Author: SupremeCmdr

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All my recipes in one place – Emiko Davies

Sunday 8/25

My cookbook obsession started in my 20’s. Dad always told me if you learn how to cook you’ll always enjoy your meals. I found this to be mostly true. Ask anyone in the family about my famous Mustard Chicken or Tofu Tacos, two recipes of mine which I’ve made just one time apiece. Some recipes are meant to be one and done. Others change and get better over time. To be a better cook you have to learn how others cook. One herb or spice that you don’t use in a dish you’ve made for years can make a difference. Technique matters. Let the experience of others be your constant guide.

A few years ago I stopped buying paper cookbooks. The house was filling up with hundred of books, not just cookbooks, so I decided to cut back drastically on paper based books and transitioned to ebooks. Sometimes I borrow cookbooks from the local library to browse for more cooking knowledge. And then there’s the infinity of the internet where you can find the same recipe repeated over and over claimed by all to be their unique creations. But occasionally you stumble upon a website and you know you’ll come back for tips over and over again.

Emiko Davies is an Australian-Japanese food writer, photographer and cookbook author based in Italy for the past 20 years. Davies just posted an index of her recipes from the past 14 years. https://www.emikodavies.com/all-my-recipes-in-one-place/

I love Italian food. Time to learn how to make it better.

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Seed Oils – Updated 08.24.24

If you consume social media, you may have heard: Seed oils are terrible for your health–even toxic! Cooking oils derived from seeds cause everything from heart disease to inflammation to fatigue to bad skin–according to a certain subset of Internet influencers. Yet contrary to the posts demonizing the common ingredients, a bevy of scientific research disagrees…

And broadly, the best path to a healthy diet is probably what you’d expect. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables, with whole grains and lots of fiber, is best, say Calder and Johnson. “It’s what your mother told you,” Johnson adds. Moving more and eating slightly less overall, are probably also good ideas for most Americans, notes Harris. “It’s not sexy, but that’s the way it is.” What science actually says about seed oils — https://www.popsci.com/health/are-seed-oils-bad-for-you/

Update

The American Heart Association supports the inclusion of omega-6 fatty acids as part of a healthy diet. There’s no reason to avoid seed oils and plenty of reasons to eat them — https://www.heart.org/en/news/2024/08/20/theres-no-reason-to-avoid-seed-oils-and-plenty-of-reasons-to-eat-them

You’re welcome.

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Baked Chicken Thighs

I wanted something quick and tasty so I made some baked chicken thighs.

Here’s my inspiration. The recipe reminded me of a dish I used to make a long time ago .

For those who are visual learners…

At some point in the future I’ll properly create my own version but for now here are the changes I made:

  • I left the fat on the chicken thighs. Fat = flavor.
  • I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
  • Texas 1015 sweet onions instead of white onions.
  • Not as much herbs and spices as the original calls for. I lightly salted the thighs on one side before placing into the baking dish. Lightly coat each thigh with EVOO. I then dusted the thighs with sweet paprika, garlic powder and oregano.
  • Skipped the whole tomato and used a bunch of cherry tomatoes.
  • No white pepper. No lemons (I didn’t have any in the fridge).
  • Drizzle more EVOO over the top layer of sliced onions.
  • 375 degrees F for 45 minutes.

I made rice and some green peas for sides. We also topped our portions with a nice sprinkle of Feta cheese.

Turned out real tasty.

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Fresh or Frozen? Let’s Talk About Spinach

“When fresh spinach sits during transportation over long distances or stays in your refrigerator for a week, its folate content drops so much that frozen spinach becomes the better source,” Mary Ellen Phipps, MPH, RDN, LD, wrote for CNBC in 2022.

This is because frozen spinach often goes through a flash-freezing process just hours after it has been harvested, which helps to lock more of its nutrients in. “One cup of frozen spinach has more than four times the amount of nutrients, including iron, vitamin C, and calcium, compared to a cup of fresh spinach,” adds Phipps. https://vegnews.com/best-form-of-spinach Fresh is Best? Not Always When It Comes to Spinach

Photo by Lisa Fotios on Pexels.com
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More Blue Zone Stuff – 6 Benefits of Spending Time with Grandchildren

After a session at the Y with the resistance machines I stopped at a grocery store to pick up some cabbage for the slaw topping for black bean tacos. See Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Feta and Honey-Lime Cabbage Slaw. Myron was working that day so I had to stop and visit. Myron is an Old Guy who works at the store 1-2 days a week handing out samples. Somewhere in the conversation I mentioned I would be turning 70 in a few months and that I was for sure older than he (nod, nod, wink, wink).

“Oh no you’re not. I’m going to be 80 in a few months.”

“You look great. You must be one of those vegans!”

Myron got a good laugh out of that comment. His face got serious for a moment. Then he said,

“No, not me. I’m not vegan. And I happen to be addicted to chocolate peanut butter cups.”

“Must be the anti-oxidants in the chocolate and protein in the peanut butter.”

It’s always interesting to discover how some of us tend to thrive in our later years.

Chocolate peanut butter cups! I forgot to mention to this spry near 80 year old that the most popular brand of his addiction now makes a vegan version.

Sorry, I got off topic. Here’s the link to more Blue Zone Stuff.

6 Benefits of Spending Time with Grandchildren https://www.bluezones.com/2024/08/6-benefits-of-spending-time-with-grandchildren/

Myron also square dances and watches his grandchildren several days a week.

I’m not about to begin square dancing but more chocolate peanut butter cups sounds pretty good to me.

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Scary Charts 08.03.24

Source: Have Wages Kept Up With Inflation? — https://www.statista.com/chart/32428/inflation-and-wage-growth-in-the-united-states/

How do you stretch your grocery dollars? Shop the sales and shop at different stores. I have three stores in my rotation and my shopping list determines where I shop. I’ve always been a bargain hunter.

Wander the aisles and pay attention to sell by, best by, or expiration dates. Some grocery items are not selling quickly anymore. Other items are languishing on the shelves. I found a jar of organic blueberry fruit spread for $2.41. The other week I bought two one pound packages of ground turkey reduced to $1.00 apiece. $1.00 for a pound of ground meat! The sell by dates were one day after the purchase date and the meat went straight into the freezer. Wander because you never know what items have been deeply discounted.

Stock up when you find it on sale. My favorite brand of popcorn usually costs >$3.00 a bag. I saw this popcorn this morning on sale 3 bags for $5.00. Yeah, I bought three bags.

Speaking of sales, my local wine shop was offering 12% off a half case of wine the other day and 10% off two bottles of American whiskey.

Yup, stock up.

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Corn Salad – Lessons From a Lifetime of Cooking #5

I have never made nor eaten corn salad. Until today. Time to make a short story long.

The Two Tiny Tornadoes and Their Mom came to the house this past weekend. Along with the toys, stuffies and other assorted things Tiny Humans pack on trips our favorite Okie DIL brought a bag full of fresh cucumbers from her parents’ backyard garden. So what do you do with a bunch of fresh cucumbers?

The Boss was reading The Oklahoman and came across a recipe for corn salad by blogger Chula King in an article in the Tallahassee Democrat. I couldn’t find a link to the article in my local digital newspaper so I went to the source.

https://pudgefactor.com/easy-fresh-corn-salad-summer-in-a-bowl/#recipe

This salad is so super simple and tasty we have immediately decided to include it in our regular summer salad rotation.

Check it out. We added feta cheese and used organic frozen corn instead of fresh. Otherwise we followed the recipe to a T.

And that’s how you eat up a bunch of fresh cucumbers.

(this is not an actual picture of the salad I made but an AI generated picture)

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What Retirees Do With Their Time #1

Puff pastries.

The fresh strawberry moose is also made and chilling. Tonight, the tops get sliced off and a scoop of moose is delicately placed inside, top put back on, some sliced berries on the side.

Moose or mousse? Moose of coarse!

Here’s the basic puff pastry recipe from Betty https://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/cream-puffs/

The moose recipe came from Grandma Beverly but we have no idea where she got it from.

And here’s a snap of Moose in Puff

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