Organizational Idiot

I am organizationally challenged, to be politically correct in my terminology.  I am not putting myself down by any means, just being honest.  I frustrate myself continually with my incomplete memory that feels as if I have Swiss cheese for a brain.  So, I have begun to monthly menu plan.  This is a GOOD thing.  It is forcing me to get into all the locations that I have stashed miscellaneous recipes.  And they are in odd locals.

The Martha Stewart Silver Box.  Do not think that this is some fancy schmanchy thing.  DH bought it for me the 1st year we were married and I have kept it.  I stick all the odds and ends of recipes in it.  Grandmothers recipes that I had in her old box.  Clippings from magazines.  Copies from friends.  Print outs from the Internet.  Short hand notes of my own.

 All this thinking on organization, planning, executing, budgeting, evaluating, collecting takes me back to Blooms Taxonomy.  I studied Elementary Education in my undergrad and Teaching English as a Second Language in my graduate work.  I am a well educated woman.  Now I am an at-home, homeschooling mom.  I do not collect a pay check.  However, I KNOW that the education that was purchased on the backs of my parents is being used well.  Blooms Taxonomy of Thinking really proves it. 

Blooms Taxonomy of Education Wheel

If you really look at the wheel, you see lots and lots of verbs.  Each verb is an activity for learning.  I MUST be decently educated and using my education as an at home mom because I do these activities EVERY SINGLE DAY! The center is low level thinking.  Center, mid level thinking.  Outer, high level thinking to put this thing uber simple.

Good Grief!  The more I look at that  graph, the better I feel about myself.  My brain is exploding with thoughts of the applications of being a mom and how high our thinking skills MUST be in order to even be marginally successful!.  Add in homeschooling and we are in the heights of high level thinking.

Today, I began, again, to collate my repertoire of main dishes.  I have forgotten so many in 15 years of marriage.  I dug in the Martha Stewart box.  I dug around on Pinterest.  I looked on book shelves.  I have not even begun to look in old magazines.  This is a HUGE job.  What will the ultimate out come be?  A cookbook?  ick.

So far, I am in the possession of 72 main dish recipes.  Only 72.  How can that be?  Hmmmm.  Gonna have to go and acquire more knowledge so I can combine, design, and report back to you later.  (psst, can you ID the level of thinking I just listed.  Hint:  Look for the verbs)

Pintos and Cornbread.

Good Afternoon!  It is 4:41 EST here in beautiful Roanoke, VA.  The temp outside is 86 deg F and inside my kitchen it is 81 deg F.  We have had a lovely day at the pool.  I started some pintos in my Le Creuset pot that I got for a wedding gift 15 years ago, and I was reminded that I had not explained the name of my blog to you.  There IS a reason for the name, "Pintos and Cornbread."

It all began last summer, in September of 2011.  I had been diagnosed with Celiacs disease and I was NOT handling it well.  If you know me personally, I have been grinding my own wheat and making bread from scratch.  Well, a Celiac can't have gluten, and without gluten, you don't get good bread.

That was a tough time in my life.  I had toyed with blogging before and thought it might be helpful to blog my Celiacs experience.  In a conversation one day with a BFF, I told her that , "I would rather eat pintos and cornbread than eat some of the gluten free c*** out there."  And the birth of Pintos and Cornbread at Wordpress was born.  (oh, just so you don't worry, I have IBS)

This blog had a very, very short life.  In October (?) I was hospitalized with severe abdominal pain, and a short colonoscopy later.....  no Celiacs for Catie!  Yee Haw.  Back to freshly milled bread I went and have not looked back.

I happen to really, really like the name:  Pintos and Cornbread.  The pinto is such an unassuming little bean and cornbread is ubiquitous here in the South.  I have eaten so much Jiffy in my life that the keratin in my nails is probably mostly made of corn!

Jiffy aside..........

I love cornbread.  Sweet cornbread.  Savory cornbread.  Cheddar-jalapeno cornbread.  Hush puppies.  The variations are endless, much to DH's delight...  He loves, adores, gobbles cornbread.

Again, I digress.....

So, my cast iron version of cornbread is going to be buzzing in a moment and I am going to top it with a slather of real butter and, since I don't have honey on hand, some kind of sweet syrup from the fridge.  It will cool for perhaps 30 minutes and I will bowl up the beans, clear the table, put out the ketchup and relish, and consume our bean feast. 

The name of my blog is Pintos and Cornbread.  A good reminder of my humble roots.  An excellent statement of frugality.  Nutritious as well.  There you have it.  A good, solid name for a humble blog about cooking and whatever else catches my fancy.

Blessings to you all, c

P.S. :  Tomorrow I will be turning the humble pinto leftovers into some sort of bean enchilada thing and a side of cilantro-lime rice.  You'll see.  It's gonna be GREAT.

Food, Finances, and Fun!

Good Morning!  It is 9:35am, I am in my jammies, 2nd cup of coffee beside me, kids watching Sponge Bob (don't judge) and I am reflecting on food, finances, and fun. 

Yesterday, I attacked a two week Kroger run.  I am hoping that the $260 I spent on groceries will last for the prescribed amount of time.  That comes to roughly $130/week for food.  The 'allotted' amount is $160/week.  My hope, is that my hard work will pay off and ULTIMATELY shop a month at a time.

So, tonight is DH's favorite meal.  Roast chicken, mashed potatoes and peas.  I am going to micromanage the chicken portions so I will be able to make King Ranch Chicken later in the week.  The other thing I do, and you will think this is gross unless you are half-hillbilly like me, is save the bones, freeze them, and when I have enough, make chicken noodle soup.  The soup is like getting a FREE MEAL! 

I have spoken to many of my friends lately about our spouses.  Many of our men are under a lot of pressure work-wise and finance wise.  I know mine is.  He works so hard.  He worries so much.  Because I am an at home, homeschooling mom, getting a 'job' isn't an option.  I strive to be like the Proverbs woman.  A woman whose husband trusts in her.  I want to be trustworthy for DH.

I am hoping to really enjoy my day.  God has been speaking to me about this lately.  Enjoying each day and what it brings.  Find the fun and enjoy it all.  Today is overcast, and rain is called for.  The temps are NOT going to hit the 80's and rain is imminent.  That means NO POOL.  Friends are texting and sharing their plans for the day.  I think, we are going to take a day at home and the library.  We are going to make our own fun.  A little work, a lot of togetherness, reading, laundry.  Maybe a walk.  What could be better?   We are going to enjoy the work and rest in our togetherness.

Well, my time is up.  Please comment if you have an idea or an encouragement or question.  I love people.  Blessings to you all.  catie

Monthly Menu Plan for June

So here is June's menu plan. I have already executed the 1st weeks worth of menus. I shopped for groceries thru this Sunday, June 10th. I am *hoping* to shop at Sam's for the next three weeks worth of food. I'll let you know how the money goes. I have some goals for this endeavor. They are as follows: *Save Money *Eat more Veggies *Cut my cooking time down *Simplify my life over all I'll let you, the ethernet, know how that goes as well.

Menu Planning

I am going to write a blog.  A blog about cooking and taking care of a family.  I am going to learn how to do this.   I want to share my menus, recipes and thoughts.  Tips?  Probably not.  I can only tell you what is working and is not working for me.

Just finished eating this.  Kids scarfing.  Husband not home.  Probably won't be leftovers.  Good.  Tomorrow is millet grain burgers.

Check back often.  Hoping to learn how to post my monthly google calendar menu.

For now, catie