Hey All,
OK, so its Saturday, and today was the big meat run for the month and I feel broke as shit. $0.50 for fritter chicken, at 20 lbs, still feels like rape....Did I ever mention that spending money on groceries makes me want to throw up?
So the truth is, I haven't been raped and I'm not sorry. I just really hate the "big meat" trips to the market. It makes me feel dirty for spending so much. Beef costs a helluva lot, chicken, not much better, and pork, is actually on sale, but by the time I made it to the store with pork on sale I was worn out!
In usual fashion, let's revisit some recipes.....
Bourbon chicken....this devil made a chicken and a sauce that was delicious. So delicious, in fact, that Husbear nuked some edamame to enjoy while we steamed vegetables. I had a moment of genius where I realized that the reason my crock pot Chinese had been turning out like drek, was because I was crocking the vegetables too.....Moral of the story, dont' do it! Steam the vegetables in the microwave and dredge them in the sauce. In the case of the bourbon chicken, I added the cornstarch slurry and let it set for 1.5 hours.....then threw the steamed veggies in and pulled them out with a slotted spoon.....YUMMO!
Now for why I'm writing this. This week has been hell on our marriage....Husbear got hit, on his bicycle, no major damage, thank GOD, but we're still on a witch hunt!.....I've been working hard, but the reality that I'm losing my support teams is hitting like a ton of bricks!
Shopping today, as mentioned, was not the usual $50/week.....its because of these trips that it's OK, but damn....I hate spending $493 on food, even if it goes in the freezer for 2 months.
Now for the recipe for Rangoon Dip....Leigh (my Husbear) and Lee (a friend's ex) both think its worthy of publication. Its a pintrest thingy.....normally, pinterest makes me kind a crazy, but this one, just screamed, "Make it!".
1/2 pound lump crab (imitation crab works, but don't over cook)
8 oz. cream cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan ...in reality, about 2 oz solid....My how grinding works and save a fortune!
3 Tblsp, green onion
2 Tblsp, Worchestershire sauce
2 Tblsp lemon juice, or juice of 2 limes, as I did tonight
1 teasp, hot sauce....siracha is my favorite
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/2 tsp. Old Bay spice....this one can be made from your pantry. Google that shit....I'm tired and crabby!
Mix the mess together....the original recipe says 350°F for 20 min...bullcrap! Shred some mozzarella over the top and broil on high until it gets a crust.....
Fry wonton skins on the highest setting of your deep frier....the oil must be hot....drip them off on paper towels and put them in a brown paper bag...the should be great tomorrow....
Ugh, tired, sad, challenged....I won't take a break from this, but yeah, life, much like gloss, rhymes with hair...
Good night,
3Day
Saturday, December 13, 2014
Sunday, December 7, 2014
Standby....a theme for a week
Hey All,
First let me say thank you to all my viewers. I've topped 4000 all time views, and have been averaging about 8 hits a day. THANK YOU! Interestingly, in the past week, China has taken the lead for origination of hits. I remember back when I got my first European hits, I was thrilled. Now I'm slowly starting to fill in the map of the world. I think its pretty cool to know that my writing and cooking have reached around the globe.
So let's recap last week:
On Monday, I was going to use the last pork steak to make a pork chow mien. I got all the shopping done, pulled the pork out of the fridge, and it smelled uniquely of rotten almonds. So, yeah, um, no, pork chow mien didn't happen. Instead, we used leftover turkey and made turkey club sandwiches.
The chickens, sans one very sick hen that is in isolation, have been laying again, so I decided to make a quiche. Quiche is surprisingly easy. Its pretty much 6 eggs, vegetables that will cook well, and a pastry shell. The swiss chard has been continuing to grow well into this very warm winter, so I used that, a bit of onion, leftover shredded cheese, salt, pepper, a sprinkle of thyme, and a sprinkle of rosemary. I also had some deli ham that I picked up on a free promotion, so I layered that into the bottom. I sprinkled some leftover shredded Parmesan over the top. Because the chard was so much, the Parmesan sat on top of the leaves and created a nice frico effect. It was tasty!
We also had some leftover pie dough, so Husbear rolled it out. We make a pretty good team when it comes to pastry. I can't make and roll it very well, and he doesn't do well with rolling and fluting the edges. This isn't some of my best work, but on a weeknight, I'm more interested in my food tasting great than looking nice. If pie crust isn't readily available, I use a pat in pan recipe, similar to this one. Pat in pan crusts aren't flaky and delicious like the one's Husbear makes, but they are entirely functional for quiche.
Wednesday had Husbear running, so we did a chicken ranch from Papa Murphy's. I'm really glad we've picked this one up again. It makes for a nice easy meal and the quality is far superior to the delivery guys.
I don't remember what we had on Thursday....and Friday was a handful of martini's that left me sound asleep.
I've also been playing with sourdough. I started the starter the week before Thanksgiving. I've been feeding it regularly, making breads of many varieties throughout the weeks. Breadmaking has required patience and a much more relaxed approach than normal. The good news, things have been turning out great. I've been using quick dough type recipes of the generic type: 1 cup hot tap water, 2 Tblsp starter, 3 cups water, 1/2 tsp. salt. For regular bread, I add 1 egg, 1/4 cup oil, and 1 Tblsp sugar. For sweet breads, I add 3 Tblsp. sugar, 6 Tblsp melted butter, 1/4 cup powdered milk.
The hardest part has been getting things to rise. I'm slowly learning that sourdough does things on its own time and requires just the right amount of heat. I've been putting the dough in the oven with the light on overnight, then punching down, shaping, and letting rise another 2 to 4 hours.
This morning, we had cinnamon rolls. I haven't made these in years, and they were delicious! The filling was 1/2 cup sugar and 2 teasp. cinnamon. Most recipes I found included a bit of flour in the filling mix, but I didn't use it. A tip when cutting, use a piece of thread to pinch the roll rather than trying to cut with a knife. That way you don't lose the shape.
Over the top, 8oz cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, softened and creamed together. 1/2 tsp vanilla mixed in, then 1 cup of powdered sugar. I really like the extra butter in this recipe as it negates the need for a slab of butter over the roll. Here's what it turned out like:
The week ahead has me using some old favorites: Anaheim shrimp scampi (avocados were $0.79/ea), quiche (because eggs are plentiful right now!), and turkey tetrazinni (the last of the leftover turkey). Also, I'll be trying Spend with Pennies - Bourbon Chicken this week.
Also, a big reminder to be watching your grocer's apps and ads. This is the time of year that I find they are often in a "giving" mood and you can stock a pantry with ease. This past week, I picked up 4lb bags of sugar for $0.99 each (limit 4). That was a huge saver, as typically you can't find bags of sugar for under $1.50. Other steals this week on niceties: $1.99 for 16 oz of mixed greens, I can usually do better on lettuce, but its been expensive this season, $1.29 for a bag of 3 scones, $1.37 for a bag of 6 bagels, $0.75 for a tub of pumpkin spice cream cheese spread, $0.43 for a bag of peas, carrots, and broccoli, and $0.21/pint for milk. I'm sure the price on the milk doesn't figure out in the end, but a gallon of milk is always too much for us, so $0.40 for milk for cooking vs. $2.50 for too much that goes bad, works quite nicely in my budget.
I'm also happy to report that the tiffin is forcing me to make great and healthy lunches. This past week, I had a salad with every meal which has left me feeling much better in the afternoon and evenings. It has also made lunch a much more enjoyable affair....the days of plastic containers full of leftovers, hastily thrown into my day sack are over. Now I am eating meals filled with fresh fruits and veggies and reasonable sized portions of high-fat foods. Even better, my budget is staying intact!
I should talk about the sick chicken, since I mentioned her. The hens recently started laying again. I'm slowly catching on that they have a good period every year that they do not lay and then it resumes like normal. One of them began acting funny, staying away from the flock, just laying around, not doing much of anything. I watched her for a few days, and finally took action when she was laying on her side not moving much at all. A look over her and her belly was red and swollen. I have seen egg bound chickens and broody chickens, but nothing like this. A quick consult with a vet friend and I learned its likely something to do with the resumption of laying. It would stand to reason that something is quite wrong with her girl parts, whether she isn't passing the egg properly, or if she has something else going on causing the improperly formed egg to pass into the abdominal cavity. Either way, she's got one heck of an infection. The prognosis isn't super good, but I figure we owe it to her to give recovery a shot. The first couple days, I managed to force some antibiotics into her, then she fought me too much...the past two, she's been consuming the liquid, but very little. Husbear bathed her and cleaned her isolation pen last night and she's acting really sick today. The course of antibiotics is complete on Thursday, at that time we'll have to decide if she's healthy enough to return to the flock or if we need to make end of life arrangements including a necropsy to determine if the rest of the flock has any risk of getting sick.
I hope you all are enjoying the winter months, staying warm and healthy.
3Day
First let me say thank you to all my viewers. I've topped 4000 all time views, and have been averaging about 8 hits a day. THANK YOU! Interestingly, in the past week, China has taken the lead for origination of hits. I remember back when I got my first European hits, I was thrilled. Now I'm slowly starting to fill in the map of the world. I think its pretty cool to know that my writing and cooking have reached around the globe.
So let's recap last week:
On Monday, I was going to use the last pork steak to make a pork chow mien. I got all the shopping done, pulled the pork out of the fridge, and it smelled uniquely of rotten almonds. So, yeah, um, no, pork chow mien didn't happen. Instead, we used leftover turkey and made turkey club sandwiches.
The chickens, sans one very sick hen that is in isolation, have been laying again, so I decided to make a quiche. Quiche is surprisingly easy. Its pretty much 6 eggs, vegetables that will cook well, and a pastry shell. The swiss chard has been continuing to grow well into this very warm winter, so I used that, a bit of onion, leftover shredded cheese, salt, pepper, a sprinkle of thyme, and a sprinkle of rosemary. I also had some deli ham that I picked up on a free promotion, so I layered that into the bottom. I sprinkled some leftover shredded Parmesan over the top. Because the chard was so much, the Parmesan sat on top of the leaves and created a nice frico effect. It was tasty!
We also had some leftover pie dough, so Husbear rolled it out. We make a pretty good team when it comes to pastry. I can't make and roll it very well, and he doesn't do well with rolling and fluting the edges. This isn't some of my best work, but on a weeknight, I'm more interested in my food tasting great than looking nice. If pie crust isn't readily available, I use a pat in pan recipe, similar to this one. Pat in pan crusts aren't flaky and delicious like the one's Husbear makes, but they are entirely functional for quiche.
Wednesday had Husbear running, so we did a chicken ranch from Papa Murphy's. I'm really glad we've picked this one up again. It makes for a nice easy meal and the quality is far superior to the delivery guys.
I don't remember what we had on Thursday....and Friday was a handful of martini's that left me sound asleep.
I've also been playing with sourdough. I started the starter the week before Thanksgiving. I've been feeding it regularly, making breads of many varieties throughout the weeks. Breadmaking has required patience and a much more relaxed approach than normal. The good news, things have been turning out great. I've been using quick dough type recipes of the generic type: 1 cup hot tap water, 2 Tblsp starter, 3 cups water, 1/2 tsp. salt. For regular bread, I add 1 egg, 1/4 cup oil, and 1 Tblsp sugar. For sweet breads, I add 3 Tblsp. sugar, 6 Tblsp melted butter, 1/4 cup powdered milk.
The hardest part has been getting things to rise. I'm slowly learning that sourdough does things on its own time and requires just the right amount of heat. I've been putting the dough in the oven with the light on overnight, then punching down, shaping, and letting rise another 2 to 4 hours.
This morning, we had cinnamon rolls. I haven't made these in years, and they were delicious! The filling was 1/2 cup sugar and 2 teasp. cinnamon. Most recipes I found included a bit of flour in the filling mix, but I didn't use it. A tip when cutting, use a piece of thread to pinch the roll rather than trying to cut with a knife. That way you don't lose the shape.
Over the top, 8oz cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, softened and creamed together. 1/2 tsp vanilla mixed in, then 1 cup of powdered sugar. I really like the extra butter in this recipe as it negates the need for a slab of butter over the roll. Here's what it turned out like:
The week ahead has me using some old favorites: Anaheim shrimp scampi (avocados were $0.79/ea), quiche (because eggs are plentiful right now!), and turkey tetrazinni (the last of the leftover turkey). Also, I'll be trying Spend with Pennies - Bourbon Chicken this week.
Also, a big reminder to be watching your grocer's apps and ads. This is the time of year that I find they are often in a "giving" mood and you can stock a pantry with ease. This past week, I picked up 4lb bags of sugar for $0.99 each (limit 4). That was a huge saver, as typically you can't find bags of sugar for under $1.50. Other steals this week on niceties: $1.99 for 16 oz of mixed greens, I can usually do better on lettuce, but its been expensive this season, $1.29 for a bag of 3 scones, $1.37 for a bag of 6 bagels, $0.75 for a tub of pumpkin spice cream cheese spread, $0.43 for a bag of peas, carrots, and broccoli, and $0.21/pint for milk. I'm sure the price on the milk doesn't figure out in the end, but a gallon of milk is always too much for us, so $0.40 for milk for cooking vs. $2.50 for too much that goes bad, works quite nicely in my budget.
I'm also happy to report that the tiffin is forcing me to make great and healthy lunches. This past week, I had a salad with every meal which has left me feeling much better in the afternoon and evenings. It has also made lunch a much more enjoyable affair....the days of plastic containers full of leftovers, hastily thrown into my day sack are over. Now I am eating meals filled with fresh fruits and veggies and reasonable sized portions of high-fat foods. Even better, my budget is staying intact!
I should talk about the sick chicken, since I mentioned her. The hens recently started laying again. I'm slowly catching on that they have a good period every year that they do not lay and then it resumes like normal. One of them began acting funny, staying away from the flock, just laying around, not doing much of anything. I watched her for a few days, and finally took action when she was laying on her side not moving much at all. A look over her and her belly was red and swollen. I have seen egg bound chickens and broody chickens, but nothing like this. A quick consult with a vet friend and I learned its likely something to do with the resumption of laying. It would stand to reason that something is quite wrong with her girl parts, whether she isn't passing the egg properly, or if she has something else going on causing the improperly formed egg to pass into the abdominal cavity. Either way, she's got one heck of an infection. The prognosis isn't super good, but I figure we owe it to her to give recovery a shot. The first couple days, I managed to force some antibiotics into her, then she fought me too much...the past two, she's been consuming the liquid, but very little. Husbear bathed her and cleaned her isolation pen last night and she's acting really sick today. The course of antibiotics is complete on Thursday, at that time we'll have to decide if she's healthy enough to return to the flock or if we need to make end of life arrangements including a necropsy to determine if the rest of the flock has any risk of getting sick.
I hope you all are enjoying the winter months, staying warm and healthy.
3Day
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