I just changed the setting for comments – it had, by default, been set to let only registered blogspot users comment. Now, providing I did things correctly, anyone can comment on my posts.

Now, if I can just get myself to write here regularly again…..

I just added a link to a page listing some of my favorite cookbooks, etc. Speaking of which, I tried another Rachael Ray recipe this evening. Chicken, spinach, and herb burgers. REALLY good! I only used a pound of ground chicken and adjusted the ingredients down and replaced the fresh basil with dried. Also, I only had a few shitake mushrooms on hand rather than the 2o button mushrooms called for to make the topping, but I just used them and reduced the garlic and oil amounts. I also didn’t have swiss cheese, but I had some gorgonzola (spelling??) on hand and that worked fine! My husband suggested using pita pockets next time because, being so juicy, using bread was a bit unwieldy, although, if I had buns or english muffins instead of whole wheat toast available, that might have helped! Not sure if I’d like the texture of a pita pocket with this, though…But I’ll try it next time.

I wonder if anyone is reading this blog? Just having it out here is getting me to write on a fairly regular basis. A pseudo audience, if you will. But, it would be fun to share cooking ideas with folks. Well, see what happens.

No time to cook tonight (off to choir practice this evening and still need to catch up on the daily tasks for the business after a LONG day of more depreciation adjustments…) but the pork chops came out great last night.

I steamed some frozen skinny green beans from Trader Joes and put some of the pan sauce on them, too, when I served. I left the potatoes as is, since they were slightly crunchy and had enough butter in/on them already. All in all, a good meal, and it looked pretty, too. Good thing I had the four potatoes and two apples (and that was all the potatoes and apples I had). And, I always make sure to have onions and garlic around. Although, I guess I would have otherwise served rice and made a pinapple pan sauce since I always have rice and a can of pineapple around.
Anway – nothing fancy tonight. Although, the frozen lasagna (I forget the brand at the moment) has no trans fats and has very reasonable levels of fat, calories, and salt. Could be worse. 🙂 At least I can make a fresh salad to go with it.

Okay, maybe I should have precooked the apples, too…. Not really, they are just adding about 5- minutes to the deal as they cook down. After removing the chops, I added a bit more olive oil and sauted, covered, the onion and garlic for a few minutes until soft. Then added the apples and the stock, and just a little apple juice, too, maybe 1/4 cup. All is cooking away right now, covered.

Then, once the apples are pretty mushy, I’ll add a little cornstarch desolved in cold water (1 tsp to a T of water) and let it thicken. Then I’ll remove the sauce and saute the potatoes until a bit crisp. I nuked them for 3 more minutes just to make sure they wouldn’t take too long.

Pork chops were at around 150 degrees when I removed them from the pan and covered with foil to sit for a bit. Two pork chops, a little over an inch thick.

So, you think this is hard to follow? Wait until I try to write up the recipe!

Luckily, I have a I level of tolerence for repetative tasks. Upon learning more about depreciation via the GAAS method, I am adjusting my depreciation entries from January 2003. The “bank” books, not the tax MACRES records! Anyway, Steve (my husband) is hungry and needs to eat between pouring cement all afternoon and doing finishing work on it later tonight.
Good thing I had defrosted some thick bone-in pork chops! I’ve rubbed them with kosher salt and pepper, and will saute them in a bit of olive oil til done, remove and keep warm, and make some kind of pan sauce and potato thing.
I have already sliced thin (thank you, food processor) four small Yukon Golds, and peeled and sliced thin two apples. (I hate to peel apples, but I don’t have time to cook them long enough to really soften the skin this time.) I have a BIG clove of garlic ready to be crushed and a small onion halved and sliced thin. And, a 1/2 cup of chicken stock.

I pre-cooked the potatoes (great tip from Cooks Illustrated) by melting a T of butter in a bowl in the microwave, and cooking the potatoe slices 6 minutes on high after tossing them in the butter. I tossed them at the 3 minute mark, too.

So, see what happens….

The chicken soup came out great last night. I added brown rice so I had to simmer longer than usual, but the bacon really added to the flavor. Today I do bookkeeping, so no food experiements today. Hopefully no number experiments, either. …

A while ago, I figured out that adding a can of white beans to chicken soup was a great way to fill it out if there was not much chicken left on the carcass.

But right now, I am creating what just might be my best version. I save the carcass from a 4 or so pound chicken that I roasted in the freezer, and when the mood strikes me, I pressure cook it for 20 minutes or so with whatever leftover fresh veggie scraps I have in the freezer. (If I’ve used my veggies for a veggie stock, I use the proverbial carrot, onion, celery, and a few cloves of garlic – and a bay leaf all in with the chicken)

Anyway – I had swiss chard, brocoli, kale, and shitake mushroom scraps, and added carrot, celery, onion, garlic and a bay leaf. Came out great!

Then, after picking the chicken bones I got about a cup of tiny pieces of chicken. So, of course, I will be adding the white beans. And, a brainstorm….I have two slices of raw bacon wrapped up in the freezer. I zapped them in the microwave for 5 minutes, chopped it up, and added it after I add carrots, celery, and cabbage (first time using cabbage in chicken soup). Added a little salt, a few whole garlic cloves, fresh ground pepper, and a little dried rosemary, oregano, and basil, and it is already fabulous!

I’ll be adding the can of beans, the chicken, and fresh parsley and some bits of kale green I salvaged from the kale I had frozen to add green stuff in a few minutes. I think the little bit of bacon is going add a really deep richness to the flavor – unexpected but compatible. I hope!

Well, next time I post, I’ll say how it came out. Always an experiement.

Probably nothing new to most cooks, but found a good tip online for broiling sausages. Cover the bottom of the broiler pan with water. Mine took 3 cups. Makes for crispy sausages.

Oh geez, I need to get a new battery for my laptop so I can have it in the kitchen when I am cooking, otherwise I may not write as much here as I envisioned…

So, now I start the writing process as I gear up to writing a cookbook… And, if I never get it together for a cookbook, I will at least have a venue in which to write. I do love to write. And, perhaps I’ll hook up with other folks who love to cook via this blog.

I do love to cook, and greatly enjoy trying out new recipes and creating my own. Or adapting recipes based on my (or my husband’s) personal taste or on whatever the heck I have on hand to substitute!

Right now, I am waiting for turkey tenderloins to finish cooking. I got them on sale and they were 1 lb. each rather than the 8 oz called for in many recipes. I cut them in half to make 4 1/2 lb pieces and did a stuffed with spinach and feta thing. I was amazed that the filling did not fall out while I browned them before baking. I guess I cut the pockets right…

I was a vegetarian for years – and even when not, seldom cooked meat. But, I got married (for the first time) in 2003 at age 44 – so I have been learning how to cook more meat dishes.

I made homemade rice pilaf, too. Note to self: be sure to remember which prep work is for which recipe! I put the 1/2 cup chicken stock for the turkey in the rice while sauting instead of a few tablespoons. Rice is a bit soggy… But, I then decided to use apple juice as the menstrum for the turkey basting. I think that will turn out well. A bit of sugar in the apple juice seems to be creating a glaze.

Time to go see if the turkey is done. My oven is flaky and I don’t trust my oven thermometer, either. I even seem to have trouble with my new digital quick-read one…I get paranoid about undercooked meat, poultry, etc. Okay – time to check the oven!