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The slightly late catch-up post

Happy Friday, Dear Readers:

Well, I’m sorry it’s been 11 days since my last dispatch. I’ve been busy, and not on foodie things. I’ve got three posts in the draft folder that are waiting for me to do research, one involves chatting with a friend of Neighbor E.  I’m getting there.

Friend of the blog AC came over again last night. She was having a bad day, and I pretended to be mad that she was “late.” I wasn’t really mad, and she wasn’t really late. I’d done so much tidying up yesterday, and she’d taken a wrong turn somewhere, hence her thinking that she was “late.” I actually finished everything, and I was ready to start ironing if she didn’t show up soon, just to keep the housekeeping momentum going for a while. I fixed a holder she has for her Windows phone, it’s sort of a frame that clips on to her belt. One of the corners broke, and I repaired it with the single girl’s new BFF: Gorilla Glue. I think the holder may out last the phone, but we’ll see.

Neighbor E gave me this item the other day, because it was sprouting. Care to guess what it is?

It's ALIVE!

It’s ALIVE!

No, it’s nothing bad–this isn’t Huffington Post, you know. I’ll give you a hint: it’s on my list stuff I hate and won’t eat.

Give up? It’s a big, red BEET. Yuck. Neither E nor I like them, but guess what? AC loves beets–so I will attempt to grow it for her.

Looking for the beet thing, I also found this article on 15 different veggies you can re-grow like I’ve done with celery, lettuce and green onions.  I still have a little lettuce that I will cut and eat soon, but the GER reminds me that lettuce is a winter crop, so I don’t know how long it will keep growing back. Cilantro, unfortunately, doesn’t grow well here in south Texas, and I’ve tried, because I love cilantro, too. Anyway. . . .

We had some chili I made in the Crock Pot (nothing to write home about) and Nigella Lawson’s Chocolate Olive Oil cake, made with SomerSweet. Gluten free AND sugar free, and it came out just right.  The chili recipe called for  <cough> beans and a 12 ounce bottle of light beer. I really didn’t want a six-pack, and wondering where I could buy one 12 ounce light beer to add to the pot. And then it hit me:

Beer. Is. Made. From. Wheat.

That little item would really invalidate my otherwise gluten-free dinner. So I used chicken broth, and added a half-cup of wine and a couple shakes of Chipotle Tabasco. I’m thinking next time, add 12 ounces of red wine, and a shake or two of Chipotle Tabasco. Although that might change the low carb nature of the chili. . .or, maybe I’ll never make it again.

Well, anyway. . . .

Texas, and particularly Houston, has had some wonky weather lately, as you may have heard, but we’ve had no flooding in my neck of the woods. (The mosquitoes are readying their ambush.) I almost feel guilty when I escape a disaster like that, having been through it a few times, because I know that someone else took the brunt of it.

I haven’t forgotten the recent pictures of terrified horses being led through the deep flood waters to safety at the hands of helpful, concerned horsey-loving Texans. I’m a cat person down to the bone, but I would certainly be happy to help out a horse who needed a way out of the water.

The north side of Houston got hit again overnight, but down here in the Clear Lake area, there was some rain falling down in the HeatCageKitchen garden. I’ve only been out on the bike a couple of times recently, preferring to stay in and use the kettle bells, and binge-watching either Hot In Cleveland (all of them, again) or my newest discovery from PBS, an Australian production called Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries. It stars a gorgeous actress named Essie Davis (I know, who?) and an ensemble cast that brilliantly brings the stories to life, much like they do in Sherlock. I don’t know why I’m interested in mystery-police-drama kinds of things, but I am. This one is about a “lady detective” in the 1920’s in Melbourne, Australia, complete with jazz music, fabulous fashion, a fancy motorcar and a very nice house with servants.

There is the final season of the BBC police drama New Tricks I haven’t seen yet, and the library has it, I just have to order it. While the Houston PBS station runs season 1 of this Aussie jewel, I am binge-watching season 2, thanks to the Harris County Library System. I even checked, and the Jefferson Parish Library System in Metairie, LA has the Aussie series, and I’ve informed two member friends there that they should request the DVDs and watch. A bit R-rated, so it’s not for kids, but if you like that sort of thing, find Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries and try to watch them in order, if you can. (Don’t forget about inter-library loans–ask, and you shall, eventually, receive.)

Last weekend was our monthly district meeting, and I asked LK if she’d like me to bring anything; she said, “if you want to.” So I baked up the Lemon-Poppyseed Tea Cake from the first Babycakes book, only to find out LK doesn’t like lemon as much. (Sorry about that.) Well, everyone else enjoyed it! However, something weird happened when I baked it this time, not sure how. What came out of the pan looked lovely:

Lemon Poppyseed Tea Cake from Babycakes

Lemon Poppyseed Tea Cake from Babycakes

Unfortunately, it overflowed the pan five or ten minutes after I put it into the oven, giving me a real hot mess:

2016-05-20 22.41.01
Fortunately, I put the baking sheet under it, since it looked a little full. I ate the stuff that baked onto the pan, which was about the top third.

Turns out there were only five of us in attendance, but that’s OK, LK had. . .watermelon. YUM. I had plenty of that, and LK gave me some to bring home, as well. It didn’t last long, as you might imagine. And the husband and wife who made it five attendees appreciated the gluten-free, agave-sweetened cake that wouldn’t knock his blood sugar.

OK, speaking of the garden. . .our monthly gardening lecture last week was cancelled due to some really bad weather that blew through. I was kind of glad, because I didn’t want to go out in it, but I missed the topic of Plants of the Bible. Oh, well. But the HeatCageKitchen garden benefits from all the rain, with a few tomatoes and strawberries so far. I’ve got tomato plants:

2016-05-27 10.51.07

Tomatoes!

Tomatoes!

Not pictured are the two SunGold plants that I got at HEB, also on sale. I’ve nibbled a few of those, since the plants were producing when I bought them. There are a couple of “racks” on both, so I’m anxiously awaiting more once I put them in a bigger pot.

The recent rains knocked off all the Key lime buds from my tree, but I found one tiny flower this morning:

ONE lime this year?

ONE lime this year?

I’ll end up with three Meyer lemons later this year:

My favorite, Meyer lemons.

My favorite, Meyer lemons.

I’ll soon harvest my garlic:

That really is garlic under there.

That really is garlic under there.

Last week, after the cancellation of the gardening lecture, I found myself on the phone to Territorial Seed Company talking to a “garlic expert” about when to harvest these babies. I’ve used up all the scapes (they were delicious) so now I just need to know when to harvest. First thing: stop watering them, so I moved the bucket to the area under the balcony so it wouldn’t rain on them anymore. She said two weeks after I stop watering (which will be next week) I should carefully dig them up with a spade, and set them somewhere to dry for a couple of weeks or so. Here’s a primer on Territorial Seed’s website; I just called so that I could get more specific information. Last time I tried to grow garlic, I got nothing, no idea why, and I don’t want to mess anything up. But soon, I’ll get some.

Next time, I’m planting more garlic. I might try it with grocery store garlic, but Territorial Seed sells many varieties of garlic, some organic, available for planting in the fall.

And by putting two strawberry plants in the hanging planter, I might actually get a few more. I’ve nibbled them one at a time so far:

Yes, those are strawberries.

Yes, those are strawberries.

The Anaheim chili pepper plant has finally passed on after one more pepper, but new bell pepper plant is growing and has flower buds, and plus there are more jalapenos popping up:

Can we call these "jalapeno poppers?"

Can we call these “jalapeno poppers?”

Check this out (no, not the Boston fern):

2016-05-27 10.51.18

That’s parsley on the left, which may be used in pesto soon.

And despite giving AC some big rosemary and sage cuttings last week, neither show any signs of slowing down:

Yes, I know I need to do some weeding. If it would ever stop RAINING for a few days.

Yes, I know I need to do some weeding. If it would ever stop RAINING for a few days.

And of course, basil, which has nearly doubled in size with all the rain:

Pesto coming!!

Pesto coming!! (Possibly with parsley added.) One of those plants is left from last year.

Longtime readers know my love of pesto, and growing basil for the sole purpose of making pesto. Well, I’ve found out how to go about growing increased amounts of the stuff. HEB has had a lot of plants marked down, and tomatoes weren’t the only thing on sale. So one more basil plant came home with me, and it even had a bit of purple basil in it.

What do I tell you about Pinterest?  You can solve many of your life’s problems with it. Pinterest can tell you how to do nearly everything, just do a search. After a lecture last year on propagating plants, I found out I could propagate basil. A quick check on Pinterest to make sure I was doing it right, (this article tells you how) and I went after it. Get a good-sized plant, cut them with a longish stem where you see little green leaves coming out, and put the clippings in water. Within a couple of weeks, roots start growing:

More!

More!

This morning I cut a few off the potted basil plant and put them in fresh water:

2016-05-27 10.50.03

Do change the water every other day.

I did not know this before. Now I do, and will continue to do this instead of fooling around with seeds and buying one plant and hoping for a miracle. Grow more basil for world peace! (I’ll let you know how it goes.)

You can propagate other plants in the same fashion. Note to the GER: are you paying attention for the Funk House/Junk House garden this year?

I also found some recent interesting things while out and about. On my last trip to Bed, Bath and Beyond a few weeks ago (I went for Neighbor R), I buzzed by the slow cookers and found Crock Pot’s new technology:

i-Stir?

i-Stir?

Seriously? It’s called iStir? Okay.  . . ever since the iPod, iPhone, iPad, new stuff has to have an “i.” At least it doesn’t hook your dinner up to your WiFi. And more from the microwave popcorn arena:

Seriously?

Seriously?

I suppose if you want one, use your coupon. . .but I’m perfectly happy with a mixing bowl and a plate on top.

I discovered a few photos on my phone that I forgot to share last time, taken during my adventure with Neighbor E. We wandered through a store called Arhaus, and, well, I’d never heard of it. (Not that it means much.) High-end home furnishings, and not the sort you’d find in IKEA, that’s for sure. Lots of chandeliers around, and lots of somewhat odd things to decorate your home. My favorite was this chandelier, called the Anabella, priced at $499 in the store and $549 online:

Yes, a very modern chandelier.

Yes, a very modern chandelier.

Now, E liked this particular setting too, but he said, “come over this way and see how the light sets everything else off.” So I did, and, well, take a look:

Yes, those are aluminum deer heads.

Yes, those are aluminum deer heads.

I like the way it looks, and I like the way the cord is covered in a nice sheer fabric. But I’m just a fan of the Magnus deer heads, that’s all.

Lastly, I will leave you with this amusing little thing, which, I believe was in my local Kroger, but I’m not 100% sure. I don’t think it was in HEB, and it’s too late for The Fresh Market (they took the sign down from outside the building last week.) But I saw it. . .somewhere. And it was too cute not to share:

Music and cheese!

Music and cheese!

Admit it, you read that with the song in your head, didn’t you?

I hope to have my regular researched posts done soon, but in the meantime, if there’s a topic you want covered, you can always email me at heatcagekitchen@gmail.com or leave a note in the comments.

It’s Memorial Day weekend here in the US, and it’s not all about cookouts, beer, and sales on mattresses and plasma TVs. If you are outside of the US, or simply unfamiliar with its origins, here’s a short primer on it. Memorial Day is a somber occasion observed to respect our war dead from all wars and conflicts. There’s nothing wrong with celebrating the beginning of summer and doing the BBQ/cookout party thing, but at 3:00 pm local time, pause to remember (and maybe say a prayer, if you are so inclined) those who fought and died for the United States.

And if you are going to do a cookout, picnic, or other activity with various types of food involved, you can find food safety fact sheets here. We all like to have fun, but do factor safety into it–trips to the ER or urgent care clinic with food poisoning are NOT fun. You’ll be there with the rest of the injured people. . .for quite a while.

I hope to bring some new stuff to you next week. . .I really do. Let’s see how my week goes.

Meantime, have a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend, and have some enjoyable food, too.

Happy Dining!

 

 

 

The Weekend Adventure

Happy Monday, Dear Readers:

This weekend saw two trips to HEB–one was our fabulous new one, the other in Friendswood, where I haven’t been since the new one opened up. I was able to sample and enjoy a lot of things, and had the accompanying heartburn afterwards. Neighbor E and I used up the last of our Chipotle coupons for a free meal, (they expired Sunday) and we buzzed around for a while, before finally ending up at home. He wanted to walk around Baybrook Mall, and since it was his turn to drive, I wore my usual t-shirt and bike shorts along with a fanny pack. For some reason, I thought he meant “power walking,” but it turns out he just wanted to meander. No matter, I was slinging the kettlebells around later anyway. It was great, we saw everything, took pictures, and we had a blast.

Also in this post: an exclusive picture of Neighbor E!

I forgot to mention in my last post that this week’s breakfast quiche was also created with some of the 3-foot-high green onions and garlic scapes from the garden. I just went out and cut a bunch with the kitchen scissors, rinsed them, then chopped them on the cutting board. Very, very tasty, especially when I added a few shakes of green Jalapeno Tabasco sauce instead of my usual Chipotle Tabasco, my favorite. Both are very good, and not burning hot; I just found a bottle in the pantry that was never opened. Had no idea! With all the green stuff from the garden, it worked really well.

Breakfast quiche in the Crock Pot has a basic formula: 8 to 10 eggs, a cup of milk, a 8 ounces of grated cheese, and a pound of browned breakfast sausage, usually HEB’s sage flavor. Colby’s my favorite cheese for this, I’ve also used Colby Jack and mild cheddar–but if you like sharp cheddar, go for it. Brown and crumble the sausage (and onions or other veg, if using), and toss into the bottom of the Crock Pot (after you put the liner in it, of course.)  In a large bowl, add 1 cup of whole milk (half and half and/or cream will also work), the eggs, any seasonings (including Tabasco, if you like) and mix. The immersion blender is good for this. Then mix in the cheese with a spatula or spoon, and pour into the Crock Pot, stirring to combine. Cover it, plug it in, turn it on, and cook for 3 hours. This breakfast quiche is why I love the slow cooker liners–it’s a bear to clean it off the stoneware, even when you grease it well. But it’s also 6 days worth of breakfast I only have to microwave and eat.

So, it was Saturday–Buddhist meeting at 11:00 am, and then a couple of stops on the way to HEB. Before the meeting, I returned two quarts of milk to Target. I’d purchased skim milk by mistake, since it was marked down (but with long freshness dates.) Well, I returned the unopened one and picked up whole milk–but darnit, they sure do look alike. Saturday morning, I returned both quarts. Why? They both taste like skim milk. If I’d wanted skim milk. . .well, anyway, for whatever reason, both milk types made my coffee taste like dirty water. Target, like most grocery stores, have a guarantee on their food. So I reluctantly returned the milk before the meeting.

On the way from the meeting, I stopped at JoAnn’s for some reconnaissance for a potential scrap fabric project (found what I needed, but I didn’t buy anything for it.) I also got a look at our now-closed The Fresh Market building. Sad, it is. I was so happy when they put one down here, but it’s not just ours, as I mentioned in my last post–it’s 3 states, and all of their Texas stores.

Neighbor E texted me on Friday and said they were closing at 5:00 pm for good, days ahead of the originally scheduled May 18th closure. They must have sold everything down to the walls, including the baskets. There’s something about the words “50% off” that makes people pay attention, although the store was always busy when I went in there. The security guard is still there, sitting in her vehicle, but the windows are all papered up.

And then it was gone. . . .

And then it was gone. . . .

I’m guessing the employees were still inside, packing up whatever was left, sweeping, mopping, and dismantling the fixtures for shipment back to their headquarters in North Carolina. Soon those folks will be looking for work, unless they move to a different store out of state.

After I left that sad little spot, headed to the big HEB, since I still needed milk. I had a few items on my list, not many, but you know what I say–I’m heading to HEB for lunch!

I was treated to all kinds of tasty samples–fish, chicken, barbecue–and some other new things HEB is starting to carry.  I wondered if they carried my favorite cheese, Manchego. All I had to do is ask:

Manchego!

Manchego!

Of course they do! If you’re not familiar with this Spanish sheep’s milk cheese, well, it’s wonderful. If you’re in a grocery or gourmet store that has a “cheese department,” ask if they would let you try a sample. (HEB will–I already asked.)  It’s a pricier cheese, so obviously, it’s not on my regular grocery list right now. But if you have the opportunity, try a little sample, you might like it too. Trader Joe’s is the cheapest I’ve seen, and the import grocer Phoenicia is also less expensive than the rest.

Why is it my favorite? Years ago I saw Rachael Ray make this really delicious Chili Sweet Potato Hash recipe, and I wanted to try it. So interesting and unusual. . .but didn’t know what Manchego was. I printed out the recipe, and bought everything I needed. I made it one time, with Manchego, and was immediately in love with the whole thing. I had that for breakfast every day for more than a year, making it on Sundays. I stopped eating Manchego when I had to go on the yeast-free diet for a while. I haven’t made it in a long time, although I do have a couple of chunks of Manchego in the freezer that I’m avoiding touching. It’s the “good stuff,” so you know I’m “saving it.” But when things get better for me and my bud Neighbor E, I think I’m going to have to make it for him one day, and the GER too. It really is that good, and is, to date, my all-time favorite Rachael Ray recipe.

And if you’re wondering why I never made it for you, GER, it’s because I’d already moved out of your house and into Clear Lake when I saw it. The recipe was first shown in late 2004 or 2005, and came out in the book shortly thereafter.  But I’m happy to make it for you anytime, because it’s absolutely delicious with HEB’s sage breakfast sausage. Note: the recipe is available on The Food Network’s website here, but if you have her book Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats, it’s on page 255.

Nevermind how many of those hot, fresh tortilla samples I had by the bakery department. . .just, never mind.

This was the weekend that HEB featured their Healthy Living department, with interesting samples and a 20% discount on all “sports nutrition items” and energy bars. This included things like protein powders, energy drinks–all that stuff the gym rats gobble down. You know, those big jars with stylish graphic labels of some kind of “whey powder” and “pure protein.” I’m not knocking anyone for their choices, of course, but to the rest of us, it’s a bit mysterious, so we keep a respectable distance.

Also handed out was a pack of coupons for these “healthy items.” Included are coupons for. . .Lean Cuisine and Stouffer’s Fit Kitchen. (Yes, frozen dinners.) At least Lean Cuisine has gluten-free options, but. . .sorry, I’ll pass those coupons onto Neighbor E if he wants them or Neighbor R if he doesn’t.

Now look–if healthy food gives you heartburn, you’re not healthy! You need to get on the Yeast Free Diet, get the prescriptions from your doctor or something OTC (you might need more than one jar of Yeast Control) and get RID of that yeast overgrowth in your gut. If you’re not sure if it’s yeast, try treating yeast first and see what happens. It can’t hurt.

Remember what I tell you about anything–read them labels, because I’ve made that mistake before. Some of those “energy bars” are loaded with sugar, or other rubbish you wouldn’t normally eat if you know what it is. There’s frequently soy protein in stuff like that, so if you don’t want soy–even if it’s touted as “non-GMO”–don’t buy it until you at least do a cursory read. Just saying.

I have three 3-day passes to 24-Hour Fitness, and I will need to start using them soon, they expire on the 31st. Neighbor E doesn’t want one, and Neighbor R doesn’t even like to drive! (She’s elderly.) So I’ll be heading to the gym this week, and using them all up. Since it’s supposed to rain really good this week, I won’t be on the bike, so that will be a good thing. Hook up my phone and listen to music for a while, or a good podcast.

I was also introduced to a brand of sports nutrition called FitAid. I was given samples of FocusAid and TravelAid, soft-drink style canned drinks with a little bit of fizzy and sweet, lots of nutrition and good things. There are several varieties of these drinks, and all sweetened with agave syrup, not sugar. I just don’t drink soft drinks anymore, not since 1998, so I was a bit reluctant to try one. But I was quite pleasantly surprised, and they pass my “taste test.” It won’t taste like a cola, it’s more like a lightly sweet 7-Up or ginger ale. The folks who were sampling it were also very nice. I don’t know how much they cost, but were my situation different, I might put one in my lunch bag occasionally.

What I will be doing if I find myself on long drives for work is getting some of this interesting Chike High Protein Iced Coffee for the moment I get hungry later in the am:

IMG_3024

More than just a coffee drink.

What’s that? You’ve never heard of this stuff? Me either, so join the club. It was my favorite thing to sample, and I’m glad I tried it. The lady who was sampling this with the spicy tilapia and herbed salmon offered me a sip (or two) of the Chike original flavor. It’s quite tasty, but I thought it was the Mocha. No, original, and it was very delicious (which is how I talked her into a second sample.)

A closer look at the label.

A closer look at the label.

It too, was on sale, but even 20% off HEB’s price of $26.99, I passed. . .but I did get a single-serve packet for Sunday, of the Mocha flavor. (That was cheaper, and better, than buying two of my favorite chocolate/cherry/cashew Kind Bars, which are usually 4 for $5 or 2 for $3 at HEB.)  I was also handed a coupon for $5 off the big bag, which is 17.56 ounces, and I think she said it was 14 servings. But that would be for a mid-morning thing when I’m hungry and it’s way too early for lunch.

So what’s in it? It says soy, and it says caffeine, but I have my doubts:

The label, which, I promise, I read more than once.

The label, which, I promise, I read more than once.

I couldn’t find any soy in it, but it says soy, and I had no reactions from it. So. . .I can’t say it’s bad for me. But it’s made right here in Texas, so you know it’s good, right?

Sunday morning, I got out my little whiz blender and made some with almond milk:

The setup

The setup

I can’t believe I was coherent enough on Sunday to do this, but I was. The label says to use “6 to 10 ounces of milk or water,” so I just went with the requisite 8 ounces.

Blend it right in

Blend it right in!

Hit that button:

BLITZ!

BLITZ!

I could have put ice in the blender, but I didn’t think about it. I just poured it over ice, good enough for me.

Yum!

Yum!

Now let me say that although it claims to have the caffeine of 2 shots of espresso, I don’t believe it does (or the effects of caffeine have been neutralized.)  Had I consumed 2 shots of real, regular espresso (not decaf like I normally would) I would have been picking my claws out of the ceiling and calling around for bail money. I would  have been sweating like a sauna and begging Neighbor E to take me home for a cold shower. None of that happened to me. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, but if you’re looking for a shot or two of full-leaded espresso, head to Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts, Dunn Brothers, or any coffee shop in your area that serves it. You will not get that from this iced coffee. That’s not a bad thing, though–Americans consume way too much caffeine, and it’s not a good thing. I know, because I did it.

Now onto Sunday.

As I mentioned, we had those coupons to use up on Sunday, and E wanted to buzz around Baybrook Mall first, and of course, I was happy to go with him. I was in Baybrook a couple of weeks ago when I had the brakes repaired (remember that RING??), but he hasn’t been there in quite a long time. He hasn’t seen the new additions, and our new Sur la Table store. (Being a guy, he just wasn’t interested in Charming Charlie.) We walked around, he took some pictures, particularly around the restaurants, where a 2011 Jaguar was parked, and later, a Corvette and a BMW. (He’s a car guy.)

There are a number of other places planned for that outside area, one of which is called Gloria’s Latin Cuisine. The planned entries are represented by very intricate murals in the intended spots. E found one he really liked, so here is the exclusive picture of one of my taste-testers:

Neighbor E, who can't wait to walk into this place for real one day.

Neighbor E, who can’t wait to walk into this place for real one day.

Doesn’t it look like he’s going into a bakery? Honest, that’s a mural on a stone wall, and he thought it would be funny to take a picture in front of it. But it’s a good one, taken on his iPhone. (E also has a sweet tooth, so you understand why he wants that bakery to open.)

Finally, I introduced E to my favorite place, Sur la Table. We had a small bite of their Lemon Buttermilk Quick Bread, made in a sheet pan rather than a loaf pan and cut into dice-sized pieces. A very nice lady offered to make me a cappuccino, and I happily accepted.

E was accustomed to going into Williams-Sonoma when we had one, but that spot is now yet another dress shop. Sur la Table was a new experience for him, but I’ve been shopping at them for several years–well, he’s read about it here for a while. E went back into the huge chef’s kitchen, where they conduct cooking classes and whip up things like that cake for you to try. His eyes bugged out. I knew he’d enjoy it.

Another thing we sampled was this Iced Tea Lemonade. Now, I wouldn’t normally buy this kind of thing (and I didn’t), but I really, REALLY like it. It tastes like the iced tea my mother used to make when me and my first brother were little (it ended after the other two came along, I think.) She’d boil water and add three or four tea bags, then turn it off and cover the pot. While that was happening, a lemon or two were squeezed. A big glass pitcher was filled with ice, sugar and lemon added, and a great big metal spoon wedged down the side to absorb some of the heat. Then the bags were removed, and the resulting tea was poured in and mixed with the metal spoon.

THAT is what it tasted like. If you want some real good Southern-style tea quickly, Iced Tea Lemonade from Sur la Table is what you want. It’s expensive, or you could make your own like my mother used to. But it’s THAT GOOD.

After we left Sur la Table, we prowled around a little more, going through clothing stores, furniture stores, and buzzed through Macy’s too.

And the lady in Macy’s let me try on THAT RING again yesterday. The sale price seemed to be lower than the first time, but. . .it’s still in the case, I promise. I only dragged E into Sur la Table, not Victoria’s Secret or anyplace else we females go into.

After the mall, we made our sad journey across the street to visit the now-shuttered Fresh Market. E keeps an electronic journal, and he has a picture of himself outside of Fresh Market the day it opened. He wanted one last picture before it gets rebuilt, whenever that is. The security guard came out and told us that it was closed. . .she thought we were trying to go in it.

E calls it a journal. I call it “evidence that can, and will, be used against you in court.” But that’s what happens when you study law for five years.

Finally, he was ready for lunch, and we headed across the freeway to Chipotle. E had his favorite tacos, and I had the Steak Bowl I like. He also bought a bag of their delicious chips and kindly shared them–they’re delicious and addictive! The weather wasn’t bad, either, so we had our late lunch outside before any rain showed up (we’re getting rain all week, but not a monsoon.) No rush, and we enjoyed the leisurely pace for a while longer.

When it was time to head home, we passed by a place E is absolutely in love with: a place called Torchy’s Tacos. I’ve heard of them, and they do have locations in town, but I’ve never been there. Torchy’s has a cult following, apparently, because on our local NextDoor.com area, people are going bonkers for it.

They’re adding a location in our little neck of the woods, ironically, across the street from Vitamin Shoppe. That spot housed, until sometime last year, a place called Berryhill Baja Grill. I’ve never set foot in that one, either, because I just didn’t know what it was. But folks are getting VERY excited about Torchy’s Tacos coming here. You can see the location here, but they don’t list an opening date yet. That’s OK–it’s a big place with a big buildout, and you just can’t rush these things. The sign is up, and it looks to be about halfway built on the inside:

It's almost here!

It’s almost here!

E can’t contain his excitement. He went with his sister D to Tyler, TX (up near Dallas) a couple of months ago to visit family, and they stopped at the Torchy’s there. E says that this Torchy’s is being built like the one in Tyler, so he’s doubly excited about it.

If you’re wondering how a grown man can get so excited over a chain taco restaurant. . .well, you’ve never been to Texas, have you? We take this kind of thing VERY seriously. And even thinking about dissing someone for this kind of enthusiasm will get you in a lot of trouble very fast. We don’t mess around in Texas!

Once the workers inside the place realized we weren’t going to walk in or storm the place (I mean, really) they were OK with us peering in through the plate glass windows. We were just curious, nothing more.

Will they send out free try-us coupons when they open? We certainly hope so!

With that, we headed home, and he dropped me off by my building. It was a fun time for two friends with coupons for free lunch and a little extra time on their hands.

But wait–there’s more!

I needed to head out again, and back over by Target for something else. (E was driving, I didn’t want to drag him all over the place on my account.) Once I got what I needed, I headed to the HEB in Friendswood for. . .a can of coffee. See, in all the fun on Saturday, I completely forgot to get more coffee to make my regular iced stuff on the weekends. Because I didn’t realize that HEB’s Healthy Living promotion was a weekend thing, I ran into two blokes handing out samples of. . .Chike High Protein Coffee! They made it with HEB’s refrigerated almond milk, and they were sampling the Mocha blend! So I sat through their spiel while I had another sample cup, and bought. . .one more envelope, on sale, which I had this morning. No, I’m not buying them anymore, honest, unless I have a job that requires long drives. THEN I’ll be buying the big bags, carrying some milk with me and shaking it up mid-morning.

Last time I bought coffee for iced, I decided to try HEB’s “Classic Decaf.” not the fancy stuff in a bag, like the stuff I sent my Aunt recently.

Coffee!

Coffee!

I sent her the good stuff. But I realized that I was buying higher grade coffee than I might have needed. So I tried this kind. First I bought the 13 ounce can, just to try it, since it was $2.68. Made it hot, tasted good, so the next batch was made for iced, and it was also really good. Yesterday, I bought the bigger can, which cost $7.98 for 2 pounds, 7 ounces. That will last me for a while.

It’s in a CAN. No kidding.

Why have I never noticed this before??? It’s good coffee!!

I got the idea because a neighbor I am no longer affiliated with buys Kroger’s French Roast in the can. That, too, is really good coffee–and it’s really obvious when you drink it next to stale-tasting Folger’s. It’s always been there, but since 1998, when I moved to Houston, I never noticed. So I’ll have iced coffee all summer, brewing it on Sunday in the French Press and refrigerating it all week.

BTW, if you decide to try any of HEB’s coffees, it looks like they sell it online, too, but they can’t ship it to California. You can buy the Breakfast Blend I sent to my Aunt last month here, if you’re interested. It’s not a strong coffee, either–but if you want regular, just do a search on HEB.com for “Breakfast Blend Coffee.” I think they even have K-cups now.

So, that was my exciting weekend! We really did have fun, and had some really tasty food. Since I managed to get all my laundry and cooking done last week, I just did some vacuuming, dusting,  scrubbed the bathtub, took out trash (and Neighbor R’s too), watched some TV and sewed some more.

I’ve got a couple of posts in the can that I’m working on, and I hope to get them finished for you soon.

Meantime, have some good food and have a good week.

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

Green stuff that isn’t pesto

Hi, again, Dear Readers:

Well, spring is definitely here in south Texas, even though many folks north of the Mason-Dixon line are still holding onto their hot coffee with both hands. It’s that time of year for opening the windows or patio doors to let the fresh air in, and having dinner outside, if you have the space.

Neighbor E and I took a ride to our lovely new HEB this morning and got a few supplies we both needed. It was slim pickings in the nibbles department, so we were a bit disappointed. I mean, it’s Friday! We only had a little of the guacamole and corn chips, and at the Kitchen Connection, some cabbage, crusted fish and sauced chicken. Not bad, but not the usual stuff we find in that HEB.

After he put away his groceries and took his adorable but slightly neurotic Chihuahua Speedy for a walk, we headed over to Chipotle for some lunch. Why Chipotle? We each had a coupon for a free meal! He got tacos, I had a steak bowl, and I’m telling you. . .delicious. Wish he hadn’t offered me some of the chips. Oh, I could go back for a few bags of those–salt and vinegar–but I won’t. A couple of blocks away is one of our local post offices, where I shipped out a bag of HEB Breakfast Blend (decaf, and I ground the beans in the store) to my sainted aunt, who moved into a senior apartment building last week.

Coffee!

Coffee!

My brother bought her a new couch and a new coffee pot; her sister bought a two-chair bistro set, and someone else bought her a new mattress and box spring. I can’t do much right now, but today I sent her delicious some coffee to enjoy in her new coffee pot.

I’ve got some pictures from the garden, which didn’t go dormant much this past year, since our “winter” was pretty mild. It really was 80F on Christmas Day, pretty much the same as Melbourne, Australia–go figure. I was cooking it up in shorts and a t-shirt two days before our next cool front. But spring brings all kinds of new things, and the HeatCageKitchen garden is full of them.

Remember last year when I had an overload of Anaheim chile peppers? That could happen again this year–the tree is coming back with new growth:

That's the top, and the biggest pepper on the tree so far.

That’s the top, and the biggest pepper on the tree so far.

Speaking of peppers, these bell peppers may be as big as they’re going to get. “Baby bells?” Who knows, but they look like they’ll be ready to pick soon:

I hope they get bigger.

I hope they get bigger.

That plant may be ready to pull, but we’ll see. I went looking for another bell pepper plant this morning in HEB, and I found one. Pinot Noir Peppers!

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I don’t expect them to taste like wine, but I wouldn’t mind if they did. (No alcohol, of course.) Fingers crossed for a bumper crop of these.

The jalapeno plant is blooming again, too, but I didn’t get a picture of that. Now, I’m really hoping to have some fresh garden garlic this year, and it looks like I probably will–the garlic scapes never dried up:

Garlic!

Garlic!

Regular readers of this humble blog have long known about my love for about re-growing cuttings from grocery store produce, particularly onions. I don’t know where I got the last batch, but they’ve been real over-producers:

Green onions to your heart's content.

Green onions to your heart’s content.

Now what’s with the bulbs on the top? Flowers! No kidding.

The top of a green onion. First time that's ever happened to me.

The top of a green onion. First time that’s ever happened to me.

As many times as I’ve done this, I’ve never had them flower. Hopefully they’ll drop seeds in the soil and I’ll have onions forever.

I’ve actually eaten a couple of strawberries from the new plants, and I really need to get out there and put them in a bigger pot so I can pick them all summer:

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Ditto for the basil, which I discovered can be re-propagated by cutting parts and putting them in water, just like celery and lettuce. Oh, and look what I just found!

My first tomato!

My first tomato!

Here’s hoping these two plants are also prolific producers once I get them in a bigger growing facility.

Remember the gifted oregano plant from Neighbor R?

Fresh Oregano!

Fresh Oregano!

It’s doing pretty well since I cut it:

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Mint’s doing great too, all I need to do is make that Mojito, darnit.

Remember The Lettuce Experiment? Well. . .the stubs didn’t last long, but something strange happened. Maybe one of those heads wasn’t romaine after all, because it’s growing back differently:

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Lettuce! (Mint at the upper right.)

I haven’t tried it yet, but maybe when the sole tomato ripens. In any case, the GER reminds me that lettuce is a winter crop, so I hope it lasts.

Just above the mutant lettuce is the celery that I recently cut and used in a salmon salad.

Celery, redux

Celery, redux

Let me point out that this was was made like tuna salad, with canned salmon, boiled eggs and the like. I didn’t think to take a picture of it before I cut it, but I can tell you that the other two celery stubs that were growing well were hidden by this one, and they didn’t make it. So I have to wait until this one grows back, or maybe move it where it will get more sun. Soon as I get back in the garden and pot all the plants that are still in the tiny containers. And spray DIY weed killer.

The citrus trees are doing well. The flowers have fallen off, and the fruit buds are starting to appear. I am hoping for a bumper crop this year, and I’m diligently watering them to prevent the remaining buds from falling off. This is the biggest bud on the Meyer lemon tree:

Meyer Lemon bud

Meyer Lemon bud

I only got two of these fantastic lemons last year, so fingers crossed. This tree had 7 buds at last count, but the Key Lime tree gives me more hope:

Key limes

Key limes

Key lime buds

Key lime bud closeup (there are more buds elsewhere.)

E and I saw the citrus plants for sale today at HEB, and there were lots of buds on the Meyer Lemon plants. He doesn’t have room for one, and I’ve already got one. If I were able to buy one for a gift, the GER might have gotten one for the Funk House/Junk House back garden. (Not this time, sorry.)

Now, the Italian flat-leaf parsley has been a prolific producer, and I just cut what I want and let it grow back. It happens pretty quickly:

Italian flat-leaf parsley

Italian flat-leaf parsley

Good for all kinds of things, including pesto, either as a base herb or as an additive to the pesto if you don’t have enough basil. However, I found another use for parsley when I went looking for something to use fresh oregano for. It’s green, it requires a blender, but it is NOT pesto. Not Italian, either. But it sure is tasty.

Chimichurri Sauce.

If you’ve never heard of it, that’s OK, not everyone has. It’s green, but it’s not pesto.

Since I’m not remotely familiar with Argentinian cuisine, I’ve never had the occasion to have it. However, when I went to Pinterest to research fresh oregano recipes, that’s what kept coming up. So I made some for dinner with AC last week, drizzling the sauce of roasted chicken breasts. She said it was good, but I haven’t heard from her since. Neighbor E enjoyed it too. I like it, although admittedly, the recipe I used makes a lot of it, so I’ve put it on more stuff. Chimichurri is traditionally drizzled on steak. But it’s so good, who cares what you put it on?

This is the recipe I used, and if you’re interested, there is also a list of 20 additional ways to use it. Like pesto, it’s a raw sauce that’s versatile and adds a great flavor to whatever you put it on. If you’re one of those people who likes dipping bread in pesto or olive oil, chimichurri is a different flavor to savor.

I had regular oregano, not the spicier variety, but didn’t bother with the pepper flakes. I thought it was good enough on its own, and didn’t need it. Want to try it? I didn’t take enough pictures, but here goes.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 cups fresh Italian parsley leaves
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1/4 cup hot & spicy fresh oregano leaves (or regular with a large pinch of red pepper flakes)
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (or to taste)
  • freshly ground black pepper

 

Directions:

Place all ingredients into a high-powered blender and blend until very smooth. Allow to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to meld. Use as desired.

Since I didn’t have enough parsley growing out back, I headed to my fancy HEB for a few ingredients, only to be told, “we don’t have any parsley today.” HUH? No parsley? No kidding. So after I finished my shopping, I still had to stop at Kroger to get parsley. All Kroger had was organic parsley, at $2 a bunch. I wasn’t taking any chances at a third grocery on my street, so I just got two. And I washed it really good and sliced it off the stems:

Don't chop too much, the blender will take care of most of it.

Don’t chop too much, the blender will take care of most of it. Just make sure your parsley is rinsed CLEAN.

Toss it all in the blender, no kidding, and it’s DONE:

Tah-dah!

Tah-dah!

We had chicken breasts and a nice salad with it, as well as the Cashew Bread. The next day, I used the rest of the lettuce and made a chicken salad. Just chopped up the remaining chicken breast:

IMG_2959

Tossed it over the salad green:

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And added more of the Chimichurri sauce.

IMG_2963

Whether your dinner is hot or cold, this stuff is GOOD.

Also discovered that it was time for a new gasket on the ol’ blender. It leaked despite a new cutting assembly and neck collar. The gasket was the only part I haven’t replaced yet. Well, I have now, it arrived yesterday. More karma of spare parts. I really hope that’s the last of it–I made some Pea & Pesto Soup last night, and it worked just fine, no leaking. Lesson learned: the gasket should be the *first* thing replaced if your blender is leaking, or, bought along with any additional spare parts ordered.

If I didn’t make it home safely from HEB or Trader Joe’s one day, at least all my appliances will be in good working order, right? That’s important, as the GER will tell you, when you’re having an estate sale.

If you’re considering what to have for dinner, especially if you’re cooking for more than one, consider whipping up some chimichurri sauce this evening, or this weekend for a quick flavoring for something next week. It’s fast, easy, tasty, and will give a fresh flavor to whatever you add it to or drizzle it on.

Enjoy!

Elena’s Cashew Bread

Hello, again, Dear Readers:

Do you eat bananas? I used to, until I discovered they have a high starch/sugar content. Don’t get me wrong, bananas taste delicious, but. . .it’s like eating sugar out of the sugar bowl. Same with white potatoes–too starchy for me. But if you’re a banana fan, here’s an interesting article about how the banana became an American grocery staple in about 100 years.

My grandmother used to tell me to take the “seed” out of the bottom of the banana when I peeled it. I’m not sure that’s a seed, since the plants reproduce asexually–on their own, no pollination required. Every banana sold in the world is a clone, but I’d still take the bottom part off if I were eating them. Read it and give it some thought.

Soon I’ll be posting an update on the HeatCageKitchen garden. This year I’m trying for tomatoes–again–as well as strawberries, basil and hoping for more bell peppers. Heck, peppers of all kinds. Soon as I get the weeding done, which requires several dry days and my favorite cheap & easy DIY non-toxic weed killer. And a lot of time to move the buckets around so I can spray the whole plot.

I went out this morning, and I have two bell peppers that are getting bigger but also changing color. There are spots on each that look to be turning dark purple, and I’m not sure why. I hope it’s just a genetic anomaly and not some disgusting disease or an annoying creature that’s ruining them. Fingers crossed, and I’ll likely have to buy another bell pepper plant anyway. But the Anaheim chili plant is starting to develop more leaves and lots of flowers. That means peppers are coming. They will take a while to get big enough to pick, but when they do, it’s OrangeOnionSalsa (probably using grapefruits) for me.

The Meyer Lemon tree has seven viable buds on it, one of which has gotten a little bigger, and I’m hoping they all stay, and maybe more develop. The Key Lime tree has plenty of little buds, too. And the green onions, which are growing quite well, are developing buds on the tops of some of the blades. What the heck? I’ll take some pictures.

This week AC came for dinner again, and since I’ve been thinking about other things, I was caught a bit short. Last week, Neighbor R gave me an oregano plant with lots of leaves on it, and soon I’ll plant it in a bigger pot, maybe with the basil:

 

Fresh Oregano!

Fresh Oregano!

But I wanted to trim it and use the excess, so I headed over to Pinterest and did some searching. One recipe kept coming up: chimichurri sauce. Generally used on steak, I grilled some chicken breasts and it was magnificent on top of them. So that’s going to be an upcoming post. Of course I didn’t take pictures, but I’ll do what I can.

In addition to salad, I also decided to make her a taste-tester and made something I found on Facebook by Elena Amsterdam. I frequently look at Elena’s recipes on Facebook, and save the link on the ones that look interesting. Well, when I looked at this one, it had five ingredients–and I had them all in the pantry. I bought cashew butter by mistake one day, and it’s been there for a while. This recipe is really easy, bakes up in 45 minutes, and comes out of the oven smooth and light. No sugar, flour or dairy, either.

Let me show you how simple this is to make.

The setup.

The setup.

First up: grease your loaf pan (I think mine is 9″ x 5″ like the recipe suggests)

IMG_2953

Set that aside, and start making the bread.

You need one cup of cashew butter, which is widely available in most grocery stores. I thought I was buying almond butter that day, DUH, but I’m glad I had it now. (I’d already measured it out before I realized I was supposed to take a picture. Another DUH.)  So you add that one cup of cashew butter and five eggs into the food processor and pulse it until it’s mixed well:
IMG_2949

Then you add one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar (I use Bragg):
IMG_2950

Then pulse it again. After the ACV, add in three-fourths of a teaspoon of baking soda:

IMG_2951

And a quarter teaspoon of Celtic sea salt:

I don't know why it has to be Celtic, but I have some, so I use it. I also have Maldon's sea salt flakes.

I don’t know why it has to be Celtic, but I have some, so I use it. I also have Maldon’s sea salt flakes.

Then just pour it into your greased loaf pan.

Pours really easy.

Pours really easy. Scrape all that batter out!

Put the pan in a 350F oven for 45 minutes:

IMG_2955

And this is what it looks like when it’s done:

Looks like regular bread, doesn't it?

Looks like regular bread, doesn’t it?

Let this cool for 2 hours before removing and slicing. Once you do, this is what you end up with:

Tah-Dah! Cashew Bread! (It even looks like Elena's.)

Tah-Dah! Cashew Bread! (It even looks like Elena’s.)

To store, wrap it in a paper towel, then seal it in a bag, and store it in the fridge for one week.

I didn’t know what to expect when I tried it, but I’m guessing anything Elena Amsterdam makes is going to be good, if you follow the directions like she tells you. This time, I did.

By now you’re asking yourself, “That’s nice, Amy, but what does it *taste* like?” Verdict: pretty good, quite delicious, with a light texture that toasts up well. Even AC said it tasted like bread. “Major thumbs up,” AC says. Not real salty, just enough to be enjoyable.  Honestly, it tastes like BREAD, although not *exactly* like wheat bread. It’s not sweet (obviously, since no sweetener is involved), but it’s light like white bread, and tastes like. . .bread. No kidding. I toasted it up and made a meatloaf sandwich with it, too. Oh, YEAH. More cashew butter on the grocery list.

Neighbor R said that it was good, “but I’ll never get used to this gluten free food!” Neighbor E said that it “the texture is good, but it tastes like bread if you took the sugar out.” I’ll agree with that assessment. Again, it doesn’t taste exactly like regular wheat bread will, but if you can’t have regular breads, maybe you’ll enjoy having Cashew Bread.  It tastes a lot better than some of the “gluten-free bread” you can buy in the grocery store.

In my local Kroger, cashew butter is found in the natural food section, and that jar ran about $6, if I remember correctly. I can’t find it on the app in my local HEB, but they may have a setup to grind cashews fresh like they do peanuts and almonds in their Healthy Living section. I haven’t checked that yet. However, I did see where Jif now has a cashew butter. . .much like peanut butter, always, always, read that label, especially if you or someone in your household might be allergic to something in it.

This recipe is also Paleo, which is kind of a second cousin to low-carb. I have a very basic understanding of Paleo, which is to eat food that would have been regularly eaten by Paleolithic Man. Yes, “cave man.” Since cave men didn’t have formal agriculture, and things like dairy products and grains, bread, cheese, and other modern conveniences–even low-carb or gluten-free–are out of the picture. Remember that breakfast casserole I made a couple of months ago, which included a shredded sweet potato? That’s a Paleo recipe (but not one of Elena’s.) I know, cave men didn’t have Crock Pots either, but it’s the principle of Paleo, even if it’s far removed from the practice of hunting and gathering. We just roll with it.

Unless I’m wrong, there’s not gluten in cashews or cashew butter, so it’s also going to be gluten free (read the label in case there are thickeners or additives.) The only persons who should avoid cashew bread are. . .people who either don’t like cashews or are allergic to them.

If cashews don’t agree with you, then, yes, you’ll have to leave this one alone. You have my sympathies. I love cashews.

Would almond butter work? I don’t know, but I’m guessing it would. I haven’t tried it yet, but I have some in the fridge, so I just might one day. For now, I’m enjoying the cashew bread. I have some cashew meal in the fridge I bought at Trader Joe’s a while back. I might try using the food processor to turn that into cashew butter later. Can’t hurt. I’ve done it with hazelnut flour before.

No, I don’t think I’m going to try making waffles with this. . .or will I? Let me think on that one. For now, a loaf of bread in the toaster oven makes me pretty happy.

This recipe can be found here on Elena’s blog, and a printable copy is on the Recipes page (scroll all the way down.)  There are a number of comments, and a lot of good information in them. Do read them if you’re interested in baking this bread for yourself.

One of these days I’m going to get Elena’s cookbooks and start using them. Especially the cupcake book. Yum.

If you’re missing bread, this might be your ticket It’s easy, delicious, no letting the yeast rise or lots of ingredients. You put them in the food processor and pulse, pour it and bake. Doesn’t get any easier than that.

Enjoy!

 

 

Stewed Lentils & Tomatoes

Hello, again, Dear Readers:

I’ve had a lot happen since my last post, including. . .car repairs. I missed last week’s gardening lecture at the library, darnit, and I missed seeing our Miss Shirley. Soon as I get the Texas state inspection finished and the registration sticker taken care of, I’ll be rolling for another year (we hope.)

If you haven’t heard, Starbucks is revamping their My Rewards program. Some frequent-customer math majors have figured out that due to the new 2-points-per-dollar-spent, members will have to spend a total of $62.50 in order to get a free thing. Currently, points are issued per transaction, no matter how much you spend, whether it’s a small coffee or a $7 salad or your favorite over-sweetened coffee-tasting drink thing. The new program will be strictly on what you spend, so big spenders get free stuff faster, but occasional visitors like me might be longer for a free thing. One complaint levied was that customers were requesting each item rung separately, giving them more points but holding up the lines. Starbucks will be keeping the “star dash” days, where you buy a certain thing, or use the mobile order app, or come in after a certain time and get extra stars; that’s how I’ve “profited” with it. I check the emails from Starbucks and use them accordingly, paying attention and getting extra stars now and again for different things. These promotions will continue.

I got my latest free thing on Monday, another salad. Because I managed to get extra points on Tuesday for something else I wanted, my next free thing expires 4/28. Woo hoo! It pays to pay attention, folks. The newly revamped program goes live on April 12, and if you’re already enrolled, you’ll be rolled up into the new program. Any points you have will be carried over and  multiplied by 11, so it behooves one to get 11 points by the 11th of April to get 121 points to start with. (I’m not a complete math dunce.) If you are already enrolled, pay attention to your emails so you’ll know when the “extra point” days are, especially Mondays, and rack up 11 points before COB April 11th.

Easter is this weekend, and our lovely new HEB will be closed on Sunday. I ducked in today to pick up some milk and a few other things. Well, as usual, while I shop in the daytime, I basically had lunch at HEB. Salmon burgers, chips with a very hot guacamole, a sip of fresh orange juice, some ham, and samples of one of these Bavarian Cream Fruit Pies that the demo lady was happy for me to have:

The Bavarian Cream Fruit Pie for Easter

The Bavarian Cream Fruit Pie for Easter.

There’s also a larger one for $16. I did not bring one home, and I’ll be working hard to rid myself of the three samples she offered me today. They’re “freshly made in the store,” but. . .here’s how. I’m guessing the crusts are baked in the bakery, and then something called “Bavarian Cream” is poured from a huge plastic tube into the crust. then it’s topped with fruit, then with a glaze, then sweetened whipped cream is piped on the rim. Then for an extra touch, some crumbles are sprinkled on top. It’s not an overly sweet treat, and not as heavy as the kinds of desserts served during the holidays, but it’s pretty good. At least, I thought it was until I saw the “Bavarian Cream” poured into the crust. Oh, well.

On the way out I saw a stuffed toy I know you’ll just want two of, and if you have children or grandchildren, you’ll want to put these in their Easter basket:

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Yes, those are stuffed armadilloes.

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No kidding. Cute, but I passed on it. This time.

OK, cooking.

I’ve had some venison in the freezer for quite some time, a gift from Neighbor J upstairs from one of his West Texas hunting trips. It was a small wrapped package with just a few pieces, but I decided to use it. Haven’t had venison in a while, and I decided to. . .oh, you know what I did with it. After I used my multi-bladed hand-held meat tenderizer on it and put plenty of oil on it, then seasoned it up:

Waffled venison bits

They fit right on the plates, too.

And why not? After Sunday’s burned waffle mishap. . .oh, nevermind. These turned out pretty good for a quick dinner.

Venison. . .bits. Waffled!

Venison. . .bits. Waffled!

See what I mean about your waffle maker being an indoor grill? Of course, I’m now concerned that with all the use and scrubbing I might rub off the finish. I’ll worry about that when the time comes (the plates are $40 to replace.) I could have just used the grill plates, but. . .why? Next time.

Anyway. . . .

Spring is here, sort of, and I’ve been enjoying the last gasp of winter. Well, we think it is. . .a few years ago, we had 40-degree days in MAY. But not many of them. Every time I put away my favorite warm winter boots, I have to take them out again. Yesterday I was bundled in socks and a long-sleeved shirt, but all last week, like today, it’s  t-shirts and shorts. That’s life on the Gulf Coast. Folks in the northeast are still shoveling snow, Which brings me to today’s blog post.

It’s no secret I’m a big fan of Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa. I have all but one of her books (I just haven’t gotten the latest yet, nor Nigella Lawson’s) and honest, I don’t think I’ve ever cooked up anything bad from a BC book. I recently made one of my favorites–twice–once the week I got sick and the second time, because Neighbor E was given some delicious carrots as big as his forearm. (OK, they were big like cucumbers.) Like the potatoes I turned into waffled hash browns, carrots are not something I have often because of the high sugar content. When he gave me the carrots, I knew what I was going to make: Stewed Lentils & Tomatoes.

This recipe is from the 2006 Barefoot Contessa At Home, which I’d ordered online for my birthday, and requested it autographed. I forgot about that until I saw the invoice in the book, and looked at the title page. Yep, that’s the one.

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I ordered this on the website, several years before I met Ina in person here in Houston.

You can order any one of her books autographed here, very easily; that’s what I did for this book. Oh, look! I don’t yet have Make It Ahead, and now she’s got a new book coming in October. Cooking for Jeffrey! (That’s her hungry husband, if you didn’t know that.) Awww. . .I wonder if he’ll be going on her book tour with her this time. Probably not, he’s a busy guy. I’ll get that last book one of these days.

So, Stewed Lentils & Tomatoes.

It’s one of those recipes where you have just a few steps, put it all in the pot and let it cook. When you’re done, you have this warm, tasty bowl food that you know you will look forward to making again. This second time, I made a double batch so I could give some to both E and Neighbor R. E texted a couple of days later that he really enjoyed the “lentil soup.” It’s not lentil soup, but that’s OK.  He’d added one or two things to it, but he liked it, and so did R. So. . .three thumbs up.

Ready to make it? Here’s how it goes:

The setup.

The setup (except for the carrots, I forgot to take pictures before I started cutting them up.)

First, you heat the 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a large saucepan. (I used a chili pot, same one I use for popcorn, but any large pot will do.) Your carrots should be scrubbed clean and large diced like this:

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Your onions should also be large diced:

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And toss that into the pot with the carrots on medium-low heat, cooking for 8 to 10 minutes until the onions start browning; stir with a wooden spoon occasionally.

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Chop up the garlic, and cook for one more minute.

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Used my little red garlic do-dad for this job:

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Easy, and no smelly hands (if you’re lucky.) So while that’s going on, open up that can of plum tomatoes and dump the whole thing into your food processor:

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Blitz it a little with the pulse button to coarsely chop them. Also, if you’ve not done this already, rinse and pick over the lentils to make sure there aren’t any stones or dirt in them.

Now add the tomatoes, along with the lentils:

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The chicken broth:

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Sorry, home-made chicken stock is not on my dance card right now. Central Market’s will have to do.

And the 2 teaspoons of chopped fresh thyme:

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Now you see the wisdom of a hole in one corner of the cutting board. Makes this kind of thing very easy.

If you don’t have fresh, you could use 3/4 of a teaspoon dried thyme. (I recommend fresh, though.)  You also add the curry powder, salt and pepper at this point.

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Raise the heat to make it boil, then lower the heat and cover it. Then you just let it cook until the lentils are tender, about 40 minutes. Check it to make sure it’s still simmering occasionally. When it’s done, and the lentils are soft, remove it from the heat and let it sit for 10 minutes, then add 1 tablespoon of a good red wine vinegar. Stir, season to taste (if you like) and serve it hot.

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Ta-dah! Stewed Lentils & Tomatoes.

Actually, the liquid cooks down, and I guess I forgot to take another picture when it was done. So here’s the picture from the book, which is pretty much what I ended up with and brought to my two taste-testers:

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It’s just a little side dish, but it sure does pack a lot of flavor. Just the thing when you want something warm, cozy and satisfying. I have a note in my book to make a double batch–it’s that good. And if you use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock–it’s vegetarian! Wait, it’s vegan too, right? OK–it’s “meat free,” “wheat free,” and “soy free.” I don’t care, it’s just so tasty and good that I should make it more often than I do.

One thing, though–because it’s higher in carbohydrates (starch) than, say, a sweet potato, make sure you have some protein with it too, or you might find your self in need of a nap. The first time I made some for dinner with AC, I had some the next day and promptly needed to sleep. That was Tuesday. On Friday, my lungs started burning when I coughed, so I figured out that it probably wasn’t the lentils, but the bronchitis. If you’re sensitive to high carb stuff, have some chicken or something so you don’t need a nap. Especially if you have some at lunchtime at work.

If you do fall asleep at your desk, you’re on your own. You could pretend you were in prayer, but I don’t know if that will work or not.

Lentils aren’t as common in cuisine in the US as they are in other places, like India. They sure are good, though, and this recipe can show you how good they can be. (I think I have a lentil salad recipe in the new Giada book, but I’ll check on that soon.) If you do like lentils, I hope you get inspired to try this dish. A printable PDF file of this recipe is also on the Recipes page with an ingredient list and exact directions.

So what are you waiting for? Go get some lentils! Easter is Sunday, and you won’t go wrong with this dish. . .unless you don’t make enough.

Happy Easter, and Happy Dining!

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