WEDNESDAY: What's Cookin'? 6/13/18

[cooktocook]

Good morning.  Starting us off---

Lori

[cooktocook]

Per our morning news, today is National Cucumber Day and Kitchen Klutzes of America Day--a day that honors those that like to cook and like to be in the kitchen but it just doesn't seem to work out well for them.  I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a few disappointments in the kitchen over the years, esp. when I first started baking and cooking when young, but nothing that would qualify as a total disaster.  Wonder if those that ate my early creations would agree?  LOL

Getting ready to run over to Wal Mart.  When I was there earlier this week I had to leave the store before I could pick up the few items I needed as it was so uncomfortable inside.  Everyone was complaining that it was hot and fanning themselves.  One little older lady working there said to me to please go home and call the 1-800 number to report it.  I did and I hope it helped as I really felt bad for the people working in the store.

Dinner tonight will be tacos.

Waving to all.

Lori

[nancycooksnj]

Good morning friends.

Well happy National Kitchen Klutzs of America Day! That's a new one for me Lori.

Tacos, chicken enchiladas and mac and cheese tonight.

Enjoy your day.

Nancy

[wilderness]

Good morning. 55 this morning and sunny. We are to have T showers all day today. Some may be severe. Yesterday with the heat all I managed to do was get the last 2 dozen tomato plants in the ground and staked. It took me all day. It only got to 78 but I felt like I was in a sauna. There was a good breeze but out of the south west and very warm. I think I spent more time resting that I did working.

Not sure about today. First thing I need to make a little trip and pay my fine. That will take about an hour. I want to get out and back before the storms start. Tonight I have a Lions' board meeting. It isn't until 7 and I hate going anywhere at that time of night.

Lori, there are days when I think I am a member of Klutz Day in the Kitchen.

Have a great day.

Bet

[nybirder]

Ah, yes. Memories of some interesting kitchen experiences. My mother's spice cake recipe is a very old one. The first time I made it back when I was in high school, I followed her typed recipe card to the letter. Now, I was taking typing in school and knew that 11/2 meant eleven half-cups of flour (I was also taking math) so I very carefully measured the equivalent of 5 1/2 cups of flour. Well . . . that was one really dense cake! And my mother learned that one and one-half is typed 1 1/2! LOL! I learned to check with her first before I made one of her recipes from a card.

I am not good in the heat at all. By afternoon, I am ready for a siesta--a wonderful invention but an afternoon nap doesn't do much for my productivity!

I have been enjoying my Instant Pot. Making potato salad for myself is a breeze--cut red potatoes with the skin on into salad-sized pieces, put them in a steamer basket over a cup of water, pop an egg right from the fridge on top, and set the pot for 5 minutes. When it is done, a quick release, pop the egg into a bowl of cold water to chill quickly, and then all of it goes in the refrigerator. Takes about 15 minutes including getting the pot up to pressure. Love it!

I may have to try cooking something from frozen some time. It isn't dangerous like it is in a slow cooker since the temperature goes up so quickly and so high. You can't do anything really thick like a roast, though. The only thing I would miss is getting a nice browned sear on the meat before cooking it. Considering how often I make up my mind about what I want for supper late in the day, though, it is tempting.

Have a good one, all.

Birdy

[marjo]

Lori I think all of us have had times when things did not turn out like planned. Just yesterday I made two new dishes and sent both home with Chuck. I am concerned about one of them but he won't tell me if it is bad or not. He appreciates the cooking but I want to be good to share. The one dish I will do differently next time and see if it turns out or not.

It is suppose to get really warm again. All that just means more storms a coming. It is dead still out there this morning.

Bet that is all I get done every day is work and stop to rest the old back. Some days I don't get much done unless I take lots of Extra strength Tylenol and don't like to that.

Chuck just called me and said the chicken dish was very good and so was tapioca pudding. He would not tell me if it was bad!!!

Better get to doing something around here. Have a great day everyone!!

Marlene

[cooktocook]

Birdy, thank you, you made me laugh with your story (loved it!) about your mother's spice cake recipe.  After reading your post, I was trying to catch up on some newspapers I put aside last month, one section being the local food and wine pages that come out weekly.  I laughed again when I read the title of one of the articles--Rule No. 1: read the recipe, Rule No. 2: read it again.  The article went on to say that it may sound excessive or even obsessive, but totally worth the time and effort.  On a related note...when younger, one of my problems was not double checking ahead of time if I have all the necessary ingredients to make the recipe.  After a few times of having to stop and run to the store mid-way through whatever it was I was making, I learned the hard way--I pull all my ingredients out before I start, opening containers if necessary, to make sure I have what is needed and the amount needed.

Bet and Marlene, yes I bet most of us, chefs included,  can say we've been a klutze in the kitchen a time or two in our life.

Disappointed in my Wal Mart trip earlier this morning since I found the store to be hot inside once again (not to mention they didn't have what I wanted).  I don't shop in Wal Mart often, but I've decided I won't be going back anytime soon unless we happen to get freezing temperatures outside.  It was a sweat box early in the day and can only imagine how it must heat up even more during the day.

Need to go clean my recipes off the dining room table and file them back where they belong.

Lori    

[tamaralynn]

Hello, this time from Texas. We made it back home around 9 last night. I stayed up late, then slept in. I just had a sandwich with DH, and have spent the rest of the morning getting unpacked, trying to make some sense of order in here. I did make some "ham" salad with DS Monday night (we use bologna) and everyone seemed to love it, even the kids. We finished up most of the leftovers.

I realized that I missed the appointment to get the girl dog groomed, so called them, apologized and rescheduled.

I got a call from Crystal that Helen needed to go to town so she called to see if I could drive her. So, rather than work on laundry and other mundane things, I am going to town with my favorite 91 year old!

I am thawing out some hamburger and am thinking of doing a meat loaf. Not sure of sides, but I do have a few small red potatoes. Also it looks like there are about 100 cherry tomatoes that need picking!

Hoping that everyone enjoys the day.

[annrms]

Afternoon, friends! Clouds and humidity have moved in this afternoon. Doesn't look as if we will be lucky enough to get aria, though. DH is in the kitchen chopping Italian peppers to make pickled peppers. Before he took over, I made a shredded Brussels sprouts Greek salad (my invention) to go with spanakopita waffles and grilled lamb/turkey meatloaf.
Tammy - Glad you got home OK. I love "ham" salad, too!
Lori - I just read an article in an email I got this morning about the worst grocery stores in the nation. Walmart was classified as the worst!! Stop & Shop also was on the list. I was very surprised to see Aldi. I like that store and get good food there. LINK
Birdy - That was such a funny "oops"! I made a pear quick bread one time that I could have used as a door stop! No idea what I did wrong, but it went right into the trash!
Marlene - I can't imagine that anything you cook could be considered "bad" with your experience. Everything you describe sounds so good!
Bet - Hope the severe storms stay away from your area. I don't like going out at night, either.
Nancy - NH is offering a free taco at Taco Bell today! Your dinner sounds great!
Tasty - I posted a few meatloaf recipes. Another one I make is a stuffed one with mushrooms, roasted peppers, ham, salami, provolone, and Swiss. I've been making that since 1974. I call it "Company's Coming Meatloaf". You just make a basic meatloaf, flatten it into a rectangle on HD foil. Place filling ingredients on 1/2 (leaving a 1-inch border of the rectangle free for sealing and fold the other part on top to make a turnover using the foil as an aid. Seal it really well so the cheese doesn't leak out. Bake 350° about an hour. Let it cool and refrigerate overnight. Slice the next day and eat cold or nuke. We love it with a baked potato and a salad. I make a 3 pound one and freeze portions.
Time to see to the waffles! Enjoy the evening! Waving.

[cfniervt]

Well quite a day here for me. Something bit me and I am having a very adverse allergic reaction. Just got back from the clinic. Hives all up and down my arm. Itches like crazy. Burns worse! Very large red welts all over me! I feel like one big itch! I have cream on it now and will b going home to take benedryl and sleep!

Chris

[helen]

I had a late lunch with friends this afternoon. I had never been to a "Connors" before and it was quite good. Guess I'll just be having a bowl of sherbet later. I hear thunder in the background so maybe we'll get a little rain yet today. I didn't get to the library for the pile of requested books that are now waiting for me. I haven't been able to read for some time now. Hope something in this stack will spark my interest. I have some little repairs around the house I have been putting off but am now looking for a handyman to take care of them. Whatever happened to handymen? Seems everyone is a specialist nowadays. Sweet dreams.

[emr]

Lori, I agree, I have certainly had my "kitchen klutz" days but fortunately that is not every day! I'm thinking of one day in particular when I was baking, and I dropped a 5-lb sack of flour on the floor. And it was open. Fortunately, it landed right side up -- but that resulted in a spectacular "poof" of flour that covered everything in my kitchen! I like to never got that cleaned up.

Mexican for dinner after choir practice tonight -- the little place near our church where we went has a "quesadilla lite" special that I really enjoy. 2 small quesadillas, one filled with sauteed spinach and the other with sauteed mushrooms, and just a bit of cheese. Refried beans on the side. That was good.

Chris, yikes on the reaction! I hope you get some relief from that soon. Hives are miserable.

Helen, I hope you find a good book that you can relax with and enjoy. 

Bet, we've had cooler weather this week (for June) -- only in the 80s. Back to the 90s by the weekend.

Birdy, LOL at your spice cake story! I bet it was dense!

Nancy, your dinner sounds good. I like both those things.

Marlene, I'm like the others -- I can't imagine anything other than good stuff coming out of your kitchen.

Tammy, sounds like a good decision to go to town with Helen. I hope I'm still out having fun when I'm 91!

Ann, that meatloaf sounds delicious.

Well, I need to get things ready for tomorrow. Have a good evening, everyone ~ 

[Tasty]

It's Wednesday so that means no cooking for me.

It was a good day with a trip to the eye doctor this morning and golf and supper with friends this afternoon.  After that, we went back to one lady's house for dessert 😊

A nice way to end the day.

Chris - hope you're feeling better.

I'll be back to chat tomorrow 🙋