I made some Herbed Goat Cheese at Christmas and their time limit for use is definitely about up, but I still have 3 little 4-oz. jars of it left. They've never even been touched!! Now let's see - what can I do with them? Hmmmm, soft cheese like this can be frozen but it loses that smooth consistency when thawed . . . but yes, I could freeze it and then when I wanted some cheesy pasta, potatoes or noodles I could use it in those cooked dishes - and the herbs are already incorporated!!! Wow!! Waste Not Want Not - I always say!!!
No, actually, I've wasted quite a bit in my lifetime merely out of not knowing any better or not wanting to take the time or not caring and they are all something I've decided I have no more room for in my life. This, in my opinion, is what's wrong with a lot of our lives. We've become a throw-away generation and in the process we've also become a much more ignorant people. We've lost so much basic knowledge because of all the easy access to "stuff" and it's time to relearn some of the skills that in years past were taken for granted. I had a friend that had to spend some time in Germany about 15 or 20 years ago and she confessed to me that when she would put her trash out she would scan down the street at everyone else's trash and they didn't hardly have a thing to put out because they used EVERYTHING!! While her trash was overflowing they had close to nothing and some actually had nothing put out. She found that amazing! Now, I don't know if it's still like that but when she told me that story, for some unknown reason, it made a strong impact on my life and I noticed that I started rethinking the whole trash issue. I've come to the conclusion that pride is one of the biggest issues when it comes to one's trash. Would I want someone to see me reusing - what - a toilet paper roll? Would I want them to see the containers I store leftover food in and think "redneck tupperware"? Frankly, I had a lot to get over before I could take a really close look at my trash. Mostly, I had to get over ME! There's so much more I could say on this subject but - do you really want me to go on? I don't think so - I'm pretty sure you know what I'm talking about!
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Well, as the day draws to a close all I can say is - I think I'm going to have a cup of hot chocolate. Yum! Doesn't that sound good? Tomorrow is the last day of the year. Just think - it's actually going to be 2015. When I was 18 (way back in 1970) my friends and I used to laugh about what it would be like in the year 2000 . . . just like it was a million light years away and yet here we are 15 years later! Yes, it has changed. It definitely has changed! We've gone from Go-Go Boots to Uggs! LOL!!