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Friday, July 30, 2010

Cookies, Curry, and Zucchini

     Today was a fun day.  We had a project that needed some chocolate chip cookies (don't you love it when there is a need for those?!?) so the chefs and I whipped up a batch in no time flat.... kind of.  Chef Turbo enjoy measuring out the flour,  and Sous Chef Squeaker enjoyed playing with the salt shaker.  Thankfully,  the salt shaker had a lid on it,  otherwise the butter/sugar mixture would have had lots of Sous Chef love in it!  What did I enjoy?  Just the fact that I was eating chocolate.  Yum!


   Made some of my our favorite curry tonight.  This is the best tasting store bought curry.   Sadly, we will have to limit how much we eat this since we are switching to a "Real Foods" lifestyle.  Look at these lovely ingredents!   Funny thing is,  My Beloved was desiring this on his way home.  I'm glad I was making it!! Nothing like filling your mans stomach with something he loves.  The side dish on the other hand was not something that he even desired tasting.






Sauteed Zucchini with Lemon and Parsley pp.370
      I decided today was a good day to teach Chef Turbo how to safley handle knives.  As Chef Turbo and I were cutting away (safley) at the zucchini,  Sous Chef Squeaker grabbed a "Big Daddy Spoon", pulled up a stool, and started poking, prodding,  I dunno, you fill in the word,  he was doing that to the left over ends of the zucchini.   We let the zucchini soak for a long time and then made dinner.  I enjoyed this side dish,  although the boys (and My Beloved) did not.


It's Friday... which means... LINKY LOVE! 
Through out the week,  I am crawling through the web finding great sites to share with you all.  This is also my way of loving my Facebook friends by not always posting links as I find them.  So, this weeks love goes out to...

  1. Whoochies!  You have to read the blog post to find out more.  It's a great read :D
  2. Make your own potato chips:
  3. I would not use the canola oil,  prob. olive oil,  but this is a great recipe idea!
  4. Make some penguin appetizers!! I'm all about penguins :D
  5. Travel to Poland and read about these sandwiches
  6. You might be a real foodie if….
  7. Coke Float?  How about in a cupcake with a side of some awesome photography?

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Wordless Wednesday #4 Bye Bye Ganoush...


     Did you take a food picture for Wordless Wed?  Leave a link here first and then leave your link below so I can see it too! :D

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Monday, July 26, 2010

Mashed Potatoes? I think not!

From chicken feet to turnips,  I have had quite the day....

     So, My Beloved and I are trying to wake up earlier to work out and get our day started.  We somewhat sucessed this morning.  He got up (YAY!),  but I got very little sleep.  So I dozed for a few more min.  Sadly,  his workout was loud enough to wake up the little chefs,  so I did not get my quiet morning as I was hoping for.  We'll be working on that.

   I made My Beloved a bento style lunch.  But sadly his work had a special lunch for their employees and so my lunch got forgotten.  Oh well,  I shall try again tomorrow :D.

   I made some more chicken feet broth (it's still cooking) and it tastes wonderful!   I made some chicken and dumplings with some of the broth.  It's great to know all the health benefits we are getting out of that little meal,  and for a good price too!  I added to my dumplings some rosemary and parsley from my garden.  It was so nice to just hop out there and snag some.

    

Pureed Turnips pp.344
    Tonight I made, basically, mashed turnips (with one potato).  It was very good and had more life to it than regular mashed potatoes.  I had to add more fluid to it because I underestimated the tenderness of the turnips.   I really enjoyed this,  but when Sous Chef Squeaker took a bite,  he spit it out again.  I think I need to have some gravy next time for this dish.

Something I was thinking about when I was eating these, was about the people who eat mashed cauliflower instead of mashed potatoes.  From this site I found this information:

Potatoes

  • 1 cup raw cubed (150 grams) - 22 grams of carbohydrate plus 2 grams fiber
  • 1 cup boiled and mashed (145 grams) - 29 grams carb, 3 grams fiber

Turnips

  • 1 cup raw chopped (130 grams) - 6 grams of carbohydrate plus 2 grams fiber
  • 1 cup boiled and mashed (230 grams) - 7 grams carb, 5 grams fiber 
   Looks like having the majority being turnips is a much better choice.  Now how about vitamins??
This site  and this site has some interesting information on Turnips and nutrition. 
 




Friday, July 23, 2010

Just a little love...

I've been sick since yesterday,  hence reason why there is no post,  but writing out my linky loves is a lot easier for me to do,  and I can sit.  So here they are! 

1) Great reasons why to make bone broth.   I highly suggest getting rid of the bullion cubes :D

2) More bone broth awesomeness from another perspective.

3) Homemade dips!

4) Homemade refrigerator jam, for the faint in heart when it comes to canning (like myself).  Looks wonderful,  I cannot wait to make some :D.


5)  A lesson learned about using live lobsters.  Great story!

I should be back to normal on Monday!  I'm skipping the farmers market tomorrow to get more rest, so I'll have to find the Tuesday farmers market,  we'll see how that all goes!  Pray that our family gets over this wonderful summer cold bug soon. 

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Wordless Wednesday


     Did you take a food picture for wordless Wed?  Leave a link here first and then leave your link below so I can see it too! :D

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Tuesday-Video Blog



Sorry about how the video looks.  I am not sure how to upload it better to youtube.

Monday, July 19, 2010

A Baking Day

I took today off so that I could focus on baking.  My plan was to try a new way of baking (to me), but it is more of an ancient way of baking (and it's supposedly healthier too!).  I soaked my flour! 

  I had some successes and some failures.  I really have no idea what I am doing yet.  I am the "learn by doing" kind of person.  While I am bummed I wasted a few cups of flour,  it's going to be worth it in the end once I get this figured out.

Last night I started by planning out 6 things I wanted to bake.  Preztles, Bread, muffins, pasties, pigs-in-a blanket dough, and hamburger buns.  I placed the doughs in individual buckets with labels and stuck them in my warm oven overnight.  I made all the doughs either with keifer, buttermilk, or coconut milk and lemon juice.  The acid in these items are supposed to help do the overnight magic of either breaking down the gluten or philets molecules.

   After my normal afternoon routine was completed,  I started with the baking marathon.  Let's just say, if the pretzels had worked out,  I would still be in the kitchen now.  The muffins, bread, and pigs-in-a-blanket worked.  Everything else did not.  I have lots to learn,  but I look forward to trying again, this time with less to bake.

<-- Pigs-in-a-blanket with normal sized hotdogs inside.

Friday, July 16, 2010

Butternut Squash is awesome

This soup took lots of preparation, but was worth it in the end...


     Before you all ask,  let me tell you, that the farmer was growing this in the summer.  I even asked him,  "Isn't this a winter squash?" apparently since they have way longer growing seasons down here,  things can come at different times,  except for apples, because it is just too hot for apples down here, and that makes this northern gal a wee bit depressed.  Anyways...
    It took me a while to cut, de-seed, and peel all three butternut squashes.  Then I had to peel and cut both a few potatoes and an apple.  Except for the potatoes,  that was a lot of extra scrap for the compost bin (which made it's first bit of dirt the other day!).   I did not have any fresh ginger on hand, so I used the dried stuff in my cupboard.  I also lacked coriander,  so I used a mixture (1:1 ratio) of cinnamon and nutmeg.    Since it is not fall,  and there are NO apple orchards around here,  I also substituted apple juice for apple cider.  I know the cider would have made a major difference.  Since I am on this whole dialogue on substituting,  I am now officially substituting the olive oil and any other oils with either Ghee or Coconut oil.  I have put on too much weight cooking through this cook book (and also because of my poor eating habits...).

   The result was a great tasting soup that even the kids enjoyed.  It was just a wee bit on the grainy side.  Does anyone know if a soup like this would freeze well??  I had about 4 cups of it left over.

I decorated it with a few of it's own seeds that I roasted in the oven (along with some walnuts!). 





Now for Friday Linky Love! 
  1. http://www.fabfrugalfood.com/frugal-tips/fab-frugal-friday-make-your-own-budget-spiced-chips/  Make your own chips and save money!!
  2. http://anneelliott.com/blog/?p=1696&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+anneelliott+%28anneelliott%29&utm_content=Google+Reader-- a great on saving money while eating healthy.
  3. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/14/cookbooks-you-didnt-know_n_642256.html#s107371  -- a friend pointed me to this article,  I thought it was so funny I had to share it with you all too! 
  4. http://whiskthepantry.blogspot.com/2010/07/apricot-jam-thumbprints-carrot-cake.html -- I want to make the carrot cake cookies!
  5. http://www.amanda.fakeginger.com/?p=1213  Quinoa Granola, on my to-do list to make! :D

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Excuse me as I run and gag...

 Stewed Peppers with Tomato and Onion pp. 251

Tonight was a complete bust.  I enjoyed cutting up my sweet peppers and everything,  but our family is just not into tomatoes, peppers, and onion.  That is what made this whole side dish.  Not only that, but I spent 2 hours cooking and preparing dinner (with breaks of course) and no one really liked it.  That happens!

   It turned out really pretty and it smelled good too.  But I only licked it and that is as far into my mouth as it went.  I figured you all would get on my case if I did not try it.  Blech.

   Tomorrow is Linky Love Friday!! I've been collecting a few links for you all to "Feast" your eyes  on :D.

Gnite!

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Maple-Braised Turnips and Carrots pp.343 YUMMY!!


Did you take a food picture for wordless Wed?  Leave a link here first and then leave your link below so I can see it too! :D

Reminiscent of Borscht

Monday, July 12, 2010

O-o-o-okra...homa

Well,  fried okra is a southern thing.  I love fried okra,  so I met this recipe head on with great expectations.  Sadly, sometimes great expectations can lead to great disappointment.

Cornmeal-Crusted Okra pp.227

    I went to the farmers market this time with out a list made ahead.  It was a good thing because I do not remember seeing any green beans and I have yet to see broccoli.  I cannot wait to eat some local fresh broccoli.   I knew I had a few more recipes left in the okra chapter,  so I bought two things of okra and I planned for tonight and tomorrow night to be dedicated to okra.  Tomorrow is a video blog btw!

     One of my favorite ways to eat okra is fried.  Mrs. H got me started when she served us fried okra on the night we visited her family.  Of course,  no ones fried okra compares to hers!  Thankfully Mr. Bishop included salt in the ingredients,  to which was a relief to me because restaurants in the area has very bland fried okra.  I wonder if I am supposed to dip it in something down here?

    Chef Turbo was excited to help.  He took out his butter knife and began to "chop" up one okra.  After I finished chopping up the rest, he helped put them in the bag full of cornmeal and then he happily shook it up.   Of course, a four year olds thoughts of shaking something up is different from an adults idea of how it is supposed to be done,  so I had to do some augmenting afterwords.


Here's the depressing part:  Just recently I successfully fried something (I think it was fish).  It came out perfectly!  What helped was the book "How to Read a French Fry".  It explained the science behind frying.  Well,  Mr. Bishop did not have me do a pre-coating on the okra (and how would I on pieces that small).  I just shook up the pieces and voila! In the hot oil it went.  Instead of becoming instantly crisp,  the oil all but fell off.  That was a major disappointment for me.  The only thing I can think of is that the oil was not hot enough to crisp the batter on.

RESULTS:
It was really good.  The kids (who never eat the restaurant okra) inhaled my okra.  The texture was still great despite the lack of cornbread coating.  I think the extra salt helped.

Saturday, July 3, 2010

What to expect...

Time for a Break...
It's about time I took a little vacation from blogging.  I've been posting an average of about 6 posts a week since April.  I need to spend a little family time not blogging for a few days.

What to look for when I come back??

1) Video Blogging Tuesdays
Instead of writing out my post,  I will make a video with pictures of the recipe I made from Mr. Bishops Cookbook.
2) Wordless Wed.
I try to convey my feelings of the dish without words.  We'll have a game to see who can guess if I liked it or not.
3) Link Love Fridays
Throughout the week I come across some really fun finds on the internet.  I will share this links with you on Fridays after I post my review. 
4) and Farmers Market Finds Saturdays!
I want to see pictures of what you find at the Farmers Market.  No matter what day of the week you go, there will be a Linky set up so you can post a link to the blog post you wrote about your day at the Farmers Market.  Remember,  Try to "Buy Fresh and Buy Local"!!

Last but not least,  I am planning a giveaway when I reach my 100th post.  When I get to post 90, I'll have to share more information about that :D.

Looking forward to seeing you all starting again on Monday, July 12th!
Happy 4th of July!

Friday, July 2, 2010

Whole Heads of Roast Garlice with Grilled Bread pp.167

Moldy Garlic
     Sometimes life throws disappointments your way,  but there is always another way,  or just substitutions.  Thankfully I had some garlic in the refrigerator, but I was trying to keep my garlic in the pantry closet in a basket.  Apparently, somehow my garlic was too moist and it became moldy on me.   How do you store your garlic?  Is it store bought or farmers market bought?

Store Garlic Saves the Day
     I have had this in my fridge for a few weeks now.  I decided to use it because it was not growing anything (mold or greenery).  Mr. Bishops directions on how to prepare the garlic, was unusual to me.  I needed to keep enough skin on to keep the cloves from falling off,  and then I needed to cut the tops off for some reason I do not understand.  I have no idea on how to research, or what in the world I did.



Smells
     It smelled weird cooking.  That might have been because this was not a fresh bunch of garlic.  The smell was almost not that pleasant and it freaked me out the first time I smelled it, because that was not what I was expecting.   It all worked.



Results
     IT tasted ok,  but there was not much flavor.  I was supposed to just squeeze these onto the bread,  but I think I took them out too soon.  If only I knew the science behind what was supposed to happen here!  I think it needed more salt too...



 Friday Link Love!
     Things I discovered on the Internet while goofing off this week:
1) Grow your own celery from the celery you bought at the store.  Best done in late winter!
http://providence-acres.blogspot.com/2010/06/regrowing-celery.html
2) Need something refreshing to drink this summer??  Try this!
http://joylicious.net/2010/06/29/southern-stylemango-lemonade/
3) One recipe, 4 uses... tomato sauce!
http://www.simplebites.net/10-uses-for-a-4-ingredient-tomato-sauce/

Final thought:
Are the ice cubes falling out or jumping up?? 

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Boiled Corn pp.117


Corn
     I was supposed to cook this yesterday,  but I forgot to purchase the cobs of corn.  SO,  we had the Avocado soup (it was so weird tasting we poured it down the drain) and tonight we had the corn!  I went to Walmart to pick some up, and it was $.16 an ear.  Amazed,  I began to talk to this elderly lady who fiddled with the corn and said it was too dry and she was going to WinDixie to get their corn.  I know that Walmart usually has crappy questionable produce,  hence the reason why I like to go to the farmers market and get my produce fresh and local. 


 Letting Him Grow Up
    It's hard to do.  Chef Turbo was so excited to see corn.  I asked him "What's inside?"  He thought long and hard about it, and he said "Yellow corn?".   So I told him "Let's find out!".  So he began to peel off the layers of wrapping and as soon as he saw the first bit of corn he shouted "Look Mommy!  I found the corn!".  It was as if he was opening Christmas presents.  After he finished that ear, he quickly grabbed another.  He also loved taking the silk off the ears stating that "It tickles".
     Next step,  washing the corn.  He really enjoyed this too.  I only got to wash one ear. 
    As I heated up the water for the corn,  he kept coming into the kitchen asking if the water was ready.  As soon as it was,  he was there to watch the corn go in.  This was a great time for me to teach him how to take a lid off a boiling pot of water.  I also showed him how to carefully place the ears of corn in so he would not get burned by the water.  He put two ears in carefully and successfully.  Sniffle,  my little guy is growing up!




Results
     It was wonderful, JUICY, and sweet.  The kids enjoyed every bite.  I loved it too,  I enjoyed it nice and plain to let my taste buds capture the whole flavor of the corn.  My favorite way to eat corn on the cob is to grill it, but it's all good.  The elderly lady totally missed out on some good corn,  I hope that she had found some good ears at WinnDixie.

Advice
     Something I learned from Mr. Bishop's book, was to cut the ears in half and then take the kernels off.  I did that for the Sous Chef, and it worked out great!


    SO,  how do you like to eat your corn?
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