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How To Use Up A Lot Of Bell Peppers
Our plants have been producing an abundance of bell peppers. We’ve had to get a little creative about how to use them all. Actually, it’s not just bell peppers. We’ve also been harvesting a bounty of banana peppers and a habanero-type pepper called the Numex Suave. Here in Central Florida Zone 9B, pepper plants can…
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A Great Summer Read for Couples Reading Together
Castle of Water by Dane Huckelbridge is a perfect selection to take along on your summer vacation. Even better if you’re going to the beach. Although I’m not sure how we came across it, we first read this book in 2020 during the Covid shutdown. At the time, it was a nice escape from what…
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Meal Prepping for Two Makes Dinnertime Easy
Interested in saving money on food costs? You can make dinners for two that are timesaving, healthy, and more cost effective by meal prepping. In an earlier post, we talked about how meal planning can help you save money on groceries. Today we’re taking that one step further to meal prepping. If you’ve never done…
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Can You Save Money On Food With A Backyard Garden?
There are lots of reasons why almost-retired people should be growing a garden. Saving money on food costs might be one. When we were kids, almost everyone in our neighborhoods grew some kind of garden. Most back yards had a plot of ground that produced rows of carrots, radishes, beans, cucumbers, onions and many other…
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Five Simple Dinners For Two With Five Ingredients Or Less
In our last post, we said cooking simple meals can be less expensive, healthier, and easier to prepare. Today, we’re sharing five simple dinners for two that use five ingredients or less. Okay, so I may be cheating just a little when I say “five ingredients or less.” I’m not including salt, pepper, spices, or…
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Cooking Simple Meals For Two
Lately we’ve been talking about saving money on groceries. Did you know that cooking simple meals is one of the best ways to eat for less? Here’s a confession: I can go down the proverbial rabbit hole looking at recipes on the internet. I’ve also wasted hours scrolling through the multitude of delicious-looking recipes on…
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How to Meal Plan For Two On A Budget
For many almost-retired couples, sticking to a food budget is essential. Here’s how to create a meal plan for two to help you spend less. For an almost-retired or retired couple, the weekly food bill can take a big chunk out of the budget. Everyone is talking about the high cost of groceries these days….
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Saving Money On Groceries Is Easier Than You Think
The high cost of food. It’s all we hear about these days. So what can you do to save money on groceries? It’s easier than you think! No matter who you are or what your income is, everyone is being affected by the high cost of groceries to some degree these days. I’m always a…
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An Exciting Space Adventure for Couples Reading Together
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir is a fun read for couples who like science fiction. Maybe even for those who don’t. Here’s our Couples Reading Together review. (Be sure to read to the end for a big announcement!) I have to admit, science fiction is not my favorite genre. Bob’s either. He tends to…
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How to Use That Ham Bone To Make Ham Soup
Does your Christmas or Easter menu include a bone-in ham? After you’ve sliced off all you can for sandwiches, make ham soup! I come from a long line of soup makers. I have many happy memories of sitting at my grandmother or great-grandmother’s tables when I was a little girl, eating a bowl of hearty,…
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Try Smiling! An Experiment That Might Surprise You
Do you want to be a happier person? Do you want to be around happier people? Try smiling more! You might be surprised by the results. I was looking in the mirror the other day, and I wasn’t thrilled with what I saw. For the most part, I feel like I have pretty good skin,…
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Candy Cane Cookies: A “Cooking For Two” Holiday Bonus
One of my most cherished family traditions is baking Christmas cookies. This recipe for Candy Cane Cookies embodies all those sweet holiday memories for me. When I was a child, as soon as I came in the back door after school and saw the bowls of red and white dough on the kitchen table, I…
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Learn Hands-Only CPR! It’s Easy, And You Might Save A Life
Would you know what to do in a cardiac emergency? Take a few minutes to learn Hands-Only CPR and you could save someone’s life. The recent tragedy that happened in a family we are close to has made me think more seriously about how we should all know how to perform CPR. A few weeks…
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A “Cooking For Two” Side Dish: Roasted Sweet Potato Hash
November is Sweet Potato Awareness Month, National Roasting Month, and National Gluten-Free Diet Awareness Month. Here’s a Cooking for Two recipe that fits all three. When we started gardening a couple of years ago, one of the first things we tried to grow was sweet potatoes. We eat them all the time, and we had…
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Do You Have a Thanksgiving Game Plan? Here’s One We’ve Perfected Over the Years
After over forty years of preparing the holiday feast for our family, we’ve got it down to a science. Here is the Thanksgiving plan we follow every year. Cooking a Thanksgiving meal can be intimidating. Preparing the turkey and an assortment of side dishes all at once is a lot of work. As a young…
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Thirty Minute Chicken Chow Mein For Two
Every so often we get a craving for the (Minnesota-style, very Americanized) take-out chow mein we ate as kids. Here’s my quick and easy home version of Thirty Minute Chicken Chow Mein For Two. Where we grew up, there was a Chinese take-out restaurant in just about every neighborhood. They were as common in North…
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Help! What Do We Do With All This Okra?
Planting seven times as much okra this year has resulted in an overabundance! So what do we do with it all? We started a little backyard garden about a year and a half ago. The first thing we quickly learned is that gardening in Florida Zone 9B is very different than gardening up north. Up…
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Should You Hold A Garage Sale To Get Rid Of Your Stuff?
Many of us are decluttering and minimizing these days. So what do we do with all that stuff? Should we hold a garage sale? It is estimated Americans hold between 6.5 and 9 million garage sales every year. We decided to hold a garage sale for the first time recently. Here are ten things we…
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Keeping Your Independence As Long As Possible
If we want to keep our independence as we’re aging, we need to be more aware of safety issues and also set up some safeguards. With Independence Day approaching in the U.S. this week, I started thinking about what it means to be independent. For most Americans, our independence is probably something we take for…
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Four Refreshing Summer Drinks to Celebrate the Golden Hour
The last hour before sunset is sometimes the best part of the day. Here are four refreshing summer drinks to sip as you celebrate the Golden Hour. The first day of summer is almost upon us, and it’s my favorite time of the year. Yes, it’s hot and humid – especially where we live in…
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If You Love A Good Story, Read “A Land Remembered”
A Couples Reading Together review of Patrick Smith’s A Land Remembered. Here’s why almost everyone in our family has read it multiple times. I can’t remember who was the first in our family to read A Land Remembered. I think it was recommended to me while we were homeschooling our two younger children. The student…
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How to Stop Suffering From Heartburn and Acid Reflux
Here’s what we did that helped us effectively deal with the discomfort of heartburn, indigestion, and acid reflux. Have you ever had this experience? You just ate dinner and you’re sitting on the couch watching Netflix when you start to feel it. The burning sensation begins somewhere around your midsection or lower chest. So you…
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Super Fast Fajitas for Two With Easy Homemade Seasoning
Celebrate Cinco de Mayo – or any day – with these quick and delicious Super Fast Fajitas for Two, seasoned with your own mix of spices. Did you know that many Mexicans don’t celebrate Cinco de Mayo or “Fifth of May”? Cinco de Mayo celebrates the Mexican army’s victory over invading French troops at the…
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5 Kitchen Tools We Didn’t Know We Needed – But Now Can’t Do Without!
What did we do without a meat chopper? Or a cookie scoop? Here are five kitchen tools we didn’t know we needed until we tried them. I’m embarrassed to admit this drawer overflowing with kitchen tools and gadgets is in our very own kitchen. Yes, I know I need to clean it out. I always…
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Easter Bird’s Nest Treats to Make With Your Grandkids
Here’s a quick and easy springtime project to make with your grandkids (or any kids you have in your life). You’ll have fun creating – and eating – these Easter Bird’s Nest Treats. It’s mid-March and I am standing at the kitchen window watching two doves eating from the feeder beneath our cypress tree. We’ve…
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“All the Light We Cannot See”: Clinging to Good in the Midst of Evil
A Couples Reading Together review of the novel “All the Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr. Check out our He Says / She Says opinions, along with notes about the Netflix series based on the book. I don’t think those of us who haven’t lived through a war can truly imagine what it’s like….
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Parmesan Spaghetti Squash with Chicken and Mushrooms for Two
Savory and delectable, Parmesan Spaghetti Squash with Chicken and Mushrooms is one of our favorite “Cooking for Two” comfort food recipes. Recently I read an article on My Fitness Pal that said couples who cook and work well together in the kitchen are more satisfied in their relationships That’s a pretty amazing claim, isn’t it? Bob…
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Valentine’s Fudge Cakes for Two
Instead of a store-bought treat for your sweetheart this year, here’s an easy (but decadent) Valentine’s Fudge Cakes for Two dessert to share from your heart! It’s almost February 14th, and all the stores are bursting with everything red and pink to buy for your valentine. Candy, flowers, stuffed animals, greeting cards — the sheer…
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Quick & Healthy Ground Chicken Teriyaki Bowls for Two
We recently did a post on Ground Chicken Meatloaf, an easy and delicious Cooking for Two dinner you can make from half a one-pound package of ground chicken. Here’s another of our favorite recipes that can be made from the other half. You know how on a Friday night (or any night, really) you can…
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A Fun Card Game for Couples: How to Play Golf
No clubs and tees here. Play this fun card game with clubs, hearts, spades, and diamonds! Introducing the Golf card game… We’ve been playing Golf for a few years now. It has become a family favorite, and pretty much everyone we’ve played with loves this game. It’s called “Golf” because there are nine rounds in…
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Easy and Delicious Ground Chicken Meatloaf for Two
Here’s an easy Cooking for Two entree you can make from a half pound of ground chicken. Use the other half pound to make Ground Chicken Teriyaki Bowls another night. And that’s two dinners for two – done! We eat a lot of chicken, for a few good reasons: You can make an easy and…
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A Gentleman in Moscow: An Excellent Book for Couples Reading Together
A “Couples Reading Together” review of Amor Towles’s novel A Gentleman in Moscow. Why this historical fiction set in Russia during the socialist movement is a book you will enjoy reading together. What it’s About: A Gentleman in Moscow begins after the Russian Revolution in June of 1922. The People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs deems…
