#2877 three things: the air fryer, the snow shovel, a bar of soap

 There is a certain weird joy that comes from thinking up three totally unrelated things to write about. Let's get to it, shall we?

1. The air fryer. For Christmas, I received an air fryer from my work. The company had a good safety record last year, so we were able to choose from several items, and I chose the air fryer. It's my first one. Lots of the women I work with have air fryers and really like cooking with them, so I figured, what the heck? I'll get it and give it a try. 

A Ninja Speedi is what I have. It has six or seven different cooking functions; air fryer is just one of them. That's the only option I've used so far. We have made four things: chicken wings, tator tots, country ribs, and chicken parmesan. MT made the wings, and I didn't care for them. I mostly think I didn't like the seasoning he used. Maybe I'd like regular buffalo wings? The tator tots were awesome, nice and crispy outside, tender on the inside. The ribs were boneless pork ribs, and they turned out well. Tender, juicy, flavorful, and quick. The chicken parm was good, too. It was a little dry, so I probably left it in the cooker a bit too long.

Overall, the air fryer isn't going to change the way I cook. I prefer a pot and a stove. Call me old fashioned, but there you go.

2. The snow shovel. It snowed a lot here today. What I mean is that we had an hour or so when a quite a bit of snow came down. When I was finished working around 4:30, I took a look at the sidewalk and the driveway and decided to clear it off. I did offer T the chance to do it, but he declined. I put on my hat, coat, gloves, and snowboots, and out I went. 

There was probably four or five inches of snow, and it was pretty wet and heavy. It felt good to be outside and moving my body, but I'm not gonna lie, I feel a little sore tonight. I haven't been getting in any physical activity, and the 40 minutes I spent with the snow shovel kinda kicked my a$$.  The upside is that the driveway and sidewalk are clear. I even sprinkled some snow melt on the steps and the path to my car, so hopefully I will have a nice dry, ice-free walk to the car. 

Now pass me the Tylenol. Mama's hurtin'. 

3. A bar of soap. I think I've mentioned before how I have come to love a nice bar of soap. When I was in Spain in May, I bought myself three wonderfully scented bars of French soap, and I have been very pleased with each of them. I have one left from the trip. I got a new bar of pine scented soap for Christmas (that one is Italian), and I just bought myself the loveliest almond ginger soap bar from Trader Joe's. I've had a thing for ginger lately, and this bar of soap is wonderful. The scent is delightful, and it lathers up beautifully. 

It's the little things, isn't it? Also, reading over these three things, I feel kind of old. LOL