Fast Food

We hear a lot about fast food these days. It's unhealthy. Portions are huge. Fast food places even have (gasp!) TOYS for kids (Hey, guess what - grocery stores have toys for kids and even have products that promote with toys.  Do we sue the grocery stores, too????)

Oh, I know that we don't need to be eating fast food everyday.  But I'm not totally against fast food places. Especially having lived in a country, when our four kids were young, where there weren't any kid-friendly, fast food places to stop at when we were making long trips. On a long trip, dragging four tired little kids into a "regular" restaurant to wait on their meals, is no picnic .... which is what we usually did - picnic (because it was also quite costly to eat in that "regular" restaurant with four kids).  And having a picnic in the car  when it's pouring rain outside is no picnic, either. There were many times back then when I wished we'd come upon an honest-to-goodness fast food place. ( Now this country has plenty of fast food places.... ours and theirs. And they are always full.)

However, the fast food place is not my topic here.  Fast food is.  Homemade fast food.  Did you know that you can make fast food at home often FASTER than you can get it at the fast food places?  And, you can make perfectly healthy fast food at home. AND you can serve totally "normal" portions of your fast food at home. Oh.....and get this:  you can actually serve your homemade, healthy, small-portions of fast food at home WITH the toy of your choice, if you so desire.  And no one can sue you for doing so, either (not yet, anyway)!  :)

"Fast food" took over my thinking the other night when I was tired and aching, and didn't feel up to doing a lot of cooking, even though I love to cook. Going out to eat somewhere didn't appeal to me. Just too tired.  So was my husband.  Hence, the "fast food" thoughts - only I wasn't thinking of the hamburger-french-fries kind of fast food.  I was thinking of the "what's-in-my-kitchen-to-fix-quickly-and-easily" kind of homemade fast food.

So I peeked in the pantry to see what lurked there. Onions caught my eye.  Opened up the fridge to check it out and saw those pretty little yellow summer squash.  Cucumbers. Couple of left-over pieces of steak. Some fresh okra.

Hmmmmmmm, let's see. My mind told me to grab those veggies and that left-over meat and get busy "fast fooding".  So I did.

Getting out my great old cast iron skillet, I put in a little olive oil and heated it.  Peeled an onion and sliced it into the skillet. Took several of those little squash and sliced them into the skillet with the onions (the squash were already washed). Stirred everything.  Cut the ends off the also-already-washed-okra and sliced them into the onions and squash. Stirred.  And the cucumbers?  Didn't you know that you can cook cucumbers?  I peeled a couple of them and sliced THEM into the mixture.  Stirred again. Mmmmmm.  Was already smelling good.  Added some salt and pepper, lots of garlic powder and a sprinkling of Herbes de Provence spice.  REALLY smelling good at that point. And almost done. Those veggies cook quickly; only a matter of a few minutes until they were done to my liking (which isn't mushy). Then I took the kitchen shears and snipped up those two pieces of left-over steak - right into the skillet full of veggies. Stirred around a bit until the meat was good and hot and, voila, my fast food supper was done - quickly.  Less than thirty minutes; probably about twenty minutes or so. Just before serving I stirred in a little green salsa. Oh, and I also sprinkled some grated parmesan cheese on top.  My husband and I both loved it.

So, you see, you CAN fix fast food right at home.  This version, and many other versions.  Be creative.  I often fix a mixture like this and serve it over rice or some sort of pasta.  Sometimes I add slices of green and/or red bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, celery, leeks, potato - just any veggie you have and happen to like. Often, too, I will add chopped-up fresh tomatoes (hard to come by this summer in drought-plagued Kansas) or a can of crushed or even whole tomatoes.  Add meat. Or not. Any left-over meat: hamburger, steak, sausage, chicken, left-over hot dogs, etc.  Add any kind of spices/herbs you and your family love. Add some cheese as it cooks, then sprinkle some on top. This is such a versatile "fast food" that you are sure to come up with SOME kind of combination that you and your family will enjoy.  I often cook up a huge pot of rice (usually brown rice) and let it cool, then divide it up into quart-size freezer bags to have on hand for a fast food meal.  You don't even have to thaw it; just put it into the mixture and stir around until the rice has thawed and separated into the rest of the food. I also do this (cooking a big batch) with pasta.

The point is: homemade fast food IS fast. And good. And can be healthy. And can be served in the right portion sizes to your family. This is only one example of a really tasty homemade fast food dish; there are so many others.  So - if you have worked all day outside of your home and come home dead tired, or if you have worked all day inside of your home and are already home dead tired - don't despair.  You can still enjoy a homemade meal that doesn't take up a lot more of your time and energy.

You will enjoy it. So will your family.

Do fast food!

Summer Squash

Due to some unpleasant things (husband's major surgery, long hospital stay, etc. ) happening at crucial gardening moments ... as well as this Kansas drought, our garden this year is pretty much dead. :(  This is disappointing, after our nice, green Spring garden of lettuces, radishes and green onions.  We are still watering tomato plants, okra and a few pepper plants, but don't know what will happen with them.  The big question amongst Kansas gardeners in our area seems to be: "Do you have any tomatoes setting on?"  Well,,,,,,,,,we DID pick and eat two little cherry tomatoes recently.  A sign of hope? :)  We'll see; but I'm not REALLY getting those hopes up.

Fortunately for us, we do have some friends who have managed to have some garden, with their regular watering.  And, also fortunately for us, these same friends have been very generous with us and others with the fruits of that garden.  We have, therefore, been feasting on garden potatoes, onions, turnips, cucumbers, okra, zucchini and yellow summer squash (also some home made bread and rolls!).
 I have been putting many bags of this fresh produce into our freezer.

Did you know you can freeze cucumbers?  I didn't, but read it in my "old" how-and-what-to-freeze  freezer book.  So, I gave it a try and, sure enough, you can. :)  In case you'd like to know about the cucumbers: the book says to just chop them up in the blender, then freeze the chopped-up cucumber in ice-cube trays and freeze; than you can defrost a cube or two and pop them into winter salads - and the cucumber will actually still taste like cucumber. Well, I decided to try it.  I froze two trays-worth of cucumber, popped them out of the trays and put them into a freezer bag ... defrosted a couple to see, and they DID taste like fresh cucumber! Learned something new from that old freezer book after all these years.  Actually, when we lived in France, I learned to also COOK cucumbers ... saute them, sliced or chopped up, with a little onion, bacon and bacon grease (or, olive oil).  Yum!  I decided to also try freezing some peeled, cut in half,  and seeded  for cooking.  Will see how they turn out.

Now, back to the title of this post: squash.  Summer squash is one of my favorite things. I love cooking them. I love eating them. So does my husband.  They are such a versatile and easy to fix vegetable.  My absolute favorite is the yellow squash.  As I blanched slices of yellow squash to freeze I would snitch a piece here, a piece there, pop it into my mouth and, mmmmmmmmmmmm, good!  Just plain like that. That may sound strange to squash-haters, but you squash-lovers will surely understand.

Probably my favorite way to cook the squash (zucchini or yellow) is to cook a few slices of bacon, add some sliced onion and then the sliced squash and stir it all around, cooking, for just a few minutes.  Talk about "fast food" - this is it!  And good for you, too.

This basic stir-fried squash can be eaten as is, as a side-dish, or used in various other ways as a main dish. Some of my tried-and-true uses:

          Do the cooking in a skillet (I use cast-iron), then spread the mixture out over the skillet ...I then 
crack eggs, individually,  over the squash mixture (I usually do 4 eggs) - sprinkle with grated cheese (or not, we like it both ways), cover and let cook two or three minutes until the eggs are set.  I also often top the eggs with: chopped cilantro, chopped parsley, chopped green onion,finely-chopped red pepper, etc. ...use what you like.  We've had this for both breakfast and supper, with a green salad added. It's a quick, economical and delicious dish.

          Another way I use this mixture is to use it as the topping for rice, mashed potatoes, or pasta.  I've put it on top of rice, adding some salsa on top of the squash mixture and then some grated cheese, for a Mexican "flavor".  It's very good with spaghetti, too - adding some Italian-flavored pasta sauce on top, if you'd like.  Haven't tried this one yet, but have thought it would be good:  mix the squash mixture with some cooked rice and use as stuffing for bell peppers ... with (again, or without) some tomato sauce and grated cheese on top.  Sounds good to me.

The other night I stirred up a skillet-full of this mixture, with a little red bell pepper I think, and then stirred in some already-cooked barley that I had in the freezer, sliced a few okra pods into it, sprinkled on some salt and pepper and cayenne pepper flakes, some half-and-half, and some shrimp. Simmer on low for just five minutes or so, 'till the shrimp are pink and cooked.  That was supper.  Quick. Simple, And, good!  Try it.

BBQ Apron - "Checker Players" - nice Father's Day gift ...

BBQ Apron/Checkers by sandyckansas
Begin selling my art online at zazzle.

"Green Things"

Kansas pioneers, I remember reading, were always so thrilled when spring arrived and they began seeing green "things" growing again. After their often-times long, hard winters, as they kept trying to stretch their provisions, I can well imagine their relief and delight at the arrival of Spring. And green things.

I'm not a pioneer; but,sometimes I have to do some "food stretching", too. Not for the same reasons the pioneers had to - all I need do is run to the grocery store any time throughout the winter. Depending on finances - which is what MY "food stretching" hinges on.

Still...I can relate to the excitement of Spring that the pioneers had. During the winter my mind harbors visions of - no, not sugar-plums, but GREEN THINGS. Not just any green things. My mouth waters with the anticipation of fresh green salad fixin's popping up from the newly-awakened earth. When I notice the first Spring flowers (which I also love) pushing their way up from the ground I know the green-salad-stuff can soon be planted.

Nowadays my husband does most of the planting. He loves it, and is an old hand at it. He prepares the ground and plants. We both wait and watch for the salad-bowl-green-things to grow. I pick (he does sometimes)and prepare a salad.

And, ooooooh!, the subtle but distinct taste of just-pulled-out-of-the-dirt lettuce makes the long winter longing for "green things" worthwhile. So good. So much better than the grocery store lettuce. Yes. It is better.

Along with the tasty and pretty green things are the young scallions and the beautiful, bright red radishes. Mixed all together, they combine to form a most delicious and very healthy salad. One of life's small pleasures, for sure.

There is, however, a difference between pulling my green-things salad fixin's straight from the dirt and buying a bag of ready-to-eat lettuce at the grocery store. The store-version comes already clean and ready to throw into the salad bowl.

MY lettuce comes with dirt, pieces of dried leaves, maybe a bug or two - and has to BE cleaned before throwing it into the salad bowl. So - I give it a quick rinse in one side of the kitchen sink, while filling a plastic dishpan on the other side of the sink with cold water. Then, all of my green-things fresh from the garden are plunged into the cold water and swished around and around several times. Still not done, though. I then grab a handful at a time for a final rinse-and-check under cold running water, where I may still unseat a final bug or blade of grass.

When pronounced clean the green things fill the basket of my French salad spinner; a very inexpensive plastic one bought when we lived in France years ago and still working. Spun dry, the lettuce is then transferred to a plastic bag (a recycled grocery bag or a large freezer bag), with a clean rag or a couple of paper towels on the bottom of the bag to catch any left-behind moisture. My treasured and cleaned green things are then stowed in the fridge veggie bin where they last several days, depending on how fast we eat them up.

A little work ...but, SO worth the effort.

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A favorite, simple fresh-from-the-garden "chopped" salad:

Put washed and spun-dry garden lettuce or lettuces (we have two kinds, so far)and some fresh spinach leaves (also in our garden) in a large bowl ... chop it up with kitchen shears ... add cut-up green onions,cilantro or parsley, red radishes, celery, bell pepper, green Granny apple, dried cranberries, a few walnuts or pecans and sprinkle in some freshly-grated parmesan cheese. Shake a bit of garlic powder and freshly-ground pepper into the mix.

Our favorite dressing is just plain old HOMEMADE vinaigrette. Toss it all together and, Yum!
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Enjoy this garden-fresh salad as a first course, as a side salad with the meal or add some left-over meat(s) (chicken,beef,etc.) and enjoy it as the meal itself. The salad may, of course, be altered in many ways ... with the greens as the base for ANYthing that suits your taste. Get creative and mix up your own "house salad". :)

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A simple French Vinaigrette (makes about 1/4 cup)

1/8 tsp salt
1 Tblsp red wine vinegar (or more or less, to your taste)
1/2 small shallot, or small green onion, chopped fine
3-4 Tblsps olive oil
fresh herbs, chopped (optional)
2 Tblsps Dijon mustard (more or less, to your taste)
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Put all ingredients in a jar with a lid and shake well to mix.

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(I make vinaigrette all the time without a recipe; don't be afraid to do so. I usually make about 2 cups at a time ..... adding the olive oil, vinegar and mustard to taste. We like the vinaigrette with less vinegar "sharpness" and with lots of the mustard. I usually make it in a bowl and mix it all up with an old-fashioned "egg beater", before putting into an old vinegar cruet.)

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"Oh, Those Eggs ... "

In The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition, "eggs" are defined as: "the round or oval female reproductive body of various animals, including birds, reptiles, amphibians, fishes and insects, consisting usually of an embryo surrounded by nutrient material and a protective covering" and "the oval, thin-shelled reproductive body of a bird, especially that of a hen, used as food."

Eggs are good things. Really. They've gotten a few bad raps in the past few years, but, like for a lot of things, opinions have changed. Now we're told they are "okay". Could even be good for us. Like any food, you don't want to eat them 24/7 (well...unless that's all you have!), but DO eat them. They are a very versatile food.

Over my long years of cooking I've reached many times for that egg carton. For breakfast. For lunch. For supper. Fried eggs. Poached eggs. Creamed eggs. Scrambled eggs. Egg sandwiches. Hard-boiled eggs. Omelets. Egg sandwiches. Soft-boiled eggs. Mexican eggs. Italian eggs. Deviled eggs. And so on and so on and so on ...

Who knows how many ways there are to prepare eggs? About the time I think I've see all of the ways to cook an egg, up pops another recipe I haven't seen. Most egg recipes are pretty simple; a few a bit more complicated.

At any rate, I know one thing for sure: eggs are good things. They've been my answer many times to "what is there to fix for supper?". Or, "unexpected visitors - what to fix?" Or, "I'm so tired - what to fix quickly?" Eggs! Of course! Voila! Pull out that carton and crack those shells (or not). In a very short time you will have a tasty meal ready to eat.

Trust me. If you are not already an "egg person" you will become one - when you see how easy it is to create a quick and yummy meal with eggs.

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How To Boil An Egg (no, not everyone knows how!)

1. Place eggs in a deep saucepan and add enough cold water to cover them
2. Set pan over medium heat and let water slowly come to boiling.
3. Reduce heat to keep water just below boiling point (this is "simmering").
4. Cook 15 minutes - remove from heat.
5. Let cooking water cool - or drain and run cold water over eggs 'til cooled.
6. Peel and eat! Or, peel and fix in any number of ways! :)

(from a 1942 "Fannie Farmer Junior Cook" cookbook)

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A Quick Supper ...

Scrambled Eggs / broiled tomatoes / toasted English muffins / fresh fruit

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One of my favorite egg "recipes":

... I butter a slice of whole wheat bread, tear it into small pieces and put it into a cereal bowl
... Usually, I will salt and pepper the bread and add a bit of onion powder and garlic powder
... Then I poach two eggs in simmering water and put the two poached eggs on top of the bread pieces
... I like to sprinkle some grated cheese on top
... Then I top that off with chopped cilantro or parsley and more black pepper
... Chop everything together with knife and fork and ... Yum!

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Another of my "ways" with an egg:

... In my old-faithful cast-iron skillet I put just a bit of olive oil and a tiny bit of butter and heat it up
... Slide in an egg and cook just to a soft-yolk stage (or hard yolk, if you prefer)
... Sprinkle grated cheese on top
... Slide onto a plate
... Top off with a couple of spoonfuls of salsa and chopped cilantro
... Enjoy!

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One more "favorite":

A fried egg on top of hot grits, sprinkled with a little cheese (full-fat, no-fat, ANY kind of cheese!) and topped off with chopped cilantro or parsley and LOTS of black pepper. Mmmmmm, good!

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Do YOU have some favorite egg recipes you'd like to share? Feel free to do so here. I'd love to see them and try them out. :)

Mmmmm ... Smell That?

Now that the hot summer temperatures are finally starting to disappear I can turn the oven on again.  And I have.  Baking is once again a kitchen activity around here.  Homemade biscuits.  Muffins. Bread.  Cakes.  Not EVERYday, mind you - have to watch the old waist line.  But often enough to send good smells wafting throughout the house. 

Husband and grandson certainly appreciate opening the door and smelling delicious odors from the kitchen.  Always hoping I am planning to give them a taste.  I often remember coming home from school and walking into a kitchen with something baking.  Mmmmmm - smelled so nice.  As a mom to four hungry schoolkids myself, all grown up now, I often tried to have something baking and/or cooking when the kids got home from school.  They may not remember much of it now - but I sure do.  I hope our after-school-kitchen-odors have contributed to their  "remember when ..." stories they now tell to THEIR children.  :)

Lots of kids nowadays, though, don't have the chance to experience those "coming-in-from-school-and-smelling-something-great" moments.  Life is busy for everyone.  Many kids come home to an empty house and  must make their own "cooking smells", in a microwave.  Many young parents just don't cook or bake - they eat out, microwave, order in.  That not only gets expensive, it's depriving the family of something -  the memories of great homemade cooking and baking smells in their home.  I once wrote an article about how every kid deserves to come home sometimes to the smell of bread baking in an oven. ... what a way to welcome your kids home and say, "I love you!"  (And, believe me, the husbands love it, too. There are also some husbands who enjoy cooking - in that case, the wife will love it!)

Yeah, it's all about love.  Cooking and baking for your family is one way to show how much you love them.  One way to provide happy "home" memories for them to talk about in their future.  One way to show them that, as busy as you are, you still put them first and love them more than anyone else. 

P.S.  ( Though I usually bake and cook from "scratch" - I'm not above using a brownie mix, a chocolate-chip cookie mix, etc. from time to time.  For those of you who just are really stretched for the time to stick something in the oven ... give these a try.  I won't say they taste better than "from scratch" , but there are some pretty good-tasting mixes out there.  And, if it's a question of time, those mixes can still produce some pretty nice kitchen odors for the family to walk into.  :)  )

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 Here is a quick-to-make chocolate cake you might want to try.  I found it recently on a recipe online site.

"Throw-Together Chocolate Cake"
(greased 9 X 13 baking pan .... preheat oven:  360 degrees)

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups flour ...............NOTE: I used self-rising flour (don't add the baking powder if you do), and it
1/2 cup soft butter                         turned out fine
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon instant coffee powder ............NOTE:  I didn't have any instant coffee, so just added about
                                                                             1/2 cup of left-over black coffee
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Put all ingredients in a bowl, in order given more or less, and beat well until creamy and smooth.
Pour into prepared pan.
BAKE: preheated pan ... 45 minutes to 1 hour
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Put any kind of frosting on that you like; or just sprinkle powdered sugar over it.  I used a brown sugar/cream praline frosting.  Yum!
********************************   ENJOY!  ****************************************

Mmmmmmmm!   Smell that?