What a week....

Hey All,

So what a week.  The first full week of 2015 brought all kinds of crazy.  There was a RIF at work that was bittersweet.  While some of the paranoia inducing folks are gone, lots of hardworking good people were also taken out in the process.  Also, there was an officer involved shooting that affected one of the communities to which I belong.  My commentary is minimal about both happenings for two reasons:  1)  I'm not entirely sure what to say and find that letting my confusion be my guide usually works well, and 2) some of the initial reactions are entirely unpopular and liable to hurt feelings.  The whole thing has me a bit confused, looking for direction, and not entirely sure I like what my inner voice is telling me.  The inner voice is telling me to remain calm and stay the course.  So all of that aside, the kitchen continues to run smoothly!

Recap

Let's recap since the last installment:

Rice and Egg Bake, while creepy in appearance has been quite enjoyable both fresh and as leftovers.  I have misplaced the cook book and can't find anything similar on the web, but here's a picture:

If you search for Egg and Rice bake, there are lots of variants....in this one, you mix the yolks with powdered mustard and basically make upside down deviled eggs in the rice.  A note here, if you are using fresh eggs, conventional wisdom will tell you that your eggs won't hardboil.  That is hogwash, the trick is to shock the eggs in cold water immediately after cooking, causing the membrane to shrink from the shell.  Also, peeling under cold water helps keep the eggs from sticking.

The rest of last week was good eating!  I'm happy to report the steam bun dough made for delicious peirogi.  The bit of sweet and the hearty bite of over-risen dough was a delight.

The Week Ahead

So shopping this week was actually slightly impressive.  Pork loin was on sale for $2.49/lb;  $26 later we have 4 just right sized roasts.  Not bad at all.  I didn't hit NPS this week, so I paid a bit more for some stuff, but all told I was only into Smith's for $45.  My target is $50 a week and >30% savings....so I'm on target!

Beef stew and pork chili will be nice considering we are supposed to get weather again.  Hearty soups and stews are wonderful when its cold and dreary.

Tater Tot Taco Bake flew by my facebook feed.  My only gripe is that this recipe ends up costing more than most meals I make due to the specialty canned goods and cheese that is not on sale.

Chicken with plum sauce will be an experiment.  Last summer, PL brought me some early season plums from up north.  It wasn't enough for jam, and neither myself nor Husbear care for fresh plums, so I made a jar of plum sauce to store.  It came out last weekend as part of a Dim Sum tea party for his daughter who was returning to her Mother.  I think I'll just crock pot the mess and serve with rice and veggies.  The other option would be to fry up pre-bredded patties and pour it over that, but the sauce may be just a bit too heavy for that.

Since the sourdough starter refuses to die....and trust me, in the past two weeks its a wonder it hasn't, I'm going to give Kraut Bierok a shot.  This is one of those recipes that goes way back in my mining, German, blue collar heritage.  This will make a substantial quantity, so the leftovers will go into the freezer.  I'm also going to make a curry ketchup to go with these.  While ketchup in itself would be delightful, I think curried ketchup will be amazing.  To make curried ketchup, just mix curry powder into ketchup to taste....and remember the flavors will intensify greatly the longer it sits.

I'm also patiently waiting to see if my parents managed to get the German Strudle recipe down for sharing.  Its another high carb, high fat, poor people food, but has been a special recipe in my family for generations.  If they get it figured out, I'll be sure to share it.

Not quite as lengthy this week.  I hope 2015 is finding you healthy and well-adjusted.  So far, its off to a crazy start, so I'll keep cooking!

3Day