First to take a packet

Of Bisquick.

Do a little of this....

Then this.....

Then This...with a meat and vegetable stew

SCi Fi Soup

This is what happens when black bean soup bubbles.
You can't make this stuff up!



Food is so sci fi sometimes!

Baking Process

I recently found out that I could bake.

I wanted to show the approximate process.

This process I used to bake BARA for doubles...but it was so similar I wanted to show the steps

Set up the yeast: (warm water, sugar, and yeast)

Let ferment

Add to flour

Mix

Let stand

Quick easy

Protein.

When you are living the low carb lifetsyle and you are cooking for yourself alone; eggs and sausage are easy, fast, cheap and good.

Of course you won't eat everything shown in the picture, in one sitting!

Please, the point is to eat healthy!

Take a look

So simple and easy and good.

Not something you can have often on a low carb lifestyle.

Add protein (fried egg, black beans and chicken, and sausage) and you are set...

Ok it's not gourmet but when you are alone and nobody cares (like I don't), then you are set!

The portion size is as shown (one heaping scoop/ two tablespoons of rice)

All kinds of yum abound

Creme Brulee

I like this dessert a lot even though it is not my favorite.

We all went to a French restaurant (as French as you can get in this town), and I had that as my dessert.

Dreamy :)

Preparing Eggplant

I like eggplant.

I try to be careful when preparing it because it is so easy to mess your dish up!

So I cut into strips and season.

Then I bake or sautee.

Baking is the usual thing for me because the eggplant absorbs so much oil if you don't salt it first.....

So I like soup

This is one I did with fish. The picture shows me reheating it in a pan. The fat that is rendered floats up top, BUT it blends in nicley when the soup is thoroughly heated.

I seasoned and baked the fish, then dropped it in to soup (I started with the Campbell's Cream of Shrimp-which is like a bisque) in the last few minutes of cooking.

This was sooo wonderful and my favorite soup.

I love fish.

Especially tilapia.

I almost forgot to mention that I added some eggplant to this soup.

Fish is a big reason, other than sis (my twin sis), that I miss Trinidad!

Oh My!

I finally made a loaf of bread!

I was always afraid to because I thought that it would turn out really badly.

Even the bottom of the bread was good!

I never was much of a baker ( I convinced myself that I wasn't)

I followed a basic Jamie Oliver Bread recipe.

It took 30 minutes at 350F

It came out great...Just like real bread!

Rolls

Ok...The inside is pretty cool.

It's also Martha Steward inspired.
Cole slaw mix from Publix ($1.50 per bag)
The Chicken (Cold left over meat from the previous day's fried chicken)
Vinaigrette (from the fridge)
Crumbled Feta Cheese (Publix brand $1.50 at Publix)
Fat Free Sour Cream

Mix all of that together in the bowl
Wraps ($2.00 for 20)

Place in the wraps

Fry till Golden.

Freeze till you feel like eating :)
All kinds of Yum abound.
The insides are so tender and warm and wholesome. The outside is just crunchy

Martha Stewart Fried Chicken

Martha has a great buttermilk baked/fried chicken recipe in her new book. I tried it...

All Kinds of YUM abounded

Only thing is...everyone knows I don't follow the recipe to a tee.

So I used Vigo breadcrumbs instead of fresh breadcrumbs

I used sour cream instead of buttermilk

Parmplus instead of the freshly grated cheese

My own blend of seasonings :)

I also fried instead of baked. I really need to bake it..I mostly bake chicken, so I wanted to fry this time, but it was just more fat added so.... next time BAKED

Umm... so my chicken is Martha Stewart Inspired!

Tasted great though :)

Big Kahuna Cookie

Ok here is how easy this is.
Get one of these (80 Cents) - Betty Crocker, Chocolate Chip mix

Half a stick of butter-softened not melted (1/4 cup)
1tbsp of water
Mix
Spread into ungreased baking pan
Bake for 10-11 minutes
Voila
Share with your neighbors, so you're not tempted because Chocolate Chip is your fav type of cookie :(

Raw Meat

Usually I would go for chicken.
Chicken is a better value for money, however lamb and beef chunks I will get once in a while. Thanks Publix!
Lamb is really tasty, and everyone says that beef is phenomenal.

(Lamb is better)
So I look for that really fresh (pinky) looking meat which is lean.
Lean means that you see less of the white streaks or marbling in the meat, but be careful. Very lean meat means so little fat that you lose a lot of the flavor that fat tends to give to meat.
Also with less fat, in the meat it is easier to cook it to the point where meat becomes really dry.
So season well.
Stew the meat or bake it with a cover on your baking pan (350 F) all the way.
At the end of baking 450 F for 10 minutes to give you the crispy crunchy browned look :)

Tomato Soup with a good twist

This is a 'souped up' soup. I just felt for a spicy tart soup on a warm Florida night!

I start of by cooking 1/4 pound of seasoned ground beef.

Add (to the meat), one can of condensed Tomato soup and 1.5 cans of water

Add crushed red pepper, italian seasoning, chili powder (all to your liking and taste)

Let boil for 10 mins and simmer for another 10

Serve.

Enjoy.

Making Wine

I've decided to try my hand at it.

INGREDIENTS
1 quart of crushed fruit of your choice

1.5 to 2 cups of granular sugar (I use Dixie Crystals)
1 package of yeast (e.g., Fleishman's)

Almost 1 gallon of water (I use distilled & deionized H2O)


MATERIALS
A glass gallon jug or bowl (your fermentation vessel)
Several layers of cheese-cloth and a rubber band

Pyrex measuring cup for measuring sugar, &c.
Glass jar-type blender or a hand blender: for crushing fruit (chop into small pieces first)
Revere-ware sauce pan (at least 3-quart size) for boiling H2O
Collander, cheese-cloth, and large pitcher for straining
2000-ml Erhlenmeyer filter flask, Buchner funnel, and coffee filters for filtering (OPTIONAL)
Funnel (helps in bottling)
...and finally, bottles and labels

And now, HERE'S HOW IT'S DONE!

I froze my fruit for two days to concentrate fruit sugars (ice wine trick)

Crush/blend the fruit after chopping into small pieces.

Juices from fruit

Dissolve the sugar in 1 quart hot water on the stove.

There will be some residual grains of sugar left in the Pyrex measuring cup. Use this cup to warm about 2 cups of water in the microwave, and dissolve the yeast in it.

The yeast should start to foam slightly in less than half an hour.

After the sugar-water in the sauce pan has cooled, pour it in the jug/bowl with the fruit.

Then add the dissolved yeast (make sure the jug's contents have cooled at least to 100F or below so as not to kill the yeast!).

Finish filling the jug/bowl with the rest of the pure water (up to about 2 inches from the top).
Yeast should be bubbling in the jug within an hour or so.
Cover the jug/bowl mouth with cheese-cloth (at least 4 layers)

Seal edges or tie with rubber band and place in a clean area out of bright light.

After 2 or 3 weeks, strain the wine with the collander & cheese-cloth in the pitcher.
If you wish, you can also filter the wine through a coffee filter using the vacuum flask & Buchner funnel (helps remove more residual yeast.
Bottle your wine and let it "age" for at least another 2 weeks or so (preferrably a couple of months or more to get rid of the yeasty flavor).
When you think it's ready, pour some wine in a nice glass .
Savor the wonderful aroma ...AHHHH!!! And think of the hard work and expertise that went into it. Kick back and relax and enjoy the finished product!