Sunday, November 26, 2023

I got "Taters" Y'all!!!!

good morning on this cool and dreary sunday morning.          one thing about it, the sun may not be shining outside, but the Son is always shining on the inside if you Him as you're Lord and Savior!!   we may get a little shourting going up in here!!!        we all have so much so much to be thankful for and I hope we all feel blessed by our Lord and Savior.           I sure do.        every day I open my eyes is a day to be cherished and explored, with Him.       let's continue to praise Him and thank Him for all He does for us.        we recognize a lot that He does for us very easily, parise Him for that.          but there are ways that He protects us that we're not even aware of.        let's thank Him for those too.        

this month is just about done with, but it's been a good month.         I don't know where it has gone to in such a hurry, but to the best of recollection, I've enjoyed it.        hahahaha          if you see any of my days that slipped past me, please send them home, I'd like them back.        hahaha         I feel like I missed about half the days of november so far.       but that's ok.        I may not have enjoyed those anyway.         hahaha        ok, enough silliness, right?          right!

I think I had told y'all about my tater growing experiment.         well, yesterday was harvest day.      read on to see what the results were.

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I had some beautiful potato plants going on.          my husband kept saying that they were making potatoes.         I didn't know if they were or not, but i just knew that they were looking really nice.


the above picrure was taken on Oct 30, 2023.      that's 4 pots of potatoes sitting on top of 4 upturned pots to give them elevation so it wouldn't be so hard for me to water them.     it turned off cold after this pic and I took my taters to the garage to keep them from freezing and they was out for about another week and half and then back to the garage they had to go and they've been there till saturday morning, nov 25th, 2023.


this above picture has what came from from each individual potato plant.          well, it's not enough to feed the community, but it's enough to make me very happy!!!!    each one had about the same number of potatoes.


this is all my taters together.     it was just about 2 lbs.      one more little bitty tater would have pushed it over the 2 pound mark.        hahahaha           again, not enough to feed the community, but just enough to make me very happy.      especially since this was just an experiment that started on Sept. 13th, 2023 and I dug on Nov. 25th, 2023.         right when most of us was wrapping up our gardens and putting them to bed, I stuck 4 potatoes in pots to see what would happen.

now, I'll tell you rest of the story.      whenever someone asks a question about trying something, the trolls and haters come out of the woodwork telling them "THAT CAN'T BE DONE"!!!!!         well, some people had told someone that they couldn't grow potatoes from store bought potatoes!!!!!   who knew????       right!!!!        when you start seeing people get bristled up over soomething like that, that's when I gotta do something.        no, I don't care anything about getting into an online brawl, but that's when I'll set out to prove the trolls and haters that they have no idea what they are mouthing about.        my philosophy of telling me "you can't do that", is this; "here, hold my ensure, WATCH THIS!!!!" and then I set out to do whatever it is that they say can't be done!!!       I've done it over and over and will keep doing until I'm planted in the soil myself.

someone had asked if potatoes could be grown from store bought potatoes.       my train of thought is this: store bought potatoes get eyes on them.       those eyes will sprout.         if something sprouts, it's got the potential to grow.       so when someone says that you're better off tossing them in the garbage, I'll toss them in the compost, once my experiment is done.         that's all the encouragement I need to see if they'll grow.   

ok, to be fair, I knew they would grow, because I've grown potatoes just like this, 2 or 3 times in past.    and I had seen a person that asked the question if she could grow potatoes from store bought potatoes get beat up pretty good by the trolls and haters.       I encouraged her that she could grow them, and that she needs to do it and don't listen to "can't", because "can't never did do anything".    

what I was mostly interested in, was seeing if I could get some potatoes this late in the fall.      I didn't have this on my radar as something that I was going to do.        I was fixing supper and the last 4 red potatoes I had, had sprouts on them.         so, I had seen this exchange take place on facebook, so I said to myself, "self, you just found yourself an experiment!!"       it was perfect timing, so my experiment to see if can grow potatoes this late in the fall, was a 100% success, for my neck of the woods.

if you can can't be an encourager to someone, just keep your mouth shut.         that's my rule of thumb.   and there's no doubt in my mind that all the naysayers and trolls don't even know how to stick a seed in the soil, much less stick a potato in the soil.     

the people that I would love to have them see this  post, will never see it.       that's what I'm mostly sad about.         because I would love to tell them to go eat some taters they grew, while I eat the ones I grew.      hahaha      yeah, I know that's not nice.         but I don't take too well to others beating someone up just for asking a simple question and wanting to learn.       encourage them to find out if it will work.       encourage them to plant a potato, stick a seed in the ground, try to grow something.         it's in those experiments that we all learn and grow the most.        and it's in these experiments, whether a success or a failure that we see just how much of a failure it really is.          even if it doesn't do what we want it to do, learning is never a failure.         anytime we can share with others what the results are, that's always a success.       there is always a potential for us all to learn when we experiment.

in our successes and failures we teach other.         thru what others have done, we can learn and either do the same thing or do something different.         but we come back together and share the next set of experiences with the next experiment.        and also, what may be a failure this time, may be a total success next time.        there are always unknown variables.         so I will encourage you to keep trying.        don't give up.        don't listen to the haters and trolls.        let their "can't" be the very thing that makes it "can" for you.      

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I have mentioned several times about using my bread machine and have shared pictures of bread that I've made.         I couldn't make my bread anymore without a bread machine.          so I'm very thankful for it.          I had started having some issues with mine.        it's had a good long life.           it's worked double time for many years.            I can't complain at all, other than to say that I was sad that I can't get that machine anymore.  

if you have a bread machine or are considering getting one in the future, let me give you one piece of advice that may allow you to get almost 16 years from yours.            the bread pan that comes out is dishwasher safe.            but, I'm telling you now that if you want your machine to last a good long time DO NOT even consider putting it in the dishwasher or in the a sink of soapy water.        why?       well, when you turn the bread pan over and look at it there is a mechanism on the bottom of the pan that fits into its counterpart on the bread machine itself.            

that mechanism on the bottom of the bread pan insert is factory packed with a heavy grease that should last the lifetime of the machine.          the manufacturers know this.           but they still tell you that the bread pan is dishwasher safe.            why?              because they know if you wash it in the dishwasher or even in the sink with hot soapy water, it will start the grease dissolving and it won't be but a couple years till you'll be having to get another one. 

 I have a couple pictures to show what I'm talking about.  the first picture is the bottom of the bread pan and the second picture is the mechanism on the bottom of the bread machine itself, that the bread pan locks into.           the bottom of the bread pan insert is where the grease is.            

so to clean the bread pan insert, I have always washed it inside and out with hot soapy water without getting that area wet.             I actually hold the pan itself by that end with a dry hand and get no water in that area.              so I've tried to take care of mine and have gotten almost 16 years of good service.                 

having said all this, I had to get a new bread machine, because after all this time, all the grease has finally worn out of mine and the whole mechanism on the bottom of the pan is loose and about to fall out.            from baking bread, not from washing in the dishwasher.        it really breaks my heart too.  as I was thinking about it, I thought I would share this bit of info just in case anyone has a bread machine or is considering getting one.          the one thing I would suggest NOT to ever do, even though the manufacturers say it's ok, is put the bread pan in the sink or dishwasher, because it will shorten the life of your machine.           mine still works, but I know it's gonna tear up on me, and I do have a replacement now.         but, if you take care of it you'll have it a good long time, just like my first one. 

 I wish I knew how many loaves of bread I've baked in it and how many rolls I have made with it over the last almost 16 years.  


and just a little bit more info if you're getting a new bread machine.            have a black permenant marker handy when you remove thhe pan for the first time.          take notice of how the pan comes from the machine.           have the marker ready, and make a very small arrow, pointing towards the from of the pan.        I make my arrows right underneath where the handle is attached on either side of the pan.         put a small arrow pointing to the front on both sides.        then when you start making bread, you'll know what way to put the pan back in.         there shouldn't be a difference in how it goes in, but there is.         and the manufacturers know there is a difference.         that difference also helps wear out the bread machine long before it's time.         those 2 tips should help you get many years of life from your bread machine.         ok, now go bake some bread.          hahaha

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let's do a little "2 Minute Cooking With Me", I want to share one of the quick, easy and decadent desserts that I made earlier today in my electric pressure cooker.  And this is what I used the pump spray avocado idea on this morning.  I used it yesterday too when I was cooking a batch of quinoa.

Rice Pudding  (my own recipe)

1 cup of rinsed and drained white rice (gonna try it with black rice next time)

1 1/2 cups plain unsweetened almond milk

pinch of salt

dash of cinnamon

dash of ground cloves 

splash of real vanilla extract

2 mini boxes of raisins (it's the only size I had)

1 can of sweetened condensed milk

Put everything but the sweetened condensed milk in the epc and stir.

Take some pump spray oil, (NOT the pressurized can of non stick spray) mine was avocado oil and spray around the inside of the pot, just above the rice mixture, till you can see it on the wall of the liner a little.  

Put your lid on, with the release valve in the sealing position and if your epc has a rice setting, punch that, if not set the epc manually for 12 minutes and let it do a natural release or you can do a quick release, with no foam spewing forth because you oiled the sides of the pot.

Once you have the lid off, open the sweetened condensed milk and pour into the rice and stir, stir, stir.  When it sets for a bit, it will thicken up a bit.

In all honesty, next time I make this, I will double the rice and milk and raisins and cook as usual, but just use the single can of sweetened condensed milk.   I will also make it with black rice.  

Use whatever spices in yours, that tickles your fancy.   Cinnamon and ground cloves is delicious.   My husband has never enjoyed Rice Pudding, but I'm here to tell you, he thought this stuff was the "bees knees"!!!  I did too.

Anyway, just wanted to share this concoction with y'all.

This picture is when I first got the sweetened condensed milk stirred into it.


this is really delicious, try it.
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 another quick "2 minutes in the kitchen with me".           lets make some homemade air fried cod poppers, baked potatoes and Savannah hush puppies.       delicious.       oh yeah, I had some onion too.  🤣  for the cod poppers I took a 3 filets and cut them down the middle and then cut those strips into bite sized pieces.           dredged them in seasoned flour, then in beaten egg and then in seasoned cornmeal.            sprayed them lightly with avocado oil and popped them in the air fryer on 400F for 8 minutes and flipped the poppers and done another 6 or 7 minutes.         these are really and really easy and really quick!!!           really, they are.         really!           hahaha    enough with the "really" already, really!!!!          sorry, sometimes I just don't know when to stop.        really!!


ya just gotta try this!!!        I get my cod fish at aldi.      it's good.
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blessing to you all.       I hope you seen something here this morning that inspires you to encourage others.       I hope you seen something that made you smile or grin, just a little.      I hope you'll come back soon and spend more time in the kitchen with me or in the garden or just sitting and chatting.  what ever we do, I hope you know you are loved and welcome here any time.       hugs, patty

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