the best post-halloween sale buy ever

a skull plate! with nested eye- bowls! now only a dollar. there were still plenty at the 70th & pioneers hy-vee earlier today.

a pair of goulashes

i once went to a little eastern european restaurant in north beach, and was so excited to see goulash on the menu. not a common offering in san francisco, and a childhood favorite of mine to boot. i couldn't wait.
however, when the order appeared, i learned that goulash is one of those dishes with a lot of variations out there. the soupy stew on the plate in front of me was not my idea of goulash. and the open mic spoken word that started up right after was not my idea of poetry...but that's another story.

this is my version of the variation i grew up with:
dice an onion and caramelize in a little olive oil. when translucent, add one pound ground chuck and a tablespoon of paprika, and begin browning. in another pan, boil up a package of macaroni to just underdone. then drain the pasta, pour back into the pasta pan, and add the meat. with the pan over low heat, add a pint of tomato soup and stir till the dish comes together.
i used pacific natural foods' organic roasted red pepper and tomato soup, because it was just on sale at red clover...but any tomato soup works.

happy halloween: from the pistachio pork chop monster

two great tastes that taste great together, but look weird before cooking. i learned this from a whole roast pork loin recipe, which instructed me to incise into the fat with a small knife around the outside of the loin, and insert pistachio nutmeat. i liked the flavors so much i changed the technique a little for pork chops, which i enjoy more often. i cut slits into the chop near the ring of fat and then insert the nuts. even on the grill, most of the nutmeat will stay in the porkmeat--as the chops change texture while heating, they swallow the nuts into the flesh. served this with baked squash and a salad. nice flavors for autumn.

effective storage and use of twist-ties

with more and more stores in lincoln offering selections of bulk dried goods, here's how to make twist-ties work for you.
first, storage. i was visiting a friend when i noticed a jar of twist-ties in her kitchen... it was an emptied jar of marmite, with a well-designed label that she liked, and so she put it to practical use while enjoying it on her counter. using an old jelly jar that appeals to you works just the same. it's much handier than fishing around for them in a drawer.
when you buy something in bulk, you need to label your purchase clearly with the plu for the cashier's sake...but go ahead and also list, for your own benefit (whether on the twist-tie or a label on the bag itself), the date of purchase and the price, and yes, what it is. of course you'll be able to identify your purchase later, but better safe than a show-off.

hard-boiled egg tips and basic recipe

now matter what your standard practice for preparing hard-boiled eggs--if you're boiling up several, this tip will come in handy. use a pasta pot with a built-in strainer, and put the eggs in that strainer; of course, making sure there's more than enough water in the stock pot to cover the eggs.
that way, when they eggs are done, you can lift them out all at once, and shock them under cold running water, easily maintaining consistency of doneness one egg to next.
the two things that most affect ease of peeling are: age of eggs (too fresh won't work; but unless the chickens are in your backyard, don't worry), and overcooking. you need to stop the cooking as soon as the egg is done.

to make it quick, if you don't already have a favorite way in mind, here's one: eggs in enough cold water to cover with an egg's worth of room on top, onto stove, medium heat. once the water boils, cover and remove from heat. after ten minutes, remove and shock with cold water.

this oxymoron is worth the money: jumbo shrimp

i bought shrimp at the midwest seafood event. 18-20 count per pound, on sale for 9.99/lb.
it's so much easier and quicker to serve shrimp when there are fewer pieces to prepare. before grilling, i pulled off the legs and almost all the shell (leaving on the last piece meant the tail would stay on till they hit the plate, and they were simple to devein and butterfly before going on the grill).
this is the shrimp on the bed of quinoa and vegetables described in the last post. i threw little cups of the bell peppers onto the grill just long enough to soften, and then used them as an edible garnish version of stuffed peppers.

one season blends into another

the late frost led to strange kitchen-fellows today. first, the last culling of a friend's organic garden...green tomatoes and bell peppers...and then, an almost-ripe, in-season, reasonably-priced (68 cents!) persimmon from super saver.
i chopped all these up, together with an onion and a jalapeno, which is what you see here. i sauteed this mixture, long and low, in olive and peanut oil. in another pan i prepared quinoa, figuring the nuttiness of the grain would balance out any unwanted tartness in the fruit and vegetable mix. the slow, caramelizing heating of the fresh ingredients took care of that for me even before tossing the two panfuls together--for a rich, comforting plate of food. pictures of that to follow.

this bowl of fruit cost 2.50

no, not the bowl itself at a garage sale...what's in it. and at ideal of all places.
i haven't been able to find pomegranates yet this season for less than two bucks each. but this week ideal has an advertised sale of two pomegranates for a dollar. and my favorite citrus, grapefruit, is a great ad sale price of three for a dollar.
the avocado was a surprise. on sale for fifty cents each because they're ripe and ready to eat today.

free cooking demonstrations at midwest seafood tomorrow morning

it's their one year anniversary at their 5560 s. 48th st location. tomorrow, saturday 10/27, from 9 am to noon, they're having seafood cooking demonstrations, q&a with the owner and a chef--and free samples!
that little fish is the label for my cutting board specifying it's for seafood only. the green one's for vegetables, the yellow one's for poultry, and the the red one's for all other meat.

quick breakfast on a crisp morning

two slices of whole grain bread--this is the flax seed bread from wheatberries bakery. then one sliced apple, a handful of grated cheddar cheese, and a dash of cinnamon. toaster oven, 350 degrees, five minutes.