Costco's Hamburger Steak with Gravy

 Wendell bought this the other day for dinner.  It was not bad for fast-kine heat up in the oven.

It was perfect topped with an egg loco moco style (no photo - 🙄).

At the Swap Meet

It was fun doing this video, but I must say that if you're prone to motion sickness maybe you'd better not watch.  I got kinda queasy watching all the footage while editing.  I weeded out most of the bad parts, but there are still some unsteady moments.

The video's file size was too big for Flickr so I put it onto YouTube. If YouTube loads the video in low quality, you can click on the wheel icon and choose HD for better viewing.

Dd's Mexican Chorizo Meatloaf

MEXICAN CHORIZO MEATLOAF

 

Meatloaf:

2 TB olive oil

1/2 c onion, finely chopped

1 medium carrot, finely chopped 

1 rib celery, finely chopped 

1 clove garlic, minced 

1 # ground beef 

6 oz Mexican chorizo, removed from casing 

4 oz can diced roasted green chiles, drained

3/4 tsp salt 

1/2 tsp ground cumin 

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper 

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper 

1 large egg, well beaten 

1/4 c ketchup 

1/4 c sour cream 

1/2 c breadcrumbs 

2 TB cilantro, chopped

Pico DeGallo:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced 

1/4 medium white onion, minced 

1 medium tomato, diced

4 oz can diced roasted green chiles

salt 

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a heavy skillet over medium-high heat saute vegetables in oil until softened, about 8 minutes. Set aside until cool enough to handle.

In a large bowl, combine sauteed vegetables with remaining ingredients. Transfer mixture into a loaf pan or shaped on cooking sheet. Bake 45 minutes. Remove from oven carefully pour off any pan juices. 

Pico de gallo: Combine all ingredients; allow to sit 30 minutes. Season with salt to taste. For service serve over meatloaf. Serves 6.

Alvin

Here's another drawing that I videoed.  Alvin is the name of the person in the photo that I used for reference.  It's from the Unsplash website.

Isn't my title cool looking!!  I learned how to do it from a YouTube tutorial. First you write out what you want on a white piece of paper and take a photo of it.  Then you import it into Keynote where you can do magic on it, save the results onto your computer and then import it into iMovie. I was so stoked when it worked. 

I used my camera to shoot this time because of the problems I had previously with my phone's limited storage capacity.  My camera uses storage cards that can hold gigaloads, so storage is not a problem.  The problem came with the camera's auto-off feature.  This happens when filming for an extended period of time to prevent the camera from overheating.  

Again, for a bigger view click on "Alvin by Jalna" in the lower left corner which will take you to my Flickr page. 

Smashed Cucumber

This recipe is from the Allrecipes site.  It's really easy to make, so just right for me. 

Ingredients

2 English cucumbers

1 teaspoon white sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed

2 cloves garlic, finely crushed

2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

red pepper flakes to taste

2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds

Directions

• Step 1

  Wrap each cucumber in plastic wrap to minimize splattering. Place on a work surface and pound with a flat object (like a meat pounder) until cucumbers crack and are slightly flattened. Remove from plastic. Cut cucumbers in half; halve each side lengthwise. Slice into 1- to 1 1/2 -inch wide slices. Transfer to a strainer set over a bowl.

• Step 2

  Sprinkle cucumber with sugar and salt; mix until well combined. Refrigerate bowl and strainer for 30 to 60 minutes so cucumber pieces can drain into the bowl.

• Step 3

  Place garlic, seasoned rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes in a large bowl. Whisk together thoroughly.

• Step 4

  Transfer drained cucumbers into bowl with dressing. Toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate for about 30 minutes to allow flavors to mingle.

• Step 5

  Place cucumbers in serving bowl and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Chef's Note:

In place of seasoned rice vinegar you can use plain rice vinegar and add an extra pinch of salt and sugar to the dressing.

Artichoke

Here's another video. I drew an artichoke . . .  or four.  I really don't know why I enjoy the process of creating videos so much.  Even the messed up parts.  Or the why-no-work parts. Maybe it's because it gives me something else to focus on besides scary things that are happening right now.  Maybe, yah. 

I found the artichoke photo from a site called Unsplash.  

"Unsplash grants you an irrevocable, nonexclusive, worldwide copyright license to download, copy, modify, distribute, perform, and use photos from Unsplash for free, including for commercial purposes, without permission from or attributing the photographer or Unsplash."

This time I learned how to do picture-in-picture and a jiggly see-through logo. 

Leslie's Back!!

Finally!!  Leslie is into a new venture and posted about it on her blog, Leslie's Pics.  Sounds interesting.  Go check it out. You can find a link in my sidebar to the right.

Dd's Taco Soup

 

TACO SOUP

 

1# ground meat or ground turkey

1 TB olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 small carrot, peeled, chopped

½ medium red bell pepper, seeded, chopped

1 large tomato, chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled, chopped

15 ounce can black beans, drained

15 ounce can corn, drained

½ c. favorite salsa

2 TB taco seasoning

1 tsp. EACH salt, ground cumin, dried oregano

2 c. chicken broth

Dash favorite hot sauce

Mojo Sauce:

½ c. cilantro leaves

2 cloves garlic, peeled

1 TB fresh lime juice

½ TB EACH agave nectar, apple cider vinegar, favorite taco seasoning

1 tsp. ground cumin

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

2 TB olive oil

Garnish: shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, avocado, crushed tortilla chips

 

In a saucepot over medium heat, brown meat in oil. Add onion, carrot, bell pepper, tomato and garlic; saute for a few minutes.  

Stir in remaining ingredients until combined. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Note: Add a little water to bring to desired consistency (should be consistency of a stew). 

Mojo Sauce: Combine all ingredients in a food processor; drizzling in olive oil. Garnish with desired toppings and 1 tablespoon of Mojo Sauce.  Serves 4.

Desk Tour

For lack of a better topic, here is a tour of my desk.  Clicking on "Desk Tour by Jalna" in the lower left corner will take you to a bigger-sized format to view on Flickr.

La Birria Tacos

A few days ago Wendell picked up these tacos from the La Birria Tacos truck that he saw in Kakaako.  It was kinda expensive . . .  3 tacos with dipping sauce for $12, but it was super ono. 

Here is the taco opened up.  Yummy.