Recipes, Food Tips, Healthy Eating & More

@imallears
Now the CHOCOLATE Pantry is the best idea you ever had.

Oops, posted to soon.
Although a closet size kitchen is a step in the right direction it’s still a kitchen and so it’s still a rather big pill to swallow. Now if it was a closet in the garage it would be better. Of course no kitchen at all would be ideal but that would be quite a challenge. Jeez, Maybe all those sea & river creatures you’ve devoured are brain food after all.
One time my brother asked our Mom a question and she didn’t know the answer and she said “I was behind the door when the brains were passed out” and my brother said “you weren’t even in the room.” My brother probably thinks I wasn’t even in town.
What EXOTIC item are you going to have for lunch today. As terrifying as the thought may be I still want to know. But whatever it is I’m sure I can find an appropriate vino.
Take care,
Jake

@jakedduck1
Lunch is chicken salad over regular salad. Dinner is grass fed strip steak and my garlicky kale salad. I have a couple of New Jersey pounds to shed so lots of salad for a while. Ate too many complex carbs while away. I will let you know what we are eating this weekend and for my birthday weekend coming up.
You still need a place to store refrigerated items and a few minimal appliances...forgot the mini sink. You can call it what you want...the Forbidden Area or what not. Your house so your design....

FL Mary

@jakedduck1 I don't think so I don't even like asparagus maybe you can blend then into a smoothie just add water and of course ,chocolate, dark to them there,s your veggies and sweets

@lioness
I like asparagus charred....either in the oven with EVO and seasoning or on the stove top with a little water (if stalks are thick) in a skillet ...let that burn off and then add olive oil and seasoning until they start to blister. I prefer the thick stalks because they blister and char better than the thin ones. Never did them in a frozen state though. Anything in the oven with EVO and S&P tastes good to me. I usually add nutritional yeast sprinkled on the asparagus when cooked. I bet you would like them my way...I don’t like them boiled.

I don’t know about an asparagus smoothie ..think it would need some fruit like strawberries. @jakedduck1 could definitely add a chocolate bar and maybe some yogurt. I added Nutella to my grandsons spinach smoothie along with frozen fruit and yogurt...he loved that when he was in high school. Also no reason why you can’t chop up a little chocolate to put in salads along with some raspberries...yum.

Chocolate...mostly the dark kind is used in many meat marinades or thrown into stew dishes or shaved and added to spice rubs.
Sorry, Leonard you need to trot out the bitter dark chocolate for these.

Anyway @jakedduck1 , you will have asparagus for a year I guess. At least it cooks fast and, if you bought the thin stalks they will cook up nicely on the stovetop with just olive oil....boom boom done. Don’t forget to cut off the ends.

FL Mary

@imallears
Now you’re talking to an expert when it comes to charring. Almost everything I cook is charred.
Candy in salads, M&M’s would be good.
I microwave my veggies. Better ways to do it but microwaving is safest & no dish to wash. Just trying to get by until the “Jakeware” is available.
Jake

@imallers I might try that Just cooked on stove before That sounds like a winner Jake could even do yet no mess

@jakedduck1
When I do them in the oven I use parchment paper on the cookie sheet or broiler pan (you can use aluminum foil). No pans, just dump the veggies onto the dish and throw the foil or paper away.
If you have to microwave may I suggest you make a light sauce of butter, garlic powder and lemon/pepper zest (or powder) by melting all in the microwave after you take out the veggies and then drizzle over the cooked veggies. Should taste better then just sprinkling any dried seasonings over the veggies. Do this with any food...fish or chicken and seasonings and you have made somewhat of a gourmet sauce. Takes about 10 seconds to melt the butter and seasonings in the micro. No measuring...just eyeball it.

Please use real butter if you can....the margarine or butter substitute is awful tasting.

In the meantime think about how big and where you want your chocolate pantry...Willy Wonka.

Will be eating out a lot this weekend....will regale you with my choices. Got a cool front and some rain today and these next 3 days are beautiful temps in the high 60s with the lowest dew point we have had in ages and bright sunshine.

FL Mary.....

@jakedduck1 @lioness @feisty76 @imallears I'm missing all your lovely chats about food. What did you all have for Easter dinner? We were blessed with 80F weather with sunshine, and entertained a small group on our patio - served smoked and grilled sirloin steak with salad and fruit.
And Leonard, just for you, dessert was fudgy brownies, topped with good ice cream, hot fudge & fresh raspberries.
Sue

@sueinmn I had country baked ham stuffing ,sweet potato For Jake had chocolate cake (thought of you)