Hi Dave,


 RH> Most brands of frozen veggies have a mix of carrots, peas, beans and
 RH> corn, sold as mixed vegetables. Not the greatest as is but good for
 RH> soups and such like. I use the peas/carrots mix for fried rice and will
 RH> occaisionally do peas or beans as is but prefer most of my veggies
 RH> fesh, especially from our local farmer's market.

 DD> I'm at the stage of my life where convenience is a big factor in my
 DD> shopping. 'Taters, maters, bell peppers and onions/garlic I get from
 DD> the produce bins at Humphrey's or Hy-Vee. Seasonal veg I buy from my
 DD> local truck farmers (Suttill's Gardens). They have good stuff &
 DD> parking. The farmer's market is jumbled and nearby parking is
 DD> virtually nil. At
 DD> my age distance walked is a big factor.

I'm doing a lot more convenience cooking than I used to--haven't made
bread in probably a year. The local farmer's market isn't that far away
and it is small enough that it doesn't take too much time/effort to walk
thru it. Some vendors do have a line, but they're ones that have been
with the market since the beginning in 2008. One of them, a baker, will
be retiring at the end of this month but the produce farmer I get a lot
from is still going strong. Parking can be a problem but if you wait
long enough, someone parked nearby will pull out.

 DD>      88


 RH> I've used Bell's for seasoning the dressing/stuffing but prefer the
 RH> Bragg's for soup.

 DD> Now I'm gonna have to go find a small container so I can give it a
 DD> whirl.

 RH> Last one I found was in a Sprouts grocery store, not sure where I got
 RH> it before that. It has a yellow top, sort of like Mrs. Dash but I like
 RH> the combination of veggies in the Bragg's for seasoning soup.

 DD> Mrs. Dash, in her many iterations is pretty food stuff. I can get
 DD> Bragg's at Ruler Foods (no-frills Kroger brand) and Hy-Vee. But
 DD> on-line research shows me a wide range of choices. Even some liquid.
 DD> Which one(s) do you have experience with?

I use the Organic Sprinkle, 24 herbs and spices, salt free (Paul C.
Bragg's original 1930 blend). Yellow top, yellow label. I might pick up
a different one to try next time we go down to Sprouts, just to try, but
this is my favorite for soup stock seasoning.


 DD> Our temperatures finally got "seasonal" for the first time this year.
 DD> We had one morning almost into the single digits - 11§F. Before I
 DD> left on my rounds I nipped out to car and started it. Then back into
 DD> the house to get the rest of my "leaving prep" done. Supposed to be in
 DD> the 40s and 50s next week. No White Xmas here I don't think. And
 DD> that's all right with me.

 DD> Right noe (05:30 Sunday moring) it's 40§F with an anticipated high in
 DD> the mid-50s. Almost speedo weather.

 RH> We got into the 60s today, will, with rain, for the next couple of
 RH> days, then back to the ice box temps.

 DD> We're going to dip into the ice-box fora couple of days then right
 DD> back into the 40s and above for the weekend. It's like a yo yo. But,
 DD> overall temps are trending higher and climate change is a reality - no
 DD> matter
 DD> what the conspiracy cultists and Ms. Green say.

Rumors are, we might get a white Christmas. We've no plans to go out of
town so it won't bother us; if the power goes out, we can move into the
camper. (G)

 RH> We went to the annual VFW Christmas dinner last night, held at and
 RH> catered by the local cafeteria. This year they added chicken cordon
 RH> good time was had by all.

 DD> I've never eaten at either of our VFW posts. But American Legion Post
 DD> 32's Mess Hall restaurant has really good grub. Their Thursday night
 DD> fried chicken has won local "Best of" awards more thasn once. And at
 DD> lunchtime on Tuesday's they offer a 33% discount to veterans.

 DD> That's all right. I save on the dues and still get in on the Tuesday
 DD> discounts.

 RH> Rules changed a few years ago; now you can join the Legion (any
 RH> honorably discharged veteran can), without wartime service. Still can't
 RH> join the VFW as you were not in any war zones but consider the Legion
 RH> as every member adds to our voice in meeting the needs of our vets.

 DD> I'll pass. All my service records went up in smoke when Jefferson
 DD> Barracks (Missouri) burned up. As it predated the computerisation of
 DD> their data - it might be possible to gather the info from other
 DD> sources. Heck even my DD-214 and Honorable Discahrge diploma are
 DD> missing in action.

 DD> I support Vet's stuff through my brother and my Senator (Tammy
 DD> Duckworth)

As long as you support the Vet's, that's good. You should try to find
your DD-214 tho; it is what your local funeral home needs to get the
flag on your casket. If you've made arraingements already, check with
whoever you did it with; they might have a copy of the DD-214 on file.


 DD> My store is having a Christmas Party on 16 December. I'll be taking
 DD> this as my "covered dish":


 DD>       Title: John Wayne Tater Tot Casserole
 DD>  Categories: Chilies, Vegetables, Cheese, Dairy, Potatoes
 DD>       Yield: 6 Servings

 DD>      32 oz (2 cans) chilli w/beans
 DD>       4 tb Dairy sour cream
 DD>      15 oz Can whole kernel corn;

Looks like it should fill a few bellies. (G)







>> CONTINUED IN NEXT MESSAGE <<

---
Catch you later,
Ruth
rchaffly{at}earthlink{dot}net  FIDO 1:396/45.28


--- PPoint 3.01