Marion's Retirement

[Gina P]

I look forward to when I have a proper kitchen and can do some baking again. Free gas makes it even more attractive. Nothing like the smell of bread baking to warm up the house.

[Maid Marion]

I found I need only half the flour to make my crumpets with fresh baking powder.

It is much easier to make soft pretzels.

[Lori Dee ✅]

Those look yummy. Hot out of the oven and drenched in butter with a little salt. Yum.

[Maid Marion]

I went to Savers and bought a 14 ounce Corning cassarette with a clear Pryrex lid for $4.  Perfect for cooking single serving meals as it will handle 500 degree Fahrenheit on the range or in the oven!

As expected they had only a few small dresses and nothing in XS. Small sizes just aren't that popular in women's wear.

[Maid Marion]

Did my taxes! Both the state and IRS.
 
The (Healthcare8962) Premium Tax Credit was particularly difficult for me, as they failed to update the laws, so the form uses the 2024 federal poverty level so one needs to follow the instructions exactly!  This suggests that the 2026 income cliff may actually be the 2024 federal poverty level and not the 2026 federal poverty level.  It wasn't as big of an issue this year but next year it may make a huge difference for those who fall off the cliff.

I'm learning to work on improving the taste of my cooking.  I remember making a shrimps scampi using Barefoot Mosacato that turned out exceptionally well. It may be a long reduction to get rid of the alcohol as I used a lot of it.  I'm sure the type of shrimp also matters. Most likely I used Alantic or Gulf shrimp rather than an import from Asia.  I recently had some fresh gulf shrimp that that tasted great!

Marion

[Lori Dee ✅]

When I lived in California, I spent summer weekends shark fishing off Avila Pier. On Saturday mornings, the shrimp boat would come in and would sell large prawns for a dollar a pound.

We would bring several ice chests and fill them with prawns. That was good eating.

When I lived in the South (Florida & Louisiana), I fell in love with Gulf shrimp. Butterflied and battered. So yummy!

[Maid Marion]

It is a lot easier to make crumpets with fresh baking powder.

[Charlotte Kitty ✅]

They look very tasty. I love them loaded with butter and some jam!

[Maid Marion]

I made manapua or Hawaiian steamed buns filled with Char Siu or red roasted pork from the Asian Market.
The flour disks were too thin at the center so  the red pork can be seen.

[Charlotte Kitty ✅]

Char Siu buns are too yummy. These look great!

[Lori Dee ✅]

Those look good, MM.

I will have to try those someday!

[Maid Marion]

One of my  cooking skills is cutting up meat to remove the parts that are rubbery or hard to eat.
I was reminded of this when I saw a video that explained that pastrami trimmings are considered inedible because they are too rubbery to eat and are therefore recycled.

Steamed buns solve the problem of bread spoiling and going to waste in a small household.
It is a way of stretching a tight budget, as 1/2 a pound of roast pork can last for several meals when steamed inside bread buns.

[davina61]

I buy a leg of lamb and cut it up myself, that can make enough to cook 2 curries with 4 meals each. I keep the bones and freeze them, I am doing slow cooker farmhouse style lamb today. I boiled 4 bones with some meat on as well as the gristle bits to make stock, fried to seal the meat and then fried some onion. It all went in slow cooker with 2 cut up potatoes and a large carrot (I only had one) ,peas will be added later and maybe some dumplings.

[ChrissyRyan]

Happy Valentine's Day Marion!

[Maid Marion]

I cooked corned beef in the slow cooker today, which also Saint Patrick's day.

Weather is getting warm enough to start working on my gardening.
Easing into it my removing nasty perennial weeds before the grass gets going.

[ChrissyRyan]

I cooked corned beef in the slow cooker today, which also Saint Patrick's day.

Weather is getting warm enough to start working on my gardening.
Easing into it my removing nasty perennial weeds before the grass gets going.

May you have a green thumb, so to speak!  Happy gardening!

[Maid Marion]

I get more respect presenting as female than as male.  Two different standards based on appearance.
Presenting female I get to wear sample sizes for women in both clothes and shoes. It is easy to put together an outfit that works well when you have a hourglass body shape.  It is difficult to get respect as a short guy when you can't find clothes to wear!

I get almost all the water I need for gardening out of a rain barrel that collects water off the roof of my garage!  I live on heavy clay soil that collects water from the neighborhood and holds it for the plants in my yard.  In the back yard it floods so I grow roses on raised beds.  I checked my water bill.  Last year the most I used was 40 gallons per day, much less than most people use!  It  helps that I use cedar mulch to prevent the soil from drying out during the hot summer months.

[Stottie Girl]

Maybe that's why "little man syndrome" is such a thing. Smaller men often seem to be more driven, outspoken even aggressive as they feel the need to do that to gain attention or repect.

Women are treated differently, on the whole they are treated with more respect and kindness on a one to one basis but maybe not when in a group of males. Their opinion can often be undervalued or dismissed and don't get me started on mansplaining!

We get to experience both sides of the gender divide so the differences are laid bare to us.

I have water butts in my garden too. It does save on water useage and rain water is better for the plants too. No shortage of rain in the uk, might as well use it!

[davina61]

Clay soil where mum lives, even after years of adding stuff to her veg patch its still heavy. Going to get bags of rotted farm manure to put around the runner beans again and maybe add some nitrogen fertilizer. I picked a bundle of rhubarb and we shared it out, enough for a crumble each. Trip to the garden centre soon and a big weeding session !!

[Stottie Girl]

Clay soil where mum lives, even after years of adding stuff to her veg patch its still heavy. Going to get bags of rotted farm manure to put around the runner beans again and maybe add some nitrogen fertilizer. I picked a bundle of rhubarb and we shared it out, enough for a crumble each. Trip to the garden centre soon and a big weeding session !!

Can't wait to get in my new house as the back garden is 3x bigger. Definitely going to plant a Rhubarb patch and a Bramley apple tree. Can't beat apple and Rhubarb Crumble!