Product Review: Harmony Valley Vegetarian Breakfast Sausage Mix

First, I am working on getting a camera as ours broke.  Hopefully pictures to follow.

Having heard a horror story about how horrible TVP was, and how much money this person had wasted by stocking up on it before realizing they would never eat it, we knew we wanted to start small.

When shopping together at our nearby Henrys/Sprouts store, we came upon a packet of this breakfast sausage mix and thought it would be the perfect opportunity to try TVP without spending a fortune (or opening a #10 can of something we would never eat again.  Goes along with the whole "eat what you store and store what you eat" motto.

First thought, upon opening the packet was that it smelled okay.  Not exactly like sausage, but no real off-putting odor.

The directions were super simple.  Blend the packet ingredients with 1-1/4 cups water, let sit for 15 minutes, then cook (they had microwave, oven and pan-frying directions.  I chose to pan fry (too hot to turn on the oven, and thought it would probably taste better than microwaving).  The mixture formed very easily into perfect round patties.  No nasty fatty yuck left on my hands as there would have been with pork sausage.  The patties smelled good while cooking, browned beautifully, and were easy to flip over and also to take out of the pan.

Taste test:
Floyd says:  It doesn't taste like sausage, but it isn't bad.  Probably would be better on an egg sandwich or in a scramble (we had ours as a side with pumpkin waffles).

I say:  Taste pretty good (I absolutely will not eat something I really dislike).  Texture was good.  No real off-putting taste.  Not sausage, but not bad.  I agree with Floyd that they would be better mixed into something.

I will probably try this again.  There is a recipe on the package for a green chili and sausage quiche.  I may try that.

We liked it well enough that we will try some of the flavored TVP products made for food storage.

I can run the world with...

How many times have you heard me say that I could run the world with 3x5 cards and my timer? I have tried so many organization systems over time, some high tech and some low tech, and the end result has always been the same - I have gone back to my 3x5 cards and timer.

Some jobs loom large as I procrastinate doing things that I really don't like to do. I tell myself that the job will take forever, that I really don't know how to do it, that I don't know where to start, that it won't turn out the way I want it to anyway. And then I think that I will have to start all over again once I finish anwway. Does that sound familar to anyone? How to get out of that kind of stinkin' thinking? Enter the timer.

Spring cleaning? I set my timer for 15 minutes, turn on the music, and just START in one room. When the timer goes off, I change rooms. It is amazing how many drawers I can clean out, how many closets I can go through, how many things I can prepare, dust, straighten, etc. in 15 minutes.

Writing papers for school? No problem. Research for 15 minutes. Write for 15 minutes.

Most jobs take way less time than we alot them. Hustle for 15 minutes and it is amazing what can be accomplished.

And then we come to my beloved 3x5 cards. Yes, I really do love them. They are sturdy. They don't bend and fold up on themselves. They are just the right size for nearly any kind of list. You can store them in a box, in a drawer, on a cork board, in a folder, in your purse or wallet, in the glove box of the car.

When my kids were young, I kept a 3x5 card in a drawer in each room, listing each task to be done to clean that room. When they told me they were done with their chore, I reminded them to make sure they had done everything on the card. End of nagging.

Favorite recipe? Inside of the kitchen cupboard or drawer on a 3x5.

Medication reactions/allergies? Inside the medicine cabinet drawer.

Grocery list? My card stands perfectly in the cart.

To do list? Perfect size, portable, and love to cross off items as I get them done.

Ideas? Projects? Books to read? A note to send? Need an oil change? There is a 3 x 5 for that.

My timers and 3x5 cards help me to be happier, more productive, more organized, and easier to live with. They make short work of the have-to's and give me more time for the want-to's. They make sure that important information is close at hand, without counting on often overworked brain cells to remember! They reduce nagging (always a good thing). They help teach good habits. They can remind me of happy times (oh yeah, I remember when we made those bunny pops, I had forgotten about those), and can be a reminder of happy times to come (birthday and vacation planning). I can't imagine my life without them.

I'd like to think that I've handed this dazzling, amazing, wonderful system down to my children. Unfortunately, their idea is to say "write this down for me". Come to think of it, Floyd Michael says the same thing. However, I think my beloved grandson J may just pick on this habit. He is happy to write his own lists, and makes sure everyone knows they are important and not to throw them away. He has had his birthday wish list going for several months now. Organized boy after my own heart!

Alexa Faith Montoya

As much fun as it was anticipating whether our new grandbaby would be a boy or a girl, we are so happy to know. We will be welcoming Alexa Faith Montoya in August.

How wonderful for George to have a daughter to adore and protect.

Linda, who has always loved dance, will have the opportunity to share that love with a daughter.

Jason will have a younger sister to teach and to love, and one he can protect from all of his friends!

Floyd Michael and George Sr will get to be grandfathers to a little girl. I'm pretty sure she ALREADY has them wrapped around her little finger.

As for the grandmothers, I'm pretty sure we will manage to enjoy this little girl, each in our own unique way.

Her Aunts and Uncles are already planning to adore and spoil her.

Welcome to the family, Alexa Faith. You are eagerly anticipated and already loved.

Birthday Theme of the Year

When we first married, our tradition was to take the entire family out to dinner to celebrate each birthday. After a few years, however, that got very expensive and kind of old. Been there, done that.

About two years ago, Floyd Michael and I found, by chance, a lovely little Italian restaurant in Diamond Bar, and celebrated our anniversary there. The decor was beautiful, the music was just perfect, the service fantastic. It was much nicer than a chain restaurant, and had a charming, upscale, romantic/feminine feel to it that we loved. We talked about how nice it would be to take our girls, especially, to this restaurant. Somehow our talk meandered from taking our children out one at a time to a nicer restaurant than our usual, to birthdays. Bingo! The idea was born. During the upcoming year, we would take out each "child" alone with their parent for their birthday celebration.

Devin and George were first, as they have January birthdays. I think George had barbeque. Devin and I went for sushi. Schedules being what they are in our crazy household, Devin didn't get his birthday dinner until some time in February, but we did go. One on one time was nice. Choosing just the right venue was crazy fun.

Linda was supposed to go to the restaurant that started it all, but it was CLOSED when she and Floyd went out. They ended up at a local barbeque restaurant. So much for the original plan!

Destiny is not a fan of fine dining, and really has a limited palate. We started out for BJs because she wanted to try a Pizooki. Apparently it was prom night or something, but it was PACKED. Same with the next two restaurants we tried. I thought that maybe we were going to starve before we found a place! She really wanted a steak, and we ended up at the same BBQ restaurant Floyd and Linda had gone to. Go figure! The girl got her steak, and we had a story to tell.

Dan wanted salad, and cheesecake. We actually "cheated" on his birthday, and went with his grandmother. I'm pretty sure he liked the extra attention, and I know my mom loved being included.

Eric was last in line, having a November birthday. I had not seen him for awhile, and was talking to him about getting together for lunch or something. He wanted me to come along when he had his birthday lunch with Floyd. I explained to him that I couldn't go because of our birthday theme of the year. The tone of his voice let me know he thought we were kind of crazy at that point! I'm not sure where he and Floyd went, but am so glad they got to have some time alone together.

We enjoyed our theme year so well, we decided to pick another theme for this year. After much discussion, we decided to do dessert parties. For each birthday, we would choose a different dessert and get as many of the family together for the celebration as possible.

George and Devin were first. We had banana splits for their birthdays. Amazingly, and unhappily, Vons called Devin into work on his birthday. He actually missed most of his own party. I was NOT NOT NOT happy about that. The banana splits were a hit. Jason particularly loved the maraschino cherries (I finally sent the jar home with them so they could dole them out to him).

Amanda (Eric's girlfriend) came next. We decided to go to Cold Stone for hers. Unfortunately, it turned out that they had no inside seating, and it was cold outside (okay, California cold, but still cold). Must remember not to do ice cream for the winter birthdays.

Linda comes next, and she was the only one we knew from the beginning. Friday night we will be having pie to celebrate Linda's birthday. I really wanted to learn to make pie for this, but really haven't had a lot of time to practice. I think she deserves real pie from someone who knows how to make it for her birthday, rather than my first attempt.

I think we will go out for Pizooki's for Destiny's birthday. We shall see. Dan is very likely to get cheesecake. Again, we shall see what he feels like at the time. We don't know where Eric will be for his birthday. I may have to send him a gift certificate for a birthday treat, and call him while he eats it.

I can hardly wait to pick out a theme for next year!

new life

We are anticipating an addition to our family.

It has been six years since we last eagerly anticipated the birth of a baby. That baby, now that boy, is the most beloved of grandchildren to Floyd and I, the most beloved of nephews to his aunts and uncles. He is sunshine and spitfire, sweetness and sass, smart and silly, rambunctious and cuddly. He is all the contradictions that make up a five year old. Watching him grow and learn has been amazing. He has cemented our blended family into an emulsion of simply family. No step. No half. No part. Just family. Jason did that. If you want to love and claim Jason (and everybody does), then you have to claim one another. I never saw that coming, but will be forever grateful for it.

And now, another baby is on the way. A baby boy? A little brother for Jason to teach all the cool boy stuff he has perfected over the years? A rough and tumble mini-J to fall in line behind a beloved older brother? A baby girl? A little sister that J can protect and pamper? Pink and ruffles? Dresses and bows? Dance recitals, like her mama? How I love to see a man with a baby girl! I can just imagine George with a daughter. And Floyd with a baby granddaughter. How fun it would be to take a little granddaughter shopping, to teach her to cook and to do crafts with her. I do those things with J, but somehow I think it might be different with a girl - or not!

Boy or girl, I do know that this baby will be born into a family that will adore it. It will have wonderful parents. It will have grandparents and great grandparents that love it unconditionally. It will have aunts and uncles who enjoy playing with and spoiling it.

This child will change the dynanics of our family, as all babies do.

I am appreciating this time of anticipation, knowing it lasts only a short while before the whirlwind begins. I love having this knowledge, that a tiny new person is coming into our family. This time to prepare and eagerly anticipate.

I love being the grandparent. All I have to do is wait. Linda is doing all the hard work. I appreciate her more than I can say.