tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41217906103196407412024-03-21T09:45:53.132-07:00Our Past & Our FutureUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger96125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4121790610319640741.post-81279586469164540522020-03-22T21:14:00.001-07:002020-03-23T11:10:03.859-07:00Helping People Understand and Savoring Sunsets<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">It’s a sunny Sunday here on Lake Union in Seattle. A
float plane is motoring by, heading for the top of the lake to take off;
otherwise the lake is deserted but beautiful. Capitol Hill and Fremont look the
same from my vantage point but I know that life amidst the dwellings and
businesses there is different. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Speaking of how life is changing, are you paying
attention to your local area Facebook pages? Some of you may not care about or
be a part of social media, which I totally respect. I have been very limited in
putting anything on a Facebook page I created a very long time ago. Facebook,
Oh and a long forgotten Pinterest page I created (I wanted to share about my
new hobby, at the time, of Indian cuisine), are the only social media presences
I have. I do daily visit the neighborhood Facebook page, if there are ways we
can help and if we are inclined to do so, locally might be the way to start. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">I noticed on there that a “socially active” store down
the street announced that they have face mask kits available free for those who
sew. I may go down and pick one up as sewing is something I can, and enjoy
doing. Maybe it will get me over my wimpyness about tackling my stateroom
curtains, lol. I guess I’m encouraging, do what you feel comfortable doing, but
do what you can. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">On a serious note, this is Washington State and we aren’t
formally shut down. I noticed a discussion of concern on the neighborhood Facebook
page about a bonfire gathering of about 40 people noticed in a local area park.
It brought to mind something our Governor said in some comments recently. I was
prompted to post this on our local area Facebook page: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">It's being said that some
younger people are having a harder time taking the social distancing seriously
and continuing to gather and ignore suggestions for helping stem the tide of
this virus. Washington's governor made a comment in response to someone not
knowing how to get across the seriousness of social distancing to a younger
person who was basically saying "What
price am I going to pay". His suggested answer was, "Possibly killing your
grandparents."<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">It’s hard; some of us are
older and have dealt with some of the harder more existential conundrums life
faces us with. Hank and I always offered NeuroTherapy Training (the mental
training approach we developed) free to those we could see with AIDS and
cancer. It’s about using your mind to help the body and of critical importance
it was about using the mind to manage fear. The hardest thing was seeing
20-year-olds with AIDS who had not had time to find their own pathways yet for helping
them face the shunning of others out of fear and their own terrible fears of impending
death. That is an existential crisis, facing the ultimate in fear with no tools
or help in doing so. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">I can’t imagine being in
high school or college right now, for me it was a time of proms and sporting
events and parties, for falling in love and looking forward to an exciting
future. Young people don’t want to think about or have to respond to the dire
issues of life. But, in this situation we have hope for it passing and life
returning to normal. We all have to do what we can to help. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 18.4px;">On a brighter note…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 18.4px;">A long-time friend and photographer, Bill Hawkins, was at the Everett, WA marina the other evening at sunset and captured this scene:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I thank Bill for sharing, visually, the peacefulness of a
quiet evening at sunset…beautiful sunsets are elements of life that “fuel our
souls”. I have seen spectacular sunsets over the City of Seattle and Space
Needle out my back door. I’m thinking of some of the people who will receive
this…one enjoys them out an apartment window looking over Puget Sound...another
I’m sure has enjoyed many from his fishing boat in Alaska…another while taking
hikes among the hills above Issaquah…another while walking her beloved dog on
beaches in the area…several on my list have enjoyed them while onboard boats in
Puget Sound and beyond. From wherever you enjoy your sunsets, <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">it’s
days like these we need the beauty they provide and the peacefulness they
stimulate.</span></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4121790610319640741.post-82349063812338319042020-03-22T21:09:00.000-07:002020-03-23T09:15:45.829-07:00Warm Tortellini and Roasted Vegetable Salad, Further Tales of Our Lives with Food and Crisis’ And Learning To ‘Live with the Sucker”.<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-outline-level: 1; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #1c1c1c; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -0.4pt; padding: 0in;">Some of you might enjoy listening today, rather than reading, especially
my essay at the end. If you would, I have attached a downloadable audio link to
my thoughts for you today.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #1c1c1c; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -0.4pt; padding: 0in;">I have today’s press conference on in the background as I write this,
this subject is something we really don’t want to hear about but that know we
must. Unfortunately the feeling I’m getting from the screen, as I half listen
while typing this, is anger and tension and defensiveness. We need to take in
information from people who, well let’s say, seem to have a hard time with
empathy and people skills. We need, though, to reduce any negative emotions kicked
up from all the information coming at us. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #1c1c1c; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -0.4pt; padding: 0in;">I’ve been reminding, are you turning to things that focus your mind, and
reduce your stress as you go through your days? When we worked for years
helping folks face life-threatening illnesses, for the first time in most of
their lives they were facing something frightening that they couldn’t “resolve”
or “immediately find an answer to” they had to, as we would say, learn to ‘Live
with the Sucker”. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #1c1c1c; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -0.4pt; padding: 0in;">We are all facing problems and concerns that cannot be resolved at the
moment. How we respond to them is the key. People are contacting me and I have
started to do some sessions with people online, but whether you formally
practice mental training or do some of the other things that help our bodies
and minds…do something to distract your mind, to stimulate that creative right
hemisphere, don’t let your brain obsess continuously. My Dad would be out
preparing his garden.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #1c1c1c; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -0.4pt; padding: 0in;">This brings me back to salads and kale and fennel and their roles in our
lives. Bell peppers, kale, fennel, red onion, spinach tortellini and basil are the
main ingredients in a recipe that appeared on my screen this morning. Some of
you have taste buds that perked up at the thought of that vegetable mix; others
of you are squinting at the screen worried that I might be moving over to the
‘kale crowd’ and wondering where I’m going with this. For those of you
salivating, I’ll put the recipe up at the end but several things came to mind
as I saw that recipe headline. I grew up with a Dad and a Grandfather who kept
huge gardens. They grew up in times and places where keeping a garden was
critical for subsistence (and they went through times of national crisis. I
wonder how many of you have heard of the Victory Gardens of World War II?) After
those times passed, lucky for me, keeping a garden seemed to be long enjoyed
habits in their lives. It seemed to be how my dad would relax returning home
daily from his job as an electrician. It is something he would be turning to in
times like these. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #1c1c1c; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -0.4pt; padding: 0in;">In all their years with dirt, I’m pretty sure that neither my Dad or
Grandfather had encountered kale or fennel. And, pasta with spinach inside of
it! That was probably not imaginable in most American homes of the 1940’s,
1950’s and even 1960’s (I never heard about it, we were a long way from Italy).
When I read the term “Vegetable Salad” it reminded me of a tale my Dad told me
about his mother and which I wrote about in an essay I’ll offer below. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #1c1c1c; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -0.4pt; padding: 0in;">So, as we move forward, drink lots of water (I’m finally responding to
that easy and good advice to keep my body well hydrated, come on you guys, we
gotta help our bodies out in any way we can.) Find ways of distracting your
minds, practice formal mind or body training you have learned or learn new
ways. Seattle’s YMCA is offering free exercise classes online for everyone here
is a link </span><a href="file:///C:/Users/mm/Documents/virus/www.ymca360.org"><span style="border: none 1.0pt; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -0.4pt; padding: 0in;">www.ymca360.org</span></a><span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #1c1c1c; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -0.4pt; padding: 0in;">. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #1c1c1c; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -0.4pt; padding: 0in;">I’ll continue to be in touch with my observations and suggestions. And
continuing the vegetable theme that ran through my thoughts for you today here
is my essay that I titled, Raised Green.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">RAISED GREEN<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">By Marilyn Michael<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There is an area in India where, because of religious
beliefs, many folks do not eat onions or garlic. Now, you’ll find me a most
tolerant person of even the most odd-seeming religious convictions but – onions
and garlic!? Since my husband and I are of the ‘live to eat’ rather than the
‘eat to live' crowd, I tried to imagine cuisine without onions and garlic.<br />
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Unbelievably, I survived the first twenty years of my life without garlic (I do
believe I’ve made up for it since). With all the amazing fresh produce that
emerged from my Dad’s huge and thriving yearly gardens and with the universal
love of anything green and fresh, I don’t know how garlic slipped by them. I
think they pretty much stuck to the vegetable array that had filled their
plates in childhood. Thinking about that endless stream of green things to our
table, though, they really did stick to the basics, onions, green and yellow,
literally tons of potatoes, ears of corn, cauliflower, radishes, carrots,
lettuce, cabbage (for vats of homemade sauerkraut) tomatoes, big, yellow
Hubbard squashes (to be baked with butter and sugar), cucumbers and a few
pumpkins for Halloween carving. There was that odd and wonderful asparagus
patch my Dad tended lovingly and bunches of rhubarb on the side of the garage.
Oh, and his huge and enviable raspberry patch with plants in it that were, he’d
proudly explain, ‘75 years old’. How spoiled was I by all those readily munchable
raspberries. And by the beautiful quart jars filled of peaches, apricots, and
pears that lined our basement shelves each year. One day each year the whole
family, grandparents, aunts and kids would trek to Wawawi, a sunnier place some
twenty miles or so near a river to spend the day picking fruit for canning.<br />
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And, they’d bring home extra cucumbers from those picking trips because every
year they would “put up” 60 quarts of dill pickles. Only after my cousin
married a German fellow who introduced the “amazing” idea of hot peppers amidst
the pickles was there a change from the established pattern. After that a
certain number of quarts would get the peppers, for my Dad who quickly
developed a taste for the peppery hotness. Hot peppers had certainly not been a
part of those gardens or of the food they ate (wrong soil I now know - hot
peppers had grown well in the soil of my husband’s folks in Nevada and, thus
had been a part of what he had learned to love.)<br />
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I guess there wasn’t a lot of vegetable experimentation. No garlic appeared in
our dishes. I never met a bell pepper until I was grown. An avocado was a
foreign animal to them (an adventuresome Uncle would return once in a while and
enjoy avocado with salt, I heard said. I vividly remember my mom commenting,
“They taste like soap.” Though a vegetable lover and willing experimenter, it
took me way into my twenties to develop a taste for avocado (in guacamole) and
into my thirties to enjoy it straight on sandwiches. Yeah, I know it’s really a
fruit but it seems awfully vegetably to me.<br />
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The tomatoes were eaten fresh, not “put up”. Dad ate the thick sweet slices
with salt and pepper. Mom and I loved sugar on ours. In the summer, salads
(something unfamiliar in their youths because of no refrigeration for
mayonnaise) would appear. They were made with iceberg lettuce (a favorite to
this day) and chunks of fresh tomato mixed with mayonnaise. On special
occasions, a can of shrimp would be added. The concept of a salad appearing as
part of what they ate stuck in my Dad’s memory. He told the tale of remembering
his mother chatting with friends on the party line all agog over the new idea
of a “vegetable salad”. He called them vegetable salads all his life.<br />
<br />
Ah the vegetables of my youth all freshly picked and full of taste. And back to
onions, my Dad loved those little green onions we now call scallions, on a
little plate at dinner alongside those slices of white bread. He'd eat each one
with a little salt. Funny, as so many other dishes were filled with onions, no
one ate them straight except dad. I guess there were some chopped into those simple
green salads sometimes.<br />
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Since learning to make Indian food, I’m amazed at how they’ve come to combine
vegetables. I make a Dahl (a dish with lentils or dried peas). It’s a heavenly
mixture of zucchini, onions, tomatoes and green peppers all swirled together
with aromatic spices and at the end combined with yellow peas. My folks would
not ever have imagined combining vegetables this way. The only combining they
did was to dump carrots, potatoes and onions together into a beef stew. The
only vegetable combining I truly remember was when the “new potatoes” were on,
new potatoes and fresh peas swimming in a cream sauce with a pinch or two of
sugar. It was yummy, but certainly not the serious vegetable combining of the
Indian dahls. And, even though where I was raised (the wheat country of Eastern
Washington) is now known as the “Pea and Lentil Capital of the World” no dried
pea I ever knew existed outside split pea soup and I never munched on one
lentil during my entire childhood.<br />
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Ah, see where onions and garlic can lead one? I certainly thank my folks for my
love of vegetables. I wish I could share with them some things I’ve learned and
amaze them with my vegetable repertoire. I think they’d have loved, or at least
tried, anything done with vegetables as long as avocados weren’t in the mix.
And, if dad had his garden today, I’ll bet I could convince him to plant some
garlic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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that salad:</span><span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #1c1c1c; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: -0.4pt; line-height: 115%; padding: 0in;"> </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/warm-tortellini-and-roasted-vegetable-salad-3364638"><span style="color: blue;">https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/warm-tortellini-and-roasted-vegetable-salad-3364638</span></a></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4121790610319640741.post-36153786479107149742020-03-22T21:05:00.003-07:002020-03-22T21:05:32.022-07:00It's An Adventure Facing The Unknown - More Ideas For Healthier Coping<br />
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Adventure, that is a good word. There have been a lot of adventurers
throughout history and many of the adventures upon which they embarked involved
facing the unknown and experiencing fear. Currently we are facing the unknown
and many are experiencing fear. Even though we didn't choose this adventure we
need to tackle it like we have the other adventures of our lives. Prepare
ourselves with knowledge, keep ourselves in the best shape we can for it, stay
focused to not let our brains and bodies be hijacked with fear. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">The messages about the
world's current situation are getting scarier for many. Our lives are being
disrupted in way's we've never experienced.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">When we talk to people, the
conversations so often turn to "the situation" how our country is
handling it, how it is impacting our lives. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">When we make decisions about
where we might go or what we might do, we first think of "the
situation".</span></div>
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Some people are facing the
scariest decisions of their lives. When I was caring for my husband he often
needed to go to Urgent Care, numerous times to the hospital and required a care
center 3 times with infections. There are folks right now worrying about the
possibility of having to make what they fear might be life and death decisions
for someone they love and are caring for.</div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I just learned of someone
whose cat is ill and there is nothing that can be done. This person's
heightened emotion over that is accelerating the cocktail of emotions, like
fear, that are already flowing. There are uncertainties - triggers for our
fears coming from so many directions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">OK, WHAT CAN WE DO<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I’m going to focus on the
importance of caring for ourselves. We can get the information we need, do what
we can to respond to it and then try to focus our minds away from obsessing. We
can work to follow the wisdom of philosophers of the ages...<i>live in the
moment</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a time to quiet our minds. I've been
teaching a mental training approach for years and I use it every day. I will
keep encouraging - do you meditate, practice self hypnosis, do tai chi, yoga or
practice something else that focuses your mind? Do your practice daily. If you
know how, but haven't, when you find your minds and bodies overwhelmed or
crawling toward that state - STOP - turn, at least for a little bit, toward
those practices. Quiet the overwhelmed left hemisphere, the thinking center of
your brain; don't let it hijack your body. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">If you have not learned
formal skills for quieting your mind, look on You Tube, look in your library of
books, I'll bet you've been "meaning to" learn some sort of
mental/physical discipline. Now's the time to give it a shot, your brain and
body need it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Do you like to run?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That can be a form of meditation. If you
regularly went to the gym and now cannot, find a way to exercise at home (don't
we all have hidden, somewhere in a box, an old Jane Fonda exercise video? :- )
somewhere in all the streaming we do these days there is an exercise program,
find it.) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hey, remember the Wii device
craze, if you have one get it out- there are all kinds of diversions available.
Even if you weren't a regular gym goer, when you're feeling overwhelmed jump
around your living room a bit, go for it. Family members might think you're
nuts but I bet it makes them smile - and they need that. Here's an idea, do you
or you and your partner like to dance? Put on some music, the music and the
movement will put your brains in a different place.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">If reading is an escape (and
yes our brains need escape time now), pick an engaging book and immerse your
mind in it. You non-readers grab a cookbook, yes a cookbook. My husband was
dyslexic and didn't read for fun but he used to love browsing cookbooks. They
offer great ideas and lots of interesting trivia. Plus, browsing through a
cookbook might give you inspiration to throw something together and throwing it
together will distract your mind further. And, those of you who have an Instant
Pot and still haven't used it (I know you're out there) now's the time. I mean,
really, your fear of the Instant Pot has been put in perspective. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">To get ourselves rationally
through these irrational times, we've got to get a little disciplined here, not
in a <i>"will power" </i>sort of way but in a <i>"take care of
our brains and bodies" </i>sort of way. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Caring about all of you,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Marilyn<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4121790610319640741.post-19620551011150158842020-03-22T20:55:00.002-07:002020-03-23T09:20:54.272-07:00We Don't Like Things We Can't Resolve and Stories of Pizza and Oysters<div class="yiv1295502264MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;">We don't like things we can't "resolve"; that we can't find a safe or comfortable solution for. Most often we are faced with those kinds of situations when we are in a state of fear - like being hit with a life threatening illness or in the current situation. In this situation we are having to live with continuously changing frightening things over which we don't feel much control. We have to take care ourselves first.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I heard a line today that is very apropos for the times we are facing and the message I've been promoting...Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes...including you.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Looks like the airport is almost empty. Choosing whether to go or not go somewhere isn't a singular conflict, it is inevitably going on in many, many households in our area and, inevitably, all over the country. And, remember, neither choice, going or not, will not feel "good". People have had plans and, looked forward to getting away, then this happened to concern them about travel and it came with frustration. When things like this happen, the<i> ten-year-old in us </i>starts "stomping his/her feet" angry about not getting to do what was looked forward to. It isn't going to do us any good, though, to obsess about the undesired change in life plans. The <i>"live in the moment"</i> thought I have shared is important here. Sit down, bring, your mind back out of the conflict, and begin thinking about what you are going to do instead to feel good, to treat yourself well and go forward in your life. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I fried up some chicken strips last night with Panko and chicken thighs. I'm sitting here this morning with my coffee and munching cold chicken. I'm the type of person who loves cold pizza slices for breakfast, lol.That reminds me, for those of you for whom cooking is a good diversion I've posted my really yummy recipe for Shrimp and Portobello Pizza Splotches on a blog I've kept and am starting up again. Here's a link: <a href="https://ourpastourfuture.blogspot.com/2020/03/shrimp-and-portobello-pizza-splotches.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: blue; cursor: pointer;" target="_blank">https://ourpastourfuture.blogspot.com/2020/03/shrimp-and-portobello-pizza-splotches.html</a> (And don't worry, people probably aren't hoarding Portobellos, lol)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Food! Comfort Food! It can be part of helping you cope. It's definitely what Hank would have been thinking about during the time of any crisis. On my way out of Trader Joe's yesterday I grabbed a bag of comfort food, Baked Cheese Crunchies. I love them and so do the two crows that visit me daily. I read an article on crow researchers who found that Cheese Puffs were a favorite of all crow snacks. I also treated myself to a tub of dark chocolate covered almonds (the crows aren't getting those). </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">A funny thing happened while I was shopping TJ's the other day. After years of laughing at kale and kale eaters, (yes, there are people who are judging you for eating kale, get over it! ;- )) TJ's was demonstrating a salad mix that included kale and other really crunchy greens. The kit came with dried blueberries and nuts. It might have been the sweet dressing but I loved it and have since been buying said salad mix and adding fresh blueberries and some sliced almonds and pecans. And, last night's chicken strips were chopped up adding protein to said salad. Hank would probably be laughing at me for eating a salad mix with kale but, hey, I indulged him his anchovies and pickled fish! </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Ok, I have to tell you one more food story. When were first dating and dining at FX McRory’s on 4th Ave an amazing bistro and fine dining venue ( now closed, alas) that had the best Irish Coffee and Bouillabaisse in town, he wanted me to try raw oysters, <i>"Think Ocean!, Think Ocean!"</i><b> </b>he encouraged with gusto as I, reluctant as I was, slurped down said bivalve. <i>Oh My God</i>...the taste, the texture, the whole experience is still one of my most horrible food memories. Years later I decided to make an old family favorite (my dad grew up on a farm) pickled tongue. You boil it, peel it, slice it and pickle it in a vinegar broth with onion slices. Hank eyed the whole process warily, now here's a guy who would eat anything. Remember Clinkerdagger Biggerstaff and Petts? His favorite dish was their Escargot Extraordinaire. Anyway back to tongue, after the slices were appropriately pickled it was time for him to try one...as he looked it over hesitantly, I couldn't help myself and encouraged with gusto,<b> </b>"<i>Think Barnyard!...Think Barnyard!"</i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;">Stay hydrated (my new favorite libation is San Pellegriuno cans of carbonated Blood Orange juice. If sttress is rising, STOP, take a deep breath and do something to distract your mind. As often as you can, do what you feel like doing. The 10-year-old in you who would have been "stomping and upset" about not going on that trip, is feeling a little scared these days. </span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4121790610319640741.post-62499516765598329202020-03-22T20:46:00.001-07:002020-03-22T20:46:37.521-07:00Some Reasons We're Feeling So Stressed And Things We Can Do<br />
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I woke to, what continuously seems like, a rapidly changing
world. Continued news stories about the Coronavirus, just growing more
depressing. In normal times, our lives get going on a role, they sort of fall
into an automatic pattern of activities. The general pattern evolves; then, our
brains anticipate and build onto that framework as we add new things. We
generally feel in control, that pattern gives us an inner sense of order.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Ever wonder why even positive changes like a marriage or
moving into a new home are high on the stress scale? The general pattern of our
brain activity is disrupted; we are not on automatic anymore and we feel less a
sense of inner order. Things like this disease making changes in what we’ve
come to depend on, further disrupts our inner sense of order. And some of those
changes are not even chosen, but forced on us, a rare situation in modern
American lives; it’s something we are unused to. Then, in this case, add the
chemicals of fear to the mix of an already disrupted inner order. This may
result in a constant low lying concern for some or a feeling of almost terror
for others. <o:p></o:p></div>
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There are a lot of neurologically explainable reasons why
some people get hit harder than others when the disruption of inner order
occurs and why the chemicals of fear are felt more intensely by some. It
doesn’t matter, though, how people are responding is how they are responding.
Judging them removes you further from being a calming force in their lives and
increases your own feeling of inner disorder or chaos. Sitting in a state of
judgement is not a healthy way for us to restore our own inner order. <o:p></o:p></div>
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What to do, what to do? Well, we can begin by attempting to
spend some time focusing our minds, concentrating. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you practice yoga, tai chi or enjoy jumping
around in your living room to Beach Body workouts, this is the time to spend
some time doing that. If you enjoy Sudoku, or crossword puzzles or, yes, you
can admit it, even jig saw puzzles, force yourself to find some time to sit and
put your brain to work on a very order creating activity. Two things are
happening to make you feel better, first, your brain is experiencing a familiar
pattern and second you are being forced to concentrate. These activities move
your brain away from the overwhelmed “thinking” left hemisphere and into the
creative, big picture thinking, right hemisphere. If you have learned and
regularly practice a formal “concentrating” routine, like NeuroTherapy
Training, you’ll be handling things better. If you’ve learned a method of
concentration and shifting your brain but have stopped practicing it, this is
the time to reintroduce it into your daily activities. YOU’VE GOT TO HELP YOUR
BRAIN by calming the chemicals of fear and moving away from the chaotic
overwhelmed left hemisphere.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Here’s another idea for calming us physically and
emotionally - take a glorious hot bath. Dig out those fizzy bath balls, light a
candle or two, make your favorite tea to have within reach. Part of what is
accelerating your discomfort is physical stress. Relax those muscles in that
warm water and some of the feeling of inner chaos will mechanically diminish.
And, the aromatherapy of your favorite bath accoutrements and familiar scent of
the soothing tea will both help bring some order back to your brain<o:p></o:p></div>
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Those of you with an artistic bent, dig out some paints and
make a personal hand painted card to send to someone you care about or if you
love to sew, turn on that machine and dig into that fabric stash and make a
throw pillow or a cat toy or something simple and fun, and possibly something
that you can use to brighten someone else’s day. It’s the same with you who
find pleasure in the art of cooking. Go stand in your kitchen, (do the dishes
if they are in the sink, that will help restore your inner sense of order as
well) then get creative, call up your favorite recipe and start organizing the
ingredients needed, the activity is like putting together that jig saw puzzle.
Or maybe just dig out that cake mix that has been languishing in the back of
your pantry and make it. Let yourself and your family indulge cutting off
chunks and eating it without frosting. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or
get carried away and make that Teddy Bear cake you’ve been planning to try ever
since you bought that pan at the yard sale. Art and the art of cooking force
our brains away from the chaotic, worried left hemisphere and focus our minds.
They also produce things that can be shared with others not doing as well as
you may be with the disruption of inner chaos.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Whatever you do today, add something that calms your brain
and helps you restore that inner sense of order. And, if you can, reach out to
someone in a positive way, even if only by phone or internet, who may not be
handling things as well as you are. Offer them conversation, or if they are
near, one of your fizzy bath balls, that cat toy or hand painted card or maybe
sit down with them over a cup of your favorite tea and discuss something that
makes both of you feel good.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4121790610319640741.post-16356923135208617262020-03-13T13:17:00.000-07:002020-03-13T13:19:23.767-07:00Shrimp and Portobello Pizza Splotches<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Ingredients:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Dough:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Use premade dough you can keep
frozen, or this recipe:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">1 ½ cups bread flour (I often
use </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.dictionarycentral.com/definition/strong-flour.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #5f5f5f; text-decoration: none;">strong flour</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> recommended for pizzas, but regular flour works)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">1 teaspoon dry yeast<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">½ -2/3 cup s lukewarm water<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">1 tablespoon olive oil<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Topping:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Butter <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">16 to 20.medium fresh or frozen
(thawed) shrimp. (I cut each shrimp into three chunks before spooning the sauce
onto the dough.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Two Portobello caps sliced into 1”
strips then cut into 1” chunks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">About 3 Tablespoons of a sweet,
thick sauce as a binder (I use Mango Ginger Chutney and have used Fig jam; you
could use apricot or other fruit preserves you may have on hand.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Grated Mozzarella<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Tomato-based pizza sauce of your choice (As it doesn’t take
a lot, we keep prepared pizza sauce on hand, our favorite is Classico brand.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Instructions:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">You can use frozen dough to make it easy</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">If
making dough from scratch</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Starting with a large mixing bowl,
Sift in the flour. Add the yeast, stirring it in. Pour the water and oil into
the center of the flour and mix it into a soft dough. (I happened to have some
disposable plastic gloves on hand that made this step slick, no sticky fingers)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for around ten
minutes. This was kind of fun, better than one of those little stress balls,
but I digress. You’ll want it smooth and elastic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Grease a large bowl, I use metal,
and place the dough in the bowl covering with plastic wrap. Put it in a warm
place for about 1 hour to let it rise. It needs to double in size.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">While dough is rising…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Prepare the topping. Slice the Portobello caps into 1”
strips then into 1” chunks. Begin sautéing in butter on medium heat until they
start diminishing in size. Peel about 16- 20 med. shrimp fresh or frozen. Add
shrimp to mushrooms and sauté until bright pink and done. When shrimp have
cooked for about a minute add the chutney or other sweet binder and mix well.
Remove topping onto a plate (I cut up the shrimp into three pieces each at this
point) and set aside.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Preheat oven to 425.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="mso-cellspacing: 0in; mso-padding-alt: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;">
<tbody>
<tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td style="padding: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Back to your lightly floured
surface, with your dough now raised, knead it again for 2 to 3 minutes. There
are two of us so, when done, I cut the dough ball in half then cut each dough
ball into four pieces. I freeze one half dough ball in a quart-sized bag for
later use.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="padding: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">On a lightly greased cookie sheet,
spread each quarter into a splotch (no perfect size or shape) each is about the
size of a large pizza slice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Spoon and spread pizza sauce onto each splotch. Spoon on the
shrimp and Portobello topping allowing 5 or 6 shrimp per splotch. Top with
Mozzarella.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bake
for about 12 minutes until crisp.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4121790610319640741.post-16121020362631255422020-03-03T11:52:00.001-08:002020-03-03T11:58:07.051-08:00For Those Who Love To Cook - You Have A Gift That Can Brighten Someone's Life<div class="_2cuy _3dgx _2vxa" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
THIS IS FOR THOSE AMONG YOU WHO ENJOY COOKING…we are having a tense moment in our country with the news 24-7 re. the corona virus. There are people out there whose lives are already overwhelmed, maybe trying to raise children and manage careers, facing a physical problem that already weakens their immune responses or someone who, for whatever reason, has more challenges than we do. This is a call to action for you to lift someone up a bit with something that will lift you up as well.</div>
<div class="_2cuy _3dgx _2vxa" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
IF YOU LOVE TO COOK YOU ARE LUCKY...my tension, like others, has risen a bit in the face of this addition to normal concerns. But if, like me, you love to cook you are lucky. I had the Sunday morning political shows playing at a low level; the normal political punditing was, in this case, being interrupted by more information on the virus crisis. It was irritating me BUT, I knew what I needed to do…spend some time with some ingredients concocting a tasty dish. It would force me to concentrate away from tension-increasing thoughts…It would take me into my creative right hemisphere rather than the troubled, analytical left…It would evolve into the most amazing aromatherapy and then a treat for the taste buds. Not everyone is lucky to look at the process of cooking as creative and fun. They’ve never understood cooking as a way of expressing themselves and their individuality.</div>
<div class="_2cuy _3dgx _2vxa" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
NOW, SINCE YOU ARE SO LUCKY and since there is at least one person in your life, if only being a neighbor, who really didn’t need the heightened tension and angst of the moment, I’m suggesting that you share an act of kindness with yourself and with another.</div>
<div class="_2cuy _3dgx _2vxa" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
WHIP UP A DISH TODAY AND SHARE IT. Don’t go out to the store, you keep certain ingredients on hand for some of your favorite foods or desserts. We usually keep things around for recipes like Split Pea Soup or Snickerdoodles. You can go so far as to look over your ingredients and invent a dish. So…Chop those veges…whip that piece of meat out of the freezer put in a zip lock and immerse in warm water for fast defrosting…grab that favorite recipe…measure out all your spices into a little bowl. Start up the stove, or Instant Pot, or oven, or air fryer or Sous Vide…we have such great toys, don’t we? Soon that warm simmering or baking dish will be wafting and creating the most amazing aromatherapy. When you are done you’ve got something special to enjoy and something you can share with that family member, friend. neighbor or acquaintance who is more stressed than you and who could use a boost…the boost of a surprise of a person showing up with something warm and wonderful to eat.</div>
<div class="_2cuy _3dgx _2vxa" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
MAKE WHAT FUELS YOUR SOUL. I made my Tomato, Onion Zucchini Dahl. I will offer up a comfort food recipe that you probably have the ingredients on hand for. It’s one that I’ve carried with me and loved since college days when I was attempting a Vegetarian lifestyle. I make it periodically because I love it and, also, because the aromas and taste bring back good memories. It always takes me back to the special time of college days…like awakening to feminism and riding a bicycle everywhere and sipping warm soup while enjoying engaging conversations with friends.</div>
<div class="_2cuy _3dgx _2vxa" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span class="_4yxo" style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: 600;">VEGETARIAN SPLIT PEA SOUP</span></div>
<div class="_2cuy _3dgx _2vxa" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
Ingredients:</div>
<div class="_2cuy _3dgx _2vxa" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
5-6 cups water</div>
<div class="_2cuy _3dgx _2vxa" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
2 cups split peas</div>
<div class="_2cuy _3dgx _2vxa" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
1 small onion, diced</div>
<div class="_2cuy _3dgx _2vxa" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
1/2 cup pearled barley or rice (I love the texture of pearled barley)</div>
<div class="_2cuy _3dgx _2vxa" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
1 tsp. Salt - then add to taste</div>
<div class="_2cuy _3dgx _2vxa" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
1/2 tsp. dill seed</div>
<div class="_2cuy _3dgx _2vxa" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
1/4 tsp. each sweet basil, oregano, mustard powder, celery flakes and black pepper</div>
<div class="_2cuy _3dgx _2vxa" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
1 moderate handful toasted sesame seeds</div>
<div class="_2cuy _3dgx _2vxa" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
Instructions:</div>
<div class="_2cuy _3dgx _2vxa" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 6px 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
Bring water to rapid boil. Add rinsed split peas and salt. Let boil 3 minutes or until soft but still intact. Add barley, spices and onion; continue to cook, adding more salt to taste. After about 1/2 hour, add sesame seeds. (If untoasted, stir in a frying pan on stove top using high heat till they start to turn golden.) While simmering the soup be sure that heat is on medium or lower all the time; too high a heat will destroy the vitamins. Soup is done when peas are dissolved and grain is soft.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4121790610319640741.post-39168110185172685652014-12-06T12:43:00.008-08:002021-08-20T12:14:08.048-07:00Indian Dishes: Aroma Therapy For Your Home, Diversity For Your Palete, And, (It's The Holidays) A Treat For Your Friends!<div>Here is an audiofile, a talk I gave on Simplifying Indian Cuisine <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/18ue_qVOVSP6NL0SvPwsWz-RMtJAnyWFS/view?usp=sharing">Simplyfing Indian Cuisine</a></div><div><br /></div>Many people, I'm talking mainly American's, enjoy diversity in their food and have enjoyed the culinary experience of Indian dishes whenever they've had them. Many fewer of those people, though, have tried to make Indian dishes. If they haven't looked at recipes they imagine the requirement of all kinds of odd ingredients and spices they'd have to go hunting for and cooking requirements they could only accomplish by holding the instructions in one hand while attempting an exotic flip of a spatula or some such food transporting methiod done in hot oil. STOP THINKING THAT WAY! <br />
<br />
Simplifying Indian dishes or finding interesting Indian recipes already simplified is a very pleasurable pastime for me. I enjoy trying to make and enjoy the taste of the cuisine. So much more interesting and multidimensional than the basic American Fried Chicken/Mashed Potato Food that I grew up with. And, I have a husband who's had in his mind he doesn't care for Indian spices, but who surprises himself and me with his enjoyment of the dishes I make. He goes back for more.<br />
<br />
A very basic larder ready for trying Indian cuisine should have several things:<br />
Basmati Rice<br />
Onions<br />
Ginger - fresh chunks kept in the freezer or ready-to-use chopped or crushed in a jar<br />
Garlic, fresh or ready-to-use chopped in a jar<br />
Cilantro<br />
<br />
Tomatoes, canned diced, tomato paste, or even fresh<br />
Garam Masala<br />
Turmeric<br />
Coriander seed<br />
Cumin powder and whole cumin seeds<br />
<br />
Lemon juice<br />
Plain Yogurt<br />
<br />
If you grew up in meat and potatoes America, like me, many of your friends probably did too and will be intrigued at your offerings.<br />
<br />
I spent a 4th of July once (we were alone) making a Tikka Masala that was more complex than the one I offer here. I even concocted a Tandoori Marinade, marinated the chicken pieces over night and then used that chicken in a Tikka Masala sauace.<br />
<br />
This is arecipe for Tikka Masala that I discovered in Real Simple online. It only uses one Indian Spice (actually a spice mixture) available at super markets*) You dump the ingredients in a crockpot, how simple is that! Then you dump three ingredients in a bowl that marinates while the crockpot is doing it's thing, easy relish to extend add more gastronomic pleasure to the chicken dish. Sometime before eating, you cook up some rice and VIOLA! New and intriguing aromas in your home and a delicious dinner (or gift).<br />
<br />
My 'Indian larder' is well stocked, all I need is the heavy cream and some fresh cilantro.<br />
Come on you reluctant cooks, you can get everything needed at your supermarket, dig out your crockpot and read on. Go for it, it will be such a treat.<br />
<br />
And, it's the holiday season. Don't know what to do for a special neighbor or friend? Make a couple of Indian dishes, such as below. Pick up a package of Naan Bread at the local market. (Available at most supermarkets. Trader Joe's in the Seattle area has fresh and a delicious frozen Garlic Naan. Be festive, yet spend less, buy an interesting dish at Goodwill to deliver. Desire to spend more, buy a more expensive dish to include as part of your unusual gift.<br />
<br />
(I was actually reading Real Simple magazine and found a Tikka Masala recipe, went online to look for a link to it to save, didn't find it but found an even simpler one for the crockipot. And I am definately trying it for dinner tonight, with the cucumber/cilantro relish)<br />
<br />
* My favortie Garam Masala mixture I get from Puget Sound Consumer Coop Markets in the Seattle.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/chicken-tikka-masala-recipe">http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/chicken-tikka-masala-recipe</a><br />
<b><u><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></u></b>
<b><u><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/chicken-tikka-masala-recipe">Chicken Tikka Masala with Cucumber Cilantro relish</a></span></u></b><br />
Serves 4<br />
preparation 10 minutes cooking 490 minutes<br />
<br />
<u><b>Ingredients</b></u><br />
<b>Tikka Masala</b><br />
1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes<br />
1 medium onion, chopped<br />
2 cloves garlic, chopped<br />
2 tablespoons tomato paste<br />
2 teaspoons garam masala (Indian spice blend)<br />
Kosher salt and black pepper<br />
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 8)<br />
1 cup rice, ideally Basmati, but other long-grain white rice will work<br />
1/2 cup heavy cream<br />
<br />
<b>Cucumber Cilantro Relish</b><br />
1/2 English cucumber, halved and thinly sliced<br />
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves<br />
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice<br />
1/4 teas. each salt and pepper<br />
<br />
<b><u>Directions</u></b><br />
1. In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the tomatoes, onion, garlic, tomato paste, garam masala, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables, cover, and cook until the chicken is tender, on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours (this will shorten total recipe time). When chicken is done, shred it and stir into the sauce.<br />
<br />
2. In a small bowl, toss the cucumber and cilantro with the lemon juice and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for up to 8 hours.<br />
<br />
3. Twenty minutes before serving, cook the rice according to the package directions.<br />
<br />
4. Just before serving, stir the cream into the chicken tikka masala. Serve over the rice with the cucumber relish.<br />
<br />
(Note from my first time cooking it: it is even better the next day (as are a lot of Indian dishes, the spices have time to blend. Put crockpot on high for an hour more or on low for a couple more.)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.realsimple.com/">www.realsimple.com</a><br />
Charlyne Mattox<br />
December 2011<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4121790610319640741.post-87674745198492066722014-11-30T13:20:00.003-08:002014-11-30T13:20:48.919-08:00Amazing Soup from Left Overs - Just Add Some Crusty Bread for Dipping!It's a cold day and I was in the mood for a comfort food, stick to your ribs soup. I somehow bought a 32 oz box of vegetable broth (generally only use chicken or beef broth) and was inspired to use it. A bowl of left over Indian spiced fresh green beans looked interesting in it's thick sauce of tomatoes/onions/garam masala/turmeric. I chopped the beans into 1/2 inch chunks and just used the sauce clinging to them. A couple of nice yams sat in the vegetable basket. Then there was two packages of a sausage/onion/hash brown mixture in the freezer.<br />
<br />
Ingredients:<br />
1 cup Indian green beans chopped into 1/2' piece<br />
1/2 sweet onion chopped<br />
2 large stalks celery chopped<br />
1/2 large yam chopped into 1/2 chunks<br />
2 teapoons thyme<br />
1 1/2 cup <a href="http://ourpastourfuture.blogspot.com/2014/05/a-quick-and-easy-meaty-breakfast.html">sausage/hash brown/onion mixture</a><br />
1 32 oz. box Vegetable Broth<br />
2 teaspoons Johnny's Seasoning or salt (or to taste)<br />
<br />
My great left over Indian Style Green Beans seemed like a great base for a unique soup. (2 lb. fresh green beans, 1 14 oz. can petite diced tomatoes drained, 1 chopped and sauteed sweet onion, 3 cloves garlic crushed, 1 teaspoon garam masala (more to taste), 1 teas. turmeric, salt to taste.)<br />
<br />
I took out two packages of my sausage, onion, hash brown mixture and defrosted.<br />
<br />
I chopped a sweet onion, some celery, garlic and the yam chunks. Sauteed them in olive oil with thyme.<br />
<br />
Into my smaller crock pot with the vegetable broth went the green beans, sauteed onion/celery/garlic/yam mixture, the sausage mixture and seasoning salt.<br />
<br />
Hey, I used left overs, things from the freezer and fresh vegetables...and it's delicious. I'm out to buy some crusty bread to dip into it. My Husband might even eat it if it comes with crusty bread for dipping.<br />
<br />
Since I chopped up double the amount of the onion/celery/garlic/yam mixture have a bunch of ready that I'm freezing for future use in another interesting soup.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4121790610319640741.post-53504942948570217902014-11-27T11:52:00.001-08:002014-11-27T16:58:15.020-08:00French Onion Soup For Two In An Electric Frying Pan <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdODUyBQs5qFRPRtpHE66u23I9mSX9uOAg3DqKab_UH7imTukOzAGqNBaCfVo_spjRIS2aVj2iiFcusb34HLWO_CO7Eq3px9te8B3maF4IuYPECqk-BPiRb4qUKdBEqFrozye7atPAaHmZ/s1600/French+onion+soup+impliments.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdODUyBQs5qFRPRtpHE66u23I9mSX9uOAg3DqKab_UH7imTukOzAGqNBaCfVo_spjRIS2aVj2iiFcusb34HLWO_CO7Eq3px9te8B3maF4IuYPECqk-BPiRb4qUKdBEqFrozye7atPAaHmZ/s1600/French+onion+soup+impliments.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>French Onion Soup For Two In An Electric Frying Pan</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My husband has been wanting broth-based soups lately. He’s
always had a love of French Onion Soup so I picked up a hunk of Gruyere cheese.
(I told the deli guy I wanted about a two inch hunk. He said he had a precut
one that is about 3 inches and he’d give it to me for the 2” price. I said that
wasn’t necessary because of his thoughtfulness I’d be happy to pay the 3”
price. He charged the 2” price and I’ll go back as they were nice.) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It was a
Friday night after a long day and a trip out in rush hour traffic for an errand. I
thought maybe trying the French Onion Soup for the first time might be too
much. I glanced over the recipe I had been cobbling together from several recipes I’d
been looking at. Pretty easy, I thought. So into the frying pan went ¼ cup
butter and 1 Tablespoon cooking oil (I was out of olive oil). While heating it, I
cut a large sweet onion in half then from the flat edges made thin slices so
the onion fell apart into strips. I added the onion to the melted butter/oil now heated.
Just until translucent, the recipe instructed, not browned. As it translucented itself.
I took out my thyme (an herb I’m using more lately) a 32 oz. box of lower
sodium beef broth. I added the herb to my onions first to bring out its
fragrance (salute to Indian cuisine for teaching me that). Then, I added the
broth and set it to simmer for 30 minutes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">While simmering I grated my Gruyere and mad ¼ inch slices
of the mini baguette that I picked up at Whole Foods last night. I moved the
oven rack up for broiling. After the simmering was done I ladled the soup into
the thick white soup bowls I’d bought for pot pies, a perfect venue. I laid
three slices of baguette on top of the broth and heaped grated Gruyere on top
of that. Under the broiler, and I watched until the cheese started to brown.
Voila! French Onion Soup. We loved it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>French Onion Soup</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>Ingredients</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">4 Tablespoons Butter</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">1 Tablespoon olive oil (I used cooking oil)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">1 large sweet onion, cut into strips</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">1 teaspoon dried thyme</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Salt to taste</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Pepper If you like</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">1 32 oz. box or or close to equivalent of beef broth ( I used lower sodium and added salt to taste)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Grated Gruyere</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">1/4' slices of small baguette bread or slices of a larger baguette cut into chunks</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Heat the butter and oil on med low while slicing the onion. Slice the onion in half and then make thin slices starting from the flat sides of the halves so the onion falls into strips. Add the onion to the butter/oil. Cook the onion until translucent not browned. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Add the thyme and stir into onions to bring out it's fragrance. Add the broth and bring to a simmer. Taste for salt, add more if desired. Simmer for 30 minutes. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Top the hot onions and broth with the baguette slices and heap grated Gruyere on top.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Place under the broiler until the cheese startes to brown. </span></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4121790610319640741.post-56932335995112006902014-11-20T11:07:00.000-08:002014-11-20T11:07:15.683-08:00Bag The Al Dente - Easy Trick for Pasta Salad<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkSeOFlzxzAn-rl1dRd9CP1Vzf3nJduPv5eu2TT15auiPFHbdKk72rLtB9a-2SUkLy3-74W6aBdmau3USjiXZfhpjkNNc0jjIEqoB-kSVWeqJp2lg2UwNvcLy5mpb5yroktU1lZZoJLQc4/s1600/Pasta+Salad+with+Israeli+Couscous.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkSeOFlzxzAn-rl1dRd9CP1Vzf3nJduPv5eu2TT15auiPFHbdKk72rLtB9a-2SUkLy3-74W6aBdmau3USjiXZfhpjkNNc0jjIEqoB-kSVWeqJp2lg2UwNvcLy5mpb5yroktU1lZZoJLQc4/s1600/Pasta+Salad+with+Israeli+Couscous.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
We love pasta salad but I hate to boil pasta salad. I've tried every microwave pasta cooker, too mushy, can't do it in a crockpot. I don't like dragging out the big pot waiting for the water to boil, how come the box says boil three minutes or some such and it takes ten and Al DENTE!! how do you know? Maybe it's just a quirk, but hey, I hate cooking pasta.<br />
<br />
While perusing my a favorite haunt, the Puget Sound Consumer Coop Deli I was enjoying the varying array of salad with unusual ingredients, beets, quinoa, garbanzos, kale and tofu (not for me), sesame and other interesting vinegars, smoked Gouda and other cheeses. I've asked for the recipes (which they give) for numerous salads, several of which I continue to make - Turkish Garbanzo, and Protein Salad are two favorites.<br />
<br />
This day another unusual ingredient caught my attention, Israeli Couscous. It's a round pasta the size of giant tapioca. Considering my dislike of boiling pasta, It occurred that I might be able to get away with cooking this unusual ingredient in my rice cooker, at least I was going to give it a try. If it worked I wouldn't have to wait for boiling water, watch it, drain it, etc.<br />
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And...it worked! 1 cup Couscous with 1 1/4 cup water, on with the rice cooker and perfectly done.<br />
Now to try it as a pasta salad. I added 4 chopped scallions, 2 small sweet pickles, a couple tablespoons of chopped pecans, a small handful of dried cranberries, 3 chopped boiled eggs, a stalk of celery chopped, Best Foods Mayonnaise, cider vinegar and salt. I added extra cider vinegar as we like the tanginess and it works it's way into the ingredients to mellow out.<br />
<br />
There is a slight taste to the Couscous you can detect if you eat it before it sits for a while. Later in the day and then the next morning this pasta salad was amazing. It may now be my go-to pasta for salad. No more grumbling about boiling water and al dente etc.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4121790610319640741.post-87614592351517177352014-11-12T12:19:00.001-08:002014-11-12T12:19:51.225-08:00More On A Whole Chicken in a CrockpotFoster Farms Whole chickens were on sale for under a dollar a pound. My new habit is to buy one whenever I see them on sale and cook it in my crockpot. (<a href="http://ourpastourfuture.blogspot.com/2014/01/crockpot-ham-chicken-soup.html">see earlier post</a>)<br />
<br />
Wash, season and cook it breast down on low for 6 hours. I just did one and have to say we've enjoyed it in several ways.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>I had a dinner of a leg thigh section when it was done. </li>
<li>For next morning's breakfast I made white bread and mayonnaise (Best Foods) sandwiches. </li>
<li>I then made a chicken salad with scallions, dill pickles, sweet pickles, pineapple (I didn't have my favorite dried cranberries and like a bit of sweetness in chicken salad), walnuts and celery. </li>
<li>I took the meaty bones and a 32oz box of chicken broth and cooked overnight on low in the crockpot. Deboning the next morning I added the meat, and 2 cups water. In my electric frying pan I fried until softening: 1 chopped onion, chopped carrots, chopped celery, 1 Russet potato, chopped, a teaspoon of chopped garlic and 2 big pinches of Thyme. I added the vegetables to the broth and added a handful of pearled barley. Simmering on high for about an hour it was soooooo tasty.</li>
</ul>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4121790610319640741.post-12990546040425604702014-11-02T11:46:00.001-08:002014-11-02T11:46:16.595-08:00Thoughts On Rice<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivP3tiNKD8DCcqUSec-6Z2OahzNdeZ-3TZq3iA-CH9ispbYUZmSlDMHPMAM53vnGLHbFJxtJ_HbI2e3p1aMHe27jIJcPqFgV-nm0kZMaPpx3Nvy_VzB1rST0YtYfohHVaLd7gxiYkqBRWe/s1600/arborio+rice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivP3tiNKD8DCcqUSec-6Z2OahzNdeZ-3TZq3iA-CH9ispbYUZmSlDMHPMAM53vnGLHbFJxtJ_HbI2e3p1aMHe27jIJcPqFgV-nm0kZMaPpx3Nvy_VzB1rST0YtYfohHVaLd7gxiYkqBRWe/s1600/arborio+rice.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When and where I was raised, in the 1950's American West, rice was rice. I only remember having it dessert-like, warm with milk, sugar and raisins (which I picked out). I've wondered why the cooks in my family never considered using rice in casseroles or in other savory ways. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />My first foray into thinking of rice diversity was the Basmati rice in Indian food (I can taste the difference now from plain white rice). The second was the Arborio, an ingredient in a now favorite, <a href="http://orangette.blogspot.com/2013/12/approximately-soup.html">Rice and Smothered Cabbage Soup</a>, and suggested for the one risotto I ever made. A niece, who cooks a lot of rice, said that medium grain white rice can substitute for Arborio. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I made .th soup once with medium grain white rice and it wasn't much different from using the </span>Arborio. On hand, I<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> currently have medium grain white rice, Arbor rice and </span>Basmati<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> rice. I'm going to make my cabbage rice soup today (delighted to find that Fred Meyer carries the required Savoy Cabbage).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Here is a post that offers a short tutorial on rice and its varied types for the rice-interested.<br /><a href="http://www.culinate.com/articles/features/rice_types_glossary">Rice Tutorial</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />I just subscribed to the site, <a href="http://www.culinate.com/">www.Culinate.com</a>. It looks like it has interesting food-related content and I'm going to look it over.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4121790610319640741.post-42370778727987916702014-10-18T20:43:00.000-07:002017-03-18T16:37:05.322-07:00Fried Chicken And Mashed PotatoesOk, if you are from the Western United States reading this, admit it, you were nurtured from a very young age to love fried chicken and mashed potatoes. Sometime you just have to have some. But in these healthy cooking times you may not do much frying Instead you're more likely to get your fix by surreptitiously snacking on a chicken thigh from behind the deli glass, and you buy those 14 oz, tubs of ready to eat mashed potatoes.<br />
<br />
I haven't fried chicken in a while, mostly once or twice a summer and I do it outside with the electric frying pan seated securely on a towel on top of the dock box. Yes, the aroma of tantalizing fried chicken draws sniffs and comments from dock neighbors whose brains are momentarily stimulated back to the simplicity of grade school life and anticipation of noisy and lively family dinners. The kind where you put the black olives from the 'hors d oeuvre' plate on each finger.<br />
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Husband had an idea for a yummy side dish and fried chicken seemed the perfect accompaniment. We like dark meat so some Foster Farm legs looked good to me. I brined them for several hours in salted water. Then I dipped them in egg wash, flour/garlic powder, buttermilk and the flour mixture again. then let them set for 1/2 hour.<br />
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Fried in hot oil they came out crunchy and delicious. Husband had suggested fresh lemon to squeeze on them, a great idea.<br />
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His side dish brought the requisite mashed potatoes up a bit in sophistication.<br />
<br />
<b><u>Parmesan Asparagus and Potatoes</u></b><br />
<br />
What's cool about it is you can easily keep the required ingredients on hand for a quick fix for two really hungry people or four normal ones. It works well in a 9 1/2 by 7 1/2 pan with sides<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
1 14 oz. tub of ready-to-eat mashed potatoes<br />
1 15 oz. can of extra long asparagus (in those tall skinny cans)<br />
Butter<br />
Grated Parmesan Cheese, not the fresh, use the dried that's used on spaghetti.<br />
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Directions:<br />
Smoosh the potatoes into the pan until the bottom is covered. Layer drained asparagus spears on top of the potatoes and dot the top with pieces of butter. Microwave them until heated through.<br />
<br />
Shake a thick layer of Parmesan over the asparagus with a few more dots of butter and put it under the broiler until the cheese starts to lightly brown.<br />
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I know you're saying, "But all that butter" You know you love it and you don't eat like that all the time, go for it.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4121790610319640741.post-19531580026104232182014-09-13T20:35:00.000-07:002014-09-13T20:46:38.751-07:00Our Trip To Uwajimaya<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3_np25rFY9SupncIHEFggnM6H9jLNIM_3hRzyMKZM7Tzk83UwW7Q9K4vgWVic6ZW52uokkigUJmtDjx4KCWWM3cveQtbeYILgGMU9-htA4HdGB5PYXOVS0LwiZdRCaY_5kk6ZHV5Y243f/s1600/Hank's%2BTonkatsu%2BGarlic%2BBlack%2BBean%2BChicken%2Bthree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3_np25rFY9SupncIHEFggnM6H9jLNIM_3hRzyMKZM7Tzk83UwW7Q9K4vgWVic6ZW52uokkigUJmtDjx4KCWWM3cveQtbeYILgGMU9-htA4HdGB5PYXOVS0LwiZdRCaY_5kk6ZHV5Y243f/s1600/Hank's+Tonkatsu+Garlic+Black+Bean+Chicken+three.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Husband and I are
munching on Gyoza (pot stickers). We wandered Uwajimaya, his favorite culinary
hangout. They regularly carry high quality, unusual meats. It's where he's
always gotten ox tails for his unparalleled Ox Tail Goulash. I checked out
beef tongue as I haven't made the old family favorite, pickled tongue, in a
long time. My mom and grandma would have gasped at the price and they weren't cheap, especially when it came to good food - $21.00! Well, I'm with you mom and
grandma, darn. And, looking for a 'sale' on beef tongue might be a bit of a
challenge, possibly even iffy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyway, passing on the
tongue, I headed for the "deli" and bought a yummy shrimp croquette
(basically a deep fried breaded shrimp patty). Yum City! I shared some bites with
Husband and wished they had them frozen. Husband was gathering items for something he
had in mind to make. Shitake mushrooms, fresh cilantro, bok choy, Bull-Dog
brand Tonkatsu Sauce. We have some boneless, skinless chicken thighs in the
freezer he'll use. I picked up some rice cookies that I like and the
aforementioned Gyoza. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cooking away in the (new convection)
oven is Hanks dish of three large boneless, skinless chicken thighs. He lightly
marinated the meat in, and is now cooking it in, a mixture of Garlic Black Bean Sauce and
Tonkatsu sauce, fresh cilantro leaves, and slices of Shitake mushrooms. Twenty
minutes on one side at 400 degrees, turned with the sauce spooned over the
meat, then another twenty minutes (check temp of chicken from your own
oven). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hank's Tonkatsu/Garlic Black Bean Sauce Chicken </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ingredients:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Boneless skinless
chicken thighs<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bull-Dog Brand Tonkatsu
Sauce<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Garlic Black Bean Sauce<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fresh Cilantro leaves<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Shitake mushrooms<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Instructions:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For how many chicken
thighs you have, make enough of a 1/2-1/2 mixture of Tonkatsu Sauce and Garlic
Black Bean Sauce to fairly well cover the chicken thighs. To that, add fresh
cilantro leaves and slices of Shitake mushrooms - enough to your liking. Stir
the meat in the marinade until it's well coated and marinate in a bowl or
plastic bag for around an hour.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bake in a 400 degree oven for twenty minutes, turn over spooning sauce over the meat again and bake for another 20 min (adjust for your oven to reach 165 degrees). Slice the chicken in 1/4 inch slices.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You could serve it over
rice, but we surrounded it with more of the Gyoza on which we are still
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4121790610319640741.post-35767478148787490302014-08-02T12:51:00.002-07:002014-08-02T12:53:20.622-07:00My Favorite Breakfast With A Twist<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I love potatoes, especially fried. I love bacon. The quintessential breakfast involves both. The 14 Carrot Restaurant down the street serves a plate of fried potatoes and onions served with cheddar cheese melted on top and sides of sour cream and a tangy, vinegary pico de gallo (a chop of jalapenos, onions and bell pepper). Add a side of their thick bacon and leisurely read the Sunday paper, what a treat. </div>
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We keep Simply Potatoes Brand potatoes on hand and bacon in the freezer. This morning I fried up some bacon, added a bag of Diced Potatoes with Onion to the pan (yes into the bacon grease). I fried them about two thirds of the way, removed them to a plate. As I like a lot of onion in my fried potatoes, I chopped half of a sweet onion and fried it until soft. Adding the potatoes to the onions, I finished frying them. Hot on the plate I topped with cheddar cheese grated fine. Out of sour cream I used a Cilantro Chive Yogurt Dip (from Trader Joe's if your area has one). Wow, I have to say it was better than the sour cream. Adding a tasty cool creaminess to a bite of potatoes and cheese. If I could figure out how to keep their pico de gallo fresh on hand, it would have been over the top.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQXguCQm33cJUPwC2yoizu-2vLsBW38hZWI4VkuQOp-ZJcnr9hs-AiiNDyzR9yRl6b6fsAZTuOBj_5H_W4Oc2oEup-1yvhyphenhyphen0kA-4I3GT_jTxdu9yGYroQSoGG-tOCYwGABN0Igincv5Tjk/s1600/good+ole+breakfast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQXguCQm33cJUPwC2yoizu-2vLsBW38hZWI4VkuQOp-ZJcnr9hs-AiiNDyzR9yRl6b6fsAZTuOBj_5H_W4Oc2oEup-1yvhyphenhyphen0kA-4I3GT_jTxdu9yGYroQSoGG-tOCYwGABN0Igincv5Tjk/s1600/good+ole+breakfast.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4121790610319640741.post-89371908392128160112014-07-05T09:19:00.000-07:002014-07-06T09:08:15.014-07:00My Grandma's Pineapple Ice Box Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In my growing up years there were certain dishes that were a part of the landscape of any special family gathering. There was one dessert, Pineapple Ice Box Cake, that was the fanciest delectable fashioned by the cooks around me. It's been around so long in my family, the name Ice Box Cake refers to a time before electric refrigerators when large blocks of ice were delivered weekly for an insulated box that served to keep food cold. My Grandma was once featured in our town's paper as having developed this recipe. Whether that was local lore or true, the dessert was certainly claimed by the family as "ours". It remains a beloved favorite in the memories, if not on the tables, of remaining family members. My Grandma Allen, my mom and my cousin Donna, who was raised like a sister with me, are all gone. They were the one's who made the dessert for so many family gatherings, wedding and baby showers and probably a Tupperware party or two. </div>
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I hadn't made it in years as my husband and I rarely dine in a situation requiring a large dessert, and if I made it we would probably end up eating the whole thing ourselves. The idea sounds yummy but. alas, we may eat a bit higher fat food than many but that's over the top. Joining some friends for the Fourth, this year, for an informal meal, the time seemed right for sharing. And, the time is right for featuring the "famous" Pineapple Ice Box Cake here. </div>
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It involves Vanilla Wafers, butter, powdered sugar, eggs, whip cream and pineapple.</div>
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I used my food processor, an kitchen accoutrement not available to the original makers of this dessert. It made construction of the layers very easy. No crushing the wafers with a rolling pin. The first layer is Vanilla Wafer crumbs. I split the crumbs equally, half into a bowl and half into a quart Ziploc bag (for more even spreading over the top at the end. Here is the bottom layer of crumbs in a 9X13 pan.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5-UmqCKIe1_yvWbHYIpeuN-ADOEC0vJOzN8_sMCg3i_qRATv-3UOXk8ZGNIhyphenhyphenBe6vRQbimBF2zBLpI8EWe1JCY5dhetzD2MdrLQ4vlhkU2CjijTTPK_bHNF7ChDa-YvsJA6VK7YXVsU_l/s1600/Pineapple+Ice+Box+Cake+%25231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5-UmqCKIe1_yvWbHYIpeuN-ADOEC0vJOzN8_sMCg3i_qRATv-3UOXk8ZGNIhyphenhyphenBe6vRQbimBF2zBLpI8EWe1JCY5dhetzD2MdrLQ4vlhkU2CjijTTPK_bHNF7ChDa-YvsJA6VK7YXVsU_l/s1600/Pineapple+Ice+Box+Cake+%25231.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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The trickier step, which I found fun is spreading the next layer, butter, powdered sugar and egg blended, on top of the crumbs. I drizzled the goo artistically all over the crumbs then very carefully "painted it" over any crumbs left showing. Below you see that layer with the beginning of the next layer.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP2vfwPXQLHB9TU_czv2mmopz0RcqN7ZSX251ZcgIcO1hpKye2A3JcoKLAXbqv9HTUr54BOkd0aAZ_xzRT_PSItL9o-ramFjHD5Sbj1qUJbEOjfGF-x6BVbcYZlAHECq-AM5NS4ub10VQ0/s1600/Pineapple+Ice+Box+Cake+%25232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP2vfwPXQLHB9TU_czv2mmopz0RcqN7ZSX251ZcgIcO1hpKye2A3JcoKLAXbqv9HTUr54BOkd0aAZ_xzRT_PSItL9o-ramFjHD5Sbj1qUJbEOjfGF-x6BVbcYZlAHECq-AM5NS4ub10VQ0/s1600/Pineapple+Ice+Box+Cake+%25232.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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On top of the sweet goo of butter, sugar and egg goes whipped whip cream infused with very well drained crushed pineapple. I whipped the cream in the food processor then folded in the pineapple. Below you see that layer nearly completed.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja4myos6twMro7mH5sZ6rLSzGZSPZS53zWKe5_C1N63vqluMl7cn-uejh55ZrgGki0zo0FAGB2uDvXLTyGa11owSwxppcPaOqUiCzQ0f9meQByLioirp9CLf9h04MM2TZy9j-bCQtA_IxS/s1600/Pineapple+Ice+Box+Cake+%25233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja4myos6twMro7mH5sZ6rLSzGZSPZS53zWKe5_C1N63vqluMl7cn-uejh55ZrgGki0zo0FAGB2uDvXLTyGa11owSwxppcPaOqUiCzQ0f9meQByLioirp9CLf9h04MM2TZy9j-bCQtA_IxS/s1600/Pineapple+Ice+Box+Cake+%25233.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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The final layer is the other half of the crumbs. The Ziploc bag allowed me to carefully shake them evenly over the top of the whip cream pineapple layer. See the partially topped dessert below.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwRATgNicPDO4H4xnRkuQYL1MhG9s_tyOGnB4p4oAy7_Ar5-17bssPS6VVroum3ncXlfFoSHhlbM2AJM6-hxrmVtidb5bY814imFSQZ8VygogOnH_KjnaxYZCVPw3m4D3vyNJRNW7z8ZB5/s1600/Pineapple+Ice+Box+Cake+%25235.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwRATgNicPDO4H4xnRkuQYL1MhG9s_tyOGnB4p4oAy7_Ar5-17bssPS6VVroum3ncXlfFoSHhlbM2AJM6-hxrmVtidb5bY814imFSQZ8VygogOnH_KjnaxYZCVPw3m4D3vyNJRNW7z8ZB5/s1600/Pineapple+Ice+Box+Cake+%25235.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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Now, the trick with 'ice box' desserts, which are not cooked, is to leave them in the refrigerator over night to 'blend'. Tough to do as you'll want to take a bite. But I covered with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil and dutifully stored it over night. I'm afraid we did have some for breakfast and it was as good as I remember it tasting all those hundreds of time I had it growing up.</div>
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<b>Grandma Allen’s Pineapple Icebox Cake<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<u>Ingredients:</u><o:p></o:p></div>
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1 - 12oz. box vanilla wafers<o:p></o:p></div>
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½ cup butter (one cube)<o:p></o:p></div>
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2 cups powdered sugar<o:p></o:p></div>
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2 eggs (here I have a caveat, I used Egg Beaters as people today are wary of uncooked eggs, though in all of my growing up years no one ever got sick from the uncooked eggs in this dessert. I do have to admit that, at least in the early years, my Grandma had eggs delivered weekly by the local farmer.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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½ pint whipping cream<o:p></o:p></div>
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1 #2 can crushed pineapple very well drained<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>Instructions</u><o:p></o:p></div>
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Process the wafers into crumbs. Divide in half. Spread half of the
crumbs in a 9X13 pan. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Cream butter, sugar and eggs. Spread the mixture evenly over the crumbs (drizzling and then carefully spreading over any holes). <o:p></o:p></div>
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Whip the cream until stiff. Add well-drained pineapple to
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4121790610319640741.post-52983109790128064762014-06-07T22:13:00.001-07:002014-06-07T22:13:40.407-07:00My Ultimate Comfort Food Potato Soup<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirq5E_QS6QHNOq_iwFAZDGWA6vngXiVZ0sFhNrsfkuu9nq4h24K4zB60bVozNBQsy4OIMK14xjFlm9rDRpZeZSYL_xfCNcnTD5a1nECtr_xG6VixWcTRrtwfOTPcDYa95rf1yZzYYU839V/s1600/Wayne+Sr.+with+newly+dug+potatoes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirq5E_QS6QHNOq_iwFAZDGWA6vngXiVZ0sFhNrsfkuu9nq4h24K4zB60bVozNBQsy4OIMK14xjFlm9rDRpZeZSYL_xfCNcnTD5a1nECtr_xG6VixWcTRrtwfOTPcDYa95rf1yZzYYU839V/s1600/Wayne+Sr.+with+newly+dug+potatoes.jpg" height="320" width="308" /></a>I have decided that homemade potato soup is my ultimate comfort food. Now, there are rivals, <a href="http://www.ourpastourfuture.blogspot.com/2012/09/a-potato-salad-saga.html">Grandma Allen's Potato Salad</a> with its secret to creaminess, unwhipped whip cream or a BLT with thick, medium cooked bacon, thick slices of on-the-vine or out of the garden tomato and crisp Iceberg lettuce on toasted white bread slathered with butter and Best Food Mayonnaise (It's gotta be Best Foods called Hellman's back east). <br />
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My potato soup has to be the best I've tasted, even in restaurants where I would always order at least a cup if it was on the menu. I'm super fond of potatoes in general. Maybe it was the influence of my father's very good luck with potatoes each year in his garden. My love of vegetables, in general was, I'm sure, formed by my parent's enthusiasm and love of all things vegetable shared in an earlier blog post titled, <a href="http://ourpastourfuture.blogspot.com/2008/07/raised-green.html">Raised Green</a>. My goodness, I had a grandfather who planted and harvested a city block-sized garden ripe with every imaginable vegetable from beets with their requisite greens (which Grandma loved with a little vinegar) to rutabagas.<br />
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Throughout life I've wavered when asked to be definitive about a favorite or best anything. When we are younger we have so much yet to discover. My lifelong fondness of potato soup, though, just grew stronger over time. Now that I am finding pleasure in cooking, I have the freedom to refine it to my taste. I can make it the way I truly like it and recreate it whenever I'm so inclined.<br />
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I was so inclined this afternoon even on this wam sunny day. I had the potatoes, chicken broth, bacon and onion. On the way home from errands I snagged the needed celery and Half and Half. On went the bacon to cook (to medium not crispy) in my favorite pan, a stainless steel Faberware electric frying pan that a friend suggested as the best (I was fed up with the coated light weight ones and she'd used one in Alaska when she cooked on a fishing boat and actually found one for me in a thrift store. When the bacon strips were draining on paper towels, into the bacon grease (with a little bacon grease added) went a large onion, chopped, and two stalks of celery thinly sliced. I browned them slowly and when they were soft I removed them and added a can of chicken broth and 1/2 can of water. After deglazing the pan, I added five medium Russet potatoes that I had peeled and cut into 1" chunks. I slowly simmered the potatoes in the broth until soft but still intact. I added the onion, celery and bacon strips (now chopped into small pieces). To my simmering potatoes and goodies I added two cups of Half and Half and 5 shakes of Johnny's Seasoning Salt. I thickened it with 3 Tablespoons of flour with some of the soup liquid blended in my Magic Bullet blender. It simmered until thickened and heated through.<br />
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Without bragging, my Ultimate Comfort Food Potato Soup is so delicious that I can eat the whole batch by myself. That Half and Half might not be the healthiest but hey it's vegetables!<br />
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<u><strong>My Ultimate Comfort Food Potato Soup</strong></u><br />
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<strong>Ingredients:</strong><br />
5 medium Russet potatoes<br />
1 large onion white or yellow (I used a sweet onion)<br />
2 stalks of celery<br />
4 strips of thick bacon<br />
1 14 1/2 oz, can chicken broth<br />
1/2 broth can water<br />
1 pint Half and Half<br />
5 shakes of Johnny's Seasoning Salt (or your favorite)<br />
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<strong>Instructions:</strong><br />
Peel and chop the potatoes into 1" chunks and place in a bowl of water to cover. Chop the onion and celery and set aside. Fry the bacon and drain on paper towels, when cool chop in small pieces. Add the onions and celery to the bacon grease, adding more bacon grease if needed (I keep some in the freezer). When onion and celery are soft, remove, add the chopped bacon to them and set aside. Deglaze the pan with the chicken broth and water and add the potatoes, simmering until the potatoes are soft yet intact. Add the onions, celery, bacon, Half and Half and Seasoning Salt. Turn onto a low simmer. Blend well 3 Tablespoons flour with some of the broth to make a thickener. Add to simmering soup. When soup is thickened, enjoy.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4121790610319640741.post-76213586931069710642014-05-11T10:46:00.000-07:002014-11-20T12:28:37.760-08:00A Quick And Easy Meaty BreakfastI love Seattle's Voula's Offshore Café’s Hobo Omelet’s. It's so large and substantial you can eat it for a couple meals. And, with sour cream on the side and toast with blackberry jam, yum city! Maybe it's how I grew up, but a substantial, meaty breakfast is so comforting and enjoyable.<br />
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Recently, because of need to be away for a week with the power off, I had to complete clean out my top- of-the-refrigerator freezer. I took some to my sis-in-laws, but got rid of a lot that hadn't been used in the time it should have been. I've been carefully and slowly restocking the freezer trying to use things quickly. I can now see what's there and am cooking a lot more from the freezer. I'm thinking about the things that are in there rather than the old "out of sight out of mind" relationship I had with my stuffed freezer. I've come up with a great way to make a quick substantial breakfast or "breakfast for dinner" without tearing up the kitchen and taking a lot of time.<br />
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<b>Quick and Easy Plan-Ahead Meaty Breakfast</b><br />
Ingredients:<br />
1 lb. of sausage (I use Safeway brand Country Style Pork Sausage)<br />
1 med sweet onion, chopped1 package Simply Potatoes Shredded Hash Browns (I like Southwest Style)4 mushrooms, sliced(6 1/2" flour tortillas, eggs, cheddar or other cheese, sour cream for varying dishes.)<br />
Instructions:<br />
Chop onion and fry in oil until soft and translucent. Add the mushrooms about 1/2 way through. Remove to a plate<br />
Fry the package of potatoes as instructed. Remove to the plate with the onions and mushrooms.<br />
Fry the sausage until done. Drain on paper towels. Return all sausage, onion, mushrooms and potatoes to the pan. Stir together and fry a little bit while mixing.<br />
Cool the mixture and pack snack sized Ziploc or other zipping bags. Place all the bags in a large freezer Ziploc bag and freeze.<br />
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Here are some dishes I make from the mixture (I also added a bag to a ‘Leftovers Soup I threw together in the crockpot the other day).<br />
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<b>Burritos</b><br />
Place some in a flour tortilla, top with a some cheddar cheese, Enchilada sauce (we like Trader Joe's) and some ranch dressing. Roll up and place in hot oven until toasted. I use the toaster setting on my toaster/convection oven.<br />
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<b>Breakfast Burritos</b><br />
Scramble a couple eggs with salt and pepper. Fill flour tortilla with some of the mixture, scrambled egg, and cheese. Roll tight and heat for around 10 min in oven or toaster over (watching).<br />
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<b>Hobo Omelets</b><br />
Whisk two eggs together with 1 Tablespoon milk. Place the mixture from the bag into a heated frying pan with some butter. Pour eggs on top and mix egg into mixture. Fry until egg done and heated. Turn off heat and top with cheese. When cheese is melted, remove and serve with sour cream.<br />
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<b>Regular Omelets</b><br />
At a rummage sale I bought an unopened Nordicware microwave omelet pan (available on Ebay for under $2.) Living in a smaller space I’ve experimented with numerous unusual microwave cooking accoutrements, some with success, some not. I decided to give a microwave omelet a try. Instructions were to whip together 2 eggs with 1 Tablespoon of milk. Pour half into one side of the omelet pan and half into the other then, microwave on high for two minutes. (I topped one side with part of a bag of the sausage mixture defrosted plus some grated cheese). Flip the unadorned omelet side on top close the pan and microwave for one more minute. Viola! A perfect omelet with no frying mess. I love the omelet pan and use it regularly serving with sour cream on the side or ketchup for my husband.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4121790610319640741.post-72272930740663275682014-04-19T20:47:00.002-07:002014-07-06T09:45:51.390-07:00Light Yet Substantial Vegetable and Ham Soup<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s a rainy Saturday in Seattle (almost a cliché, though inaccurate
as both New York City and Chicago both have more rain than we do). After being away for
3 weeks, emptying and turning off the refrigerator, we’ve been rebuilding its
contents from scratch. I can’t believe how efficient I’ve become with cooking.
The freezer is so organized and because I can clearly see what’s there, I’m
actually using the items.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cooking is now a creative activity for me for me. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could never have believed it earlier in my adult life. Today I knew I had a chunk of Trader Joe’s carnitas, there
were a couple stalks of celery, some mushrooms, some bacon, most of a sweet
onion, some baby carrots, fresh garlic and a partial carton of beef broth let over from last nights pot pies. I’ve
been learning to use and enjoy the herb thyme lately due to its use in a pot
pie recipe I’m fond of. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A light soup sounded just right for the day. I put a couple
pieces of thick sliced bacon on to fry in my trusty, can’t-live-without,
Faberware stainless steel electric frying pan. I then<em> </em>did what Madher Jeffery, the noted Indian cookbook writer, implores - <em>I focused completely on each task I was moving through</em>. I carefully
sliced the onion and celery into almost perfect ¼ inch chop. Then I very thinly
sliced each baby carrot piece and mushroom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the two large garlic cloves, I sliced them thin then chopped them by cutting the
other way across the slices. Then I turned to the carnita chunks dispatching
them into ¼” chop. Each item had its own pile on the cutting board. The thyme
nearby with the opened cans of diced tomatoes and lima beans, I was ready. The soup came out light and delicious. I've had two bowls. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I used to be afraid of or at least intimidated by concocting dishes, it certainly would not have been relaxing. Now it feels like indulging in art or crafting. Learning how to cook Indian cuisine and practicing often has helped me to gain confidence with herbs and spices and how to prepare the ingredients so they come together nicely. The steps below might be second nature for good cooks but for me they are things I wouldn't have done before. I often felt frustrated, even overwhelmed by cooking and certainly never tried anything without a recipe. </span></div>
<ul><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Frying a small amount of bacon and using it's grease for flavor in frying the vegetables softening them for the soup.</span></div>
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</span></li>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unleashing the fragrance of the herb used by frying it for a bit in the vegetables.</span></div>
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</span></li>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Preparing all the ingredients ahead so they are smoothly and easily added when their time comes.</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Light and Tasty Vegetable Soup with Ham</strong><br />A substantial but light soup heavy on the vegetables but meaty enough for dedicated meat eaters. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Ingredients</strong>:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">2 pieces of bacon, fried and crumbled<br />A good sized handful (about 1 cup) of ¼’ chopped carnitias ((or other left-over meat)<br />1 medium sweet onion, chopped<br />1 celery stalk, chopped<br />5 baby carrots, sliced thin<br />½ can lima beans (just beans)<br />½ can diced tomatoes (just tomatoes)<br />3 cups beef broth. (Could use more)<br />Two good pinches dried thyme</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Instructions:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Put the bacon on to fry. Chop up meat, onion, celery and thinly slice the carrots and the mushrooms. When the bacon is done, remove it and, when cool enough, crumble it. Leave the bacon grease in the pan. Add more cooking oil if needed. Fry onion , celery and carrots until they begin to soften. Add mushrooms, garlic, and carnitas and crumbled up bacon. Sprinkle with the thyme and fry to open the fragrance of the thyme. Spoon in the tomatoes and lima beans and pour in the beef broth. Let simmer on very low heat for ½ hour.</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4121790610319640741.post-20268446114740319802014-04-06T21:14:00.000-07:002014-07-06T09:29:59.623-07:00Memory of Mexican Food And A Delicious Twist on EnchiladasI once lived in Rawlins, Wyoming. The town had a large population of folks of Hispanic heritage and, to my dismay, the town was rather split into two areas one populated more by Caucasians, the other by Hispanics. Coming from the Northwest, I had never encountered such an obvious cultural split. I ended up living in the more Hispanic part of town. While there, I made a friend, Gloria Mendoza. Gloria had grown up in Mexico and began sharing some of her traditional recipes with me. Some Sunday's she would drop by with warm, freshly made corn tortillas. I was insecure about cooking then. Though I did attempt refried beans from scratch made with lard, and learned to make pans of tasty enchiladas. I wish I had taken the opportunity more seriously and learned more about traditional Mexican cuisine from Gloria. I did carry with me some of her recipes and treasure them as mementos of an interesting moment and person in my life. I hope Gloria's life has gone well.<br />
<br />
Today, we enjoy Mexican food. Mostly when we go out for it, it's the more Americanized Mexican dishes of restaurants like Azteca. We do, though, enjoy the more traditional tacos and beans from the food trucks around town. I especially like the lengua tacos (made with tongue) I have a lingering appreciation of the meat from my family's unique treat of pickled tongue. Once in a while my husband would order a dozen fresh tamales from Lupe's Tienda, a Mexican grocery in Seattle. He fell in love with Trader Joe's Enchilada sauce and would munch on his tamales even for breakfast. <br />
<br />
I haven't made enchiladas too often since living in Rawlins, and I've never made them without using a tomato based enchilada sauce. And, I don't believe I've ever made them without using hamburger for the filling. Those I've made have been tasty and, as of late, Trader Joe's Enchilada sauce has worked well and has become the new sauce basis of enchiladas made. Looking over enchilada recipes online, though, got me thinking differently about the dish. <br />
<br />
Recently, while going through my pantry , I realized that I had several 4 oz. cans of diced green chiles. I also had an unopened package of flour tortillas. I made a trip to Trader Joe's, not for their enchilada sauce but for their Carnitas, delicious precooked and seasoned chunks of pork. The following recipe is an amalgam of several recipes I looked over with my own twist added. Delicious enchiladas, no tomatoes involved.<br />
<br />
<strong>Enchiladas With A Sour Cream and Green Chile Sauce</strong><br />
<br />
<strong><u>Ingredients:</u></strong><br />
A couple handfuls of Carnitas chopped into 1/2" chunks and lightly heated in some butter chopping up a bit more (you could use chicken meat, beef or hamburger or just cheese and onion<br />
Butter for frying<br />
1/2 small onion chopped small<br />
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese<br />
2 Tbsp. butter<br />
2 Tbsp. flour<br />
1-4 oz. can diced green chiles (If you haven't used these before they are not spicy.)<br />
1 14 oz. can chicken broth<br />
1/2 cup sour cream<br />
5 flour tortillas<br />
<br />
<strong><u>Instructions:</u></strong><br />
Chop the meat and in a frying pan, heat the chunks a bit in butter chopping them up a bit more. Place in a large bowl. Add chopped onion and cheese. Mix together for the filling.<br />
<br />
Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in the pan used to heat the meat. Stir in the flour and mix well as a roux. Add the green chiles and chicken broth. Let this simmer until it cooks down a bit and begins to thicken like a gravy. Turn it off and incorporate the sour cream. <br />
<br />
Fill 5 flour tortillas with the meat/onion/cheese filling rolling them in an 8x8" baking pan. Top with the sauce. Place in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. (I used a toaster oven). <br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4121790610319640741.post-36313667970961905092014-01-30T11:41:00.000-08:002014-07-06T09:58:55.518-07:00Crockpot Ham & Chicken Soup<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love the idea of cooking a whole chicken in a crock pot. Whenever I see whole Foster Farms chickens on sale for a dollar a pound or lower I buy one and cook it up. We usually enjoy some cold chicken with butter and Best Foods Mayo on white bread sandwiches. I often freeze some of the meat for future tacos, soup or other dishes. This time we had a couple sandwiches, I made a great soup and have a little chicken left to freeze for later. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If like chicken and you've never cooked a whole chicken in a crock pot, DO IT, do it soon.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Remove the giblets, wash the chicken and season as desired. (I
used Johnny’s Seasoning Salt) Place in the pot breast up with no liquid. Cook on low for
6 hours. It even browns. (Poultry is done at 165 degrees) It will be plenty done.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Remove the meat and bones<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Degrease the broth (I use a tray of ice cubes, the grease
solidifies against the cubes which can be lifted out)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This time I left all the chicken broth in the pot and made a delicious soup with the help of ideas from my husband. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Crock pot Ham and Chicken Soup</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Ingredients:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chicken broth from Crockpot Chicken or 1-14.5oz can chicken broth<br />1 cup of Bloody Mary Mix<br />1 14.5 oz. can of beef broth<br />1 14.5 oz. can of Great Northern Beans with liquid<br />1 meaty ham hock</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Chicken meat</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Instructions:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Turn Crock pot on high and let this simmer until the ham hock starts to break down.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Add some chicken meat (I added a large handful.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Add a second can of Great Northern beans, drained. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Add salt and pepper as desired (I added none)</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong><u></u></strong></span><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4121790610319640741.post-51252111984852421672014-01-23T11:06:00.000-08:002014-07-06T10:00:10.979-07:00My Ravioli Dinner<span lang="">
</span><span lang=""><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When my neighbor moved to Hawaii, I became the owner of some sundries remaining in her pantry. I've been waiting for a time to celebrate a partial box of La Piana Ravioli with squash filling. They were 1/2-inch square dried raviolis which I figured at $10 for a 1 lb. box (the tag was still on) had to be special. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span lang=""><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Husband arrived home last night with two very large meatballs from a deli and some crusty French rolls. Ah ha, we had some fresh mushrooms in the fridge. I work to stay stocked with sweet onions, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and tomato paste. I often have fresh garlic but always have a jar of chopped on hand in the fridge. Due to a meeting I attended that ended with 1/2 bottle of red wine unfinished, I was ready to go. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span lang=""><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I know this post may only be exciting for me and pretty mundane for any accomplished cooks but the dish I concocted turned out delicious. My discriminating husband is even eating more for breakfast. </span></span><br />
<span lang=""><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Except for boiling the pasta, I threw it together in my handy dandy Faberware stainless steel electric frying pan. Any pasta would have been fine but the ravioli created a gourmet treat. And, if you use fresh ready-made pasta now commonly available, the dish is really fast and easy.</span> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Ravioli and Meatballs</span></strong> </span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong><u>Ingredients:</u></strong> </span></span></span></div>
<span lang="" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1/2 sweet onion, chopped</span></span></div>
<span lang=""><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang=""><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1 large teaspoon chopped garlic</span></span></div>
<span lang="">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">5 mushrooms sliced</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1+ tablespoon for frying onion,
garlic and mushrooms</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Big pinch basil</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Big pinch oregano</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Several shakes Johnny's Seasoning
Salt</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Several shakes of black pepper</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1 - 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1 - 8oz can tomato sauce</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">About 1/2+ cup red wine</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">3/4 cup dried ravioli (I used La
Piana brand squash-filled dried ravioli). You could use fresh ravioli. And,
Northwest dwellers, if you haven't tried Puget Sound Consumer Coop's fresh
mushroom ravioli, it's delicious. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2 large deli meatballs cut into
quarters (or meatballs of choice)</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong><u>Instructions:</u></strong></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Boil the ravioli in salted water if
using dry pasta. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sautee onion, garlic and mushrooms.
Stir in basil, oregano, seasoning salt and pepper. Add wine and cook down a
bit.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce,
ravioli and meatballs. Let it simmer on lower heat. Server with green salad and
French bread slathered with butter.</span> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</span><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4121790610319640741.post-79158029323494345272014-01-18T21:44:00.001-08:002014-01-19T10:17:41.555-08:00Beyond T BoneMy husband cooked dinner tonight. He pulled off another of his brilliant meals, so many of which I've enjoyed over the years.<br />
<br />
He began with a beautiful T Bone steak which would have been delicious with no addition. He took it to another level, though, lightly marinating it in a mixture of Sesame Ginger Dressing and Siracha hot sauce for a little tang. He broiled it to a perfect medium rare, cut it into chunks, then, as an interesting garnish, sprinkled it with small chunks of fresh mango. The side of Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing served with it for dipping was amazing. <br />
<br />
His side dish - Baby Yukon Gold potatoes, Brussels sprouts, white mushrooms all cut in half and mixed with Mango Ginger Chutney then broiled to perfection.<br />
<br />
Mmmmmmmm<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4121790610319640741.post-32573480369821577142013-11-30T09:49:00.001-08:002013-11-30T09:53:57.204-08:00Simple and Tasty Pot Pies<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My husband had the food channel on. The show on was one I don't particularly favor, the one with Giada, (it's something about how she speaks perfect English then pronounces Parmigiana, with a heavy Italian accent, lol, how picky am I?) Anyway, she was making individual pot pies and raving about how simple they are to make. We love pot pies but, to admit, I've never had one other than frozen. I've stopped buying them too often, given all the sodium, et al. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">So, as Giada went on, I took note. They did seem fairly easy and could cut down on the meat used or help use up leftover meat in a tasty way. My husband is not a fan of casseroles but he likes pot pies (I don't ask). One reason I tuned in was that I happened to have quite a bit of left over T-bone steak in the refrigerator (having something to do with my husband's brain's meat receptors going crazy while he stands in a meat department, any meat department.) And, I had bacon on hand.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I'm comfortable enough cooking now to get her basic idea and create it. I've made the T-bone steak pot pie and a chicken pot pie and both were soooo tasty. And, I'm now smart enough to know that having the right cooking utensils makes cooking adventures more successful and pleasant. Before making the first pies I stopped by Value Village (hey why not?) There sat two perfect little white ceramic baking tureens molded with ceramic handles. They were the perfect size for using one round of prepared pie crust and they were from Sur la table! </span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">Simple and Tasty Pot Pies<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">What makes this a successful and regularly used recipe for me is having
purchased the perfect sized individual baking dishes. One box of two prepared pie
dough rounds makes 4 pies. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ingredients<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">4 slices bacon, fried (ideal for flavor but can be omitted)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">3 Tablespoon Bacon grease (If you omit the bacon use butter here)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">¼ small onion <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>or part of a large
leek, or a shallot, chopped<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">¼ large carrot sliced into very thin rounds<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">2 big pinches dried thyme<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Seasoning salt, (I use Johnny’s Seasoning Salt) to taste<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">4 tablespoons flour<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 can broth, chicken, beef depending on meat used<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">½ cup or more cream (I use unwhipped whip cream)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">½ cup frozen peas, thawed<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">½ cup frozen corn, thawed<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">3 Chicken tenders fried up with some seasoning salt or left over chicken,
beef or pork chopped up. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Instruction<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Fry bacon, remove from pan retaining the bacon grease needed<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Add chopped onion,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and carrots
(sometimes I add a bit of thinly sliced celery) to pan and brown.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sprinkle the thyme and stir in.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Add flour mixing to make a roux,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Add can of broth and simmer until thickened.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Add cream, chopped meat including a couple pieces of bacon (you’ve
probably eaten the other two while you’ve cooked), and thawed peas and corn,
stir together.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Add seasoning salt to taste.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Line two small baking dishes with pie dough. (I bought two perfect
sized pot pie baking dishes. One round of store bought prepared pie dough lines
and tops the two dishes.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Add the
filling to the dish and top with dough.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Bake at 400 degrees for about ½ hour until crust is done (I use the
toaster oven). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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