Yes, I'm here with another recipe. This one is an
old favorite and is usually cook when the mustard and turnip greens are in season.
However, in today’s world and with the added intervention of hydroponic indoor
garden systems, not only can you grow mustard and turnip greens any time of the
year, now you can also have collard, kale, baby pol choy and swish chard ready
to cook and eat whenever you want them.
Although in today’s recipe, I am using store bought greens,
my own mustard, turnip and collard greens seedlings are growing well in their
hydroponic tower. I will show them off on a later date on my Evelyn’s
Twigs, Thyme and Stranger Things Gardens website.
For now here is my mustard and turnip greens recipe.
Evelyn’s Mustard and Turnip
Greens Recipe
Ingredients
4
slices thick bacon and or 2 slices thick bacon and 1 smoked ham hock
½
package fresh chopped Turnip Greens or frozen Pictsweet Farms
½
package fresh chopped Mustard Greens
One
onion, chopped
1/2
tsp. red pepper
2
(14 oz.) cans chicken broth, or 3 bouillon cubes and 1 ½ qt. water
1
teaspoon sugar
1
teaspoon garlic
1
teaspoon salt
½
teaspoon pepper to taste
Directions
Place bacon in a large
Dutch oven and cook over medium heat until crispy and fat is rendered.
Drain all but 2
tablespoons bacon grease. If using bacon and ham hock method, add1 tablespoon
bacon grease
Add sugar, salt,
pepper, and chicken broth or cubes and water into the Dutch oven, cook to a
boil
Add green, cook to
a boil
Reduce heat, cover
and simmer 30-45 minutes or until greens are tender.
I just finished watching the South Korean Romcom series, Bon Appetit, Your Majestyon Netflix,and now I am watchingThe King's
Affection also on Netflix,andQueen Wooon Paramount+. I truly enjoy watching South Korean entertainment, and am glad that through Roku television I have been able to watch it these past ten years along with my daily soap operas. You remember Days of Our Lives on Peacock/NBC, The Young and the Restless on Paramount+/CBS,
and, oh let’s not forget its all new soap, Beyond the Gateswith its
predominate black cast members. In truth, l binge watch these soaps every weekend.
However, right at this moment, I am settling in to watch the NBC special of director, Jon M. Chu musical, Wicked: One Wonderful Night.
Starring
Cynthia Erivo Ariana Grande Ethan Slater Bowen Yang Marissa Bode Michelle Yeoh Jeff Goldblum
It’s that time of the year when the vibes in the air all speak of Thanksgiving and Christmas cheers. If you are like me, you have already stocked up on the food items you will serve, and can now relax while waiting for the time to prepare those meals.
In addition, if you are like me and find it more cost effective, you are making or have already made your favorite fruit cake. If you are a beginner and want to try your hand at make your first fruit, why not try my newest fruit recipe. What makes this fruit cake recipes different from those I made in previous years is that I added the bourbon to the candied fruit mix. This has saved me from weeks of unwrapping and drizzling bourbon on to the fruit cake to additional favor and keeping the cake moist until it was time serve it on the during the upcoming holidays.
So, if you are new to making fruit cake or just want to give my recipe a test run, by all means, go for it.
Evelyn’s Bourbon Fruitcake with Whole Cranberries
Special Note: Pre-soak the candied fruit mix, whole cranberries, raisins, pre-powdered Madagascar almond spice tea and other nuts in JD or JB for 3 to 5 days, stirring mixture at least once a day. Directions below
Ingredients:
3 large eggs room temp
½ cup sugar
¾ cup unsalted butter softened
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tsp powdered Madagascar almond spice tea.
1 tsp almond extract
2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup fresh whole cranberries
2 cups candied fruit mix
½ cup orange juice
¾ cup Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey (JD), or Jim Bean Kentucky Bourbon (JB), for soaking fruits, pre-powdered powdered Madagascar almond spice tea and nuts -- plus more soaking cake later on.
Light corn syrup, if desired
Directions:
Soak candied fruit mix, whole cranberries, raisins, pre-powdered powdered Madagascar almond spice tea and nuts in JD or JB for 3 to 5 days, Stirring mixture at least once a day.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Prep a large loaf pan with non-stick baking spray.
Beat the eggs and sugar together with an electric mixer until slightly thickened to a peak and light in color.
Add the butter, almond extract to the egg mixture and continue to mix for two to three minutes.
Slowly add in flour and orange juice until mixed well.
Stir in the candied fruit mix, whole cranberries, raisins, pre-powdered Madagascar almond spice tea, nuts and JD mixture thoroughly.
Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes.
While still warm, gloss cake with light corn syrup, if desired
Allow the cake to cool completely, then punch small holes on top of the fruit cake and drizzle with bourbon before wrapping tightly with cheesecloth, parchment, and aluminum foil for storage.
Yesterday evening, I had the desire for the old fashion
potato pancakes my father use to make. He cooked the either on Sunday mornings
or when he was grilling meats on the summer holidays. I don’t know why I
thoughts of these potato pancakes, I was a little girl and my father has been
dead many years, yet, his potato pancakes gain to my mind so much so that I
want to makes and eat some.
Since I was a little girl between seven and ten years of
age, I don’t know what his recipe was, but his potato pancakes to that long ago
little girl were the best, mostly because my father made them.
Anyway, I decided to look up the recipe in my Betty Crocker
cookbooks, because back then as today we always had and have a Betty Crocker
cookbook around the house. I have two copies, but each one are from different decades
in the Betty Crocker cookbook library; and among the many recipes I found
online, only one had a recipe that looked like it may have been the one my
father use. it is a photograph that someone posted it in Pinterest for people
like me, who are always looking for vintage things. However, the recipe called
for it to be cooked in a skittle. While the other recipes called for baking
them the oven.
All of which I did not want to do, so I opted to use my
waffle maker. After adapting the many recipes to my personal taste, I created
the ‘Evelyn’s Waffle Maker’s Potato
Waffles’
********************
Evelyn’s Waffle
Maker’s Potato Waffles
Ingredients
3-medium
raw potatoes, cubed
2
eggs, beaten
1/3 cup finely chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 tsp. teaspoon salt
6
tablespoons flour
3/4
tsp. baking powder
¼
cup butter or margarine
Direction
Put eggs, onion, minced garlic, salt, flour, baking powder and 1/2 cup potato cubes
into the blender container.
Cover and process on the nut butter setting
until thick but not smooth; add additional flour if needed.
Preheat a well-greased
waffle maker. (I use the Hamilton Beach waffle maker and vegetable oil, instead
of butter or margarine )
Add the remaining potatoes, cover and food
process on the nut butter setting
When the light on the waffle maker turns
green, open and the lid light at this time should be red, if not, close and reopen
the lid again, the lid should be red now
Pour 1/2
cup potato mixture onto each of the four hot plates of the waffle maker. Close
the lid
When the light turns green again the
potato waffles are ready. Place on absorbent paper towels and cook the second
half of potato mixtures, following the directions above.
Serving size eight waffles
Top with soften butter, sour cream and
chives, if desired
I hope you enjoy the recipe below as we did tonight. I think
my father would be proud of my effort to recreate his special pancakes in a new
and fun way.
************************
Films and Series I watching or looking
forward to watching
Saint Andrew Kim: A Birth, which is
about the very first Josean Roman Catholic priest. Father Kim secretly
conversed hundreds of nobles and poor in Joseon era, and was ultimately martyred.
There are two networks that this film can be work. Is streaming now on YouTube
and is entitled. “Saint Andrew Kim Tegon A BirthķģGloria”, or if you are a Catholic on September 29th EWTN will stream, “A
Birth” at 7pm.
Anaconda starring Jack Black, Paul Rudd
and Steve Zahn – three overzealous and/or nitwit film producers wander into of
heart of the jungle in search of a replacement Anaconda for their film. The
portrayal is not so much about the hunt of the three films makers, as it is of
the humongous anaconda hunting them. As this is a Jack Black film, expect
plenty of laughs.
Netflix: Department Q, a gritty cold case crime
sage set in Scotland, Matthew Goode stars as DCI Carl Morck - a brash, but
brilliant detective leading a cold case unit in Edinburgh. DEPT. Q, a nine-part
crime procedural series.
Apple TV+ Chief of War, starring Jason
Momoa and centers on the his efforts as the outcast war Ka'iana, who wants to
unite the Hawaiian warring islands in order that them cam save themselves from
the threat of British colonization.
Disney+ - Marvel Animation's Marvel
Zombies- Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd, Marvel Comics - The
Marvel Cinematic Universe takes a dark turn with Marvel Zombies – the highly
anticipated animated series coming soon to Disney Plus. This on-demand Marvel
Studios project reimagines iconic heroes and villains in a terrifying new world
overrun by the undead. Fans can expect shocking twists, stunning animation, and
brutal battles unlike anything seen in the MCU before.
Crunchyroll: Clevatess DUB - One of the
Lords of Dark Beasts, Clevatess’s reign shatters when he revives a hero he
personally slayed and adopts an orphaned humanoid baby—the last hope to save a
dying world. Now bound together, what fate awaits this unlikely trio.
Kaiju No, 8-- The
story revolves around Kafka Hibino, a 32-year-old longing to join The Defense
Force and make good on his promise to a childhood friend, Mina Ashiro. He
befriends a new coworker Reno Ichikawa, while cleaning up Kaiju remains, whose
determination to join The Defense Force inspires Kafka to fulfill his childhood
promise to pass the entrance exam and join Mina to protect humanity. When a
small Kaiju burrows itself inside Kafka, he gains superhuman strength and
powers fit for fighting Kaiju. He works to earn the trust of his human teammates,
defeat increasingly powerful Kaiju, and keep the world safe.
We are settling in nicely in our new place, picking on our usual daily routines. However, I must mentioned that I am not able to get around as I once could do. I have a bad habit of tripping and falling over things, so this move was very hard on me. Last month I fell twice, once on the left hip and once on the right hip. Somehow my right hip is more injured it does not allow me to stand and walk properly anymore. This past week has been the worst and I think I may has fractured it. Nevertheless, I have an appointment with my orthopedic doctor, and will get the verdict then. Am I in pain? 24-7, but I only take medication for it when reaches beyond my tolerant, which means bedrest. Some days were better than others but since this recent fall, I feel and believe the worst of my chance of ever walking normally again.
Have I shared to much? Perhaps, but indulge me, because I am exhausted by the daily pain and the lack of knowledge of what is happening to me.
Well, of me. I don't want to lose the few followers that have remained with me all these twenty years. and on that note, many of you may have notice that the Halloween background image that I post up here is once I created for another one of my sites site back 2013. I love making creepy Halloween backgrounds and because I still have all of them, I will probably resurrect some parts of them on these sites in the coming years. Many of the personal websites are limited to what you can add on them, certainly not is the early days of blogging and website creation. However, I see no reason not to reuse what I created over the years.
Remember this one from 3031?
Or, this logo from 2012.
Oh, the good old days, sic.
Until the next time,
Chow, Darlings
P.S. Speaking of the good old days, I have a good old soul food recipe for you.
Chicken and Gravy with Rice
Ingredients
Black pepper
Seasoned salt
Cayenne pepper for an extra kick
2
1/2 tablespoons garlic infused oil
4 chicken breasts half, or 2
large hindquarters, legs and thighs
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups of hot water
Equipment
Airs fryer
Large skillet
Casserole dish with cover
Instructions
1.Preheat
air fryer to 400 degrees. Add lower rack in bottom of air fryer bowl
2.Wash
and pat dry chicken parts and season with cayenne pepper, seasoned salt and black pepper.
3.Spray
with infused garlic oil
4.Place
seasoned chicken on air fryer rack, and cook for 20 minutes, turn once every 10
minutes.
5.While
chicken is cooking, heat the garlic infused oil in a large skillet over medium heat
6.Add
the flour, spreading evenly to avoid lumps, and then add the seasoned salt and
pepper. Stir to blend well. Cook to golden brown.
7.Add
water and stir to blend well with the seasoned flour. Continue to stir
frequently to avoid lumps.Cook to a
boil, and boil for 2 minutes
8.Reduces
heat and add air fryer chicken
9.It
is okay if there is still blood running from chicken and cooking it in with the
gravy will finish the cooking process.
10.If
the gravy is too thick and more is needed; in a measuring cup add up to 2
tablespoons of flour and stir in enough water to make a smooth milky-like
liquid.Pour into skillet and blend with
the other gravy.
11.When
chicken has stopped bleeding remove and the gravy then place in a rectangle
casserole dish. If cooking place chicken in the refrigerator for later.
Reheating casserole
1.Remove
cold casserole from the refrigerator and pour up to a half cup of water to it.
2.Do
not blend. Cover the casserole dish and heat for 6 minutes.
3.After
the six minutes, stir heat water into gravy and coat the chicken at the same
time.
As you know I am a great fan of the 16qt. air fryer, Big
Boss. I have used the air fryer cook meals since discovering it in 2018.To me it is an easy and quick solution to
cooking meats and poultry in the time it was taking to cook to the same on the
stovetop and in the electric oven.
Air frying our favorite meals, like, roast beef from freezer
to air fryer to table in 40 minutes and other meals has been incredible.
Especially, as any homemaker knows, when time is running short to have dinner
of the table before the family is home for the day, a quick solution always is
preferable.
Back in 2023, after breaking the 16 quart bowl, I discovered
that Amazon no longer had the Big Boss air fryer, I panic thinking another good
product lost. Because usually if a favorite product was out of stock for a long
time or included a deadly message stating the store had no idea when the
product would return, it usually spelled the discontinuation of that product.
Luckily, I found the Big Boss Air Fryer on eBay and was able to replace the
broken one.However, the uncertainty of
the air fryer’s future on the market figured as a reality in my mind.My husband and I loved the meals we were able
to cook in the air fryer, and did not want it to vanquish from the market as so
many other favorite and well known products have done for lesser quality and
not so lower cost brands.
As an example, the same problem exists with the Nesco “Real
Tea” Automatic Tea Maker. If you own one, treat it as a national treasure,
because it was discontinued back in December of 2022.Will it return, not according to Nesco.
The Nesco “Real Tea” Automatic Tea Maker was the only tea
maker to uses a timer to steep teas as tea should be done, and that is what
made it a great product. While some of the high ends combo coffee/tea makers
give you options like green, white, herbal and black tea, many other of today’s
tea makers just boil the water and then run it down into the tea pot with no
steeping involved.
Humph! For tea lovers like me, the loss of the Nesco “Real
Tea” Automatic Tea Maker was akin to losing a limb. Not factual, but tea lovers
know what I mean. You want that perfect cup of tea but you discover that to get
it, you either have to buy a high-end product or steep the tea the old
fashioned way, which is quaint but time consuming; dump, dump, dump.
Luckily, unlike the loss of the Nesco “Real Tea” Automatic
Tea Maker, the Big Boss 16Qt Air Fryer, for reasons unknown to this reviewer,
other than popular demand is not only still on the market but it has been
rebranded as Granitestone Air Fryer Toaster Oven Combo 16Qt., and is manufactured
by the same company and is in fact the same machine. It is my thought that with
the arrival of the smaller and more disposable air fryers (more plastic parts)
that the larger air fryers were being faded out of the market, regardless of
the fact that price wise there was little difference
Well for a time, and we hope a very long time, we homemakers
that love the quick and easy use of the Big Boss Air Fryer can purchased the
Granitestone Air Fryer at all the our favorite online shopping sites.
The Key features of the Big Boss and Granitestone Air Fryer:
Triple Cooking Power: Uses
halogen, convection, and infrared heat to cook food faster and more efficiently
than traditional methods.
Glass Bowl: The glass bowl allows
you to see the food as it cooks and is non-toxic.
Multi-Layer Cooking: Comes with a
mesh basket and two racks, enabling you to cook different foods at the same
time on different levels.
Versatile Functions: Can be used
to air fry, bake, grill, roast, and toast.
Easy Cleaning: Dishwasher. However, Do not place the air
fryer time setting lid into the dishwasher. Pardon
me, but … as if?!!
----
I am currently watching the kdrama “Oh My Ghost Client” with
Jung Kyung Ho, which is a tale of the life of attorney after a near death
experience.
I am also watching “Countdown” on Amazon starring Jensen Ackles as
a special agent with a short life span;
and I am just finish revisiting
Shakespeare play “King Lear” with Sir Ian McKellen (Gandalf for many)on Marquee TV.
As all Shakespearean
fans know, King Lear had no true understanding of what real love was in
actuality. He, like the royals before him only knew that his subject agreements
with everything the king said or did or else bad things would happen to them.
Tonight, I had a taste for homemade popcorn. Something I seldom want but tonight I just craved some. I usually pop up a batch in my popcorn maker some with vegetable oil, but since I have been experimenting with difference cooking oils lately, I decided to use peanut oil instead. I am glad that I did. Below is my quick and east recipe for old fashioned tasting popcorn.
******
Single Serving
Showtime Popcorn
Ingredient
1 Tablespoon peanut Oil
3 Tablespoons Popcorn Kernels
Salt
Equipment: one 6
quart popcorn maker
Directions
Preheat popcorn maker about 5 minutes
Add peanut Oil and popcorn to the cooking plate.
Pop corn kernels using the popcorn maker as directed in the
HOW TO OPERATE section; making sure the popper is well ventilated by keeping
black plastic lid is off.
When popcorn kernels stopping, turn off the popcorn maker;
let rest a minute ur two
Then add black plastic lid and flip popcorn maker to use
clear top as a bowl
Add enough salt for taste
Note:
Peanut oil give popcorn the mildly rich nutty favor of my
childhood
Can double or triple the recipe for extra servings
Extra popcorn can be stored in plastic freezer bags.
P.S. Although, I have closed my normal entertainment pages, I still
enjoy a good series or movie or two. This week I am watching “The First Night with
the Duke”. In it our heroine is a romantic novel buff, who gets drawn into her favorite
novel and unintentional spends the night with a handsome, ruthless duke, who in
turns claims her as his bride to be.
I find the story charming and funny. The duke is delightfully
obsessive in his pursuit in make our heroine his bride when she just wants to
set the novel back on its original storyline and return home.
So will she succeed in set things right, or has her one night
with the duke become life changing event of her dreams?
If you liked, “Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo”, you’ll like
this one.
Both can be viewed on Rakuten Viki and KOCOWA on the Roku TV.
Born and raised in the North, I have always loved Corned Beef Reuben sandwiches. Since moving South we would seldom visit the restaurants that serve them. Not that the sandwiches weren't good, because they were great. However, with our daily routines and the location of the restaurants, we just didn't go.
Luckily, while looking at some Betty Crocker online recipes I found this gem, which I am sharing with you.
Generic photo
Corned
Beef Reuben
Ingredients
8
(1/2-thick) slices rye bread
1/4 cup
butter, softened
1/4 cup
thousand island dressing
1 pound
corned beef, divided into four servings
2 cups
sauerkraut
4 slices
Swiss cheese
Instructions
Spread
butter on one side of each slice of bread. Spread dressing on other side of
bread.
Toast rye
bread in skillet.
Place
corned beef, 1/2 cup sauerkraut, and 1 slice of Swiss cheese on each slice of
bread.
Cover with
remaining 4 slices of bread, butter side up.
Place 2
sandwiches on in skillet.
Toast rye
bread in skillet as you would grill cheese.
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