What's on your Saturday menu?

Good mornin everyone! Hoping all is well with everyone!

Not sure what my mom has planned for the day. We may go to Walmart early but we may wait until tomorrow. I don't like going when it's super busy but it'll be up to my mom when we go, I do hope to work on chainmaille today as it didn't come up to much fruition yesterday. The kids stayed later than we thought they would.

Our ****ty neighbor is being extra so. His girlfriend is making 3 to 5 times a day. The cops here don't care it seems to us. It's gotten so bad that my mom ordered a gas mask. I'm really worried about her. It affects me sometimes but not like her. She doesn't react well to fentanyl and I think that's what he making or mixing with I should say. It's so frustrating...it feels like they have more rights as criminals than the law abiding citizens. I could give many examples...they pretty much won't even arrest someone who broke into a house four houses down. All because she didn't steal anything...even though she went into the house uninvited. It's so frustrating.

QOTD: If money were no object how would you spend your time?

traveling visiting my friends across the world. All my good friends live in other states. That would also allow me to learn allllllll the things. I am a history lover and there are many places I'd love to visit just to experience.

breakfast will be a chicken sausage and 1 protein pancake

lunch will likely be Thai

Good morning Mel and weekend menuers,

Too bad you couldn't right-size that doll house somewhere else Mel. Your neighbors are awful. And it sounds like they're messing with some seriously dangerous stuff.

In about 20 minutes I'm going to head outside and work ok getting my 7 replacement bushes in the ground. I'll be happy to get at least half done and I'm starting with the hardest two. Yay! That will leave a slew of little stuff plus my three Japanese maples. Still getting a feel for where they could go. They're so little, I might keep them as container pots for a while.

I got so excited to find matzo ball mix at the store! Haven't had matzo ball soup since Katz's deli in Austin in like...2008. They closed over a decade ago. Anyway! Looking forward to making that soon. Today I'm going to make my mom's M&M sauce as a throwback to a treat we had as kids. It's a hot dog topping sauce regional to New York. Guess I'm going through a phase of rediscovering some of the regional stuff from when I was a kid. It has to simmer for hours, so I'll get that on after planting this morning. Hoping for a busy day!

QOTD- House renovations and then travel, like all the time. Would love to outfit a sprinter van or just get a new hybrid. Mine does great for what I need but it's not a long-term travel setup. There are still so many countries I'd like to visit and places to see in the US.

Have a great Saturday!

Just curious if your sauce recipe actually uses M&M's or if that is just the name of the recipe.

Oh heck no! I always saw her recipe card titled M&M sauce and never questioned the name until last week. A little Google sleuthing found a place in Elmira, NY called M&M Red Hots. Turns out they'd been around over 100 years but are now permanently closed due to the owner's health.

My mother confirmed that she and my father used to drive down to this place so he could scarf like a dozen hot dogs with sauce. She can't remember if she got the recipe from them or developed her own but it's the one I grew up with that shaped my feelings on hot dog toppings.

It's literally ground beef and spices simmered for hours. Definitely not chili and no tomato products! There are a bunch of regional variations and it's now on my list to get to Plattsburgh to try some of the michigans there. Like I said, throwbacks and a focus on fun regional stuff. :)

Mornin' Weekenders!

spending the weekend with my friends from NC, so that's pretty much all that's on the agenda. At least it won't be as humid today (although still 90F/32C - UGH!!). I also hope to finish reading a book this weekend so I can return it to its owner Monday or Tuesday. He's a new friend, so I don't want to negatively affect it before it even gets off the ground by being super slack in returning his stuff to him!

QOTD: I'd travel all the time. So much I want to see and only about 15-20 years left when I can probably do it (that is, if I'm lucky)

B: I'm going to have a protein shake in a few minutes and maybe some skyr before I head downtown to meet up with the aforementioned friends (we're meeting at 9:30). Coffee with half & half. The rest of the day is totally up in the air.

have a great day, everyone!

You are right about getting in as much travel as you can while you are still able to do it. I plan travel now around low activity because that is what my body is forcing me to do. I would love to have the strength and endurance that I had when I was in my 60's.

WhiteDove, do you know the Overseas Adventure Travel group? They do really nice organized tours for older adults, have a lot that allow singles with no supplement and are very clear on what the physical requirements are for each type of tour. I went with an older friend to Morocco with them about 10 years ago (she was within their age group so I tagged along). It was primarily people in their 70s-80s that were still embracing the travel lifestyle but within their limits. I was tech support every night for everyone, lol. One of the big things that I think they did to accommodate the age is that there were more days in a place so you had time to go in depth somewhere but not also on the road moving around every day. Check them out if you get a chance -- they do North America as well as every where else. (and I loved my time in Morocco with them).

Thanks Jen, that is exactly what I am looking for and was not aware of Overseas Adventure Travel group. I am going to their site now.

I have a couple of 70-something friends who swear by OAT.

Thanks. I looked at their site and then talked to them on the phone. I think they have exactly the trip that I want. A cruise in a yacht on the Nile River to visit pyramids, temples, and cities in Egypt. Not a lot of walking and they are equipped to help travelers with less mobility. It is a smaller boat and the average group size is about 13. They also have an Iceland tour that I am very interested in. I think I am going to be one of those people who swear by OAT.