Author: SupremeCmdr

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Hummus

1 garlic clove
1 15 oz can organic chickpeas, drained, rinsed
Salt to taste
1/4 cup organic tahini (sesame paste)
Freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 lemon)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Directions
In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, drop the garlic and process until minced. Add the rest of the ingredients and process until the hummus is smoothly pureed.  Serve with fresh whole wheat pita bread wedges.
I’ve been making hummus since my college days.  There was a graduate student from the Middle East whose name I’ve forgotten that had a room down the hall from me in the dorm.  What makes this memory so unforgettable was the introduction of hummus to my taste buds.   Love from the first bite.  Like I said, I’ve been making hummus for a long time.  This hummus recipe was one of our appetizers at this weekend’s gathering of exquisite friends.  Before I get off point let me share my hummus tips.
I never thought there would be a big difference between organic and regular tahini/canned chickpeas.  I was wrong.  Use organic chickpeas and you’ll never go back to the private label brands ever again.  Raw garlic is pretty garlicky.  Use one clove.  Any more fresh garlic than a single clove and you will no longer have gatherings with your exquisite friends.  Most hummus recipes call for a lot more tahini than a 1/4 cup.  Go ahead and use more tahini if you prefer but I’ve found out that a little tahini (like raw garlic) goes a long way.  I happen to like my hummus lemony.  One lemon is usually what your exquisite friends will tolerate without forcing them to abruptly depart mumbling something under their lemony breath.   Go easy with the salt but use enough extra virgin olive oil to create the consistency of hummus you prefer.
And that’s it.  We like to spread our spread thinly on a large serving plate, drizzle with more EVO and sprinkle a little paprika and parsley on top.
2018 Update
Two cloves of garlic and the juice from 1.5 lemons.
Trust me on this.
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Lola the Six-clawed Lobster

The 4-pound lobster, which has five claws in a hand-like pattern on its left side and a normal claw on its right, would seem to be at an advantage if lobsters ever do go to war.

via Lola the six-clawed lobster finds new home at Maine State Aquarium — State — Bangor Daily News — BDN Maine.

HT – Naked Capitalism

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Greek Salad – The Pioneer Woman Cooks – Ree Drummond (One Rotisserie Chicken 50 Meals #8)

I love Ree Drummond.  Never met her.  Never mind the fact I’m married.  I love Ree Drummond.  I love Ree because every recipe of hers I’ve tried is awesome.  This Greek Salad recipe is all Ree.  It is reproduced in its awesome entirity and I’ve given credit to this Goddess via the link below.

We had the usual gang over for pizza one night.  Everyone asks “What can I bring?”.  So for one of our couple friends we said “Salad”.

They brought this salad over to have with pizza.

Awesome!

Since that fateful day, we’ve made this salad several times.  One time we put chicken on top of it.  Dinner. Done. Delicious.

Greek Salad | The Pioneer Woman Cooks | Ree Drummond.

Ingredients

  • 1 head Romaine Lettuce, Chopped
  • 4 whole Ripe Tomatoes, Cut Into Six Wedges Each, Then Each Wedge Cut In Half
  • 1 whole (large) Cucumber, Peeled, Cut Into Fourths Lengthwise, And Diced Into Large Chunks
  • ½ whole Red Onion, Sliced Very Thin
  • 30 whole Pitted Kalamata Olives, Cut In Half Lengthwise
  • 6 ounces, weight Crumbled Feta Cheese
  • Fresh Parsley, Roughly Chopped
  • ¼ cups Olive Oil
  • 2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Sugar (more To Taste)
  • 1 clove Garlic, Minced
  • 6 whole Kalamata Olives (extra), Chopped Fine
  • ¼ teaspoons Salt
  • Freshly Ground Black Pepper
  • 1 whole Lemon, For Squeezing

Preparation Instructions

Add chopped lettuce, tomato wedges, cucumber chunks, onion
slices, halved Kalamata olives, half the feta, and parsley to a large
bowl.

Combine olive oil, vinegar, sugar, garlic, salt, pepper, and chopped
olives in a bowl. Whisk together until combined. Taste and adjust
seasonings (I almost always add a little sugar.)

Pour dressing over salad ingredients, then add salt and pepper. Toss
with tongs or clean hands. Just before serving, top with additional feta
and squeeze a little lemon juice over the top.

via Greek Salad | The Pioneer Woman Cooks | Ree Drummond.

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Ramen Burger (not in my house)

The Ramen Burger, which you can see on its official Facebook page, consists of a beef patty sandwiched between two pan-fried discs of ramen noodles, then topped with an arugula, green onions, and a “secret” Shoyu sauce (a type of soy sauce). Shimamoto got the idea while traveling abroad in Japan, where ramen bun sandwiches are common but not with beef, which is prohibitively expensive there.

via Ramen burger: Is the ramen patty or bun? Explained. – CSMonitor.com.

Really?

 

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Squash Casserole – The Final Update 2022

Note the 12.21.18 update below from someone who shall remain unnamed. Now that the cracker brand issue has been settled, the rest of this post is the original post.

Life can be funny sometimes.  Every year the Thanksgiving menu never changes.  There was the occasional occasion where someone in the family said,

This is getting boring.  Time to change things up.

So a new dish gets introduced.  Everyone proclaims how delicious the new dish is but somehow the new dish is never to be seen again at Thanksgiving.  It took us a while to figure out but finally we figured out that boring was good.  And I’m not saying this squash casserole is boring.  You just have a tendency to forget how good it is.

So here’s to Thanksgiving with the same menu, the same people and one hell of a squash casserole.

  • 2 lbs yellow squash, rough sliced to 1/2 inch thickness
  • 1 medium sweet yellow onion, sliced
  • 3/4 C cracker crumbs (Keebler Townhouse)
  • 2 eggs beaten
  • 2 C cheddar cheese, shredded
  1. Place the squash in a sauce pot with about an inch of water.  Bring to a boil, cover, lower the heat, and steam until just cooked through.  Drain, mash with a potato masher to a rough mash and set aside to cool.
  2. In a separate pan, saute the onion in butter until soft.
  3. Grease an oblong baking dish big enough to hold the squash (butter is better).
  4. Combine the eggs, 1 cup of the cheese, cracker crumbs, onions, and squash.  Mix well and place into the baking dish.
  5. Cover with the remaining cheese.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-45 minutes until the cheese is browned and the sides are bubbly.
  6. Let the casserole sit for 10-15 minutes to firm up.  Serve warm.

The other day we got some squash from our relatives to be in Claremore, OK.  The instant The Boss saw these beautiful vegetables she said,

Make squash casserole.  Grill chicken.  Make a salad.

Yes Dear.

Notes – butter is better.  More butter is more better.  Salt and pepper to taste, but you really don’t need much of either.  Use cheddar to your personal taste.  I like sharp cheddar.  But I used what was already open in the fridge and I cannot tell you the sharpness.  Cracker crumbs – some Southerners swear by Ritz crackers.  I used plain saltines and they worked just fine.

Credits – Aunt Kathy.

Update 12.21.18

“The recipe doesn’t say Ritz crackers.”

“But we’ve always used Ritz crackers.”

Cracker crumbs, bread crumbs all the same to me.  I’ve used plain saltines.  No one complained.  This time I used panko.  Think of the flavor profile.  Ritz will add a touch of sweetness to the squash.  Plain saltines or panko will add plainness.  Take your pick!

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Happy Birthday Arlo

Happy Birthday Arlo

Ole!  Today is Arlo’s first birthday.  Arlo is the son of my sons’ childhood babysitter.  This is but one cookie from an entire plate full of the most incredible cookies I’ve ever seen.  Many pictures were snapped to preserve the memory.

SAMSUNG

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Big Apple Pancake

This dish is not a fam fav from childhood but a recent addition to recipe collection.  For weekend stay-over guests you need a tasty easy to prepare dish for breakfast or brunch.  This is especially true when you have repeat customers.  You can serve only so many scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, toast, pancakes, etc. before your guests start asking,

“Can we go out for breakfast?”

This recipe is a Gourmet Classic that I encountered in 2011.  We made it once only because we didn’t own a cast iron skillet and quite frankly,  we completely forget about this recipe.  One weekend we decided to do something a little different to hopefully blunt any thoughts of going out.  A cast iron skillet is mandatory (probably not but I made it up and it sounds good).  The only changes made to original recipe are the butter and milk.  The original Gourmet recipe calls for whole milk (we had 2% in the fridge) and sweet butter (salted works, trust me).  Serves about six.  Add fresh fruit and pass around the maple syrup.

Breakfast was served buffet style.  After all the guests served themselves and sat at the table, the room fell silent.  Yeah, it’s that good.

  • Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Place a rack in the middle position.
  • Melt 2 T butter in a cast iron skillet over medium heat.
  • Core and peel one large golden delicious apple into 1/4 inch wedges.
  • Add apples to the skillet and cook turning once until they start to soften.  This takes 3-5 minutes.
  • Arrange apple wedges around the edge of the skillet.
  • With a hand beater mix 1/2 C all-purpose flour, 4 eggs, 1/2 C whole milk, 2 T sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract and 1/4 tsp salt until smooth.
  • Pour mixture over the apples and transfer the skillet to the oven.
  • Bake for around 15 minutes or until the pancake is puffy and the edges are golden brown.
  • Dust with confectioner’s sugar, cut into six wedges, and serve.
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