The Week So Far

 

Another Red Rose

It feels like the days are going by so quickly!

Monday was mostly about my dental work and I wrote about that.

On Tuesday, I took my daughter to get her Covid vaccine during her lunch break.  We went to the walk-in clinic, except they had a one hour wait.  However, they also had a drive through vaccine station set up in the parking lot and there was no line there, so, we drove over, she received her vaccine, and we drove home, again.  I dropped her off at home and went to the pharmacy to pick up Dancer's medication.  That pharmacy is next to a doughnut shop and I decided to get us some doughnuts for a treat.  By the time I got home, daughter was starting to feel the side effects from her vaccine and took the rest of the day off from work.  

I put away the Halloween decorations in the bin in the garage, did a craft project, mended a pair of my knitted socks, posted a meal plan, and watched news coverage of the elections.

On Wednesday, my gardener friend M arrived to tend to the garden.  He had bought some plants, including several Japanese herbs that daughter had wanted, and a bag of potting soil for us (I reimbursed him for them) and shared some extra onion sets and celery seedlings, too.  He planted some of them, but, the rest will be planted on Friday.

Wednesday afternoon, I ordered and picked up some groceries.  Later, I did a load of laundry, finished mending my socks (I'm going to count that as my crafting time), and relaxed.  Friend R called in the evening and we chatted a bit.  

Thursday was another sunny day and another red rose had bloomed.  There are a few pink roses in the back garden and a couple of white roses, too, but, I didn't take pictures of them.  

I walked for 20 minutes in the afternoon and then, spent about half an hour knitting.  Then I watched some news and a couple of online videos.  

For dinner, I wanted to make something with the leftover rice I had in the fridge.  I usually make fried rice with leftover rice, and that's what I put in my meal plan for the week.  But, on Thursday, I wanted to try something different, like a rice casserole.  But, not the usual chicken and rice with a cream-of-something soup base.  Besides, I had some canned items in the pantry that needed to be used up as they were well past their best by dates.  The contents were still good, but, they were past the "best by" dates stamped on the cans.

So, I decided to make my version of a Mexican rice casserole, using a can of corn, a can of dark red kidney beans, a can of crushed tomatoes, and a can of chicken.  I sauteed about a third of an onion with cumin powder, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, a bit of oregano, and a very small amount of homegrown celery I had in the freezer, added the leftover rice, the kidney beans (drained and rinsed), the corn (drained and rinsed), the chicken (drained and rinsed) and the can of crushed tomatoes, a couple of homegrown Serrano chilies, and a bit of salt.  It turned out really well.  Daughter and I both enjoyed it and there are leftovers for at least one more meal.

Mexican Rice Casserole

One could add other ingredients, too, I'm sure; I considered adding some bell peppers, but, I couldn't find the bag of frozen bell pepper strips I have in the freezer (someone needs to reorganize her freezer) and besides, bell peppers give me indigestion, especially if eaten at night.  Or one could add cilantro.  In the past, I've used a jar of salsa instead of the canned tomatoes and that was delicious, too.

This could be easily be made as a vegetarian dish if the canned chicken is left out; the beans would provide proteins (one could add more beans, too).  It could be a frugal meal if the canned items are bought on sale.  Even otherwise, the store brand cans of corn and dark red kidney beans are priced $1 each, a can of store brand crushed tomatoes is $1.99, and a can of chicken breast is $3.79 according to the store website.  A 2 lb. bag (the smallest size they have) of store brand white rice is $1.99 and one wouldn't need to use the whole bag of rice.

Afterwards, I ran the dishwasher and wiped down the stove top, etc.

I am grateful for:

- M picking up plants and potting soil for us and sharing seedlings with us
- Roses blooming in the garden
- A walk in the park driveway

- Working appliances
- A card from my oldest half-brother

This week's joyful activities have included crafting, enjoying the sunshine, and chatting with friends.

Plans for Friday include some housework, some crafting, and tending to the garden with M in the evening.

How is your week coming along?  What are some of your favorite meals to make with leftover rice?