Todd's Plate

My version of chicken fajita wraps

2011-09-26T10:03:00.000-07:00

Shocked myself at seeing I've not posted approaching a year! I'm going to forget some of the stuff I've come up with, that's for sure. No pics on this one, kinda forgot before we gobbled it. It was deemed tasty though!

2 chicken quarters (thigh/drumstick)
1 medium mild green pepper sliced
1 medium mild red pepper sliced
1 small onion sliced

Throw that all in a cast iron pan or glass dish and get it in the oven at 350. Then start making the sauce:

1/4 cup lime juice
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring
1 TB your favorite taco or chili seasoning ( I use Spanish Gardens Taco Seasoning)

Pour about half of it over the chicken & veggies and keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn. I cooked my chicken for roughly an hour. When the chicken is done, take it out and pick off the meat. Put the rest of the sauce in the pan and let it go while you pick so it warms up. Wrap up in flour tortillas with sour cream and taco sauce and enjoy! Super easy and not many ingredients!

It's bacon day....

2010-11-21T10:35:00.000-08:00

Easily the most excited I've been about my meat in a long time. Yesterday we had some friends over and the timing was right, I was smoking a pulled pork and had the apple wood and hickory at hand, perfect time to smoke my bacon!!!

Smoked:

Slicing:

Well looky there, it a bacon!

Sliced:

Cooking:

And done!

I little salty, and I'm not getting much from the maple syrup I used, but this is attempt #1 and I know I'll be trying again!

The bacon project....

2010-11-18T19:14:00.000-08:00

Slab of what's called "Side of Pork", $2.48 a pound:

Then some of this stuff with sodium nitrate:

Then I rubbed it with some brown sugar and thyme and maple syrup:

Anyway, after a few days a lot of moisture is extruded, looking like this:

Click here for the results http://toddsplate.blogspot.com/2010/11/its-bacon-day.html

Za!

2010-05-30T10:07:00.000-07:00

Finally tried this and was pretty happy with the results.
Cody's dough recipe:

----------------------------------------

1 1/2 cups very warm water
2 tsp yeast
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 3/4 cup bread flour
1/2 cup semolina flour

dump all the dry crap in, dump the water in run through dough setting

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Use the bread maker for the dough, the hardest part was spreading it out so a somewhat uniform shape:

Did put a LOT of flour on the paddle to keep it from sticking. Used Classico spaghetti sauce (with mushrooms) and then of course lots of meat! Black olives, mmmm. I melted a little butter and brushed it on the crust edges, then sprinkled with garlic salt.

I used a pizza stone and had the oven on 450. Put some corn meal down to keep it from sticking and watched it carefully after about 12-14 minutes:

The end result:

Burger, you tasty little thang

2010-05-13T21:07:00.000-07:00

From the bottom up:

Toasted Bun
Mayo
Sliced turkey ham
Ketchup
Burger over open coals with hickory wood
Cheddar Cheese
Burger repeat
Pickles
Ketchup
Bacon
Chili pepper
S&P
Bun

Bacon Ends & Pieces. A good thing

2010-05-13T18:28:00.000-07:00

What are they? Well! I assume they are ends and pieces of good old bacon. For some reason, they seem to be expensive. Why? I don't know. They also tend to be very tasty. Why? STOP ASKING QUESTIONS! I think it's just cause it's the outside pieces that get the direct smoke or flavoring from whatever it is to create sweet luscious tasty bacon! What you seem to get are pieces that are almost bacon, and then hunks of fat and meat that are very ham like. Tonight they are burger toppers and snacks.

Yummy Ribs

2010-01-23T17:12:00.000-08:00

There's really not much to say....

Finished product:

I guess I do like soup

2010-01-21T08:55:00.000-08:00

Tracy wanted "some soup" the other day, so I went digging around in the freezer and shelves, and I guess I *DO* like soup!! All homemade, found were:

Onion Soup
Pazole
Clam Chowder
Squash Soup (Ick)
Chili
Basque Beans (It's soup like)
Veggie beef soup
Gramma's soup
SW chicken chili
Tomato
And Tortilla soup form the neighbor!

Some mexican stuff I'm not sure what to call, but it's good

2010-01-03T12:28:00.000-08:00

I've cooked this twice and not really followed a recipe, so apologies if you try it and it's not as good as mine's turned out. Basically it's simmered meat in a variety of spice and peppers and the kind you make burritos, soft tacos, enchiladas or whatever out of.

Hunk of meat about 4 pounds, I've used pork and cheap beef.
Some (4-6) whole dried mild peppers (Ancho, Pasilla)
A can or about a pound of tomatillos
1 large chopped onion
2 TB chopped garlic
Some tomatoes, canned or stewed or whatever, maybe a cup
Spices! TB of oregano, tsp of cumin, tsp of ground Ancho, some salt & pepper
1 cinnamon stick (yes, that's correct)
Enough water or broth to cover things

Pretty simple, toss it all in a pot and bring to a boil, then simmer for 4-6 hours, the meat will get fall apart tender. Take out the meat and shred. Remove the pepper skins and cinnamon stick from the rest and use a stick blender on the rest and you have a nice sauce. We put the meat in a tortilla with some cheddar cheese and broil a bit in the oven, top with the meat, sauce maybe some quac and sour cream and enjoy.

Mmmmm, lasagna....

2009-12-27T14:55:00.000-08:00

Looks tasty, tonight's feast. Doubling the house pupulation with friends of ours that have two Goldens (OK, so one's half poodle). Home made lasagna. Lots of work but has been worth it.

Dry Aged Prime Rib Roast

2009-12-23T10:38:00.000-08:00

I've been a big fan of prime rib for years, and it's been our Christmas day meal for probably 10+ years now. I've done more experimenting in the past 2 years because the roasts have gotten as low as $2.98 a pound, and that's cheap! My traditional method has held firm, and that's covering with thyme, salt and strips of Farmland Cider House Bacon (thanks again Bill!).

I've learned a coupla things and will stick with that recipe, it's plain and simple, but the addition of rosemary and garlic is not a bad idea.

Another thing I'll always do is warm my meat up (snicker) before cooking. Never go from fridge to oven immediately, the lower and slower it can cook the better. I now take my prime rib out in the morning, maybe even the night before and let it get to room temperature.

I've not made up my mind if Select or Choice from the stores makes a difference, I'm a bit tainted cause a pricey piece from McGonigles in KC was a big disappointment, but that was years ago and not having the experience I do now, I think I overcooked it. I've gotten them from all over and have had good and bad, no rhyme or reason except that the more patient I am with cooking, the better it has seemed to be.

Another must is putting your plates in the oven and getting them warmed up. A medium rare prime rib won't have a lot of heat, and a cold plate will kill it. This also has another benefit, it finishes the cooking. I pull my roast when internally the probe says a mere 125 degrees, watching it like a hawk when it hits 115. Yup, check the Internet, that's classified as rare. Temperature will increase as it sits, and you MUST let it sit, at least 20 minutes. When you cut it, you may think it's not done cause of the color, but in my humble opinion, this is the best way. For someone who likes their steaks well done, order a pizza. This isn't for them.

This year, attempt #2 on dry aging. My buddy Brett prompted me to try this last February, and it was a success. Tender and tasty. Last Sunday I bought a Choice piece of meat, covered it in cheesecloth and plopped it in the fridge. Really that's all there is to it. You will want to cut off some of the fat and pieces that turn brown or funky on you, then proceed as normal, but it's as simple as letting it sit, changing the cloth a time or two. This will only be a 5 day age, in the future I will try a 14 day and see how it works. Day three seen below:

Basque Beans

2009-12-21T10:15:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Louis's Basque restaurant in downtown Reno NV for this inspiration. We went there for lunch on our anniversary and their beans were just tasty. This recipe is close, though a little more meaty and thicker I think.

1½ lb. dried beans (I used Great Northern White), rinsed and drained and soaked overnight.
5-6 cups beef stock (I use homemade, it makes a difference)
Some ham, maybe a cup or so, cut in small pieces
1 leftover ham bone with plenty of meat attached
1 medium chopped onion
4 cloves chopped garlic
2 bay leaves
½ lb (or two links) of chopped cooked chorizo, I've found Johnsonville is excellent for this, not too fatty. Just put mine on a pan and baked in the oven.
1 TB Dried Italian herb mix
1/2 Cup Dried Mashed Potato flakes
Salt and pepper to taste

Put the beans and cover with water into a heavy pot, cover and bring to a boil, simmer for 30 minutes, and let sit for 30 minutes. Drain.
Add all of the other ingredients except the chorizo to a crock pot. (Note: My small crock didn't hold, I had to use the larger one)
Bring the whole thing to high until bubbling, and then put to medium for 4-6 hours, occasionally sprinkling in dried potatoes to help thicken.
Add the chorizo and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

T-Day follow up

2009-11-27T10:06:00.000-08:00

I'll probably do this EVERY year: Not snack, Not drink beer starting at noon.

When the bird was done, early since I used one of those covered pans, I hadn't had but a small stack and I was HUNGRY!

Everything turned out great, very happy meal this year. No more deep frying for me.

T-Day, anything new?

2009-11-24T22:58:00.000-08:00

No new fangled ideas for me this year, actually going back a step and cooking the beast in a bag, like I did so many years ago. Still brining it, hopefully not too salty so the gravy won't suck, like this spell checker. (Sheesh!). Turkey, taters, gravy, Copes corn, cranberry junk, pie. One thing I have to figure out is how to not be literally full when I serve the bird. Seems like for years, by the time I'm sitting down, I'm already full. Anticlimactic!

Making tamales

2009-11-13T16:28:00.001-08:00

I've never really thought much of them, but we'll see how homemade is:

I came up with the meat recipe pretty much on my own. I had a hunk of beef roast (they call it cross rib roast here, I think it's just Chuck roast, maybe a more fancy name), some homemade broth, a coupla dried peppers, garlic, some onions, a little celery, salt, typical Mexican spices and I decided to throw in a cinnamon stick. I simmered it for about 4 hours, and it was fork tender.

Late 2009 tomatoes

2009-08-29T18:54:00.000-07:00

Late prep, late planting, we are just now picking. Let's pray for a late freeze eh?

Shrimp Ceviche cocktail

2009-07-26T09:22:00.000-07:00

Been awhile since I tried something new that struck me with YUM, and that happened last night with a shrimp ceviche cocktail I had at a friend's BBQ. Ingredients where jotted down on my iPhone, with the obvious recognition that the quantities are not measured accurately. The surprise ingredient was Clamato! A quick Google shows lots of recipes, will be posting mine when I tweak it to my liking....

Fried cheese, an experiment

2009-07-14T10:39:00.000-07:00

Some FoodTV dude showed making cheese crackers, which essentially was nothing but grated cheese toasted on the stove in a fry pan. I don't even recall what dish he was making, but toasted cheese sounds yummy, so I decided to experiment!! Not much method, kinda high heat, sprinkle the cheese evenly and be prepared to flip it like quick. Drain on paper towels on a plate.

Cheddar. Greasy and burns before it looks like it's burning. I'd say this one was a success, but really watch it close.

Parmesan: Major success!

Mozzarella: Sadly, a failure. Turned in to nothing but chewy.

And like I warned you, burns easily!

Blue Cheese: Major failure. Pretty much turned in to gum. Actually TASTED OK when it cooled and firmed up, but was weird and useless.

One important note, TEFLON! I at first tried it in a regular fry pan and it instantly stuck and made a huge mess. Teflon is a must! I think the lesson learned here is the less moisture in the cheese, the better it's going to turn out. If you're wondering what you can use this for, it's great on salads, creamy soups, and of course I think it makes a nice snack!

Yummy ribs, I must write down the recipe.....

2009-07-13T09:05:00.000-07:00

I accidentally cooked some of the best ribs I've ever cooked this weekend. I say accidentally cause I didn't plan it, kinda half-assed monitored them, didn't use all my "tricks", tried a few things new and after it's all over.... I really should document what I do. Cause when you pull them off the grill and you get this remaining there, you know they're gonna be good:

Here they are plated. Those are onion rings from a home grown onion and our super special recipe. Nothing beats fresh deep fried!

Baby Back ribs, not country style or spare ribs. Baby backs are better meat, a more consistent row of meat, and tend to be more dark meat

Start them in the oven. Sure, you can do it on the grill, but you gotta be able to control the temperature. Low and slow. What I can't recall is 170 or 250 degrees.... Or how long. It was hours, was it 4? Or 6? I also blasted it on broil once with the bacon on top for more flavor.

Hold the sauce for now. Sauce has a lot of sugar in it, and sugar burns.

Get the grill ready, get it hot and let the temp drop to 250 or so.

I did dust them with a rub, something I made up a while back and think I wrote down somewhere. Lots of stuff in it.

I also swabbed it with apple sauce after a few hours of cooking.

After another hour or two, I laid a few strips of bacon on it, and one on either side to give it moisture and flavor.

When I put them on the grill, I throw some apple wood on the coals. In this case I used store bought, which is sadly like sawdust, but it smokes well. Other times I've soaked wood chunks.

By the time they're going on the grill, they're practically done, so keep the temperature down and take them off after an hour or so.

Wrapped up in aluminum foil and get the sides ready!

See why I need to write this down?

Ham, cheese & Egg cups

2009-06-22T16:03:00.000-07:00

Try this!!! It's pretty dang easy, pretty tasty, and actually comes out kinda fancy looking! This is one of those dishes I'm going to make & serve at my pinball & dog themed Bed and Breakfast. Named Balls and Paws.... Nah....

Thinly sliced ham (deli kind)
Bread of whatever kind, I used hot dog buns!
About 1 egg per large muffin tin you're going to fill, beaten.
Cheese, I used grated cheddar and slices of Kraft Swiss
Optional herb topping, I used Mexican oregano and seasoning salt

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray. Press 2-3 slices of the ham in to the muffin tin forming the cup. Stick in a few chunks of bread and cheese, cover it all with the eggs then top with more cheese. Sprinkle with whatever spices or herbs you like. Bake for about 15 minutes, keep your eye on them closely near the end.

Prepped:

Finished Product:

Pretty dang yummy Baked Potato Soup w/Cheese

2008-12-14T19:00:00.000-08:00

There was a little snow storm here and the wifey tried to get to work but 40 minutes later, was back home, having only gone a few miles. It was very cold too, so I whipped this up, and it's a keeper. Thanks always to the Internet for the inspiration and basic recipe!

Yields: 4 Servings
Total time: Less than an hour from prep to serve

Ingredients:

1/3 Cup Butter
1/3 Cup Flour
2 Cups Milk
1/2 Cup Half & Half
1 Cup Homemade broth (beef, chicken, whatever)
(if you're lacking the broth & half/half above, just make sure you have enough liquid)
2 Large baked potatoes, unpeeled and cubed
1 TB chopped garlic
1 Tsp Seasoned Salt or S&P
3 slices of cooked bacon, chopped
3 slices (equal amount) of diced ham
1 Cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 Cup Sour cream
Chives & Tarragon optional as garnish

In a large stockpan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour slowly until smooth and bubbly.
Gradually stir in the liquids, whisking until thickened (a few minutes)
Stir in the taters, garlic, salt, and half the meats. Bring to a boil
Reduce heat and simmer 10-20 minutes until you think to yourself, "Damn, that looks good!"
Stir in the sour cream and cheese until melted.
Serve in big bowls, top with ham, bacon, chives and tarragon if desired.

Thanksgiving's coming!

2008-11-22T09:03:00.000-08:00

This year will be Thanksgiving #2 here in Reno/Sparks, and I'm looking forward to it! Last year I deep fried a turkey, my 2nd attempt I believe, and was so miffed about it I didn't blog. I overcooked it for one thing, but just overall it wasn't all that dang tasty like everyone raves about. Chicken on the other hand seem to be better, more juicy and tasty. Maybe it's the size of the bird, I think both times I had a 20lb plus creature.

This year I'm going back to traditional, brining it and doing it in the oven. The spread should include the standards and a few family items. Turkey, taters, cranberry sauce (I'm going non-canned this year), creamed sweet corn (PA Dutch style), dare I try home made buns?, gravy of course, and Tracy will make a pumpkin and probably another pie. Fun fun!

For the first time since we moved here and almost two years since we've seen them, my dad and step are coming to town. It'll be nice to see them, but I'm not exactly sure what to do with them while they're here.

Maybe we'll break out Twister....

Meet Mario, a sausage lover who's worried his lover is tired of the same old grind...

2008-11-19T11:00:00.000-08:00

It's no secret I'm a fan of stupid TV like COPS, America's Most wanted, high speed car chase type stuff, etc etc. Good wholesome couch potato stuff. Cheaters cracks me up with their cheesy lines, like "A computer programmer calculating his fiance is getting her 'hard drive' from another source". Cracks me up. They use words like gumshoe, watering hole and eatery. "A pastry chef who suspects her lover is getting her buns fluffed elsewhere." Hee hee.

ANYWAY! So this past weekend's experiment was two fold. Could I make my own tasty sausage, and would I save money? Would it be worth it?

The first thing I did was finally buy a grinder for my KitchenAid. They're not exactly cheap, but I had a $10 card for Kohl's and was able to walk out with one for under $50.00. The next step is of course meat. My local grocer seems to always have meat red-tagged, 50% off or $2.00 off or whatever. The day I looked, I hit the jackpot with pork chops, pork loans, a small pork shoulder and some pork stew meat, all marked down. All told, I spent $11.21 on 5.97 pounds of meat. After bones and trimming, it was right at $2.00 a pound. Not cheap by any means, but not bad!

The first step you do is to chop things up in strips or small chunks, then partially freeze it. This allows for a cleaner grind, less gumming up. I ground it up without spices, and here's what it looked like:

After everything was ground, I sprinkled the following "Italian Sausage" recipe on top, and worked it in, then ran it through the grinder again.

2 tbsp. table salt
1 tbsp. fennel seed, cracked
1/2 tbsp. coriander
1 1/2 tbsp. paprika ( I ran out, so i used some taco seasoning with paprika #1)
3/4 tsp. red chili pepper, flakes
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water (didn't use)

The sample patty:

Overall? Success! Plenty of things to change, it was more like breakfast sausage, needed more fennel, less salt, less sugar, and more fat as I used pretty lean meat. But it was FUN and I'll do it again.

Canning Apples

2008-11-02T08:54:00.000-08:00

Apples really aren't my favorite fruit, honesty can't say I have one! Blueberries maybe. But when the opportunity came up and another couple here in the area Jed & Ayla brought over buckets, buckets and more buckets of small apples, various kinds, we make a LOAD of jelly, jam and apple sauce. Was a fun and tiring day, but just look at the results!

Things I miss the most

2008-11-02T08:45:00.000-08:00

Has it really been 3 months? Sheesh, blogging is good for the soul, why don't I keep up!

Some (foodie) things we miss from Kansas City, and thanks to....

Spanish Gardens Taco sauce, Mild. Thanks Kevin & Suzie! Thanks Bill!
The Squeal Hog Rub. Thanks Joan! Thanks Mitch!
Good old KC BBQ. We especially miss OK Joe's and their Z-Man sandwich. Thanks Paul for the BBQ package!
Farmland Ciderhouse bacon. No one can seem to find it, SIGH!
Westport Flea Market burger. None rival it here.
Mi Cocina. I just don't know why those were such tasty tacos.
BBQ in the hood. Good times.....

Bacon & Eggs

2008-07-07T15:50:00.000-07:00

How come you rarely hear about people eating soft boiled eggs, or poached? Even hard boiled is semi rare. "How ya want your eggs?" What are your choices? Well, eating out it's sunny side up, over-easy, scrambled, or what else? Are there other choices? Well done? I dunno. One of these days I'll ask for hard boiled at Denny's, think I'll get a blank stare? At least at home you can choose to add some fun in to the scrambly-ness, like cheese, garlic, ham etc. Or an omelet! There's a blank slate! My personal favorite there is just toasted garlic and a variety of cheeses, mmmm. Swiss, American and a surprise. Maybe some ham.

We all know the Internet is our friend, so a quick type in Google reveals baked, shirred, boiled (soft and hard), coddled, pickled, deviled, fried, poached, scrambled, and omelets. Seems like there should be more.

So today I made soft boiled eggs. They really truly just have a different taste & texture than fried. I really don't like the crunchy edges of fried eggs when they're done a little too long, and they gotta be runny. Soft boiled eggs are different, and I can't verbalize why. They remind me of Ma, who used to cook them for me when I was a kid. Maybe that's it.

Oops. Breaking one causes a mess:
Let it go though, it'll cook.

Yummy. Nice and warm with salt & pepper.
Here's an opinionated statement. I think the best way to cook bacon is to BAKE it. Surely that's where the name came from. But seriously, if you like limp greasy chewy bacon, don't try this, but if you've never tried this, give it a shot. If you don't have one of these racks, use that two part roaster pan that came with your oven, or risk it without. But by God PUT IT ON A PAN! Sorry....... Cook at about 300 degrees for about half an hour, but keep an eye on it, when it's done it tends to burn fast. Not only will your house smell like love (love smells like bacon), but you'll get nice and crispy tasty bacon strips that are perfect for breakfast, snacking on, dog treats, or sammiches!. Yum!!

Brisket leftovers - Z-Man sammiches

2008-05-26T18:00:00.000-07:00

The main reason we cook brisket is to make Z-Man's, a sammich from Oklahoma Joe's in Kansas City. Pictures speak for themselves, tasty! Brisket, BBQ sauce, Provolone cheese (though we used Havarti this time) and onion rings all on a thick soft bun.

The Great Brisket Project 2008 Part II

2008-05-25T20:00:00.000-07:00

Ah, it was a good one. Tracy claimed it was the best one yet. Here it is on the grill after about 4 hours:

Getting ready to pull it off, fork tender! It was on for about 8 hours, I used a remote digital thermometer until it got to about 188 degrees, fire was in the 250-300 degrees for most of the time.

It sat wrapped in foil for about 30 minutes before I cut it up. It was super moist and literally fell apart:

Here's dinner, plain and simple brisket, no sauce, and my favorite cheesy hash brown potatoes, thanks to my honey.

I chopped up the leftovers with a cleaver, mixed in all the fatty goodness with the crust & spices. Mmmmmmmm

Brisket.... Fire stated 7AM!

2008-05-25T07:32:00.000-07:00

Using charcoal of course, adding some hickory (thanks Paul) and apple wood (thanks Pa).

The Great Brisket Project 2008 Part I

2008-05-23T18:58:00.000-07:00

So it's been awhile since I made a nice falling apart brisket, and despite the crappy cool rainy weather, Memorial Day weekend is a good time. I bought a nine pound chunk (smallest they had) and have cut off about 4 pounds to make fresh ground beef, something Butchy told me about and another project for another day.... maybe tomorrow? I spiced up the bad boy, and have used "the tool" to tenderize it a bit. Spice rubs this time are a combo of KC Cowtown's "The Squeal" rub (kinda sweet, brown sugar a high ingredient; Thanks Joan!) and a semi local (Washington state) Johnny's Seasoning Salt (salty, peppery, garlicky). It'll sit until Sunday morning in the fridge, I hope to get it on bright and early before 8AM to give it a full 10 hours or more. Wish me luck.

Where's Hef?

2008-04-09T21:57:00.000-07:00

Ah spaghetti!! One of my favorite dishes, especially with homemade sauce with fresh basil and good sausage. Eating this tasty batch, something caught my eye. See it?

Look closer!

A BUNNY!!! I got me a little Playboy bunny in my sauce. Golly Gee!!

Need inspiration!

2008-03-27T11:39:00.000-07:00

I've failed lately on experimenting. You haven't seen my talk about deep frying a turkey, cause both were disappointing. Sure sure, they pulled pork a week ago was yummy, but since then, the best thing I've had has been Tracy's Scalloped potatoes on Easter Sunday. Mmmmm. The ham was good, but it was as expected and certainly not a challenge. Last night's experiment all sounded good, turned out not-great. I had onions, garlic, capers, broth, wine and more in a large glass dish, and had chicken drumsticks dipped in milk & egg and coated with a flour & rosemary potato chip batter. Baked it, it kinda looked good. Turned out? Boring. Messy and boring, those two together made for disappointment, and it was a LOT of work.

Some friends of ours cooked a beef tenderloin for dinner Saturday night, tasty tasty, and has me in the mood for more beef. I'm in the need to be inspired. Help me!

Look at my garden grow!

2008-03-27T11:25:00.000-07:00

Wow! Just three weeks from the last pic/post, and I wish I had taken daily pictures! Just wow has this thing grown. We've picked basil more than once, dill and the cilantro is like a tree cause we made guacamole TWICE! It's already extended as tall as it will get, and I'm absolutely unsure of what to do with the mint. Tea anyone?

As seen on TV!

2008-03-07T22:05:00.000-08:00

Happy birthday to me!!! Thanks Ma!

This is one of those things I never imagined I would buy for myself, but as a present? You bet! and now that I have one, I'm surprised I didn't get one earlier. Kinda like the high speed Internet, you didn't now how cool it was until ya did.

We got basil, parsley, dill, mint, purple basil, chives and cilantro! The basil sprouted in 3 days, THREE days! Can you believe it? All of it was up in a week, now we're on day 25 and I expect to pick off some basil leaves any day now.

Steak man, lovely fabulous steak....

2007-12-12T19:22:00.000-08:00

I can't recall the times I've had this conversation, and I guess since I've done it so many times, it now amazes me when it still comes up. Here's the beef: Ribeye steaks, prime rib and standing rib roast are ALL the SAME MEAT! Meat I tell ya! Steak! I say this for no other reason than to just post this picture, freshly cut ribeyes, at a savings of $1.50 a pound and at the thickness I love!

Christmas is coming! Prime rib is on the radar!

Not exactly a review, an opinion. Green Bags. What a stupid idea.

2007-11-16T13:59:00.000-08:00

First off, if you go to the site, you get blasted by the ad without a choice. Try it:

http://www.greenbags.com

Props to the chick for coming up with a TV SENSATION, but what a load of crap. Here's an idea, EAT YOUR FOOD instead of squirrelling it away like uh... A SQUIRREL! Why would you BUY food and not eat it? It must have to do with Antarctica and Japan, as witnessed by your "Story behind the bags"

Scientists involved in Antarctic exploration were searching for ways to prolong the freshness of produce. During their research, they found a region in Japan where for thousands of years farmers have been storing produce in mountain caves with amazing results.

These days it's called the crisper drawer in the fridge.

Help me with the math too, if these things preserve food "up to 10 times the normal life", are you saying normal life is 3 days? That's what it sound like to me! I've got bananas that hang around longer than some zits I get, so I'm thinking this is wrong.

And get this, if your bags are smelly: "If the odor is getting bad, it is probably time to purchase additional DEBBIE MEYER Green Bags". Not the fruits and veggies, the BAGS!

What a load.....

Amber presents: Tasty tater chips!

2007-11-05T07:18:00.000-08:00

I've only been able to find these at one store here, a WinCo which is a discount grocery warehouse club type of place. Cash only, bag your own. Pretty tasty chips, zingy with not a lot of heat.

I am a wine con of sewer!

2007-11-04T07:02:00.000-08:00

I like a good red. I feel for those people that can't drink it cause of some strange alien reaction. With a good steak or a nice piece of dark chocolate, there's something happy about a smooth dark Pinot. I've got three criteria for good wine, it's gotta be red, smooth, and doesn't leave a tannin taste in your mouth (you know, like sucking on a unripe persimmon). It's a bonus if the wine is cheap or a gift. Case in point a gift from Tracy's work when she signed on, a 2004 Dierberg Pinot Noir. Yummy! I'm not gonna get in to hints of coffee and crap like that, my taste buds aren't that delicate, but just a good smooth vino I recommend! And Keystone says "what's that shadow? Huh?"

Barf: Campbell's Chunky Grilled Italian Sausage and Peppers Soup

2007-10-26T12:18:00.000-07:00

Whatzit: See Title

From where: Clearance rack at Scolari's

Prepared: Microwave

Rating: (that's 1 star for me swallowing it)

Talk about being disappointed. The best part of this meal was the milk. I had my hopes up cause I really like soup, and think the Chunky line from Campbell's is usually pretty good if you stay away from the dried out chicken. This one just got it all wrong. The sausage was like little pressed hamburgers. It was sweet, despite the fact the can is a whopping 1600 mg of sodium (that's 2/3rds your daily). AND I SALTED IT! They've got the taters down, and the thickness of the soup, but this one's flavor is just off. It's certainly got a pepper flavor to it, but not really sausage, and not really much of else. I think it's discontinued based on the buck I paid for it, and that's a smart move.

The Cookin' Blues

2007-10-21T09:07:00.000-07:00

I know myself well enough that I know I get in to patterns of boredom with cooking. Boredom is a harsh word though, it's more like constantly undecided and uninspired. I've cooked a couple things in the past week, new for me Beef Short Ribs in the crock pot, incredibly tender but not really too exciting. The other day I made a Stacked Chicken Enchilada Ray told us about, it was tasty, but not BAM WOW tasty. Burned out on chili for sure, haven't grilled in a week plus, and haven't been able to come up with something that's going to get me going. Near every day we watch something on FoodTV, so you think I'd get motivated, but the only thing I've done differently lately is sent in a $40 order to Penzey's. And that was only cause I had a coupon! Tracy has pushed me to cook healthier for us, which is tough for me since I'm a meat & taters kinda guy. I did do a salad the other day, but I've gotta load mine with cheese, eggs, bacon and tons of dressing, otherwise I hate it.

Categories I'm not too great at and need to learn are Fish, Chinese, simply more veggies that aren't in a soup, and chicken. Chicken should be a no brainer, I've got a few chicky recipes under my hat, need to branch out more... Hmm......

Last of the Motomkins

2007-10-12T09:10:00.000-07:00

I have to say I'm extremely pleased with our desert crop this year. It had a LOT going against it, time, soil, weather, etc and is no where near our KS crop last year. Overall we had plenty to keep me happy, though my favorite Brandywine tom didn't produce much. Everything's smaller, that's for sure, but plenty of Roma's to cook with, and plenty of super sweet dime size cherry toms. The very last batch picked before the cold snap wasn't enough to fill a five gallon bucket, but it was close! Enough to eat, share, make chili and can a few for winter soup. Too bad there are a LOT of green ones still left on the vine, but they will go back to earth by being compost.

Mother Hubbard's dog biscuits

2007-10-12T08:53:00.000-07:00

Thanks Uncle Frank & Aunt Judy! Mother Hubbards is "natural" and "healthful", all we know is it was enjoyed!

A little surprise in the bag of goodies. A KITTY!

Take the picture already!!! TRYING not to drool....

Ready? Set? TREAT!

Mexican Casserole, super simple

2007-10-11T08:30:00.000-07:00

Campbell's has some really easy & tasty recipes on their soup cans, usually too simple in my mind but easy to modify to your own likings.

1 can (10 3/4 oz.) Campbell's® Creamy Chicken Verde Soup (not always easy to find)
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp. garlic powder (I actually omitted and toasted up some fresh garlic & peppers)
2 cups cubed cooked chicken (I didn't cube, I shredded. Grilled, not microwaved)
4 flour tortillas (8"), cut into strips (seems like too much, but it's not)
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (plus some shredded white cheese)

Directions: Mix soup, water, garlic powder and chicken. Stir in tortillas. Spread mixture in 2-qt. shallow baking dish. Top with cheese. Cover. Bake at 350ºF. 25 min. or until hot. I forgot to take a picture of it in progress, oh well!

Meatloaf and playing Hide The Sausage

2007-10-04T08:42:00.000-07:00

Are there people that don't like meatloaf? Is it cause it was too dry or too much filler compared to the meat? Is the "right way" to have ketchup on the top that is cooked along with the loaf so that it kinda thickens up? Onions in it? (not me!). Tricks? Treats?

I like meatloaf and really have a bunch of "unique" things I do to make it all come together for me. I kinda have a written recipe thanks to my Pop, but really only use it as a guideline and mine is way off from his, trust me. First off, I use beef and ground sausage, usually half and half but at LEAST a good chunk of sausage. Second, I add a can of cream of mushroom soup in addition to eggs. Yeah, it's pretty wet. Lastly, I add a river of Mozzarella cheese in the middle plus more special surprises!

1.5 lb ground beef
1.0 lb ground sausage
2-3 eggs
1 can Cream Mushroom soup
1 cup or so shredded mozz cheese
1 cup or so bread crumbs, I use canned Italian variety
spices of your choice and liking. Salt, pepper, celery seed, parsley, Italian blend

Pretty much mix it up and make a loaf! I usually have the bread crumbs on hand to adjust as needed, don't want it too soupy. I'll flatten mine out on a big cutting board then dump the cheese in the middle and kinda fold it up. It's not the easiest thing to do, kinda like playing darts with Jello. If you've not invested in a meatloaf pan, it's worth it. It's a two layer bread pan looking thing that has holes on the bottom for the grease to drip through. Cook for about 1 hour at 350, get your meat thermometer out and make sure it's in the 160 range. Undercooked sucks, trust me.

Here's the fun part! HIDE SOMETHING! It's not above me to sneak in things sitting in the fridge, or something getting a little stale in the cupboard. Years ago I was low on bread crumbs and used a bunch of crackers. What the heck, how about Cheetos's! I didn't smash them up, and the stark orange pieces was pretty funny looking, and tasted great! Somewhere along the line I added the cheese, man was THAT healthy! Then in another brilliant moment, how would Goldfish crackers look? Well, I can tell you it looks funny. This last one I made, I had a coupla hot dogs left, so what the heck right?

Jack's Stack BBQ ribs to go! And beans! And sauce!

2007-09-27T09:34:00.000-07:00

Last week the doorbell rang. UPS had already delivered the one package I was expecting, so who could it be? A neighbor wanting to introduce themselves? NAH!!! It's another package!! My buddy Paul & Libby surprised me with a very unexpected gift from Jack's Stack that made my day (week, month, etc). What better gift to get than FOOD, and food from "home" too! It came packed in dry ice (which I failed to play with before it was gone), and in a nice styrofoam cooler stamped with Jack's Stack on it that certainly will be used a few times, what a bonus!

I expected it to be good, the beans were a no brainer, I've had them there and they're meaty, tangy and how could that get screwed up by time and shipping? The ribs though? I had expectations that they would be decent, but I wasn't sure if having them cooked, frozen and heated back up if they would be dry, plus I am picky about my ribs. These had a good chance of being good since they were pork ribs, and spare ribs at that. We ignored the directions about cutting them up in pieces before heating and just put the whole slab on a pan in the convection oven (a wonderful appliance). Tracy made some biscuits are we were set:

The first comment (Tracy) was the smokiness, it definitely had a great smell to it. Sat down and basically used a FORK to split them apart, I could tell they wuz gonna be tender!

Yummy! Look at this rib pull out, Zzzzipppp!!!

Tasty, meaty, very well done, and now I have a challenge. I think Tracy liked them better than my own! To qualify that, she liked them better than the LAST ones, which were pretty fatty.

Thanks again guys, you're the best!

Little Pizzas! Yum!!

2007-09-26T08:55:00.000-07:00

Thanks goes to my buddy Brett and his wife Annette for introducing me to this easy tasty method of creating homemade Za. I haven't had the chance to do it for a group, but I can imagine it being a hit, as it's a hit here at home with me and T. It's so easy it's like a head slap to me, cause I've been disappointed in most homemade pizzas, the Boboli kind, homemade crust, etc. The exception is Tracy's deep dish stuff, it's dang good but not a traditional flat bread pizza. This is about as close as you can get. I've yet to really work with trying to make the crust crispier, with all the crap I tend to throw on as toppings, it can get soggy. Regardless, it's easy and quick and since it's individual, you put on what you want.

The whole TRICK of this is to use flour tortillas! Brush them with a little olive oil, and go to town on your ingredients. Cook meat beforehand, Get a can of sauce, we use homemade spaghetti sauce which is extra tasty, and just set out little bowls of what you like, and cheese, lots of cheese. I like the traditional sausage, black olive, Mozz cheese, sauce. Tracy used some goat cheese, sun dried toms and garlic on one. Just THINK of the possibilities! Go through the fridge, whatta ya got? Crab meat? Seafood PIZZA! Havarti, Swiss and provolone? Ultimate CHEESE Pizza! Peppers and corn? A Veggie Pizza!

Banana Berry Foster ala Toddy

2007-09-21T08:54:00.000-07:00

Paula Deen was my inspiration for this treat. If you know me, I don't have a sweet tooth, but Tracy does and I think she enjoyed it. She was making noises I've only heard... Oh, never mind.

Not healthy at all, so pass if you're weighing yourself every day. I'm at 192 these days by the way. BUTTA!

1 1/4 Cup Butter
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Malibu Rum
1/8 Cup Amaretto
1/4 Cup Pecans
1/8 Cup dried blueberries
4 Banananananas
Ice Cream, Vanilla is perfect

Get your skillet going with the butter and brown sugar, bubbling but not burning so that it thickens up. Doesn't take too long. Add the booze, nuts & berries and meld it all together, then add the bananas last, or don't add them at all, put them on the ice cream. It'll look like this in the pan:

Get yer bowls of ice cream out, pour the gooey goodness over and serve. I bet you find it very tasty and will impress.

The blueberries I used were from Costco, whole dried in a bag and are actually somehow enhanced with sugar & stuff. Dried by very moist and juicy. This would be great with strawberries or near just about anything really. How about star fruit, now THAT would be interesting eh?

Mutant Tomatoes Rule the Earth

2007-09-21T08:03:00.000-07:00

Here's an oddball I picked from the garden o' toms. Weird eh? Looks like five of them trying to burst out from one. Tasted fine, but after I ate it I started to get this twitch and for some reason the dogs were barking at me.

Variation on a theme

2007-09-20T19:57:00.000-07:00

I really do like this sammich. It's also good with fresh basil, which is what I have here. Getting close to the end of the tomato season here in Sparks, so I enjoy them when I can. Maybe another this weekend... Yeah.... Mmmmmm.

What's a Muffaletta?

2007-09-18T07:41:00.000-07:00

Ever heard of one? Not me, but it sure sounded interesting. Ol' Bobby Flay and his Showdown's, truly an interesting show and always something new to learn. This is a big fat meat and cheeze sammich with lots of olives, certainly something up my alley. I guess it's a common item in the New Orleans area, but it was news to me. Overall worth the effort and pretty easy despite the amount of ingredient. We tried it first cold which is how it's commonly served, then heated up enough to melt the cheese, etc. I actually preferred it hot, which is no surprise, I'm a much bigger fan of hot sandwiches. Bobby lost this one, mainly cause (they say) he went too far off track with his variation, using mayo and mustard, and then getting funky with everything else. Check his version out here: Bobby Flays Muffaletta Recipe

1 Big round loaf of bread, get what you like.
1/4 lb each of sliced meats, ham, turkey, Genoa Salami, Pepperoni, Prosciutto, etc.
1/4 lb each of sliced cheeses, Provolone, Havarti, Swiss, Mozzarella, etc

Olive Salad:

1/2 Cup Green Spanish olives
1/2 Cup Black Olives
1/2 Cup Kalamata Olives if you're adventurous
1/4 chopped Pepperocini
1/2 Stalk of celery chopped
1/2 carrot chopped
1 TB chopped garlic
1 TB or whatever of mixed dried Italian herbs
1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil
Salt & Pepper to taste

Pretty easy to make. Cut the bread in half, layer the meats and cheese to your liking, put a ton of olive salad on the other half and somehow slap them together. At that point I cut it up and served it in sections. To give it credence, Tracy is not a big olive fan and she ate it up.

Pozole Rojo de Puerco (Pork and Red Chile Hominy Soup)

2007-09-13T09:35:00.000-07:00

My buddy Ray sent me this recipe and it is DAMN tasty. Even though it was 90 degrees out, I managed to eat two bowls. I did some of my own spin of course, comments in parentheses.

4 lb pork shoulder cut in to 1 inch chunks. (Remove chunks of fat)
60 ounces chicken broth or 4- 14 1/2 ounce cans.
2 TB veg oil
1 big onion chopped
6 to 10 cloves garlic chopped
3 medium carrots thinly sliced (next time I'll dice them)
2 to 3 TB ground ancho chiles or pasilla
2 TB chile powder, (I used taco seasoning)
1 TB ground cumin
1 TS dried thyme
1 TB Mexican Oregano
1 TS salt
4 15 oz cans white hominy or 2 big 28 oz cans rinsed ( I don't rinse)
1 big 28 oz can diced tomatoes (I used home made stewed tomatoes)
1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro
2 T masa harina flour. (I used regular flour)
Shredded cabbage as a garnish. (I did not do this)
Lime Wedges

Sour Cream

Put the pork pieces in a pot with one can chicken broth and a cup of water (I used two cans homemade beef broth). Bring to a boil and cover on low heat for 40 minutes. Reserve the meat in the broth off heat in another bowl.

In a big pot, heat the oil and fry the onions two minutes. Add the garlic and cook till onions and garlic gets limp. Add the carrots, ground chile, chili powder,oregano, cumin, thyme, and salt to the pot and cook 30 seconds.

Add remaining chick broth (I used two cans), hominy, tomatoes, cilantro, flour, and reserved pork and broth. Bring to a boil and cook over medium heat for 25 to 30 minutes. (I actually cooked it for about 2 hours)

Serve with chopped cilantro, lime wedges (a MUST!), chopped onions, oregano and sour cream as a side. Tasty-Tasty. Makes a lot, you'll have leftovers. Enough for 10 people .

Reduced For Quick Sale

2007-09-06T16:42:00.000-07:00

There are little things in life that make me happy, one of them is a bargain. Albertson's here in town isn't the best looking grocery store, nor do they stock the most stuff, but every once in awhile, they got DEALS! Tracy clued me in to the 99 cent bread rack, and I've sniffed out the $3.99 king crab legs and $1.99 shrimp, but today I got giddy! I wasn't even looking, wasn't even in the mood when calling my name like a sea witch I hear "Tooooooddddddd? Psst!? Over here!! It's us!!! RED MEAT.....STEAKS!!!" And I'll be damned! Grain Fed natural beef and $2.99 a pound for rib eyes and T-Bones!! Can ya believe it!?!?! It's $10.99 for this stuff here! I bought all I could see, needless to say. And we're having them (just two) tomorrow. Yum.

Wanted to buy: This exact pepper grinder

2007-08-30T09:55:00.001-07:00

Might as well get as much exposure as I can!

I'm looking for a mate for this, black or white if they made them in white, I don't know. I can't find a mark on it at all, inside or out. The clear part is glass, and it unscrews in the middle. The top appears to feel like metal and is glued on. The grinder is white ceramic not plastic. It stands about 4 inches tall, base is 2 inches wide. It grinds nicely, never clogs and I like the looks, yes I know I can go buy "similar".

Labor Day weekend's menu

2007-08-30T08:32:00.000-07:00

I'm really really looking forward to Monday. Here's the line up:

All day slow cooked pork ribs
Beer
Onion Rings (big sweet yellow in beer batter)
Baked beans
Beer
Hash Brown casserole
Beer
Banana Berries Foster

What about you?

BTW, anyone have any idea what "Santa Barbara Style" means buying pork ribs? Same company, I had the choice of "Pork Spare Ribs Santa Barbara Style" for $2.49 or for 50 cents more, "Pork Spare Ribs Baby Back". They looked the same, I opted for cheaper.

Tomatoes in the Desert, 2007

2007-08-23T17:35:00.000-07:00

One thing I miss about Kansas? Tomatoes. Man did I have some killer crops. This was last year:

With room for 80-100 plants, it was fun to grow so many, all that variety of plants, and room for peppers and herbs. And we picked OFTEN! Flat out no contest winner is the Brandywine, a super red sweet luscious medium to large size 'mater that I love love love. Here's a plate:

Now I like salt, so that's how I eat them, but sometimes a couple splashes of balsamic, a little olive oil, fresh basil and some celery salt, yummy little salad is what you got there!

Fast forward to 2007. Thank God my wife loves me and knows what I like. Back oh, in April or May she built up for me a raised bed, best you can out here with sand and rocks. She got the concrete blocks and hauled them to the back yard and built it up, spread in soil and compost and planted about 15 plants, toms and peppers and basil. When I got here in July, it looked a bit scraggly, but with some fertilizer and a lot of water, I think it looks pretty good eh?

Turned out pretty good really. On the whole they are a lot smaller, none much bigger than a golf ball, certainly not a tennis ball, though on the vine some Brandywines are coming through that are larger. The mini cherries have been TASTY, and I'm going to make some sauce here really soon me thinks...

Farmer John's Pork Link Sausage

2007-08-23T08:49:00.000-07:00

Whatzit: Farmer Johns Maple and Original link sausage

From where: Product of Los Angeles, bought in Sparks at Albertson's

Price: $0.79 for 8 oz on sale with coupon

Date: 08/19/07 for breakfast, 08/22/07 in spaghetti

Prepared: Simple pan cooked
Rating:

Just dang good! The Original Maple doesn't really scream maple flavor, but it's got a nice sweetness to it that is pretty tasty. Enjoyed with cheesy eggs from Tracy. For the spaghetti sauce, we used a pound of it cooked and chopped up with a spatula (it's skinless), and 1 jar each of homemade sauce and Classico (review pending). Gets a minor ding for having the hated occasional gristle, to be expected but still hated.

Stones says: "I stand by this sausage, or uh sit. Good boy"

Brisket's "tough" to cook... Get it?

2007-08-22T08:48:00.000-07:00

Brisket is worldly known as the toughest cut of meat to cook, and I know why. More than once I've had disastrous results where it turned out just dang chewy. Shoe leather. Beef Jerky. Rubber. I was pretty disillusioned the first time I tried it last summer, it literally FELL apart when I cut it, and man was it tasty. EASY right? And I didn't DO anything. I thought others brisket was often plain, so I spiced it up a bit with off the shelf BBQ rubs, and I swabbed it in Maple Syrup cause I thought that would give it a nice sweet crispy crust. I didn't monitor my temperature much, kept it at around 225-250 like I do my pulled pork, but I never measured the temp of the meat, I just let it ride. And it was great! But the next time I tried to duplicate it, Ew. Call for pizza.

So what went wrong? I can only think I got lucky the first time, and a few mixed times after that. The times in between were what was frustrating. For this adventure, I did a little research. And it turns out SO easy and explainable. Seems like it's a fairly well accepted fact that brisket meat needs to hit 185-190 degrees so that the fat breaks down and makes it really tender. Mine had been on there for about 8-9 hours, the grill temp pretty steady at 250. I was worried though cause the chunk of brisket was looking black and felt pretty hard when I poked it, meaning NOT tender. It looked done, it looked OVER done. Matter of fact, I *know* it was done and almost screwed it all up by yanking it off and taking it inside to sit.

Instead, I did the right thing and took it's temp. Hmmm. 160. That's not good. The coals had gone down a bit, flirting with 200, so I had to stir the coals and add more wood (I use apple and hickory by the way) and charcoal. I got the temp back up and had some patience (where I got that, who knows) and at about 190, I took the lump of dark meat off and on a plate and in to sit, wrapped in foil. Everyone KNOWS you have to do this. (Note 1). 20-30 minutes later, I was slicing about the best brisket I've ever had! It was hard to tell the difference between pulled pork and this. And tasty tasty. Tracy says she hates brisket, but this time she was raving. We simply had it on buns, and I like a little extra spice rub to sprinkle.

When I cook a big hunk of meat, I like to think ahead on what's going to happen to the leftovers. In brisket's case, we're copying a sammich we love from a great Kansas City BBQ joint called Oklahoma Joe's. The sammich is a Z-Man, made up of sliced brisket, a coupla fried onion rings covered with a slice of Provolone cheese, a dab of sweet BBQ sauce all on a Kaiser bun. To cut slice brisket properly, ya gotta do it "against the grain" and use a meat slicer. Thanks to Ray and Becky's housewarming gift, we have one! Onion rings in beer batter, and french fries double fried (fry, sit, fry).

Note 1: You really do! If you cut a piece of meat right after it's left the heat, the juices will run right out. If it sits a bit, they are drawn back in, making a moister more tender meat.

In my opinion, the best sandwich ever

2007-08-14T20:40:00.000-07:00

Or sammich as I prefer to call them. Why is that funny to me? This has been a favorite for years:

Whatzit: Tomato Bacon Mayo love

From where: Homemade

Date: 08/14/07

Prepared: See below

Rating:

Ingredients:

Potato Bread
Butter or bacon grease
Your favorite spice blend
Cooked bacon
Tomatoes
Mayo
Recommended for a twist: Pesto

It's a simple sandwich, kinda like a BLT but no 'L' and a little beyond basic. Potato bread is great cause it's thick and holds up well to all the moisture from the mayo and toms. Lightly spread butter on it or bacon grease, sprinkle it with your favorite spice blend, something red is usually good (BBQ rub, seasoned salt, etc). Fry the bread up on a skillet and start slicing the toms. Use good juicy fresh ones like Brandywines. From here I think you can figure it out, mayo on one side, pesto on the other, bacon and toms, slap it together and eat it up. It's easy to make this one over salty, so experiment. I can eat two, easy!

Look *away* from the sammich.... Look AWAY!

Tasty Jo Roasted Wasabi Coated Green Peas

2007-08-14T17:46:00.000-07:00

Whatzit: Tasty Jo Roasted Wasabi Coated Green Peas. Little crunchy kernels of fun.

From where: Product of Thailand, packed in Chicago (bought in Missouri at the Better Cheddar)

Price: $3.99

Date: 08/14/07

Prepared: Right out of the can.

Rating:

Wow!
What a neat little snack that makes your nose tickle. Horseradish is what gives it the kick, and man what a kick! Doesn't last for long and doesn't burn, but sure can clear the nasal passages. Pretty healthy too, a third of a cup (plenty IMHO) is only 130 calories 3 grams of fat. And it says right on the can, great as a snack or (get this!) ANY occasion! ANY OF THEM!

Abby didn't think much of this, can you tell. Took about 20 takes to get THIS perfect. Good thing I had cheese.

My Buddy Ray

2007-08-14T12:51:00.000-07:00

Ray and I swapped a lot of tomatoes, recipes & prepared food over the past coupla years in KC, take a look at this article on him and his salsa:

Click here for article

Way to go Ray!

Snow's Clam Chowder in a can

2007-08-14T12:29:00.000-07:00

Whatzit: Snow's Clam Chowder (condensed)

From where: Cape May NJ (bought in Kansas)

Date: 08/14/07

Prepared: Microwave, 3/4 of a can of skim milk added, sprinkle of dried thyme

Rating:

Had this for lunch today, despite it being almost 90 out and no A/C yet today. Mixed review on this stuff. First sniff leads you to believe it's not just going to be potato soup, like so many canned clam chowders. I don't like mine watery, so I used 3/4s of a can of milk instead of the full thing. Didn't matter, it was watery anyway. Tasted more fishy than like clams, and overall a bit on the salty side. Potatoes cut small (which I like), not a lot of large clam bites. Overall I give it a 2 out of 5. I'd eat it again if I was hungry for something different and got it on sale.

Welcome!

2007-08-14T12:06:00.000-07:00

Ya ever have one of those moments where you went "Duh, I could do it THAT way!", well, that's what hit me this AM when I was updating Three Dog Blog, I can have more than one blog! It's no secret I like to cook, and I yap about it often. Instead of peppering my own little life's stories on Three Dog with cooking stories, why not make another page just to talk about food! Stuff we eat, smell, cook, reviews, others. What fun eh?