Panko crusted, deep fried duck livers & cracklin's with home grown Broccoli.

paired with Relax Cool Red
red riesling.

Homemade white chocolate chip and walnut cookies for dessert!

Well, after they clean the restrooms at school, sitting down to that nice looking dinner above looks good.

Oh wait! Poor people don't work . They have have no role models and don't know what work is. Never mind.

Rat on a stick...
Stir fried rat...
etc.
etc.

Spamspamspamspspspam baked beans and spam

Some folks throw away the livers and all that excess neck skin from a duck. Tonight I fried em' up.
From the neck and the rest of the giblets I made Vietnamese duck soup with cellophane noodles. With the drippings from the roast duck I'll make duck gravy and serve that with Mashed potatoes or biscuits,the meat picked off the carcass and the rest of the bones will go to make a little bit of stock for a creamy Duck and Broccoli soup.

Duck livers, huh?

The spousal unit and I were at a Chinese restaurant recently, relaxing over a drink and some appetizers, when the waiter brought a large covered tureen and placed it on the table. As we chatted, the lid of the tureen popped up about half an inch and we could see two beady little black eyes looking at us. At first we thought someone had added something to our cocktails, but a couple of minutes later it happened again.

We called the waiter and told him to watch. Sure enough, it happened a third time. The waiter asked what we order, and I told him chicken surprise. He blinked, then said, "I think I made the mistake. This is a Peking duck."

As I recall, rendered duck fat is supposed to be a gourmet version of chicken fat: Used in recipes to add flavor and to spread on bagels and such. Probably pretty good just spread on fresh biscuits like butter.

My wife and I went to my company's holiday party on Saturday: Chart House right on the beach in Cardiff-by-the-sea. Starters were coconut shrimp, chicken skewers with peanut sauce dip, and bruschetta.

The bruschetta was so good, I tried making some myself last night: I had sourdough toast, very good hothouse tomatoes, fresh red onion, and fresh garlic, but only dried basil. I think it would be much better with more fresh basil and less onion. The onion pretty much drowned out everything else. I'll have to try it again with some pesto spread on the toast and just a bit of minced green onion.

I've got two dozen sweet basil plants about a foot high, I'll soon be able to pick enough to make pesto. Good bruschetta is an art, and not one that I have mastered yet.
I just picked up a Depression Era cookbook and a Black American (Soulfood) Cookbook. I've already found the best bread pudding recipe ever in one of them.

This Depression Era cookbook?

Indulge in Frugality

Small sauteed chicken breast fillet, Italian wedding soup and a small salad. Zowie the Cocker Spaniel and Bobo the toy Poodle got the very last of the Thanksgiving turkey leftovers mixed in with their Science Diet canned food.

The cats, same thing they have every day, the only thing either of them will ever eat, Meow Mix.

Although Snowflake DID wander over to investigate the chicken fat and trimmings in the pan after dinner. But in the end, she just really wanted a few sniffs and a couple of laps. Then back to the Meow Mix. These are the first cats I've ever had that turn their nose up at people treats. Very strange!

Hey Jeff, is Bobo a chick magnet for you at the dog park?

Uhhhh Rick, (A) I think that might be a gay thing.

But if it isn't I would not remember because this is the first tiny dog I've ever had but then there's (B) the fact that it's actually Karen's doggie, and SHE carries him around wherever she goes.

So I'm-a thinkin he might actually be a dude magnet, for HER.
She doesn't realize how much she gets checked out sometimes.
She might be on wheels but that doesn't seem to stop a lot of guys from taking a second or even third (or fourth) look.

But thanky for the flowers anyway, this ruggedly handsome man has now gained sixty pounds from sitting in the editor chair far more than I'd like to.

Bobo is actually quite a homebody. He is such a wuss.
He's afraid of EVERYTHING!! One time Karen crumpled up a piece of paper to throw it in the trash, damn pooch nearly had a heart attack

"Bobo it's just a piece of paper!"
(dog is sitting there trembling in fear)

I think we got the runt of the litter, he has no intestinal fortitude, poor lil fella.

Zowie on the other hand is quite the social butterfly.
I could probably take HER to the doggie park and pick up a few strays.

But I don't Karen would be too thrilled at the idea

But anyway, this was our dinner tonight:


MEATLOAF:




No, not that,



but that's STILL MEATLOAF:

Open face roast duck and gravy sandwich. On homemade bread.

The cookie recipe on the Nestle's white chocolate chips is awesome!

Mmmmmm, meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and brown gravy. Or just meatloaf with catsup: That's some good eating, either way!

And I love a cold meatloaf slice on sourdough, with catsup & mayo, for lunch the next day.

I didn't know Nestle's even made white chocolate chips!

That's very good news, since I love a good chocolate chip cookie but my stomache acts up when I eat the real thing.

It's white chocolate chips and and walnuts or macadamia nuts. Poor folks use walnuts. The coconut doesn't add anything to the cookies. I recommend leaving it out. Unless someone in your household doesn't eat coconut, then by all means put it in so you don't have to share!

I'm not poor-just plain old middle class, but I had sesame soy chicken, snowpeas steamed with sliced mushrroms and water chestnuts, and fried rice. I had made extra rice the night before, and cooked this up in my wok. Mr. Scoutgal loves this type of dinner.

Poor like me love Ramen Noodle.

Duck? Couldn't do it... we had four ducks at WH for 5 years... family ducks... Racoon picked them off one at a time,3 of the 4 in five days. Sad days. Now, Turkey buzzards... that's serious FL food.

Peking duck?

BTW... the tomatoes in the first pic looked real... we haven't had a real tomato since August.

Dog... How'd the dog get in here? I can see fried cat, but not dog.

I only make one special dish... Turkey Soup (regular turkey)...
About 5 pounds of meat in two huge pots... and the whole neighborhood gets a share. Special ingredient... bouillon.

Today... our wonderful local Chinese Restaurant... elegant and with about 80 entree's. 40 desserts. Fresh Salmon, and almost all home cooked stuff... Mongolian Stir Fry, and great sushi.
Incredibly great food, AYCE but expensive... $5.76 and even more if you're not a senior.

I don't get a chance to talk recipes, but love to eat. Am a well know commonsewer of any food.

Greger... in FL, my favorite delicacy is gator balls. We had a catered cajun type dinner at our park that was great... the ladies wouldn't even look at the gator balls.

So much for this gastronome... Time for my cornflakes.

For potatoes we had Jeff's famous "American Fries".
No it's not some political thing. American Fries are just deep fried sliced potatoes, cooked till they're crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Is your stomach racist or something?

Q. Re: Wonder what the poor folks are eatin' tonight?

A. Hamburger Helper?

Probably not gourmet, or even good for you (chemicals), but this peasant thinks that it tastes good, especially with a vegetable (or two) on the side. I don't even read what's in it, because I don't want to know. However, if you're in a hurry or pushed for time, it's not bad. I usually eat fresh food and produce, and very little "processed" food, except flour and meat, but, if you're pressed for time and money, this stuff tastes good. They also have Hamburger Helper for tuna and chicken, which I've tried and they taste good. I don't know what Julia would say, but this peasant thinks that they taste pretty good.

Joe, I've been known to eat plenty of garbage in my day as well. At Sav-A-Lot I just picked up a pack of 8 frozen beef and bean Chimichangas for $2.99. I've been working on a re-model and have been too tired to do much cooking at suppertime. I just turn on the fryer and in a few minutes supper is ready.
But that hamburger helper stuff, if you'll take the time to read the package you just might find that there is nothing in it you don't already have in your pantry at home. Except the oddball preservatives and chemicals and guar gum(ground guar beans) and modified corn starch which are both used as thickeners.
Have you ever made mashed potatoes and Hamburger gravy?
It used to be a favorite of mine when I was a kid. Sort of a depression era Hamburger helper. An onion, chopped, a pound of hamburger, browned with the onion, add a couple tablespoons flour and stir it in to deglaze the pan, then add water or stock while stirring to make it into gravy.
Salt and pepper to taste and enjoy. Also good with noodles.

'

You should try Numan's personal "Canadian Fries"!
I use organic russet potatoes, well-washed, and leave the skins on. I cut them up so that they are somewhat thicker than regular french fries. I mix them with peanut oil so they are well-coated, lay them on a cookie-sheet, salt and pepper, and bake at 350º-400º Fahrenheit [Yes, I am ashamed to say that I use the crazy, antiquated measure in cooking---my one metric sin!]. Ten minutes on one side, take them out and turn them, five more minutes on the other side.

Not quite as good as gourmet french fries, but tasty, and a lot less fuss and muss.

Greger, growing up, my grandmother and mother made gravy with the drippings of any meat they cooked. They kept a gallon jar and collected bacon greese for use as a flavor enhancer. My grandmother canned everything. I still remember laying in bed and night and hearing the click of the lid in the old mason jars.

One of my favorites was Sand Plum preserves. Sand Plums were a common wild plant in Oklahoma, and we ate them through the summer time.

Another favorite of those times was "Rat Cheese." My grandparents, like a lot of the poor we knew, received commodities, consisting of surplus cheddar cheese, dried milk (I used this for years and still shudder at the thought of the yellow lumps floating in a glass blue water), and butter.

If you keep your fryer at the ready it is actually less fuss and muss as well as more energy efficient to fry. The oil will last for weeks if it's occasionally strained to remove impurities and never allowed to overheat.
But speaking of Gourmet Frog Eating Gun Dropper Fries. Emeril has this to say about The Perfect French Fry, there's a little more to it than just cutting the potato into batons and tossing them into hot oil. A little more trouble makes a world of difference.

Ozy, I render my own lard and keep it frozen for such times as I need it, primarily for pie crusts. I either use pan drippings for gravy with a meal or discard them. Duck fat is the one exception to that rule, not a drop of it ever goes to waste.
I think almost everyone kept that container of saved grease on hand back in the day when our parents remembered the Great Depression. My Ma used a coffee can, and used the grease from it for gravies and for frying. When it got full she threw it away. I use butter or olive oil normally to make a roux or even fry a few slices of bacon if I'm in a devil may care mood about healthy eating.

I guess I'm just eccentric (to put it politely): I don't much like fries that have a soft mashed-potato-like center and light yellow skin. I think the best french fries (by far) are the ones that get penetrated by the hot oil and are crispy brown well into the center. Sort of like the crispy part of an order of hash browns.

It's rare to find a place that cooks them that way, and even rarer to find a place that does it consistantly. I suspect most of the time I do get them that way, it is because the cook was busy and left them in the deep fryer "too long".

Not a bit: Soul Food, Mexican, Thai, Indian, Japanese, Chinese, and just about everything else is fine. Cocoa is my Kryptonite: I love chocolate (as dark as possible) but it gives me intense heartburn for several hours. I was taking Prilosec for about a year, but have found I don't ever need it if I just avoid anything containing cocoa. "White chocolate" seems fine, but of course it's not really chocolate.

I lost a whole flock of chickens two years ago. But I didn't stop eating chicken. Wild duck breast is far superior to the Pekin Ducks we can get at the supermarket, but much more difficult to obtain. But still. one taste of my roast duck might change your mind about that.


These are nothing more than Conch Fritters made with gator tail and a few additional Cajun spices, I recommend a Remoulade dipping sauce. Have you had Bang Bang Shrimp at The Bonefish Grill? To die for! and only $5 bucks on Wednesday night.

.
Au contraire mon frer! White chocolate is made with cocoa butter. It doesn't get more real than that.

Five Guys Burgers. You haven't had a good burger and fries if you haven't gone to Five Guys. Darn. Maybe I should send that to them as a slogan. Luckily for me the closest is about 40 miles away or I would weigh 400 pounds.

We have a Five Guys Burgers just down the street from where I live. But it doesn't come close to In-N-Out! That place is always crowded and has the best burgers always made from fresh(never frozen) ingredients. And Five Guys costs about 3 times as much. I don't go to In-N-Out much either. For the same reason that you cite here, Churl!

There is a Mom and Pop burger place near me that makes perfect french fries. thick cut, crispy on the outside soft on the inside, and you get a lot for the price. They have almost anything, from breakfast to dinner. Pretty cheap, and good, too. I love their patty melts, and you can even choose what kin d of cheese you like, too.

'
Considering that french fries are such a simple, unprepossessing food, I wonder why they are so popular. Does it boil down to a simple, atavistic anthropoid delight in fat, carbohydrate and salt?

I imagine texture must be involved, too.

It tastes good, and it's fast and easy when you're in a hurry. I hit the wall quite some time ago as far as fast food or junk food goes, but I was genuinely surprised how good HH tastes, especially when pushed for time. I just don't make a habit of using it more than once a week.
Yes, and just about any other kind that I got drippings from whatever I was roasting or frying. I'm also very fond of egg noodles and/or mashed potatoes, especially made with garlic and chicken broth. I suspect that food prices will skyrocket before too much longer, but- at least for now- you can eat reasonable good for not too much money. Sometimes for a late night snack, I boil some egg noodles in just enough chicken or beef broth to cook the noodles and absorb most of the liquid. I then add butter and/or soy sauce, and it just hits the spot. Hot pepper sauce also works well.

Numan~seriously, I think you're hypothesis is true! And I've cooked potatoes using your method, and it always comes out very well. In fact, it is my kids' favorite way to have their potatoes.

Fried eggs, yellow grits, pork jowl bacon and biscuits with butter and homemade peach preserves.
Sometimes breakfast for dinner hits the spot.
A cold front blew through today so I made Hot Cocoa for dessert. With Hershey's Special Dark dutched cocoa and fresh whipped cream.
Sorry, PIA, but there is a whole world of hot White Chocolate beverages you can experiment with if you miss this winter treat. My favorite of those has a shot of espresso in it which makes it more chocolaty without adding cocoa powder.

I'm not vegetarian. I like it with pork, although I suspect beef or chicken would do as well. Also, if you haven't used it, try basmati with it.

Basmati is Indian Rice, Joe. The Thai folks use Jasmine, I kind of agree with you though.
These gals would need to step it up a notch in the Thai place I worked. neither knife or chuan skills are very impressive. I bet the rice is to die for though.

Thai Fried rice

2-3 tablespoons oil
small handful julienned onion
cook onion, stirring with chuan til it begins to burn slightly
1/2teaspoon of minced garlic (careful it spatters)
1 cup cut up chicken, pork, beef shrimp etc.
Cook and stir
crack in an egg and stir
add ground Thai Pepper(cayenne) to taste
toss in chopped tomatoes, bok choy, whatever veggies suit your fancy. stir
add rice, add a tablespoon sugar, add a ladle of stir fry sauce
stir until blended
taste
add soy sauce, red pepper, sugar, or vinegar to balance flavors
stir
scoop out onto plate, shake on black pepper generously and garnish with sliced scallions.

For Pineapple Fried rice add about 8 chunks of pineapple with the veggies and a little pineapple juice. garnish with more pineapple.

Thanks for the recipe. I've never worked in a Thai restaurant, but I've eaten in a few. I realize that basmati is an Indian rice. I prefer basmati, which is why I suggested it. Besides Indian dishes, I serve it with my Mexican, Chinese, American dishes.

The lady is a street food vendor, much like the hot dog, pretzel, and other food vendors I once frequented years ago. I only wish that she had a cart next to one of them, because I would have enjoyed Thai food earlier. btw- is it just me or is it that you can't get a decent hot dog south of NYC?

But Greger and I am sure you know this-it is important that the rice be cooked hours (or a day) prior, cooled or refrigerated, and then added to the mix.

Otherwise one runs the risk of a sticky or gooey rice clump.

Thanks but no thanks Ken. Right out of the steamer, or whichever method you use is the best way to go. The rice gets glued together once it cools. Lumpy rice can be very frustrating when you are in a hurry. You've got to put down the chuan, grab a dinner fork and search through the fried rice for lumps. Customah no like lumps.

Like what you find in kitty litter?

'
I never have any problem with sticky rice---unless, of course, I want some sticky, glutinous rice for some delectable Chinese dish. It is absurdly easy to have cooked rice in which each grain keeps itself to itself. I always buy rice in 10 or 20 kilogram bags, and merely spend a minute swirling water through it and thoroughly washing it until the rinse water is clear, and the rice free of any rice dust.

Being as patriotic an American as I am, I used consistently to buy California or Texas long-grain Patna rice -- until I read some articles about American rice being more polluted with toxic chemicals than the rice from those little, poorly regulated Asian countries.

I imagine it is from growing it in land that for decades was asphixiated with toxins used in the cultivation of cotton.

Anyway, the Constitution is not a suicide pact, so I switched to rice from healthier countries.

I picked up a bag of sweet rice this week. Also called glutinous rice. It's used mostly to make Sticky Rice, a Thai dessert dish served with mango and a rich coconut cream sauce. Black Sticky Rice is another more nutty tasting dessert.

How do you think that it would work in rice pudding?

Sticky Rice is essentially "rice pudding" it's made with Coconut milk because Thai folks don't use dairy products. It's served with mango instead of raisins. I suspect that it would work very well with a typical western rice pudding recipe.

I love rice pudding! That Thai recipe sounds really good. Greger~do you have a recipe for that?

Thai Sticky Rice

2 cups Thai sweet rice(glutinous rice)
1 can good coconut milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
Fresh or frozen mango

In a microwave safe glass casserole. Cover rice with water and soak 10 minutes to half an hour. Drain off water until rice is barely covered, add 1/4 can of coconut milk. Cook covered in microwave on high for 10 minutes then let sit with lid on for ten more minutes.

In a saucepan warm the rest of the coconut milk, the salt and the brown sugar until brown sugar is melted.

Pour over rice, fluff with fork, serve with slices of fresh mango.

Alternately with frozen mango you can make a mango sauce with 2 cups of mango cubes, a can of coconut milk, 1/2 cup brown sugar. Bring this to a boil and add cornstarch mixed with water to thicken it.
Ladle this over servings of the sweetened Sticky rice


traditionally Sicky Rice is prepared in a straw hat in a spittoon. It looks like this:
Or it can be steamed in a muslin bag or a pillowcase. But the microwave beats the hell out of the traditional methods.

Thank you, Greger!

Greger, that looks really good. I like rice pudding, but only made it for myself once many years ago. I think it's time again. I'll try the sticky rice.

Here's an interesting option for what the po' folks could be eating...

Free food

Seems like it might be an evil Collectivist thing, though.

Now if someone can just show me how to grow cilantro successfully. Every year I plant it and it comes up bolting. So this year I am really really NOT going to try again. I just go to the grocery store and buy it when I need it.

Oh. Speaking of food, I've been meaning to post this:

I had an extra bag of cranberries in the fridge and wondered what to do with them. So I tossed them in a saucepan with a half or 3/4 cup of sugar, a finely cut up juice orange, and a big handful of diced pineapple. I cooked it until all the cranberries were popped open, let it cool, and tried to think of something to do with the concoction.

3.14159 + 2.7182818 = Pie

I prepared a pie crust, dotted it with Tbsp-sized globs of the concoction, and then poured around the globs a mixture of about a cup of sour cream, a cup of sugar, and 3-4 Tbsp of flour.

I didn't put a top crust on and baked the pie for 30 minutes at 375.

It was yummy. I had to use a spatula to fight off the kids until Peggy and I could have some for dessert.

You can try this with many fruits. I made one this AM that has strawberries all pointing upward out of the white filler, looks like little red mountains in the snow.

Just for what it's worth. Cranberries, like all other berries can simply be frozen. No special preparation, just toss 'em in the freezer. Unlike other berries though, the thawed cranberries are indistinguishable from fresh berries.
How do you make your crusts Churl? I do all butter but with an added 1/4 cup of freshly rendered lard.
I'd never considered a Cranberry pie, and don't really know if I'd make one. But adding a few cranberries to an apple pie might be interesting. I like my strawberry pies on a cookie crust.

Logtroll,
I think the municipal vegetable gardens are an excellent idea. Grass and flowers as well as most other ornamental landscaping are a complete waste of good soil. City workers and planners should get busy on this. A time may come when it's important.

Some of us in this high desert community (6000' elev, 15" annual rainfall) have been trying to get the town to do water harvesting using clever, but simple, stormwater runoff catchment techniques. Our rains often come in buckets but at wide temporal intervals. Our meager moisture is shed from the landscape from roofs and streets (with curbs and gutters, just to make sure it all leaves as quickly and efficiently as possible causing flooding and lots of erosion somewhere downstream). Meanwhile, we pay to pump water from deep underground up the hills to water sparse gardens (and friggin' lawns, if you can believe it).

Anyway, there are many small, dusty waste ground areas (including the yards of people who weren't as stupid as the lawn people) that could be irrigated by collecting water from roofs and letting runoff escape the streets through well-designed curb cuts, diverting it into rock mulched swales for deep percolation into the soil. Such places would make dandy neighborhood vegetable patches and reduce community water costs (coming and going) to boot!

The problem is in getting evil Collectivists to comprehend any issue that is more than 1mm deep, and in getting the Capitalists to allow anything to be free. And the Individualists are all a bunch of weirdos. Crikey!

Frankly, I don't know how we survive as a species. But I like to try to make the best of it when possible.

"How do you make your crusts Churl?"

I confess. I make a trip to the store and get the frozen ones. Thaw = prepare.

A Hot-Spicy Soup For Your Cold

Florida strawberries just came in to Aldi's. The best I've had in five years... ripe all the way through (red)... not like the white centers that taste like tofu. And $1.39 qt. even better.

Been thinking about best food... Turkey necks. Without a question. Out of the freshly cooked turkey.

Inexpensive?... How about shepherd's pie? Made with ground raccoon or possum.

Yeah, ground raccoon is far preferable to the tree variety.

Yes, if things get bad enough and there are always, unlike strawberries, seem to be enough of them around. During the last Great Depression, possum was a supplemental protein sources, and there is still a yearly festival honoring this noble critter for his contribution. I never had possum, but I hear that they're supposed to taste like chicken bacon. Squirrel is still popular in these parts, especially squirrel hash. Incidentally, turkey necks make a great turkey stock/broth.

Thanks for the link... I went to the magazine that features the festival... Possum Festival Magazine
Delightful!... especially the advertisers... Kentucky Fried etc.

In Illinois, we celebrate a different animal... the Burgoo!
Held in Utica, Il on Columbus Day each year... about 7 miles from my home.

that's a lot of dead ducks!!

I tried not to eat the duck livers but I was told if I didn't eat them it would be counted against me at state tax time. It took me a while to figure out the dead duck shuns were against me.

Gotta stop goin' to these eatin' sites...
leads to too much extra worry... Sugar Should Be Regulated As Toxin, Researchers Say



Just like cigarettes and alcohol...

Ya think?

Romney: "I'm Not Concerned About the Very Poor"

Shut it greger, Romney dont give a f*ck

Link

There must be a pork glut these days: My wife keeps buying spiral-cut hams at Costco, even though we have already polished off a couple over the last month. She says she can't resist because they are only 99 cents/pound.

Enjoy it while it lasts. Prices have been really good around here on pork loin, Boston butt, pork roast, center cut chops, ribs, and ham. The price of beef, however, keeps rising. Incidentally, I had pork vindaloo for dinner.

The "Poor Folks" are probably eatng better than my family, if today's visit to a new Walmart Super Store is any indicator ! We also noted selections in the grocery section seem biased toward Hispanic culture and whatever comprises "yuppie/yippie/youth tastes. Most unusual for this highly competitive market ! >Mech

Speaking of Walmart... Grocery Prices here are skyrocketing. We watch our food bill closely, and are finding that increases or reduced packaging/quantity/weight factors have added about 20% since October.

The fear that local merchants had when Walmart came in... that after Walmart owned the market, the prices would rise uncontrollably seems to be coming true. Our small town has lost two Major Markets (Jewel, Econofoods).

KMart, Target, Big Lots, The Dollar Tree, and even our Menard's and Rural King (like Lowes amd Tractor Supply) are selling food... but all at high prices.

What passes for Farmers' Market has prices beyond the reach of middle class. Lettuce @ $1.75/head, tomatoes @ $2.50/lb.,etc.
Organic be damned.

Even our local Aldi's and Sav a Lot prices have increased, but are still about 25% or more below Walmart.

Costco and Sams are too distant, and our quantity needs are less than offered anyway.

The strangest part is that no one seems to talk about these price increases.

Commodities and Energy... not subject to supply/demand.

Your thoughts on food prices?

I've always assumed that food prices were directly related to energy prices. Diesel fuel, both on and off road, electricity to process and keep food fresh, fertilizer requires a huge amount of energy both in mining and synthesizing. And good old corporate price gouging is always a factor too.
When the peasants are down...kick 'em.

Blessed Imolc everyone! I've been working on the feast for three days now. We'll start with a cheeseboard featuring a Spanish Manchego made from sheep's milk, a couple of Irish cheeses and a few other nice sampling of imported and domestic artisan cheeses, Some rugelach filled with ground sunflower seeds and Pecorino Romano cheese.
Then a rich lamb stew with Irish soda bread, next a salad of Spring greens with a papaya chutney dressing.
The entree will be lambchops with a balsamic citrus reduction sauce, neeps and tatties and Brussels sprouts. Afterward home made ice cream pecan pie or chocolate lava cake. I've also made some butterscotch pudding just in case someone hasn't got room for a large dessert.
Then perhaps a glass of port, or whiskey.

Food prices be damned, a good feast is not to be skimped on.

I made biscuits with sausage gravy for breakfast yesterday. It turned out very tasty. Mr. Scoutgal ate about half(I made 8 biscuits-NOT Pillsbury), I had two left over, so this morning, I reheated them, and had them with homemade blueberry jam and butter.

Do the neep and tatties donors complain? Ouch!

Greger~Could you please post your butterscotch pudding recipe here?

THat's Yellow Turnips(Rutabagas) and potatoes mashed together...

Scout, I just grabbed a pudding recipe from google. The one by David Lebovitz looked the best but I wasn't sure about putting whiskey in it so I went with Joy of Baking
Paula Dean's Molten Lava Cake recipe is to die for and easy to make.

Anything Paula makes is awesome. Her health is her business and she's always said to adjust her recipes for your own health needs.

Thanks, Greger!

Annette Larkins looks much younger than her years Watch the video! Wow! I'm almost tempted to pull my stuffed peppers from the oven. Almost.

I agree. Southern people been making something similar for years. Did anybody in the known world ever, ever think that Southern food was not fattening? I wish they'd leave Paula alone. You know they aren't saying a damn thing about Mr. Robbins of Baskin and Robbins having diabetes. Who gives a damn? If in this day and age people don't know that Twinkies might not be something you want to eat every day then I don't think the rest of us should help them.

That does it. I'm jonesing for grits and cathead biscuits for breakfast in the morning.

If you want them grits really Southern Style you'd serve 'em over or under a couple of eggs fried over easy in bacon grease. As I recall though, Mick, you're a vegan so you just eat 'em "poor folks style" without no eggs nor bacon.

I've just about got a vegan ice cream recipe worked out for my daughter. She can't have eggs or dairy. I'm liking it better than real ice cream.

Many moons ago, I stopped at a Waffle House outside Atlanta for breakfast. The waitress asked me if I wanted hash browns or grits with my eggs. "Grits, please!" I figured it was time to see what a grit looked like. Hey, sum-beach, I thought to myself when the waitress placed the plate in front of me, I've seen this before. Up north it's called polenta, and they charge you more for it. At any rate, I became a grits convert. I've had Hoover's Grits for breakfast the past two days. I use chicken broth instead of water and serve with butter.

Greger. I gave up vegan and am now Paleo. I missed meat so much I would lick meat packages at the store, this weekend I making Pig Candy with thick bacon.

Vegan ice cream? Soy or coconut base?

We will convert the world, one grit at a time. I'm glad you like it Joe. It's damn good isn't it. Cheese grits are also fantastic. Shrimp and grits are the staff of life.

Every other Sunday morning I drive to Asheville to donate platelets and plasma at the Red Cross and I started going to Waffle House for breakfast, because I loved their waffles and their grits. Then early one morning I watched as one of the cooks prepared a big batch of grits. It was perhaps a gallon in size, and he put a whole pound of butter in it!

So I stopped eating the grits as often. Then one day I was chatting with the people there and they mentioned they were out of half-and-half, and it was going to be a real problem. I asked why. Did you know that they make their regular waffles by mixing the dry waffle mixture with half-and-half?

So I switched to eating buttermilk waffles.

Then they took the buttermilk waffles off the menu.

Now when I go to Asheville I stop at Denny's where they have a senior fit omelet, egg whites, a small amount of cheese, mushrooms, onions, spinach, served alongside a bowl of fruit and a bowl of oatmeal.

Coconut and almond milk, with a banana added.
I'm getting some ice crystals in it though and need to up the fat content I think, either by reduction of the liquid and/or emulsifying almond butter or coconut oil into it.

I want to make a sugar free version for myself and will probably just add some high quality butter to mine.

Ted-There is no reason to add that much butter to grits. They probably do that in the restaurant to keep it from hardening. Normally it's cooked with no butter at all then served with a pat of butter, salt, and pepper. Or with a fried egg or two...all mashed together with your fork.

Not sure if I can honestly compare grits to polenta...!
I'm Italian and hail from the East Coast and now that I am in Texas I know what grits are.
The similarity stops abruptly just after the time you finish soaking them in water!

Italian Grits What part of Italy is your family from? I grew up in a predominantly Italian area where most were from the south or either Sicily. I was made an honorary Italian around 4th or 5th grade. However, there were some Italians from the north- we called them Germans. Polenta wasn't as popular a menu item as pasta or pizza, but was available. The Italian food was great! The Greek, Polish, Jewish, German, Hungarian, Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, etc. wasn't too bad, either. Talk about a melting pot- and it tasted good. I really enjoyed those Italian Church festivals. The sausage and pepper sandwiches, grinders, hoagies, submarines, heroes, etc. Close to heaven as I'll get.

The only appreciable difference that I noticed between polenta and grits is that polenta is ground finer and costs more. Grits with chili is also mighty fine.

Ted Remington. I only stop in every now and again at RR (I used to be around regular) and I can't remember what your "first" name was before you disclosed your real name.
Doesn't matter really...
But I have to say. What? You're going to Asheville and eating at Waffle House and Dennys? Cripe, man. Why?
This is a good eating place. Try Early Girl and several other places. Stone ground grits. Locally grown stuff with no additives. Good stuff.
Chains thrive on fat and grease and whatever.
Asheville is not a place to eat at a chain. That shocks me.

I can nearly promise you that the "healthy" eating at Denny's isn't really.
But then. I'm cynical and believe in eating locally grown organic and know what's in it.
Denny's healthy? Probably not.

Note to self. Send olyve and email off line to let her know someone has hacked her RR account and is posting in her name. Can't really be her. Although it does have that crazy, warped healthy eating "meme" about it . . .
Hmmm.

Oh, dang it! Just dumped my biscuits and gravy all over my keyboard! Dadgum bib mounted food tray they sold me at Denny's broke again!

olyve, if you want a good horseradish (other than grating your own), try FARMERS. It's genuinely good. They have a tamed down moderate version that is absolutely delicious. Perfect topping for a hard boiled egg. They also have the hot stuff, too, which I suspect will not only clear your nasal cavities, but also your frontal lobes. The local PIG carries it, so I suspect you can get it, too.

Olyve:

I agree wholeheartedly. But since I am retired the only time I can go to Asheville regularly for blood donations is early on Sunday mornings. NOTHING is open except the chains. Early Girl, which I like, opens at 9. Perhaps I will work to change my appt time to 11, but those slots are usually always filled by people with more "seniority" than I have. And I am currently standing at 83.5 gallons donated!

Every other day of the week I have to clean, cook, ride herd on two teenagers with ADHD, do the yard work, do the laundry, etc. Being retired is hard work!

But you did open my eyes, m'dear. As my M-I-L says, nothing beats a try like a failure. I've just been going with the flow, perhaps it's time to change the direction.

Thanks.

Logan, you doddering old fool!

Yes tis me! I just missed you so!!



But he's right, Ted. I do have a bit of a health thing going. I guess I have to start calling myself a "senior" too now that I'm in my 60s. I hate it though! That word I mean. I am glad to still be here.

I didn't mean to sound harsh, Ted. I just love Asheville and as I do here at home, I also really believe in shopping and eating locally. We have a wealth of good healthy eating options where I live too.
I do see your point and it sounds like you chose the right option considering the slimness of your options early on a Sunday morning. You'd be dealing with the tourist crowds too on a weekend.
I live about 3 1/2 hours south of you in Athens, Ga, a neat place too and we come to Asheville about twice a year to concerts generally. We stay at the Downtown Inn and walk everywhere we go.

Logan, as you well know, I am underinsured (though Affordable Care Act made that better....soon to go away of course) so at my age it is important to eat healthy and stay healthy! Government doesn't like people my age!



I'm semi retired. Yes it is!

Sorry for the off topics, mods.

It's just good to see you pass through Olyve, and you can go off topic all you want in a thread like this.

My Easter Dinner was Saturday night. Friday night at midnight I put a fresh 12 pound picnic ham in the oven at 200 degrees. It had a dry rub made up mostly of brown sugar with paprika and a variety of herbs and spices. It cooked all night long and most of the day. At 3:30 Saturday afternoon I turned oven down to 140 degrees, wrapped it in foil, and put it back in the oven until 8 that evening when it was time to "carve" it.
We started the meal with a salad from my garden, the appetizer was grilled portabello mushrooms, then seared Ahi tuna with thin slices of raw tuna. The principal course was the pulled pork with potatoes and green beans from my garden.
We finished with home made ice cream.

Wow... Hi Olyve...Missed you a lot...Y'all come back and see us heah? New guys... She's the sweetest and nicest and adds that kind of gentility to our sometimes rough edge chats.

............................................
Now on to Easter Ham... Greger... you ain'ta gonna like me...
9 lb, smoked butt. Oven @325degrees for 2 hours... then out and slobbered with Aldi's lite pancake syrup and fresh pineapple slices. Back into the oven uncovered for another 1/2 hour... Sliced then poured the syrup overflow on the slices.

I am the local HERO!!! (sadly the only spices we have are lemon pepper and beef boullion (if that's a spice?).

Perhaps next time I'll try Ham ala Gregoire!

PS... fresh veggies coming up if the dandelions cooperate.

We had our traditional Easter ham dinner, with homemade mac and cheese, tri-tip, au gratin potatoes, corn, green beans and rolls. We had birthday cake for dessert, because it was also my MIL's birthday. The mac and cheese is from an old southern cookbook that I had lying around, and had given to my daughter. I do not like mac and cheese. I did take one bite, because she worked so hard on it. It was a lovely holiday, with almost all of my family, so I am a happy camper.

and that's why we luv ya!

Awwww-thanks, Cousin It!

Remember when 30 seemed old?

Oh Gosh, shucks, It. Thanks for the kind words. *blush*
Sounding a bit suthern your own self these days. Handing around some of them in Florida, are you?

LOL. Joe, yes! I can (barely) remember when 30 was old. Sigh....
Strange itnit?
That said, 60 has really thrown me for a loop. Wow.
Like I said, I'm glad to be here but daummmmm.

Btw, thanks for the tip on that horseradish, I forgot to say. I think we DO still have a Piggly around here somewhere. I'll check it out. I love horseradish.

Y'all's Eastern dinners sound yummy!
I didn't need to find out ham has pink slime in it though. Ugh. No wonder I have a hard time eating meat anymore!

What are poor people eating?
Cheap American food that is full of fat, sugar and salt.
Beans and rice and yes grits would be good without all the "enhanced" taste. We need to relearn how to eat the plain basic stuff.

olyve, there are two ages: You're either too young or too old.

I love horseradish, too. This stuff is good. I doubt that just Piggly Wiggly carries it. Check around. I'm sure that your market can order it. It's good.

Hamburger Helper.

Hamburger Helper.

Shudder!

Not to be mixing threads but, have you ever tried Hamburger Helper with pink slime? Mmm, mmm, good!

Or, squirrel? Hmmmmmm, squirrel...

Squirrel is pretty tough. It's best used to make a broth for soup or stew. It should be slowly simmered with root vegetables and herbs. The meat can then be stripped from the bones minced and used to make "Squirrel Helper" with some of the broth, or better yet, Squirrel Gravy to serve over sweet potatoes.

Squirrel hash is the featured dish in these parts. A number of these good ol' boys grew up hunting, including squirrels. If they didn't get that squirrel, no lunch. There are a lot of very good shots around here.