What a Surprise. And a recipe.

Well, I am back from my visit with my son. And guess what? That's right, no hearing. It does not really surprise me. I did get another date on Monday from my attorney. This time the hearing is set for Tuesday, November 24th. Hopefully this time the hearing will happen. I had a great time with my son this past weekend. We played alot and spent some time just sitting together. He was feeling better, or so he said. He was a little bit more tired and a little bit less active. But all in all, he seemed to be better. He did eat really well too.

For our visit around the hearing, I will see S on the 21st and 22nd, meet with the attorney on the 23rd. Have the hearing on the 24th, hang out on the 25th, and see S again for Thanksgiving holiday on the 26th and 27th. That's a lot of living at a hotel. Not my favorite, but better than the cold wet campgrounds. Man, I can't believe how wet it has been this year. It's been hard to camp some weekends. A few times we ended up just going to the hotel because it rained so much. Other times we toughed it out and hoped we didn't get washed away.

My mom and I learned how to cook in a dutch oven over a fire this summer. That was some tasty eatin'. We made a pork stew. I found a store that carries large cans of pork. I have never had canned pork like that and thought we would give it a try since it needs no refrigeration prior to opening and that makes it handy when camping. So we took some onions, potatoes, celery and carrots to put in it. We added some spices that I always have in the camping kit (salt, pepper steak seasoning, and garlic). We also brought along a bit of cornstarch to make a thickening sauce, and dumped it all in. That was it. We put it over the fire and let it cook up and it was really good. It does not take very long to cook, and it stays warm for a long time as well.

The pork we used was not like the canned ham that I have found in the grocery stores. It was like a roasted pork loin that had been cooked and then stuck in the can. I think it would have made great BBQ as well. I do plan to try that next time. The can was a big can too. I think it was like 28 ounces or something. Enough to feed a whole bunch of us. And even better was the price. I only paid around $5 for a little over two pounds, instead of the $1 + I spend on the cans that are only around 5 ounces. If you can find some in your area, it is worth the price for the convenience of precooked ham that does not have to be kept cold.

So have you found any neat food items in your searches for good deals? Made anything tasty lately?

What to Cook Wednesday

Today I am going to take a bit of a different approach. In trying to keep my blog non-political I will just post that I think everyone should think about storing up some food. I know that many of my readers do, just because the couponing makes things easier and cheaper to stock up. For those that don't coupon, I think now is the time to take advantage before prices start going up. I worry that inflation is going to get us all sometime in the future. And by future I mean sooner rather than later. Maybe not in the next 6-12 months, but sometime shortly after that. I want to take advantage of these (relatively) low prices and get some food squared away. Some of the things that I worry may be hard to get in the future are wheat, rice, corn, and anything made with soybeans. I don't know how many of you watch the news, but there are many stories of food shortages coming due to bad weather conditions. I know here in the heartland it is wet. I mean really wet. Crops are not coming in and there is concern that they will rot in the fields due to too much moisture. This is soybean and corn country. I know that wheat plantings were down last year to begin with and now there have been problems with the wheat and a fungus taking out the plants. So, for what to cook Wednesday, I propose that instead of what to cook, I let you know what I am gathering.

I always try to keep some whole wheat flour in the freezer. I also keep cornmeal and bread flour in there. I also have many boxes of pasta and sauce (thanks Meijer!), canned chicken and tuna, and of course fruits and veggies, and dry beans. I also keep canned soups in stock and things like evaporated milk. Not the tastiest to drink, but can be used in cooking. I don't usually eat white rice, but will eat brown rice. I also keep this in the freezer. There are many things that thanks to couponing I have been able to stock up on. For example, I love oatmeal. I bought oatmeal at the first of the year when the coupons came out for them. I am just now running out of oatmeal. I do still have the oats in the canister, but I meant the instant packs that I take for work for meals. Those were some great deals as I love oatmeal. I will run out of the instant packets before the next really good sale, but I will still have the regular oats to eat and cook with. I do plan to go to the store and pick up a few items, but nothing that I have coupons for. Just some random things that I would like to have. Like milk, marshmallows, a jug or two of water for my trips, and some beans. I love beans. I really do. You can do so much with beans, they are so versatile. I usually get dry beans because they are so much cheaper than canned. It just takes a bit of planning or batch cooking on the weekend. Which I am still not doing. Shame on me, I have become so lazy when it comes to cooking. I have not even made bread or desserts. Wow, I must be feeling overwhelmed and lazy! I think I need a good kick in the a** to get up and get going again. Maybe after the court date next week I will feel renewed and energized. In the meantime, I will just eat canned soup *gasp*. It isn't too bad I guess. Well, I know it isn't because I keep eating it.

What things do you like to keep stocked up on? Any favorites or just whatever is on sale and has a coupon? Let me know.

Just an update on the new to me van. It has been great. It hasn't had any major problems, just a couple of easily resolved ones.

What To Cook Wednesday

For this week's edition of what to cook, I bring you another soup recipe. I like soup. I like fall too, and that is the perfect time for pulling out those stock pots and making soup.

Potato Soup. I know that everyone has a potato soup recipe in their family. Here, I present you with my family's potato soup.

8-10 potatoes, peeled
onion
salt
evaporated milk
water
3 eggs
flour
pepper

I use any kind of potato for this. Last night I used regular Idaho potatoes. I used onion powder last night, I have also used minced dried onion and fresh onion. Really just use whatever you like.

Peel and cube your potatoes. Place in pot and cover with water. Add onion. I like onion flavor, so I added a lot. Use as much as your family will allow. I do not add salt here, but my mom does. I don't add salt to anything until it is done cooking, but that's just me.

While the potatoes are cooking, crack three eggs into a bowl, and start adding flour. I used whole wheat last night, so I ended up with brown dumplings, if appearances matter, use white flour. You want to add enough flour to make a nice sticky dough. It should still be wet looking and very sticky. When the potatoes are almost done cooking, start adding the egg/flour mixture. I use a spoon that has been dipped into the hot water, and scoop a small amount, about 1/4 of the teaspoon, and put the spoon in the water again. The hot water makes the dough slip right off the spoon. Of course now the spoon is hot and you can just go to town dipping your little dumplings out of the bowl and placing the dumpling into the water. By the time you are finished with this, it will be time to add the evaporated milk. Dump one whole can into the pot. The dumplings will only take a minute or two to finish cooking. At this time, I taste and add salt if necessary (always is) and add some pepper. That is it, dinner is done. Add some tasty bread and a salad, and you are ready to go.

Though as I read through this and my other posts, I realize I am one of those folks that cooks without measuring. I just add the amounts of ingredients based on what I know my son and I like. It may be kind of hard to follow recipes that call for adding what you like or adding a pinch. If you think that I need to start adding more precise measurements, please let me know and I can start paying attention and measuring what I make.

What to Cook Wednesday

Quick and Easy Chicken and Noodles

1 3/4 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp basil
1/8 pepper
2 cups frozen veggies
2 cups uncooked egg noodles
2 cups cubed cooked chicken

Heat the broth, spices and veggies in pan until boiling. Reduce heat to low and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the noodles. Cook for 5 minutes. Stir in chicken and cook until thoroughly heated.

I know it's not as good as the original home made, but this will do in a pinch. Let me know what you think.

Update

I will be back on Friday. I am going to see my son for my birthday tomorrow. I will post my What to Cook Wednesday and Thankful Thursday on Friday. I do not have time to create the blog posts today. Have a happy couple of days until I return!

Happy birthday to me!

What to Cook Wednesday

i am still stumped on what to offer here. I again did not cook this weekend due to our (draining) family get together. We had potato salad, Italian pork, chips and of course, chocolate. We had pancakes for breakfast. And this week I have not cooked anything. I had pizza yesterday, macaroni and cheese for dinner from a box *gasp*, and I don't even remember what I had on Monday, cereal maybe?....Can't remember. Obviously it was not that great. So for what to cook Wednesday I bring you: Snack Ideas. These snack ideas have gone over well in my house so I hope they work for you.

Ants on a log:
celery, peanut butter and raisins. Wash and cut celery, spread the pb on, and line the ants, ahem, raisins along the pb.

One eyed Sams:
bread, egg. Butter both sides of the bread tear/cut out a circle, and place in hot pan. Crack egg into the middle. Either eat the buttered bread or cook right along side the bread/egg for a toasted circle.

Apple dunkins:
apple, peanut butter. Slice apple, dunk in a bit of peanut butter.

Chocolate:
You knew I had to include this. I could never forget my lovely smooth rich wonderful chocolate.

Iceburgs:
popsicles. We would either use store bought or home made popsicles and call them iceburgs. You have to eat them before they melt and cause a flood.

Home made ice cream sandwiches:
cookies (we liked chocolate chip of course), ice cream, whip cream. Take one cookie and lay it upside down-soft cookies work best, add a spoon of ice cream, top with another cookie right side up, and put in the freezer until ready to eat. Add a dollop of whip when you are ready to eat. And why not have a real sugar rush and add some sugar crystals or sprinkles on top of the whip. Then go run it off with the kids and their post sugar rush....

So what kind of snacks do you serve in your house?

What To Cook Wednesday

I was really having a hard time deciding what to post for today. I have been thinking about it since last week. I could not think of anything that was calling my name: Post me, Post me. Nope, it just was not there. Maybe because I was not really craving anything. Except ice cream, but that is a whole other topic...

So I decided to ask what my co-workers were having. No good ideas there either. Next I thought to ask what sounded good. But I was getting the same suggestions I had; Ice cream. It's always good. Finally I decided to fall back on something I make when it gets cool out, since it is not even 70 degrees here right now.

Mostly home made veggie soup. I usually make it in the crockpot. I like to throw it together in the morning and come home to a delicious smelling house. I usually just add bread and butter to go with it. This is also one of those recipes that you can adjust to what ever you like. There is no right or wrong combination.

If you want, you can add stew meat. Just brown it before adding to the pot. My mom likes to add it because she likes the flavor, me, I don't add it. I think it is fine without it and it makes it cheaper to make.

I use a variety of veggies, mostly depending on what's in my freezer and pantry. I usually use green beans, lima beans, corn, carrots (I like fresh baby carrots), black or kidney beans, cut up canned tomatoes, peas, spinach, onions. Like I said just about anything. I do not use broccoli or cauliflower. The taste is too strong. I throw the veggies in the crockpot. If you are using canned veggies, for added flavor you can leave some of the water it is packed in. I usually use the juice from the tomatoes and sometimes the green beans and corn. Depends on how "soupy" you want it. Next add V-8 juice. You can use which ever variety of V-8 you like. I personally like the reduced sodium. My mom likes the spicy. My sister uses the regular. If I am making a big batch, I use the big bottle and use it all, if I am making a smaller batch I either use a portion of the big bottle and freeze the rest, or just use a smaller bottle. I also add herbs or spices like pepper, sometimes basil or sage. I cook it on low all day, give it a good stir and serve. That is it. Super simple. Easily adaptable. It just hits the spot on a cool day. Especially with some warm fresh baked bread and melty butter.

What To Cook Wednesday

Like Annie, I am all about ham. I think pigs are cute and tasty. I love ham, pork roasts, bacon. Yum Yum. So, in the spirit of ham loving today, I bring you another pork roast recipe.

Dill and Garlic Pork
1 pork roast or loin (boneless)
fresh dill - approx 8 tblsp chopped up
minced garlic - I will say to taste as I use a lot more than average folks, perhaps 1 tblsp
2 tbsp plain yogurt
1 tbsp lemon juice
dash salt and pepper
1 tbsp evoo (extra virgin olive oil)
1/4-1/3 cup panko bread crumbs

Mix 3 tbsp dill, yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper together and spread over the top of the pork loin. Mix another 3 tbsp dill, oil and panko. Spread this over the top of the pork loin as well.

In a preheated oven (425 degrees) bake for 15 minutes. Then reduce temp to 375 and finish baking (25 to 30 minutes). Let stand for 10 minutes and then sprinkle the remaining dill on the top and serve.

I love panko bread crumbs. They are the best bread crumb ever. I also love fresh dill and grow it in my herb garden every year. Garlic goes with just about everything in my book. I hope you like these tastes together as much as I did.

What to Cook Wednesday

Healthy Sloppy Joes

1 lb ground turkey
1/2 onion chopped
1 cup finely shredded carrots or zucchini or squash
spaghetti sauce
chili powder
pepper
salt (if you want)

Brown the turkey and onion. Drain of any grease/fat. Add the shredded carrots. This is a good way to strecth your meat dish and to add veggies. For the spaghetti sauce, I used one with no added veggies. It was plain sauce. I used about half of the jar. You want the texture to be thick but not dry. Add the spices-I do not add salt to my dishes until at the table if it is needed. I added the chili powder and the pepper. Heat through, stirring occasionally. If you find at the end that you used too much sauce and it is not thickening up, just add a bit of tomato paste as a thickener. The original directions called for this, but I decided to skip this step and just use less sauce. This will not taste exactly the same as regular sloppy joes, however, it is similar and way healthier.

Thursday's Edition of What to Cook Wednesday

Apparently, I am really confused. I thought all day yesterday that it was Thursday. Soooo, I posted my Thursday post. So today, I will post my Wednesday post. This whole long weekend and day off thing is really messing with my head, especially after missing some days last week. I just don't know what day it is!



Without further ado: What to Cook Wednesday:



If you are like me, you still have oodles of potatoes left over from the sales a while back. I may never get through them all. So how about some potato salad?

I use whatever potatoes I have. If I am using the red potatoes I often leave the skin on for a pretty color contrast in the salad. I peel the brown ones.

6-8 potatoes
3-4 hard boiled eggs
celery
onion
mayo
mustard

Boil the potatoes until mostly done. You do not want them to be too soft or they won't hold their shape. When they are cool enough to handle cut them up into cubes. Dice up the hard boiled eggs. Take one celery stalk and dice it up or just slice into thin slices. How much onion you use will depend on whether it is a sweet onion or not and how much your family likes onion. I try to use sweet onions, and then will use about half or just a bit more but we like onions. Dice the onion. Throw in a bit of mustard, I use around 1 1/2 teaspoons. Then add the mayo. I just use a big tablespoon (not a measuring spoon though) and dump two in. Mix it up. It should be a creamy texture. If it seems too dry, just add a little bit more mayo. When you are done you should have a bowl of creamy yellowish-white potato salad.
I like to use the red potatoes, red(purple) onions, and the celery because then you have a wonderfully colorful salad.

Now someone enroll me in kindergarten so I can learn which day is which!

What to Cook Wednesday

I found a wonderful recipe today on another blog. So I emailed her to see if I could post it here. She said yes so here it is!
Valerie over at Frugalfamilyfunblog had a delicious recipe for a dessert using bananas. That makes all the bad calories disappear, right? It is fruit after all! She calls them "Banana Boats". Go check them out, then go buy some bananas and make yourself a treat this weekend over the campfire or even in the fire pit out back. I will totally be making these with my son next time I am camping down there for my visit.

What to Cook Wednesday

Here is another recipe for you. Like last week, I do not have any special name for it, unless I should call it an a la Centralil recipe!

This week's recipe is an egg/tuna/chicken salad recipe. Since it is starting to warm up, this is a great dinner that is not too heavy, but is pretty filling.

I use can tuna and chicken because I can almost always find that fairly cheap around here. It also makes it easy to throw together. No precooking the chicken, and no cutting it up before hand. You most definitely could use "regular" chicken though. I have before when I had chicken already on hand.

1. one can of chicken or tuna (if using)
2. 2 hard boiled eggs
3. 1 generous tablespoon of mayo (if not using meat, just use 2/3 of a tablespoon-eyeball it)
4. 1/2-1 teaspoon of mustard (I use plain old yellow mustard-start with the 1/2 tsp and add more if you think you want more)
5. celery seed
6. onion powder

Using a pastry blender if you have one, cut up the eggs in a bowl. If you are using the tuna/chicken add it. Then add a pinch of celery seed and a dash of onion powder. Put in the mustard and mayo and mix. Serve with crackers or on bread.

What to Cook Wednesday

I would like to post a recipe for my lovely readers today. (I just love you guys! I am glad you come around.)

You could use this recipe with any meat as far as I can tell. I have used pork roast, chicken and turkey. I guess that you could make this in the oven too, but that is not how I have ever made it. I always use either my crockpot or my nesco cooker.

Italian Pork

1 Pork roast (or meat of some kind)
1 Bottle Fat free italian dressing
1 packet Italian dressing mix
1 onion chopped (can be chopped to what ever size you prefer-me, I like bigger chunks)
2-5 pepperoncini's (optional)
a bit of water (optional-see directions)

Place pork roast into cooker. Throw onions and pepperoncini's on top. Dump the bottle and mix of dressing on top of the whole mess. If I use my nesco cooker, I add a bit of water by filling the empty bottle of dressing about 1/4-1/3 full and shake it up to get the last of the dressing out and dump that in as well, but not if I use my slow cooker.

Since I am gone at work all day, I cook it on low or on the slow cook setting on my nesco. If you wanted to have the meal sooner or were not planning on being gone all day before you get to come home for dinner cook it on high or about 350 til the meat is fully cooked(this will depend on how large your roast is-check it with a meat thermometer).

When the meat is done cooking or when I get home, I grab two forks and start shredding. This is wonderful on some crusty rolls or hoagie buns. Serve with a salad and/or a fruit and dinner is ready!

I hope you enjoy this as much as my family does.