onrushpam

I love Barbara Yianni's marinade for lamb and it uses up quite a bit of fresh or dried oregano. Recipe here

Two big ones here... one me, one DH (but I had to deal with his) We remodeled our kitchen and installed a new LP gas cooktop (replacing an electric one). I kept telling DH something wasn't right! He said it was fine and I was One night I turned on a burner and it went WHOOSH! Caught the edge of my Tshirt sleeve and caught me on fire! Thankfully, DH was standing nearby and put me out. But, I had one heck of a burn in my armpit! Called the appliance peeps back and sure enough... they'd hooked my cooktop up to LP using the natural gas valves. A few years later, DH was recovering from back surgery and was a leetle beet drugged up (whacked out). I had two big slow cookers bubbling away with chicken parts to make stew for a sick dog. I still don't know what DH thought he was doing, but he managed to dump BOTH pots/lids/contents onto the floor. Everything basically exploded... greasy chicken and liquid and glass from ceiling to floor and everything in between. No serious injuries, but it took me weeks to get it all cleaned up. I just kept finding pieces of chicken, greasy spots, shards of glass, etc.

We have an ice cream treat machine at my office. I've never bought anything from it, but I've been tempted. I have steered away, because everything in it is huge and I can't eat that much ice cream/cookie/chocolate/whatever all at once.

When we were there for a bowl game last year, we had NYE dinner at El Tiempo and it was a wonderful experience. We had a blast! We went to the one on Montrose and thought it was great. But, a lot of people say the one on Washington Ave is better. There were 4 of us. We ordered one crab quesadilla and a parrilladas for 2. We were completely stuffed and took home enough leftovers for a big lunch the next day. (They fixed us up with a big package of fresh tortillas and extra beans, etc. to take home.) Good margaritas. Fun atmosphere. The meat for the parrilladas came on this amazing metal tower thingie with a sterno underneath. I particularly enjoyed the quail and the sausage. edited because I can't spell and to add more detail

I haven't been there in several years, but we always enjoyed Master McGraths pub in Scarisbrick.

When I was a child, growing up in the Ozarks, we'd sometimes go to the lodge at the nearby state park... they had 2 "special" dishes... rainbow trout (didn't like them then and don't like them now) and frogs legs (loved them then and haven't had them for a LONG time) I LOVE crawfish pie! I think I might still have one from Heberts in the freezer from my last trip over your way... If so, it needs eatin' and I'm on a freezer cleanout mission!

I fondly remember a bar that was open until 2 AM, back in my days doing summer theater... One of the costumers also waitressed there. They did a GREAT steak sandwich... Not like a Philly steak, but a thinish-cut ribeye, thrown on the screaming hot flat top until just past raw, with a good char on the outside. Said steak was flopped onto a piece of garlic-buttered Texas Toast, so the juices would soak into the bread. Topped with grilled onions and mushrooms. It hit the spot often at 1 AM! Those days are long gone... I can't imagine eating that in the wee-hours these days.

A few days ago, I looked at my local market's online ad and saw they had mahi-mahi on sale. I did a little Googling and came up with this recipe for Grilled Mahi Mahi with Thai Coconut Sauce Made it that evening and we loved it! I made two slight changes... I used the whole can of coconut milk (dumped it in before I remembered it was supposed to be one cup). After the sauce had reduced, I tasted and decided it needed a little something. So, I added a squirt of Sirachi sauce. Perfect! And, it made the sauce a more attractive color. Served with basmati rice and grilled asparagus. DH and I both decided this one will go into regular rotation. Easy, quick, lots of flavor.

Most of the time, I use the bottom part of the broiler pan that came with a long-gone oven. Sorta like this: broiler pan For the rare times when what I'm making won't fit in that pan, I use an old, oval, graite-ware roaster. I never use the lid. It's sort like this one, but a little bigger:roaster I think shallower is better than deeper, but it needs to be deep enough to retain the juices and allow you to make gravy in the pan, if desired.

One of my guilty prepared food pleasures is Bob Evans Mac and Cheese. I used to buy it every now and then, especially when DH was away (he doesn't like Mac and Cheese!) I'd usually eat half one night and half the next day for lunch. Then, I looked at the nutrition label. 330 calories per serving. Cool! Whoops! The bowl contains SIX servings! So, my portion per meal was nearly 1,000 calories. Yikes!

I'd make mine wide enough to allow a full-size fridge, instead of counter-depth. And, I'd figure out a way to have a range hood instead of a down-draft.

Jaymes' caramel corn is very popular with my work mates!

Green beans, simmered a long time with onions and bacon, are the best side for that open-faced sammich!

We had a couple of hickory nut trees on the land where I grew up. One of them always had a LOT of nuts. They were hard as rocks. My sis and I would gather a bunch and try to crack them. Normal nut cracking devices were useless, so we'd bash them with hammers on the patio. The salvagable pieces didn't taste very good raw. (They look something like a hazlenut/filbert.) Roasting might have helped. We tried it several years in a row until we realized it was useless. The black walnut trees were where the real prizes could be found (along with horribly stained hands). When DH and I moved to this house, I was excited to see we had two big pecan trees. Sadly, they turned out to be as useless as the hickory trees of my childhood. Too old and of some variety that yields little meat. A friend of mine once picked up several huge bags of them, ignoring my warning that her efforts would be futile. Sure enough. After several evenings attempting to crack/pick them, she pitched the whole lot. One of the trees is now gone. The other no longer bears nuts at all.

Interesting that this topic would appear! I've just been thinking that I need to make "Mrs. Gourley's Chocolate Cake" (she was a friend of my grandmother). It's a very moist, dark cake that's just barely sweet, made with cocoa powder and buttermilk. Always frosted with 7-minute frosting. It's SO good with a glass of cold milk. I haven't made it for a long time. Maybe I'll carve out some time this weekend. I have buttermilk on hand. I just wonder if I can find the recipe...

Years ago, I competed in obedience trials with my dogs. They all loved fish/seafood. When travelling for trials, I'd order shrimp for dinner, discreetly wrap the tails in my napkin and take them back to the hotel. Back in the room, I'd play a little game of "find it" with whichever dog was competing that weekend. I'd hide a shrimp tail under the nightstand, or bathmat, let doggie smell my fingers, and say "Find It!" They had great fun searching out the tasty bites. I always made sure there were no leftovers-left-behind, but that was rarely a worry.

I had one (I think it was the Reynolds brand) and then they discontinued it... I couldn't get the bags anymore, so I eventually pitched it. I liked mine, though the bags didn't always "hold" in the freezer. Still, I'm in the midst of a big freezer/pantry cleanout/cook down project. The items we have uncovered that were sealed with the little vacuum thingie have certainly held up better than items in regular freezer zip bags. I think I'm going to get a FoodSaver, now that I've figured out where I can put it. But, I'd be willing to try this new version of the hand-held type.

Oh, Addison is so cute! Does he hunt with you husband? And, does your husband have a bird dog for the quail/pheasant hunting?

Shelby, When we lived in Missouri, I borrowed my stepmom's dehydrator to do tomatoes. I put them in old wire-top canning jars from the flea market and gave them as Christmas presents. I also did orange slices, then sprinkled them with citrus/spice scented oil and hung them on our Christmas tree and put them in wooden bowls around the house. They look like stained glass ornaments on the tree! I've wanted to buy one for myself, but have no place to store it. Your blog has been really inspiring and you've made me long for quail and venison and turkey. Please do another blog in Spring/Summer! I want to see your garden... especially the asparagus. The bed I planted in Missouri was just starting to produce a lot when we moved away. The people who bought our house plowed it under.

I, too, use that brand of powdered buttermilk. I don't have any at the moment, but I seem to remember it says to refrigerate after opening. Here's what their website says:

I got this KAas a gift a couple of years ago. I use it at least twice a week and I use all the pieces. The Bamix with all the different blades lookes awesome. But, the KA has done everything I've asked of it, so I'll stick with it for the time being. I'm not a baker or candy maker, so can't speak to those applications. I use it for minor chopping (I hate getting out the food processor), pureeing soups, whizzing sauces and salad dressing, whipping cream, etc., etc.

Shelby, When you posted about the pot pies, I meant to respond with a suggestion and forgot... The absolute BEST pot pie I ever ate was a "game pie" at a pub in rural England. It was a combination of venison, pheasant and hare. (We had just come from a long, cold day of hare coursing.) The thing was HUGE (the pub offered it as a starter for the table to share). My "share" wasn't nearly enough and I wished I could have ordered it for my main! The following year, we tried to find the same pub and failed. I kept describing it to people, hoping someone would be able to direct us back to it. But, they all looked at me like I had three heads! Anyway, you should try a "mixed game" pot pie, if you haven't already! I anxiously await the appearance of quail. I LOVED the quail I ate as a child growing up in Missouri. The ones we find down here, in the land of quail hunting plantations, are a poor substitute. They are bigger, but not nearly as tasty.

"Half Pint"

Okay, I will have to try this, just to see... I've been trying for years to get yeast rolls that matched those made by my Aunt Irene... and, I've finally managed to do it with some consistency! I looked at the Pillsbury website for the ingredient list and it looks much the same as my old family recipe (the one I no longer use) with vegetable shortening, rather than butter. What I don't understand is how you can get decent rolls with a 5-minute rest, followed by shaping and a single 30 minute proof! Mine need a good hour initial proof, followed by another 30+ minutes after shaping. You have me curious now... I'll buy a box on my next shopping trip.

I will eat more vegetables and less meat I will make bread more often and attempt to conquer edible whole-grain bread I will learn to make homemade tortillas (seems to be a theme on this one!) I will read whatever strikes my fancy (my reading is actually listening to 2-3 books each week whilst driving) Off-topic addition: I will help at least 400 greyhounds find homes