When I’m canning recipes with ground beef, I brown the beef, then drain it in a colander, then pour boiling water over it several times to get out as much grease as I can. Then I have to find something to do with the grease and water. It should never be poured down a drain, especially a drain that ends in a septic tank.
When I first dump the meat into a colander, I use a slotted spoon so the biggest part of the grease stays in the skillet. I then pour that grease into an empty can and let it solidify, then on garbage day, I put it in the trash can upright so it doesn’t spill out hopefully.
The greasy water, I usually pour it on weeds in far away places from the house.
Vince is trying to burn this stump out and I was thinking “grease = fire”. Last night we had this conversation:
Me: Do you want me to pour the grease from the ground beef tomorrow in the stump? Grease is good for a fire?
Vince: Sure.
Me: There will be some water but it will drain out. Do you want me to pour that in too?
Vince: Sure.
He apparently paid no attention to what I said. We walked out to check on the caterpillars and he stopped and . .
Vince: What on earth happened to my stump?
Me: It’s grease?
Vince: Grease? What kind of grease?
Me: From the hamburger meat?
Vince: What the heck . . why?
Me: We had this conversation last night and you said it was ok to do it.
Vince: I wasn’t paying any attention to what you were asking me.
I told him . . Dude! Of all the people you know, I’m probably the one with the craziest ideas and you should always listen to everything I say before saying yes!
Then I told him . . I thought it was weird when I told you there was a gray Honda Ridgeline at the Honda dealer and I was going to go get it and you said ok! (That didn’t happen but I should have tried harder to convince him that it did!) There really is a new gray Ridgeline there.
Nelle Coursey says
I think most men do have selective hearing! If I was you, I would drag him to the dealership and say, you said I could get it!! LOL
judy.blog@gmail.com says
I guess being a mom, we learn to “hear” everything and then have about 10 possible scenarios play out in our heads . . it could mean this, or it could mean that, or maybe they’re telling me this thinking I’ll think they mean that. 🙂
With Vince, if he’s in the middle of something or half asleep in his chair, he never hears what I say, but yet he’ll respond. He’s living very dangerously! 🙂
Stephani in N. TX says
Maybe you can talk with a rep about that new Ridgeline and get the dealer to call and engage Vince. He’s enough of a shopper that he might bite especially if the dealer has all the info, like your old truck and what it might be worth. Let them dangle the new truck in Vince’s eyes. Another thought, maybe you could declare a day a pajama day, and just never look like you could be convinced to go to town. Then you could count on that day being one you could stay home and stitch. Good luck.
judy.blog@gmail.com says
Vince is anti-new vehicle. Always has been. The only reason we bought the Honda brand new was because my old van had left me stranded and I told him if he didn’t go with me to help, I was buying a car by myself. Same with the Highlander. The old S-10, which wasn’t so old then, left us stranded only about 4 miles from where we live now, but almost an hour from home. The tow truck picked it up, Chad came and picked us up. We went back home, got the other vehicle, went back to Joplin and bought the Highlander – all the same day (and it was my birthday!).
Vince would not find any amusement in me setting him up to talk to a car salesman.
montanaclarks says
When I started reading about rinsing the hamburger I thought, “oh no Judy, don’t do it,” until I read farther. Our granddaughter and great granddaughter lived with our son for a year while the husband was stationed in Korea. Laci would rinse the hamburger meat–no one really noticed I guess–until Christmas Day and the entire septic system stopped up and backed up into the house with a houseful of Christmas Day guests! Laci doesn’t rinse hamburger meat any longer!!
judy.blog@gmail.com says
Years ago in Kentucky, I made soap and that involved lots of different oils and I washed my dishes in the sink in the house and all that oil went into the septic tank. We never had problems but decided to have the tank pumped just to be safe and of course, Vince and I stood outside and watched. The guy couldn’t believe we hadn’t had problems when he saw the thick layer of oil on top of the “stuff” in the tank. He wanted to know if I poured grease down the drain. I didn’t but I quickly realized .. I kinda did so I learned a lesson about grease and septic tanks.
I only wash my ground beef if I’m canning it because grease will go rancid over time. Even now when I wash greasy skillets, I put hot, soapy water in them, scrub, then go outside and find a place to dump that water. We have a hot water faucet outside so I’ll rinse the pot out til almost all the grease is gone, then come inside and finish the job.
Margie says
You would think I would learn but was it you that posted a recipe for canning cole slaw? Now that I want it I can’t find it. Your blog is about the only one I read so hope it was you.
judy.blog@gmail.com says
https://www.justapinch.com/recipes/side/vegetable/canned-cole-slaw.html