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"1. Plants flowers that squirrels don’t like.

It can’t really get more basic than that. To really make sure the squirrels leave your garden alone simply plant flowers they don’t like because of either their taste or their smell.

These flowers include alliums, crocus (tomasinianus variety), lilies, marigolds, hyacinth, daffodils and, from personal experience, impatiens, geraniums, columbine, and the squirrels seem to leave my begonias alone though I have heard that they are not against eating them also."

- The Scrap Shoppe blog


Well, that's the advice anyway. But based on your experience, CW, it seems that any plants the squirrels don't like eating they remove - waste of good growing space from their point of view, clearly.

Their cruelty over hazel trees used to make me apoplectic. Fat cobs, a day or two from being ripe, and sure enough the little sods would clear every single tree even as I went indoors to get a bowl to put them in. And for good measure plant a few in the most inconvenient places possible for me to have to dig up seedlings from - between flagstones or under something I actually liked.

They are edible, squirrels, you know. Just sayin'. Someone should remind them.
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Smeshque, mom and I moved to a wonderful house in town with a small back yard shaded by two black walnut trees. I could have dealt with the gardening challenges presented by the trees and poor soil but my first year here I discovered that the squirrels in this town are psycho and entitled; they dug up my garlic, destroyed my cucumbers and tomatoes, actually ate my strawberry plants, and my older next door neighbours were pulling up their raspberries because they never managed to get even a bowlful. It is just too much :(
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havent tried the diablo sauce at taco bell. I enjoy the chipotle.
I am sorry you miss your garden, why can't you have one again. We are blessed to be able to grow our own produce and meat. Then we know what goes in it, all natural no chemicals, nor hormones etc.
Just got a big greenhouse last year, so experimenting with growing year round.
We do this to try and get good food out to the public.
You all have had delicious sounding menus. Enjoy!
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Cwillie sorry you are having trouble with the frozen veg. I have not seen that problem.

Lots of good food here tonight don't know who to visit first.

polarbear, most supermarkets mark down their meat the day before expiration and you just have to find out when each market does their markdowns. Watchout for the other vultures though. As soon as you see something pick it up as it won't be there when you have checked everything else out. Bit like shopping at garage sales snd thrift stores. Pick everything up that takes your fancy then retreat to a corner and take a good look at everything and put back the stuff you don't want.
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BBQ pulled pork and sweet corn. Mom loves that, easy for her to eat.
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Pamzi - where do you shop to get marked down meat? I wonder if most supermarkets do that.
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Chicken, stuffing, roasted potato wedges and gravy. All in the same color family (not ideal) — but delicious!
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I love boneless skinless chicken thighs.. but I will admit I look for them in the morning when they are marked down!! I freeze them, and pull them out when I need them. Hubs and I get the best meat marked down in the morning..LOL
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This is a food related whine...
Can anyone else remember when you could buy chicken legs without the backbone attached?

And what's with the quality of frozen vegetables; broccoli and cauliflower that is 60% stems, whole beans and snap peas that are so full of stings you could choke unless you remove them as you eat, bad spots and stems and rinds.... and these are premium veggies not cheap no name ones. I miss my garden :(
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Hi polarbear,

Thank you for the tip about using the scissors to cut open the bones to expose the marrow. My mother loves to make soup with pork bones and normally two chicken feet pieces.

Hi Ali,

The chicken you are making sounds delicious!

I think I will heat up some green beans and ravioli for tonight.
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Alibobali- I usually buy with chicken thighs with bone in and skin on. Way less expensive and more flavorful. Sometimes, I remove the skin and save in the freezer until I have enough to make crunchy chicharon out of the skin and collect the rendered fat for cooking once in a while. I also remove the bones after I cook the chickens and save them to make bone broth. I use a very sharp and strong pair of scissors to cut open the bones to expose the marrow which makes the broth very flavorful and nutritious and better than any broth you can buy at the market.
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Nopales? Hmmm had to Google it. I have seen it in grocery stores, it is fairly new in my area, and had no idea what to do with it. Now do I try? Wait and see.
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MsMadge, you keep me googling all your dinner selections 😋
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It's 5:15am here and I'm WIDE AWAKE, so I'm cooking. ;-) Seasoned some boneless/skinless chicken thighs in olive oil, garlic, paprika, onion powder, put them in a layer in a rectangular baking dish. Topped them with a layer of fresh mixed greens on top, can of diced tomatoes, sliced mushrooms, a cup of chicken stock. I think it will bake up nicely, be done in 40 minutes or so. 

I'm debating moving to bone in, skin on chicken pieces.  The only reason I get the other kind is due to some sense of trying to be healthier by skipping the fatty skin.  But.  Is it really that bad for you?  Thing is, it seasons well, comes out tastier imo, and is half the price per pound.  

Taco Bell is a rare indulgence for me. I forgot all about those 7 layer burritos they have. Mmm. The taco sauce is good, too, I agree.
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smeshque - I love the crunchy tacos at Taco Bell. I especially love the taco sauce, the Diablo one.
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Sharyn, I love nopales, too. I didn't know how to eat it until I moved to my current home and my backyard has many cactus plants that produce so many pads every summer. I have to give them away to neighbors and friends.

cwillie - have you ever had an avocado shake? It's heaven. Avocado, milk/or cream, and sugar/or honey, blended in ice. Sweet, cold, smooth and soooo creamy. Yummmy!
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polarbear- they are not the same quality cookies. I imagine their sells will drop when others realize it too.
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Did anyone notice the change in quality of GS cookies this year? I loved the peanut butter cookies (the sandwich type) and I could eat one whole box in one sitting. Really i could. But this year, OMG, I bought one box thinking of how good they were, but after a few bites, I couldn't eat anymore. They were dry and not as sweet and nutty as they used to be. I looked at the ingredients and sure enough, they were not the same as before. SO DISAPPOINTED. I think GS did itself a great disservice. I, for one, will not buy anymore GS cookies.
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Ms Madge, you like Mexican food too, I see. :)
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Albondigas, chille relleno and Girl Scout cookies
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dear cdn- taco bell is my favorite fast food, 7 layer is my favorite off the menu.
Mexican food is my favorite food, I could eat it everyday.
I do pretty well making it as authentic as possible.
Tonight was veggie(avacado,olives,cheese,tomato,lettuce,spinach) sandwich with mustard, banana/cottage cheese, and a couple of mini hershey bars for desert.
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Went to Saturday night buffet at stepson’s restaurant/bar - headed out to chaperone a junior high dance.
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Dear smeshque,

7 layer burrito sounds good. I love Mexican food.

Its ravioli tonight!
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My Mom likes brussel sprouts, no me.
Dinner: 7 layer burrito, taco bell
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Tossed salad. Dinner alone. Everyone else is at the hockey arena. I son't like avacodos either.
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No to the brussels sprouts, just... no. I like or can tolerate most veggies, but despite trying different recipes there is something about brussels sprouts I just can't take. I don't get why people go nuts over avocados either.
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I love nopales. I cooked it briefly in boiling water and we make a salad to put on tostadas! In Cali we could get it at a regular grocery store but here in Idaho I need to find a Hispanic market.

Tonight we are having sweet Italian sausage with roasted Brussels sprouts and rice noodles (spicy).
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Love brussels sprouts, too and so does oldest grandson who liked anything green from a young age.

Last night was chili. Tonight is rosemary garlic pork loin roasted with apples and onions around it, harvard beets and egg noodles in mushroom sauce. Dessert - salted caramel chocolate coated ice cream bar.
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tomatillos, I grow them here in us.
dinner: avocado,spinach,lettuce,onion,tomato, sandwich with mustard- cottage cheese/banana- milk
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Hi Sue,

Count me in as another lover of Brussels spouts.

It was prime rib tonight with mashed potatoes, mixed veggies with Yorkshire pudding!
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