Currently & Tuesday 4

 In Latrobe...

The time...8:00 p.m.

The weather...25 degrees with snow flurries. It's been one of those days where it's just seemed to chill a person to the bone.

Reading...I have to choose something new. I finally finished The Radium Girls last night. It was well written and very well told, but it was such a difficult read in that my heart broke for everything those girls endured and everything they lost.

Listening to...American Pickers on the History channel.

Mourning...the loss of a dear friend on Saturday. He lost a month and a half long battle with Covid-19.

The weekend...

Friday...I babysat our daughter's kids for a while so she could have lunch with an old friend. We watched Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and Honey, I Blew Up the Kids. Both were a huge hit with the kids.

Tim asked me to make my crockpot stuffed peppers again since I had given the leftovers to Megan when I made them on Monday. So, that is what we had for supper. If you're interested, here's the recipe. It is really good and different. The chilies in the tomatoes combined with the brown sugar and chicken broth give it a unique flavor.

Ingredients

• 6 Large Bell Peppers (Any Color)
• 1½ Pounds Lean Ground Beef
• ½ Cup White Rice, Uncooked (I used brown rice and it was fine)
• 1 Sweet Onion, Finely Diced
• 2 Tsp Garlic, Minced
• 2- 10 ounce Cans Tomatoes with Green Chiles (I used diced tomatoes with peppers and onions instead and left out the fresh diced onion)
• 6 Ounce Can Tomato Paste
• ¼ Cup Brown Sugar, Packed
• 1 Cup Chicken Broth
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• ½ Teaspoon Pepper

Instructions

1. Cut off pepper tops and remove seeds/ribs.
2. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, rice, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir in one DRAINED can of tomatoes with green chilies. (Reserve the liquid).
3. Evenly stuff peppers and place in slow cooker.
4. In a medium bowl mix reserved liquid, the 2nd can of tomatoes with green chilies, broth, tomato paste, and brown sugar. Pour over peppers.
5. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours.

Saturday...Tim worked and I hit Walmart for a few things and stopped by Goodwill to see if they had any good stuff. I got quite a few books, but nothing else.

Tim came home earlier than normal, got cleaned up and we were at Olive Garden for dinner by 4:30. We still had to wait 30 minutes to get a table since Covid restrictions only allow them to be at 50% of their occupancy limit. The food is always worth the wait...at least at the one near us. Tim had the shrimp scampi with tomatoes and asparagus over angel hair pasta. I had the baked 5-cheese ziti. We both had the Zuppa Toscano instead of salad. The best part? Leftovers to bring home!

We also stopped at Barnes & Noble. They had rearranged everything so I spent a lot of the time trying to find things. I only got one book, but I found a pair of the softest knit gloves with tech tips on the index fingers and thumbs so I can use my phone without taking off my gloves. Those were on the 50% off table.

Sunday...we hit Walmart again to get what Tim wanted for his lunches this week and I did a little bit of grocery shopping. He was going to get tires on his truck, but in the two weeks since he'd priced them, they sold out of them.

The afternoon was spent doing nothing but watching movies and napping. Megan and the kids were here for a while in the evening.

Today...I rode along with two friends and the husband of one (he did the driving) to Pittsburgh. We went to Hobby Lobby. They both had lists of things they were looking for. I didn't need anything, but found several small things that ended up coming home with me.

We had lunch at The Cheesecake Factory. It was my first time there. I had such a hard time deciding what to have. These days I'm used to restaurants having much smaller menus because of Covid closures and doing most of their business as take-out. The Cheesecake Factory is still offering their full menu and it is ridiculously huge and varied. I finally settled on chicken and biscuits. Comfort food seemed a good choice on a cold day. I brought a slice of caramel apple cheesecake home with me.

The Tuesday 4

Let's talk about work!

1. What kind of work does not bother you at all?  Any kind of school work or studying. Also paperwork. I am weird. I love to do that stuff. As long as it doesn't involve math.

2. What kinds of work do bother you and why?  Any kind of home improvement that requires Tim and I to work together because he's been a boss in the construction field for as long as I've known him and he has a really hard time turning that off when he's working with me. I usually end up getting annoyed and then we either start grumping at each other or I walk away.

3. Is there a job you've had you loathed or perhaps one you loved? Why was that?  I loathed my last job. Well, I liked the work with the residents at the nursing home, but I didn't like my boss at all, the way some things were handled, and physically it was really taking a toll on my leg. I ended up in physical therapy over the summer to recover from it. As for a job I loved, I loved working in the office of a grocery store.

4. Do you have a job or kind of work you wish you were doing? What would make it attractive to you?  My dream work would be to buy and sell antiques and/or books. 

Thanks to Annie for the Tuesday 4 questions!