Sunday, August 11, 2024

My Weekly W's

What's top of my mind: 


This is SO true!  I have been bombarded with zucchini and various peppers from so many different friends.  We have been eating zucchini in various ways at least twice a week and I made a loaf of zucchini bread.  The peppers have all been frozen or dehydrated.  There will be a lot of spicy stews and chili's this winter.  This isn't half of what we've been gifted.




Where I've been:  I worked Monday-Wednesday and other than the farmers market on Friday, I have been at home.  Home really is my happy place.

Where I'm going:  No appointments or commitments and I'm perfectly happy about that.  Next Saturday we are taking a day trip about an hour north of here.  I hope the weather is perfect like it's been the last four days but it is summer, so we'll deal with it if it isn't.  The 'bers' are coming though.

What I'm watching:  I found a new series that started on Netflix called Blue Ribbon Baking Championship and we watched the first three episodes this weekend.  We both are really enjoying it.  The contestants are blue ribbon bakers from fair's all across the country and the challenges are fun to watch.

What I'm reading:  This has not been a typical year for me when it comes to reading.  Normally I would have read twenty or more books by now and I think I've read four.  

What I'm listening to:  Cicadas.  The normal summer variety that do not swarm you or land down your shirt or in your hair.  They sit in the trees minding their own business and play the sound of summer.

What I'm eating:

Beef cheeseburgers and 'fries' with sliced tomato
Spaghetti with meat sauce and salad
Chicken sausage, mac and cheese and cucumber and tomato salad
LO meat sauce pasta bake, salad and garlic sticks
TBG had shrimp and rice, I had a delicious steak and baked potato and we both had salad
BIG salad

Who needs a good slap:  Amazon.  I ordered a new Shark carpet cleaner and received a box that was mangled, had a large hole in it, and wrapped in an entire roll of packing tape.  The only thing in the box was the base of the machine and two attachments.  Everything else was missing.  I did get it shipped back and received my refund however the review that I wrote with the pictures that I took on my experience was denied because it wasn't 'relevant.'  I responded that now that I know their reviews on products are censored, I will not bother reading them anymore or purchase from them anymore. My prime expires in January and then I will cancel and be done with them.  

What's making me smile:  My pineapple corer. We eat a lot of fresh pineapple, but I always hated cutting them up with a knife.  It's messy, you lose a lot of the juice and it's hard to get uniform slices or chunks.  This baby cuts out the core, the outer edge of the pineapple and cuts perfect slices.  Plus, we can now use the core in a glass of water for a bit of pineapple sweetness.



I hope everyone is enjoying this last bit of summer. 

31 comments:

  1. Your meals sound perfect. Sounds like a really nice week. Home is just so comfortable.
    Love the looks of the pineapple after cored!
    Have a great week.

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    1. Any week that I only work a few days is a good week. lol Yes, home is my favorite place to be. I'm not much for kitchen gadgets but this one was the best $10 I've spent. It cuts way down on waste. Wishing you a great week also.

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  2. It sounds like you had a great week, and that's pretty rotten what Amazon did to you. That's why I'm visiting Williams Sonoma for new frying pans when they open later this morning rather than spending $$$ on something no one I know other than Gordon Ramsay uses.

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    1. I'm at least happy that I didn't have any trouble getting them returned or getting the refund but whoever let that package get delivered in the condition it was in should not have a job. I have heard All Clad pans are really good. Have fun!!

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  3. When I was a gardener I learned quickly 'only one zucchini" as they grow like weeds

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    1. Very true. I haven't grown them in a few years because we get so many given to us during the summer.

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  4. Ok. The pineapple corer sounds amazing! And how smart to put the core in water!!! Where did you find it???

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    1. It is the Zulay Pineapple corer and slicer. I bought it from Target. It is awesome.

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  5. That is so true about zucchini. One of the guys at work just gave me one last week and I had it for dinner last night. I found a recipe for a zucchini casserole that was pretty tasty and easy.

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    1. Isn't it true? Every time TBG comes in he has two or three from someone. Good thing we love it.

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  6. Cancel Prime now and get a refund for the last 4 months of the year. Amazon is NOT customer friendly. I once ordered a qty 3 of an item. I attempted to file a complaint when I received 2. The order of 3 was reshipped. I was required to return the 2. I did not receive a refund for the 3rd because I did not return it. They stink!

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    1. Thank you for that. My husband watches a lot on Prime so I told him to enjoy it for the next four months and then I'm cancelling. No, not customer friendly at all.

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  7. I also got a review denied on Amazon which is weird, because I'm mostly very satisfied with them. I guess censorship is everywhere now!

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    1. I have always been satisfied with them but I've noticed shipping is taking a lot longer and then this happened. I relied on their reviews but when I found out how censored they are they really mean little to me now.

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  8. I wish I was your neighbor ! I made a zucchini soup this week and had to go out and buy zucchini at the market for $2 each for tiny zucchini- their crop didn't do well with first the drought and then the excessive rain. I'm laughing about the Cicadas. We had company on the deck last night and the Cicadas were so loud, we could barely hear each other. I actually had to yell at them to quiet down!!! Love the pineapple corer.

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    1. I would love that and yes, I could keep you in zucchini. I can't believe they were $2. Yes, I don't think I'll ever forget the cicada that was down my shirt. I appreciate the regular variety even though they are truly very loud this year.

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  9. I love listening to them sing. In other news, a lady at work told me that she makes pickled zukes. I gotta try that next. Great job on your garden. Here's to good eats!

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    1. Me too. We had two rare broods here earlier in the summer and they were so obnoxious. Regular summer cicadas are much better. Yes, I have had pickled zucchini and it is delish.

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    2. I'm gonna have to try zukes this season. Thanks!

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  10. Wow.. loving all those beautiful peppers and zucchini.

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    1. That is the best thing about this time of year.

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  11. I wish I had friends that grew zucchinis! I haven't had any this year and I love making zucchini bread. I'm with you about Amazon. They've disappointed me a few times over the past year so I try to only use them if I absolutely have to. I love the pineapple corer! I need to get one! :)

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    1. No zucchini this year? I wish you lived closer, I would gladly share. We love zucchini bread too. It seems Amazon has started to disappoint a lot of people over the last year. I'd prefer to keep my money local so I guess it's a good thing if I stop using them. The pineapple corer is awesome and easy to use.

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  12. I just saw on TikTok an in-store machine in Germany that cores the pineapple you choose. It was pretty cool. Our zucchini never grows anymore, so I don’t get any. We got one yellow squash this year. One. I don’t know why my husband and daughter keep trying.

    Amazon……yeah, there are so many obviously fake reviews on there, it makes me mad.

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    1. That is awesome that you can have it done when you get it at the store. I've always used a big knife and it is a messy process. This is so much nicer. I wonder why the zucchini doesn't grow anymore? I thought it could pretty much grow anywhere. It makes me mad about the reviews also. When they emailed me that my review was not something customers would find helpful, I thought what?? Glad to see you back!!

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  13. Hi Lori~ loved, "Home is my happy place", mine too. That's an amazing pineapple corer! They have a machine in my grocery store that will core a pineapple and put it in a container for you. I'm not sure I trust how clean it is. Great idea to put the core in your water! That's a horrible Amazon experience! I don't blame you for cancelling... slap them for me as well 😖😖 Your meals always sounds so delicious! See you soon! Hugs, Barb

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    1. Hi Barb. Yes, I really do love spending most of my time at home. With Fall and Winter coming, that will be even more true. lol I do love the pineapple cutter. It makes a messy job much easier. Have a great weekend.

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  14. Ugh I am just about fed up with Amazon too but I've never had an experience like yours. That's just horrible and they should be ashamed of themselves. And yes their reviews certainly are censored; I don't know if you remember but a few years ago I wrote a review of a tablecloth that was black with a black shadow stripe. It was a favorable review. They would not publish it. I mean what in the world? It was a TABLECLOTH and I'm pretty sure they were objecting to the use of the word "black" ... which was the actual color of said tablecloth. But fast forward to a few days ago when I got an email from them saying that I had violated community guidelines with my "posts" so many times that they were issuing their "final" warning and I am now banned from "posting" ... first of all, what is "posting" on Amazon? You write a review and they either approve it or they don't! Second, I write maybe one review a year for Amazon. My reviews are 99% favorable but I don't even think I have posted one this year. And again, if they APPROVE it, how can I be "violating community guidelines"??? They are nuts. I wish I could live without them but I'm not sure I can. It's pathetic how easy they have made it to get hundreds of things -- household supplies, gifts, clothing, what have you -- and how if they feel like it they can just treat you like dirt, accuse you of things and are never accountable! Anyway. Sorry that happened to you. I LOVE the song of the cicadas. As much as I love fall, I'm always sad when they drone their last! xoxo

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    1. Hi Jenny. Wow, you really have had crazy experiences with Amazon too. I used to be pretty happy with them, but their shipping is getting longer and longer and when this happened, I was just shocked at the fact this was actually sent plus with their customer service and review policy. For being such ugly little creatures, they do provide the sound of summer for me and I look forward to them every Summer.

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  15. Oooh yes grrrrrr to Amazon. I never buy from them. I used to buy books many moons ago but not these days. They are just wicked!!

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