I want to thank everyone for the comments and emails yesterday. You all make me smile each day and I just hope you find something useful from my entries… be it a new recipe, a new craft idea, or just a smile or giggle. I believe it’s essential that we laugh at least once per day… its healthy even. To Hazel… OMG I didn’t know you were in Canada! WOW! Ya know I’ve heard it’s lovely and very peaceful over there. Must be a great place to be. Yes we had a wonderful time and I am very excited for our next adventure LOL. A lot of people tell me I look like my father… and many tell me I look just like my mother and even mistake us for sisters LOL. Even the doctors asked if she was my sister when I was giving birth to my daughter!! Yes, my mother was with me when my kids we born (I told you we were close LOL). We don’t have an Aldi’s where I live, but I had read a while back that they are going to bring the first one to Texas soon… but it will still be over 300 miles away from me, so I doubt I’ll see it very often LOL. And to Jean… thanks for your comments too. I hope you get to feeling better soon darlin’… you are an asset to this blog! LOL one of you even suggested that maybe one day, we can have an annual get together… like a convention for a couple of days LOL! That’s an interesting idea… I see us going to the Market and having a grand ol’ time!
Ok, so I know I was gonna try to just relax yesterday… but it didn’t happen LOL! Every time I went to get a drink or throw something away in the kitchen, I would see all the beautiful farmers market finds and I wanted to cook. So I started with slicing up the pineapple. Now here is a tip for you all… Fresh pineapples (I mean right off the bush fresh) are high in acids. When grocers ship them to stores, they are packed in salt to neutralize the fruit’s acids. Many people don’t know that they should NOT eat a pineapple before it has been cured with sugar or salt… and I totally forgot. The ones brought over straight from Mexico are NOT packed and my daughter and I made the mistake of munching on it RIGHT after I sliced it! OMG hello! Her poor lips started to swell and I thought bout the salt. I felt so bad for her cause its so painful LOL. Ok, so I put that aside and decided that I would hollow out the 10-inch zucchinis so I could get them ready for sausage boats.
I also chopped the broccoli for lunch. I had a big sirloin steak I had got at the meat market for cheap, so I sliced that against the grain (so it cooked up nice and tender) and put the meat in some teriyaki marinade from Kroger that had pineapple juice in it. IDEA! Cure the pineapple by cooking it in the sugars and salts from the meat! LOL… Broccoli & Beef with Pineapple over white Rice for lunch with some fried broccoli on the side. Isn’t that just marvelous looking!? I was hoping to have some to freeze, but that didn’t happen LMAO!
Ok, so the freaked over lunch… now its time to prep for dinner. Remember the 4 pound cabbage I got? Peeled the outside 5 leaves and then quartered the head. Boiled all of it till tender. Take a pound of hamburger, some spices, cracker crumbs, and an egg and make some meatloaf rolls. Wrap those up in the cabbage leaves, spray the leaf with butter spray and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top. Bake about 20 minutes until the meat is cooked. The rest of the head is shredded and made into yummy Cheddar Cabbage Casserole! YUMMY!
Dinner will be pan sausage and cheese stuffed zucchinis from the market, mashed potatoes, and cheddar cabbage casserole. I topped the boats with extra shredded cheddar cheese too. Again, all the fresh farm ingredients making such a yummy meal. After such a big lunch, the gang could only take 1 boat and a scoop of sides each LOL! Maybe NOW I can freeze something?? LOL! Looks like a couple of extra meals finally YAY!
As for food for today… well finding mom’s lunch recipe for her inspired me to do an entry about Copycat restaurant recipes. There is a series of books out there called “Top Secret Restaurant Recipes” by Todd Wilber and in them he gives you the “secret recipes” to tons of different things from all over the place. McDonalds, Applebees, Chili’s, Olive Garden, you name it! I figure if I get the books and make my favorite things (and they turn out actually like the real deal LOL) then I’m gonna save myself money by having it on hand at home LOL! I got a favorite thing from tons of different places, so my quest continues (as does my buying of these books LOL) as time goes on! BUT here are some of my restaurant favorites that I figured I would share that are “copycat recipes”.
McDonalds Hot Mustard
Ingredients
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup of light corn syrup
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 tablespoons ground dried mustard
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 to 14 drops habanero hot sauce
Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients in a small uncovered saucepan. Whisk until smooth.
2. Turn heat to medium and bring mixture to a boil, stirring often. Sauce should thicken in 2 to 3 minutes after it begins to boil. Remove Sauce from heat and chill in refrigerator in a covered container. Makes 1 cup.
Popeye’s Famous Cajun Gravy
Ingredients
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 chicken gizzards
2 1/2 tablespoons minced green bell peppers
1/4 cup ground beef
1/4 cup ground pork, plus
2 tablespoons ground pork
2 cups water
14 ounces beef broth or chicken broth
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon flour
2 teaspoons milk
2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh coarse ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
Directions
1 Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large saucepan.
2 Saute chicken gizzard in the oil for 4 to 5 minutes until cooked.
3 Remove gizzard from the pan and finely mince.
4 Combine ground beef and ground pork in a small bowl.
5 Smash the meat together with your hands until it's well-mixed.
6 Add bell pepper to the saucepan and saute it for 1 minute.
7 Add the ground beef and ground pork to the pan and cook it until it's brown.
8 Use a potato masher to smash meat into tiny pieces as it browns.
9 Add water and beef broth to the pan.
10 Immediately whisk in cornstarch and flour.
11 Add remaining ingredients and bring the mixture to a boil.
12 Reduce heat and simmer gravy for 30 to 35 minutes or until thick.
This next “copycat” was for an appetizer that we had at Red Lobster on Sat. However, when I made it yesterday afternoon it turned out NOTHING like the one I tasted there. Now, I’m not fond of fried veggies really, but it was tasty… and my gang here was spazing loving the fried broccoli I made. This is MY picture and the supposed copycat recipe (which I followed to the “T” btw).
Red Lobster Fried Broccoli
Exported from MasterCook *
Ingredients
shortening (for deep frying)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour -- divided
4 tablespoons grated American cheese -- divided
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
3 cups Broccoli Florets, Cleaned and Dried -- (you Can Steam Them First to Have a Tender Texture or Just Use Raw)
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions
1. Heat 2 or 3 inches shortening to 365°F in deep fryer or deep saucepan.
2. Combine 1/4 cup flour, 2 tablespoons cheese and onion powder in large plastic bag.
3. Add broccoli.
4. Shake to coat.
5. Combine buttermilk, baking powder, remaining 1/2 cup flour, remaining 2 tablespoons cheese and salt in small bowl.
6. Stir until smooth.
7. Dip several broccoli pieces in batter.
8. Drain off excess.
9. Fry a few at a time in Crisco Shortening heated to 365°F.
10. Fry 1 or 2 minutes or until deep golden brown.
11. Turn as needed for even browning.
12. Remove with slotted spoon.
13. Drain on paper towels.
14. Serve immediately.
OK everybody, that’s gonna do it for today. I’m gonna get the DS14 up and ready for school and then I’m out the door running! I got my tennies on and ready to hit the road LOL! Have to, with as busy as my day is gonna be LOL! So until tomorrow… Peace, Love, and lots of HUGS!!
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