Anniversary Dinner, And The Last Of The Home Made Bread

AS mentioned, June 2nd was our 36th Wedding Anniversary. We have celebrated this day in so many different ways throughout the years, I couldn't recall all of them! I got a pretty handy little deep fryer for Christmas, and have gotten better at using it. It is a running joke in our family, that if Mom goes out to eat, she will order shrimp! I now can safely say, I can make shrimp Tempura with the best of them! The key is to use ice water in the batter- it works miracles when crispy is what you're looking for! French fries were a given, as you have hot oil, a few potatoes( another passion of Frau Buff!)and any skill whatsoever at not burning something! We also had cheesecake for dessert.. Remember the one I made for Memorial Day? People don't realize these freeze very well, making them easier to cut into precise portions...
We tend to have heavy, then light meals- just to mix it up! I took the last of the home-made bread(now past prime!) and made French Toast with it. It really hit the spot! Haven't had it in a year, at least...
Wishing you all a great week-end, and I think I'm going to grill something...

Sunday Dinner, As I Hinted At..

We were not looking for a meat-filled dish this day.... Upset tummies around here decided a pasta-veggie dish sounded better, along with some comforting home-made white bread.. Made two loaves of a white bread recipe that sounded somewhere in between "too sweet, but not bland".. Nailed it! I don't like stupid crusty bread, I like to be able to eat the bread(crust and all!) without cutting the roof of my mouth.. This was a dense, yet tasty bread- that only needed real butter to be a winner!
I had some Linguine noodles, and made an Alfredo sauce from scratch( butter, flour, milk, Italian seasoning, black pepper, salt, garlic, with grated Parmesan cheese!) added sauteed, sliced fresh mushrooms to the sauce- went over the pasta when all still hot... Rich and delicious! Linguine noodles are long and sticky- breaking them in half before simmering is a good idea!
Tonight, our Anniversary dinner is at home, with Shrimp Tempura, and french fries, with a bit of left over cheesecake... simple things done well... the older you get, the more this makes sense! Everyone, live your lives- and find some joy to appreciate!

Lamb Stew, Saturday up North, and Musings...

Earlier in the week I made lamb stew from some left over leg of lamb... This has to be our favorite stew, as the broth takes on such a wonderful, unique flavor. I took the meat off the bone, simmered the bone for stock. Then cut up some carrots, celery, red skinned potatoes, and onion. All put in a stove top pot, with some cream of mushroom soup, and poured stock over and simmered the lot until meat was tender.. Easy and good!
Saturday we went to an up north casino, and gave some of my Keno winnings back, but a beautiful day for a road trip! Michigan is so many stages of green this time of year, it amazes me.. On the way home, we stopped at one of our favorite roadhouses by Baldwin, MI- The Government Lake Inn. Great food, real friendly folks.. Saw a few deer, and a few wild turkeys, but not as many as expected..
Today, I'm baking some white bread, and probably make some kind of Alfredo pasta, with mushrooms..Tuesday is our Wedding Anniversary, but our celebration was Saturday! Hope you are all enjoying the better weather...

Shepherd's Pie- My Version Of A Very Flexible Dish

As I acknowledged earlier, this dish has many interpretations.. I don't think anyone would have The One And Only recipe for this, but probably think the original had mutton or lamb, and potatoes as two of the ingredients.
My recipe was loosely based on a meal served at a rest home I worked at while in high school and college. Violet Meinke was head cook and was old enough to be a resident of the place... She was one of those widows who never remarried, and worked hard all her life for a living. Heart of gold, with a good dose of wisdom too. I was a picky eater, but as a teen-ager I would eat about anything if I got hungry enough! A free dinner was included in my job (worked 5-9PM) every night. One night, I lifted the cover to the meal to find what looked like glop on a plate.. I pushed it around a little with a fork, trying to determine what it was! There was hamburger in a gravy, a layer of corn, covered in mashed potatoes.. I found nothing offensive, so I ate it, and asked when it would be on the menu again!
I used leftover meatloaf sliced thin for my meat base, covered it in sauteed onions and mushrooms, poured on a bit of brown gravy, layered in corn, and covered with mashed potatoes.. Cooked for an hour at 325F 1/2 hour covered, 1/2 hr. uncovered to brown the potato topping. It made for a substantial meal!
Played Lotto(Keno) yesterday and matched 5 out of 5 for $410! Our wedding anniversary is June 2nd, so this week-end we are going to the casino!

Sunday- Meatloaf, Monday- Roast Leg Of Lamb, And Cheescake!

We actually like meatloaf. I make one flavored heavily with herbs, spices, ground beef and ground, seasoned pork sausage. Thought I had a photo, but we all know what a good meatloaf looks like! I mention it, only because my next post will the leftover meatloaf turned into a much interpreted dish called Shepherd's Pie..
Our holiday meal consisted of a whole leg of lamb, roasted, Yukon Gold potatoes, asparagus(eat it while it's the local, fresh stuff!) soft rolls, and a traditional cheesecake.
The lamb was stripped of the fell, or membrane, and coated with a wet rub made of olive oil, garlic, rosemary, balsamic vinegar, salt, black pepper, and celery seed. A dash of water was used to make it a paste. Roasted for 2 hrs+, it was a little past medium rare, but still fairly moist. These left overs would be used in a traditional Shepherd's Pie, but I'll be making lamb stew with this!
The cheesecake was a plain, NYC style cheesecake, topped with cherries- really another keeper( no cracks!). Plenty left over, as it was a big one!
Hope your day off was a good one- next stop Independence Day!

Bacon Cheese Melt On The Big Bun, Next Night Pork Chop And Beans BB-Q'ed In An Oven

Much curiosity about those big buns I baked.. Take your favorite basic white bread recipe and separate into individual portions on a cookie sheet. Let rise, bake at 400F for 12-15 min. and you got it! The larder was low, so I made an open face bacon and cheese broiled sandwich...
I don't much care for beans, but found a recipe that appealed to me..Four pork chops, seasoned and laid in the bottom of a pan lightly oiled. Cover with Great Northern white beans, pour molasses and your favorite BB-Q sauce over beans to cover. Cover tightly and bake at 330F for an hour, then take cover off and let beans reach your favorite consistency( I like mine almost dry, but not quite!) The chops were flavorful and fairly tender, and the beans- I actually enjoyed them!
Have good week-ends everyone!

Tortilla Soup, And Home Made Hamburger Buns..

Monday, I took the left-over roast chicken, and the broth I had made from the carcass created by Sunday's meal- and went hunting for something new to do with these treats... Tortilla Soup won the contest! Many versions of this dish, but this is what I did... Home-made chix broth, tomato paste, corn, chopped onion, jalapeno chiles, chopped, red salsa, chunky style, chili powder, garlic, cumin, Mex oregano... Put in a Crock pot on low for 6 hrs... Tortilla chips and shredded cheese as a garnish- I will make this again!
I made home made hamburger buns- came out the size of a plate! Tasty, but huge.. no picture of it, but imagine a small Italian bread loaf...

A Week In Food At Our House...

We started the week light, as Sunday dinner was pretty big- an omelet with cheese and mushrooms sounded good.
Next day, feeling a little more ambitious, I baked some western style pork ribs covered in an Asian/Korean sauce- rice vinegar, brown sugar, 5 spice, soy sauce, garlic, onion, and sesame oil... I love that flavor, even though I don't care for that cut of pork! I also made some pasta salad, which with spinach salad dressing, came out really well!
Next night, I had chopped the leftover pork and made BB-Q sandwiches- with extra sauce, it was quite tasty..
We were't terribly hungry the next day, so it was the old favorite tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich...
The following night, I made a from scratch pizza, that we shared with my son...
Today's meal was a roast whole chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, and banana muffins- the Midwest Sunday dinner if there ever was one! The muffins browned a little darker than planned, but I think I used too much butter and sugar in the batter!
Hope you all have a good week- the weather here is improving daily

Our First House, A Tale, And A Mini-Meme..

We had saved and scrimped for 2 years, with the dream of owning our own home. A "North-Ender" until I die, we waited for the right starter home in a neighborhood I was familiar with. In Grand Rapids MI you are a "West Sider" a "South Ender", or a "North Ender"..everyone else was a transient in a suburb, or didn't count!
We found a small house in an old Catholic neighborhood that was an estate sale.. widow had died, family put up for sale. Needed a bunch of work, and the woman had died in the house(I didn't tell my wife this, until later!) No updates, built in the Depression, it was no prize.. It had a an "octopus furnace" meaning an old coal burner converted to gas- all heat ducts were inside walls, cold air registers were on outside walls.. But with $4000 down, the $16,000 house was ours! Foreclosures today resulted because people bought $200,000 houses with no money down! I ripped out bushes, cut down overgrown trees, planted ivy, burned-yes burned old paint off house, and restained it, then painted it.. Ripped out bathroom and kitchen, learned ceramic tiling, took 5 layers of wall paper off everything, painted everything that wasn't moving, all after working a full day. The neighbors loved us, and our porch became a "have a beer and talk" place when dusk was upon us.. I have a picture somewhere of my wife coming home from the hospital with our first born, going into our house for the first time... It was a dinky, older home, but it was that key word- a home....
So this is where you tell me about your first "I bought it" home! What was funny, and what was not so funny...

Mother's Day 2009

Today is Mother's Day- a time to appreciate your mom, whether she is still here or gone... Mine is gone, so we spoil the wife and mom who lives here. My sons and I call her by her nickname-The Goob, or Goobie.. Her Mother's Day consists of cards, presents, and a meal of her choosing- prepared by you know who! I had some boneless rib-eye beef steaks, and had bought some really excellent, large wild caught prawns.. Fresh Michigan asparagus, bakery rolls and butter, with a home-made carrot-apple spice cake with cream cheese frosting, well it t'weren't too bad! Also, as I had the deep fryer running, I cooked up some prawn puffs/chips given to me by Doggy Bloggy! Very crisp, cooked in 40 seconds, they looked like pastel colored pork rinds, but tasted very mild! We had more fun watching them cook than eating them! It was like a magic trick... They could be dipped in anything you prefer, as they are fairly sturdy...
The son in K.C. MO called, which always cheers us up! He sent his mom some more plants to grow in her Air Garden he got her for Christmas...
I only took a few pictures as our timetable was rushed, but if everything around here went smoothly, I'd think I was in the wrong house...
P.S.- My sister and her husband got a new dog from rescue, and brought it over Saturday.. Beautiful animal about a year old, and the people claimed it was a Boxer/Great Dane mix. I took one look at the dog and told them it had to be a Rhodesian Ridge-back- size, color, shape- perfect match! Nice animal!

Tuesday, Wednesday Happenings And Eats...

Tuesday, I had signed up for a focus group on a new way to make and save money by giving it to a charity instead of the government(short version!). I thought it was going to be a high pressure sales pitch, but was pleasantly surprised to find a room with an audience of 15 people of above average intelligence, a knowledgeable speaker, and a time table they actually stuck to! I listened for an hour, filled out a 7 question opinion based observation sheet, and was paid $65 bucks- which will cover the Mother's Day dinner I have planned!
We couldn't wait for Cinco de Mayo, so we had a "wet" pork burrito Tuesday night. Later that night, I was headed down to our family room, slipped on the last carpeted step- and sprained my big toe! Really slows you down for a couple of days...
Wednesday, we were going to have chicken salad in a half a muskmelon, but decided to try something a little different... We've all had a tuna melt, why not a chicken salad melt? Broiled shortly until heated through, then topped with cheese and melted- it wasn't bad! Hope your week is going your way!

If You Stay With It, You Learn Something New Every Day..

Saturday, my wife and I decided it would be a beautiful day to head North... Michigan, this time of year, can be fantastic or nasty...Forecast looked good, so we took a road trip. Casino in Manistee was busy, but not lucrative for us! Wild life sighted was one turkey, one deer, a hawk feasting on a rodent, and sundry animals being made into part of the road bed(road kill!).
When we got home, a hardy bean dip with tortilla chips was a good snack...I use refried beans, red salsa, browned,ground burger, cheese, and extra ground cumin-filling, warming and easy!
The next day, I'm scrounging for a Sunday meal, as shopping will happen later that day. I had some huge bone-in chicken breasts(3=3lbs.!)and my wife wanted chicken salad for sandwiches during the week... I decided to simmer the chicken in chicken broth,water, poultry seasoning, and Balsamic vinegar.. Deboned and chopped 2 of the breasts into pieces to be used in a red sauce over pasta.. For years we have eaten chicken spaghetti-but this time, I did something different! I kept the broth and did the pasta in that flavored liquid... The result was stunning! The sauce was great, but the pasta had taken on a flavor that was a stand alone treat! The chicken/Marinara topped with grated Parmesan was good, mind you- but I could have eaten the pasta alone and been pleased...It was kind of like "dirty" rice, only it was pasta!
Later that day, I made the chicken salad with the remaining breast, which with hard cooked eggs, celery and onions chopped, mayo,mustard,lemon pepper, and dill- came out zippy and good.. Balsamic vinegar is to be used sparingly, but done right- is a fantastic ingredient! I also made some sour cream fudge brownies that came out cake-like and perfect with vanilla ice cream...
Have a good week, everyone!

Kind Of A Funky Friday Nite Supper

We've been eating a lot of pork lately, but haven't had pork chops in quite a while. I looked for a baked recipe, and came up with this...
1. 4 pork chops, bone in, browned in olive oil. Place in dish, large enough to hold them.
2. Top with sliced apples, and onion slices.
3. Pour a mixture of strong mustard, brown sugar, and a touch of water to make a sauce.
4. Pour over chops, apples and onions.
5. Bake at 350F for 50 minutes, occasionally basting with rendered juices/sauce.
It wasn't bad, but next time I'd leave it right in the fry pan and cover tightly!

Stuffed Bell Peppers, The Forgotten Meal..

Well, at least around here it had been forgotten! Still suffering from Sam's Club overload, where I bought a six- pack of bell peppers for my chili, I had three left..
Orange, yellow, and red, they were large, fresh and attractive. For filling, I used white rice, simmered in tomato juice until absorbed and tender. I browned ground beef with a chopped onion, and other seasonings until done. Mixing the two into a filling, they were placed in the hollowed out peppers and baked for about 60 minutes at 325F- basting the top every 20 minutes with extra tomato juice to keep moist. When done, they were sprinkled with cheese and served.
A pleasant change for us- but maybe you have them a lot!

UFO's You Can Eat!

When I finished the Brie recipe, I was left with three UFO- sized Portobello mushrooms. That's what happens when you shop at Sam's Club! I gave one to my son, along with numerous other food items we overstocked on(He helped me shop that day!), so I had two left for a meal yet to be determined.. I like the darn things. They have an uncanny ability to absorb whatever flavor marinade or seasoning you put on them. They also are dense and firm to a point of an almost meat-like consistency.
I chose to marinade shortly with soy sauce and Worcester sauce, sprinkled with garlic and onion powder. I trimmed the loose sides, and scraped what I call the gills(the dark brown underside of the mushroom)off. I then placed a very thin pattie of ground beef on it, that had been seasoned with salt and pepper only. Broiled until pattie was medium rare, I removed from broiler and topped with a mild cheese. Broiled until melted, out they came... Portobello pattie melt, awaiting your favorite condiment! It could easily made into a sandwich, as you can imagine...

Of Brie Cheese And White Chili..

A month or so back, Doggy Bloggy put me on to get a chance at some free cheese... Two of my favorite words are "free" and "cheese"! I sent away for it and received a package of ILE de France brand Brie cheese. Brie is a delightful soft cheese, with a slight mushroomy flavor and scent...
This company was running a recipe contest using ILE de France cheeses... At the coaxing of DogB, I made up a recipe, took a photo of the dish, and sent it in.. To describe what I made really won't take very long, as it isn't complicated to make!
1. 16oz. of ILE de France Brie (room temp), scooped out of outside rind, placed in bowl.
2. Fry (6) thin, lean bacon strips until you can crumble it after cooling.
3. Take one large Portobello mushroom, clean and trim outside edge, then carefully scrape brown underside of mushroom until it is one trimmed clean piece.
4. Mince the mushroom into small bits, saute in rendered bacon fat, until almost dry. Drain and pat dry mushroom pieces.
5. Add the crumbled bacon, minced mushroom to cheese, mixing by hand thoroughly.
6. Place in serving dish, top with freshly chopped chives.
7. Serve with fresh, tart apple slices, or an herb flavored hard bread..

We were in a chili cook-off today- during a rather cold thunderstorm... The awning protected us from the rain, but when the wind gusted, not so well! My wife and I made our white chili, which has never lost at that contest. We didn't win, mainly because they weren't going to let the same team win 3 years in a row- but compliments abounded! It was some of the worst weather I've ever cooked in!

Something I've Talked About, And Finally Did- Mexican Pizza..

I had that left over chunk of Southwestern flavored pot roast, and was planning on soft shell shredded beef tacos, but when I checked the fridge- we didn't have any soft shells.. Hard shell didn't seem a good fit, so I finally made my version of a Mexican pizza.
I made my normal from "scratch" pizza crust (which is lighter than most I've had!)with my 6 quart Kitchen-Aid mixer, using the dough hook.. While the dough rose, I chopped up the beef, some onion, shredded cheese, made a sauce from taco sauce, tomato juice, and spices, and chopped some fresh lettuce. Sliced black olives went on it also...
After dough had risen once, I spread it out on a cookie sheet, and let it rise a bit more... The sauce had simmered/thickened to a good consistency, and was spread on dough.. Next a layer of cheese, then onions, then olives... Baked at 450F for 15 minutes and served. The pizza was then topped per piece by the uncooked lettuce, extra shredded cheese and taco sauce(if wanted). Pretty darn tasty, if I do say so myself!
We got the Tex-Mex flavor we had been craving, in a pretty neat and easy meal..

Friday, Saturday, Sunday- Food And Happenings..

Friday night the request from my wife was a chef salad, our larders were a little low, but had enough stuff to make a pretty good one!
Saturday was a big chili cook-off- which I didn't participate in for the first time in at least 10 years! The reason was simple- we had a "must go to" wedding and reception.. The reception served what I refer to as Polish Wedding food- meatballs, baked ham, baked chicken, etc... We've all been there and done that! Wasn't bad..
Sunday, I made a pot roast... we've been having this more than I want, so I tried something new with it- a Southwestern flavored one! A beef roast(thick!), diced tomatoes(drained), sliced onion, garlic, taco seasonings, all wrapped tightly in leak-proof aluminum foil, I baked at 325F for 3 hrs. Came out OK (better than the photo!)..tender enough, but actually could have used more spice..Nice chunk left over for a couple of Mexican shredded beef soft tacos!

When We Were First Married....

This is a post about our early living conditions when we first got married. Every once in awhile I like to write a post that helps me document days I may not remember clearly later in life...
My wife and I married young(20 and 19)but did't live with parents after our marriage- ever! I moved into an apartment a week before the wedding, and started painting, carpeting, and moving. The day of the move, I was let go from my job. I was a draftsman, and the project ended... I'll never forget the feeling of being jobless a week before I was to provide for a wife, and moving out of my parent's home in the rain.
I wasn't out of work for two weeks when I got a new job, which taught me good things happen too!
The apartment we were in had four units, built after WWII for the housing shortage.. The doors were steel, no attempt at acoustics in hallways- every time someone came in or left the building, it felt like you lived in the bells of Notre Dame... I had never seen a roach before I moved in there- I thought they were June bugs... The heat came on in September and went off in May.. No air conditioning, just uninsulated steel crank windows- which about half worked...No parking spot- first come first served..
That apartment was the single largest motivator to get a house ASAP! We were there two years, saving for a down payment on a place smaller than a mobile home(Single wide!), but that's another post...
Tell me about your first place, I think this will be interesting!

The Inevitable Post About Turkey Leftovers..

The white meat and dark meat of the turkey were separated into two containers.. I normally would have boiled bones for stock- but didn't this time, I was too whipped! Monday night was an easy one...it's what we lovingly call a "Truck Driver Special" Sliced dark turkey(you can use beef or pork too!) simmered in leftover gravy, and placed on either toasted slices of bread, or mashed potatoes.. Simple straight-forward, and hearty! Tuesday I made a dish I hadn't in a while- Turkey Tetrazzini! Egg noodles cooked per directions, laid in a casserole dish.. Sauteed sliced mushrooms(in a half a stick of butter!), add sour cream and chopped cooked white meat from turkey. Season with your favorites- I used crushed garlic, minced onion, and Italian seasonings.. Pour over noodles, and cover with a layer of grated Parmesan cheese. Put uncovered casserole into 325F oven, heat through until cheese is bubbly-1/2 hour is plenty- and you have a rich, filling meal, from leftvers!
Tonight will be a chef's salad, utilizing yet more turkey...

I Finally Did It! I Got Too Big A Bird...

We had a roast turkey for Easter. Every time I get a turkey, I seem to go a little larger- bigger is better, right? Wrong! At 22lbs, it caused problems... I had to use a different pot to brine it in, it barely fit in a double lasagna pan, took up the whole oven, and even after I made every guest take some home, I have leftover turkey up the wazoo.. Remember that commercial where the woman is wrestling her turkey all over the kitchen, finally turkey slips goes flying out the window, knocking a guy flat? That was sort of what I looked like Sunday... It was tasty, and pretty moist, but a smaller bird would have been better..
The dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls, and bean casserole were good. The spice cake never got cut- everybody too full! That little gizmo next to the cake is sometimes called a Brulee torch- a small torch, with an adjustable flame which can be used to smooth out frostings, glazes, and of course finish the top of brulees..
By the time I get a meal like that done, I'm usually not even hungry!
Hope you all had good ones!

Mini-Meme! Two Questions About Easter Food...

Easter is a feast day... The day the sacrifices of Lent are over.. I don't practice Lent, as my personal beliefs didn't include it- but it did become a largely celebrated day, which usually includes a big meal! Ours this year, looks like a replay of Thanksgiving...(Brined!) Roast turkey(22lbs.) dressing(sage sausage stuffing) the famous(or infamous!) green bean casserole, Yukon gold mashed potatoes, gravy.. and a spice cake for dessert!
Last year I did boneless leg of lamb over charcoal, but this year we have two guests that aren't open to new treats- so turkey it is!
Back to the two questions...
1. What do you consider your traditional Easter meal?
2. What was your oddest Easter meal?
Me first! 1. Generally in these parts, the norm is a baked ham... I like ham a lot, but more in sandwiches and salads...
2. Sunrise Service breakfast- as a kid, our town held a huge service at the civic auditorium- not enough, and not good....
Answer honestly, and have a good Easter this year...
P.S.- Brining poultry is the single thing you can do to make your bird the best it can be! 1 cup of non-iodized salt per one gallon of water, soaked 1 hr. per pound of bird, will make it the best you ever made!

Steelhead... Think Of A Rainbow Trout Only Bigger!

Steelhead were successfully planted in the Great Lakes quite a while ago. They are actually a sea going trout, that comes to fresh water rivers and swims upstream to spawn. Michigan found our Great Lakes(fresh water) worked just fine... The flavor of the flesh could be described as a cross between salmon and a lake trout- salmon being best, Lake trout(isn't bad)least flavorful..
At $3.99 a lb. we bought a big fillet and treated it much as I would a salmon fillet.First i rinsed it, then cut into three equal portions. Sprayed with olive oil, sprinkled with lemon pepper, dill weed, and Old Bay seasoning, I broiled it, skin side down for about 12 minutes. Came out as you see in photo.... The brown rice/wild rice mix takes about 45 minutes to cook, with a rest time of 5-10 minutes..
I have a left over portion, which will be made into steelhead spread- but that's another post!

Some Good Tasting Stuff Just Ain't Pretty!

As we had quite a bit of leftover steak, and I had been screwed out of my really good onion soup- I decided Monday to make a no-fail soup, steak and potato! Trimmed and cut steak into spoon sized bites, potatoes diced to about the same size, with beef broth, diced celery, diced onion, and sliced mushrooms- crock pot time! The seasonings added were minced garlic, black pepper, a bit of Canadian steak seasonings- on high for three hours... Then mixed in a flour/brown gravy mix/milk slurry that thickened it nicely! Served with rolls, we ate the heck out of it! Potatoes were not mushy, and steak was tender...a warming meal, even though it didn't snow like they said it would here!
Tonight, I have a steelhead fillet I plan to broil- post will be next!
Visited DogB's last post... Makes me feel like George Gobels- an old comedian once on Johnny Carson's show, between two famous icons in the entertainment business... He says; "Did you ever feel you were surrounded by people in tuxedos, and you were a pair of old brown shoes?" That's what my soup looks like against his fabulous meal!

Sunday Steak- Been A While..

I had a couple of hand trimmed steaks left in the freezer- all vac packed by me! They were huge! Photo is a half a steak- medium rare... Asparagus was fresh and sweet- not bitter at all. Dinner rolls and a white frosted brownie was quite enough today... Looking forward to doing nothing for rest of the day- as I had to make that meal twice- first for wife and I, then a to go plate for son- kind of a pain, but it's become the habit again..
Never made a potato kugel, but I think I'm going to try this week... I had it once, and thought it pretty good!
They are predicting 2-4" inches of snow for Monday, so if you hear faint screaming- that would be me...

A Short Overview of Communications...Could We?

The human race has been separated, and at other times joined though the ability/inability to communicate..
Jungle drums, smoke signals, imitation animal sounds, etc.. Then came the written word- sometimes symbols, then symbols that stood for what we think of as "letters". The written word was, and still is the baseline for communicating. Telegraphs, telephones, fax, cell phones, text messaging, computers, etc.- has given us more ways to communicate than ever! Yet, the daily misunderstandings are getting greater..
I remember when Esperanza(SP)was being promoted as a world language- didn't work.. I always thought "signing"(how deaf people communicate) is something everyone could learn and be universal..Imagine going anywhere and be understood- how cool would that be!
Made some from scratch French onion soup last night- that got thrown out.. Wife didn't get in contact about a hair cut appointment after work, she had dinner with girlfriend.. Communication- did it used to be simpler, or is it just me?

The "I Can't Wait For Spring" Supper...

Winter just won't let go this year! Craving something light, and to remind us that warmer days are coming- I made a batch of chicken salad, placed in a muskmelon for supper... Cooked chicken breast-cubed, a couple of hard boiled eggs-chopped, chopped celery and onions, mayo, mustard, and lemon pepper- all mixed thoroughly and chilled. Melon cleaned, cut in half- ready for salad...Simple but refreshing!
I also jumped on the banana wagon we all seem to be on, and made a straight banana bread-moist and rich.. I nice addition to the light meal. There is only two of us- kids are grown and gone...I look forward to an opportunity to cook a big meal- Easter is coming!

A Week-end Of Food, Nothing Fancy!

Since we had pizza Thursday, a simple scrambled egg, ham , mushroom, and cheese concoction sounded about right.. too messy to call an omelette! Saturday was even simpler- toasted cheese sammiches on rye- good cheddar though.. Sat. night I took the last of my venison, ground it- along with three pork steaks, to make either meatloaf or meatballs for Sunday.. Seasoned the night before eating, but added oatmeal and egg as a binder Sunday morning, it became meatloaf! Venison can be a bit stronger than beef, but is dead lean! Texture was firm and good- flavor was pronounced, nothing a little catsup and mustard couldn't cure! Had egg noodles on the side- we're kind of potato and riced out around here...
I'll probably make some treat later today, as I have all afternoon- wife went to a play!

The Blog, Opinions and Rectums Strikes Back!

Lately I've noticed a trend of people who blog, ask for answers, and if the answers don't fit their ears- get mad or offended. If you don't want a different point of view, don't invite one! You grow through input, not sympathy.. Sympathy is given when needed, not when asked for.. I admit to being a bit snarky lately, but I take umbrage when a woman that doesn't know me tells me "I don't understand".. Of course I don't see it your way all the time, but it doesn't mean I don't understand.. I want everyone to have an opinion, and I want everyone be prepared to defend it! Free speech is a Constitutional Right- one I defend at all times. Speak your mind- don't just sympathize- one is enabling, the other might be real help.. This is my Bi-yearly rant, hope you liked it..

Food Lately..

Saturday night we had a simple fish sandwich- broiled tilapia seasoned with lemon pepper and dill, on a bun with lettuce and mayo... I had a photo, but must have deleted it!
Sunday, a beef pot roast, along with cauliflower topped with aurora sauce.. This sauce is essentially a white sauce, with tomato paste added. My version involves tomato sauce, cheese, and sour cream, with herbs.. delightful change from just cheese sauce! Having a smooth sauce that is not too tomatoey and not too rich, is a pleasant change- try it!