If you do stuff, stuff gets done.......

If you do stuff, stuff gets done.......

Sunday, February 8, 2026

meals and valentines






as I started writing this post, it got very photo-heavy. So it will mostly be about meals and I’ll do a valentine post hopefully  tomorrow
We had a lot of snow toward the end of January.
I also got my final Kroger delivery as they will no longer be doing deliveries in my state.  I ordered a good bit on this final delivery and I’m not sure what I’m going to do about groceries. I really do not like shopping in the store anymore.

 Below are the meals we had this week- nothing remarkable but we enjoyed all of them.

On Sunday, we had some boneless pork chops cooked in sauerkraut with mashed potatoes and biscuits
Monday, we had the leftover pork, kraut and potatoes. I also baked a batch of banana muffins with two very overripe bananas, and a pan of blonde brownies.  Only my husband and I ate the meal, but my daughter and two grandchildren stopped over that afternoon and they were very happy to eat fresh muffins and brownies.  It was nice seeing them enjoy eating the baked goods.  
On Tuesday, I made a batch of coleslaw and some pickled red onions.
The onions were very simple.- thinly sliced red onion in a jar and then topped with 3/4 cup of Apple cider vinegar, a quarter cup of water, a tablespoon of sugar, salt and black pepper that had been boiled together 
I also peeled and cut up two large sweet potatoes and intended to cook salmon patties that night.  
But I had a few errands to run that day and by the time I got home, I didn’t want to even  cook simple salmon patties
So Wednesday we took a little ham steak from the freezer, baked a few biscuits, and served it with the coleslaw and onions.
Thursday,  I made a double batch of tasty lentil tacos in the slow cooker.  I have made these many times and the recipe is here on the blog
I kept out a dish and the rest went in the freezer for future meal
so we had lentil taco salads that night.  
Friday, I finally cooked the salmon patties.  I don’t like cooking them in the house just because the smell lingers so long.
This ninja cooker is a slow cooker, but it also has a braise cycle so it will work like a skillet.  The downside is it has a very short cord.
I took it to the patio and the only way I could use it at that plug without an extension cord was to set the cooker on a bucket.  
There were no children or pets roaming around. The cooker worked great and I think I will always cook salmon patties on the patio from now on
We had baked sweet potato fries with the salmon patties

My husband cooked a pork tenderloin outside. We ate it with salad.  






I’ve got a few valentine decorations up and we have had a very fun family valentine party.
I will blog about that very soon



talk with you all soon 
❤️ Rhonda 



20 comments:

  1. I want to make those pickled red onions...is that 1 tablespoon of sugar and also 1 tablespoon of the salt and also the pepper??

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    1. The recipe said salt and pepper to taste. I think I used about 1/2 t salt and a really good sprinkle of pepper.

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  2. My mom makes the best salmon patties! I haven't had them in years. I might have to invite myself over for dinner soon! *smile* I agree the smell lingers. When I stop by my parents, I can always tell when they've been served for dinner.

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    1. Salmon is fragrant! It’s one of my favorite meals so I’m really glad I can improvise an outdoor kitchen now.

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  3. Like you I hate shopping in a store, but force myself out to do so.

    God bless.

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  4. Pork, kraut and mashed potatoes sound so good. It has been a long while since I had that. Thanks for that idea.
    I still haven't had deliveries shipped to me - I just like picking out my own things.

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  5. Oh, boo, on the grocery delivery. Why did your state cut it out? It is a shift when you get used to it!!

    All your meals look great to me!!!

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  6. Oh, boo, on the grocery delivery. Why did your state cut it out? It is a shift when you get used to it!!

    All your meals look great to me!!!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you!

      kroger has no actual stores in Oklahoma, about 2 or 3 years ago, they started delivery to a good bit of Oklahoma from a distribution hub near Oklahoma City. It was so good for us!
      I’m sure the reason they stopped is money and profitability. I understand Florida had about the same Kroger situation and lost their delivery service too.

      I will survive, I just don’t like it.

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  7. Oh, I meant to add, that pickled red onions is on my list to try this year!!

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  8. I like that you cooked the salmon patties outside. That smell does linger in the house.
    Belinda @ Frugal Workshop

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  9. Do you have door dash in your area? I work at HEB...we have a lot of people that come in with a dd order. I don't know about $$ but it might be worth czeching out

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    1. I can get deliveries from Walmart and Instacart will deliver Sprouts and Aldi.
      I just really liked Kroger because they always brought fresh high quality produce and meat and had a 10 day fresh guarantee for their dairy. I think their grocery order fillers were more careful than Walmart and Instacart.

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  10. Wow, now I want to eat at your house.

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  11. You say your meals weren't remarkable but truly, they are! Meals don't have to be "fancy". You had good food and it was lovingly prepared. What more can you and your family ask for? I'm sure it was all greatly appreciated. I know when our son cooks for us (I'm the main cook) sometimes, I truly appreciate whatever he makes. I love salmon patties - my mom makes the best ones - but I don't make them myself because it grosses me out to pick out all those little bones, lol. What a great idea to cook them on the patio so that you didn't have the fishy smell in your house. I don't mind grocery shopping one bit - in fact, I rather enjoy it! The main store I shop at is just 2 miles down the street from our house and is huge - they have everything. The aisles aren't crowded and the employees are super nice. I also like the exercise of walking up and down the aisles and around the store during the winter when it's too cold to walk outside. I love your Valentine's Day tree!

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    Replies
    1. Melanie, I use Rhonda’s salmon patty recipe that she gave me over 20 years ago when we were all on CHL. It is delicious!

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  12. After reading your post I'm hungry!

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  13. You always have such delicious meals. Thank you for posting the pickled onions recipe. I saw that on a YouTube that I was watching but they didn’t post the recipe. It looks like something my family would enjoy, I am making some today!!

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  14. I love a good blonde brownie - can you share your recipe?

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