**COFFEE REVIEWS** Luzianne Premium & Door County Flavored

Remember me talking about my percolator saving me so much money? It will once I stop trying new coffee in it. So far, I have bought one coffee, gotten a sample of another, and subscribed to one from the sample brand. I'm about to pick up some Luzianne Medium Roast (red) and I will be good on coffee for the next 3 months or more!

First up, is the Luzianne that I had already started writing this review for. 

Luzianne Premium Blend Coffee and Chicory

For a long time, I've been telling people that I prefer dark roast coffee and that Luzianne chicory coffee is the only brand I loved black. What my no-attention-to-details brain never clocked was that the chicory coffee by Luzianne only comes in a medium roast. Luzianne has a dark roast coffee but it's minus the chicory. I never bought that one.

Anyway.

As you know, I am obsessed with my new percolator. Ob-SESSED. I've been consumed with finding the perfect coffee for it. I've been grinding beans and sampling coffees sent to me by sellers. When I saw this

Notice that it is only 16 ounces

for size comparison

I had to grab some. It's coffee with chicory, and it's a dark roast.

I did realize that I might end up having to water it down a bit. After all, I want to do black coffee as often as I can and the red bag Luzianne is a medium roast. However, I usually can do the milder-tastingArabica beans sans cream and sugar better than I can Robusta beans.

But...

This is a roast that is beyond dark. Child. This is- I don't even know how to tell you how strong this coffee is without explaining it in detail.

The suggested measurements are 1 level tablespoon to 6 ounces of water.

Don't do it, sis. Just don't.

They suggest that because (I guess) they know that the standard 2 tablespoons to 6 ounces is way too strong with this blend. And, trust me, they didn't stutter, lie, or overstate this. As a matter of fact, I found the coffee too strong with just 1 tablespoon to 8 ounces. So, for my 4 8-ounce cups, I used a smidge under 4 tablespoons. I say just under because I was using my finger to level it off and went a little deep.

Anyway.

After I made it the way they suggested, the coffee brewed up stronger than Samson, Hercules, and Andre the Giant combined. It was so strong that I put it all aside to make some cold brew later. It was SO strong that when, as an experiment, I just ran more water (about 12 ounces from a bottle I was sipping from) through the just used grounds. And that made a brew good enough for me to actually drink.

This is the kind of strong coffee I imagine cowboys or slaves - or anyone way back in the day - drinking. You know, when people drank coffee to make it through a day with no sleep. When people drank coffee instead of doing cocaine or Adderal or, I don't know, whatever the E.R. doctors, stockbrokers, and mothers of quintuplets and no nanny do to work 90-hour weeks on no steady sleep.

I like my coffee strong but, good golly! This stuff here... I can see Crocodile Dundee looking at someone make a pot of Folgers and whipping this out to say, "That's not coffee, this is coffee." 

You get my drift. Anyway.

So I decided to use 1 weak tablespoon to about 10 ounces of water. "Weak" being the opposite of "heaping" and a tiny bit less than "level".

The next morning, I used my measurements to make the 4 cups of coffee. Then, fingers crossed, I pushed my sweetened and flavored creamer away and the first cup.

Blow, blow, sip.

The verdict: I can do this or... can I do this?

Here's the thing. I can do this without adding anything sweet but I need the cream. I don't know if it's a mind trick or what but there's something about lightening the coffee - to the eye and on the tongue. But I said I was going to give this black coffee thing a real go. I'm doing tofu, for heaven's sake, I should be able to do black coffee!

Blow, blow, sip...

Hmm... 

Yes, I can do it without cream but I will need to make it a little bit weaker. As is - with the already watered-down measurements - I really need at least a little bit of unsweetened cream. Next time I will do 1 tablespoon to 12 ounces of water. I think that will be the sweet spot for me. (And I was so busy sipping, I forgot to get a photo!)

NEVER bitter!
It would make great Cafe Au Lait 

As big a deal as I make about this brew being so strong, the thing is, even at its strongest, the coffee truly has zero bitterness. With the first pot that I made strong that I had to re-purpose it? Even that wasn't bitter in the least. Now, it was overwhelmingly strong but there wasn't even a trace of bitterness. I think that, for anyone who likes their coffee black by default, this would be the perfect brew for them. My father would have loved this coffee. I know that he liked chicory with his coffee (he was from Arkansas via Lousiana, you know) so this would have been something he preferred over the usual brands found on store shelves. He and my mother used to make Folgers so strong you could gnaw on it.

Anyway, I'm not mad at this coffee like I wanted to be because of the price. Since it takes so little of it to make a pot, it will last me a long time. Maybe longer than the huge 12-ounce cans of Yuban that I used to favor. Plus, you know, chicory.

Will I buy this again? Yes. I will.  Unless I can find the cheaper bricks of the red bag Luzianne's mild roast. But this is worth it for the reason that I can drink it black without hating it and because it really is a nice quality of coffee. I'm no expert and even I can tell that this coffee is better than your average easy-to-find shelf brand. However, if I had to use the regular amount of coffee per cup, there is no way.

Brownie Batter Chocolate Flavored Coffee (by Door County Coffee)

 Okay, so this is a much shorter review. This is a medium roast coffee that is so delicious you will feel like you should be putting on weight. It's so good that I've been drinking it with only unsweetened creamer. 

Two things to know about this one:

• It's decaf. Yeah. It was a freebie so I didn't see the product page first. I don't mind. I save it to drink later in the day when I won't drink caffeinated java. Think of it as dessert.
• It's a medium roast. However, in my opinion, you still need to go light on the grounds. In the percolator, The label suggests 2 tablespoons of coffee to 6 ounces of water (that must be the new standard) but I use about a tablespoon and a half to 8 ounces of water. Find your preference and enjoy.

This is so decadent that I started a Subscribe and Save for Door County's Chocolate Caramel Truffle. It's also a decaf. I wanted to try it to see which flavor I like best. I can always switch over the Subscribe option. It's a 10-ounce bag that runs sort of high (about $11.50 right now) but is nice for the occasional treat.

As I said, this is wonderful - if you get the brew strength right. I made one cup too strong and there was a bitter bite to it. Even creamer didn't help. I went too weak with the next cup and I got that dirty water bland ickiness. It took another couple of tries until I hit the mark. Ever since then I have been sipping on this as an after-dinner treat. Creamer brings out the sweetness perfectly.

There are a ton of flavors under this brand. Some only come as ground, while some are available in whole beans. Some are caffeinated. I couldn't find one right off that I wanted to try except Bourbon Vanilla. Since I like the idea of drinking a decaf after dinner hours, I don't mind. 

Last of all, I did pay attention to some of the reviews but I think it's tough to rely on someone else's opinion of a flavored food or beverage. Maybe someone's idea of good chocolate or vanilla is a lot different than my own. I didn't see a lot of bad things about the Brownie Batter but I did see where some reviewers recommended other flavors I don't think I would like. I won't be rushing to try a flavor like Cherry Cream or Amaretto. Those are favorites of mine in general. At least with this brand, there are a LOT of flavors to choose from.

Peace

--Free

Call Me "Vegetarius" (for my health)

(My apologies in advance to any militant vegetarians or vegans.)

With all the madness of people randomly changing their pronouns - and, sorry, I think it's silly - I started thinking about my own choices. At first, I was going to ask everyone to refer to me as rich but decided that no one could suspend belief that high. Instead, I have decided to be more realistic and ask to have my eating habits referred to as being "vegetarius".

I wasn't born this way. What happened is that I got old. All the fat that my body used to repel the way oil repels water or citronella is supposed to repel mosquitos, found a workaround. Every croissant and donut and Moose's Tooth pizza I ever let past my lips was just waiting for me to turn 50 to bring their calories out of hiding to rest on my gut, butt, and the places under my arms right above my bra strap. And by the way, I like to blame the sarcoidosis and prednisone for my weight, but it's been over 10 years since I was on a really high dose of the steroid, so...

The fat doesn't bother me like it did at first. The visuals of my fat I can deal with. I'm not ashamed of the way I look. The problem is I hate the way I feel. For almost 50 years, my frame was used to holding together about 100 to 135 pounds. Carrying so much more than since I was diagnosed with sarcoidosis has been taking a toll. 

My weight loss "journey" (there's another of those overworked terms) started with whatever plans were "trending" at the time. I tried the whole Cabbage and Carrots diet. That works until you start eating anything other than cabbage and carrots. I tried Keto; the juice and smoothie cleanse diet; food prep; OMAD, and so on. When I tried ADF (Alternate Day Fasting), I realized it was something I could live with long-term.

The problem with any change in diet for weight loss is that not only do you have to stick with it - pretty much for life - but it's a two-step situation. It's all about both how you eat and what you eat. For instance, I have no problem with how to do ADF. I actually love it. It feels natural to me. On top of that, I save on my groceries. 

All good, right? Just about perfect, but I did realize I needed to work on the what I eat part of the plan. 

Originally, I didn't really change what I was eating on the ADF diet plan. My general meals consisted of a lot of beans and chicken and rice and potatoes and vegetables with the occasional beef binge or pizza party thrown in. I discovered freaking Butter Burgers when I moved here to Iowa - Butter Burgers, people. Then I found those delicious Mama Cozzi's Take 'n Bake pizzas at Aldi's. 

Checking in for my infusion one day, the scale hit a number that made even the nurse do a doubletake. At my last infusion, I had weighed in at about 12 pounds lighter. Folks, I get these infusions every 7 weeks. The nurse didn't comment and neither did I - not out loud. Inside though I was telling myself that Sam Cooke never lied. A change was surely going to come. It had to. 

The next time I bought groceries, I used a list of kidney-friendly foods to guide me. (Because my kidneys are on the hit list with this sarcoidosis.) The first thing on that list was tofu. Other things were chicken,  fatty fish - like salmon and tuna - and lots of leafy greens and vegetables and blueberries. Things to avoid include most of the seasonings I had in my cabinet, nitrates, potassium, and - oh no - smoked fish. 

This is where my learning process started: which types of fish and seafood I can and cannot have; how to make skinless chicken more appetizing; who to season food without a lot of salt; and what the heck to do with tofu.

It's been some time since I started playing with my personal menu. As of today, my meals (for good and for "needs improvement") consist mainly of:

• Cabbage and collard greens (I love collards and can do interesting meals with cabbage)
• Frozen mixed vegetables (because they are super-cheap all year round)
• Whole-grain or seeded bread.
• Frozen blueberries (the only berry I really like that I can easily afford)
• Salmon - not always the cheapest when I need to buy it as fresh as possible. Thankfully Aldi's tends to keep a supply.
• Tuna - hard to find low-sodium kinds except online.
• Shrimp - cheaper if farmed, tastier if wild-caught.
• Tofu - so far only extra firm is my favorite

Olive oil and chia seeds and natural honey are staples now. I'm even trying to learn to drink my coffee black. My other go-to beverages are chocolate tea or sweetened vanilla soy milk blended with unsweetened cacao.

I snack on things like roasted black beans, the occasional tortilla chip, and peanut butter on bread. Every now and then, I will get an angel food cake and dress it up with freshly whipped cream and some berries. I make chia seed pudding in place of ice cream. If I really get a craving for something sweet I will make a 2-ingredients ice cream out of yogurt or cream with condensed milk.

Since I had to cut back on salt but just have to have some kind of seasoning, I have started using shitake mushroom seasoning. I don't look too closely at the label but will bring it up with the nephrologist next visit. And, cut me some slack, tofu needs seasoning!

To be fair, I have come to love tofu. It's fairly cheap and versatile. So far, I've only used the firm or extra-firm type and can do a version of chicken nuggets and chicken sandwich patties. I can't wait to try recipes using the softer or "silkier" tofu.

Anyway, the other day, my neighbor asked me if I was "going vegetarian". My answer is no. I don't want to "go vegetarian" but I have to go away from the way I've been eating for almost 60 years. I decided then to tell her that I am "going vegetarius". 

For me, being "vegetarius" means admitting that vegetarians make some good points about eating right. The rest of us typically do eat too much red meat and we don't eat enough vegetables. However, eating more vegetables and less red meat does not make me anywhere close to being a vegetarian. But I can eat better and healthier without getting any closer than is comfortable for me. 

As a vegetarius, I am going for a better-balanced diet. I can enjoy the once-in-a-blue-moon burger or taco and I don't have to scan the labels of everything I eat to make sure I'm not getting a single grain of meat by-product. I have enough trouble watching out for nitrates, potassium, sodium - or any other thing that adds flavor to food.

As a vegetarius, I am adjusting my eating habits for my own better health and not because I worship at the altar of the animal kingdom. 

You can see from the meals I listed, I have completely revamped my diet. However, quality of life is as important as the number of years lived. There is not a lot of fun in being on medicines and dealing with an illness that cuts back on the days you feel well. If I can get some pleasure from my food without literally killing myself, I'm going for it. So the vegetarius life is for me.

If there are any dieticians, vegetarians, or other folks with food knowledge, I would love to hear about some kidney-friendly recipes.

Peace

--Free

Some of the resources I use when grocery shopping

I'm not a medical professional. Always do your own research. I am just sharing some of the places I check when I am putting together a grocery list. I shop online so it's easy for me to open them in another tab. When I do go to a store, I try to have my whole list ready to take with me.

Be good to your kidneys. Trust me, I know what a toll dialysis can take on a person.

• This is the most comprehensive site I use. I have to pull it up almost every time I shop.
• And this is the "quickie" list when I don't have the brainpower for the first resource!
• This gave me a heads up about dairy alternatives. There is a catch to everything!
• Some "fast foods" that I found
• Seasonings that are "safe" (and not one is a favorite without salt!)
• I like this page for the different lists of "eat this not that" options. Scroll down on the page to find it.
• I hate this page but refer to it often. It depresses me.

**REVIEW** Presto 12-Cup Electric Percolator (UPDATED)

HUGE 3rd Update. I am SHOCKED

I am almost embarrassed to write this update but I want people to trust my reviews so, I have to deal with it.

I am going to be going over to Amazon and dropping the rating for this percolator from a 5 to a 3-star review. It's not about the incident I had spilling hot coffee. I already updated the Amazon review with a warning about that. This is about flavor.

So. I got the new coffeemaker I was posting about (or will be; I don't know when it's scheduled to publish) and it might not be the world's best in some people's opinions but... It shook me up with the flavor it delivers. Keep in mind the machine is new and quality might nosedive at some point. (I'm going to be more careful from now on about screaming praises.)

A while back, I got a complimentary bag of coffee from a seller to replace one that I did not enjoy. I brewed both in the percolator and hated both. I didn't tell the seller about the complimentary replacement bag. After all, they had been kind enough to not only give it to me but they refunded my money for the bag it replaced. I had about 2 cups' worth of freshly ground beans that I had frozen from the second bag. I vac-sealed it and stuck it in the freezer. I vac-sealed the rest of the beans and gave them to a neighbor. And I moved on.

When I got the new coffeemaker, the Ninja CE251 (that I will be doing a full review on), I wanted to do what I had done with the percolator and try small batches of at least 3 kinds of coffee. The percolator did well with 2 of them (I can't remember which ones now). The other coffee came out just kind of blah. And the same thing happened with both bags of coffee from the kindly seller. I thought it was the coffee. Since I usually pick a couple of bags of coffee I like and stick with it - unless I am doing a review - I was fine. I was using Green Mountain Dark Magic ground coffee. It was okay. I thought it was good. Until...

To test the Ninja, I made a couple of cups each of Green Mountain, Cafe Du Monde (stop hating!), and the Door County Brownie Batter. I remember that the Brownie Batter was yummy from the percolator. The Green Mountain was okay (I thought) and I can't remember about the CDM. 

The Ninja killed it with all three. Knocked them clean out of the park. I couldn't believe how good everything tasted. I can't remember all the subtleties of flavor with the percolator but I know it was nothing as good as with the Ninja.

Again, I am embarrassed. I guess since the percolator coffee was "good" I didn't know any better until I brewed them in another machine. Mind-blowing. 

When I remembered the coffee I had given away - an almost entire bag of fresh beans!!! - I was glad that I had some left from what I had ground. I had just enough for about 4 cups so I did 2 cups.

Now I am kind of pissed. I gave away some of the best coffee ever. Free coffee at that. And I can't afford more of it right now. 

The coffee was so good that I was able to drink it black without gagging. When I added unsweetened creamer... Yeah. I will be saving up for another bag. Who needs food or A/C when I can have coffee that good?

Now I have to go back over to Amazon and make that review right.

2nd Update*** 

WARNING: I am having to return this. It gets too hot. I like that because I like my coffee hot. However, I burned my hand when I spilled the coffee I was pouring, and, let me tell you, the coffee was freshly brewed and scalding hot. Luckily, I was near the sink and had the cold water already running for something else. I cooled the burn and slathered on some Manuka honey and it was fine. I tend to be off-balance and clumsy so... this could have been really bad. It's still the best coffee pot ever but not for me - or anyone else with balance issues. Absolutely be careful with it around small children or anyone who might tend to bump and knock things over.

UPDATE: See below the original post for my updates.

This is listed on Amazon (where I bought it) as the "Presto 02811 12-Cup Stainless Steel Coffee Maker". Since I am keeping the stovetop percolator too, I am selling my Keurig to a neighbor to pay for it. The stovetop pot will be my cold weather indulgence while I use the electric pot for daily coffee brewing. I could have titled this post "The Perks of a Percolator".

So, let's get a look at this thing.

They even included wraparound filters

I like 99.99% of everything about this percolator. There is one big drawback that, had it not been for the Pros, I would not have gotten this one. First, let's look at what I like.

• It takes up far less room than the Keurig. I can move this easily from counter to counter as I need to. Right now, I have it near the stove but am thinking of moving it closer to the sink where I can easily fill it with water.  I saved so much room that I was able to arrange my coffee, tea, and some cups and saucers in the spot where the Keurig used to be. If need be, I can even store this on the kitchen bar. And I am seriously thinking of doing this because it frees up more working counter room.
• It brews fast. Not as fast as the Keurig but, then again, this isn't limited to just a pod's worth of brew. I timed it making about 6 cups of coffee and clocked at 07:29:04. If you remember, one of the complaints about my old Keurig's performance is that it had slowed down and was putting out less liquid. (And, yes, my neighbor is aware of this. He also knows the machine is 4 years old.)
• The coffee is hot as lava! I actually burned my tongue on the first sip - and that's after I'd added fridge-cold creamer. Cold creamer killed any heat for coffee coming out of my K.
• The machine keeps the coffee on Warm until I shut it off. I don't know yet how tasty the coffee is after about a couple of hours. So far, it's still been yummy after about an hour and a half of warming. One day, I will use some cheap coffee to taste-test the results after a few hours in the pot. 
• The machine is almost entirely stainless steel. The cap of the lid is hard plastic and that's it. Like with the stovetop pot, I feel it will be durable because of the metal construction.
• Buying coffee for this is cheaper than for the K. Bagged coffee is just cheaper all around than pods. For instance, at my corner grocery's coffee center, I can buy as many or as few beans as I want. Ground coffee is also more affordable - in general. 
• Coffee is cheaper not only because I'm not using pods but because I can mix coffee roasts. I tried this already with a weaker Breakfast roast I've had in the freezer for a while. It's a decent-tasting coffee but just not rich enough for me. On the other hand, I had a little bit of some Columbian roast that could cut through steel it's so strong. I mixed the two for a really decent brew. I plan to go through the freezer of vac-sealed bags I have. There are several small batches of brew that were given to me over the months that I've never used. Some were too tricky to use in the Universal K-cup for the K machine and some I just never got around to trying to brew because I didn't want to waste them on the K. Also, I am once again enjoying the affordable Yuban and Community Coffee with chicory that I never used in the K.
• I can, in most cases, skip using a filter. Filters were never a problem with K-cups but with the Universal K-cup, some coffees were bothersome. I can use or not use filters with the percolator. A couple of grinds did leave residue on the brew but I didn't notice until I was dumping the dregs from the pot. For the coffee that does leave grounds in the brew, I plan to use wraparound filters. I tried the Melitta discs and they were a total bust in this percolator.
• I can, of course, make up to 12 cups at a time with the percolator. I rarely will be making that much coffee but it is nice to be able to set up 4 cups and drink at my leisure.
• It's a picky one this, but I don't have to deal with all those freaking empty k-cups taking up room in the trash. 

By the way, in the video, I have the pot sitting on a silicone mat. I wasn't sure if the heat from the pot would mar the counter the way the Keurig did. I don't think it does but no need in taking chances.

Talk about a strong cuppa.
 Whew!

Time was the biggest factor for me with a percolator. The stovetop took too long for most mornings. My routine with the electric percolator is to set up m coffee the night before. I get up in the morning and plug in the machine, hit the bathroom, open the blinds, and - boom- coffee is done. I like to let it sit for a minute or two for all the liquid to clear the basket before I pour. It makes for a good start to the day. And the coffee is going to still be piping hot if I don't get to it right away. There were mornings when I had to reheat coffee from the K because I got busy and didn't get the brew into my thermal mug before it was cooling off.

Should be about my Keurig instead

Last of all, I honestly felt like having a Keurig was just trendy. That's why I ever got the first one. One of my sisters-in-law had the first one in the family - way back when they were first being used in homes. My brother had one in the office and it was so convenient. I think I got my first one a few years later. Keurigs were a popular Christmas gift item. Pretty soon, everyone in the family had a Keurig. It seemed like they were better made and lasted much longer then. I swear I shipped or drove one from state to state for a while. I think I ended up giving it away during one move. I don't know. The one I had in Alaska was still going strong but I couldn't figure out how to empty it to pack to the move here. Now when I think about it, I just kept getting a Keurig because it was what I was used to. Any other machines I had on the side were basic and didn't last long. These days they are getting a reputation for being shoddily made and not exactly easy for the common user to repair or maintain.

So I do love having this percolator. I don't know why I didn't get one sooner. Rah, rah, sis-koom-bah. So what is the one thing that almost sent me looking for another brand?

Hold that thought while I mention a few minor irritations:

• That cord is okay for my tiny kitchen but it is a bit short. I have to reposition the pot when I use it so that the cord doesn't tug when I am filling my cup. Otherwise, I have to lift the cup to pour coffee.
• Unlike the stovetop version, the lid on this one is solid. You can't see the perking action. That's nitpicky but still...
• The well that the pipe sits in is narrow. In order not to move it out of place, I have to kind of feel around for how to sit the basket onto it. If that makes sense.
• Because this starts to work the very second it's plugged in (no On/Off Button), can't leave it plugged in and turn it on as I want. For now, I leave the cord unplugged from the wall until I'm ready to use it.
• Cleaning the basket can be a pain if I don't use a filter. 

 Now about that major concern I have...

Well, there is no Auto Shut-off feature. Nope. The pot is either on or off. If it's plugged in, it's on and that is it.

That's irritating and very concerning. Especially since I have times when my short-term memory is not even halfway decent. Seriously. I have routines just to accommodate my memory problems. I tape notes around the apartment and I have all kinds of timers on my phone to remind me of medications and daily details. I have 3 calendars - desk, kitchen wall, and purse. I constantly lose or misplace things so I tend to keep duplicates for the bedroom, bathroom, and living room. I use Alexa to help with some reminders and alerts. It's a process to live in my head and in my routine. It's sometimes embarrassing and that I can live with. It's when something can be dangerous that I worry. So, yeah, that whole no shut off thing? That bothers me.

I don't know if I ever mentioned the time that I was using a travel-style coffee maker (to brews some ground coffee instead of K-cups). I had used it just before I was leaving to visit family in Arizona. I was sitting on the plane about to take off when I started to wonder if I had turned off that little pot. I ended up trying to call the building maintenance guy so he could go into the apartment and check. It was the holidays and Iowa roads were awful. The maintenance guy lived in the town next door to where I lived. The building manager was on vacation. Neighbors had no way to get into the apartment. I sat there, praying for the maintenance man to answer his work phone while a flight attendant was giving me dirty looks. I managed to leave a message for maintenance. Then I sweated and worried all the way to Phoenix. I needed Valium or a strong drink by the time that plane landed. When I turned my phone back on, I had a message from the maintenance man. The coffee pot and everything else were unplugged and all was well back at my apartment. He didn't wish me a happy holiday. I brought him back a huge gift bag of goodies from Cracker Barrell. We were friends again.

I don't need another anxiety-inducing episode like that. I have already decided that this time if I travel, I am leaving a key with a neighbor just in case. As a matter of fact, I now have an OCD checklist to tape to my door if I have to leave town ever. 

Thankfully, on a day-to-day basis, I'm done with drinking coffee by about noon at the latest. I have tons of time to make sure the pot is unplugged before bedtime. 

Still, I feel like I have made a good purchase and I will be saving a lot of money in the long run. I figure I will have saved what I spent on the pot by the end of the year. No more pods and I have coffee on hand to last for at least 3 months. Having hoarder tendencies has paid off! I have enough coffee from the past 4 years vac-sealed to get me through another pandemic lockdown.

Anyway.

Getting the percolator made me reevaluate how I make purchase decisions. There is a subReddit called Buy It For Life where members discuss the benefits of going for quality over quantity. It's made me realize that I tend to spend more money replacing cheap purchases. I've decided to work on that. In the future, I hope to be more careful about buying clothing, footwear, handbags, and, especially, appliances. I'm proud to say that I got a head start when I bought Under Armour sneakers and the purses I got from Poshmark. I made a promise to myself that I will not be buying any more handbags for the next several years - if ever. I have a few quality bags that will last as long as I need them to. The same goes for my winter boots. I might have to buy more sneakers by next summer's walking days though. As for appliances, I'm done for now. I have the basics and they are all decent items. The only thing I really want - not need, mind you, are some good knives and maybe one other good non-stick pan.

Anyway, I will keep you updated on any breakdowns or problems with the percolator. I spent a few bucks more and got the 3-year warranty but this thing better last me a lot longer than that!

Peace

--Free

UPDATE

It's been a minute that I have been using this and I am still thrilled with it. I have more room on my counters now that I have gotten the Keurig out of the way. This percolator has made me fall in love with coffee again. I got a complimentary bag of coffee beans from the seller of the Mushroom coffee. I also have some Luzianne (white label can) to try, and brownie batter coffee to taste. I will review them all.

Since I have the complimentary beans (dark roast), I had to bust out the burr grinder I first got to review a couple of years ago. I'm glad I have that thing now! I remembered to do a medium-coarse grind for brewing in a percolator. 

The other day, after brewing freshly grounded coffee, I remembered why I started drinking java. It was for the flavor. I think that in the past several years, I'd put flavor behind trendy. Every time, I have my coffee now, I am having more enjoyment of the smells and tastes and just the simple indulgence. I had my neighbor over and she said that she might have to get a percolator. She is in her mid 80's and remembers using her old stovetop perc as a farm wife. She has a drip machine for now. Like me, it was the smell that she enjoyed so much.

With the Keurig, I would have spent about $15 to $17 to restock coffee to last me about 1 month - maybe less if I use 2 pods a day. And sometimes, I would deny myself the 3rd cup just because of the cost. With ground coffee, I can make as large or small a serving as I want instead of being restricted to a pod at a time. If I get low on coffee, I can make smaller servings. In a drip maker, I would use about 2 tablespoons of coffee to 8-10 ounces for a cup of coffee. With the percolator - where the water gets hotter and, well, percolates through the grinds, I can get a strong cup of coffee using just about a tablespoon and a half to 8-10 ounces. That's just me. Maybe some people like theirs stronger. I'm trying to learn to drink my coffee black so... Basically, I'm getting the equivalent of about 40 to 50 pods at the price I would pay for about 30 pods. It depends on the coffee I buy. Luzianne White Label is at the high end at about $16 for a pound. More in line with my budget (at the lower end) is Cafe Du Monde at around $8 per pound. So, yeah. saving money.

By the way, I have to give a big thank you to my neighbor the teacher. She worked out all the math for me with the coffee pricing. I tried to do it but got lost at the beginning! LOL

Internet: I Have Questions

 ... SO many questions.

Someone needs this shirt

• 
  Can a YouTuber make a video without begging viewers to "Like and Subscribe"? 

I find this to be so annoying. It's not like YouTube is new. I'm sure that 99.99% of viewers know how to Like a video if they like it and Subscribe if they want to. Personally, depending on how annoyingly placed the begs are, I will downvote a video or just stop watching it and go to the next one in my queue.

• What is up with the weird narration voices on some of the YouTube channels?

I don't know if this is supposed to be trendy or if the narrator is just trying to make their channel stand out from the pack. 

There was one channel I used to listen to (but stopped) that had a narrator who sounded as if he was a robot trying to sound like a human trying to sound like a robot who was asking a question in every sentence. The speaking cadence was an up and down monotone of irritation that grated on my last good nerve. Too bad because the content was always very interesting.

Another channel was annoying because the narration was - big surprise to me - apparently digital. Yeah. When I complained about the weird pronunciations and odd speech patterns, another commenter told me that I was listening to a computer. Tech is getting good. I really thought I was listening to a person - but a person with an annoying speaking voice.

• Can we talk about the volume on videos while we're at it?

I don't know why the heck someone would put the time and energy into creating a channel - some of them with a ton of videos - but not get the sound together. I've actually had to get an extension to boost the sound of videos. I sometimes can only hear some of the videos with earphones on. There there are the videos that splice in content without regulating the volume so you're straining to hear one moment and scrambling to Mute the next. 

• Can we just get to the recipe already???

Okay - I am guilty of this one, but I am getting better. It's so frustrating to Google a recipe, go to a page, then have to hear the life story of someone before they post the actual recipe. And, even worse is when they make it tricky to print the recipe without a ton of photos or their own weird formatting. By the way, I have started making it easy to spot where recipes or reviews start in my posts. See? Getting better.

• What is with those It the Clown type pop-ups on every page of the internet?

This has long been a pet peeve but it's getting worse day by day. Every time I go to a site to check an article or find that hidden recipe (see above), I'm slapped with one of those stalker pop-up things before I get a glimpse of the page. They pester readers to sign up for newsletters, joining a mailing list, blah-blah-blah-blah-blah. I just feel like yelling at the screen "Can you give me a freaking minute????" 

How do I even know if I want to join your mailing list if I can't see what the heck you are all about first? And why on earth can't the offers be a little less jolting? 

By the way, for all those sites that won't let you price anything or see what they offer without giving an email address? Well, I have a throwaway email just for that. So there.

• Instagram shops: please be honest and upfront about the products you are selling. Please.

I have found a lot of products to peruse after seeing ads that pop up in my Instagram feed. Not that I always buy the product (I rarely do), but it's cool to see something interesting that I might not have heard of otherwise. My problem is when the ads either straight up lie and misrepresent their product. Don't show me a beautiful wig or whatever only to be selling something that looks like it came from a joke shop. And please start being more upfront with the pricing. I have found at least 10 products or services that sound amazing until I find out that not only can't I afford them but neither can half the upper-middle-class population. Very recently (okay, it was this morning), I saw an ad for a product to replace traditional, stripping shampoos. Man, it sounded so good when the ad echoed my thoughts about the detergents and other insane shampoo ingredients. I almost broke a thumb clicking for more info. Actually, I went to Amazon because I dislike clicking on Instagram ads - in case I hate the product. This amazing hair product should only be advertised to the rich. I don't want to lie on this product but I believe the price I saw was around $50 for 8 ounces. Hah! Begone with you. Get out of here and never come back!

• Does everyone on Reddit just have to be so snarky?

Okay - first of all, I love Reddit. I just hate some of the users. A lot of them make it their mission in life to out-snark each other. Some of them just can't comment without trying to be cute - or one-up the last comment. Sometimes, they all just get overly playful and go from being fun and cute to annoying.

I really hate when I find a good post that is interesting and useful only to be ruined by stupid comments. I haven't figured out yet how to get past all the long strings of input from attention-seeking people. 

What's wild is that Redditors tend to be really smart and witty and interesting. I don't know how the mean folks managed to take over.

• Why did Google get rid of Google Plus & why hasn't someone started a similar forum?

I will never and not ever stop being mad about Google Plus going away. I tried some of the other places that Plussers wandered off to. None are good enough. I honestly can't remember off hand the 2 that I tried hard at.

• Why are there no popular forums for the "mature" among us?

Look, there are plenty of tech people who were born in the '60s and '70s. So why has none of these tech-smart folk come up with a "G Plus" or "Reddit" for people who are mature and act mature? Not all of us are "old at heart". Some of us are very interested in connecting and communicating and sharing - without trying to look and act like we are fit & fab yummy mummies and dishy daddies. Some of us, ahem, are north of 40 and 50+ who love our internet as much as the rest of the users.

Maybe I'm just full of sour grapes, but I can't believe I am the only one who could love a more mature and life-focused version of Facebook. Right now, I have 80-year old relatives trying to keep up with the vain and narcissistic people on these other platforms. Maybe I should be asking for a platform based not on age but on mindset? After all, there are celebrities in their 50s and up who only get attention for looking half their age. That's just sad.

So, yeah, I have so many questions when it comes to the internet. Got any answers? Go ahead, I'll wait. In the meantime, I will be adding to this list...

Peace

--Free

**REVIEW** Is German-Made Nivea Better?

How many ladies used to stock up on these tins at the drugstore?

Years ago, I used to love, love, love me some Nivea cream. I remember always having multiple little tins of the stuff to stash everywhere - in my purse, in the car console, the drawer at work, in the upstairs bathroom, the downstairs bathroom... I wanted to be able to reach and grab some no matter where I was - especially during the long, cold, dry Alaska winters. This is back when I was young and didn't have problems like extremely dry skin. I just loved the feel of Nivea.

I'm not sure when I fell out of love with the cream. I think it got to the point where Nivea just felt and looked too greasy. A little glisten to the skin is nice but looking like you're coated with grease.... Nope. I don't remember if I even wondered if the formula had changed or if it was just my skin slowly maturing and not being able to absorb the stuff. At any rate, I moved on to other body and face moisturizers. Some good and some wonderful. Some I can't even find around anymore.

When I was married, I started using a moisturizer that a friend gave me. It had an orangey-vanilla scent and my husband was mad for it. It made my skin feel amazing. I wish I could remember what it was. It's probably gone out of production just like my favorite perfume did. Does anyone remember Flori Roberts Gold fragrance? Gone. Not made anymore.

Anyway.

In the past 7, 8, or maybe 9 years, I've been using a combination of face- or body-specific products. I like trying different oils and mixing them to get the perfect blend for my skin type. But I do get tired of having so many little bottles and tubes around. It's gotten to where I've been giving away a lot of stuff to my neighbors (some of whom have never heard of moisturizers such as shea, babassu, peach kernel, etc.).  Even so, I still have a bathroom pantry full of oils and creams.

This pic from an old 2018 post
doesn't tell the full story!

A while back, for some reason, Nivea products started popping up in my "suggestions" on Amazon. And there are a lot of Nivea products on the site. I had never used any other Nivea product and the last time I'd bought a tin of the cream was probably just before I moved here to Iowa. After I used it up on my dry feet, I kept some vaseline in the tin to keep in my purse. (I actually found the empty container in the bathroom pantry just for this post. Do I have hoarding tendencies?)

So feeling a little nostalgic and seeing the Nivea suggestion (around the same time as having psoriasis on my feet acting up), I thought about getting a small tin. The Nivea that showed up on Amazon was touted as being "100% Authentic German Nivea Creme".

Wait.

What?

Okay, so my ignorant self never knew the history of Nivea (and see further down for other things I didn't know about Nivea...) 

I honestly didn't know that Nivea originated as a German brand. So, of course, I never thought about the fact that the brand I was buying here in the USA was made in Mexico, More importantly, I didn't know that there are formulation differences.

I will be smacked.

If you want to go deeper, you can peruse the timeline. Here is where I learned that Nivea means "snow white". Picture my brown-skinned face expressing some kind of feelings here. 

(By the way, the brand has had, previously unknown to me, issues with race and homophobia, but I won't go into that here.)

While learning some of this, I also started thinking about the origins of the brand name "Eucerin" but I don't want to get sidetracked so...

Moving on, let's get back to the Nivea I saw online.

After reading some of the Amazon reviews (and scanning reviews and input from some beauty pages online), I had to - just had to - try the "100% Authentic German Nivea Creme". Come on, folks, you know me by now!

Not only did I not know about "German-made Nivea", I had never even thought about where the Nivea I'd been using was made.

North American Nivea

Two things helped me feel better about buying this. First, the price isn't bad (under 10 bucks for a huge almost 14-oz tin) and, second, the item is returnable. 

I have never in my life had such a large tin of Nivea, no matter where it's made. I think the only thing I've ever bought in such a large tin container is some cooking lard.

I mean, seriously - this can is BIG...

Makes my "regular" 99 cent tin look measly.

dug up my ancient tin.

What I had to know right off was whether or not this was any different (better, I hoped) than the Nivea of my 20s and 30's. And the verdict...

Yes, Virginia, there is a difference. When I applied the cream to my face, the difference seemed subtle at first, but then I noticed it more as the minutes ticked by. 

**In the middle of writing this post - which took a couple of weeks - I found this chart via a Reddit post by u/jewishvampire. It's an old one but worth checking out.**

Link to original

One of the reasons I gave up on Nivea the first time around was that it left my skin greasy-looking and slick. It just didn't absorb well enough. I want to say that I stopped using it on my face long before I stopped using it altogether. 

This "original" Nivea smells much the same to me - even though some reviewers swear that it smells less perfumey. It might have a similar scent but my skin has a better reaction to it. I can apply it on my face and within a few minutes, it's already absorbed. After 10 minutes, I can touch my face and feel absolutely nothing but velvety softness. The one other skin cream that does that for me is Loreal's Age Perfect Cell Renew (in the gold jar). It's pricey stuff so I rarely buy it anymore and when I do, I try to water it down to make it last longer. I also do well with Korean brand skin creams like Moistfull from Etude House. We know now that, like me, my skin is not xenophobic in the least!

Anyway, I like having this "better" Nivea on hand. I like to use it before applying any too-thick sunscreens to reduce the ashy-looking white tint on my skin. (By the way, I love the Walmart brand of Baby Sunscreen SPF 50. No residue. Also, it's very moisturizing on its own.)

So, yeah, it is my opinion that the German-produced Nivea is better - at least, for some skin types. I like the absorbency and it just moisturizes my skin better. I think a lot of the preference between the 2 different products has to do with skin type. So just pick the one that works better for you.

Peace

--Free

P.S.: I am once again apologizing if this post sounds disjointed. I had to write it in between some feeling-not-so-great days. I will check back at some point to make sure all the links work.

**REVIEW** Farberware 50124 Classic Yosemite Stainless Steel Coffee Percolator

 I talked in a previous post about why I wanted to replace my Keurig. I still have the stupid thing, I've just moved it into the storage closet for now but maybe not for long. I can't count on it for a decent cup of coffee anymore. Oh well. I did get over 4 years' hard use out of the thing.

I have been saving 5 and 10 dollars at a time for a replacement for that Keurig. I just didn't want to spend as much again on another machine that I'll be replacing every few years. This time, I went cheaper - sort of. Keep reading.

What I have now is this:

Nice simple setup. 

I'm really happy with it. As I mentioned in that previous post, there are pros and cons - and some of the pros are personal. But let's talk about it.

The Pros:

It's a nice-looking appliance, beautiful really. I have always loved stainless steel for the kitchen. I also don't like plastic parts for certain items because I think that metal is more durable and sturdy. Farberware has always been dependable when our family has had their stuff in the past.

The percolator was around $24 with tax. Price was a big concern because, as you will read later, I might need to go bigger. So I didn't want to spend any more than I could deduct from groceries for the month without feeling deprived.

Anyway.

I mainly wanted something that, if it stops working in a year, I won't feel ripped off. There's nothing on this to stop working, really. It's metal, inside and out except for the handle and the knob on top. 

It's pretty easy to clean. I've been rinsing it out between uses and I can put every part into the dishwasher if I want. I plan to just do a soap and water wash once a week or so. I do hate that the inside top holds water so you have to shake the pot to get it all out.

Using this is simple. You can make coffee with or without a filter and not get a lot of "grime" in your brew. I spent a few bucks on filters specific to it but they haven't arrived yet. In the meantime, I've made coffee both with and without filters that I've cut to fit. I can't tell much difference, honestly. I did think that one design feature could be having a strainer built into the inside to cover/strain where the coffee exits to pour. ~shrug~ To be honest, I wish now that I hadn't bothered to order filters. They aren't necessary.

finally got the Breakfast Blend
right!

The aroma when brewing the coffee in the percolator is stronger and more delicious. My whole apartment smelled like fresh-perking coffee. I'm sure that it has a lot to do with the coffee I was using, but I have used the same coffee in the Keurig with a universal filter and the smell wasn't as alluring. 

I can see when the coffee is getting strong enough by watching the color as it perks. And there's so much about watching the percolating action that reminds me of days with my late mother. A big part of my decision to get a percolator was to do with memories of Mom and my youth.

The whole process is soothing and relaxing. Setting up the appliance with coffee and water, then bringing it to a boil, and watching it brew makes me feel calm and peaceful. I don't know why this is. Maybe because I have to stop long enough and take the time to make the coffee instead of just plugging in a pod?

My favorite thing about percolated coffee I think is the temperature. I love, love, love piping hot coffee. With the Keurig, the output is decently hot but not enough to stay that way once I add creamer from the fridge. When I added creamer to the percolated coffee, I still had the perfect sipping temp.

Now, let's talk about some of the hassles.

The Cons:

While going through the ritual of making coffee in a percolator is part of the appeal, it can also play the other way. If you are in any kind of a hurry, you better have a backup machine or some instant. I do have a really small 2-cup travel machine. It fits in the smallest part of my pantry and takes about 7 minutes to add coffee, water, and run a brew through.  That's my backup but the coffee it turns out is not that great. It's really old and has started clogging up a lot. It's something to do with the little plastic tubing that the hot water runs through. Maybe it's in cahoots with that Keurig? Whatever the case, I will not be replacing that when it dies out.

It takes a little practice to get measurements of coffee-to-water right for different roasts. My first cup was perfect. I used some of the Green Mountain Dark Magic that time and got the brew just right. When I first used the Green Mountain Breakfast Roast, things didn't go as well. Because I went with more grounds (because of the lighter roast), I let the coffee perk too long. I had a strangely weak but burned-tasting brew. Ugh. But I don't really like light roasts anyway so that won't happen much.

One benefit of the Keurig vs the percolator is the same as with the Instant Pot vs stovetop cooking. Heat and steam. The percolator fits best on one of the front burners of my stove, but the steam still fogs under the hood unless I turn the spout just the right way. And, of course, the steam warms the kitchen. This will be lovely in the winter months but it's already way too humid where I live. I can turn on the hood ventilator but that thing is noisy. So... oh well.

The biggest downside is the time this takes to brew. When I have the time, it's wonderful. When I am on the way out to appointments or not feeling well, it's... tedious. I don't ever want to have to buy a coffee on the go. 

But, really, that's about it for the negatives. And I think that the positives outweigh them. 

I can't tell you what a money saver this is. Not only is the machine inexpensive, but there is no need to buy filters. And whole bean or ground coffee by the bag is much more affordable than pods. I can adjust the amount of ground (or whole bean) coffee I am using to my needs. With Kcups, you have to use the whole pod - whether you want to make 6, 8, or 10 ounces (the settings on the K-classic Keurig I have). With a pod, you are adjusting water for strength and with the percolator, I am adjusting coffee or water. Also, I can mix coffee if I need to. I currently have some really super-dark roast coffee that I plan to even out with the too-light breakfast roast I have.

Well, not always

I know that there are coffee lovers who look down their noses at percolated coffee. They might think that coffee made in a French press or a pour-over system is better. That could be - if you are really into tasting every tiny atom of difference from coffee to coffee. Personally, I have had coffee done in a French press and I don't find much difference in the quality of the brew. My Polish relatives have made me coffee that they steep right in the cup and that was kind of tastier than mine. I think that perhaps I or the coffee I drink are, as the kids say, too 'basic'. After all, I don't even grind my own beans from pot to pot.  How common!

But...

Now, since I had saved up some Amazon credits to use, I also got an electric percolator. My goal is to use both machines for a time and decide whether or not to keep one or both. That will depend on money, Amazon credits, and some budget necessities. If I keep the electric percolator, I will be selling my Keurig to a neighbor who wants one no matter how it works. Poor thing... I have until mid-August to return the stovetop percolator. So... we will see what we will see. I really don't want to get rid of the stovetop percolator. I like it so much.

The one reason I have to maybe keep the electric percolator is that it doesn't raise the heat in the kitchen. That's a real consideration in the summer months. Even if I keep both machines, I'm still nowhere near what I paid for the one Keurig - even with an extra 3-year warranty. Yes, I have spent a lot of time thinking this all out. You have to plan and make all your pennies count when you don't have a lot of them! I've probably spent more time and research choosing a coffee pot than many people do when buying a washing machine. That's life.

In the meantime, I do have one brand of coffee that I can't brew in any of my machines - it's a mushroom coffee (yes, child, mushroom, and I will do a review). I only brew 6 ounces a day - which is the suggestion and the only amount I can afford to brew. For the mushroom coffee, I use a little single-serve filter thingie that I have in the cabinet. (By the way, that filter is the best thing ever for when you are visiting someone who either doesn't drink coffee or doesn't drink the kind you like. You can baggie up some of your  own grounds to stow in your luggage and have it when you want.) I will have to do a review on the mushroom coffee and maybe even the filter since I never got around to that.

Peace

--Free

Doing Coffee the Way Mama Did It

Why I'm mad at my Keurig

My Keurig ~sigh~ that freaking thing... it's been acting really crazy. It sometimes doesn't put out but about half the amount of coffee I select. It's supposed to brew 6, 8, or 10 ounces. I always select 10. I get about four and a half. And every time it brews, it takes a looong time to start. 

This started happening a few months ago and I read up on all the "fixes" for a sulking Keurig. I've burped it, let it rest for a few days between uses. I run vinegar or citric rinse through it about once every couple of months. The coffee I get from it is of unreliable strengths and flavor. I've taken really good care of that thing. But I'm kind of over it now.

The discounted 59-dollar price tag I paid at Walmart for my Keurig K-Classic when I moved here 4 years ago is not worth the aggravation. Plus, apparently, the price has gone up to around $90+. That's a nope from me.

What I've been using in the meantime

I went on an instant coffee binge. I love Aldi's store brand (which gets high marks) when I can't afford Nescafe. They are great but, really, they can't completely replace coffee coffee. Know what I mean? Thankfully though, I keep some around because I've been making a lot of messes trying to brew ground coffee without the Keurig.

I've used my favorite large tea strainers. These are useful but tedious and I can never get the measurements of coffee to water just right. I pulled out the old one-cup machine I'd packed away. It works but it's messy and, if you forget that it's still hot and try making another cup of coffee, it's dangerous. I am always forgetting and trying to add more water for a second cup too soon. The reservoir will shoot steam out with a horrific, heart-attack-inducing hiss.

A long while back, someone sent me a French press (like this one) to review. It's a beautiful piece of equipment but not for everyday use, in my opinion. I rarely even have the right grind of coffee around for it anyway.

What I wanted to replace the Keurig

Getting another Keurig would have been an option if I hadn't requested other things for my birthday. I don't want to be that greedy, needy sister and auntie. And I really am over the Keurig right now. Seriously. K cups are pricey, The machines take up a lot of counter space. There's a lot of cleaning and maintenance to keep the machines in top shape. Yeah, Keurig is done for me.

I wanted a Bunn. My mother used to have one. We got it for her. I can't remember what it cost but I think they were cheaper back then. The prices are kind of out of my range - even though I did find a cheaper one after some hunting. Besides, I don't want the kind Mom had. It used a glass decanter or carafe or whatever it's called. Mom loved hers because she drank gallons of coffee with her friends and the Bunn was always ready to spew out another 10 or so cups at a time.

Looks just like Mom's

When I looked at machines similar to Keurig, I thought they would probably have the same problems eventually. Besides, I didn't see any that I really liked in my price range.

What I wanted was something that would make good coffee. Something that didn't cost a lot to buy or maintain. Something that would look decent on the countertop. I knew I didn't need anything that made a lot of coffee but I was not down for another machine that uses pods. 

After the first day of looking, I gave up and continued using the instant coffee. In the meantime, I thought about the several partial bags of coffee in the freezer. People in my life know how I love coffee so I get a lot of it. Don't let them find bags on sale! I also still have some random pods around. When I woke up the next day and was about to make another cuppa instant, inspiration struck.

Why I settled on a percolator

Before I ever heard of Keurig and before my mother had a Bunn, coffee in our house was made using a percolating pot. Mom had a plain one that I remember from when I was really young, then Daddy or someone bought her a nice shiny one that plugged in. She used electric percolators from then until they went out of fashion.

I remembered watching the little plops of coffee hitting to glass at the top of the percolator. I remembered the smell of coffee that wafted all around the kitchen and living room first thing in the morning.

That was my answer. Percolators come in all price ranges. There is a lot of discussion among coffee snobs  , uh, connoisseurs about percolated coffee not having the flavor nuances... blah blah blah la-di-dah... I don't need to taste every molecule of the different flavors of a coffee. I need it good, strong, rich, and tasty. Period. And I'm too dang broke to even mumble about being a connoisseur. I can't stand weak coffee, bitter coffee, or artificially-flavored coffee. 

Anyway.

With an electric percolator, you are gambling with parts giving out or having other problems.  They aren't made like back in the day - and what is? With the stove-top machines - like the first ones Mom had - your only worry is about leaving it on the burner too long.

I thought of the other pros and cons of electric vs stovetop.

A lot of the electric ones I saw had Keep Warm and Auto Shut Off functions. They came in all sizes, shapes, and colors.

The stove-top ones came in a lot of sizes but ran mostly around 4 up to 12 cups. And the prices were better.

I decided to try one that was nice-looking, a decent size for my needs, and that had a lot of good reviews. And that wouldn't lop money off my grocery budget. This is what I chose:

Did I make the right choice?

I like the look of this one. I also have liked and trusted the Farberware brand in the past. And this one has an 8-cup capacity that works well whether I am solo or have company over. Oh, and I made sure it was returnable - just in case I hated it. But I don't.

Percolating my first brew was so soothing. (I will review it in another post - there are pros and cons - but I'm happy with it.) There was something comforting about taking my time to make the coffee. Of course, I have a lot of happy memories tied to coffee and my mother, and my youth. They all flooded back and I wallowed in them while I enjoyed that first delicious cup. 

As I said, I will be doing a review of the particular machine I got but there are a lot of different ones out there. For anyone with the time to use one, it's worth taking a look at them. I am also going to be looking at an electric percolator. The funds I set aside to replace the Keurig might allow for that, depending on what I can find...

For too long, coffee has been another rush-rush addiction. With this percolator, I have gotten back to enjoying the process of making and drinking a good cup of coffee. I highly recommend taking time - at least every now and then - to get back to the basics.

Peace

--Free

**SIFO* Cleaning Cast Iron Cookware

 Since I don't have a large budget, it took me a while to collect some really decent cookware. At this point, I have 2 really good cast-iron skillets, a cast-iron Dutch oven with a skillet/lid, and one non-stick pan.

Dutch oven bottom not shown here

I love these items for my kitchen and they are going to have to last me the rest of my life. So... how to care for them was always the question. My non-stick pan is easy. I only use utensils that don't scratch the cooking surface; I never use it without pre-warming and at least lightly oiling; and I wash it out with very hot water, a bit of Dawn, and a soft rag. Done. (I've only had it since my birthday but, so far so good.) Now my cast-iron pans are a lot more dear to me but I have had slow progress getting them to into a well-seasoned state. As a matter of fact, I have even scratched the seasoning in the skillet to the Dutch oven...

It can be re-seasoned!

Up until recently, I had been doing what I observed my mother and other elders doing with their cast-iron items: keeping them seasoned with oil and cleaning with a lard and salt scrub. Simple enough. But where my mother's pans were almost mirror-shiny from what I remember, my pans are only very slowly getting to a well-seasoned point of slickness. I've had the skillets for 4 years and the oven for 2 years. I gave the older ones from my mom to her grandkids.

I had to wonder what I was doing wrong. I thought of guilt-tripping the grandkids into sending me back a couple of Mama's pans! Instead, I tried to find out how other people are for their cast-iron. And I found this dude (and he's a really Dude) - Cowboy Kent - who I believe has "The Method".

If you didn't watch the video, my man here basically heats the pan and runs hot water into it while rubbing out the mess with a soft rag. He steam cleans his cast iron, folks. And you should see his beautifully seasoned pans. If they were big enough, you could ice-skate across them.

The other thing he does (which my mother did) is to regularly season the pans. And by "regularly" I mean after every single use. He steams them and re-seasons them. Every time.

I've been wiping mine out after using and only cleaning and re-seasoning when I couldn't wipe out any messes. So I guess I've been unintentionally neglectful.

No skating across this pan!

Here's the other thing: my mother might have been steaming her pans. I don't know, when she was around, I didn't pay attention to how she made the magic that was her cooking. I just ate and burped and rubbed my belly with satisfaction. 

Anyway.

Of course, I immediately pulled out all my cast-iron and used The Method. My pans already look better than they had before. Thank you, Cowboy Kent!

In the comments, some people noted that they have different methods that work. I don't know about those. I do know that I have tried other methods and I think The Method is the one for me.

Right now, the pans I have are enough. I would like another non-stick pan in a slightly larger size. And Lord knows, I need some bakeware. My one cookie sheet is so cheap and rusted that I never use it without lining with parchment. I have a pie pan that is like a friend I once had: very cute but too shallow to be useful for much. I do have a couple of loaf pans. In short, I should not be complaining. I have way more than a lot of people do.

Cooking is the one thing I still enjoy and can do well. I might have to write down even my old recipes because I can't seem to remember but... Being in the kitchen, baking, cooking - even fixing a salad, calms me. It's like medicine for stress, depression, anger - it helps with everything. 

Now that I have The Method, I can't wait to maybe update the way my pans look in a year or so.

By the way, just for giggles, I went over to see the current price of my Dutch oven. I am so incredibly blessed to have caught it at the price I did!

This is what I paid
(with birthday money!)

And, oh my word! This is the price I just saw (July 18, 2021, as I am typing this!)

I got the oven/skillet set but I didn't get the assist handle holder. Since I saved $76.84 on the set, I am quite happy to live without a handle assist or get one for cheap.

Here's the thing: I did go back and study the transaction. The actual price at the time that I got it was $39.90 and I used the remainder of a birthday gift card for $26.42. The $16.12 I paid included a tax of a couple of dollars. Still, $92.96 is $53.06 more than the $39.90 price tag when I got mine.  I paid less for the set than just the oven costs now. When I was checking this old transaction, I noticed that my support for the product just ran out on the 7th of this month. It's a Lodge. My mother had her cast-iron (Lodge or otherwise) from before I was born. Some were from my grandma. I doubt I will break a cast-iron pan.

Peace

--Free

P.S.: I just remembered that I was using harsh things on my cast iron. I actually have one of those chain-mail things attached to silicone that I was using to get baked on stuff out of the pan. Ugh.

I Challenge You This

 This is a challenge that I was going to post only on my Christian blog but... I know that all kinds of people like a challenge. 

This is from a talk that Chuck Missler did and is regarding the genealogy of Jesus Christ. 

You have to create a fictional family tree to meet all the following requirements, screenshot by screenshot. I guess some people are much smarter than I and can actually get past the first couple of screens with not much trouble. 

Get ready, get set, and... GO!

Peace

--Free