|
Post by 3piggles on Mar 3, 2017 20:09:11 GMT
I totally know what you mean about diet food, Jo. It's either not tasty, not satisfying, or I'm hungry again in an hour. I stopped trying to eat to lose weight, and am eating to be healthy. If I lose weight, that's great. If not, I know I'm eating foods that help my body be healthy, and since I do love to cook, including foods that aren't always that healthy, I need all the help I can get staying healthy, lol Pasta, meatballs and tomato sauce last night. Hubby would live on that, given the chance. We're a real cold spell right now, so I'll do the eggplant parm tomorrow, when I can use the oven to help heat the room Leftover tonight, I think, though it depends on what hubby took to work for lunch.
|
|
|
Post by jolovespiggies on Mar 4, 2017 9:59:35 GMT
It is so true isn't it Piggles love, diet food never hits the spot? It is also hard to be a free range cook as you are when you have to think about what goes into your dishes all the time, it takes all the pleasure away. Meatballs and pasta is one of my favourite dishes, I hope you enjoyed it hun.
Hugs Jo xx
|
|
|
Post by 3piggles on Mar 6, 2017 16:15:13 GMT
Oh, we enjoyed it, Jo We also made another batch of chili, without beans, and used that to make the eggplant parmesan. That's definitely the best eggplant parm either of us has ever had. Hubby made it while I supervised. We made a big pan of it, so we have some frozen, some for lunches, etc. Hubby did a lot of cooking this weekend, and is quite pleased with the results I think that chili eggplant parm is Hubbys new favorite He also bought some ground sirloin that was on sale for a really great price, so we'll be making some burgers and other things with that I bought more chocolate molds this weekend. They aren't the type to paint, thought the can be painted to give the basic shapes a different colores outer coating. I got stars, hearts and buttons. I plan to make a pound of both the orange and the watermelon chocolate, make some into shapes, and the rest into buttons I can use later. Most melting chocolate comes in buttons, anyway, so I'll just have mine all flavored and ready to melt and make into shapes. I found some raspberry flavoring in my candy supplies, so might try that, too.
|
|
|
Post by jolovespiggies on Mar 7, 2017 9:04:14 GMT
That sounds delicious Piggles love and I think it is really great how you cook together. Sirloin would make lovely burgers and I am glad you managed to get it at a reduced price as it is an expensive cut. Choccies sound good too, please let us know how you get on.
Hugs Jo xx
|
|
|
Post by 3piggles on Apr 7, 2017 22:18:01 GMT
My first experiment with Farro went extremely well. It's a grain, so it has gluten, but it's a super food, so for those who aren't gluten intolerant, it's great. I soaked it overnight, then cooked it in veggie broth and McCormick's Sweet Onion seasoning. It's great by itself. I mixed some of it with leftover sweet corn and mushrooms, added some roasted red peppers, and it was really good. Even Hubby liked it, and he's totally a pasta or potatoes person. It's recommended to replace pasta, but pasta is far less expensive, so I doubt that will happen any time soon. For now, though, I have it, it's easy to cook and to season, it's great as a side dish, in a side dish, and in a salad, so I can think of a lot of reasons to use it. draxe.com/farro/classpass.com/blog/2016/07/20/what-is-better-for-your-farro-quinoa/I still plan to use quinoa, as well. Nothing wrong with using both
|
|
|
Post by jolovespiggies on Apr 8, 2017 14:46:30 GMT
I love the way you experiment with so many tasty things Piggles love, I really feel you should own a restaurant as you are so talented. I love pasta and potatoes too but I always welcome the opportunity to try new things. Paul bless him has just bought me a piece of steak for dinner, I haven't the heart to tell him I am not hungry, maybe that will change in a little while. I have been very busy today and that usually decreases my appetite. Thanks too love for the interesting link.
Hugs Jo xx
|
|
|
Post by 3piggles on Apr 8, 2017 23:04:31 GMT
I hope you got to enjoy your steak, Jo. I found when I got busy I tended to forget to eat, then I'd get sick by late afternoon, too close to dinner to really eat much, but I had to eat something.
Friday, I was running out of some fruits, so I made my morning smoothing with kiwi, strawberries, blueberries, a banana and half a scoop of protein powder. I also added the chia seeds and the ground flax seed. It was really good, and I think I'll do it that way more often. The Slim Fast powder has a lot about 10 grams of sugar per scoop, and about 110 calories. By using half a scoop, I'm getting all the sweetness I need, and not overdoing the calories. Adding the banana made the difference.
|
|
|
Post by jolovespiggies on Apr 9, 2017 12:42:48 GMT
Thank you Piggles love, it was a bit fatty to be honest and a lot of it had to be cut out which is such a waste. Other than that is was a nice piece. That smoothie sounds wonderful, I love kiwi fruit anyway. Making a spag bol today, hope it will be delicious.
Hugs Jo xx
|
|
|
Post by 3piggles on Apr 9, 2017 15:36:52 GMT
Kind of can't go wrong with spaghetti and sauce Sorry the steak wasn't the greatest, but beef and pork can be very fatty. I'm cooking a ham a bit later. First time trying this brand, so I hope it's good. It comes with a honey glaze that goes on at the very end, so I'm looking forward to trying that. I usually stud the ham with cherries in pineapple rings, but that's expensive, and it doesn't really make a blah ham taste any better. I bought a large container of baby salad greens, which we really like, so we can have a nice ham dinner with a good garden salad. I'm really looking forward to that. We'll also have a lot of ham left over to get us through the two hot days, when I won't be cooking. Going to make some pasta today, so I have that for a cold salad if I need it, too. Hubby is trying to figure out how to set up the small gas grill and the propane burner on the back porch, so I can use those to cook outside during the good months. We need to find some sort of nonflamable table to hold them, so we're looking around for one. The big gas grill is on the lawn beside the porch, and I need one hand to hold onto the railing on the stairs, so can't carry much with the other hand. He can grill on that when he's home, and I can use the other one.
|
|
|
Post by jolovespiggies on Apr 10, 2017 13:17:12 GMT
That is true Piggles love, our spag bol was delicious. I am probably having an oven cooked fish portion today but no chips. Ham salad is lovely especially if you have new potatoes with it. I know they are a little bit naughty but if you don't drape them in butter (which is heavenly) they aren't so bad and help to keep you full. Poor Paul loves barbeques but it is difficult here due to the fact that we do not have a proper garden. I would love some barbequed steak and chicken again.
Hugs JO xx
|
|
|
Post by 3piggles on Apr 10, 2017 19:46:58 GMT
Do you have any patch of grass at all? I remember using the hibachi grills, which are still around. We used to use it on the porch of our apartment. Great for a few small items I made a batch of cubed potatoes, a box of tri color pasta, have the cold ham, farro and lots of salad greens, so I think we're set for the next couple of days. My oven definitely cooks faster than it should, or hotter than it should, but at least the ham wasn't overcooked, as I decided to check it early. Of course, just as I was ready to check the ham, daughter called, the timers beeped for the pasta and the potatoes, and it was quite crazy for a while. Daughter wanted the recipe for par boiling chicken to put on the BBQ grill, so I had to think about that while I dictated it to her over the phone. I kept taking the temp of the ham, then forgetting what it said, and having to take it again. We ate the potatoes, so I made more this morning. There are times when I truly love having a microwave
|
|
|
Post by jolovespiggies on Apr 11, 2017 8:34:25 GMT
We do have a patch of grass Piggles love but it isn't very private. Our cooker is like that, I have to remember to cook everything for less time on a lower heat. We always par cooked chicken when we had barbeques, you cannot be too careful with it.
Hugs JO xx
|
|
|
Post by 3piggles on Apr 11, 2017 19:52:12 GMT
The broth for parboiling the chicken smells so good, it's like having a really great soup simmering on the stove. I've tasted it, though, and it's not as good as it smells. It has garlic and onion powder, oregano, thyme, and rosemary, soy sauce, A-1/Heinz 57 and Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce if you want to add that. The great thing about parboiling is the fat boils out, so since the chicken is partially cooked anyway, it only takes a few minutes on the grill, and is low in fat. Not bad! We got the small grill out last night. It takes up a lot of the current temp porch, but will be good once the full porch is built. It's filthy, though, so I have to give it a real scrubbing. The grill cleaners are under the house, so I'll have hubby get those out for me, and start cleaning. I think it's going to take a lot of cleaning! I wonder if Easy Off oven cleaner works on gas grills. It works on gas/propane stoves, but we don't spray the chemicals right on the flame in regular stoves. Ooh, I forgot to mention in the TV/Movies thread. One of the houses in last nights episode of Vera had an Aga stove, or equivalent in it. It was fantastic! I googled them and show the price ranges to hubby. Sticker shock does not cover his reaction! I can't justify one now, even if I had the money, but OOH, do I wish I could have cooked on one, just once! They even come is the dark red accent color I have in my kitchen
|
|
|
Post by jolovespiggies on Apr 12, 2017 8:45:48 GMT
That sounds great Piggles love and I really love worcestershire sauce. It is great on fish and cheese on toast. Oh yes Aga stoves are great, many cottages and large houses have them. You have to learn how to cook all over again though as they are totally different from conventional ovens. There you go hun, you will have to be really nice to Vic and see if he will let you have one LOL!!
Hugs Jo xx
|
|
|
Post by 3piggles on Apr 13, 2017 18:54:18 GMT
I would be totally willing to learn to cook on the Aga No, we won't get one. I just don't need it any more. I do think about all the cooking I could have done on one for decades, and wish I could have afforded it Made what is probably my last pot of chili for this season. I have the kitchen windows open to counter the heating from the propane burner on the stove, and temps are gradually increasing toward summer heat. The house smell fabulous, and even hubby noticed, when I did the first pot of chili during the winter, the it was an aroma he missed the rest of the year. I'm stocking up on beans for bean salads, and hope to find a better mint plant than the one I have, as mine doesn't produce big leaves, just lots of small ones. Hubby bought me to really large, milk chocolate easter bunnies. I'm not a fan of milk chocolate. I prefer dark chocolate, which I have in bars. So I'm going to crush some of the spearmint hard candies I have, mix the milk chocolate with the dark chocolate, and make spearmint bark. Best way I can think of to eat milk chocolate. I think Vic might like it, too.
|
|
|
Post by jolovespiggies on Apr 14, 2017 9:35:50 GMT
It is quite something apparently Piggles love and isn't that easy. Some people (with the money of course) have an Aga for show and cook on a conventional oven. I am not a fan of dark chocolate unless it is covering a cream and then I think it is much better than milk.
Hugs JO xx
|
|
|
Post by 3piggles on Apr 14, 2017 21:17:24 GMT
I think part of having an Aga is just having something that looks so incredibly cool! I read about the different heating principle, and don't even know if it would fit my lifestyle. Using less heat by having the heat on constantly seems extremely wasteful, unless we're running a restaurant. Sort of like firing up the grill in the morning, and leaving it on all day in case we want to use it. They are just so cool looking! I'm trying to organize my raised planter garden beds, so I can have hubby build what I need, and have the beds with the tall veggies such as corn, cukes in the back. I want several raised planter beds, as each will only be 2' deep, and somewhere between 5-10' long. That way I can reach everything without having to bend, which I don't do well. I need some trellises, but we can build those easily. Not sure how many climbing veggies I'm going to grow this first year. We can always add more beds later. Definitely eggplant, tomatoes, cukes, corn, bell peppers, herbs and flowers
|
|
|
Post by jolovespiggies on Apr 18, 2017 8:07:16 GMT
They do look impressive love especially in a big country kitchen. Good luck with the gardening.
Hugs Jo xx
|
|
|
Post by Bean on Apr 19, 2017 8:16:47 GMT
I've never put Worcestershire sauce on fish, that's blown my mind! I do use it in BBQ sauce though, it adds a lovely depth of flavour.
I always have it on scrambled eggs on toast and with macaroni cheese.
I took my veg bed down last year as it was falling to bits (we'd just made it from hammering an old pallet together when we moved in 6 odd years ago). I was wondering what I would do veg-wise (if anything - part of me thinks I should have a year off!), but have a spare bit of trellis that I think I will use to grow a few climbing veg like beans and mini cucumbers. I have missed not having broccoli this year - I usually grow the purple sprouting broccoli that costs a bomb in the shops, so it's been missed!
I've got a few things that look after themselves - fruit trees, fruit bushes and rhubarb. So I should have a few home-grown morsels, if not as many as usual.
|
|
|
Post by 3piggles on Apr 19, 2017 21:35:24 GMT
I don't actually put the Worcestershire Sauce on the chicken. I put it, and all of the other ingredients, in the water in a pot, and add the chicken, and boil it for a while to par cook it. It infuses flavor into the meat, and cooks the chicken enough that it only takes a few minutes on the grill. Just long enough to get the BBQ sauce on the chicken and get some grill marks on it. Makes for a really quick way to grill BBQ chicken. It also boils of a lot of the fat, so it's leaner than cooking it from raw. I agree about growing the things you really want, and the supermarket either doesn't carry or are very expensive. I want to grow seedless/burpless cukes, as cukes are great for the digestion, and I've started eating more than I used to eat. I love cukes, but tended to give them to the pigs as treats rather than eat a lot myself. I always have a bowl of cherry tomatoes on the island, so I can pick at them all day. Now I keep a cuke on the cutting board, so I can eat that, too. I have seeds for a variety of mini carrot, shorter than regular carrots, two types of tomatoes, Italian and purple eggplants, lots of herbs, and salad greens, sweet corn and probably some other things. Bean, have you considered vertical gardening? You said you had some pallets, which can easily be mounted to posts in the ground. You can hang whatever type of plant pots you want, from built-in wooden boxes to pots with hooks on them. They make great wind breaks as well as places to grow small things like herbs and greens. I'm getting something like this: www.houzz.com/photos/46319766/Large-Vertcial-Gardening-DIY-Planters-5-Pack-contemporary-outdoor-pots-and-planters for my herbs and greens, so I can grow them on the porch this summer, than bring them inside this winter.
|
|