in the kitchen « Smoothpebble

Feb 03 2012

damn good recipe*

This recipe is something that a tribute would eat during the pre-Hunger Games training. There would not be food this fine in the Districts they came from. These book are in the young adult category, but it’s been a while since I’ve read a book that makes me want to sit on the couch for hours and burn my way through the entire trilogy. The strong, brainy female protaganist is such a great antidote to the doe-eyed, kittenish, superficial & dreamy female figures that I’m seeing paraded around everywhere. Once again female images that very, very, few “real” girls can live up to. Mr. Smoothpebble sometimes accuses me of being a man-hater, but in this case it’s not the men posting and re-posting these images, it’s women doing it. Come on ladies!! Enough. I digress, I have an extremely delicious recipe to share. The kitten girls couldn’t possibly eat this as it might cause some excess flesh to hang out of their shortie shorts.

Melt, Add:

4 T. unsalted butter
1/2 C. dark brown sugar
2 T. fresh lime juice
4 T. dark rum
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/4 tsp. kosher salt

Add, and Saute:

2 ripe bananas, sliced into 1″ chunks
1 & 1/2 C. fresh pineapple, diced

Serve over; Garnish with:

Vanilla ice cream
Toasted sweetened coconut (toast coconut in nonstick skillet over med. heat about 5 minutes or until golden brown.)

Melt butter, brown sugar, lime juice, rum, and seasonings in a large skillet over medium-low heat.

Add bananas and pineapple; saute until tender, but not soft, about 2 minutes.

Serve over scoops of vanilla ice cream, garnished with toasted coconut.

*A lot of my damn good recipes come from this magazine, Cuisine at Home. 8 out of 10 dishes that I make from their recipes get an A+ rating. They are not paying me for this endorsement but my entire family gives it a thumbs up.

Tagged dessert, feminism, Hunger Games, recipe

Jan 24 2012

4 Comments

everyday life, in the kitchen

a recipe.

Roasted Vegetable Salad with Quinoa

A mixture of chunked vegetables, I used zuchinni, mushrooms, roma tomatoes, red pepper & red onion. You could use whatever sounds good or whatever you have on hand – peppers, squash, asparagus, green beans, etc. Toss with 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil, salt & pepper. Roast at 425 degrees for 25 minutes.
While the veggies are roasting prepare 1 Cup Quinoa (pronounced keen wah) in 3 Cups Chicken or Vegetable Broth. In a medium saucepan bring to boil, then put lid on and reduce to med-low for about 15-20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. The Quinoa I buy is pre-rinsed. You may need to rinse your Quinoa before you cook it.
After Vegetables are roasted let them cool slightly and then combine with 1/4 C. vinaigrette or Italian dressing*.
Garnish with feta cheese.
Serve with the Quinoa.

My always in the refrigerator homemade Italian dressing from the Better Homes and Gardens red-checkered cookbook circa 1981. This dressing is great on pasta salads, as a marinade, to drink straight from the bottle – ok that was a joke. really. don’t try it okay.

In a screw-top jar combine 1 C. canola/veg. oil; 1/2 C. cider vinegar, 1 T. sugar; 1 & 1/2 tsp. salt; 1 tsp. celery salt; 1/2 tsp. pepper; 1/2 tsp. dry mustard; 1/4 tsp. paprika; and 1 clove garlic, minced. Cover; shake well to mix. Chill. Shake before serving.

Any recipes I’ve shared here I consider the best of the best. Next week – Island Bananas Foster!

Jan 03 2012

3 Comments

everyday life, in the kitchen, pets, true confession

Don’t be jealous.

So, yesterday I mentioned those initially stinky situations that turn out to be opportunities. Yea, well, I got to experience one of those yesterday. But the space behind, the top of, and the inside of my refrigerator are all sparkly clean now. You’re jealous aren’t you? It’s long-winded and complicated. It started because Oreo, that d.a.m.n. cat, started peeing in places she shouldn’t, like on the carpet in the front room and right in front of the back door. And the cats’ flea medicine slipped behind the refrigerator months ago. It involved a trip to the vet, and stopping at the police station to renew the dog’s city permit. And now it’s all good. I’m starting the year off with a clean spot in my kitchen and the animals taken care of. And just between you and me – the space behind the refrigerator prior to cleaning – FRIGHTENING!

Dec 22 2011

7 Comments

in the kitchen

tradition

I’ve been making this soup since 1985. wow. One of my college roommates got it from her mom, and we made it. once. And it seemed like a really big deal. In fact, I distinctly remember it being one of the few real meals we created back in the day.

Since then, I have traditionally made it for our Christmas Eve dinner. And this recipe is as delicious today as it was back then. The key ingredient is Cheez Whiz or Velveeta cheese!

p.s. get your serious giggle on by going here!

Tagged christmas eve dinner

Sep 27 2011

9 Comments

A.D.D., being green, in the kitchen, true confession

beauty, convenience, the apocalypse & chickens

*Caution! In the following post I dump out lots of things that are in my brain right now, cause I need a place to put them. It’s also akin to taking a lady’s handbag and turning it over to dump out the contents…no telling what might fall out.

For example: I’ve always admired other bloggers photos of their chickens, and well, I finally had an opportunity to catch some chickens with my camera. I helped some friends this past weekend, who have a small farm, with a wedding they hosted at their house. I took the opportunity to head out to their coop. I also got a portrait of their tom turkey.

Moving on… I titled this post beauty, convenience & the apocalypse, because the other night I was scrambling for dinner ideas. I went to the store after work and decided to buy convenient food. Some of the easy to prepare, because most of the work is done for you, kind of food (alright dammit – I bought two boxes of hamburger helper, and some pre-made salad). You don’t know how much I hate admitting to buying hamburger helper, because I am so not that kind of cook – SO NOT! ; ) Anyway, by the time I had finished “making” this meal, I had opened and disposed of 14 packages!!! It made me physically ill to realize how much garbage I had generated in order to make a convenient meal.

Later, I’m reading an article about all the chemicals we are exposed to in health and beauty products. I start thinking about all the stuff we use around here and what is in those products. I counted that up too. When I get ready in the morning I use no less than 11 products from soap to eyeliner. And every single one of those products is contained or comes packaged in plastic, and has ingredient lists longer than my arm.

Preceding these monumental thoughts I had read two books. I don’t recommend them because they were really awful books (Sorry Margaret Atwood – your latest is a stinker!). They were both set in the future and had apocalyptic themes. And while both were fiction, they might not be too far off the mark if we humans continue down this god-forsaken path we’re on. I know, perky aren’t I?

Well, here’s a little project to assuage some of the guilt. I first got the idea when I saw this project on design sponge for cocktail napkins using vintage sheets. A couple of years ago I participated in a vintage sheet swap via oh fransson. Some of the fabric is going into my quilt, but I have so many fat quarters I decided to make everyday napkins. These are fun, didn’t cost anything, and do not go in the garbage when we’re done using them.

I have more stuff to dump, out of my brain, but I’ll save up for the next few posts. And does anyone have any good recipes for shampoo, body lotion, etc.?

Mar 01 2011

141 Comments

everyday life, in the kitchen

trying not to freak out…

Breathe. Take a deep calming breath. Inhale completely, expand your abdomen. Exhale completely, relaxing your muscles as you exhale. Focus on your breaths going in and out. HAVE YOU SEEN THE PRICE OF GROCERIES LATELY?!!!! Again, deep cleansing breaths. SERIOUSLY, THE PRICE OF BANANAS 59 CENTS A POUND!!! ONE GREEN PEPPER $1.49!!! A BOX OF CEREAL, SMALLER IN SIZE OVER $4.00!!! Calm down, relax…there are ways. beans and rice. smaller portions. coupons. foraging. I’M FEEDING THREE HUNGRY BOYS!!! THEY WANT MEAT!!!

WANTED IMMEDIATELY: support group for people who curl up in little balls in aisle 4.

Smoothpebble

routinely flirting with disaster

Filed under in the kitchen …