Waste Not, Want Not

Waste not, want not is an old saying meaning, "make use of what you have, or you must not want it". As a teacher, I don't get paid in the summertime, so we are really trying to make use of what we already have. Yesterday I made use of a nice, rainy day by cleaning my whole house! HAHA! No, not really! That would be silly. And NOT fun. I quilted. Also, it's hard to enjoy a nice rainy day when tornadoes go roaring through Mpls, creating 6 hours of tv coverage of the same downed tree. While I quilted, I listened to CDs I borrowed from the library. "Gaelic Storm" has a CD entitled "What's the Rumpus?" that is really fun. Putumayo's "Latin groove" was also excellent. I love the library.
So this was my project for yesterday. See? the kitty has a candy dispenser filled with mice. Cute, Huh? I have had this pattern for years and never started it. I am also trying not to buy new fabric and patterns until I use up some of the old stuff, and finish some of my UFO's (unfinished objects). All I bought for this one was a fat quarter (1/4 yard) of dark green, and the iron-on stuff. The cat was supposed to be black and white, but I changed him to look more like Merlin, who would LOVE a mouse dispenser. It is hard not to buy new fabric when it's all so pretty, those of you with paper stashes feel the same way, I know. While digging through my fabric, I found some cool stuff I had forgotten, so that was a bonus.






We have had a membership to Lifetime fitness for years. I am sorry to say that I have not always made use of it. Now I am signed up with our HMO to get money off the membership fee if I go 12 times a month. This is the motivation I needed! They are PAYING me to exercise. Somebody should, it IS work. I have gone back to yoga class. I actually like yoga. It is a really good workout, I get all sweaty and worn out and my muscles hurt for days, so it must be working! I like how the instructors say not to worry what you look like doing yoga (good thing, because I look like a walrus who can't make it up the beach) and not to worry if your body releases toxins (sweating) or gas. Well, now I have something new to worry about! What if I fart during that crocodile thing I hate so much? Also, I have to remember not to eat too much dinner before class, so I can actually touch the floor!
One of the ways I excel at not being wasteful is in not wasting food. I made a meatloaf once with crushed breakfast cereal instead of crackers. I didn't go over well. ("Why does the meatloaf taste like KIX?") Paul said he didn't know whether to put ketchup on it, or milk. They LIKED the one made with crushed Cheezits!
Farmer's markets are a great bargain. I buy lots of stuff that I put in the freezer for winter. It's easy to get carried away, though, and if you don't do something with this produce, you just threw your money away. Sweet corn is in season here, and it is really good! I often buy several dozen ears, cut off the kernals, cook it in the roaster and freeze it in dinner sized portions. Then we just nuke it when we want the taste of summer. Corn is sold by the dozen or half dozen. We are a family of four, so six is usually too many ears for one meal. I cook it anyway and cut off the corn from the extra. This can be frozen or thrown into something else (like goulash), or be reheated for the "smorgasbord of leftovers" we have whenever the leftovers start piling up. Today's recipe is for salsa you can make with leftover corn and stuff from your garden or the farmer's market.




Yesterday, I made the boys clean their rooms and try on all their clothes to see what they had outgrown (pretty much all of it, sigh). Nate found this in his room (it used to be a stuffed dinosaur)
and gave it to Nick. Nick doen't like to waste things either, so he says it's his new hat. He is going to make a great impression on his first day of high school!







Corn and Bean Salsa

1 can drained and rinsed black beans
Corn cut off of 2-3 cooked ears (or one can, drained)
1 small can chopped black olives
2-3 chopped fresh tomatoes
8 oz shredded monterey Jack cheese
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 bunch cilantro, leaves chopped, stems discarded
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
8 oz italian salad dressing
1/2 pound bacon, chopped and fried OR 1/2 pound of fried sausage
1 small can chopped green chilis (do not make the mistake of thinking this is the same thing as a small can of chopped jalapenos. Only substitute jalapenos if you really like it spicy!)

Mix everything and eat with those Tostitos tortilla chips that are like little bowls, or Fritos scoops. It's a pretty drippy salsa.