Stinky Trash

I meant to drill a few holes in our big roadside trash can/herbie curbie. I forgot and the trash guys always seem to leave the lid opens and it always seems to rain on trash day. I decided to clean the trash can before I started flipping it over and drilling the drain holes.

I just threw some Pine Sol on the inside, set the sprinkler wide open and now it's cleaning the trash can while I enjoy my coffee.

Bonus points if you can get it over a section of grass that needs water.

The Food Pantry Chronicles

The movers are coming in a little over a month and I've been working my way through the pantry for what seems like forever. It was more of a goal to tap into the pantry reserves than it was a necessity to empty everything. Now we are getting down to the line and I'm really trying to use up the pantry contents. I'd really just like to take spices and staples and buy new food when I get there. 

While Hubs is gone I should be cooking for one. I've found that cooking up a soup or a casserole to share with the neighbors gives me something to look forward to and I'm using up more ingredients that way. It's also nice to have that social interaction. 

I have made some fun meals with ingredients mostly from the pantry. I've also embraced my inner 13 year old and tried combining ingredients that I normally don't use. My two favorites from this week were Chili-Ghetti and Tuna Melts. 

My Chili-Ghetti was much better than the stuff my mom (or was it my dad?) used to toss together when I was a kid. I used the last of the lentil chili (lentils, chili powder, cumin, garlic, Rotel, Boca beef crumbles) I made on Sunday along with bow tie and corkscrew pasta bits. I topped it with bagged taco cheese shreds and half a can of chopped green chilis. (I used the rest of the can chilis in omelets.) I had a few boxes of 1/2c or so of pasta left in the box so I combined them to empty the boxes and just followed the instructions for the pasta with the longest cook time. I'll post the recipes for everything along with pictures as soon as I can.

For my tuna melts I used the usual tuna salad ingredients but I substituted hot Chow Chow for the relish. I didn't want to buy another container of relish just to eat up the canned tuna and I had a jar of hot Chow Chow that I bought at the farmer's market over the summer. It was amazing on a Tuna Melt and the Chow Chow flavor did very well with a sharper cheese. 

I've also set a few guidelines that seem to help the pantry emptying process.

1. No random canned goods or boxes of foods for future use. If I can't cook it tonight, don't buy it. (Exception: Max of two cans of soup for use this week, broth and coffee.)

2. Stick to buying produce, dairy and small portions of meat that can be combined with pantry contents to make meals.

3. Try to use something from the pantry at every meal.

4. You can throw a lot of stuff into soup! The same goes for casseroles and pot pies. Make it on Saturdays and let the neighbors know that a container will be coming their way. Don't freeze more than you know you'll eat between now and move day. 

5. No more condiments. Look up recipes for ketchup, mayo etc. or use up salad dressing as substitute. 

6. Save sour cream containers, mayo jars, etc. to give soup to neighbors. Avoid tracking down the good Tupperware on move day.

Things I Wish I Knew About COT and JASOC

I haven't updated in a while. I've noticed that is a reoccurring issue with most post I've read about COT and JASOC. The blogger will almost always drop out of contact for a few weeks. Now that COT is over and JASOC is well underway, I'll just post a few things I wish someone would have told me before this all started.

Things I Wish I Knew About COT

1. COT sucks, by design. Just be supportive and try not to drag drama into the few conversations you will be able to have while he is gone. Try not to be a whiner. I finally cracked after I had been sick for a week and a half and really needed to find out about the insurance. It stressed him out and I still feel bad about it. Unless someone dies, try to keep the conversations light. Send a few pictures each week. My dogs would occasionally hijack the computer and send him messages and a photo. Don't send anything you don't want someone else to see and don't be upset if he doesn't really have a chance to look at what you send. It got to the point I was shooting off two or three random emails a day, just keeping him updated on funny things going on at home.

2. COT is horrible the first few days. Pat him or her on the head and let them know that it's alright if they don't call on the first couple of days but you would like a text or email update letting you know if they're still breathing. Once they get their COT legs they will be able to email and text more, but the first two weeks is hit and miss.

3. Watch those stupid videos on folding underwear and making sock nuggets. They're going to have room inspections based on one of the most vague and poorly scripted manuals ever written. They're going to freak out. Then they're going to realize that no one has ever been kicked out of Air Force COT for an improperly rolled sock. 

4. They do kick you out for not keeping your hands to yourself.

5. Read up on the Dining Out before you attend. The Dining Out at COT seemed more semi-formal and even ladies at the head table were wearing very conservative knee length dresses. I'm not sure if that is a COT specific evolution of the event. It does make sense for COT Dining Out to have a less formal attire standard as there are so many graduates bringing their parents or even grandparents. I'll update you more after JASOC.

6. I wish someone had started a spouses page on Facebook for his COT class. I think if we had one we could have posted when we received updates or if we heard about something big happening in their schedule that would make it harder for them to contact home. It would also be helpful to meet some of those spouses online before all of the graduation events. 

Things I Wish I Knew About JASOC

1. JASOC comes with a lot more freedom. Hubs has been able to come home for two weekends and I've been able to visit him there on one other weekend. We're lucky because home is only a few hours from Maxwell. A new AF friend (and I suspect he will be a dear friend for many years) has a wife a children back home on the west coast. Try to squeeze a little extra in the budget for hubs to fly home for a weekend. It may be tough to take the whole family to Maxwell, but your significant other may be able to come home for a weekend or two. Some spouses have moved to Maxwell full time and will just move again when it's over. 

2. JASOC seems to be more social and they are encouraged to build friendships with everyone else there. I think they're planning a touristy trip as a group somewhere this weekend or next. 

3. The DC trip was supposed to be a lot of fun. It was canceled due to budget cuts. :( I haven't heard if they will bring it back for future classes. They took a bus down to Florida for the other field trip. Yep, a bus. They had an amazing time and you'll hear lots of cool stories about the fun stuff they were able to see and do. If you live near DC and were hoping to meet up with your JASOC person there, time to develop a Plan B.

4. They are in ABU 4 days a week at COT but in their blues 4 days a week at JASOC. 

5. The University Inn at Maxwell has efficiency hotel rooms with a mid-size fridge, microwave, two burner stove and small kitchen sink. On my last visit I took hubs the crock pot, extra kitchen towels, a small cutting board and a proper cutting knife. They have some pet friendly rooms but I don't know what the demand is like for those. I think I'll make my first trip to the commissary on my next visit and pick up meat and veggies to grill at the Inn's outdoor grill area. It should give hubs enough leftovers for the week or some to share with friends.

Daddy, we went on a long walk. It was cold and wet so we made Mama carry us the last block. 

COT...Halfway through

Update: Taking a printer/scanner was a very good call. At one point the copier was out of paper and it saved him (and some flight mates) some headaches. We packed the printer/scanner, new cartridges and a pack of paper for COT/JASOC. I think I'll take another pack of paper for JASOC, just to be safe.

I finally got to see the hubs. On the computer. Today is the halfway point for COT and we were finally able to video chat. I realize people have been doing this for years without the benefit of frequent emails or the occasional cell phone call. It makes me appreciate the connectivity we have these days. 

Streaming isn't allowed on the Maxwell supplied Wi-fi but we got a thingie from Virgin Mobile so he can have his own Internet access. I'm not sure of the data plan but it's very similar to Clear, which wasn't available in Montgomery as of Dec. 2012. He can connect multiple computers and Virgin Mobile offers it month to month so we can cancel once he's finished at Maxwell. We'll probably keep it until we finish the move to allow for any gaps in Internet service at the new base.  There isn't a Virgin Mobile store in ATL but he was able to order it and set it up online before he left. Thank goodness. 

The connection is a little slow and we had to reconnect twice but it was so nice to see his face. 

I'm so happy he has the Internet connection. 

Facetime wouldn't work without the web connection on his iPhone and we didn't have everything set up. We used Google Plus and were able to "Hangout" using the connection on his laptop through the Virgin Mobile device. I've had a Google Plus account since the invitations first went out but this is the first time I've actually used it. I used my iPad but I will charge my Netbook for the next video chat. It was hard to hold the iPad and lift dogs into the frame.

The dogs were very excited to see their daddy. 

Now maybe they will stop being spiteful jerks. They've had some potty training setbacks since the hubs left for Maxwell. It isn't like they're having accidents. They're really going out of their way to show how much they disapprove of the hubs being gone. Two pairs of shoes won't make the move. The shoes were already in a pile to be donated so it wasn't as if they killed my best work shoes. I just made sure the shoes went into the dumpster. You're welcome, Goodwill.

The first week Hubs was gone the dogs seemed miffed but not really devastated. After week one, all of that changed. Week two brought some behavior problems and they slept on his side of the bed...

All day.

There was lots of moping.

I think that they think that I ran him off or made him move out. They were probably fine for the first week because we've traveled and had to be apart for about that time. I think they started getting nervous after the first week when he didn't come back with a suitcase of dirty laundry for them to nap in.

This week they've started running to the door around 5pm-6pm. That was the time he used to come home. They also seem to bark at noises outside more frequently. 

Sometimes they get silly when I mention the word "Daddy".

Zoe is nine years old and no spring chicken. She doesn't really run and prance but she did today. All I said was "Daddy".

And then she took a nap.

Vegetarian Hot and Sour Soup

I crave Hot and Sour Soup when I get sick. I love it when it's so spicy it clears up my sinuses. This is a vegetarian version I've been playing around with. It has egg but you could omit that if you really wanted to. I recommend leaving the egg in the recipe unless you're going for a vegan dish.

The hardest part is the chopping. Once I started chopping I just kept going until I had everything chopped. I put half of everything in a big bowl and put it in the fridge for the next day. Hot and Sour soup on the second day is so much faster. You could just double the recipe and use everything at once.

I always crave this when I'm sick so I usually go for a pretty hot flavor. You can scale back on the pepper and chili garlic sauce and add more to taste.

I find that the trick to a restaurant taste is to let it cook for a long time so the tofu becomes less tofu-y. If you don't mind the tofu taste you can eat it a lot sooner. I think restaurants have a big pot on a burner and they just let it simmer until someone orders it.

Hot and Sour Soup

1 32 oz box Vegetable broth

2 cubes vegetable bouillon

2 cups water

1/4 c rice vinegar

1/8 c low sodium soy sauce

1-2 Tbsp Chili Garlic Sauce, start with 1 tbsp and increase to taste

1 pinch of sugar

1/2-1 tsp of finely ground white pepper

1/2 can of bamboo shoots, cut into matchsticks

1/4 package firm tofu, cut into matchsticks, drain on paper towel

2-3 green onions, chopped

1/2  package of gourmet mushroom blend, further sliced into thin pieces

3 Tbsp of corn starch

3 Tbsp cold water

1 Egg

Slices of green onion and La Choy Fried Rice Noodles to garnish (Optional)

Start with your tofu to give it time to drain.  Cut your tofu into matchsticks and place on a paper towel to drain. 

Add your broth, bouillon, water, vinegar, soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, sugar and pepper to a soup pot. Allow it to come to a boil. Add vegetables and tofu and bring back to a gentle boil. Turn heat to simmer and place a lid on the pot. Allow to simmer for at least an hour. I don't like my tofu to taste like tofu so I cook it until it taste like something else. I left this particular batch simmering for just over two and a half hours. Yum!

In a small bowl or measuring cup, add your corn starch and the cold water and stir. Slowly add this to your pot while stirring. I add it 1/3 at a time, stirring slowly. You may not need all of it. This will thicken it up. Allow it to simmer a while longer for the corn starch to cook up and the soup to thicken.

In a small bowl or measuring cup (I rinsed and reused the same one), beat an egg with a fork. Beat it to within an edge of its life. You don't want any big pieces. Beating is good here.

Now...I have trouble with this part. But slowly stir the soup in one directions. While you are stirring it SLOWLY drizzle in your beaten egg in a small stream.

Continue to cook for another few minutes to make sure the eggs cook up.

Bowl it up with more sliced green onion and the La Choy Fried Egg Noodles on top.

The noodles add a nice crunch!

COT Dorm Room Inspections

Hubs left for COT ten days ago and it seems like he's been gone forever. Please don't confuse me for one of those needy and clingy wives as I am not one. It really does seem like a long time. Part of that could be because I've been fighting a wicked chest cold. I've been feeling really gross but very happy that it isn't the flu. I've also been out of work as my industry shuts down for Christmas and having a hacking crew member is just bad for morale. (Audio equipment is very sensitive.)

Hubs had a dorm room inspection today and his flight failed the test. If you're going to COT I suggest you look up the details for a dorm room and start working on your folding. There is a lengthy list of do's and don'ts and you might save yourself some trouble by planning ahead of time.

Hubs got dinged for having a coffee cup on his desk. Others had more serious infractions resulting in demerits.

There are several video tutorials on the folding of t-shirts, socks, etc. on YouTube. Look for the Air Force ones and try to practice before you leave.

I'm not allowed to send any care packages until they pass room inspection.

Part of my nervous energy over him being gone has been directed towards care packages and cooking soup.

I'm drowning in soup.

I've also put together a lovely package for a friend stationed in Afghanistan.

Next week I may send her my living room couch.

Holy Non-Refundable Pet Fees, Batman

It's my anniversary and Hubs is at Maxwell so I thought I'd do something to perk up my afternoon. I decided to make my hotel reservations for Montgomery for his graduation.

They're such hellions. 

Interesting thing I just discovered. While some hotels in Montgomery allow you to bring pets at least one charges a $100 NON-REFUNDABLE pet fee.

What?

I called.

I asked.

They said it's so they can deep clean the carpets and room once you checked-out.

I know I can board my chihuahuas for less than that. I just want to take the dogs because it's a short enough drive, it will be good PCS practice for the dogs and the hubs misses them terribly.

I'm not doing this to call out a particular brand of hotels for their fine print. I try to limit the snark on my blog, avoid giving scathing reviews and limit that to my other other Twitter account. I'm just pointing this out in case anyone is planning to travel with your pets to any graduations in Montgomery. Check the fine print.

Anyway, if you're going...I hope to meet you there.

And your dogs.