Friday, May 6, 2011
Conatiners
Buying plastic containers for the kitchen. The store brand (Krogers,Randall's etc.) is usually the best price. The most important thing though is write down the brand, and always buy the same brand. That way if you lose containers or lids, you will always have a match. There is nothing more frustrating than trying to store something when you have multiple brands of containers and lids that do not fit each other. Periodically go through your containers, and if you have lids that don't fit anything, chunk them. Container and no lid, do the same.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Flowers or vegetables
In these trying times, many of us may doubt the wisdom of planting flowers. The solution is a decorative vegetable garden. In the winter we had curley parsley in our decorative herb garden together with sage, thyme and rosemary. Rosemary makes a nice bush on its own, and as long as it is in well drained soil grows excellently in many areas. It will take a hard Houston freeze, and it will take the drought as well. Around the roses we had cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli. Looked nice and tasted good as well.
So in the spring and summer, why not plant your squash around your roses. We have our row of tomatoes behind the cana lilies. Many hot peppers make decorative plants as well. In the Houston area, as long as they don't freeze, they will grow several years. Just pick the peppers. Have too many. Fill up a wine bottle with several different types and colours and fill with vinegar for a nice slightly different east Texas pepper sauce (traditionally used on veggies, but goo for what ever you want to spice up.) You can also put them in nice bottles for Christmas or birthday presents.
So in the spring and summer, why not plant your squash around your roses. We have our row of tomatoes behind the cana lilies. Many hot peppers make decorative plants as well. In the Houston area, as long as they don't freeze, they will grow several years. Just pick the peppers. Have too many. Fill up a wine bottle with several different types and colours and fill with vinegar for a nice slightly different east Texas pepper sauce (traditionally used on veggies, but goo for what ever you want to spice up.) You can also put them in nice bottles for Christmas or birthday presents.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Christmas
Just like Thanksgiving, Christmas is planning. Hopefully you have all that done. If you saved your turkey bones from Thanksgiving, here is a great recipe.
In a large pot take all your turkey bones and water, and boil several hours or simmer all day. After the meat has come off the bones, take the bones out. Strain out the meat, and put in a pot and add the left over broth until you have enough for your family. The remaining broth can be saved or frozen for later use.
Add carrots, celery and potatoes to taste. Since the soup has been well cooked all ready you just need to heat it long enough for the vegetables to cook. Fifteen minutes before serving, add from 1/4 to 1 cup of rice depending on how much soup you made. Five minutes before serving you can add either a big handful of cilantro for a more Mexican taste, or poultry seasoning. Salt and pepper to taste. This is what we will start our Sabbath meal with Saturday night.
In a large pot take all your turkey bones and water, and boil several hours or simmer all day. After the meat has come off the bones, take the bones out. Strain out the meat, and put in a pot and add the left over broth until you have enough for your family. The remaining broth can be saved or frozen for later use.
Add carrots, celery and potatoes to taste. Since the soup has been well cooked all ready you just need to heat it long enough for the vegetables to cook. Fifteen minutes before serving, add from 1/4 to 1 cup of rice depending on how much soup you made. Five minutes before serving you can add either a big handful of cilantro for a more Mexican taste, or poultry seasoning. Salt and pepper to taste. This is what we will start our Sabbath meal with Saturday night.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Thanksgvining Day
Thanksgiving just around the corner. If you like to bake, yet are running out of room, you have several options. My favourite is the roaster pan. Basically, stick the turkey in and leave it. If you live in a place like Texas where it is possible to be hot at Thanksgiving you can stick it on a table in the garage so as not to heat up the house.
My favourite recipe is:
cut apples and onions into quarters, and insert a clove into each quarter. Add a handful of celery and parsley. Cover the whole turkey with really fat bacon. Roast at 325 according to weight, 15 minutes per pound. After the first hour you might want to baste every 30 minutes and you might add a little more bacon. This always comes out nice and tender. I've been cooking it this way for forty years now.
You might also want to BBQ your turkey, in such case, chop up onion, coriander (cilantro), and Serrano peppers. Put in large zip lock, add turkey and sufficient beer to cover the turkey. Soak for a day or two, and then smoke for about 4-6 hours. If your internal temperature does not get to 180 degrees, put in oven, covered with oil until it does. For better flavour, soak the wood several days before BBQing. You should have a pit with a separate fire box to do this right, and put the turkey as far away from the fire as possible. You may baste with beer and spices if you desire.
Other possibilities are deep fat friers, oiless friers, or a gas grill with rotisserie. The gas grill with rotisserie works really well, and a small turkey will cook in an hour and one half. At this time I have no experience with frying turkeys, so we will leave that alone.
If I roast the turkey, I make stuffing, but I make it apart so the turkey will cook quicker. I make my cornbread the day before. To make the dressing, I take two 9" pans of cornbread, and break into crumbs. On the stove I add one stick of butter and a couple of eggs. If two dry I will add the drippings from the turkey. Fry chopped onion in drippings and add together with cooked celery. I will take a little water or drippings and put into the blender with a handful of parsley, a handful of time, three or four sage leaves, and a handful of time. Blend fully and add to dressing. Cook on the stove for about thirty minutes and cook in oven at 325 for about 30 minutes. Be careful not to burn.
For gravy, take some of the turkey drippings, add a couple of tablespoons of flour and cook. Add milk and thicken. Just before serving add two tablespoons poultry seasoning and salt and pepper to taste.
The main trick to a good Thanksgiving dinner is planning. You should know who is coming, what and how much you want to cook, and have most of your ingredients in the cupboard. Not a bad time to check your spices either, because you'll probably want them for Christmas as well.
My favourite recipe is:
cut apples and onions into quarters, and insert a clove into each quarter. Add a handful of celery and parsley. Cover the whole turkey with really fat bacon. Roast at 325 according to weight, 15 minutes per pound. After the first hour you might want to baste every 30 minutes and you might add a little more bacon. This always comes out nice and tender. I've been cooking it this way for forty years now.
You might also want to BBQ your turkey, in such case, chop up onion, coriander (cilantro), and Serrano peppers. Put in large zip lock, add turkey and sufficient beer to cover the turkey. Soak for a day or two, and then smoke for about 4-6 hours. If your internal temperature does not get to 180 degrees, put in oven, covered with oil until it does. For better flavour, soak the wood several days before BBQing. You should have a pit with a separate fire box to do this right, and put the turkey as far away from the fire as possible. You may baste with beer and spices if you desire.
Other possibilities are deep fat friers, oiless friers, or a gas grill with rotisserie. The gas grill with rotisserie works really well, and a small turkey will cook in an hour and one half. At this time I have no experience with frying turkeys, so we will leave that alone.
If I roast the turkey, I make stuffing, but I make it apart so the turkey will cook quicker. I make my cornbread the day before. To make the dressing, I take two 9" pans of cornbread, and break into crumbs. On the stove I add one stick of butter and a couple of eggs. If two dry I will add the drippings from the turkey. Fry chopped onion in drippings and add together with cooked celery. I will take a little water or drippings and put into the blender with a handful of parsley, a handful of time, three or four sage leaves, and a handful of time. Blend fully and add to dressing. Cook on the stove for about thirty minutes and cook in oven at 325 for about 30 minutes. Be careful not to burn.
For gravy, take some of the turkey drippings, add a couple of tablespoons of flour and cook. Add milk and thicken. Just before serving add two tablespoons poultry seasoning and salt and pepper to taste.
The main trick to a good Thanksgiving dinner is planning. You should know who is coming, what and how much you want to cook, and have most of your ingredients in the cupboard. Not a bad time to check your spices either, because you'll probably want them for Christmas as well.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
22 September 2010: Credit Cards
Credit cards have their place, especially in building credit to buy a home, the only thing I believe that you should borrow money for (barring medical emergencies). The important things when you have a credit card are:
1) Pay the full amount each month, not the minimum payment.
2) Keep a checkbook register for each credit card. When you reach your maximum amount (what you know you can pay back, stop using it until you pay it off. I recommend using it for gas, etc. to build credit, but never pay the minimum payment. You can even pay it each week or two weeks by internet depending how you are paid. That way you can keep from over doing it.
3) Know and follow your limit.
4) If you lose your job, cut up your credit card and avoid the temptation. Credit card debt can really mess you up.It is too tempting to use that card if you have no job saying, "I'll pay it all off when I have my new job." I have experience here, as I am still waiting for that new job 12 months after being laid off.
Remember, unless it is a house or emergency medical, if you have to borrow, you probably do not need it. If you can keep driving that old car till it reaches 300,000 miles, that gives you time to save up for a new(er) car.
1) Pay the full amount each month, not the minimum payment.
2) Keep a checkbook register for each credit card. When you reach your maximum amount (what you know you can pay back, stop using it until you pay it off. I recommend using it for gas, etc. to build credit, but never pay the minimum payment. You can even pay it each week or two weeks by internet depending how you are paid. That way you can keep from over doing it.
3) Know and follow your limit.
4) If you lose your job, cut up your credit card and avoid the temptation. Credit card debt can really mess you up.It is too tempting to use that card if you have no job saying, "I'll pay it all off when I have my new job." I have experience here, as I am still waiting for that new job 12 months after being laid off.
Remember, unless it is a house or emergency medical, if you have to borrow, you probably do not need it. If you can keep driving that old car till it reaches 300,000 miles, that gives you time to save up for a new(er) car.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
21 September 2010
Got an automatic dryer, for best results when using it on the automatic rather than times setting, do not overload, and make sure everything is the same material. i.e. nothing but blue jeans, or just t shirts, or just dress shirts. Doing so will allow the drier to work more efficiently. If you are alone and need to wash and dry various things together, use the timed setting as opposed to automatic.
Time for the winter garden if you live far enough south. We have planted tomatoes and squash. In October we will be planting cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and related veggies. We won't plant them all at once, so they won't get ripe at once. Broccoli can be planted even in some of the colder climes. Milt freeze don't seem to hurt it. Don't have a yard, you can still plant tomatoes, peppers, egg plants etc in pots. Just make sure you water them and give them sun.
Time for the winter garden if you live far enough south. We have planted tomatoes and squash. In October we will be planting cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and related veggies. We won't plant them all at once, so they won't get ripe at once. Broccoli can be planted even in some of the colder climes. Milt freeze don't seem to hurt it. Don't have a yard, you can still plant tomatoes, peppers, egg plants etc in pots. Just make sure you water them and give them sun.
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