Bargains on Christmas Clearance

This morning I realized that we had no breakfast meats in the house and decided to take a quick trip to the grocery store. When I pulled my cart around the corner I came across an assortment of carts and boxes filled with clearance items leftover from Christmas. They had candies and toys for up to 80% off the original prices. I scored on some Hershey’s kisses and Reese’s peanut butter cups. They are normally almost $4 a bag and I bought 4 bags for $1 each. It was not something I really needed, but the bargain price was too good to pass up.

Learning About Portugal

A friend of mine is married to a man who was born and raised in Portugal. He came to the U.S. to attend college, got an engineering degree and was hired by an American company to work on aeronautics. He must be very good at what he does. When the company offered him a promotion, they paid for his family to move, paid for their lodging while they looked for a house and paid the down payment required for his new mortgage. I was very impressed.

At Christmas, his family in Portugal sends boxes and boxes of gifts for him and his family. Their special gifts include foods, like Portuguese sausage and special candies that you cannot buy here in the States.

I am going to be learning a lot more about Portugal as our friendship grows. It sounds like a lovely country with great people and a moderate climate. So, maybe a trip to Portugal is in my future?

Crock Pot Recipes

Somehow I came across a Facebook group for people who use crockpots. I thought that was interesting, that so many people use crockpots and that they are such a subculture of the cooking world that they felt they needed a Facebook page to enhance their activtities.

So, I liked their page and checked out some of the recipes that were linked to the Facebook page. I even tried two of them – and they turned out great! But I have to admit that I am not a crockpot fanatic. It is just one more tool in my kitchen that is at my disposal for when I want to fix something that cooks slowly and makes the whole house smell wonderful when I walk in the door, tired and hungry.

Picnics and Barbecues

Planning my big Labor Day weekend coming up. Everyone here seems interested in a big backyard gathering, with a huge barbecue or at the very least a picnic where we grill burgers and hot dogs and everyone brings a dish to share. We used to go to the beach to celebrate Labor Day, but with the price of gas still so high, we are staying closer to home.