Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Dinner Revealed leads to eBay Rant

I made Crockpot Pot Roast.
Just cut your veggies; the traditional mire poix(celery, onions, carrots), red potatoes, mushrooms and red bell peper is what I used.
Throw them in your crock, salt and pepper your roast(or season whichever way you like it)& add the meat. Then pour in a can of a carbonated cola beverage. I would use a can of cane sugar JONES Soda but I didn't have any, so good ol' HFCS Pepsi has to do in a pinch.

Put the lid on, turn on the crockpot, and as my husband's relatives might say, "fuggettaboutit"!lol Seriously, let it cook all day.

When done, I hack the meat up into chunks, throw some of the onion in a pan to carmelize, then throw that on top of the meat. Make a roux with the juices and flour and seasoning and pour over the meat. Serve the veggies alongside and maybe a little crusty garlic bread or make some garlic masheds out of the potatoes you cooked. Mmmmm.
I made extra this time, so I have enough for Pot Roast Sandwiches, which will be a quick & easy dinner for Saturday.

After cleaning up from dinner I toddled back up to the grocery store and finished my cheese buying marathon. 48 blocks of cheese! Good grief.
It should last us oh.....3 weeks.lol Kidding......4 weeks. *snort*

I just looked at the new ad and I'll be able to use the leftover bacon Qs I didn't use a couple of weeks back when they were on sale there before. The Qs expire Saturday so I have a couple days if I can find any more room in the freezer. Heck, with the artic cold here I could just put them in the garage until spring but the Beagles would find a way to get it if I did that. Beagles never met a meat they didn't like and ours are no exception.lol

I still have to haul in the bags in the car from my CVS trip this week.
It's been quite busy around here between the oldest son's schedule for high school & college, his job and #2 son's 2 different band practices & daughter's play practice. Now I have to get the dr. to fit in appointments for the younger 2 for physicals for the track & field teams they want to join because practice starts Monday. At least no one wants to do baseball too!

I've GOT to get some more revenue coming in via eBay in I'm going to have any hope of getting somewhere near my Savings Goal Challenge. As with all other parts of the economy, eBay sales are really slumping. The Holidays season is good for making some money on eBay, but usually I have great success after the Christmas Holidays on there....people are flush with gift money and go out and buy what they want themselves, instead of spending it on gifts for others. I can say with authority that this winter has been the WORST for sales on eBay in the last 10 yrs. All the sellers that I have talked to are complaining. It just mirrors the real world and what is going on with the economy.

I just feel sorry for anyone who sells on eBay for their livelihood. It's turning into a buyer's market online. I've got things it would profit me more to just donate them and take a tax write-off than to sell them now. The fees just eat you up between auction management/picture services, eBay & paypal. And the shipping!....don't even go there. Shipping has gotten so high in the last few yrs. that I now have people leaving me Neutral feedback for something I have NO control over-shipping costs!
Simply.
Excellent.

And the international shipping rates! I realize that the USPS rates were so NOT commensurate with the private carrier rates & needed to go up but it has totally KILLED my overseas sales. When the dollar's value lowered against the euro before Christmas 2007, I saw a modest resurgence in sales from Europe but last spring when the USPS raised rates again, the overseas sales took a nosedive. This new package postal rate hike in Jan. finished off any business I had left.
Between the fees for postage and the spectre of customs fees that my overseas buyers have to worry about, it's just not worth it anymore to buy from US sellers on eBay for them.

I wonder how much longer until eBay goes belly up for good?

Egads, this turned into an eBay rant, didn't it?
Sorry....
It's late and I'm tired and cranky now. This temporary filling on my tooth hurts and now I've got to call the dentist and get it looked at asap.
Off to go find some oil of clove so I can get to sleep.

sluggy

2 comments:

  1. Hey Sluggy, Your pot roast looked great. Did you brown the meat first or not? Some recipes call for it and I was curious if you do or don't add that step in.

    I have been looking at Etsy as an alternative to ebay. Do you have any experience with them?

    I hope your dentist visit goes well and it's not too painful!

    ReplyDelete
  2. With a crockpot roast I don't brown it first. The point is to leak the meat juice in a crockpot prepartation...you cook it so long it falls apart, whereas browning/searing is all about sealing the juice in. You could brown first in the oven or a hot skillet but the point would be lost.
    I know someone who set up on Etsy last fall. She is still waiting for her 1st sale....so I don't have a lot of faith in etsy either.lol

    The tooth quieted down overnight. I think if I stop eating solid foods and floss(though it irritates it)often & use the clove oil, I can get through until my appt. which is in 11 days.

    ReplyDelete

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