Soapy Saturday Our Daily Dinner

Soapy Saturday

LindaLMT 6 years ago
Good Morning Everyone.

Attached are two pictures of my most recent soap. A picture before it was cut and after. It figures the pictures loaded sideways, so much for my theory to get them to load straight. Anyhow. Was hoping for a more pronounced swirl. The almond scent in a portion of the batter was to have darkened but it really didn't. I lightened a small portion of batter to make it whiter, added ground oatmeal to a slightly larger portion, and the largest portion I added the almond fragrance to. Did an in-pot swirl (poured all three batters into the same pot) then poured it into the mold. It smells good and I'm naming it Almond Oatmeal Cookie.

Need to some help too ... I'm thinking of sending something over to the place DH was at to acknowledge the entire staff and say Thank You. About 50 people in total work there between all shifts. But what? That doesn't cost too much but is still nice. They have all the food they want but if there is some food that is unique I'm open to suggestions. I thought about a big cookie tray but that's boring ... I'm stumped?
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chuckieb 6 years ago said:

Linda they're beautiful!!!!!! Deep inhale on Almond Oatmeal cookie!!!!! I think a common thing to give groups of people (I'm thinking nurses and Dr.'s in hospitals after caring for a loved one) is chocolates but indeed perhaps they get tired of such a thing. When my Dad passed away I ordered mini airplane bottles of wine from our Liquor store and tied a ribbon with a thank you message on each of them and gave it to the nurses that had been caring for Dad. But that was only about 24 of them not 50. I know a lot of people also drink coffee on their breaks so if it were in Canada I'd think buying a Tim Horton's gift card so they could get free coffee and muffins or whatever. Good luck trying to think of what to give them.

Had a super nice day yesterday with my cousin's daughter. Walked around down town Ottawa with her for 2 hours yesterday afternoon then brought her out to the house. Went for a hot tub and then had dinner. I WAAAAYYYYY overcooked the spaghetti and it was down right mushy but it was because I was chatting away with our visitor and lost track of time. :) She ate a good portion anyway bless her heart. :) Grabbed a couple of salads from Nicastro's Italian deli in the Market to go with the chicken and served gingerbread cookies and Bailey's Pumpkin spice liqueur as dessert which she also really enjoyed. About to make breakfast in just a bit and then we'll take her on a driving tour afterwards. I think she needs to be back at her Hotel for some events early afternoon.

Will read back a bit later and catch up. Wishing everyone a great Saturday. The weather here is perfect for a lovely fall day.

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LindaLMT 6 years ago said:

That's an idea Janet ... I'll have to price it out but maybe a basket with some coffees that they can brew a pot of and lots of little airplane bottles of Bailey's, Kahlua, etc. (not strong stuff). Then no matter the shift someone can have something or take a little bottle home.

That's great you had such a nice day with your guest. What was the big awesome building I seen on FB? It's amazing! I'm sure your overcooked pasta was still tasty and when your hungry (after all that walking) it too was a welcomed. How the chicken parm turn out?

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mommyluvs2cook 6 years ago said:

Morning! Omg that soap is SO pretty Linda! I bet it smells delicious too :) i like Janet's mini wine bottle idea for the staff. Maybe the liquor store would cut you a deal for so many? Or what about like a big fruit bouquet (edible arrangements) with some dipped in chocolate so it's for everyone and not individual and less expensive?

Sounds like you had a great time yesterday. Too bad the spaghetti was over cooked, but I bet it was fine. Yum on the dessert!

Heading to the tournament in Galveston. Games got pushed back by an hour because I think it rained over here yesterday and they were trying to clean up the fields and add dirt. Gave us a little extra time this morning so I'm good with it! We have 3 girls coming to stay over tonight when we are done. Not really looking forward to it because I know we will be tired but hopefully they will be too lol. Dinner will probably be pizza! Have a great day everyone!

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LindaLMT 6 years ago said:

Have fun at the tournament and good luck to the girls Michelle! Edible arrangements are nice. And yes, I'm aiming for the "not" individual gift. They have though all the fruit they want there. The place serves meals and snacks and always has fresh fruit out in a bowl, I know meals are included for staff on shifts.

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Good4U 6 years ago said:

Your soap looks absolutely awesome, Linda! WOW! I will have to think about unique gifts you can give to the staff. As you say they get fed well but maybe some kind of treat they don't usually get. Hmmm. The building in the pic on FB is our Parliment Building where our federal government is run from in Ottawa.

I am glad you are having a fun visit with your cousin's daughter, Janet. Oops on the overcooked spaghetti! However, it sounds like everything else went well. I am sure she will enjoy her driving tour with you this morning as well.

Enjoy your time in Galveston, Michelle. Pizza sounds perfect to serve after such a busy day.
I will be back Den just brought in MacDonald'. I want to eat it when it is hot.

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Good4U 6 years ago said:

That was yummy! Den did the little bit of grocery shopping this morning and now he has eaten he is going to mow the front lawn. It could possibly the last time this year he has to do it. We are going to work on the backyard again to clean up and cut back things as well as putting more ornaments, plaques and such a way. Den will have his normal cheeseburgers and oven fries for dinner and once again I don't know what I am going to have yet.
Wishing everyone a great day!

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Good4U 6 years ago said:

Linda, Maybe you could pick up a bunch of small packaged candies like the ones they give out at Halloween and put them in a basket with a nice note on it from your DH and you.

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MissouriFarmWife 6 years ago said:

All the above ideas sound so nice. The individual bottles are so cute, esp if they are coffee oriented flavorings like Baileys etc etc. I have canned the half cup or one-cup of wine jelly, or any fruit jam for that matter, for gifts to co-workers. The small ones I gave to everyone as favors, the half pint or pint size for an individual. It would be nice to have names on them but that is difficult if you don't know everyone's name! I'm sure whatever you will decide will be appreciated. Even a bouquet of flowers with a thank you note says thank you quite nicely.

Your soap is so pretty!

Janet, I have made lots of "mushy" spaghetti / pastas over the years. And I can't think of any re-use of the overlooked noodles....LOL! It is so easy to forget to monitor the cooking time. I am sure your visitor enjoyed time with you.

Have fun with your overnight teenagers MIichelle! Pizza is always a favorite with teens.

Yum on your McD breakfast, Joce.

The severe stuff is supposed to stay West of us, at least at the latest forecast! So it will likely be just rain and GS can stay home safely.

My sole accomplishment so far is cleaning litter boxes and rinsing out the "spare" one for another time when we are going away for a few days and the cats would benefit from the extra facility. Ahem! I do have a couple loads of laundry going, Trouble is curled up on my lap, and Wayne is working on his laptop. It is very quiet, quite muggy outside, high humidity, and breezy.

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MissouriFarmWife 6 years ago said:

We pulled the trail camera cards from the barn and looked at them this morning. The ground hog was back, and very busily trotting about, ignoring the bait in the trap, and meandering. It is a rather large dude. A giant economy size pack rat, a rabbit, a squirrel, another raccoon, and a smaller, basic, run-of-the-mill rat or mouse dashed across the floor. All in all, it was an active night in the barn. The rabbit and squirrel are welcome to drop by. Not so much the ground hog, raccoon, and other rodents. Sigh!

Frits now chases wasps, whines, and play-snaps at them, as if he knows they sting and is afraid to get one in his mouth. Wayne dispatched the insect in question, and Fritz has since settled down beside him on his recliner.

I may try the wrap you had (on FB, I think) Joce, but since he chews everything will have to stay with him. All of his doggie blankets have huge holes in the middle where he'd chews. At two years old, Fritz needs a different pass time.

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Good4U 6 years ago said:

I like the idea of the flowers, Karen. My heavens on all the activity in the barn! How are they getting in?

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LindaLMT 6 years ago said:

Thanks everyone for giving my soap the "thumbs up"!

Nice that Den did some grocery shopping Joce and brought back brunch too. Good Luck getting the yard in order for the winter to come. Do you have lots yet to do? Wow! that's your Parliament Building! it's stunning.

Thanks for letting the rabbit stay in the barn Karen!! You know I have a soft spot for rabbits. Good the bad weather is passing you and hopefully stays past you. Quite mornings are nice.

I know some of the staff ... the people who work the dinning room, the people who give meds, clean, and do room checks, front desk ... but some work behind the scenes that I don't know. However I would feel bad excluding some so something the whole group could pick at or partake in is my thoughts. I too like the idea of a big giant candy bowl filled with candies for them to help themselves Joce. Oh how I wish I could can Karen but I never did it. But that too makes wonderful gifts.
I appreciate all the ideas!!

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LindaLMT 6 years ago said:

I'm still waiting for Coleman to ship the adapter hose for my portable grill so I can hook up the standard tanks I have. I'm tired of waiting (it's on back order) and have store credit at Home Depot from a recent return so went out mid morning and bought 4 of the little 1 pound tanks. Hooked one up and we grilled hotdogs for lunch. It's a cute little grill and does the job just fine!

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MissouriFarmWife 6 years ago said:

Joce, our barn is not completely enclosed. It is easy for critters to come inside. Wayne was standing by the grain-storage-freezer and a skunk squeezed under the barn door, gave him an "I could if I wanted to" look and walked thru the barn and out the other end. The ground hog just tunneled in, threw dirt everywhere. Grain is kept in a freezer that does not work but seals stuff up pretty good. The building is from the pre-nineties, I am sure. We have ground pack rat nests in the hay....they like shiny objects and the one nest had over a dozen fence caps for t-posts. It is hard to eradicate them and I won't use poison for fear innocent critters are affected.

Canning jelly is super easy, Linda. The extension offices may have classes. I always use the water bath method, not paraffin. They usually last much longer than conventional wisdom indicates. They do use a lot of sugar, however. I have never made soaps, and that is harder than canning...for sure. Yours are so pretty, it is one of my fatal weaknesses and I purchase some almost every time I see them at a craft show.

Yay on the propane purchase! Have fun grilling!

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chuckieb 6 years ago said:

The chicken parm turned out great Linda and our guest devoured it. I just googled gift ideas for nursing staff and one stood out....a basket of bagels with flavoured cream cheeses. Yum on grilled hot dogs for lunch.

Good luck and have fun at the tournament Michelle! Fun for Bri to have three of her friends stay over afterwards. Pizza is perfect Saturday night food. :) Another was a nice cheese tray.

Yum on McD's Joce. Good luck figuring out your dinner.

I just tossed the leftover mooshy pasta Karen. I have enough Chicken Parm leftover to have for dinner again this evening but I'll just make us a fresh batch. LOL! LOL that the groundhog was ignoring the bait in the trap and indeed it sounds like there was a party going on in your barn last night. What a hoot.

Jim and I brought our guest to a little historical point not far from our place on our way back in to the city. It's a beautiful day today and the leaves are quite pretty. Drove her up Sussex Dr. so we could point out the Prime Minister's residence, the Governor General's residence, Rockcliffe (the fancy schmany neighbourhood of Ottawa as well as home to many of the Embassies) and then we took a quick spin over to the Quebec side so she could say she'd been in Quebec. LOL. :) Dropped her back at her Hotel at 1:30, stopped in to the Hardware store on the way home and had lunch when we got back. I'm pooped and Jim thinks he's coming down with something. :(

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MissouriFarmWife 6 years ago said:

Hope Jim feels better, Janet and is not coming down with anything.. Your guest must have had a wonderful time!

I just put chicken leg quarters and 2 acorn squash in the oven for supper. The squash may be done sooner than it says, all the recipes seem to have different times...ha ha. I have honey and a dash of paprika on the chicken, plain butter with a bit of pepper on the squash.

Wayne said we have rain a distance from here, so he is going to put the tractor in the barn.

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