Have we talked about this before, I want to say that I think we did, but … let’s get into it one more time.
As I made mention two posts ago, I got this new kitchen toy to peel stuff (it works wonders on Potatoes too!) and so with all of the 22 pounds of fresh Apples that I was given by a neighbor, I made Chunky Apple Sauce. I had to break it into two sessions, it was just so much.
😆
I got a total of 15 half pint Mason Jars filled with Chunky Apple Sauce!
I figured that I could not only feed my family members with this bounty, but I could also use it to Trade & Barter with it … I had a pair of slacks hemmed up for me at the cost of 4 jars.
Remember, a recipe is simply someone else’s idea, take it and make it your own.
Cook for your friends and family!
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In the Fall and Winter, hard squashes are in abundance in the markets, but have you ever tried to peel and cut up a Butternut Squash?
WELL!
Look what I found at Costco
☝🏼
This recipe just could not get any easier.
Easier Butternut Squash Soup
5-6 servings
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil 1 large Yellow Onion, chopped 1/2 tsp. Sea Salt 4 1/2 – 5 C. Butternut Squash, frozen, prepared 3 Garlic cloves, minced 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh Sage ½ Tbsp. minced fresh Rosemary 1 tsp. grated fresh Ginger 3 to 4 C. Chicken Broth Freshly ground Black Pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 450° Spread the frozen prepared Butternut Squash in a single layer on a sheet pan Roast for 25-35 minutes or until the Squash is golden brown and soft Heat a Dutch oven over medium high Add in the Oil and sauté the Onions, along with the Sea Salt, until they are translucent Stir in the Garlic and Ginger; cook until fragrant In goes the Sage and Rosemary, stir well Transfer the Butternut Squash to the pot, followed by 3 cups of Broth, reserving the last cup for later Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for anywhere from 15-30 minutes, until the Squash is fall-apart tender Puree using a blender or handheld stick Blender Add you Black Pepper to taste here Adjust the thickness at this point, if needed, with that reserved Broth
I topped my bowl of soup with some roasted Pepitas, yum!!
Remember, a recipe is simply someone else’s idea, take it and make it your own.
Cook for your friends and family!
… and if you could, hit that ‘like’ button, leave a comment below maybe just to say ALOHA; subscribe to my blog if you like what you’re reading and get an email when a new post has been uploaded.
In keeping with that fresh Orange theme from the previous post, let’s make something that I’ve never made before … a Smoothie.
That’s right. I’ve never done this before, but I needed to figure it out, quick!
My poor Mom had to have some not pleasant dental work done. I insisted that she stay with us for a few days to recover, plus, I could be sure to get some nutritious soft types of foods in her.
I kind of winged it here, so these will be measurements subject to your taste.
Orange Smoothie
Serves 1
1 large Orange, peeled and supremed
½ – 1 whole Banana (I used frozen, `cuz that’s what I had)
1 container of Vanilla Yogurt (I always have Yoplait in the house)
¼ – ½ C. Milk, to your thickness desired
½ – 1 Tbsp. Honey, to taste
Blend all the ingredients until smooth, using a stick blender, small food processor, which ever you have
Serve in a chilled glass
Now that straw was not for Mom but DH so that he could taste-test it
😉
As I always say, a recipe is simply someone else’s idea, take it and make it your own.
Cook for your friends and family!
… and if you could, hit that ‘like’ button, leave a comment below maybe just to say ALOHA; subscribe to my blog if you like what you’re reading and get an email when a new post has been uploaded.
Hummus, really, I don’t think that I had ever even tried it prior to this.
I belong to an International Food Forum and this recipe is from there.
Ginger-Lime Hummus
Makes about 1 1/2 Cups
1 Garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp. Peeled & minced fresh Ginger
1 15-ounce can Chickpeas plus 2 TB reserved liquid from the can
¼ cup Lime juice (about 2 large Limes)
¼ C. Tahini
2 tbsp. Soy sauce or Tamari
In the bowl of a food processor, add all of the ingredients.
Blend for a minute or two until very creamy, stopping to scrape the sides as necessary.
Store refrigerated, covered, for up to 1 week. (if it lasts that long 😉)
Serving suggestion: place the Hummus in a nice bowl, drizzle over some good quality Olive Oil; serve along with some Pita Chips and/or Crudité
And come on man, how pretty does that all look?
Cook for your friends and family!
… and if you could, hit that ‘like’ button, leave a comment below maybe just to say ALOHA; subscribe to my blog if you like what you’re reading and get an email when a new post has been uploaded.
I know that this dish, if you want to call it that, was trending for a while now, but with price of Avocados being so ridiculously high, I’ve steered clear.
Our local “Greengrocer” had some beautiful little Haas Avocados on sale, and I thought, why not.
Mashed up half of the Avo, spread that on top the toast and that was a lovely light lunch for moi.
With the other half of that Avocado, I did a repeat, but with more goodies…
Arugula Microgreens and an over easy fried Egg … OH MAN!
DH said that this looked good, and can’t stand Avocados!!!
The gal at the local Farmer’s Market had suggested this, well what she really told was that these Microgreens are terrific with Eggs, and she was right!
Cook for your friends and family!
… and if you could, hit that ‘like’ button, leave a comment below maybe just to say ALOHA; subscribe to my blog if you like what you’re reading and get an email when a new post has been uploaded.
I know that this has been treading for awhile, but I just never got on that train.
Until now.
How easy is this, I mean come on.
1) Toast a piece of bread to your liking – optional buttering of said Toast (I like Dave’s Killer Bread)
2) Mash up some Avocado
3) Spread that mash over the Toast
4) Sprinkle with S&P
NOW…
If you want to amp that up a notch –
Follow the above instructions
Fry an Egg to your preference
Set that beautiful Egg atop everything
DEVOUR!
I know, right?! MMM!
Cook for your family!
… and if you could, hit that ‘like’ button, leave a comment below maybe just to say ALOHA; subscribe to my blog if you like what you’re reading and get an email when a new post has been uploaded.
For Christmas Eve Dinner, I make my version of the American-Italian Style Feast of the Seven Fishes. I had never heard of this before meeting my DH.
On one of our visits back East to see his family, we were fortunate enough to go during the Holiday Season. My Sister-In-Laws banded together and made the meal the way that their family does it. Neither DH nor myself could eat very many of the dishes because we have Seafood allergies. The following year I decided that I would do it my way and have done so ever since.
This year, DH requested that we try a different dish, one that I have never made, but okay.
Let’s give this a whirl.
On our last trip back home to Hawaii, I brought back this bottle of Poke Sauce, HMMMM!
Easy Salmon Poke
2 servings
1 6–8 ounce Salmon Fillet, ½ inch dice
2 Tbsp. Sweet White Onion, finely minced
2 Tbsp. Green Onions, sliced on the diagonal, divided Greens & Whites
¼ tsp. Alaea Hawaiian Salt (you can use regular Sea Salt too)
¼ tsp. Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
2 Tbsp. Tanioka’s Shoyu Poke Sauce *
¼ tsp. Sesame Oil
1/4 package Noh’s brand Poke Mix Ogo Seaweed-optional, but really worth the effort **
¼ tsp. each Toasted & Black Sesame Seeds
In a bowl, gently combine all of the ingredients, excluding the Green Onion tops.
** If using the Ogo Seaweed, follow the packages direction and soak it in water for a few minutes and then squeeze it dry, breaking it up into small pieces.
Cover and chill until ready to serve.
For service, transfer the Salmon Poke to a lovely bowl and top with the reserved Green Onions and a bit more Sesame Seeds.
Isn’t that pretty?
This can be served as a Poke Bowl, aka serve the cold Poke over hot steamed White Rice.
*I know that not everyone has access to premade Poke Sauce, so I’ll add an easy one that you can make at home.
Auntie’s Easy Shoyu Poke Sauce
2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
¾ tsp. granulated Sugar
½ tsp. Fresh Ginger, finely grated and include any juice
½ tsp. Fresh Garlic, finely minced and include any juice
¼ tsp. Sesame Oil
Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl until the Sugar is dissolved.
** Noh brand Poke Mix is so handy. I either bring it back with me from Hawaii or Las Vegas or I order it online. It makes your Poke taste that much more true to how we make it in Hawaii. The reason why I say it’s worth the effort is in that package has not only Ogo Seaweed from Hawaii, but Hawaiian Alaea Salt and Chili Pepper as we call it. I never use the entire package, because I make small batches of Poke, so I keep the leftovers in a Spice Jar.
Remember, a recipe is simply someone else’s idea, take it and make it your own.
Cook for your friends and family!
… and if you could, hit that ‘like’ button, leave a comment below maybe just to say ALOHA; subscribe to my blog if you like what you’re reading and get an email when a new post has been uploaded.
One of my Neighborhood Gal Pals gifted us a jar of her prize winning Relish. No, really! She said that her Relish won a prize in her hometown back in Maine!
Now you folks all know me by now, I don’t return a pan/dish/can or jar empty.
My Grandma would make us stuff and tell us, “You no gimme back my can/pan/whatever, I no give you no moa!” 😀
So I did one of those WWW searches and came up with this idea
My version of a Cobb Salad in a Mason Jar! How neat-o looking is that? We eat with our eyes first and this one ticks that box.
I had all of the ingredients on hand, so it was just a matter of sterilizing Carolyn’s jar and filling it.
Cobb Salad In A Mason Jar
1 pint-sized Mason Jar
1/2 C. Cucumber, diced
1 Hard Boiled Egg, sliced
1 oz. Deli Ham, rolled & sliced into spirals (reads as 1 thick slice of any Ham you’d use for a sandwich)
1 oz. cooked Bacon, crumbled
1 C. Salad Mix (any sort, I had a head of Romaine that I chopped up)
1 oz. Shredded Cheese (I used Sharp Cheddar, you choose)
1-2 oz. Ranch Salad Dressing
Start with the 1st ingredient and continue layering as you fill the jar. Pack the Lettuce Mix of your choice into the jar firmly. Place a good amount of Ranch Dressing (or any other Dressing that you prefer) into a separate small container. You can pour your Dressing into the jar first if you’re going to be eating your Salad within a day, otherwise, you could find the Cucumbers soggy.
I found these at Dollar Tree, perfect!
My Pal sent me a text the next day that she was really surprised how much Salad she poured out of that jar! ⭐
Any Salad Combo would work here and the amounts of each ingredient are approximate, give or take here or there, what you like. Use any kind of Cheese that you have on hand, ohh, Blue Cheese Crumbles! 💡 Or what about using diced Turkey Breast rather than the Ham spirals? The sky’s your limit. The whole premise behind Salad In A Jar is to start with the “wettest” ingredients at the bottom of the jar in order to retain crispness and keep layering to the top of the jar.
Photo courtesy of Walmart.com
*Cook’s Note: I used packaged Bacon bits, which I keep on hand at all times. It serves a great service! My other tip is to use small tongs to add in the Egg and Ham Spirals, arranging nicely against the wall of the jar.
Remember, a recipe is just someone else’s idea. Take it and make it your own.
Have you ever had a big stalk of Broccoli and thought to yourself, meh, not so much. My husband really likes Broccoli, me, I could take it or leave it. I was trying to think up another way to prepare this veggie so that I would enjoy them too.
Now, I oven roast Potatoes, so why not Broccoli too? Let’s try this …
This may sound very elementary, but I’d never thought to do this before, really!
I lined a half sheet pan with Tin Foil, broke that huge bunch of Broccoli down into manageable pieces, tossed it all with good Olive Oil and Miners Mix Steak & Veggie Seasoning & Rub and a bit of Black Pepper. I had already pre-heated the oven to 400°, so in it went for about 20 minutes, give or take … check for doneness by piercing the stalk with a sharp knife.
Can you see those nice bits of brown goodness, that equals flavor?!
YUM!
Embrace your vegetables, try cooking them in a different way, maybe, just maybe you’ll enjoy them more.
I had these muffins on my mind for the past few days, but what with this and that comings and goings, I just got around to making them. I’ve made these previously, for our new Communities Craft & Bake Sale back a ways… the gluten-free muffins actually did better than the regular ones believe it or not.
My muffins are a jump-off from King Arthur Flour’s recipe, but with a few twists and turn of my own… I just can’t seem to follow a recipe, I’ve got to give them a tweak here and there.
Auntie Doni’s Morning Glory Muffins
½ C. dried Cranberries, chopped
2 C. AP Flour
1 C. Brown Sugar, less 1 Tbsp.
2 tsp. Baking Soda
2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
½ tsp. Ground Ginger
½ tsp. Salt
2 C. peeled and grated Carrots
1 large Apple, peeled, cored, and grated, approx. 1-1 ¼ C. (I had Fuji Apples, but use what you like)
½ C. shredded Coconut, sweetened or unsweetened
½ C. chopped Pecans
½ C. canned, crushed Pineapple, drained well, reserve the juice
3 large Eggs
2/3 C. Vegetable Oil
2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
2 Tbsp. Molasses
¼ C. of that reserved Pineapple Juice
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Lightly grease a 12-cup Cupcake tin (or 6-cup Jumbo muffin tin), or line it with papers and spray the insides of the papers (I used Baker’s Joy spray-no papers).
In a small bowl, cover the dried Cranberries with hot water, and set them aside to soak.
In a large bowl, whisk together the Flour, Sugar, Baking Soda, Spices, and Salt.
Stir in the Carrots, Apple, Coconut, Pecans and Pineapple.
In a separate bowl, beat together the Eggs, Oil, Vanilla, Molasses and Pineapple Juice; add to the Flour mixture, and stir well.
Drain the Cranberries and stir them in.
Divide the batter among the wells of the prepared pan, filling each cup to the top.
Bake the Cupcake sized muffins 20 minutes and the Jumbo muffins for 25 minutes, until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of one of the inner muffins comes out clean.
Remove from the oven, let cool for 5 minutes in their pan on a rack, then turn out of pans to finish cooling. Wrap any leftovers airtight, and store at room temperature for several days; freeze for longer storage.
Yield is about 1 1/2 dozen Cupcake sized or 8 or so Jumbo Muffins, this time I got 12 Cupcake and 2 Jumbos… nice for sharing 😀
My Kitchen In The Middle Of The Desert 
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