A Heritage of Humor – Stories from my Kitchens

Post # 108 Veggies From the Garden – Part 2

This weekend was an incredibly busy weekend.  We bought a ton of plant and garden stuff and then worked like dogs to get the backyard and garden to the point we wanted them.  We were almost 100% successful.  We got the pergola up and placed and braced.  We got the ramada and sitting area together.  We built a bench; built chair for outdoor seating; moved our 260 year old English tavern table to the pergola; we repaired said table so it can be used as an outside table; we planted pots and pots of plants to prettify the areas.

In the midst of all this, I also worked on what I wanted to do with the garden.  I told you already about starting cherry tomatoes from seeds.  It was time to separate the seedlings and put them in starter pots.  According to the instructions, I was supposed to weed through the plants pick the strongest and most viable.  They all looked strong and viable.  After several minutes of separating, I finally decided to put two or three plants per starter pot.  Here’s the result:

Four of those pots are going into my garden.  Two are going to my sister.  The final two are going to the next door neighbor who’s never raised crops before and is excited about it.  I’m actually excited about it, too.  This is the first time I’ve raised tomatoes from seeds.  In addition to the cherry tomatoes, which are my favorites, I bought two beefsteak tomato plants to supplement the tomato crop and provide some variety.

I also started some jalapeno seeds this weekend.  Since the little tin I grew the tomato seedlings in was now empty, I put dirt and seeds in it to see what would happen.  I’ll keep you posted.

A couple of weeks ago, I bought a bunch of seeds to plant.  I got carrots, radishes, cilantro, purple tomatillos, beans, sugar peas, and a bunch of herbs.  I’ve got a problem, though.  We have a puppy who eats everything in sight.  EVERYTHING!!  When I grew tomatoes in OKC, he ate the tomato plants.  He’s already eaten on of the plants out of one of the pots we worked on over the weekend.  So I have to put a fence around the garden area.  We’ve got it ordered and it should be here in a couple of days.  I’ll get busy planting after the fence is up.

In the meantime, I bought a couple of herb plants so we could enjoy them quickly.  We bought a tri-color sage and broadleaf basil.

I love mint.  A LOT!  One of my pots is trying to start spearmint, but I’m not certain it’s working.  I bought an unusual mint and put it into a hanging pot on the carport.  It’s a chocolate mint.  It has the wonderful mint scent and flavor with a subtle undertone of chocolate.  I don’t know how that works or what it’s going to taste like, but I can’t wait till it matures.

Another herb I got that I’ve had before is lemon balm.  If you have an opportunity to grow this, do it!  It’s got an amazing lemon flavor and is chock full of vitamins.  I use it in salads, salad dressing, teas, water flavoring, etc.  The thing to remember about any mint (lemon balm is considered a mint) is that they are prolific growers and will take over an entire bed.  Don’t plant these anywhere they can grow beyond borders of their bed.  Keep them in pots and when they send tendrils outside the pot, cut the tendrils off and use them in something.  Or put them in a glass of water until they root and give them away as gifts.

So, in a few more days the garden will be fenced and planted and ready to give us wonderful foodstuffs.  Can’t wait.

We worked our butts off this weekend and were successful in getting everything done we wanted to.  Today, we are experiencing a major wind storm.  So far, there are only two casualties.  The first is a solar light with plastic dragonflies.  They twinkle and look like fireflies and are pretty.  Partner/Spouse put them on top of the pergola and they came down.  However, only the plastic rock they were set in broke so I’m hopeful that the lights will work this evening.  The other was the chocolate mint.  It was hanging in a nice plastic pot on the carport looking all picturesque and the wind knocked it down and shattered the plastic pot.  The mint is fine, so all I have to do is get another, better, hanging pot.

Apart from that, it’s a windy dirty day. But the garden has moved forward and I’m a happy camper.

Enjoy!

Post # 107 Arroz con Pollo

Okay, I’m not a Spanish food expert, but I truly love Spanish foods.  I did an entire post on tacos once, and there is so much more to write about.  So today, I thought I’d tell you my version of Arroz con Pollo.

Arroz con Pollo is pronounced Ah-ros cone Poyo.  It means simply rice with chicken.  It’s amazingly easy to cook.  Prep time is about a half hour, and total cooking time runs about 45 minutes.  It’s a stove top meal in one large skillet so it’s not very messy either.  I’ll write out the recipe below, but let’s talk about the ingredients first.

Obviously, you’re going to need chicken and rice.  Then you’re going to need some spices to make it taste like a Hispanic dish.  Most people add a vegetable to it to round it out and make it a one pot meal.  Having said all that, it pretty versatile.

For the chicken, you can cut up a whole chicken and use it.  Or you can use one part of the chicken.  I like to make this with chicken thighs, but last night I made it with chicken breast because that’s what I had on hand.  You can also use boneless chicken and cut it up into bite-sized pieces.  I’ve even heard of people using canned chicken, but I haven’t tried that.

The rice can be any kind of rice you like, just don’t use instant.  It cooks too fast and turns to mush.  Last night, I used jasmine rice, but you can use any uncooked rice of the white, brown, or wild variety.  Using black or red rice would work, but you’d have to adjust the spices for the flavor of the rice.  In any event, try to use a long-grain rice if possible.

The seasonings can be pretty standard, or as spicy as you want to make them.  Nearly every recipe I’ve read calls for a chopped onion, and salsa or tomatoes.  Last night, I used a chopped onion, garlic powder, ginger, Mrs. Dash Chipotle Seasoning, and chili powder.  Many recipes call for only cumin and saffron.

If you’re adding vegetables to it, use frozen rather than fresh and add them during the last five minutes of cooking time.  Most recipes call for peas, but since Partner/Spouse doesn’t eat peas, I used corn which gives it a sweet flavor.  Just make sure whatever veggie you’re using is cut into small, bite-sized pieces if possible.

Okay, so let’s talk about making this.

Use a large skillet with a lid, or a dutch oven.  It needs to be large enough to hold all the chicken pieces comfortably.  Heat one tablespoon of oil to the sizzling stage and add the chicken, cooking until well browned on both sides.  Remove the chicken, but keep it warm by covering it tightly with foil.  Add one roughly chopped onion to the skillet and cook until softened, about six minutes or so.

Add one cup of rice and the spices to the onion and stir thoroughly for about thirty seconds.  You should start smelling the aroma of the spices as they cook.  Add two cups of chicken broth and one cup of your favorite chunky salsa.  If you don’t have salsa handy, or don’t like salsa, add one can of chopped tomatoes, or one cup of fresh tomatoes chopped with the juices and seeds intact.  Stir to mix.  Bring to a boil and boil for five minutes stirring occasionally to keep the rice from sticking to the pan.  Place the chicken back in the pan, nestling it down into the rice and liquid.  Avoid over-crowding if possible.  Sprinkle with salt, cover tightly, reduce the heat to a bare simmer.  Simmer for fifteen minutes.

Remove the chicken, and add any vegetables you may be having with the rice.  Stir the vegetables well into the rice.  Place chicken back into pan, cover, and cook for another five minutes until everything is hot throughout.  Use a thermometer to make certain your chicken has cooked thoroughly.  It must reach 170 degrees.  When the chicken is done, turn the heat off and serve while hot.  Partner/Spouse likes to fold it all into a flour tortilla and make a burrito.

If there are any leftovers, cut the chicken into small pieces, add more cooked rice and salsa so there’s enough for everyone, put it into a baking dish and cover with cornbread mix.  Bake until the cornbread is done, and dish it up!  Good stuff!

Enjoy!

Post # 106 The Ceramic Bowl

First, let me apologize, but another virus kept me down for a week.  It was nasty, left me weak and gasping, but I’m back now.  Sorry for the delay.  To get myself up and running, today I will be telling you about an incident in my cooking history, rather than about crock pots.

When my mom started teaching me to cook, the first thing we tackled was a cake.  Remember the infamous layer pound cake?  Read some of my earlier posts for that story if you don’t.  I learned a lot of other things, but everything seemed to center around a particular ceramic bowl.  It was a large bowl so it was convenient for mixing everything.  I made cookie batter, cake batter, salads, anything you could think of.  It fit the crook of my arm perfectly.  It was my go to bowl.  If it didn’t in that bowl, it didn’t get made, although there were a few near misses.  It had a hand painted, bright pattern.  I have no idea where my mom got it, but it stands out in my memory because that was the bowl I learned to cook in.

There are lots of stories that I recall centered around this bowl.  It was the bowl I put French fries into when I was frying batch after batch in my mom’s old cast iron skillet (wish I had that!)  My younger brother would sneak fries while I was cooking, forcing me to cook more thus be at the hot stove longer than necessary.  Even after thirty years, I’m still threatening to break his fingers if he steals one more.  My sister owns the bowl now, and as you can see, she uses it to store fruit and vegetables.

My favorite memory of this bowl involves my nephew.  He was about four or five at the time.  I pulled the bowl out of the cupboard where it sat and grabbed a wooden spoon.  I plopped a stick of butter into the bowl and furiously whipped at it until it was thoroughly softened and creamed.  Then I added a cup of white sugar and creamed that into the butter, making it light and airy.  I was well on my way to chocolate chip cookies, and my nephew, who had just wandered into the kitchen knew that something good was on the way because I had that bowl in my arms.  I was just about to add the brown sugar when he said, “I like that.”

That kid was transparent as glass.  He wanted a taste.  “It’s only sugar and butter.” I replied, “It will taste awful.”  I was trying to convince him of that but he kept insisting that he liked it.

“Okay,” I said, after a few minutes.  “Grab a spoon.”

He couldn’t believe his good fortune!  He walked as calmly but as quickly as he could to the silverware drawer and grabbed the biggest spoon he could see.  Again, nonchalantly but hurriedly, he sauntered over to the bowl and dug in.  He got a big heaping glop of butter and sugar and crammed the whole thing in his mouth.

I watched his expression go from delight to disgust running the full range in between as the butter melted in his mouth, not tasting like anything he’d ever had before.  He heroically swallowed and started to set the spoon on the counter.

“How was it?” I asked.

“Oh, it was real good.” he said.

“Want some more?  Help yourself.”

I read the look on his face as plainly as a book.  He knew if he was honest and said it was terrible, there wasn’t a snowball’s chance that he was ever getting anything out of that bowl again.  But he couldn’t bring himself to put any more of that glop in his mouth and swallow it down.

So I held the bowl out to him.

He looked at for a few seconds, and finally took the only option open to him.  “No, I better not.  Mom would be real mad if I ruined my dinner.”

It was 1:30 in the afternoon.  But I let him off the hook and agreed.

I love that bowl.