More Puttering Bliss

I fixed my first zipper.

Zippers are an interesting invention. But, if they break, they can be a bear to fix.

When the zipper "broke" on one of my backpacks, I put it in the sewing pile. 

I am always optimistic that I can fix things. Eventually, a lot of my "to be fixed" items go in the trash because I can't sew or repair much of anything.

Well, during the COVID19 Shelter-in-place, I had much more time on my hands. So, I decided to try and tackle fixing the zipper.

The top of the zipper had torn away from the base and the little zipper handle came off. The zipper teeth had fallen open.

So, using tweezers, I pushed and pulled the two ends of the zipper back into the handle into their respective slots. Then, when I pulled the handle down, the zipper teeth closed up.

I stitched the zipper base and the top of the zipper teeth tightly together so the zipper teeth would not separate, again.

I saved the knapsack!

Also, while I haven't learned how to make deodorant, yet, I did find a way to stretch a container of deodorant.

I buy men's deodorant because they come in larger quantities for about the same price as women's deodorant. You can find men's deodorant in pleasant scents.

But, I think deodorant containers are wasteful. They don't contain much deodorant and come in hard plastic containers that end up in the trash.

When I reached the end of a deodorant container, I decided I needed to figure out a way to extend the life of the deodorant, if I could.

So, I took the container and ran water over the top while I rotated the ball applicator. 

Then, I shook the container to slosh the water around, hoping to salvage some remaining deodorant.

It worked! I think I have almost as much deodorant as when it was new.

A Visit to Seye, Yucatán, México

A Visit to Seyé
Yucatán, México

I got a chance to visit Seyé, a Mayan pueblo, in Yucatán, México near Mérida.

During my visit, my host, Lucy, showed a friend and me a working henequén farm and factory, and a Tortilla Shop that made fresh tortillas.

A quick history of henequên in the Yucatán focuses on the large Spanish Haciendas or henequén plantations where workers farmed the agave plants, harvested and transported them to a factory where the plant fibers were made into different types of rope.

Until the invention of synthetic rope fiber, the Yucatán was once one of the few sources for rope.

The wealth from henequén products can be seen in the remaining haciendas in outlaying areas and the mansions in the city of Mérida, particularly on Paseo de Montejo.

Some have been renovated and are used as hotels, homes, or businesses.

So, it was a real joy to visit a working factory.

The huge pieces of equipment reminded me of Margaret Burke-White’s photography and some of Frank Lloyd Wright’s industrial designs.

The story of henequén in the Yucatán is a large part of it's history.

A few references:

Henequen industry in Yucatán

All in the Family: Railroads and Henequén Monoculure in Porfirian Yucatán

Later in town, we visited a Tortilla Shop and the owner, Thelma Rodriquez, was kind enough to let me take pictures of how they made tortillas from a corn flour mix.

Thelma says the tortillas are multi-grain.

A Puttering Passion

I use a lot of yogurt.

Here in Mérida, yogurt comes in a variety of sizes from small snack cups, to the popular 8.5 oz drink size, and to larger container sizes.

(Popular brands in Mérida: Yoplait, Danone)

I had a persistent problem. Often, I do not use all the yogurt in the 8.5 oz bottle and want to restore it in the frig. The little aluminum cover often tears, so it doesn't not work as a lid.

I have been looking for lid alternatives for years.

 I found one, today.

I use a cough syrup that comes with a cap you use as a measuring cup for the syrup. It fits perfectly as a yogurt lid.

 Hurray, for Puttering Passion!

While I save lots of plastic containers, I am not advocating for a lid for this yogurt. If you ever watched the film, Albatross, it really makes one want to eliminate all plastics.

Uh Oh, just one search for yogurt brands in Mexico and down the rabbit hole I go.

It makes me think of Yogurt Wars, whose brand makes it to the store shelves?

Found a recipe for making Yogurt that I can try.

Lentils, Mixed Vegetables and Black Bean Salsa

I am always on the lookout for a lentil recipe that works for me.

This one turned out pretty good. It's probably not as crunchy as the original recipe because I used mostly canned goods.



Lentils, Mixed Vegetables and Black Bean Salsa
(Adapted from: https://www.lentils.org/recipe/lentil-corn-black-bean-salsa/)


First, I made a batch of lentils using my recipe: Stovetop: Lentils with Garlic Powder (https://riastoneblog.blogspot.com/2019/06/stove-top-lentils-with-garlic-powder.html).

Then, with each of the items below, drain, rinse, drain again in a sieve. Then dump into a large food container with a lid.

Note: the ounces measurements are approximate.

I used: Metric-Conversions.org (https://www.metric-conversions.org/weight/grams-to-ounces.htm).

1 560g (20oz) Can Black Beans
1 400g (14oz) Can Mixed vegetables
1 210g (8oz) Can of salsa

Next, add to the ingredients:

1 Juice from a slice of lime
Ground black pepper, to taste
1 Cup cooked lentils, drained in a sieve
Stir the ingredients to mix thoroughly.

Cover container.
Place in frig.
Chill for a couple of hours.

This is a hearty, meaty tasting salsa.

#GERD-friendly

Microwave: Mug O'Apple Bread Pudding

During the COVID19 quarantine, I am rummaging around in closets, drawers, cupboards, and the frig.

I had a tablespoon of canned apple pie filling in the frig that had been sitting around for quite awhile.

I usually have a heel of bread somewhere in the frig.

So, I decided to make a Mug O’Apple Pudding based on a prior Mug O'Bread pudding recipe.

All I did different this time was stir the mixture well before microwaving.


Microwave: Mug O'Apple Bread Pudding Recipe
(Adapted from: https://riastoneblog.blogspot.com/2016/12/mug-obread-pudding.html)


Ingredients:

1 8oz coffee cup

1 TB Canned apple pie filling
1 Slice of bread, torn into pieces
1 egg
1 1-2 TB sugar
2 TB milk or yogurt (I used lactose-free dry milk mix)
1 TB vegetable oil (or margarine)
1 tsp vanilla
2 Dashes of cinnamon

Process:

Add apple filling to bottom of cup
Break bread into pieces, place in cup.
In separate bowl, mix rest of ingredients
Pour mixture over bread.
Push bread down into cup so all pieces are soaked in mixture.
Stir and mix bread, fruit and egg mixture together.
Microwave 2 minutes on high.
Remove, let it cool for a bit before eating.

It tastes like apple crumb cake!
 
Variations: use other types of fruit or no fruit.
 
#GERD-friendly

Converting Jack's Peach and Chickpea Curry into a Toast Topping

As you can see, if you preview my blog posts, I follow Jack Monroe https://cookingonabootstrap.com/.

I have also bought most of her books. Like Amy Dacyczyn, author of the Tightwad Gazette, Jack encourages people on a limited budget with limited cooking skills that they, too, can make great frugal meals.

Here is Jack's original Peach and Chickpea Curry:
https://cookingonabootstrap.com/2019/11/05/peach-chickpea-curry-recipe/.

While this post is not an actual recipe, you can go to Jack's website and try her recipe.

I was skeptical about trying to make this recipe for several reasons. Because I need to adapt recipes to make them GERD-friendly and according to available supplies, I wondered if I could actually achieve a curry.

Suffice it to say, adapting the recipe to make it GERD-friendly meant No onions, No garlic and No tomatoes. I tried to use a bit of onion and garlic powders. I tried to give it the tomato flavor by adding a few crumbles of tomato bouillon. If I use too much of any of these spices, my stomach rebels.

Well, it did not turn out the way I thought. So, I now I had a lot of peaches/chickpea mix left.

What could I do with this? First, I thought, I’d try to make the curry again by recooking a batch with additional spices. No, that won’t work, it would be too spicy.

Ok, let me sleep on it.

Then, I thought let’s see if it works as a toast topping. So, in the morning, I spread some cream cheese on a slice of toast and topped it with a 1 1/2 tablespoons of the peaches/chickpeas mix. It worked! It’s great. Hurray, another save!

#GERD-friendly

A Frugal Cup of Coffee

I have some ground coffee. I have a French Press but I only wanted to make one cup of coffee.

The ground coffee I have has a weak flavor, so what I did was use a tea-spoon (meant for loose tea) and grabbed a tea-spoon full of ground coffee, placed it in a cup and added boiling water.

Then, I stirred it and pulled the spoon out to let it drip and then stirred it some more etc.

Then, I added 1/2 teaspoon of instant coffee, stirred and got a good cup of coffee. Used the same grounds twice for another cup.