A Little Dinner and a Treat!!

Gentle Friends, over the weekend  we headed out to dinner with friends to one of our favourite restaurants... Old Jerusalem in the mission.  They had never been there so we were happy to introduce them to the delicious offerings......

...  they bring to the table when you sit down a plate of olives and pickled radishes...

and we ordered some hummus...

 ... I ordered a vegetarian plate because I was in the mood for a taste of a few things...  the plate includes some delicious falafel they make, more hummus, ful , baba ghanoush, Arabian Salad and roasted and fried eggplant and cauliflower...

 ... Rico and John ordered Shish Taouk, which is grilled chicken and a side of saffron rice....

... and Mike ordered Kifta Kabab with a side of saffron rice...  it was a wonderful dinner and this place just keeps getting better and better every time we go!!

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Next door to the restaurant is a Middle Eastern grocery store.  Earlier in the week, I read an article about Halloumi cheese, a really super cheese from Cyprus.  This cheese is so dense that you are able to fry or grill it and serve it hot and crispy!!  It looked really tasty and a knew they would have some at the store, and not only did they have but they had three different varieties!!!  

...  it is a really easy recipe, you drain off the little bit of brine that is in the packet with the cheese, and cut the cheese into small squares...

... now the recipe did not call for garlic, but a little garlic never hurts, and I think it added a nice flavour to the fried cheese...

...heat up a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, add the cheese and garlic and keep flipping the squares until they are browned nicely on each side...

... when the cheese has arrived at the doneness you want, pour into a bowl and serve immediately.  This is much better warm that room temperature - now just enjoy!!  I can imagine this cheese browned with eggs or added to a nice salad!!

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That's about it for today sports fans, thanks stopping by do stop again!!

Take care,

edgar

Makin' Soup

Gentle Friends, it's been a wonderfully rainy winter so far, and with all the cold and damp I had a hankering for some soup.  I had baked a gigantic ham-a-saurus and even after giving away a ton of ham to Friends I was still left with quite a lot...I did some thinking and came up with "Split Pea" soup.  The Internet yielded a nice and easy recipe...from Taste of Home - "Hearty Split Pea Soup."

Here's a snap after everything went into the pot.....

 ... I liked this recipe because it was one covered pot and you simmered it for a few hours....

....  after a few simmering hours ... here's a snap of an overloaded bowl of this wonderful soup.  It is supposed to be rainy off and on for the next 10 or so days, and this recipe made quite a lot so we'll be having soup again soon!!

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That's about it for today sports fans, thanks for stopping by, stay warm and dry!!

Take care,

edgar

A Little Floral a Little Nosh and a Little Stitchy.....

Gentle Friends, it was one long 6 day weekend....and it just flew by... a few weekend things......

... again I placed flowers on the alter for my parents anniversary, and since it was Pentecost the colours were in the reds and yellows this year.

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.....I made some chili using some fresh corn we found at the farmers market.... and since you can't have chili without jalapeno cornbread I made some of that also, yummy!!

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.... and I got a some stitching done on "Sojourner" - worked mostly on the middle section, I am so far behind the group it just ain't funny!!!!

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That's about it for today sports fans, hoping you had a super Memorial Day Weekend,

 now to welcome Summer.... and all that heat!!!!!

Take care,

edgar

Makin' a Little Soup

Gentle Friends, with Easter being a cold and rainy day I thought what would be a good thing to make for dinner.... the answer of course was soup..... a favorite of mine is Matzo Ball Soup.  So out came some matzo meal and I made up some balls - let them sit for a few minutes and then made some chicken broth - I dug around in the freezer and found a couple of chicken breasts so I thawed them out and shredded them into the broth then....

.... got it up to a rolling boil and dropped the little balls in....  covered it up

... waited a bout 20 minutes et voila....

.....a nice bowl of soup.  Rico is not really a fan of matzo ball soup, he really prefers menudo, but that's a soup I do not care for in the least - so we compromise and I make what I want. 

BTW it hit the spot!!!

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That's about it for today sports fans, thanks for stopping by, do stop again!!

Take care,

edgar

Making Waffles

Gentle Friends, a week or so ago, at an Estate sale we stopped at, we found something I've been on the prowl for longest time.  An old fashioned waffle maker.  We have a crappity plastic one that really sucks, it doesn't get hot enough and no matter how long you leave them to cook in it - it doesn't get the waffle brown enough nor crisp enough - it used to sit on a shelf and we didn't make make waffles........ until now.   I have been looking occasionally on the bay of evil and other places, but good waffle irons like this were way expensive and so I knew at some point I would find one and this one was a super deal!!   

What we found is a super, heavy duty Toastmaster Waffle Maker, model 2D2, from the late 1940's.......

.... American made with three settings -  Low, Bake and Hot - with all original pieces, including the cloth wrapped cord and Bakelite fittings!!  It was in super clean, but seasoned, condition and after just a quick wipe with a damp cloth it was good to go.......  

so the other night it was time for something delicious for dinner........

... I whipped up a bowl of batter, lightly brushed the irons with some oil, 

et voila some delicious crispy waffles.......

... you can't have waffles without little sausages and maple syrup!!!  and I really like the grade B syrup, more flavour than the Amber A grades - so woodsy and wintry!!  This Toastmaster Model was only made from 1939 - 1959 -  it is gonna last me the rest of my lifetime and then someone else can enjoy crispy waffles!!!

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That's abut it for today sports fans, thanks again for stopping by and for your kind comments about yesterday Post, I am still having the warm fuzzies from all your kindnesses!!

Take care,

edgar

Stuffin' Shells......

Gentle Friends, how about a dish inspired by the Frugal Gourmet .  I used to make it frequently, and since the mild Italian sausage was on sale this weekend I decided to make a pan of Stuffed Shells.  Here ya' go......

Stuffed Shells

1 to 1 1/2 lbs of mild Italian sausage - browned with some chopped garlic and crumbled

2 eggs

1 package frozen chopped spinach

1 1/2 cups drained large curd cottage cheese or ricotta

1/2 box large shells - cooked al dente

1 jar sauce - or store bought or homemade

Grated Mozzarella cheese

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Cook the shells.....

Mix together first 4 ingredients.....

I like to use cottage cheese instead of ricotta, I also drain and rinse off the whey before adding - you can also add at this point some Parmesan cheese to the mix or leave it out ( if I have some I add it)

Spread a layer of sauce in the bottom of your pan and then start filling the shells......

I usually cook the entire box of shells to make sure I get enough whole shells - I use a Corning roaster pan to make this in, as it is shallow enough for a single layer.

When the pan is full spread the remaining sauce over the shells and then cover in grated cheese. 

 I then cover the pan with foil and cook in a 325 degree over for about 30 minutes until it is hot and bubbly - then remove the foil and brown the cheese, that takes a couple of minutes .......

... I let it sit for a few minutes and the serve with a salad - it freezes well and is even better the next day for lunches.

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That's about it for today sports fans, thanks for stopping by do stop again!!

Take care,

edgar

Dad's Pepper Jelly

Gentle Friends, finally got computer issues under control and can Post once again.  I finally got the Pepper Jelly were I want it and so feel quite confident about the recipe - not that its hard to make, but I wanted to be sure....

Here are the jars of jelly I made - I'll probably got back and make some mare, can one ever have enough jelly to snack on or gift away when we winter rolls around and fresh peppers are out of season??

.. this actually represents two batches, I wouldn't try to double the jell making as that often doesn't work.  Here's the recipe I followed - it's a modified recipe of my dads and there are lots on the Internet that all are about the same.....

Pepper Jelly

6 C White Sugar

12/13 good sized Jalapenos

4 Green Bell Peppers, 1 Red Bell Pepper

2 C Apple Cider Vinegar

2  4oz Packs Liquid Pectin 

10 to 12 drops Green Food Colour

Remove all the seeds and membranes from the peppers and finely chop.  Into a saucepan that will hold everything - pout the sugar, vinegar and all the peppers.  You can adjust the peppers to your taste, I like it on the hot side so I use more peppers but you can cut them back to 8 or 9 for a less intense jelly.  Cook over medium heat until it comes to a boil - let boil a good 10 minutes, stirring to keep it under control and not bubbling over.  Take off the heat and add the pectin - stir in and return to heat and bring back to a boil - for at least a minute.  Take off the heat and test to see if it is as thick as you like - I do this buy having a spoon in ice cold water handy  and dipping this cold spoon into the jelly and seeing where it is for thickness.  If it's where you want it - take it off the heat and stir in the colour - this is just to get it green since the real jelly is a sort of amberish colour and not very pretty - it doesn't change the way it tastes.  Now put into your prepared jars and process them in a water bath for about 10 minutes or so et voila homemade pepper jelly that doesn't cost $6 for a tiny jar!  Properly processed this jelly will keep for 7 or so months in a cool dark place.

This was the first time out for me making Pepper jelly and it was way easier than the peach or cherry jams I've made in the past - and the memories flood over me as I stand over the hot stove stirring the jelly of my dad and his annual Jelly making season.  I think I told you before he made dozens and dozens of jars of this jelly every year and it was his "thing" to give at Christmas, as were Mississippi Mud Cakes my mom made a gave away every year. 

For dinner the other day we had some biscuits and I popped a jar of jelly.....

... it was pretty terrific if I do say so myself!!

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That's about it for today sports fans, thanks for stopping by, do stop again!!

Take care,

edgar

Makin' a Quick Week-night Dinner

Gentle Friends since today is Friday and I have already showed my progress on the Hallowe'en piece I didn't want to let today go without a post.... I was even thinking about it yesterday wondering what I could share or talk about today.  Last night - or I should say on the way home from work I usually get the question from Rico "what's for dinner?" or more precisely  "what are You making for dinner?" - the you being me and what am I going to make.  I usually have some smart-ass remark to make in return and then start thinking about ... what am I going to make for dinner.  Well, he came up with a dinner suggestion, his quick and easy week-night chili - and I could make the easy cornbread.  What a good idea!! We basically had all the stuff in the house to make it so why not.... and I took some snaps along the way......

... for weeknight chili - here are the basic things needed - Rico starts off by browning a pound or so of hamburger from the freezer (we always have some packed up read to go) and got out the most important piece of equipment....

... to the browned meat he will add the TJ chili and the drained can of summer crisp corn.  Although he can make an all day type of chili with deep resonate flavours, in a pinch or for weeknights this easy chili is quite good!!

The easy cornbread I made starts off with the measured mix from TJ  - I jazz it up a bit with a large chopped onion, the largest jalapeno I can find (with the seeds and white membranes removed) chopped up...

I also use 4 cloves of garlic chopped...

Now, I get out my deep chicken frying skillet and melt a tablespoon or so of bacon grease, and then toss in the garlic first - to flavour the grease.....

... it browns up fast, so I toss in the other vegetables quickly...

... turn the heat down quite a bit to saute...  while that's working on the stove I get to mixing up the batter.  The box calls for 1 egg ( I use two) 1/2 C oil and 3/4 C milk.  We don't keep milk in the house as neither of us like it - I will only buy some if I am going to use it baking and then only small amounts - so I improvise this ingredient.... I take a cup measure and fill it half full of sour cream (we always have sour cream) and then thin it out with water to a full cup measure - and it this works for me and this recipe.  You mix all the eggs oil and "milk" together and then pour it over the dry mix....

... you mix this till it just comes together then add the cooked vegetables......

.... I don't clean the skillet (why clean when you can re-use) - I plop another tablespoon of bacon grease into the pan ....

and then put the skillet into the preheating oven to melt the grease and get really hot.....

Once the skillet is hot and the batter is ready and mixed thoroughly, I take the skillet out of the oven and immediately pour the batter into the hot pan....

... the skillet immediately goes back into the hot oven and bakes for about 50 minutes or so until done.....

... hot out of the oven and crispy around the edges - it's moist and flavourful, I hate dried out bland cornbread!!  I let it sit for a few minutes while the chili heats back up.  Then turn it out of the skillet and hack up some slices....

....  with a bowl of chili - on a cold SF Summer evening - it's a treat!!  And, there is plenty left over for the weekend, eliminating the need to cook at least one night!!

 With both of us working at it dinner was on the table in about an hour - 

now you can't beat that with a stick!!

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That's about it for today sports fans.  Have a super weekend - 

and I'll announce the winner of the Gift-a-way on Monday morning!!

Take care,

edgar

A Little Cooking

Gentle Friends I wanted to finally post the recipe for Sugar Peanuts - it is so simple and quick ... and the nuts are so addictive, you'll be hard pressed to not eat them all up!!  You start off with raw peanuts, they have to be raw because you roast them in the oven to create the crunchy candy coating. 

 Here's a pretty basic recipe for making these nuts...

2 Cups of Raw, red skin peanuts

1 Cup of White sugar

1 Cup Water

1/4 Teas of Sea Salt

I've never made them with anything but the raw red skinned peanuts, but I would guess you could use any raw peanut.  The red skin will lend a pink colour to the finished nut.

You preheat your oven to about 350 or so... then you take a large skillet, iron or non-stick - and just dump all the ingredients in - turn the heat to medium high then stir, stir, stir....

You are basically just boiling off the water - when all the water is gone and just before this turns into a clump of grainy peanuts you take it off the heat and dump them into a deep roasting pan, separating the nuts out into a single layer.  Put this pan in your preheated oven and about every 10-15 minutes stir them around.  After the first 10 minutes they might stick a bit just scrape them up and shake that pan.  I usually cook them for about 45 minute or so - I like my nuts on the real brown side, but if you don't then about 30 minutes will do.  After the 30 minutes take them out of the oven and let them cool completely.  

  

These will keep for about a week, if they last that long, in a airtight container.

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On Sunday I made a great Blueberry Bar Cookie, from a recipe I found on line somewhere...  Here is the finished product....

I thought I had the recipe with me, but it seems that I left it at home.  I'll post that tomorrow, they where sure tasty!!!!

That's about it for today sports fans, thanks for stopping by, do stop again!!

Take care,

edgar

Not A Stitching Post...

Gentle Friends once again my cup runneth over!  All your kind comments and emails about my ATS finish, I am completely overwhelmed.  Thank you all so much!!  Last night I touched nary a needle, that's not to say I did no stitching related stuff.  I actually had every intention of stitching but I got caught up in straighting out the "knot o'floss" that had accumulated in the bottom of the ATS pouch.  (I keep each WIP in a separate zippered pouch and these pouches are in my stitching basket.)  I had to get them straight and back in alphabetical order in the GAST and CC floss bags, it's just a crazy OCD thing I have going on. I also had to straighten out the WIPs and just clean up the mess that the stitching basket seemed to have turned into - it happens, and has to be dealt with.  I'll post about the WIP's tomorrow, today was supposed to be a non-stitching post, refer to the Post title.....

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Over the weekend I baked up a great, and super easy, coffee cake recipe I found over at AllRecieps...  called Cinnamon Coffee Cake II, using a boxed yellow cake mix, it couldn't have come together any faster, and was really a very tasty cake, if I do say so myself.....

The only change I made (and you knew there would be one) was to add some powdered espresso, I read that little hint in the reviews, and it was a good addition.

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On Sunday after mass, and a big old stack of pancakes at Eddie's Cafe, we trotted over to the little Farmers Market and picked up a couple of bunches of collard greens.  I love me a mess of greens, Rico is not a fan, but I do the cooking so greens we had.  

I picked up the piece of salt pork after work yesterday, and cooked them up last night, along with ....

....some biscuits and mashed taters Rico made,  I fried up some chicken and it was a super supper!!   - and - there was enough left over for lunches today - who could beat that!!

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That's the skinny today - thanks again for stopping by, do stop again!!

Take care,

edgar

Thrifting and a Salad

Gentle Readers and Dear Friends thank you all so much for the kind comments about Mary Ann - I am really enjoying the stitching and the Belle Soie....  I always love using that stuff!!

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Last Saturday we hit a few estate sales and a couple of Consignment/Thrift Shops...  

I did find a few things...

A couple of super Christmas books - a lovely illustrated version of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" and "The Dreaded Feast" an anthology of humorous fiction, nonfiction and poetry about the Holiday Season, I also found another Longaberger Basket and a great Franciscan creamer in the Desert Rose pattern - I have no idea why I bought this little pitcher - I don't collect it nor do I have room for it......but it was not much money, in perfect condition and pretty....  I need to find it a good home with someone who collects "Desert Rose".... any suggestions????

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With summer upon us - I can tell that by the calender since the weather here in the City has been hovering in the low 60s (gotta love SF in the summer!!!!!)  

I whipped up one of our favorite summer salads..

Broccoli Bacon Salad - it goes super with BBq'ed stuff !!  I'll post my version of this recipe over a Blacksheep Bakes at some point.

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That's gonna have to wrap it up for the week sports fans.  I wanted to let you know that I will be away from the Blog next week - I will be in Florida visiting my Mom for her Birthday - she will be turning 86 next Friday!!

Until next time - Take care,

edgar

"Tis the Season" Update and It's Chihuahua Friday....

Gentle Readers and Dear Friends another week gone an we are once again sitting on Friday looking at two days off.  Nothing planned on our end except the usual errands to the grocery store in the morning and the odd Estate sale - I really should run the vacuum and I am sure I'll do a load or two of laundry.....  I am thinking of making some stuffed cabbage - sometimes you get a hankering for something comforting and filling and I think it would hit the spot!!

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I wanted to show and updated snaperoo of "Tis the Season" (please excuse the wrinkles...)

It is coming along nicely - 

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and - since it is Friday we must have a snap of a chihuahua and I think it is little Miss Lolly's turn...

she was not going to take her eyes off of the "cookie" that Rico was holding - they never do when there might be a snack around!!

There you sports fans - thanks again for stopping by and for your sweet words!!  i do appreciate them all!!!!!  Stop buy again soon!

Take care,

edgar