Leftovers

All posts tagged Leftovers

Random Acts of Kindness

Published August 31, 2026 by helentastic67

Random Acts of Kindness

I’ve been thinking for some time and definitely after my last post I will mention this to make people appreciate and respect where I’m coming from. I’m going to be writing a little about money soon and I want people to understand where its coming from and that hellonwheels will never be asking or even alluding to a “Please donate here” page. I mean people are starving and countries are still at war, it’s never a good time to suggest I’m suffering too and can I have this ridiculous thing I can’t even do credit too. Can’t read my handwriting. Don’t need an expensive pen. 

I will suggest it is always a good thing if you have spare in life to consider helping those who do not have as much or are struggling to eat and help those in need. If you don’t have spare cash, to give time is a great way to help someone.

And if you don’t have spare cash to give, time is a great way to help someone. I cook like a Nonna. A Nonna, if you’re not sure, is an Italian grandmother. I can’t help it. It’s a disease.

I cook like I’ve got a family to feed, and it’s impossible for me to make single-girl portions. So, as a perfect example, I’ll make a large batch of veggie bolognese. I bottle it, and my yield is often eight or nine bottles. Why make a smaller batch?

I’m thinking I’ll make a lazy pasta bake. If I were a real Nonna, I would call it Pasta al Forno.

I have a friend who does a lot for me and does a lot of charity work out in the community. I’ll have him collect some of the food and take it to a men’s group where they get together to share a meal. The men range in age from 25 to 70.

There is someone who, at the end of the night, always asks if there are leftovers he can take home.

On one particularly memorable delivery, I thought the guys would be able to take the food home and have another meal from it. But when the priest arrived to start cooking for the guests, he discovered that the copper pipes had been stolen. So, my delivery became the main meal.

And that’s really all I’m suggesting: everyone can find some meaningful way to help somebody else who isn’t doing as well as they are. Maybe go and find your own way to help someone. And then blog about it and link me.

That reminds me — I’ve got some chicken and veggie lasagne for my friend Frank. I know he can take it and share it with his mum. She will NOT be pleased that I put chicken in it. She is a Nonna. And my friend is way more Italian than I am.

Ladies Day

Published January 8, 2024 by helentastic67

Ladies Day

Yesterday, I had to decide about whether to bother putting on a bra or not. This is generally half the part of Adulting, bra and shoes means I’m going out. As you well know, yesterday was a Sunday and I don’t do Adulting on Sundays, I didn’t even go out. I’m not talking about Out-Out. I just mean leave my apartment.

As you might have gathered my birthday last October set the tone for both Christmas and New Year. So, I planned a Ladies High Tea.

Lunch thing with my Real Family and that’s my carers.  All my carers bring me a little something different. They bring me stories, family, friends, and treats. And I share their stories between each of them. Yet they rarely encounter each other. I share their stories as I am the water fountain in the office tearoom and I’m the holder of the peer support opportunities. So, it was finally a chance to hold a Ladies Lunch.

I even pulled out the Fine Bone China and the French Gourmet Side Plates. We started with the savoury. Homemade sausage rolls, triple cheese croquettes, arancini balls, even cheese and spinach and some other pastry things. The sweets included the ginger Christmas pudding I had yet to get to, the chocolate and orange Christmas pudding, the scones one of the ladies bought to go with the hot jam donut a friend hand delivered before Christmas, with whipped cream. Ginger kisses and the brandy snaps I didn’t get to over Christmas. (These are still uneaten in the fridge) I have been chipping away at the contents of the fridge for weeks and alas, still not getting anywhere.

One lovely lady dug around in my fridge for something, I had to direct her to the crisper. FYI. That’s the section or drawer at the bottom designed for fruits and vegetables, or in my home the containers of things that don’t fit anywhere else. Then when the girls were all departing the mother-load Brownies were still in the crisper. Guess we know what I’ll be sharing out for the next few weeks.

Finally, I should mention my carer in the morning did point out, I didn’t need to bother with the bra since they had all seen it before. Great to be roasted by people that know me the best.

I did wear a coloured T-shirt the girls wouldn’t normally see me in. I bought a few cheap T’s this early and I wouldn’t go past an aqua/teal tee that was everywhere in the men’s section of Big W. I don’t go there often, but it’s where I get my standard black summer pants.

It’s after midnight as I’m tapping this out on my iPad and not long ago, I realised some gifts remain under my tree. A particular carer had been working her other job and it had been too busy to get away. I had suggested I could call in a bomb threat, but we all know I was kidding. There are plenty of treats saved for all the others that could not make it. Note, the gingerbread house one carer delivered before Christmas She said it took five people to make it. It’s going to take more than that to eat it.

So, however you spend your time with family sometimes the people that love, respect and take the time to understand you are not the ones related to you by blood and as a few of my invited guests had not been able to attend I would say, I definitely want to make this a more regular event.



Today’s Lunch – 3rd April 2019

Published April 3, 2019 by helentastic67

Todays Lunch

Today’s Lunch

Good Mental Health Day

A few times a year I am fortunate enough to be taken out for dinner. Monday after a rather long day it was once such lucky day. I was taken out by my Boo! (And his Boo!) well, he says he only has one Boo! Everyone says it with me now! ”aaaaawwwwwwwwhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!”

Going to Dinner

Honestly, if I wasn’t lucky enough to have gay men in my life, I wouldn’t have any men in my life!
It is definitely easier to survive as a single barren spinster if you have some gay friends.  We went to a Vietnamese place in Preston I was first introduced to around 15 years ago when it was so well respected it made the cover of the Age. That’s the Melbourne based newspaper and it didn’t make the cover of the Epicurian, the foodie magazine inserts, but the actual Age!

Gay Friends

Doing Vietnamese must include vegetarian spring rolls wrapped in a lettuce leave with a mint leaf or two tightly wrapped inside before dunking in the dipping sauce. I also like the weird drink called three colour! It’s got kidney beans in the bottom, green jelly things and ice with coconut milk? It’s hard to tell but it’s nice.

Spring rolls

The strangest and most important thing about going out for dinner with good food and even better company is I was actually home by 8pm! And with leftovers for tonight’s dinner!  Again, no photos. My bad!

Leftovers

Here’s my second Bread and Butter pudding for the year! Oh, does it look exactly the same as the first pudding of the year? Yes, because it is, I forgot to take a photograph of that one also.

Pudding

I actually had a day at home yesterday. Still dealing with this annoying cough from my cold and then I had a migraine!

Migraine

So, needing a pain free easy day today at my favourite cafe for sure! Today’s offering is the Ortolani quiche with a side salad (Mediterranean vegetables) and my medicine

QuicheLatte

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers

H