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Post by september on Sept 19, 2022 13:50:57 GMT -5
Like spike , I like jello with fresh fruit in it, topped with whipped cream as a dessert, just not the stuff with grated vegetables they try to call a salad! Isn't there a fresh strawberry pie packed with big hunks of strawberries that is made with jello or gelatin and refrigerated? Speaking of salads, we had an interesting one at the neighbor's yesterday. I think the lady who brought it called it a frozen cucumber salad. Evidently you make it ahead of time and freeze it. Then just thaw completely when you serve it. I would have thought the cucumbers and other ingredients like peppers and onions would have gotten limp and watery after being thawed, but they were not, they were still crunchy. She texted me a picture of the recipe, but I've run out of data minutes on my TracFone, so can't download pictures in texting til I get more minutes. It was frozen in a sweet and sour vinegar dressing, and she said the cukes are first salted and drained of extra water, so I would guess the vinegar solution keeps the cucumbers and other vegetables from getting mushy when frozen. It was quite tasty, and seems like a good way to preserve some of my excess cucumbers and peppers for later in the winter. I'll post the recipe when I can see it.
***recipe was later posted in the Cooking & Preserving section.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Sept 20, 2022 12:43:34 GMT -5
Interesting idea, september. I also would have expected the cucumbers and other veggies to be limp after thawing. I am looking forward to seeing the recipe.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Sept 22, 2022 18:39:16 GMT -5
Today I had some leftovers, from yesterday.
Last night I had my Mexican dinner with a couple of friends. Only one large avocado's worth of guacamole (the other 4 were still rock hard!), while heating up that venison liver in chipotle sauce (made with that salsa negra of Rick Bayless), and a simple sauce I made with guajillo chiles, tomatoes, and a pound of chorizo made with venison. Both of these dishes had about 2 c of okra added, to stretch them, and add vegetables. The father gave me the venison this time; the son the last season's venison. I heated the corn tortillas on one of my gas burners, before taking them over there. Served them with some colby, as well as some queso panela.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Sept 24, 2022 17:48:00 GMT -5
Today I made one of my last tomato salads of the season. A lot of new growth basil to use, with some of that garlic, and some of that Greek kalamata olive paste, from lidl. I started by soaking some kala chana overnight with a little baking soda, rinsed, then pressure cooked 60 min. with a black cardamom, and a little asafoetida. After draining and rinsing the chickpeas, I put 1/2 c of rinsed freekeh in to pressure cook for 8 minutes in about 1 1/2 c water. I cooked a 12 oz box of pasta, to stir into this mix, then salted the mix a little more with fish sauce. Tomatoes, garlic, basil, olive paste, kala chana, and freekeh, mixed with the olive oil and wine vinegar, ready for the pasta. by pepperhead212, on Flickr Finished pasta salad, with some fish sauce added as another salt and umami flavor. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
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Post by rdback on Sept 25, 2022 13:53:08 GMT -5
Last night was grilled T-bone steaks and sweet potatoes, with asparagus. Not sure about tonight yet. Need to do something with a few baseball-bat squash lol.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Sept 26, 2022 9:30:57 GMT -5
Baseball bat sized zukes can be shredded for use in baked goods. The shreds can be frozen for future use, too.
EDIT: If the zukes are big but the flesh is not truly hard, then big zukes make great zoodles. Most zoodle-makers cut out and discard the seedy middle. Also, a bigger, firmer zuke is easier for a zoodle-maker to cut into clean zoodles. (Small soft zukes can get mashed rather than cut. Also, the coring part of the mechanism wastes a lot of the flesh on a small zuke.) If the skin is starting to get kind of thick and tough, peel the zucchini before putting it in the zoodle maker. Then cook the zoodles a bit more if needed to get the desired tenderness.
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Post by paulf on Sept 26, 2022 21:25:48 GMT -5
We had pasta salad for supper tonight. Finally found a way to eat cherry tomatoes. They were a "not" but taste OK. Mixed up with pasta, peppers, cheese cubes, chick peas and some other stuff the cherry tomatoes were edible.
However, my noodles need to be pasta. Years ago we grew spaghetti squash and with enough sauce and hamburger it wasn't so bad.
Laura, get under cover!
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Post by brownrexx on Sept 27, 2022 5:23:19 GMT -5
paulf, I discovered that spaghetti squash is good when you don't expect it to taste like pasta. At first I tried it as spaghetti and we didn't like it. The best way I ever made it was to cook the squash and remove the "noodles". Sauté some other small chopped veggies like carrots, onions, garlic, peppers, chopped zucchini. After the chopped veggies were cooked I added the "noodles" to warm them through. I know that you don't like onions but you might light the spaghetti squash as a veggie side dish cooked this way. You could also add chopped tomatoes if you liked. I like spaghetti squash when I am not expecting it to taste like a soft piece of pasta.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Sept 27, 2022 9:11:08 GMT -5
...Laura, get under cover! I am watching the storm very closely, because things can still change a lot. But currently Hurricane Ian looks like it's heading to Tampa. That's ~250 miles as the crow flies. Currently my local forecast is for a couple of days of 20 mph breezes and only a few tenths of an inch of rain. Possibly not even any rain at all.
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Post by paulf on Sept 27, 2022 11:33:58 GMT -5
Didn't realize it was that far to Tampa. But then the news media make it sound like the entire state is going to be destroyed by the "storm of the century". Our place in Melbourne Beach is putting up the hurricane shutters and warning of high water. Maybe just to generate some extra income from us northerners.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Sept 28, 2022 9:05:06 GMT -5
Melbourne Beach is only 118 miles as the crow flies from Port Charlotte (the current estimated landfall area). More importantly, the hurricane is expected to track over the state in that direction, and exit into the Atlantic fairly close to Melbourne Beach.
The storm will be a lot weaker by the time it reaches the East coast of Florida, but probably will still be a Cat 1 or 2 hurricane. Since the storm will be coming in from overland there won't be much storm surge on the Atlantic coast, but there will be high surf and massive amounts of rain.
So, putting up the hurricane shutters on a Melbourne Beach property is a reasonable precaution. Ground floor units could get flooded depending on their location, elevation, and drainage.
My situation is different, because the Panhandle (where I live) is the one part of the state that won't be affected by this storm. Not only is the Panhandle much farther away than your Melbourne Beach property, the storm will be heading away from the Panhandle.
And although the news exaggerates hysteria, there probably will be widespread flooding across the Florida peninsula, and the portion of SW Florida near and to the south of the landfall point is going to get just hammered. This storm will probably cause tens of billions of dollars in damage across the state. I just hope that the people in the mandatory evacuation areas got out, so there will be as few lives lost as possible.
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Post by spike on Sept 29, 2022 13:37:34 GMT -5
I am making potato leek soup tonight!
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Sept 29, 2022 14:52:39 GMT -5
Best put a stopper in that pan to keep it from leeking. Hahaha@spike
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Sept 29, 2022 16:10:32 GMT -5
I’m having big supper. Fried Chicken, Gravy, baked potato, pecan pie, ice cream and iced tea.
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Post by spike on Sept 29, 2022 17:09:37 GMT -5
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Sept 29, 2022 17:54:52 GMT -5
It twas MmmmGoot!
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Sept 30, 2022 19:32:36 GMT -5
Wifypoo asked what I wanted for breakfast this morning. Well…I was kinda hungry. I asked for fried chicken, gravy, hash browns and biscuits. It’s was a nice cool morning, so I sat back, ate breakfast and then watched Gunsmoke. I wasn’t able to move around much as I felt like a lead balloon. I ate a peanut butter and jelly sammich for supper.
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Post by rdback on Oct 1, 2022 9:15:16 GMT -5
Speaking of fried chicken...fried some split chicken thighs (skinless and boneless) the other day, destined for Fried Chicken Sliders. Sorry, no time for a pic of the finished product. I was hungry after all that frying, lol.
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Oct 1, 2022 10:26:12 GMT -5
Nothing like a pan of fried chicken on the stove!
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Post by september on Oct 1, 2022 10:54:33 GMT -5
I was wanting something sweet in the house for the weekend, so I made a recipe I found for Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake. It was supposed to be fast, and would have been, but for having to use lemon zest. It takes me forever to use a small grater, and most of it gets stuck in the holes anyway. Very frustrating. If the recipe calls for water or milk, you can rinse the grater in the liquid to get more bits out of it into the batter. But I thought buttermilk would be too thick to use that way. Does anyone recommend a grater/zester than works well? (quickly and cleanly!) The ones that are easier to use look like they make the shreds stay too big.
I used frozen blueberries which hardened up the dough and it was a chore to push it all down flat in the pan. But it turned out fine. alexandracooks.com/2011/06/29/buttermilk-blueberry-breakfast-cake/
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Oct 1, 2022 17:07:08 GMT -5
Looks good september, This time of year, I love my baked goods, Kolatches, banana bread, muffins etc !
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Post by pepperhead212 on Oct 1, 2022 21:13:57 GMT -5
I made a one dish meal in the Instant Pot tonight, sort of - started it yesterday, cooking 1 1/2 c dried chickpeas, to have them ready for today. I made sort of a chole masala, but with a bunch of vegetables added, not just the chickpeas. I put the last of my eggplants and okra, and almost the last of my Thai red long beans, plus a diced up green bell pepper. I also took most of the tomatoes I had, and made a purée, of maybe 3 cups, and cooked it down, with the rest of the vegetables, before adding the chickpeas. This mix was pressure cooked for just 3 minutes, then last, tempered with the tarka (not traditional, but I like this in many things, with those curry leaves), and a little cilantro stirred in. One dish meal, a sort of chole masala, with eggplant, okra, bell pepper, and Thai long beans added. by pepperhead212, on Flickr Tarka ingredients, ready to go into the oil. by pepperhead212, on Flickr Fried tarka, added to the chole. by pepperhead212, on Flickr Finished Chole, with a little cilantro topping it. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
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freelove
Junior Member
Posts: 13
Joined: April 2019
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Post by freelove on Oct 2, 2022 9:14:08 GMT -5
I was wanting something sweet in the house for the weekend, so I made a recipe I found for Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake. It was supposed to be fast, and would have been, but for having to use lemon zest. It takes me forever to use a small grater, and most of it gets stuck in the holes anyway. Very frustrating. If the recipe calls for water or milk, you can rinse the grater in the liquid to get more bits out of it into the batter. But I thought buttermilk would be too thick to use that way. Does anyone recommend a grater/zester than works well? (quickly and cleanly!) The ones that are easier to use look like they make the shreds stay too big.
I don't like grating citrus peel so I use a zester and then very finely chop the shreds with a knife. Much easier. You can also use a peeler and then chop.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Oct 2, 2022 10:50:56 GMT -5
My favorite way to cut up the zests us with the Microplane type - the finest ones, which cut the zest into very short pieces, which don't need minced up, like I also used to do, with traditional zesters, which cut long pieces.
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Post by september on Oct 2, 2022 13:10:20 GMT -5
pepperhead212 I looked at a few microplane type zesters on Amazon, and ordered one that came with the cleaning brush, which should help to save more zest. All I have now is graters of various sizes, some of them are a nested set I bought at an estate sale 50 years ago! I sure hope the microplane will speed up the process.
freelove thanks for the idea of chopping things smaller with a knife, if need be.
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Post by brownrexx on Oct 2, 2022 13:35:47 GMT -5
I also use a microplane zester and it is very easy to clean. I keep it in my utensil drawer but don't throw away the plastic cover that comes with it or you risk shredding your fingers when you are rooting around in the drawer.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Oct 2, 2022 16:54:47 GMT -5
This was a snack, earlier - last night's leftovers for dinner later. I made a batch of a Mexican dip - a variation of Sakil Pak, which is a pumpkin seed dip. I made this with some butternut squash seeds, and added some chickpeas I had left from last night, to stretch it - something I always do with this recipe, since the squash seeds and pepitas are so strong, a much smaller amount can be used. A habanero is the other main flavor. I usually grill the tomatoes, but it was a rainy day, so I cooked them in a skillet, on a piece of NS foil, to caramelize some of the skin. Did the same with the chocolate habanero, then cooled it all, and blended them with the remaining ingredients. Then stirred in some chopped chives and cilantro. I ate it with a stalk of celery and carrot, cut into sticks, and a handful of tortilla chips. Toasting butternut squash seeds, to use like pumpkin seeds. by pepperhead212, on Flickr Cooling the toasted butternut seeds. by pepperhead212, on Flickr Spears TN green tomatoes, cooked in skillet, since weather is bad for grilling. by pepperhead212, on Flickr Ground up butternut squash seeds, before adding the tomatoes, habanero, and some chickpeas. by pepperhead212, on Flickr Finished butternut seed dip - a variety of Sakil Pak. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
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Post by spike on Oct 4, 2022 16:19:50 GMT -5
My turn! Not that this is necessarily a pretty picture but I made homemade pork tamales, refried beans and Spanish rice! So yummy!
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Post by brownrexx on Oct 5, 2022 8:52:04 GMT -5
Not that this is necessarily a pretty picture Are you kidding? Not pretty? That looks like something I would pay for in a restaurant! Definitely picture worthy. I had a chicken breast thawed and didn't know what I wanted to make but then I thought of using the Instant Pot and I made a quick and easy recipe called chicken and peas. The seasoning is a packet of Goya Sazon which has a really good flavor. Everything except the peas gets put into the pot and the cook time is 5 minutes. Peas are added after cooking to keep them from getting mushy. I also made a recipe called PA Dutch Cole slaw which was good too. 20221001_174135 by Brownrexx, on Flickr
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Post by brownrexx on Oct 5, 2022 15:18:42 GMT -5
It was a rainy day and I had to be home for an internet modem service call so I decided to make a soup using dry beans. I absolutely hate beef vegetable soup so I came up with a sort of similar recipe that I can eat. Hubby loves vegetable soup but I never make it. He was happy with this soup. I simmered some of my home grown dry beans in chicken and vegetable broths with bay leaves. I cooked chopped onions, carrots, celery and cubed butternut squash along with ground chicken breast and a can of diced tomatoes. I decided to add a packet of that Goya Sazon Latin seasoning for flavor in addition to salt and pepper. After the beans were soft I mixed everything together for a final simmer and added a few egg noodles. 20221004_165654 by Brownrexx, on Flickr
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