A quiet day

I ended up making soup but not getting any baking done today. It was one of those days when fatigue set in early. However, I absolutely loved the soup I made using a recipe of Anna's as a base. You can find it by clicking here (I'm adding the "click here" now because links are blending in with the other words and not as apparent as they were before Beta.)

I love recipes that let me start with one pound of ground beef. I had a pound of ground beef defrosted already and also had a box of chicken broth (purchased on clearance), canned vegetables, about a handful of pasta left at the bottom of a box and a large can of Italian style tomatoes. This came together in minutes to make a delicious, cheap and filling lunch. We had some for dinner, too, since it was just the two of us here at home. Yum...

By just chipping away, I did get some much needed housework and laundry finished. I don't like to do much housework on Sundays, only that which is necessary, so all I have to do extra tomorrow is vacuuming. If I wasn't walking on kitty litter which the felines have managed to get on the carpeting in our hallway, I wouldn't be concerned about vacuuming. I've talked to them about being a little more careful and even suggested wiping their little paws but no suggestions have been accepted.

Now I'm going to sip tea and go through the magazines purchased earlier this month and look for new cookie recipes to try for Christmas gift giving. I have a few I "always" make and then I like to add some new varieties. I've replaced all my spices over the last few months (those that needed replacing), I have extra unsalted butter in the freezer, vanilla was purchased on sale last month, chocolate chips and candy making materials were purchased ahead, and my grocery store had Gold Medal Flour for $1.00 a bag last week. So my baking won't cost very much in December. I'll have to purchase more butter and pecans (which can be pricey but with everything else out of the way, the cost evens out over a few months).

This way, cash spent on gifts for children and grandchildren is not on top of a big grocery bill for baked items. We don't have a credit card so everything must be paid in cash. I'm just thankful for a monthly check!! :) Not that we don't get credit card offers. Some weeks we get them daily in the mail. However, when one is on a fixed budget, living on credit would be even less wise than normal.

I'll post on the recipe blog if I find some "keepers" out of the magazines. I can tell already there are great recipes in them. I also have six or seven Christmas baking magazines saved from past years which I will be looking through. I have as much fun reading them as I do baking and reading doesn't raise my blood sugar levels (although I've often thought I could gain five pounds through reading about food).