This poor blog is going to be neglected for the next 6 to 8 weeks. We have to make a trip home to Wisconsin to spend so time with my 87 year old Mother who was recently in an auto accident. I will blog when I can but probably won't be much.....but will be back strong the end of October!!!
Also does anyone have any idea how to get rid of the spammers that leave numerous comments that have to be deleted daily??? They are driving me wild. And what they write in unintelligible. All they do is leave a list of web address-at least that is what I think they are.
None of it in English. Does anyone know how to get rid of them???
Would appreciate any and all help with that!!
Mary
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Pork Roast
The other day we grilled a pork roast. I have several rubs in the cupboard but am interested in experimenting with different seasonings. So I decided to come up with my own rub.
This is the "naked" roast.
Here I am applying my rub.......
Here is the roast and if I do say so myself, it tasted pretty good!!
This is what I used in my rub:
1/4 teaspoon Mrs. Dash table blend, 1/8 t paprika, 1/4 t tumeric, 1/8 t ground mustard, a spinkle of tarragon, and a sprinkle of dried basil leaves.
My winter project will be to learn more about herbs and spices and how to use them to enhance dishes. Ought to be interesting!
This is the "naked" roast.
Here I am applying my rub.......
Here is the roast and if I do say so myself, it tasted pretty good!!
This is what I used in my rub:
1/4 teaspoon Mrs. Dash table blend, 1/8 t paprika, 1/4 t tumeric, 1/8 t ground mustard, a spinkle of tarragon, and a sprinkle of dried basil leaves.
My winter project will be to learn more about herbs and spices and how to use them to enhance dishes. Ought to be interesting!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Pickle Pak
What's new in the world of pickles???
Yup, pickles have gone the way of pudding, jello, and fruit.....little indivual pickle paks!! I had a coupon for Mt. Olive pickles so decided to get the paks. Mostly because they amused me. Don't ask me why....just one of those days I guess!
Aren't they cute?? You can eat the whole container for 10 calories. Now that is what I call "figure friendly"!
Yup, pickles have gone the way of pudding, jello, and fruit.....little indivual pickle paks!! I had a coupon for Mt. Olive pickles so decided to get the paks. Mostly because they amused me. Don't ask me why....just one of those days I guess!
Aren't they cute?? You can eat the whole container for 10 calories. Now that is what I call "figure friendly"!
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Thai Shrimp Gyoza
At Trader Joe's the other day I was looking through the frozen food section and found Thai Shrimp Gyoza. It sounded good so I decided to try them.
You can pan fry, steam, or microwave these. I chose to steam them.
Here they are in the steamer. They taste like egg rolls, which I really like.
These are the entree I made the other day to go with the Thai Shrimp Gyoza. Have you ever seen those bacon wrapped small fillets at the the store? That is what is in these puff pastry bundles. Sort of my take on Beef Wellington.
To avoid the pastry becoming soggy on the bottom, I just cut the bottom out. It was the best solution I could think of to avoid "soggy bottom".
Here is the "Beef Wellington" and steamed Thai Shrimp Gyoza. It was all pretty good...I will try this again!!
You can pan fry, steam, or microwave these. I chose to steam them.
Here they are in the steamer. They taste like egg rolls, which I really like.
These are the entree I made the other day to go with the Thai Shrimp Gyoza. Have you ever seen those bacon wrapped small fillets at the the store? That is what is in these puff pastry bundles. Sort of my take on Beef Wellington.
To avoid the pastry becoming soggy on the bottom, I just cut the bottom out. It was the best solution I could think of to avoid "soggy bottom".
Here is the "Beef Wellington" and steamed Thai Shrimp Gyoza. It was all pretty good...I will try this again!!
Friday, August 22, 2008
Trader Joe's
A day off and a trip to Trader Joe's!!!!! What could be better than that?? I am feeling a little sad because we will soon be heading South for the winter and there isn't a Trader Joe's in Bullhead City. Sure wish they would correct that oversight!
Trader Joe's puts out a flyer every other month. This is the current issue. As you can see, it is emphasizing "dinner-in-a-hurry" options. The flyer is 15 pages and showcases several products they sell. Trader Joe's does not have "sale" items, instead they charge "reasonable" prices each and every day. And to be perfectly honest, I have found that they do have very reasonable prices. At least I surely haven't found anything outrageously expensive.
Like a lot of other retailers these days, Trader Joe's is on the "eco-friendly" bandwagon. They have reusable shopping bag options. Not only are they reusable, they are cool looking and fun. The shopping bag in the middle is priced at 99 cents and just plain fun looking. The two bags on the sides are both insulated. The black and red one has a five quart capacity and keeps cold foods fresh for up to 5 hours, more if you put ice packs in it. Is is the first insulated bag they offered, as far as I know and was 5.99 when I bought it. That one is no longer available. The blue and black one is their new style and has an 8 quart capacity. I like the squared corners, it not only holds more but it is easier to pack. I just bought this one today for 6.99 which I think is a good price for it.
This is my very long commercial for Trader Joe's today!!
Trader Joe's puts out a flyer every other month. This is the current issue. As you can see, it is emphasizing "dinner-in-a-hurry" options. The flyer is 15 pages and showcases several products they sell. Trader Joe's does not have "sale" items, instead they charge "reasonable" prices each and every day. And to be perfectly honest, I have found that they do have very reasonable prices. At least I surely haven't found anything outrageously expensive.
Like a lot of other retailers these days, Trader Joe's is on the "eco-friendly" bandwagon. They have reusable shopping bag options. Not only are they reusable, they are cool looking and fun. The shopping bag in the middle is priced at 99 cents and just plain fun looking. The two bags on the sides are both insulated. The black and red one has a five quart capacity and keeps cold foods fresh for up to 5 hours, more if you put ice packs in it. Is is the first insulated bag they offered, as far as I know and was 5.99 when I bought it. That one is no longer available. The blue and black one is their new style and has an 8 quart capacity. I like the squared corners, it not only holds more but it is easier to pack. I just bought this one today for 6.99 which I think is a good price for it.
This is my very long commercial for Trader Joe's today!!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Peachy Cake
Today was a day off so we decided to bake something in the Dutch Oven. Since we had some fresh peaches, they had to be the main ingredient...
I just sliced three medium peaches, sprinkled them with cinnamon and nutmeg, then made a simple syrup with brown sugar. Those little squares are butter....everything tastes better with a little butter!!! Just ask Paula Deen!!
To make life easier, I used this mix to put on top of the peaches, the only adjustment I made was to puree a peach to add to the mix and omit the oil. Otherwise, I followed the package directions.
Spread the batter over the peaches and sprinkle it with the cinnamon streusel packet. Then place the cake in the Dutch Oven.
Here is the Dutch Oven in the Volcano being baked with charcoal. This is one way to keep the kitchen cool on hot summer days!!
This is what I ended up with. It was good but if I make it again, instead of using a simple syrup, I would use brown sugar and to make a caramel sauce. But just sitting out on the patio and fooling around with the Dutch Oven made for a nice summer afternoon!!
I just sliced three medium peaches, sprinkled them with cinnamon and nutmeg, then made a simple syrup with brown sugar. Those little squares are butter....everything tastes better with a little butter!!! Just ask Paula Deen!!
To make life easier, I used this mix to put on top of the peaches, the only adjustment I made was to puree a peach to add to the mix and omit the oil. Otherwise, I followed the package directions.
Spread the batter over the peaches and sprinkle it with the cinnamon streusel packet. Then place the cake in the Dutch Oven.
Here is the Dutch Oven in the Volcano being baked with charcoal. This is one way to keep the kitchen cool on hot summer days!!
This is what I ended up with. It was good but if I make it again, instead of using a simple syrup, I would use brown sugar and to make a caramel sauce. But just sitting out on the patio and fooling around with the Dutch Oven made for a nice summer afternoon!!
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Tofu
Like millions of other Americans, I have weight issues...so I routinely look for a vegetarian main dish to make on occasion. So what am I going to do with these ingredients?
I am going to try a new main dish: "Seared Tofu with Garlic, Swiss Chard, and Pine Nuts". I got that beautiful Swiss chard at the Farmer's Market on Tuesday.
Step one is to toast the pine nuts until they are golden brown.
Step two is to coat firm tofu in soy sauce and pepper, and sear in olive oil until golden about 2 minutes on each side. I used lemon infused olive oil to give it a little more flavor.
Next step is to saute the garlic about two minutes, add the chard and cook until it is wilted. That takes about 30 seconds.
This is what the finished dish lookes like, fried tofu on a bed of Swiss chard topped with pine nuts!! And it was really tasty!!
Here is the complete ingredient list. I got this recipe from the Weight Watcher's website.
Ingredients:
4 teaspoons pine nuts
1 tablespoon soy sauce 1/2 teaspoon pepper
8 ounces firm tofu, drained, and sliced crosswise into 1/2 inch thick slices
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
6 Cups Swiss Chard
I am going to try a new main dish: "Seared Tofu with Garlic, Swiss Chard, and Pine Nuts". I got that beautiful Swiss chard at the Farmer's Market on Tuesday.
Step one is to toast the pine nuts until they are golden brown.
Step two is to coat firm tofu in soy sauce and pepper, and sear in olive oil until golden about 2 minutes on each side. I used lemon infused olive oil to give it a little more flavor.
Next step is to saute the garlic about two minutes, add the chard and cook until it is wilted. That takes about 30 seconds.
This is what the finished dish lookes like, fried tofu on a bed of Swiss chard topped with pine nuts!! And it was really tasty!!
Here is the complete ingredient list. I got this recipe from the Weight Watcher's website.
Ingredients:
4 teaspoons pine nuts
1 tablespoon soy sauce 1/2 teaspoon pepper
8 ounces firm tofu, drained, and sliced crosswise into 1/2 inch thick slices
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
6 Cups Swiss Chard
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