July 4th Food and Fun!

Ah yes, the 4th of July...Independence Day. We celebrated with a small party of 5. The menu included Pheasant Under Glass, Duchesse Potatoes, Baby Asparagus with White Truffle Sauce, and.....

Wait a minute! Are you kidding me? We had Patriotic Food!!

Grilled hot dogs, Homemade Chili, Multi-Colored Cole Slaw and Stuffed Mushrooms. Are stuffed mushrooms patriotic? Well...they are now!

Yeah, that's what I'm talkin' about! Good ol' hot dogs on "white-trash" buns! Grilled some white-trash wieners, too. Why white-trash? Well, I've been accused of being white trash once or twice, so why not have a little fun with it?

Here are the stars of our show: Some Johnsonville sausages with cheddar cheese, turkey franks, white-trash wieners and really skinny pork sausages. I think the skinny sausages were made in Bellville but I can't swear to it. I didn't see the package. Four kinds of dogs to decorate our buns. Now that's "eatin' nasty!" WOO!

Here's the Johnsonville package. I wanted to post it because it has a personal pet peeve. "Beddar with Cheddar."

This is part of a big problem in America. Companies enjoy using misspelled words to sell products because they feel it is cute or catchy. Well, it contributes to the "dumbing-down" of America. That is my opinion. It may have been cute in the beginning (and that is debatable), but so many companies have resorted to this tactic that it really isn't cute anymore.

That was my only gripe of the day. I don't want to go on and on about it here, but I had to mention it. I just don't want to see America end up like the America in "Idiocracy." Ever see that movie? Sheesh!! It's more accurate than it should be!!

Have a fabulous day and as always....Happy Eating!! :)

My Cousin Suffers from "FIAS"-Food Ingredient Avoidance Syndrome

My cousin cracks me up sometimes. When it comes to food, she can be like a little kid. Remember "Mikey?" Yeah, she's like that. She hates everything. I don't dare tell her what ingredients I'm going to use. On Tuesday, everyone wanted spaghetti and meatballs for supper. My cousin asked me about the meatballs:

E.J.: "Do they have onions in them?"

Me: "Yes."

E.J.: "Ughhhh!"

Me: "...and garlic and parmesan cheese, too."

E.J.: "Ughhhhh!"

I flipped through the recipe rolodex in my mind, searching for something she may have eaten that had parmesan cheese.

Me: "Have you ever eaten Fettuccine Alfredo?"

E.J.: "Is that the stuff with the white sauce?"

Me: "Yes. It has parmesan in it. Did you like it?"

E.J.: "I guess."

Me: ".......*sigh*........well, if you cook savory food you have to use those ingredients. Otherwise, what's the point?"

E.J.: "Yeah, true."

Me: "Okay, I will leave some meatballs plain. How's that?"

E.J.: "Okay."

So I lied. I didn't leave any of them plain. And you know what? She loved them! She ate all of her meal right down to the plate bone. I asked her how many points I got. She said, "10."

I could tell she wasn't fibbing because she really ate as if she was enjoying the food, rather than forcing it down. Plus, when she doesn't like something, she'll pick it out of her food. None of that occurred. All I can say is: Yay!!

Homemade meatballs and homemade sauce. The spaghetti wasn't homemade, but it was imported from Italy. That's the next best thing to having homemade pasta. Italy knows pasta. (Yeah, I know, "DUH!")

Seriously, American pasta just can't hold a candle. Sure, you can boil the hell out of any pasta and ruin it, but Italian pasta holds together a lot better and it can take some abuse before it gives up the goat.

American pasta is processed differently and if you overcook it for even a few extra seconds, you're screwed. You have pasta earthworms. Just as well throw it out to the chickens. Always use Italian pasta. It's the "Terminator" of pastas. (If you don't know what that means, then go rent "The Terminator," starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. In fact, rent them all.)

Of course, we had to have garlic bread. I made some "Cheater Garlic Bread." This is the recipe I use when I want to make garlic bread faster. It's a good recipe, which uses garlic powder instead of fresh garlic. Since my back told me I was about done in the kitchen after I made the meatballs and sauce, Cheater Garlic Bread was definitely the way to go on Tuesday night.

Wednesday is the 4th of July, so have a wonderful holiday!

Another One from the Vaults...

I found our beautiful rooster! He was created by the same team that created the "live dough" heart (see previous post). This guy was created with "dead dough." What's the difference? I'll talk about that more in the future. Stay tuned!

Have a great day, Everyone, and Happy Eating! :)

One from the Vaults...

Here's a charming heart created by my team during our "Artisan Breads" class, circa 2010. We made a heart with "live" dough and a rooster with "dead" dough. I'll have to dig him up and post him, too. Our team: me- (Michele),  Korey Nerio, Elora Cavazos and Yasmine Marquez. We were one of the best teams of that semester, IMO.

Let's Talk About Food...

What I really want to do is encourage people of all ages, regardless of gender, to cook! It's become a habit for many people (especially Americans) to embrace "convenience food." Unfortunately, most convenience food contains a lot of junk that is bad for your health (and frankly, some of it doesn't even qualify as food in my book).

America has a problem with obesity. This is a touchy subject but I have to comment on this here. There is more than one reason for this. Some like to blame technology for causing us live a more sedentary lifestyle. That's part of the reason, but another big one is what we choose to eat.

Fast food is convenient. Okay, sure. It is also cheaper. Wait...is it? Is it really? How much does a burger, fries and a drink cost these days, for one person? Suppose that person has a family of 4, so you have to multiply that amount. Even if you have children young enough for a "kid's meal" menu item, it is still an insane amount of money to pay for a meal.

You can make meals at home that are fast and cost far less. You might even have leftovers you can use for lunch the next day.

What? You can't cook? Bull-pucky! Anyone can cook! You don't have to be a rocket scientist and you don't need a degree to cook. Some of the best cooks the world has ever seen were never classically trained.

Once you understand the fundamentals, you can cook anything. Don't let anyone tell you any different. Even if you have developed the belief that you can't cook: well, change that belief, dang it, because YOU CAN!

Cooking is a very rewarding experience. It's great for you and for your family, too. Your children will never forget the great meals that were created for them with your hands. Get the children involved, too. Learning to cook will really stimulate them intellectually as well as emotionally.

Forget about fancy, it doesn't have to be fancy to be good. Some of the best recipes are made using very few ingredients. 

So let's get out in that kitchen and get cooking! I'll have more on this later. Right now, how about I whip up some haricots et pain de maïs for supper? If you like beans and cornbread, you're in for a real treat! 


Happy Eating! 

Party with the Postal Peeps!

Yesterday was my Mom's retirement party from the U.S. Post Office, yay! No more working in the blistering Texas heat! Was there food involved? You bet! The party was at Clay's on Clay Road in Houston. If you just drive by and see the sign, you'd never guess what's inside.

The building used to be a little more than a "shack," according to a regular patron, and the owners have added extra rooms over the years. It reminds me of a story I enjoyed reading as a kid where the guy kept adding rooms to his house, all in one direction, until it was really, really long and it took days to get from one end to the other.

Clay's hasn't done it that way but walking inside is like walking into a maze. I found the post office people because they were the loudest. It's amazing that they could still have that much energy after working outside in the heat!

If you live in or near Houston or you're visiting, Clay's is a nice place for lunch or dinner. It's a family oriented establishment, and they have a petting zoo outside, too. Sometimes the zoo inhabitants even visit the diners. Later in the evening, (we were there a really long time, the post office people talk A LOT!), one of the peacocks from the petting zoo jumped onto the porch, (Clay's outside eating area), trying to escape some rambunctious children.

Visit Clay's website here: 

Clay's 

I don't eat a lot of junk so I allow myself to indulge once in a while. I decided on Clay's catfish platter for my meal.

The catfish fillets were very good. I congratulate Clay's on finding the right supplier for these. They were nice and clean inside with no nasty "bloodline." (You know when you see a lot of gray matter in a fillet that it wasn't cleaned well. Lower quality fillets are famous for this. Yes, they're cheaper but who wants to eat that crap? Not me!) The breading was very crisp but it was plain, not spicy. If I had to take an educated guess, I'd say these fillets were not breaded on site. There's nothing wrong with buying pre-breaded fillets for your restaurant, though. Again, as long as they are of good quality.

I have to say that the fillets were the best thing about this catfish platter. The fried okra was average, also pre-breaded, I'm sure. The hush puppies should have spent a few more minutes swimming in the fryer--they weren't cooked all the way through. They were still edible and not so raw that they needed to be sent back, though.

The tartar sauce was nothing to write home about. It is probably not made on the premises. For a busy restaurant like Clay's, I'm sure that purchasing pre-made tartar sauce is much more economical.

And now on to the coleslaw.......*sigh*........ The coleslaw was the most disappointing thing about the catfish platter. It had absolutely NO zing at all. Bland as bland can be. It looked pretty, and there was even the extra added attraction of poppy seeds, but the flavor......nyeh. They need a new recipe or a new supplier. (The coleslaw could have very well been pre-made. I'm not certain about that one.) Don't get me wrong, I tried to like it. I tried to find some saving grace in this coleslaw. It just didn't happen. I couldn't even finish eating it.

All in all, the catfish platter was okay. If you visit Clay's and order it, don't order the coleslaw as a side dish. Get something else that's green if you want to add vegetables to your meal. Maybe a side salad.

I had reports from the postal party people about the hamburgers at Clay's. I was told they are really good. The one complaint that came up about the burgers was the patties. They used to be really thick but Clay's has "down-sized" the patties over the years. Everyone agreed that the flavor is still really good, though. You won't be screaming, "Where's the beef?" if you order a burger there. At least not yet.

Congratulations to my Mom on her retirement! Now she can write a book about what it was like working at the post office. From some of the things I've heard, though, if she does write a book...she may end up with a visit from the Men in Black!! :)

Happy Eating, Everybody! :)

Side Dish Scramble--You Can Do It!

Last night E.J. came over for supper. I had already started cooking...making a version of "smothered chicken" on top of the stove so I wouldn't heat up the house so much. There were six pieces, so that was plenty for 3 people.

I wanted to make sure we had plenty of side orders but the veggie bins were low, so I had to get creative. We were out of lettuce but we did have some red cabbage, (okay, it's purple, People, I don't care what the "proper name" is!), cucumbers and tomatoes.

I made a salad that looks like something out of a 1950's low budget sci-fi movie. It looks garish, but it tasted really good! It was completely consumed. Maybe the name for this impromptu salad should be: "Alien Pod Salad from Planet X," or something--

Alien Pod Salad from Planet X

 It looks awful...the colors are terrible. I didn't add shredded carrots because I didn't want to add to the garish look. Anyway...I used about 12 ounces of purple cabbage, shredded very finely; a few small tomatoes that the neighbor donated and 2 small cucumbers. 2 tablespoons of salad oil, 2-3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, a dash of water, salt and pepper.

I added the salt and pepper, vinegar, oil & water to the cabbage and tossed it like mad before adding the other ingredients. I think that's what made such a big difference in the flavor.

Next, I took about 1 cup of leftover rice pilaf and about 1 1/2 cups of black-eyed peas and made: "Not Quite Hoppin' John." (Because I didn't have all of the "required ingredients.") I sauteed about 1/4 cup of onions and the same amount of green bell peppers in a tiny amount of oil, then tossed in the rice before adding the peas. A little salt & pepper...couple of drops of Tabasco Sauce and it was done:

Not Quite Hoppin' John

The last extra dish was sauteed squash. It's pretty standard for this time of year when everyone has busloads of squash streaming out of the garden. Squash with every meal and prepared just about as many ways as Bubba Gump's shrimp recipe list.

There were about 3 yellow squash left in the bin, so I cut up about 1/4 of onions and bells (each). Saute onions and bells first--you can get a little brown on them, then toss in the squash. Saute for 3-5 minutes, season with salt and pepper.

I also added a couple of dashes of soy sauce. Sometimes squash can be a little bitter--(especially zucchini, but the others can be, too)--and soy sauce is great for reducing any bitter flavor. (Sometimes folks use vinegar for that but if I'm sauteing squash, I don't want vinegar in it).

Cover the squash and cook on low for about 8-10 minutes. This depends on how you like the texture of your squash, really. If you like it soft, cook it longer. I always enjoy it when it's still a bit crisp. Don't add any extra water. The squash will provide plenty on its own.

Sauteed Squash

This one disappeared quickly, too. That was an amazing feat because our guest, E.J. doesn't like onions. I knew that when I made it but I was hoping she'd eat it anyway. She did, onions and all.

That was a fun adventure in the kitchen on a Thursday evening. You never know what you might be able to pull out of your chef's hat when you're in a pinch.

Experiment! That's one of the joys of cooking. There are a lot of people who are afraid of cooking. Well, if I can offer any advice, I'll say: just keep it simple. It doesn't have to be "fancy-schmancy" to taste good. Look at cooking as an adventure instead of a chore. If you change your attitude about it to positive instead of negative, you'll have wonderful results!!

Happy Eating! It's the weekend....may you be blessed with many barbeques! :)