New Snack addiction: PUFFCORN!

A friend of mine introduced me to these.  I only had 2 pieces that day, because the first one told me that I would eat that whole bag if I didn't stop while I was ahead. 

It's that good, and easy on the teeth and gums. 

Basically, like the bottom of the bag says "Oven baked, unlike popcorn, no hulls or hard kernels."  If you have teeth that hate you but you LOVE popcorn (like I do) then this is your solution. 

At $2 a bag and 46 pieces/160 calories per serving, I can't keep my hands off it.  I let a friend try some the other night and we ended up finishing off the bag.  They have a cheese flavor, but I'm overjoyed with butter flavor.  Considering they have a cheese puff like texture, I can probably safely assume that the cheese flavor would taste like misshapen cheetos.

Either way, if you haven't tried this then I would suggest hittin' up the closest gas station and grabbing a bag.  You cannot go wrong here.  Unless you hate popcorn, in which case I'd have to ask: "What's wrong with you?"

Odd Pairing, Awesome Outcome : "Fickled" Onions

I take NO credit for the creation of this one.  This is something I discovered about a year ago at a pot-luck Christmas dinner.  I'm not entirely sure of it's origins, the only thing I'm certain of is that the woman who brought it was Colombian and it's something she's been making and eating most of her life.  I also never got the actual name of this.  Sorry.  It was a pretty straightforward and self-explanatory thing, so I didn't have to ask what was in it.  I did, however have to develop the method.

Basically it's like a pickle, but it's not cucumbers.  It's onions.  Red ones.  "Say whattt?"  Yep, red onions and it's not vinegar based either.  "Ok, now I'm confused, how do you pickle something without using vinegar?"

Lots of lime juice and a little salt.  "But lime juice is gonna break down, vinegar is to preserve, if you're not using vinegar, it's not gonna keep long, amirite?"  You are, and I never said it was going to keep like that 5 year old jar of peppers in the back of your fridge that the Scoville scale couldn't even rate by now.  I just said that it's basically a pickle.  Same principle, different execution.  "Red onions are so strong, that doesn't even seem edible."  Dude, trust me, it is.  Most of the Latin/South American/Hispanic/however you want to categorize them dishes that I've had, had some SERIOUSLY bold flavors in it.  Ever bitten straight into a wad of cilantro?  Instantly, you either love it or hate it and I for one, love it.  Huge fan of cilantro AND lime. But that's another story.

If you wish to try this, and I HIGHLY suggest that you do, here's what you'll need:

2 med-large red onions, peeled and thinly sliced into rings or half-moons
5 limes, (These can be hard to squeeze, so roll them on the counter with gentle pressure, then microwave for NO MORE than 30 seconds to help release the juice.)
Approximately 1-2 tsp of kosher salt, depending on how much onion you have 
Cracked black pepper, to taste
Large bowl or container with a TIGHT fitting lid (chinese take out soup/sauce containers are great for this)

Slice your onions and separate them into individual pieces as best you can in your bowl or container, making one layer at a time, sprinkling your salt and pepper for each layer.

Cut limes in half and start squeezing!  You want enough juice that you can shake it around like a marinade.  About 1 inch of standing juice on the bottom of your container, depending on how much you're making, is a good way to measure it. If you're only using 1 medium onion, you'd only want about 1/2 inch of standing juice.  Unless you're a lime freak like I am, then add as much as you'd like.

This is a small batch after about 4 hours of sitting. 

Once you've added your desired amount of juice, mix it through with your hand or a fork to get it started, then cover your bowl/container and SHAKE IT!  Just like you would for a dressing.  You want every single piece of onion to coat itself.

Place in fridge for at least 20 minutes.  Come back and check on it after that time is passed and you should notice that the onions have started to turn clear, wilt and turn the juice purple. SUCCESS!

This will keep for about about a week, if it lasts that long.  After that time frame has passed, it's no longer food, it's Darwinism.  You wouldn't think that it's that good, but you'd be surprised.  Somehow, the salt and the lime cuts the super strong flavor in the onion down a notch or two. 

You can eat it as an accompaniment like you would banana peppers, make it a side dish, or a topping.  My favorite use for it is on steak or a piece of grilled chicken.  The liquid works WONDERS on Spanish rice (I'll have a recipe up on that one later) or even plain white rice! 

"How did you make these?!" Turkey Burgers

I rarely eat ground beef anymore, I switched to ground turkey for three reasons: 1. I don't have to strain/drain grease out of the pan after I brown it.  2. It's just better for you.  3. IT'S SO MUCH CHEAPER!

"But they have extra lean ground beef now, that doesn't put off grease either."  Again, TURKEY IS SO MUCH CHEAPER.  With the way that prices are, I can buy four 1lb rolls of turkey for the price of ONE pound of ground beef.  I don't see how anyone can argue with that.  Turkey has gone from that enormous yard-bird in the middle of the table at holidays to an every day meat.  It's not just legs, wings and breasts anymore.  There's even turkey chops!  I haven't found a pack of those yet in my wally world adventures but I'm always on the lookout.  Either way, it's a much more versatile meat than it used to be and like chicken, it only has the flavor you give it.  So you're gonna have to church it up a bit first.  I church mine up to taste like steak burgers and no one is the wiser unless they see the packages or I tell them.

This recipe calls for the No-Salt seasoning discussed/reviewed in my previous post, but if you don't have that (yet) then I'm sure you can just sub in the old standbys of garlic, onion and pepper and probably get the same result. 

2lb ground turkey
1 tblsp Worchestershire sauce
1 tsp Montreal Style Steak Seasoning
1 tblsp Big Lots Brand No Salt Seasoning
1 tblsp Your Favorite Brand "Bold and Spicy" style steak sauce

Mix to combine ensuring all seasoning has been evenly distributed and start making your patties.  Now I caution you, these are gonna shrink up, so I would make your patties a decent size.  With these measurements I can get 4 small burgers or 2 large burgers, so adjust your meat amounts according to how many plates you're setting.

Cook these the same as you would any burger.  If at some point you find your pan to be too dry, you can totally get away with adding a little water and covering it for a minute or two.  This will not only steam your burgers but it kinda helps them cook quicker, I find.  It also helps keep them from the possibility of burning.  So if you have to walk away for a quick bit, add a little water to your pan for a safety safe.

Serve as you like and enjoy!

The Greatest Seasoning $1 Can Buy

As I mentioned in my last post, I've cut back or out my salt since I've changed the way I eat.  It's hard to find a good seasoning that's NOT loaded with sodium or MSG.  McCormick has a few no-salt options out there that I've found so far.  I've tried their garlic and herb version and while I liked it, I quickly learned that a LITTLE goes a LONG way! The garlic granules they use in it are huge and strong.  Liberal application highly UN-recommended.  A sprinkling however, is perfect.

While trying to find the happy medium with that and getting over the odd after-taste of salt substitute, my friend told me about a no-salt seasoning that she had found at Big Lots and couldn't stop raving about.  I was intrigued, even more so when I found out that it was only $1 as compared to the name brand stuff at $2.75 a pop.  So I picked up a bottle of it the next time I was there.

I should have gotten two or three.

It's that good.

I went back 2 weeks and an almost empty bottle later and bought two more.

That's it over there, to the left, in all of it's "best dollar I ever spent" glory.  I actually have NO clue what all is in this.  I know it's got the basics, garlic, onion and pepper. There's also some dehydrated onion and celery seeds. I don't know and almost don't care what else is in there, I just know that with this I MUST SEASON ALL THE THINGS!  I put this on my eggs, people.  Yes. Eggs.  Scrambled OR fried, it doesn't matter, it works.

Other than the fact that it's beyond amazing, it's not overpowering unless you use 1/4 of the bottle at a time.  I can use this liberally and not regret it.  My favorite application so far is on steak.  Sprinkle a little coarse salt onto a ribeye followed by a good coating of this stuff and throw it in a hot pan to sear.  -wipes drool-

If you're looking for a way to control your sodium intake AND keep/enjoy the taste of the food on your plate, this is the way to go.

We've got two different Big Lots in my area and both of them have this on a regular basis.  It's in the same aisle as the rest of the spices and obscure sauces that only Big Lots seems to find.  Go out and grab a bottle!  It's only $1!

Where's Waldo?

I started this thing and then just kinda..stopped.  Lots of things came up all at once:

Busy times at work.
Trying to plan Thanksgiving.
Birthdays.
Christmas.
Anniversary.
Restaurant I worked for closing, unfortunately.
New Years.
Realizing that my health was not what it should be and something needed to be done about it.
Joining a gym to focus on making myself healthier.
More birthdays.
Divorce.

Yep.  Didn't see it coming but then again, not everyone does. It tried to kick my ass but I didn't let it happen.  Well, not like it wanted to at least.  No one just bounces back from that like nothing happened and it was no big deal.  Well, unless you're a complete jerk off, but I digress.

With that whole health realization thing came eating habits change.  Cutting back on the fat, cutting back/almost out on added salt.  Watching caloric intake (not counting, that's doing too much). Which means that I've had to re-vamp the way that I cook and shop.  Let me tell you, it really IS cheaper to be fat.  Eating healthy on a budget isn't easy.  Everyone claims it is, but my bank account just doesn't see it that way.  Unless you know where to shop.

I don't eat a huge variety of veggies, so once it's goes beyond green beans, corn, broccoli, asparagus, cabbage, brussel sprouts, potatoes and butter beans I'm pretty much out.  Almost everyone else I know eats ANY veggie, but there's some things that I just won't touch.  Okra, cucumber and tomato being the top 3 I can think of right this second.  Regardless, I have found that Aldi is the greatest grocery store on the face of the planet for everyday items.  I can get all of my veggies (most of them are frozen) from there for SUPER cheap!  There's always other stuff I need too, most of which can be found there as well and so far the only thing I've been disappointed with the quality of was a pack of turkey dogs I bought on a whim.  When it comes to my meats though, nothing can compare to the little mom and pop grocery store right up the road.  Dollar and bargain stores are your best friends, too.  So I'll be posting about amazing, must try/have finds from the ones I frequent also.  

In the last 8 months I have learned how to stretch money and food better than I ever thought I could.  I've come up with new things that I cannot eat without (most of the time) and I'm going to do my best to transfer my new ways of doing from my brain to the screen as best I can. Since I started this better way of cooking along with gym visits, I've managed to lose 30 pounds, come off of my controller medication for blood pressure and pre-diabetes as well as fit comfortably back into my beloved size 18 Diva's (brownie points if you know who carries that style). 

Between the weight loss and the divorce I have found a whole new side of myself.  One that doesn't really care what anyone has to say or think of me (unless it's positive that is). Well it's not completely new, it's the way I used to be before I had to carry myself a certain way to please certain people, or worry about the impressions I gave in certain circles.  I just haven't seen it in so long that it feels new.  I realized I was being forced into a mold that wasn't built for me in the first place and that it needed to be broken free of.  So I shattered that bitch into a million pieces, Office Space style.

One thing is for sure though, I still enjoy a good meal and I still adore my proteins.  That will NEVER change.  I just have to learn to do it healthier and stick with it!

Except for cheat days.  Cheat days are sacred and must never be forgotten if sanity is to be kept. 






-- Meg

Oldie But Goodie : Chicken, Rice and Gravy

Sounds like the same old, same old right?

Not so much.

You see, there's a trick to this one : a non, non-stick pan.  Otherwise it's not going to taste the same when you re-create it.  So, invest in, or borrow someone's stainless steel pan.  You're gonna need it!  What makes it even better, assuming you skip the broccoli, this is a 2 pot dinner!


The picture above shows it with my Garlic Lime Broccoli, which I will provide directions for also!  Even the biggest veggie-snob will approve of this one! (I've tested that theory, too!)



For the chicken you will also need:

2-3 large boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, cubed
3 (or more, depending on how much your crowd likes gravy) packs of chicken gravy
Garlic powder, to taste
Onion powder, to taste
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
As much rice as you think you need.   (I use about 2 cups of rice, assuming 1 cup per person.) 



Slice and dice your chicken into cubes, or bite size chunks.  Make an even layer of them on your cutting board and start seasoning.  Use as much or as little as you prefer.  I season liberally when it comes to chicken.  Unless it's "backyard fresh" chicken really has no flavor other than what you give to it.

In your pan, on medium high heat, add 2 tblsp of olive or vegetable oil and when it's hot enough, add in a batch of your chicken.  You don't want to completely crowd the pan, but you don't want it to outright fry either.  If it puts off some juice and just kind of stews for a few minutes, don't panic, you're doing it right.  Medium high heat sounds like too much but you want the bottom of your pan to caramelize, just don't burn it.  Black means burned.  Brown means yummy.  That juice is gonna cook off in a little bit and leave you with a layer of golden brown deliciousness on the bottom of your pan.

Once that batch has turned a lovely golden brown, remove it from your pan, and add in your next batch.  You may need to re-oil between batches and that's okay.  Just use enough to re-lubricate your pan.  You want it to stick but not so bad you're prying it off the bottom and flinging it across the kitchen.

While this last batch is going, start your rice.  Cook it as you would normally.  Once your rice is going, grab your gravy mix and mix it on the side in a large measuring cup or bowl.  Most mixes call for 1 cup of water per 1 pack of gravy, so choose your vessel wisely.

When the last batch of chicken is done, remove it from the pan also.  You need all the surface area you can get in there to scrape the amazingness off the bottom.  Add in about 1/4 of your gravy mix.  Turn the heat up to high and start gently scraping the bottom of your pan with your wooden spoon.  (Just because it's a stainless steel pan, doesn't mean you get to use metal utensils here folks, what ails you? Do you know how annoying that sound is?! Wash ya mama's whoopin spoon if you have to, but for God sakes use a wooden spoon!!).  When you can no longer feel or see and more nuggets of deliciousness stuck to the bottom of the pan, add the rest of your gravy to the pan and stir together.  Then add your chicken back to the pan and turn the heat down to low or simmer.  Your rice should be about 5 to 10 minutes away from being done.  That's plenty of time to allow the gravy to cook into the chicken.


Once the rice is done, ring the dinner bell and start fixin' plates, 'cuz dinner's done!

This serves myself 4 times.  You have to consider that usually this is the only star of the dinner show, so it's okay to have a bowl of it to yourself and not feel like a fatty.  As long as this isn't the 3rd time this week, yanno? 





Bonus recipe: Garlic Lime Broccoli

2 large heads of broccoli
1-2 small cloves of garlic, minced ridiculously fine
1 tablsp Salt
Water


1 small dollop of butter
1 tsp olive or veggie oil
Lime (or lemon) juice to taste

Rinse your broccoli well, and cut the florets from the stem.  Discard stem, or if you like the stem, peel that woody outer layer off of it, slice it up and add it in with your florets.  

In a large sauce pot, fill it halfway with water and add your salt.  Place on high heat and let it come to a boil.  You're about to embark on the not-so-fancy technique of "Blanching" your broccoli.   When the water comes to a rolling boil, add in your broccoli and let it go for 1-2 minutes.  If it's starting to go yellow-green, TAKE IT OUT IT'S BEEN TOO LONG! You want it to still be bright green with a little crunch to it.  Drain it and let it stand to finish draining.  In the same pot, toss in your butter and oil.  Once the butter has melted, add in your broccoli and toss to coat.  The little pieces of the florets are going to break down.  It's an inevitability that you cannot avoid.  Make a small well in the center and add in your garlic and lime or lemon juice.  Toss to coat once again.  After about a minute or two the garlic has had a chance to permeate the oil, butter and broccoli, so your flavor is there, plus since you minced it so fine it really doesn't take long to soften.  IF it's turning brown, TAKE IT OFF THE HEAT AND OUT OF THE POT! You don't want brown with garlic.  With garlic, brown OR black means not yummy. 

Plate it up and enjoy!

*****This also works VERY well with asparagus and brussel sprouts, so yanno, branch out. *****

Quickie, All day, BBQ Sauce

Confused? Thought so.  Quickie, because it's super quick to put together.  All day, because once you've added it to your meat, and allowed it to simmer into it for at least 30 minutes, it tastes like something you spent all day doing.

I found a recipe for BBQ Sauce, somewhere, IDR where, and jotted it down quickly.  I was planning to make spare ribs in a few days and I'm never satisfied with store-bought sauces.  I'm a BBQ sauce connoisseur of sorts.  It can't be too thick or too thin, and DEFINITELY CANNOT have those uber disgusting little pieces of what used to be tomato skins floating around in it.  You know what I'm talkin about! Those tiny little stick like pieces you find in some (craptastic) ketchup's, most salsa and ALL BBQ sauces? Yea, they're gross.  I know, I'm weird, but it's cool, I accept it.  Anyhow, it also has to have a good balance of sweet and tangy. This one calls for ketchup, vinegar, and brown sugar, so it already reeks of WIN. 

Naturally, I added extra stuff to it that the original didn't call for.  I wouldn't be me if I didn't, but I'm convinced that had I not have been me, I would not have fallen in love with this sauce the way that I did.


For this, you will need the following:

1 cup of ketchup
1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar
2 tblsp of light brown sugar
1 tblsp of worchestershire sauce
2 dashes of soy sauce
1 small squirt of yellow mustard
1/2 tsp of All Purpose Greek Seasoning (I won't mention names, but it's in a yellow, white and red shaker)
1/4 tsp of cajun seasoning
2 tblsp bold and spicy steak sauce (yanno, the one that you HAVE to get the last drop of)

Whisk all of this together in a bowl, and pour over whatever meat you want to make AWESOME!  Let it simmer for about 30 minutes to get that all day flavor.  Since there's some bold flavors in here, a little goes a long way.

If you would like to grill with this, I would suggest using it as a "moppin sauce."  I haven't been able to use it in that type of application, but that's my educated guess based on consistency.  I would also recommend doubling or tripling these amounts, dependent on how much you're grilling and wait till the last 10 to 15 minutes of your cook time to add it to avoid massive flare ups, sticking and just general "no buenoness".