Are you hungry?: 6/1/09

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

A Spicy Chicken, Pimento Cheesy, Snacking Good Dinner

The weather has been really hot and humid with only one rainstorm in the last two or three weeks. It’s just way too dry. It really takes a toll on my appetite. With that, I’ve been thinking snack foods lately. I went to pick up a few things… ha ha ha I ended up buying everything I need for snaking meals. I bought, among other things, a jar of pimentos, two pounds of Velveeta cheese, a block of sharp cheddar, and four pounds of chicken wings!

Last Wednesday was to be our snacking good dinner. [wink] I planned on making the pimento cheese spread, mom’s hot wings, and some popcorn chicken that was part of our Angel Food box this month. Of course that was also the day we got a much needed rain. In fact, it was a bad rain storm; one that flooded the roads in about thirty minutes and knocked out the power, cable, and internet! On top of that I had a meeting to attend at 7:00pm that was supposed to be a short one. Oh right, the meeting ended at 9:10pm but that didn’t stop me, I just had to have some pimento cheese spread. Am I the only one who has these crazy food cravings?

Our late night snacking good dinner went like this:

Pimento Cheese Spread

1 lb Velveeta cheese
½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 small jar pimentos, including liquid
4 Tbsp Mayonnaise
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cut Velveeta into chunks. Put Velveeta in a food processor and pulse two or three times to form small chunks. Combine the remaining ingredients in the food processor (or blender) except vinegar and pulse until well blended. Remove to serving bowl and add the vinegar a little at a time while stirring. Add about ½ tsp fresh ground black pepper and taste. Add more vinegar or pepper to taste. Cover and chill in the fridge. Serve on whole wheat bread or with crackers on the side.

Spicy Chicken Wings

4 Lbs. chicken wing sections

Wash chicken wings and pat try. Next, fry chicken wings until crisp. I used my electric turkey fryer and fried them up in one batch. Prior to owning this appliance, I would fry the chicken wings in batches in a deep frying pan or kettle. When the wings are done drain on paper towels while preparing the sauce.

Sauce
½ stick butter
4 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp Louisiana hot sauce
1 tsp Italian seasoning

For the sauce, I use a large chicken fryer pan. Melt butter over low heat. Add the vinegar and hot sauce and mix until all the liquids have blended thoroughly. Sprinkle the sauce with the Italian seasoning, stir and cook for one or two minutes. Add the chicken wings, stir and toss to completely coat the wings. Cover and cook for about five minutes on low. Serve with blue cheese or ranch dressing.

Oh, I almost left out the package of battered Popcorn Chicken from Angel Food Ministries. I fried those up while I was making the spicy chicken wing sauce. I was thinking about making them spicy too but later decided to serve them naked, with the dressing.

A few things to note –

Pimento Cheese Spread – Do not drain the pimentos. This can be done by hand however the food processor makes it more uniform and just the right chunky, creamy consistency. I added the mayo two tbsp at a time and pulsed between additions.

Wings - It really doesn’t take much hot sauce to make these hot. It’s the combination of vinegar and hot sauce that does it. Don’t leave the wings covered for more than five minutes otherwise they will be too soft.

Are you Hungry? ♥

Comments Recipe Tags: chicken, dip, sandwiches, spicy

Friday, June 26, 2009

Uses for Organic Brown Coffee Grounds

I was reading a post over at Frugal Creativity about using coffee grounds and found a link to this post. I so love coffee and have become addicted to gardening, I just had to share it!

Everyone knows that used coffee grounds make a useful addition to the green friendly natural compost pile. Other natural green uses for used coffee grounds are surprisingly versatile. Who would have thought there were so many ways to recycle used coffee grounds?

Organic used coffee grounds are a natural deodorizer. Just place a small open container of used coffee grounds in freezer or fridge to absorb odors the green way after cleaning.

Even if you don't have an organic compost pile, used coffee grounds can be a great all natural organic green fertilizer. Just dump used coffee grounds right in to the soil and mix or use on top of soil as well.

Worms love the used coffee grounds in an organic compost pile. Use this natural green worm feed to keep worms healthy on fishing trips too. Just dump used coffee grounds in an old coffee can right along with the worms.

Another green and natural use for coffee grounds is as an organic cat repellent for the garden. Coffee grounds keep kitty from doing her organic business in your beautiful green and natural garden. Just sprinkle them liberally in the garden to naturally repel the cat.

Coffee grounds are great for keeping root maggots away from carrots. They also help provide the looser natural soil carrots prefer. Just mix coffee grounds in with soil before planting for a green deterrent to these garden pests.

Coffee grounds are an all natural organic flea repellent. Just rub through Fido's fur and brush to distribute. This all natural flea repellent is a green substitute for harmful chemical flea sprays and collars.

Furniture scratches will disappear with this all natural organic dye. Just rub wet coffee grounds across the scratch. The damaged areas will pick up the brown coffee dye with this green furniture repair trick.

Scatter plenty of used coffee grounds about the natural green organic garden. In addition to the other green garden uses, coffee grounds will repel snails and slugs.
Natural and organic green uses for used coffee grounds....

Read the rest of this article
HERE

Comments Recipe Tags: garden, herbs

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Dill, Lime Basil, Mint, Sage, Rosemary - my Florida herb garden

I’m so excited!! Last weekend Red and I planted a container herb garden. Now Red has been reading up on gardening, and really wanted to start a garden. We considered hydroponics, and indoor growing, but decided on outdoor containers. It reminded me of when I was young, still living close to my mother. My brother and I planted a garden at mom’s house. It was quite fun and yielded a rather nice crop. I know that growing here in Florida is nothing like growing in the suburbs of Philadelphia.

We had a potting bench and some plastic two gallon pots to get started. Both of us spent most of the morning reading about different herbs. We decided to plant dill, mint, sage, rosemary, and lime basil. Next thing was to scan the back yard and decide on our location. The area we chose has just enough direct sunlight for the dill and rosemary, but not so much that the plants will be scorched by the summer Florida sun; while the mint, basil and sage are closer to the wall, thus being somewhat shaded from direct sunlight. “Look Mom, you’ll be able to see them from your office window,” Red thoughtfully pointed out.

Sage photo burpee.com Mint photo burpee.com

Next, it was off to Home Depot. Red really wanted to mix the soil himself but didn’t find what we needed. I had read online that container gardens in Florida did well with a good potting soil. We bought two bags of Scott’s premium moisture advantage soil, one bag of Perlite, and a 32 oz. liquid fertilizer. The seeds we purchased were all Burpee brand.

It took us a few hours to set up the area, mix the soil and fill the pots. It was just about nightfall when we finally planted the seeds. Red planted the mint, lime basil, and sage while I worked on the dill and rosemary. Lastly we moistened the soil.

Last night we had a terrible storm. It didn’t last too long but the rain and wind were very heavy. I was concerned that the pots might blow over and/or flood. It lasted until after dark, eliminating the chance to check them out.

Early this morning, day six of our herb garden adventure, I went out and checked the herbs. The basil pot is completely full of “babies” as we call them, and there are some visible dill sprouting up. The mint, rosemary, and sage have just a few sprouts… Like two or three in each pot. I was thrilled to see the progress and relieved to see that the storm did no real damage.

Comments Recipe Tags: garden, herbs

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Grilling Chayote & Pork chops, plus dill potato salad

I'm so excited! I finally successfully grilled vegetables. Yes, I've grilled kabobs many times but never seasoned up fresh veggies and grilled them. I had a few chayotes (Mexican pears) in the fridge that I just couldn't decide how to prepare. I read a bunch of chayote squash recipes online, looked through a few Latin cook books, no decision. Man I hate when that happens. I knew I had to cook the chayote soon or they would spoil.

So, my DH was feeling kind of down yesterday. I thought to myself, since hubby loves grilled food, which according to him is food cooked on a charcoal grill not a gas grill, I made my decision... Dinner would be grilled - chayote and boneless pork chops, with a dill potato salad. I have to tell you, our grill is one of those little Weber table top style grills. I would rather have a gas grill but as I said DH prefers that charcoal taste. This is going to be a real test for me.

Here’s how my afternoon of grilling went:

First, I poured some Badia Mojo marinade into a gallon zip lock bag, added the chops, and popped it into the fridge to remain for about two hours. Next I lit the charcoal grill, which takes about an hour or so to be ready to grill. While the grill was heating up, I put about two pounds of baby red potatoes in a large pot, covered with water, added some salt and set them to boil. [I left the skins on the potatoes too.]

Now I had some waiting time, so I watched Bizarre Foods with DH while periodically checking the grill and the taters. We really like that Andrew Zimmern, he’s a brave guy. He was in Korea, eating all kinds of seafood, including octopus tentacles that were still moving, yuck! The octopus would have been just fine with me, but the movement is a NO WAY NO GO in my book!

When the potatoes were done, which took about twenty minutes, I drained them and put them into a bowl to cool down a bit. Once they were cool enough to handle, I cut them into quarters leaving the wonderful red skins intact, sprinkled them with sea salt, and put them in the fridge to chill. I was listening to Andrew as I started on that wonderful Chayote squash, I had two of them. He was talking about and tasting bean paste. Some pretty stinky stuff I understand.

Ok getting back to the Mexican pears…. I used a vegetables peeler to remove the skin. Then I split them in half and removed the core. Now I see why they are called a Mexican Pear, they look and feel very much like a green pear. Even the texture of the meat of the Chayote is like a pear! After coring them I cut them lengthwise about a half an inch thick, put them into a bowl, drizzled EVOO over them, sprinkle with course black pepper then tossed to completely coat. These would sit for about fifteen minutes or so while I finished preparing the grill [UGH]. With the grill hot and ready to go, I laid the prepared Chayote across the grate in a single layer. I let them cook for about ten minutes and turned them. Since the charcoals were pretty evenly spread, almost all of the slices cooked up at the same time.

I was so happy with the way the Chayote turned out; grilling the chops was a real easy task. I put them on, covered the grill and cooked for fifteen minutes on each side. The outcome was easy for me and according to my dear hubby, deliciously grilled!

Oh I almost forgot to tell you about the potatoes in the fridge! While the chops were grilling, I prepared the potato salad. I added three tablespoons of mayonnaise, half a teaspoon of Adobo my favorite all purpose Latin seasoning, one teaspoon of dill, one teaspoon of red wine vinegar, and a bit of salt and pepper. Gently mixed everything and returned to the fridge until serving time. I have to say, the potato salad was really yummy. It wasn’t really soft and heavy, dressed like common potato salad usually is. It was more like chucks of potatoes, lightly coated with a flavorful dill dressing.

The Chayote was scrumptious and I’m excited for that. Hubby, who is a carnivore for the most part, even liked them. Sharing a good food show along with the whole grilling idea did cheer him up. Summing it all up, I would say, my afternoon of grilling was a success.

♥

Comments Recipe Tags: dinner, pork, salad, vegetables

Friday, June 05, 2009

Ham, Cabbage, Potatoes w Cheesy Jalapeno Corn Bread

Included in my "Signature Box" from Angel Food was a package of uneven smoked ham slices. Now this surely would not be enough meat to feed my guys! Well, I thought to myself, I bought the "Latin Flavors" produce box too. I have jalapenos, calabacita & chayote squash, and cabbage. Hhhmmm, what can I prepare that won't require another portion of meat and keep them happy??? I decided to prepare an old favorite, Ham and Cabbage with Potatoes, taken from my memory bank of Mom's recipes. I knew I needed something more to make it appealing to my carnivores so I served up some cheesy jalapeno corn bread. That would be quick, easy, and very appealing 'cause they like the spicy stuff almost as much as the meat!

I used my Quick Corn Muffin recipe as a base and alter it just a bit. I prepared the corn muffin recipe as stated. Next I added to the batter 3 tablespoons of diced fresh jalapenos, which I diced in the food processor. Then I stirred in 1/2 cup shredded white cheddar cheese. Poured into a prepared baking dish rather than a muffin tin, and baked according to the original recipe.

Cheesy Jalapeno Corn Bread

Now for Mom's ham, cabbage, and potato recipe. I thought to myself for just a second, I hope old age[memory loss] doesn't cause me to screw this up. I immediately dismissed that thought and continued preparing dinner!

You will need:

1 12oz or 16oz package of smoked ham, cut into chunks

5 - 6 medium red potatoes, peeled and cut in quarters

1/2 head cabbage, sliced longways about 1 inch wide

1/2 cup chopped white onion

1 1/2 cups chicken broth (I used prepared chicken bullion)

3 cloves garlic

2-3 Bay leaf

Sea Salt & pepper to taste

Olive oil

Pour just enough olive oil into a large pot to barely coat the bottom. Heat the oil just for a few minutes at medium. Add ham chunks and stir around until they brown just a bit.

Reduce the heat, add the garlic and onions. Stir and cook on low until onions appear to be soft. Next add the red potatoes and season with sea salt and pepper. After a quick mix I add more pepper to potatoes.

Next, I added the chicken broth and bay leaf. Turn the heat up to medium, stir and watch for the start of a boil. When the broth begins to boil I reduce the heat just a bit, and cover.

Cook about 10 minutes, remove the lid and check the potatoes. They should be about 2/3 of the way done at this point. Add the cabbage slices on top of the mixture.

Cover and cook for about 10 minutes. Cabbage should be almost done. Mix once or twice and cook for about 5 minutes more.

Mom's Ham, Cabbage, and Potatoes!

♥

Comments Recipe Tags: bread, ham, vegetables

Summer Pot Luck Contest: Tortellini Salad

Back in May, I finally got up the nerve to enter my first recipe contest, woo hoo! While browsing the foodie blog roll forum I came across this Summer Pot Luck contest. Gfron1 is giving away an espresso maker. I would love to win this since I don't currently own one. I decided to entered my shrimp tortellini salad. I have prepared it for pot luck lunches at my church and for many family picnics. It's super quick to whip up and very versatile.

I forgot all about the entry!!! [old age] Today while browsing my favorite forum, I came across the post about the contest. It closed June1st. I went over to The Curios Blogquat, and Gfron1 had prepared my shrimp salad with fresh tortellini and it looks absolutely wonderful! The pictures are awesome.

The winner has not been announced but I wanted to post this as a "thank you" to Gfron1 for hosting the contest.

The Curious Blogquat: Summer Pot Luck Contest: Tortellini Salad