Rantings of a Creole Princess

Dirty Martini Anyone?

What's your FAVORITE mixed drink?

Gluten Free Less Sodium Soy Sauce

I love sushi but have to remember to bring gluten free soy sauce with me.  Sometimes...I'm out and about and decide I want sushi and then can't get any because I don't have soy sauce with me.  Once you open a bottle of soy sauce...you need to put it in the fridge so you can't keep it in your vehicle just in case.

The last time this happened I got mad so I started looking for soy sauce in individual packets that I can keep in my truck.  I found these recently and they arrived yesterday.  

Little Soya Gluten Free Less Sodium Soy Sauce

Guess who's having sushi today for lunch?

What are YOU doing for lunch today?

Wegmans

I have no food in my house currently so we are eating cabinet and freezer food as I am DETERMINED to not shop for groceries until Sunday, September 15th when the new Wegmans down the street opens.

WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Do you have a Wegmans in your area?  I've been told I'm going to weep when I walk into the gluten-free aisle.  TOTALLY looking forward to that!!!!!

Why do you sauté onions ?

A friend asked me why do you always have to saute onions and garlic before you cook with them?  My answer was simple.  Well...have you ever tried the same recipe WITHOUT sauteing them?  Or...have you ever eaten a bit of raw onion verses eating a bit of sauted onion?

Onions are sharp and onioney before you saute them.  When you saute them...it caramelizes them and "softens" the taste making them sweeter.  Added to your dishes it's a MUCH different taste than if you'd added them without sauteing them.  Pretty simple to me and much more of a preference kind of thing.  Some folks like onioney mo' better-er.

In savory dishes...I don't.

On hotdogs...I do.

Simple.

 

Mingo 44 Field Day! Free Printables!

So...my birthday party this year was an old school Field Day like when you were in elementary or middle school.  I reserved a park for the whopping permit fee of $20, bought some balls and whatnot, served hotdogs and grilled veggies with cupcakes, sunchips, etc. and GOT.IT.IN!

It was truly a blast.  Cheapest party I've ever thrown.  EVER!

I made the banner with cut out paper using this awesome blog post:   Free Printable – WHOLE Alphabet Banner!!  I used clothes pins ($1) from the dollar store to put them on the Jute Twine.

Since we were outside playing I wanted to make sure I had lots of water and I did some personalized water bottle labels using the same paper and my printer at home.  I bought the water at the dollar store (6 for $1), removed the labels and glued on my labels.  I tried finding a free label template online but folks were all about making money off it so yeah...I simply measured the circumference of the bottle and found I'd need an 8.5 inch long by 1.75 inch tall piece of paper per bottle.  Um...a regular sheet of paper is 8.5 inches long so yeah...EASY!!!!!!!!!!!  I centered 5 "logos" (made them in word) per page using 3 cell chart, blanking out the lines around all the cells except the center one and then made those lines thicker.  Personally...I think they look elegant.  GO ME!  You can download it here FOR FREE if you'd like to personalize it for your own something or the other.  Download Mingo44 WATER

Next up was something to decorate the gluten-free cupcakes I made.  Let's talk about the cupcakes first.

Cupcakes all over the world ain't cheap these days.  Ask for gluten-free and hell...you walking out of there with a box of cupcakes hitting you up for car insurance payment kinda cash.  Last weekend I made a friend a cake using this: King Arthur Flour Chocolate Cake Mix, Gluten Free (Pack of 3) and this:  Pamela's Products Dark Chocolate Frosting Mix, (Pack of 6).  

It was delicious.  

Seriously.  So yeah...I made cupcakes out of it and yeah...they were delicious too.  GO ME!  I put them on my AWESOME cupcake holder (I've since forgotten where I bought it but did so because when I saw it I was totally thinking it wasn't an icky cheesy looking one like I always see) and then...made paper lollipops using Word shapes (circle) and different fill colors and patterns.  I hot glued them to these (I found mine on clearance at Michael's for .99 cent a pack both circles and flowers): Little Yellow Bicycle - Naturals Collection - Burlap Shapes - Flowers  and then hot glued popsicle sticks on the back.  

Here is my template for the paper lollipops and you can personalize it your way for your use:   Download MINGO FLAGS

Cute huh?

The rest of the stuff I used was stuff I already had down in the basement.  I've collected some nice things over the years by simply keeping an eye out for things.  The best time to get good deals on stuff is when you don't need it.  LOL!  So yeah...I see something nice on a random Tuesday in March and buy it and store it down in the basement until I'm ready to use it.  GO ME!  

The best thing I've ever purchased has got to be the 54 x 108-Inch White Tablecloth $3.50 each.  I use them so much and, at only $3.50...you don't worry if something is spilled on them like red wine.  Oh...and my silverware I bought in bulk, Stainless Dinner Fork - 24 / BX - $4.68.  I started out with about 48 each of them at those prices and bought forks, spoons and knives.  You're totally not mad if someone accidentally tosses one in the trash at those prices.  I keep them in ziploc bags between parties and put them in a buffet silverware caddy for parties.  I've had it forever and forgot where I found it.  Works perfectly.

Since we were at a park...I used paper plates because paper plates are for parks and barbecues.  And that's all Imma say about that. Humph.  LOL!  Bought the paper plates at the dollar store too.

I did buy dodge balls and a flag football set but I can use them again.  If you're in the area and want to throw a field day party...you're welcome to borrow them because they will simply be in the ball bag in the basement.  LOL!

For the three legged races I used an old sheet cut up in strips.  Worked perfectly and completely throw-way-able.

Food was easy.  Gluten-free all beef hotdogs, grilled veggies and corn on the cob.  I put the corn on wooden skewers so folks didn't have to use their hands while outside.  I had a gallon of hand sanitizer on hand to disinfect before eating.  LOL!

Water and gatorade were the drink choices (G-Baby brought some drink packs for the kiddies) as we couldn't bring alcohol to the park.  I was going to make some awesome adult beverages to put into these Ball Jar Heritage Collection Pint Jars with Lids and Bands, Set of 6 :

Yall know I'm anti-drinking-out-of-mason-jars because I always dribble on myself so I drilled a hole in the top of the lid and then put Nickel-Plated Brass Eyelets - 3/8" - 8 Ct. in the hole.  I didn't put the back of the eyelet on because I did the hole exact and it was a really nice and snug fit.  Then...a straw just pops in nicely!  WHEEEEEEEEEEE!  Well...I'd already made 6 when I found out I couldn't bring alcohol so I didn't make anymore.  LOL!

We had fun.  It's always cool to do something completely different and well...we get together all the time for drinks and or drinks and dinner so it's fun to switch it up to something we never get to do.  

Before we left the park yesterday someone asked what we're doing next year.  

SIP: *HARD.STARE*

LOL!

Got Fish?

When's the last time you had fish and what kind was it?

Was it wild caught or farm raised?

Did you have it at home or at a restaurant?

How was it prepared and what did you have with it?

Pickles

When was the last time you had pickles?

Let them eat CAKE!

A male friend called me spitting mad the other day because he'd attended a baby shower and the cake was terrible.  It was funny to me because I'd just had a conversation with some girlfriends about how they always look forward to cake at weddings and showers and how much of a let down it is when the cake isn't good.

I thought this was funny as hell!

Then...I started thinking more about it.  Back in the day, folks used to have homemade cake leftover from Sunday dinner in a stand on the counter.  Now?  Not so much.  I know I only bake cakes during the holiday season so the only time I'm around cake is at a shower, wedding or birthday party.  I can't even EAT cake anymore unless it's gluten-free so yeah...it's a treat for me when I get it. (Not that I want it often mind you.)  So I guess they are right.  The cake at a shower, wedding or birthday party should be good cake.  LOL!

The last good cake I had was Queeny's Red Velvet Cheesecake.  She made it gluten-free just for me!  GO ME!  LOL!

The last shower, wedding or birthday party you attended...was the cake good?  Be honest.

My New FAVE Beverage!

Half green tea (hot) + half unsweetened REAL cranberry juice (cold).

Tart and good for you!  GO ME!

Break Yourself Off Fool!

What did YOU have for breakfast this morning?  

Tasting Room Wine Club

I'm about to start shipping wine to Gladys' or Becca's house.  Humph!  I SO want to try this!  Tasting Room

Are you a member of a wine club?  

Grocery List

nuts / seeds

olive oil

avocados

green tea

whole grains

How many of these things do you have in your kitchen right now?  How many of them do you eat weekly?  

Get Rid of Belly Fat

Splenda. NO.

Splenda goes from 'safe' to 'caution' after leukemia found in mice

Know what else is vegetarian?

A long time ago I had a party at my home.  Yall know how I get down...I cook and set it out big time when I give a party.  I remember someone new kept walking around asking me if this, that or the other was vegetarian even though it was obvious there were many dishes which didn't have meat or broth in it.  

While I was entertaining guests.

After about three times I gave her a look she obviously recognized because she stopped in mid-sentence.  SIP was right at the surface thinking:

SIP:  Know what else is vegetarian?  The door.

Wisely...she kept it moving, stopped following me and enjoyed what she could safely enjoy.

I ended up broiling a couple of vegetarian burgers for her to go with the pasta salad, veggies, grilled portobella mushroom caps and grilled shrimp kabobs.

o_0

Whenever I go to a party, I always bring fruit, bars, etc. that I could snack on in a corner if need be in the event nothing is available without gluten.  I don't bother the hostess even though, most of them know my issues and generally lead off telling me exactly what is safe for me to eat.  The last time I was in Houston, Weezy and CeCe had a full gluten-free barbecue and that touched my evil heart.  LOL!  Had he called me one mo' gin, however, and asked me if something was gluten-free or not while at the grocery store...I was gonna cuss him.  But yeah...I was touched they were looking out for their sister.  

I was at TravelDiva's son's graduation party and she had the event catered.  There were so many gluten-free options like prime rib, corn, green beans, etc.  the kid got seconds.  LOL!  I was sooooooooooooo happy.  I had plenty of finger foods in my bag just in case mind you...but I was happy I could eat some of that delicious looking beef!

Those of you with food issues...do you make sure you have options in your bag if you go somewhere knowing you'll only be there a couple of hours at most and you'll live if there isn't anything you can eat?

Arcadia Mobile Market - Things that make me HAPPY!!!!!!!!!

I had a meeting in DC last week at the Dean Wood Community Center & Library.  While in wait mode, I took a walk around the facility.  To say I was impressed with it is the least I could say because the place truly blew me away.  

I kept asking questions because I couldn't believe it was free to the public with minimal fees for use of services like the fitness center and the pool.  There was a full blown senior center with a VERY active senior population, meeting rooms, quiet rooms, computer room, etc.

And it was all free.  

I walked outside and walked around a bit stopping in my tracks when I saw this:

HotNESS or HotMESS? (SM): Corn on the Cob

When I make corn on the cob, I simply boil some water and drop the corn in for 5 minutes removing immediately.  I don't like anything on my corn as it tastes sooooooooooooo good to me as is.  Robby likes butter on his corn.

Recently I met someone who doesn't like corn on the cob and I couldn't think of a single person I knew who didn't like corn on the cob.

Instrastin huh?

The person then went on to share they didn't eat vegetables period and well...I moved on after that   cuz seriously...THAT'S JUST CRAZY!  HOW IN THE HELL YOU DON'T EAT VEGGIES NUTCASE??????

Moving on...

Do YOU like corn on the cob?  Do you put anything on it?  If so...what?  

Do  you know anyone who doesn't eat veggies?

Taco Shell Love at Taco Bell?????

I continue to believe you run into this type of thing happening the more you eat at places where the average worker is young, silly and doesn't care much about much.

What say YOU?

How to Make Crockpot BBQ Chicken Wings

A friend just posted this:  Video:How to Make Crockpot BBQ Chicken Wings

Personally I would think that this would make the chicken uber messy.  Have you ever tried this?  

What do YOU make in the crockpot that you'd recommend?  The only things I've ever made in a crockpot that I truly enjoyed were turkey wings and a turkey chili but I know some folks who RAVE over their crockpot dishes.  

Share please!

Tell the truth and shame the devil! - Potato Salad

I prefer my potato salad room temperature.

And yes...I need a bit of paprika on mineZ.

Am I alone?

Fresh Popped Popcorn at Home

What do you put on YOUR popcorn at home?  I sprinkle a bit of sugar on mine.

Annie's Shiitake Sesame Vinaigrette Gluten-Free!

Going gluten-free meant I had to give up my favorite salad dressing and it almost killed me because I love it so!  

Well...I decided to make my own.

GO ME!

What salad dressings do YOU make?

Frozen Yogurt with Fresh Fruit at HOME!!!!!

I love getting frozen yogurt with fresh berries at Pinkberry, Yogiberry, etc. but I don't like leaving my home when I'm in for the night cuz I'm like 80 in my head.

Easy Chicken Piccata - Gluten Free

A friend told me that she's pays attention to what I eat when we're together and eating.  She said it was an eye opener that there are so many healthy choices that taste good and that she's been shaking up her weekly menu at home in her weight loss journey.  

She made me wonder about some of the other conversations I've had with friends about how we all have regular rotation menus during busy work weeks and I thought...hmmmmm...maybe that's it.  Maybe people kinda get stuck with making what they make weekly and never change up.

During the week I go for quick dishes but still healthy and flavorful.  You know...fast food at home.  Everything in moderation.

So I'm going to make a quick video (shooting for under two minutes) of some of the foods we eat all week.

Do you find that YOU stick with the same menu during the week?  Or do you mix it up too?  

This is Chicken Piccata.  It takes a full 20 minutes to make and it's delicious.  

Any dishes you'd like to see made into a quick video? 

How to Make Spicy Guacamole!

I make guacamole every chance I get because we love it so!  It's quick, easy and healthy!  All pluses!  

Do YOU make guacamole at home?  Do you make it the same or is your recipe different?

Favorite Kitchen Tool - Salad Dressing Bottle!

I have a lot of FAVORITE kitchen tools but this has to be in the top 10 for sure:  Kolder Salad Dressing Bottle 

That's not the exact one I have but it's way cheaper than I remember paying for mine years ago and it will serve the purpose quite nicely.  There are easy to follow recipes for basic salad dressings on the side and  you can always just screw the top on it and store the rest in the fridge.  This is one of those GENIUS things I wished I'd thunk of.  LOL!

Name one of YOUR favorite kitchen tools!  Not appliances...little hand tool thingys.

Pink Chicken

When's the last time you had chicken?  

How did you prepare it?  

Do you eat it weekly?

I can no longer eat or drink...

What foods can you no longer eat/drink if you don't want to have some...erra...issues later on?

Grilling on the Deck!

The Robinator and I are purging, purging, purging while getting our Spring cleaning on.  There is just something so refreshing about getting rid of big bulky things and replacing them with sleeker, nicer items.

You know...once  you BUY the sleeker, nicer items.

We got rid of our grill we've had for 8 years.  It was compromise grill.  I like charcoal but Robby likes the way gas grills look.  We compromised and got a charcoal grill which looks like a gas grill.  It worked fine but it was too big for our deck from day one, however, we kept it.

During the deck sprucing up we decided it's time to upgrade and have been researching grills.  I'm leaning towards this because I don't care what the grill looks like...I just want it to be charcoal:

Weber Performer Platinum Charcoal Grill

So...yeah...um...erra...Robby is still doing HIS research.

This might take a while.

Yesterday evening we were relaxing on the deck and it was decided that it would be great if I did the two steaks I had in the fridge for dinner.  I was planning on freezing them for next week but hadn't yet.

Good idea.

And you KNOW I wanted to grill them right?  RIGHT.

So...what do two people who've gotten rid of their grill do to have grilled steaks for dinner?

They get out their portable grill they use for picnics in the park they've actually never used before cuz yeah...they don't go grilling in the park.  

Yup...yup.  We country and we know it.

Do you have a gas or charcoal grill?

Break YoSelf Off Fool!

What did YOU eat for breakfast today?  If you made a smoothie...what did you put in it?

Simple Pot Roast

Yesterday I decided to cook a pot roast I had in the freezer since The Robinator was kicking azz and taking names with the exterior Spring cleaning chores on our list.

We were both doing a lot of work so I didn't want to go back and forth dealing with anything so I decided to do a simple pot roast.

1.  Pre-heat oven to 275 degrees.

2.  Put 5 cloves of garlic throughout the roast. (Cut a slit and stick it in.)

3.  Sprinkle roast with salt and pepper all over.

4.  Sprinkle roast with flour (I used gluten free) all over.

5.  Quarter one large yellow onion.

6.  Make thick cuts of carrots using 6 carrots.

7.  Put three tablespoons of butter and three tablespoons of olive oil in a Dutch oven and melt butter.

8.  Brown roast on both sides (about 4-5 minutes each) and remove to a plate.

9.  Brown onion and carrots.

10.  Replace roast.

11.  Add 3 cups of beef broth.

12.  Add 1 cup of Merlot.

13.  Add 4 cloves of garlic.

14.  Season with Creole seasoning and cayenne pepper.

15.  Cover and put in oven for 4 hours.  (My roast was almost 5 pounds.)

16.  The last hour...adjust seasoning and put in cut up potatoes.

I served with garlic mashed potatoes and kale.

Errybody was happy!

 

Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cheesecake from Q's Cakes

If your morning didn't start off with a delivery of a Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cheesecake from Q's Cakes...I am TOTALLY better than you!

SIP:  OH.MY.GOODNESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YALL HAVE NO IDEA HOW DELICIOUS THIS TASTES!!!!!!!!!!!

What would YOU do?

It's 11:00 am and you realize you're hungry.

You had breakfast and lunch isn't for another hour or so.

What would YOU do/eat?

LET THEM EAT CAKE!

It's your birthday and your bestie is a baker.

She tells you she'll make whatever cake you want.

What do you request?

 

 

SIP:  Red Velvet Cheesecake (Gluten-free of course!)

Fruit

When did you have your last piece of fruit?

How to make Homemade Toffee!

It's Midol Week for me and, as always, I was craving chocolate big time last night.

But we didn't have any chocolate.

I have an aversion against leaving my home at night so I sat here trying to figure out what to do.

Then I realized I had all the ingredients I needed in order to make toffee.

So...at 9:30 last night...I decided to make toffee.

HURSH!

Step 1:  Pour a bag of slivered almonds on a baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes at 350 degrees.  

Listen up...if you've never roasted almonds you're missing out on the best.smell.ever!  Gosh they smell pretty goodly!  Like...I was inhaling them big time!  (Note...they taste good too which is why I was missing a solid handful by the time they made it into the blender.  LOL!)

Step 2:  Put the almonds in the blender or food processor and chop finely. 

Step 3:  Spread half on a baking sheet.

Step 4:  Add one stick of unsalted butter (sliced into pieces),  1-1/4 cup of packed light brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of water, 1 tablespoon of light Karo corn syrup to a pot and stir bringing to boil.  Once it boils, put the top on it for 1 minute (gotta evaporate all the sugar on the sides of the pot).  Then let it cook for about 3 more minutes.  (I don't have a candy thermometer so I just kept cooking it until it looked right.)  

Phone rings.  It's Shelly.

Shelly:  Whatchu doing?

Me:  Making toffee.

Shelly:  DA HELL??????????  Who the hell makes TOFFEE??????????????????

Me:  I wanted chocolate.  I had all the ingredients for toffee.  Midol Week.  

Shelly:  Oh.  I understand.

Me:  I gotta go...it's boiling and I gotta pay attention.

Step 5:  Add 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda and 1 teaspoon of vanilla and mix quickly.  Remove from heat.

Step 6:  Pour hot mixture over almonds and spread as evenly as possible.

Step 7:  Pour chocolate chips over super hot mixture.  They will start to melt and you can spread the chocolate over the mixture evenly.

Step 8:  Spread remaining almond crumbs on the top.

Step 9:  Place in fridge until chocolate hardens.

Step 10:  Fall asleep before chocolate hardens so you go to bed cuz ain't nobody got time for that at 10:30pm.

Step 11:  Wake up the next morning and notice that SOMEONE has already tried a piece of the toffee by breaking off a big hunk.

Step 12:  Break it up and put it in a container.

Step 13:  Plan to enjoy some during the day cuz really...it's too early to have toffee.

Have you ever made toffee?  What's the last candy and/or dessert you've made from scratch?

AWESOME Snack!

Drizzled with this:

Equals this:

QUESTION:  When you buy yogurt do you buy whole, 2% or 0%?

Warm Kale Salad

I could probably eat kale every.single.day.  I keep it in my fridge and it's always on my weekly grocery list.  My favorite to eat it is as a warm kale salad.

I boil a pot of water and then turn off the heat.  Next I dump the kale in and make sure all the kale is wet, pouring it immediately into a colander.  Then I put it back in the pot and toss with a diced tomato, two cloves of garlic, pressed, fresh cracked pepper, coarse sea salt and a splash of red wine vinegar.

I could seriously eat this for every meal I love it so.

Yesterday we had a really big, late lunch around 3:30 or so.  By dinner time, we weren't really that hungry so I made us a warm kale salad and we had the leftover gluten free jalapeno cornbread muffins from our lunch/dinner (linner).  LOL!  It was PERFECTION!

What's YOUR take on kale?  Are you a fan?

Tell the truth and shame the devil!

When was the last time you ate junk food?  What did you eat?

The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food

 

Bacon Flavored...

Have you tried any bacon flavored candy or baked goods?

Food-tude

The Robinator and I were talking about food yesterday and how we consume food differently.  He pointed out some things he's noticed over the years about the way I eat that he says he's attempted to adopt as well.

The main thing has to do with large portions of food.  See...I don't feel the need to clean my plate no matter what is on it once I've had enough.  I hate that "full" feeling so I never do that.  It's uncomfortable for me and well, honestly, it upsets my tummy if I'm too full and that's no fun for me.  

Well, there is a bit of a setback from this in that it means I don't have a lot "stored" so when I'm hungry...it's pretty much an unbearable feeling for me.  Like...I HATE IT!  Robby can get hungry and get over the "hungry hump" and be okay.  Not me.  If I'm hungry...I have to eat NOW.  It's an all consuming feeling I have from my head on down.  I MUST EAT, I MUST EAT, I MUST EAT.  I get stupid cranky and downright evil.  Once I eat, however, I'm fine...but yeah...when I'm hungry?  Shut up.

When Robby and I were dating and he still lived down South, I visited him.  He was so excited to show me around he'd planned all kinds of stuff for us to do.  He'd planned on taking us out to lunch but we got off track and I got FOR REAL HUNGRY.  We were in one area and he wanted to take me to lunch specifically in another area.  

I told him I was hungry.

Him:  Okay.  We're going to lunch at blah, blah, blah.

Now see...me getting hit with the hungry happens pretty much immediately.  It doesn't gradually creep up on me.  I'm like...doody doody do...HUNGRY.

So he keeps driving to this next place he wanted to show me and then we get out of the car.  I thought we were getting out of the car to go eat. 

No.

We were sightseeing some more of the things he wanted to show me in that area.

When I realized there wasn't any food I tried to be charming and all but yeah...that didn't work out cuz I was HUNGRY.  After about 20 minutes or so I snapped:

Me:  Look, if you're not going to take me somewhere to get something to eat right now you need to take me back to your apartment so I can get my stuff and take my butt back to my house hell.

Him:  *BLINK*  Um...okay.

And we drove to the restaurant in silence.  After I ate a hunk of bread (back then I didn't know I was allergic) I explained my food thingy to him.

Him:  Duly noted.  Won't happen again.

And it hasn't on his watch since then.  It's to the point when I'm traveling solo that he'll call me and remind me to eat so I don't go hungry crazy wherever I am.

Another thing I do is eat a LOT of fruit.  If my choices are any type of packaged snack versus fruit...I always choose fruit.  I buy fruit several times a week because I eat a lot of it.  

I'm not a late night snacker nor do I do dessert.  After dinner...I'm good.  I very RARELY eat something after dinner.  I always feel like it will just sit there while I'm sleeping and well...no.  I don't like the thought of that.

I never eat something just because it's there.  I eat because I'm hungry.  Not just to have something to do.

I guess the MAIN thing about my eating is that I won't eat just anything.  If I'm somewhere and my choices are fast food restaurants ONLY...I will make do with the bars in my bag and water.  In fact...when traveling, I'm quick to buy a bag of apples and a pack of water for my room just in case cuz yeah...you never know.

The Robinator has lost about 30 pounds this past year by doing a lot of the stuff I do as well as upping his workouts.  I don't know how it finally clicked in him but I guess all these years of watching me just finally rubbed off on him.  Yesterday we were in an airport we didn't plan on being in (missed a flight and had to be re-routed through goodness knows where) and I went to find food.  When I returned with water only, Robby pulled out our bag of snacks and we each had a pear, some grapes and munched on some mixed nuts.

I was proud of him.

He's figured out it's better to wait for some real body fuel instead of filling up on junk.

My dude.

Have YOUR eating habits changed since you've gotten older?  What do you do that you believe is beneficial?

Kitchen Gifts

http://cherrymenlove.com/how-to-make-chicken-stock/

Some of my FAVORITE gifts are from the kitchen.  Specifically my mother-in-law's kitchen.  She cans veggies and fruit, makes preserves, roasts pecans, makes spiced pecans, etc.  

And she sends me goodie boxes all the time.

That picture up there is of chicken stock.  Homemade and ready to use.  If someone I ate from gifted me some of that I would STRETCH.CLEAN.OUT in appreciation especially since Robby is sick and I want to make him some soup but I have to wait until the large pot of chicken broth I'm currently cooking...has about 3 hours left to go before it's done.

What about you?  Do YOU appreciate gifts from the kitchen?  What are your favorites?  Do you give them?  What are your favorites to give?

 

Crockpot Cooking

How often do you use your crockpot?

What do you cook in it that you'd recommend to others?

(I've been seeing crockpot recipes on Pinterest which are an absolute NO in my opinion.)

How do YOU eat YOUR pancakes?

The Robinator cuts a hole in the middle of his pancakes and fills it with syrup.  This way...when he's cutting the pancakes, the syrup flows out under the stack ensuring that each forkful has just enough syrup.

I think he's odd.

I don't like to put the syrup on my pancakes before I cut them cuz it's just too much for me.  I like my syrup off to the side, then I cut my pancakes and dip the forkful into the syrup.

He thinks I'm odd.

Dr. Punkin just dumps her syrup on top of her pancakes.

She thinks we're both odd.

How do you eat YOUR pancakes?

Raw, Fresh, Uncured Ham!

I wanted to try something different for Christmas this year so I decided to do a raw, fresh, uncured ham.  It seemed to be pretty daunting but honestly...it was the easiest thing in the world to do and sooooooooooo delicious!

I ordered a 10 - 12 pound ham with the bone-in shank up on an angle.  (NOTE...mine was a little over 12 pounds.)

GO ME!

Cory Booker on Food Stamp Budget - MISSION ACCOMPLISHED?

Cory Booker has been in the news attempting to bring awareness to the use of food stamps.  I was pretty curious about it so I started reading up on his challenge and what he's learned as well.

The first thing I learned is that food stamps aren't meant to provide all the food for you and your family when things are hard.  They are provided as a SUPPLEMENT to what you already have so they assume you have a minimum income.

Cool.

Here's a basic snapshot of how much you'd get:

So...if Robby and I qualified for food stamps, we'd have to meet certain income requirements first.  We have a two person household so we couldn't make more than in this chart for two people:

So...we couldn't have a gross monthly income of more than $1,640 which comes to $19,680 a year. 

I'm not going to say too much about how having that as a maximum income wouldn't even cover our basic living expenses like our mortgage, electricity, water, etc. cuz really...that kinda depresses me with what you COULDN'T do on that MAXIMUM qualifying salary.

MOVING.ON.

So...we would get $367 a month to feed ourselves with and that's the MAXIMUM amount we could get so we might not get that.  That said, we'd have about $12 a day to feed ourselves all of our meals.  Two breakfasts, two lunches and two dinners...plus snacks.

And Jaru and Lucy wouldn't be covered.

When I sit down and think about what $12 buys...it makes my head hurt.  

So...I told Robby how much we'd get and he did some quick head math and was like...so about $90 a week?  I think we could do it.  As the grocery shopper in our household who actually knows how much we spend on food...I know we couldn't without some SERIOUS, serious changes.

I started thinking like my mother, the queen of a big azz bag of rice in a fiberglass type bag, and I felt like we could probably eat but we'd be doing LOTS of dried beans and rice with chicken from the rooter to the tooter AND...I'd have to seriously grow stuff.  Like...I use a LOT of fresh, organic basil.  Yeah...I'd have to grow it.  Shrimp?  Um...yeah...no.  Wild caught fish?  We might get that for Christmas dinner.  Dinner parties at 13700?  No more.  NO.MORE.  It would seriously be potluck with us providing serving dishes and utensils ONLY looking forward to whatever yall bring.

I'd probably have to only buy 7 apples a week and cut them in half so we each had a half of an apple a day.  That good locally roasted coffee we buy from Mayorga at a little over $20 a pound?  Um...yeah...no.  And whatever coffee we could afford...we'd be reusing those grounds for that second pot we put on daily.

Gosh...and I probably couldn't have any more creamer.

No more wine.  No more organic, free range eggs since they cost $4.00 a dozen and we eat 28 eggs per week.  Grain fed beef?  HA!  Thing of the past and honestly...I'd probably choose to NOT have beef if I couldn't buy grain fed beef.

My gluten free bread?  Probably never again cuz that's $5 per loaf.  

And the list goes on.

So yeah...we're food spoiled.

I think we could do it because we're hustlers and survivors but it wouldn't be without SERIOUS challenges.  

Robby asked me if I wanted to try to do it and I asked him when?  He said we'd should start this week...Monday.  

Me:  I just spent $153 on groceries for the week on Saturday and I have a freezer full of meat and seafood.  

Robby:  Oh...well, let's try it after we eat all of that.

Me:  I still have a cabinet filled with stuff I could do stuff with.  I'm sure that when your finances have dipped to the point of qualifying...you've emptied your cabinets.

Robby:  Probably.  

And now we feel all first world and ish and then the doorbell rang and it was a delivery from Amazon with a Christmas gift for someone who lives here and we're all weird feeling now knowing that 46 million Americans are on food stamps.

So yeah...if we're to judge...Cory Booker's experiment is a success.  It made us think about this and empathize with the millions of Americans who need the supplemental assistance.  It was a good household exercise for us because we talked about it and it led to an excellent conversation for us regarding waste and what we could do to help others.  If that wasn't the focus of Mr. Booker's experiment...it should have been because that was pretty powerful.

To us.

Have YOU thought about it since he started?  Do you think YOU could do it?  Would you have to change drastically?  Do you think you'd start having unhealthy habits or would this force you to be even healthier in your choices since you wouldn't have many options to choose from?

Monica Mingo's Creole Jumbo Gumbo - UPDATED!

 

 

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**NOTE!  PUT THE GREEN ONIONS IN THE POT AT THE END WHEN YOU TURN OFF THE HEAT AND LET SIT FOR 30 MINUTES!!!!!**  THE DOWNLOAD LINK HAS BEEN UPDATED AS OF 12:18 PM, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2011. 

Aiight people!  Yall have been asking for a more intense gumbo recipe than the lightweight one I created for yall before:  Super Simple Super Bowl Gumbo

The last time I made gumbo...I changed my family recipe up enough so I could make it work into something I was comfortable with sharing for those of you who want to try your hand at something a bit more intense.

(Mainly because I couldn't find some key ingredients that I needed for my family recipe.)

Here it is.  Use it wisely.  Don't make me cut yall. 

 Download Monica_Mingo's_Creole_Jumbo_Gumbo

ENJOY!!!!!!!!!

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta 

 

Omission Beer

The Robinator is pretty serious about this beer.  As supportive as he normally is...it was determined that he could NOT go Gluten-free with me early on because of his love of drinking beer while watching a game.  

Convo at 13700

Oh...and dude is a SERIOUS beer snob.  None of that beer commercial stuff for him.  He's all bourgie with his beer choices.  So when we found out about Omission beer...he decided to try it out.  Omission Beer

Here is what the company says about their beer:  

According to federal guidelines, we aren’t legally allowed to claim that Omission beer is gluten-free outside of Oregon because the beer is brewed with malted barley. While the FDA proposed to define the term “gluten-free,” that definition has not been formally adopted by the organization.

Part of the definition proposed in 2007, and again in 2011, states that a product may not be labeled as gluten-free if it contains “an ingredient that is derived from a prohibited grain that has been processed to remove gluten, if the use of that ingredient results in the presence of 20 parts per million (ppm) or more gluten in the food.” 

While Omission beer does contain barley, one of the “prohibited grains” in this definition, all batches are tested by an independent lab using the R5 Competitive ELISA to ensure that gluten levels meet our standards.  Although scientific evidence supports the testing, the evidence is not conclusive.  All Omission beer test results can be viewed at: www.omissiontests.com

Cool huh?  Would YOU ever try?

 

 

HotNESS or HotMESS? (SM): Pancake Cupcake with Maple Buttercream and Bacon

Red Bean Soup!

I'm having red bean soup for lunch.  

SIP:  In other words...she made red beans Sunday and ran out of cooked rice.  The beans were so good, she decided to eat the last of it without the rice.  OR the sausage that someone else who lives here fished all of out.  

 

What did YOU have for lunch?