It seems I have gotten into hoarding. These days, when I see a good sale, I stock up. This is especially true of canned goods and frozen meats. I have 2 freezers and try to keep them full. Part of that is buying meat on the hoof and having it processed, this includes beef, pork and lamb. SO far I have always saved money by buy by the half or whole. When shopping, I keep my out for good bargains on frozen food.
Recently I was at HyVee in Keokuk, IA. They had a sale on whole, skin on, frozen, wild caught, salmon filet for $3.99. I bought 4 of them.
So here is my menu for this evening's dinner.
Salmon filet $3.99
Mashed potatoes less than a $1 but we will say $1 for example
Canned mixed vegetables $0.75
So for $5.75 I have dinner for 4, granted this doesn't include spices or drinks or condiments. That aside, this is a fairly healthy meal that is inexpensive.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Fiesta Jalisco Kahoka, MO
I recently had a urge to eat out for lunch. Mexican cuisine sounded good so I headed to Fiesta Jalisco in Kahoka, MO. It was early in the lunch shift so I was seated right away. Within minutes I had my drink, some chips and salsa, and my order was headed to the kitchen.
I enjoy the tortilla chips and salsa. The salsa is very finlely minced and has almost no heat at all. My order for the day was steak fajitas. The menu describes them as marinated flank steak. It is my understanding that fajita means belt of the cow. Ergo the real fajita is made from beef, so chicken fajitas don't fit the fajita definition.
From Wikipedia
A fajita ( /fəˈhiːtə/; Spanish pronunciation: [faˈxita]) is a term found in Tex-Mex cuisine,[1] commonly referring to any grilled meat served on a flour or corn tortilla. The term originally referred to the cut of beef used in the dish which is known as skirt steak.[2] Popular meats today also include chicken, pork, shrimp, and all cuts of beef. In restaurants, the meat is often cooked with onions and bell peppers. Popular condiments are shredded lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, pico de gallo, cheese, and tomato. You won't find much spice or seasonings. I think the menu is intended to be authenic Mexican home style cooking which means simple fresh ingredients prepared in a simple way. I always enjoy eating there and am not disappointed because I know that the food is simple and almost bland but there is a bottle of hot sauce on the table.
The meals comes with beans, rice, guacamole, lettuce, sour cream and pico de gallo. My only issue was that there were only 3 hot tortillas, I could have used 2 more. I was definitely satisfied and full. The total bill was $9.50 not including the tip. I love the food and will definitely be going back.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Blue Cheese and Apple Salad
Ingredients
1 or 2 granny smith apples, cored, peeled and sliced thin
1/4 cup blue cheese
1 tbs apple cider vinegar
3 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper
1 tsp grated almonds
In a seperate bowl combine the apple cider vinegar, the olive oil and add a pinch of salt and fresh black pepper and whisk together.
Grate a few almonds on a microplane or fine grater.
Arrange the apple slices on your serving dish, sprinkle the blue cheese over the apples. Dress the salad with your apple cider vinaigrette. Garnish with the grated almonds and a few sprigs of fresh chives.
1 or 2 granny smith apples, cored, peeled and sliced thin
1/4 cup blue cheese
1 tbs apple cider vinegar
3 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper
1 tsp grated almonds
In a seperate bowl combine the apple cider vinegar, the olive oil and add a pinch of salt and fresh black pepper and whisk together.
Grate a few almonds on a microplane or fine grater.
Arrange the apple slices on your serving dish, sprinkle the blue cheese over the apples. Dress the salad with your apple cider vinaigrette. Garnish with the grated almonds and a few sprigs of fresh chives.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Here is a simple storage tip.
I keep a lot of pint size canning jars on hand with lids and rings. Assuming it is taco night I will have left over diced jalapenos and maybe rotel. Instead of throwing them away, I put them pint jars and put them in the fridge. I just mix them all up in the same jar.
From then on, I have them available for any dish I want to pep up. It just doesn't seem right to throw them away.
I use them a lot on scrambled eggs.
Now Rotel has a habanero version out. I found it at Mac's.
From then on, I have them available for any dish I want to pep up. It just doesn't seem right to throw them away.
I use them a lot on scrambled eggs.
Now Rotel has a habanero version out. I found it at Mac's.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Sauteed Artichoke Hearts
I was messing around in the kitchen the other day and decided to experiment. I had some canned artichoke hearts, so I decided to start there and came out with a pretty good dish.
Ingredients
1 can artichoke hearts drained rinsed and diced
2 cans diced tomatoes
1/2 cup onion diced
2 cloves of garlic minced
2 tbs butter
2 tbs oil
1/4 cup white wine
parsley
parmesan cheese fresh grated
salt and pepper
Sautee the hearts, onions and garlic in the oil and butter until soft. Add the white wine and reduce. Once the wine is reduced, add the tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and cook 5-10 minutes to thicken. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot garnished with parsley and parmesan.
If you have any left over chicken, it would go well here. You can always spice it up with jalapenos.
Ingredients
1 can artichoke hearts drained rinsed and diced
2 cans diced tomatoes
1/2 cup onion diced
2 cloves of garlic minced
2 tbs butter
2 tbs oil
1/4 cup white wine
parsley
parmesan cheese fresh grated
salt and pepper
Sautee the hearts, onions and garlic in the oil and butter until soft. Add the white wine and reduce. Once the wine is reduced, add the tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and cook 5-10 minutes to thicken. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot garnished with parsley and parmesan.
If you have any left over chicken, it would go well here. You can always spice it up with jalapenos.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Horseradish is our friend. Delicious too.
A Little Dab of Horseradish Could Help Resist Cancer
Published: Mar. 9, 2005
Source: Mosbah Kushad, 217-244-5691, kushad@uiuc.edu
URBANA - A new study from the University of Illinois shows that horseradish has substantial quantities of glucosinolates, compounds that has been shown to increase human resistance to cancer.
"Glucosinolates increase the liver's ability to detoxify carcinogens and they may actually suppress the growth of existing cancerous tumors," said Mosbah Kushad, U of I associate professor of food-crop systems. "And our analysis of various horseradish varieties shows they are a rich source of these compounds."
Kushad has also been involved in studies of broccoli, Brussels sprouts and other cruciferous vegetables known to contain glucosinolates. His work shows that horseradish has relatively higher levels.
"Horseradish contains more than 10-fold higher glucosinolates than broccoli, so you don?t need much horseradish to benefit. In fact, a little dab on your steak will go a long way to providing the same health benefits as broccoli."
An effective dose of broccoli may be as little as 10 grams a day, so an effective dose of horseradish could be as little as 1 gram or less than a teaspoon.
Kushad has tested more than 27 accessions of horseradish and detected eight different glucosinolates in both the root and leaf tissue. He noted that the health benefit of horseradish is improved by processing.
"Horseradish also contains an enzyme that breaks down glucosinolates into the compounds that produce the anti-cancer benefits. So processing horseradish actually helps. It releases this enzyme and, when it comes into contact with the glucosinolates, they break down into the compounds that are nutritionally beneficial," he said.
There are four popular, commercial varieties grown in Illinois. Two have about 50 percent more glucosinolates than the other two.
The most widely accepted hypothesis for the physiological function of glucosinolates in horseradish plants is that they somehow help the plant defend itself against several pests. So breeding studies that accentuate glucosinolate levels could enhance pest resistance as well as create human health benefits.
Horseradish is an important crop in Illinois. Sixty percent of all horseradish produced in the United States is grown in Illinois. Most of the crop is crushed and mixed into relishes and sauces.
The University of Illinois maintains a germplasm collection totaling 130 horseradish accessions with geographic origins from Eastern Europe and North America.
This research was published in the October, 2004 Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry and was funded, in part, by the Illinois Horseradish Grower's Association.
-30-
News writer: Gary Beaumont
phone: 217-333-9440; email: beaumont@uiuc.edu
Published: Mar. 9, 2005
Source: Mosbah Kushad, 217-244-5691, kushad@uiuc.edu
URBANA - A new study from the University of Illinois shows that horseradish has substantial quantities of glucosinolates, compounds that has been shown to increase human resistance to cancer.
"Glucosinolates increase the liver's ability to detoxify carcinogens and they may actually suppress the growth of existing cancerous tumors," said Mosbah Kushad, U of I associate professor of food-crop systems. "And our analysis of various horseradish varieties shows they are a rich source of these compounds."
Kushad has also been involved in studies of broccoli, Brussels sprouts and other cruciferous vegetables known to contain glucosinolates. His work shows that horseradish has relatively higher levels.
"Horseradish contains more than 10-fold higher glucosinolates than broccoli, so you don?t need much horseradish to benefit. In fact, a little dab on your steak will go a long way to providing the same health benefits as broccoli."
An effective dose of broccoli may be as little as 10 grams a day, so an effective dose of horseradish could be as little as 1 gram or less than a teaspoon.
Kushad has tested more than 27 accessions of horseradish and detected eight different glucosinolates in both the root and leaf tissue. He noted that the health benefit of horseradish is improved by processing.
"Horseradish also contains an enzyme that breaks down glucosinolates into the compounds that produce the anti-cancer benefits. So processing horseradish actually helps. It releases this enzyme and, when it comes into contact with the glucosinolates, they break down into the compounds that are nutritionally beneficial," he said.
There are four popular, commercial varieties grown in Illinois. Two have about 50 percent more glucosinolates than the other two.
The most widely accepted hypothesis for the physiological function of glucosinolates in horseradish plants is that they somehow help the plant defend itself against several pests. So breeding studies that accentuate glucosinolate levels could enhance pest resistance as well as create human health benefits.
Horseradish is an important crop in Illinois. Sixty percent of all horseradish produced in the United States is grown in Illinois. Most of the crop is crushed and mixed into relishes and sauces.
The University of Illinois maintains a germplasm collection totaling 130 horseradish accessions with geographic origins from Eastern Europe and North America.
This research was published in the October, 2004 Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry and was funded, in part, by the Illinois Horseradish Grower's Association.
-30-
News writer: Gary Beaumont
phone: 217-333-9440; email: beaumont@uiuc.edu
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Do you have a favorite wine?
I don't drink a lot of wine but like a good snort now and then. I am by no means a wine snob. I don't have the first clue about fancy wines or the like. We all remember thw wines of our youth, TJ Swann, Boone's Farms and of course Mad Dog 20/20. My dad made wine in his basement. Up until recently I had a bottle of his cherry wine from 1988. My favorite of his was blackberry. I think the one thing that set his homemade wines apart was the fact the he was rumored to put a shot of everclear in every bottle. I can't confirm that story.
I my go to wine has always been a dryer red wine like a Cabernet Sauvingnon in red and Pinot Grigio in white. During a recent trip to Sam's I was looking thru the wine section and came across a Spanish wine. It was a 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon from The Spanish Quarter. Having never had a Spanish wine I bought a bottle. This wine was a blend of 55% cabernet sauvignon and 45% Tampranillo. This was new to me but I loved it. It had the bold flavor of cabernet but less of a dryer bite. I really liked it so if you head that way I recommend you try it. It wasn't expensive either.
I my go to wine has always been a dryer red wine like a Cabernet Sauvingnon in red and Pinot Grigio in white. During a recent trip to Sam's I was looking thru the wine section and came across a Spanish wine. It was a 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon from The Spanish Quarter. Having never had a Spanish wine I bought a bottle. This wine was a blend of 55% cabernet sauvignon and 45% Tampranillo. This was new to me but I loved it. It had the bold flavor of cabernet but less of a dryer bite. I really liked it so if you head that way I recommend you try it. It wasn't expensive either.
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