Slight Deviation

As indicated by the title, this post is not about food, but about other things I have prepared. I have successfully made my own fire ant bait, laundry detergent, and most recently, dishwasher detergent.

I have been trying to make my own cleaning products in an effort to save some money and feel good about knowing the ingredients.

I did a half batch of this recipe:
http://m.fabulesslyfrugal.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Ffabulesslyfrugal.com%2F2012%2F02%2Fhomemade-dishwasher-detergent-for-06-a-load-picture-tutorial.html&dm_redirected=true#1210

I was quite pleasantly surprised. My glasses came out very clear and shiny. Just ignore the disorder of my dishes. I would recommend this, though.

If you happen to have any successful cleaning recipes, I'd love to hear about them.

Success!

I apologize for my lack of update. I endeavor to improve.

Good news! A little idea that had been floating around in my mind finally got a trial run with great success!

I used a muffin pan with aluminum cupcake foils, and I layered jiffy corn muffins, bacon bits, canned veggies, mashed potatoes, and smoked Gouda for a play on shepherd's pie. Not completely original since it was inspired by an episode of cupcake wars, but it was a successful dinner.

It's a little difficult sculpting all of it in cupcake form, but it was pretty. For simplicity's sake, in the future, I may just layer it in a 9x9 pan if I don't feel like putting forth the extra effort. We'll see. I'm looking forward to varying it, though.

Anyone else had any successful experiments lately?

Veg

I make chili pretty frequently, especially with the cold and rainy weather we've been having lately. The best part about it is it freezes and reheats beautifully.

My 'homemade' chili consists of several cans of beans and tomatoes, seasonings, and protein of some sort. This time, I branched out and went for a vegetarian tofu chili. It was lovely. It was dinner tonight and will be dinner a couple of other nights in the near future, too.

I had a thought (which probably isn't that novel to more experienced folks): what if I made a chili with egg, greens, onion... More a breakfast-y chili... Hmmm... Experiment in the making. I like chili over an omelette. We'll see. I'll let you know.

Cookies

I haven't done much cooking the last several days because I hadn't been to the grocery store, and then I was out of town.

Upon my return, though, the request came for peanut butter cookies. They're so basic, but I think the last time I made them was when I was about eight years old. It was long past time.

Well, I got a recipe out of a church cookbook my grandma (mom's side) gave me. It was called 'Cooking to the Glory of God.' I used the second recipe I found in there because I didn't have everything the first called for, and then I decided it couldn't hurt to add a couple tablespoons of nutella.

The end result was delicious, but I continue to be a poor judge of cookie expansion. I always end up with at least a few square ones that have run into the edge of the sheet or into each other. Tips to remedy this are appreciated.

Happy New Year

Well, between Christmas and the new year, I've become quite adept at making 'leftover soup.'  Most of it has been comprised of turkey, ham, carrots, and turnip greens.  I'm actually looking forward to repeating it outside of the holidays (though just ham and greens in broth with a touch of vinegar and spices).  I just need a break from it for now.

It's been a little bit since my last post.  I'd intended to write on New Year's Day, but I was hit with a very nasty little stomach bug New Year's Eve, and today was the first day since that I've felt 100%.  I decided to do a little extra working out, which my muscles may complain loudly about in the morning, but as one who really loves food, it would be a bad idea to neglect the exercise.  Anyone else working out so they can eat? Just curious.

Anyway, I have really been wanting some good fried pickles.  Zaxby's left a heck of a lot to be desired.  My favorites were at a place called Sesame in Charleston.  They are fantastic, especially with the horseradish mustard dipping sauce!  Yum!  That stuff will clear your sinuses.

Since I wasn't sure where to look for a good recipe, I did a random online search.  Here's the one I tried: http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1836,147183-252194,00.html

I only did a half batch as a sample, I cooked it in olive oil (since that's what I had), and I added an egg since it definitely didn't form a batter.  My husband liked the spice, but it was too salty, and the coating was uneven.  I'm thinking I'll try again, but here's what I'll change: egg yolk only, no whites; pat the pickles dry before coating (maybe dust a little flour); less salt; double the beer; cook in canola oil.

Any other suggestions or recommendations are greatly appreciated.  I hardly ate any fried food as a kid, and it's one of my problem areas.

A Sigh of Relief

I have taken a couple of days off after a large Christmas. I think I've recovered. We'll see. I can say that it was the first large meal I've done where everything turned out right. Yay!

After having some meals of leftovers, we've eaten out a little. We went into Greenville yesterday for lupper (lunch/supper), and we'd originally intended to go to Handi (drool), but sadly, they were closed for the afternoon.

Not to be discouraged, we decided to try somewhere new. We went to a place called Cantinflas, which seemed like the food would be good, as it advertised "mexican/vegetarian cuisine." We couldn't get served there. We went in with our toddler, and we had to find our own high chair. We got drinks, but then we waited another 15 or 20 minutes, and we still didn't have our food order taken. The restaurant wasn't busy at all, and we were passed by many times. At that point, we left money for the drinks and went in search of something else.

We finally ended up at Wild Wing Cafe. I'm not much for chains if I can help it, but I understand that they're successful for a reason. I had a decent burger and fries.

With all the eating out, my husband's little eating out neurosis was brought to my attention. He absolutely will not order the same dish as someone else at the table. If we want the same thing, one of us will have to settle for something else. I don't understand it, but I know I have my own quirks. Anybody else with something like that? Just curious.

Aack!

I have had a whirlwind of a day!

It's Christmas Eve, and the rest of the company has arrived.  I started cleaning the house and cooking as soon as I was up with my son at 7, and I haven't stopped until now.

I think if I were to list everything I've cooked and am going to cook for Christmas, it would either look like a) a grocery list, b) a cookbook, or c) something that is way too tedious for the average American.  Instead, I'd like to offer up something I threw together when I didn't want to go to the grocery store and have repeated a couple of times because my husband loved it so much:

On a hamburger bun (whole wheat):
dijon mustard (Publix Greenwise)
extra sharp cheddar sliced (Kerrygold black label imported)
a heated veggie patty (Morningstar veggie or chicken patty)
a fried egg
*If the cheese isn't melted by the heat from the egg and patty, nuke it for about 30 seconds once assembled.

The things in parentheses are just the things that I used.  You can, of course choose your own favorites.  If you decide to experiment with this, I'd love to hear about it.