What I cooked for Easter weekend

 Since I worked yesterday, I made no plans for Easter, but that didn't stop me from playing E. Bunny to Firstborn and taking him some home-cooked food.  Life is pricey right now and I know that he is not cooking for himself.  

So I put years of practice into play and made a big meal I could portion out in containers for his freezer.  Calamity Anne's Meatloaf, Arkansas Green Beans, and Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes.  I also threw a pork butt into the crockpot overnight, and I baked up the rest of the freezer cookies.

Then I had a pulled pork sammie with him when he got off work!  We might be scattered around, and work opposite schedules, but I can carve out time to feed my peeps a meal now and again. Years of taking care of a home full of people has been good training, I guess.  Here are the recipes:

Calamity Anne's Meatloaf: 2 lbs ground chuck, 2 eggs, 2 c. Italian breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup milk, 1T. creamed horseradish, 1/4 c. ketchup, a generous squirt of Worchestershire, S&P, and garlic powder. 1 hours at 350, drain the excess grease, top loaf with 1/2 c. ketchup mixed with some brown sugar and let it bake another 10 minutes.

Arkansas Green Beans: I used 4 cans green beans, drained.  Melt half a stick of butter with 5 T. of soy sauce, 2/3 c. brown sugar, and 1 1/2 t. garlic powder.  Toss it all with the beans. Pour into a baking dish. Top with 8-10 slices cooked and chopped bacon, and cook with the meatloaf for about 40 minutes. Stir every so often while cooking.

Mashed potatoes - I boil peeled russet potatoes 'til tender, then mash with butter, salt and pepper, a splash of milk, and some sour cream until I get the consistency I want.  Sometimes I add cheese, green onions, garlic salt - you name it.

Pork Butt - I made a rub with brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, cumin, chili powder, red pepper, and S&P.  I plopped it into the crockpot, squeezed a lime over it all, and set it to low while I went to bed.  I think it cooked a total of 10 hours.  Then I poured the fat off the drippings, shredded the meat, and reduced the pot drippings in a small saucepot 'til they were reduced by about half to pour over the meat.

Cookies - right here

Typing all this out made me hungry!

Gina

Mid-size project: repairing and painting the hall attic opening

 Long ago - maybe 20 years or so - Mark bought a new water heater for the house, but didn't realize it wouldn't fit in the opening to the attic.  On delivery and set-up day, he made a rushed decision to split the frame opening to allow installation. (I don't know why he didn't alter the attic opening in the garage instead - it didn't matter to me if that one was pretty or not) To say I was dismayed over seeing my attic frame split open, then not even reassembled neatly is putting it mildly. He said he would fix it.  And the rest is history.

The whole thing has looked terrible all this time.  Also of note: random rusted nail spots, a bit of insulation trim stuff bulging out, and a filthy pull string.  And from this perspective you can see how the white walls and trim make the ceiling look dirty, but that's a separate issue.

Looks like he gave up trying to get it nailed into the framed section of ceiling and just screwed it in.  Please note how the ends of the trim do not abut.  I have been horrified about this for YEARS.  I nagged, I asked nicely, then I just gave up and tried not to look up when I was in the hall.  I knew it needed to be fixed, and I figure I could probably just even out the jagged edges and paint it, so I added it to my list of home fix-its.

I'm not going to wash the filthy pull string, though.  So I rooted around in my trims box and found some cord (I only had green cord, oh. well.)  and a pretty ceramic knob that can function as a pull.  A knot and a little dab of E6000 glue at either end will help it stay together snugly.

I trimmed the bulging foam insulation, patched and sanded as much as I dared, and used a magic eraser to clean it up.  Then I paused for the weekend, as I had started this project late in the week.  But already, it looks like the ends of trim match up a little better, right?  We're gonna say yes.

I taped off the lights and detectors.  Caulked around the frame, then painted it, then tackled a fresh coat of paint on the ceiling - by far the hardest part.

But before I tackled the ceiling, I replaced the grimy pull cord.  I used a metal ruler to help hold the insulation up off the hole, then melted the string a bit, and pushed it through, knotting the end a few times.

You know I had to test it out!  Side note: I am not a fan of the attic with its creepy stale hot air and psycho-hiding-waiting-to-kill-you vibes.  I'm working on it, though. 

From my desk, I look over to a clean and neat attic opening.

I even replaced the switchplate cover with something pretty that coordinates with the ceramic pull knob.  I ordered a matching one for right across from the laundry nook.  Might as well have little touches here and there that make me smile.

You cannot tell it was repaired, and if you do, you get a cookie.  (:

The light fixtures were cleaned and replaced, too.  It was a bigger job overall than I assumed it would be, which often happens.  But now, I am crossing this off the list.  Oooh - imagine how it will look with new carpet!

Happy Good Friday!

Gina