G'afternoon friends,
So, I'm sitting here chastising myself (again) for having eaten too much (again). Can't beat my slow cooker for turning out a yummy garlic-and-cracked pepper pork loin!
But. I'm thinking a return to my high school Home Economics cottage would be beneficial. The new air fryer's a champ at doing chicken wings and pizza. Not so much our attempt at roasting veggies. (Not gonna point fingers, but 'someone' decided, if a recipe calls for 2T olive oil, a 1/2 c. is better.) Yesterday I was all set to make a baked ricotta dip ... but it came out so thick, Tom couldn't even dip a chip. 'Miss Improvisation' here added an uncalled for dose of Greek dressing ... shredded cheddar ... ranch dressing. To no avail.
My much maligned InstantPot is, however, becoming a MVP. Rather than browning the pork on the stove-top -- creating another greasy mess -- I set the IP to saute' and whistled a happy tune. Also, I just discovered if you substitute Swanson's beef broth for cooking oil there's no grease to wind up floating in the slow-cooker.
Our meals may not be award-winning but I'm having fun.
Remembering ...
Three years later, I spotted this newspaper header: "Raking leaves this fall? If you leave them be, you're doing the planet a favor." Woot! (Here's a link to the article if anyone's interested.)
Super thankful ...
The short answer: That's a form of mental illness. (*sigh*)
Nevertheless. When I was brushing my teeth the other day I glanced down to see a panda ... then, the face of a German Shepherd. Is that a goat?
Turns out, what I'm seeing is something called Pareidolia. One website claims it's, "Not a sign of madness but a well-wired brain." Ha! Take that Mr. Hinojosa, you who claimed my 4th grade daydreaming self was lacking.
Anyway! Here's a couple out-takes from Village Green.
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| Just a silly selfie :) |
I see faces in my throw rug on my bathroom floor all the time, while "sitting" you know where. It's amazing the different faces I can see, so NO, you are not crazy! If you are, I am too! (never mind my Thelma and Louise trick hanging out the window of my car). LOL. Love your posts.
ReplyDeleteYeay ... nice to know I'm in good company!
DeleteI am all about the crockpot and garlic and cracked pepper are my favorite spices...share your recipe?
ReplyDeleteI see faces in the patterns on floors all the time. Mental illness my patootie! I think it's more along the lines of those blurry hidden picture things...you have to relax your eyes to see the hidden thing. Funny, I can never get my eyes to cooperate on those. Maybe I am crazy? LOL
Actually, the folks at Smithfield did the seasoning. (Our fav is the mesquite.) I cut up and brown the meat, then toss it in a slow-cooker bath of low-sodium beef broth with onion and diced tomato for two hours. Thanks for asking!
DeleteGreat photos, Myra. I don't see the panda or goat head, but I do see the witch's hand! :) I have yet to use my Instant Pot since weeks and weeks ago but I do slow cook lots of things in the crock. Our air fryer is great but I am still off on some of the timing. We use it most often for toast and probably should just quit trying. Love me some garlic and pepper. Sounds heavenly!!
ReplyDeleteYep, the slow cooker's my favorite appliance! However, as long as the meal's edible I'll keep experimenting. :)
DeleteMy DIL loves her InstaPot too - I am considering getting one.
ReplyDeleteLove the tree that looks like a hand.
I hope you will ... and please, let us know how you like it!
DeleteGreat selfie Myra! Those trees are interesting! I would imagine the leaves would be good for the soil. Too funny how you love your InstaPot. I decided to sell mine LOL after having it for about a year and not using it once. Impulse buy for sure. Son did give us an air fryer for Christmas (which we only used once, don't tell him LOL) so we got that covered. Interesting with the brain and Pareidolia. I saw the goat right away LOL. I wonder if it is the same thing if you see pictures out of clouds?
ReplyDeletebetty
Thanks, Betty! Every now and then my hair 'behaves' -- so I took this to show my hairdresser what I'd like. I'm pretty sure clouds qualify!
DeleteWe should never rake or collect leaves. Leaves are taken into the ground by worms at night. They come out and pull the leaves in with their teeth. If it were not for worms we would be up to our necks in leaves. Leaves rot underground and fertilise the soil.
ReplyDeleteExperts took slow motion photos with cameras at night of worms pulling leaves into the ground. These people are called bookworms because they study and write books about worms. By morning they discovered the worms pulled the camera underground. They tried to pull it back and a tug-of-war happened with each pulling their way, and the two scientists nearly got buried alive. So they let go the camera which is now underground and still filming and sending photos of leaves being pulled in by the worms.
God bless, Mevely.
Despite the tears in my eyes (from laughing),I can actually visualize that. Brava!
DeleteI see "pictures" in things all the time, Myra, so glad to know neither one of us is nuts - lol! As we live in a forest, with only moss for ground cover, Danny blows our leaves, but they end up in piles by our fences. So, yes, we don't rake.
ReplyDeleteBlessings!
Your home's setting sounds heavenly! Wishing you and Danny a blessed Monday!
DeleteThat first photo is beautiful. I definitely agree that autumn laves shouldn't be raked - why eliminate the beauty of nature?
ReplyDeleteAnd I vividly see the long arm of a witch in that tall tree photo.
I have always seen objects and shapes in inanimate objects, even when I was a small child. It's a sign of a creative mind.....
....but you should check out one of my favorite stories - "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (written in 1899). It's about a woman going systematically insane as she sees patterns of people in the wallpaper.
It's probably available on the Internet (??).
I have it in an old book of ghost stories.
Please excuse any typos. I was being tortured by a rowdy cat while writing this.
DeleteI don't see any typos!
DeleteI'll definitely try and check out that Gilman book. Promise it won't give me nightmares?
I see faces in the clouds and patterns on some of
ReplyDeleteour doors in the house.
I enjoy your posts.
Have a good day my friend.
Thank you so much! Hope you do the same!
Deleteha ha on larry, i don't have a larry but i do have a tree with boobs that lives out at the beach.. love your selfie, your hair looks great. i see the Panda but not the dog... once while on the throne, i saw a perfect face of a lion on the floor, each time i visited i saw it, just realized it is gone. and it is in the tile, so where did it go? mental illness? hummm
ReplyDeletebeautiful front yard and last but not least, and it is hard to say, Bob has always mowed the leaves, and he said it was good for the yard, we always raked them at daddy's house. glad we are saving the planet... now we need to know how to kick this dratted virus out the door
Thanks! I see new things all the time; this morning it was a cocker spaniel wearing a crown. LOL.
DeleteTo me, the tree trunk looks like an arm with the fingers outstretched holding the branches! I can't see the panda but I did see the head of a deer!
ReplyDeleteIt does, doesn't it!
DeleteBack when I had a yard I found it satisfying (and much easier) to run the lawn mower over the leaves than to rake them.
ReplyDeleteYes! Work smarter, not harder.
Delete{{{grinning}}} Thanks Myra for the many smiles. Have a great week, friend.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Linda! You do the same!
DeleteI always see a lion in our bathroom tile! You certainly are cooking things up, way to go. I love the witch's outstretched arm.
ReplyDeleteHow funny! You and Sandra (Mad Snapper) must have the same tile.
DeleteI'm glad you are having fun cooking but sorry your ricotta dip didn't turn out right! Some recipes I've seen add 1/2 a cup of sour cream. I've never used it but mine has never been too thick.
ReplyDeleteI see faces in things like that too lol! There is a lion in my shower and a one eyed monster on the cabinet door. Ah and when I was little I remember a cloud man that I thought was God on my parent's ceiling! :)
Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! That so sweet about your seeing God (aka, cloud man) on your parent's ceiling. Reassuring, even.
DeleteYou are so cute and you make me smile for being such a great friend! I Love your cooking stories. I am going to give that Air Fryer a whirl with my sweet potato fries. I put some cinnamon on them and they are so yummy. So I will see if I don't burn the house down! As a child I Loved laying in the grass watching clouds go by. My friend Karen & O would comment what we saw. I still do it with clouds and such today. To your fourth grade teacher, dude, it is called I M A G I N A T I O N! LOVE and HUGS
ReplyDeleteyou have lovely place and beautiful sharing :)
ReplyDeletei am here from Kathy's blog
good wishes for your days and thank you for delightful images
raking fallen leaves has been a topic in our family for years. my mom lives in the woods and has someone in to rake for her. she goes ballistic if they don't get every single leaf. how in the world can they, she lives in the woods.
ReplyDelete