|
Post by Phalon on Aug 17, 2015 6:32:51 GMT -6
I cooked one of Crazy Cheryl's chickens the other day (after wrestling with the mammoth thing to skin it; I need to get a good pair of kitchen shears). It was a big bird - we had BBQ Chicken sandwiches one night, 'Q's It's the Shit' chicken salad the next, and there's enough left for chicken and rice tonight.
Based on your recipe, Stepper, you'd probably turn your nose up and how I fix chicken and rice - as I said, it's usually a quick-fix meal. Just 5 minute rice cooked in broth...
...sounds way too salty for my tastes; I use low-sodium broth, or in tonight's case, stock from cooking the chicken. Throw in already cooked chicken and a bunch of vegies.....lately including, of course, kale.
I'm pleased, and actually pleasantly surprised at how much the family is liking kale (if it's crushed under cold water - I usually do it, by tearing it into small pieces - it loses its bitterness). Hubs likes it cooked in dishes; BP likes kale salads. LX likes it if she doesn't know she's eating it, because according to her, it like any other green leafy vegetable, "tastes like nature". "What's this green stuff on the pizza?" "Kale." "Ewww...It tastes like nature."
"What's this green stuff in the chicken and rice?" "Uhm.....parsley." "Oh, it's really good."
Had a break from chicken last night, and took the kids out to dinner - which included our two, and LX's boyfriend; with her leaving for college, it's the last time we'll all be together for a while. A local restaurant that, in my opinion, has the best burgers in town - I had their Southwest burger, nice and bacony, and messy and dripping with cheese and chipotle sauce. The boyfriend pulled a slick one; excused himself to go to the restroom, and paid the bill. Really sweet guy; I will miss him not hanging around the house every weekend.
|
|
|
Post by stepper on Aug 17, 2015 22:33:52 GMT -6
Yeah, that would surprise me too.
Not necessarily - so long as you don't pollute it with certain unmentionables...although I think you'd still want one of the soups for flavor.
I’m not a total snob – I’ve been known to snack on those microwave cups of rice that you nuke for a minute and they’re good to go.
|
|
|
Post by Phalon on Aug 18, 2015 6:45:56 GMT -6
That's what the broth or stock is for, especially the homemade stock. I cooked the chicken with onions, carrots, fresh rosemary, lemon thyme, a little salt and pepper, and threw half a lemon inside the bird; makes for a very flavorful stock.
I try to stay away from canned, and especially, dried soups as much has possible. They are sodium bombs. A quick drill says that a serving of canned cream of mushroom soup, for example, has nearly 2,000 mgs of sodium - over 80% of the recommended daily dose! Dried onion soup mix is the worst at almost 2,500 mgs. And you're adding more than one can/package? Don't mean to be preachy, Stepper, but it sounds like a heart-attack waiting to happen.
|
|
|
Post by stepper on Aug 18, 2015 17:45:30 GMT -6
That's how you make chicken taste like it's not chicken. If you have to hide the flavor, you need a different chicken! What happened to having a coup of your own? (I know - why do the work when you can get one from a friend. Actually, that's not a bad idea.) And before I forget, no kale additives?? Are you finally running out? See if I offer you a shot at my salt lick, ever. The eight nominees for 2015 Texas State Fair Food Awards have been announced. Included in the top eight is "Deep Fried Alligator’s Egg Nest", and one drink that you must be at least eighteen to try. Click here for the yummies!
|
|
|
Post by Mini Mia on Aug 18, 2015 17:46:03 GMT -6
The "Dump Dinner" cookbook I mentioned in another thread has a recipe to make your own version of the "instant onion soup" mix. Gravy too.
|
|
|
Post by stepper on Aug 18, 2015 17:54:13 GMT -6
But Phalon will ignore the requirement for salt.
|
|
|
Post by Mini Mia on Aug 18, 2015 18:31:56 GMT -6
This is the salt content:
1t salt 1t celery salt
|
|
|
Post by stepper on Aug 18, 2015 18:53:21 GMT -6
Eveything tastes better with at least some salt. And onion salt. And garlic salt. Okay, nearly everything. Nothing makes kale taste better - except maybe crushing it and washing it and then throwing it out so you can watch the birds think about it. They're like Mikey - they'll eat anything.
|
|
|
Post by Mini Mia on Aug 18, 2015 19:17:08 GMT -6
My sister is like my Dad ... salt everything before taking that first bite.
|
|
|
Post by stepper on Aug 18, 2015 19:33:04 GMT -6
Pretty much, me too.
|
|
|
Post by Phalon on Sept 23, 2015 16:07:23 GMT -6
I don't know why I decided to cook a turkey on a Wednesday afternoon, but I did. And I've been stuck here watching it for what seems like forever!
|
|
|
Post by stepper on Sept 23, 2015 16:15:46 GMT -6
Turkey??? I'm jealous - and I don't have a good reason to be so. There was a going away pot luck luncheon at work today and I had a little bit of LOTS of different foods, but turkey wasn't one of them.
|
|
|
Post by Phalon on Sept 29, 2015 6:28:43 GMT -6
Finished off the last little bit of the turkey yesterday - only enough for half a sandwich to take to lunch. Best turkey ever, said Hubs, who also requested that all future turkeys roasted in the Phalon household be done the same way.
I had made a salad to go with the turkey dinner - kale, spinach, beets, feta cheese, and mandarin oranges. I like the oranges cold, so drained them hours prior to dinner, about the same time I was putting the turkey in the oven. Why the heck not...<shrugs>...I poured the drained mandarin orange liquid over the turkey, threw some herbs from the garden - thyme, rosemary, and sage - on top, and stuck it in to roast, occasionally basting to get it nice and golden brown. It came out perfectly roasted, crispy on the outside, juicy inside, and ever-so slightly sweet and tangy.
|
|
|
Post by stepper on Sept 29, 2015 19:11:36 GMT -6
I've never done it myself, but Butterball recommends orange juice, lime juice, and grated lime peel.
|
|
|
Post by Mini Mia on Sept 29, 2015 23:34:06 GMT -6
Ham, Pepperoni, Sausage, & Provolone Stuffed Bread Roll with Chips and a Pickle.
|
|
|
Post by Phalon on Sept 30, 2015 6:36:27 GMT -6
I've never done turkey with any kind of citrus before last week, but when I roast chicken, I often squeeze a lemon over the top, and throw some wedges in the cavity.
Dill? On sandwiches and such, I prefer bread and butter pickles instead of dill, but every once in a while, a dill pickle sounds good.
Last night's dinner was perfect for the kind of cold and dreary day it was - tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches layered with fresh tomatoes, baby kale, and thin-sliced ham. Sadly, the kale was store-bought; finished the rest of the kale from the garden last week, though throughout the summer, I've been blanching and freezing some of it for later use. The tomatoes though, were from the garden - have a bunch of ripe ones in the house, and tonight I think I'll make stuffed tomatoes.
|
|
|
Post by Mini Mia on Sept 30, 2015 18:40:08 GMT -6
Yes. A quarter slice of dill.
|
|
|
Post by stepper on Sept 30, 2015 20:55:53 GMT -6
Ditto. I'd add sweet Gherkins, but bread and butter pickles are a fav.
|
|
|
Post by Phalon on Oct 6, 2015 4:20:13 GMT -6
Hubs did hamburgers on the grill last night (to answer your question, Stepper, that you asked a long time ago, that I meant to get back to, but never did...Crazy Cheryl's cows are corn feed only November through March; the rest of the year they are strictly grass fed).
This time I chose dill pickles over bread and butter on my burger, because Drats! We were out of bread and butter. The burger was so good though, and with a big slab of home-grown tomato, pickle choice didn't matter.
|
|
|
Post by stepper on Oct 6, 2015 20:19:45 GMT -6
I was asking because what they eat for the last several months or so matters for the taste and texture. I put pickles on the side because to me, they mess with the taste of the burger when together.
|
|
|
Post by Phalon on Oct 26, 2015 21:57:39 GMT -6
OMG!!!! DID YOU KNOW THEY MAKE DOUBLE CHOCOLATE KIT-KATS???!!!
We'd better have a lot of trick-or-treaters or I'm in deep trouble.
|
|
|
Post by stepper on Oct 27, 2015 19:24:50 GMT -6
I've heard of Double Stuff Oreo's, but not double K-K's. I'm glad to hear you're so pleased with your Halloween shopping choice. I'm not a serious Kit-Kat person - having to repeatedly listen to their commercial gets me especially irritated which I associate with the candy.
We have several party bags of the Hershey's Miniatures - and now they're saying rain for sure on Halloween. Hopefully it's gone before the Trick-or-Treaters are out and about because I bought extra to make sure we'd have left overs. Additionally, the Thunderbirds are due to perform at Randolph on Saturday and Sunday. If the weather is too bad they won't fly.
|
|
|
Post by Phalon on Oct 29, 2015 4:33:57 GMT -6
You and I are Kit-Kat kindred spirits. Actually, they've never been something I've liked very much. They're BP's favorite though - she's the one that picked out the double chocolate ones, and I have to say, they're really good (we both had to have a taste-test when we got home; wouldn't want to hand out substandard treats on Halloween, you know).
It's supposed to rain here too...and now comes the great debate; do I have enough candy or not? I need to take stock, because I don't really know what I have since I buy a couple of bags here and there throughout the month, and stash them on the top shelf in the cupboard (so I can't reach them). I'm sure I have two bags of Twix, two bags of chocolate Kit-Kats, two bags of Tootsie Pops, a huge mixed bag of War Heads, Smarties, and other stuff because BP said I need something other than chocolate, and I think two bags of some other kind of chocolate. On a good weather Halloween, that's not enough, but on a rainy one, it's plenty.
Sunday, I spent nearly $25 dollars on candy - and the b!tch of it is that I can't pass most of it out to trick-or-treaters. BP had to make an edible plant cell for biology...which of course, she told me about after 7pm, which of course was due Monday. She googled, and found cake plant cell models (apparently edible plant cell projects are actually a common assignment in schools these days), using various types of candy for the different cell parts. The only part she wanted help with was driving to the store and paying for the ingredients. Unfortunately, most of what she used to decorate didn't come individually wrapped. Blah. It's all gross candy too, that no one here will eat.
|
|
|
Post by stepper on Oct 29, 2015 20:14:42 GMT -6
I agree completely. And so does Steppet. I found that one of the bags of Hershey Miniatures was completely sampled of the chocolate and dark chocolate mini's. Give that out first. Or punish people for stealing your good candy by making them take one of the Blah candies too. Allowing for my limited experience in this area, I'd send a note to school explaining that I don't have the spare $$ for candy for silly unfunded school projects with dubious designs and intentions.
|
|
|
Post by Mini Mia on Oct 29, 2015 21:32:25 GMT -6
I can't get my Tuna Fish to taste like it used to. I use the same ingredients, though I never measure, so I'm sure it's never the same way twice. Tuna, Egg, Miracle Whip, Pickle Relish ... ... Mom thinks it's the tuna. I made one can the other night, and this time I used Mayo. (I hated Mayo growing up, but recently I found that I can eat it now. Not like I can MW. I can't smear it on bread or crackers, or eat it off of my fingers like I can MW.) I even sprinkled in a bit of onion powder and celery seed, but it still didn't hit the spot.
And, lately, my 'homemade' spaghetti sauce is not the same to me. (package powder mix) So, I guess my taste buds have changed. Well, if I can eat Mayo now, I know they have. That stuff was putrid to me growing up. The smell and the taste. And even the smell no longer grosses me out. So something has definitely changed.
I guess I now need a new recipe, since the old one no longer works for me.
|
|
|
Post by stepper on Oct 29, 2015 22:58:46 GMT -6
I feed tuna fish to the cats as a treat. They love it. They also lick their privates. I figure there's some kind of association there in which I really really really don't want to participate. My suggestion is to move on. Clearly your taste buds are healing from some horrible childhood trauma which is a good thing - sort of like finding out that mud pies aren't especially appetizing. You can do a lot with bacon, ham, pork chops, hot dogs, balogna, and turkey legs. Or whole turkeys which often come with stuffing. Not "balanced"? Add shrimp, crabs, and scallops. For breakfast I recommend tacos - egg and chorizo/potato/sausage/ham/bacon in any combination.
Good to have friends looking out for you huh! Oh, you’re welcome.
|
|
|
Post by Mini Mia on Oct 29, 2015 23:31:13 GMT -6
I used to feed my cats Tuna, but I learned it depletes them of vitamin e and can cause them pain and suffering.
www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#newwindow=1&q=Should+you+feed+your+cat+tuna+fish
Ooh. I thought it was all tuna. But there's also too much mercury and vitamin b1 deficiency. I just give my cat the water instead. He comes running whenever he smells the tuna when I'm fixing my dish. I've been putting a pinch of garlic in his food for a long time too. He had a cut, and I read that garlic was good for injury recovery. Guess I should stop doing that.
|
|
|
Post by Phalon on Oct 31, 2015 6:57:50 GMT -6
I suppose there are actually people who like black licorice, but you can't give out unwrapped candy. Well, I suppose you could, but no one would eat it....mainly because it's gross.
Dubious designs or intentions? Nah. This one isn't even the strangest school project (or the most expensive) either of the girls have had over the years. I should though, send the BP to school with the left-overs - instead of an apple for the teacher, have her leave a sack of licorice and sour gummy worms on her desk.
Mayo vs. Miracle Whip is one of those things that a lot of people strongly disagree over. I am not a big fan of mayonnaise - I can eat it without it grossing me out, but if I have a choice, I'll definitely choose Miracle Whip. Hubs grew up eating mayonnaise, but I've always bought Miracle Whip, and he's fine with it. LX won't touch either. BP though, who until recently was like LX, discovered she likes mayonnaise, but can't stand Miracle Whip. So now I buy both.
I heard many years ago that cats - or maybe just male cats - shouldn't be fed tuna or any other seafood because it causes crystals to form in the urinary tract resulting in blockage, a very dangerous condition that if not treated quickly, can be fatal. Hubs's and my first cat had it - he spent three days at the vet's being treated. Same with Mom's cat. In both cases the vets said no seafood. Whether cat food containing seafood was the actual cause (as I said, this was many years ago - more than 25; possibly more recent research has proven otherwise), I've never fed our cats (all male) anything containing seafood since then.
|
|
|
Post by Mini Mia on Oct 31, 2015 16:19:23 GMT -6
Well, I only fed these cats tuna because the one was given to me by my Uncle, and that's all he ever fed it. And if you feed one tuna, the other ain't gonna be happy about not getting it too.
But as soon as I learned tuna was bad for them, I switched over to cat food. I started putting a pinch or two of cranberry powder from a capsule in the one's food for his urinary tract. The other died from shock after a visit with the vet.
|
|
|
Post by Mini Mia on Oct 31, 2015 17:34:18 GMT -6
I still love Miracle Whip ... but I do like Mayo on certain things. Like burgers. I could eat the tuna with the Mayo, but I won't being using it from now on. I could only eat it on bread. Didn't try crackers so I might could eat it on those too. But I couldn't just eat it out of the bowl like I can with MW.
I'm glad I can eat Mayo now, because that's all some people use. Before I just had to be rude and refuse to eat what was served. It was just too repulsive to even partake of out of kindness to the hostess. One person learned the hard way that lying to me didn't work. Taste buds can tell the difference, and my reaction was automatic puke mode.
|
|