Riggins with little brother Charlie and little sister Sadie.

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Monday, January 24, 2011

Monday Meanderings.

Woke up to a heat wave of sorts, 28 degrees on the kitchen window, what a break, it might be above freezing today. A welcome to a new follower BARNEYGIRL, I couldn't find a blog on her listing so if you have one share it with us, I hope you enjoy reading about the goings on here at the Weeb Ranch in Dardenne Prairie MO.

After coffee with Donna and then her heading to work I just laid around for a couple hours, watching a steam train movie, I just feel like something is sneaking up on me, but about 10:00AM I went to Shop & Save for some groceries, I always like going the day after a storm as the shelves have been refilled and nobody is shopping because they went before the storm.

Got fresh ground beef, it really looked good, so when I got home I took 2 1/2 lbs of it and my big mixing bowl, and some eggs and breadcrumbs, onions, seasonings, parmesan cheese and I mixed up a big bowl of Grandma Genett meatballs, Have you ever noticed how cold hamburger is and how fast your hands get cold mixing it up.

That was my Grandmother from Italy, and I have been told I have the best meatballs like hers. That equates to about 24 nice sized meatballs, after cooling I put them in about 2 gallons of sauce, to simmer at the lowest setting just a couple of bubbles at a time, for the rest of the afternoon. You can't beat the smell of a kitchen with freshly fried meatballs and then the sauce simmering away. The poor dogs must be in sensory overload as they are just lying on the rug in the kitchen with big smiles. Oh yeah and some French bread to heat in the oven with the spaghetti tonight, Maybe if I can find a candle I can set a place for Rigg's and Sadie like in Lady & the Tramp. How romantic.

Speaking of grocery stores, since a lot of you are traveling, and I kind of went over this in my pizza post, do you guys notice the big difference in stock and prices from one area to another. Here in the StLouis/StCharles MO. area the big names are Dierberg's, (Highest end), Schnucks, Shop & Save, Aldies, And of course Wal Mart at the super centers. We generally shop at either Schnucks or Shop & Save as they are about the same in price but have a little different selections. I used to joke with friends that when you start seeing the Winn Dixie tracks you know you are in the south, I think they have them now as far north as KY. Meijer is popular in OH. Price Chopper out east, Shop-Rite I know was popular in New Jersey.Piggly Wiggly comes to mind in NE. I guess we have shopped in a lot of them. Just curious how your shopping habits change as you travel.

Remember when your choices for fuel, were Gulf, Esso, & Sunoco, Now you haven't a clue what is going into your vehicle, just hopefully it will burn.

Here is a picture for my buddy Don,  K&DINTHERV, he is retired from CNRR and here is a picture of one of their brand new locomotives, don't know what model it is but it is fresh from the  GMD factory in London Ontario. The picture was taken over on the east side in Illinois on IC tracks. CN owns IC now.

cn8931gga

         You could smell the fresh paint still.

The crew said it was brand new on it's first trip but I suspect from the lack of road dirt it was assembled in London and painted in LaGrange Il. Then it made it's first trip south, that would explain the fresh paint and only hours of travel on it. Still a real beauty, it won't stay that way long.In the winter no railroad washes it's power much, in summer the BNSF has a washer in Chicago IL. & one in Richmond Ca. on the transcon route, and they keep their fleet fairly clean, UP does it just the opposite and has a big wash rack at North Platte NE. in the middle of their system and they seem to get a lot of units washed, again that's in warm weather only, this time of the year they grind back and forth and stay dirty dirty.

Not much else going on , be safe out there. Sam & Donna.

 

 

13 comments:

  1. I like HEB in Texas! Great selection and huge produce section. I try to avoid Wal-Mart. :)

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  2. For grocery chains I think Publix (Georgia) is the best ever. Their bakery is superb - not only does everything taste like you baked it at home, but they actually sell a half loaf of sliced French or Italian bread. Wonderful for a solo - I can eat it before it gets stale and don't have to hack it up myself. I liked everything about the store.

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  3. Your mention of GMD In London Ontario (an hour from Bayfield) brought back a disappointing memory for me. In about 1994 I had heard of a large Russian Antonov 225 (world's largest & heaviest aircraft) was coming to London to pick up & air lift a new GMD train locomotive to somewhere. On the day of the proposed lift & hopped on my Suzuki motorcyle at the time & headed for the London airport because I wanted to see that. Just a few miles out of Stratford while shifting into second gear from a stop sign....I snapped a clutch cable & that was the end of my day going to London in time to see the plane take off!!

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  4. We have a Woodsman's, Meijer, Costco..all about 30 miles from us..Nearest chain other than Wally World is Jewel, about 15 miles..I do some Aldis shopping..It's right next to the Wally World, about 3 miles away...I sure wish we had HEB stores up here...I LOVE them when we're in Texas..Your meatballs made my stomach growl..

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  5. I like HEB down here in Texas, but I also hit Wal*Mart for some things. HEB by far has the best produce.

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  6. One thing we always do - the first time in a different store we head to customer service and get their discount card. We have ones from Acme and Shop-Rite in the NJ/PA area, Ingles in GA/ Kroger in TX/LA, Safeway here in AZ. I think there might be another one or two also but I can't remember the names.

    We keep them in a credit card folder in the truck so they are with us at all times when shopping.

    These cards have saved us a bundle.

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  7. dinner sounded yummy!!..we can smell it all the way north in BC!!!

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  8. Great pic of that new CN locomotive. However, I'd have liked to see a picture of those meatballs bubbling away in that sauce! I can almost taste them from here!

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  9. We tend to shop at Wal Mart for most things, and are used to the products they offer. We agree that they are not always the best, but as we travel, they are consistent.

    We have spent enough time in many of the states we travel in to have working knowledge of other stores in the areas as well. We like Meijer in Ohio, HEB in Texas, and Fry's here in Arizona. You end up with a pocket full of cards for grocers! LOL

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  10. No Meatball pictures please, I can't afford the calories,,,
    My Son is a retired enginere from the Burlington RR. He spent 25 years doing that in Lincoln, Ne and St' Joe MO... Now he is a Federal Agent for the Govt. RR div. He knows his Loco's.... That is a beautiful pretty new one!
    Stay warm!

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  11. Yummmm can smell your meatballs cooking from here!

    We use Aldi's if we drive to Green Bay, the savings are worth it, and if we have other errands it pays for itself.

    All our meat comes from a tiny crossroads butcher with local beef and a small smokehouse too. We know what we buy there is from local grass fed cows, probably from within a 10 mile radius.

    When travelling, we try to find little out of the way grocery stores and also fresh produce from roadside stands. LOVE those huge tomatoes in Florida about this time of year.... ymmmmmmmm

    Last time while visiting Florida in the middle of winter, mom and I canned up over 70 jars of stewed tomatoes and I brought them home with us!


    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
    Karen and Steve
    (Our Blog) RVing: Small House... BIG Backyard
    http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com

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  12. Hope the weather keeps getting warmer for you.

    The meatballs and sauce sound delicious.

    Kevin and Ruth
    www.travelwithkevinandruth.com

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  13. Hi Uncle Sam,

    I have been baking Grandma's meatballs in the oven on parchment paper instead of frying them. They don't taste any different and it is a lot easier. No more burning my hands and fingers from turning them and splattering grease. Also, I don't have to "watch over them" while they cook. I use the leanest beef I can find so they don't splatter while they bake in the oven.

    Obviously we have Winn-Dixie down here in Gulfport, MS. It's a good store. There is also a Rouses. Other than that you have Food Giant which doesn't have a very good selection or the Wal-Mart Supercenter. We finally got a Target in D'Iberville so I can get some of the Archer Farm items I really like.

    P.S. House Springs still has a Price Chopper if you ever get wistful for home.

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