Being Frugal...

All my married life Ive had to try to make ends meet. Just like most of you. And I used to do all sorts of things to accomplish that. But lately Ive noticed that I'm doing more and more of it, not just to save money or time but because I really like it. And so I thought Id make a list of things I do or am going to do so it might inspire you too. Feel free to add to this list so all of us can save. And check back too because as I remember things I do or find new things to do, I will be adding to the list.

1. Planted a garden. This is one of the easiest things to do normally. Only I moved to a coastal area and live on a hill made of rock lol. And so I had raised beds put in and the soil isn't the best either. And then there's the rain factor and the slugs, not to mention critters of all kinds. This is the second yr of the garden. I should say its the first but I did plant a few things late last yr after the beds were in and didn't get much. I'm still struggling this yr but so far we ate lettuce, broccoli, peas and some herbs from the garden. I think the cost of starting a garden can be a bit pricey depending on what kind and how large but over time it can be very frugal.

Its also much healthier because you can decide what to use, organic seeds, compost, etc. I have started a compost pile but I never had one before and I think this might not be done right. But at least I'm recycling alot in there that would normally end up in the garbage. So all around it is a good thing.

2. Ive started an herb garden here. Ive always had one wherever I lived . But it takes time to get some going so its an ongoing thing. I like to use fresh but I will dry some too because some don't make it thru winter. I also buy bulk herbs and spices online. I like Mountain Rose because they are fair trade, organic and very very good. Packaging and shipping are great. No I get nothing to tell you this. I just like to tell you about good places and things. I also buy herbs from my local Health food store. In this way I get all I need to refill jars instead of paying big bucks from the grocery stores.

3. I try to save things from the meals we eat. I will save small bits of meats or veggies to use in frittatas. I get fresh eggs from a farm and maybe once a month make a huge 12 egg frittata with the leftovers. Its good hot or cold and can even be frozen.

4. I save any peelings from my carrots, celery or any kind of onions to use in stock. I also save all the bones from a roasted chicken, even the ones you buy roasted at the grocery stores. And when there is enough I make stock. Then I can the stock in pt. jars for making rice and such and qt. jars to use to make soups. They have to be pressure canned and it does take some time but once its done, you have gold sitting on your shelves to be used from things you would have tossed. 

5. I grind my own peppercorn mix with sea salt and put it on a jar by my stove to use in cooking. Saves me time and since I use alot it gets used up fast. I hate dried out stale pepper from containers. And in this way you can mix the proportions to what you want.  My personal pepper mixture is with Tellicherry peppercorns and sea salt. But I also have a Himalayan pink salt and Tellicherry pepper mix to sprinkle on finished foods too.

6. I make many spice mixes myself in bulk and then use canning jars to store them in. Saves money. All those little packages add up and you can make it for pennies compared to what you buy. If you take a day to make them and make a nice batch, you will have it on hand anytime you want it. I make my own steak seasoning, taco mix, chili mix, rib rub, Cajun spice, chicken fried steak spice and even my own ranch dressing mix. You can buy buttermilk powder to use in that. Its great for baking too.

7. I make my own jams and I make them with organic sugar. I also make them low sugar. Health wise I try to avoid as much sugar as I can. But also because I love to use them in my morning yogurt and who needs all that sugar for breakfast.

8. Ive recently found a blog that tells you how to make canned dog food using scraps and building on it. That is my next project, to start saving dinner scraps and veggies and add some oats and rice and make my own canned dog food. As it is I give her some of our food sometimes. But I don't like to give it to her often cuz she has a sensitive tummy. So then I toss it out. This way I could still use it for her but can it for when I need it. I never thought of doing this before.

9. I'm trying to use up whatever cleaning supplies I have here and go more natural. I just used ammonia to clean off things from my stove. It was really burned on there and nothing including harsh chemicals took it off. A few tbs. of ammonia and the parts sealed in a bag worked like magic. Also borax and a scrub brush work wonders in a shower. I also make a kitchen scrub from baking soda and orange essential oil. I buy that in bulk to keep on hand for cleaning. And the kitchen smells so good when I'm done.

10. Ive started canning some of my leftovers. If you have a pressure canner you can , can chili, soups, stews that you have made. I like having that on hand instead of them taking up room in the freezer. Also if the power goes out, I wont lose them.

11. I dry the leaves from my celery. Most recipes call for the ribs and that's fine. But the leaves have flavor too and are great to add when you don't want the chunks of celery in something. I use them fresh in my meatloaf too. But anything I don't use I dry for those times when you run out of celery when your cooking.  You pay alot of money for that in the stores so when you shop buy a bunch of celery that has lots of leaves. I look for those especially.

12. When buying a bulk package of chopped beef I use it all up in different ways. Today I made meatloaf, so I double or triple or whatever depending on my recipe and then make one for dinner and package the others for quick dinners when I don't have time. Or make your taco meat filling and freeze in small freezer bags.  Its easier to make a bunch and saves time later. While you can defrost it if you have time. I have put them in the oven frozen. I just lower the heat some and cook it a bit longer till its done.

13.I do the same thing for meatballs for spaghetti sauce. You can either make them all and freeze them to cook later or bake them off then freeze them. I find it easier to bake them all then freeze them cuz I also do that to the sausage I use in my sauce. Then I just break it down to pkgs that I will use for several pots of sauce. Since I hate doing these things, it saves me time to do it all at once and there's less mess.

14. If you grow herbs, when you trim them use the trimmings in vinegar. If you don't have a use for them right away making individual bottles of vinegar for salads is a good way to save them. Today I topped all my basil so it wouldn't flower but didn't have time to deal with the leaves. I had a half bottle of red wine vinegar, so I tossed them in. When I want a flavored vinegar, I don't have to spend lots in a gourmet shop. I have one with chive blossoms sitting on my window sill right now too. As the blossoms pop up, I pick them and toss them in the bottle. Vinegar is better to use than oil. Sometimes things put in oil can cause botulism plus, it has to be refrigerated then.

15. When I juice lemons for anything I save the zest. Lately Ive been canning alot and using fresh lemons. I have the peels left over and its such a waste to just toss it all out. And so I grate the lemon zest from the pieces. I put them on a small dish to dry out, then when dry I store in a jar. When I don't have lemon in the house and I want that flavor I can just crumble some into what I'm making. You can do this with any citrus. I add dried lemon to some of my spice mixes. So instead of having to buy it, which I did in the past, I now have my own that's much fresher.

16. I make garlic roasted potatoes with some of my meals. I always make extra. I freeze them in small bags to use in hash, omelets or even burrito wraps. They are already cooked and seasoned with garlic and herbs so they are quick to use when you need some. I just fry them up, with a bit of butter and a touch of water to steam them and refresh them and then put them in whatever I'm making. 

17. I preserve my ginger.  I don't use alot of ginger so when buy it, I often end up throwing a shriveled piece away cuz I didn't use it fast enough. And then of course I don't have it when I need it. So to solve that little problem I buy a piece of ginger, peel it and slice it into 1/4 in . rounds. I put them in a jar and top it with dry sherry, then refrigerate them. This preserves the ginger for when I need it without going bad. And you can even add some of the ginger flavored sherry for more flavor in a dish. When I think of it, I buy a ginger knob and do this after I use it for a meal. This way I always have some fresh around.

18. I make my own vanilla extract. I buy vanilla beans and put them in a small bottle or jar, then I cover them with brandy and let them sit for a month or so. I usually have two going cuz I like vanilla and toss it in everything. This way one is steeping and the other I can use up. You can do this with many things to make your own extracts. I also make vanilla sugar that I use to top pies and cakes with. I mix the cinnamon for snicker-doodles with vanilla sugar too. Some recipes say use vodka for this but I prefer the smoothness of brandy. Plus the brandy adds a little back up flavor of its own.


19. I save the bacon fat. I use it to fry my Chicken Fried steaks in, or refried beans. Its good to saute veggies in too. And a friend told me her family used to put it in baked goods. Last yr. I did that with gingerbread cookies and they were so mellow. 

20. I make crumbs. We eat a lot of bread around here but do not like the heels. So I save them to make breadcrumbs. When its a hard crusty type bread that I know I wont use up, I either make croutons to freeze or if there is enough I slice it and make french toast to freeze. 

Have you ever seen celery this big?

I went grocery shopping the other day. I went to a store I don't go to often but maybe I should. I came around the corner into the produce aisle and saw all this greenery in a pile. I didn't know what it was. So I decided to check it out. I was stunned to see it was celery!!! Most celery we see has been trimmed and I never knew how much. But I think I like it better this way.

This thing is about about two ft. long and only 99 cents. It didn't even fit in a grocery bag lol. Most folks would think, what the heck can I do with that? But I saw a bonus. 

 So to trim it up for my purposes, I cut off the base and all the leaves. Now don't throw them away! I put them aside. I rinsed off the celery and pulled out my aluminum foil.  I don't use foil much but I do keep it around for a few things and this is one of them. Long ago my dad told me about this. All the yrs Ive been cooking at home and restaurants and I never knew this. Wrap your celery in foil before putting in the refrigerator. It will keep forever!
Im serious, as long as it stays wrapped you will most likely use it up long before you would have to toss it out. When I think of all the celery over the yrs. I lost before I knew this......sigh. I hear you can grow celery again from the base. Ive done it some but I always forget about it and it eventually dies. There are blogs out there tho showing people who got celery to regrow from the store piece. So if your inclined to save it all you might want to try that.

But my favorite part of all this is the leaves. Ive always saved the celery leaves, dried them and put them in a jar for later. You can toss it in tuna salad or meatloaf or soups or anything you would use celery in. Sometimes you don't want chunks of celery but would like to have the flavor. And sometimes you just don't have enough celery in the house for something. So keeping these leaves dried and on hand is a bonus.

And look at that bonus!!! That thing is half leaves!!! And so Ill pick them off the stem parts and put them on a lg. dish to dry. When crispy Ill store in a jar. And I wont even waste those stems either, those will get frozen to use in my stocks. So I hope Ive given you all some ideas now if you didn't realize this before. :)

*** Ok after picking all the leaves off the stems I decided there was way too many to let dry on a plate so I pulled out my dehydrator. It filled the whole thing. :)

Thank you CookEatShare!!!

Awhile ago I joined a site called CookEatShare. Its a foodie place where lots of folks post good recipes. They have a section for Professional Chefs which I am. And so I put myself into that category on the site. Well they routinely pick chefs to be a featured chef and I was picked shortly after I joined. I was so very surprised. And once again they did that this year a few weeks ago.

I also got an email from them maybe a month ago asking for my address. They wanted to send me a little gift for being part of their site. I was surprised. I never got anything from anywhere online just for being a site member. And I don't know how they pick the ones they sent the gift to but I was one of the lucky ones.

And so I sent my address and waited. I actually forgot about until just the other day when I got an updated email on my stats for the site. Then I figured oh well, I guess I got lost in the system or something.

So today I'm sitting at my table here eating lunch and I see the mailman on my porch. He didn't knock or anything but when he does that I know I have a pkg....since all mail usually goes to my big mailbox down the street. Imagine my surprise when I see a small box with my name on it. I knew I hadn't ordered anything lately. 

And when I opened it , inside was that mug. And its not just some cheap junk mug from the dollar store like lots of companies might send you. This is a quality restaurant mug.....heavy and will stand up to yrs of use. My bf and I will be fighting over this one , we love mugs like this hehehe

And so I want to say THANK YOU VERY MUCH COOKEATSHARE for the gift and for everyone else.............I want you to go check out their site. While I haven't had time to comment or review, I have checked out a lot of the recipes. Its a really good site.  

http://cookeatshare.com/

A food meme.....

I'm not sure if Ive done this one before. I looked thru my pages and don't see it so here it goes.....

Food Meme

1. What’s your #1 comfort food?
 Warm butterscotch pudding. I make a pkg and eat the whole thing myself.

2. If you were on a deserted island, what one food would you want to have with you?
Bread, I just love bread. Don't know how long it would stay fresh on a deserted Island tho but I guess I could dip it in some water to eat.

3. What is/are your signature dishes? (What dishes are you ‘known’ for?)
 I like to make appetizers and desserts but I'm known for being a really good cook. So I'm not sure I have any signature things.

4. It’s Friday night, you don’t know what to cook. You opt for… 
around here its pizza or take out burritos when I don't feel like cooking. When I don't know what to cook....there's always steak and a salad or burger and fries.

5. What’s your biggest weakness when it comes to food?
Hmmm I love just about everything but I would say something creamy.

6. What food can you absolutely not eat?
I really don't like salmon unless its smoked.

7. You need a drink. You grab a….
water or coffee. Lately Lipton iced citrus tea when its hot seems to work too.

8. What’s the most decadent dish you’ve had? Fried polenta squares topped with Gorgonzola cream sauce. Omg fattening, filling and Id eat it every day if I could.

9. What’s your favorite type of food?
Greek. Not sure why but I love the simple flavor combos that Greek food has.

10. Favorite dish?
When I go out and I find a good Italian restaurant, if they have Osso Buco on the menu, I will always pick that. But at home......I really like roast chicken with potatoes.

11. If your partner could take you to any restaurant you wanted, which one would it be? The only place I ever really loved is gone now. It would be the World Trade Ctr...Windows of the World. I never had a bad meal, or bad service and the view was incredible. I am grateful that I was privileged to eat there...not once but several times. I miss it so much. But in the land of reality.....honestly....a little place in Oregon in Roads end that made the best clam chowder I can recall ever having.

12. Are you a soup or salad person?
Soup, something very comforting about that with lots of fresh bread and butter.

13. Buffet, take-out or sit-down restaurant?
I prefer a sit down restaurant. I don't get out much so why not let someone else do all the work and serve me too? I don't eat enough to justify the cost of a buffet and the cheap ones have fattening, icky foods usually. Take out is my second choice when I'm too tired to move at all.

14. What’s the most impressive dinner you’ve ever made?
A Chinese dinner for a Gourmet group I used to belong to. I made Peking Duck and other assorted things. 

15. Do you consider yourself a good cook?
I'm a chef so I would say so.

16. Do you know what vichyssoise is?
Yes

17. Who’s your favorite TV cook?
It will always be Julia Child. She inspired me as a kid, watching her on tv.

18. Can you name at least three TV cooking personalities?
There's lots of cooks on tv now.....personalities tho? Most bore me. OH wait I do loveeeee Anthony Bourdain. Hes adventurous and funny and totally east coast.

19. Homemade or homemade from a box?
 Both have their place depending on time and money.

20. Name 3 or more other foodies you are going to tag. Anyone can feel free to tag themselves for this!
 I'm not gonna tag anyone, I hate that myself but feel free to snag and answer these if your willing.

Hungarian Szalonna

Smoked meats in a Hungarian deli.

When I was little I would spend my summers with my Hungarian grandparents while my folks worked. I loved to go there. One of the things grampa would make is szalonna. He had a summer kitchen on the side of the house, under all the trees. They put an old kitchen set out there and grampa had a fire pit he built. It was a great place to spend a summer afternoon when it got too hot to be inside the house.

Grampa would make a fire in the pit and when it was ready he would take the szalonna and score it and put it on some sticks he got from a tree. Gramma would bring out a nice cold pitcher of homemade lemonade and all the veggies we would need for this. It made such a nice summer lunch.

I'm only second generation so today many people never heard of this. There's quite a large Hungarian population in NJ where I used to live so its ez to get this at the Hungarian delis there. Out here I cant find it so I have to order online. But I think once I get to Oregon I'm gonna learn how to smoke my own to have it on hand.

Whenever I would visit my folks, I would make them take me to the Hungarian deli by them an I would buy several chunks of this to take home. My kids grew up having this too as part of a picnic menu. Its actually very good even tho its made from fat. If you buy a nice whole grain rye and lots of thinly sliced fresh veggies, this really isn't a bad meal to have. It takes time to make each piece so you don't really eat a ton and you feel perfectly satisfied even tho you didn't have meat.

This recipe calls for cutting off some of the crispy parts to put on the bread too. You can do that or do what my gramma did with all the leftovers. By the time all the fat is rendered its just a nice bacony crispy thing. She would chop it up and add all the leftover veggies to it and fry it up in a pan the next day. She had no name for it, just called it mish mash lol and then served it with more bread. It was excellent. It might be peasant food but I think the peasants got the better deal from this. I understand the peasants got the fatty parts from the masters and that's how this dish was created over in old time Hungary.

Hungarian Szalonna
Hungarian backon is a back bacon made of smoked pork fat with the rind and is part of a Hungarian tradition. It is often smoked or cooked in some manner before purchase so that the buyer can eat it without further preparation. It is very different from popular American bacon, which is typically very soft and uncooked. Szalonna can be cooked gypsy-style. This involves cutting the szalonna into long chunks or cubes, spearing them, and roasting them over an open fire. The szalonna cooks to be somewhat crispy and is then eaten with other dishes or alone.


Rendering the fat over an open fire.Szalonna is also popular among Hungarians as part of a sandwich. The szalonna is skewered on a rod and roasted over an open fire pit. Once it starts to sizzle and drip with grease, the szalonna is removed from the fire and the grease is allowed to drip onto a slice of freshly baked bread. The szalonna is returned to the fire and the process is repeated until the piece of bread is nearly saturated with grease. Sliced cucumber, red onion, sliced radishes, paprika, other vegetables, ground pepper, and salt are used to add flavor to the slice of bread, and then more drippings are followed to top it off. This dish was something of a peasants' food since the most important aspect was the szalonna fat, discarded by wealthier Hungarians.Many cooks make it go faster.A Hungarian tradition - bacon skewered onto a rod and roasted over an open fire pit. Once the bacon rind starts to sizzle and drip with grease, you remove the bacon from the fire and allow the grease to drip onto a slice of freshly baked bread. Return the bacon to the fire, and wait for the dripping, then again bring the bacon over your slice of bread to sop up the grease. This is repeated until the piece of bread is nearly saturated with grease. + - Sliced cucumber, red onion, paprika, ground pepper, and salt are used to jazz up the slice of bread, and then more drippings are followed to top it off. It is then eaten up as a rare and wholly coronary cajoling delicacy.

http://hungaria.org/hal/culinaria/index.php?halid=2 For more about Hungarian foods.

Szalonnasütés ("SA-LOW-NA SHOO-TAYSH") means "roasting bacon" in Hungarian. It is a popular social activity in summer to roast szalonna over an open fire. The melted fat is let to drip on bread, and it is eaten with raw onion.
We sliced our onions, peppers, cukes and tomatoes to make it easy to eat.Szalonna (Hungarian Dirty Bread)

1 Large piece of szalonna (as thick a piece as possible - usually available in a good Hungarian or Polish deli)

2 Loaves of sliced, fresh, baked rye bread. Russian rye is particularly good and has very lg. slices.

4 Cucumbers - peeled and sliced (English or Hot House cucumbers don't need to be peeled)

3 Red or green peppers - seeded and sliced into rings

3 lg. tomatoes, sliced thin (garden ones are the best!)

2 Large onions of choice - sliced thin

Salt, Pepper

In a safe location, build an open wood fire. Adding chunks of hickory wood to the fire will enhance the flavor. (You could use a gas grill and toss a few wood chips on if you like, we just use the grill as is)

Take a knife and carefully slice the szalonna into pieces about 4 x 6 inches. Now take one of the pieces and again with the knife, cut two small slits in the rind. One slit should be close to one end and the other should be close to the other end. (The rind is tough so the stick will stay in if stuck on that side)

Now take a wooden dowel about 3/8 of an inch in diameter and sharpen one end. Insert the sharpened end of the dowel into one slit in the rind. Tunnel underneath the rind and bring the end of the dowel out of the other slit.

Now take your knife and cut a criss cross pattern into the fat side of the szalonna. Don't cut all the way to the rind. Make your cuts only about a 1/4 inch deep. (This helps to make more surfaces for rendering the fat.)

Layer slices of bread onto an aluminum foil lined tray and place on a table near the fire.

Put all your fresh sliced vegetables on a separate tray.

Take your skewered szalonna and hold it over the fire while slowly turning it. Soon the fat will begin to run. Now drip the fat onto the bread. You will probably be able to thoroughly cover only a slice or two with drippings. Return the szalonna to the fire and repeat the process until all the pieces of bread on the tray are sufficiently covered with drippings.

Now begin layering your fresh vegetables onto each slice. Begin with cucumbers, then peppers, tomatoes and onions.

Drip more szalonna over the vegetables. At some point, the outside of the szalonna will become crisp. Slice the crisp pieces off and add them on top of the vegetables. Now season with a bit of salt & pepper.


***My dad takes this a step further now. He used to use his gas grill to make this instead of a wood fire. But now he doesn't even do that. What he does is render all the fat and just toast and brush the bread and veggies with it. I don't particularly like it that way..seems bit greasy to me but since they are older and cant stand there by the fire very long anymore, its a nice substitute.


****I swear I can smell this cooking right now, as I'm writing this blog. Its that strong of a food memory for me.


@@@@@@@@@@ Im sorry but comments for this post are closed. For some reason this particular post attracts alot of spam. If your a real person reading this tho, I appreciate YOU! And I'm happy you found my blog.

Day of the dead and food memories

I'm reading this book.....It talks about the Mexican day of the Dead. Its not a holiday I know much about but it was interesting to read about it. The author used to live in AZ. and so celebrated it with Mexican friends. She talks about how it was for people to spend time with the ancestors. But because it was a celebration the Catholic church frowned on it. They didn't understand why they were celebrating. The church thought it was about paganism and you know they always tried to eliminate that by changing it. So they changed the date from June to Nov. to coincide with All Saints day. They hoped it would change them since its a somber day. But it didn't, they still celebrated , just on the different day. The author tho spoke of it, not as a death/pagan type thing but that people did it as a way of remembering those who passed on. They would share the family stories but because sometimes the parties were at the gravesite on top of those very graves, the church thought it was sacrilegious.

One catholic priest started to write a Treatise on the Superstitions and Heathen Customs that today live Among the Indian Native to This New Spain. He meant it as a guide to other priests to recognize and exterminate the native practices. As he wrote tho he grew sympathetic. He realized that the people celebrated sacred in the ordinary and encouraged living and spirit realities to meet up in the here and now. Death as an ending didn't exist for them. They just figured the ancestors were in a different body on a trip thru the ether. They felt it was a way of visiting them. The peoples sadness was not for them but for themselves, so it became ritual visiting.

*********************************************
The author tho realized for us today we have no rituals to do this but we do it anyway in many ways and she mentioned several memories of family members. I thought about this and I like this .......our memories really are a celebration of sorts. When we remember gramma cooking over a stove, shes not really dead, she lives in our thoughts and hearts still. So I thought about some of my own ...day of the dead memories.

My Mothers mom was Hungarian. As a little girl I spent many summers there. Grampa would ask me what I wanted to eat for dinner and I would say Palasintas! These were very thin crepes filled with jam and such. Grampa would command that the lil princess wants Palasintas and by the end of the day, I had them. As a child I didn't realize the work that went into them but I do now. Poor gramma in the middle of summer with no AC, standing over the stove making many Palasintas for me, sweating alot but doing it anyway. I miss gramma, and I miss Palasintas but now as an adult, I feel so guilty for asking that of her. But its a great memory. It brings her back to me.

And grampa, he had his big garden and I loved to be in it and help him. And when I garden now, that memory comes back to me. Of running fast past the dog cuz it barked all the time and scared me. He was tied up but he could get close to the entrance of the garden and as a child it scared me. And then running under the grape arbor which was the entrance to the garden. I ran thru that too cuz there were tons of creepy Japanese Beetles on it that grampa would pick off by hand. He would drown them in a jar of water. Once I got past that tho, I was in heaven. Rows of all kinds of veggies and grampa would fill a watering can for me and let me go crazy there.

Grampa would let me pick a tomato right off the vine to eat. Ill never forget that, so warm and juicy. To this day the first tomato of the year when I grow them, brings back that memory. And he would grow kohlrabi a weird veggie that tasted like broccoli. He would pick one and peel it like an apple for me to eat. I loved it , so crunchy and crispy. So when I garden, many times I think of grampa in his. I think this is where my love it it started and I'm carrying on a tradition.

I remember holidays as a kid. A big table filled with aunts and uncles and the kids running around. And after the dinner all the women and girls ended up in the kitchen doing dishes. I hated doing the dishes but at least with all hands on deck it went much faster. It was interesting tho because the women would of course talk about everything and anything and you could learn alot. Ive been away from family a long time now and all those aunts are gone now. And since most holidays have been here at my house by the time I'm done cooking and feeding everyone, I'm exhausted so I don't do my dishes till the next day. I just put the food away and crash. But because of that I started to wait till my daughter and grand daughter got here to set my table. I would have them do that and in a way it became a reverse tradition.

Unless I have a huge group and food is buffet style, then we always eat at the dining room table. I grew up eating together at the table. My own life didn't quite go that way with the ex on the road so I made sure holidays were like that or when the grandchildren come to visit. My granddaughter just loved that tho. She made my daughter change her ways because of that. They used to sit with TV trays and watch tv. Her table was cluttered with the usual daily stuff. But one day after being here my lil one told her mom she wants to eat at the table like we do at grammas. I was happy to hear that, to know that she wanted those family traditions already at her age.

My grandkids and I have made cookies for the holidays over the yrs. Even me and my children have done that. And there are certain things that must be had for certain holidays or no one is happy. I like to think when I'm gone.........my own will have their own Day of the Dead memories of me and smile. I would love for them to visit me often.

Palasintas (Hungarian pancakes)

3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons salt
6 eggs
1½ cups milk
6 tablespoons melted butter
About 1½ cups sparkling mineral water
3 tablespoons cooking oil

Put the milk, eggs, salt, flour and melted butter in a blender, in that order. Blend at top speed for about 1 minute, then scrape down the sides of the jar and blend another few seconds. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. Just before making the palacsinta, shake or stir the batter and add just enough sparkling water to make a thin batter, the consistency of light cream. Heat a small frying pan with sloping sides until very hot, then brush with cooking oil. When it starts to smoke, remove from the heat and pour a few tablespoons of batter into the pan (work with a ladle the right size, if possible). Quickly turn the pan around so the batter flows to the sides, thinly coating the entire bottom. A palacsinta is supposed to be very thin, as thin as it can be without getting lacy. Put the pan back on the heat for about a minute, then give it a couple of good jerks to loosen the palacsinta, then turn it over by hand, using a spatula to lift it up out of the pan first. Cook briefly on the second side and slide it into a warm dish or pie plate. These can be made several hours ahead.

From “The Hungarian Cookbook” by Susan Derecskey. 1972.

My Grandmother would fill these with levar or prune butter, jams , or even cottage cheese. I could sit and eat them all afternoon while she was making them.

Snack Foods

I stumbled up on a blog site on MSN called Smart Spending http://blogs.moneycentral.msn.com/smartspending/ Its actually got some interesting info. But I clicked on the tag in there for groceries and came up with some interesting stuff too.

The one that got me thinking here was one called
Safe snacks: Beyond pudding cups and tortilla chips.

There's so much junk food out there now and we are finding out that most of it is so bad for you. So many chemicals and fats that you shouldn't even think about eating them. But honestly we all love our chips and dips and candy bars and things. The trick of course is to have them now and then. But the blog talks about when the author was younger and what he ate as a kid wayyyyyyyy back when. It got me thinking about that too.

I grew up in the late 50's, early 60's. Its hard to remember much about that time but I do remember loving oranges and my mom would buy a bag of them. I would sit at nite and watch tv and eat 2-3 of them. I remember mom buying potato chips too and we even had that can O'tater chips like they used to get back then. I used to eat them with a big glass of milk. I don't know why. Now when I think of it , gross. And I remember having ketchup bread. Oh not the usual kind on white bread. My mom used to get these awesome Italian Torpedo rolls. I loved them and would eat em filled with ketchup. That makes me feel sick now too lol. I cant believe I ate that.


And then there was Ovaltine. I loved it! It came in these lil crystals, not a powder like cocoa. It was chocolaty but not quite. I would get a glass of nice cold milk and the jar of Ovaltine. I would take some in a spoon and just float it on the top. You were supposed to stir it in but I loved when it absorbed just some of the milk like that. Then I would scoop it out and eat it! Eventually mom would come in and yell at me for using too much and wasting it. Hey I was enjoying it. So then Id have to make it like your supposed to and she would put the rest away.


And I remember loving ice cream and dad would give me some money sometimes to go down to our local lil store to get some. They sold big fat ice cream cones. I do mean big and fat. They were the really lg. cones and the man would make sure they were totally filled inside too, not just topped. And he would make huge scoops so a two scooper would be something you could barely finish. He would wrap them tight and Id run home so we could open them and eat them before they melted too much. Sometimes dad would send me to that same store for Hoffman sodas. Those were really good and came in a lg. bottle, so I hated when he asked me to go pick up a half dozen bottles. I could barely carry those home.

That same store had tons of penny candy and a dime or a quarter could keep ya busy for an hr. to pick out your favorites.


So this article got me thinking about those times. When you were a kid tho........what was your favorite snacks that you made? I'm sure all of you out there , have some off the wall weird thing you just loved as a kid.

5 Things you must eat before you die.....

Ive been strolling thru lots of food blogs online, looking to see whats out there and how people set theirs up and what they write about. I'm working on my blog too. I want to be unique but there are so many out there its going to be hard. I find that in the realm of chefs, to me , my blogs look amateur but I find so many of you and many folks in real life love what I put here or what I tell them when they ask for ideas and such. So I figure my niche must be in the middle somewhere between the big time chefs and the home cooks. Its ok. I didn't have anything to prove and I like what I do but if no one else did then this blog would be a waste of time. I'm trying to get a readership here for when I open my business. I know it will take time.

While strolling thru the other blogs I ran across an interesting one that spoke of another blog they saw. It had a list of 50 foods you must try before you die. They said so many people added to that list that there's well over 1600 foods listed by others there. So that blogger thought 50 would take alot of time and narrowed her list to five. I like that idea.....I'm curious as to what everyone thinks is delicious and must be tried. So I'm going to make my list of 5 items and then I want you all to add yours to the comments. Lets see what interesting things everyone comes up with.

1. Sauteed polenta with Gorgonzola cheese sauce- When we were creating a new menu for the restaurant my chef came up to me with a plate of this and asked me what I thought of it. He wanted to use it as a side dish. OMG Its was positively the most sensual, comforting thing I had ever eaten. The polenta is sauteed after being cooked and molded in a pan and sliced. When it gets golden brown you top it with a Gorgonzola cheese sauce.......its crunchy and creamy. I told him do not waste it as a side dish. Feature it as an appetizer....and he did and we sold tons of it so I guess everyone agreed with me. I could have eaten that every day (and did as often as I could there! lol)

2. A fresh ripe tomato right from the garden- There is nothing in the world like a tomato, warm from the sun and sooooo juicy. And I'm a Jersey girl so there's nothing better than a Jersey tomato!

3. Homemade bread- The act of making it alone brings back memories of the past and comforting thoughts. Baking it , the smells in the house are heavenly and eating it.......there's nothing like fresh baked bread with gobs of really good butter on it. Its a total sensory experience.

4. Fresh figs with Gorgonzola cheese- These were part of an appetizer plate we sold at the restaurant and I couldn't get enough of them. The sweet, tart taste of fig with the salty creamy cheese was a perfect combo. But I just adore figs anyway.

5. Curried Banana soup- Again another thing I made at the restaurant. I never had anything like it before. I don't usually like cold soups... this was a creamy luscious banana flavor ,spiced with curry lightly and topped with a dollop of sour cream and mango chutney. I ate it every single day it was on our menu.

So those are my five altho I'm sure over time Ill think of more. Tell me what 5 things you think we should all try before we die.

I don't want you to copy my list, my list is my suggestions and ...... I don't want you to tell me what you would LIKE to try. I want you to tell everyone what you have tasted , that you adore that THEY must taste before they die.

I have to recommend a book.........

THE OMNIVORE'S DILEMMA by Michael Pollen


I will admit I have not finished reading this book. There is so much info here you need to absorb it in lil bites. It will stun you that they can get away with so much. It will shock you whats in your food. It will make you sick. The first section about corn .....did me in.........but I am determined to complete it. Its a hard book tho to grasp your brain around. Not because its difficult reading but because I cannot believe what is being done to us and our food. Shame shame shame on companies. I know they want the bottom line and thats profit but this is just greed now and absolute disregard for our health and our animals and our planet. Its really ugly stuff thats why its so hard to read.

I cannot say enough tho about this book. Eyes needed to be opened and if you read this , yours will be. Sadly the farmers are caught in the middle of this mess and will lose either way. Support local people and organics cuz the other guys are killing us all. When you read this book it will make you sick. If you dont read this book the food will make you sick. Take control of what you eat.



Heres one review I found about it but decide for yourself. If you care about what you eat, this is a MUST read......

What should we have for dinner? The question has confronted us since man discovered fire, but according to Michael Pollan, the bestselling author of The Botany of Desire, how we answer it today, at the dawn of the twenty-first century, may well determine our very survival as a species. Should we eat a fast-food hamburger? Something organic? Or perhaps something we hunt, gather, or grow ourselves? The omnivore’s dilemma has returned with a vengeance, as the cornucopia of the modern American supermarket and fast-food outlet confronts us with a bewildering and treacherous food landscape. What’s at stake in our eating choices is not only our own and our children’s health, but the health of the environment that sustains life on earth.


In this groundbreaking book, one of America’s most fascinating, original, and elegant writers turns his own omnivorous mind to the seemingly straightforward question of what we should have for dinner. To find out, Pollan follows each of the food chains that sustain us—industrial food, organic or alternative food, and food we forage ourselves—from the source to a final meal, and in the process develops a definitive account of the American way of eating. His absorbing narrative takes us from Iowa cornfields to food-science laboratories, from feedlots and fast-food restaurants to organic farms and hunting grounds, always emphasizing our dynamic coevolutionary relationship with the handful of plant and animal species we depend on. Each time Pollan sits down to a meal, he deploys his unique blend of personal and investigative journalism to trace the origins of everything consumed, revealing what we unwittingly ingest and explaining how our taste for particular foods and flavors reflects our evolutionary inheritance.


The surprising answers Pollan offers to the simple question posed by this book have profound political, economic, psychological, and even moral implications for all of us. Beautifully written and thrillingly argued, The Omnivore’s Dilemma promises to change the way we think about the politics and pleasure of eating. For anyone who reads it, dinner will never again look, or taste, quite the same.

On being a chef.......................

The picture you see here is a professional one I had to have taken. I was working at a 4star champagne cellar restaurant in No. California. Around Mothers day one yr. a call was put out by the local paper doing a feature on mothers who are chefs. I was the lucky one chosen, my 15min. of fame had arrived. I had to have a professional picture done for the local stores that I would be doing cooking demos in. Sundays color section would list them all and make a feature issue. The picture would be in the stores and mall kiosks locally.

In the newspaper I was listed with several other well known women chefs in our area like Joyce Goldstein and Alice Waters. I was blown away. To be listed with these women was such an honor. I am no where near the caliber of chef that they are. I still have that newspaper magazine section and they gave me all the photos from one of the stores I demoed at . One hangs in my kitchen and one hangs in my parents house. My dad is so proud of that. He tells people all the time he talks to this famous chef he knows in CA. lol. Someone came to my house once tho and asked how could I have a picture of myself hanging in my kitchen. I told them why not? Other famous people have all their awards and such in their homes, why cant I? I'm very proud of that . I EARNED IT. Below you will find a slide show of some of the things Ive made that I remembered to take pictures of. Some are from work, some are from personal catering I did.

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1. The baby shower cake is a cake I made for my daughters shower yrs ago. It has a bassinet on it that is raised up above the cake like a real bassinet, in it is a baby and teddy made of frosting.

2. This is a baked brie with fruit and crackers tray I made for a party I catered.

3. This is a chocolate truffle cake. The top is made from something called chocolate plastic. Its edible chocolate plus some other ingredients that you can mold into shapes. This was a Christmas cake for a party I went to.

4. This was a cake I made for my church's anniversary. It is a full sheet carrot cake with ginger and cream cheese frosting.

5. These are deviled quail eggs with flying fish roe caviar that I made for a party I catered.

6. This is a picture taken of me doing a demo for the local garden club. The demo was on a basket made of a tomato with all sorts of veggies as garnishes and lunch meats. Basically it was a cobb salad done as a show piece. I was the Garde Manger for the restaurant and that was my job, all cold foods, salads, soups, homemade pates and sausages and all the banquet trays. I do chinese carving with those, if you have seen the apple turned into a swan thing that is so common then you have an idea of what I do.

7. This is just part of the kitchen I worked in. My station is on your right. While I did cold foods I also helped with the grill since it was right next to me.

8. This is a raspberry chocolate cheesecake. A gf of mine was going to a Valentines Day dessert party and couldn't cook. She asked me to make something yummy for her to bring. Ive also made this for a local coffee shop for sale.

9. This is just one of a few banquet trays Ive made. Look closely at the designs. All are made from fruit ,veggies or the local floral things found on the winery property.

10. This was an asparagus tray they had on the catering menu with dip.

11. This is my most favorite tray for a party. While I was setting it up in the tasting room where the party was being held someone came up to me with a camera and asked if they could take a picture of this. The woman said she was a caterer and thought that was one of the most beautiful trays she ever saw. Of course I said yes !

12. Another tray with watermelon being used as a vase for the local flowers on the property. That lil pig is actually smoked cheese.

13. This is a small wedding cake for a private party held for friends who got married at my home.

So now you know a little more about me and what I can do. I am no longer cooking professionally in a restaurant. I have arthritis in my feet and cant stand all those hrs anymore. But I still cater now and then and make things people request on occasion to help them out. One of the great things about this job was I was encouraged to experiment and play at their expense to come up with unique things for the menu. I am hoping to use some of that now to create some items for a shop I hope to open when I move up to Oregon. No, I haven't gone to culinary school, just the school of hard knocks. Ive been cooking since I was 10. When I wanted to go to school, I talked to my exec. chef and he asked me a few questions. Some were about techniques and some were if I knew how to make certain things. I told him yes I knew all that stuff. He told me culinary schools teach you to cook, you do not need that you know how. Told him but I want to be a chef. He said to me......You already are one and smiled. I love that man for saying that to me. Ive never forgotten.

So many have asked for recipes and such from me I decided to start a blog ..........so here it is.

WHAT DO YOU EAT FOR THANKSGIVING?

Every year we have almost the same things for Thanksgiving but many of my recipes were here, there and everywhere and when I needed them I couldn't find them all. Long ago I found this bound blank book and I started to put in all the family recipes. It works great, they cant fall out, and they are all in one place. I could throw away all those scraps of paper stuffed in the drawer or other books. The only ones I kept were ones written by family members who are no longer with us. Those are heirlooms, their handwriting and sometimes a story of how you got the recipe are worth keeping in a scrapbook or album.

Eventually I found some in other cookbooks too and when the holidays came I would go nuts trying to find them. So one crazy holiday I decided to leave those books out on my counter till the holiday was over. Then I took some time to go thru each one , writing that recipe in my family book. Now they were all in one place. I went one step farther too. There were some blank pages in the bound book at the back. I wrote my menu for each holiday on those so when the time came I could remember all that I needed to make and also make my shopping list. Now that I'm getting old here and CRS is kicking in its helped alot!

So this is what is written in that book for my Thanksgiving day dinner......

Turkey
Stuffing
Gravy
Mashed Potatoes
Corn Soup
Sweet Potatoes
Mom's Mushrooms
Cranberry Sauce
Caramelized onions
Peas
Brussels Sprouts
Cornmeal Rolls
Pumpkin Pie
Apple Pie

Over time of course things might change a bit. I now brine my turkey overnight and that's a new recipe Ive forgotten to add . I also now make that Apple Cider Pie I posted awhile back instead of a plain pie. Ive taken to making my own flavored cranberry sauces now....last yr I made cran/orange and cran/raspberry. I'm thinking about changing the soup this year and I might roast the brussels sprouts with garlic cuz they are so yummy that way. But this at least shows me what we always had and what the family will look for.

So what are your family Thanksgiving menu traditions?

Lunch is served!!!

I just thought Id tease you all today since I have the time to play. Im doing laundry. I made those Foccacia yesterday and felt like having some for lunch. Wasnt sure what I wanted to do with them , then I remembered one of my favorite chef lunches. I call them chef lunches because I didnt always have time to eat at work so I could make a plate of bread, cheeses, pates or other meats and fruit and nibble on them while I worked. I liked it so much it became one of my favorite bachelorette type meals too. Since Im no longer single I havent made it in ages. Today I did.

What you see there is a mixture of this yummy Fig Balsamic vinegar I bought up in Napa at Dean & Delucca awhile ago and of course good extra virgin olive oil. Next is a wonderful new cheese I found at the remodeled grocery store here. They are trying to make it more upscale and bring in new things. Its a cabernet wine soaked cheddar thats why it looks purple and its delicious. So since I only have apples in the house right now , I sliced some of those to go with it. Add the Focaccia to dip in the oil mix and its lunch!

*** I must tell you, these Foccacia are incredible with the Fig/oil mix. Heavenly!!