February (2022) already!

Cookin Lore · 1 February (2022) already! Wed Feb 02, 2022 11:48 am

Cookin Lore

Posts : 1317
Join date : 2019-10-26

It's the second, and nobody else has thought that it's a new month?

Son and DIL are coming for dinner. Son first to do a couple of "MAN" things for me, then we'll have dinner. Breaded and panfried chicken cutlets, oven roasted potatoes. Canned corn, red cabbage out of my freezer.

bethk · 2 Re: February (2022) already! Wed Feb 02, 2022 2:14 pm

bethk

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Geeze, how'd that slip past me????

Thanks for the heads-up, Lore!

I've got a big pot of chili going on the stove ~ started first thing this morning so I'll be all cleaned up and packed up when it's time for supper.

Cookin Lore · 3 Re: February (2022) already! Wed Feb 02, 2022 3:46 pm

Cookin Lore

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Happy to have thought of it.

bethk · 4 Re: February (2022) already! Wed Feb 02, 2022 6:12 pm

bethk

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I have to admit ~ I'm a foodie-blog junkie! Every now and then I just click on Imelda's or Norm's blog sites and just scroll through all their past posts.

I have to admit, Imelda's buns with salami & cheese are always a stopping place for me ~ and you KNOW I don't even like cheese! But her buns are so amazing to look at.

And don't get me started on Norm's bread baking expertise......I can almost TASTE and SMELL those loaves right off the computer screen!

So, thank you my friends ~ I won't lose any weight looking at your blogs but I sure do 'sigh' a lot!

bethk · 5 Re: February (2022) already! Wed Feb 02, 2022 7:28 pm

bethk

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Tonight's chili came out very tasty ~ the right amount of heat and good flavor from the home-grown peppers I picked to chop and add. I told Dane it was the very first time I've ever had to get the container of yogurt out when I taste tested a chili pepper. Whenever I pick his hot banana peppers for a dish I always taste a bit (very tiny bit....) to see if it's really hot or just flavorful hot. Well, this morning I had one that was HOT! I still used it but chopped it really small so it would mild itself while cooking.

But the longer I stood at the counter chopping the peppers the more my lip was burning.....finally I gave up and got my yogurt and held a spoonful ON my lip, hoping it would cool down the burn. LOL It was funny to me but painful all the same.

Whenever I think I have a hot chili I think of Imelda and her SCORCHING HOT THAI CHILI PEPPERS ~ way hotter than anything I can put in my mouth. LOL They're flavorful but a very little goes a long way to seasoning a dish!

Cookin Lore · 6 Re: February (2022) already! Thu Feb 03, 2022 11:46 am

Cookin Lore

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Join date : 2019-10-26

Chicken cutlets and roasted potatoes were, as always with my children, a resounding success. Leftovers, or planned overs, went home with them for today's and probably tomorrow's lunches. I kept some of the raw chicken to make a stir fry for my supper tonight. Some veggies in te fridge need to be used up...

bethk · 7 Re: February (2022) already! Thu Feb 03, 2022 6:42 pm

bethk

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I'm reheating leftovers so there won't be any pics tonight......

Dane got his choice by picking first ~ he's just lucky the one thing I wanted was not the same as he wanted......

LOL

bethk · 8 Re: February (2022) already! Fri Feb 04, 2022 9:47 am

bethk

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From Lore:

"Dinner Tonight. Stir fry of red pepper, noons, snap peas, broccoli. Shrimp and scallops finished with cream. What I don’t get is when I see pictures in magazines and cookbooks everything is so colourful. My colour went away when I heated up the cream. But it was really good!"

bethk · 9 Re: February (2022) already! Fri Feb 04, 2022 9:49 am

bethk

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Looks good & tasty, Lore.

Don't worry about trying for 'magazine' photos. Most of the time the photos you see are enhanced with special effects, rinsing of vegetables or adding touches with non-edible items.

Cookin Lore · 10 Re: February (2022) already! Fri Feb 04, 2022 12:06 pm

Cookin Lore

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bethk wrote:Looks good & tasty, Lore.

Don't worry about trying for 'magazine' photos. Most of the time the photos you see are enhanced with special effects, rinsing of vegetables or adding touches with non-edible items.

Thanks.................... I actually basically knew that. Many years ago, my recipe for rabbit was featured in a Rabbit growers magazine, and they sent a photographer and food stylist to take the pictures. By the time they were happy with the picture, I surely didn't want to eat it any more. LOL
I understand that Giada De Laurentis started out as a food stylist!

bethk · 11 Re: February (2022) already! Fri Feb 04, 2022 4:07 pm

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I had a small zucchili in the drawer, not enough for a meal, so I decided to play around with some zucchini chips. I've made them before, but with a larger zucchini and I remember I liked them.

Well, the small size, cut too thin, just wasn't worth the effort, not the time, not the wasted parchment paper, not the 20 or so minutes in a 400° oven ~ took me about 3 minutes to eat them all.

bethk · 12 Re: February (2022) already! Fri Feb 04, 2022 7:27 pm

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I made fish on the grill mat using the gas grill tonight. Those mats are SO convenient ~ they get hot enough to brown what you cook and nothing ever sticks or falls through the grates.

I had panko crusted grouper (Hellmann's Mayo slathered on the fish and then panko crumbs pressed on). I gave the fish a spritz of the olive oil spray to help with the browning. Dane had a nice piece of salmon ~ his favorite.

I love that all the smells of cooking fish (especially the oily salmon) is outside and I don't have to smell it all night, as well as first thing in the morning!

I microwaved a couple baby potatoes and finished them on the grill and steamed some 'fresh picked' green beans. I've got enough beans picked today to have another meal so I think I'll get some fresh corn to 'fry' them together sometime this weekend.

Cookin Lore · 13 Re: February (2022) already! Fri Feb 04, 2022 9:43 pm

Cookin Lore

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Join date : 2019-10-26

That sounds great, I love grouper and can't get it here very often. Had a late lunch with my son, the brewery owner! Now that sounds really grand. LOL He invested in a small local brewery, and they are in the midst of getting that going, including a brewpub! So, I had lunch at the construction site. There is a pizzeria next door, and they plan to have the pizzeria's menu available in the pub for their patrons.

Imelda HL · 14 Re: February (2022) already! Sat Feb 05, 2022 12:37 am

Imelda HL

Posts : 1397
Join date : 2013-05-09

bethk wrote:I have to admit ~ I'm a foodie-blog junkie! Every now and then I just click on Imelda's or Norm's blog sites and just scroll through all their past posts.

I have to admit, Imelda's buns with salami & cheese are always a stopping place for me ~ and you KNOW I don't even like cheese! But her buns are so amazing to look at.

And don't get me started on Norm's bread baking expertise......I can almost TASTE and SMELL those loaves right off the computer screen!

So, thank you my friends ~ I won't lose any weight looking at your blogs but I sure do 'sigh' a lot!

I like to have them handy, whenever I ran out of idea what to cook, I just offered them sandwiches which they gladly accepted. I have bunch of dried salami, ham and cheese, I also have flour tortilla on my counter to be eaten as light supper or late night snacks

Imelda HL · 15 Re: February (2022) already! Sat Feb 05, 2022 12:49 am

Imelda HL

Posts : 1397
Join date : 2013-05-09

I did not have any idea what for dinner today, Beth's New England Boiled Dinner was on my mind, by the time I went to the kitchen, I changed my mind, I made soup instead, with the same ingredients, I needed to use up my beef broth that I had in my fridge, so here our lunch with some Premium crackers.

Now, what's on the menu tomorrow?

NormM · 16 Re: February (2022) already! Sat Feb 05, 2022 9:57 am

NormM

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This was last nights dinner

bethk · 17 Re: February (2022) already! Sat Feb 05, 2022 8:18 pm

bethk

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It was overcast, cool and just plain nasty most of the day ~ after yesterday's beautiful weather it was a real downer to get up to cooler temperatures and grey skies.

So, I decided to make a comfort meal ~ Smoked Sausage & Cabbage, with a side of simple boiled potatoes.

I just did a series of pics because I was bored and needed something to entertain myself ~ so I'll just post them and not bore you with the details.........

bethk · 18 Re: February (2022) already! Sun Feb 06, 2022 12:32 pm

bethk

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Neighbor Darlene bought a 2-Pack of this Johnsonville Sliced Sausage (pre-cooked) at Sam's Club and decided she didn't want it after all so she gave one pack to me.

I decided to give it a test this morning and offered to make an Egg & Sausage Breakfast Sandwich for Dane. He's my usual guinea pig when it comes to new foods.....normally I don't mention to him that I've never tried/made something when I give it to him to eat. But this was a noticeable difference from bacon and I knew he'd notice. LOL

The package directions offer a few different ways to heat it up, I opted for 'frying' on a griddle with just a tiny bit of oil (which is normal when I use my cast iron). There wasn't a huge amount of fat when lightly browned so that was nice.

It did, strangely, taste a lot LIKE bacon. I was expecting it to taste more like the sausage patties.

I don't know that I would buy it again, we just don't eat that much sausage. But if you're a 'sausage lover' this would be perfectly good to use. I think it might be something useful if you wanted to chop it to mix into a breakfast casserole or the little 'eggs in a muffin tin' breakfast.

bethk · 19 Re: February (2022) already! Sun Feb 06, 2022 5:03 pm

bethk

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I went to Sam's Club because I'm hungry for baby back ribs and theirs are the nicest I can find ~ always meaty and not huge chunks of fat. I also picked up a package of nice looking rib eye steaks (because of Norm's pic that made my mouth water.....) and I just wrapped them and put them in the freezer since it's not nice enough to grill with charcoal tonight.

It's been cool and rainy for the second day in a row~I'm ready for sunshine to return!

After I got the steaks stashed in the freezer I decided I really didn't want to make the ribs tonight after all. So, we're going out. Dane decided he wants to go to Farmshed so that's where we'll go. We always have a nice meal there and the service is good.

I love deciding at the last minute that I don't HAVE to cook if I'm just not in the mood.

bethk · 20 Re: February (2022) already! Sun Feb 06, 2022 7:50 pm

bethk

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Well, we've taken one of our favorite restaurants out of our choices. After tonight's disappointing supper we won't be going back. All we can figure out is the staff in the kitchen & bar have turned over and the help is now sub-par.

I had ordered a Bloody Mary ~ I've had it multiple times there and always enjoyed it. Tonight some sort of pickle juice was added.....it kind of tasted like pickled okra....but did not go well with the mix they used. I couldn't drink it.

Dane ordered the burger with Swiss cheese. It came cooked to rare as requested but was missing the cheese. That wouldn't have been horrible......BUT, as he was eating he got a bite of half a wooden pick used to mark the doneness of the burger ~ close to breaking a tooth, I think. That was the end of his meal. He was done.

They used to serve fresh potato French fries ~ tonight's definitely tasted like frozen potatoes.

I ordered the 'Bama Fried Chicken Thighs. The chicken was good but the side of collards was terrible.

So, two bad meals ends it for us. We're not ones to complain USUALLY, but we did let the waitress know about the problem with the burger and it was removed from the bill. I let the rest slide and knew we won't return to see if they can get their act back together.

We have enough choices around us that one disappointing restaurant won't keep us from going other places when I don't feel like cooking.

bethk · 21 Re: February (2022) already! Sun Feb 06, 2022 10:34 pm

bethk

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From Lore:

"Dinner Tonight. I did a sheet pan of veggies, noon,pepper, mushrooms and potato slices. Another pan with a small NY strip steak. All done in about 15 minutes using the air fry feature in my oven . 425 degrees F. Veggies are enough for tomorrow too!"

Imelda HL · 22 Re: February (2022) already! Sun Feb 06, 2022 11:01 pm

Imelda HL

Posts : 1397
Join date : 2013-05-09

bethk wrote:Neighbor Darlene bought a 2-Pack of this Johnsonville Sliced Sausage (pre-cooked) at Sam's Club and decided she didn't want it after all so she gave one pack to me.

I decided to give it a test this morning and offered to make an Egg & Sausage Breakfast Sandwich for Dane. He's my usual guinea pig when it comes to new foods.....normally I don't mention to him that I've never tried/made something when I give it to him to eat. But this was a noticeable difference from bacon and I knew he'd notice. LOL

The package directions offer a few different ways to heat it up, I opted for 'frying' on a griddle with just a tiny bit of oil (which is normal when I use my cast iron). There wasn't a huge amount of fat when lightly browned so that was nice.

It did, strangely, taste a lot LIKE bacon. I was expecting it to taste more like the sausage patties.

I don't know that I would buy it again, we just don't eat that much sausage. But if you're a 'sausage lover' this would be perfectly good to use. I think it might be something useful if you wanted to chop it to mix into a breakfast casserole or the little 'eggs in a muffin tin' breakfast.

I bought it once and used it as my sandwich roll filling, I don't think D knew the difference

No cooking today, a friend from my country came visiting AZ, so we drove to Chandler, 200 miles roundtrip to take her and her family out for lunch, whenever I visited my country, she'd treat me lunch, send me goodies, so generous, so today our turn to treat her. We went to Famous Dave to have American BBQ, food was okay, but I was happy when I saw them enjoying so much.

Cookin Lore · 23 Re: February (2022) already! Mon Feb 07, 2022 11:24 am

Cookin Lore

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Join date : 2019-10-26

bethk wrote:From Lore:

"Dinner Tonight. I did a sheet pan of veggies, onion,pepper, mushrooms and potato slices. Another pan with a small NY strip steak. All done in about 15 minutes using the air fry feature in my oven . 425 degrees F. Veggies are enough for tomorrow too!"

PS to my pictures................. that disgusting looking white smear on the steak was a horseradish sauce out of a jar. It was actually not bad, but plain horseradish would have been much better. Live, learn and save money! LOL Or, at least put the sauce "on the side" so that it doesn't spoil the look of the perfectly done steak. I am really enjoying that air fry feature in my new oven. I can understand the popularity of a countertop air fryer, but I have limited countertop space. Don't want another space taking gadget.

bethk · 24 Re: February (2022) already! Mon Feb 07, 2022 11:55 am

bethk

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Cookin Lore wrote: I am really enjoying that air fry feature in my new oven. I can understand the popularity of a countertop air fryer, but I have limited countertop space. Don't want another space taking gadget.

I, too, have an amazing convection feature in my oven ~ I see absolutely no reason to purchase another 'counter space hog' to sit (or have to be stored) for use once in a while.

When I baked my chicken wings, using the method Norm suggested (Alton Brown steamed wings), they came out crispy and very good.

I love to use the sheet pan for vegetables. Some favorites are cauliflower, zucchini, carrots & parsnips ~ and ONIONS! Onions get nice and sweet with charred bits on the edges when you cut them into wedges. I just use a bit of olive oil and usually just s&p for seasoning, although I have been known to add some red pepper flakes or a shake of Cajun seasoning when we want a bit of spice.

I don't usually pay any attention to the recommended temperatures on the charts that you find floating around the internet. I usually go with a nice hot oven (450°) and just check for the color I want. Many times the food doesn't even require a flip to get done and brown.

Cookin Lore · 25 Re: February (2022) already! Mon Feb 07, 2022 12:30 pm

Cookin Lore

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Join date : 2019-10-26

This is my third stove/oven with convection. The fan comes on all the time on very low when in bake mode. When I do the air fry feature, the fan goes on stronger, that's basically the difference. I have found also that my vegetables get crisp/tender better in the sheet pan in the picture than if I use a ceramic/glass pan with higher sides. Biggest problem is that I basically do not like scrubbing pans.................. and my dish washer gets the ceramic/glass sparkling clean, and the aluminum one has to be hand scrubbed. Or, I may just leave it, and when it gets too disgusting for me, I'll throw it away.

PS on edit. There is an air fry thing available for my oven, but it is basically a basket to stand in the oven, and you have to put a sheet pan under it to catch any drips. I think that would mean that stuff doesn't need to be turned because the hot air gets to the bottom also. I don't care, I'm fine with having some crispy bits, don't need more.

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February (2022) already!

1 February (2022) already! Wed Feb 02, 2022 11:48 am

Cookin Lore

2 Re: February (2022) already! Wed Feb 02, 2022 2:14 pm

bethk

3 Re: February (2022) already! Wed Feb 02, 2022 3:46 pm

Cookin Lore

4 Re: February (2022) already! Wed Feb 02, 2022 6:12 pm

bethk

5 Re: February (2022) already! Wed Feb 02, 2022 7:28 pm

bethk

6 Re: February (2022) already! Thu Feb 03, 2022 11:46 am

Cookin Lore

7 Re: February (2022) already! Thu Feb 03, 2022 6:42 pm

bethk

8 Re: February (2022) already! Fri Feb 04, 2022 9:47 am

bethk

9 Re: February (2022) already! Fri Feb 04, 2022 9:49 am

bethk

10 Re: February (2022) already! Fri Feb 04, 2022 12:06 pm

Cookin Lore

11 Re: February (2022) already! Fri Feb 04, 2022 4:07 pm

bethk

12 Re: February (2022) already! Fri Feb 04, 2022 7:27 pm

bethk

13 Re: February (2022) already! Fri Feb 04, 2022 9:43 pm

Cookin Lore

14 Re: February (2022) already! Sat Feb 05, 2022 12:37 am

Imelda HL

15 Re: February (2022) already! Sat Feb 05, 2022 12:49 am

Imelda HL

16 Re: February (2022) already! Sat Feb 05, 2022 9:57 am

NormM

17 Re: February (2022) already! Sat Feb 05, 2022 8:18 pm

bethk

18 Re: February (2022) already! Sun Feb 06, 2022 12:32 pm

bethk

19 Re: February (2022) already! Sun Feb 06, 2022 5:03 pm

bethk

20 Re: February (2022) already! Sun Feb 06, 2022 7:50 pm

bethk

21 Re: February (2022) already! Sun Feb 06, 2022 10:34 pm

bethk

22 Re: February (2022) already! Sun Feb 06, 2022 11:01 pm

Imelda HL

23 Re: February (2022) already! Mon Feb 07, 2022 11:24 am

Cookin Lore

24 Re: February (2022) already! Mon Feb 07, 2022 11:55 am

bethk

25 Re: February (2022) already! Mon Feb 07, 2022 12:30 pm

Cookin Lore

26 Re: February (2022) already!

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