What can you expect in the Food Thread on PF?

[Moonbear]

Yep, that sounds familiar. Right now though, I can barley keep my eyes open, and I had a 3 hour nap. Since the surgery I am having fits of sleepiness along with headaches and can barely function. And if I never see another bowl of chicken soup again as long as I live, it will be too soon. I want a big hunk o' beef.

At least your insomnia seems to be cured. Try some of those other soup recipes. You definitely need to get more food into you. The headaches could be from hunger (assuming your fever is gone and your antibiotics are working). Give it time. Your body needs to do a lot of healing, both from the surgery and the infection you had. If it's sleep you need, get sleep. Maybe try getting some creamed soups if you aren't feeling up to preparing anything homemade yet (since I know you can't rely on your daughters to cook). At least those will have more calories for the volume you eat, which is something you need now when you can't fit a lot into your stomach at a time. And, you might seriously consider the suggestion someone gave to get some of that Ensure stuff. That's what it's good for, when you can't eat solid foods and need to get a lot of nutrients in small, liquid doses.

 

[Borek]

Yep, that's what they did. Always adding a little more fruit. I have no idea how one starts it.

Hm, I was sure I have a recipe here, but I can't find it. I can ask a friend of mine, she makes ratafia each year. As far as I remember you put a layer of fruits in the jar, add sugar and spirit, then when next fruits have rippened you do exactly the same, just putting next layer on top of the previous one.

If I'm going to make things that require fermenting, I prefer it to be something I cook, like sauerkraut (never tried making it myself, but would be willing since you can boil it before eating), or sourdough starter for bread.

Ratafia doesn't require fermenting, you add rectified spirit for ethanol content.

In a way that's funny. We are in Poland accustomed to things like sauerkrat, pickled cucumbers or homemade fruit wine - that's all different types of fermentation. My father-in-law makes perfect pickles, but he never eats French cheeses like blue or Brie - because they are spoiled. "I won't put molded cheese in my mouth". I am more then sure was he born in France his molded cheeses will make him famous between his friends and family.

Sounds to me like you (meaning you in US) are behaving like my father-in-law - for some reasons (cultural?) you have been conditioned to be afraid of fermentation.

Sauerkrat recipe is very similar to cucumbers.

And brine in my cucumbers is already slightly opaque. And they smell good - dill, garlic and a hint of lactic acid

 

[Moonbear]

Sounds to me like you (meaning you in US) are behaving like my father-in-law - for some reasons (cultural?) you have been conditioned to be afraid of fermentation.

Not so much though. I'm just afraid of doing it myself. Probably if it was passed down from generation to generation so I grew up seeing and smelling the pickles and knowing when they smelled right and when they smelled like that had gone bad, I'd be more confident doing it. But, when I can't trust myself to know, I'd rather leave it to the experts. I'm not afraid to eat things like that, I just prefer if someone else makes them who knows they're done right before I get them.

 

[turbo]

Supper tonight was great. We had a stir-fry of onions, celery, green pepper, mushrooms, fresh garlic scapes and fresh snow-pea pods with fresh herbs, served over a bed of rice noodles. Mmmm! Every time a new vegetable or herb becomes available from the garden, there's new opportunity for food experiments.

 

[hypatia]

Cherries, Elderberry's and Blueberry's are in full force here. Time for some cherry/berry crunch.

1 cup of sweet cherries{pitted}
1 cup of blueberry's
1 cup Elderberry's {or other berry of your choice}

Mix and put into 8x8 baking dishmix 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup quick cooking oats, 2 table spoons of flour and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Sprinkle on top

Bake at 350 degrees{F} for 30-40 minutes or until top is brown and bubbling.Let it cool just a little bit... then put a scoop of vanilla ice cream in a bowl, scoop some of the cherry/berry crunch on top, and enjoy.

 

[Evo]

Yummy hypatia!

Turbo, or anyone else, what is your favorite method of preserving basil? I just cut my plants back and have a big batch of leaves that I can't use right now. I was thinking of freezing them in cubes of olive oil.

One of the things I do with fresh garlic is peel the cloves, then stick them in a small jar covered with olive oil and place in the refigerator. After I use up the cloves, I have a nice jar of garlic oil. I have so many jalapenos on my plants, I think I will do the same with some of them and have a nice jalapeno oil. And jalapeno/garlic. Oh my, now I want to do all kinds of oil mixtures.

 

[hypatia]

I hang dry Basil, along with most of my herbs. Then put them whole into a glass jar, they last forever. I'm not to sure about freezing olive oil. Maybe try freezing it in spring water.

 

[turbo]

Pesto freezes well, so if you want to make pesto and freeze it up in small bags, that will work. You can freeze small amounts of herbs in water in ice-cube trays, and then transfer them to marked zip-lock bags for later use in soups and sauces. If you want to freeze herbs in easily-selectable amounts, freeze them on a pre-cooled aluminum tray, and when they are frozen, transfer them to marked freezer bags so you can go to the freezer and get a "bunch" of basil, and a couple of "sprigs" of parsley.

 

[GeorginaS]

How do you hang basil if you're harvesting leaves? I don't have so many that I can cut hunks of plant off -- stem and all -- but I have more leaves constantly maturing than I can consume. I've tried lying the leaves on paper towels and letting them sit on the kitchen counter, which appears to be working. (That method works extraordinarily quickly with rosemary and makes my kitchen smell heavenly.) But, so, how do you hang individual leaves, or do you, and is that any better or different than just lying the leaves out? Am I messing up something in the processing?

 

[hypatia]

You cut the basil stems{or other herbs}, at about 5 inches in length. I bunch about 4 to 6 stems together with a rubberband. As the stems shrink, the rubberband still holds. Hanging is a slow drying process that doesn't deplete the herbs of their oils.
If you cut off the stems, it causes the plant to branch, giving you more stems in the process, and delaying the blooming of annual herbs.
For just the leaves, I would freeze them in cubes.
Oh I just had a thought, freezing them finely chopped with onion, garlic, lemon, salt/pepper and lemon juice and water. So my easy salad dressing is , lol easier! Just thaw and add the oils.
I'll let you all know how that one goes.

 

[turbo]

Black-bean hummus. I dislike bland chick-pea hummus and found this alternative on the 'net. It is killer, and I just had some on saltines. TOO good!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Black-Bean-Hummus/Detail.aspx

 

[Moonbear]

Ooh, glad someone asked about basil, because I'm in the same boat. The tomatoes aren't ready yet (still green), so I can't use the basil or oregano for sauce yet, and the basil doesn't seem patient enough to wait for the tomatoes. I'll try hanging it.

 

[turbo]

Stagger the plantings of basil, dill, and other critical herbs, Moonie. We have to do that because there is no way to figure out in advance if they will mature to the point of prime richness when I need to make pickles, salsas. I have figured out that the florets of the dill plants are the richest, sweetest, parts of the weed, and I have to have florets coming in for a couple of months while the tomatoes and chilies mature.

 

[Moonbear]

Stagger the plantings of basil, dill, and other critical herbs, Moonie. We have to do that because there is no way to figure out in advance if they will mature to the point of prime richness when I need to make pickles, salsas. I have figured out that the florets of the dill plants are the richest, sweetest, parts of the weed, and I have to have florets coming in for a couple of months while the tomatoes and chilies mature.

I didn't have a lot of choice about staggering. I have limited space and had limited time for starting seeds back in the spring, so they all got planted at the same time. They'll keep producing as long as I keep pinching off the flowers, I've done that before, and my oregano grows nonstop all season, I just hate wasting the leaves I'm not using since even one plant is more than I need for fresh use.

 

[turbo]

I didn't have a lot of choice about staggering. I have limited space and had limited time for starting seeds back in the spring, so they all got planted at the same time. They'll keep producing as long as I keep pinching off the flowers, I've done that before, and my oregano grows nonstop all season, I just hate wasting the leaves I'm not using since even one plant is more than I need for fresh use.

Don't try to dry the oregano. Put an aluminum tray/pan in your freezer, and as you harvest leaves, dump them on the tray and quick-freeze them without washing them. Freezing them dry and fast preserves the taste and texture. When the herbs are frozen, scoop them into labeled zip-lock freezer bags for use throughout the winter. Never pay several $/# for herbs you can grow.

 

[Evo]

Ooh, glad someone asked about basil, because I'm in the same boat. The tomatoes aren't ready yet (still green), so I can't use the basil or oregano for sauce yet, and the basil doesn't seem patient enough to wait for the tomatoes. I'll try hanging it.

Moonbear, I tried the suggestion I found on the web about freezing them in olive oil. It works! Most anything you use basil in has some olive oil and this method preserves it without freezer burn or loss of taste.

Dried herbs change flavor.

 

[Evo]

I went to the overpriced grocery store today. They had a lot of items that were decently priced with the "card saver" program they have. I bought all of the things I wanted with the "card" prices, ate all of the free food samples for a nice lunch (Saturdays they have free food all through the store)I had fresh fruit, gourmet cheeses, barbecued ribs and a wonderful desert. Of course today my apartment complex was serving free pizza and had a beer tasting to go with it at the pool and clubhouse (they do free food and alcoholic beverages about 3 times a month).

The store had great prices on 1/4 peck boxes of local produce. Each stand has the farmer's information. A 1/4 peck of tomatoes for $3.50, a 1/4 peck of squash for $3.00, Vidalia onions .79 cents a pound. Not bad, but I can't wait until I have my own squash and tomatoes.

I bought some thin slices of liver, so if I can stay awake long enough, I'll make liver with bacon and onions. :!) <drool>

 

[turbo]

Mmmm! Fried liver with bacon and onions is a PERFECT pairing with home-made macaroni and cheese. When we lived near a place that processed chickens, we could get bargain rates on buckets of chicken livers, so we substituted that for beef liver whenever the price differential was large (often).

 

[Evo]

Mmmm! Fried liver with bacon and onions is a PERFECT pairing with home-made macaroni and cheese. When we lived near a place that processed chickens, we could get bargain rates on buckets of chicken livers, so we substituted that for beef liver whenever the price differential was large (often).

I always knew you had class! I love chicken livers also. My mom used to make a killer chicken gizzards with rice that was to die for. People just don't know what they are missing.

Also with cucumbers in season, the Evo Child could live on cucumbers sliced and tossed with lemon juice and Morton's "Nature's Seasonings" seasoned salt. I sometimes add a bit of sour cream to change it a bit. You can just use salt and pepper if you don't have Morton's Nature's Seasonings" aka "Seasonings of the Gods". That stuff is awesome.

Short story: My ex got on some kick thinking he should restrict my salt intake because of blood pressure (I had low blood pressure at the time) he just wouldn't listen to me and tried to replace the salt in all the shakers with salt substitute. Well, I noticed the first time I sprinkled it on something. So I told him to buy Morton's Nature's Seasonings, which he gladly did and was so happy he'd convinced me to go salt free. If you read the label the first ingredient says SALT.

 

[turbo]

I always knew you had class! I love chicken livers also. My mom used to make a killer chicken gizzards with rice that was to die for. People just don't know what they are missing.

Aw, shucks! Coming from a less-than-affluent family with French-Canadian heritage, I ate a LOT of stuff that more affluent people turned up their noses at. This included cheaper poultry parts, like gizzards, livers, and necks. As delis and meat-counters started carrying things like sliced turkey breast, if you lived near a poultry processor, you could get some of these parts dirt-cheap. They are WAY tasty, too.

 

[Evo]

Aw, shucks! Coming from a less-than-affluent family with French-Canadian heritage, I ate a LOT of stuff that more affluent people turned up their noses at. This included cheaper poultry parts, like gizzards, livers, and necks. As delis and meat-counters started carrying things like sliced turkey breast, if you lived near a poultry processor, you could get some of these parts dirt-cheap. They are WAY tasty, too.

Oh, I love turkey necks, the meat is so tasty! I always throw the neck, heart, liver and gizzard from a turkey into a pan of chicken broth and make a killer gravy. After it simmers a couple of hours, I chop up all the meat and thicken with cornstarch. A friend once told me his mom chopped a hard boiled egg into the gravy, I thought he was nuts, but did it for him. LOVED IT!

 

[turbo]

We just finished supper. I had taken out a package of chicken legs out of the freezer yesterday, but our fresh string beans, fresh baby beets and greens, and early potatoes (potatoes from a local farm) looked really good, so we had a vegetable-only supper with steamed beets and beans and baked potatoes. Mmm. Fresh garden vegetables can't be beat, especially when they go almost directly from the garden to the table.

 

[Andre]

...ate all of the free food samples for a nice lunch (Saturdays they have free food all through the store.

Way to go. That's called pragmatism here. It would also indicate a successful recovery from earlier problems.

 

[Evo]

Way to go. That's called pragmatism here. It would also indicate a successful recovery from earlier problems.

Well, I can fill up on samples.

I just ate the liver with bacon and onions. The Fruit Bat and Dr Foofer are giving it rave reviews. I need to hide the leftovers lest the Evo Child come by and mistake it for steak. I would never hear the end of that.

 

[Moonbear]

I just ate the liver with bacon and onions. The Fruit Bat and Dr Foofer are giving it rave reviews. I need to hide the leftovers lest the Evo Child come by and mistake it for steak. I would never hear the end of that.

That would serve her right for mooching! I'm cooking up some chicken liver now...for Ember. I don't eat the stuff myself, but when I make a whole chicken, I boil the liver in with all the other bits and pieces for a little stock/broth (depending on my patience level) and give Ember a treat of some chicken liver. The rest of the chicken is in the fridge with dry rub on it waiting to be bbq'd tomorrow.

The store had great prices on 1/4 peck boxes of local produce. Each stand has the farmer's information. A 1/4 peck of tomatoes for $3.50, a 1/4 peck of squash for $3.00, Vidalia onions .79 cents a pound. Not bad, but I can't wait until I have my own squash and tomatoes.

That's your overpriced store? I wish I could get produce that cheap at our run-down, crappy, cheapo store.

 

[Evo]

I'm cooking up some chicken liver now...for Ember. I don't eat the stuff myself, but when I make a whole chicken, I boil the liver in with all the other bits and pieces for a little stock/broth (depending on my patience level) and give Ember a treat of some chicken liver. The rest of the chicken is in the fridge with dry rub on it waiting to be bbq'd tomorrow.

Mmmmmm barbecue. I'm not allowed to play with fire. I'd be fighting Ember for that liver though.

That's your overpriced store? I wish I could get produce that cheap at our run-down, crappy, cheapo store.

I found out that they have awesome sales. Since they are just over a mile away, I will be buying more there. I wish they'd put their handmade sushi on sale.

 

[Moonbear]

Mmmmmm barbecue. I'm not allowed to play with fire.

Probably for good reason. We know how accident prone you are! I made two kinds of bbq sauce today. One is a Kansas City style sauce, which is really tasty as a cold dipping sauce, and the other is a Jack Daniel's sauce that needs to caramelize a bit to taste good (but then it is awesome!). The Jack Daniel's sauce is a cooked sauce, so I made a big batch and canned it (besides, it was a chance to test the new pressure cooker in case I need to use it for a bumper crop of tomatoes).

I'd be fighting Ember for that liver though.

She'd share. There's way more than she could eat (this chicken didn't have all the other organs in it, just a double helping of liver ), and it's all chopped up as almost a pate now.

 

[hypatia]

Green tomato pie, for you moonbear.

One 9 inch pie crust{i used the pre-made one}

Slice green tomato's very thin, about a pound should do.
One sweet onion, sliced thin
One large baking potato, also sliced{you guessed it} thin.
1/2 pound of well cooked bacon, crumbled.
about 1 1/2 cups of any kind of white melting cheese
Red pepper flakes to taste
Salt and pepper to tasteLayer it in order, several repeat layers{ mine was about 3}, and bake at 375 for 35 to 45 minutes.
I had mine hot last night for dinner, and then leftover cold today for lunch, it was great both ways.

 

[turbo]

Supper tonight will probably be a vegetable stir-fry or salad. I have jalapeno peppers and Hungarian wax peppers that go knocked off by the wind storm, and I picked a fresh cucumber (first one of the season). We also have a fair-sized yellow summer squash that a neighbor gave us. I'm not usually to keen on summer squash, but we did a stir-fry with them, along with yellow onions, scallion tops, peppers, herbs from the garden, etc. I finished that up for lunch today. I may actually plant summer squash next year - they're really easy to grow, and you get so much from so few plants that (like the neighbors) you end up giving them away.

 

[Evo]

Green tomato pie, for you moonbear.

One 9 inch pie crust{i used the pre-made one}

Slice green tomato's very thin, about a pound should do.
One sweet onion, sliced thin
One large baking potato, also sliced{you guessed it} thin.
1/2 pound of well cooked bacon, crumbled.
about 1 1/2 cups of any kind of white melting cheese
Red pepper flakes to taste
Salt and pepper to taste


Layer it in order, several repeat layers{ mine was about 3}, and bake at 375 for 35 to 45 minutes.
I had mine hot last night for dinner, and then leftover cold today for lunch, it was great both ways.

I keeping this recipe, sounds wonderful.

We also have a fair-sized yellow summer squash that a neighbor gave us. I'm not usually to keen on summer squash, but we did a stir-fry with them, along with yellow onions, scallion tops, peppers, herbs from the garden, etc. I finished that up for lunch today. I may actually plant summer squash next year - they're really easy to grow, and you get so much from so few plants that (like the neighbors) you end up giving them away.

I prefer yellow squash to zuchinni. this is my first year to plant both, I usually only grow yellow.