Trying not to think about the election.
Here in Oregon, we vote by mail, an evil liberal concept, so I voted days ago.
When Jeff and I were newly married, we lived in Southern California. Stuck in my memory is a series of articles that appeared in the Orange County Register. Each week, a person took the challenge of preparing a gourmet meal for two for less than five dollars. The results were mediocre, in my judgment, especially since they had a whole five dollars with which to work. I remember thinking to myself, Heck, I do that every night. In fact, our meals usually only cost a buck or two.
Here in Oregon, we vote by mail, an evil liberal concept, so I voted days ago.
When Jeff and I were newly married, we lived in Southern California. Stuck in my memory is a series of articles that appeared in the Orange County Register. Each week, a person took the challenge of preparing a gourmet meal for two for less than five dollars. The results were mediocre, in my judgment, especially since they had a whole five dollars with which to work. I remember thinking to myself, Heck, I do that every night. In fact, our meals usually only cost a buck or two.
So, here I am, thirty years later.
I teach piano till dinnertime most nights, so it's often a rush to feed the starving beast (Jeff) before he snacks himself into oblivion. Some days, I think ahead and prepare dinner early in the day, but it's not a given.
Last night, I laid out my plan ahead of time and had all the ingredients ready to go before I started lessons for the day.
Then, I realized: dinner will cost almost exactly a dollar tonight.
First, a can of spicy beans, purchased from Safeway for fifty cents, after sale price and double coupon.
Next, half a pound of Hillshire Farms sausage, sliced up and browned in a pan.
The whole pound cost 99 cents in the clearance bin at Safeway.
Mixed all together with a pot of rice (two cups of rice to four cups of water) which cost a few pennies.
Served with a side of sliced persimmon for a flavourful respite from the spice.
Not exactly elegant, but flavourful and fairly healthy.
It did cost a tad more than a dollar, but there is enough left for lunches this week.
Poor Jeff is going to get mighty tired of rice and beans!
That looks great! I've never had a persimmon before. Are they sweet?
ReplyDeleteThey are very mild and sweet.
ReplyDeleteI just told Jeff, as I was eating another bowl of rice and beans, that I find the combination to be very satisfying. He didn't look quite so entranced! I made him a bacon, egg, and cheese bagel for dinner because he took the rice and beans for lunch today.
That looks great! I love inexpensive dinner ideas!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good, quick and economic meal!
ReplyDeleteI love rice and beans and eat it a lot. That meal looks tremendous to me! And how thrifty you are! I am proud of you. Voting by mail does sound like an evil liberal concept. Forsooth.
ReplyDeleteI'm impressed! Looks good! How is voting by mail an evil liberal concept? (Or was that a joke?) I'm not saying it's not, I just don't follow why. I've always been a little lost with politics! I tend to feel like the dumb person in the room when people talk about it.
ReplyDeleteOkay, Kathy, kind of joking and kind of not. I did a little research on it, and the mail-in ballot is definitely a Democrat concept, so I inherently distrust it. It also opens all kinds of doors to voter fraud.
ReplyDeleteFor example, I spoke to two people that had misunderstood a mail ad for one of our county commissioners and had decided not to vote for Jack Crabtree for sheriff because of it. When I enlightened them, it was too late to change their vote because they had already turned it in.
Not that polling booths are perfect, but there is something to the idea of actually having to make the effort of going to the polls. Liberals seem to promote the idea because it makes it easier for people, who might otherwise not bother, to vote.
And politics drives me crazy, but, as you may have noticed, I have some pretty strong opinions on the topic. I will go with the party that encourages self-sufficiency, as opposed to dependence on the government, and not the one that touts moral relativism.
Lecture over, such as it is.
I can see your point about making the effort to go to the polls. The people that really care and are more educated about the issues are probably more likely to make the effort to go to the polls than the casual voter. I do feel like I should learn and understand more about the issues and political process. One of these days . . . .
ReplyDeleteI love rice and beans, especially if the rice is brown. Sometimes I'll make up a bowl of them, along with some salsa and fat free sour cream.
ReplyDelete