April 2020 Is the world playing an April Fools' Joke on us all?

Boy, I just love it when I compose a dish in my head and it comes out tasting just as I planned!  Actually, this was one of the best meals I've made lately.....well, as good as the prime ribeye....that one was pretty darn tasty, too.  LOL

I've been perusing recipes for Asian Ribs, thinking I wanted to do a braise like I did years ago with regular BBQ ribs.  But those were braised until just tender in a stock with vegetables and when we were ready to eat they were browned on the grill and slathered with BBQ sauce.  But I wanted the pork to have more 'cooked-in' flavor so I made my braising liquid with many of the same ingredients I use when I make Norm's Kalbi recipe.

I didn't write anything down (no big surprise there for me, huh?) but it's a sweet soy based sauce.  I grated an apple, microplaned about 1-1/2" fresh ginger, added a good spoonful of the chili garlic sauce, some brown sugar, a bit of Karo syrup, sesame oil, some sherry....and probably other stuff that I'm not thinking of right now. Oh, a finely minced onion.  Yeah, I think that was about it.  I added enough water to come about halfway up the meat and just let it simmer slowly for about an hour or so.  It wasn't 'falling-off-the-bone' tender then, but still had some pull to the meat on the bones.

I put the ribs in a casserole dish and strained the braising liquid into a fat-separator to get rid of the solids and then I boiled the braising liquid down to make a basting sauce.  When I tasted it I thought it was really thick and too strong tasting (salty, too) so I added a big spoonful of orange marmalade to balance out some of the saltiness and a good splash of water to thin it out some.  And that worked for my taste.  

I put the ribs in a low oven and basted them a couple times with the basting sauce, no lid on ~ so they would get glazed a bit and dry out some.

I made a salad of napa cabbage, slivered sugar snap peas, carrots & green onions.  I just threw together a light dressing with grapeseed oil, rice vinegar, mirin, honey and a touch of sesame oil and soy sauce.  It's one I make often and it's never quite the same but always a familiar taste.  I like that it's light and a little bit flavors the salad nicely without sticking too much.  I sprinkled the salad with my favorite La Choy Rice Noodles ~ I've loved those things my whole life!  LOL

I finished it all with some sticky rice, which I think I got right this time.  I adjusted my amounts to 1 c. rice and 1-1/2 c. water with a tsp. of salt.  I make it in the microwave and never have to worry about having burned rice (or a pan to scrub!).  When I put the rice, water & salt in a Pyrex casserole dish (with a lid) I put the microwave on high for 3 minutes to bring it to a boil.  Then I change the power for the next 13 minutes to 30% power.  When the time's up I fluff it with a fork and put the lid back on and let it sit for at least 5 minutes.

Crybaby wrote:I was under the weather Tuesday and yesterday, nauseated and the results of that until I could take one of my pills for nausea. I had to laugh because I never realized I'd be glad to be not feeling well and experiencing nausea but I was tickled pink it's not a cornonavirus symptom!!

Only YOU could find a 'bright spot' when feeling queezy.

((Not ME ~ ~ I'm a whinnnnnnner))

The surgery center called three times to set up the appointment and make sure I knew everything they wanted me to know and do and to make sure that they had everything from me. The wanted me to be there at 6:30 am and said they would not let me go home with an Uber. It had to be someone responsible. I got all my pills arranged so I'd be taking just the ones they wanted me to take and Charlie took the day off so he can come and get me and I felt bad that he'd have to get up before 5:30. So I am all set then the doctors office said they changed my appointment to Monday at 10:am so I would not have to get up so early. Nice of them to be thoughtful, it would have been nicer if they did it in the first place and I didn't have to get everything changed around.

Norm, Good luck on Monday!

Thanks

Tina made this fish fillet and set it down; saying,"Here! Show everyone on the forum how nice I feed you!"




And I had a Dairy Queen hot butterscotch Sundae after I ate.

Did you say you didn't want any green beans and she insisted you eat FOUR ???

Actually, it's pretty cool you got something you like instead of the bowl of barley soup you didn't want.

You're one lucky guy, that's for sure!

I made a sandwich with a Georgia biscuit, Hillbelly sausage and an egg. Yesterday when I had the sausage by itself, I thought the cinnamon was a little too much but when it is mixed with other food like I did today, it is perfect.

I've got pork steak thawed and a butternut squash cut in half to roast. It'll probably be the same braised pork I usually make ~ no sense in changing it if it's something we both like. And for some reason I'm hungry for frozen mixed vegetables.....no idea where that came from. I hope I have some in the freezer. I've got the same salad from last night ~ put half in a bag before it was dressed because I knew it was too much for one meal.

So, that's about it.

Feel good story:

I just got a call from one of our neighbors who, apparently, is quite the seamstress.  She's using her leftover fabric to make face masks for anyone in our neighborhood who feels they need one.  She called me because I'm the president of our neighborhood social club and I have everyone set up on a group e-mail list.

I dropped off a box of plastic sandwich bags for her to put them in ~ she's just putting them on a tray outside her door.  I had extra bags and thought it might be nice for her not to have to use additional supplies since she's so generously making the masks free of charge.

It just goes to show that when the going gets tough, the tough get going!

Tonight's supper:

bethk wrote:Feel good story:

I just got a call from one of our neighbors who, apparently, is quite the seamstress.  She's using her leftover fabric to make face masks for anyone in our neighborhood who feels they need one.  She called me because I'm the president of our neighborhood social club and I have everyone set up on a group e-mail list.

I dropped off a box of plastic sandwich bags for her to put them in ~ she's just putting them on a tray outside her door.  I had extra bags and thought it might be nice for her not to have to use additional supplies since she's so generously making the masks free of charge.

It just goes to show that when the going gets tough, the tough get going!

I've been looking at patterns on the net also regarding masks. I need some elastic though. Grocery stores here are still open, so I will see tomorrow if our Walmart is considered a grocery store, because they do sell them. If I can find some elastic, I will make some masks also. I have lots of fabric.

My sons, at this time, are still working on a couple of construction projects, but they will be closed down shortly also. Both daughters-in-law are working mostly from home. We are very fortunate, missing a paycheck for a few weeks is not going to be disastrous. I just hope everyone stays safe.

Lore, if you cannot find elastic (it seems to be in short supply around here) I've seen hair ponytail holders used instead. Sometimes you can find huge packages for inexpensive amounts.....

Thanks, but if I can't find elastic, then ponytail holders will probably be elusive also.. Only grocery stores are open here as they are considered an essential service, like liquor stores etc,! LOL

Just wearing a scarf or bandana tied in back like a cowboy would wear during a dust storm is adequate.

I just saw a video where a pair of men's jockey shorts were used. Pretty clever.

We just had a quake. 4.9. Epicenter about 30 miles away. That's all I need is a major quake, but thankfully this wasn't one.

I made one last night, using one of my many cotton napkins using rubber bands.

I have been using the N95 mask. It is a miserable experience. The elastic keeps slipping on my hair, pulling it out. It smashes the top of my nose and steams up my glasses. Plus I feel like I can't breathe while wearing one. Then there are gaps along the edges allowing all kinds of evil cooties entrance to my nasal passages. I am still gratefull to have them. We spray them down with Lysol after we use them. I am thinking about making some cloth ones that fit better and wear them under my N95. Better yet - use painers tape along the edges to make a gap-proof seal.

I was going to order from Costco online but they are out of everything.

I am going to pull out a frozen turkey and let it defrost in the fridge. We will have it for easter. We might be forced to use instant mashed potatoes.

I used last night's leftover butternut squash to make a pot of butternut soup for my 'brunch' today.  Truth be told, the soup is the reason I bought the squash in the first place.  You know how you get hungry for something ~ and you're not happy until you have it?  Well, that's where I was with that soup.

I sauteed a chopped onion in a little butter and seasoned the pot with freshly grated nutmeg, some chili powder, some 'Dixie Dust' (gives a bit of spice with the cayenne that's in it) and a drizzle of maple syrup (just a bit).  When the onion was really soft I put in the leftover squash (just to take the chill off) and a little vegetable broth to thin it all down a bit.

Then, since I don't own a blender, I pushed it all through my OXO Food Mill ~ using the small sieve.  Then everything went back into the pot to reheat with the rest of the box of vegetable broth.  I have to say, I usually make butternut soup with chicken stock but it was so much better tasting with the vegetable broth.

When it was hot I couldn't wait to have a bowl ~ I added a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of toasted sunflower seeds ~ because I don't have any pumpkin seeds.

And now I'm happy ~ ~ grinning from ear to ear.  When my soup cools down I'll put it into a jar to stash in the refrigerator for lunch for tomorrow and the next day, too.  I know it'll all be mine because 'HE' doesn't care for it.  ((not sad about that at all!))

Tonight's menu suggestion came from Dane. Well, actually, he suggested 'Southern Fried Chicken'. Thank goodness I didn't have a whole chicken handy. (I hate to deep fry ANYTHING, even if I do it outside.) So, I said I had wings in the freezer. He thought that was a good alternative.

I've seen that recipe all over the internet for 'Crash Potatoes' ~ and finally decided to give them a try. You slice potatoes in thick slices and roll them around in some melted butter seasoned with fresh thyme and s&p. Then you put them on a sheet pan and roast at 500° for about 20 minutes, flipping halfway so both sides brown. Then you add about 1/4 c. of stock (I used chicken 'cause that's what I had) and let them roast until the stock is absorbed. They come out of the oven crispy on the outside and really soft and creamy on the inside.

I also roasted the leftover green beans from the other night topped with a tray of sliced crimini mushrooms. (NOT Jimmy's favorite, I'm sure) We love 'em!

The wings were done on the gas grill ~ at first on a foil lined tray to render off the fat and then browned on the grates. His drummies got his favorite spicy sauce and mine got put back on the tray and brushed with some sweet chili sauce. No way did I want THAT burning on the grates!