August #3- answers to questions, new recipes, an easy child mask

Good morning, 

There is no to do list this week as some of my grands are here and I plan on enjoying this time with them.  

I am concerned as schools are opening that we could have another big Covid spread and then more quarantines,  but I’m not a prophet and hopefully all will just get back to normal. 

Anyway, after we watched church yesterday morning,  I cleaned our house so we are ready for the week.  

They aren’t all here today but all 8 grands were together for an outdoor family  brunch this weekend.  They all look so big,  don’t they? 

They are ages 4 to 11.  

All are healthy and have big personalities.  

I sewed child sized masks to help outfit grands going to school.  

This is the simplest mask I’ve sewn

Use 2 pieces of fabric,  about 8 inches by 6 1/2 inches.  

Put them right sides together and pin in the elastic.  I used 6 1/2 inches elastic and that fits my grands. 

Sew around the edge but leave as space to turn it.  

I rounded the corners as I sewed but you could make right angle corners if you chose.  

Then turn the mask right side out,  iron and iron in 2 pleats.  Just eyeball them.  

Top stitch around the edge and that will close the opening where it was turned right side out.  

And I reinforced the elastic with some back stitching.  

During these hot days,  we’ve mostly had very easy meals like the one above.  Those are Pillsbury crescent rolls

But yesterday I was in a cooking mood and made this recipe I found on Instagram.  I don’t know who to credit it to as I took a screenshot but it was really good.  

If your family doesn’t like spicy, you substitute plain canned diced tomatoes and I’m sure it would still be delicious.  

I also baked a dessert with my husband’s homegrown blackberries and this is a keeper recipe too

➡️➡️   wild blackberry pie recipe link ⬅️⬅️

My recipe copy with notes 

How I make pimento cheese 

I grated cheddar cheese,  maybe 1/2-3/4 pounds

Then I add a drained 4 ounce jar of diced pimentos and a squirt of yellow mustard.  

Stir that up and then add just enough mayonnaise to have it all hold together.  

My pimento cheese is not as mayo-e as commercial pimento cheese.  

Sometimes I add diced jalapeño or dill pickle relish.  

We like it on celery or club crackers.  

Our son likes it on his Dad’s fresh jalapeños,  and don’t worry. These are not crazy hot peppers 

Keeping Produce in the fridge 

I do prep produce almost every week and it keeps just fine for us. 

I think cut up or whole produce lasts much longer in a closed container like Tupperware type containers or zipper bags or glass jars,  with all them sealed up and closed as well as possible. 

Salad usually lasts about 3 days,  if we don’t eat it first. 

Carrots and onions both last a couple weeks or more.  

Tomatoes don’t keep as long and neither does fruit but I think most everything keeps better sealed up in the fridge.  

Way back when we had 4 children at home,  a tiny budget and I had a job,  the main vegetables we ate were potatoes and carrots.  I would peel loads of them and keep them in water in the fridge until I needed them to cook.  This was way before “meal prepping” was all the rage.  I think I usually stored them in gallon jars that I got from the kid’s school cafeteria.  As long as the potatoes and carrots were in water,  they kept until I used them.  

About Jane at Hope and Thrift 

I hope she opens her blog back up but I think for now she is just being quiet and maybe fed up with all the yuck going on.  

Maybe she will leave a comment here.  

Hope you all are fine 

❤️Rhonda 🇺🇸