Tag Archives: recipes

What do I Like to Cook

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Oddly, I have some expertise on this one. I actually cooked for a living for a short time. Well, I couldn’t call myself a chef. However, in my brief history at the grill, I did cook a bunch of hamburgers. It was very enjoyable, which might surprise a few. Sometimes I wasn’t so perfect, though. One night a young man came running up and yelled that there was no meat on the his hamburger. It might be where Wendy’s came up with their slogan, “Where’s the meat?”

Well the guy was understanding and even had a good laugh about it. Don’t ask how I pulled that bonehead mistake. As they like to say nowadays, it’s complicated.

A question does come to mind though. Does the prompt only mean what I like to cook or what I like to eat after it’s cooked. I’ll try to answer both.

With just the four of us in the family, it was a little wasteful to buy a big bird, though we did a few years. Oddly, though neither my wife or I ever cooked a turkey before, it must have turned out good. The boys and their friends picked the bones clean in the next two days. Incidentally, on the days following Thanksgiving, they did have friends.

Nonetheless, we found a new way to cook turkey for the four of us. We found one pound turkey roasts in the frozen food section. Far easier to cook. Better tasting. Juicier. Just the right size for the four of us and it came with good gravy.

My wife’s grandma sure learned to like them. She kept 4 or 5 of them in the her big freezer all the time.

Nowadays, it’s just the two of us. No reason to even cook the roast. We just find a restaurant. Easier, faster. And no cleanup after.

Oh yes. That reminds me. When I cooked for a living, I loved it. It’s the cleanup I don’t like. And so it is to this day. It is the primary reason we normally eat out. No pots or pans to clean.

How-some-ever, turkey is still about my favorite meat. It just is, most restaurants only serve it on Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Daily writing prompt
What’s your favorite thing to cook?
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Frozen Food

Posted in Food by

The young man seemed confused as he looked back at the young woman who had just asked, “Do you eat frozen food?”

The young man glanced at the meal he just put in the microwave, then back at the woman. “Of course not. Who in the world would do that. I heat it first.”

Okay, before you complain too much, remember just how much you are paying for the little bit of entertainment.

The fact is, nowadays, almost all of us eat frozen food, well heated first. It has all sorts of advantages, certainly for me. It’s fast and simple to prepare, assuming I can find a magnifying glass with enough magnification to read the instructions. (has anyone come up with a magnifying ap for my phone?)

One nice thing, I don’t have any dishes to do after eating a heated frozen diner. The serving size is good. It discourages me from overeating. It’s fast. In the microwave, 8 to 10 minutes or half an hour in the regular oven.

If you have a large family, everyone can have their choice of what they want to eat. Some can have chicken, some chicken fried steak. Personally, I like that steak that looks and eats like hamburger.

To some degree, it is something of a preppers tool. If I keep enough of the meals in a large freezer, I can go for maybe a week off the grid. As long as I have a gas stove, I can have nice hot meals. The meals will remain edible in a well insulated freezer for at least a week. If it is winter, longer.

There are, of course, other forms of frozen food. When the kids were young, we used to by a 1 lb. turkey roast, whip up some instant mashed potatoes and some frozen vegies and we had a good Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. Maybe it wasn’t what you would get in a 5 star restaurant, but the kids went nuts over it.

Now, with the kids out of the house, we either buy a frozen turkey diner or go out. We wouldn’t mind fixing it, but we just don’t eat that much.

I think others are doing the same. When we go out to eat on a holiday, we are far from alone. Usually, we have to wait a while to get in. Most are close to the same age as us.

Frozen vegies, I am told are healthier. They can wait longer to pick them because they freeze them in less than 24 hours after they leave the field. Fresh vegies may have to last a week before they get eaten.

Going back to the question by the young lady in my story. Is it really so bad to eat frozen food, as long as it is heated first.

HOT DOG!

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It is not a mistake that people use the term to express that something good just happened. I mean, any kid, when something good happens, they will exclaim, “HOT DOG!”

However, let us go back to the source of the interjection. We need to face it. Hot dogs are one of a child’s favorite form of sustenance. I guess, in a way, that makes me one of the oldest ever kids. Love hot dogs in almost any form. Incidentally, drop that hot dog in corn meal and deep fry it, and it all gets more so. I mean, who in their right mind can resist a corn dog. Bad thing is, the Kristal’s nearby has stopped serving them. That is not fair.

When I was just a little lad, a hot dog was a hot dog. I could eat them plain; with mustard, ketchup and mustard. My favorite, which will offend some, the works which included mayonnaise. Immediately after posting this, I am sure there will be those who will want to raise their indignations. However, as much as I have a freedom of speech, I also have a freedom of how I eat hot dogs.

However, it is more, far more than that. I would guess there are close to a dozen ways of cooking them. When a kid at home, the way we cooked them, it usually just meant tossing them in boiling hot water for a while. However, they can be roasted over an open flame. I think that is my favorite. Then there are those machines with multiple rollers that cook them slow and very evenly. Yeah. I like that kind too.

My mouth waters as I think of it. There is the lazy man’s way. I cut them in half and heat them in a frying pan, fist insides then outside. If I can, I will put them on a bun. On the other hand, if all I have is sliced bread, I make a sandwich out of them. Not as good, but still good.

Did you know that you can heat them in a microwave very quickly. Maybe not the best tasting, but, you know, some of us kids get impatient. Incidentally, good for when you have a crowd of kids around. Let’s face it. Unlike us older kids, they aren’t so picky.

Then, I guess there have to be dozens of types of hot dogs. If you don’t believe me, just take a gander through them at your supermarket. There are beef, turkey, sausages of various types and the list goes on. Moreover, there are places that actually specialize in various hot dogs. There used to be one in Memphis, which the family and I went frequented. When we went to the mall, it was the first place we went. The four of us always looked forward to it. The problem was that we all ate so fast that they never lasted nearly long enough.

Now, you might wonder, just why it is I am writing this. I have this really strong longing for a couple of hot dogs, yes with mayonnaise and the works and we’ve run out of them. It will have to wait until the stores open, a little longer. As a kid, I can’t wait. You know. No kid can ever wait, you know.

Sometimes, They Get it Right, Sometimes

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Most of time, they are wrong. As mentioned before, I frequently go surfing the web, looking for things I don’t need. I have looked at yachts before, though there is no way I could afford one, even if they gave it to me. Nonetheless, I do occasionally see ads about yacht oriented things; you know, marine oriented equipment. I have done research on Paris years ago. I still see ads for tickets, not only to Paris, but Rome and London too. I don’t even have a passport.

The current thing is those air fryers. I’m still trying to figure that one out. I don’t think I would use an air fryer if I had one. Most of the time, we go out to eat. I am spoiling my wife now. Besides, with just the two of us, if I cook at home, we end up with a lot of waste. Most of what little cooking I do is with a cast iron skillet. It works good and it is very reliable. I cook a couple of hamburger patties in about 3 minutes. Virtually impossible to ruin. If I used an air fryer, it would be difficult to save much time.

Nonetheless, I turn to the left and I see the benefits of air fryers. I turn to the right and I find out I can fry fries without frying them. Pardon me, but doesn’t that mean they aren’t fries. Don’t know what they are called.

The ads don’t bother me, but I do laugh at them. I see the ads when I play Free Cell. At any time of any day, as I go through the channels, I see them advertised on TV. They pop up in bunches in my emails. I just laugh at them. They serve no purpose. If I should decide I need one one day, I think I would go down to Walmart and get one. Thing is, I would not even need to make a special trip. I went right by one yesterday when I went to the bank. Worse thing about those air ovens, they take up space. With a 900 square foot house, I need space more than an air oven.

I thought about making a list of things that they advertise, aimed specially at me, that I have no use for. Then I could write a book about them. That way, I could share the humor.

As a side note, there are some things I’ve seen ads for, I just might find out what they are and what they are used for. Those that read the book might could tell me.

I Hate Being Dumb

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Subtitle: I hate doing dumb things

My wife really likes Krystal’s chilidogs. Okay. I do too. But I was more in the mood for a couple of Cheese Crystals. So we got in the car and went to Krystal’s. It was the logical thing to do. I ordered two chili pups for my wife and two Cheese Krystals for me.

Don’t know why. Maybe the clerk just didn’t understand me or maybe I was the one to make the mistake. I think I am going to get me a pad and start writing my orders on paper. Maybe it’s my age but there seems to be a lot more misunderstanding of orders these days.

Regardless, we got four chili-dogs and two Cheese-Krystals I figured no big deal, we would eat what we could and take the rest home. So it was when we were done, I gathered it all up, went over and tossed it in the trash. I started back over to the table and realized, I really did put it all on the tray and I emptied it all into the trash, including the chilidogs I intended to take home.

Then, it dawned on me. I did something dumb. The first thing that came to mind. You know all those starving children I was told about when I was a child. Then I had a question: Is there a way I can mail about a dozen chili-dogs and Cheese-Kristals to the starving kids in Africa? No fries. They would just get soggy.

Not going to happen. Impractical to package such a thing. Worse, it would never reach the ones who really need it. They would be intercepted by a bunch of wealthy folks who really don’t need them.

Well, maybe I could just buy a plane ticket and put the food in a couple of suitcases. After handing out the food to those who looked like they need it, I could then hand out the food and return. Perhaps an expensive method, but I would think I would be doing better than the Clintons. Their methods of charity is even less efficient than mine. Less than 50% went to the “needy.” Truth be known, most of them were likely not that needy.

Let me see. Is that what is known as a slush fund?

I hate being dumb. Still: I would rather be dumb rather than ruthlessly power hungry and dishonest as the dems are.

Really Wished I Liked Avocados

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Throughout third grade and through graduation, I had a friend who had an avocado tree in his backyard. At that time, avocados weren’t the big thing they are today. From what I understand, they really are healthy, though you really need to know what you’re doing to get one of them open. A person could easily lose a finger.

I don’t really hate them. I just don’t really care for them. Maybe if I had been eating them from the cradle I might have liked them more. Some people about go nuts over them.

Nowadays, I have even less desire for them. It seems that they have gained some value. I go into Subway, and they ask if I want avocado on my sandwich. Can’t blame them. They are out to help folks get healthy.

Who knows? If I had eaten them all my life, I would maybe be healthier. I might even live longer. On the other hand, there have been doctors who have said a little chocolate is healthy. It has anti-oxidants, you know. I really do need a daily portion. Not too much, just a little.

I have really taken a liking to bell peppers lately. For years, I avoided them. I couldn’t imagine them actually tasting good. Then one day I went to a big dinner where they served stuffed peppers. I figured I should at least eat the stuffing. Then I realized that the good unusual taste that was being transferred to the stuffing was from the peppers.

Since then, I haven’t eaten many stuffed peppers. Not many folks make them and I don’t really know how. However, I have frequently eaten the peppers. I found two restaurants that make a gravy with them that would cause me to overeat if I let them. In addition, Subway will put them on my sandwich without charging me one penny more. Sometimes I can talk them into putting extra on there. I find them especially good on their tuna sandwiches.

Going back to the avocados, does anyone know any way of making them taste good, as good as bell peppers. I suppose it is asking too much to make them taste as good as chocolate. Has anyone ever tried mixing avocados with chocolate? Maybe mix chocolate chips into them.

Take Care, Things Are Not Always as They Appear

Posted in Being woke, Cancel Culture, Christian values, Communism, Deceit, Food, Going Green, Memories, Mistakes by

The prompt about making food reminded me of something that happened a very long time ago. Well, maybe not so long geologically speaking. Let’s put it this way. I am now 76 and it happened when I was yet in high school. That would make it early 60s. I am sure to some of my readers, that is ancient.

Regardless, I had made a yellow cake. While it was cooling, I started on the frosting, chocolate. I had made a syrup of coco, water, a little salt, vanilla and water. My younger sister had entered the kitchen and I could see she was eyeing the my little mixture. I warned her that she wouldn’t like it if she got any of it. I turned to prepare the confection sugar and out of the corner of my eye I saw my sister move suddenly. Yup, from the expression on her face, I could see she tried to raid the syrup.

I got a pretty good laugh and my sister got a long drink of water. She didn’t even bother with a glass. She drank it right out of the faucet. I am sure if she could, she would have liked to be able to undo that function. I suspect she wished she had a backspace key. Fortunately, five minutes later, it was just a bad memory.

I must admit, I would have been tempted too. That little mixture I made up really looks good. But it is the ultimate in bitterness. The chocolate frosting that I put on that cake was mixed with sugar. In fact, it was mostly sugar. It wasn’t truly chocolate, but chocolate flavored.

You know, a lot of life is like that. It looks so-o-o good, but, in the end, it is very bitter. I don’t know about you, but it seems I need to learn that lesson over and over again. The sweetness of chocolate is only there after the sugar is added. Somethings in life remain bitter, regardless of how much sugar is added.

Food. Now That’s an Interesting Subject

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I must admit I had to wrestle mentally with this prompt. Then it all became clear when I substituted the word do for the word would. I hope that will be okay. You see, if I would like to make something, I usually do. About the only thing I haven’t tried is homemade pie. Something about that crust that scares me. If and when we do make a pie, we buy the crust as well as the filling. In my book, that does not qualify as making a pie.

Right now I’m considering making a beef stew. When we bought the slow cooker, it came with a recipe that is great. The hitch is that I keep putting off the trip to the store. I am always putting off trips to the store these days. When I finally go, I spend $250 just for my wife and me. Then, it seems I got so little.

Mostly, these days, we eat out. With just the two of us and my wife eating so little these days, a lot gets wasted. She just loves chili dogs so we open a can of chili now and then. To keep it healthy, I generally open a can of veggies or pull out some that are frozen. I don’t know. Seems to me corn and peas taste better when frozen. (heated of course) To me, carrots and cabbage have to be fresh.

I try to keep raw hamburger patties in the freezer for those days when we just just don’t don’t feel much like going anywhere. It really is sirloin but in a different form. A little gravy, a little mashed potatoes or baked potato and we have steak dinners.

A couple of interesting stories about the potatoes. My wife’s grandmother was one of those who did not like the modern stuff. You know, before she visited us, she insisted on baking the potatoes in the oven and boiling the potatoes first for mashed potatoes. Before she went home, she loved the 7 minute potatoes that come out of the microwave and she was amazed at how we got the potato flakes to taste so good. The secret, add a slice of Kraft American cheese before adding the hot water.

Every now and again, we like the red potatoes too, you know the little ones. Add a few spices while they boil and they can really spice up a meal. Hint: don’t peal them.

It just is, it’s not nearly as much fun cooking when it’s just the two of us. Moreover, it’s no fun cleaning up after.

Therefore, when we go to a restaurant, I always thank them, not just for cooking my food, but also for doing my dishes. It does sometimes confuse them, but one day, they will figure it out.

Daily writing prompt
What foods would you like to make?
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Does That Include Tomatoes

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I have heard that some folks say tomatoes are not fruits but veggies. I don’t know. I’ll just call them fruits for now. They are very good you know, on salads, hamburgers and sandwiches. Don’t tell anyone, but sometimes I simply chop them up and eat the pieces. Sometimes I eat them with my sausages and eggs for breakfast. It sort of depends on if I have any.

I have tried to grow them. I’ve been told it is easy. That, I guess, makes me a total failure as a farmer. With two plants I had two decent sized tomatoes. They were pretty good though. There is something to be said about a tomato fresh picked.

The place I lived out in California had a banana tree that grew small bananas. They were small but they were very good. Again, It’s likely because it is right off the tree. I do believe bananas are best on cereal. When I use bananas, I don’t use sugar at all on my cornflakes.

Strawberries are great. A neighbor had a patch of them and let me pick one now and then. It spoiled me. I like store bought berries but I miss the neighbor’s berries better. We tried one year to grow them. End of story.

Love grapes in almost any form. I eat them off the clusters as raisins and in grape juice. Well, I drink the juice. You get the idea.

As I mentioned before, I really like pineapples on pizzas. My wife does like to steal them all, so I have to be fast. They are also good on ham and slow cooked chicken. Occasionally, I’ll eat a few pieces by themselves, but I am not one who for things with strong flavors.

Now, let me see. I think that is already five but let me add one more. We used to have an orange tree in our backyard when I lived in orange county. Now, isn’t that something. Good food on the tree. All I had to do was reach up and pick it. The only work was peeling it. I did get good at it. I had lots of practice.

There was a small problem though. Every time I bit into it, I got the juice all over my hands and face. I guess, I am just one of those complainers. Always have to find something to complain about.

Daily writing prompt
List your top 5 favorite fruits.
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