MJs Blog – Page 2 – A bit of this and that….

Graduation is over…now what?

It has been a while since I sat down to write an article and I didn’t realize it had been so long! It feels like some days there is so much to do. I went to visit my family and saw my niece graduate from high school. She has done so well and it was nice to see the family. Interestingly, even though it has been years since I graduated, in many ways, they are the same: exuberant graduates, relieved and happy parents, supportive and happy friends. Speeches and pomp and circumstance but now with big screen TVs — this grad ceremony was held in the Toyota Center!

So … after the speeches and celebrations, it’s up the graduate to decide the next steps: college, trade school, working, or maybe a gap-year full of travel? Big decisions that can be literally life changing!

College costs have risen so high, it can exclude many students. However, there can be ways to make college more attainable besides just expensive loans.

Sweets for the Sweet!

Paul French Bakery and Café

https://www.pauldmv.com/

First off, OMG! The Napoleon – is so good it almost makes you cry – yes, it was that good. (In my defense I was also hungry and had been trying not eat dessert in preparation for the holiday season). The Napoleon is both flaky with this delicious rich vanilla crème and a light sweet icing on top. The is one of the best dessert pastries ever! The Strawberry tartlet is really good too. What helps it stand out is they actually used some salt in the pastry shell/cookie so it has a balanced not flat taste. The strawberries retain a smidge of tartness so it is a very balanced and tasty dessert.

Happy New Year, Muffin!

As we kick off the New Year, the common theme is that hopefully, 2022 will be a much better year! I know I am looking at 2022 as a New Year and a New Me. Ok, it’s the same thing as in years past: lose weight, get in shape and re-organize my house! So, as a first step on the first day, I decided to bake muffins albeit the healthier yet tasty muffins. These are not your giant super sweet (300+ calories) muffins. These Oatmeal Muffins are only

Merry “MJ Holiday Dinner!”

It’s almost Thanksgiving Eve and everyone is making plans. Some are going to cook and host, some will travel to meet up with family or friends and some may just order in take-out and rest! My mom used to make her “Holiday” dinner for all of the special occasions. She would make the pies the night before, get up early to bake cornbread for the stuffing, and make a big Turkey — using up all those weird bits in the bag. We thought that bag was disgusting but she cooked it for stock and flavorings for the best Cornbread Dressing as us Southerners call it. We always had green beans, candied yams and the best mashed potatoes. This was the celebratory meal for Thanksgiving, Christmas and sometimes Easter with the added bonus of deviled Easter eggs! (recipe for the deviled eggs to come later in the Spring).

If you want to cook something delicious but don’t have the skills or the time to pull off a huge “Martha Stewart” dinner, there are ways to still have a warm comforting meal. You can make the infamous TV Dinner or …. there is also an abbreviated version aka a Merry “MJ Holiday Dinner!”

Tricks for the Treats

Leaves are turning to golden yellows and rusty red and squirrels seem to be everywhere. The crisp mornings and cooler days mean that Fall is definitely here. While Halloween has passed, we can still benefit from tricks to enjoy our treats more. Especially those tricks that help us save money and/or calories.

I know many people love diet sodas and I love regular soda. I have tried over the years to love diet and I just can’t get into it. Here we are heading into the indulgent season and cutting back so we can splurge on the specialty items is prudent. That said, I am never going to love diet sodas and guess what! They are not actually better for you. So …. what is a ‘bubbly’ loving girl to do?!

Happy September, Merry “Burgers”!

Where did the Summer go? It seemed like it was too hot or too rainy here for barbecues. Rather than fire up the grill for little ol’ me, I let Foster’s do the grilling. The Foster’s near me carved out some patio space from their parking lot. This was very nice because they also let folks bring their dogs! Of course, my little princess liked it for the first couple of times. She loves to meet people and enjoyed the attention. Soon more folks were coming out to eat and there were too many cars in the parking lot. The moving cars were too unsettling for her and the heat was too much for me! Therefore, the Princess got to stay home. Thankfully, the restaurant still wasn’t too crowded inside with the cool AC. So I met my friends at Foster’s and we ate juicy

Not Your Mama’s Tuna Casserole!

I remember when my Mom first learned about and made a Tuna Casserole…. My mom was so proud that she had made this ubiquitous 70’s meal! While we were eager to have something new for dinner and the noodles looked promising…. we were not happy. We ate it, but that tuna smell. I actually don’t think my little sister ate it – to this day, she does not like the smell of fish. Fast forward, my mom realized canned chicken is a great substitute for tuna and Voilà! That change was the trick to getting us kids to happily eat this dinner!

Want something warm, comforting, inexpensive and easy? If you have more than 20 minutes – like maybe 30, then you can even do it in one pot (and a colander). This is also a great dish when you need something easy on the tummy and possibly have leftovers. Ok, I always have leftovers because I always make a large pot. I love the leftovers, especially for lunch. So, what is this lifesaver dish?

Taco Thursday?!

So, while we are almost back to normal, now there is the new Delta variant. We are not out of the woods yet! So, it is still good to have a stash of good pantry staples to feed you and your family. What is in your stash? I have found that tortillas, cheese and salsa and sometimes chips are now a staple. Why? Well who doesn’t love a taco? Well some folks don’t like spicy and associate tacos with spicy and hot food that they pay for later. However, a taco doesn’t have to be spicy nor hot and tacos can be very economical and tasty. For busy people and even people who don’t know or like to cook, a tortilla, preferably soft, will be your new best friend. The great news is you can buy and have taco fixings on hand and it doesn’t have to be the usual hamburger with seasonings. Even gourmet cooks may like this twist on a taco. Oooh… Drum Roll please…

Hello….Frugal?

Dinner time! Planning a meal, healthy or just filling, every night takes time and energy. Especially, when you want to be frugal and healthy or even if you just want an easy meal that is tasty without breaking the bank. With so many folks cooped up at home many of us either had to learn to cook or at least break out of our normal routine. Well that was me, I was getting very tired of my normal routine and yet, it was hard to look at recipes, shop for all these items and then spend an hour learning to make it. Sooooo…. I decided to try Hello Fresh! This post is about sharing my experience with this food service. (full disclaimer – this is truly all based upon my experiences.)

Dollars and Sense

While I was thinking about writing about another food recipe, as food is really one of life’s pleasures, I feel the need to talk dollars and sense. Money can be a big (and sometimes painful) issue and there are plenty of blogs about money. I wonder how many people are intimidated by the financial blogs and stock market sites for buying and trading stocks? I know I was when I was younger, as I found that I didn’t really understand it.

With the food recipes, I focus on delicious and comforting food and that is what I am hoping to do with this money post. If you think of your household budget as a recipe for nurturing and caring for you and your family, this will make more sense. I found that budgets can be very confining and really didn’t match up with my time and my goals. However, a Spending Plan is more realistic and is more fun. I often hear people who classify themselves or their significant others, as either “savers” and “spenders”. In reality, we are all a bit of both and it comes down to focus. Just like with a recipe for great dishes, there are recipes for meeting your financial goals: Continue reading “Dollars and Sense”