Today at the grocery store, most of the eggs in the cooler were not there. There were still some few cartons of what I call "bougie" eggs, the ones that are $9/dozen, which had been spread out across the empty shelves in a vain effort at semi-normality. There was a little sign taped up that mentioned bird flu, and supply chain issues. So later today I rode my bike over to Grocery Outlet, and while they did have eggs, the price doubled from what it was last week, and is now $7/dz .
Every year since I first heard of the tradition, that one must eat black-eyed peas for luck on New Years so that the coming year would not suck pond water, there has not been a year I've missed... Early on, I cooked up the beans with a small chunk of ham hock, the crock pot sending out a savory aroma, and the results delicious. For a long time now the grocery store meat counter hasn't been set up any more to break down large pieces, so instead I've taken to adding a small chunk of other savory smoky meat, or just adding smoked paprika to the seasoning mixture.
This year I am reduced to a can of cooked black-eyed peas, which I will garnish with some discs of bratwurst from the freezer, and grateful to have that much. I will still cook at least some of the other foods that to me symbolise a bright and hopeful year to come, remembering that prosperity does not necessarily mean money. Carrot "coins", and some fresh leafy greens for "greenbacks", and maybe even a half batch of Sister Gigi's spicy savory golden corn cakes.
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~ day 30 ~
A garland of origami butterflies; these will be so much fun for summertime decorating in the tinyworld...~ day 30 ~
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It was getting very worriesome how the kitchen sink was draining more and more slowly. Thankfully, it turned out to be an easy fix, since clever past me installed a "Handi Works Majic Drain" gizmo when we were working on the plumbing a year ago. (both the bathroom and kitchen sinks here at Acorn Cottage sport this Very Useful hence no longer available adaptation, that substitutes for the ordinary P-trap, with an easily detachable under half that also holds a grid to keep small things from being flushed past the trap and into the pipes and sewer system)
When I thought to pull it out and take a look, the obvious problem was that a. there was quite a bit of detritus stuck in the internal grid, and b. I had somehow managed to install two grids instead of one, which had reduced the flow through... Once those issues were dealt with, the sink has returned to the free flowing drain is should have, and I have added "check Majic Drain" to the every six month list of tasks...
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mulling over thinky thoughts about how the parts of 2024 that I could affect could have been improved, (bearing in mind that most aspects of the year were far beyond of my pay grade) and I suspect that I will still be thinking about that tonight as I head for sleep. There is a good reason why I write down my SMART goal achievements all year long, 'cos otherwise by this time of the year, I am pretty sure I accomplished nothing at all, but my month and year charts tell me otherwise!
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December SMART goals (x=extra)
| # | THINGS MADE | THINGS FIXED | THINGS GONE |
| 1 | rainbow cowl tassels | more clothesline | recycle bin |
| 2 | 85 origami squares | cardboard down | random book parts |
| 3 | heraldic potholders | set up paperwhites | recycle bin |
| 4 | pine needle stars | grey linen pinafore | yard waste bin |
| 5 | solstice sweets | bandana hem | yard waste bin |
| 6 | 2025 calendar | calendar pages | recycle bin |
| 7 | flannel pillowcases | keyboard key cap | recycle bin |
| 8 | x | kitchen sink drain | x |
| 9 | x | x | x |
today's gratitudes -
1. Majic Drain installed under the sink made it really easy to solve the slow drainage problem! (unsnap, clean it out, snap back in) Yay Past Me!
2. made really tasty sauce which can now become lasagna for several future meals, and pasta tonight for dinner
3. most of the 2025 calendars are mailed out today, and I had the rest printed today and will cut them out tonight.
Time of Isolation - Day 1628
Here's a thought: You might look for smoked turkey leg in the market. It's not the same mouth feel as ham hock I suppose, but it would give that smokiness that you might be looking for and may be easier to find. xo
ReplyDeletethat is an interesting idea, I've never noticed if the store sells smoked turkey leg, as it isn't something I would normally buy...
DeleteI am planning on both adding some umami flavor to the canned black eyed peas with an assortment of seasonings, including a bit of smoked paprika and some slices of bratwurst, as well as the usual onion, garlic, and herbs... The ham hock that gets cooked with the dried legume adds some succulence from the collagen, not just flavor, so I suppose adding a pinch of gelatine might make up for that? Which gives me an entirely different idea, that it might be possible to substitute lamb shank for ham hock (similar part of the animal, very different flavor profile)