random amusements

Dinner Dice

This is brilliant! Dinner dice! You roll the dice to see what you're going to make for dinner tonight!
I don't know about you, but even with this foodblog as an ongoing project—or maybe because of it!—I have a hard time deciding on what to cook for dinner.

My options are usually limited to end-of-week, we-need-to-go-grocery-shopping food items that didn't yet get consumed. I take stock of the pantry after determining what hasn't gone bad in the fridge.

So, I guess this "game" would not necessarily be practical for me unless I sneak over to pilfer from my neighbors' garden. (We STILL don't have anything more than a few tomato plants! Grrr!) Maybe you roll the dice and then go to the store, huh? Sounds reasonable.

I may end up creating my own set of "dice" using scrap pieces of wood that…hey! Uncle Kevin might have some! We shall see…


Linky:
what to cook? dice set

random amusements

August = Chocolate Pie Month

I've made a decision. August will from now on be known as Chocolate Pie Month.

Don't argue with me. Don't even think about trying.

Throughout the entire month of August, I will be making many forms of chocolate pies, tarts, flourless cakes, and whatnot. Anything that I determine is "close enough" will be featured in this category.

I also encourage you all to make chocolate pies in the month of August. C'mon, it'll give you a purpose—a reason to get out of bed in the morning.

Now you have something to look forward to. Aren't you happy?!


Related:
Mocha Custard (Pie)

Marble Cake in Cat Pan

Okay, I know this is just too darn cute, so I had to share the photo!

All I did was take a Duncan Hines marble cake mix and put it in my cat cake pan, to make it look like a calico cat.

You can't quite tell from the photo, but there are actually two different chocolate patches. One is the regular cocoa batter from the package of mix. The other is batter with Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder and about 2 heaping teaspoons of raspberry jam mixed in. It didn't have enough raspberry flavor, so I'll have to tinker with that concept a little more next time.

random amusements

Creepy Skulls Family Lounge Pants?

Family?

For the entire family? Really? LOL!

Okay, this completely cracked me up when I flipped through the Lakeside Collection catalog and found this bizarre item.

Honestly, when you happen upon a fabric with creepy skulls on it, and you want to make a quick buck, why would the first thing that went through your mind ever be, "hey, I know, how about lounge pants for the whole family?!"

Still, it was worth the laugh, I suppose. That's why I had to share. :)


Linky:
Creepy Skulls Family Lounge Pants

Fluffy Bananas Foster Pie

Fluffy Bananas Foster Pie

1 (14-ounce) can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 c. banana, sliced
4 slices of Sara Lee pound cake, cut into 1/2" cubes
1/4 c. caramel ice cream topping
1 (8 oz.) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (6 oz.) graham cracker pie crust

1. Mix together sweetened condensed milk and caramel topping in large bowl until blended.
2. Stir in bananas and pound cake.
3. Have someone taste it...
4. Fold in whipped topping. Spoon into crust.
5. Freeze 5 hours or until set.
6. Let stand 30 to 40 minutes before serving.
7. Garnish with additional caramel topping and banana slices.

NOTES:

• This pie did not set up well because I didn't have it in the freezer long enough before serving, and that was a BIG mistake.
  
• Also, I think I should have used an electric mixer to beat the sweetened condensed milk and caramel topping so that it would maybe fluff up some more.
  
• And don't let your Cool Whip get too warm—I think that was also a factor in the lack of volume in this pie.
• I would also suggest putting the mixed ingredients into the fridge or even the freezer prior to filling the pie crust, to help it set up partially, and build more volume.
• Another option I thought of was to saute the bananas in the caramel sauce before adding them to the pie, but you'd have to be sure to let them cool off first.
  

Niçoise salad w/ Salmon

This was dinner tonight—it was fantastic!!!

Niçoise salad w/ Salmon

2 (4 oz. each) salmon fillets
4 t. molasses
dash of chili powder
dash of salt
2 c. mixed greens salad
4 to 6 small red potatoes, boiled
1 c. fresh green beans, steamed
1 (14 oz.) can mushrooms (or fresh, of which I didn't have handy)
2 baby zucchini, peeled & cut into matchsticks, then sautéed
1 hard-boiled egg, sliced

1. Tear off two equal pieces of heavy-duty foil. In the center of each, drizzle about a tablespoon of olive oil. Place each salmon fillet in on top of oil, then spoon 2 teaspoons of molasses to cover the fish. Dash with salt and chili powder, and seal packets by folding up edges.
2. Prep other veggies, as directed above. This is a good dinner for the summer when you may already have some of these things leftover in your fridge.
3. For the mushrooms, I melted about a tablespoon of butter in a small saucepan and then added one tablespoon of flour, to make a roux. Then, instead of using milk, I added most of the liquid from the can of mushrooms. (FYI: Had they been fresh mushrooms, I'd have sautéed them first, removed them from the pan, made the roux with milk/cream, and added the mushrooms back in.)
4. Grill the salmon foil packets over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes.
5. On one end of an oblong plate, create a bed of salad greens, and place a fillet on top; pour any liquid from the foil packet on top. Arrange the other ingredients on the plate in an aesthetically-pleasing way…if you can wait that long before eating…
   

NOTE: It's pronounced "nee-SWAH" in case you were wondering.

Gripe Of The Day

My cheese knife broke!!!

So I bought a replacement at Meijer, and I hate it. It looks sort of like this:

It does not work as well as my old one did, damnit. This new one mangles the cheese, rather than slicing it. The holes in the blade are too large and it sort of double-cuts the cheese as it slices through it, making a mess of the whole process. Grrr....

So now I'm searching online to try to find a knife like my original one.

Here are my options so far:

A) igourmet.com Signature Cheese Serving Knife: $9.99

B) Kitchenworks cheese knife: $6.50


C) Henckels TWIN Collection Cheese Knife: $19.99

D) Wusthof Grand Prix II 5-in. Soft Cheese Knife: $59.95


Of course I'm also going to shop around and see what Bed Bath & Beyond, Target, Kohl's, and other stores have...I'm so bummed about my knife... WAH!!!

Dad's chip dip

When I was a kid, my dad never cooked, baked, or even mixed anything in the kitchen. Well, he made peanut butter toast for himself, of course. But otherwise, this was his only culinary effort: cream cheese chip dip. It's simple yet fabulous. Try it!

Dad's Cream Cheese Chip Dip

1 pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. milk
big dash of garlic powder
dash of onion powder

1. Make sure the cream cheese is softened sufficiently or heat it very briefly in the microwave so that it is easier to work with.
   
2. In medium mixing bowl, mash it with a fork and add seasonings.
3. Add the milk a little at a time, blending with the cream cheese, until it reaches your preferred dip thickness.
   

NOTE: You can use an electric mixer, if you choose, but the traditional way was always to mix it with a fork. Or one of those old-fashioned hand-held egg beater things with the crank handle on the side, ya know? Us kids made plenty of messes with that good ol' tool! LOL!

Fajita Grilled Chicken

Sorry I didn't get a photo of this, but we made it and then we sat down to eat. It was too good for me to even think of stopping to go get the digital camera! LOL!

Fajita Grilled Chicken

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 packet taco seasoning (probably about one tablespoon, maybe?)

In medium bowl, mix olive oil with taco seasoning. Place chicken in bowl and turn with fork to coat chicken completely. (I also stab the chicken with the fork a little, to help tenderize the meat.) Allow to stand in this marinade for at least 30 minutes. Grill as usual; discard leftover marinade.


NOTE: Leftover chicken would make a great salad addition!

Independence Day...a good thing

Above: Fearless family member who served in Iraq. I cannot even tell you how proud I am of him!!! God bless you!!!

Compassion is the basis of morality.
~ Arthur Schopenhauer

Happy 4th of July to everyone!

Mediterranean Dip

1 1/2 c. feta cheese, crumbled
1 can black olives, drained & chopped
2 medium tomatoes, seeded & chopped
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 can artichoke hearts, chopped
1 green onion, minced
1/2 t. oregano
1/4 c. chopped fresh basil

In medium bowl beat cream cheese until smooth. Add other ingredients, except basil. Mound mixture on serving plate. Press basil around edges. Serve with your favorite crackers, tortilla chips or pita chips.

Rustic Salmon-Artichoke Tart

I made this up because I wanted to make stuffed mushrooms, but unfortunately, they had gone bad in the fridge. I was in the mood to cook, so a search through the pantry came up with these ingredients...and it turned out wonderful!

Salmon-Artichoke Tart

1 can salmon, cleaned
1 c. mozzarella cheese
1/4 c. parmesan
1/2 jar artichoke hearts, chopped
1 box Jiffy pizza crust mix
1/2 c. Ranch dressing
cheese and sour cream as topping/garnish

1. Mix salmon and cheeses in a small bowl; add artichoke. Stir well.
2. Prepare pizza crust mix according to directions, press into 9x13 baking pan.
3. Pre-bake crust for 5 minutes at 350˚.
4. Carefully remove crust from oven and spread with Ranch dressing—you can add more than 1/2 a cup, if you like it goopy—and top with salmon-cheese mixture. Lightly press additional shredded cheese onto salmon layer, like making a pizza; then add some blobs of sour cream to garnish.
5. Bake at 350 for 18-22 minutes until cheese is melted and crust is browned to your liking.
6. Serve with additional sour cream or Ranch dressing.

random amusements

"Why did Dr. Halaburt give me a pink bandage?!"

Thumper and the vet

I just want to remind everyone that although being a very "pretty" cat, Thumper is a BOY.

And I found out an interesting fact yesterday, when we picked Thumpy up from the vet. The tech told us that the pain medication we've been forcing down his throat with a syringe is chicken flavored.

Think about that. Chicken-flavored pain medication for cats. On the one hand, it's brilliant. On the other hand, this could very easily lead to kitty addictions. Of course, this was where my imagination took it and ran…

Thumper: Hey, I think I need more of that chicken liquid…
Me: No, you're only supposed to have it every three days.
Thumper: Hasn't it been three days already?
Me: Nope.
Thumper: Are you sure?
Me: Yes.
Thumper: But I really think I need some chicken liquid…
Me: Not yet.
Thumper: I want the chicken liquid!
Me: No.
Thumper: Give me the chicken liquid!!!
Me: No. Not yet.
Thumper: Mrrrrrrr!!!!!! Rrrrowr!!!!



The full history behind this is that I've had Thumper for 12 years—it'll be 13 this August (happy anniversary, kitty!)—and although he is still not acting his age, his teeth were starting to go bad. For the past few years, we've been taking him to the vet to have a kitty dental cleaning once a year, but recently, that has not been enough to keep his gums healthy.

Since I found him as a stray, he has had some digestive issues which prevent him from eating any dry, crunchy cat food. As a result, he gets tartar build-up on his teeth, his gums get irritated, and he gets infections. Similar to how people can get gingivitis and/or abscessed teeth. But you can't tell a cat to brush and floss. Well, not successfully, anyhow.

The only real solution has been to have his bad teeth extracted. So over the past, oh, five years or so, he has had to forfeit teeth in order to stay healthy. This time, recognizing his age and increased risk with anesthetic, we decided to have the majority of his teeth taken out. That may sound like a drastic move, but for a strictly indoor cat who can't eat crunchy food anyway, it's the most logical way to prevent dental problems and infections.

Maybe I'm just writing this to convince myself because I have been a freakin' nervous wreck since last Friday night when I saw a little drop of blood on his lip and thought his jaw looked swollen…but now that he's eating so much more than he had been, I think it was definitely the right decision.

When I first rescued Thumper, I made him a promise that I'd always take care of him. I intend to keep that promise forever.




Thumper in the "meatloaf" posture.

random amusements

Caseykitty!
(If you know my husband, you'll get the joke.)

Greek Chicken on the Grill

Portion control. This is actually A LOT of food for me, though! LOL! Along with the chicken there is a salad with Raspberry-Hazelnut vinaigrette, sauted cabbage, corn, and baked beans.

Greek Chicken on the Grill

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 c. lemon juice
1 t. crushed Greek oregano
1/4 t. salt
2 T. olive oil
dash of black pepper (to taste)

1. Combine all ingredients in Ziplock bag and allow to marinate at least 30 minutes, or overnight if preferred.
2. Heat grill to high temperature, then turn down to medium-low.
3. Place chicken on grill and cook for 6-8 minutes; flip and continue cooking until chicken is firm and juice coming from within is no longer pink.

Options:

• Cube the chicken in place it on pre-soaked wooden skewers to cook as shish kabobs.
• Slice cooked chicken breasts and put on a salad with cucumbers, tomatoes and feta cheese.
• Slice cooked chicken and put on pita breads with sour cream and onions.
  

Easy Baked Beans

Easy Baked Beans

1 can red beans, undrained
1/4 c. ketchup
1 to 2 T. molasses
1 t. bacon bits (optional)

In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients. Stir well and warm over low heat.


NOTE: This recipe is super easy! I made it up spur of the moment when my husband said he was hungry for baked beans.

Grilled Salmon in Foil Packets

That's a grilled turkey sausage and some scalloped potatoes with my salmon fillet.

Grilled Salmon in Foil Packets

2 (4 oz.) salmon filets
salt
olive oil
optional: BBQ sauce

1. Preheat grill to hot.
2. Tear off two pieces of foil, large enough to enclose each filet.
3. Spread a teaspoon or so of olive oil on the foil with a pastry brush.
4. Salt the salmon filets on both sides and place each in the center of each piece of foil. Top with BBQ sauce, if desired.
5. Close foil to seal everything in.
6. Place packets on grill and turn heat down to low. Keep lid closed and allow salmon to cook for 12 to 15 minutes. Fish will flake easily when it is done.

random amusements

This is so sweet, it almost made me cry!

Smoked Salmon Spread

Here's a little hint: the "L" in salmon is silent. Please, please, remember this!

Smoked Salmon Spread

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
1 (16 oz.) can salmon, cleaned
2 t. onion, chopped very fine
1 T. lemon juice
1/2 t. salt
1 t. liquid smoke
1/2 t. prepared horseradish

1. Beat cream cheese with a fork until it is smooth.
2. Add salt, lemon juice, onion, liquid smoke and horseradish; mix until well-blended.
3. Stir in salmon; mix well.
4. Serve with melba rounds or crackers of your choice.
   

random amusements and procrastination

Take THAT, procrastination! HA! I finally beat you!

I made time today to clean and organize my huge curio cabinet, which has been sitting empty in a corner of my living room since we moved in here two years ago. Yah, I know, two whole years. I suck.

BUT not anymore! I got out the Windex Powerized Multi-Task with Vinegar Commercial Line glass cleaner (not a product endoresment!) and tried my damnedest to get the glass to stop streaking and being covered with paper towel lint. At least the dust and fingerprints are gone. That's the best I could do.

What I need is a bottle of the purple stuff that my dad always had in the backseat of his car for cleaning the pipesmoke soot off of his windows. I'll have to ask him what the heck that was...you wouldn't think his car windows would ever come clean, and yet, they did. Amazing. Heh, yeah, I'll have to ask him.

Anyways, back to my amusement...

I collect these little mouse figurines called "Charming Tails". Look it up. They're adorable. When I bought my house back in '95, I got a few of them with a Christmas theme, I think my mom & I went shopping at Highland Pharmacy (remember that place?!). And the rest is history, as they say. Not sure how many I've got by now. I'll have to take a count of them and some photos to post.

After putting it off for this long, it was like finding a lost treasure all over again. Maybe I'd forgotten how much I love my little mouseys. Next time you come over, you'll have to be sure to check them out.


Here is a pic I found online: