Holiday Thoughts

As we speed through the holiday season with thoughts of gift giving, decorating, visiting, and baking, let me request that we all have some additional daily thoughts.

A thought for those who cannot be with their families because they are on duty here and abroad.  Our police, firefighters, doctors, nurses, chefs, wait staff, kitchen workers, hotel workers, pilots, flight attendants, mechanics, shipping and freight carriers, and pharmacists, to name only a few.

A special thought for those in military service here and abroad.  They are always on duty so that we can be safe at home and abroad.

A fervent thought as an ambulance passes that the attendants, EMTs, and emergency room staff work up to their best potential to save that life.  If it is the destiny of that life to move on to the next chapter, that the passing is gentle and with grace.

And, finally, a positive thought for each of us.  Let us look around and see the plenty of what we have, the joy of our friends and family, and the hope and anticipation of the New Year to come.

A decent meal in 10 minutes (with help)!

So, let's start with the full truth -- this is not a "from scratch" meal.

But on busy nights, having a usable leftover, some sausages in the fridge, and a veg in the freezer can make a fast, balanced, and decent meal.

We had a side portion of Christy Mae's potato salad, frozen chopped spinach from Whole Foods, and Andouille Sausage by Wellshire Farms (also purchased at Whole Foods). 

Got out the grill pan, heated it up, and slapped the sausages in there to heat them (they are already fully cooked) and get the skin nicely marked and crispy.

Dumped the full bag of frozen spinach in a medium large Corningware dish (from S&H Green Stamps), put the lid on, and thawed it in the microwave.

Turned the sausages. Nice markings!

Had some heirloom garlic from friends -- sliced about 4 cloves, heated about 3 Tablespoons of butter in a large non-stick skillet and, with the fire on medium-low, threw the garlic slices in there to start cooking (but NOT browning).  Tossed in a bit of salt and four grinds of the pepper mill.

Drained the hot (and thawed) spinach (nothing fancy -- just slip the lid back, lean over the sink, let it dribble out), and tossed the spinach in the frying pan.  Gave it a stir.

Checked on the sausages, gave them another turn.

Got out plates, forks, steak knives, squeezed some Grey Poupon on each plate (we like to dunk our sausage slices in mustard), and divided up the potato salad.  You don't want to know how many different types of mustard we have in the refrigerator.

Stirred the spinach around -- just trying to cook off additional moisture and get the garlic essence through out.

One more turn of the sausages -- in the grill pan for about 9 minutes total.

Serve it up! Yummy!

P.S.  We saved half of the sausages (2 links) and half of the spinach for another night.
P.P.S.  We are not affiliated with nor employees of any of the above referenced companies.

Easy dinner for a cool night.

Normally one doesn't think of fondue as easy, but this recipe is totally easy ('cause it cheats) and is easy to vary.

Here's the original recipe, from an old Campbell's Soup Cookbook:

Technically this serves 4, but mi esposo and I barely manage to have any left over.

1 clove garlic cut in half crosswise
1 cup white wine
1 can Campbell's Cheddar Cheese soup
2 cups of fairly well packed grated cheddar cheese (we use Tillamook Extra Sharp)
3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 small round of sourdough bread, cut into "mouth-sized" squares, making sure there's crust on one side.

Special equipment:  fondue pot and fondue forks (not essential, but it makes it official), small can of sterno.

Rub the garlic over the inside of the pot and discard.

Stir the cornstarch into the grated cheddar cheese and set by the stove.

Add the wine and the can of soup to the pot, whisk to combine and bring to a simmer.  Once you see little bubbles around the edge of the liquid, stir in handfuls of the cheddar cheese-cornstarch combination, using a wooden spoon (or a heatproof spatula).  Let each handful melt into the soup-wine mixture before adding the next.

When everything is combined and smooth, remove the pot from the heat and set on the fondue stand.  Light the sterno and keep a low flame under the pot.

Pierce a cube of bread through the crust with the fondue fork and swirl through the fondue; let drip back into the pot, letting the fondue cool a bit on the bread.  Insert into mouth, let eyes roll into the back of your head, and repeat.


Other yummy things to dip into the fondue:  tart apples, cubed; just fork-tender pieces of broccoli and cauliflower.

If there is any leftover fondue, it easily reheats.  You may need to add a bit of wine to thin it.  It also makes a tasty spread on crackers in its chilled state.

CTF's variation:

2 cloves of garlic, minced or put through a garlic press
1 cup white wine
1 can Campbell's Cheddar Cheese soup
2 cups of fairly well packed grated cheddar cheese (we use Tillamook Extra Sharp)
3 tablespoons cornstarch
Minimum of 1 small can of chopped green chiles (or about 1/4 cup of diced freshly roasted green chiles) 
                  OR
2-3 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, finely minced.

1 small round of sourdough bread, cut into "mouth-sized" squares, making sure there's crust on one side.

Special equipment:  fondue pot and fondue forks (not essential, but it makes it official), small can of sterno.


Stir the cornstarch into the grated cheddar cheese and set by the stove.

Place the garlic, wine and the can of soup to the pot, whisk to combine and bring to a simmer.  Once you see little bubbles around the edge of the liquid, stir in handfuls of the cheddar cheese-cornstarch combination, using a wooden spoon (or a heatproof spatula).  Let each handful melt into the soup-wine mixture before adding the next.

When everything is combined and smooth, add the green chiles (or chipotle chiles) and heat through.  Remove the pot from the heat and set on the fondue stand.  Light the sterno and keep a low flame under the pot.

Pierce a cube of bread through the crust with the fondue fork and swirl through the fondue; let drip back into the pot, letting the fondue cool a bit on the bread.  Insert into mouth, let eyes roll into the back of your head, and repeat.

Other yummy things to dip into the fondue:  tart apples, cubed; just fork-tender pieces of broccoli and cauliflower.

If there is any leftover fondue, it easily reheats.  You may need to add a bit of wine to thin it.  It also makes a tasty spread on crackers in its chilled state.

Leave a comment and let me know if you tried the recipe.

NM State Fair, Food, and Jackalopes

I love State Fairs.  I love the exhibits (4-H and FFA), the crafts, cooking, sewing, and quilting submissions, the SPAM contest (as an observer only), the horses, the baby animals that grow up before your eyes, the food.

In our house, we refer to the start of the State Fair as the beginning of the "eatin' season".  On the heels of the fair comes the Balloon Fiesta, then after that it's Thanksgiving, and after that it's Christmas (or the Winter Solstice, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, or the special observance of the winter season of your choice).  As a matter of fact, I advise anyone to either get their cholesterol tested BEFORE the State Fair or after the middle of January, because it's pointless to do it during the eatin' season.

A new creature this year in the Poultry and Rabbit barn is the rarely seen jackalope.  These were particularly special since they are of the mini persuasion, not the usual significantly larger persuasion that can get up to four feet tall, if you include the ears.

Here's a picture of the darlin' in his cage:

Here's a close-up of the little guy:

Hope you enjoy your State Fair!

Cooking counts as Crafting, yes?

I'm counting things done in the kitchen as coming under the Craft designation; I'm pretty sure my efforts don't qualify as Art.

We're invited to a Labor Day hangout, and as it is still too stinking hot to turn the burners on, opted for already cooked shrimp.  A minor complication -- DH neglected to notice that the tray of already cooked shrimp were frozen on his recon earlier in the week.  So now, 2 1/2 hours before we're supposed to show up, we're thawing shrimp.

What I wanted to share was our cocktail sauce recipe.   Cannot take credit for invention of the recipe, just the adaptation.  We first tasted this at Cutter's in Seattle -- they had a most excellent shrimp and crab cocktail with this flavorful and spicy cocktail sauce billed as the "Fireworks Prawn Cocktail".  We inquired as to the components and all they would share is that wasabi (the green spicy horseradish paste that comes with sushi) is part of the recipe, and it definitely adds a yummy flavor to the sauce.

So we tasted and tasted to try to detect what else might be in the sauce, and here is our version.

Fireworks Seafood Cocktail Sauce

Notes:

• Amounts are approximate, as this is a "season to your taste" kind of sauce
• Makes about 2 cups.  Recipe can be halved or doubled, as needed
•  Recommend making at least 1 hour before it is needed
•  Takes about 10 minute to prepare.

2 cups of your favorite tomato ketchup
1 large clove of garlic (minced, mashed, put through the press -- your choice)
1 tablespoon pure horseradish (the grated stuff in a jar -- NOT horseradish sauce or cream)
4 teaspoons of wasabi (this is usually in the Asian food section of grocery store in small green box -- is in a tube, lasts nearly indefinitely)
4 shakes of Worcestershire sauce
4 - 6 grinds of your peppermill
About 2 teaspoons of juice from lime (our preference) or lemon

Mix all together and taste.  Adjust as needed, adding more wasabi, lime juice, etc.  Refrigerate until needed.  This will improve and the flavors blend as it sits in the refrigerator.  Taste again before serving and adjust as you need.

This also keeps well -- at least 10 days in the fridge (between the horseradish, wasabi, garlic, and citrus juice, how could it not?).  It's actually quite tasty as a sauce for hotdogs and sausages.

My first post...

I suppose every new blog has to have "the first post"; so here's mine.

I do like to travel and friends ask me for my tips and suggestions on the places my DH and I have visited.  Will share those in the (future) travel section.

I started making cards (under serious adult supervision of the best Stampin' Up demonstrator, Kathy Morgan) about three years ago and am continuing to grow and learn.  Will be dipping into altering projects along this creative journey and will share what I've learned (good, bad, and ugly) in the (future) crafting section.

I have sewed in the past and am working on getting back into that; I also want to begin quilting.  I promise to share in the (future) fabric section.

And, when it's not 100 degrees, I love to cook and bake.  Now that I'm not working, I will be starting a sourdough starter and playing with that.  With just a spousal unit, we don't need all the results of the baking -- so we share with a couple of favorite restaurants.  Will share our local favorites in the (future) New Mexico section.

This blog is a work in progress -- heck, I'm a work in progress.  I've kept the format pretty simple to start and will add and configure things as I go.  I'll be working up some "CraftyTravelFrog Blog rules" to help me govern myself and how the blog is presented.  That will be in a future posting and saved as a document somewhere on the blog (as soon as I can figure out how to do that).


Be patient with me -- I'm learning this stuff as I go!