Bites & Pieces: Easy-Peasy Crusty Artisan Bread

Posted on January 26, 2013 by okiegirl

French Onion Soup a la Alton Brown

I always thought that making French onion soup would be difficult until I saw this episode of Good Eats (and then got the cookbook).  But this is really, really simple also.  I’ve found that I need to use an electric skillet for this, as it’s difficult to get a burner down low enough, but other than that it’s a snap.

5  lbs   onions (I like to use a mix of sweet and red, just don’t use all hot onions)

3  Tbs   butter

3  tsp   kosher salt

2  cups white wine

3 cups beef consumme or homemade beef broth (use good stuff)

2 cups chicken broth

1 bouquet garni

1 loaf  Mike’s bread (or other good, fairly dense, bread)

1 splash Cognac (optional. . . but it won’t taste the same without it)

4 oz   Fontina, Gruyere, or other melting cheese

  1. Turn electric skillet (12″ skillet) to 250, or place a 4-qt sauce pan over low heat.  Peel the onions, cut them end-to-end and then slice into thin half moons.  Melt the butter in the skillet, then add the onions in three layers, salting each layer with about 1 tsp of the salt.
  2. Sweat the onions for 15 – 20 minutes without stirring (don’t let them sizzle or brown).  Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for about an hour, or until they’re mahogany colored and reduced to about 2 cups.
  3. Add just enough wine to cover the onions, then turn the heat up to 375 (high) and cook until the wine is reduced to a syrupy consistency.  Add the beef consumme, chicken broth, and bouquet garni, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
  4. Set an oven rack in the top third of the oven and set the broiler to high.  Cut out rounds of bread to fit into the top of your soup crocks, place the rounds on a sheet pan and place under the broiler until they just start to brown (about 1 minute).
  5. Season the soup with salt and pepper and the cognac (if using) and ladle into the crocks.  Place the rounds, toasted side down, on top of the soup and cover with the cheese.
  6. Broil until the cheese is bubbly and golden.
  7. Enjoy!

–Michigoose

No Knead Bread (a la Mark Bitman)

This is a nice crusty bread. Since you bake it in a covered pot, there is no need to spray/brush with water to harden the crust. It takes some time to rise because there is so little yeast. If you use 1 packet of yeast (1/4 oz), you can cut the first proofing time to 4 hours.

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting

¼ teaspoon instant yeast

1¼ teaspoons salt

Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Yield: One 1½-pound loaf.

–Mike

Mark’s pretty EZ and rich cream of mushroom soup.

For 8 big bowls of cream of mushroom soup, first make about a quart of clear vegetable broth.
2 carrots
1/2 red onion
3 celery stalks
3 sprigs of flat-leaf parsley
1/2 tspn thyme
1/2 tspn ginger
2 cloves of garlic
5 coriander seeds [you could use something else here or nothing if you don’t like coriander]
5 black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1/2 tbsp sea salt
4 cups of filtered or distilled water, unless your tap water has no off flavor.

Wash and cut veggies into big chunks and place in a large pot. Add everything. Cover and bring to a full boil. Reduce the heat and gently simmer until all the vegetables are beginning to fall apart / 30 min. Strain the mess to get the clear stock. Let the stock cool.

For the cream of mushroom soup we need 2 lbs of cremini mushrooms or baby bellas, not whites.
1 Tbsp lemon juice
half a stick of unsalted butter
3 chopped green onions
1 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tspn salt
1/2 tspn pepper
4 cups heavy cream
4 cups veggie stock
a little tapioca flour to thicken at end
parsley for garnish

Coarse chop the mushrooms with the lemon juice in the food processor. Melt the butter in a big skillet and saute the chopped green onions until they are limp and the white parts are translucent. Dump in the mushrooms, thyme, and bay leaf and saute on low medium for 15 minutes.

Have the veggie stock and the cream slightly simmering in a big pot on the next burner. Dump the mushroom mix into the cream and stock mix. Add salt and pepper. Simmer for ten minutes, and only use the tapioca starch [or cornstarch] if you think it needs thickening. Stay away from flour here it changes the flavor, IMO.

Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with parsley.

Filed under: Bites and Pieces | Tagged: | 7 Comments »

Bites & Pieces: Open Thanksgiving Thread

Posted on November 17, 2012 by okiegirl

Today has been all about cranberries for me.  I’ve made and canned both cranberry chutney and cranberry salsa.  The chutney is a great condiment with Thanksgiving turkey, or for that matter with almost any other meat.  The salsa is an unusual treat if your tastebuds  like tart.

I’m way pumped about Thanksgiving (I’ve posted before that Thanksgiving is THE holiday in my family), but I really can’t do my other food assignments this far in advance.  My big flurry of activity will be next week.  Sigh, still experimenting with baked apple recipes.  Does anybody recommend a particularly good cinnamon?  I’m planning to visit the spice store on Monday.

What are everybody’s plans for the holiday?  And who has some good recipes to share?

Cranberry Chutney*

 Ingredients

  • 6 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, (1 1/2 pounds)
  • 2 cups raspberries and/or chopped apples
  • 2 shallots, minced
  • 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups red-wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
  • 2 tablespoons whole mustard seeds
  • 1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest
  • 1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
  • 2 teaspoons salt

Preparation

Combine all ingredients except tender fruits or berries, e.g., raspberries, in a large saucepan; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring often, until the cranberries have broken down and the mixture has thickened somewhat, 10 to 15 minutes.  When reduced to a simmer, add tender fruits or berries.  Let cool completely. Ladle the chutney into clean jars and refrigerate.

Nutrition

Per tablespoon : 35 Calories; 0 g Fat; 0 g Sat; 0 g Mono; 0 mg Cholesterol; 9 g Carbohydrates; 0 g Protein; 1 g Fiber; 58 mg Sodium; 15 mg Potassium

Exchanges: 1/2 other carbohydrate

 Makes about 5 C.  Refrigerate chutney in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

* Source:  Modified from www.eatingwell.com

Vickie’s Cranberry Salsa**

Ingredients

1 pkg fresh cranberries, chopped (use food processor)

1 8-oz can crushed pineapple, drained

2/3 cup sugar

2 T finely chopped onion

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

¼ t salt

¼ t fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)

Preparation

Combine all ingredients in large bowl.  Cover and chill for 2 hours to let flavors blend.  Store in refrigerator in jars.

**Source:  Physical therapist clinician in Oklahoma.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Brent’s Turkey on the Grill

Turkey in the Weber Kettle: While this will not work with stuffing inside the bird, and you won’t get gravy from it, the turkey comes out juicy and there is a great smoky flavor.  The best part is that it frees up the kitchen for other stuff.

Here is how we do it.  Basically the recipe from Weber.

Turkey preparation is easy – take out the neck and giblets ad.  Rub the outside with olive oil and then sprinkle with kosher salt and coarse black pepper.

Put a foil pan from the supermarket in the center of the grill. Put around 20 briquettes of charcoal on each side and light.  Be sure to place the grate such that the spaces on each side are over the charcoal.  Take a paper towel and pour some olive oil on it and oil the grate.  Once the coals are gray, put the turkey on the grate and place the cover over the grill.  Open the vents.  Add 8 briquettes per side every 45 minutes until the turkey is done (180 degrees in the thigh).  You should have a nice crispy skin, with a tender, smoky inside.

Spiced Cranberry Sauce with Zinfandel

I once had an open-minded Mormon ask me for this recipe when I assured him that most of the alcohol cooks off.  You’ve inspired me to make if for our Thanksgiving feast this year, okie!

  • 1 3/4 cups Zinfandel
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
  • 6 whole cloves
  • 6 whole allspice
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 1 3X1-inch strip orange peel
  • 1 12-oz bag cranberries

Combine all ingredients except cranberries in medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.  Reduce heat and simmer until reduced to 1 3/4 cups, about 10 minutes.  Strain syrup into large saucepan.  Add cranberries to syrup and cook over medium heat until berries burst, about 6 minutes.  Cool.  Transfer sauce to medium bowl.  Cover and refrigerate until cold.  Can be made up to 1 week ahead.  Keep refrigerated.  Makes about 3 cups.

–Michigoose

Betty Crocker’s Very Basic Stuffing

You remember that cookbook I told you about?  This is the stuffing recipe from it, and it’s still my favorite.  I add more sage than the recipe calls for, but other than that haven’t changed a thing.

  • 2 loaves of bread, cubed
  • 1 cup butter
  • 3/4 cup finely minced onion
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped celery (leaves and stalks)
  • 2 tbl salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1 tbl sage

Use 2  – 4 day old bread and cut off the crusts.  Melt the butter in a large heavy skillet, then add the onion and cook until yellow, stirring occasionally.  Stir in some of the bread to soak up the butter, then turn into a bowl and mix with the rest of the ingredients.  Add turkey broth to desired moistness; at this point you can either stuff the turkey or cover and cook in a 350 degree oven.

–Michigoose

MiA’s annual TG contribution – I think I posted here last year – but here it is:

Mark’s Apple Cranberry Currant Pie

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 1 1/2 hours, plus at least 1 hour to cool
MAKES: 8 [adult male or teenager] servings

1/4 cup Gran Marnier [or brandy, if you are short on the good stuff]
1/4 cup currants [look like tiny raisins – you could use raisins in a pinch but they are not the same]
1 cup fresh [or thawed frozen] cranberries [I find fresh make a tarter pie – I am OK with tart]
About 3/4 cup granulated FRUCTOSE [a lot of apple pie recipes call for a cup or more of sugar – fructose is sweeter and way lower on the glycemic index]
1/2 cup tapioca flour [I never use cornstarch in a fruit pie]
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 oz 1/2+1/2
6 cups sliced/chopped Granny Smith apples [about 2 1/4 lb]. I like the skin on for this pie – it’s more “rustic”.
2×9-inch pie pastry shells – I either make my own or buy really great shells at Central Market. When I make my own it is in no way unusual.

1. In a small bowl, combine Gran Marnier and currants. Cover and let stand until currants are plump, at least 1 hour. [Sometimes I cheat and do not soak this long. No biggie. The plumpness of currants is mainly a texture deal]

2. Chop/slice apples, skin on, using a mix of techniques for slices and chunks. If there will be a delay between prep and oven, put the 6 cups of apples in a big bowl and add a little OJ to keep them from browning. LATER YOU MUST THOROUGHLY DRAIN AND PAT DRY THE APPLES! My grandmother taught me the OJ instead of lemon juice trick about 52 years ago.

3. Sort cranberries and discard any that are bruised or decayed. Rinse and drain berries.

4. In a large bowl, mix fructose, tapioca flour, nutmeg, and salt. With a slotted spoon, lift currants from Gran Marnier ; reserve Gran Marnier. Add currants, cranberries, and chopped apples to fructose mixture and mix well. Taste and add more fructose if desired. Pour filling into unbaked pie pastry in pan. Cut hole pattern in top crust. Mix 1/2+1/2 with reserved Gran Marnier and cinnamon and brush liberally on pie crust. Carefully braid foil around pie’s edge to keep pie from from crisping-burning on crust edge that overlaps the pan during baking. [Later, pass off the tiny pieces of foil that some guest finds in the crust edge as “healthy mineral”. :-)]

5. Bake on the bottom rack of a 375° oven until juices bubble around edges and through top holes, 55 to 65 minutes. If pie browns too quickly – check after 30 minutes – cover loosely with foil.

6. Set pie, uncovered, on a rack until cool to touch, at least 1 hour.

Two Contributions by the Fairlington Blade

Mushroom Thyme Gravy

Note: this came from the Food52 website. Good enough that I didn’t bother bringing out the regular gravy. That’s all for me. Muahahahaha

1/3 cup dried mushrooms
2 cups vegetable stock
3 tablespoons butter
1 ½ tablespoon minced shallot
3 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons soy sauce
½ cup light cream
1 tablespoon sherry
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
salt & pepper

1. Bring vegetable stock to a boil. In a small bowl pour stock over mushrooms. Let soak for 20 minutes.
2. Remove mushrooms from bowl, setting the stock aside for later. Mince or thinly slice the mushrooms.
3. In a medium saucepan melt the butter. Add the minced shallot and saute for 5 minutes over medium heat until softened.
4. Add the flour to the butter/shallot mixture stirring constantly. Cook for a 2 minutes.
5. Gradually add the reserved vegetable stock, atirring well to incorporate. Cook over medium heat until thickened.
6. Add the reserved mushrooms, soy sauce, cream, sherry & thyme. Cook for a few more minutes until heated through and thickened to desired consistency. Season to taste with salt & pepper.

Roasted Beets with Grapefruit Glaze

The glaze is sourced from Mollie Katzen’s Vegetable Dishes I Can’t Live Without. I prefer using bunches of beets with the greens still attached. This is a particularly colorful dish if you use a few different colors.

2 – 3 pounds of beets
2 large pink grapefruit
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon cornstarch or arrowroot

1. Spray small roasting pan or bread pan with vegetable oil (or toss beets with vegetable oil). Rinse beets, cut off leaves (but leave stem on), and put in pan. Cover with aluminum foil and put in 350 degree oven for about an hour. The cooking time depends upon the size.
2. Take out the beets and let them cool. Remove skins with your hands. Cut into 1 inch chunks. Set aside.
3. Juice grapefruit and strain to get one cup of juice.
4. Add maple syrup and vinegar to juice
5. Put cornstarch in a small saucepan over medium heat. Gradually add juice mixture and cook until thickened.
6. Combine beets with glaze. If using multicolored beets, keep them separate and then add everything together when serving.

Filed under: Bites and Pieces, Thanksgiving | 27 Comments »

[A Woefully Inadequate] Saturday Football Thread (Week 9)

Posted on October 27, 2012 by okiegirl

Ah, apparently Michi is not posting a football thread, and apparently I did not fully credit how much I enjoyed them.  Not sure which teams need to be tracked here, but if everybody would insert their teams into the post it would be appreciated.  For the ones I know about:

Not to play favorites, I think the top game this week is ND at OU.  It should be quite a game, although I don’t really get the spread (OU by 12) unless the perception is that Jones is getting in the groove at qb and the offense finally is gelling for OU.  Boomer Sooner!

UT is at KS.  KS is living by itself in the Big 12 cellar, so have to assume UT was favored but don’t have a spread.  KS was ahead much of the game but UT pulled it out in the last minute 21-17.  Tough year for the Horns.  Mark, any insight on what’s going on here?

MSU is at #25 WI (spread WI by 5.5).  Michi, this could be a big win for your guys.

USF hosts Syracuse this evening (spread USF by 3).  Mike, is this “your” team?

BYU will play soon at GT (spread GT by 2.5).

osu is favored by 1.5 at PSU.  Hope I’m wrong, but I think this one might be a snoozer.

#22 Michigan is at NE (spread NE by 1).  This might be a pretty good game.

Not sure who among us is an MN fan, but they host Purdue which is favored by 2.

In some other Top 25 games, #2 FL at #10 GA (spread FL by 6.5) and #14 Texas Tech at #3 Kansas State (spread KSU by 7.5) might be worth a watch.  And of course unbeatens #11 Miss St at #1 AL (spread Bama by 22.5); don’t think Miss St is the one destined to pull off the upset.

So who did I miss?

And who has a World Series report?

Filed under: Football | 10 Comments »

3rd (and final) Presidential Debate — Foreign Policy

Posted on October 22, 2012 by okiegirl

Thoughts?

Filed under: 2012, Debates | 19 Comments »

Another Female Bites the Dust at ATiM (Gee, there’s a surprise)

Posted on October 17, 2012 by okiegirl

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Another liberal female is quitting ATiM. (And there never were any conservative females here, so that makes it pretty misogynist.) Hooray! Michi is the only one left.

Aren’t you guys really proud? Heh.

Filed under: administrative | 45 Comments »

John/BannedAgain’s Post on Paul Ryan

Posted on August 11, 2012 by okiegirl

The Ryan you see today is not the man who for years has appeared as a guest on CNBC. That guy was a “moderate”, nuts and bolts on facts and figures, a charismatic wonk if you will. However not at all, ideologically speaking, on the side of the budget that now bears his name Here’s what I think happened.

The GOP in 2006-08 was an old party, especially in the national leadership, people in their 60s and older. It was full of politicians who had cut their teeth in the Reagan years. The back to back defeats damaged the brand so to speak and paved the way for the sea change that occurred in 2010. Suddenly, much more suddenly than men like Boehner were expecting I’m sure, the GOP was younger, angrier, more ideological and conservative.

As in any civil war, everybody has to choose sides. Ryan being a politician first and a wonk second, chose to run with the upcoming big dogs of his own generation as it were, rather than stay a moderate. He capped this off by putting his name on a budget that was a terrible mistake, because it was another one of those “symbolic” pieces of legislation that had no possibility of passage and which are by their very nature works of faith , not reason.

He’s stuck with the “Ryan budget” now in which the numbers don’t work, but which he’ll have to defend. It’s probably career suicide for him

Incidentally and hopefully the same sea change is about to occur for the Dems in 2014-16. They are an exceptionally old party at the leadership level, notwithstanding the president. Men and women who came to the fore in the Clinton years and who are now in their 60s and 70s. In the next two elections, all the Reids, Bidens, Clintons, Hoyers, Dingells Levins and Rangells will retire or be swept out by a younger generation of Dems, hungrier, more combative, more liberal in a watershed move.

May we all live in interesting times.

Posted on behalf of bannedagain because he doesn’t have the capability of creating a post himself, which is his own damn fault.

Filed under: 2012, Republican Party | Tagged: | 146 Comments »

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Posted on August 11, 2012 by okiegirl

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MARK!

Hahahahaha, somebody older than me! Here are a few tidbits we’ve probably all seen before with a few variations.

How many do you remember?

Candy cigarettes with the “Red” tip.
Wax coke-shaped bottles with colored sugar water inside.
Soda pop machines that dispensed glass bottles.
Coffee shops and diners with tableside jukeboxes.
Blackjack, Clove and Teaberry chewing gum.
Home milk delivery in glass bottles, with cardboard stoppers.
Cream that separated, and rose up out of the milk bottle in the winter.
Telephone numbers with a word prefix, (WEbster 3-5803).
Rotary-dial telephones, and Party lines.
Newsreels before the movie.
Double-features at the neighborhood movie theater.
Walking to your neighborhood school.
Barber Shops with the red/white striped pole outside.
P. F. Flyers.
Butch wax.
Peashooters.
Hi-fi’s, 78, 33, and 45-RPM Records.
S&H Green Stamps.
Metal ice cube trays with levers.
Mimeograph paper.
“Blue” flash bulbs.
Beanie and Cecil.
Spin and Marty.
Howdy Doody.
Roller skate keys.
Cork pop guns.
Gum wrapper chains.
Drive-in movies.
Drive-in restaurants.
Car-hops, bell-hops, and sock-hops.
Outhouses.
Studebaker and Hudson automobiles.
Automobiles with Running-Boards.
Wash tub wringers.
Laundry that was hung outdoors to dry.
The Fuller Brush man.
Brylcreem.
Sitting around the radio, listening to your favorite program, like Sgt. Preston, or The Lone Ranger.
Princess Summer-Fall-Winter-Spring, Dilly-Dally, and Flub-a-Dub.
Paper “cut-out” dolls with paper clothes.
Reel-to-reel tape recorders.
Tinkertoys, and Lincoln Logs.
Fort Apache.
The Erector Set, and the individual who invented it.
The Marx “Super Circus” Playset.
15 cent McDonald’s hamburgers…. and no inside seating.
5 cent packs of baseball cards…with that awful pink slab of bubblegum.
“Push-Ups”, and Dreamsicles.
Penny candy, and penny loafer shoes.
The little wooden spoon that came with cups of ice cream.
29 cent-a-gallon gasoline.
Saddle Shoes, poodle skirts, and crinoline petticoats.
“Nellybelle”
Tom Corbitt – Space Cadet.
The “Cisco Kid” and “Have Gun, Will Travel”

And A Time When…

Decisions were made by going “eeny-meeny-miney-mo.”
Mistakes were corrected by simply exclaiming, “Do over!”
“Race issue” meant arguing about who ran the fastest.
Catching fireflies could happily occupy an entire summer evening.
Summer days were spent playing “Cowboys and Indians”.
It wasn’t odd to have two or three “best” friends.
The worst thing you could catch from the opposite sex was cooties.
Sex was a gender description, not a subject discussed in public.
Victoria’s secret had something to do with the Queen of England.
Having a weapon in school meant being caught with a slingshot.
A foot of snow was a dream come true.
Saturday morning cartoons weren’t 30-minute ads for action figures.
A Sunday drive in the country meant seeing lots of farms and animals.
“Oly-oly-oxen-free” made perfect sense.
Your friendly neighborhood policeman walked his beat.
It was perfectly safe to walk home alone at night.
Trick-or-Treat was in the evening, without your parents along.
Spinning around, getting dizzy, and falling down was cause for giggles.
The worst embarrassment was being picked last for a team.
War was a card game.
Space stations, laser guns and journeys to the moon were found only in comic books.
There were no HMO’s, and Doctors actually made house calls.
Color TV’s and Walkmans were non-existent.
“Pot” was a utensil used for cooking.
Water balloons were the ultimate weapon.
Baseball cards in the spokes transformed any bike into a motorcycle.
Taking drugs meant orange-flavored chewable aspirin.

And, Mark, I leave this with something for you to look forward to:

WHAT IS SUCCESS?

It Depends…

At age 4, success is not peeing in your pants
At age 16, success is “gettin’ a little”
At age 25, success is graduation and a wedding
At age 35, success is about career and family
At age 55, success is about graduations and weddings
At age 65, success is “gettin’ a little”
At age 90, success is not peeing in your pants

 

Mark, hope you’re having your best birthday yet with many more to come.

Filed under: Birthdays | 10 Comments »

Discussion: Balancing the Budget

Posted on July 21, 2012 by okiegirl

This is not going to be a deep, thoughtful post.  I’m more looking for discussion and people’s general thoughts about it.  It is engendered by reading some links jnc posted not long ago and by some comments by john on PL today.  (Hahahaha, john, you certainly got the point of my comment.  I usually bail when that one shows up.)

 

For a start, I think balancing the budget is the beginning point before moving on to tackle the deficit.  Given my leftist leanings, I would like to see that occur with the least disruption to the middle class and to the social safety net as possible – which for me means starting with cuts to defense, raising taxes on everybody (yup, my own self included) at least temporarily, finding some way to deal with rising healthcare costs.

 

What are your thoughts in general?

Filed under: budget | 33 Comments »

I LOVE THIS COUNTRY

Posted on July 3, 2012 by okiegirl

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY TO ATiM.

But beware the new immigration policy set to go into effect soon.  I blame Obama.  Mark, lms and I should be very afraid.

Filed under: 4th of July | Tagged: | 20 Comments »

Saturday Bites & Pieces: Southern Comfort

Posted on June 30, 2012 by okiegirl

I’m baaaack!  There has not been time yet to catch up on all the ATiM posts and comments, but at a glance you certainly had some interesting discussions that I very much look forward to reading more thoroughly.  Thanks to all of you for that gift.

Mexico was fabulous, although I only got out of the resort for one excursion so unfortunately don’t feel like I experienced any of the local culture.  The food at the resort was plentiful but IMHO so-so in quality, with a few notable seafood exceptions, and obviously off-the-charts in sodium content.  So I’m happy to get back to my regular low-sodium diet, and this recipe is both quite healthy and very low sodium (fairly rare on both counts for a “comfort food”).

While shopping today at my local farmers market, I was overwhelmed by the gorgeous and inexpensive produce.  I wanted everything, so it took some self-discipline not to buy too much.  The local okra is coming in plentifully, and it inspired me to make one of my favorite southern-style comfort foods.  I love okra.  If this summer is as hot as last summer, I’m sure it will be another bumper crop.  I grew up eating a version of this (proportionately much more chicken) served over grits, but it’s just as good or better served over rice.  The original recipe (for the below, not for what I grew up eating) calls for twice the amount of chicken and half the amount of okra I’ve included below, but my modification lowers the calorie and fat content significantly.  If you are not particularly fond of okra, you probably would still like this in the original proportions or you could substitute squash or another veggie for the okra.  I hope you’ll give it a try.

FB, this is another “one-pot” meal (except for the grits or rice), but I have no idea if your boys will eat okra, especially considering the texture issues many people have with okra.  And it takes at most 30 minutes to prep and cook.

CHICKEN WITH OKRA AND TOMATOES

Makes 2 servings, 1 ½ cups each

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels

4 ounces boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch chunks

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon paprika

Pinch of cayenne pepper, or to taste

1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, preferably no salt added

2 cups fresh or frozen sliced or chopped okra

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/8 teaspoon salt

Preparation

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and corn and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned and softened, about 4 minutes. Add chicken and cook, stirring often, until browned, about 2 minutes.  (The chicken just needs to be browned, not cooked through because it will be cooked later.) Add garlic, paprika and cayenne and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and okra. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add pepper and salt.

Nutrition

Per serving: 175 Calories; 4 g Fat (1 g Sat); 33 mg Cholesterol; 23 g Carbohydrates (8 g Sugar, 6 g Fiber); 13 g Protein; 173 mg Sodium

P.S.  I STILL  l.o.v.e  the Thunder.  They had a great year.

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Old Fashioned Sweet Cherry Conserves

From The Joy of Cooking, 75th Anniversary Edition

Makes enough for about eight 1/2-pint jars

  1. Wash and cut 2 oranges into very thin slices, discarding any seeds.
  2. Barely cover with water in a large saucepan, about 1/4 cup, and cook until  very tender.
  3. Wash, stem, pit (see Note below) and add 1 quart cherries.
  4. Add 6 tablespoons bottled lemon juice, 3 1/2 cups sugar, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 6 wholes cloves tied in a cheesecloth bag.
  5. Simmer the conserves, stirring frequently until thick and clear.
  6. Discard the spice bag and ladle the hot conserves into hot 1/2-pint jars, leaving 1/4-inch of headroom.  Process for 15 minutes.

Note:  To pit the cherries, I treat them like olives.  First put on an old t-shirt (one that you use for painting would work well), then take the cherries, a chef’s knife, and a cutting board outside to an area that will clean up easily (a pool deck is probably perfect).  Using the flat side of the blade, whack a couple of cherries at a time and remove the pit(s).  Once all of the cherries are pitted, go back inside and finish the conserves.

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