Comfort Foods - Cheesy Grits And Shrimp

Comfort foods are sometimes entirely different even for close family members.  My two daughters and one son all have families of their own and cook to suit their own taste. However, they love dining at my house
for hubby and my home cooking.
 
For instance, my youngest daughter, bless her soul, loves to fix macaroni and cheese for her family. Her recipes look like those pictures in magazines they are so beautiful.   Her husband loves country style cooking, that he knows how to cook superbly.   Low-carb bread is my oldest daughters' favorite because, she is always on a diet of some kind.  Her many diet creations are low-carb and wonderful to say the least. Her low-card desserts are a vision of beauty.  That girl can make chicken in dozens of low carb ways that taste marvelously delicious.

My son and his family love eating out, anywhere at anytime and any cuisine.    Although his wife is a wonderful, talented cook, sometimes, they get bored with her unique style of cooking.  She leans towards healthy foods prepared in different styles, i.e., tex-mex, low fat, low carb foods.    She learned her country  cooking from her grandmother, who had all the desired knowledge of seasoning country food.  I copied her way of making a big pot of collard greens.  I didn't know that a pinch of baking soda made the greens plump up and taste even better.    My daughter-in-law is not afraid to try lots of different recipes including crock pot recipes, meatloaf and baked sweet morsels, that taste heavenly, as they melt in your mouth.  She sets a mean table for holidays as well.  Her table decorating skills are astonishingly beautiful.  On the other hand, my son cooks like I do,.  That means lots of  fried foods and one-pan wonders.  He and the kids love his wife's cooking best of all.

 Then there is my husbands comfort food cooking.  All the kids and grandchildren truly love my husbands' ribs best of all.  It is so much fun when the entire family come over and enjoy his ribs.  He cooks them in the oven and on the grill with different variations of seasonings and bar-b-que sauce on different slabs of  pork.

I personally love grits.  Always have and always will love them better than even oat meal.  I can eat grits with lots of added ingredients such as, mayo, bacon, sausage and egg.    I had never eaten grits and shrimp before until recently.  They were introduced to me by my youngest daughter.    She and her family had the dish in a recent visit to a restaurant called: "Cornbread And Caviar."  She claimed it was wonderful.  Although, she said her husbands' crab cakes, a chef specialty, were superb.

 I just had to try cheesy grits and shrimp.  My husband always makes shrimp scampi.  It was so easy for him to cook the cheesy grits separately, then add them to the shrimp scampi.  I ate a hugh portion of  both and my taste buds were asking for more.   I was in heaven.  My two favorite foods combined were perfect comfort foods during the January blizzard of 2016.
Take care and keep the faith,
Your friend, Cooky (aka Lora) :) 

My Favorite Potato Soup Recipe

Below is my favorite potato soup recipe created a few years ago.  Since then, I have made it several times and added different ingredients such as cabbage and cooked ham instead of chicken.  

It started with a large bowl of thinly sliced potatoes now sitting in cold water in the frig.   I had tried making microwave potato chips from a pinterest recipe the night before.  Although the chips turned out fairly good - nothing beats good old store-bought potato chips. Incorporating them into a nice pot of soup sounded like a plan. Normally, I used chunks of potatoes.  However, these slices were sturdy because of the soaking and would not fall a part or crumble.  Starting with half and half milk, butter, spices, I threw in a few vegetable and chicken stock. After the soup simmered for about twenty minutes, cooked, chopped, breast of chicken was thrown in.  Of course, these ingredients can be easily modified and substituted with your favorite meat/vegetables and seasoned to taste.

Cream Of Potato Soup 
With Chicken & Vegetables 

 4-5 large potatoes (thinly sliced and soaked in cold water overnight)
1 Quart of Half & Half Milk  (Milk is ok but less flavorful)
4-5 cups of chicken broth (I used homemade stock)
1 cup of thinly sliced and chopped carrots
1 cup of thinly sliced celery and onions (minced)
1 cup of frozen green peas and 1 cup of frozen corn
1  half a stick of butter
1 dash Dill
1 dash Oregano
1 dash Basil

Spices Included: 1/4 teaspoon of basil, dill, bay leaf, half a teaspoon of old bay seasoning.  You can add a pinch of oregano, sage, thyme, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste.   Of course, you can add or tweak the recipe to suit your own taste by adding your own favorite ingredients. Finally,  add  2 tablespoons of flour dissolved in a half cup of cold water to the soup to thicken it a bit.   Let it simmer for another 10 minutes, cool and enjoy this creamy deliciousness !

Keep the faith, your friend
Lora (aka Cooky :)

Left Over Salsa Creates Great Soup

Recently, I wanted soup to warm up my bones.   Threw together some frozen veggies, beef broth and  a bullion cube.  Instead of a can of tomato sauce, I added left over salsa from in the refrigerator.  Wow, it made the soup explode with flavor.  Then, I noticed a recipe for vegetable soup on the broth box and was actually following it very close to most all the ingredients it called for.  Added a few chopped onions, cabbage, celery, basil, and other seasonings.  It created a great soup.  Other leftover jars of jelly, jam, beans, and oriental sauces can be added as well, to some recipes. 
Adding left over gravies, veggies, marinara sauce, pizza sauce and pasta sauce to recipes is convenient and saves wasting half-empty jars or cans sitting unused in the refrigerator.
Next, I think I will try making an apple dessert cake from the packets of apple cider left over from xmas.  Now, if I could only figure out what to do with those cinnamon sticks?  I'm open for suggestions.
Keep The Faith, your friend Lora (aka Cooky).

No To Chocolate, Sugar, Bread, Salt

Everyone tells you that, when you get old, you can't eat what you are used to eating.  That is an understatement for sure !   The amounts you eat matters as well.  Half cup of everything is usually the case.  One or the other also, but not both they say as far as bacon or sausage goes.  Cut out the egg yoke is another joke...pun.  lol 

Guess we must survive on vitamins and medicines at least dozens of each.  Stuff you have never heard of such as:  uppers and downers, one to make you pee, one to stop you from swelling, four to help your BP., one for your heart, kidneys, etc.  Gosh, whats a girl supposed to do?  Oh well, on my food group picture, I did add a bottle of vino.   lol  
tc

Culinary Deliciousness

My entire family prepare their own versions of many wonderfully delicious tasting recipes. Each member, whether its siblings or in-laws, has perfected his or her own specialties over the years. A few noteworthy items are my husband's ribs and my two daughters' everyday meals.  All the kids come over for this treat and gobble them down in no time.  Served with his homemade, delicious, southern style potato salad and corn on the cob (cooked in the microwave and then on the grill in the husk) is a family picnic to be proud of.

     First, Tony, my hubby, who is still learning to cook southern style, has learned how to make the best ribs, potato salad, cinnamon buns and chicken salad in this world.  I've not tasted any better than his anywhere.  He does two versions of pork or beef ribs.  One is rubbed with a dry, spicy seasoning.  The other version is left plain.  Sauces include honey and hickory BBQ sauces.   These come from a bottle, however, his ribs really don't need sauce at all.  His preparation includes:  slow-baking the pork or beef for several hours.  Then they are drained and marinated over and over again and taken to the outside grill.    Next, he grills them for a short period of time.  This stage perfects the dark red, smokey, luscious, burnt flavors we all love.
 
Second is his mouth-watering chicken salad.  He used a  fresh chicken from  Wal-Mart already cooked.  We like the family sized butter-garlic chicken. It's so delicious, and we can get two different meals from one.   My sister makes a wonderful chicken and dumplings from a Wal-Mart roasted chicken.  It's so easy,
I can't ask for anything more deliciously prepared.  I feel that Wal-Mart chicken is better that many of the other carry-out chicken places, if you know what I mean.   

Third, my two daughters can make the most beautiful recipes.  Their meal results, whether it is baked cookies and cakes to roasted port loins and greens, look like a picture in a food magazine.    My daughter-in-law's pork bar-b-cue is especially noteworthy. She starts with a pork butt roast and uses a slow cooker.  Her seasonings are simple, nothing fancy, and include just the right amount of vinegar versus sugar.  Lip smacking good !

Finally, the trick to eating and tasting these wonderful fatty foods without gaining weight is to only eat small bites they say...   "Those that can do, those that can't do, teach."  Television chefs have taught my family how to cook and prepare easy, tasty foods.  I believe that they watch the portion sizes.  
     Ahhhh, I can smell the bread baking and the roast cooking.  The joy of tasting superbly-prepared meals is surely one of God's gifts to humans.  Got to go cook something.  Take care and  keep the faith.      

Fruit Salad Time

My version of a fruit salad, involves chopping the below ingredients into bite-size pieces and mixing everything together.  Then add cherries and orange juice. There are lots of variations and additions, if you want to add them.   It's so delicious ! Makes my mouth water just thinking of this tasty fruit concoction:
Strawberries       Bananas         Orange Juice
Cantaloup           Apples            Cherry Juice

Oranges              Cherries

What's Cooking ?

Hi folks, Glory Be! - Spring Thyme is finally here and I'm so very grateful. I've been trying new recipes of my own concoction. With sixty years of doing this very thing, you would think that this would be easy for me. At my age, I have to try and focus even more on recipes versus relying on my cooking skills. This week, I have achieved success with creating and cooking (no salt added) crab cakes; creamed cauliflower and chicken soup; and a simply delicious mixed beverage drink. The drink idea came from Pinterest, however, my concocted drink didn't tast or look the same as Pinterest..

First, crab cakes were made and the recipe adapted from various sources. For instance,
I used bread soaked in milk, as a filler, instead of pankco bread crumbs. I saw Rachel Ray do this. Then she squezzed the bread to drain the excess liquid before adding it to the delicious tasting lump crab meat. Then, I added a couple tablespoons of mayo and a few shakes of old bay, garlic and parsley seasonings. I did not use an egg. The bread held it all together just fine. My friend told me once that, they are tastier with no egg and she was right on. I formed patties and fried them up in a little olive oil and butter. Yummy ! They did not last long enough for pictures. One pound of crab meat makes enough for hubby and I.

Second, the next morning, I was in a soup mood. We had a head of cauliflower starring at me.
I remembered a recipe seen on Pinterest, that was made with brocolli. However, the cauliflower worked just fine as a substitute. Made it with milk, the normal salty seasonings, then added peas and chopped carrots for color. Bubby added a frozen bag of already cooked chicken breast pieces.
A heaping tablespoon of dissolved cornstarch was the thickener. After it had come to a boil and the veggies were cooked, I let it simmered for about thirty minutes. My final ingredient was a handful of cheddar cheese. My daughter stopped by and had some of the soup for lunch and she thought it was
simply delicious. So did we. Plenty left for tomorrow.

Last, I had seen a recipe on Pinterest for a watermelon, lemonaide, mango mixed drink.
I happened to have all three items on hand, so thought to give it a try. I made a
simple syrup from sugar and water. Then added the mashed, peeled watermellon, mango pieces and sugar free dry packet of lemonaide. (A shortcut because, I was too lazy to get a few lemons from the refrig to use.) Next, I added a sprinkle of ginger and mint, then let it all simmer before draining/straining it. Since, we did not have vodka on hand to mix with the boiled liquid, we decided to mix it with our wine at dinner. Yes, it was very good! Gave the wine a minty, fruity taste. Both the watermellon and other flavors come through deliciously. I might make ice cubes of the rest of the necture. It did turn out a bit more cloudy than I expect. Not sure why?

Oh I love those lazy days of summer. The summer heat, they can keep.

Keep the faith

March Winds, April Showers, May Flowers - Think Spring Thyme

March 2014 Winds, April Showers, May Flowers - Think Spring Thyme:
What is better than warm, flaky crescent rolls with any meal? Answer: More of the same. I can't wait to try my latest pinned recipe pictured above - the look of deliciousness.

Cooking and eating changes in the Spring. Meal times become explosions of colors, taste and freshness unheralded due to in the winter. Salads become stars of the meals and multicolored drinks, fruits and vegetables. Less red meat this year, maybe? The television news said that a drought out west is really bad this year and will, no doubt, affect the price of beef. If only the snow could be directed to the dry fields where cattle need to graze...Guess I'm living in a fool's paradise with that way of thinking.

Recently, I prepared homemade egg-roll wrappers from astonishing enough, a recipe, I pinned on pinterest. It featured a Nigerian cooking show. The wrappers turned out light, tender and delicious.
They were easy to make and less complicated than a lot of other recipes. The chopped cabbage, carrot, and seasoned stuffing for the wrappers were superb and tasted delicious. A recent purchased bottle of wok sauce added flavoring that make the dinner taste and smell fantastically oriental. We also made baked skinless/boneless chicken thighs. I love orange chicken sauce, as much as, teriyakie-sesame and couldn't decide which to use. Thus two different batches of chicken stuffed and baked were marinated with one or the other sauce. Leftover cabbage mixture from the egg rolls, became a delicious, zesty, warm side dish to the meal. The entire dinner couldn't have been more delightful to my taste buds. Well, I will celebrate this recipe as very successful. Can't wait to try other recipes. With Spring on the horizon, and Easter not far away, its something to look forward to.

Holiday Recipes: Success And Failures

14.  2014  Holiday Recipes:  The Christmas Holidays get my creative baking and cooking juices churning with mouth-watering results in most cases of collected recipes. My husband and I do enjoy trying out a few Pinterest recipes now and then, if we have time and patience between naps. We wouldn't want to be chefs for a living. Its too much work ! to say the least of the expense no matter how careful we try to be in cutting cost and calories.

However, sometimes utter failure occurs because of my lack of patience or skill in cooking, take your pick. LOL Its All good and it is what it is ! Hey, there is always room for improvement in our home. For instance, last week, too much baking soda in my Irish cookies made the first batch too flat and brittle. The mint taste was overwhelming, otherwise they were fairly good. In my opinion, anything baked or made with salt-free butter is delicious to me whether its a success or failure.

My apple-peach jelly/preserves did not gell - remaining a liquid after it was canned in cute little jars. I will have to use them all myself; or gift them as syrup. My family will eat anything usually, especially, if its sweet. However, I'm not sure about some of our neighbors for whom the jars were slated for gifts. I believe I didn't use enough pectin, or something...oh well, I tried. LOL I'm sure I didn't measure properly because I was losing patience by the time, I finished cleaning and sterilizing the jars and cooking the filling.

Some successes Include: Chocolate Chip Cookies...Fudge... apple cider pumpkin butter jars...pizza bread...french toast casserole...sugared nuts...Irish Mint Cookies...Neinima Bars...pumpkin pie/apple pie...soups by Bear Creek...fruitcake...molasis cookies...salmon cakes...turkey... and
lazagna w/spinach. Did I tell you the sweets went straight to the freezer to await Chistmas Eve?
I can't wait to try another recipe - not sure what it will be, however, we will keep trying.

Wishing all a very Merry Christmas and Happiest of New Years 2014.

Fun Recipes Gifts

Check out Pinterest for these recipes:

Cinnamon Honey Pecan Butter
Pecan Balls
Fudge
Cream Puffs
Cookies

Apple Cider Donuts Recipe - Oct 2013

Found this wonderful recipe for apple cider fried donuts on pinterest   Just bought a deep fryer and will let you know how they turn out.  Recipe follows:

Apple Cider Doughnuts
Adapted from A Bowl of Mush

Ingredients:
1 cup apple cider
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter (softened)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
3 1/2 to 4* cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Vegetable oil for frying (You’ll need a lot!)
1 cup cinnamon and sugar, mixed

Directions:
The directions start off with boiling the apple cider until it reduces to about a quarter cup in size. I eyeballed it, so it was probably closer to half a cup, and things worked out OK. Allow this to cool completely.
In a large bowl, beat the sugar with the butter until smooth. Beat in the eggs. Add the buttermilk and reduced apple cider.    In another bowl, mix together the remaining dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg.

Add the flour mixture slowly to the liquid mixture, and mix enough to combine. You want the dough to not be sticky any more. You’ll be spreading it out like bread or cookie dough on the counter, so add flour as needed to make it the right consistency. Transfer the dough to a floured board and knead slightly to combine well without over working the dough.

     Roll or pat the dough to a 1/2 inch thickness. At this point, you could use two circular cookie cutters (one larger than the other) to create doughnut circles. I just made little doughnut holes instead: use your hands to create small balls of dough.
     Place these doughnuts, a few at a time, into a deep pan  that’s been filled and heated with enough oil to fill it approximately three inches deep.
     Fry a few doughnuts at a time, turning once or twice until they are browned and fully cooked through. Allow the hot doughnuts to drain on some paper towel. While the doughnuts are still warm, coat them in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Enjoy

Quiche With Bacon And Spinach

Quiche With Bacon And Spinach:  It turned out delicious. Not sure what, I will try next, perhaps, pizza cheezy bread sticks. No picture, sorry.

Controlling Our Diets

Controlling Out Diets:

Watching and controlling our food intake, portion sizes and ingredients are top priority. Even more so since we have gotten older. I hate having to watch every mouthful I ingest. Perhaps in Heaven, one can eat anything and never gain weight like in the Meryl Streep movie that came out several years ago. According to serving sizes, my husband and I have been eating like a family of four or more. Of course, the damage has already been done to our bodies from eating foods loaded with toxic chemicals, sodium and vast amounts of sugars throughout our lives. Because we ignored the fact, that these additives did so much harm to our bodies, we are now paying the price both in body and dollar signs. Wishing, that I had started doing all this cooking clean and eating fresh earlier in my life.

Cooking clean and fresh is expensive and lots of work, with to much waste in my opinion. Its not easy to adhere to a diabetic, heart healthy, low fat/sugar/salt diet. Diabetes, high blood pressure to mention a few health concerns, definitely make cooking "cleaner" a necessity inorder to promote my better health. For years our portion/serving sizes have been over-indulgently extra large. For example, a quarter cup of cereal is a serving according to the powers that be. This one-fourth cup includes an extraordinary amount of calories, sugar, sodium in many cereal choices. Add milk a few berries or other fruits to cereals and you have your total calorie or fat grams used up for the entire day and it's only breakfast. Thirty grams of fat is all one needs for an entire day. We can blow all those at breakfast easily, if we are not careful.

Personally, this change in shopping and cooking foods comes as a no surprise to my hubby and I. However, it is a pain in the neck always shopping this way. We have notice not only us but many others clog the isles reading labels. No one gets upset as we linger in isles comparing ingredients in foods. Everyone else is doing and its so worth it in the long run. Keep the faith. :)

A Few Favorites

A Few Favorites:  Recently, I tried these favorite recipes: peasant bread, chicken salad and lemon pasta with peas but no scallops. All were successful but not so easy if you are an inexperienced baker.
First, the peasant bread from Alexandra's Kitchen. It turned out delicious and I can't wait to make the bread again. I watched a video on pinterest of someone other than Alexandra making this same bread. However, the recipe from Alexandra seemed to turn out more flavorful. It was dense and light at the same time. I made plain, toasted croutons from some of the leftover bread. I did not have enough pyrex bowls and used an aluminum bowl for final baking. Had to go out and buy three new round pryrex bowls at Wally World. Alexandra describes the process with excellent writing and descriptive skills. Further, her finished product is in a clear picture like a professional display. I really enjoy her style of writing and cooking. Her blog stated that they have moved to New York and hubby got out of the Marine Corps. I will gladly continue to follow her on pinterest and facebook wherever she may live. I believe they are settled now for a long time in there new house with the fruit trees in the back yard. Her tips for efficient kitchen and inserts about her children are a delight.

Second, my hubby made a chicken salad to die for. He can mix the chicken to the correct consistency. He cooks and prepares food a little different than me. It was so delicious, we finished it off today. No nuts or onion. Plain celery with a touch of garlic and Old Bay seasonings. My style is more of a one-pot-wonder recipe bordering on southern cooking. Well, my mother was a great southern cook. Both she and I were born in South Carolina, so its totally appropriate for me to follow in her and her mother's cook-steps.

Third, we tried the pasta with lemon reccotta cheese, peas with thyme, salt and pepper. We did not have scallops so we left it out. The pasta was regular round noodles versus flat ones. It turned out superb with just a hint of lemon. The reccotta made it smooth and very palliative.
All in all, these dishes were prepared successfully. This does not always happen with some of the complicated instructions given on pinterest. I always pin those that are my favorites.

Eggplant Dip - Refreshingly Tasty

Eggplant Dip - Refreshingly Tasty:  Here is a mild, aromatic eggplant dip - courtesy of pinterest (Baigan Bharta):

2 Medium sized eggplants - roasted in oven w/skins on or off

3 tbsp oil

3/4 tsp cumin (powder or seeds)

1 small red onion, finely diced

1 tablespoon Ginger-garlic paste

2 pureed tomatoes ( I used peach salsa with chipolte peppers in it.)

2 green chilies, minced (included in salsa)

2-3 tablespoons minced cilantro (I used 1/2 tsp from a tube)

Mix all together and add a squirt of lime or lemon juice.
Delicious warm or cold served with bread, crackers or over rice.

Awww...Summer Salads 2013

Awww...Summer Salads 2013:   Featured today is my first effort making brussell sprout salad.  A successful colorful, dynamic, and hearty.  Picture pending.

Easy Pizza Dough

Easy Pizza Dough:  Hi everyone !    I made homemade pizza dough into a pineapple-peach chipotle sauce pizza, that was easy and a delicious success. This is a such a nice and easy pizza dough recipe off of pinterest that, I would like to share it with my family and friends.  Although,  I do not remember who originally pinned this recipe, I do want to thank them profusely for pinning it.  Heat oven to 450 degrees.  Combine 2 ingredients: 1 med tub of Greek Yogurt and 2 cups of self-rising flour.  Knead both together until a smooth, pliable, spongy dough forms. It will form up - just take a bit of mixing.  Spray a cookie sheet with olive oil and both sides of the dough sparingly, as you flatten and spread the dough onto the cookie sheet; or even a round pizza pan. DO NOT PUT TOPPINGS ON IT YET.  First,  Bake it in a 450 degree oven for approximately 10 min., until lightly brown on the edges and dough firms up in the middle.  Watch it closely so that it does not burn.  Take it out of oven and let cool a few minutes.

Next, add your sauce, any kind will do, on top of the warm dough.   I used 1/3 jar of pineapple/peach chipotle sauce.  Then, I put diced ( precooked/packaged) ham on top of the sauce.  Finally, I  topped it off with a some shredded, packaged cheddar and mozzarella cheese. I like white pizza's.  Bake it in 425 degree oven (400 degree will work fine, just takes a few minutes longer until its bubbly.)  Cook approximately 15 minutes (plus or minus a few minutes) until the cheese melts completely and it starts to bubble slightly.   Crusts edges should be golden brown.  When done pop it out of the oven and enjoy it !
 
NOTE:  I saw the Pioneer Woman episode where she made her own pizza (not the recipe above).  She sprinkled "arugula" leaves on top of her apricot jam/mozzarella pizza, when her pizza was ready to serve for a luncheon. It looked delicious and was a sweet pizza. 

Cool Cooking

Cool Cooking:  Our Meat Loaf Dinner - Nothing Fancy Just Delicious:

Last weekend, we prepared a fantastic meat loaf dinner with mashed potatoes and gravy. Luckily, my hubby had gone grocery shopping the day before, so we had an abundance of fresh veggies and meats waiting to be dressed, cooked or frozen. Dinner turned out so well, I have to share my cooking methods with my family and friends. Although, the meat loaf was not as good as my husband's BBQ ribs, however, it was a real homemade treat for us. The preparations were going quicker than usual, so we decided to make a salad and soup, as well. We were on a roll ! Just like the chefs we watched on chopped delving into their mystery baskets. Of course, we didn't have a time limit like they do. Even though the pictures do not do the plate justice, I'm definitely not a good taker of pictures on my mini cam, the taste was outstanding.  In addition, hubby and I enjoyed cooking together in our air conditioned kitchen, while outside was a hot ninety degrees.

Normally, during the week, our dinner is something quick and easy to fix. My husband is a steak and potato man. I usually like a lighter fare i.e., soup and salad. I could eat that every day and be quite satisfied. Usually, breakfast is our big meal of the day and it goes down hill from there. No set menu throughout the week for us. Meals depend on what we have recently eaten and whatever our palates are craving at the time. If we could have a buffet readily available, where we could pick and choose every meal, we would love it. Unfortunately, our taste buds crave seafood and Mickey D’s way too often for our budget. Golden Corral would serve the purpose of a quick pick for dinner at times. However, it is at least twenty-five miles away and not always worth the drive. The little greasy spoon restaurant close by us, has changed owners again; and the food is not always satisfying to say the least. We try to avoid eating there except for the occasional sub, pizza or chicken wings that our grandchildren enjoy when they visit.

We made the meat loaf with a combination of fresh ground turkey, pork and beef with lots of seasonings and other ingredients incorporated. We used plenty of herbs, eggs, bread, a touch of ketchup and a squirt of A1 seasoning along with a bit of dry beef broth for flavor. Last, we added sautéed bell pepper, onion and celery mixing them all together in with the meat. I tried to pretend that I was preparing food, while remembering the way one of our favorite food network chef did on TV. We finally mounded it in a roaster and cooked it at 350 degrees with the lid on for about an hour and forty-five minutes. We planned on saving half the meat loaf  in individual containers to freeze and eat later.

Next, the peeled potatoes boiling on the stove were ready for mashing. We had quite a bit of potato water left over, so we decided to use it in preparing a tomato-based soup. Next, we started adding random veggies to the potato water, along with pinches of herbs and seasonings. Stone soup ! What else would you call a combination of mixed veggies thrown into a pot of left over potato water. Anyone remember reading about the tramp, who had everyone bring some kind of vegetable to add to his boiling water? Read it when I was very young, but the story left a lasting impression on me. Maybe the story might have jump started my want-to-be a cook idea that never transpired.   Any how, after the soup was started, we got really ambitious and began making a salad.

Oh ! How wonderful fresh garden veggies taste during the summer. A far superior taste than from the anemic varieties we get during the winter. Fresh cucumber, tomato, celery and onion were sliced and diced. Then we seasoned them with herbs and spices and feta cheese. I love basil, dill, parsley, celery, olives, and feta cheese in my salads. I go a little wild sometimes sprinkling on these ingredients hoping to make the salad look like those in magazines which they never do; or better yet even look a little like those on pinterest or top chef - again to no avail.
I added a few squirts of malt vinegar. The mild flavor of the malt vinegar gave the soup a little savory kick to it. It’s more subtle than red wine vinegar and doesn't discolor the salad. Malt vinegar is superb on crab meat and seafood. Finally, we added some chopped iceberg lettuce and tossed it. The salad tasted delicious, as well as, smelled so fresh.

In conclusion, it was a lot of work and clean up, but the end result was well worth the special effort.

Eating Good, Healthy Foods

Eating Good, Healthy Foods:  Eating healthy fruits and vegetables these days can be expensive.  Prices go up a few cents or more every week.  Just like gas can go up from one price to a higher one in a matter of hours.  Being retired, there is more time to watch the sales and compare prices. It is an on-going learning process for us.

        Grocery store ads show us what is available, and where the food bargains are for the current week.  Hubby and I would meticulously comb the advertisements every Wednesday store flyers.  Seems like Wednesday is the turning point for sales in most grocery stores, whereas Thursday and Friday are true for other grocery store sales.   It's a bit of a scramble going from one store to another for just a few items, but can be well worth it at times.  Writing down sale items in columns, we compare store prices for similar items in the various food supply stores. It's hard to call Target and Walmart grocery stores because groceries sometimes seem secondary to other stuff.  We noted that the food prices are manipulated to vary by a few cents store to store.  Meat prices can vary as much as ten dollars per store.  Sales items are a little more stable in pricing because of the store competitions to just get you in the store. 

         All in all, we decided, if food prices for certain items vary by only a few cents,  then, it does not matter which store you get it from sale or no sale.  Of course, that's what the stores intended you to do in the first place.  In conclusion, we decided that we need cheaper foods to stay healthier.  Cheaper gas to get to the stores would also be welcomed.   Hopefully, with this late spring planting season, prices will come down at least around July.  Thanks, Keep The Faith, Your friend, Cooky.

Breakfast Pizza - Yummy !

Breakfast Pizza - Yummy !    The hubby and I are always trying new recipes.  Some recipes come from the television cooking channel and others from chopped, pinterest and the newspaper or our favorite cookbooks.  Usually, all of these media sources have beautiful pictures and ideas for making these wonderful dishes that do not always turn out like they look.  Recently, we made breakfast pizza and banana bread.   I used  easy recipes from pinterest for both.  Both turned out absolutely fabulous.  The eggs, bell pepper, onions, ham with two different type cheezes on the light n puffy crust made from left over pizza dough was spectacular.  The banana cake, made with additions of coconut, applesauce and walnuts was moist with the correct density.  tc keep the faith.