• First, they accept payment with credit and debit cards, some take checks (electronically) but few, if any, accept cash. The driver does not accept payment, he just delivers. Check with the supermarkets in your area to see what payment methods are accepted.
  
  
• They usually have the weekly sale circulars on their website, so you can make your menus and shop the sales, and you can register your "courtesy card" to take advantage of sales that use them. But, the stores around here do not accept coupons for online sales. If you use coupons extensively, online shopping may not be your thing.
  
  
• Before you place your first order, check out the availability of the sorts of things you buy and the brands available. There's a market nearby that has great prices, and I was looking forward to having my order delivered in short order. During my shopping experience, I learned that the database of available products was sparse, not up-to-date, and mostly contained only the most expensive choices vs. the less expensive store brands. I was only able to complete half of my order, and have not used them again. The store I do shop from has an extensive database, reflecting current sale items and store brands. Shopping there is quick and painless.
  
  
• As online grocery shopping becomes more prevalent, getting delivery times of your choosing can sometimes be difficult. I find if I do my shopping a bit at a time, saving my shopping cart as I go, and try to finalize my order by no later than Thursday, it's easier to get a weekend delivery time. See which of the local markets have convenient delivery times. If delivery times look too available, there may be a reason. Check their prices and stock availability. Read all online shopping documentation, and call with any questions before deciding on which grocery to patronize.
  
  
• Be aware there will most likely be a delivery charge. Around here, it ranges from 7 to 10 dollars. I consider that more than reasonable, considering the savings in time and money. Ensuring I have adequate food supplies keeps the convenience food and take-out trips to a minimum, which more than compensates for the delivery charge. Officially, the delivery person does not accept tips. One store looks the other way when you tip, but another delivery person actually declined the tip. Your choice.

Well, yesterday, New's Year Day, was a chilly, rainy, miserable day, so I made a big ole pot of bean soup. This pot turned out better than any pot before, so thought I'd share my tips with you.

It starts a few days prior with a ham steak, the thick-cut, bone-in kind. I used a Cook's Thick Cut Ham Steak, (no affiliation), a 3-pounder that made a nice meal earlier in the week, but any similar ham steak will do.

I cooked it in a large cast iron skillet, the kind with ridges. I grilled the steak for about 8-10 minutes per side, on low/medium heat. A certain amount of liquid came off the ham, but as the ham sat on the ridges above the liquid, it got those neat sear marks, and the liquid cooked down, keeping the ham moist while carmelizing on the skillet bottom. After the meal, there was a good bit left over, along with the bone and marrow. I put that in the fridge for later soup makin's, along with the left over potatoes (can't have ham without pototoes, Katie Scarlett!)

But, here's the "secret" - after cooking, I deglazed the skillet with two cups of water and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes to cook down a bit. I used a wooden scraper to get up all the little bits from the nooks and crannies of the ridges so as to not lose any of that precious liquid - similar to making Redeye Gravy, but without the coffee. It was dark and rich, almost like a dark beef broth. I put that in the fridge for later use; I could also have put it in the freezer for much later use.

Now... the soup...

The night before, I rinsed and sorted a 1 lb bag of navy beans. I rarely find anything but beans in the bag of beans, but from time to time, do find a small stone, so, best to rinse and check. Then I put them in a large bowl, cover with water an inch or two above the beans, cover bowl and let soak overnight. I know you can boil them the next day if you forget (or just don't want) to soak them, but I think they cook up more tender if you give them that long soak. And, it's not like you have to sit there and cheer them along, they can sit there all by themselves, and be perfectly happy.

The next morning/day/noon, or whenever I feel like it, I drain and rinse the beans and put them in a stock pot, add the ham stock, a quart of chicken stock, and a few more cups of water if it looks like it needs it. Add the ham, and simmer for 3-4 hours over low heat, until the beans are tender.

Remove the ham and let it cool enough to handle. Meantime, add the veggies - 1 medium onion chopped, a stalk or two of chopped celery, 1 large or 2 smaller chopped carrots, 4 chopped cloves of garlic, 1 large or 2 medium diced potatoes, couple of tablespoons of parsley, salt/pepper to taste (remember, the ham is salty, so go easy on the salt). Cut up ham and add to soup. Add more water if needed. Simmer til veggies are tender - maybe another hour. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Serves 6-8.

Ingredients:

1 2-3 lb ham steak (for leftovers and deglazed ham broth)
2 cups (more or less) deglazed ham broth
1 lb navy beans
1 quart chicken broth
1 quart water
1 med/lg onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 carrot, chopped
1-2 stalks celery, chopped
2 medium potatoes, diced
parsley/salt/pepper to taste

Oh, and don't forget the biscuits or a good bread to soak in the broth.

Patternwise, it's not an exact duplicate of the left front, but as they drape down, I don't think they really need to be. They coordinate. Good enough for government work.

Both sleeves are done, and they are a thing of beauty, if I do say so myself.

Where they overlap, you really have to squint to see where one ends and the other begins. And, the beauty of it is, I didn't really plan it that way. I figured it'd be too hard to try to match it up exactly, so I was just going to let the pattern fall where it may. Like an orchard in the fall. I finished up one sleeve, and started right in on the next, and soon realized they were matching up perfectly. See, there *is* a God <G>.

That's the good news. The bad news is that I'm now at a standstill. I don't have the yarn for the cuffs and front edges, and due to a recent job change, won't be able to get the yarn 'til things stabilize a bit. That's okay. Every time I look at the matching sleeves, I'll be reminded to be thankful for all the little (and big) unexpected gifts God blesses me with. Just when I think things aren't going to work out, voila. Jesus loves a ta-da finish. <G>.

This is a pdf file from a Japanese government site discouraging paper waste. A good idea in itself, but also a cool way to wrap packages. Let's face it, Hallmark only has so many wrapping paper options, and when you go to a group gift-giving event, like a shower or birthday party, it's a given that there will be more than a few look-alike gifts. And nice wrapping paper can be expensive. It would be cheaper to use unusual and colorful fabric scraps. And if you root around thrift stores or the remnant table at fabric stores, you can come up with some pretty neat pieces, often much larger than would be available in even the biggest paper roll. While you're at it, look through the clearance table for unusual buttons and other notions to glue to hang tags. When tossing out old clothes even Goodwill won't want, scavenge all buttons, zippers, elastic, etc. that could be recycled for giftwrap.

Though, I can see this seriously getting out of hand.