Lady Sheherazahde's Journal

Yay! First of the month is grocery shopping time. I got: assorted chicken parts, zucchini, eggplant, onions, celery, lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, plums, nectarines, clementines, anise, and canned tomatoes.

The plums aren't ripe yet but I can't leave them out until the fruit flies die off.

I plan on making:
Chicken Livers w/ Green Bell Pepper and Tomatoes over Rice.
Ratatouille
Baked Parmesan Chicken Wings
Baked Chicken
Chicken Paprikash

The celery, lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, plums, nectarines, clementines, and anise are for snacks and salads.

I am exhausted. My dad cam up and we took the plates off the old car, put them on the new car and filed all the paperwork at the DMV. I am no longer the owner of a broken down white 1996 Olds Cutlass. I am the owner of a working white 1996 Olds Cutlass.

Dad bought me lunch at Wegmans too so that was nice.

In other news I have started sewing the first of my Necktie skirts. I have sorted all the colors. If I use 12 ties for each skirt I will have enough for 5 skirts. My initial estimate of 20 ties per skirt was based on only using the big ends of the ties. I have decide to alternate big ends and small ends so that very little is wasted. (There is some waste because the ties are different lengths but I am sort enough to use both ends in the same skirt.) The first skirt I'm making out of the ties with unusual weighted fabrics, mostly yellows and browns. I have sorted the rest of the ties by color. One brown skirt. One blue and black skirt. One red and blue with stripes and spots. The last one is all odd the colors, I think I worked out a good order for them.

I've been reading Jeeves novels by P.G. Wodehouse, and watching the Masterpiece Theater production staring Fry and Laurie. In the books Bertie is always eating marmalade on his toast for breakfast. So I bought some marmalade. But I don't have much bread for toast so made some biscuits. I heard a pastry chef on NPR say that he always makes his pastry dough in the food processor so I tried that. It works very well, very fast way to make pastry dough. Although I still think pancakes are the fastest homemade bread product.

Watched "Serial Mom" last night B&K had not seen it before. It is a funny movie. I'm always a little afraid of John Waters movies, he can be so gross. But this one was easy to watch.

B was in the mood for Japanese food. I ordered Oyako Don (Diced chicken cooked with vegetables and poached egg over a bed of rice) because it seemed a lot like something I liked at a Korean restaurant. It was very good.

Bu took me out to lunch at the Ithaca Ale House today.

Bu ordered the Guacamole with Melted Brie appetizer. It was very good. Six pieces of crusty bread with guacamole, melted Brie, sun-dried tomatoes, and Cajun Aoli. The Cajun Aoli was on the side for those who don't like that sort of thing. It's usually too hot for me but this time I loved it.

Based on mhaithaca's recommendation in 14850_dining I ordered the "Perfect" Burger. It was perfect. I don't usually like raw onions but they use red onions so that was OK. And I'm sure my request for "well done" was not the cause of the place filling up with smoke and the fire alarm going off. Our waitress assured us it was just because they had turned off the hood over the stove, and we finished our lunch at one of the outside tables.

We even had desert. I ordered the Godiva Chocolate cheesecake, Bu had the Very Vanilla Cheesecake, and Kaaren had the Mrs. O'Leary's Chocolate Chip Cookies with ice Cream.

I baked a ham yesterday.
I made Red-Eye Gravy too, out of the pan drippings. But I didn't taste as I made it and it was WAAAAAY to salty. Totally ruined the homemade biscuits I put it on. I had to throw it all away. I hate wasting food. Luckily biscuits and gravy are cheap, so it wasn't a big loss.

I packaged up the leftover ham for more meals.

Today was:

Ham & Potato Soup with Green Beans

1 Tbsp rendered ham fat
1 large onion
1lb cubed cooked ham (with bones)
flour
water
1 (38oz) can of Potatoes and Green Beans
ground black pepper

I sauted one onion in some ham fat
Then I added some flour and the liquid from the canned Potatoes and Green beans
Then the ham with the ham bones.
I let that simmer for about an hour.
Then I chopped up the potatoes and added the potatoes and green beans to the soup and turned off the heat.
It was ready to serve in a few minutes, when the heat had redistributed.

When I baked the ham for Yule I cut up the leftovers and packaged them for future meals.

Ham is a magical food. Yesterday I made Hawaiian Ham and Rice (onions, green pepper, pineapple, ham, rice, brown sugar, vinegar)(I used the left over pineapple from the baked ham too) and lentil soup. I love lentil soup.

I need to buy another ham, Alex wants more pea soup and I want to try that ham soup with potatoes and green beans.

*Homer: "Are you saying you're never going to eat any animal again? What about bacon?"
Lisa: "No."
Homer: "Ham?"
Lisa: "No!"
Homer: "Pork chops?"
Lisa: "Dad, those all come from the same animal!"
Homer: "Heh heh heh... ooh... yeah.... right, Lisa. A wonderful... magical animal."

I needed to make something savory to counteract all the Xmas cookies and candies, they are making me sick.

Spinach and Cottage Cheese Casserole

2 (10oz) pkg of frozen chopped spinach
10 oz fresh mushrooms, quartered
2 onions, diced
24 oz tub of cottage cheese
1/2 jar chunky spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
3 eggs
salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil

Thaw the spinach in the microwave, and squeeze out excess liquid.
Sauté mushrooms and onions in olive oil until tender.
Mix all the ingredients together in a casserole dish and bake at 350 for about an hour.

I was recently gifted (in a beggars can't be choosers sort of way) with a 38oz can of "Potatoes and Green Beans".

I have two questions:
1) Who thought putting these two vegetables in the same tin was a good idea?
2) Is there any way to make this into something edible?

This is a really easy recipe, right off the Bordon's can... Well sort of, I can never just follow directions.

Borden's Condensed Milk Fudge

3 cups (18oz) chocolate chips
1 can (14oz) Bordon's Condensed Milk (NOT evaporated milk)
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts, usually walnuts (optional)

Put the chips in a large microwave proof bowl, pour the condensed milk over the chips.
Microwave for 3 minutes on high (or whatever).
Line a 8X8 square cake pan with plastic wrap.
Add the vanilla to the chips and milk and stir until all the chips have dissolved.
Add in the chopped nuts.
Pour into the buttered pan and refrigerate until set, about 3 hours.
Cut into bit sized squares.

Notes: They make all kinds of chips now-a-days. I used peanut-butter chips to make peanut-butter fudge and pressed a handful of peanuts into the top while it was still warm. And I used butterscotch chips and crushed butterscotch candies to make butterscotch fudge.

Last night it was Green Beans w/ Cashew Nuts, then Brownies Cockaigne (not from a box)

This afternoon we made my Minestrone Soup. He is getting much better at chopping vegetables, I'm no longer afraid he is going to cut off a finger.

When we were cooking I got "bitey" (as he calls it). Basically my blood sugar started dropping and I started losing my patience. I am lucky he is very understanding about this.

I did discover that when my blood sugar drops my obsessive compulsive tendencies increase. A really bad combination. The more irritable I get the more little things irritate me. Hmm that actually makes sense. As alex was putting the beans away I realized that I wanted him to put them in a different container, and it was a picayune thing, something that wouldn't have bothered me if my blood sugar wasn't low.

But I can see why J was afraid to come in the kitchen.

I am so lucky to have alex now.

My new housemate grew up in Dayton, OH. This means I get to indulge in my fetish for Mid-Western Food.

We had fried bologna sandwiches for dinner last night, and made 'Nanna Pudding this morning.

I'm teaching him how to cook. We made Split Pea Soup this morning. I had to teach him the proper way to cut onions and celery. I am also teaching him how to put more veggies in his diet. His recipe for Pea Soup only had peas, ham, and water. My recipe has: peas, kielbasa (or ham), onions, celery, carrots, and tomatoes.

When did this journal become all about cooking?

An Italian friend sent me his mother's recipe for Gnocchi
-------------------------
Gnocco Fritto Normale Ricetta
( Read more... )
-------------------------
Gnocchi fried normal Recipe
( Read more... )
--------------------------------------
Vichyssoise (Leek and Potato Soup)
( Read more... )
--------------------------------------
Chicken Paprikash

4 chicken quarters
2 onions, diced
1 pkg chicken hearts and gizzards
salt, pepper, paprika

simmer, covered, in a large stew pot until the chicken falls apart. serve with noodles.

Banana bread is one of the easiest of the baked goods after cookies.

And a great use for overripe bananas.

I don't know why people make this so difficult.

Easy One-Bowl Banana Bread
Pre-heat the oven to 350deg
Butter one bread pan

Blend, in the mixer, until creamy:
1/3 cup shortening (butter)
2/3 cup sugar (white or brown) (white gives more of the "candied" effect on the crust)

Add, and beat until homogeneous:
1 to 2 eggs
2-3 overripe bananas
1 tsp vanilla

Mix in until smooth (don't over mix, we aren't going for gluten here):
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 3/4 cups flour (any kind, white or whole wheat. Let me know if you do it with Guten free.)

Optional Additions (fold in):
1 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans)
1 cup chocolate chips

Scrape into greased loaf pan. The batter is stiff. I spread it out and make a depression in the middle.
Bake at 350deg for one hour, until the crust is brown and the loaf has begun to pull away from the sides of the pan.

The recipes always say "cool before slicing" I don't know why. It is really crumbly when it is hot but also really good.

I never would have tried the Creamed Spinach recipe in my 15-Minute Low-Carb cook book if mowglikat hadn't added shrimp to the batch she brought to Procrastinator's Beltain.

I think it would be even better with sliced sauteed chicken breast.

I bought several bags of frozen cooked shrimp on sale at Wegmans, and I have been eating them in various ways. They work great with this recipe.

Easy Creamed Spinach
1 package of frozen chopped spinach
1 package of Boursin cheese (garlic flavor)

Defrost the spinach and squeeze out the excess water. Heat in a pan with the the Boursin cheese, until the cheese melts.

Options:
1lb cooked shrimp
or
1lb sliced sauteed chicken breast
1lb sliced sauteed mushrooms
and
1 cup brown basmati rice

I had it with shrimp and rice this evening. Why do they leave the shells on the tails? I took them off before i added them to the creamed spinach.

I've been making my Mom's Sauteed Celery.
Basically you take one bunch of celery.
Wash all the dirt off.
Slice up.
Throw into a frying pan with some butter, salt, and pepper
Sauteed until translucent and limp.


The on Monday I made my Dad's Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage
1 head of Red cabbage quartered and sliced
1 large onion, sliced
2 med apples cored and sliced
Cider vinegar
Brown sugar
olive oil
Throw it all in a big cauldron and simmer on low for a few hours, until it is all dark purple and the cabage is soft.

I also made a vegetable soup with tortellini.

I bought the ingredients for Kaaren's Chicken Paprikash and my Vichyssoise.

Wegmans has Turkey for .49/lb. I have two.

I decided to bake one today. I cut it up. I think The Alton recommended that. If you aren't going to carve it at the table there is no reason to try to cook it whole and have to deal with the whole "parts cooking at different speeds" problem. I just jointed the whole thing put it on trays and popped it in the oven. I have been pulling parts out as they finish cooking. The fire alarm did go off. So the fan is blowing on it and the kitchen window is cracked open a bit.

I went grocery shopping. And picked up fruit and veggies again. I'm thinking ahead Kaaren. I picked up some low K veggies so we can have turkey soup for dinner on Monday.

I'm broke. Who knew batteries cost so much. But I need 4 Ds for the Roomba's electronic walls. And a 9 volt for my kitchen scale.

I had artichokes with homemade hollandaise sauce for dinner a few days ago. So I had left over hollandaise sauce.

When I went shopping yesterday I bought a small package of sliced ham, and I had Eggs Benedict for breakfast this morning. I like poached eggs. I think I will have poached eggs on toast more often. Even if it is a pain scraping the burnt milk out of the sauce pan.

I also started my Yule cookies. I made a batch of Springerle (German anise cookies). And started a batch of Pfeffernusse (German "pepper nut" cookies). And I bought the ingredients for my Swabian Lebkuchen (German honey cakes).

I successfully made a baked custard last night.

Thank you Alton Brown.

I tried to make flan but I used the wrong base, so it is just custard with caramel on the bottom.

But still the custard part turned out well! :-)

I made Roast Pork for the ritual dinner last night.

Usually I put a berry jam glaze on my roast pork. But I forgot to buy the jam.

I did happen to have a half peck of apples and cup of caramel dipping sauce left over from the party last week.

So, I iced the roast with caramel and covered it with sliced apples (4) and onions (2). A little salt and pepper. A little cider to keep things on the bottom from burning.

Roast for 4 hours at 350 deg.

Very nice.

I Made Heaps!



Luckily my friend Pat Roberts took a picture. She is our family's official photographer. She does the pictures at all our events.