random amusements

They say everyone in the world has a twin, whether they know it or not. This can be amusing.

For instance, have you ever noticed that Blackhawks defenseman Brent Sopel looks a lot like Anthony Kiedis, the singer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers? LOL... I wonder if Sopel can sing...?



Look-alike sites:

ICHC network's Look-Alikes: totallylookslike.com
Cats that look like Hitler: www.catsthatlooklikehitler.com
Men who look like Kenny Rogers: www.menwholooklikekennyrogers.com

There also used to be a site called "Hockey Twins" where they had photos of NHL players matched up to celebrities, cartoon characters, musicians, and other famous people who resembled them. Unfortunately, that site is gone now.


Wait, here's more Sopel/Kiedis evidence:






NOTE: My sincere apologies to Brent Sopel, should he find this insulting for some odd reason. I mean no harm, dude. Honestly!

Recipe request - lemon bars

"AZ Patticakes" made the request...this is my mom's recipe. I have no idea where it originated—it is older than me…

Mom's Lemon Bars

crust:
1/2 c. butter (1 stick)
1/2 c. sugar
1 1/4 c. flour
1/2 t. fresh grated lemon peel (won't ruin it if you leave this out; mom always did)

filling:
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 c. flour
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 c. lemon juice

glaze:
1 T. butter, melted
2 T. lemon juice
1 c. powdered sugar

1. Heat oven to 350˚.
2. In large mixing bowl, beat butter, sugar, and lemon peel. Stir in flour to form dough. Press into 9x13 pan. Bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
3. In small mixing bowl, beat filling ingredients well. Spread over baked crust. Put back in the oven for 20 minutes at 350˚.
4. For glaze: Blend a small amount of powdered sugar into butter. Add lemon juice and remaining powdered sugar. Drizzle over bars. Keep leftovers in fridge.

NOTE: Patti, I hope this works out well for you!

Vanilla Caramel Latte Smoothie

This was my breakfast today. I'm going to try to drop a few pounds before Halloween so that I don't look like a heifer in my costume (which I still need to go get). Not that I think I'm "fat" but the jeans I want to wear as part of the costume are too tight (in my opinion).

Vanilla Caramel Latte Smoothie

1 c. 2 % milk
1 scoop vanilla protein shake mix*
1 (rounded) t. Maxwell House instant coffee
1 t. caramel ice cream topping
4 or 5 ice cubes

Put all ingredients in blender, secure lid, blend until smooth. Make sure the ice cubes are blended in and not still in chunks.



*NOTE: I use Optimum Nutrition's 100% Whey Gold Standard, Vanilla Ice Cream

Rice Pudding with Fruit

This is a lovely warm dessert to serve for company this Fall...

Rice Pudding with Fruit

1 1/2 c. fruit juice
1 1/2 c. instant rice
2 small handfuls raisins
1 apple; peeled, cored & chopped
6 to 8 dried apricots, chopped
1 small handful dried cherries
1/2 c. heavy cream (or half & half)
1 pkg. Jell-O Cook & Serve Pudding
3 c. milk
1/2 t. ground cinnamon

1. In large, deep glass bowl, combine fruit juice (I used leftover juice drained from a can of pears), cinnamon, and rice; microwave 5 minutes.
2. Stir in fruit and cream; microwave 5 more minutes.
3. In medium sauce pan, combine milk and dry pudding mix. Cook over medium heat until it boils. Pour immediately over rice and stir well.
4. Serve warm. Store leftovers, if there are any, in the fridge.

random amusements

Happiness is...

...a bacon sandwich!

random amusements

We typically have a lot of wind out here in the countryside, but tonight it is completely ridiculous. It's SO freakin' loud. My poor trees are taking a beating, and the small stand of birch trees already got pummeled in the last rain storm. One of them snapped off, which almost made me cry...

So, enough with the wind, already!!! Weather channel says it won't quit 'til 3am. Ack!

Healthy Oatmeal Cookies

This is a re-post. I made these the other day, so I took photos this time to accompany the recipe. Plus, I changed a few things, so the edits are included below...

Healthy Oatmeal Cookies

1 c. dry oatmeal
1 scoop vanilla-flavored protein shake powder
1 1/2 c. shredded coconut
1 1/2 c. raisins
2 egg whites
1/2. low-sugar applesauce (a snack cup)

1. Heat oven to 350˚.
2. Mix dry ingredients well. Blend in wet ingredients.
3. Drop by teaspoonful onto lightly greased cookie sheet.
4. Bake 20 minutes, until edges are browned.


NOTE: Flattening cookies on sheet before baking will make them crispier. Using a mini-muffin pan will make the cookies chewy like a macaroon.

I did also make some in a mini-muffin pan, with added chocolate chips and dried cherries, but I neglected to photograph those. Sorry!


Linky:
Original Post: Healthy Oatmeal Cookies

Strawberry Smoothie

I promised my good friend Claire that I would post a smoothie recipe for her. This is just a basic one, but I will try to post more recipes in the near future...

Strawberry Smoothie for Claire

1 c. milk
1 single-serving container of yogurt (any flavor)
1 c. frozen berries (any kind)
1 t. honey
optional: 1 scoop vanilla protein powder

Blend all ingredients on high until berries are no longer in chunks.
Pour into a glass and enjoy!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies for Tom

I had a note in my list of "tasks" that said I needed to make oatmeal raisin cookies for our friend Tom. It was dated 11/2/08. I feel kinda bad about that. But the good news is that Tom finally got his cookies. Here's the recipe:

Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

2 1/4 c. flour
1 c. oatmeal
1 t. baking soda (I used a heaping teaspoon, because my spoon got caught on that cardboard flap inside the box and it all dumped into the bowl.)
1/2 t. salt
1 c. dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 c. white sugar
2 sticks butter, softened
2 eggs
2 t. molasses
1 1/4 c. raisins
1/2 c. golden raisins

1. Heat oven to 300˚.
2. Combine dry ingredients—flour, baking soda, salt, and oatmeal—in a small mixing bowl. Set aside.
3. In a larger, deep mixing bowl, combine butter and sugars; beat with electric mixer until it looks about the color of peanut butter. (i.e. pasty)
4. Add eggs, and beat them in well. Beat in the molasses next.
5. Add about half the flour mixture and beat it as best you can with the mixer.
6. Then stir the rest of the flour mixture in by hand (I use a wooden spoon) and mix in the raisins.
7. Measure out dough by heaping tablespoon onto a cookie sheet (ungreased), and be sure to leave a little room in between; although, they won't spread a lot, not like chocolate chip cookies would.
8. Bake at 300˚ for 18-20 minutes, or until lightly browned.
9. Do not overbake—these are supposed to be chewy cookies! (the way Tom prefers them!)

Pear Cherry Pie

This recipe was assembled in pieces from other pie recipes, to suit my purpose. The combination is not a rampantly popular one, but, trust me, it's a doosie. Pulled from a childhood memory, this was inspired by a tv dinner, of all things. I think it might have been a cheap-o turkey & gravy dinner with sides of those dry mashed potatoes and over-cooked corn. But the "dessert" in the middle square was a compote of pear-cherry mixture. I loved it. I wanted the tv dinner just for that reason! LOL! Flash forward to now. Here's my interpretation of that flavor combo, made Saturday night:

Pear-Cherry Pie

1 can (29 oz.) pears, drained*, chopped
2 cans (21 oz.) cherry pie filling
1/4 c. corn starch
dash of cardamom
teeny dash of allspice
2 ready-made refrigerated pie crusts (hey, it was after 9pm, I wasn't about to roll out pie crust!)

1. Heat oven to 375°.
2. In large bowl, empty can of cherry pie filling; sift in corn starch and spices. Mix well with a spoon. Add diced pears and stir gently.
3. Flatten out packaged pie crusts—or make your own—and lay bottom crust into pie dish.
4. Spoon filling into crust. Dot with bits of butter.
   
5. Place top crust on and fold its edges under the edge of the bottom crust; press to flatten. Using a fork, press to seal the edge all the way around the pie. Cut slits in top to vent steam.
6. Bake at 375° about 55 minutes or until bubbly. Watch for crust to brown, but not over-brown. If you need to, cover the edges with foil for last 15-20 minutes of baking, to prevent burnt crust. (some people like that, though)
7. Cool on wire rack for at least 2 hours before slicing, or else you'll have a soupy pie that does not make nice individual pieces.

*NOTE: I saved the liquid from the pears for another use. I think I might make sweet rice with it.

I'll post the photos later today...I don't feel like screwing around with my [stupid, hateful] camera right now.

random amusements

Why is there an expiration date on toothpaste?

Seriously.

What's going to happen if you use expired toothpaste? Will it just be ineffective in preventing tooth decay and gingivitis? Or does the fluoride create some kind of chemical reaction with the humidity, and other environmental factors, in your bathroom to form a fluorite compound which will melt your face off?

I suppose if you've had a tube of toothpaste for so long that it has expired, then you've probably got more serious problems than dental hygiene.

Band-aids are another one. What happens when a band-aid expires? The adhesive breaks down and will no longer cling to your skin? I find that hard to believe, because most band-aid adhesives rips my skin off. Then again, I'm allergic to a lot of things. Band-aid adhesive included.

I'm trying to think of some other things which I would not normally consider checking the expiration date before using...

Spaghetti and Meatballs

This was an excruciatingly yummy dinner. And I didn't realize it until Casey pointed it out, but I made the meatballs with ground beef instead of ground turkey. I had just grabbed a package of meat (one of those plastic sleeves/tubes) out of the freezer in the garage, cut it open, and dumped it into my glass bowl to thaw in the microwave, and I never even read the label.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Meatballs:
1 lb. ground meat (beef or turkey)
1/2 c. corn muffin mix (just the dry mix)
2 eggs
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
1/2 t. oregano
a few dashes of salt & pepper

Sauce:
1/2 a small onion, minced
1 stalk celery, minced
4 T. butter (no substitutes!)
2 T. flour
1 c. milk +/-
1/4 c. Parmesan
2 T. bacon bits
1 jar marinara sauce (or your favorite spaghetti sauce)

1. In medium bowl, mix ingredients for meatballs. Set aside.
2. In large skillet, brown celery and onions in 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat.
3. Put on a pot of water for the pasta.
4. Stir in the bacon bits, then clear an area in the center of the pan and add the other 3 T. of butter.
5. Once the butter has melted, add the flour and quickly whisk it together with celery and onions. Allow this to cook for about 2 minutes, so the flour loses its "raw" flavor.
6. Begin whisking in the milk, a little at a time, allowing the mixture to thicken between additions. Add in the Parmesan, and stir it in with the whisk.
7. After the milk has been added, dump in the marinara sauce all at once and whisk thoroughly to completely incorporate.
8. Turn heat down to simmer, and begin dropping the meatballs gently into the sauce. Put a lid on the pot and set the timer for 10-12 minutes.
9. Carefully stir the sauce and turn the meatballs—which should be browned on top because you had the lid on the pan—and simmer for another 10 minutes or so.
10. Meanwhile, make your pasta. It should be done by the time the meatballs are done simmering. If you made large meatballs, you may want to "sacrifice" one and cut it open to make certain it is cooked through.
11. Serve with garlic bread or garlic toast.

random amusements

Here's Thumper relaxing in his kitty bed. It's half of a set of doll bunkbeds which belonged to my mom when she was a kid. I also played with them when I was little, then they turned into cat property.

I'll have to ask my mom where they originally came from, because now I'm not really sure. There's a story there somewhere...

Catfish Dinner

Somewhere recently, I had seen a recipe for a fish-sausage-tomato-bean stew. Or something. I can't remember now. It sounded yummy. This is my interpretation of that.

Fried Catfish and Sausage-Bean-Tomato Saucey Stuff

4 nice-sized catfish fillets
salt & pepper
1 c. buttermilk
2 c. seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 c. pecans, finely chopped
1/3 c. oil (for frying)
+++
1 section turkey kielbasa, cut into chunks
1/2 a small onion, minced
1 T. butter
1 can butter beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 t. marjoram
2 cloves garlic, pressed/minced

1. In a medium saucepan, sautee onion in butter; add sausage and allow to brown slightly. Stir in tomatoes, beans and seasonings.
2. Pour buttermilk into a shallow bowl.
   
3. On a rimmed platter, mix pecans with breadcrumbs.
   
4. Make sure your fillets are thawed. Salt them on both sides.
   
5. Dip them one at a time in a bowl of buttermilk, and then coat with bread crumb mixture.
   
6. Set them aside on another plate until pan is ready.
   
7. Heat oil in a deep frying pan. Test the oil by throwing a pecan bit into it, and see if it bubbles up. CAREFULLY place prepared fish fillets into oil.
   
8. Fry fish until breading begins to brown, then CAREFULLY turn them and continue to cook. Drain on paper towels, if desired.
   
9. Serve with Sausage-Bean-Tomato saucey stuff.
   

Raspberry-Espresso Bread Pudding

I have no reference for where this recipe originated. I've done searches online without finding this exact title, so it must have come from the cookbook library in my kitchen, I guess. No photos yet, as I intend to make this over the weekend, probably on Sunday. (the neighbors will be so happy!) And it was MY idea to add the mini chocolate chips!

Raspberry-Espresso Bread Pudding

1 bakery baguette –OR- 8 bakery croissants; cubed/torn
3 c. half & half (OR use a combo of milk and half & half)
3 large egg yolks
3 large eggs
3/4 c. sugar
3 T. instant-espresso powder (OR reduce milk by 1/4 c. and use 2 oz. shot of freshly brewed espresso, which I think I will probably do)
1 c. fresh raspberries
1 1/2 T. butter
1/4 c. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 325°.
2. Arrange bread in 2 layers in a buttered 2-quart (8-inch square) baking dish.
3. Whisk together half-and-half, eggs, yolks, sugar, and espresso powder, then pour over bread and let soak 20 minutes.
4. Sprinkle raspberries and chocolate chips over bread.
   
5. Bake, uncovered, until custard is set, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Serve warm. Allow for tears of delight as this is baking...
   

NOTES: I'm on this undeniable wild tangent with chocolate-raspberry combos lately. And I'm also wondering if you can make a bread pudding with eggnog? Don't see why not. Oh, and what if you were able to incorporate gingerbread somehow into a bread pudding? Somewhere I have an Irish whiskey-infused bread pudding recipe...
I think waaay too much...
Oh, here I go again...what if you made a combination of CAKE and bread into your bread pudding? Or! Ooh! What if you put Fig Newtons in the bread pudding?! With apples and, and, and...walnuts, maybe? Help me out here, folks..

Roast Beef Hash in a Bread Cup

This is Bob's fault. I only made these because he had made something similar and it got stuck in my brain.

Roast Beef Hash in a Bread Cup

6 Rhodes dinner rolls, thawed
1 can Hormel Roast Beef Hash
some kind of cheese
garlic salt butter muffin tin

1. Prepare a 6-well muffin pan with butter. Set aside.
   
2. Heat oven to 375º.
   
3. Flatten a dough ball and fit it into the muffin pan.
   
4. Fill it halfway with the roast beef hash.
   
5. Press in a chunk of cheese.
   
6. Smile a little while thinking about the cheese...
   
7. Fill the rest of the way with roast beef hash.
   
8. Continue until they are all filled. Place pan on cookie sheet, in case it wants to overflow the cheese, and bake for 17-20 minutes, or until the edges of the bread cup look a little browned.
   
9. Smile again. But wait for these to cool a little before you try to eat them or else you will burn your mouth something fierce.
   

Yummy melty cheese center:









LINKYS:
Bob @ cookingstuff
Rhodes Bread
Hormel Roast Beef Hash

Chocolate Raspberry Coffee Cake

This was actually the result of an accident. Casey had not shut the freezer all the way, and the next morning I found a package of frozen raspberries to be no longer frozen. Being too delicate to re-freeze (which would result in a solid lump of goo) I looked through the pantry to figure out how to make use of them. Here's what happened...

Chocolate Raspberry Coffee Cake

1 Jiffy white cake mix
2 T. dark chocolate cocoa
1 pkg. frozen raspberries, THAWED

1. Mix the cake batter according to the package instructions.
   
2. Pour into a buttered 11x7 baking pan.
3. Sprinkle or sift cocoa on top of cake batter.
4. Swirl with a knife or spoon to sort of marble the batter a little.
5. Drop spoonfuls of raspberries around the cake, distributing as evenly as possible.
6. Bake according to instructions on package.
   
7. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

random amusement and a pork fajita

This is a quick dinner I made one night with the leftover unused portion of the pork tenderloin (which I had made into BBQ). I highly recommend pork tenderloin for fajitas. It's called "tender" loin for a reason. Sautee it with some onions and a little seasoning. Slap it on a tortilla and add tomato. Yum!

The yellow tomato was grown in my own garden. If you've never tasted a yellow tomato, you're missing out. They are a lot less acidic than your standard red tomato. And very sweet.

Thanks to Brenda who had given me several tomato plants at the garden party; plants which had no tags, so she didn't know what she was giving me. Very much appreciated!

BBQ Pork

I made this a few weeks ago, and just had not written up the recipe. Then I couldn't remember what I'd done. This is my best recollection of how it went. For some reason, I was afraid the sugar in the BBQ sauce would make my pressure cooker explode, so I added it after cooking the meat.

BBQ Pork in the pressure cooker

1 pork tenderloin, cut into cubes
salt (to season the meat)
2 c. baby carrots
1 sweet onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 T. olive oil
4 cloves garlic pressed/minced
1/2 c. barbecue sauce

1. Brown onion and celery in pan with olive oil.
2. Add lightly salted meat and sear/brown for a few minutes. Add garlic and stir swiftly; drop in carrots.
3. Fill pot with enough water to just cover the meat, and turn up heat.
4. Bring to a boil, then place lid on pressure cooker. Bring up to pressure and allow to cook for 35-45 minutes.
5. Remove from heat, cool pot under running water until seal releases. Return pot to stove.
6. Open lid carefully and stir contents. Mix in BBQ sauce and break up chunks of meat with spoon.
7. Serve over rice, or on a hoagie roll.

Apple Bran Waffles

Aw, how sweet, huh? Heart-shaped waffles. I've had this waffle iron forever, and I love to use it. Recently, I made some waffles using a Bob's Red Mill muffin mix. Had to fudge the ingredient ratios, but this is what I eventually came up with:

Waffles using Spice Apple Bran Muffin Mix (Bob's Red Mill brand)

1 1/2 c. Spice Apple Bran Muffin Mix
1/2 c. flour
2 eggs
2 T. oil
2/3 c. water

Whisk all ingredients together. Allow to stand for 5 minutes.
Prepare waffle iron. Follow manufacturer's instructions, using the batter.




















http://www.bobsredmill.com/