107-Composting Shredded Paper

On this episode we discuss using shredded paper in the compost pile.

As part of our ongoing effort to declutter and organize, we have sorted and cleaned out old financial records. Some of the records went back 10 years plus. After sorting out the colored and glossy papers, the rest were sent through the cross cut shredder.

The resulting bags of minced paper pieces will be composted or used in the bottom of transplant pots.

If you are interested in our prior podcasts on discussions, check out Episode 5 Composting to Kitchen and Back and Episode 12 Keyhole Gardening.

Until next time…..

105-Busy During Time Off

Even though the Mercantile is closed during January and February, we are still quite busy.

Both of us continue our decluttering work, this time it is the basement. We have a lot of work to do there. Donating, trashing, storing and cleaning as well as finishing the ceiling in the pantry. Even though this can be tiring and hard work, it is satisfying.

If you are interested in more about getting out of the food rut, you can read more about it in this blog post.

As always, you can keep up with our progress on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Until next time….

Getting Out of a Cooking Rut

I’m in a food rut again.

Making the same 5 or 6 meals over and over. When it comes time for lunch or supper (yes, we eat supper in the evening, not dinner, but that is a topic for another post), I struggle to come up with something new.

Remember the movie Julie and Julia? It is one of my favorites.

A woman named Julie is stuck as a low-level bureaucrat and in a rut. She is in more than just food rut, more like a life rut. Anyway, she determines that she will cook her way through Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking and blog about her experience. She gains attention and fame, then ultimately a book and movie deal. The movie explores both her experience and Julia Child’s life while writing the book.

I am not going to do all that. Plus, it has already been done. However, over the next week, I intend to explore some of the recipes from both Volume 1 and 2 of Mastering the Art of French Cooking. There will be old favorites and some that I have not tried before.

Adopting a “theme” of Julia Child for the week will surely get me out of this rut.

The first dish from Julia Child week was Supremes de Volaille Archiduc which translated from the French is Chicken Breasts with Paprika, Onions, and Cream. The sauce is the highlight of this dish…warm, creamy and rich. It was easy and relatively quick to make. The main thing that slowed me down was reading and re-reading the recipe to make sure I had everything right.

I can also report the leftover chicken made an excellent chicken salad; finely chopped, mixed with celery, a bit of leftover Caprese salad and mayo.

As I continue through this theme, I anticipate making croissants at some point. Those take 11 – 12 hours from start to finish, so definitely a “plan-in-advance” kind of item.

In the meantime, I think I’ll make a trip to the butcher to get rump roast for Boeuf Bourguignon. Oh yum!

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