Ok I will make an exception for Niki's West. I am pretty sure there is nowhere in Manhattan with a steam table of over 15 meat and fish dishes, 25+ vegetable offerings, salads, slaws, desserts and breads.
Tuesday, June 28, 2016
Whine with that dinner?
Son3 has been home for a little over a week and heads back to NYC on Saturday. I love him dearly but I do notice when he appears life kind of revolves around his whims. How can someone who live in the restaurant mecca of the U.S. have so many places in Birmingham that he wants to be sure and visit during these two weeks. I am tired of eating out or bringing food in and I am pretty sure this is nothing more than a major first world problem.
Ok I will make an exception for Niki's West. I am pretty sure there is nowhere in Manhattan with a steam table of over 15 meat and fish dishes, 25+ vegetable offerings, salads, slaws, desserts and breads.
Ok I will make an exception for Niki's West. I am pretty sure there is nowhere in Manhattan with a steam table of over 15 meat and fish dishes, 25+ vegetable offerings, salads, slaws, desserts and breads.
Friday, June 24, 2016
Pi r2
Over the past few years I have slowly but surely been stocking the lake place with duplicates of things we use at home and need there. The only real problem is not knowing I need something until, well, until I actually need it. My brain does not work well coming up with preemptive details. I am fine thinking ahead with things like toilet paper, sheets, towels, extra underwear, and duplicate swimwear. Those are the things I know we will need each and every time we go there. But those odd seldom used items sneak up and bite me in the rump EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.
You know, those that old joke when the math teacher is talking to the redneck and she says "Pi r2" He looks at her confused and says "No, pie are round, cake are square". I always thought it was a stupid joke and never repeated it until today, but then I had never made a square pie until last weekend at the lake. I remembered I had another dozen bargain eggs at the lake and TheHub and I were only going to be there for the weekend, so we needed to have another heavy egg use menu. Before we left home I did the mental gymnastics and figured 2 mornings x 2 eggs would not get rid of many of them. Since I had already found 3 apples with wrinkly skin in the crisper (headed for a Waldorf salad) I changed tactics, looked at the Bisquick web site and found a recipe for Impossible Apple Pie. Dessert and 2 additional eggs! Win!
3 apples, peeled and sliced
1 teaspoon apple pie spices
Pie filling
2 tablespoons softened butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup Bisquick
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
Praline topping
2 cups hard butter
1/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
1/2 cup Bisquick
1/4 cup pecan pieces
Bake 325 degrees
Peel and slice 3 apples. Place them in a bowl with 1 teaspoon apple pie spice, toss to coat
Grease a pie plate them lay the apple slices to cover the bottom of the pan. The apples will overlap but no problem there.
Mix the butter, sugar and Bisquick until it is well combined. Add the eggs and mix well. Stir in the milk. Pour gently over the apple slices.
Mix the brown sugar and Bisquick then cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Add the pecan pieces and mix well. Sprinkle over the top of the filling mix. Bake about 35 minutes.
The Hub wanted ice cream on his. I guess he thought it was going to be more like a regular apple pie than it was. It definitely has a creamy filling and I thought the ice cream was overkill. He liked it very much. Me? Meh, but I am not a fan of cooked fruit.
I brought the leftovers home from the lake, put it in the fridge in the laundry room and forgot about it, unlike the coconut pie which was demolished. I will probably not make this again unless I have too many eggs and wrinkly apples, or company is coming. TheHub would like it and it is a snap to make, but I threw out a little more than half of it, so why bother for just the 2 of us?
You know, those that old joke when the math teacher is talking to the redneck and she says "Pi r2" He looks at her confused and says "No, pie are round, cake are square". I always thought it was a stupid joke and never repeated it until today, but then I had never made a square pie until last weekend at the lake. I remembered I had another dozen bargain eggs at the lake and TheHub and I were only going to be there for the weekend, so we needed to have another heavy egg use menu. Before we left home I did the mental gymnastics and figured 2 mornings x 2 eggs would not get rid of many of them. Since I had already found 3 apples with wrinkly skin in the crisper (headed for a Waldorf salad) I changed tactics, looked at the Bisquick web site and found a recipe for Impossible Apple Pie. Dessert and 2 additional eggs! Win!
1 teaspoon apple pie spices
Pie filling
2 tablespoons softened butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup Bisquick
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
Praline topping
2 cups hard butter
1/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
1/2 cup Bisquick
1/4 cup pecan pieces
Bake 325 degrees
Peel and slice 3 apples. Place them in a bowl with 1 teaspoon apple pie spice, toss to coat
Grease a pie plate them lay the apple slices to cover the bottom of the pan. The apples will overlap but no problem there.
Mix the butter, sugar and Bisquick until it is well combined. Add the eggs and mix well. Stir in the milk. Pour gently over the apple slices.
Mix the brown sugar and Bisquick then cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Add the pecan pieces and mix well. Sprinkle over the top of the filling mix. Bake about 35 minutes.
The Hub wanted ice cream on his. I guess he thought it was going to be more like a regular apple pie than it was. It definitely has a creamy filling and I thought the ice cream was overkill. He liked it very much. Me? Meh, but I am not a fan of cooked fruit.
I brought the leftovers home from the lake, put it in the fridge in the laundry room and forgot about it, unlike the coconut pie which was demolished. I will probably not make this again unless I have too many eggs and wrinkly apples, or company is coming. TheHub would like it and it is a snap to make, but I threw out a little more than half of it, so why bother for just the 2 of us?
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Wasting Away Again in Somewhereville
Sorry I have been lax commenting on your blogs. I have been reading them, but have been spending my time binge watching/listening to Game of Thrones and Orange is the New Black. How was life possible before original series programming? Thanks to Netflix, HBO, and DVR technology, you have totally absorbed 2 days of my life!
The baddest GOT bad ass of them all
Orange Humor?
Now I can interrupt programming for real life! I may or may not be back to cooking soon.
Orange Humor?
Now I can interrupt programming for real life! I may or may not be back to cooking soon.
Friday, June 17, 2016
Diggin the Impossible
I have been doing any and everything to use all the blooming eggs I bought on sale. I can relax a little bit because I am now down to my last dozen, but this past week has been filled with recipes calling for eggs.
As a rule I do not like to spend a lot of time prepping or even cooking, even though I love to cook. I truly prefer to cook fast, easy, tasty food, so after I made the bacon and cheese impossible pie the other day (Which, not only used 4 eggs, but was fast easy and only required a bowl, whisk and a pie pan to be done. My kind of meal!) I decided I would try a few more of the impossible varieties. As of tonight I have made 2 savory and 2 sweet pies.
TheHub has been dessert crazed lately so Monday I made the egg custard impossible pie. It must have been pretty good because over half was gone before bedtime and the next morning I think he even had a slice for breakfast. Well tonight I was having a skimpy supper so I padded the meal with yet another version of the pie. This time I made coconut impossible pie, and once again, half is gone.
Coconut Impossible Pie
3/4 cup sugar
4 eggs
1/2 cup Bisquick (I use the homemade version found here)
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups milk
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (I did use rum vanilla extract just for a little different flavor)
1 cup flaked coconut
Put the eggs, sugar, Bisquick and very soft butter in a bowl. Whisk well until everything is well combined, Slowly add the milk and vanilla and whisk again until smooth. Stir in the coconut and pour into a greased 9 inch pie pan, which is in the center of a baking sheet. (jelly roll types work best in case there is a slight spill while putting it in the oven) Let it rest for about 10 minutes then pop it into a 350 degree oven. Bake for 40 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center of the pie comes out clean. Let it cool at least 15 minutes, then slice and eat.
Though he said nothing I am guessing THeHub liked this very much since he had 3 slices. (Like I said tonight was a skimpy supper) I had a piece (OK so I am extending sugar week by a few days) and it was very good. To be honest the crust is not like a coconut pie made in a traditional pie crust would be, but it is still very good, with a custardy center and that lovely coconut throughout.
(And lets be honest, somethings are not worth the additional time for a routine everyday dessert, right?)
I would recommend this highly, especially if you want something quick, easy and need to pad a meal.
Try it, you might like it. Now I am wondering how it would be with pineapple?
As a rule I do not like to spend a lot of time prepping or even cooking, even though I love to cook. I truly prefer to cook fast, easy, tasty food, so after I made the bacon and cheese impossible pie the other day (Which, not only used 4 eggs, but was fast easy and only required a bowl, whisk and a pie pan to be done. My kind of meal!) I decided I would try a few more of the impossible varieties. As of tonight I have made 2 savory and 2 sweet pies.
TheHub has been dessert crazed lately so Monday I made the egg custard impossible pie. It must have been pretty good because over half was gone before bedtime and the next morning I think he even had a slice for breakfast. Well tonight I was having a skimpy supper so I padded the meal with yet another version of the pie. This time I made coconut impossible pie, and once again, half is gone.
Coconut Impossible Pie
3/4 cup sugar
4 eggs
1/2 cup Bisquick (I use the homemade version found here)
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups milk
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (I did use rum vanilla extract just for a little different flavor)
1 cup flaked coconut
Put the eggs, sugar, Bisquick and very soft butter in a bowl. Whisk well until everything is well combined, Slowly add the milk and vanilla and whisk again until smooth. Stir in the coconut and pour into a greased 9 inch pie pan, which is in the center of a baking sheet. (jelly roll types work best in case there is a slight spill while putting it in the oven) Let it rest for about 10 minutes then pop it into a 350 degree oven. Bake for 40 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center of the pie comes out clean. Let it cool at least 15 minutes, then slice and eat.
Though he said nothing I am guessing THeHub liked this very much since he had 3 slices. (Like I said tonight was a skimpy supper) I had a piece (OK so I am extending sugar week by a few days) and it was very good. To be honest the crust is not like a coconut pie made in a traditional pie crust would be, but it is still very good, with a custardy center and that lovely coconut throughout.
(And lets be honest, somethings are not worth the additional time for a routine everyday dessert, right?)
I would recommend this highly, especially if you want something quick, easy and need to pad a meal.
Try it, you might like it. Now I am wondering how it would be with pineapple?
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
Sounds Like a Deal!
Each summer we go to The Independence Place fundraiser, "The Sounds of Summer". For a $40 donation per person we are treated to a meal, over 2 hours of live entertainment, and have the option of bidding on donated items in a silent auction. Every year I bid and every year I am the high bid for a couple of items. I am very selective about bidding on "things" mainly because I have enough "things", and any services or gift cards I bid for have to be something I will seriously use.
This year I found a few things I genuinely wanted. The first was this print by local artist Don Stewart.
I have 2 other prints by him in my house and thought this would be a nice addition to those. He calls his works "The Visual Humor of Don Stewart" I love an artist who does not take him/herself too seriously. This title is "Fast Food". In his usual style the components of the picture are made of elements of the title of his work. It is kind of like looking at a Highlights Magazine's hidden picture, except every single pen stroke is something altered and morphed to create whatever he is currently seeing in his mind's eye. Look carefully and you can find it! He even includes a cheat sheet in the packaging so you will know what to look for. I had rather just study the print and enjoy the process. I just really like his style, sense of self, and perception.
'
This year I found a few things I genuinely wanted. The first was this print by local artist Don Stewart.
I have 2 other prints by him in my house and thought this would be a nice addition to those. He calls his works "The Visual Humor of Don Stewart" I love an artist who does not take him/herself too seriously. This title is "Fast Food". In his usual style the components of the picture are made of elements of the title of his work. It is kind of like looking at a Highlights Magazine's hidden picture, except every single pen stroke is something altered and morphed to create whatever he is currently seeing in his mind's eye. Look carefully and you can find it! He even includes a cheat sheet in the packaging so you will know what to look for. I had rather just study the print and enjoy the process. I just really like his style, sense of self, and perception.
'
So yay me for learning how to stalk whoever is bidding against me navigate a silent auction successfully!
My second win was this hand carved Santa. I bought him for my granddaughter and I hope he becomes part of their Christmas tradition, though it is entirely possible he will wind up in the bottom of her toy box, instead of being carefully placed in the perfect spot each year. (cringe!)
And my third and final silent auction "win" is a 40 dollar coupon to my local Carmike Cinema. It was good for only the theaters in my little burb, which worked out great for me. It is less than 2 miles form my house! I bid the opening bid which remained the only bid for the entire evening. The community that houses Independence Place is about 35 miles across town from my house and most of the attendees were from that area. They couldn't see bidding on tickets to a theater so far from home. Score! 15 bucks bought me 40 dollars worth of movie time. I am going to start using them tomorrow!
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
What Kind of Fool Am I?
Who out there uses spray paint without putting on latex gloves or some kind of hand protection?
Who now has painted fingertips?
You don't have to answer, just raise your shiny black spray painted hands and I will feel a little solidarity!
Feeling really stupid, smelling like mineral spirits, and needing a good scrubbing right now.
So to answer the question, I am the fool with yucky hands!
(There are not my hands, but those arms look younger and kind of firm so maybe I should claim them)
This is the craft we put together today at Independence Place. It is a wonderful haven for adults with special needs and I am so privileged to be able to volunteer there. We made cell phone docking stations out of mushrooms containers, wood grained contact paper covered foam core and card stock covered post it notes. I just got this picture of Anthony's docking station for his dad. This is the best I can do for a picture. Excess glue is always part of things we do there, but it is part of the joy. Later I will post some pictures of other things I have had the honor of doing with them.
Have you ever volunteered for something and thought you had something to offer them, then realized exactly the opposite is true and you get so much more than you could ever give?
Sunday, June 12, 2016
Tuna Redo
A couple of nights ago I grilled tuna for dinner, but the tuna steaks were much larger than the ones they had on display in the seafood case. I asked the fish monger if they had any a little fresher in the back and he agreed to cut me a couple. And he did, a couple of gigantic steaks that were big enough for 4 rather than 2. I was not going to let one cook and the other hang out in the meat cooler so i just went ahead and cooked them both. I didn't mind the leftover hanging out for a day, but I was not going to let it ruin and be thrown away,
Son2 was eating with us tonight so I needed to make something all 3 of us could eat from the one steak. Oh, yeah and it had to be created from stuff I already had at the house. because I didn't want to go to the store. A little creative noodling and I came up with a fractured version of an easy standby.
Almost Tuna Nicoise
I cooked tuna steak, sliced thinly
12 small new potatoes, scrubbed and cooked to tender then sliced in half
1 12 ounce pack frozen french cut green beans, cooked and rinsed to cool quickly
1 hard boiled egg per person (except for me) Peeled and cut in quartered
carton of cherry tomatoes, washed
chopped scallions (green part only)
Put the cooked and sliced new potatoes in a bowl, add the green beans and pour 1/2 of the dressing over them. Toss lightly, add the tomatoes and toss gently. Plate equally into 2 large or 3 medium servings (Use a breakfast plate because it looks prettier) Artfully arrange the tomatoes in a pretty pattern, top with the tuna slices and place the quartered eggs in a nice little arrangement on the plate. Pour the remaining dressing equally for each serving over the tuna. Sprinkle with the scallion tops and add a few capers. You really should put a few olive slices too but I didn't have any, (Oh well)
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
juice from 1 lemon
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 shallot minced
1 clove garlic minced
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup olive oil
This is just a basic vinaigrette. Add the ingredients in a glass bowl in the order they are listed and whisk and whisk and whisk a little more. You want this to be an emulsion so just keep whisking until it thickens. Then it is ready for immediate use.
TheHub was adamantly against having a seafood salad for supper. He not only loved it, but he wants to have it a day or two after each time we grill tuna. I am so excited because it salvaged the tuna, provided us with a really tasty dish, and it was insanely easy. (Shhhh . . . don't tell)
Son2 was eating with us tonight so I needed to make something all 3 of us could eat from the one steak. Oh, yeah and it had to be created from stuff I already had at the house. because I didn't want to go to the store. A little creative noodling and I came up with a fractured version of an easy standby.
Almost Tuna Nicoise
I cooked tuna steak, sliced thinly
12 small new potatoes, scrubbed and cooked to tender then sliced in half
1 12 ounce pack frozen french cut green beans, cooked and rinsed to cool quickly
1 hard boiled egg per person (except for me) Peeled and cut in quartered
carton of cherry tomatoes, washed
chopped scallions (green part only)
Put the cooked and sliced new potatoes in a bowl, add the green beans and pour 1/2 of the dressing over them. Toss lightly, add the tomatoes and toss gently. Plate equally into 2 large or 3 medium servings (Use a breakfast plate because it looks prettier) Artfully arrange the tomatoes in a pretty pattern, top with the tuna slices and place the quartered eggs in a nice little arrangement on the plate. Pour the remaining dressing equally for each serving over the tuna. Sprinkle with the scallion tops and add a few capers. You really should put a few olive slices too but I didn't have any, (Oh well)
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
juice from 1 lemon
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 shallot minced
1 clove garlic minced
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup olive oil
This is just a basic vinaigrette. Add the ingredients in a glass bowl in the order they are listed and whisk and whisk and whisk a little more. You want this to be an emulsion so just keep whisking until it thickens. Then it is ready for immediate use.
TheHub was adamantly against having a seafood salad for supper. He not only loved it, but he wants to have it a day or two after each time we grill tuna. I am so excited because it salvaged the tuna, provided us with a really tasty dish, and it was insanely easy. (Shhhh . . . don't tell)
Saturday, June 11, 2016
Thursday, June 9, 2016
Eggs Coming Out Of My Ears
A few weeks ago Aldi has eggs for $.69 per dozen with 5 dozen as a limit. I purchased 5 cartons and now I am having to use all these eggs. I guess I was overwhelmed at the price and paid no attention to the fact that we really don't eat eggs. I don't eat breakfast at all and TheHub eats a quick bowl of oatmeal every workday. I do cook him a couple of over easy eggs on Saturday, but it takes forever to use a dozen cooking them 2 at a time. Now I am having to think of ways to use all these eggs that are palatable for the non-egg eater (me).
Luckily in my current purge mode I have relocated a couple of things that had been misplaced. One was an old bound book for recording recipes. (Anyone but me old enough to remember when we hand wrote them?) I got it before we married and started jotting recipes in it and continued until the older sons were in school. After that I started cooking differently since I had guy mouths and bellies to fill and it required more substantial fodder. I had forgotten completely about the lovely cherry cakes, and mandelbrot I used to make, and will make them again, but I also found a recipe I made often when we were first married, still in school, and broke. Eureka! It called for eggs and milk. I had both and needed to use the milk as badly as I did the eggs.
Impossible Bacon and Cheese Pie
1 cup Bisquick*
2 cups milk
4 eggs
8 slices crisp, bacon crumbled
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 cup grated cheddar
pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt (I used none because the bacon is salted)
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix the eggs, milk, pepper and salt with a wire whisk until well blended. Stir in the Bisquick and whisk until smooth. Grease a 9 inch pie pan, sprinkle the bacon, onions and cheese on the bottom of the pan. (Supposedly the order matters, but I am not sure) Put the pan on a cookie sheet and pour the liquid mixture evenly over the ingredients in the pan. bake in the center of the oven in the middle of the rack for about 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool for about 5 minutes, slice and serve. I would love to say I served it with a salad and a nice pinot gris, but I was home alone and ate it off a paper plate with a glass of water while watching Outlander on demand. (I put a slice on a saucer for the photo op only).
Ok this was really good and I had forgotten how simple it is to make. My nephew and his wife will be in town this weekend and are stopping by Sunday morning for breakfast. I am going to make a ham, cheese and asparagus version of this to have then. I am wondering now why I never make this anymore?
I have tons of leftovers, so I wrapped them in individual slices in parchment paper then put them all in a freezer bag for freezer storage. This should be a pretty decent lunch spread out over a couple of weeks.
* Homemade Bisquick
1 cup flour
1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking powder
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon shortening (Crisco)
Mix the dry ingredients and cut the shortening (I use butter instead) in using a pastry blender or 2 knives. Thanks to my old Home Ec teacher. Do they even still teach that?
Luckily in my current purge mode I have relocated a couple of things that had been misplaced. One was an old bound book for recording recipes. (Anyone but me old enough to remember when we hand wrote them?) I got it before we married and started jotting recipes in it and continued until the older sons were in school. After that I started cooking differently since I had guy mouths and bellies to fill and it required more substantial fodder. I had forgotten completely about the lovely cherry cakes, and mandelbrot I used to make, and will make them again, but I also found a recipe I made often when we were first married, still in school, and broke. Eureka! It called for eggs and milk. I had both and needed to use the milk as badly as I did the eggs.
Impossible Bacon and Cheese Pie
1 cup Bisquick*
2 cups milk
4 eggs
8 slices crisp, bacon crumbled
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 cup grated cheddar
pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt (I used none because the bacon is salted)
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix the eggs, milk, pepper and salt with a wire whisk until well blended. Stir in the Bisquick and whisk until smooth. Grease a 9 inch pie pan, sprinkle the bacon, onions and cheese on the bottom of the pan. (Supposedly the order matters, but I am not sure) Put the pan on a cookie sheet and pour the liquid mixture evenly over the ingredients in the pan. bake in the center of the oven in the middle of the rack for about 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool for about 5 minutes, slice and serve. I would love to say I served it with a salad and a nice pinot gris, but I was home alone and ate it off a paper plate with a glass of water while watching Outlander on demand. (I put a slice on a saucer for the photo op only).
Ok this was really good and I had forgotten how simple it is to make. My nephew and his wife will be in town this weekend and are stopping by Sunday morning for breakfast. I am going to make a ham, cheese and asparagus version of this to have then. I am wondering now why I never make this anymore?
I have tons of leftovers, so I wrapped them in individual slices in parchment paper then put them all in a freezer bag for freezer storage. This should be a pretty decent lunch spread out over a couple of weeks.
* Homemade Bisquick
1 cup flour
1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking powder
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon shortening (Crisco)
Mix the dry ingredients and cut the shortening (I use butter instead) in using a pastry blender or 2 knives. Thanks to my old Home Ec teacher. Do they even still teach that?
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
No Bake Pineapple Cheesecake
Desserts! What a joy, what a treat, what a dilemma. I have a love/hate relationship with them. I absolutely love sweets in just about any shape and form except anything with cooked fruit or licorice. Other that that they are fair game, but I seem to have no will power over them. And yes, I know about moderation and enjoying all things in moderation, but I don't seem to have the necessary brakes to enjoy a small slice of cake when the whole blooming thing is left staring at me.
I have solved this by limiting my sugar consumption to one week every two months. And guess what week this is!?!?! Not only is it dessert week, but TheHub is out for dinner meetings every night but Friday, so I can make whatever I want. (Though he is coming home and having dessert with me he has no say in whatever it is. After all he is eating white tablecloth meals while I am having a hunk of cheese and whatever cold leftover veggies are in the fridge) I can tell the week is almost over, because I have overdone chocolate and actually wanted something lighter tonight. (Hmmm, I guess I could forgo dessert entirely right? Nah! It's in the rules and I do play by the rules, sometimes.)
No-Bake Pineapple Cheesecake in a Jar
(Totally wrong name, it should be pineapple
mousse based on it's taste and texture)
1 pack instant Jello cheesecake pudding mix
1 small can crushed pineapple, undrained
1/2 cup additional pineapple juice
1/2 carton cool whip
graham cracker pieces
Pour the pudding mix in a bowl add the pineapple, juice and all and the additional pineapple juice. Mix with a wire whisk until it is nice and thick and, well, pudding. Fold in the 1/2 tub of cool whip. Now here is the tricky part, not. Place the graham pieces in the bottom of a small mason jar (if you are so inclined) or a bowl or parfait dish. I don't care and I am pretty sure the pudding doesn't either. Glob 1/8 of the mixture on top of the grahams in each bowl or jar. Sprinkle more graham bits and glob on the remaining pudding between the 4 servings. Top with a dollop of whipped stuff and eat.
This tastes absolutely nothing like cheesecake, but I didn't really expect it to because it is made with instant pudding mix. I do not buy mixes as a rule and I sure as heck don't buy instant pudding mix except for nanaimo bars which I make every Christmas. Somehow I bought the cheesecake by mistake and have been wondering what to do with it ever since. I randomly followed a link back in the no sweet months, saw a recipe that called for cheesecake pudding mix and mentally filed it. While I was looking through the pantry today I saw the pudding mix, remembered it, and now it is dessert. I am not sure if the original instructions had pineapple juice or not, but I had some so I added it because it seemed too thick without it. I also had no graham crackers, but did have a box of graham crumbs (also for the nanaimo bars) in the freezer. I just sprinkled them in the bottom of the parfait glass put some pudding mixture the sprinkled a few more before adding the second glob.
It is a tasty, light dessert with a defined pineapple flavor. The graham crackers/crumbs lend a tad of crunch to what would otherwise be just an airy fruity mousse. If you have some cheesecake pudding mix hanging in your pantry this is a pretty tasty way to get rid of it, just don't expect anything near cheesecake flavor or consistency.
I will try to make this again using cream cheese and superfine sugar, with real whipped cream. I think it would taste much better, but honestly it was not bad at all. In fact, as much as I hate to admit it, it was kind of good. And yes I licked the bowl, that's how I know what it tasted like. The actual parfaits are still in the fridge. (And yes, I left a rather hefty taste, well over a tablespoonful but only because I believe in truth in reporting! Yeah, that's it!)
I have solved this by limiting my sugar consumption to one week every two months. And guess what week this is!?!?! Not only is it dessert week, but TheHub is out for dinner meetings every night but Friday, so I can make whatever I want. (Though he is coming home and having dessert with me he has no say in whatever it is. After all he is eating white tablecloth meals while I am having a hunk of cheese and whatever cold leftover veggies are in the fridge) I can tell the week is almost over, because I have overdone chocolate and actually wanted something lighter tonight. (Hmmm, I guess I could forgo dessert entirely right? Nah! It's in the rules and I do play by the rules, sometimes.)
(Totally wrong name, it should be pineapple
mousse based on it's taste and texture)
1 pack instant Jello cheesecake pudding mix
1 small can crushed pineapple, undrained
1/2 cup additional pineapple juice
1/2 carton cool whip
graham cracker pieces
Pour the pudding mix in a bowl add the pineapple, juice and all and the additional pineapple juice. Mix with a wire whisk until it is nice and thick and, well, pudding. Fold in the 1/2 tub of cool whip. Now here is the tricky part, not. Place the graham pieces in the bottom of a small mason jar (if you are so inclined) or a bowl or parfait dish. I don't care and I am pretty sure the pudding doesn't either. Glob 1/8 of the mixture on top of the grahams in each bowl or jar. Sprinkle more graham bits and glob on the remaining pudding between the 4 servings. Top with a dollop of whipped stuff and eat.
This tastes absolutely nothing like cheesecake, but I didn't really expect it to because it is made with instant pudding mix. I do not buy mixes as a rule and I sure as heck don't buy instant pudding mix except for nanaimo bars which I make every Christmas. Somehow I bought the cheesecake by mistake and have been wondering what to do with it ever since. I randomly followed a link back in the no sweet months, saw a recipe that called for cheesecake pudding mix and mentally filed it. While I was looking through the pantry today I saw the pudding mix, remembered it, and now it is dessert. I am not sure if the original instructions had pineapple juice or not, but I had some so I added it because it seemed too thick without it. I also had no graham crackers, but did have a box of graham crumbs (also for the nanaimo bars) in the freezer. I just sprinkled them in the bottom of the parfait glass put some pudding mixture the sprinkled a few more before adding the second glob.
It is a tasty, light dessert with a defined pineapple flavor. The graham crackers/crumbs lend a tad of crunch to what would otherwise be just an airy fruity mousse. If you have some cheesecake pudding mix hanging in your pantry this is a pretty tasty way to get rid of it, just don't expect anything near cheesecake flavor or consistency.
I will try to make this again using cream cheese and superfine sugar, with real whipped cream. I think it would taste much better, but honestly it was not bad at all. In fact, as much as I hate to admit it, it was kind of good. And yes I licked the bowl, that's how I know what it tasted like. The actual parfaits are still in the fridge. (And yes, I left a rather hefty taste, well over a tablespoonful but only because I believe in truth in reporting! Yeah, that's it!)
Monday, June 6, 2016
Just Wondering
I've been reading a lot of books recently about WW2 and the Holocaust, some non fiction and some historical fiction. Understand I am currently juggling 7 of them, so I have finished none but as I hop back and forth between them it has given me pause and caused me to really think about what sort of human I really am.
I am now stuck wondering if I would have the internal fortitude to withstand life in a concentration camp, had I been Jewish, or to accept death if imminent. Would I be willing to sacrifice myself for the greater good? Would I fight back? Or if I would have the courage to speak up if I saw a political/social wrong? Or have the strength to offer shelter or resources to someone who needed it? Or join some resistance movement? Or might I just be one of the masses occupied with my own life and turn a blind eye? Or would I just feign helplessness and cry myself to sleep because of my lack of involvement?
I like to think I would be noble and do the right thing, but I have never lived through any similar circumstances so I honestly don't know what I would do or how I would act. And that uncertainty really bothers me. I sincerely hope I never have to find out!
Do any of you ever create hypothetical situations and wonder what you would do? Or am I just some extremely weird piece of cheese with way too many books and too much thinking time on my hands?
The only thing I know for sure is after I finish these books I am going to read some vapid, mindless chick book.
Sunday, June 5, 2016
May's Put Em Up and Use Em Up Totals
Use em up list
Freezer
1 quart lady peas
1 quart squash
1 half pint whole small okra (cooked at the last minute on top of the peas)
3 packs brussels sprouts
16 oz. pack broccoli
1 pack frozen corn
1 quart bag frozen green bean casserole
1 bag chopped bell peppers (about 3 cups)
1 pack creamed spinach
1 pack cauliflower
2 pints cubed frozen peaches
1 cup blueberries
1 lb package browned ground beef
7 chicken breasts
1 pack cooked chicken
1 lb smoked turkey
2-1 lb packs uncooked ground beef
1 pork tenderloin
4 chopped sirloin "steaks"
1 1/2 lbs. smoked pulled pork
1 1/2 lb chicken legs
1 frozen breakfast bowl (I have no idea how long it has been in the freezer, but it was eaten and I didn't die)
Canned
1 quart tomatoes
1 pint plum sauce
Freezem, Canem, Dryem, Fermentem list
Infusions of a Spirited Nature
5 quarts pineapple infused vodka (Pineapples were cheap. What else can I say?)
1 pint blueberry vodka (To mix with lemonade this summer)
1/2 pint habenero tequila (Making more of this. Fantastic in Bloody Mary's)
Freezer Meats and Fowl
15 pounds ground beef
10 lbs uncooked boneless skinless chicken thighs
3 lbs co oked boneless skinless chicken thighs
5 lb frozen boneless chicken breasts
Cooked, Frozen Entrees
2 quart bags picadillo
Frozen Produce
5 pound cherries
6 pints blackberries
2 quarts strawberries
1 pint pineapple slices
1 quart crushed pineapple
5 vodka soaked pineapples (Frozen remnants from the pineapple infused vodka to be used in adult beverages this summer)
Friday, June 3, 2016
June Joy List
Once again I feel like a total failure because I did not complete even most of my joy list. Maybe June is the month I can actually grab a little more joy in my life!
1. Take Mom out at least 1 night a week Mom is angry with me (and with her life) and wouldn't go every week. Oh well, I tried.
2. Go to a movie by myself (eat popcorn)
3. Watch an Opera Dido and Aneas
4. Go to a play Saw Love's Labours Lost Excellent production!
5. Find and enjoy some free music Why didn't I do this?
6. Go to a museum Yes I am officially an uncultured galoot
7. Find those elusive 2 small towns and visit them! ?!?!?!?!?! I have a car and gas, What happened?
8. Have weekend company Not happening
9. Randomly make it a point to meet someone new Had several conversations with a relatively new neighbor I have never talked with before.
10. Meet someone from blogland for lunch Do yourself a favor and make it a point to meet Sluggy. She is fabulous!
11. Be kind, even when I don't want to be kind.
12. Mend 2 squares on the quilt (This was a gift from my late MIL and it MUST be repaired)
13. Polish the silver (Tea service on the buffet is currently black)
14. Paint corner cabinets in the dining room I have decided to hire Eduardo to paint these
15. Paint decorative edge on lake house steps
16. Volunteer at Independence Place
17. Volunteer with some homeless/hunger mission
18. Give someone flowers Took Mom lilies from the yard tonight
19. Take food to someone having a hard time
20. Create a bedroom for granddaughter (my former office) Mostly finished but still need to dejunk a bit more
21. Learn another jazz piano piece.
22. Work on Spanish (Spanish with a Southern accent is not really pretty)
23. Work on the family cookbook
24. Make 2 more prototypes for Independence Christmas Bazaar sale.
25. Have a small dinner party
26. Have guests at the lake house
27. Send a note to someone who has good news.
28. Try a new to me beverage Made some habanero infused tequila. Drank a shot on the rocks. Will never do that again, but I used just a tad in addition to traditional bloody mary fixin's and it was fantastic
29. Try cooking ethnic food I have never cooked before. Made a Malaysian dish
30. Make a Christmas gift I am not actually giving this one for Christmas, but made as a prototype. It will be made again in November for Christmas giving.
31. Paint a picture for the lake place
32. Contact someone I have been out of touch with for a long time.
33. Read 4 books. Ok I only read 2 The Fisherman and some unmemorable Chick Lit book whose title escapes me.
34. Write in the gratitude notebook keeping a list of every good thing.
35. Laugh as much as possible
1. Volunteer at Independence Place
2. Do something with a homeless mission
3. Have houseguests Jack and Audrey
4. Have guests at the lake place Jack and Audrey
5. Find and enjoy some free music The music came to me this time. Son's guests were musicians
6. Paint picture for the lake place
7. Find a couple of nearby towns to explore
8. Go to a movie matinee by myself and eat popcorn
9. Make homemade ice cream
10. Have a small dinner party
11.Read 4 books "Our Crime Was Being Jewish" "The Auschwitz Escape" "The Good Goodbye"
12. Make a Christmas gift
13.Randomly talk with someone I have never talked with before Lovely conversation with a stranger
14. Reconnect with an old friend Sandy
15. Take food to someone having a hard time
16. Try a new food (at least new to me)
17. Try a new beverage
18. Swim laps at least 5 times each week
19. Have a picnic lunch or dinner on the boat
20. Go to a restaurant in a totally different part of the city (expand my horizon)
21. Learn another jazz piano piece
22. Try playing the violin again Can't find it. Wondering if I gave it away
23. Work on the family cookbook
24. Learn a little more Spanish
25. Mend at least 2 squares of the quilt
26. Spend at least 4 consecutive nights at the lake place
27. Try a different hair color (For the record I am strawberry blonde this week) Copper! I love it!
28. Watch an opera
29. Star gaze on a clear night (bonus points if it is at the lake with little ambient light)
30. Learn to do something new
31. Paint those dang corner cabinets in the dining room
32. Have Mom up for dinner each week (or take it to her house and eat with here there)
33. Keep a gratitude journal documenting every good thing
34. Be kind, especially when I don't want to be
35. Pray for the entire world
36. Buy something needed for someone who has lost everything
37. Take peanut butter, cereal and canned meats to the food pantry (really needed during the summer when there are no reduced cost school lunches)
38.Take flowers to someone Picked wildflowers from behind the auto shop. Took them to Mom
1. Volunteer at Independence Place
2. Do something with a homeless mission
3
4.
5.
6. Paint picture for the lake place
7. Find a couple of nearby towns to explore
8. Go to a movie matinee by myself and eat popcorn
9. Make homemade ice cream
10. Have a small dinner party
11.
12. Make a Christmas gift
13.
14.
15. Take food to someone having a hard time
16. Try a new food (at least new to me)
17. Try a new beverage
18. Swim laps at least 5 times each week
19. Have a picnic lunch or dinner on the boat
20. Go to a restaurant in a totally different part of the city (expand my horizon)
21. Learn another jazz piano piece
22. Try playing the violin again Can't find it. Wondering if I gave it away
23. Work on the family cookbook
24. Learn a little more Spanish
25. Mend at least 2 squares of the quilt
26. Spend at least 4 consecutive nights at the lake place
27.
28. Watch an opera
29. Star gaze on a clear night (bonus points if it is at the lake with little ambient light)
30. Learn to do something new
31. Paint those dang corner cabinets in the dining room
32. Have Mom up for dinner each week (or take it to her house and eat with here there)
33. Keep a gratitude journal documenting every good thing
34. Be kind, especially when I don't want to be
35. Pray for the entire world
36. Buy something needed for someone who has lost everything
37. Take peanut butter, cereal and canned meats to the food pantry (really needed during the summer when there are no reduced cost school lunches)
38.
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
Appointments
This is just a little declaration to al of the people over the past 3 weeks who have scheduled times to meet me for various services, bids, repairs and thought it was fine to not show up and also not bother phoning or texting (Oh yes, you know who you are, phone, cable, termite bond guy, et al, and especially to the people who were supposed to meet me at the lake. My time driving back and forth and spending the night so I will be there at 7:30 for your scheduled appointment is so much less valuable than yours.)“I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!”
That is all.
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