Dinner

Dinner tonight was manicotti, no recipe used.

I made it using jarred spaghetti sauce (Bertolli Organic, Olive oil, Basil and Garlic flavor tonight) because we are currently sampling all the jarred sauces to see if an acceptable one can be found or if we must make our own. I stuffed it with ricotta cheese mixed with parmesan, parsley, and an egg. I stuff it uncooked, and bake it longer so the pasta gets done. I topped it off with some of he fresh homemade mozzarella we got at the farmer’s market.

I intended to have some of our rosemary herb bread (also a farmer’s market find) with it, but I simply forgot. I also meant to have some leftover cauliflower with it, too, but I didn’t. So much for planning.

Even though Sweetie insists he hates ricotta cheese (it’s white) he liked it enough to go for another helping.

Herbology

Living in a place where the Sixties never died has real advantages. The natural foods movement that began then – the whole Mother Earth, back to the land movement –  is thriving. The food coop does 6 million dollars in sales per year. Small ethnic restaurants, hippie skirts, and cozy little bookshops abound.

One of these cozy little bookshops, CrazyWisdom, is the venue for a course in using herbs. It’s a session once a month, taught by a respected expert, Linda Diane Feldt. I enjoyed the first class, and have put what I am learning to good use already. In fact, I will be buying her book next month at the class.

I have made two infusions, one of kale and one of ginger. The kale infusion should supply us with lots of beneficial minerals, especially calcium. The ginger infusion has multiple uses. I applied a hot ginger compress to help relieve Sweetie’s chest congestion/asthma. I need to drink it to help reduce inflammation (read arthritis) and normalize my endocrine system. (read diabetes and menopause) Now, neither of these are cures. They are natural nutritional supplements that help the body do what it naturally does. But I’ll take whatever help I can get.

This Past Week

Monday:

We moved from the house into a hotel in Korat.

We cancelled the Internet service.

We mailed the lamps we had forgotten to ship with the household goods.

We sold our car.

Tuesday:

We found out our shipment was only 6 cubic meters instead of the estimated 9.5 cubic meters. Hurrah for something being less expensive than estimated!

We agreed on the payment of the final utility bills with the new owners of our house.

Wednesday:

We received the invoice for our household goods and made an interbank transfer to pay it.

Thursday:

We received confirmation of payment late in the day.

Friday:

We closed our bank account.

Saturday:

We relaxed and repacked our suitcases.

Sunday:

We took a van from Korat to Bangkok to our hotel here.

We made an unsuccessful attempt to find an iPhone to purchase for Sweetie. They are sold out until September 11.

Today:

We are repacking our suitcases in a manner that will successfully go through a security checkpoint.

I plan to get a facial, a pedicure, or both.

We will head to bed early for our 2AM wakeup call, our 3AM ride to the airport, for our 5:30AM flight.

Moving, Yet Again

All systems are Go for the move.

I made the necessary hotel reservations here in town and in Bangkok for our last week here and departure.

Yesterday I emailed all the documents the movers need for the packout this Saturday. This included not only the Customs paperwork, but the inventory for the insurance. So that is all over but the actual packout and the money transfer to pay the movers.

The only thing left to do is to arrange the transportation to Bangkok on the 23rd. We have too much luggage to take a bus or taxi; we need a van. We could fit into a taxi, but not for a 3½ to 4 hour trip. Too crowded in the back seat. So a van it is.

I found the website for the local power company where we are moving and have actually arranged to start electrical service on the day we get our apartment. That was going to be the greatest inconvenience, not having electricity when we moved in. We can order pizza for dinner, and boil water to make coffee, but having lights is nicer than sitting around in the dark. Not to mention being unable to charge our Kindle, Sony E-reader, iPhone, and iPod Touch with no electricity. The very prospect is unacceptable!

I lose easy computer access the night of the 15th, when we will pack my precious Mac for the move. Updates may be very sporadic after that. Okay, even more sporadic than usual.

Farewell, Sharp Microwave-Convection Oven

I was melting some baking chocolate for brownies in my microwave last night, keeping a sharp eye on it as I didn’t want to scorch the chocolate. Suddenly, there was an intense white glow and sizzling sound on the right hand side, followed a few seconds after by smoking and what appeared to be an actual hole in the metal side of the oven interior. I stopped the microwave. I unplugged the microwave. I melted the chocolate in a saucepan.

Farewell, beloved Sharp microwave-convection oven. Farewell, totally awesome “reheat” button. Farewell, defrost setting that actually defrosts instead of cooking. I’ll miss you. I had to boil potatoes for dinner instead of baking them in you.

I suppose that this was a good time for my microwave to die if it had to die. I can live without one until we head back to the US. Coincidentally, my son’s microwave almost bit the dust recently.

Packing our Suitcases

You may think that packing our suitcases 3 weeks prior to our flight is a little premature. It’s not. I have to complete the shipping inventory for the movers in less than 2 weeks. I need to know what goes on the inventory sheets. I need to know what will fit, and what needs to be shipped in the household goods. Hence the packing. As it turns out, very little clothing will need to be shipped. For one thing, we have almost no cold weather clothing. for another we were ruthless in our sorting, and we are not bringing anything that we simply don’t ever wear.

We will have to buy some things when the weather cools. That’s okay.

The dining room is looking bad. It’s the staging area for Stuff to be Moved.

We have used up all the white sugar, and are using brown sugar for everything. Sweetie likes brown sugar in his coffee, as it turns out. We have only a few days supply of oatmeal left, a week at most. The elbow macaroni will be used up tomorrow in chili-mac.

We ate at a new restaurant Friday. It was some of the best food we’ve had in Korat. I particularly liked the apple dessert. I’ve posted on a cooking forum trying to find out what it’s called so I can get a recipe. Yes, it was that good.

The Move Continued!

Flight reservation home? Check.

Apartment available? Check.

Hotel reservation for arrival? Check.

Mailing address for new apartment? Check.

Household goods shipment scheduled? Check.

Things are progressing swimmingly.

A quick phone call to the motel confirmed a Coney place within walking distance. After three years of really awful, literally inedible hot dogs it seems serendipity is our fate yet again. Even better, it does American breakfasts. I sense a serving of crisp and golden hash browns in my future. God help me if they have biscuits and sausage gravy.

We have begun the sorting of our possessions into the “shipping” and “not shipping” categories. Jim has been working on the setup of the laptop for use as our exclusive computer for a couple of months after our arrival. I have been re-ripping our entire CD collection using the Apple lossless format because we aren’t shipping our CDs. Jim’s been helping with that, too, because it is tedious. Only a few more to go now.

I have confirmed the availability of AT&T U-verse for our TV and Internet and phone service at our new apartment. Yay, fiber!

I have ordered pots and pans and dishes for use upon arrival. Okay, for use the next day at our apartment. We won’t have to spend a fortune eating out the first couple of months while waiting for our household goods.

I believe this may be the smoothest relocation I have ever done. So far. Knock on wood.

Cafe Vienna

Jim loves the General Foods instant coffee Cafe Vienna. It’s only available here when somebody hand-carries it in their luggage. (Thanks, Helen!) Poor Jim has been feeling deprived for three years. But even in the US that stuff is unconscionably overpriced. We have tried just putting a bit of cinnamon in a cup of coffee, and I’m sure you all have, too, so you know how well that works.

Two days ago I found a recipe for copycat Cafe Vienna at a forum online. Yesterday I made a batch. This stuff is so good we are unlikely to ever buy the General Foods product again! She also has recipes for other General Food instant coffee flavors.

Copycat Cafe Vienna

1/2 cup instant coffee

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup instant nonfat dry milk powder

1/4 cup powdered coffee creamer

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup store bought instant butterscotch or vanilla flavored pudding mix (optional)

Measure all of the ingredients into a blender and blend well. Transfer the mixture to a resealable container, or a pretty jar. Makes 2 1/2 cups.

To Prepare: Place 2 tablespoons of dry Cafe Vienna into a coffee cup. Add hot water to fill up the cup (about 3/4 cup hot water). Stir and serve.

My Other Blog

Here’s a quick request to all 6 of my regular blog readers: please visit my blog The Once and Future Expat. It’s a blogspot blog, and lets me track visitors better, especially if you become followers. I currently have no followers. The content of both is the same, but  Google’s blogger Dashboard is an easy way to keep up with blogs.

Reasons to Live in Thailand

as opposed to living in the USA.

1. Having a maid one full day each week: $35 per month.

2. 2 hour Thai foot massages.

3. Batter-dipped, deep-fried lettuce.

4. Shower gel, deodorant, talcum powder, and lotion in matching scents.

5. Unlimited voice, message and data plan for iPhone: $14 per month

6. They bring you freshly cooked food and bus your table, even at McDonald’s.

7. Being stunningly beautiful; pale skin color compensates for being fat and middle-aged to the point of getting drop-jawed stares from even young Thai men.

8. Grilled salted fish.

9. Gold I’m not allergic to – 23K.

10. Watermelon year round, pre-sliced in packages.