Left Overs Fridge Salad Tonight- General Tso's Chicken for New Year's Eve

 It was the day before New Years Eve and all through the fridge...there was left over stuff since we're having Chinese carry out tomorrow night. 

General Tso's Chicken, Egg Drop Soup and Egg Rolls for me. 

Tonight I thought I better eat the fridge stuff... Dutch Meadows Organic carrots. So 1 large carrot. There were green onions from the girls potato soup. 1 each. A hunk of organic ginger. 1 each small. All chopped or shredded. Splash with 365 balsamic and olive oil. Splash each. Just then my wife said I have 9 grapes left...no 8. Tossed them in. WOW. Tasty little salad. Sweet with a little ginger burnt lip after, soothed by the olive oil. That was 10 minutes ago and no one was left injured. 

lol I love creating stuff from scratch. My daughter just called out Dad we have two slices of turkey...so with that, I'll do a slice of Dutch Meadows onion, A2 cheddar from Australia and a piece of DM grass fed, grass finish beef bacon on my DM sourdough toast with veganaise splash. A winner for sure.

Beef Bacon...I was curious. It's healthier than pork but who cares when discussing bacon. I baked it off separated the pieces and froze them. Take them out as I need them. Very good indeed. Not as stringy as pork and with all DM meat there's no extra bad stuff. 

Bon Appetit and Happy New Year!

The Reality of the Food Experience

 

The girls are off for the holidays, at least partially. My wife texted early today that they had forgotten chips for the holiday and was stopping at Winn Dixie on the way home. Hmmm Winn Dixie, HQ out of Jacksonville when we lived in Florida. I worked with them selling Carlise plastic containers and display trays for the deli/prepared foods area. Prepared foods an area of grocery predicted to send restaurants out of business...30 years ago. Whole foods and Publix entered the picture. Truth is some of each business survived, some didn't. It depends on the food. Right?

I let her know to call me from prepared foods. Typically, I don't want anything, but I like hearing her tell me. Of course, I asked "hushpuppies"? Nope no one ever has them and I would buy them everytime. Hint hint! I ended up getting 10 wings, plain and that's it. 

This is a shout out to Winn Dixie surprising me with the best wings I've had in years. Slightly peppery, fried crispy, room temperature so I could get right at it. How do they look (above picture). Oh... actually those are the leftovers perfectly displayed restaurant style with ranch dressing for dipping.

I was so hungry; and they looked so delicious I ate them plain from the box 4 of the 10 leaving the 6 in the bowl. Just a reminder that marketers market and the reality of food may not be what you think.

I tied off the bones so my sous chef Willis... my daughter's Aussie cattle dog didn't get them. He did have a taste of the wings and gave them a paws up. His take was, sometimes you find buried treasure in those plastic containers. Not on the $25 plates. It's just a thought. We'll see what changes Aldi brings Winn Dixie as they didn't make it in the grocery foods competition. I'm sure it was a good run. Personally, we love Publix and hope Amazon doesn't ruin Whole foods. A lot of my 365 brand product is already gone. Just saying. Happy Holidays!

Saturday Breakfast

 

Yes I played the drums for Morton Senior High School. I got a late start, studied in 8th grade and like sports came into my freshman year behind better musicians. I planned to be a rock star drummer anyway. Hence my first drum was the box pictured below. Yep the original sixties cardboard oatmeal box from Quaker. Lol The problem with that is that we ate oatmeal so rarely (basically Dad during Winter) I only got one to practice with. In 8th grade I got a rubber drum pad, sticks and lessons from Sharon Grimmer. I never appreciated that experience.  Since I was a big kid (a common theme here) the school put me on substitute bass drum and cymbals for football games and cymbals in concert play. lol Yes that was me playing Man of La Mancha circa 1970. 

Oatmeal was our breakfast in the 60's or rather Dad's. We had Grape Nuts, Cheerios and Grandma shared her Rice Chex. Which we'd rather have at the holidays as the Chex Mix snack. Eventually I spent summers at their house and Grandfather made eggs, and Canadian bacon every morning. They were my true influence to start cooking and become reasonably creative.

Today 60 years later I am very creative with a degree in Hospitality and Restaurant Management and a lifetime of Chef visits. So usually I ask myself what sounds good. The dog replies cheebooger and that usually is Mondays. Today in the fridge we had fresh Greek yogurt from Dutch Meadows Farms, healthy A2 casein. Left over blueberries, some roasted coconut (not pictured) Hempseed from Nuts.com and 92% dark chocolate. Those of you who know me know it's nearly all organic and deconstructed. Meaning I don't mix the ingredients I lay them in my bowl and dip my spoon changing up the taste and texture. It was great, Willis loves blueberries and yogurt and licked the bowl. A different take on the American breakfast. Healthy, good for gut flora and tasty.

Dutch Meadows Brisket Lunch

 While I'm waiting on my beef bacon, yogurt, and regular sourdough breads from Dutch Meadows Paradise PA to be delivered I'm making lunch. Dutch Meadows is an Amish Farm with great people who exhibit stellar customer service. I've placed about 50 plus orders averaging every other Wednesday delivery via 2nd UPS. Only a couple storms have delayed their orders.

So I got the DM grass fed grass finished (healthy) ground brisket out of the freezer (a couple weeks old) and soaked the cyrovac bag in warm water, it was thawed in minutes. Meanwhile I diced a DM candied onion and sauteed it slowly to translucent. I toasted a Einhorn bun and sliced my Irish cheddar thin on top.

Now I know my finished product isn't award winning photogenically displayed but by now I'm hungry. The brisket cooked so clean the juices were clear barely any fat- no hormones, chemicals and residues. As I said I just spooned the meat, juices over the buttered toasted buns layered with cheese and a Duke's mayo packet squeezed to the side. The buns soaked it all up and I made it disappear pretty quick with that European dessert spoon. 

Special shout out and Merry Christmas! to the packing ladies at the farm. Janice wrote me a nice thank you for the treats I sent but the hard work is all them. I buy my produce when available too. Carrots , broccoli, califlower and onions also their apples. Bite size flavorful and all organic. 

Dutch Meadows Farms in Paradise PA   www.dutchmeadowsfarm.com

FACT CHECK: THE APPLE PIE BLOG ENTRY

It's come to my attention that an error was made on the Hot Apple Pie Blog Entry. The Pie below mentioned as being available at Costco is actually Sam's Club. My mistake. So here it is priced and purchased today for $10.98.  Less than estimated again fact checked. At about 13 inches across. Cut into 8 slices

 

 

 

 

 The slice I had which was a bit sweet and frankly needed Vanilla Ice Cream, pictured below it came in at 3.5 by 6.5 inches and there are 8 to a  complete pie. The McDonald's Hot Apple Pie was smaller lower in height and sells for between $1.50 and $1.89 depending. While my "Sam's Club" slice sold for a little less than $1.38. Restaurants routinely sell this size slice for between $5.99 and $8.99. Next up the Pecan and Pumpkin Pies.

 

 

 

 

 While it tasted better than McDonald's my Grandmother Hazel's Apple Pie would put both their oven lights out. Not to mention the rest of the meal. The homemade Ice Cream at the Williams' reunion in Deer Creek was pretty good as well. We all cranked that handle to get it right.

I

Would you like a Hot Apple Pie with that?

Would you like a Hot Apple Pie with that? 

The front person at McDonalds in 1968-69 was trained to ask that question as each customer ordered typically a Hamburger French fries and soft drink. This was to up sell the newly launched Hot Apple Pie. It's been a very long time since I was a frontman and subsequently a Fryman. Remembering the thick crunchy piping hot fried in beef tallow Pie tonight as my daughter called and asked if I would like something from the local McDonalds. I said a Hot Apple Pie.

Well, much to my chagrin, it had been years since I had eaten anything from McDonalds...mostly laughing at the conjecture regarding the ice cream or as the residences here report lack of...as the machines are usually broken. That's another story involving the manufacturer and computer codes. 

Anyway, I used to be a guy that could eat three Big Macs two fries (before supersizing) and a couple cups of shake mix (we weren't allowed flavorings) during my 15 minute break. Two per shift. Hey...I was making .95 cents an hour and a big kid getting my monies worth. My Hot Apple Pie was in fact moderately warm, baked and looked pretty lame versus my astute memory. 

See below the McDonalds web site picture. 

The picture above taken from the McDonald's website site tells about all the healthier attributes the new Pie launched in 2017 has. Actually they talk about the McNuggets instead. Hmmm I wasn't curious about them. So what's healthier? Ingredients, cooking method? Maybe... but how so. I still don't know.

My actual Hot Apple Pie above, smaller and reminiscent of a grocery chain cookie. Just a tad bigger. Well, if there was an opportunity to bring me back to the McDonald's family. It didn't happen. Costco has big pies for about $12 in their latest flyer we got today. Pumpkin and Pecan too. The girls are going to bring me one every other week, trying all the flavors. Bon appetite!

Bob from the Boatyard

 Bob is a dog that lives in the Arbor Station boatyard. The maintenance storage area behind the storage units including my #46 and 47. Bob likes the wet grass alongside and comes out in the morning to watch other dogs. When it rains Bob sometimes goes to our old unit 747 and sleeps on the doormat. Bob also steals shoes from various porches and decks. 

He is an amicable guy who allows me to pet his head, feed  him cookies and replenish his water bowl. The other day I met our neighbors who are also taking care of Bob. He's also known by them as Harry, Willie and Buddy. All the neighbors had a story of why they call him Harry, Willie or Buddy. I told Bob he could secure the boatyard and personally guard my storage units. So Bob has meaningful employment and compensation.

Kentucky Hot Brown Alternate

 The Kentucky Hot Brown sandwich was made famous and created at the Brown Hotel in Louisville circa 1920's. It's a combination of sliced turkey, charred tomatoes, bacon, cheese and mornay sauce. Google has tons of pictures of this huge decadent caloric creation.

I've been doing some Dr Gundry nutrition and along with my other "finds" create a more healthy and flavorful entree. At least in my mind. I used my Dutch Meadows Artisan Sourdough bread and  toasted it. Covered it in (instapot cooked Nuts.com) black beans. Layered Boarshead Turkey sliced thin and a few shreds of A2 casein cheddar from Australia on top. Then sprinkled with chopped raw organic onion from Dutch Meadows Farms. 

Sidebar...This weeks veges were Dutch Meadows cauliflower, broccoli, carrots and onions all organic. Layered, seasoned with celery salt, sea salt, garlic powder, white pepper and spritzed with high polyphenol olive oil. Organic first cold press. Mediterranean Olives. Got their Romaine too.

So that makes this a yummy yet healthy dish. The sourdough meets Dr Gundry suggestions to enhance gut bacteria, the lectins in the black beans eliminated by the pressure cooking, hormones and bad stuff from the regular milk and cheeses eliminated and turkey quantities reduced to an ounce or two.

Calories down healthy eating up. A delicious bowl 9 inch coupe shape satisfying your dinner needs. What? Ok a piece of dark chocolate and spoonful of A2 casein Greek yogurt from Dutch Meadows too. The calcium in the yogurt mitigates the oxalates in the dark chocolate but keeps the heart healthy side.

bon appetite PS I could have made it look nicer but was ready to eat and Willis wanted to help.

Sous Chef Willis trying to get a close up look. FYI He can't be trusted around food.
 

 

Publix Tomato Soup

 When we lived in Florida we shopped at Publix all down the westcoast. Now that we live in Long Beach we have to travel to Mobile AL for our specialty items. Next week is our anniversary and Taylor's birthday so the girl's went yesterday. Now I can usually make a very good soup by taking a can of fire roasted tomato then puree them and season them good but...the hot bar had it ready. Sidebar my Publix near the Infirmary Hospital Mobile will sell me the whole bag. They get them from their supplier or commissary. Nice but I only do that once in a while. he he 

Today I toasted my Willow Run Sourdough Artisan bread crispy and heated the soup dropped the bread in and sprinkle the 4C brand Parmesan Cheese over. That's would be 8 plus bucks in a restaurant and I like it better. So there. Sidebar usually companies use cellulose to keep the cheese from sticking 4C brand doesn't. Personally I feel it's healthier.

Nuts.com Coconut

 

 

 

Whenever I have the oven going I try to utilize the time and temperature to maximize production. The girls went to Fairhope AL to shop at the outlets, Publix Grocery and have lunch at Lamberts Cafe yesterday. They brought back veges for my stacked veges dish I make every week. Normally we eat them as sides or in an Einhorn Sourdough tortilla from Willow Run (sold through Dutch Meadows Farms. So while the veges cooked carrots, broccoli, califlower and vidalia onion; I had another dish of brussel sprouts separately working both seasoned with celery salt, sea salt, garlic powder and white pepper I bake them at 350 for 40 minutes.

 

I added a tray of organic coconut chips unsweetened from Nuts.com. I keep a side container to add to yogurt, fruits and noshes. The finished product above is another great Nuts.com item.

2024 Where has it gone Joe Dimagio?

 So I finally posted for 2024. I apologized for 2023. It's June and I mentioned previously my blog has migrated from food and stories to health related issues. A topic of great importance these days. I had my heart procedures done and no response from my disco heart in this rock and roll body. 

So Dr Quinn wanted to put a defibrillator in and I asked what about a pacemaker to set the beats and reduce the speedy AFIB? Hmmm seemed logical and it was agreed upon and a Boston Scientific combo was installed. Home the next day wound healed perfectly and Dr Quinn a magician. The heart beating a steady 80 BPM now.

So guess what Arnold...yeah that one had a pacemaker put in same day and time as me. Two days later he's telling everyone about it lol. We're both doing good although we don't chat. 

So that is where I've been spending my time, now I'm  back to biking and swimming no real noticeable difference. I see my VA cardiologist next week to see what she thinks. My questions to them is..

1 Why don't they have AI to help with heart and body coordination?

2 Does the heart heal after the beats are stabilized?

3 Does it strengthen then when cardio is returned to the patients daily routine?

So far I read the big danger is falling down from the heart meds and I wonder can they be switched for Chinese herbs? I did well using them for years.

LUNCH or more of a mid morning brunch. The previous picture Cheebooger cheebooger obviously named after John Belushi and his Greek Restaurant skit form SNL. I have been placing an order every other week from Dutch Meadows Farms in PA. This morning we did a burger pattie  with Australian cheddar, sauteed vidalia onions on a Einhorn sourdough bun tomato (huge farmers market?) and romaine fresh from the aforementioned farm. Delicious healthful no added anything. The beef is grass fed and finished. Can't say enough about the service and quality of DMF.

I'll try to be better and have a lot of catching up to do.

Cheebooger cheebooger!