Category: MISC

Friday Fill-Ins

FFI

And…here we go!

1. This week I fell even further behind in trying to catch up.

2. The humidity returns.

3. It’s all about the fun.

4. I can’t wait to get some time in the sun.

5. I demand a recount.

6. The home path, it’s filled with memories and traditions.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to dinner with hubby, tomorrow my plans include volunteering at my local thrift store and Sunday, I want to clear my desk and maybe see a movie!

Always remember and never forget… & National Moment of Remembrance

Yesterday someone told me that Memorial Day no longer means as much because we have so many intermixed cultures in the U.S. now.  I beg to differ.  While it has become a 3 day weekend to most, it is NOT just about picnics, BBQ’s and swimming.  Remember that without those brave men and women who died and are honored on Memorial Day, you may not have the rights that you do have.  All of our freedoms came with a price for some and an observance for all.
Memorial Day is about honoring the countless individual acts of bravery and sacrifice. This holiday is also about honoring the brave men and women who make it home. That means keeping our promises to America’s veterans. This Memorial Day, we remember all the Americans who gave their lives in defense of America. They died so that we may be free – and we are forever in their debt. Too many people have lost sight of the meaning of this holiday. If you visit How to Observe Memorial Day you can read the whole article, but here is an excerpt that lists the highlights.

“…gather around their sacred remains and garland the passionless mounds above them with choicest flowers of springtime….let us in this solemn presence renew our pledges to aid and assist those whom they have left among us as sacred charges upon the Nation’s gratitude,–the soldier’s and sailor’s widow and orphan.”

~~General John Logan, General Order No. 11, 5 May 1868

“The “Memorial” in Memorial Day has been ignored by too many of us who are beneficiaries of those who have given the ultimate sacrifice. Often we do not observe the day as it should be, a day where we actively remember our ancestors, our family members, our loved ones, our neighbors, and our friends who have given the ultimate sacrifice:

  • by visiting cemeteries and placing flags or flowers on the graves of our fallen heroes.
  • by visiting memorials.
  • by flying the U.S. Flag at half-staff until noon.
  • by flying the ‘POW/MIA Flag’ as well (Section 1082 of the 1998 Defense Authorization Act).
  • by participating in a “National Moment of Remembrance“: at 3 p.m. to pause and think upon the true meaning of the day, and for Taps to be played.
  • by renewing a pledge to aid the widows, widowers, and orphans of our fallen dead, and to aid the disabled veterans.”

Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it commemorates U.S. men and women who died while in the military service. First enacted to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War (it is celebrated near the day of reunification after the civil war), it was expanded after World War I to include American casualties of any war or military action.
It is the 
VETERAN,  not the preacher,   
who has given us freedom of religion. 

It is the 
VETERAN,  not the reporter,    
who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the 
VETERAN,  not the poet,
who has given us freedom of speech.
   
It is the 
VETERAN,
not the campus organizer,
who has given us freedom to assemble.    
 
It is the 
 VETERAN,  not the lawyer,
who has given us the right to a fair trial.  
 
It is the 
VETERAN,  not the politician,
Who has given us the right to vote. 
It is the
VETERAN 
who salutes the Flag, 
It is the
VETERAN 
who serves under the Flag.

Always remember and never forget!

“The National Moment of Remembrance, established by Congress, asks Americans wherever they are at 3 p.m., local time, on Memorial Day to pause in an act of national unity (duration: one minute).The time 3 p.m. was chosen because it is the time when most Americans are enjoying their freedoms on the national holiday. The Moment does not replace traditional Memorial Day events; rather it is an act of national unity in which all Americans, alone or with family and friends, honor those who died for our freedom. It will help to reclaim Memorial Day as the sacred and noble holiday it was meant to be. In this shared remembrance, we connect as Americans.”

Fire Day Friday: Zucchini Spiedini

Grilling, it’s not just for meat anymore….

Technically these are not true spiedini since they are vegetable, but c’mon, the name just sounds hilarious. I try to make all of my grilled side dishes take 10 minutes or less to grill. That way I can cook them on the grill as the meat is resting. This is one of our favorite quick veggies during the week.
Speedy Zucchini Spiedini
Servings: 2
2 ea zucchini
½ cup Italian dressing (or any vinaigrette)
1 tsp seasoned salt
1 oz feta cheese
Cut zucchini into ½ inch slices. I like to cut them on a bias just for appearance sake but it’s not necessary. Place sideways on kabobs.
TIP:  To get the stripes like above, run a veggie peeler lengthwise down the zucchini in a few places before slicing.
Marinate kabobs in the vinaigrette for 30 minutes. Remove from marinade and season both sides with season salt.
Grill for 3 minutes a side over a 350f fire.
Sprinkle with fine crumbled feta cheese or pecorino romano cheese.
Also, it’s not too late to enter my May BBQ Giveaway over at Nibble Me This.   You have until Saturday Night at midnight.  It’s sponsored by Bush Beans and comes with all of these great BBQ and bean accessories.  Yes, that includes the Emile Henry bean pot pictured. 

FOR WOMEN EVERYWHERE…

This email left me LMAO, so I thought I would share…

A man was sick and tired of going to work every day while his wife stayed home.
 
He wanted her to see what he went  through so he prayed:
‘Dear Lord:
I go to work every day and put in 8 hours while my wife merely stays at home. I want her to know what I go through. So, please allow her body to switch with mine for a day.

God, in his infinite wisdom, granted the man’s wish. The next morning, sure enough, the man awoke as a woman…

He arose, cooked breakfast for his mate, Awakened the kids, Set out their school clothes, Fed them breakfast, Packed their lunches, Drove them to school, Came home and picked up the dry cleaning, Took it to the cleaners and stopped at the bank to make a deposit, went grocery shopping, then drove home to put away the groceries, paid the bills and balanced the check book.  He cleaned the cat’s litter box and bathed the dog..  Then, it was already 1 P.M. and he hurried to make the beds, do the laundry, vacuum, dust, sweep and mop the kitchen floor.  Then ran to the school to pick up the kids and got into an argument with them on the way home.  He set out milk and cookies and got the kids organized to do their homework. Then, set up the ironing board and watched TV while he did the ironing. At 4:30 he began peeling potatoes and washing vegetables for salad, breaded the pork chops and snapped fresh beans for supper.

After supper, he cleaned the kitchen, ran the dishwasher, folded laundry, bathed the kids, And put them to bed.  At 9 P.M. He was exhausted and, though his daily chores weren’t finished, he went to bed where he was expected to make love, which he managed to get through without complaint.

The next morning, he awoke and immediately knelt by the bed and said: –
Lord, I don’t know what I was thinking. I was so wrong to envy my wife’s being able to stay home all day. Please, Oh! Please, let us trade back.. Amen!’  The Lord, in his infinite wisdom, replied:

“My son, I feel you have learned your lesson and I will be happy to change things back to the way they were. But you’ll have to wait nine months, though. You got pregnant last night”

MAITAKE MUSHROOM LACED CASHEW CHICKEN

This is a recipe I revamped to include the awesome dehydrated mushrooms that I received from Justin at Marx Foods a while back. I was NOT disappointed and you won’t be either.  Marx Foods has some great quality bulk online wholesale foods available.  These mushrooms added a rich nutty flavor that complimented the cashews perfectly.
4 chicken breast halves, cut into bite sized pieces
1 small bunch green onions, sliced
1 ounce dehydrated Maitake mushrooms, re-hydrated and then chopped
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon brown sugar
4 tablespoons cornstarch, divided
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons oil
2 cup hot chicken broth
2 teaspoon lemon juice
½ cup cashews
cooked rice
  • Heat canola oil over medium high heat until JUST sizzling.
  • Saute’ green onions and mushrooms until tender. Using a slotted spoon remove onions and Maitake mushrooms to drain on paper towels.
  • Stir fry chicken in hot oil in frying pan or wok until chicken is lightly brown and tender, about 8 minutes. 
  • Remove chicken from oil and drain excess oil from the pan. 
  • Whisk together the brown sugar, cornstarch, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and  the  Worcestershire sauce. 
  • Blend well, then add chicken stock to the pan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook until thickened. 
  • Add lemon juice; add chicken pieces, onions and mushrooms and reheat. Do not boil. 
  • Taste to correct seasonings. 
  • Add cashews. 
  • Serve over hot rice.
He all but licked his plate!

KUNG PAO CHICKEN

I looked everywhere for hot chile paste. I have no idea what it is. I haven’t found it at my local grocery stores so when I decided to make this recipe that called for hot chile paste, I just subbed hot red pepper spread. It’s super spicy by itself but delicious in sauces. It worked. This was awesome. I’ll for sure make it again.

I’ve made several versions of Kung Pao chicken recipes but this is my favorite. I also cut WAY down on the peanuts. Kung Pao chicken is known for having a lot of peanuts in it. This recipe called for 4 oz. Well, 4 oz. of peanuts was more calories than the chicken so I decided just to put in a few. Again, it worked and it seemed fine. You are welcome to add more peanuts if you’d like. My husband ate this over rice and as usual, I chose to put it over broccoli. While it had a wonderful flavor, it wasn’t overly saucy so if you want a lot of sauce, go ahead and double the sauce. It was fine for me, I enjoyed it. The egg roll was just from Asian Sensations. I love egg rolls.

Kung Pao Chicken
1 pound boneless chicken breasts
2 tablespoon white wine, divided
2 tablespoon soy sauce, divided
1 tablespoon sesame oil, divided
2 tablespoon cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon hot red pepper spread (or hot chile paste)
1 teaspoon white vinegar
2 teaspoon brown sugar
4 green onions
1 tablespoon
chopped garlic
1 can water chestnuts
3 tbsp chopped peanuts

To make marinade: 

  • Combine 1 tablespoon wine, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon oil and 1 tablespoon cornstarch water mixture and mix together. 
  • Place chicken pieces in plastic bag and add marinade for about 30 minutes.
To make sauce: 

  • In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon wine, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 2 teaspoons oil, 1 tablespoon cornstarch/water mixture, chile paste, vinegar and sugar. Mix together.
  • Add green onions, garlic, water chestnuts and peanuts. I
  • n medium skillet, heat sauce slowly until aromatic. 
  • Meanwhile, remove chicken from marinade and saute in large skillet until meat is done. 
  • When sauce is done, add sauteed chicken to it and let simmer together until sauce thickens. 
  • Serve over rice or broccoli.
Total calories = 1015
3 servings = 338 calories

Freezer Convenience, Garlic Logs

I make this handy dandy convenience product for myself, and it happens to be a great gift to foodie friends as well. If you grow your own garlic, this would be wonderful at harvest time. However I currently do not grow garlic, so I get a big bag at Costco.
This is really simple, takes about an hour, with exception to the cooling time for the roasted garlic. Your investment of time, will give back to you ten fold. Lets get started…..

Frozen Garlic Logs
by the seat of my pants
makes 5 – 4 plain and 1 roasted

3 pounds of garlic cloves, peeled
2 T olive oil
5 gallon freezer bags
10 clothes pins

To make roasted garlic:

Pour a rounded 2 cups of garlic into a roasting pan with a lid, drizzle with the oil.

Cover and bake at 375 for 20 minutes.
Stir, reduce heat to 250, bake 20 minutes, stir and bake 20 additional minutes. When you remove this from the oven, stir one last time.
Keep lid off, and let cool. When cool process the garlic in the same manner as the fresh garlic, and freeze.  

Do be aware that the roasted garlic, has a sticky texture, and will chop much quicker than the raw garlic.

To freeze fresh garlic:
Empty half of the remaining garlic into food processor bowl, process until finely chopped, using the pulse button at the end, to prevent making a mush or puree.

Empty into a glass or stainless bowl (I think this much garlic might smell stain a plastic bowl). Repeat with remaining garlic.

Smooth top of garlic in the bowl, score into 4 sections.

Prepare the wrappers:

Cut the zip strip off the freezer bag. Cut bag at the seam on each side, leaving the folded bottom intact. Open bag flat, you will have a large rectangle.
Spoon 1/4 of the mixture onto the bag. Shape into a compact rectangle. Bring sides together, and the rectangle will fold in half, fold the sides down snug against the garlic. Twist one end, and secure with a clothespin. “Sit” the log on the clothespin end, and gently work out any air. Work the next end to be as flat as possible, twist the plastic and secure with a clothespin. Repeat with remaining chopped garlic, freezer bags and clothes pin.
Place logs in the freezer. When frozen change out the clothespins with a secure closure of your choice, the clothespins were only needed to quickly close the end of the logs and are not meant to be used after the logs have frozen solid and easier to work with.

To use:  Slice a thin slice of frozen garlic, this is equal to a clove of minced garlic.
Enjoy!

As always, thanks for taking a moment to stop and say hello.  I appreciate your time and your comments.

For more great ideas, come and visit me here:
http://momssundaycafe.blogspot.com/

CRY BABY BURGERS & ROASTED PAPRIKA POTATOES

CRY BABY BURGERS
1 pound ground chuck
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 small can jalapenos, drained and chopped (save a small amount for the mayo)
1 small can green chiles, drained and chopped
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 slices pepper jack cheese
jalapeno mayo (small amount of minced jalapenos whisked into mayo)
caramelized onions – 1 small Vidalia onion, thinly sliced

  • Combine ground chuck, jalapenos, green chiles, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce until well blended.
  • Form into 3 patties. Refrigerate for several hours.
  • Whisk together mayonnaise and minced jalapenos.  Refrigerate until chilled.
  • Sear and brown patties, turning frequently until cooked through.
  • While cooking the patties, melt a small amount of butter in another pan and caramelize onions to desired doneness.
  • When burgers are done, top with cheese, mayonnaise and caramelized onions.
  • Enjoy!

ROASTED PAPRIKA POTATOES
2 pounds baby red potatoes
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
Hungarian paprika
1/4 cup melted butter

  • Scrub potatoes.
  • Boil for 10-15 minutes.
  • Drain the potatoes until cool enough to handle.
  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  • Spray a 9×9 shallow baking dish with PURE.
  • Place potatoes on bottom in an even layer.
  • Smash each potato slightly.
  • Evenly sprinkle with salt, pepper and paprika.
  • Pour melted butter evenly over top.
  • Bake 30 minutes until crunchy and bubbling.

      STRAWBERRY BANANA DACQUIRI CAKE ~ Save Room for Dessert

      I subscribe to Lagniappe, the free email newsletter of Louisiana Cookin’ magazine.  It’s published each Friday, and typically contains 3 Louisiana-centric recipes.  Friday’s newsletter contained this recipe, and I knew I had to make it, even though I had already written today’s post.  But, as strawberries are in season, I decided to share this recipe with you all.
      The flavor is lovely, although the texture was a little moist.  No one seemed to mind, however, and the cake was the perfect ending to a delicious grilled meal on the patio.  I think it would be perfect for a Memorial day cookout, as it’s quick to whip up and if you’re like me, I find it quite nice to have something on my menu that takes little thought and prep.  Be sure to save room for dessert when you make this delicious cake… 

      Strawberry-Banana Daiquiri Cake

      1 Strawberry Cake Mix
      1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries, thawed
      1 ripe banana, mashed
      2 eggs
      2 tablespoons lime juice
      1 tablespoon light rum (did not use, I increased lime juice to 3 tablespoons)
      Lime Glaze (recipe follows)
      • Preheat oven to 350.
      • Grease and flour a Bundt pan; set aside.
      • In large bowl, combine the cake mix, berries, banana, eggs, and lime juice.
      • Beat for 2 minutes at highest speed.
      • Pour batter into the prepared pan.
      • Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
      • Prepare glaze while cake is baking.
      • Cool cake upright for 25 minutes before inverting onto serving place.
      • Spoon glaze evenly over cake. Garnish with lime zest, if using.
      Lime Glaze
      Juice of 1 lime
      1 teaspoon butter
      Powdered sugar
      • Microwave lime juice and butter until butter melts. 
      • Whisk in powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached.