Friday, October 26, 2007

Always check the date

Public Service Announcement:

Pumpkin Pie. Mmmmmm. Yummy.

Pumpkin Pie made with Evaporated Skim Milk 6 months past its pull-date:
not so yummy.

Please, people, before you use up the last eggs and canned pumpkin in the house:

CHECK THE DATE on your cans.


That's all.

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Yummy Veggie-Shepherd's Pie

"Morningstar Farms® Meal Starters™ Grillers® Recipe Crumbles™"

Did you know anything so over-registered, trademarked, and possessed could be so tasty?

Ingredients for Filling:
splash of extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion
1 lb mushrooms, sliced
1 carrot, chopped
1 stick celery, chopped
1 package of the above-mentioned veggie "crumbles"
2 cloves garlic, minced
A "plop" of ketchup - about 1 Tbsp, maybe
a splash of white wine
a small splash of high quality balsamic vinegar
a little water

Directions for Filling:
Saute the veggies on med-high heat in the olive oil, adding a splash of wine as you go, until the onions become slightly translucent (about 5-10 minutes). Add the crumbles, the garlic, the balsamic vinegar, and the ketchup, and stir, letting it cook another minute or two. Add water if necessary to keep everything from burning.

Pour the filling into a square Pyrex pan (about 8"x8"). You can cover it and put it in the fridge for several hours or a day at this point, if necessary.

Over this, spread the topping:
2 lbs mashed potatoes (Yukon Gold are nice) that are slightly more liquid than you'd normally eat
seasoned with 1-2 tsp of Smoked Spanish Paprika and a sprinkle of Garlic flakes (or garlic powder)

Sprinkle grated parmesan over the top, if desired.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

Serve with a nice crusty bread, some more of the wine, and some green veggies on the side. MMM.

Monday, October 01, 2007

Sukkah Surprise

The best thing ever in re-usable sukkah decorations: washable markers.

This year, I used a black permanent marker to draw images of the seven kinds (dates, figs, olives, pomegranates, grapes, wheat, barley) on a white sheet which formed the back of our sukkah. The (very young) children at our sukkah-decorating party colored them in - or around - or, really, in totally unrelated designs - using Crayola's new WASHABLE MARKERS. The effect was, well, colorful. And unique.

But, this being Oregon, it soon rained, and we had lovely streaky sheets for a day. Then it really poured, and all we had left was the original outlines.

Which they can color in again next year.

Except for the ones who are too busy eating the markers to color.


Apparently the orange marker was quite tasty.