Friday, December 28, 2012

He-e-e-e-ere's Grumpy-Dump!

My mood has been matching our landscape.  DREARY.  Ugly and monochromatic.


Fortunately, the weather forecast is calling for a few measurable inches of snow to fall on us this afternoon and over night so if it happens, that should spruce things up outside.

I commented to my hubby this morning that I sure hope I snap out of my grouchy, lethargic mood soon.  He seconded the motion without hesitation.

* * * * * * * *

It's time to think about going through all my garden seeds.  The latest garden catalogs are forming a formidable pile on my desk so it's time to fill out my orders.  I don't feel really secure about each upcoming gardening season until I have all my needed seeds squirreled away.

I know I need to hire someone to hold me back from planting so much Red Kuri squash this coming year.


Although they are keeping well on a shelf in my pantry, we're not going through nearly as many of them as I still have.  The darn things grew so big this year (pint jar in picture for comparison), one of them serves four or five meals for us.  I cooked and froze many of them last year but didn't care for the texture (a bit on the watery side) or taste as much.  Although they are a great substitute for pumpkin, how many pumpkin pies or pumpkin muffins can you eat?

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Once the holidays are past, I start thinking about hearty, healthy food.


Just picked up a cook book at the library dedicated to using quinoa.  Quinoa is touted as a really nutritious grain and I should use it more than I do.  If I come across any super-doo recipes in the book, I'll be sure to share them.  (Take note, Susan . . . 100% gluten-free!)

My freezer needs to be restocked with soups.  And what better time to try out some new bread recipes than in January?  Yup, soup and bread will taste good in the upcoming weeks.  (Months?)  It seems that especially some members of the male sex don't care for soup, but my husband loves it.  I'm fortunate in that because soup is such an easy, all-in-one meal.

* * * * * * * *

I'll leave you today with this quote I came across last night:

"Year by year the complexities of this spinning world
grow more bewildering and so each year we need
all the more to seek peace and comfort
in the joyful simplicities."

- Women's Home Companion, December, 1935

Food for thought.  Both in the words . . . and the date. 

23 comments:

Lisa B said...

I feel you on grumpiness. I want all the Christmas decorations/crap put away and someone else to do it. Healthy or not I could mot eat that much squash although pumpkin muffins sound good. LN likes pumpkin pie but doesn't eat the crust. Maybe when it snows a bit or a lot or when seeds arrive you ll perk up .

Carolyn said...

Welcome back from grump-land! Are you going to be staying or are you just passing through? :)

I did the same thing with butternut squash two years ago. It took almost a year for me to go through it all....then I didn't plant any this year, and didn't miss it all that much. But I'll plant it again this spring.

Soup, soup, SOUP! I LOVE soup! And I've got a ham and bean soup on top of the wood stove right this moment...and can't wait until it's done 'cause I'm hankering for a big bowl of it and a slice of Paul's WW Sourdough bread.

Mama Pea said...

Lisa - I love your honesty! Wanting the Christmas decorations down. But wanting someone ELSE to do it! You go, Girl.

LN and her pumpkin pie reminds me of my grandpa. Grandma made a wonderful custard pie but Grandpa would only eat the custard and leave the crust. He wouldn't eat custard in a dish though 'cause he said it didn't taste as good as the filling in her custard pie!

Mama Pea said...

Carolyn - Oh, for a bowl of homemade ham and bean soup! There ain't nuthin' better in my book. And to have a husband who baked sourdough bread . . . treasure that man, ya hear?

Sparkless said...

Love soup! I just wish I was better at making it. I'd love some good Quinoa recipes. Right now I only have two and they are cold salad ones with lots of fresh veggies.
Didn't you hear? 2013 is going to be the best year ever! So dump the grump and get out your dance shoes cause fun is coming!

Mama Pea said...

Sparkless - I'll see what I can do on the new quinoa recipes.

Wow, what a great attitude you have! I hereby nominate you as our blogging Cheerleader of the Year for 2013. You are much needed!

Susan said...

Oh, I am feeling the grumps, too. The day after Christmas, I celebrated Boxing Day by boxing up the few Christmas doodads I had put out. Blech. It did help getting 10" of snow - sort of. Now I REALLY have something to grump about. I am hoping I wake up Tuesday morning all sparkly and refreshed and ready to take on the world. Or....just take on a bowl of oatmeal. Good to hear from you, grumps or not!

Tombstone Livestock said...

I love seeing the snow on the mountain and green grass in my pasture, but the high's are in the 50's and low's in the 30's and I am cold. I just want to wrap up in a blsnkie in front of the wood stove and hibernate. I did go out and plant some of the foxgloves out of the flat I bought month ago. Do you ever save your own seeds year to year. I saved some heirloom tomatoes from my daughter's plants and some acorn squash from the grocery store ... all grew fine.

Mama Pea said...

Susan - Nooo, you can't put away your Christmas decorations until after New Year's Day! Well, I guess you can 'cause you did, right? I really like Lisa's idea in her comment above . . . I want someone else to do the un-decorating for me!

I wondered if you had gotten part of that snowstorm. I'll bet your scenery looks like a winter wonderland.

Mama Pea said...

Tombstone Livestock - I'm always amazed at your temps in the 50s this time of year. Proves I don't know much about your location, huh?

I do save some seeds but it's an area that I need to learn a lot more about . . . and get better at!

Anonymous said...

Hugs Mama Pea :)

Tami said...

Hmmm... I'm thinking someone ought to kick off the official start of Soup "Saturdays"? or "Soup Sunday's"

I was actually trying to think of something that rhymes with January but nothing comes to mind.

How bout it MP?? Feel like starting us off this weekend with a great soup recipe?

Mama Pea said...

Stephanie - Back attcha, Lady!

Mama Pea said...

Tami - Hey, I do like the thought of "Soup Sundays!" I've made myself a note to see if I can come up with something but considering this funny farm I'm living in right now, I might not come through. Anybody else? I think Tami has a great idea here.

Jennifer Jo said...

It's good to know that other people have grumpy times, too. Makes me feel more normal.

Soup sounds so good....

Unknown said...

Seed catalogs to the rescue! That is my favorite way to beat the doom.

Mama Pea said...

JJ - I suspect anyone who is Ms. Mary Sunshine ALL the time has more issues than the rest of us! ;o)

Mama Pea said...

Simply Scaife Family - Yes, I find making out my fantasy seed order is so much fun. But then I pare it down to what I really WILL order and am still a bit shell shocked as to the $$$ it adds up to these days! (Note to self: MUST learn more about how to save my own seeds.) :o)

Anonymous said...

I got my Territorial Seed Catalog the other day and I've been folding pages and circling numbers like crazy! I actually took time to go to the Territorial store about 4 hours from our house last year. I want to go again. I took our Christmas decorations down the day after the holiday. We put them up fairly early in December, and I find that when they are down, I feel better. Weird, huh? And "Soup Sundays" sounds like a great idea... Hope your grumpies go away soon!

Mama Pea said...

Ruth - Doggone, another efficient person with her holiday decorations down already! (When I think of taking the decorations down, I always think of the story my MIL told. Her husband did a lot of long-term traveling with his job for some years and one year he had to leave the day after Christmas. She decided to leave the decorations . . . tree included . . . up until he came home. He didn't get home until the first part of February! Now that would have driven me nuts looking at the Christmas stuff all that time.)

You like the idea of "Soup Sundays?" Good, let's do it!

acd6pack said...

Seems like there are a lot of post Christmas blues going around. Maybe you need to make that pot of soup to perk things up!

As for your frozen squash, I too froze some and found it watery, so I just let it drain in a colander lined with a coffee filter. Waste not, want not, throw that liquid goodness in...soup! No, there isn't much, but no sense in wasting it. How about some roasted veggies, some stock (and squash liquid!)and seasonings in a blender for a quick roasted veggie soup. Yum!

Mama Pea said...

Acd Pack - Welcome and thanks for commenting!

Well, ya know, sometimes we can easily get into our own little trenches of doom and gloom. Sometimes for good reasons, sometimes not. The important thing is to realize it's within us all to CHANGE those feelings. Can't always change the outside influences that cause the ugly-bugly feelings, but we can control our reaction to them. I know. Easy to say, sometimes not so easy to do. Ya just gotta stay strong. Sensible and objective helps, too.

Durn, I never thought of draining the frozen squash through a coffee filter! I contemplated using a colander but figured I'd lose too much pulp that way. Roasted veggie soup sounds WONDERFUL! Good idea!

Erin said...

You definitely need some more snow on that ground! I can't believe it's time to think spring garden again already (where's the quilt I was going to make?) but it's time! Definitely share any good quinoa tips, I need to learn to use that much more than I do. And by the way the answer is 5,403... that's how many pumpkin muffins I could eat LOL.... love them!