Hubby Appreciation

At work today, I found out my Hubbs had to use a personal day to deal with our kitchen sink drain. I remember him crawling into bed around 4 am last night. He had been cleaning the floors, fixing the sink, and painting the back of the house.

I decided he deserved a good comforting meal, featuring Publix fried chicken and apple pie! A carb filled dinner is permitted tonight.

Above: Breaded okra

Frozen chopped okra ( I used half a bag)

1/2 cup flour

1 egg

1/4 cup water

Pinch of coriander

1/8 teaspoon ea of black pepper, paprika, and garlic powder

Heat oil ( 1/2 cup) in a pan on medium

beat egg and water

Mix flour and seasonings

Dip okra in flour mix, shake around and shake off excess

Drop okra into egg mix

Using a fork, drop okra back into flour mix and shake

Using tongs drop in oil and fry until golden brown, turning once to fry all sides.

Enjoy!

I found a Louisiana chicken fry mix in my cupboard, but MSG was listed in the ingredients. This stuff knocks me out! Making your own breading is so simple and easy. I feel good knowing I'm feeding my family wholesome food. I feel good knowing that I won't pass out after dinner!

Fancy Cheese

All my efforts to save money at the grocery store by couponing, bo-go-ing, and portioning remain futile when I see the cheese case. I went to the store for three dollar oats and spent twelve dollars on fancy cheese. This espresso cheese by Sartori is so good I once ate a whole wedge for lunch and dinner. I love the crunch of the rind, and the subsequent pick me up. Maybe I should have it for breakfast.

Fancy cheese, you are my weakness.

Sea Turtle cupcakes

Two days off, and this what happens. I make two dozen (plus three that I "tasted")  sea turtle cupcakes for a work event. I hope these kiddies like this party favor. They were more time consuming than I realized. Thank goodness, I had this time off! I got the idea from here: http://family.go.com/food/recipe-852443-squirt-happy-turtlecakes-t/ and the originals look like this.

These are obviously the most perfect three out of like, six dozen, but hey, handmade has a certain quality, eh?

Here are some tips of what I found to be helpful:
-Get a sharp knife to cut the candies into pieces. You must use wintergreen slices, which are pretty hard to find at Target. CVS or Walgreens seemed to always have them. It was pretty hard to find only green or only red gumdrops, so I bought several bags of assorted, and picked out the colors. I ended up wasting more candy than anyone could eat.
-Stick a toothpick or skewer in the side of the gummy drop head and dip the point of the mini chocolate chip in white frosting. Stick the pointy part of the chip into the hole so it stays in place, and press the flat side so it goes in. The frosting "white" of the eye tends to get messy, so wipe around it.
-Not sure why, but I made Angel Food cupcakes. The candy is too top heavy for angel food, so make a real cupcake!
-Since I made these ahead of time due to my work schedule, I froze them, which moistened the sugar on the candy too much.

Update: the kids loved them, although they left blue haired. Ooops. Looking back on it, I probably wouldn't have used conventional food coloring. White frosting looks fine, but if you like color, here is a link for natural blue food coloring via Whole New Mom. The color won't be a vivid blue, but really, that blue looks too artificial to eat.

Automatic y'all

Not bad, Aldi.

Wanna know our secret for saving money on groceries? Coupons, no, this is Florida and no one doubles. It never quite works out and I usually end up leaving the store with two boxes of brand name cookies that I never buy. I've probably said this before, but Aldi is super cheap for surprisingly good quality. I hope there is one in your neighborhood because I always hope the best for people.

Just make sure you have a case quarter.

So on the way from Aldi is The Flamingo Road Nursery's Farmers market. It's like a a mini Fresh Market. This is where I get bread,  milk and Boar's Head meats. They also have cage free farm fresh eggs. No offense, Aldi, but I still don't trust you on these items. I've seen too many documentaries and I've become more particular with age. But it's perfect, because it's on the same road (and they have samples)!

Last time I was there I stocked up on "Southern peaches." I wouldn't touch California peaches with a ten foot pole. It's not a southern thing, but a fruit thing. See for yourself.

Also, the sample guy was surprised that I answered his question of "What are going to cook tonight," with "squash casserole." Everyone else had said they were juicing for dinner. Sorry, dude, but I like to cook, and I get a self-serving sense of satisfaction from watching my husband eat. The South Beach diet can wait. It's not as fun watching him suck up dinner through a straw.


And it was a good casserole. (The Weaver D's recipe, here, but less butter/lard.) Automatic y'all!

Btw, that was a southern thing.

Green eggs & waffles

I believe every holiday is an opportunity to color your food.

Happy St. Patrick's day. Enjoy pics of our breakfast.

 Green eggs look terrible, so I ate them with my eyes closed.

This Hubbs is one lucky man. I hooked up another picnic breakfast. Today's high is 71, whoooo! And for tomorrow's Fat Baby Cookout (will post about that tomorrow) the high will be 80. WHOOOO!!

And I'm a lucky wife.

I reminded myself of this last night as we were watching The Notebook. Every couple should watch this once in a while. I spent the night sobbing and clutching him tight with all four limbs, and vowing to love him forever and to be more sweet and less Tasmanian Devil. Its a fictional story, but it works.

Food by the Hubbs: Tinola

I've made a Filipino of him.

Truthfully, the credit should go to my mom. She's a much better cook, who inspires Shawn to re-created the dishes she makes for us. In fact, on our last visit, the mister was pretty giddy on the ride down, thinking about all her delicious meals. I mean, I feel kinda bad that I don't feed him like this. Sometimes I don't make enough food, and he gets up after dinner and starts going through the cupboards for snacks.

It took me a while to realize this:
Cooking for two is really cooking for three. Especially if one of those two is a man.

Anyway, last week he made Tinola (Tinolang manok), a soupy dish characterized by its chicken, ginger, and green papaya or chayote. He'd been craving it since he first had it. At first I wouldn't let him make it, since I was going to be at work that day. I told him, You can't make it it without me. It's just not right! For some reason, I felt like there had to be a Filipino present? I don't know? Weird, right?

Then I realized how sweet it was that he loves the food of my peeps. And that it's just food.

So he made it. It was delicious. (Not as good as mommy's.)The ginger makes it an excellent choice if you're nursing a cold.

Her recipe is our secret but you can try this book:

The Philippine Cookbook, page 73.                                             Get it on Amazon here.

Recap: Thanksgiving 2010, and more Food!

Thanksgiving this year was easy, breezy, and intimate. Shawn, Mom Whitmire, and our friend Brah decided to go out to eat. Wasn't feeling the planning and the clean-up this year. Dinner at Printworks bistro was yummy. I always love eating there for the food and the furniture.
Dinner was followed by a movie and relaxation. Perfect.

A couple of days before a few friends and I gathered for an early Thanksgiving meal, before people go their separate ways for the actual holiday. A Fakesgiving, if you will. Fakesvinging was coined by friend Lindsay's Kansas City friends, so I must give them credit for this awesome tradition. One of her friends' makes a turkey of of Rice Krispies, which is one best idea ever! I love food that resembles other food! I marvel annually over her pics. This year I decided to make one.
Presenting:

My Crispy Speckled Hen!

made with Cocoa Pebbles & Crispy Rice

This platter was a gift from a friend :)

The spread also included Chrissy's tasty glazed ham, deviled eggs and my favorite side dish, hash brown casserole. And wine, of course.

We didn't make a big deal out of presentation. That was the point. But the food was good.

And so was the company.

Who wants dark meat?!

 More food?
 In trying out new things and keeping it fresh at the Whitmires,  I made this last night. I'm pretty proud of my bravery, and the fact that I made a meal without involving cheese!? Small triumphs, people!

From the Kitchen Bible:

 Potato Gnocci with a sage lemon butter sauce and Danish Meatballs.

 

He loved it.

Danish Meatballs, page 336

Gnocci and sauce, page 218

  Great serveware makes me want to eat well.

 Thanks for the cookbook, friends!

Recap: The Food

 Four things that were important to me at our party were:

1. Food,
2. Beverages,
3. Cake, and
4. Dancing.

    Food is probably the most important reception detail. Every one's expecting some sort of meal and most of the guest made a sacrifice to be there, so we wanted to make sure they were well fed. I think they were, since we had lots left over, and reports of people going for seconds.
    I really wanted to incorporate Filipino dishes into the menu, in addition to the catered food. No one, I mean no one makes pancit and lumpia like my own mother makes them, so I asked her to make these dishes. It was the most wonderful gift to not only Hubbs & I, but to everyone else. I love her pancit and how she mixes the clear rice noodle with the yellow flour noodles. I asked her to skip the Chinese sausage, because not many people like it, myself included. Her lumpia (Filipino eggrolls, which are deep fried & skinny. Someone described them as a cross between an empanada and a taquito, and I guess that's an accurate description coming from a non-Filipino) don't taste like any one's I've ever had before. There's none of that seasoned pork flavor you'd inside a potsticker. She used ground beef, shredded carrots, green beans, garlic & soy sauce. Sometimes I crave them and grab a few from the freezer and fry them up.

My second-cuz and the lumpia. Photo by Bob Laigo

   My mom and aunt came over and cook for hours, quietly and diligently. This meant so much to Shawn & I. There is really no thanks big enough for what these ladies did for us, no card of gift that would equal their gift. I only hope I can give this gift to my family in the future, returning the favor in down the line.

Here they are working hard in my tiny kitchen. Photo by Lindsay Salet

Pancit prep. Photo by Lindsay Salet

    I was elated to see people enjoying these dishes. A dear old friend, with whom I lived in college, reminisced about the time when I tried to make it at our house, but my  mom's is the real deal.

Plus, here is what I learned about catering:

1. Make sure you go over every detail beforehand including how things are served.  I had asked that out London Broil be served sliced, but they were put into tiny sandwiches with horsey sauce on them. Granted, this dish was mainly for others, but I generally stay away from condiments. I didn't even eat one.
2. If you order something you should get it.  Beware the person who writes things down so illegibly that even she or her staff couldn't read it. I was supposed to get a single serving of mac' & cheese, only because the caterer insisted, stating she does single servings for brides all the time. I can just imagine the special requests! I said this would be great. Sadly, I think they forgot. I wondered if they couldn't decipher her notes!
3. Ask who is working the event. We had a lovely, enthusiastic and helpful staff member who I remember to this day. Make sure you get people who smile and are helpful, and who don't look like they just want to go home. Actually say this to your caterer and the message will get passed to staff. Maybe the lurchy guy will smile next time.
4. Money Talks. Pay your bill & tip well. Your business and input will always be welcome in the future.
5. Give an accurate guest count. Don't try to account for people who may come. If they haven't replied "yes" they probably won't show. You will not run out of food. You'll have leftovers, most likely. You can always donate the rest and write it off. Since we stayed in town with family, we ate a lot it it the next night.

Seems simple, but I wish I had done these things. Just for my peace of mind. It is so nice not to worry about little details anymore, even thought I said I wouldn't worry about them in the first place.

Attempting to make Sinigang na karne...

3:08 pm

Got the beef short ribs.
Got the bok choy.
Got the green beans.Got the tamarind mix...
We'll see how it goes!
In order to be a more well rounded cook and food eater, I am trying new (to me) recipes. This is actually something my mom made all the time. I may be having the urge to eat more Filipino dishes since I was with her all last week. Its also a good way to eat veggies. I am trying really HARD to eat more food not saturated in cheese.

True test is if Shawn likes it.
19:00

He Loved it.

And Bully enjoyed his bone and the familiar soup flavor I poured atop his kibble. My mom used to give him sinigang when we had it.
Sinigang is a soupy dish with veggies and your chouce of beef, pork or fish. I chose beef short ribs as the Fresh Market was havin' a saaaale!

This is the key:


It gives that tangy flavor without out adding lots of extra salt. I also squeezed the juice of a quartered lemon.

Don't forget fresh veggies. I used bok choy since I picked some up at the Buford Hwy. Hong Kong Supermarket. Latino and Asian superstore in one! The two cultures haven't quite grown large enough to have a "little Havana, " or "chinatown" or similar in places like Atlanta yet.


I used this book. Its pretty easy to follow. And I took it from my mom's house.

And...Voila!