Whatcha Cooking today?

[worth1]

I have a baked potato experiment going on.
Might possibly be the first time in the history of the human race.
But not likely.

[Sue_CT]

Sausage and kale soup. Had some sweet Italian sausage I wanted to use up, although I usually use hot. I missed the heat so I threw in a bunch of hot red pepper flakes. Yup, fixed that right up, lol. Plenty hot now.

[worth1]

I have a baked potato experiment going on.
Might possibly be the first time in the history of the human race.
But not likely.

No pictures but it was a great success.
I scored the potato skin in a checker pattern all over the potato like gun stock checkering in the diamond pattern.
Then slathered in oil.
Once baked the potato skin comes apart with less difficulty as you eat the potato.
Thusly making it easier to eat the skin as well.
Something similar you would do with pork skin on a pork roast with skin on it.
I had chili on the potato with chili fat instead of butter.
Plus some chili on thin spaghetti as well.
The pasta was cooked in Knorr beef bullion powder added to the water.
In my opinion butter and the flavored chili oil/tallow are about the same concerning fat content.
So what difference does it make.

[bower]

It commonly happens that when Easter rolls around, I find myself thinking about all the chocolate other folks are eating, while I resisted the temptation to hook myself a bunny off the shelf.
My Mom has also been talking about treats non stop for the past week, so I figured she needed some. I had been looking into recipes that would give her a little iron and protein boost, so I made a couple of things and then compared them for protein/iron content - they all came out at about 1 mg iron per serving and 3-4 g of protein. Not quite as good as the date crumbles I made her a couple of weeks ago, which had a little more iron but a little less protein - there's not much in oats. All of these recipes are made with light olive oil instead of butter or saturated fat, which makes them heart healthy compared to anything you'd pick up in the store. There is some saturated fat of course in the eggs and coconut and so on, but it's all about guilt reduction, right?
The apricot squares I used a full cup of ground almonds for protein boost with 1 unsweetened coconut and 2 flour plus an egg, oil and sugar in the crumbs. Apricot is iron rich too. It took longer than I expected to cook down the dried apricots and I wasn't too thrilled with my first taste of these, finding them dry, but after they were packed up for a day the balance of flavors and texture is really pretty pleasing and sweetness just right.
The fudgy brownies are iron rich for the amount of cocoa and protein rich for the six eggs, still a solid 3X the brown sugar in any other recipe and more oil to boot, there are a lot of calories for your mg of iron LOL but they are so good, really rich without tasting overly sweet go figure.
Cranberry muffin, used a different recipe this time but again using the superfine besan flour to boost protein and iron. It made a much thicker batter, I think they were a bit overbaked as well, so I'm not done with developing this recipe as yet. We are thankful for the brown sugar/lemon juice glaze which as mom said, you could pour over a rock and it would be fit to eat.
Anyway I'm happy to have treats on hand for a change, instead of regretting my own fortitude to resist the commercial temptations..

eastertreats-890.JPG

[bower]

What is it about potato skins, @worth1 . I just love them... maybe favorite food ever!

[worth1]

If I have chocolate I normally make my own with coconut oil cocoa powder and powdered sugar.
I haven't done it in a very long time.
But it makes a fantastic hardshell topping for ice cream too.

[worth1]

What is it about potato skins, @worth1 . I just love them... maybe favorite food ever!

No idea but it makes it easier to get bites of them.
Another favorite is fried potato skins.
Something that normally gets thrown out.

I think it's the nutty flavor they have.

[worth1]

Added 7 pasilla chilies to the chili this morning.
Naturally rehydrated and ran through the blender.
Then strained.
Been eating this stuff since Friday I guess.

IMG_20230409_113142109_HDR.jpg

[Danny]

It commonly happens that when Easter rolls around, I find myself thinking about all the chocolate other folks are eating, while I resisted the temptation to hook myself a bunny off the shelf.
My Mom has also been talking about treats non stop for the past week, so I figured she needed some. I had been looking into recipes that would give her a little iron and protein boost, so I made a couple of things and then compared them for protein/iron content - they all came out at about 1 mg iron per serving and 3-4 g of protein. Not quite as good as the date crumbles I made her a couple of weeks ago, which had a little more iron but a little less protein - there's not much in oats. All of these recipes are made with light olive oil instead of butter or saturated fat, which makes them heart healthy compared to anything you'd pick up in the store. There is some saturated fat of course in the eggs and coconut and so on, but it's all about guilt reduction, right?
The apricot squares I used a full cup of ground almonds for protein boost with 1 unsweetened coconut and 2 flour plus an egg, oil and sugar in the crumbs. Apricot is iron rich too. It took longer than I expected to cook down the dried apricots and I wasn't too thrilled with my first taste of these, finding them dry, but after they were packed up for a day the balance of flavors and texture is really pretty pleasing and sweetness just right.
The fudgy brownies are iron rich for the amount of cocoa and protein rich for the six eggs, still a solid 3X the brown sugar in any other recipe and more oil to boot, there are a lot of calories for your mg of iron LOL but they are so good, really rich without tasting overly sweet go figure.
Cranberry muffin, used a different recipe this time but again using the superfine besan flour to boost protein and iron. It made a much thicker batter, I think they were a bit overbaked as well, so I'm not done with developing this recipe as yet. We are thankful for the brown sugar/lemon juice glaze which as mom said, you could pour over a rock and it would be fit to eat.
Anyway I'm happy to have treats on hand for a change, instead of regretting my own fortitude to resist the commercial temptations..
eastertreats-890.JPG

Looks very good, the apricot ones are really pretty. Recipe??

Today, chicken tortilla soup, mostly broth and avocado, still fighting the pneumonia. One of us is gonna win.

[bower]

@Danny I hope you have antibiotics for that. Pneumonia is bad stuff.
Lemon, garlic and egg in broth is my go to sick day soup. Green onions, bit of parsley. Noodles and yoghurt. Very similar to what you've been having. Crack an egg into the broth and stir it up, it is so easy for the body to get protein from egg, it will always help. You must win!!!!

Apricot Squares:

Filling: 2 cups of dried apricots chopped; cover with a cup of water and 2 tbsp lemon juice, add 1/2 cup sugar and bring to a boil; simmer 1/2 hour and mash to make a smooth filling when cool.
*This filling step took longer than I expected as the apricots were slow to soften. In future I would soak them first, and make the filling a day ahead.

Crumbs: Cream together 1 cup brown sugar, 1 egg, 1 tsp vanilla, 3/4 cup light olive oil
Stir in 2 cups unbleached flour, then 1 cup unsweetened coconut and 1 cup ground whole almonds

Press about 2/3 of the crumbs into a lined 9X13 pan for the bottom layer.
Spread with apricot filling, then sprinkle the remaining crumbs on top.

Bake in 350F preheated oven for 35 minutes. Cool completely then cut into 24 squares.

(2C apricot: 10.8 g protein; 8.6 mg iron) (egg 6.3 g protein; 0.9 mg iron)
(2 cups flour - 32 g protein; 10 mg iron) (1 cup ground almonds - 20.1 g protein 3.5 mg iron)
Total protein 69.2 g; iron 23 mg = 2.9 g protein and 0.95 mg iron per serving

[worth1]

I dropped my French fries on the floor and had to remake them.
I had fried fish but I didn't drop it.

[Danny]

@Danny I hope you have antibiotics for that. Pneumonia is bad stuff.
Lemon, garlic and egg in broth is my go to sick day soup. Green onions, bit of parsley. Noodles and yoghurt. Very similar to what you've been having. Crack an egg into the broth and stir it up, it is so easy for the body to get protein from egg, it will always help. You must win!!!!

Apricot Squares:

Filling: 2 cups of dried apricots chopped; cover with a cup of water and 2 tbsp lemon juice, add 1/2 cup sugar and bring to a boil; simmer 1/2 hour and mash to make a smooth filling when cool.
*This filling step took longer than I expected as the apricots were slow to soften. In future I would soak them first, and make the filling a day ahead.

Crumbs: Cream together 1 cup brown sugar, 1 egg, 1 tsp vanilla, 3/4 cup light olive oil
Stir in 2 cups unbleached flour, then 1 cup unsweetened coconut and 1 cup ground whole almonds

Press about 2/3 of the crumbs into a lined 9X13 pan for the bottom layer.
Spread with apricot filling, then sprinkle the remaining crumbs on top.

Bake in 350F preheated oven for 35 minutes. Cool completely then cut into 24 squares.

(2C apricot: 10.8 g protein; 8.6 mg iron) (egg 6.3 g protein; 0.9 mg iron)
(2 cups flour - 32 g protein; 10 mg iron) (1 cup ground almonds - 20.1 g protein 3.5 mg iron)
Total protein 69.2 g; iron 23 mg = 2.9 g protein and 0.95 mg iron per serving

Thanks ! I will see if I can get PIC to make some of those, and good tip on soaking the fruit.

[karstopography]

Spaghetti and meatballs with marinara sauce. Mix of various frozen 2022 garden tomatoes thawed for the sauce. I pour off some of the clear tomato water that comes from thawing. I’m down to about 2 sauces worth of frozen tomatoes so I froze about the right amount from 2022.

I never make this the same way twice. Different mix of tomatoes, maybe onions, shallots and/or garlic get used in the sauce and or meatballs. Maybe the meatballs get fresh parsley or it could be fresh basil or spinach. Tonight, it was fresh garden parsley and shallots in the meatballs and garlic and shallots in the sauce. Dried Oregano, marjoram, thyme in the sauce. Meatballs might get Parmigiano Reggiano or pecorino romano. I might put a little red wine into the marinara, tonight it was a splash or two of Westmount Pinot Noir from Oregon. Red pepper flakes in tiny amounts get into the sauce.

The difficulty is remembering what might have been the best combination of ingredients or some specific amounts of this or that, but generally it’s always very good. Meatballs always get baked in the oven until done 25 minutes or so at 375°, then folded into the sauce. I hate greasy tomato sauce. I use grass fed 85/15, the fat drips away onto the parchment paper and stays out of the sauce.

[Sue_CT]

I bake my meatballs before adding them to the sauce too. I use a leaner hamburg but add ground pork and/or veal which adds more fat, too, and a penade usually. Might be spaghetti in my future now that you mention it.

[karstopography]

I bake my meatballs before adding them to the sauce too. I use a leaner hamburg but add ground pork and/or veal which adds more fat, too, and a penade usually. Might be spaghetti in my future now that you mention it.

I did add the wholr egg and some bread crumbs, a penade, forgot to mention that.

[worth1]

I had two bowls of hummus like stuff made of chick peas olive oil chicken broth made with Knorr chicken bullion powder cumin and garlic powder.
Mixed in a blender and eaten without anything.
Then went to bed at 6:30.

I cook my meatballs in 160 to 165 F water for about 15 minutes.
Adding the right amount of salt but not much and mixing enough will make the meatballs more firm like a sausage.
After mixing resting and mixing again then making balls and cooking allow to get cold and then flash brown in skillet but not too much.
A binder of some sort is often used as well.
Nothing worse than a dried out meatball.

A meatball is basically a sausage ball since it has all the spices added.
But that's just my opinion.

[Danny]

Spaghetti and meatballs with marinara sauce. Mix of various frozen 2022 garden tomatoes thawed for the sauce. I pour off some of the clear tomato water that comes from thawing. I’m down to about 2 sauces worth of frozen tomatoes so I froze about the right amount from 2022.

I never make this the same way twice. Different mix of tomatoes, maybe onions, shallots and/or garlic get used in the sauce and or meatballs. Maybe the meatballs get fresh parsley or it could be fresh basil or spinach. Tonight, it was fresh garden parsley and shallots in the meatballs and garlic and shallots in the sauce. Dried Oregano, marjoram, thyme in the sauce. Meatballs might get Parmigiano Reggiano or pecorino romano. I might put a little red wine into the marinara, tonight it was a splash or two of Westmount Pinot Noir from Oregon. Red pepper flakes in tiny amounts get into the sauce.

The difficulty is remembering what might have been the best combination of ingredients or some specific amounts of this or that, but generally it’s always very good. Meatballs always get baked in the oven until done 25 minutes or so at 375°, then folded into the sauce. I hate greasy tomato sauce. I use grass fed 85/15, the fat drips away onto the parchment paper and stays out of the sauce.

Sounds like a winner and then some ! Try saving the tomato water if it is tasty and use in a vinegarette.

[worth1]

Put a sack of black eyed peas in kettle to soak and took two 1 1/2 thick pork loin slices out to thaw this morning.

[MarkAndre]

Made Easter dinner last night. That probably says something about how things have been going the last couple of weeks. Kroger select rib roast, nothing fancy, studded with extra garlic and seasoned with salt and pepper; with split yellow potatoes roasted in the drippings. All cooked in the toaster oven. Fried Brussels Sprouts as the side. Not a vitamin rich meal, but rich and good for a celebration. Kids thought it was great. Wife picked up pho for herself, which was great because it’s what she’s been craving. And there are more leftovers

Bacon this morning in the toaster oven. Crate-free Duroc from Kroger. Hickory smoked. Really good. Takes two packages of the 10 oz. to feed us. I think it’s called Greenfield (?) that is also crate-free, so there are now two crate-free options available at Kroger.

Edit: I was interrupted mid-thought. I meant to add, I don’t think my wife was even aware I was cooking when she headed for the pho. This was not an occasion of offense.

[Rockporter]

I am making a whole 4 lb bag of chicken fajita meat and freezing what we don't eat tonight for fast freezer meals. I have picked a couple more bell peppers from the garden but hubby will run to the store and get some red, orange and yellow ones to add to the mix. We are out of sour cream and our avocados we bought at Sams are not ready yet so he'll pick up a couple of those too.

Last night I made some tuna casserole and have 6 lunches in the freezer for hubby with two more in the refrigerator so he is set for that for quite a while considering all the other lunches I have put in there for him too, lol.

I'll be canning some beef stew meat later this evening when the kitchen is not being used for other more pressing things. I also have enough scraps to make some chicken broth so I will start that in the slow cooker tomorrow and can it up as well. I canned 13 jars of chicken breast and chicken thigh the other day, each pint jar held at least 15.5 ounces before pressure canning so it is plenty for meals. We already used one for chicken salad sandwiches and it was really good.