Lessons Learned From a Lifetime of Cooking #7

Sunday 9/22

My Mom loved hard boiled eggs. But beyond the egg, what she loved was her hot sauce. Tabasco, the one of a kind hot sauce from Avery Island, Louisiana. Mom always ate her boiled eggs with Tabasco and we’re not talking a few drops here and there. She would cut the boiled egg in half and hit that thing with so much Tabasco you literally could not see any yellow.

I thought this was disgusting.

I was 25 years young when I was introduced to the strange land known as Texas. What do you mean these chips are not potato chips? What’s that tiny bowl of red stuff? I was and still am a Jersey Boy from the mean streets of Newark. Seriously, people eat chips made from corn dipped in this red stuff?

It was not love at first bite. But like many other things in life I learned to love Texas and all things about the Lone Star State. This Jersey Boy met and married a Dallas girl and we created two more Texans. I acquired my desire for Thai food in Texas which then led me to other forms of spicy heat. The years sped by and when the Sriracha craze hit I never got on that train. I did keep a small bottle of the Huy Fong chili garlic sauce in the fridge which became my go to sauce when I needed to heat up my mild bland homemade chili made specifically not spicy for the someone else I live with.

My chili garlic sauce had to get tossed because the expiration date was years ago. I guess I never used this sauce as much as I thought. Today is the first day of Fall and chili season grows near. I needed a replacement hot sauce. The Tabasco, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, some cheap Mexican hot sauce and the omnipresent jar of medium salsa were just not going to work for me.

Then suddenly (Devine Intervention?) this hit the grocery shelves.

Thanks Mom. I hope you are enjoying your hard boiled eggs wherever you are.

July 22, 2023

Saturday 07.22.22 – The Day I Remembered This is a Food Blog

“So what are you going to do when I’m in Colorado?”

“Work.”

“So what are you going to do on the weekend?”

(silence…)

There are people who have to have to make plans and have plans for every day. There are people who don’t plan and see what the day brings. I am one of the second type of people. It’s Saturday and despite having a list of chores and errands I didn’t “plan” on doing much of anything at all. But I did manage to complete a few things off my list which made the entire day a guilt-free experience.

serendipity (noun) from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

The faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident.
The fact or occurrence of such discoveries.
An instance of making such a discovery.

One errand I absolutely needed done was getting gas for my Non-Green Non-EV. On the way home I stopped in a Pakistani/Indian restaurant and grocery store in Edmond Oklahoma. I’ve lived in this town for nearly 20 years and only learned today that Edmond has a Pakistani/Indian restaurant and grocery store. Of course I had to explore and see what I could find. I was motivated to see if I could locate some replacement spices and herbs because one of the other things on my list was to clean out the spice rack. There were just a few that expired.

Cayenne – August 2017
Dill – July 2010
Coriander – December 2016
Curry powder – February 2019
Ground mustard – no date
Ground ginger – no date
Sesame seeds – January 2018

No I’m not embarrassed. I’m mortified. The rack looks better now that I’ve tossed 7 or 8 containers.

At the Pakistani/Indian restaurant and grocery store I chose not to replace any of discards from the list. I simply don’t use these spices enough to justify buying replacements just to have sitting around for another 10 years or more before getting tossed out from lack of use. But here’s my haul from the Pakistani/Indian restaurant and grocery store:

Tomato paste from Turkey. Five bucks for 25 ounces.

Mild red chili powder. This is not the chili powder blend in the store but just ground chili from India. I almost bought the hot version but chickened out at the last moment.

Roti from Canada. Yes, Canada.

Photo by ZNu2019s Food&NatureArt on Pexels.com

I bought a single samosa for a snack. But I neglected to snap a picture before I ate it so here’s a stock photo. I did get some of the red sauce and it’s spicy hot.

Morning stretches followed by a morning walk. Drank coffee. Read a book. Cooked a pot of chickpeas. Wrote a journal entry. Cleaned the shower and scrubbed a toilet (totally guilt-free after knocking these two things off my list). Got gas in my Non-Green Non-EV. Cleaned out my spice rack. Found a Pakistani/Indian restaurant and grocery store in of all places Edmond Oklahoma and bought some awesome tomato paste, ground chili and roti.

5:00 PM. Drinking a beer. It’s been a good day. Hopefully there’s a World Cup soccer game on the tube tonight.

July 10, 2021

Turmeric and Curcumin

Turmeric is the whole herb and curcumin is the most abundant bioactive compound found in turmeric. Most studies use standardized extracts that contain mostly curcumin. Both are beneficial for health.
Minimize Inflammaging & Maximize Your Healthspan with Turmeric — https://www.naturalgrocers.com/health-hotline-article/minimize-inflammaging-maximize-your-healthspan-turmeric?mc_cid=317e1f689f&mc_eid=7c3cb8595d

Here’s a nice little research article on Turmeric with nearly 30 references. It’s always a plus when someone else does the research for you. And it’s free.

I don’t take an abundance of supplements and will start taking a supplement only after I’ve done the research and am convinced of the benefits. I added Turmeric to my daily medications after my doctor suggested I research it for my arthritis. My medications are a low dose statin (10mg), baby aspirin, Vitamin D, Vitamin B-complex and a multivitamin.

And high quality Scotch.

April 25, 2021January 9, 2022

Veggie Burrito Spice Blend

Spice Blend for Veggie Burritos
2 tsp chili powder – 1 tsp cumin – 1 tsp smoked paprika – 1/2 tsp coriander 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper 1 tsp garlic powder
Chickpea and Broccoli Burrito — https://www.badmanners.com/recipes/roasted-chickpea-and-broccoli-burrito

This blend of spices is literally stolen from the chefs at https://www.badmanners.com/. The last time I took a theme on a spice blend the author tracked me down and threatened something close to legal action if I didn’t give her credit and a link to her website. So this time around I’m giving credit AND three links. I’m also not going to write down any instructions for making a roasted vegetable and chickpea filling for burritos. I suggest you go to the original recipe at https://www.badmanners.com/recipes/roasted-chickpea-and-broccoli-burrito if you need detailed instructions.

My Tips, Hints, and not too Secret Secrets

A really good tortilla makes all the difference. But today I’m going to wrap this filling in a Greek style whole wheat pita for lunch. I tend to roast vegetables for at least 40 minutes with a good stir midway through to prevent sticking. You can also add more olive oil at this point too. I hope I have a lime in the fridge. The last time I made this filling The Boss used it as a topping for a Taco Salad. She liked it. I hope she was telling the truth because when you cook up a pound of dried chickpeas it is a LOT of chickpeas. One cup dried will produce between 6 and 7 cups of beans. I used about 4 cups for today’s mix. The other 3 cups went into a Chickpea and Sweet Potato Stew.

I used some metal pie pans as roasting pans because I didn’t want to use the big pan which is a pain in the ass to clean because of its size. Preheat your pan(s) before roasting. I leave the mixing bowl uncleaned and use it again once the veggies are roasted and done. Let the mixture cool for a bit, toss everything back into this bowl, mix well again to capture the spices that have stuck to the bowl and then adjust your seasonings.

Postscript

No lime. I used lemon instead.

I wasn’t kidding about using pie pans.

December 2, 2020

Tomato Paste

Tomato paste is used to thicken and enhance the flavor and color of sauces, pasta fillings, salad dressings, soups, stews, chili, or in any items where you’d like the tomato flavor to stand out. You can coat sliced vegetables (such as potatoes, parsnips, plantains, or mushrooms) with tomato paste and bake or grill to create a tangy crust. Friends of ours use tomato paste as a sandwich spread, instead of ketchup. Use it sparingly, however, because tomato paste has an intense flavor. If you are using only a portion of a can of tomato paste remember to store the remainder in plastic or glass, never metal, and never, ever in the can (no, we have not been peeking into your refrigerator). If you like, you can freeze properly-stored tomato paste until it is needed.
Creative Use of Tomato Paste
Originally posted on December 02, 2020 by The VRG Blog Editor — https://www.vrg.org/blog/2020/12/02/creative-use-of-tomato-paste/

Now I know I’m not the only crazy cook who freezes tomato paste. I typically buy the larger 12 ounce can, use what I need for what’s cooking and freeze the rest. Use a piece of plastic wrap large enough to hold the leftover paste in the shape of a small sausage. Mold your leftover paste into this tubular shape and freeze. The next time you need tomato paste, remove from the freezer, unwrap carefully and with a sharp knife cut off what you need. The paste will defrost quickly in your hot dish. Re-wrap and put back in the freezer. Repeat as needed.

August 1, 2012August 17, 2012

Homemade Taco Seasoning Recipe

Homemade Taco Seasoning (from Whole New Mom)

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp chili powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp oregano

1 tsp paprika

1 Tbsp cumin

2 1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp pepper

Method:

1. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix thoroughly

via Homemade Taco Seasoning | Recipe Taco Seasoning.

Please follow the link above which takes you to http://wholenewmom.com/recipes/homemade-taco-seasoning/. The creator of this wonderful taco seasoning recipe is Adrienne from Whole New Mom. Please go check out her website. Thanks Adrienne!

As I write this the temperature outside is 112 degrees F. It’s really too hot to cook but for some strange reason I starting thinking tacos. I’ve already been to the store (when it was only 100 degrees) and picked up some organic canned pinto beans, Colby jack cheese, lettuce and tortillas. In the house we already have crispy taco shells, tomatoes, and salsa. While at the store I also bought some boneless chicken and a small package of lean ground beef. So as you can see, I can go one of several ways here. Soft or crispy, ground beef, chicken, or vegetarian tacos. Now you may ask, why homemade taco seasoning?

The last time I shopped for taco ingredients I forgot to buy one of those seasoning packets.

So I got online and found this recipe.

Tips – I don’t use as much salt as the recipe calls for. Otherwise I’ve changed nothing else.