Cajun Red Beans, Cheap Gas & Rupert the Bear!

No, it's not what you think.  Please read on...

A very productive day off, I must say. Ran errands, including grocery shopping and discovered I had earned over 400 points, which meant I would save 40 cents per gallon of gasoline.  The car needed to be fueled up anyway (I haven't filled the tank since May!) so I took advantage of the savings. Very nice, indeed.

Picked up a new large covered skillet - 2.75" high sided -  for "smothered" cooking in the Fall and Winter.  It too, was on sale. Attempted to purchase a medium size stainless steel mixing bowl, but had no luck. I'll search online later and see what I come up with. It's not an urgent purchase, anyway. I just prefer stainless over glass because it's lighter, easier to handle with these bad hands. Stainless wont shatter if dropped, if you get my drift.

Returned home and while doing 2 loads of laundry I put away the groceries and opened another 2 boxes.  These also held a few surprises.  More clothes that are too big for me and (again) some still with tags. One box contained favorite sweaters that I had forgotten about (assumed the Ex took them as part of the settlement) which will be cleaned and made ready for the colder days ahead. Most are cotton, not wool, and are easy to wash and dry.

I even found a red one!

A Side Note: The manager at work - a wonderfully funny Irish lesbian with a caustic sensahumah - has begun calling me "Rupert" after a popular comic strip character in the UK.  Rupert the Bear has been an icon for almost a century.  What can I say?  I love her to death! She's trying to find the yellow tie/scarf to complete the image.  Maybe she's had too many margaritas lately, but I'll humour her since I have been called much worse names in the past. However, if she comes up with those yellow plaid trousers as well, I will have to rethink the entire situation. Here he is!!!

Rupert the Bear in his original color and clothing.

Being in a New Orleans state of mind, for some reason, I decided to tackle one of our staple dishes. I haven't made Red Beans and Rice since the breakup, but I had most ingredients on hand and picked up the rest while shopping this morning. I found the ham hocks, Andouille sausage and a pound of dry red kidney beans that brought the entire shopping bill a whopping $8.00 over budget.  I'll take that to enjoy at least 6 or even 8 meals.  Yes, the beans freeze well and the rice is made fresh for each meal.  Prep time followed by the long cooking period is somewhat tedious, but the smells beginning to waft through the apartment, remind me of the family kitchen when I was a kid.  Well worth the effort and time.

Looking forward to an ice cold beer in a frozen glass to wash down a warm turkey salad sandwich as lunch. It's getting hot and humid again and the temps are forecast to be in the mid-90s by the weekend. Not good news for some, but great for sunbathers coming down for the quieter times after-season and warmer waters of the Atlantic.

All in all a good day. A little more wood floor is visible. Two more boxes emptied and collapsed, ready for the recycle center, clean clothes and bed linens, found treasure for me and clothing items for the thrift store, and NOLA red beans simmering on the stove.  They will be dinner over the coming weekend - or maybe NOLA style - on the traditional week night.

And so it goes.
*