What Ya' Got Cookin' 2015

Yea! Little coleup knew you'd get a round tuit. Wouldn't it be great if some fruit or berry was ripe! Oh, wait...strawberries? Or are you going savory?

Jan glad you are having such a long visit with Jane. Tell her 'hello' and that we wish her well. How is the school doing since your work there? Road trip! Have fun.

King Arthur rocks.

Ric, I too use Indian Head corn meal, keep a bag in my freezer at all times. That stuff is wonderful for dusting the baking sheet prior to making my Calzones, gives the bottom of the crust a perfect texture. Also a must-have for making homemade English muffins.

Funny, I was thinking about doing some baking today as well as play outside. Big Ol' Fat@$$ cheese burgers are on the menu for dinner, maybe I'll make some burger buns? :)

That little Coleup is a GEM, isn't she!? =)

Speedie, you keep your corn meal in the freezer?

I keep my flour in the refrigerator, but my corn meal is left in the pantry. Is it better to keep in the freezer?

Our Beloved Darius told me about keeping grains in the freezer; she said that they all have volatile oils that can become rancid if left out at room temperature for too long. I don't use the corn meal all that often, so I keep it in the freezer. My flour I keep in the pantry because I use that a LOT; a bag will never last me long enough to go rancid.

Hm, I don't use corn meal all that often, either. Good tip!

yup good tip! never thought of that. I wish Darius was here to talk about hydrogen peroxide- safe to use a s vegetable wash as some people do, or bad? Opinions on H2O2 are wide.

Make yr own English muffins eh? How easy and how good? (Of course, they are great) I know they cook like pancakes?

Good idea about freezing corn meal. Hmmm.... Guess I need to get on that.

The visit with Jane was great!! There was a horrible wind in early May and it blew the roof off of the dorm building.

The classroom building is ready for the second floor slab to be laid. All the poles that Donna and I put in piles will now be put in to use as supports for the framing.. Don't know if it will be ready for the fall.
Jane needs to be cleared medically before she can go back. She has been having some heart issues, so she is waiting on results from some tests.. Thanks for asking. I will will tell her. Her mother lives in Wisconsin by herself, so Jane has been coming home every 2 years for six months instead of every four years for a year.

Last night was leftovers, as Joyanna and I were too pooped to pop after a day at the zoo. But Tuesday I made Thai curry -- pork tenderloin, sweet onion, red bell peppers, coconut milk and the red curry paste from Taste of Thai. I put some Penzey's "Singapore Seasoning" in with the rice for a little extra flavor and that sunny yellow color. Sure wish my thai basils had been ready to pinch again! I should have flat-out sacrificed a couple of them for the pan but couldn't quite bring myself to do so. LOL

I usually have some flour in the freezer, back-up you know. The current bag of flour is usually in the fridge with the corn meal. I have found that any flour is fresher and I haven't had a flour weevils since I started this practice.

ah Kindergarten at the zoo, classic fun

I have half a jar of that curry in the back of the fridge. I don't know how much to use, and we already have one curry recipe that is our go to.

Last night while cleaning up the kitchen I cooked some rice and made up some little 'dinners' to take to work. A cup of rice in a small plastic tubbie, with leftover curry sauce or bean soup over it. Really tired of sandwiches right now. But liking the garden lettuce and spinach in salads.

Sally, one of my go tos at work was 1/2 fried rice and 1/2 Bush's beans. It was tasty, cheap, filling, and with all the carbs, good fuel. When working, I ate like a horse. I use to joke that my calorie intake would feed a small family. Now retired, it shows, and a hard to break habit to boot.

Rice and beans makes half the world go around! Ha ha RIc I see many heftier individuals than you in our society.

Does anyone grow mustard greens? I started growing them -Red Giant- as a winter crop. They grew amazingly in my zone 8 bed. This year I grew them in the regular z7 beds. So a few of them survived winter and are now blooming, then seeds this spring are starting to yield also. Can I use the leaves on the blooming ones? Or will they be too hot and tough? They are kind of pretty at a distance with bright yellow flowers on big maroon leaves.

I finally have all the wild mustard out of my yard, and you plant it? LOL
Jane S (some of you know her) is coming to dinner tomorrow then we're going to Jamie and family's new Shakespeare in the barn. I'm planning to start with Zuppa, chopped salad with craisins, walnuts, and a Balsamic vinaigrette, pasta with meat balls, and a garlic loaf. Dessert is on Jane.
Tonight is chopped steak and some kind of taters with aspergras.

Sally, great thing with the Thai curry paste is that you can adjust its intensity before adding any meat or veggies to the pan... Start with about a tablespoon of red curry paste with a can of coconut milk (easier to mix the paste into just a little of the coconut milk to start). You want it pretty spicy, as the flavor will need to "spread out" across the other ingredients. Taste, and if your curry paste is similar to mine you may need to add up to another tablespoon. Heat to a simmer.. toss in onions, then other veggies, then strips of meat... snow peas or bean sprouts would go in after the meat, but everything else goes first.

If you have some fresh thai basil leaves to finish it off, it's even better!

Ric, your chopped salad sounds yummy! Is tonight's asparagus from your garden? Oh - and been meaning to check with you - did your purple asparagus from ADR ever sprout?

thanks Jill!

Another meal of aspergras tonight- is that as per GRAH like foie gras? lol

I left Mark with the fixins and recipe for sausage sauce with peppers and onions. Awesome!! Delicious! Sitting here stuffed and letting leftovers cool before finishing kitchen cleanup.

My purple asparagus has yet to show, I started watering that bed awhile ago.

I tried an experiment last night. I took a package of pre-cooked shrimp added butter, garlic, cumin, and a little Old Bay, sauteed it and had a decent Scampi. With fresh corn and chopped salad it was yummy. The whole meal took less than 30 mins.

Sally we have a division of labor here. If I cook Holly does clean-up, it works well for us. If I had to do both after a hard day of yardening, I probably would never get started.

gee RIc, I've been cutting spear here and there for weeks, Purple. Thanks for reminding me to go grab a couple now. I've had to cut and save several days at a time, then make a good sized pot.

Wow. had salsa chicken in slow cooker today AWE SOME!!!!!!! Just put four boneless chicken breast halves in the slow cooker and cover with a cup or two salsa and let er rip. 6-8 hours low.

Sounds good and easy Jill, over a brown or mixed rice with steamed kale , even better.

Leftovers last night. NY strip, fresh corn, and chopped salad tonight.

This message was edited May 28, 2015 12:41 PM

I cooked last night, wonder of wonders. Chicken cacciatore from a recipe I've been using for 10 years or more. Boneless chicken thighs, onion, garlic, mushrooms, tomatoes, wine, seasonings over fresh linguine. I leave out the green peppers that the recipe calls for though. Enough for leftovers for lunch today.

Yummy Aspen! Why do you leave out the green peppers, don't like 'em? DH doesn't like those (either), but when I make that I always through in at least 1/2 cup's worth. ;) He doesn't seem to mind... too much. :) heeheee

Meatball subs and mac n' cheese tonight for DH... my tummy has been UNhappy today, so I'll make something different and gentler for myself. Maybe toast and tea.

I like peppers, but I like the red, orange, yellow ones much better than green. The green peppers seem to have a really strong taste when cooked. I suppose I could just substitute with one of the milder colors like I do with stuffed peppers, but I think it has lots of stuff in it already so I don't miss an extra ingredient.

Sorry about your upset stomach. Hope the toast and tea helps.

I totally agree, I like the flavors of the red/orange/yellow ones better as well, and guessing by what you said you put in it, I don't think anyone would miss a little pepper, that sounds really delicious!

Aawww, thank you. Gatorade has been my beverage today, instead of the usual coffee. I guess it's a good choice for .. umm... "things lost". ;)

poor tummy! Joyanna's has been bothering her lately, just so much drainage from her recent cold plus allergies. eatubg helps, as long as it's simple stuff. Mac 'n cheese tonight, like I brought to the swap... salad, at least for me, maybe some leftover chicken or ham.

We got a couple early ears of corn at Wegmans last week, SO sweet! I'll be looking for more. :-)

Awesome lasagne last night, no idea what's tonight. THings are a bit fluxing due to DD coming home, DS broken collarbone, other DS no classes for summer, Mark adding softball to his schedule...I'm so confused..and rather spend all my time thinking green growing things.

Steaks had to wait for another day, Holly wanted Olive Garden and time together that wasn't yardening. I did see something on the menu I want to make, stuffed chicken Marsala.

I haven't cooked since LAST Thursday. Had some memorable meals whilst down in FL. We stopped in Santee on the way down and went to a BBQ buffet. YUM!! On Sat morning went to Ms. Carolyn's for breakfast. I had the best, most fluffy omelet EVER!! Had a good shrimp salad croissant, a spinach salad with fennel and fried onions, cranberries and feta with a key lime vinaigrette. And pan seared scallops. Sunday-Wednesday a breakfast buffet was provided.
Even if someone else was paying the bill I really balked at paying $50 for two hamburgers. Needless to say we tried to find alternative places to eat.
Everything was extra. Valet parking(no choice) was $20 plus tax per night. Internet was extra. The convention paid it for us. You could have someone turn on the chiminea and have s'mores and sit around it for $150. Oh, and you could plant some plants on the dunes for $75. It just seemed ridiculous!!! It was hard for me to relax in that sort of setting. Okay, rant over.

At least the food sounds mouth watering lol.

Hehehe. Think I'll fast for a bit. But, I took some chicken out of the freezer.

That shrimp salad croissant sounds yummalicious!!
Ric, how do you do your stuffed chicken marsala? Just "regular" chicken marsala only you stuff the chicken full of something yummy? Please do tell! =)

Tonight at this homefront: Pesto linguini with chicken breasts and salad.

Brats on grill, potato casserole from a box, big pot of garden greens

Mmmmm... now I want potatoes too!

My eyes are getting tired - I had to take a second look when I thought Sally said she was having bats on the grill, grrrrrossss.

Heeheeheee, mis-reading can be very entertaining sometimes, huh? ;)

grilled bats! with extra-crispy wings!!

hahaha those would be crispy wings!!

I got some Asian Ginger dressing at aldi- it smells really good! I put some on a salmon filet and baked it- YUMMM- and used some to dress some of our home grown lettuce alongside- YUM

You asked:


Cheese Stuffing
1/2 cup smoked shredded cheese (provolone or gouda) Heavenly!
8-oz package mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 tsp fresh garlic, minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, crushed
2 Tbsp sun-dried tomato flakes (drain first if in oil) I like the ones in oil the best!
1/3 cup green onions, thinly sliced
3/4 cup sour cream (6 oz)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Sauce
1 small onion, cut in half and thinly sliced lengthwise Shallots are a milder replacement.
24 fl oz Marsala wine
8 fl oz heavy cream
2 small containers button mushrooms, thinly sliced (6 cups) I like crimini mushrooms best.
Salt and pepper to taste

2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken breasts
4 fl oz olive oil
2 cups all-purpose flour
Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
1) COMBINE all cheese stuffing ingredients in a mixing bowl.
2) BUTTERFLY thickest section of chicken breasts to create 2 lobes. Pound each breast between 2 sheets of plastic wrap until ¼” - ½” thick.
3) PLACE flattened chicken breasts on a plate and place desired amount of stuffing on one lobe of each chicken breast. Gently press stuffing down so it resembles a hockey puck.
4) FOLD over other lobe of chicken breast; does not have to seal.
5) HEAT large sauté pan over medium heat.
6) ADD olive oil and heat until shimmering.
7) PLACE flour in a shallow pan and season to taste with salt and pepper.
8) DREDGE stuffed chicken breasts in flour, shaking off excess.
9) SAUTE chicken breasts with preheated oil, cooking until each side is golden brown.
10) REMOVE chicken from pan and place in a baking dish.
11) BAKE for 10-20 minutes, or until juices run clean and center of chicken reaches 165°F.
12) ADD onions to sauté pan, and stir to loosen chicken drippings. After 2 minutes, add mushrooms and sauté until onions are translucent.
13) DEGLAZE pan with Marsala wine – make sure to incorporate drippings from bottom of pan. 14) HEAT wine to a simmer and add heavy cream. Simmer on low heat until reduced by half.
15) PLACE cooked chicken breasts on a plate and top each with onions, mushrooms and sauce.
16) SERVE with your favorite garlic mashed potato recipe.

This just sounds sinful although I think I'd like a seasoned linguini better.

I forgot to say I'm hungry for meatloaf and gravy. LOL

WOW, sounds deeeeelish!!!

Going to a grandie's school for grandparent's night. Dinner, dancing, book fair, art show, and a craft. Maggie at first didn't want me to go because SHE wanted to dance with Pop-pop by herself.

Jan, you should teach her to politely cut -in. LOL Enjoy