Marie's Monday Pips!

Everyone needs to vent once in a while, right? I thought it would be fun this morning to share a bit of the things in my life that can really be annoying, just to show you that things are not always light and sunshine in my little corner of the world! Sometimes I get the pips too!



Toilet paper that shredds instead of unrolling. Occasionally you get a roll of toilet paper that just will not unroll properly, and you can't find the end of it. It comes off in shreds and layers and you just can't get it to work proper like! Not quite as bad as what is depicted in this picture, but you get the idea!! I end up wasting half a roll before I can get it to come off the right way. Does anyone else have this problem, or is it just me???



People who think that because they appreciate listening to their head banging rap disco music at full tilt, I will automatically enjoy it as well!! This usually happens on a beautifully sunny day when all you want to do is sit in your back garden and read a good book, or late on a Saturday Night when you need to get to sleep coz you got to get up early Sunday morning to go to church. Me, I love music, and I love music of all kinds. I just want to listen to it when I choose to listen to it, and I want to listen to the kind of music I like to listen to, that brings me joy and pleasure . . . no offense to those that happen to love head banging rap disco music . . . love it, love it, LOVE it! Just not so much that I have to listen to it with you, ta!



People that think that it's ok to throw their rubbish around and spoil this beautiful world we have been given. That is anything from fly tipping to candy wrappers! Any kind of littering at all really annoys me. I have to pick it up when I see it. I just think it is so disrespectful to the earth and to the other people that share it with you. Don't you have a pocket that you can put that gum wrapper in?



Okay, I just have to say it . . . people that don't clean up behind their dogs. That is really, REALLY annoying, especially when you are the unlucky sod that happens to step in it. I love dogs as you know. We often took Jess for walks, but we always carried a bag or two with us to clean up behind her. In Brenchley, a public footpath ran right past the front of the cottage. You would not believe the number of people that walked their dogs past our doorway every day and allowed their dogs to mess right in front of our house. I am sure it happened at least once a day! I would not have minded if someone came to the door to ask if I had a plastic bag they could use, that would have been ok. What I minded was stepping in it on the way to work, or . . . well, you get the picture. I think it is a very naughty habit that people have. It's not the animals fault. Please, please clean up after your pets.



Plastic Blister Packaging. I understand totally the need to prevent people from shoplifting the merchandise. But when you need a jackhammer to get into the packaging of something you have purchased . . . something needs to change!! I sure wish that manufacturers could come up with a reasonable substitute! Not only is this blister packaging very hard to get into, but it fills up our landfills as well! Have you ever cut your finger on a blister pack that you have had to use scissors to cut open (with great difficulty I might add!) ?? I have, and it really smarts!



Okay, it just needs to be said. Pill bottles that are so hard to get into that you end up wanting to hammer them open with a sledge hammer really annoy me as well. I understand fully the need to keep prying little hands away from things that may hurt them, but these containers are not just child proof . . . they are aging, bad eyesight, arthritic hand proof as well!! There has to be a better way!



One last pip for today. People who think it's okay to drive so close to the back of your car that they are practically in your trunk. I find that very annoying. If I am going that slow, then just pass me. I promise you, I won't mind at all! It's very nerve wracking to have you so close to the back of my car. If I had to brake suddenly you would likely smash into me. Also when you do it at night, your lights shine into my rear view mirror and practically blind me! I would not like it if we were walking down the street and you walked so close behind me, and I do not like it when I am driving and you are on top of me either! I think it is very poor manners, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. In fact I would dare to hazard a guess that you people who tailgate don't like it when someone tailgates you either!!

And that's my complaints for today. Whew!! That feels better!!

This is an old fashioned rib sticking soup that I am sharing with you today. My family always loved it when I made this for our supper and Todd loves it too. It does make a lot, but it also freezes very well. Just leave out the rivels and boiled egg when you are going to freeze it. Take out the amount of soup that you think you are going to eat right at that meal and only add the ribbles and egg to that. Boiled egg and rivels don't freeze very well. You can add them when you thaw the soup out at a later date. This is a meal in and of itself and a real tummy filler! I often use leftover chicken and the carcass from when we have a roast chicken instead of using fresh chicken. It makes good use of the whole bird and you end up with no waste at all.





*Chicken Corn Chowder with Rivels*
Makes 8 servings (freezes well)
Printable Recipe

Rivels are tiny egg dumplings that are added just a few minutes before serving. This is a very old recipe of mine that I got fromone of those grocery store checkout magazines some 20 years ago. It is chock full of old favourites! If you like you can also use a meaty leftover chicken carcass. I often do with great success.

3 to 3 1/2 pound chicken cut up
6 cups water
1 medium onion, peeled and sliced
3 medium stalks of celery, with leaves, finely chopped
(about 1 1/2 cups)
1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
(about 1/2 cup)
2 tsp salt
1 can (17 ounces) cream style corn
2 hard cooked eggs, finely chopped
Egg Rivels (see below)
pepper to taste
My additions: 1 tsp summer savoury, 1 bay leaf, 6 to 8 peppercorns



Remove any excess fat from the chicken. Place the chicken into a large pot. Add the water, onion, celery, carrot, salt, summer savoury, bay leaf and pepper corns. Bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, skimming off any foam that may rise to the surface. Cover and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours until the thickest pieces of the chicken are done and the meat is very tender. Remove the chicken from the broth along with the bay leaf and any peppercorns you can find. Let cool until you can handle it comfortably While it is cooling, remove any fat from the broth that you can scoop off. (I wad up some paper toweling and use it to skim the surface. It works like a charm!) Remove the chicken meat from the bones, discarding the bones and skin. Cut the meat into small pieces and return it to the broth. Stir in the corn and the eggs. Heat to boiling. Reduce the heat and sprinkle with the egg rivels. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes before serving. Delicious!



Egg Rivels

1 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg

Mix all the ingredients together with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.



Over on The English Kitchen today, Potato and Ham Pie with Ham, Peas, Cheese and Chives! Delicious!!

My good friend June, lost her husband Dick to cancer yesterday, after a very brave and long battle. If you could spare a few happy thoughts and prayers for June I would very much appreciate it, and so, I promise you, would she.