Cooking and Drinking
Cooking and Drinking
​Utilizing the monkey see monkey do approach
Cooking and Drinking
Cooking and Drinking
Cooking and Drinking
Cooking and Drinking
On the side
Cold Tomato Salad
Dice up about 4 cups of tomatoes.
Rough chop quarter cup of basil
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
Drizzle of olive oil
Making spaghetti sauce
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1 large 28 oz can plum tomatoes (good quality)
1/2 can of water (using the 28 oz tomato can)
1 tablespoon of tomato past
1 tablespoon veg. billioan
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These 3 items go into the blender.
NEXT:
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1/2 onion finely chopped- cook until trans-loosened.
Then add 2 large cloves of garlic finely chopped/ crushed
If you want mushrooms add about 4 thinly sliced mushrooms to a separate frying pan- cook until softened. Add to the sauce during the reduction stage
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After onions are translucent and garlic has cooked for about a minute with the onions. Add the blended ingredients to your pot. Put on a medium simmer and add mushrooms. Will need to reduce for 20 minutes or about. You gauge how thick you want it.
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I may have made this before, but I am writing it down now. Louisa showed me how to make while staying at the condo on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina for the winter of 2023/ 2024.
Note: spaghetti sauce can be stored in the freezer using glass, plastic or good quality freezer bags for up to three months. Any longer than that and it will be subject to freezer burn. Remember to date the package
Leftover Spaghetti
Idea for leftover spaghetti:
Add small amount of sauce to leftover spaghetti and mix well. Depending on how much spaghetti you have, add 1 or 2 beaten eggs to the spaghetti. Then add some grated parmesan cheese and mix again.
Get cupcake tins and spray lightly with pam.
Place the spaghetti in cups and Then, press in 1 piece of fresh mozzarella (1/2" cubes) on top of each one.
BAKE: 350 for 12 to 15 minutes.
This paired well will the Fennel Salad
Matzoh Balls Mix
Wegmans 3B
Note: remember to pack/roll loosely as tight balls become dense.
Great for vegetable soups.
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Remember to make them small ping pong ball size as the puff up.
and
A tasty meal might be mashed potatoes and gravy, a side dish of steamed broccoli and one of Louisa's chick pea burgers and a pork chop for me
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🥔 MASHED POTATOES INGREDIENTS
2 pounds yukon gold potatoes
4 garlic cloves
1/2 cup low-fat sour cream ** try whole milk
** this first time experiment I'm trying 1/4 cup wegmans half-and-half/ coffee creamer and 1/4 cup whole milk.
1/2 cup low sodium vegetable broth
2 tablespoon butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh herbs like thyme, chives or parsley for serving
One website says you can peel, cut then put potatoes in cold water for up to 24 hours before cooking. Could be a timesaver.
​Meatballs
In the large cast-iron skillet, Finally chopped one cooking onions- sauté until softened then add two cloves crushed garlic. After an additional few minutes of cooking, turn off gas and set aside.
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In the large blue mixing bowl, add one of our usual packages of 97% lean organic hamburger.
Add About 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped or about 1 teaspoon of dried parsley.
Add One heaping teaspoon of salt.
Add 1 teaspoon pepper.
Add 1 heaping tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese.
If you’re using 97% lean hamburger, add a couple shots/ shakes of olive oil.
Add the onion and garlic mixture to your hamburger and spices. Mix by hand well.
Once well mixed, make ping pong ball/golf ball size meatballs. You can also use this for making tiny meatballs for Italian wedding soup.
Makes approximately 10 ping pongball / golf ball size meatballs
Use large baking sheet with parchment.
Preheat oven to 350°
Set oven timer for 15 minutes, but rotate every five minutes. When baking is complete, put in stove top pot of sauce to finish heating cooking. Or you can continue to bake for a few more minutes to finish.
I made smaller meatballs today and fried them in the frying pan till almost cooked through then sit on the baking sheet. I will pop them in the oven for a few minutes just prior to dinner.
with skin on
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** The trick he uses is he places a piece of parchment paper in the pan with just a touch of olive oil.
To ensure full safety, the FDA recommended temperature for seafood is 145 degrees, or well done. Alternate: flake with a fork. Cook the fish until the salmon just starts to flake when pricked with a fork. Either way, be careful not to overcook.
Fried porkchops
Note: don't buy the thick pork chops, too hard to cook and they come out hard.
It is said to let the chops "rest" as long as they were in the frying pan.
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Also cut the fatty part in the end to stop them from curling.
Buy chops with bone-in. Clean and pat dry pork chops. Place olive oil in pan. Salt & pepper both sides of chops. Finlly cut 1 piece of garlic and place in pan along with 2 bunches of Thyme, a sprinkle of rosemary, some butter.
Braise and turn pork chops until they reach 145°F
To make a small amount for garlic bread....
First cut the amount of bread you want to make into garlic toast.
Then spray surface with Pam
Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley, garlic, salt, lightly
Then apply the paste that you will make with butter/ garlic past
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Try about 4 Tbs. soft unsalted butter
Toast 10 cloves of garlic in sm. frying pan. (with skins on) after frying, take skin off.
Crush garlic into a past then add to soft butter, mix
Then add 2 or 3 tablespoons of graded Parmesan cheese
Set oven to 450 F for 8 min or so.
Shredded and additional light amount of Parmesan cheese on top while hot and serve.
How I make basmati rice
Basmati rice: 1 cup basmati rice, 2 cups water. Add salt. Bring to a boil then, stir and reduce heat to a very small simmer and lid. Cook time about 20 minutes.
Remember to take the lid off and fluff the rice after cooking otherwise it will continue to cook and become gummy.
How I make hard boiled eggs
For 4 or 6 eggs, put in the smallest pan possible and cover with water. Bring to a rolling boil then turn off heat and lid for 12 minutes then shock eggs with ice water and put in refrigerator.
Don't bother they were OK but not worth the energy and time
Dried Leak Leaves
I made this for the first time Oct. 2022.
I have three leak stocks to use. I trimmed them, washed and dried them. Are used Louises dehydrator and set it for 110° for 24 hours approximately.
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I like the least but too much elect. Maybe do this again outside in the heat of the summer.
