October Wrap-up

In my kitchen in October I have two new refrigerator magnets among all my bird magnets.

New: flamingos and an eagle.

UPDATE: Jeanie asked where retired magnets go. The answer: I have a big plastic box on a high shelf and they all go in there. Some years ago the theme (now birds) was Mona Lisa. All the Mona Lisa magnets are in a separate box in a closet somewhere. I like Jeanie’s idea that there’s a big wall covered with magnets somewhere, but my house isn’t big enough for that.

Len’s Latest Bread

 Good Dinners from My Kitchen

Apple crisp.

Alice and Len with the apple crisp.

Cabbage salad, stuffed mushrooms, and pork tenderloin.

Savory corn pancakes with lettuce and cottage cheese.

Pastrami with tomatoes and lemons, garlic bread, spaghetti, and chocolate pudding with biscotti.

Lamb chops and salads.

Salad — note the purple carrots!

Outside the Kitchen Door

Beyond the kitchen door: the last of the potted herbs. The first frost this year is very late.

Happy Halloween

One more photo of the giant pumpkin (with me to show how huge it is).

New York Times Headline about decreasing chocolate quality
due to very high prices.

About those chocolate prices:  

 

”Experts say high cocoa prices have triggered a wave of ‘reformulations,’ the industry term for recipe changes. As the Halloween season boosts demand, some candy companies are replacing expensive cocoa butter with other fats, a swap that means their products no longer meet the U.S. regulatory definition of milk chocolate and can no longer be called that on packaging.” (source) 

 

What’s Missing From Our Nation?

Will Congress and the Nation really let this injustice prevail? 
A last-minute reprieve is a somewhat distant possibility.
Some states have acted to provide funding for food programs, but others can’t afford to do so.

As I survey my own food for this month and next month, I realize how lucky I am. Heartless actions by the government and our leaders threaten large numbers of citizens with hunger and desperation. SNAP, the federal food assistance program, is critical in the lives of many Americans. This headline is local, but the disaster is national. What’s missing from our nation is compassion and generosity,

“The threat of food assistance disappearing for 42 million Americans, even for a month, has exposed how threadbare the nation’s social safety net has become at a time of persistent inflation and deep federal funding cuts. Filling the void in the coming weeks will strain many food banks and other organizations that were already stretched thin.” (source)

Friday Afternoon Update: 

Crisis may be over

Blog post © 2025 mae sander

I’m sharing this post with Sherry’s kitchen round-up, 

with Eileen’s critter round-up, 

and with Deb’s weekly round-up.