Pollywog's Place Blog

Stocking Your Emergency Pantry

Published on February 7, 2026January 2, 2026 by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog2 Comments

We don’t like to think about the possibility of any emergency, and definitely not one that might last for an extended period of time. With Hurricane season fast approaching, we do need to give it a little thought.

When we first moved here, I was totally unprepared for the two hurricanes that hit us back-to-back. We had not even had a chance to get to the grocery store, but we made it through with what we had. Fortunately, we are a little better prepared for emergencies now, but something could always take us by surprise.

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Special Holiday Meals: Ash Wednesday/Lent Menu Ideas

Published on February 5, 2026February 17, 2026 by Susie @ Pollywog's Place BlogLeave a comment

We don’t celebrate Lent, but we do know some people who do. I’ve also seen that it is customary to eat soft pretzels on Ash Wednesday too.

Ash Wednesday/Lent Menu Ideas

It is customary to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and on Fridays through the Lent period.

BREAKFAST

Oatmeal w/fruit

LUNCH

Lentils (no meat) and Grilled Cheese

Tuna Cold Plate

MAIN DISHES

Eggplant Parmesan

Salad or Creamed Spinach

Garlic Breadsticks

DESSERTS

Other Fish Recipes:

Baked Salmon

Broiled Parmesan Tilapia

Fish w/Honey Mustard Sauce

Salmon Patties

Super Easy Baked Catfish

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New Garden Design and Product Links

Published on February 4, 2026February 25, 2026 by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog3 Comments

This weather has been wreaking havoc across the country, and our area has not been spared. Florida has been seeing some historic lows, snow, and some areas south of us have even been experiencing colder temps than we’ve had here at our home… CRAZY!!! The winds have also been pretty rough and have caused a bit of damage.

If you are looking for links to the garden products… go to the bottom of the post!

Then the groundhog said that there’ll be six more weeks of winter??? Well, we took care of that groundhog… just kidding, but we did have a good meal to celebrate Groundhog Day.

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Special Holiday Meals: Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday Meal

Published on February 3, 2026October 5, 2025 by Susie @ Pollywog's Place BlogLeave a comment

While Abraham Lincoln may have had many favorite foods, this is a menu that we came up with to make this day a little extra special, as he was an important part of our history. He was a simple man who preferred water over any other beverage, and it is said that he often had to be reminded to eat. I think my family history can also be traced back to him at some point.

Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday Menu

Dinner

Oyster Stew w/crackers ** or Chicken Fricassee

Roast Pork Loin or Pork Chops

Sweet Potato Casserole, Creamed Spinach

Hoe Cakes or Biscuits

Dessert

Apple Crisp or Apple Pie w/vanilla ice cream

Or Vanilla Almond Cake

**We will be having Potato Soup in place of the Oyster Stew as we have a couple of people with seafood allergies.

Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday Menu Download

Recipes of the Month: February 2026

Published on February 2, 2026January 28, 2026 by Susie @ Pollywog's Place BlogLeave a comment

I will try to post a few recipes that should be fairly budget-friendly and easy to make for anyone wanting to learn to make things from scratch.

This month is full of special holidays, but I thought I’d start with Groundhog Day on February 2nd.

Special Holiday Meals: February Edition

We usually make a Woodchuck Pie, also known as a Shepherd’s Pie, and we have some of Phil’s Poppers on the side. There are a ton of variations to sides that you could make with this, but these are family favorites. Then for dessert we make dirt cakes with Nutter Butter ‘Groundhogs’… so cute.