Kitchen

[Laura14]

One bad thing about the new eating healthy crowd.  I have to fight to get my brown rice and bread at the supermarket anymore.  Annoying!!  

I did manage to snag some brown rice and I've been having rice and beans for two days.  Mexican style with picante sauce.  

[Winifred]

Still can find brown rice super easy here in my part of Sou Cal. One never knows however as thru the years the available food certainly changes. When I first came to Sou Cal in 1960, could NOT find collards, yellow squash and several other veggies - thank goodness that changed. Now they have dropped the Summer Squash which I also love - not produced for out here. DUMB!!!

Hope all ate well tonight - had chicken tenders, potatoes o'brien and green peas. Very good. Need to check the kids, the almost 3 year old boy is screaming his lungs out. His behavior has certainly gotten questionable. He is fine, he has developed a pretty bad temper however. Never had to deal with that in any of the kids that have lived in my home. Interesting. Actually no, it is NOT interesting.

Sleep well.

[mousiegirl]

Here are pictures of the basil and sweet peppers, grown from seed, I picked today ready for processing.  I sliced  the peppers, froze them on a sheet pan, then put them into a freezer bag.  I hope this way they won't get watery.  The basil I processed with extra virgin olive oil and froze in small containers.  If I had more basil , I would have frozen it in sandwich bags and then put all of them into a large freezer bag.  I am hoping the weather will allow the remaining plants to grow bigger, then will process them.

[Preds]

[Laura14]

So today I mixed tuna fish with hummus for lunch.  I may be eating the next best thing or starving during the middle of my work day if it's disgusting.  I'm trying to stay away from mayonnaise.  In an hour and a half I'll find out.  

Birthday time again so I'll be making another cake and coworkers have requested brownies.  This niece wants a chocolate cake with vanilla icing.  Very retro so we'll be firing up the oven again tonight.  

@mousiegirl  You garden too!  

@Winifred  My only desperate wish around here is Escarole. The South has never heard of it.  I found it once in the supermarket and almost died of shock.  They didn't have the price in the system when I went to the register and I had to spell it for them three times.  A produce truck must have taken a wrong turn that week.  Never saw it again.     

[beckyb1012]

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@Laura14 wrote:

So today I mixed tuna fish with hummus for lunch.  I may be eating the next best thing or starving during the middle of my work day if it's disgusting.  I'm trying to stay away from mayonnaise.  In an hour and a half I'll find out.  

Birthday time again so I'll be making another cake and coworkers have requested brownies.  This niece wants a chocolate cake with vanilla icing.  Very retro so we'll be firing up the oven again tonight.  

@mousiegirl  You garden too!  

@Winifred  My only desperate wish around here is Escarole. The South has never heard of it.  I found it once in the supermarket and almost died of shock.  They didn't have the price in the system when I went to the register and I had to spell it for them three times.  A produce truck must have taken a wrong turn that week.  Never saw it again.     

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Laura I like to stay away from mayo myself so I will mix up my tuna with chunky salsa and sometimes a hot spicy mustard.  It is not the tuna fish I grew up with but I do love tuna and I love to save on the fat and calories where I can.

[Laura14]

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@beckyb1012 wrote:

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@Laura14 wrote:

So today I mixed tuna fish with hummus for lunch.  I may be eating the next best thing or starving during the middle of my work day if it's disgusting.  I'm trying to stay away from mayonnaise.  In an hour and a half I'll find out.  

Birthday time again so I'll be making another cake and coworkers have requested brownies.  This niece wants a chocolate cake with vanilla icing.  Very retro so we'll be firing up the oven again tonight.  

@mousiegirl  You garden too!  

@Winifred  My only desperate wish around here is Escarole. The South has never heard of it.  I found it once in the supermarket and almost died of shock.  They didn't have the price in the system when I went to the register and I had to spell it for them three times.  A produce truck must have taken a wrong turn that week.  Never saw it again.     

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Laura I like to stay away from mayo myself so I will mix up my tuna with chunky salsa and sometimes a hot spicy mustard.  It is not the tuna fish I grew up with but I do love tuna and I love to save on the fat and calories where I can.

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@beckyb1012  Oooh, mustard, really?  I have to say it wasn't horrible but mayo is better.  I think I have one more packet of tuna.  Definitely going to try mustard.  Another condiment I love.  Thanks!

[mousiegirl]

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@Laura14 wrote:

So today I mixed tuna fish with hummus for lunch.  I may be eating the next best thing or starving during the middle of my work day if it's disgusting.  I'm trying to stay away from mayonnaise.  In an hour and a half I'll find out.  

Birthday time again so I'll be making another cake and coworkers have requested brownies.  This niece wants a chocolate cake with vanilla icing.  Very retro so we'll be firing up the oven again tonight.  

@mousiegirl  You garden too!  

@Winifred  My only desperate wish around here is Escarole. The South has never heard of it.  I found it once in the supermarket and almost died of shock.  They didn't have the price in the system when I went to the register and I had to spell it for them three times.  A produce truck must have taken a wrong turn that week.  Never saw it again.     

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@Laura14  I find escarole in the produce market, but not elsewhere.

Gardening is my passion, and spend most of my days there, but as soon as my designs come to fruition, the big work will be done, and I can just maintain, no small task in a woodsy area with trees dumping constantly, and wildlife.

This year, I grew several types of eggplant, zucchini, the sweet peppers, many types of tomatoes, and basil.  I grow perennial herbs which are as low maintenance as anything can be, but basil is only an annual.  The basil I froze will not go into soups, sauces, and for pesto down the line.  It grows into huge bushes as long as it is pinched back, and when I pinch, those tiny leaves go into my mouth, lol.  We ate so many tomatoes with fresh basil and fresh mozz this summer.  I just tasted a store bought tomato the other day, and no flavor at all, but DH likes tomatoes in salads, so with the dressing, one doesn't notice so much.

I replaced mayo with Dijon mustard, but some dishes require mayo.  I buy the Italian tuna at Costco, and eat it with cracked pepper, sometimes adding a bit of extra virgin olive oil, a good fat, or add Dijon, more flavorful than Starfish, etc.  I have prepared hummus and tuna with other ingredients and it was yummy, including diced tomatoes.  I think fresh herbs make a world of difference to pep up otherwise tasteless food.  I think Italian parsley would be good in tuna, but whatever one likes.

I made orange zest sugared pecans yesterday, and put a container in the freezer and one in the frig.  Now, if I can just discipline myself to not eat a ton, but they are addictive.  I havn't made them for decades, but every year I say at Christmas that I will.  This year, I was determined, and since they freeze well, I was able to get a head start.

[beckyb1012]

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@Laura14 wrote:

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@beckyb1012 wrote:

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@Laura14 wrote:

So today I mixed tuna fish with hummus for lunch.  I may be eating the next best thing or starving during the middle of my work day if it's disgusting.  I'm trying to stay away from mayonnaise.  In an hour and a half I'll find out.  

Birthday time again so I'll be making another cake and coworkers have requested brownies.  This niece wants a chocolate cake with vanilla icing.  Very retro so we'll be firing up the oven again tonight.  

@mousiegirl  You garden too!  

@Winifred  My only desperate wish around here is Escarole. The South has never heard of it.  I found it once in the supermarket and almost died of shock.  They didn't have the price in the system when I went to the register and I had to spell it for them three times.  A produce truck must have taken a wrong turn that week.  Never saw it again.     

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Laura I like to stay away from mayo myself so I will mix up my tuna with chunky salsa and sometimes a hot spicy mustard.  It is not the tuna fish I grew up with but I do love tuna and I love to save on the fat and calories where I can.

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@beckyb1012  Oooh, mustard, really?  I have to say it wasn't horrible but mayo is better.  I think I have one more packet of tuna.  Definitely going to try mustard.  Another condiment I love.  Thanks!

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Little goes along way and I love to experiment with all no cal. and low cal. condiments.  Horse radish is another I mix up with salsa or mustard for a different kind of kick.  Enjoy.

[Laura14]

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@mousiegirl wrote:

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@Laura14 wrote:

So today I mixed tuna fish with hummus for lunch.  I may be eating the next best thing or starving during the middle of my work day if it's disgusting.  I'm trying to stay away from mayonnaise.  In an hour and a half I'll find out.  

Birthday time again so I'll be making another cake and coworkers have requested brownies.  This niece wants a chocolate cake with vanilla icing.  Very retro so we'll be firing up the oven again tonight.  

@mousiegirl  You garden too!  

@Winifred  My only desperate wish around here is Escarole. The South has never heard of it.  I found it once in the supermarket and almost died of shock.  They didn't have the price in the system when I went to the register and I had to spell it for them three times.  A produce truck must have taken a wrong turn that week.  Never saw it again.     

---

@Laura14  I find escarole in the produce market, but not elsewhere.

Gardening is my passion, and spend most of my days there, but as soon as my designs come to fruition, the big work will be done, and I can just maintain, no small task in a woodsy area with trees dumping constantly, and wildlife.

This year, I grew several types of eggplant, zucchini, the sweet peppers, many types of tomatoes, and basil.  I grow perennial herbs which are as low maintenance as anything can be, but basil is only an annual.  The basil I froze will not go into soups, sauces, and for pesto down the line.  It grows into huge bushes as long as it is pinched back, and when I pinch, those tiny leaves go into my mouth, lol.  We ate so many tomatoes with fresh basil and fresh mozz this summer.  I just tasted a store bought tomato the other day, and no flavor at all, but DH likes tomatoes in salads, so with the dressing, one doesn't notice so much.

I replaced mayo with Dijon mustard, but some dishes require mayo.  I buy the Italian tuna at Costco, and eat it with cracked pepper, sometimes adding a bit of extra virgin olive oil, a good fat, or add Dijon, more flavorful than Starfish, etc.  I have prepared hummus and tuna with other ingredients and it was yummy, including diced tomatoes.  I think fresh herbs make a world of difference to pep up otherwise tasteless food.  I think Italian parsley would be good in tuna, but whatever one likes.

I made orange zest sugared pecans yesterday, and put a container in the freezer and one in the frig.  Now, if I can just discipline myself to not eat a ton, but they are addictive.  I havn't made them for decades, but every year I say at Christmas that I will.  This year, I was determined, and since they freeze well, I was able to get a head start.

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@mousiegirl  I am not even worthy to respond to this post.  You are incredible.