Roger's Pasta Salad

I haven't posted in a bit, so I thought I would put together a little post about a very easy pasta salad.  My husband found this recipe in the little newspaper put out by an area lake community.  We modified it a bit to suit our tastes and you can do the same.

First, I gathered all my ingredients together.  If you are observant, you will see that "one of these things is not like the other" (with apologies to Sesame Street).  Do you see it?  Yes, there it is - a small handgun right between the carrots, Dijon mustard, and pasta.  This is EXTREME COOKING!!  We don't want to take the chance that someone is going to bust in the kitchen and hijack dinner.  (Actually, the hubby put the gun on the counter when he got home and I didn't see it when I took the photo.  If you are a firearms enthusiast, it's a L. W. Seecamp .380.)

If you are brand-loyal or a foodie elitist, you are probably cringing at the Best Choice products shown.  Personally, I think their pastas and tomato products are pretty much the same as most of the higher end items, so I have no issue with using them to save a little money.

For this recipe, I used pork steaks.  I grilled the steaks the night before and let them sit overnight in the refrigerator before slicing.  When writing this post, I realized that I left the green onions out of the recipe this time.  It was still delicious!  This salad gets better with time, as the dressing soaks into the pasta and marinates the vegetables and meat.  This pasta has been suggested as the perfect picnic food.  As long as you are able to keep it cold before serving, it should be great.

I like the Tupperware mixer/shaker for making the dressing, as I can use the measurements on the side of the cup for the olive oil and red wine vinegar.  Once the other ingredients are added, I just pop in the shaker ring and snap on the top.  Then I do my best Carmen Miranda impression and merengue around the kitchen to the music in my head, shaking the heck out of that Tupperware and mixing the dressing by default.  For grating the Parmesan cheese, there is nothing like a Microplane grater.  I own the box grater, this beauty you see in the photo below, and a smaller one that also does little garnish-thingies.
 

Roger's Pasta Salad

Pasta Salad

• 1 (16 oz.) pkg. pasta - preferably rotini, cavatappi, large shell, etc.; cooked according to package directions, rinsed with cold water, and drained
• 1 (28 oz.) can cut tomatoes, drained
• 2 medium carrots, sliced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, julienned
• 1/2 green bell pepper, julienned
• 1/2 yellow or orange bell pepper, julienned
• 1/3 cup green onions, sliced
• 1 (2.25 oz.) can ripe black olives, sliced and drained
• 2 pork steaks, beef steaks, chicken breasts, or lamb chops, cooked and sliced thin 
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• salt & pepper to taste
• Louisiana Hot Sauce

In a large bowl, combine cooled pasta and vegetables.


Dressing

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 tablespoon Miracle Whip or mayonnaise
• Juice of 1 fresh lime
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Louisiana Hot Sauce

Pour olive oil into mixing bowl, add wine vinegar, minced garlic, mustard, Miracle Whip (or mayonnaise), and fresh lime juice.  Season with salt and hot sauce to taste.  Whisk until smooth.  Pour dressing over and toss well to coat.  Cover and refrigerate at least one hour before serving.  Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese over the salad before serving.


Modified from "Outdoor Cookin' with Otis" (Grand Times on Grand Lake news gazette), 06-25-97.

National Homemade Cookie Day (October 1st)

Today, October 1st, is National Homemade Cookie Day.  It is also my grandmother's 101st birthday... or it would have been.  She passed away peacefully last Sunday, September 26th.  My grandmother, had a good life... a great life, even.  She loved her family, which included 6 children, 18 grandchildren,  39 great-grandchildren, and 9 great-great-grandchildren.  (I am not counting spouses here, but if I did, the whole family numbers greater than 100!)

Grandmother was always a bit shy and quiet.  When she got married at age 18, she was so embarrassed that she wouldn't even get out of the car and go into the pastor's house.  The preacher had to go out to the Model-T Ford and perform the ceremony while they sat in the car. 

Grandmother and Granddaddy, Barbara Anna (Melton) & Johney Burse Maynard, owned and operated Maynard's Drug in my hometown, Washington, Oklahoma, from 1951 - 1980.  Washington is a small town and they sold everything.  Just before school started each year, they sold school supplies and all of the required school books.  The kids and grandkids pitched in to help during that time.  All of the grandchildren longed for the day when they were deemed old enough to help sell school books.  Big Chief Tablets, Fun with Dick and Jane, elementary workbooks, and number 2 pencils all have that old familiar smell that I love.

One of my favorite things had to be the soda fountain.  Grandmother taught me how to make the perfect Coke.  (Hint:  It's all in the wrist... well, and the correct ratio of syrup to carbonated water.  LOL)   It had the old-fashioned pump-type syrup dispensers, fruit dippers, a double-sink, and water spigots - one for carbonated water and one for plain water.    I loved the glass rinser.  It was a small round hole with a rubber ring around the top and a rubber grid on the bottom.  You inserted a glass upside down and sprayers squirted water all around and inside the glass, rinsing it clean.  There were five or six red-leatherette barstools on the opposite side for customers.  The stools were about 3' or so tall and spun around.  I remember we used to get into trouble for spinning on them too much. 

There was a candy counter with all sorts of delicious goodies - Pixie Sticks, Secret Centers, Hershey's Chocolate Bars,  Jaw Breakers, Tootsie Rolls, gum, crackers,  etc.  Just about everything you could imagine was there to choose from.  Halloween meant the addition of wax lips and Wowee! wax whistles.

Free comic books were also high on that favorite things list.  Once the unsold comics were pulled from the shelf and the covers torn off, we got to take home huge stacks of them.  We poured over Archie, Little Dot, Richie Rich, Hot Stuff, Casper, Superman, Batman, and even the war and love comics.  We kept stacks of them in the house and would read and re-read them until they were falling apart.

Most of the grandchildren loved the malt-flavored ice cream.  It was a special ice cream for making malts, and Granddaddy would rebuff our requests for it, but we could always talk Grandmother into letting us have it on a cone.  Malt ice cream was white, but it wasn't vanilla or chocolate, just malt.  I would love to find some now days, and have looked all over the internet and in stores, but it is nowhere to be found.  (If anyone knows where I can find some, please hook me up!)


Grandmother's specialty dessert was Italian Cream Cake.  It was always so tall and loaded with fluffy coconut.  It was absolutely divine.  In honor of her - and of National Homemade Cookie Day - I think I am going to make Italian Cream Cookies... or some type of cookie, anyway.  I won't be able to get photos posted today, but I will update the post later to show the cookies.

Ladies and Gentlemen... Meet George!

Ladies and Gentlemen... meet George!

[With apologies to JFK, Jr. and the now defunct "George" magazine] 

The Tulsa Cake Club meets every second Tuesday of the month at All Things Cake, the best cake supply shop in Tulsa.  It is a gathering of people (all women and girls right now) who like to bake and decorate cakes, cupcakes, cookies, etc. Some are professionals, some, like me, aren't. We have demonstrations, club news updates, suggestions for charitable giving of cakes or cupcakes, door prizes, snacks, etc.  

This month's demonstration was on modeling fondant.  Club member Diane Bewley was our demonstrator.  She makes the most amazing fondant pieces to decorate her cakes and she is completely self-taught!  Each person received a small lump of fondant, a piece of dried spaghetti, a toothpick, and a cotton swab.  Diane showed us how to make a baby out of the fondant.  I defied convention and made a bunny, complete with buck teeth and a bow tie.  I thought George turned out pretty well for my first time modeling a figure, considering I only spent about 15 minutes on him.  (By the way, those are not polka dots on his head.  It's a reflection of the overhead lights.)  

  

George is named in honor of the Looney Tunes cartoon, in which the abominable snowman (à la Lon Chaney's characterization of Lennie from Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck) refers to Bugs Bunny, and says, "I will name him George, and I will hug him and pet him and squeeze him."  Thanks to Jennifer Schooley Bengel for reminding me about that cartoon classic!  

Watermelon! (And a Short Lesson on Seed Saving) :D

I stopped at a local roadside stand the other day.  Really, it was just a couple of tables with tarp canopies over them to keep off the hot Summer sun.  Initially, I drove past the stand, but I turned around after spying several different types of watermelons on the tables.  I saw what I knew to be Jubilees, Juliettes, Black Diamonds, and Sugar Babies.  I was hoping for a yellow-meated watermelon, but the gentleman manning the stand didn't have any.  However, he did have four beautiful OrangeGlo melons, which have a gorgeous golden yellow-orange flesh.  He stated that he purchased the OrangeGlos from someone who was unable to purchase the seeds anymore and had to save them every year so that he had enough to replant a good crop.  

That statement got me thinking about my father, who, up until the year of his death, had always planted a very large garden with several different types of watermelons.  He always dried some of the seeds and planted them the next year.  My mother moved out of the house I grew up in a year or so after my father died.  I have no idea if she took the seeds with her or threw them away.  It was a long time ago (1989), so she may not even remember (and they probably aren't viable at this point, anyway).  I will have to ask her, though.

I stood at the sink and ate the heart of one-half of the melon first.  I prefer watermelon at room temperature and this one was delicious!  The watermelon was refreshingly tasty, with a crispness and sweetness that bespoke Summer days gone by.  The rind was fairly thin.  Since I don't care for the slight bitter taste, I cut around the rind by about 1/2".  

I sorted the seeds onto a paper towel with a piece of wax paper underneath to prevent the seeds from soaking through and sticking to the counter.  I turned the seeds frequently to ensure even drying.  After they were completely dry (about 3 days), I rubbed the seeds to remove any dried watermelon flesh and stored the seeds in an envelope.  [If you must use a plastic bag to store the seeds - even temporarily - be sure to leave a large opening for air circulation.  If you seal the bag, the moisture inside will most likely kill the seeds.]

The weird part about all of this is that I don't have a garden.  Oh, I want one, but my husband doesn't want me to "tear up the yard", even though it would be in the back and no one would see it.  Personally, I think the fresh, organic fruits and vegetables would be worth it, but he doesn't.  So sadly, no garden for me... for now.  I'll keep working on him, though. 

My nephew, Garrett, said he would like some seeds because, in his words, "I'd love to take those seeds.  If I could grow my own watermelon, I'd be ridiculously happy."  Far be it from me to stand between him and true happiness.  (Obviously, he doesn't visit any home improvement stores, co-ops, or farm implement stores or he would know that they all carry tons of seed packets each Spring.)

I will also offer seeds to anyone who asks, for as long as I have them to share.  If you are interested, leave me a comment.  If you like watermelon, you will most likely love the OrangeGlo!

Below is a short tutorial on saving and drying seeds for future planting.  I found the information via Ask.com : 

http://www.wisegeek.com/how-do-i-dry-seeds-for-next-year.htm

Seed saving has been practiced for years, and is a form of evolution. Plants that don’t survive well, or are sickly are discarded, while strong, healthy plants are preserved and grown against the next year. Presently, this is mostly done by seed companies, but any gardener can save their own seeds and dry them for the next year.

Plants are grown from one of two sources. The first are typical seeds, which are plant embryos contained in a hard shell, similar to eggs. The second source is known as transplants. Transplants are portions of living plants that are able to grow out of the soil independently.

Saving and drying seeds to use later is about maintaining the same genetic make-up and variety of plant. For the plant to be the same as its parent, it can only be pollinated with pollen from plants of the same variety. For airborne pollinated crops, no other varieties can be within a mile of the plant. Insect pollinated plants must be at least a quarter of a mile away from other varieties. Self-pollinated plants have no risk of cross pollination.

Hybrid plant seeds can produce a number of different plant types, because only the person who owns the original parent plants can produce more hybrid seeds. Be sure to check the package on the first seeds purchased before attempting to harvest and dry future seeds. F1 Hybrid indicates the plant is a hybrid and seed saving will not be possible. F2 means the plant can be involved in seed saving.

Different seeds are harvested at different times. Most fruit seeds can be extracted after ripening, but before rotting. Squash, cucumber, and pumpkin should be left on vine until after the first frost. The seeds can then be separated from the pulp and dried at room temperature. Pod plants and seed heads should be left to dry on the vine, and the seeds should be gathered before dispersion.

Biennial crops, primarily made up of root plants, do not produce seed at the end of the growing season. Instead, the roots should be dug up during the fall and stored at a temperature between 32 and 45 degrees Fahrenheit (0 to 7 degrees Celsius) through the winter.
Once the seeds are properly harvested, gently rub them between your fingers to remove any excess chaff. Store them in an envelope in a cool, dry room, and label the envelope so there is no confusion later. For best results, plant them the following year. Continue to choose seeds from the best plants to replant every year.

Mustard & Herb-Encrusted Lamb Chops, Fried Cornmeal-Battered Okra, and Sweet Potatoes

I received this recipe via text message from Martha Stewart Living.  Each day they send the name of a recipe and if you think it sounds good, you text, "Cook", in reply.  You receive another text with the shopping list.  You have to go online to get the preparation directions.

We don't often eat lamb, so this sounded different and delicious.  The bonus was that it wasn't hugely labor-intensive.  The lamb chops came from a local meat market.  They were rinsed, patted dry, and seasoned with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

While the lamb chops were adjusting to room temperature, I sliced up a some fresh okra.  Since there was only enough for two people, I don't think it qualifies as a "mess of okra".  (I've always loved that figure of speech, though.)  I read somewhere that if you use too much water to wash the okra, it becomes sticky,.  The okra was briefly rinsed and patted dry immediately before going into the dry ingredients, a simple mixture of yellow cornmeal, salt, pepper, and a tiny bit of sugar. 

Meanwhile, the lamb chops were brushed with a mix of Dijon Mustard and minced garlic.  They were then dredged in bread crumbs, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and Herbs de Provence.  The recipe actually called for rosemary and Italian herbs, but I didn't have any on hand.
Herbs de Provence contains both of these, plus several other herbs, so I thought it would be a good substitute.  It was.

The lamb chops were fried in a small amount of vegetable oil over a medium-high flame until browned on each side.  The Parmesan in the crust made the chops brown a little faster than I wanted, so I had to move them around a bit.  We also prefer our lamb cooked a bit more than you see on television cooking shows.  (We cook ours to a medium level, while the cooking world suggests a very rare, red meat.)  The okra was fried in a different skillet until golden brown on each side.  Sweet potatoes with honey and brown sugar made a nice side dish for this home-cooked meal.

Strawberry Lemonade Marmalade

I found this recipe on another local blogger's site, The Errant Cook , and decided it would make a good first try at home canning. .  Since I consider her also to be a friend, I asked if she would mind if I blogged about making the recipe.  She generously agreed, and only asked that proper credit be given to Doris and Jilly Cook, where the recipe originated.  If you click on the hyperlink for "The Errant Cook", you will be taken to her post about making the same recipe.  If you click on the hyperlink for "Doris and Jilly Cook", you will be taken to the actual recipe.

I remember helping my mother and oldest sister do some canning way back when, but I had never tried it on my own.  The original recipe is actually titled, "Strawberry Lemon Marmalade", but the finished product reminded me a lot of strawberry lemonade, so I renamed it.  I had some Ball canning jars, lids, and rings in the garage so the only immediate cost was for the lemons, strawberries, and sugar.

Starting out with a bag of lemons, I selected 5 small to medium ones.  I cut off the ends of each lemon and made sure the pith (white part covering the lemon flesh) wasn't too thick.  Next, I used the mandolin slicer to thinly slice the lemon, rind and all.

I chopped the lemons and placed them in a 5-quart dutch oven.  They were covered with water (no real measurement, just about an inch above the lemons).  I boiled them for five minutes, then turned off the burner.  The recipe directs you to leave the lemons on the stove overnight.  I did, but the next day I realized I couldn't finish the marmalade, so I put the lemons in the refrigerator.  In the meantime, I sliced up a quart of strawberries and put sugar over them.  I left them in the refrigerator, too.

After the strawberries and sugar had made a sufficient amount of juice, I took them out and smashed them with a potato masher.  This made them nice and pulpy.

The lemons were poured back into the 5-quart dutch oven and added the strawberries.  The recipe called for 3 cups of sugar, but I added about 3/4 cup more after reading how some people thought the recipe was a bit too tart.  I cooked the fruit mixture over medium-low heat until it started to boil.  

The flame was reduced enough to keep the mixture at a low boil, which kept splatters to a minimum.  (I used a high-heat silicone-based plastic spoon to stir the mix on a regular basis.  I found the spoon at The Stock Pot in Tulsa.)  In the meantime, I put the canning lids in hot water in a shallow pan to heat thoroughly.  This is so the seals are properly prepared.  I didn't have a water bath, so I filled my pressure cooker 3/4-full of water and began to heat it to a boil.  I didn't have a jar rack, either, so I crumpled several pieces of aluminum foil and heated them with the water. 

Since there is no pectin in this recipe, it took a long time to get thick.  After about 30 minutes or more, the mixture started to cook down.  After about an hour, it was a rich ruby color flecked with bright yellow particles.  

 

I had to ask "The Errant Cook" how to know when the marmalade was ready, as I couldn't see it actually jelling (again, probably because there is no pectin in the mixture) and I was having trouble finding this information on the internet.  She graciously told me to chill a small plate in the freezer.  After the plate is chilled, you take a spoon of the mix and place it on the plate.  Turning the plate on its side, if the mixture runs, it's not ready to can.  If it stays in place, it has jelled. It turned out my marmalade was ready to can, so I got out the Back to Basics Canning Tools (a set I also purchased at The Stock Pot), which includes a jar lifter, a magnetic lid lifter, canning funnel, kitchen tongs, and a jar wrench.  I had prepared the jars and rings by running them through the dishwasher, so they were clean and dry.  I carefully filled seven jars and two small baby food jars.  The lids were removed from the hot water and placed on the jars.  The jar rings were placed on and tightened.  I used the jar lifters to transfer the hot, filled jars to the homemade water bath.  I had one casualty. 

After picking up the glass and metal and mopping up the mess as best I could, I transferred the other jars to the water bath.  I carefully set the jars into the aluminum foil crumples and made sure the jars were not touching.  I added more hot water to the pot, covering the jars by 2 - 3 inches.  The jars were boiled for 10 minutes.  I lifted the jars out and placed them on a kitchen towel to cool.  I listened as the jar lids made their distinctive pops and wheezes indicating that they were properly sealed.  I later checked to verify that the jars were properly sealed and they were, with the exception of the baby food jars.  As they were used jars, the lids didn't seal and actually popped off in the water bath.  The marmalade remained in the jars, so I poured off the water and replaced the lids.  I put these jars in the refrigerator, along with the small amount of extra marmalade that was left over.  (NOTE:  If the jars don't seal, you can safely refrigerate the jelly for several weeks.)  As the jars cooled, I cleaned the kitchen and properly mopped the floor.  

I finished up with 6- 1/2-pint jars (7, if you count the one that broke) and 2 small baby food jars of marmalade.  I loved the ease of the recipe and the flavor was incredible!  With each bite, you get the sweetness of the strawberries and just enough of the tartness from the lemons.  It's really a complex mix of flavors.  The finished jars also looked very pretty with the different colors showing through the glass.  

Peanut Butter & Banana Sandwich... Sort of...

My nephew, Drew, recently turned 18-years-old.  When I asked him what he wanted for his birthday, he responded, "A peanut butter sandwich."  Attempts to prompt him into giving me a real answer were futile.

I realized that I was just going to have to give him money for his birthday.  However, I really like to be creative with my gifts, so I decided to make a peanut butter sandwich out of art foam.  Initially, I thought I would make the peanut butter out of cardstock and put a check in to represent jelly.  This didn't suit my vision of a peanut butter sandwich, as the nothing but the "bread" had any real substance.  I decided to see if I could find a peanut butter-colored clay.  I found Pluffy, a clay that can be shaped and baked in the oven, which preserves the shape of your design.  They had a wide assortment of colors and, fortunately, there was one that was very close to peanut butter.  I found some light yellow cardstock that was the color of banana slices.  This was the perfect solution to my dilemna, as banana slices would be a great disguise for $1 gold coins.

I bought one sheet of white art foam, two pieces of light yellow cardstock, and one package of Pluffy clay.  I fished twenty-five $1 coins from one of my banks and dragged out the Cricut Expression machine for the very first time. I took my X-acto Knife and carefully cut one "slice of bread" from the art foam, then took that piece and used it as a guide to cut a second "slice".

 A brown Sharpy was used to color the edges of the "bread".  Next, I molded the Pluffy clay to the shape that I wanted to best resemble peanut butter spread. The Pluffy is baked at 275 degrees for 15 minutes. 

 

After the clay had cooled, I placed it on the "bread" and set out to make the "banana slices".  After watching the Cricut DVD and doing a bit of trial and error, I cut 50 1-1/4" circles out of the yellow cardstock.  I took a black Sharpy and added dots and lines to imitate the seeds and natural markings of bananas.  

 Double-sided adhesive was placed on the unmarked sides of each "banana slice".  A $1 coin was secured to one circle and a second circle was pressed onto the coin.  The edges of the cardstock circles were slightly depressed.

The "sandwich" was now ready to assemble.  

When my nephew opened his "lunch", he said, "Ha!  That's funny!"  He later told me the gift was "awesome", which made all the work worthwhile and was why I wanted a more creative way of giving him cash than just writing a check, anyway.