… more good food, over & over.

November 10, 2023November 30, 2023 bgibson135

I used some of the Brazilian Starfish peppers (mildly hot) and Biquinho (mild) along with some onion on sauteed pork chops. I added some Agave Nectar & a little Equal and lime juice in cooking the pork chops.

NOTE [ 11/20/23 ]: I was in Raleigh a week or so ago and they still had some peppers in the stand at the State Farmers’ Market, but the season is winding down. I am choosing to not eat really hot peppers because they just don’t please me. Hotter is not better for me. Hot without flavor is useless.

Poblano and jalapeno peppers are my base flavors, and roasting them in the oven before adding them to salsa or soup is preferred. I like some peppers in my lentil soup, with spicy Andouille sausage.

I ate a bunch of corn on the cob, cooked in the microwave, this year. The new guy on Americas Test Kitchen shared a way to use the microwave to get rid of the corn silks. You cut off the stalk end of the corn, and leave on the silks end. You then cook for a couple of minutes. You can then remove the corn and squeeze on the silks end and this will begin to force the ear of corn out of its husk. But the surprise is that the silks will stay with the husk and you will end up with a clean ear of corn. *I cook my corn in the microwave for about 4 or 5 minutes, and this completely steams the corn and it is then ready for salt & margarine.

But, as much as I love corn on the cob, especially when it is sweet and flavorful, it is also high starch/sugar. I have been “good” for about 3 weeks, and have been watching what I am eating and recording it in My Food Diary on the My Fitness Pal website. I have managed to keep my weight a few pounds under 260, and my Bgl has been consistently in the good, but not lowest range. I’m not sure if it will be below 7.0 AC1, but it should be near 7, hopefully lower if I remain vigilant.

The photo above is from several years ago, but everything came together in season for a really good meal. The tomatoes had good flavor as did the corn and fried okra. I fried tomatillos, with onion and added vinegar and sweetener and that turned out flavorful also.

NOTE [ 11/28/23 ]: One of the problems with eating to suppress blood glucose spikes is that anything edible that is either sugar, or is starchy and turns into sugar easily & rapidly is to be avoided, or severely reduced. I love bread, the smell, the flavor, even the different textures and colors of it. But yes, bread is a starch that quickly turns into sugar.

I have chosen to not go completely without bread, although in the past, I can completely cut out eating bread, and did so both times that I lost 60 lbs. One of those times was when I was about 49 years old and then again about nine years later. The first time was before I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, so losing weight that time was super easy. I ate wisely, and managed to turn my body’s metabolism way up, and therefore could eat a bunch during each day, never hungry (maybe once) and still could lose 2 or 3 pounds a week, with very little exercise. I drank a bunch of water each of those days.

One thing I read was that you didn’t want to exercise too vigorously because that would threaten a high metabolism, because the body would begin to wonder where it’s next meal was coming from, and shut down the metabolism thereby wanting to store food as fat. The article suggested controlled breathing and walks that would cause the body to bring in more Oxygen, which encourages a higher metabolism.

Oh, and I ate vegetables from A through Z: avocado, asparagus, beets, broccoli, brussels sprouts, beans, cauliflower, carrots, cabbage, celery, cucumbers, eggplant, leeks, lettuce, okra, olives, onions, peas, peppers, potatoes, rappini, spinach, and zucchini. The first 60 lbs. loss was easy, but by the second time, there were a bunch of veggies that now were off limits… beets, carrots, garden peas, potatoes, all turn to sugar quickly in the body.

Oh, once in the eating zone, with my metabolism going full tilt, and eating properly each day, I could even satisfy those extreme urges, every once in a while… not every day, but maybe every couple to three weeks, I could splurge on a “craving”. Say a large plate of pasta with delicious spaghetti sauce, or a whole quart of ice cream or maybe a couple of slices of pizza. My weight would go up maybe 2 or 3 pounds the next day, but then I would go right back into that proper eating pattern and by the end of the week I was still losing a couple of pounds. Now when your body is taking in a bunch of food, and processing it efficiently, and not storing fat it is more of a “life style” and not a “diet.” Diets don’t work long term because humans can’t maintain the extremes that most diets require. Eat nothing but eggs & water for a week. Sure, you might lose weight, but you can’t keeps those extremes up, so when you go back to your former eating patterns, yup, you start to gain weight again.

A proper eating pattern requires you to regulate your daily calorie intake, while satisfying your body’s needs for nutrition. You need a certain amount of protein, carbohydrates and fat each day. You need to regulate your salt and sugar intake. Water helps flush the system, getting rid of waste and some of the excess items you have taken in, but don’t need.

At one time I could eat about 2,200 calories a day and maintain my weight, but now it is down to around 1,900 calories a day. So, if you have ever religiously recorded your daily food intake with an eye to satisfying all the nutrients your body requires, you realize very quickly that there’s not a lot of “wiggle” room to what you can put into your mouth.

You have 3 meals a day, so that’s 21 meals a week. Now, you may also choose to eat three meals a day with two snacks, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. This might make more sense because you could eat less at each of the 3 meals, and the snacks would be providing your metabolism with a little “pick me up” during those normal low points. But still seven of those meals are breakfasts. That only leaves 14 main meals. You are probably not going to have steamed asparagus, broccoli, or cabbage for breakfast. Although, I made some delicious Seafood Chowder a few days ago. I made it early in the morning, and it tasted so good that I had a small bowl of it as my breakfast that morning. *I had some for one of my meals yesterday, and it was still very delicious. A little spicy, and served hot, very flavorful.

So for fourteen meals, I will probably want some protein at each of those meals. Beef, chicken, pork, lamb and maybe fish. A steak or a hamburger, baked chicken, or shredded chicken in a soup or as chicken salad, a pork chop, a round bone lamb chop, or tuna fish salad. So for the 14 main meals you are probably going to want to rotate those different sources of protein so that you don’t get bored with a hamburger at each meal. Now, you not only have to start watching what you eat, but what is going to happen to any leftovers. You have to limit what you put in your mouth, but you also have to reduce waste by not preparing too much of any one thing. You can’t prepare a large pot of spaghetti sauce that might last for 5 or 6 meals. For one, you don’t need all of the pasta that would go with that much sauce.

I like vegetable beef soup. I make a delicious vegetable soup, but have found that it is difficult to make less of it unless I find a way to store some of the veggies for future use. What? Well, many of the cans of vegetables that I use for this soup; corn, green beans, garden peas, diced tomatoes and even okra come in 15 oz. cans. If you dump five 15 oz. cans of these veggies into a pot, the pot begins to fill up quickly. And you are going to cut up some carrots & potatoes, add some ground beef and some chicken stock… and the pot is filled with delicious soup, but FILLED is an important word here. I know you could do it this way, but then you would have to store the extra soup in your freezer.

What I have chosen to do, after years of making too much and freezing it, and throwing away the frozen soup that never gets eaten, is to make less of it to begin with. How? Well, the 15 oz. cans of veggies are normally a better buy than the smaller 7.5 oz. cans. So only use half of each of the 15 oz. cans and freeze the rest. You can even save the extra veggies in a single Tupperware container. Find a way to label your frozen items by date & interred item. So you might have a container that has corn, garden peas, green beans, diced tomatoes & okra all waiting to be thawed for another batch of soup.

*Oh, and okra. I love the flavor of okra, and I do not have a problem with slimy okra… it is just another form of a veggie that I like the flavor of. I like fried okra. I like diced okra in vegetable soup or in my Seafood Chowder. I like pickled okra. I like those okra cooked under pressure at a low temperature that come out like a brittle, dry okra chip, but still in the shape of the original okra pod. These may be priced at $16 a pound, but each of them weighs so little that you can get a bunch for a reasonable price. In the past I would buy a can of okra, or a can of mixed okra, corn & tomatoes, to add to my soup, but last time I bought a bag of frozen, diced okra, and add the frozen okra directly into the pot. During the okra season, I prefer to dice fresh okra up and add them to my soup… or fry them, without batter on the stove top.

What I prefer is to cook fresh and not store a bunch of leftovers. If I could fix each item with just enough for two meals… the one I am about to eat and one more a couple of days later, that is what I would do.

My original intent at the start of this note was to make mention of a new cracker that I had recently purchased to take the place of the White Mountain Bread that I buy at Publix and love to eat. For the White Mountain Bread, I try to limit myself to just one slice a day, although I might do two slices. One for the egg salad that I have at breakfast, and maybe one for the pork chop & steamed cabbage I am having at dinner.

I was in Harris Teeter yesterday and wanted to find a cracker so that I could cut back on my bread intake. Price matters when I am in Harris Teeter, so unless it is a special item that only HT has, I can probably find the item cheaper elsewhere. Spices and fresh vegetables are two of the items that can usually be found cheaper elsewhere. But, HT does display their veggies exceptionally well. I found a small package of “Savory Rice Thins” by Sesmark (original flavor, rice snack crackers). They are made of rice and have sesame & soy and they do have a pleasant flavor. A serving of 16 crackers, each a little bigger than the diameter of a golf ball, provide a total of 130 calories. There are 3 servings in a pack for under $4.

The 130 calories may sound high, but compared to most of the other crackers (wheat) this is very reasonable. Four wheat crackers might be 130 calories.

I’ve recently wanted to add a different flavor to my steamed cabbage. I love steamed cabbage, and with just enough sweetener, and/or bacon fat, I could eat a bunch of steamed cabbage. So, the thought of adding a little Toasted Sesame Oil to my steamed cabbage came to me. I tried it, and it worked, and then I was reminded that shredded, steamed cabbage comes in many of the egg rolls I love to eat. But haven’t eaten many lately. So a little soy sauce, and some toasted sesame oil flavors steamed cabbage very well. And I am thinking, that these rice crackers flavored with sesame & soy would go well with the steamed cabbage, and the crispness of the cracker would provide a welcome texture also. *A few of these crackers would probably go well with my Seafood Chowder, or with my Greek salad and these would be in place of a whole slice of White Mountain Bread. Okay, if I chose to eat just 6 crackers for each meal, that would be eight servings (@49 calories for 6 crackers) per package. The White Mountain Bread (counted as whole wheat) is 91 calories per slice, so I would be saving 42 calories each time I ate these crackers instead of the bread. Oh, and on the package, these crackers appear to have 0 sugars, but 8% sodium, carbs are 9%.

[ 11/30/23 ]: I fixed some steamed cabbage earlier this afternoon, and I had enough to mentally divide the cabbage on the plate into three sections. I put some bacon fat on one section, some toasted sesame oil on another, and margarine on the other. I had already added some salt, pepper and a little Splenda to the cabbage. All three versions of steamed cabbage were delicious, and then I thought about what else to serve with this. Corned beef. I grew up eating corned beef about twice a year. It would always be fixed the same, in a pot on the stove-top in water, with onions & white potatoes. This was a delicious comfort food for a cold day.

But, I just googled regarding whether corned beef is okay for a diabetic, and the suggestion was not to eat it, or not to eat much of it, as it was high in salt content. So as I am writing, I think of the boneless pork chops that I bought this afternoon. There were seven small pork chops, less than a pound total, for less than $4. Yes, maybe a couple of these would go good with the cabbage. And yes, some green beans and white potatoes (not too much of the potato). And, some seasoned black-eyed peas and Vidalia onion! A perfectly flavored “comfort food” meal. [ END NOTE ]

Homemade Salad Dressings

November 2, 2023May 16, 2025 bgibson135

CATALINA

Ketchup
Avocado Oil (Grapeseed)
Honey / Agave Nectar
Worcestershire Sauce
Red Wine Vinegar
Soy Sauce
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Smoked Paprika
S & P

I doubled some of the original ingredients the first time I made this, and it came out wonderfully! The smoked paprika gave the dressing a beautiful glossy ruby color. As I recall, I thought this was excellent, and then when I actually put it on a salad, I just thought, “ah, so so.” Still, this is one dressing, along with ranch that I like to put on my salads when I visit Ruby Tuesday’s.

I think my confusion was because some restaurants have called this dressing either French or Russian, but after perusing the Internet, I think Catalina is the correct label.

Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing

1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lime juice, more to taste
1/2 cup mayo/Greek Yogurt
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 garlic cloves
1/2 a jalapeno, sliced (more for more heat)
1/2 teaspoon honey/Agave Nectar, more to taste
1/2 cup cilantro, packed (tender stems OK)

I made this without modifications except for using Agave Nectar instead of honey. I like the flavor, and it heads a little more toward savory, and not sweet, like I usually like. Made a little less than a pint. This came as part of a Grilled Salmon Salad with this dressing, which I am planning to make tomorrow for the first time.

[NOTE 03/02/25]: I made this again, and I only used half of the amounts shown above, used Plain Greek Yogurt instead of mayo, Agave Nectar instead of honey, and processed it all in my chopper. It is a very pleasant alternative to my regular dressings. The Greek Yogurt makes this even more tart along with the lime juice, and there isn’t enough jalapeno to make this hot. I think it would go well with the stir fried green beans, or a simple salad along with stir fried chicken livers. [end NOTE]

[NOTE 05/02/25]:

cilantro
jalapeno
Ajicitos Dulces pepper
sour cream
lime juice
garlic powder
cumin powder
Ranch Dressing Powder (cheap 50 cents packet from Food Lion)

I did not add any sweetener or use Plain Greek Yogurt, although the yogurt would probably do just as well as the Sour Cream I used, and would certainly have less calories. I have made this twice and the Ranch Dressing powder does not take anything away from this sauce. I could also use Fenugreek powder, and I think this would be a positive addition. I added one Ajicitos Dulces pepper because they still had them a Compare foods in Fayetteville. I am also thinking that adding a tomatillo would not negate any of the existing flavors, although it might make the sauce thinner.

[end NOTE]

RANCH

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup buttermilk or regular milk
¾ – 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried chives
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/8 teaspoon finely cracked pepper
freshly squeezed lemon juice to taste approximately 1-3 teaspoons, adjust to taste*

I have not tried to make this, and when I do, if it is not good, I will either modify it or try to find a better recipe. Also, I will probably use lime juice instead of lemon, or maybe vinegar.

NOTE [ 11/02/23 ]: Okay, I just made this but only half measures and it did turn out good. Half filled a pint Ball/Mason jar, so I guess going exactly by the recipe would make a pint of homemade Ranch dressing.

I did use lime juice instead of lemon juice. I bought a quart of buttermilk, which I will probably use for nothing else. For the salad, I used mixed Spring greens, sweet onion, Campari & cherry tomatoes, and sweet red bell pepper. And, I had a slice of Tuscan Boule Loaf bread with it. Bought a new loaf this afternoon at Publix.

The only real problem with me making this instead of buying a commercial version is acquiring the buttermilk each time. *I’ve read something about making a buttermilk substitute, and may explore that.

https://barefeetinthekitchen.com/homemade-ranch-salad-dressing/

NOTE[ 11/19/23 ]: Made it again and this time went by the recipe above, but substituting lime juice for lemon juice (again), and it makes a pint of Buttermilk Ranch Dressing. *The buttermilk still tasted good, and this has been 3 weeks in the refrigerator since the first time I made this dressing. **Also thought that maybe this dressing would be good on steamed cabbage (since I didn’t like the mustard sauce).

THOUSAND ISLAND

mayonnaise
catchup
hot sauce
finely diced sweet onion
sweet relish.

I use this on my Pastrami Rachel (Reuben) Sandwiches. I put the Thousand Island Dressing on the sauerkraut, on the sandwich. I found that I can use sauerkraut as a “side,” and just add some Thousand Island Dressing to “turn it.” This is simple to make and is delicious.

ZESTY ITALIAN

dijon mustard
red wine vinegar
olive oil
sweetener
italian spices (oregano)

Not sure that this will be Zesty Italian Dressing, but this is what I use on my Greek Salad. Simple and yet the vinegar for the salad “cuts” the heaviness of a spaghetti sauce, or a round bone lamb chop. I get a lamb gyro at Pharaoh’s Legacy Restaurant and a Greek Salad, on which they dress with a Zesty Italian dressing.

[ NOTE 12/30/23 ]: I add a little sweetener to this, and I have made this a bunch in the last month.

My basic ingredients for the Greek Salad: romaine lettuce/spring mix, sweet onion, quartered small tomatoes, feta cheese crumbles and perhaps cubed cucumber.

NOTE [ 11/02/23 ]: Jeff and I had lunch together today at “Chicken Salad Chick” in Fayetteville. I had never been, but recall when it first opened that the Hendricks had gone and liked it. There were quite a number of customers, in groups, mostly older women. But we did have fun with a young woman who had trouble parking her little red car in one of the side spaces. She took an incredibly long time parking and it became funny. I mentioned her to Jeff who turned around for a brief look. And later as Jeff and I were leaving, a woman at another booth mentioned the girl’s parking. I said that I was going out to “harrass” the girl, and I took out a $5 bill, walked outside to the girl who was “finally” coming inside, gave her the money and told her we appreciated her parking effort. She seemed like a nice person, and it was an incredible act on her part, a tenacious effort to “get it right.”

NOTE [ 11/26/23 ]: I just fixed another Greek Salad. But I had a few extra items that made this one especially delicious. I did not have cucumber, and really did not want it. I had three types of olives: Kalamata (Mezzetta), Nicoise (Fresh Market) and Picholine (Fresh Market). Only the Kalamata olives were pitted. I also had some Pepperoncini Peppers (Mezzetta) and had bought a bag of “Hearts of Romaine” lettuce at Walmart yesterday. *Walmart has a bag of “Hearts of Romaine” lettuce by Marketside for about $3. If the quality and price stay the same, and this lettuce looked great, then I will buy this again as the basis for my house and Greek salads.

I chopped up a little jalapeno, some sweet onion, added some Feta crumbles and made a simple Italian salad dressing:

Olive Oil 1/2 C
Red Wine Vinegar 1/3 C
Dijon mustard 1T
Italian Seasoning
Garlic Powder
Agave Nectar/Splenda
S&P

I don’t want to use iceberg lettuce for my salads. I normally get a bag of Spring Mix salad, which has assorted greens, but these normally go bad before I am about half way through using them. And, a few years ago I had a really bad experience when I was trying to save a little money. I had some salad greens in my fridge and wanted to use some to make a salad. I noticed that a few of the greens had started to go bad, but I separated those from the greens that I used… which ended up being a bad mistake. I later became very ill and was sick, with diarrhea, for several days. And, this came just before I was scheduled for a brief vacation to Asheville. This may have been the time where, on the way to Asheville, I stopped briefly in Statesville, NC and bought a bag of adult diapers (gray in color), from Walgreens, so that I wouldn’t accidentally mess up the motel bed. *I must have been over the worst of this brief illness, and did not need the diaper, although I did wear it the first night. I stopped at a bank, a First Citizens, to get some money. It was later in the afternoon when I entered the bank and as I walked into the main room, there was no one to be seen. As I began to feel “wary” a female clerk poked her head from around an outside teller cubicle, and then came to assist me. Statesville was also where I thought about mailing some letter. It may have been given to me by someone else to mail. So, being unfamiliar with Statesville, I drove around the downtown section and saw what appeared to be an old Post Office. I think the building still had fancy gold lettering labelling the building as a Post Office. I walked up the few steps, and as I approached the front door, I noticed a warning sign regarding not bringing weapons into the building. I opened the door and as I turned to my left toward another door, I was greeted by an officer, in plain clothes. It seems that the old Post Office building was now being used as a District Court (family/divorce cases) and there must have been a problem with irate family members coming to court with guns. I explained that I thought the building was a Post Office and the gentleman politely guided me back outside. I found an outdoor mailbox around the corner and mailed the letter, and then on to Asheville.

Looks like this trip was in April of 2015, about the 15th thru the 18th. Google Timeline recorded some days back then, but not all.

I find using Google Timeline & Streetview, combined with any photos I may have taken during my trips to be especially rewarding as I am trying to tell a tale and illustrate it, or verify when or if I was at a certain location, at a certain time. And, I begin to feel more like Garrison Keillor when he would start to tell a story, segway into something entirely different, and finally bring you back to the original tale, leaving you wondering how he got to the segway without you becoming aware of the change. The segway came with the bad lettuce that made me terribly sick.

I Felt Hacky

October 12, 2023March 24, 2024 bgibson135

I came across one of those Hacks slideshows online and started looking at them. Surprisingly, I saw several suggestions that I decided to act upon. *Actually, my recent order from Amazon, for a couple of fire extinguishers , for the kitchen & car was because I had read the “Life’s Little Instruction Book” by H. Jackson Brown, Jr. I said to myself, “Yeah, that would be a good idea.” **Unfortunately, the Novete 2-pack of small fire extinguishers arrived with some leakage, which discolored the package, and smelled of ammonia. I got a full refund from Amazon.

One of the items on the hack list wasn’t actually a hack, but a simple awareness. Not sure how many years this has been the case, but the little “Gas” icon on your dashboard actually has a little arrow, which points in the direction of your tank. Not actually the tank, but the side on which you would go to put the gas nozzle in your car. The picture above is for my Camry and sure enough, the little arrow is pointing toward my driver’s side..

A hack I liked showed a large plastic cereal storage container, with a flip top. They showed someone who had put a plastic grocery bag as a liner for this container. You can then use this container as your auto trash can.

Another hack that I intend to explore more thoroughly, and tried out a little already is, to use a cloth and olive oil to wipe down your dashboard and doors, or where dust collects inside your car. I had a microfiber cloth that I wasn’t using and I put a little olive oil on it and tried wiping my dash. It sure looks like it works. Not just after you wipe, but later, there appears to be no dust.

NOTE: I used just olive oil and a microfiber cloth to clean my dashboard. That appears to work really well. The dust hasn’t reappeared by the next day (today). But I also read online that combining some distilled water, baby oil, white vinegar and a few drops of Dawn dishwashing soap makes a really good cleaner/dusting concoction. I’m guessing you could substitute olive oil for baby oil?

This wasn’t a hack, but I actually bought a 4-pack of Box Cutters. Four colors of the plastic holder and a safety switch to lock the blade, either when it is out, or when it is retracted. I had a black box cutter that I keep by my easy chair, and often used it when an Amazon package came in.

But, I have already put one of these in my kitchen utensil drawer, and one in my car. *Don’t cut yourself! These are really sharp, and are useful for opening various plastic bags. Having it handy, means instead of fiddling with a difficult package, I just slice it open. And, for resealable packages, these cutters make a straight cut.

I’ve ordered a dishwasher basket for small items. I have some little plastic bottles that seal well, and I carry various sauces (wasabi, horseradish mustard) for use at the restaurant. But, they are difficult to clean by hand. If I can put these in a basket, then the dishwasher can do it’s thing and I won’t lose them to the bottom of the dishwasher. *And, stupid me, I threw away two of these small capped vials just a day or two before I ordered this dishwasher basket. They could have been cleaned by throwing them in the dishwasher in this basket.

NOTE: I’ve used the dishwash basket once and put a few of the little snap-top bottles in it. The inside of these containers wasn’t cleaned out completely, so I am going to run them again, next time I use the dishwasher.

NOTE [03/24/24]: These box cutters have been very useful. I use one to cut into the protective layer of my prescription medicines. I cut the bacon packages so that I can fold the clear plastic away from the bacon. I sometimes have something (seeds) in a plastic bag, and twist the top and then use the box cutter to remove most of the plastic. This makes it easier to pour the seeds out into another container. I slice the outer skin of the liver pudding to make it easier to peel away from the inner sausage. I slice the outer plastic package for both the polenta and the Nueske’s Smoked Liver Pate. Oh, and the box cutter is excellent for opening an Amazon package or box. [end NOTE]

Andouille, Shrimp & Lentil Chowder

March 25, 2023March 25, 2023 bgibson135

I bought a long link of Spicy Andouille Sausage at Sprouts today. For some reason, I started thinking of making a seafood chowder using lentils and not potatoes. I didn’t use tomatoes or half-n-half.

Andouille Sausage
Onion
Olive Oil
Bacon Fat
Carrots
Poblano Pepper
Jalapeno Pepper
Chipotle Pepper
Lentils (red, black, brown)
Shrimp
Thyme (Mediterranean)
Celery
Celery Seed
Garlic Powder
Onion Flake
S&P
Chicken Stock
Margarine
Cumin Seed

I’ve made Andouille & Lentil soup before. Kielbasa doesn’t work as well because it isn’t spicy. And adding hot peppers accents the Andouille. I thawed the shrimp in the microwave and added the juice and the shrimp once they were thawed. I would imagine that you could leave out the shrimp and this would still be a good soup… and yes, I have made this type of soup before.

Vegetable Soup Using Dried Veggies…

November 9, 2022November 11, 2022 bgibson135

A few weeks ago I mentioned that I enjoyed some vegetable soup broth (with dried veggies) at CiCi’s in Smithfield, NC. As I said then, that I normally would not use dried vegetable flakes to make vegetable soup, but the intense flavor of this broth was addictive.

I looked online and saw several sources (at Amazon) of dried veggies. Many of these were expensive, for “giving it a try” some from $45 – $62 for a container of dried veggies. I did see a few offers at about $20, so I ordered one of these a few days ago. My order arrived today.

The container was small, even fitting in my mail box.

My first attempt, I just used water for the broth, adding a little salt, and putting in way too much of the dried veggies. The outcome wasn’t quite what I had wanted. But later, I tried again, this time using some of the Chicken Broth from WalMart. This had been on special for only a dollar a container. I guess this is a special price for the upcoming holidays.

I added just a little water to the chicken broth, and then only a few of the dried veggies, trying to make the consistency as I had tasted it at CiCi’s. This time, it was spot on. Good, intense vegetable flavor, salty and hot.

Made some soup again and this time I had some white meat from the Roasted Chicken that I had bought from Publix. Ingredients: chicken broth, about a tea spoon of dried veggies, about a 1/4 cup of white chicken breast shredded, S&P and a little water. Once again, this was just as satisfying as the CiCi’s broth, and an alternative to the Soy Sauce Ramen Noodles. Perhaps even a little quicker because it is heated in the microwave for about 2 minutes.

Bought some of the dark wheat Mountain Bread from Publix today. It is a little moister than the white wheat bread, but both are good. I think I might like a deli meat sandwich with the darker bread. Didn’t have any of the bread with the soup.

French Onion Soup

November 7, 2022November 7, 2022 bgibson135

I wasn’t serious about making French Onion Soup this time. I’m not absolutely sure, but I may have only made this once before. The soup turned out delicious that time, but as with many other things, I fail to repeat the process on a regular basis. I think the Internet did not exist the first time I made this, so I am not sure how I got a working recipe, but I did.

I may have made my beef broth from scratch the first time. This time, I’m just using a cheap beef broth from Walmart. I noted that when I deglazed the pan above, the fond on the bottom came off in flakes, and those not that flavorful.

I bought some Baby Swiss cheese slices for this, and then just a while ago read that Gruyere and Parmesan are the preferred cheeses of choice for this soup. It was Gary Golden that made this soup, years ago, when we were both attending Seminary in Louisville, KY.

I plan to toast the bread I have, multigrain mountain white wheat bread, with some of the Swiss in my oven and just put it on top of the heated soup. There are several elements that are working against this soup being as good as I remembered. *In writing this, I just recalled that I probably made this for the second time several years ago after having some at Marquis’ Bistro Restaurant & Lounge which is part of the Double Tree by Hilton hotel next to I95 & a Cracker Barrel Restaurant in Fayetteville, NC. I don’t recall why I was at this hotel. I didn’t stay there. There may have been a work conference there, and then I decided to eat at the Bistro. The French Onion Soup was on their menu, I tried it, and was reminded of how much I had liked this the first time I tried it. More than likely, I tried making this at home again, but I recall no details.

I put Swiss cheese on the mountain bread, and also grated a small amount of Parmesan cheese and toasted a couple of slices. I ladelled out some soup in a regular soup bowl and then placed the toasted bread on top. Surprisingly this soup turned out well. But, the beef broth could have been much better, and that is what I would focus on, if and when I make French Onion Soup again… at home.

The melted cheese on the toasted bread worked very well. Eating the bread with the soup was a highlight.

A trick for keeping celery crisp, longer, in the fridge.

October 23, 2022November 6, 2022 bgibson135

There are 4 key elements to keeping celery crisp longer, in the fridge. First cut a little off the top of all the celery stalks, and then cut the root end off, exposing all celery stalks on that end also. Run the whole bunch under cold water, especially on both ends. Now wrap all the stalks in a wet paper napkin. Then wrap the celery & paper towel in aluminum foil, enclosing all. Put this foil package in your vegetable crisper, and the celery will stay crisper much longer than if you just put it, as you bought it at the grocery.

This does work! Not sure if aluminum foil is a necessary part of this process, but maybe putting the celery wrapped in a wet paper towel in a sealable plastic bag might work just as well. I think it is important to keep the celery moist as the cut ends probably suck up moisture to keep the celery crisp.

NOTE: I just thought to google regarding how to store carrots longer. I found an Internet article that basically said you can make them last longer, just as you do celery above, wrap in a wet paper towel. I might also try this, and cut both ends of the carrot off, but I don’t see them “sucking in the water” like celery seems to do.

Borlotti – Cranberry Beans

October 21, 2022January 5, 2025 bgibson135

I was watching Jamie Oliver a few days ago and he made a bean dish, using Borlotti beans, which he said were popular in Italy. I googled and found that another name for Borlotti beans was Cranberry beans. I looked on Amazon to see if they sold these, and finally found a “small quantity” offered.

I added this to my shopping cart. I had also been looking for dried veggies that could be used to make soup.

I visited several of the grocery stores, that I normally go to as I shop for groceries, looking for dried vegetables. I was in Smithfield a couple of days ago and after buying RamRod Cigars at JRs, and then a case (12 bottles) of Muscadine grape juice (not wine) at Hinnant Vineyards I was looking for a place to have lunch. The clerk at Hinnant’s mentioned the Old North State Food Hall (which is right next to JRs) which I had seen has “10 restaurants under 1 roof” so I decided to go back where I had come from and went into the Food Hall.

There is a bar with a large seating area at the back of the food hall. A coffee shop was in the middle, and there were several small vendors on each side including those that offered fried chicken, curried dishes, tacos, pizza, burgers and some of it all. Some signage had small print but all prices seemed to be a little high with all meals probably coming in around $14 or higher. The burger offering started off with the cheapest burger starting at about $9, and then it was either $4 for fries and several dollars for a drink. I looked and then decided to go elsewhere.

I had been to a CiCis restaurant several years ago, and also to Golden Corral a couple of times, and even Outback (with Deborah) once. The Outback was expensive, but Deb and I were enjoying the company and so “went with the flow”. Aware, but not aware enough to say, hey let’s go elsewhere. I decided to go to CiCis because they usually offer a buffet deal for a low price.

I think it was around $12 for drink and buffet. I only had three pieces of pizza, and their pizza is all thin crust (I think.), but I fell in love with a vegetable broth they had. I had three small bowls of the broth, which had little bits of various dried veggies floating in it. I especially liked the intense flavor. Interesting that the dried veggies had not re-hydrated more.

On my second trip to the soups area, I realized that the “game plan” was to add cooked pasta (on one end) to your bowl, and the 3 choices were vegetable broth, chili, and an Alfredo type white sauce. I didn’t like the looks of the pasta, and did like the broth (as is) which may have also had a chicken flavoring.

So, I normally wouldn’t used dried veggies for my vegetable soup, but I now had a “hankering” to try this at home. I found several dried veggie combinations on Amazon, but most meant buying a restaurant size at a price from $35 to $62. But not wanting to commit to a large quantity of product, I left my Cranberry beans in my Amazon Cart and went out into the “real world” to shop for groceries.

Late in the afternoon, I stopped by Fresh Market and saw a bunch of Chard at what I thought was a reasonable price. I thought this might be good in soup, but couldn’t find any Dandelion Greens (which I have used several times. The Chard was leafy green with bright red stems. As I reached for a bunch, I seemed to remember that you might need to cut the stems out.

NOTE [10/30/22]: Here are canned Roman Beans (Cranberry/Borlotti) at Walmart. I also went back to IGA and found that they had a 2 lbs. bag of dried Cranberry beans, and I bought one of those. The 32 oz. size was cheaper “per pound” than the 16 oz. [end note]

I headed on to IGA and bought some basics, including milk, creamer, orange juice (with pulp) and a few other items. But, before I made it to the cash register, I found a packet of vegetable soup mix (for either soup or a chip dip), and then I looked over in the “Hispanic” section and found dried beans, and there was a package of dried Cranberry beans at about $2 for 16 oz. Wow, wasn’t expecting that. Bought those too.

At home, I googled and found a recipe for “Borlotti Beans with Chard“. Now, I wasn’t looking to add Chard to my Cranberry beans, but when I found the recipe, I thought “this must have been… ‘meant to be'”. *Next day, I am cooking the beans and planning to make the above dish.

Last night I opened the dried veggie package and saw that there were two packets inside. I used one packet of the dried veggies (not alot, but enough to flavor), and added some chicken broth, and I also added a small can of mixed vegetables (not dried). I don’t think the mixed veggies added to the soup, nor the pasta shells that I had added. Pearl barley, maybe? This soup was close enough and it also satisfied my desire for soup made with dried veggies.

The Cranberry beans are cooking down. It’s been about 75 minutes, and they may have another 30 minutes before the beans are soft. The small half of onion that I added whole, has broken apart, the peppercorns & Bay Leaf are floating.

I left the following comment on the recipe site, because this turned out really well. A distinctively different flavored bean dish which I would make again.

I saw, on TV, Jamie Oliver fixing some dish with Borlotti Beans, which I found later were also called Cranberry Beans. I was going to order a small amount of the beans through Amazon, but went out shopping first. I hadn’t seen this recipe yet, and was looking for Dandelion Greens, but since they didn’t have any, I settled for Chard (which I’m not sure I have ever cooked with). But the Chard looked wonderful (all green and red stems). I went to a different grocer, not thinking at all about Borlotti/Cranberry Beans, but happened to spy a bag of Cranberry Beans on the shelf. Glad I didn’t purchase from Amazon because they were about half the cost in the local grocer. *I have never tried Cranberry Beans before.

Once home, I found your recipe online for Borlotti & Chard. I thought it was “meant to be” because I normally would not have bought Chard, and I didn’t expect to find the beans locally. I normally use some kind of ‘seasoning’ meat with my beans, but didn’t here, and followed your recipe pretty closely. Had dried, ground Sage though. They turned out fantastic, although maybe a little ‘wetter’ than yours. I’m not sure if the distinct flavor was due to the beans or the Chard, or maybe both in combo.

I like a round bone lamb chop with some char, and I also make a tomato chutney (with vinegar & sweetener), which I think would go well with this bean dish. I haven’t made polenta cakes in a while, but I think that would also add to this meal.

Thanks!

Bill

NOTE [10/22/22]: I was putting up the clean dishes and utensils from running my dish washer last night and happened to look at the bottom of my favorite fry pan (10″ Revere Ware – 1978). Almost impossible to see with the naked eye, but a little cleaning & a photo got a readable result. *I’ve cleaned the bottoms of these copper pots & pans before using catchup, and that does work.

Well, I guess I’ve gotten “good use” out of my Revere Ware pots & pans, especially this 10″ skillet from 1978. Forty-four years of use, with a lot of different things cooked in it during the last 20 years. I probably used this skillet to make my first “German Potato Salad” which I visually have a memory of, standing at the stove, in the kitchen at 204 Johnson Blvd. in Jacksonville, NC. The stove was on the right side of a door than opened into a small bedroom, that had another door opening into a little alcove to other bedrooms, the bathroom & the living room. To the right of the stove was the back door.

I’ve cooked my Hispanic version of chicken with tomatoes, bell peppers, onion, carrots and assorted hot peppers with the Herdez “Salsa Ranchera”. Or take the same ingredients, except for the Salsa Ranchera, and replace that flavoring with Patak’s “Hot Curry Paste” for an India Indian bent. Or, take those two meals and use ground beef instead of chicken. How about my zucchini, kielbasa, shrimp, onion, tomato & pasta shells dish? Many a time for that also. Round bone lamb chops in the last couple of years. Fried apples & bacon for breakfast in the last six months, although I do now cook the bacon in the microwave. Surely a bunch of fried okra in this pan.

As I’ve noted elsewhere, the Guy Fieri pot lids fit the Revere Ware perfectly. I also have a steamer insert for the 3Qt sized pot which I have used many times, steaming broccoli, asparagus, carrots, etc. The insert works in the Fieri & Revere Ware pots. I like the Fieri glass lid for the steamer insert.

But as I read the above note, I am reminded to be in praise of the Braun Multi-Quick “multi-tool” that has a stick blender, a whisk attachment, a 2 cup food processor. For years I limped along using the smallest of these which could not satisfactorily blend a single can of Garbanzo beans for hummus. I had bought the original for the stick blender attachment, using it when making my Curried Apple Soup (blending the ingredients in the still, very hot pot). But, very quickly saw that the food processor attachment was great for making salsa, hummus and a simple pesto for steaks. And the whisk? I’ve made whipped cream a few times, and even blended my “curry remoulade” directly in the small mayo jar, instead of taking the ingredients out and then putting them back into the jar. Scoop out a generous portion of mayo to make room for the curry paste and the capers and blend in the jar. *The curry remoulade was my version of the curry remoulade that I first had at the Waterside Restaurant in Charleston, SC. It came on a Shrimp Po-Boy sandwich… fried shrimp crammed between a good sized roll, maybe had slaw on it also and fries. It was years before I could google and find the definition of “remoulade”. I used this on my deli sandwiches.

I have an old style vegetable peeler, that can be used to peel cucumbers, then slice the cucumber in half and use the rounded end of the peeler to scoop out the seeds. *I’ve not seen any other chef in recent history praise this tool for that purpose, but someone displayed it, I saw it, and I still do it for my cucumbers.

[ Images 09/24/23 ]:

I do not keep my knives in good condition, but most of them are expensive, Wusthof Classic versions. My mother wasn’t a good cook, except for fried chicken. We only had small kitchen knives which were used for cutting a sausage on a plate, or a full sized ham. When I started to become a “foodie” I realized that I should get some larger knives. “What a difference it makes having the right tool.” That phrase is true in the kitchen, at the office, in the yard, and even in the computer world where the right tool might be an app that saves you hundreds of key strokes, or hundreds of hours. *Still, I know of one very good cook that still uses small knives for all she does, but I still note that when I see her tackling a “large” anything with those small knives, I know better than her.

Chopping all sorts of things with a knife that is the right size makes the process so much quicker, safer and more efficient. Carrots, zucchini, celery, tomatoes, potatoes, etc. A 7″ Chef’s knife, but I like the Santoku style for the wide flat blade for scooping up what you’ve just chopped. And I bought a serrated tomato knife that has a forked tip. As I recall, I absent mindedly almost chopped my finger off when I first started using it. *I did become afraid of this knife after I had sliced my finger severely, but I “hunkered down” and came to concentrate more when using this knife, respecting the tool, and now use it quite often for many things. In fact, I use the tomato knife even when picking up the larger Santoku would be more proper for the job. Say, slicing the ends off of an onion & chopping it. More control with the Santoku, but an adequate job with the tomato knife.

Apex, Publix & the State Farmer’s Market

September 2, 2022December 13, 2023 bgibson135

I had lunch at “Tacos Mexico” in Apex, NC. Their Lunch #3 included chips & salsa, a Chile Relleno, a Beef Enchilada, Spanish rice and refried beans. I drank water, but think that might be the 16 cents Surcharge on the bill. The basic salsa was bland, but had bits of onion and cilantro. I asked for hot sauce and some packets of sweetener. The waitress brought back the sweetener and two squeeze bottles, one with a green mild sauce, and one that she said was really hot. It was really hot so I just used a little and some sweetener to make my sweet hot salsa.

The Chili Relleno had a lightly breaded crust. They included a whole Poblano pepper that had been deep fried. There was a tomato sauce poured on top of the Poblano pepper. There was a slight “after taste” that I realized I would not like. Once was enough. The meal wasn’t unpleasant, but just a one time event.

I noted the customers, and most seemed to be Hispanic, in work clothing.

I turned on to Hunter Street and rode west. At some point, Hunter Street becomes Olive Chapel Road and after crossing the Toll Road, Publix is on the right.

There were several locations within the store that were in a familiar spot, but it wasn’t exactly like the Publix in Fayetteville. I found the Bread section, and they had some Ciabatta Rolls. The rolls were mislabeled as Ciabatta Loaf and was priced over $4. I asked the clerk about this and she re-labelled the bag as Ciabatta Rolls at a lower price. I checked for lamb and they didn’t have any Round Bone Chops.

Coming back through the Apex Historical Downtown District I noted several groups of both boys and girls that looked to be Middle or High School age, walking down the sidewalks.

I drove up US 1 and made it to the NC State Farmer’s Market. There were still a lot of colorful peppers for sale, and I bought some at two different vendors (one Lee’s Produce for sweet peppers).

The four types of peppers shown below were supposed to be sweet/not hot and they were. The far right were red Poblanos. On the left, the more orange pepper had the sweetest flavor. The long red peppers in the middle had little flavor.

I bought gas in Fuquay Varina.

There is a turn-off just above Bunn Level and there was one car ahead of me that knew all the short cuts until we got back on Ramsey Street.

NOTE [09/03/22]: Awoke after 2 am on Saturday and went to the bathroom. I looked over at the counter where my “empty” pill box should have been. There was none. No pill box, hmmm… I had gone to bed early (don’t remember exactly when) so, it wasn’t likely that I had taken the evening pills. Mild panic. I head to my living room and search under my “recently received” car title, and there is an empty space for one of the blue plastic daily containers… but the empty space is for THUR, and this is early Saturday morning. There nearby is the empty container for THURS. I haven’t taken any of my pills for Friday, and it is Saturday. I rush back to the bathroom and take the morning pills, with no idea at how to fit the FRI evening pills in before the SAT morning pills come due.

I don’t think I’ve ever forgotten a whole day before. I’ve been fairly religious about taking my pills, except I did forget my evening pills once. That is when I determined that you should go ahead and take the pills that you forgot.

I had felt “off” and when I got home, went to bed early. Some of the “offness” might have been because I hadn’t taken any daily medication. Now, early Saturday morning, I don’t think I ate anything for dinner either.

Car into Hendricks & then Goldsboro & Smithfield

September 1, 2022September 3, 2022 bgibson135

I finally got around to scheduling maintenance on my 2018 Toyota Camry last night. I went online and surprisingly, there were early times listed for this morning (it may have been after 9 am, last night when I went online). I selected the 8:15 am slot and set the clock on my phone to wake me at 7 am.

I went to the Hardees near Cross Creek Mall this morning for breakfast. I ordered a Ham Biscuit Combo, which includes a drink and tater tots. I wasn’t paying close attention when the girl handed me my change but saw two $5 bills and some change. It took a brief time to register, but then I asked her how much the meal had been. *I’m thinking that two 5’s and some change would mean it was a little over $9 for the combo, and it should have been more around $7. I think she was confused also because she said the biscuit by itself was $5+ (which was the price listed for the combo). I later asked the manager and she looked at the ticket and said I had been charged correctly.

It was then that I realized the girl had given me a “bunch of change” and that there were quite a few more quarters, so I surmised that she had given me quarters instead of dollar bills. I had taken a penny and one or two quarters with me as I left my apartment, and now there were maybe a dollar or two worth of quarters.

I enjoyed the flavor of the ham biscuit, but later started to get indigestion, which lasted through the rest of the morning and into the afternoon, even after lunch.

I made it to Hendrick’s before 8am and was processed. I slept some in the waiting room, and looked at various stuff on my phone. My car was done in about 2.5 hours, which was relatively quick, but it did cost a little over $600 for everything. I mentioned to the processor that I had just finished paying for my Camry with my last monthly payment, and that I had received my car title just a couple of days ago.

I left the dealership and was just a short distance up the road when I noticed that the air conditioning was putting out hot air. I thought I was going to have to go back to the dealership, but cold air started pouring out and I continued on my trip. *I decided to go to the Longhorn restaurant in Goldsboro, NC for lunch. It was around 11 am.

It was shortly after 12 noon when I arrived at Longhorn.

I eat the bread with butter, and leave the hamburger bun that comes with the hamburger. Cheeseburger, with American cheese. I get the Shrimp & Lobster Chowder. This time I requested no pickles (they are dill) and extra onion. I like their onions (sweet, no bite).

After lunch, I walked outside. I could hear what sounded like a large jet engine revving up. **I looked at Google Maps and it doesn’t look like the air field is close enough to Longhorn for a jet engine to sound that loud. Not sure. I got in my car and drove to the other side of the SJAB airfield. There is a dead end road with soy beans (maybe) growing on either side, so they are low to the ground. I can watch any aircraft taking off or landing from here. There were a couple of small aircraft taking off as I arrived at the Dead End. They didn’t return and I saw no others take off or land.

Google StreetView image capture (no crops growing at the time)

I then headed on to Smithfield, NC and stopped at JR’s to get a couple of packs of RamRod Cigars. Comes to around $13 and there are 5 cigars per package.

Came back home. Watched a little TV and went to bed. Wasn’t feeling well, but am better now.