I have this sweet potato recipe that I use all the time. It's so much better than the kind with marshmallows on top. A friend suggested I post it so here it is.
Sweet Potato Casserole
3 c cooked mashed sweet potatoes (about three 15 oz cans)
1 c sugar
1/4 c milk
2 eggs, well beaten
1 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
Mix and pour in well-buttered casserole dish. Mix topping in a small bowl and spread on top of sweet potato mixture (it's thick so I spoon it on).
Topping:
1/2 c melted butter
1 c brown sugar
1/2 c flour
1 c chopped pecans
Bake at 350oF for about 30 minutes. EAT IT ALL YOURSELF WITH A GIANT SPOON.
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Saturday, November 21, 2015
Friday, June 26, 2015
Deviled eggs
Okay, so, I put this recipe together for a thing and it occurs to me that maybe other people might like to know how to make perfect deviled eggs too. So here's my recipe. Trala!
Deviled Eggs
Eggs
Mayonnaise
Yellow mustard (don't get fancy with the good mustard--you want your egg filling to be as yellow as sunshine!)
Paprika for garnish
Hard boil as many eggs as you like. Take care not to overcook the eggs or the yolks will get that greenish color that's so unappetizing (although you can still eat them, of course). I recommend using room temperature eggs; put them in plenty of water to cover, bring the water to a rolling boil for a minute or two, then remove pot from the heat, cover the pot, and let the eggs sit for ten minutes. Then carefully spoon the eggs into a bowl of ice water and let them sit for about five or ten minutes while they cool. They should be nicely hardboiled and you can handle them without burning your fingers.
Peel the eggs, then cut them in half lengthwise and carefully scoop the yolks into a bowl. Using the edge of a spoon, chop the yolks into crumbs as fine as you can make them without driving yourself up the wall with boredom. Don't mash them!
Add a big dollop of mayonnaise and a little squirt of mustard. Use less than you think you will need, stir it all together gently, and take a tiny taste. If the filling tastes too mayonnaisey, add a tiny bit more mustard, and vice versa. Don't obsess over this, though, or you'll end up with too much mayo and mustard and not enough yolk.
Spoon the filling generously into the egg whites. Top with a little paprika for color and a little extra bite.
Deviled Eggs
Eggs
Mayonnaise
Yellow mustard (don't get fancy with the good mustard--you want your egg filling to be as yellow as sunshine!)
Paprika for garnish
Hard boil as many eggs as you like. Take care not to overcook the eggs or the yolks will get that greenish color that's so unappetizing (although you can still eat them, of course). I recommend using room temperature eggs; put them in plenty of water to cover, bring the water to a rolling boil for a minute or two, then remove pot from the heat, cover the pot, and let the eggs sit for ten minutes. Then carefully spoon the eggs into a bowl of ice water and let them sit for about five or ten minutes while they cool. They should be nicely hardboiled and you can handle them without burning your fingers.
Peel the eggs, then cut them in half lengthwise and carefully scoop the yolks into a bowl. Using the edge of a spoon, chop the yolks into crumbs as fine as you can make them without driving yourself up the wall with boredom. Don't mash them!
Add a big dollop of mayonnaise and a little squirt of mustard. Use less than you think you will need, stir it all together gently, and take a tiny taste. If the filling tastes too mayonnaisey, add a tiny bit more mustard, and vice versa. Don't obsess over this, though, or you'll end up with too much mayo and mustard and not enough yolk.
Spoon the filling generously into the egg whites. Top with a little paprika for color and a little extra bite.
Friday, August 22, 2014
Chicken Enchiladas
I'd worry that this blog was at risk of becoming a cooking blog, but I suppose that's better than not updating at all.
A friend just asked for a recipe on Twitter, so I'm putting it here for everyone!
Chicken Enchiladas
Step one:
2 or 3 chicken quarters or 4-6 chicken thighs
1/2 c hot sauce (I use Valentina extra hot)
Remove skin and as much fat as possible from the chicken pieces. Put them in the bottom of a casserole and cover with the hot sauce (I don't measure, just pour it on until it looks right, but it works out to about half a cup). Cover casserole with foil and bake at 400 for 20 minutes, remove foil and cook another 20 minutes.
Step two:
1 onion, diced
1 can black beans
1 can diced tomatoes with peppers
spices to taste
While chicken is cooking, saute onion in a little oil until starting to go transparent. Drain beans and tomatoes and add to onions. Simmer on low heat until chicken is done. Add cumin, chili powder, cayenne, etc. to taste. You may need a little salt too.
When chicken is done, remove meat from bones with two forks and add to bean/tomato mixture. Cut up or shred to bite-sized. Don't worry if it's not quite cooked through.
Step three:
Shredded cheese and a lot of it.
6-8 corn tortillas
1 can enchilada sauce
Preheat oven to 350. Pour about 1/3 of the enchilada sauce into a square casserole (NOT the same casserole the chicken came from, that one's full of chicken grease). Pour another 1/3 into the chicken mixture and stir. Heat the tortillas in the microwave and fill each with chicken mixture and a handful of shredded cheese. Fold and place in casserole. When all tortillas are filled, pour remaining enchilada sauce evenly over the top. Place remaining chicken mixture over that, then cover with a bunch of shredded cheese.
Bake at 350 for at least 20 minutes, 30 if your chicken was not quite done.
You can stop after step one (cook long enough that the chicken is done through) and eat the chicken by itself. It's very good! Or you can use the meat to make chicken tacos instead. Definitely use thighs/quarters and not chicken breasts, though, since thighs have more flavor, more moisture, and are cheaper besides.
A friend just asked for a recipe on Twitter, so I'm putting it here for everyone!
Chicken Enchiladas
Step one:
2 or 3 chicken quarters or 4-6 chicken thighs
1/2 c hot sauce (I use Valentina extra hot)
Remove skin and as much fat as possible from the chicken pieces. Put them in the bottom of a casserole and cover with the hot sauce (I don't measure, just pour it on until it looks right, but it works out to about half a cup). Cover casserole with foil and bake at 400 for 20 minutes, remove foil and cook another 20 minutes.
Step two:
1 onion, diced
1 can black beans
1 can diced tomatoes with peppers
spices to taste
While chicken is cooking, saute onion in a little oil until starting to go transparent. Drain beans and tomatoes and add to onions. Simmer on low heat until chicken is done. Add cumin, chili powder, cayenne, etc. to taste. You may need a little salt too.
When chicken is done, remove meat from bones with two forks and add to bean/tomato mixture. Cut up or shred to bite-sized. Don't worry if it's not quite cooked through.
Step three:
Shredded cheese and a lot of it.
6-8 corn tortillas
1 can enchilada sauce
Preheat oven to 350. Pour about 1/3 of the enchilada sauce into a square casserole (NOT the same casserole the chicken came from, that one's full of chicken grease). Pour another 1/3 into the chicken mixture and stir. Heat the tortillas in the microwave and fill each with chicken mixture and a handful of shredded cheese. Fold and place in casserole. When all tortillas are filled, pour remaining enchilada sauce evenly over the top. Place remaining chicken mixture over that, then cover with a bunch of shredded cheese.
Bake at 350 for at least 20 minutes, 30 if your chicken was not quite done.
You can stop after step one (cook long enough that the chicken is done through) and eat the chicken by itself. It's very good! Or you can use the meat to make chicken tacos instead. Definitely use thighs/quarters and not chicken breasts, though, since thighs have more flavor, more moisture, and are cheaper besides.
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Scalloped potatoes
My brother asked for my scalloped potatoes recipe on Twitter, and since it's an easy recipe but hard to fit into 140 characters, here it is.
Peel and slice thin about six medium-sized or three large potatoes. Place slices in an ungreased casserole dish, overlapping them about half over each other. When you have covered the bottom of the dish, dot with bits of butter and sprinkle generously with salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg. Put another layer of potato slices on that layer and top with the same butter and seasonings. Put a final layer of potato slices on top but do not season yet.
Pour half-and-half (or cream, or whole milk) gently over the top layer. You don't need much, maybe half a cup or a bit more. Then add salt, pepper, nutmeg, and bits of butter.
Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven for about an hour, or until a fork pushed down through all three layers goes through easily. The top layer will be a bit firm and browned, the bottom layers should be creamy and tender. You will want to eat all of it and burn your mouth.
Peel and slice thin about six medium-sized or three large potatoes. Place slices in an ungreased casserole dish, overlapping them about half over each other. When you have covered the bottom of the dish, dot with bits of butter and sprinkle generously with salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg. Put another layer of potato slices on that layer and top with the same butter and seasonings. Put a final layer of potato slices on top but do not season yet.
Pour half-and-half (or cream, or whole milk) gently over the top layer. You don't need much, maybe half a cup or a bit more. Then add salt, pepper, nutmeg, and bits of butter.
Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven for about an hour, or until a fork pushed down through all three layers goes through easily. The top layer will be a bit firm and browned, the bottom layers should be creamy and tender. You will want to eat all of it and burn your mouth.
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Equinoctal Tea
Today is the autumn equinox and it's been cool but sunny all day, with a bit of breeze. Perfect weather for an equinoctal tea! So I made cranberry orange walnut muffins and opened a new tin of orange pekoe I'd bought for a special occasion.
Mom started the family tradition of an autumn equinoctal tea--at least, it was her idea and she often talked about it, but I don't remember if we ever actually found time to do it. That's the problem with things that don't seem all that important: there's always time to do them later, until suddenly there's no time at all.
So as I did last year, I sat down to an equinoctal tea. I used Mom's beloved Royal Doulton china and chose one of her books of horror stories to read.
I miss you, Mom. I miss you most of all in autumn, when the leaves fall on the porch but you're not here to sweep them away.
Mom started the family tradition of an autumn equinoctal tea--at least, it was her idea and she often talked about it, but I don't remember if we ever actually found time to do it. That's the problem with things that don't seem all that important: there's always time to do them later, until suddenly there's no time at all.
So as I did last year, I sat down to an equinoctal tea. I used Mom's beloved Royal Doulton china and chose one of her books of horror stories to read.
I miss you, Mom. I miss you most of all in autumn, when the leaves fall on the porch but you're not here to sweep them away.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Have a cupcake
I've started my new book. It's a YA steampunk fantasy and it's complicated. I need to write the outline, but I know roughly how the plots will run. There are...several plots. And they all tie in together at the end. Because I am awesome.
The worldbuilding has been a lot of fun for this one, although it's also ongoing. I find that some of the best worldbuilding details slot themselves into place as I'm actually writing, without me being even slightly aware ahead of time that they exist--but once they're on the page, I can't imagine the world without them.
Because this book has so many plotlines and so many characters (I'm writing it in omniscient, a point of view I very rarely tackle, but which is the only one possible for this particular narrative), I've installed Scrivener in hopes of keeping things straight. So far I like it all right, although it's very different from working directly in a single Word document with another document open to keep worldbuilding notes, plot notes, outline, a list of characters and placenames, cut scenes, and so forth. Scrivener can hold everything at once, and when the rough draft is done it's supposed to be easy to export the files I want into a single Word document. We'll see how that goes.
Thursday, December 27, 2012
That goose is cooked
Our local Food City carries goose. I discovered this while pricing turkeys, but I didn't buy a goose until I noticed that Walmart also carries goose but they are around $60 each. The Food City geese are much more reasonable, around $20. So I bought a goose at Food City and stuck it in the freezer for Christmas baking.
I finally got around to cooking it yesterday. I won't go into too much detail, because not too many people I know would be interested in cooking goose, but I will point out that when people say, "Goose is greasy," they are NOT KIDDING. I opened the plastic wrapping and my hands were immediately covered in grease. It's that greasy, really. Ever handled raw bacon with your bare hands? It's like that, only greasier.
But that's good, actually. Goose grease is healthier and seriously tastier than bacon grease. I have a ton of it (ton here equals about three cups) in the fridge, nicely rendered and ready to use.
Anyway, the goose itself. Goose is considered a red meat, and I overcooked it despite all my care. It's easy to overcook. It wasn't bad, but kind of chewy due to being overcooked. It tastes like dark meat turkey to me, which I like. But turkeys cost about half as much and are easier to deal with. The vegetables I cooked with the goose were excellent, as was the complicated sauce I made to go with the whole thing. See the mortar and pestle in the pic above, to the left and a bit behind the goose? I've had that mortar and pestle for at least 15 years, but the sauce was the first time a recipe has ever called for a mortar and pestle. I was so pleased that I got to grate cumin seed, caraway seed, celery seed, and a lot of other spices together.
In lighter baking news, I made cookies a few days before Christmas and they turned out great as always.
Kind of awkward to roll them out, though, since my rotten horrible hideous counters are tiled. Who the hell chose tile counters for this house? When I'm rich I will have them yanked out and something smooth and durable put in their place. Also something more attractive. As you can see, I had to use the chopping board (the one I use only for vegetables, not meat) to roll out the dough.
The first batch of cookies ready to go into the oven. I ended up with about 4 dozen cookies total, and could have had a bit more if I hadn't snacked on the dough.
And the cookies just after I took them out of the oven. They are mostly butter. Butter and sugar and green food coloring.
I hope everyone had a great holiday and got lots of good food to eat.
I finally got around to cooking it yesterday. I won't go into too much detail, because not too many people I know would be interested in cooking goose, but I will point out that when people say, "Goose is greasy," they are NOT KIDDING. I opened the plastic wrapping and my hands were immediately covered in grease. It's that greasy, really. Ever handled raw bacon with your bare hands? It's like that, only greasier.
But that's good, actually. Goose grease is healthier and seriously tastier than bacon grease. I have a ton of it (ton here equals about three cups) in the fridge, nicely rendered and ready to use.
Anyway, the goose itself. Goose is considered a red meat, and I overcooked it despite all my care. It's easy to overcook. It wasn't bad, but kind of chewy due to being overcooked. It tastes like dark meat turkey to me, which I like. But turkeys cost about half as much and are easier to deal with. The vegetables I cooked with the goose were excellent, as was the complicated sauce I made to go with the whole thing. See the mortar and pestle in the pic above, to the left and a bit behind the goose? I've had that mortar and pestle for at least 15 years, but the sauce was the first time a recipe has ever called for a mortar and pestle. I was so pleased that I got to grate cumin seed, caraway seed, celery seed, and a lot of other spices together.
In lighter baking news, I made cookies a few days before Christmas and they turned out great as always.
I hope everyone had a great holiday and got lots of good food to eat.
Monday, November 19, 2012
More pictures of food
If I didn't cook (and didn't have this awesome little camera), I don't know what I'd blog about.
I made these from this recipe, only I added a tsp of almond extract to the dough, and for the filling I mixed about 1/4 c. raspberry jam with about 1/4 c. unsweetened, smooshed-up raspberries (because I wanted these to taste like raspberries instead of jam).
As it happens, I don't much like rosewater. I bought it on impulse last month and found this recipe because I wanted to know what to do with it. It's very strong and perfumey, naturally, but it makes me feel like I'm eating face cream. Next time I make these I might use lemon extract in place of the rosewater.
I made these from this recipe, only I added a tsp of almond extract to the dough, and for the filling I mixed about 1/4 c. raspberry jam with about 1/4 c. unsweetened, smooshed-up raspberries (because I wanted these to taste like raspberries instead of jam).
As it happens, I don't much like rosewater. I bought it on impulse last month and found this recipe because I wanted to know what to do with it. It's very strong and perfumey, naturally, but it makes me feel like I'm eating face cream. Next time I make these I might use lemon extract in place of the rosewater.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
1,000 words an hour
Last night was our local NaNoWriMo group's big write-in. We gathered in a big open room in an office building one of our members had arranged for us to borrow; it had lots of tables and power strips and a place to put our food. We all brought food, everything from bags of chips to a honey-baked ham.
I'd signed up to make pumpkin bread, but it was a recipe I hadn't tried before and...it wasn't a success. Obviously. The bottom and sides were overcooked and when I tried to tip the loaf out of the pan, the still-liquid insides puked out. So I stopped at the store on the way and bought a cheese log and Wheat Thins.
We gathered at 5pm and had the building until midnight. Our municipal liaison had a posterboard where we all wrote our names and our word goals for the night, and she had glittery star stickers to put next to our names every time we wrote 500 words. By the end of the night, all the stars were used--and we only had 15 or 16 people there.
I wrote just over 6,000 words, which got me caught up from where I'd been lagging behind on my wordcount. I should reach 30,000 words total today. I also had a good time talking with the other writers, and of course eating like a pig.
It was almost 1 a.m. when I got home. I slept late--until 11 a.m., which is unheard-of for me, but I was short on sleep to start with. Then when I got up, I realized I have galleys to proof for my Etopia book Blood and Ashes, which will be released soon in print. And of course I have to write my daily words.
So I'm going to get right on that, even though I am lacking sausage balls and tortillas with awesome seven-layer dip and leftover Halloween candy (three or four different people brought their leftover Halloween candy). At least I have half a cheese log.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Kitchen Cupboard Meme
I've seen this one everywhere lately. I wasn't going to do it but the avalanche of 'everyone else is doing it' got me.
Kitchen Cupboard Meme: Bold the ones you have and use at least once a year, italicize the ones you have and don't use, strike through the ones you had but got rid of. Oh, and I added [?] if I don't have the least idea what the thing is.
pasta machine, breadmaker, juicer, blender,deep fat fryer, egg boiler, melon baller, sandwich maker, pastry brushes, cheese board, cheese knives, electric wok, salad spinner, griddle pan [?], jam funnel [?], meat thermometer, filleting knives, egg poacher, cake stand, garlic crusher, martini glasses, tea strainer, bamboo steamer, pizza stone, coffee grinder, milk frother, piping bags, banana stand, fluted pastry wheels, tagine dishes [?], conical strainer, rice cooker, steam cooker, pressure cooker, slow cooker, spaetzle maker [?], cookie presses, gravy strainer, double boiler, sukiyaki stove [?], ice cream maker, fondue set, healthy-grill [?], home smoker, tempura set, tortilla press, electric whisk [I'm assuming this is a mixer], cherry stoner, sugar thermometer, food processor, bacon press [?], bacon slicer, mouli mill [?], cake testers, pestle-and-mortar, and kebab skewers
My juicer is one of those old glass things that you use by cutting an orange (or whatever) in half and screwing it down over the middle part so that the juice flows down into the little gutter, where you can pour it (and seeds, and pulp) into a jug or glass. I don't know if that's what the list means.
I almost bought a melon baller last week, actually, because they're so cool. But then I realized that I've lived my whole life without needing to ball a melon, why should I start now? Also, it sounds dirty.
If a "steam cooker" is the same thing as a basket steamer, I have one and use it. But I suspect it's yet another gadget you have to plug in.
Because I've moved so often in my life, I've pared down the kitchen stuff I need. It's easy to improvise if you have a decent selection of pots and pans, knives and spoons. I just bought the blender this summer and immediately thought, "Why did I get that?" It's in the back of a cupboard now and will probably only get used a few times a year, mostly for zucchini destined for zucchini bread. I only ever use my electric mixer for whipping cream (and occasionally egg whites). Otherwise I mix and chop and everything by hand. When I need to grate something, I have a metal cheese grater (that sometimes also grates knuckles).
AHA: The list came from this article. Now I can feel smug that I don't have most of those things. Also, that explains why I'd never heard of so many of the list items. The British terms are different from American. (I'm still going to look up tagine dishes, because what the hell?)
Another edit: I looked it up and I still don't know. I believe I can safely say that I have never owned and will never need tagine dishes.
Kitchen Cupboard Meme: Bold the ones you have and use at least once a year, italicize the ones you have and don't use, strike through the ones you had but got rid of. Oh, and I added [?] if I don't have the least idea what the thing is.
pasta machine, breadmaker, juicer, blender,
My juicer is one of those old glass things that you use by cutting an orange (or whatever) in half and screwing it down over the middle part so that the juice flows down into the little gutter, where you can pour it (and seeds, and pulp) into a jug or glass. I don't know if that's what the list means.
I almost bought a melon baller last week, actually, because they're so cool. But then I realized that I've lived my whole life without needing to ball a melon, why should I start now? Also, it sounds dirty.
If a "steam cooker" is the same thing as a basket steamer, I have one and use it. But I suspect it's yet another gadget you have to plug in.
Because I've moved so often in my life, I've pared down the kitchen stuff I need. It's easy to improvise if you have a decent selection of pots and pans, knives and spoons. I just bought the blender this summer and immediately thought, "Why did I get that?" It's in the back of a cupboard now and will probably only get used a few times a year, mostly for zucchini destined for zucchini bread. I only ever use my electric mixer for whipping cream (and occasionally egg whites). Otherwise I mix and chop and everything by hand. When I need to grate something, I have a metal cheese grater (that sometimes also grates knuckles).
AHA: The list came from this article. Now I can feel smug that I don't have most of those things. Also, that explains why I'd never heard of so many of the list items. The British terms are different from American. (I'm still going to look up tagine dishes, because what the hell?)
Another edit: I looked it up and I still don't know. I believe I can safely say that I have never owned and will never need tagine dishes.
Monday, September 24, 2012
Cooking with Spirits
I got a new cookbook last week, Small-Batch Baking by Debby Maugans Nakos. It's AWESOME. The recipes make little bitty cakes or two scones or mini loaves of bread. I've made five or six recipes out of the book already and on the whole they're very good. I've been hitting the bread pudding hard, partly because I like bread pudding, partly because I like using my ramekins.
One of the recipes I wanted to try, and finally did, is the Butterscotch Bread Pudding with Tennessee Butterscotch Sauce (pictured, above, still puffed from the oven), which calls for Jack Daniel's whiskey. I've never gotten into the habit of drinking much, so I had to go out and buy a bottle of Jack just for this recipe. Which calls for 2 Tablespoons of whiskey.
Well, it was worth it. That's what I had for supper tonight (the bread pudding, I mean, not the Jack Daniel's), and I'm stuffed but it was sooooo good. And I have some of the sauce left over, which means I'll just have to make it again in a day or two.
I drew this on the COMPUTER using my MOUSE:
Saturday afternoon I made Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Scones. They turned out a bit dry and salty--I'm not sure if I measured something wrong or if I should try again and adjust the recipe a bit--but not bad. I made tea and set the table with my mother's beloved Royal Doulton china. You know how when you make tea you add one scoop for the pot and one for each cup to be drunk? Well, I added one for the pot, one for me, and one for my absent homies.
Mom, I wish you could have come to my equinoctal tea. We could have sat outside in the gusty, cool afternoon and picked leaves out of our plates.
One of the recipes I wanted to try, and finally did, is the Butterscotch Bread Pudding with Tennessee Butterscotch Sauce (pictured, above, still puffed from the oven), which calls for Jack Daniel's whiskey. I've never gotten into the habit of drinking much, so I had to go out and buy a bottle of Jack just for this recipe. Which calls for 2 Tablespoons of whiskey.
Well, it was worth it. That's what I had for supper tonight (the bread pudding, I mean, not the Jack Daniel's), and I'm stuffed but it was sooooo good. And I have some of the sauce left over, which means I'll just have to make it again in a day or two.
I drew this on the COMPUTER using my MOUSE:
Mom, I wish you could have come to my equinoctal tea. We could have sat outside in the gusty, cool afternoon and picked leaves out of our plates.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Nothing but ham
I leave for my vacation day after tomorrow. I am down to these items on my list:
Wed. night: clean litterbox, mow lawn, trash out, flash drive in purse, paint toenails
Thurs. morn: make bed, double lock back door, luggage to car, hug cat
But at the top of that page is a great big note that says FINISH HAM.
See, I bought some ham last week without thinking, a quite good chunk of sliced ham that's excellent on sandwiches. But there's way too much of it for any rational person to use in just a week. If I don't eat it, there's a good chance it'll get all gross in the fridge while I'm away, so I've been eating ham for almost every meal. Good thing ham goes with everything, even acting.
Wed. night: clean litterbox, mow lawn, trash out, flash drive in purse, paint toenails
Thurs. morn: make bed, double lock back door, luggage to car, hug cat
But at the top of that page is a great big note that says FINISH HAM.
See, I bought some ham last week without thinking, a quite good chunk of sliced ham that's excellent on sandwiches. But there's way too much of it for any rational person to use in just a week. If I don't eat it, there's a good chance it'll get all gross in the fridge while I'm away, so I've been eating ham for almost every meal. Good thing ham goes with everything, even acting.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Three Pictures Make a Post
I had some pictures on my camera that I just processed. They have nothing to do with anything. The first is my supper last night, which was catfish. Very good catfish! I picked it up at our little local store because I suspected it was probably locally caught, and I think I was right. It was certainly very fresh fish. I couldn't eat it all, but I sure tried.
My recipe for pan-fried catfish: Mix about 1/2 cup cornmeal with 1 tsp cayenne pepper and 1 tsp paprika, some fresh-ground pepper, and a little bit of salt in a big, fairly shallow bowl or pan. Pour maybe 1/4 c olive oil into a frying pan and heat. Mince two cloves of garlic and put into the oil. Rinse catfish fillets, shake off most of the water, and press into the cornmeal mixture until each fillet is covered on both sides. Place fillets into frying pan on top of garlic. Cook six or seven minutes on each side until flaky and cooked through, and salt a little bit whenever you flip the fillets. Squirt lots of fresh lemon over the fillets just before eating. Yum.
The next picture is Jekyll sitting on the pergola, taunting me. I did finally figure out he can get down by himself. He drives me crazy sometimes.
And finally, I found these little copper thingies on etsy and bought them--they were only a few bucks in all, including shipping. I don't know what to do with them but I love looking at them. They are so little and perfect.
The next picture is Jekyll sitting on the pergola, taunting me. I did finally figure out he can get down by himself. He drives me crazy sometimes.
And finally, I found these little copper thingies on etsy and bought them--they were only a few bucks in all, including shipping. I don't know what to do with them but I love looking at them. They are so little and perfect.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
What the hell, California Pizza Kitchen?
Seriously, what the hell is this? I open up the pizza and it's, like, maybe a cup and a half of shredded cheese and spinach that isn't even stuck to the dough, and it's sliding all over the place and half of it falls off when I open the plastic packaging. I had to add my own cheese to make it pizza-like instead of like a piece of toast with a sprinkling of cheese.
So California Pizza Kitchen can kiss my ass. Also, did I mention I have a camera now?
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Eating by Color
I bought a book off the remainder table a few weeks ago, Colorfully Slim. Each day you're supposed to only eat foods that are certain colors. Mondays are white food days, Tuesdays red food days, and so on. I bought it partly because I was charmed at the thought of sitting down to a meal where all the foods were orange or purple, and I was sold when I opened the book at random and saw a recipe for cold carrot soup. I love carrot soup.
Now, if I were going to plan a menu for all yellow foods, for instance (Saturdays), it would look something like this:
breakfast oatmeal with honey, scrambled eggs, mint tea with lemon
lunch lemon chicken, yellow squash, rice pilaf, lemonade
snack vanilla yogurt with pineapple (or just pineapple yogurt)
dinner cornmeal-fried trout or catfish, baked potato with butter, more yellow squash (because I love it), white wine, banana pudding for dessert
That assumes that I want to shop for all that stuff and have time to cook all day. But I'd say that's a good day's worth of yellow foods.
Unfortunately, the important word in Colorfully Slim is 'slim.' Their yellow day sample menu is this:
breakfast pineapple milkshake, small English muffin, coffee or tea
lunch 4 oz roast chicken with mustard and herbs, pineapple squash, 'add a beige' (which means you can have a slice of bread or a small portion of another carb), herb tea
snack banana with 1 Tbsp peanut butter
dinner lemon consomme, 4 oz baked fish, yellow and white vegetable casserole, bananas and pineapple, decaf coffee
Now, even assuming I could eat 4 oz of roast chicken in more than two or three bites, and even assuming I would not run amok after three days of these tiny portions (or the suggestion I put barf peanut butter on barf bananas) and bury my head in a bag of chips or just start eating butter by itself, there isn't enough yellow. Coffee? Coffee isn't yellow! Even I know that and I don't even like coffee. I guess you could add a whole lot of cream.
And let's talk cauliflower. I dislike cauliflower although I'll eat it. I would totally add it to my white day menu just to keep the theme. But in the book, cauliflower shows up on the white day sample menu and on the red day sample menu. Cauliflower is not red. The vegetable on red day should be beets, for those who can stand them (not me) or a salad made of red lettuce with tomatoes and red wine vinaigrette dressing, or red beans and rice. Excuse me while I slobber all over my keyboard.
If I had the money and time, I'd totally do my take on this diet--at least for one week. And really, considering my current (horrible) eating habits, having to stick to any kind of whimsical theme would be good for me--there's no brown day, so I'd have to cut chocolate, Cokes, and overcooked beef from my diet entirely. I'd have to eat a lot more vegetables than I currently do, especially on green day (Wednesday). But I would also totally not limit myself to 4 oz of chicken or fish, because seriously, are you crazy?
I like the book, though. I like the idea and the recipes look good, and there are even beauty treatments listed for each day that stick to the theme (cucumber facemask for green day, Vitamin C skin treatment for yellow day). Maybe one day I'll have an extra few hundred bucks and an entire week where I can do nothing but cook, and I can embark on a color day diet. If I do, I'll post pictures. Until then, unfortunately I will probably stay on my fast-food-eaten-in-the-car-on-the-way-to-and-from-work diet.
Now, if I were going to plan a menu for all yellow foods, for instance (Saturdays), it would look something like this:
breakfast oatmeal with honey, scrambled eggs, mint tea with lemon
lunch lemon chicken, yellow squash, rice pilaf, lemonade
snack vanilla yogurt with pineapple (or just pineapple yogurt)
dinner cornmeal-fried trout or catfish, baked potato with butter, more yellow squash (because I love it), white wine, banana pudding for dessert
That assumes that I want to shop for all that stuff and have time to cook all day. But I'd say that's a good day's worth of yellow foods.
Unfortunately, the important word in Colorfully Slim is 'slim.' Their yellow day sample menu is this:
breakfast pineapple milkshake, small English muffin, coffee or tea
lunch 4 oz roast chicken with mustard and herbs, pineapple squash, 'add a beige' (which means you can have a slice of bread or a small portion of another carb), herb tea
snack banana with 1 Tbsp peanut butter
dinner lemon consomme, 4 oz baked fish, yellow and white vegetable casserole, bananas and pineapple, decaf coffee
Now, even assuming I could eat 4 oz of roast chicken in more than two or three bites, and even assuming I would not run amok after three days of these tiny portions (or the suggestion I put barf peanut butter on barf bananas) and bury my head in a bag of chips or just start eating butter by itself, there isn't enough yellow. Coffee? Coffee isn't yellow! Even I know that and I don't even like coffee. I guess you could add a whole lot of cream.
And let's talk cauliflower. I dislike cauliflower although I'll eat it. I would totally add it to my white day menu just to keep the theme. But in the book, cauliflower shows up on the white day sample menu and on the red day sample menu. Cauliflower is not red. The vegetable on red day should be beets, for those who can stand them (not me) or a salad made of red lettuce with tomatoes and red wine vinaigrette dressing, or red beans and rice. Excuse me while I slobber all over my keyboard.
If I had the money and time, I'd totally do my take on this diet--at least for one week. And really, considering my current (horrible) eating habits, having to stick to any kind of whimsical theme would be good for me--there's no brown day, so I'd have to cut chocolate, Cokes, and overcooked beef from my diet entirely. I'd have to eat a lot more vegetables than I currently do, especially on green day (Wednesday). But I would also totally not limit myself to 4 oz of chicken or fish, because seriously, are you crazy?
I like the book, though. I like the idea and the recipes look good, and there are even beauty treatments listed for each day that stick to the theme (cucumber facemask for green day, Vitamin C skin treatment for yellow day). Maybe one day I'll have an extra few hundred bucks and an entire week where I can do nothing but cook, and I can embark on a color day diet. If I do, I'll post pictures. Until then, unfortunately I will probably stay on my fast-food-eaten-in-the-car-on-the-way-to-and-from-work diet.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Hell YEAH I'm American
I forgot about this picture. This was from last weekend, when Mom made hamburgers. I looked at my plate and said, "We are so American." That tickled Mom so much she took a picture of my lunch. And now it is forever immortalized on the internet.
Apparently, this blog post is brought to you by French's mustard.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
I don't know what I'm eating
Our neighbors are having a cookout with barbecued ribs. This is real barbecue, too, not any pansyass grilled stuff. The neighbor's been slow-cooking it all day. He sent some over to us and even though I'm already full of tacos, I'm scarfing this stuff down like a starving dog.
I am only slightly concerned about what kind of meat I'm eating. I know that the neighbor is on the local police call-list for when someone reports hitting a deer with their car. The neighbor doesn't hunt, but when the police call about a roadkill deer, he goes out to pick it up and eats it.
I'm pretty sure these are pork ribs. Not positive, though. I know it's not beef. But, you know, they taste good so I don't really care.
In writing-related news, I'm 25,000 words into Bloodhound and enjoying writing it immensely. I'm also switching out happily with Adventures in Zoology, which ripened at the same time and is about 2/3 done already. It'd be cool if I could finish both before summer.
I am only slightly concerned about what kind of meat I'm eating. I know that the neighbor is on the local police call-list for when someone reports hitting a deer with their car. The neighbor doesn't hunt, but when the police call about a roadkill deer, he goes out to pick it up and eats it.
I'm pretty sure these are pork ribs. Not positive, though. I know it's not beef. But, you know, they taste good so I don't really care.
In writing-related news, I'm 25,000 words into Bloodhound and enjoying writing it immensely. I'm also switching out happily with Adventures in Zoology, which ripened at the same time and is about 2/3 done already. It'd be cool if I could finish both before summer.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Our heroine becomes revoltingly domestic
I woke up this morning thinking, "I need to take the butter out of the fridge so it can warm up."
This morning I spent almost four hours knitting. I'm not a fast knitter, but I got most of the neighbor's dog-hair scarf done (it helps that I'm using size 11 needles). Then I had a quick lunch, changed into a shirt that wasn't covered with dog hair and my great-grandmother's apron, and made about six dozen sugar cookies. Mom took some to the neighbors (the other neighbors, not the neighbor I'm giving the scarf to) and some to our landlord and landlady, and some to choir, and the broken or burnt ones we're keeping to eat. Once I'd finished baking and had cleaned up the kitchen, I had a quick supper and changed back into my dog-hair-covered T-shirt and finished knitting the scarf.
Now I just need to wash and block the scarf in the morning, and once it's dried I'll take it over to the neighbor. Then I can RELAX because I have fulfilled all my current obligations.
Of course, today's schedule hasn't left me much time to read or write. Fortunately, I still have a few hours left before bedtime.
This morning I spent almost four hours knitting. I'm not a fast knitter, but I got most of the neighbor's dog-hair scarf done (it helps that I'm using size 11 needles). Then I had a quick lunch, changed into a shirt that wasn't covered with dog hair and my great-grandmother's apron, and made about six dozen sugar cookies. Mom took some to the neighbors (the other neighbors, not the neighbor I'm giving the scarf to) and some to our landlord and landlady, and some to choir, and the broken or burnt ones we're keeping to eat. Once I'd finished baking and had cleaned up the kitchen, I had a quick supper and changed back into my dog-hair-covered T-shirt and finished knitting the scarf.
Now I just need to wash and block the scarf in the morning, and once it's dried I'll take it over to the neighbor. Then I can RELAX because I have fulfilled all my current obligations.
Of course, today's schedule hasn't left me much time to read or write. Fortunately, I still have a few hours left before bedtime.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Soup
I made it to 15,500 words on my nano book as of last night. Today at lunch May was having lunch too with a king and the maybe-pirate. For some reason, I decided that the meal was made up of three courses, each of them soup. I spent a paragraph describing the soups.
Today is gloomy and looks like rain. Maybe I'll make soup (just one kind) tonight and stare out at the melancholy rain and write.
Also, I just remembered with great joy that I have an unopened box of chocolate covered cherries at home.
Today is gloomy and looks like rain. Maybe I'll make soup (just one kind) tonight and stare out at the melancholy rain and write.
Also, I just remembered with great joy that I have an unopened box of chocolate covered cherries at home.
Monday, October 19, 2009
What I will do if I finish Bell-Men today
I'm so close. Also, finally, I think I know how I'm going to end this thing. The only problem is getting butt in chair and bashing out the last five thousand or so words.
So: reward time! If I finish Bell-Men today, I will go out and buy a carton of Ben & Jerry's (I'm not sure what flavor, since they no longer seem to make The Gobfather, which is my absolute favorite). Then I will change into my pajamas, get into bed, and read Fritz Leiber's Swords & Deviltry while I eat as much ice cream as I can hold.
I guess I should change out of my pajamas first, huh?
So: reward time! If I finish Bell-Men today, I will go out and buy a carton of Ben & Jerry's (I'm not sure what flavor, since they no longer seem to make The Gobfather, which is my absolute favorite). Then I will change into my pajamas, get into bed, and read Fritz Leiber's Swords & Deviltry while I eat as much ice cream as I can hold.
I guess I should change out of my pajamas first, huh?
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