There's no other way to express what's going on with me this week...I'm in a food funk. Yes, you heard me right- a Food Funk! Nothing has worked out as I planned this week. Absolutely nothing!
Monday I had a meeting after work, so I took frozen pizza home for dinner... expressed to the hubs to save a piece for me to have when I got back home. Not my favorite food, but you gotta eat, right? Came home late to none. Went to bed hungry because I didn't feel like cooking anything else.
Tuesday night I was in the garden until late and forgot to take anything out of the freezer- so I cooked scrambled cheese eggs and served it with bacon, grits, and strawberries. The kids were ecstatic! They love breakfast for supper. I, on the other hand, drank a gallon of water because everything was too salty for me.
Last night was supposed to be pork chops on the grill. Unfortunately, they had gone bad. Again, everything in the freezer except a half a package of pork sausage. Decided to fry that and serve it with the lima beans and buttered potatoes I was cooking anyway. Overcooked the sausage, burnt the potatoes, and undercooked the beans. Man, that meal sucked!
I hate to even see what tonight has in store for me, because- guess what? I have another meeting! Guess I better eat a good lunch....
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Gardening...
...it's kind of related to food, right? With prices going up on fresh produce, hubby and I (mostly I) decided to join the parental units in gardening this year. My father has gardened for as long as I can remember, but pop never really invited me into the garden to help him that much. I was relegated to shelling peas, snapping beans, and canning everything!
Anyway, purchased seeds back in early March and sowed them at the end of that month after we had put down the fertilizer and tilled it in. Watered and weeded but something crazy happened....nothing. The only thing that struggled up was a few tufts of lettuce. Okay, that made me mad, because I've grown lettuce in pots before. So in the past month I have gone out and purchased plants. Tomatoes, Onions, Bell Peppers, Jalapenos, Squash, Cucumbers, and Broccoli (I have no more room). And my prize plant- Rosemary! Gnats are a pain but we're keeping it clear.
Along the way, dad told me some tricks...things I wish he had told me before because, guess what?! His seeds are coming up...the same packages that I had! But I digress. The important thing is, we're going to have fresh vegetables that previously would have most likely been out of out price range for any extended time. Hubby's already telling me what he would like: chicken fajitas, stuffed peppers, homemade salsa...you get the idea. But I already have an idea of what will be happening with a lot of this stuff...I'll be back to my former duties as a canner!
Anyway, purchased seeds back in early March and sowed them at the end of that month after we had put down the fertilizer and tilled it in. Watered and weeded but something crazy happened....nothing. The only thing that struggled up was a few tufts of lettuce. Okay, that made me mad, because I've grown lettuce in pots before. So in the past month I have gone out and purchased plants. Tomatoes, Onions, Bell Peppers, Jalapenos, Squash, Cucumbers, and Broccoli (I have no more room). And my prize plant- Rosemary! Gnats are a pain but we're keeping it clear.
Along the way, dad told me some tricks...things I wish he had told me before because, guess what?! His seeds are coming up...the same packages that I had! But I digress. The important thing is, we're going to have fresh vegetables that previously would have most likely been out of out price range for any extended time. Hubby's already telling me what he would like: chicken fajitas, stuffed peppers, homemade salsa...you get the idea. But I already have an idea of what will be happening with a lot of this stuff...I'll be back to my former duties as a canner!
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Two postings in one day- Woah!
On Saturday night, hubby and I went out to a late dinner (after the movie). Since it was nine o'clock and most of the eating establishments on the northern NC beaches close at ten, we were a little limited. Combine that with the fact that I was starving, since the last thing I had eaten was a salad at twelve. The only thing consumed since then was water and beer.
We decided to stop at Outback. Chain resturaunt not native to the OBX. Same menu you could find anywhere else in the U.S. At the moment, I didn't care. Settled on the Alice Springs Chicken with Aussie Fries. It still took them 35 minutes to get our food to us- which was warm, not hot- and the waitress only stopped by three times throughout the meal. It was not the best chicken I've ever had- not even close. But I ate it all anyway. If I'm paying $14.50 for something, I'm going to eat it. So I would give this visit a 2.5 out of 5. I've been there before and the food and service have been better. Hope it gets better before the summer season kicks in. Tourists aren't as nice as I am.
We decided to stop at Outback. Chain resturaunt not native to the OBX. Same menu you could find anywhere else in the U.S. At the moment, I didn't care. Settled on the Alice Springs Chicken with Aussie Fries. It still took them 35 minutes to get our food to us- which was warm, not hot- and the waitress only stopped by three times throughout the meal. It was not the best chicken I've ever had- not even close. But I ate it all anyway. If I'm paying $14.50 for something, I'm going to eat it. So I would give this visit a 2.5 out of 5. I've been there before and the food and service have been better. Hope it gets better before the summer season kicks in. Tourists aren't as nice as I am.
The Best Baked Beans
Back when I was in my food network phase (yeah, no tv now, so what ya gonna do?) I found this awesome recipe on an episode of Paula Deen. I can't take credit for the recipe, but I tell ya- my fam is no fan of baked beans- but these things go away! Tyr it, but warning- it makes a lot!
Recipe courtesy Sue Mittelman and Gloria Zucker
4 (16-ounce) cans baked beans
1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup molasses
1 cup BBQ sauce
2 tablespoon yellow or brown mustard
5 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
1 (6-ounce) can french-fried onions, crushed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In large bowl, mix together beans, pineapple, molasses, BBQ sauce, mustard, bacon, and a third of the onions. Add some salt and pepper, to taste. Pour beans in 9 by 13-inch casserole dish and sprinkle remaining crushed onions and bacon on top. Cook in oven for 1 hour or until beans brown and bubble. Serve warm.
Recipe courtesy Sue Mittelman and Gloria Zucker
4 (16-ounce) cans baked beans
1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup molasses
1 cup BBQ sauce
2 tablespoon yellow or brown mustard
5 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
1 (6-ounce) can french-fried onions, crushed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In large bowl, mix together beans, pineapple, molasses, BBQ sauce, mustard, bacon, and a third of the onions. Add some salt and pepper, to taste. Pour beans in 9 by 13-inch casserole dish and sprinkle remaining crushed onions and bacon on top. Cook in oven for 1 hour or until beans brown and bubble. Serve warm.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Bacon Tomato Casserole
Found a yummy...which could stand some additions. Future preparation will include variations, such as mushrooms or pepperoni.
8oz egg noodles, cooked by package directions
1 pound bacon, diced
1/3 c. onion diced
1/3 c. green bell pepper, diced
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1-28 oz can stewed or crushed tomatoes
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Cooked bacon in frying pan until crisp- remove to paper towel to drain excess grease. Cook onions and peppers in 2 tablespoons reserved bacon grease for five minutes. Add marjoram, thyme, salt, and pepper. Add tomatoes and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Add egg noodles and half of cooked bacon. Mix well. Pour into a 2 qt baking dish. Top with rest of bacon and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted.
8oz egg noodles, cooked by package directions
1 pound bacon, diced
1/3 c. onion diced
1/3 c. green bell pepper, diced
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1-28 oz can stewed or crushed tomatoes
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Cooked bacon in frying pan until crisp- remove to paper towel to drain excess grease. Cook onions and peppers in 2 tablespoons reserved bacon grease for five minutes. Add marjoram, thyme, salt, and pepper. Add tomatoes and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Add egg noodles and half of cooked bacon. Mix well. Pour into a 2 qt baking dish. Top with rest of bacon and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Carbohydrate Heaven
Last night I was running behind. Still finishing up school crud (hey, I've only got reflections and posting left to go!), kids are being really antsy, hubby is in one of his moods... and it was the night to try something new in the kitchen. For once, I wanted to say "Spare me now! Where is the frozen pizza." However, I cooked the dish that looked really nasty...but tasted surprisingly yummy! Here ya go!
Golden Chicken n' Taters
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 can condensed cream of celery soup
1/2 c. water
1/4-1/2 tsp. of salt (I used onion salt)
1- 32 oz bag of frozen tater tots
1- 16 oz. bag frozen mixed vegetables
2 c. cubed cooked chicken
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine soup, water, and salt in a bowl- mix well. Place one third of mixture in the bottom of a 9"x13" greased baking dish. Layer half of tater tots next. Half the mixed vegetable. Half the chicken. 1/3 soup mixture. Tots. Veggies. Chicken. Soup. Top with cheese. Bake covered for 1 hour. Remove cover and bake another 15 minutes. Serve.
I look funny lugging around two laptops, a backpack of books, a purse, and a lunch bag. Can anyone say pack-mule?! :)
Golden Chicken n' Taters
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 can condensed cream of celery soup
1/2 c. water
1/4-1/2 tsp. of salt (I used onion salt)
1- 32 oz bag of frozen tater tots
1- 16 oz. bag frozen mixed vegetables
2 c. cubed cooked chicken
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine soup, water, and salt in a bowl- mix well. Place one third of mixture in the bottom of a 9"x13" greased baking dish. Layer half of tater tots next. Half the mixed vegetable. Half the chicken. 1/3 soup mixture. Tots. Veggies. Chicken. Soup. Top with cheese. Bake covered for 1 hour. Remove cover and bake another 15 minutes. Serve.
I look funny lugging around two laptops, a backpack of books, a purse, and a lunch bag. Can anyone say pack-mule?! :)
Monday, April 20, 2009
Let's talk beer...
How do you react when Bud Light shows up in your fridge? As some of you know, I'm a Miller Girl myself. I'll drink a Bud but there's something off about it. So how was I supposed to react when hubby picks up a 12 pack of Bud and leaves most of it in the ice box? First off, I'm not going to shun it. It's still halfway descent, just not my thing. I'm puzzled but I also know something else...Bud's not his choice either. So how am I supposed to handle this? Drink it and be merry about it? Use it to boil more shrimp? Use it for slug bait? I think I'll drink a couple tonight while I think it over.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)