Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Vegan Dinner

What to make with Potatoes and cabbage.  Well last night I made Ethiopian cabbage and potatoes.  Cooking these two with carrots, onions, cumin and turmeric making  it was very tasty and filling.  Ellen loved it and said it was the best way she has had cabbage and potatoes.  It was an all Vegan dinner and even I was full.  It did not take long to make at all. About 30 minutes.  I did speed up the cook time by steaming the diced potatoes in the microwave first till tinder. It called for them to be cooked in the pan with everything else for 30 minutes but I was pressed for time and I like a little crunch to my meal so the cabbage was not over cooked.  It could have been a tad more spicy so maybe next time I will add some hot peppers.  To add to the dinner we had some of Ellen's home made bread that I warmed in the oven.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Weekend Food and Fun

This past weekend Ellen and I went to visit Jon and his wife Nancy.  They had an amazing cookout at their home near Allentown Pa.  It was a blast.  Got to meet new people and see a few old ones that I have not seen in a few years.  Along with the company and fun oh and lets not forget the dogs.  Brunson went along with us and had friends to play with, we also had some really good food.  Two different broccoli salads, Asian Green beans with garlic, bread and dip along with a few others.There were quite a few of vegan dishes.  Ellen brought one along with a vegan dessert.   One dish  I would like to highlight out of them was the Hot Dog Salad made by Nancy.  This was a great mix of all the things that a cook out should be.  Crisp lettuce, onions, tomatoes, mustard based dressing, artichokes and the main thing local made hot dogs.  None of the store bought, factory farmed hot dog.  These were large, plump grilled dogs.  I have to say it was one of the best salads I have ever had.  With this salad there was no need to be outside in the heat standing over the grill trying to make the perfect hot dog.  Well that's it for this blog.  Hope you all enjoyed your weekend and did what I said and took some time to say a prayer for those who made our lives free and gave us the freedom that we have.

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Home Quick Fry


Today I made a few fried things in the deep fryer my father got at a yard sale for $3.  Never been used but once according to the seller.  It was spotless and heats the oil to a nice 375 degrees and has a timer.  It’s not a huge thing but it does the job very nicely.  Ok on with what we made.  First off we made fried pickles.  I made the batter like a tempura batter.  Ice water (with cubes in the water), one egg beaten well and flour to thicken the batter.  Not to thick but runny so it does not coat the pickles to the point that it drowned out the flavor of the dills.  So along with the pickles  we made fried asparagus fresh of their garden cut this morning.  That turned out very well.  The first batch I did not cook too long.  I wanted a little crisp to the stalk.  The second batch I cooked a little more so that it was soft when you bit into the middle.  The last thing we fried was yellow squash.  This came out very nice but did not have the taste of squash.  I will try it again when the squash is fresh from our garden.  All in all they all turned out very well for my first time doing the pickles, asparagus and squash.  I have fried other stuff in the past.  Shrimp, a Cadbury egg (amazing flavor), French fries, a solid chocolate rabbit and a few other things.  With Ellen being vegan I made some batter with no egg so she could enjoy it as well.  We did many veggies and flavored the batter with some spice to give it a little heat.




So that was my lunch today.  Why pay for the stuff when you can make it at home and flavor it how you want it.  With being on a low salt diet I am able to adjust the amount where in a restaurant I am at their mercy. 

Friday, May 25, 2012

Memorial Day Weekend

I hope all you out there have a great extended weekend. Memorial Day is not just another day off work.  Take time out and say a prayer for those who have fought, for those who have died and for those who are still fighting for our freedom.  Between stuffing your pie holes with hot dogs and burgers, kebabs and chips give thanks to our fallen who died to give us the freedom enjoy this great United States of America.  I look forward to this weekend with my friends, great food and a relaxing weekend.    What are you all out there eating this weekend that might turn some heads?  Anything strange?  I was thinking today that I might need to get some shrimp and marinate them for some kebabs.  Some fire hot and some BBQ style.  I will be sure to let you all know how they turned out and how they taste.  I really hope my friend Jon and his wife Nancy have a bonfire so we can roast some stuff.  Sunday will be a day of packing the cooler and getting ready to chow down on some great food.  Have a safe weekend everyone and do not forget who allowed us to enjoy it.  

Thursday, May 24, 2012

5-24-2012 Home on the couch

Well here it is my first blog.  I thought long and hard about what I wanted to talk about and how to go about doing it and what is the best way is to just jump right in and do it.  I wanted a place that I could talk about my food that I have eaten and movies I have watched.  To give my review and to talk about it.  So here I am.  Watching "So you think you can dance" with my wife and just finished eating 2 hot dogs with home made pepper relish, ketchup and mustard and cheese.  Over the blogs I will be doing you will learn little by little about me and who I am.  My likes and dislikes.  Some of my history and background.  I will start out by saying I love cooking.  I do most of it for my wife and I since she works late and I get home early.  I will eat anything or I should say I will try anything once. Ellen is a vegetarian/working on being vegan.  I cook meals for her and for me.  I can go for a few days with no meat and then go on a binge and eat meat for 5 in a row.

So there is my first blog.  I hope you will follow me or at least give me a chance.  I will post pictures of  food when possible.  Any requests for things for me to try feel free to email me at je119wk@yahoo.com.