Anything for Me?

This is Kai when I come home from shopping.

Potato Mac Salad (to go with your Hamburger Steak)

This was the best potato mac salad I ever made.  And the only . . . 

I looked at recipes online and kinda made up my own.

Throw together:

One good-sized potato, microwaved for 6 minutes, skinned and cubed

1 cup-ish macaroni, boiled and drained

2 boiled eggs, diced

1 can tuna, drained

1/2 cup (maybe more?) mayo

carrots, shredded

cilantro, minced (cause I had)

2 teaspoons onion powder (cause Landon doesn't like raw onions)

salt (sprinkle)

pepper (planny if you're Cy)

Hamburger Steak

I first posted this recipe back in 2008 and you can find it here.  It was super easy to make and so juicy ono that I want to make it again already.

 

Here's my bowl with the fixings . . . buttered corn, Geri's kimchee and Safeway potato salad.

   

I used this to make the gravy.  I added some of the juices from the frying pan to make it even more unhealthy.

  

Da Seedlings

Here are the Hawaiian chili pepper seedlings! 😬

Enchilada Sauce over Taquitos

This was the best enchilada sauce I ever made!  It was also the only enchilada sauce that I ever made.  The recipe is from the COOKIE + kate website.

I layered some taquitos from Costco in an 8 x 8 pyrex dish, covered them with some precooked taco meat (1 pound hamburger, 1/4 cup taco seasoning, 1/2 cup water), poured on the enchilada sauce and topped with choke cheese. Baked at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

It came out surprisingly good for an impromptu meal.

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons flour 
• 1 tablespoon ground chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon salt, to taste
• Pinch of cinnamon 
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar 
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. This sauce comes together quickly once you get started, so measure the dry ingredients (the flour, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, salt and optional cinnamon) into a small bowl and place it near the stove. Place the tomato paste and broth near the stove as well.
2. In a medium-sized pot over medium heat, warm the oil until it’s hot enough that a light sprinkle of the flour/spice mixture sizzles on contact. This might take a couple of minutes, so be patient and don’t step away from the stove!
3. Once it’s ready, pour in the flour and spice mixture. While whisking constantly, cook until fragrant and slightly deepened in color, about 1 minute. Whisk the tomato paste into the mixture, then slowly pour in the broth while whisking constantly to remove any lumps.
4. Raise heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, whisking often, for about 5 to 7 minutes, until the sauce has thickened a bit and a spoon encounters some resistance as you stir it. (The sauce will thicken some more as it cools.)
5. Remove from heat, then whisk in the vinegar and season to taste with a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper. Add more salt, if necessary.

Fred Update

 Fred is still around, though not as active as before, but still enjoying meal worms.

Dd's Pork Rind Crusted Chicken

Pork rinds!  Good idea!

BAKED PORK RIND CRUSTED CHICKEN

 

¼ c. mayonnaise

1 TB Dijon mustard

2 small chicken breasts, pounded ¼-inch thin

garlic salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 ½ c. pork rinds*

½ tsp. garlic powder

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, stir together mayonnaise and mustard; set aside. 

Place pork rinds in a plastic bag; crush with hands or a rolling pin. Transfer into a shallow dish. Stir in garlic powder, salt and pepper; set aside. 

On work surface season chicken with garlic salt and pepper. Brush chicken on both sides with mayonnaise mixture.  Dredge in pork rinds pressing to adhere well on all sides. Place chicken on baking rack placed in baking pan. Bake 12-14 minutes dependent on thickness of chicken. Turn over; continue baking additional 6-8 minutes.

*Seasoned pork rinds will work well; eliminate garlic powder, salt and pepper. Serves 2.

Wendell's Ham and Potato Soup

Here's another dish that Wendell saw in the Crave section of the newspaper.  It's actually supposed to be topped with cheddar cheese and scallions but he didn't do that.  It still was super tasty. 

 

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 1/2 white or yellow onion, diced

• 2 stalks celery, diced

• 1 medium carrot, diced

• 1 garlic clove, minced

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 4 cups chicken broth

• 1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (about 4 cups)

• 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups diced cooked ham (8 to 9 ounces)

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

• 2 cups whole milk

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium. Add the onion, celery, carrot, garlic and 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper and cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes, until the onion is just softened and everything is fragrant.

Adjust the heat to medium-high, then add the broth, potatoes and ham to the pot and cover to bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until potatoes are soft when pierced with a fork, 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the flour and whisk until light brown and fragrant, about 1 minute. Add milk and continue to whisk until thickened, making sure no lumps form, 4 to 5 minutes more.

Add the milk mixture to the pot. Stir until incorporated and the soup is fully warmed through and creamy, about 3 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. 

Growing Chili Peppers

I've tried growing pepper plants before but I've always failed.  My friend Ryan even gave me several very healthy potted plants, and somehow I just couldn't keep them alive. 

And yet, here I am trying again.  Because I saw a YouTube video.  I wanted to try the guy's method for sprouting seeds, and I wanted to do it with Hawaiian chili pepper.

 

The guy said to snip off the pointy tips.

   

You put the snipped seeds into a paper towel, dunk it into hot water, cold water, hot water, cold water several times.  Then, supposedly in 10 hours the seeds would sprout.

   

 It actually took about a week.  But that was okay.  I was just stoked that they sprouted.

  

Wish me luck!  🤗

Jar Opener

I've been having a hard time opening jars lately.  When the guys aren't at home I use this contraption.  It usually does the job, but is not that easy to manipulate.

Do you have a tool or tip that works for you?