around noontime i finally divided up the 8.6 lbs. smoked ham i got 2 weeks ago on sale from star market. i thought it was going to be a challenge, but thankfully it was already spiral-cut, so i basically just removed the pieces, wrapped them in plastic wrap, before putting them into ziploc bags for the freezer. the slices of ham near the end of the ham were harder to remove and i had to resort to a bone knife. in all, it took over an hour to properly render the ham.
for lunch i fried some ham slices and made an everything bagel sandwich with an egg and some avocado slices. the avocado was still a little raw so it wasn't that good. but the slightly caramelized ham made up for it. the sandwich was so filling, i doubt i'd need to eat dinner now!

around 3pm i left the house to return a few items. first stop was the UPS store, to return some used nespresso coffee pods. then to whole foods to return the unused moto G7 battery and the pair of knipex pliers wrenches. the wrenches are really great, but they're so expensive (about $50 each), i find myself using my cheaper pairs because i can't bare to use the knipex. i think i'm just going to get the 10in. icon-brand knockoff pairs from harbor freight (if they're ever in stock). at $40 they're still expensive, but i'll feel better knowing i wasn't spending so much. the longer handles are also better for torquing.
the other thing i wanted to do was turn the seville bitter oranges i bought from haymarket 1-1/2 weeks ago into marmalade (it's inedible otherwise). first i had to find a suitable recipe, and looked up at least a dozen before i formed an amalgamate of what i thought would be a good recipe. by then it was already 6pm, and when i checked the cupboards, discovered i actually didn't have any sugar, and the marmalade needs a lot of sugar (8 lbs. worth if you can believe the math). so i'm going to put off the recipe until tomorrow night. it's a two-day recipe, first day to juice and cut the oranges, before soaking them overnight in water. the next day, simmering the orange rinds until they soften before dissolving the sugar and boiling the mixture until it forms a jelly consistency. i've made jellies before (quince, concord grapes) so i have the experience. i might also need some more canning jars, which i'll try to buy from market basket, otherwise i'll just some regular jars. i bought a canning funnel off of amazon; it was originally supposed to come tomorrow, but now it won't arrive until thursday (so the recipe delay is perfect).

