Here's how the Aerogarden is coming along. The plant that still has the plastic cap over it is supposed to be cilantro. ( Click to see the big picture.) I think it's dead though as it should have sprouted by now.
That's all for now!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
My pantry is slowly getting better...
I'm slowly getting my pantry arranged in our new apartment. I'm very lucky that we have a nice closet in the study/craft/kitty room that I can use for this purpose. I still want to get some more of the sturdier metal racks that can easily support canned goods, sugar, flour, etc... I always have trouble getting started on tasks like this as my perfectionism gets in the way of getting started. I have to do silly things like make deals with myself that "I'll just put XYZ here for now and move it later" so that I can get started. I guess if you aren't dealing with those kinds of issues it sounds weird but, trust me, it can really make it difficult to get things done! Here's what it looks like right now:
Here's how the Aerogarden is coming along. The plant that still has the plastic cap over it is supposed to be cilantro. ( Click to see the big picture.) I think it's dead though as it should have sprouted by now.
That's all for now!
Here's how the Aerogarden is coming along. The plant that still has the plastic cap over it is supposed to be cilantro. ( Click to see the big picture.) I think it's dead though as it should have sprouted by now.
That's all for now!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Clocks
I haven't gone nutty, I'm just sticking these up here for now to see how I like them. These are from clocklink.com if anybody else is interested in them.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Braciole
Can you tell this has been in the kitchen with me?
Look at the first picture to see what is in the filling.
I should have started this earlier. Since I was in a time crunch, I just added some red wine, black pepper, salt, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder to a can of tomato puree and let it simmer about 10 minutes before putting it in the baking dish.
Should have seen me trying to tie this up. It was humorous!
The glass cup on the left has my pepper mill in it. We dropped it on the floor years ago and a piece of the bottom broke off. It still works but, it can't stand up by itself so we just keep it in that cup. Obviously that's my salt mill on the right with some sea salt in it. I was supposed to put salt and pepper on the inside of the roll but, I forgot so I put some on the outside.
Sizzle! Pop! Ow!
Here's a shot where you see the filling coming out of the gap.
I don't have any tongs so I just used a wooden spoon to hold it up.
Heh, I was doing laundry at the same time as I was making this. When I came back from checking the laundry, there was splotches of tomato sauce on the wall and stove.
Just needs some sauce on top. The color is weird here. It didn't look that black on top in real life.
Ready for the lid and into the oven.
*Sigh* I need some minions to clean up my messes.
Whoot! Looks pretty good.
Did this while clipping off the twine. Glad it didn't land on me!
Caesar salad for Mr. Hairball.
Pulled some veggie/pasta mix out of the freezer for me. I boiled some penne as well so I had two kinds of pasta for dinner. I only had enough Caesar dressing already made up for one salad. I gave it to Mr. Hairball since I knew there was no way he would eat any of the veggie/pasta mix I made.
Mr. Hairball's plate minus his salad. I forgot to take a picture of mine. Just imagine everything moved over and some veggie/pasta mix on the plate for mine.
Here you can see that I didn't pound it flat enough and as the meat cooked, it wasn't long enough to reach all the way around. Oh well, My arm was getting tired and I was afraid I was disturbing my neighbors. Next time I'll take my time and do the pounding in the afternoon so I don't disturb anyone.
It was very good even if it wasn't picture perfect.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
My undying devotion to Alton Brown and a recipe for apricot fried pies
I've had a serious crush on Alton Brown for several years. It's mostly because he reminds me so much of Mr. Hairball. They are both smart, attractive, glasses wearing, science loving, sweet guys who like to cook. When we lived in Georgia, there was always that tiny, tiny, chance that I might run into Alton at Bed, Bath, and Beyond or Kroger. Sadly it never happened. Maybe that was for the best. I probably would have passed out or just stood there pointing at him with my mouth hanging open like a complete and utter doofus.
One of my favorite episodes:
Part II
This particular episode is one of my favorites because it reminds me of my late grandma. My grandma made these killer apricot fried pies and we used to fight over the darn things. One time when Brother Hairball was going to school and living with her, she made up a whole mess of pies for the relatives in her town and a batch for my family, the out of state Hairballs. So Brother Hairball leaves her house with about five dozen and started the long drive back home. He's got the pies on the seat beside him and they are calling to him with their flaky goodness and that perfect blend of sweet and tart that is the perfect apricot fried pie. Long story short, he eats at least 1/2 of the pies while driving back home. He walks in the house where we are eagerly awaiting the fried pies, (oh and him too!) one of us snatches the Ziploc bag out of his hands and says "where's the rest?" He sheepishly grins and reminds us that it's a long drive from grandma's house and he just couldn't help himself. So then an insane little game of hiding the remaining fried pies ensues. Father Hairball and I found them and hid them behind the toaster from Mama Hairball who then found them and hid them from us, etc.... until we ate every last crumb.
In reading over my grandma's recipe you will notice that she used a traditional pie crust instead of the biscuit-like dough that Alton prefers for his pies.
Grandma's Apricot Fried Pies
makes 10-12 pies
2 cups AP flour
2 TBS sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup shortening
about 1/2 cup water
apricot filling - recipe is after the pastry
Pastry-
Sift together the flour, sugar, and salt. Cut in the shortening and add enough water to make a firm dough. Roll out dough so it is 1/8th inch thick and cut dough into 5 inch circles. Place fruit on one half of circle, moisten dough edge with water, fold over and press edges with a fork to seal. Fry in deep fat heated to 375F for 3 1/2 to 4 minutes. Drain on a rack placed over newspapers or paper towels and dust with granulated sugar. Let cool before eating.
Apricot filling-
Open package of dried apricots before use, place on paper towels, and check for any debris or bad pieces of fruit. Discard any bad pieces or debris. Then put the package of dried apricots in a saucepan, barely cover with water, and bring it to boil until tender. (It will take at least 10 minutes to reach the desired texture.) Take off the stove when tender and mash up the apricots and whatever water remains in the saucepan with a potato masher. Slowly add sugar to taste until still a little tart but, not too tart. The filling needs to be cool before you make your pies so leave it out for about 45 minutes and then place in the icebox *grins* for several hours or overnight. Later or the next day, make your pies as described above.
*I'm sorry but, I don't know how many ounces the original package of dried fruit contained. I buy mine in the big package at the wholesale club, and just dump some out in a saucepan. If I make too much, I keep it in the refrigerator and use it on toast, biscuits, etc...
One of my favorite episodes:
Part II
This particular episode is one of my favorites because it reminds me of my late grandma. My grandma made these killer apricot fried pies and we used to fight over the darn things. One time when Brother Hairball was going to school and living with her, she made up a whole mess of pies for the relatives in her town and a batch for my family, the out of state Hairballs. So Brother Hairball leaves her house with about five dozen and started the long drive back home. He's got the pies on the seat beside him and they are calling to him with their flaky goodness and that perfect blend of sweet and tart that is the perfect apricot fried pie. Long story short, he eats at least 1/2 of the pies while driving back home. He walks in the house where we are eagerly awaiting the fried pies, (oh and him too!) one of us snatches the Ziploc bag out of his hands and says "where's the rest?" He sheepishly grins and reminds us that it's a long drive from grandma's house and he just couldn't help himself. So then an insane little game of hiding the remaining fried pies ensues. Father Hairball and I found them and hid them behind the toaster from Mama Hairball who then found them and hid them from us, etc.... until we ate every last crumb.
In reading over my grandma's recipe you will notice that she used a traditional pie crust instead of the biscuit-like dough that Alton prefers for his pies.
Grandma's Apricot Fried Pies
makes 10-12 pies
2 cups AP flour
2 TBS sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup shortening
about 1/2 cup water
apricot filling - recipe is after the pastry
Pastry-
Sift together the flour, sugar, and salt. Cut in the shortening and add enough water to make a firm dough. Roll out dough so it is 1/8th inch thick and cut dough into 5 inch circles. Place fruit on one half of circle, moisten dough edge with water, fold over and press edges with a fork to seal. Fry in deep fat heated to 375F for 3 1/2 to 4 minutes. Drain on a rack placed over newspapers or paper towels and dust with granulated sugar. Let cool before eating.
Apricot filling-
Open package of dried apricots before use, place on paper towels, and check for any debris or bad pieces of fruit. Discard any bad pieces or debris. Then put the package of dried apricots in a saucepan, barely cover with water, and bring it to boil until tender. (It will take at least 10 minutes to reach the desired texture.) Take off the stove when tender and mash up the apricots and whatever water remains in the saucepan with a potato masher. Slowly add sugar to taste until still a little tart but, not too tart. The filling needs to be cool before you make your pies so leave it out for about 45 minutes and then place in the icebox *grins* for several hours or overnight. Later or the next day, make your pies as described above.
*I'm sorry but, I don't know how many ounces the original package of dried fruit contained. I buy mine in the big package at the wholesale club, and just dump some out in a saucepan. If I make too much, I keep it in the refrigerator and use it on toast, biscuits, etc...
Sandy makes some scary crap aka 'Apres Ski'
I don't usually get to watch ol' Sandypants on the weekends but, today I will be able to see a brand spankin' new episode. I'm going to start this based solely on the recipes as printed on the Food Network's website and fill in as I see what happens on the show today.
"Can I just tell you" that fruit with poultry *can* actually be good? Heck, I even had a minor freakout right in the middle of the grocery store a few days before Christmas as there were no fresh cranberries in the produce department. I stopped by another grocery store and much to my delight, not only did they they have fresh cranberries, they even had two different sizes of bags! I'm sure the poor folks watching the security cameras were laughing hysterically at my reaction to seeing that they did have cranberries in the produce department. I ran over to the display, grabbed the biggest bag and clutched it to my chest hugging the cranberries and smiling like I'd been nipping at the wine over on the "drunk and disorderly" aisle. Oh well, it was probably more fun for them than having to watch the customers adjust their undies over in aisle four. *grins*
Anyhoo, let me get this train back on the tracks. Today, I cruised over to the Semi-Ho group over at TWOP, read some of the pre-show snark, and followed the link from TWOP to see the recipes that Sandy will be using today. Of course reading the recipes and seeing Sandy make them is a totally different thing altogether. There are even times when the recipe seems like it might okay until you see what she did with it on her show. I've switched the order around of the recipes from the website to match the order they were presented on the show.
First up we have Colorado Chili. Lets have a moment of silence for the citizens of Colorado who deserve better than this.
I feel your pain as she's performed culinary abominations to dishes popular in my home state. I am so bummed out that Sandy didn't do her whole dire warning about matter and anti-matter colliding if we don't preheat our slow cookers before adding hot food to it. Whoa there! Does drinking ginormous amounts of alcohol just completely burn off your tastebuds or what? I like spicy food but, Hells bells, Sandy three freakin' cans of green chiles?? I'm also not understanding why there is both
salt-free Mexican seasoning and chili powder in this recipe. It depends on the manufacturers recipe but, the two products I have linked duplicate some of the ingredients. Wouldn't it make more sense to *gasp* use individual spices so that you had complete control over what is added to the recipe? *smacks head* Forgive me for trying to use logic to make sense of this show! Now Sandy, could you pretend to start the chili/stew stuff earlier or do the old cooking show standby of pulling out a finished dish and saying here's one I made earlier? We saw you start it and tell us to cook it for 4-6 hours and then the same one is done before the show is over? If somebody gets to travel through time it better be me instead of Sandra Lee! I also see that Sandy used "pre-chopped" onions from the salad bar and "real" bacon bits which is different than her own recipe. We don't have any grocery stores with salad bars where I live.I guess I could visit a local buffet restaurant and buy some "pre-chopped" onions from them. *confused* Oh wait! I could buy an onion at the grocery store and chop it up myself. *looks horrified and faints*
Second dish is Balsamic Glazed Butternut Squash. Shouldn't that be Balsamic Vinegar Glazed Butternut Squash? Sandy just seemed a little too proud of herself for knowing what the main ingredients are in lemon pepper seasoning. Once again, I don't live in the big city so some of these Semi-Ho pre-whatever foods are foreign to me like the 20-ounce package peeled cubed butternut squash. Is it really that hard to wash and peel that puppy yourself?? Sorry, sorry, I keep forgetting she's the queen of the garlic "inajar".
Next we have the Chicken Cherry Baguette Burgers which is actually a recipe sent in by one of her fans or Fandras as the folks at TWOP call them. Okay, we have three items that include the word 'cherry, in this recipe. We have frozen cherries, sweet cherry peppers, and black cherry jam. First up, does the author of this recipe think that cherry peppers taste like cherries or is this more of the 'things that look alike must taste alike' logic we've come to expect from this program? The recipe doesn't say whether the frozen cherries are sweetened or unsweetened which is troublesome as there are different kinds of frozen cherries available especially to those who live in larger cities. On the show, Sandy says something about the sweet cherries being good with the ground chicken so I guess it's supposed to be sweet cherries? *confused* That burger mixture just looked vile, vile, vile! Sandy, forming burgers is not what I would call "fun". The "glamour shot" of the finished ones did look better but that is not saying much. I also just can't wrap my brain around mixing black cherry jam INto mayonnaise. My stomach is lurching now just contemplating it. Oh man, if I had a hangover, I'd definitely be sprinting to the bathroom about now. She didn't mention baking the bread from whack-a-dough like in the recipe. I don't understand why you would put that nasty mayonnaise mixture on the whole loaf before you slice it for the burgers. Perhaps she screwed up and they didn't re-shoot it? I'm seriously considering that one of the shrikes at TWOP sent that recipe in. I mean what sane person would mix sweet chopped cherries INto ground chicken and make 'burgers' out of it? Anybody? Anybody? Bueller?
Now we have our dessert which is Coffee S'More Pie The recipe doesn't look too bad so this is probably one of those where she gets a little crazy with the booze since this recipe has coffee liqueur in it. Wow after seeing this on TV, it didn't look like Sandy poured in an outrageous amount of booze! Sandy are you feeling okay? I don't think she knows about chocolate graham crackers as she seems to think the chocolate graham cracker pie shells are different beyond the addition of chocolate. I loved watching her measuring out heaping spoons of cocoa with that big spoon from the silverware drawer instead of using a set of measuring spoons! There's other episodes where she goes on about the importance of correct measurements in baking but then she pulls this crap and her ever popular 'using the cap of the bottle of extract' instead of a measuring spoon. When we saw the unbaked pie in the oven, it looked all speckled like it wasn't mixed well before it was poured INto the graham cracker crust. What was that about? Uh Sandy, those are not the "teeny-tiny" marshmallows you proceeded to spill all over the baking sheet. The "teeny-tiny" ones are the ones like you find in some kinds of hot cocoa mix or cold cereal you brainless twit!
It's cocktail time, "the best part of the day"!!! Today she's making the Coco-Cafe Whistler. Lets see what we've got here. We've got 1 1/2 shots brandy, 1/2 shot creme de cacao, 1/2 shot peppermint schnapps, and 1 shot heavy cream in each serving if made as the recipe reads. So we've got two and a half shots of alcohol in each drink if made as the published recipe. As someone who rarely drinks I'd surely be under the table if I had even half a serving of the cocktail. I saw her make this and that sucker looked stronger than the written recipe to me!
Tablescape time!! There's no room left on the table for food! Oh wait, that's a good thing! Whoot! I didn't know that sane adults would soak tongue depressors in water and use toothpicks to make little skis and ski poles for each guest. I've obviously led a sheltered life.
"Can I just tell you" that fruit with poultry *can* actually be good? Heck, I even had a minor freakout right in the middle of the grocery store a few days before Christmas as there were no fresh cranberries in the produce department. I stopped by another grocery store and much to my delight, not only did they they have fresh cranberries, they even had two different sizes of bags! I'm sure the poor folks watching the security cameras were laughing hysterically at my reaction to seeing that they did have cranberries in the produce department. I ran over to the display, grabbed the biggest bag and clutched it to my chest hugging the cranberries and smiling like I'd been nipping at the wine over on the "drunk and disorderly" aisle. Oh well, it was probably more fun for them than having to watch the customers adjust their undies over in aisle four. *grins*
Anyhoo, let me get this train back on the tracks. Today, I cruised over to the Semi-Ho group over at TWOP, read some of the pre-show snark, and followed the link from TWOP to see the recipes that Sandy will be using today. Of course reading the recipes and seeing Sandy make them is a totally different thing altogether. There are even times when the recipe seems like it might okay until you see what she did with it on her show. I've switched the order around of the recipes from the website to match the order they were presented on the show.
First up we have Colorado Chili. Lets have a moment of silence for the citizens of Colorado who deserve better than this.
I feel your pain as she's performed culinary abominations to dishes popular in my home state. I am so bummed out that Sandy didn't do her whole dire warning about matter and anti-matter colliding if we don't preheat our slow cookers before adding hot food to it. Whoa there! Does drinking ginormous amounts of alcohol just completely burn off your tastebuds or what? I like spicy food but, Hells bells, Sandy three freakin' cans of green chiles?? I'm also not understanding why there is both
salt-free Mexican seasoning and chili powder in this recipe. It depends on the manufacturers recipe but, the two products I have linked duplicate some of the ingredients. Wouldn't it make more sense to *gasp* use individual spices so that you had complete control over what is added to the recipe? *smacks head* Forgive me for trying to use logic to make sense of this show! Now Sandy, could you pretend to start the chili/stew stuff earlier or do the old cooking show standby of pulling out a finished dish and saying here's one I made earlier? We saw you start it and tell us to cook it for 4-6 hours and then the same one is done before the show is over? If somebody gets to travel through time it better be me instead of Sandra Lee! I also see that Sandy used "pre-chopped" onions from the salad bar and "real" bacon bits which is different than her own recipe. We don't have any grocery stores with salad bars where I live.I guess I could visit a local buffet restaurant and buy some "pre-chopped" onions from them. *confused* Oh wait! I could buy an onion at the grocery store and chop it up myself. *looks horrified and faints*
Second dish is Balsamic Glazed Butternut Squash. Shouldn't that be Balsamic Vinegar Glazed Butternut Squash? Sandy just seemed a little too proud of herself for knowing what the main ingredients are in lemon pepper seasoning. Once again, I don't live in the big city so some of these Semi-Ho pre-whatever foods are foreign to me like the 20-ounce package peeled cubed butternut squash. Is it really that hard to wash and peel that puppy yourself?? Sorry, sorry, I keep forgetting she's the queen of the garlic "inajar".
Next we have the Chicken Cherry Baguette Burgers which is actually a recipe sent in by one of her fans or Fandras as the folks at TWOP call them. Okay, we have three items that include the word 'cherry, in this recipe. We have frozen cherries, sweet cherry peppers, and black cherry jam. First up, does the author of this recipe think that cherry peppers taste like cherries or is this more of the 'things that look alike must taste alike' logic we've come to expect from this program? The recipe doesn't say whether the frozen cherries are sweetened or unsweetened which is troublesome as there are different kinds of frozen cherries available especially to those who live in larger cities. On the show, Sandy says something about the sweet cherries being good with the ground chicken so I guess it's supposed to be sweet cherries? *confused* That burger mixture just looked vile, vile, vile! Sandy, forming burgers is not what I would call "fun". The "glamour shot" of the finished ones did look better but that is not saying much. I also just can't wrap my brain around mixing black cherry jam INto mayonnaise. My stomach is lurching now just contemplating it. Oh man, if I had a hangover, I'd definitely be sprinting to the bathroom about now. She didn't mention baking the bread from whack-a-dough like in the recipe. I don't understand why you would put that nasty mayonnaise mixture on the whole loaf before you slice it for the burgers. Perhaps she screwed up and they didn't re-shoot it? I'm seriously considering that one of the shrikes at TWOP sent that recipe in. I mean what sane person would mix sweet chopped cherries INto ground chicken and make 'burgers' out of it? Anybody? Anybody? Bueller?
Now we have our dessert which is Coffee S'More Pie The recipe doesn't look too bad so this is probably one of those where she gets a little crazy with the booze since this recipe has coffee liqueur in it. Wow after seeing this on TV, it didn't look like Sandy poured in an outrageous amount of booze! Sandy are you feeling okay? I don't think she knows about chocolate graham crackers as she seems to think the chocolate graham cracker pie shells are different beyond the addition of chocolate. I loved watching her measuring out heaping spoons of cocoa with that big spoon from the silverware drawer instead of using a set of measuring spoons! There's other episodes where she goes on about the importance of correct measurements in baking but then she pulls this crap and her ever popular 'using the cap of the bottle of extract' instead of a measuring spoon. When we saw the unbaked pie in the oven, it looked all speckled like it wasn't mixed well before it was poured INto the graham cracker crust. What was that about? Uh Sandy, those are not the "teeny-tiny" marshmallows you proceeded to spill all over the baking sheet. The "teeny-tiny" ones are the ones like you find in some kinds of hot cocoa mix or cold cereal you brainless twit!
It's cocktail time, "the best part of the day"!!! Today she's making the Coco-Cafe Whistler. Lets see what we've got here. We've got 1 1/2 shots brandy, 1/2 shot creme de cacao, 1/2 shot peppermint schnapps, and 1 shot heavy cream in each serving if made as the recipe reads. So we've got two and a half shots of alcohol in each drink if made as the published recipe. As someone who rarely drinks I'd surely be under the table if I had even half a serving of the cocktail. I saw her make this and that sucker looked stronger than the written recipe to me!
Tablescape time!! There's no room left on the table for food! Oh wait, that's a good thing! Whoot! I didn't know that sane adults would soak tongue depressors in water and use toothpicks to make little skis and ski poles for each guest. I've obviously led a sheltered life.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Pictures and assorted ramblings...
Went out to the meat lab and bought some more beef bacon, tenderized round steak, and summer sausage. Mr Hairball wanted to try the summer sausage so I got some of that. There is one really nice meat science professor who usually waits on us when we go out there and I always think of him as Dr. Bacon. *grins*
The round steak will be used for chicken fried steak, the beef bacon is for our Saturday brunches, and the summer sausage will be for Mr. Hairball's "party trays". He loves to make up a plate of munchies like olives, cheese, nuts, crackers, some kind of processed meat, etc... and calls it a "party tray".
I made a simple chicken stir-fry earlier in the week. Mr. Hairball doesn't like most cooked vegetables so he fished out all the chicken and ate that with some of the rice I made. He said it was good but, I sure wish I could get him to eat more cooked vegetables. He will eat small portions of certain roasted vegetables so in the summer, I pretend I'm Ina Garten and make roasted green beans or asparagus.
I'm tried out my 'new to me' bread machine, and it seems to work just fine. Mr. Hairball has requested that I make him some cranberry walnut bread so that is on the plan for next week. I'm thinking again about saving up for a grain mill as I've read about how freshly ground flour is more nutritious and that items made with such flour are mighty tasty.
We only have one piece of cake left so I think the next thing I bake will be Chocolate Dipped Orange Butter Cookies from Joanna's Kitchen. I ran into some good sales on butter so I'll use some of it up on some cookies.
Now from what I've been told, I should already be in the fetal position sobbing hysterically about the "birthday of doom" that I have coming up on 01/20/2009. The thing is I am as they say in my neck of the woods, "ornery" and just plain refuse to waste time gnashing my teeth about getting older as there is not a blessed thing I can do about it. You either get older or you die and I'm not ready to jump off this merry-go-round just yet. Every year I live I'm hopefully a little bit smarter than I was the year before.
There was a big sale on canned soup at the grocery store today. I had coupons so I really stocked up. I think 74 cans of soup should last us quite a long time! I also stocked up on peanut butter and frozen veggies. Knowing that I have lots of stuff squirreled away in the pantry and in my little freezer, means that I don't have an excuse to eat out on those nights when I'm sick or just don't feel like cooking. I think of it as "budget insurance" since stuff from my pantry or freezer is much cheaper than ordering pizza or going through the drive-through.
My MIL gave us an aerogarden for Christmas. Mr. Hairball is the gardener. One day we will have a real garden but, this is nice if you are in an apartment like we are.
This is the cat we adopted back in February of '98. She was pregnant when we adopted her.Twelve hours later, she had six kittens. It was a wild time trying to corral the kittens so that they didn't destroy the apartment while we were out. We found homes for the four boy kittens and kept Momma Cat and her two daughters. Sadly one of her daughters died in June of '08. Here's a picture of her. She is dearly missed.
This one is nicknamed Momma Cat Junior (MCJ) because she fawns all over Momma Cat just like Chester did to Spike in the old Merrie Melodies cartoon.
Momma Cat also smacks MCJ with her paw when she's had enough of her being in her face. I feel bad for MCJ but, it is also really funny as Momma Cat just has this look of complete exasperation on her face.
Hope everyone has a good weekend!
The round steak will be used for chicken fried steak, the beef bacon is for our Saturday brunches, and the summer sausage will be for Mr. Hairball's "party trays". He loves to make up a plate of munchies like olives, cheese, nuts, crackers, some kind of processed meat, etc... and calls it a "party tray".
I made a simple chicken stir-fry earlier in the week. Mr. Hairball doesn't like most cooked vegetables so he fished out all the chicken and ate that with some of the rice I made. He said it was good but, I sure wish I could get him to eat more cooked vegetables. He will eat small portions of certain roasted vegetables so in the summer, I pretend I'm Ina Garten and make roasted green beans or asparagus.
I'm tried out my 'new to me' bread machine, and it seems to work just fine. Mr. Hairball has requested that I make him some cranberry walnut bread so that is on the plan for next week. I'm thinking again about saving up for a grain mill as I've read about how freshly ground flour is more nutritious and that items made with such flour are mighty tasty.
We only have one piece of cake left so I think the next thing I bake will be Chocolate Dipped Orange Butter Cookies from Joanna's Kitchen. I ran into some good sales on butter so I'll use some of it up on some cookies.
Now from what I've been told, I should already be in the fetal position sobbing hysterically about the "birthday of doom" that I have coming up on 01/20/2009. The thing is I am as they say in my neck of the woods, "ornery" and just plain refuse to waste time gnashing my teeth about getting older as there is not a blessed thing I can do about it. You either get older or you die and I'm not ready to jump off this merry-go-round just yet. Every year I live I'm hopefully a little bit smarter than I was the year before.
There was a big sale on canned soup at the grocery store today. I had coupons so I really stocked up. I think 74 cans of soup should last us quite a long time! I also stocked up on peanut butter and frozen veggies. Knowing that I have lots of stuff squirreled away in the pantry and in my little freezer, means that I don't have an excuse to eat out on those nights when I'm sick or just don't feel like cooking. I think of it as "budget insurance" since stuff from my pantry or freezer is much cheaper than ordering pizza or going through the drive-through.
My MIL gave us an aerogarden for Christmas. Mr. Hairball is the gardener. One day we will have a real garden but, this is nice if you are in an apartment like we are.
This is the cat we adopted back in February of '98. She was pregnant when we adopted her.Twelve hours later, she had six kittens. It was a wild time trying to corral the kittens so that they didn't destroy the apartment while we were out. We found homes for the four boy kittens and kept Momma Cat and her two daughters. Sadly one of her daughters died in June of '08. Here's a picture of her. She is dearly missed.
This one is nicknamed Momma Cat Junior (MCJ) because she fawns all over Momma Cat just like Chester did to Spike in the old Merrie Melodies cartoon.
Momma Cat also smacks MCJ with her paw when she's had enough of her being in her face. I feel bad for MCJ but, it is also really funny as Momma Cat just has this look of complete exasperation on her face.
Hope everyone has a good weekend!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Rural Alaska needs you!
Please heed over to Mudflats to see how you can help the people of rural Alaska stay warm and fed this winter- Clicky
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Mama's Tacos and Tortilla Chips
This is the story I was told growing up that goes along with the recipe: Father Hairball was drafted into the Army in 1959 a few months after he and Mama Hairball were married. One of the places he and Mama Hairball lived during the Army years, was Germany. While there, Father and Mama Hairball befriended a young man of Hispanic heritage. The poor man was quite homesick for the tacos that his Mama used to make for him. He didn't cook, but had watched his Mama make them many times and thought he could instruct someone else to make them. A deal was soon struck that Mama Hairball would make the tacos for him in exchange for the recipe.
When Father and Mama Hairball returned to the states, Mama Hairball started making these tacos at gatherings. Everybody who had them was crazy about them. -Have you figured out yet that that my family likes to eat?
Mama's Tacos
I'm going to apologize in advance as this is one those recipes where I can't give exact measurements. Sorry!!
1 pound hamburger
18-20 corn tortillas
canola oil
spatula
paper towels
electric skillet or regular skillet ( if you have one skillet that is deeper than the others then please use that one!)
something lined with paper towels to hold the finished tacos
We will be using hot oil today so lets not emulate Sandra Lee and put on long flowing sleeves and let our hair down while making this, okay? I'm guessing on how many tacos I get out of a pound because I just pull out a stack of tortillas and whatever doesn't end up as tacos is fried up for chips. Tear off about five paper towels and use them to line your container for the finished tacos. If you don't have people coming into your kitchen and stealing them as soon as they are cool enough to handle, let them drain a bit, transfer them into an oven safe container, and keep in a low oven ~200F or so until you are ready to eat.
Divide your *raw* hamburger up into about 18-20 pieces. If you'd like to count I have 19 pieces in the bowl.
Then pat it out onto one half of your tortilla and repeat until you have used up all of your meat.
Add your oil to a large skillet until it is about 1/2 inch deep. Heat up your oil on medium high heat until a tortilla dropped into your oil sizzles and bubbles but the oil is not smoking. If your oil is smoking your heat is set too high so please turn it down. I'm making chips too so that's why the 'good sizzle' pic is of 1/4 of a tortilla.
Now **carefully** slide a tortilla into the hot oil meat side up and use your spatula to **carefully** flick some hot oil *away* from you onto the top of your tortilla. Let it fry for a few seconds and then **carefully** fold the side without meat on it over on the the meat side so it looks like wait for it....a taco. Once again **carefully** flick some oil on top of your taco or use your spatula to push it under the oil for a bit. Let the taco cook for a little while ( I know, I'm sorry!) and **carefully** flip it over and cook on the other side. When they are done, the edge of the meat will look dark reddish brown and the tortilla will be hard.
Here's a quick video I made that you may find helpful. Sadly, my inner Sandra Lee came out as I was addressing the taco. *blushes*
Cook as many at one time as your pan can handle and you feel safe attending to. Don't freak out if your tortilla tears or the meat falls out while cooking them. If you can get the meat back inside with your spatula do so and if not don't worry about it. Just fish it out and plop it on the tortilla it goes with in your holding area. Serve the tacos with whatever you like on your tacos.
Getting them open to put your preferred toppings on can be tricky. Mr. Hairball prefers to just break them open, put on some salt, sour cream, and taco sauce and replace the broken off piece, and turn it horizontal and eat it like a sandwich. If I'm careful, I can get them open enough to stuff in some cheese and whatever else looks good to me that day and eat them like people do normal tacos. It's up to you as to what method you prefer.
If you have any leftover tacos, reheat them on a sheet pan in a 350F degree oven for about 10 minutes. You know how ovens can vary so keep an eye on them so they don't burn! Open up the oven and if you hear sizzling, they are probably done.
Tortilla Chips
tortillas
skillet or electric skillet
hot oil
spatula
paper towels
sheet pan or other container
Take your tortillas and fold or tear them into quarters. (If you want to cut them so they look all pretty then knock yourself out.) ***Carefully*** add several chips to your oil and fry on each side for about a minute or so. Remove from oil with your spatula and place on your paper towel lined containment vessel.
I apologize that this picture is so blurry. Please just try to focus on the color of the chip for reference. Sprinkle your hot chips with salt, garlic salt, etc... if desired. Serve with salsa, guacamole, etc..
Enjoy!
When Father and Mama Hairball returned to the states, Mama Hairball started making these tacos at gatherings. Everybody who had them was crazy about them. -Have you figured out yet that that my family likes to eat?
Mama's Tacos
I'm going to apologize in advance as this is one those recipes where I can't give exact measurements. Sorry!!
1 pound hamburger
18-20 corn tortillas
canola oil
spatula
paper towels
electric skillet or regular skillet ( if you have one skillet that is deeper than the others then please use that one!)
something lined with paper towels to hold the finished tacos
We will be using hot oil today so lets not emulate Sandra Lee and put on long flowing sleeves and let our hair down while making this, okay? I'm guessing on how many tacos I get out of a pound because I just pull out a stack of tortillas and whatever doesn't end up as tacos is fried up for chips. Tear off about five paper towels and use them to line your container for the finished tacos. If you don't have people coming into your kitchen and stealing them as soon as they are cool enough to handle, let them drain a bit, transfer them into an oven safe container, and keep in a low oven ~200F or so until you are ready to eat.
Divide your *raw* hamburger up into about 18-20 pieces. If you'd like to count I have 19 pieces in the bowl.
Then pat it out onto one half of your tortilla and repeat until you have used up all of your meat.
Add your oil to a large skillet until it is about 1/2 inch deep. Heat up your oil on medium high heat until a tortilla dropped into your oil sizzles and bubbles but the oil is not smoking. If your oil is smoking your heat is set too high so please turn it down. I'm making chips too so that's why the 'good sizzle' pic is of 1/4 of a tortilla.
Now **carefully** slide a tortilla into the hot oil meat side up and use your spatula to **carefully** flick some hot oil *away* from you onto the top of your tortilla. Let it fry for a few seconds and then **carefully** fold the side without meat on it over on the the meat side so it looks like wait for it....a taco. Once again **carefully** flick some oil on top of your taco or use your spatula to push it under the oil for a bit. Let the taco cook for a little while ( I know, I'm sorry!) and **carefully** flip it over and cook on the other side. When they are done, the edge of the meat will look dark reddish brown and the tortilla will be hard.
Here's a quick video I made that you may find helpful. Sadly, my inner Sandra Lee came out as I was addressing the taco. *blushes*
Cook as many at one time as your pan can handle and you feel safe attending to. Don't freak out if your tortilla tears or the meat falls out while cooking them. If you can get the meat back inside with your spatula do so and if not don't worry about it. Just fish it out and plop it on the tortilla it goes with in your holding area. Serve the tacos with whatever you like on your tacos.
Getting them open to put your preferred toppings on can be tricky. Mr. Hairball prefers to just break them open, put on some salt, sour cream, and taco sauce and replace the broken off piece, and turn it horizontal and eat it like a sandwich. If I'm careful, I can get them open enough to stuff in some cheese and whatever else looks good to me that day and eat them like people do normal tacos. It's up to you as to what method you prefer.
If you have any leftover tacos, reheat them on a sheet pan in a 350F degree oven for about 10 minutes. You know how ovens can vary so keep an eye on them so they don't burn! Open up the oven and if you hear sizzling, they are probably done.
Tortilla Chips
tortillas
skillet or electric skillet
hot oil
spatula
paper towels
sheet pan or other container
Take your tortillas and fold or tear them into quarters. (If you want to cut them so they look all pretty then knock yourself out.) ***Carefully*** add several chips to your oil and fry on each side for about a minute or so. Remove from oil with your spatula and place on your paper towel lined containment vessel.
I apologize that this picture is so blurry. Please just try to focus on the color of the chip for reference. Sprinkle your hot chips with salt, garlic salt, etc... if desired. Serve with salsa, guacamole, etc..
Enjoy!
Sandra Lee again...
I want to talk a little more about Sandra Lee and some of the reasons why she drives me bonkers.
Like most people, I do use convenience products in some of my recipes and even have some frozen rising crust pizza in my freezer right now. *the horror!* Does that make me a hypocrite? I don't think so because:
A) I never pretend that I made something from scratch when it's not. I'll tell you straight up that it's frozen pizza, I used store bought bread, etc... In other words, I don't try to "take all the credit" if I didn't do the work.
B) When I use a convenience product, I always try to use it in a logical manner. For instance I have a very simple beef brisket recipe from Mama Hairball where you sprinkle some powdered onion soup mix over the brisket, cover it with foil and bake it in the oven. I don't buy apple pies,
cheesecakes or canned frosting and then try to turn them into something else.
C)When Sandra Lee spouts off about how buying all those seasoning packets and mixes saves you money, I really see red. ( I'm not talking to those of you who live in double or triple coupon land and are skilled couponers/sale shoppers who routinely get stuff for free or almost free.) The average shopper is going to spend more money over time if they rely heavily on the boxes, mixes, and pouches versus learning to make their own. Sandra uses math that focuses exclusively on what she spends today instead of overall spending to make her point. Yes, a five pound bag of flour (when it's not a loss leader item) at the grocery store *will* cost more than a box of cake mix but, you can make a lot more than one cake with that five pounds of flour. One seasoning packet does cost less than five or six bottles of spices but, how many meals can you get out of those five or six bottles versus the seasoning packet??
How the food looks and tastes is much more important to me than "tablescapes" and redecorating my kitchen and myself to coordinate with the food. I think some fresh flowers and pretty plates are a lovely accent to a good meal but, "tablescapes" can never make up for a substandard meal.
My "tablescapes" are more on the order of asking Mr. Hairball to please take the mail off the table and scoot the lamp down to the end so we have room to eat. In other words no chairs on the table!
Lastly, her unrestrained glee over her cocktails is just disturbing to me. She never thinks that some of her adult guests might want an nonalcoholic beverage instead of her drunken delights.
Like most people, I do use convenience products in some of my recipes and even have some frozen rising crust pizza in my freezer right now. *the horror!* Does that make me a hypocrite? I don't think so because:
A) I never pretend that I made something from scratch when it's not. I'll tell you straight up that it's frozen pizza, I used store bought bread, etc... In other words, I don't try to "take all the credit" if I didn't do the work.
B) When I use a convenience product, I always try to use it in a logical manner. For instance I have a very simple beef brisket recipe from Mama Hairball where you sprinkle some powdered onion soup mix over the brisket, cover it with foil and bake it in the oven. I don't buy apple pies,
cheesecakes or canned frosting and then try to turn them into something else.
C)When Sandra Lee spouts off about how buying all those seasoning packets and mixes saves you money, I really see red. ( I'm not talking to those of you who live in double or triple coupon land and are skilled couponers/sale shoppers who routinely get stuff for free or almost free.) The average shopper is going to spend more money over time if they rely heavily on the boxes, mixes, and pouches versus learning to make their own. Sandra uses math that focuses exclusively on what she spends today instead of overall spending to make her point. Yes, a five pound bag of flour (when it's not a loss leader item) at the grocery store *will* cost more than a box of cake mix but, you can make a lot more than one cake with that five pounds of flour. One seasoning packet does cost less than five or six bottles of spices but, how many meals can you get out of those five or six bottles versus the seasoning packet??
How the food looks and tastes is much more important to me than "tablescapes" and redecorating my kitchen and myself to coordinate with the food. I think some fresh flowers and pretty plates are a lovely accent to a good meal but, "tablescapes" can never make up for a substandard meal.
My "tablescapes" are more on the order of asking Mr. Hairball to please take the mail off the table and scoot the lamp down to the end so we have room to eat. In other words no chairs on the table!
Lastly, her unrestrained glee over her cocktails is just disturbing to me. She never thinks that some of her adult guests might want an nonalcoholic beverage instead of her drunken delights.
Mama's Enchiladas
No pics yet for the following recipes.
Mama's Red Enchiladas
2 lbs hamburger
2 19oz cans mild red enchilada sauce or the homemade equivalent
1 lb grated sharp cheddar cheese
6-8 tortillas
garlic powder
onion powder
Brown hamburger and garlic and season as desired with onion powder and garlic powder. ( Feel free to use real garlic and onion here. Mama Hairball was feeding some picky folks who didn't like the texture of onion and garlic in their food!) Drain hamburger and set aside. In a large baking dish,(9x13 or so) tear up the corn tortillas into quarters and put half in the bottom of the baking dish. Cover the tortillas with 1/2 the hamburger and 1/2 the cheese. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and hamburger but not the cheese. Pour the enchilada sauce over the layers in the bakng pan and top with the remaining cheese. Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Mama's Green Enchiladas
This is comfort food for me so no cracks about the Velveeta and canned soup please!
2 lbs hamburger
2 lbs Velveeta
1 lb grated sharp cheddar
1 10.75 oz can of cream of mushroom soup
1 5 oz can of evaporated milk
1 4 oz jar of pimentos
2 4.5 oz cans of green chiles
6-8 corn tortillas
Garlic powder and onion* See above recipe
Brown hamburger and season as desired with onion powder and garlic powder. Drain hamburger and set aside. Cut up 2/3rds of the Velveeta into cubes and place in top of a double boiler with the cream of mushroom soup and evaporated milk and stir and let melt until smooth. Then add pimentos and green chiles and stir well.(This was written before microwaves were common so you could do this part in the microwave just watch it carefully.)In a large baking dish (9x13 or so) tear up the corn tortillas into quarters and put half in the bottom of the baking dish. Cover the tortillas with 1/2 the hamburger and 1/2 the sharp cheese. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, hamburger and the sharp cheese. Carefully pour the melted cheese mixture on top of the layers in the baking pan. Cover baking pan with aluminum foil and bake in oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Mama's Red Enchiladas
2 lbs hamburger
2 19oz cans mild red enchilada sauce or the homemade equivalent
1 lb grated sharp cheddar cheese
6-8 tortillas
garlic powder
onion powder
Brown hamburger and garlic and season as desired with onion powder and garlic powder. ( Feel free to use real garlic and onion here. Mama Hairball was feeding some picky folks who didn't like the texture of onion and garlic in their food!) Drain hamburger and set aside. In a large baking dish,(9x13 or so) tear up the corn tortillas into quarters and put half in the bottom of the baking dish. Cover the tortillas with 1/2 the hamburger and 1/2 the cheese. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and hamburger but not the cheese. Pour the enchilada sauce over the layers in the bakng pan and top with the remaining cheese. Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Mama's Green Enchiladas
This is comfort food for me so no cracks about the Velveeta and canned soup please!
2 lbs hamburger
2 lbs Velveeta
1 lb grated sharp cheddar
1 10.75 oz can of cream of mushroom soup
1 5 oz can of evaporated milk
1 4 oz jar of pimentos
2 4.5 oz cans of green chiles
6-8 corn tortillas
Garlic powder and onion* See above recipe
Brown hamburger and season as desired with onion powder and garlic powder. Drain hamburger and set aside. Cut up 2/3rds of the Velveeta into cubes and place in top of a double boiler with the cream of mushroom soup and evaporated milk and stir and let melt until smooth. Then add pimentos and green chiles and stir well.(This was written before microwaves were common so you could do this part in the microwave just watch it carefully.)In a large baking dish (9x13 or so) tear up the corn tortillas into quarters and put half in the bottom of the baking dish. Cover the tortillas with 1/2 the hamburger and 1/2 the sharp cheese. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, hamburger and the sharp cheese. Carefully pour the melted cheese mixture on top of the layers in the baking pan. Cover baking pan with aluminum foil and bake in oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)