A Crafty Weekend

The weekend went sort of as planned. The only thing we didn’t get done is the Subaru repair, which is pushed to Wednesday. We did get out on Saturday, though, and had the tires rotated, had my hair cut and had a nice lunch at Bojangles.

When we got home, I got started on the slippers I’ve been promising Steve. When I finished them Saturday night (it takes about 5 hours to make a pair), I put pictures up on Proof It, and the orders started pouring in! And by orders, I mean Mom and Dad both wanted a pair.

So I spent all day yesterday crocheting slippers. I got Mom’s pair done, and one done for Dad… I needed to make sure it fit him before making the second one. So that’s what I’ll be doing today. I may even get to a pair for myself today!

It’s a good day for it. It’s raining again, but at least the temperatures have come up a bit so Steve won’t have any trouble getting to work. I’m not going to complain about the rain; it is much needed and will make for excellent spring grass!

I also finished the blue afghan Friday evening. It’s on its way to its intended recipient. I’ll be putting up some pics of it later, as well.

We went to Mom and Dad’s for a fantastic venison roast last night, and I also made a chocolate cobbler to take along. I’d made it once before, and it was as good (and as easy) as I remembered. Tonight, we’ll have what’s left after our baked spaghetti pie. And I am thawing two roasting hens for one of our all-time favorites, Glazed Chicken and Vegetables. I’ll make that for a family dinner tomorrow, since Steve has the day off.

Today, though, more crochet. And maybe a nap.

 

It’s Not About Horses!

 

I realize I’ve done a lot of horse/pet related posts this week, which may bore the snot out of some So today I’m doing a foodie post.

This time of year I start getting the urge to get back in the kitchen. I think it’s just because it’s getting cooler out, and I really don’t enjoy cooking, and am not very creative, when it’s 85 degrees in there. That’s about where the temperature stays throughout the summer months since we have large windows facing East and South. That room, even when there is nothing running in there, is usually 5 degrees warmer than the rest of the house on sunny days.

The Golden Delicious apples came in last week. We got four boxes of them, and turned the majority into applesauce/apple butter, kept some back for eating, and a few for Fresh Apple Cakes, which freeze really well. So I spent one afternoon just baking cakes.

Then yesterday, I was suddenly bored with my two scrambled eggs and corn tortilla that I typically make for breakfast. I wanted pancakes. Pancakes are not diet-friendly! So I flipped through the cookbooks and found the Puffy Oven pancake. It is mostly egg, and cooks up similar to a souffle. We topped it with homemade peach butter and had crisp bacon on the side. The other plus to this “pancake” is that you don’t have to stand there for half an hour cooking one flapjack at a time!

One day, I will find me a griddle to replace the one I used to have.

Lunch rolled around, and I stared into the pantry hoping something good would pop out, like pizza, or a burger and fries. It didn’t. So I pulled a chicken breast out of the freezer, defrosted it in the microwave, sauteed it in olive oil with anise seed, rubbed sage and RealSalt, and boiled some eggs. With the addition of finely chopped bok choy, carrot and red onion, and a dressing of cracked pepper mayo and rice vinegar, it became an extremely tasty chicken salad. I put it on toast, topped it with some low fat mozzarella and stuck it under the broiler. So we had a hot lunch that put anything you could get at a greasy spoon to shame.

Finally, dinner was perhaps even better. Our Emeals menu called for Shrimp Scampi Skewers with Parmesan Grits and Nectarine Salad. I abandoned the skewer idea pretty quickly, because I got the cheap shrimp, which are tiny. So Steve fired up the grill and put the iron skillet on it, and we sauteed them that way. They still had a really nice, smoky flavor. The marinade was white wine, lemon juice, fresh rosemary, fresh garlic and oil. The grits were made with a combination of milk and chicken broth, and then seasoned with a mixture of parmesan and mozzarella cheeses and Cajun seasoning. Everything was so flavorful.

I’m not sure I can top yesterday’s culinary adventures today, but peanut butter sandwiches doesn’t sound half bad.

 

Non-instant Oatmeal

I really dislike oatmeal. I think it’s more a texture thing than taste, because I love oats themselves in anything, including raw right out of the bag. But turn quick-cooking oats into a porridge and it makes me want to hide under a rock. No amount of fruit or sugar makes it better, either!

A good many years ago I discovered steel-cut oats. They are also sometimes called oat groats. I was skeptical, because when you cooked it with water, it still looked and smelled like oatmeal. But I tried it, because I will try anything a few times, and I absolutely loved it. They cook up creamy, but with chewy little ‘berries’ in there that are the actual oats. It’s not like pig slop, in other words, a colorless, unremarkable, sticky goo.

They do have a drawback, though. As with anything that is minimally processed (read that as pre-cooked) they have to cook for a good 45 minutes or more. If you’re like me and also enjoy sleep, this rules them out for most breakfasts!

You can imagine my delight when I learned that you can cook these groats in the crock pot, of all things. Five minutes to combine everything after dinner the night before, and you wake up to perfect, healthy, wholesome steel-cut oatmeal.

I tried it last night, and it was delicious. I used a combination of some online recipes, and came up with this:

1 c steel-cut oats
4 c water
1/2 c milk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 T margarine

Cook on low over night, up to 10 hours.

Since different crock pots cook at different temps, you may have to adjust the liquid to get oatmeal the consistency you like. But it’s worth the effort!

I would think this would be a perfect recipe and method for those busy mothers out there. You can also add fruit or nuts, flaxseed or honey to your recipe, or try different extracts. I’m anxious to throw a little apple in there for my next batch.

Enjoy!

Sunday

While the snow was flying on Sunday, I modified Primal Texas Chili for the crockpot and cooked a small pone of cornbread. I had a VERY happy Steve.

Super Meatloaf

I know I’ve posted a meatloaf recipe here before, but meatloaf is one of those things I love to get creative with. With meatloaf, anything goes. So here’s another variation on an old standby that’s worth trying.

12-16 oz ground turkey
12-16 oz ground pork
16 oz mild pork sausage
1/4 c fine breadcrumbs
1 egg
1/8 c honey mustard
1/2 c sweet spicy ketchup (my mom makes this) or sweet tomato relish or barbeque sauce
1 t salt
1 T Italian seasoning
1 T rubbed sage leaves
1/2 t garlic powder
1/4 t red pepper flakes
4-6 strips raw bacon
Additional spicy ketchup or other option
1 c shredded sharp cheese

Thaw meats. Combine meats in a large bowl and mix well. Add next eight ingredients and mix well. Place in loaf pan or desired baking dish (cooking time is reduced by larger, more shallow dish). Top with bacon strips, additional ketchup and cheese. Bake in a 375 degree oven for about an hour to an hour and a half, or until thermometer reads 180 degrees.

Drain off grease immediately. (The sausage makes it greasy.)

Golden Soup

Thought I’d share the recipe for a really good pumpkin and butternut soup I made. Since you could use one or the other, or any kind of squash, sweet potatoes or carrots, I decided to call it Golden Soup. I started with 1 butternut squash, and 1 pie pumpkin. Cut these in half lengthwise and scoop at the seeds. Place on a greased cookie sheet and roast cut side down in a 425 degree oven for 30 – 45 minutes.

Use a spoon to scoop the flesh away from the skin. Place the flesh in a large saucepan.

Add in:

2 cups chicken broth

1 can coconut milk

poultry seasoning, allspice, celery salt and onion powder to taste. I probably add 1/2 tsp of each.

Boil, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove from heat and puree to desired texture. I left a few chunks of squash in tact, just for a little texture.

Garnish with crumbled bacon, flaked coconut and dried or fresh parsley.

 

It was very tasty. And very filling. Enjoy!

Just Dry It

I’ve been having a blast with my dehydrator. I wouldn’t say I’ve had any great successes, and jerky, the thing I most wanted it for, I’ve had zero success with!

Some banana peppers, parsley and carrot and zucchini "chips."

My favorite thing so far are dried strawberries and sweet potatoes. I did some snap beans along with the sweet potato.

Ready to go.

I think the only way to achieve the crispy texture of the storebought chips is probably to deep fry them. Obviously, I have no interest in deep frying anything! So we’ll just have to develop our jaw muscles with my chewy snacks.

I would like to master meat. I think the trick is to start from raw and cook after drying, but so far, I’ve only done the opposite. The meat came out a combination of rock hard and crumbly.

I’ll leave you with a pic of my Root Vegetable Hash. This has to be one of my favorite meals so far, and so colorful!

That's a fried egg up top, in case you're wondering.