Wednesday, October 3, 2018

Vietnamese and Leftover Steak!


I was inquisitive, "What will you do with the leftover steak?"

Her creative answer with the details was hard to follow ....she was talking fast and I wanted to blog about it anyway so I asked for pictures and the recipe.

She did the ingredient picture right!  "Mom, you should be doing your blog with all the ingredients lined up.  That's how 'they' do it if you want to be famous."   I will try in forthcoming blogs.  The ingredients must all be eventually out on the counter anyway so get organized, Joan, and line them up!  I will try!  :)


Recipe from http://3-chairs.com/food/vietnamese-noodle-soup/
Rice or vermicelli noodles
shredded cooked chicken, turkey, or whatever protein you have on hand (cheers for leftover ribeye)
~1 inch of ginger, chopped into 2 or 3 pieces
1 smashed garlic clove
2 cups good chicken stock (preferably homemade!)
1-2 tablespoons soy sauce
1-2 tablespoons fish sauce
1-2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon sugar, 
Lime wedges, Cilantro and/or mintSriracha (optional)
Add your chicken stock, ginger, and smashed garlic clove to a pot and bring it to a simmer over medium heat, ~10 minutes. Add the soy sauce, fish sauce, hoisin sauce and sugar (start with the smaller amounts first), then the vermicelli noodles. While the vermicelli cooks, taste the broth and adjust to your liking. When the noodles are al dente, add your shredded protein, letting it heat through, then take the soup off the stove and top with a squeeze of lime, some cilantro and mint, and a drizzle of sriracha.
 "I added spinach and kimchi to mine and frozen mixed veggies to the kids' meals," shared Maureen.

Thanks so much, Honey, for this successful blog and for detailing your touches.  Now I must add to my pantry most of the above ingredients - and I will!!

Saturday, September 22, 2018

Biscotti Binge

I have never paid any attention to biscotti cookies.  Today I made a batch and was very
successful.  Biscotti are twice-baked cookies usually with nuts (almonds) and also known as cantucci in Italian.

My recipe from the familiar Meet Me in My Cape Cod Kitchen is:
 .......drum roll please! ...... Cranberry Biscotti & White Chocolate.

Contained within the familiar flour, sugar, eggs and typical baking ingredients are 1 cup of white chocolate chips and 1 cup of dried cranberries.

The sticky dough is gently formed into two rectangles and then baked for 15 minutes.
My rectangles stuck to the UNgreased cookie sheet (after proper cooling) but I was able to carefully work them loose.  However, the cookie sheet is not to be greased!
Inadvertently I set the temperature to 350 degrees and it was supposed to be at 325 degrees.  Would that have affected their adherence to the cookie sheet?

The rectangles are sliced into pieces, turned over and baked again for 12 minutes.

I watched them carefully and a perfect golden brown was achieved.
They passed the taste test with Daughter and Grandson and Hubby.
I was generous with the chips and the berries.
Lovely texture, don't you think?
 Don't forget to preheat your heart and tell someone you love them today.

Friday, September 7, 2018

The Good and the Bad (about) Eggs!

Today I am into eggs! Oh, I could be clever and call this post my “eggscellent idea” or the “eggscellence of eating eggs” or “eggscellent dietary facts” but I won’t! However, I love eggs!
I would eat eggs everyday in some form or fashion for at least two meals….well, that might be overkill but I think that would be an “eggscellent menu.” Oops, I apologize for being redundant.

Next Monday morning I will be presenting the short program at the local TOPS meeting. In the scheme of life this is no biggie. I am taking the responsibility seriously, though, and have given in considerable thought. Perhaps this is because I have joined no other organization in Coeur d’Alene and this weekly meeting has been my one commitment. Plus the folks attending, yes, there are three men, are very congenial and eager to support each other in this battle of weight loss.

In Deming I joined the organization and attend each Wednesday a.m. Barbara from Wyoming (the other snowbird like me), presented a sweet program on the cucumber and then she gave everyone a cuke to take home in addition to her hand-out of nutritious facts and recipes.

I was going to piggyback on her idea and give a similar presentation about zuchinni. I bought a couple zuchinnis this past week and looked for zuchinni bar recipes - everyone has their favorite bread recipe already, right?

Then this Thursday morning as I was poaching my jumbo eggs for breakfast I wanted to know more about this wonderful yummy delectable egg. “Hey,” I told myself, “you are into eggs. After all, your deviled eggs are a family tradition and requested at the get-togethers.”

So I believe that I will share my enthusiasm with TOPS, pass around a dish of deviled eggs and present the program on the chicken’s finest product. I googled “skinny on eggs” and “current research on eggs” “are eggs bad for me?” and this is what I found:

Myth or not?
1) Eating three eggs per day is perfectly safe for healthy people who are trying to stay healthy.
2) Eggs yolks are fattening.
3) All the protein is in the egg white.
4) Eating whole eggs actually result in greater muscle protein synthesis than the whites alone.
5) Always toss the yolk!
6) Egg yolks are loaded with cholesterol
7) Poached eggs are especially good for you. (76 calories/poached egg)
                                           
                                            * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

(2) (3)(5) and (6) are myths.

There is contradictory evidence about how many eggs one should eat - 3/day is high.
Another source says 7/week…..One egg has 187 mg of cholesterol and the recommended limits 300 mg/day (200 mg/day if you have diabetes or risk factors for heart disease) so, do the math, and I conclude 3/day is too many. Then I read that the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans place no daily limit on cholesterol intake.

I am also interest in discussing “decoding egg carton labels.” According to

https://www.eggnutritioncenter.org/blog/eggyolk/#more-4813

Almost all eggs in the U.S. are antibiotic-free and hormone-free.
Cage-free means just that but they may be kept in barns all day with no fresh air.
Free-range hens means “access” to outdoors but the hens’ living situation may vary widely.
Pastured eggs are from hens that live free, roam and eat whatever grass and grubs they find.
Certified organic eggs are nutritionally identical to their non organic brethren.
White and brown eggs are the same! Color refers to the breed of the bird!
Grading refers to the egg’s quality - not its nutritional value. Grade AA eggs have thick and firm whites and pristine yolks and clean shells…..aaahhhh that is a pretty egg!
Grade A eggs are the kind you find in stores with whites that are slightly less firm.
Grade B eggs are thinner whites, imperfect yolks and may have stained shells. Bakeries and food service companies use Grade B eggs.
Size measures the weight of a dozen eggs - not the dimension of each one.

Code of end of the carton? 1143 ISDA assigned # of the packing plant.....for example,
National Food Corporation (the packing plant when researching the ISDA #)
2005 268th Street NW
Stanwood, WA 98292-
Washington Grading Branch Office
The three digit # on the left is the date. For ex., 235 (235th day of the year)

Refrigerated eggs generally stay fresh 3-5 weeks,
Do not store eggs in the refrigerator door. They are susceptible to changes in temperature and with the door opening and closing, your eggs can go rotten more quickly! That is a bad egg!!

One more fun source for egg facts: “Twenty Shocking Secrets About Eggs”
https://www.eatthis.com/egg-facts/

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World Egg Day is Friday, October 12th.
Remember an average hen lays 300 to 325 eggs each year.
To produce one egg it takes a hen 24- 26 hours.
As a hen grows older she produces larger eggs.
http://thinkegg.com/index.php/21-2/


From one good egg to another,
Joan

Sunday, September 2, 2018

Ole!

Dear Readers:

Just a quick blog to give you the details of my 7-layer dip recipe that I will make again.....and again!

I bought this lovely glass casserole dish at the thrift store yesterday for the sole purpose of taking the dip to Daughter's house and indulging in fajitas, dip, chips, sauteed peppers and onions,,,,,and a Corona Lite (90 calories).

It was a successful venture:



I layered the contents as follows from the bottom up:

l can (8 oz) fat free refried beans
1 container (16 oz) lite sour cream mixed with 1 envelope of taco seasoning
1 layer (about 8 oz) of ready-made Yucatan guacamole
1 layer of yummy salso (I chose medium strength chunky)
1 layer of iceberg lettuce chopped fine
1 layer of shredded 4 cheese Mexican (Sargento 4 oz)
Sprinkled with sliced black olives (one small can) and finely chopped tomatoes.

Next time I will be more generous with the lettuce.....and maybe add a sprinkling of green onions for more variety and color.



Have a great fiesta!

Thursday, August 16, 2018

A Failure!

I really did take this assignment seriously, spent my energy thinking about baking during a camping trip, made sure the pear was perfectly ripe and not too soft,  and then "bit the bullet" and tackled the recipe - all to no avail. 
It flopped!
But did it really flop?  We all agreed that my pan was too small, the oven was too small and then I failed to have the crumb tray in the correct position so the oven's elements were covered.
Yet the Pear and Orange Bread, page 29, was delicious and the recipe is very promising!


I am falling in love with this little cookbook -
Meet Me in My Cape Cod Kitchen by Linda Maria Steele. I am challenged to create each recipe.  As I transport myself through the book and post about each recipe, I actually look forward to the next assignment!  Remember ~ I am an amateur in the kitchen and straining to become famous as I cook/bake myself through this book.....one recipe at a time!


So I placed the Pear and Orange Bread into a pan much too large for my toaster oven.  As my son-in-law later mentored me, "You should have divided the batter into two bakings!"  My son-in-law managed an Outback restaurant for years - I do listen to him.

The bread was not done in the middle so I baked it again in pieces.....it got done!
The bread was still moist ~ the flavor scrumptious ~ and my failure was devoured within hours.
The grand kids (bless their hearts) were not that critical of JamaJoan's failure.

Friday, August 3, 2018

'Tis a Tea Party Extraordinaire

 Eagerly I tore open the seal of the padded brown envelope. The teas spilled onto my dining table in assorted zip lock baggies ~ some were meticulously labeled/hand packed with loose teas, others were commercially packaged teas ~ the aroma of antique roses and hibiscus, chocolate and coconut ~ saran wrapped bags within baggies containing teas delectable in name and description.  I was (and still am) amazed with Ann's bountiful and varied gift.

Such labels as:  Louisa May Alcott Literary Tea, Beatrix Potter Herbal Tea, Downtown Abbey Estate Blend, Rooibus Red Velvet Chocolate Tea. Canadian Ice Wine Tea, Hibiscus Sangria Herbal Tea, Mother's Bouquet Tea, Royal Palace Tea, Mango Herbal Iced Tea --- the package nearly exploded with such luscious flavors.

 And then the commercially prepackaged teas like Disney Wonderland Tea (The Official Unbirthday Tea) and Christmas in Paris (Stash) and Numi's Gratitude Tea with sweet licorice and Bigelow's Girl Scouts thin mints tea . . .the assortment is awesome!

I met Ann a couple months ago in a blogging class through Story Circle Network (www.storycircle.org/).  As beginner bloggers we were asked by our teacher, Linda Steele, to brainstorm possible blog topics.  Ann's interesting talents in legacy writing and her tea catering business were very intriguing subjects about which to blog.

She included a brochure about her business in my gift - "How Tea-licious Tea Parties Came to Be."  Her husband, Paul, started a family tradition of tea parties which emerged into family reunions.  Ann has continued hosting catered tea parties to honor her husband's memory.  "It has helped me direct my mind to happier tasks, take care of others and share a meal or two with friends and family," she wisely remarks.
Ann's "Tea-licious" Tea Catering Company offers a large variety of parties, demonstrations and programs to folks in her Mogadore, Ohio community.  A few sample themes for her parties include "Tea with Jane Austen," "Aprons and Cookbooks,"  "Glampers Girlfriends" and a very popular "Release Your Inner Cowgirl."  She serves the appropriate teas with her luscious baked goodies or seasonal garden fare and.....well, as I peruse her list of themes there is even a "Zen-sational Tea" party with her green tea ice cream!

Ann can be reached at 330-618-6852 or nyjazzie@hotmail.com - Inquiries are welcomed!

Thank you, Ann, for your generosity in sharing your tea with me.

Who would then deny that when I am sipping tea in my tearoom I am swallowing the whole universe with it and that this very moment of my lifting the bowl to my lips is eternity itself transcending time and space?
-D.T. Suzuki

Friday, July 13, 2018

Surprise Cookies!

                     Yummy - they disappeared quickly and were popular with all ages of consumers.
The easy directions were followed explicitly and the result, as seen above, were nicely shaped sugar dusted cookies.  The lemonade concentrate created a lovely bite of "surprise."  Hence the cookie name!
Just for fun and creativity I would like to add a dab of pastel frosting to the top of the cookies, still brushing them with the concentrate and still adding a sprinkle of (colored, maybe) sugars......
pretty pretty pretty....and as I said previously, "yummy!!!"

I forgot to count the total number of cookies I baked from one recipe and Linda doesn't mention the total but I would guess about 4 dozen.

Tuesday, June 19, 2018

I made it from scratch!

I did it and I am so proud!  I made the first recipe in Linda Maria Steele's "Meet Me in My Cape Cod Kitchen" cookbook.  The "Delicious Orange Pound Cake" was scrumptious and shared with several family members and friends.

.
Plans are to blog about each recipe in this delightfully delectable book subtitled, "Recipes for Seaside Living."  I have never been to Cape Cod, but selected this regional cookbook because the author has been my blogging instructor for the past month.  Her engaging personality is revealed throughout the book as she narrates family involvement, her love of baking and the intricacies of each recipe.

                                                    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I am an amateur in the kitchen.  If I am successful with a recipe it is almost fail - proof.
This particular cake was baked in a bundt pan (I borrowed my daughter's) and ceremoniously topped with fresh orange glaze.  Yes, you could take this cake anywhere and be a stunning success!!



The ingredients were all purchased with ease at my local Safeway.....I selected two large navel oranges, grated the zest and squeezed (with my hands) the juice.  They were very good oranges!

I purchased the book through Amazon:  Meet Me in My Cape Cod Kitchen by Linda Maria Steele.
You will not be disappointed. 

                                                    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Next recipe I tackle is the first one in the next section:  Surprise Cookies
Plans are for me to methodically cook my way through the book by selecting in order the recipes Section One/Recipe One:       For the Love of Cake (Delicious Orange Pound Cake)
Section Two/Recipe One:      Cookies, Cookies, Cookies (Surprise Cookies)
Section Three/Recipe One:    Quick Breads (Pear and Orange Bread)
                                                 .......and so forth......
Oh, I just peeked and can hardly wait until towards the end -  P.S. Poems and Pies
                                                                                                  (what surprises await us all).
I hope you buy the book, follow along and create these gift of love with me.

In the meantime, preheat your heart and tell someone you love them today.💟




Accept….Extend…..Peace

  any morning she rises, shuffles to the kitchen bridging into a new day the remote clicks  crossing into classes  a conundrum of voices oh,...