Swap Meet Stuff

I had been staying away from the swap meet when our numbers were up, but I finally went again. 

Crispy beef jerky ($12 each), Kopiko instant coffee ($5), canned quail eggs!!!! ($3), Masagana's Crab Paste ($22).  Landon loved the crab paste when I bought it for him awhile back, and he asked me to pick up another jar.

Shishito peppers ($2.50), watercress ($4/bunch), cucumbers ($1/pound!!!).  I got 9 cucumbers and I thought that was a lot, but after turning them into Cucumber Kim Chee, I wish I had bought more.

I bought this for Colin ($2).

Fancy yarn ($2 each), blank cards/envelopes ($.50 each), paper ribbon ($1).  I'm thinking of using the fancy yarn to wrap gifts.  She go, right?

CeraVe ($7), carabiner tool ($1).  I bought the tool for its cool tin.  I thought that maybe Wendell could use the tool, but he said, "Nah."

Kitchen stuff ($4 for whole thing).

Cute puffer fish ("for you, free").

DLS Cookbook Winner!

 

Congratulations!  Please email me with your mailing address!

Vegetable Lasagna Soup

Here's another soup that I made using a Ross soup mix.

I actually made only half of the mix this time because, to be honest, Wendell and Landon are not real soup fans, and I sometimes end up with soup for days.  This mix was $3.99.

Here's my recipe:

Fry 4 slices cut-up bacon and 3 links smashed spicy Italian  sausage.  Remove from pot and drain oil.

Add to pot 1 small minced onion, 1/2 cup chopped celery, 4 cloves minced garlic.  Sauté until onion is transparent.

Add 8 cups of chicken stock and 1/2 of soup mix.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes.

Return meats to pot before serving. 

Carved Rock

I bought this at the swap meet a long time ago.  It's intriguing to me the way the thumb is tucked under only the forefinger and how the pinky is raised a bit.  Also, I can see tiny chisel marks, and it kinda drives me crazy wondering about the artist who made it.

DLS Cookbook

I've blogged about three recipes from the DLS cookbook:

Quick Cucumber Kim Chee

Dad's Pancakes

Pork Belly with Kim Chee

And now I would like to give away a cookbook!   You can just leave a comment here or email me at JalnaA@aol.com if you're interested.  I'll announce the winner this Saturday 2/26/22!!

Good luck!

 

Dd's Parmesan Crusted Salmon

Looks so good.  And maybe easy to make?

BROILED PARMESAN CRUSTED STYLE SALMON

 

2 8 oz. salmon filets

4 TB butter, melted

1 TB fresh lemon juice

1 TB garlic, minced

¼ tsp. dried dill

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

Topping:

2 TB bread crumbs

1 TB parmesan cheese, shredded

½ tsp. dried oregano

¼ tsp. paprika

 

Preheat broiler with oven rack 6-8 inches from top element. 

In a small saucepan over medium heat; melt butter.  Add lemon juice, garlic, dill week, salt and pepper. Remove from heat; allow to steep. 

In a small mixing bowl combine topping ingredients well. Set aside.

In 2 individual casserole dishes divide butter mixture evenly.  Place salmon onto butter mixture; sprinkle with topping. 

Broil until salmon is cooked through and topping is golden brown, about 6-7 minutes. Serves 2.

Painted Tree

We pass this tree on our morning walks, and it's always fun to see the different themes that the artist comes up with.

Yesterday, I took advantage of a sharpie that was left for passers-by to use.

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse

 I love this.   Story and artwork are by Charlie Mackesy.

Stuffed Mushrooms

Wendell came home with a tray of mushrooms from Costco the other day planning to have them as a side dish with some steaks.  He changed his mind and didn't use them.

When I opened up the tray the next day, I saw that the mushrooms were big and so beautiful that they deserved to be stuffed.  😆

I kinda followed a recipe that my brother Cy once used.  They came out yummy.

Sauté and cool:  Chopped mushroom stems (around 23), 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons minced green onions.

Add to cooled mixture:

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 cup chopped imitation crab

1/2 cup bread crumbs + 2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

Stuff the mushroom caps.  Top with more cheese.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Wordle

I have to brag.  I got the other day's Wordle in two tries!!   Thank you, Kat, for turning me on to this game. 

I'm usually not this lucky.  In fact, I had to ask my sister Sweetie for a clue once because I was totally stuck and couldn't think of a single word to come up with to move on.  I was getting all fussy.  The word was "LIGHT".

I like to start with one of these three-vowel words.  I try to use a word with letters that were not in the previous day's Wordle.  Let me know if you can think of a word that's not on my list!

Landon's Fried Tako

Landon made this a few weeks ago and it was as good as it looks.  

 

1.  Lomi tako in Hawaiian salt until your hands get too cold and you have to stop.  Rinse. 
2.  Boil in water and beer with bay leaf, peppercorns, garlic cloves for 40-45 minutes. 
3.  Remove.  Chop.  Add onion/garlic powder (the one from Ross).  Let rest for a little bit.
4.  Coat each piece in a mixture of 1/2 cornstarch, 1/2 flour and Aunty Dd’s Season All. 
5.  Fry. 

Quick Cucumber Kim Chee

Here's another recipe from the DLS Cookbook!!  With just 5 ingredients, it's totally my kind of dish.

I made just a half recipe this time.  It's not particularly spicy, more tsukemono than kim chee to me, but it is very tasty.  For sure I'll be making more.

I think you can ignore "Cook Time: 4 hours on low". 

I got the Momoya Kim Chee base at Times in the Asian section.  I've seen it at Palama Market in the refrigerated section.  It was kinda expensive . . . $7 something for a small bottle.

Sketchbook Flipthrough

I started this sketchbook on October 1, 2021 and just completed it.  I still lack creativity and can only copy, but it's what I enjoy doing. 

Inspiration for the video's thumbnail page is from the Creative Girl book by Danielle Donaldson. 

Chicken Tikka

Remember the Tikka sauce that I got from Ross?   I made a Chicken Tikka with it the other night and it came out good!

I kinda followed a recipe from the Tasty site for the first part.  It had also called for 2 teaspoons of garam masala, but I didn't have that so I left it out.

• Marinate overnight:
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons paprika

Skewer the pieces and dangle them atop a baking pan so that they're not lying in the juices.  Bake at 500 degrees for about 15 minutes.

Remove chicken from the skewers and set aside.  I sneaked a taste and it was already ono.

This is where I improvised.  I cut up half an onion and minced 2 big garlic cloves.   I sautéed them until the onions were translucent.  Then I added the drippings from the chicken and the Tikka sauce.  I cooked it until the liquid reduced to a somewhat thick sauce, turned off the heat and threw in the chicken.

I liked it a lot, especially with some naan bread.