeleteTuesdays I take my elderly neighbours to the coffee&cakes community group at our pub. Not many there today, but Santa popped in
ReplyDeleteA weekly coffee and cakes get together sounds wonderful! That's very kind of you to give your neighbors a ride and how nice of Santa to pop in! :)
DeleteHow long can you crochet before your hands get tired? You sound like you've been spending long periods crocheting. I think my hands would start cramping.
ReplyDeleteMy hands would cramp after a while at first, but, now, I think they've got used to it; I can crochet for a couple of hours at a stretch, before I need to rest.
DeleteIs cousin P the one who lives in the same road as you? Well done on resisting the temptation to accept some of her decluttered items.
ReplyDeleteThe ham and egg noodle casserole looks delicious. I'll be making a vegetable and chickpea curry for tonight, with leftovers for tomorrow and the remaining two portions will go in the freezer for next month. This is a new-to-me recipe and includes coconut milk so I'm hoping it freezes okay!
I've just been pottering about today, doing bits here and there, but it honestly doesn't look like I've done anything. It's the crossword event next and then I need to do some serious piano practice ready for tomorrow's lesson.
Yes, cousin P is the one who lives a couple of houses across the street from me. She bought her house first, then, when this house came on the market, I decided to buy it to be close to her! Thank you! The temptation to accept a few items was great, but, I managed to say, "No"! :D
DeleteYour vegetables and chickpea curry sounds good! I've frozen curries with coconut milk without any problem.
All those bits here and there will eventually make a difference. Enjoy the crossword event and the piano practice! It's a drizzly day, here! :)
Good for you standing firm about not receiving extra items when your decluttering is going well. Hard for your cousin to get rid of almost everything now! I hope you only get steady gentle rain and not a downpour. We are having a mild spell and the snow is going down but leaving ice in some places. Off to the optometrist today and to pick up a book in another town for DGD. Hope to get in and out of the store quickly!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Bushlady; I'm learning to say no and mean it! :D So far, the rain has been relatively gentle, but, the wind had blown the cover over the water heater vent! I was able to pick it up (it was in the driveway) and hopefully, M can replace it for me, tomorrow, and check on the water heater flame!
DeleteI hope you have safe driving conditions, today, as you run your errands.
I'm just thinking about what to make for dinner and that photo of your noodle bake is giving me cravings! I suppose I could boil up some penne...
ReplyDeleteI hope you were able to think of something good to make for dinner. This casserole can be made with just about any type of pasta or, even, rice. :)
DeleteLooking forward to seeing the blanket. Good for you for still saying no. I know that, in the past, I have ended up saying yes to something because I feel obligated and then that item is in my house instead of someone elses. Then sometimes I even felt obligated to hang onto it. In the last couple of years we've started saying no and not changing our minds even when we feel somewhat guilted/pressured into changing it!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sharon. Yes, I've accepted things in the past, and then, as you say, the items have hung around my house instead! But, really, there isn't anything I really need or want at this point. :)
DeleteI think you were wise to stand firm with cousin P. It can't have been easy under the circumstances but I remember reading somewhere once about this sort of 'gifting' from family, and how it can often be just for their own convenience.
ReplyDeleteI hope you manage to avoid the worst of the storm. Stay safe, Bless. X
Thank you, Jules. I think she was just being generous, but, I am struggling to pare down my own stuff, as you know. Clothes are an exception, but, even clothes, I think I'm getting to a point where I will have to say, "No, thank you", when offered. I've only so much room in my closet!
DeleteThe rain has stopped for now, but, more is in the forecast!
Your ham & noodle casserole looks very good. What a good use of leftovers and pantry items.
ReplyDeleteYou showed some real restraint declining your cousin's offer of things from her home. It must be an overwhelming job trying to deal with getting rid of decades of things in a short period of time. I wish her good luck and hope it is not a tense job for her.
Reading that story, I am reminded why I continue to declutter now - when I don't have to - as opposed to all at once in the future.
I heard a stat the other day - the average American household has over 300,000 items in it.
What? How can that be? That's nuts.
But I believe it.
I continue to be very much committed to lessening the burden the owning so much can be.
I am not going to keep unused things just to store them in closets & drawers sight unseen for a "what if I need it?" time that will probably never come.
Yesterday I dropped off a large ceramic Christmas tree & one of those rubbermaid wrapping paper storage thingies at a donation spot.
I have cut way back on buying things on sale at the after Xmas sales and then storing them for a year. So I don't want that container anymore. What a lot of room those 2 items took up in my spare room closet!
I love this noodle casserole "recipe", Debra, as it can be varied depending on what you have on hand! :)
DeleteThank you; it was hard to say no, but, I did! I fully believe that the average American household has over 300,000 items! My cousin has always been someone who has always decluttered on a regular basis, but, even so, one does tend to accumulate a lot of stuff over the years! I think you are on the right track, getting rid of things now, rather than waiting until later. I think I need to ramp up my own decluttering - next year! :D