Not Quite Ready For Dinner

 Sadly I learned tonight that my left hand is not quite ready for dinner yet.  I make a fantastic thin crust pizza with topping to rival a Chicago deep dish pie. It requires a knife and fork to eat it. I tried my best, but my left hand wasn’t quite ready for the fork yet.  Instead of my walk after dinner, I iced my hand instead.  I am hoping that this resolves fairly quickly.  Yes, to those who want to know.  Even though the stitches are not out, I have started what physical therapy I can do   No, I am not over doing my hand with the exception of dinner tonight.  I prefer my left hand for eating as I am much more messy with my right hand.

By the way spinning went well today. I took some art yarn singles off the bobbins and started another set of batts. No yarn is getting soaked and thwacked until my stitches are out and the doctor says it’s ok.   After Spin Together 2020 is over it will be weaving time.  

Spinning and More

 I spent the morning clearing off my bobbins so I could start spinning for Spin Together on Grandma’s Spinning Wheel Team.  I fell a little, oh who I am I kidding, I fell way behind because of hand surgery on Tuesday morning.  These are the skeins that I took off. I will not be able to wash them until the stitches come out and my hand heals a little more.  

After my nap I started spinning for Spin Together.  I managed to spin a few mini batts before my hand got tired.  I really like how the almost yarn looks.  I will be weaving scarfs and shawls, then post them on my Handmade by Sheri Facebook page and Instagram.  I am still in recovery mode so things are moving very slowly around here. 

It’s Pie Day

 In preparation for my next round of hand surgery I caught up on all the laundry. Then  made dinner for Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday night. I made a duck egg, mushroom and spinach quiche. Then I made John’s favorite chicken pot pie.  An updated version is in the previous post.  

Of course I tried to tidy the house in between everything else.  I have also determined that I am too short to get clothing out of the bottom of the washer without high heels or standing on my tippy toes.  I wonder if I am shrinking again?   

Semi Homemade Chicken Pot Pie Updated

 

An updated version of an old favorite..

This has been updated to include more chicken, the way John likes it.  Of course if you like lesss meat stay with the original published on May 9, 2011.  It was a very rare lazy day for me. I followed my bodies lead and took it very slow today.  So this is what John got for dinner tonight.

Semi Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

6 ounces pre diced onions
2 cups frozen hash brown potato cubes
2 heaping tablespoons margarine
1 box of Pillsbury ready made pie crusts - you will need both
1 pound frozen mixed vegetables
16 ounces pre cooked chicken diced
1 large deep dish pie pan
1 foil lined cookie sheet

In a large fry pan or wok melt the margarine on a medium low heat. Add the onions and saute for about 5 minutes. Lower the temperature to a lower heat and add the frozen potatoes and cook until soft. Add the chicken and the vegetables and keep on a low heat until 45 minutes before dinner. Unroll the first crust into an un greased pie pan. Pat the pie crust in place. Add all the mixture from the pan and pack it very firmly into the pie crust. dampen the edges of the pie crust and unroll the second pie crust on top. Wet the entire top of the pie crust with a small amount of water. Roll the bottom and top edges together and crimp anyway you would like. There are no bonus points for perfect thumb prints or crimps. Make 4 slits around the top of the pie crust and another vent hole in the center. Place in a cold oven and bake at 325 for 45 minutes,  a little longer if you like a darker crust.

You will notice two things about this recipe. First I did not add additional seasonings. I find that when making semi homemade items everything is usually very well seasoned to begin with. Secondly that I place the pot pie in a cold oven. I use a glass pie dish and I do not want it to crack so I put it on a cookie sheet lined with foil into a cold oven. It is better for the pie dish to heat up very slowly. When I remove the pot pie I leave it on the cookie sheet. It is very important that you do not put hot glass baking dishes on a damp or cold surface when taking it out of the oven.  So the cookie sheet is perfect in two ways. First it will catch any over flow and second just leave the pot pie on the cookie sheet until both are cool.

This serves 4 to 5 people. For a vegan pot pie just leave out the chicken.

Impromptu Improvement

 Today’s impromptu improvement is a COVID19 work at home issue.  John’s computer chair has seen better days.  The duck tape covered arm rests were becoming sticky.  So with a large fabric scrap and no pattern a solution was implemented.  

I took measurements and added a bit of wiggle room for seams.  Then elastic was pulled through, chinched and sewn.  Pulling the elastic through was the hardest part of the project. It really put my hands to the test with the upholstery fabric.  Pulling the elastic through also took the most time.  

John was surprised that I came up and implemented the solution so quickly.  Although I did not get it finished before his nap ended. He really likes the end result. Sorry the pictures are in the wrong order.  

An Empty Nest

 The best part about being an empty nester is that I can hang freshly spun yarn in the kids bathroom for as long as I want.  I get to look at the new skeins and decide what they should be. Even think about if I should stash dive for similar color ways to spin more for a bigger project. With absolutely no one saying that they need the shower, you have to move your yarn.

Ground Hog Day Perhaps

 The monotony of COVID19 has settled in.  Get up. Walk around the block.  Eat breakfast. Do chores. Knit a hat. Maybe spin some yarn. Eat lunch . Listen to a book and knit. Eat dinner. Go for a walk around the block. Also binge watching television shows, some from the last century. 3 months down about 18 months to go. Can I do this, that depends on the day. Really it does.  I am almost out of deep cleaning.  I am waiting for cooler temperatures to tackle the garage.  How is everyone one else doing?