A FRIDGE FULL OF FOOD...

Support Your Local Merchants: The Amish Country Store

I came in tonight from a girls' weekend in St. Louis and found a package waiting for me that said "Merry Christmas!" written in green Sharpie on the outside.  Hmmmm....I thought "Well, I have ordered a couple of Christmas gifts but someone from Amazon is certainly overrun with the holiday spirit!" Wrong, the sender was definitely packing holiday spirit but the box wasn't from Amazon, it was from another of my favorite stores:  The Amish Country Store in Branson.  The punchline is I hadn't ordered anything from them lately.  As Alice would say "curiouser and curiouser."  Opening the box, I found a lovely note from Matt Hayes thanking me for supporting them as local merchants and a sleigh full of goodies! 

OMG, I am so touched! Thanks Matt, your thoughtfulness really means the world to me. Completely unnecessary but beyond appreciated!  I am so happy that your family and mine have crossed each others paths in life.

On top of the goodies, that I am trying to decide whether to share with family at the family Christmas dinner or just be selfish and save for Gene and I (oh, I'll probably share! They're all much to good to hoard for just us), there was a lovely cookbook ATaste of Ozark Mountain Christmas by Jan McCracken filled with recipes from her Branson Bed & Breakfast. Matt also mentioned in his note that he'd shared my blog addy with Jan and that she enjoys reading me.  After flipping through the book and her web site www.janmccracken.com listing all of her books and tales of her B&B, I can say it's a mutual admiration society--way to go, Jan!  I have to tell you that the first recipe I turned to was for eggnog fudge. My family members are not big chocolate fans so we're huge fans of non-chocolate fudges like peanut butter, maple, and opera but we ALL love eggnog so guess which recipe will be the first I try?  THANK  YOU!  I have a feeling that one is going to become an instant family tradition.

You know, the world is full of wonderful people. I am so blessed to have been befriended by so many of them in life.

Look For This: FishEx Alaska Seafoods for fantastic Paula Deen Crab Cakes Recipe

Kayla, from Fish Ex, sent down a pound of King Crab legs and a 12 oz reindeer sausage from Alaska today. Let me tell you, that's a fun Fed Ex package to receive. Even the driver was excited. "Is this really seafood from Alaska?"  "Yep."  "Wow, you're so cool!"  Well, good heavens, now I have to order more just so I can feel all cool and full of myself to the Fed Ex drivers! 

Shipped on dry ice, it arrives like it came from next door...and when they read this, I bet the Rileys will wish it had been delivered next door by mistake.

You know, I could go on and on about how nice the crab was and how fun the reindeer sausage tasted but let me just put it this way: It's 7:30pm and I've already made those crab cakes, ate those crab cakes, tasted that reindeer sausage, and placed another order with Fish Ex to be shipped in this Thursday for dry scallops, shrimp, King Crab bisque, and another sausage for the family Halloween party. 

Do I really need to say much more?  Well, you know me.  I will anyway.  After you've checked out the rest of my pics, the Paula Deen recipe I used for the crab cakes, plus my own recipe for Jalapeno Lemon Aioli to top it with, go check out their website for more of the particulars:  www.fishex.com 

As for the order I just placed, the dry scallops are particularly appealing to me because I have thought, for years, that I was a scallop idiot.  I love jumbo scallops in restaurants but each time I've tried my hand at them at home they've always turned out soggy and rubbery.  I thought it was me.  Show of hands--anybody else had that problem? 

It's not us.  It's the scallops. Apparently the restaurant grade scallops are "dry" and the ones sold in the groceries are "wet" with sodium tripolyphosphate (STP) which binds to the protein fibers making the scallops slimey but preserves them so they last days longer in the seafood counter.  Feels like a terrible joke played on the consumer, doesn't it? 

The scallops available through Fish Ex are dry, meaning no chemicals added.  You can read more about it on their web site and there is also a great article in this month's Cooking Illustrated about the difference and how to overcome the STP by brining them in salty lemon water to mask, not remove, the STP.  I'll order the dry, thank you, and avoid the whole chemical quandary.

Now back to the crab....

New Yogurt on My Block: Stonyfield Farms

 

Found a new product to look for: Stonyfield Farms yogurts and ice cream.  They generously sent me some coupons for free product and I've been going back for more since I've used those up and have been paying for the product myself. Stonyfield contains live bacterial cultures which is what got my attention from the start.  I've long been a big Activia fan because I have a cranky little digestive system and I've noticed that the Activia or acidopholus supplements help keep me under control.  Jamie Lee Curtis is not lying to you in those commercials; I'm living proof.

What made me switch lines is that Stonyfield comes in so many more products that I use, namely the small versions of fat free plain yogurt, that although I pictured a sweet smoothy in my pics, I use the plain fat free yogurt as a sour cream substitute even more frequently than I make smoothies. For example a couple of weeks ago I turned a pot roast into stroganoff and the yogurt lightens that heavy winter meal up by quite a bit. The Stonyfield worked well in that venue, staying nice and creamy without all the fat and heaviness of sour cream. When I do want the heavier texture, I love that Stonyfield makes Greek yogurt in smaller containers which I've had a hard time finding in Springfield MO and Activia doesn't make that I know of. The large containers are great but since we're a two person family, the larger containers put more pressure on us to use it up quickly once it's opened.  The smaller containers are greatly appreciated!

I've also found that both Gene and I like the soy yogurt as much as the regular milk yogurt. We don't even notice which one we're pulling out of the fridge especially after you top it with fruit and/or nuts.

I do have one little dish I'd love to try that I don't have the ingredients for yet but when I do...you'll see it. I got an email newsletter from someone I don't remember but the article was about kid-friendly breakfasts. Not that we're kids but in our hearts...you know.  The breakfast idea was a step up of yogurt and fruit called Banana Split Breakfast.  It was a healthy banana split with yogurt (I'll use Stonyfield's Greek yogurt) replacing the ice cream and then no sauces: yogurt, fruit, and nuts. It looked both delicious and good for you.

Next time you're buying yogurt, I'd really recommend giving Stonyfield a look-see.  At my grocery, they're in the organic section rather than the normal yogurt section.

 

FYI--New Search Widget for My Blog

Hi y'all,

Several people have dropped me emails looking for certain recipes of mine that they couldn't readily find. I hear that.  Even when you find the right category you might have wade through pages and pages of posts looking for that one recipe you remember in the back of your mind.  I've installed a search widget called "Ligit". I'm now "legit on ligit".  :-)  It doesn't specifically say it but the navy blue search box is for my blog content only so if you get stuck for a dinner recipe and want to check out how I make it...please help yourself to the search bar. 

Thanks to those of you who mentioned your frustration--I'm flattered and happy for the attention!

Absinthe: The Green Fairy

I went to a party Friday night where a friend brought a bottle of Absinthe. I've always wanted to try it, more from the romantic writers' & painters notion, than loving licorice flavor. I don't.  However, it was very good which says something since I'm not a  big licorice fan.

 

To serve, you pour a jigger and a half into a glass, place the spoon with a sugar cube over the glass and pour cold water over the top.  The color changes from darker clear green to milky white pale green and smells/tastes of, but not overpoweringly, of licorice.

Absinthe was particularly popular in the 1800's with writers and artists in France but was banned in Europe and the U.S. in the early part of the 20th century becuase it was thought to be highly addictive and psychoactive, which later proved to be myth. Personally, I think the absinthe "fans" should have been taken into account on that one.  Any food or beverage you feed to crazy people won't take the crazy away, it will just make the beverage take the blame.

Europe lifted the ban in 2005, followed by the U.S. in 2007.

For more info, check out Wikipedia.

Photo Diet Diary: Pretty Pineapple Parfait

 

Super easy to put together, you can go the easy route and buy Greek yogurt or you can be like me and go the hard route:  buy Activia yogurt and strain it to get the same thick, rich texture. It was a matter of convenience. I can buy Greek yogurt in Springfield now but I would have had to go to a different store to do it so the work of straining it won.  The photo left shows how: simply cover the bottom of a colander with a layer or two of paper towel, put the colander over an empty bowl, dump the yogurt in the lined colander, and throw the whole thing into the fridge overnight. Voila: thick yogurt.  

For the parfait, I simply layered the yogurt with fresh pineapple, walnuts, and a tbsp drizzle of Melissa's Raspberry Dessert Sauce.  A word of warning though. I was surprised after I bought the sauce and then read the ingredients. From Melissa's, a brand name I trust for good wholesome foods in the produce department, I expected at least regular sugar, but nope, the first ingredient was high fructose corn syrup. Damn!  Oh well. I'll be using that sparingly for a very long time. The flavor is great but I expected real sugar and less of it from that brand name. My mistake.  I didn't see the ingredients of the other flavors but there was also chocolate, white chocolate, and caramel sauce.  I admit, though, the bottle and storage is very convenient.

I had gotten up late so I had the parfait as a combination breakfast/lunch, and then snacked on a couple of dates and a few walnuts before going to dinner with Auntie Miranda and Ann.  There I had this tuna, spinach, apple, & walnut salad...

 

...I'm lying.  Aunti ate this beautiful salad. I, being a creamsaucecrackwhore, ordered this:

Not quite at all good for me but it was very yummy. The only thing I have to say in my defense is that I only ate half and I didn't take the other half home. Sometimes wasting the leftovers by NOT taking them home is the best favor you can do yourself.

The rest of my day's imbibing was one 12 oz Coke, 3 glasses of water, and 3 tall glasses of iced tea with lemon.

Oh. And the one martini I had in the bar while waiting for Aunti and Ann to arrive where I learned something from a young prospective employee who came in to fill out a bartender application to the restaurant. This is sage advice:  DO NOT write "chick magnet" under the "special skills" section of the application.  The potential boss doesn't find it nearly as engaging and amusing as you do. (geesh, what a dumbass. :-))

"Screw Flowers--You Need Cheesecake!"

 

A few months ago, I told you about when my friend Carol's husband, Paul, died. It was so unexpected, such a shock that we were all stunned. What do you do?  Flowers seemed so little and we all stood by, helpless to help Carol.  In a fit of being...well...me, I ordered a huge gourmet cheesecake and had it delivered with a note that read "F*** flowers, you need cheesecake!"  Carol's daughter called to tell me it was the first smile she'd seen on her mom's face in 24 hours.

That's become a tradition in our circle of friends and, unfortunately, now it's my turn.  My wonderful grandmother, who defies all description because there is nothing I could possibly write to express how much I loved, admired, and cherished this woman, passed away at Christmas. I'm not even going to try to eulogize her.   As cliched as this is, it truly was like taking away a piece of my heart, the piece that can talk about her. 

Generously, and completely unexpectedly, I received a box a couple of days later from my friend Cindy in Rhode Island. What did it contain?  She pulled the Carousel Cakes info from my blog and ordered--a cheesecake.

I'm smiling even as I write this.  It was such a lovely thing to do because at times like these, f*** flowers, I needed cheesecake!  Thank you Cindy.  I am moved by your kindness and it did make me smile too.

Look for These: Cuties Clementines

Look for these: Cuties Clementines

 

I'm starting a new series called "Look for This!" to point out new-to-me foods stuffs or products or whatever that trip my trigger.  Cuties Clementines are one of those "look for these!" items.  I got my hands on a crate of them and, man, did they go fast at my house.  I thought they were the best Clementines (a type of mandarin orange) I'd ever eaten and then after I'd shipped out a few with several friends I kept getting the same comment back "Best Clementines I've ever eaten. Where can I get more?"

I also like that their marketing campaign is all about childhood obesity (and adult obesity) because they're right. It's just as easy to grab and peel a lush little sweet tart piece of fruit as it is to open a pack of ding dongs and the fruit is much more satisifying to both your palate and your body. The thing is we can eat crap all day long but our bodies are going to keep yelling for more food because we not getting the nutrition and sustainance we need. 

I applaud them for marketing that angle to remind all of us that when it comes to the choice of Twinkies or Fruit, we're better off in every way to choose the fruit.

So Look for These: Cuties Clementines!

You can also find more info here:  www.cutiescitrus.com

 

I'm starting a new series called "Look for This!" to point out new-to-me foods stuffs or products or whatever that trip my trigger.  Cuties Clementines are one of those "look for these!" items.  I got my hands on a crate of them and, man, did they go fast at my house.  I thought they were the best Clementines (a type of mandarin orange) I'd ever eaten and then after I'd shipped out a few with several friends I kept getting the same comment back "Best Clementines I've ever eaten. Where can I get more?"

I also like that their marketing campaign is all about childhood obesity (and adult obesity) because they're right. It's just as easy to grab and peel a lush little sweet tart piece of fruit as it is to open a pack of ding dongs and the fruit is much more satisifying to both your palate and your body. The thing is we can eat crap all day long but our bodies are going to keep yelling for more food because we not getting the nutrition and sustainance we need. 

I applaud them for marketing that angle to remind all of us that when it comes to the choice of Twinkies or Fruit, we're better off in every way to choose the fruit.

So Look for These: Cuties Clementines!

You can also find more info here:  www.cutiescitrus.com

Amazing Tastes Seasonings

 

 

 

What do these three things have in common?  Amazing Tastes Seasoning. I was recently given the opportunity to try a variety of these packets and I found them really tasty and convenient. There's something for everyone but I think my favorites so far are the chili, the poultry, and the pork seasonings. 

Two things: Bathroom update and a Trick Food

 

Maybe it doesn't look like much in a picture but this actually represents great strides in the big bathroom bonanza at my house.  All the base work is done, the paint is up, the cabinets are in, and the tile is being laid. 

Can't wait until it's all done!

The Trick Food for the Day is this:

 

Next time you see these in your grocer's frozen section, grab a box for back up.  We used them the other night after I'd been running around all day and didn't have bread or time to make bread for dinner.  They do need a couple of hours to thaw and rise but that's it.  Crusty outsides with rich springy sweet insides, they were the perfect compliment to the roast I'd thrown in the crockpot that morning.