Food and Recipes while under Coronavirus quarantine #7

[PayrollNerd]

I've downloaded 3 recipes for Creamed Spinach like what Boston Market used to sell, before they closed. I bought heavy cream, 1/2 & 1/2, whole milk, cream cheese and grated Parmesan. I read that if the recipe doesn't have cream cheese in it, it's bogus. So we will see what I can come up with today.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

I've downloaded 3 recipes for Creamed Spinach like what Boston Market used to sell, before they closed. I bought heavy cream, 1/2 & 1/2, whole milk, cream cheese and grated Parmesan. I read that if the recipe doesn't have cream cheese in it, it's bogus. So we will see what I can come up with today.

I love spinach and used to order creamed spinach whenever it was on the menu at upscale restaurants, mostly steakhouses. Due to the dairy components, I can no longer indulge in the lovely side dish

Ruth's Chris Steak House Creamed Spinach Recipe - Food.com

Love their steaks, and I love their version of this classic side dish to a thick, juicy steak. Sometimes I cheat and use 2 10 ounce packages of frozen

www.food.com

 

[PayrollNerd]

I love spinach and used to order creamed spinach whenever it was on the menu at upscale restaurants, mostly steakhouses. Due to the dairy components, I can no longer indulge in the lovely side dish

Ruth's Chris Steak House Creamed Spinach Recipe - Food.com

Love their steaks, and I love their version of this classic side dish to a thick, juicy steak. Sometimes I cheat and use 2 10 ounce packages of frozen

www.food.com

That recipe is really involved. I'm sure it is delicious tho!

I just realized I forgot to buy the onions yesterday. Dang it. Back to Publix.

I first had Creamed Spinach Maria at Calhoun's in Knoxville, TN. It has red pepper flakes and was a bit too spicy for me. I switched to Boston Market's creamed spinach. I'd be ok with a tiny bit of red pepper flakes but not a lot.

Calhoun's Knoxville Tennessee Spinach Maria Recipe - Food.com

If you live in Knoxville or have ever visited and eaten at Calhoun's, you surely love Spinach Maria. It is WONDERFUL!! It is a great side dish but you

www.food.com

 

[IceIce9]

That recipe is really involved. I'm sure it is delicious tho!

I just realized I forgot to buy the onions yesterday. Dang it. Back to Publix.

I first had Creamed Spinach Maria at Calhoun's in Knoxville, TN. It has red pepper flakes and was a bit too spicy for me. I switched to Boston Market's creamed spinach. I'd be ok with a tiny bit of red pepper flakes but not a lot.

Calhoun's Knoxville Tennessee Spinach Maria Recipe - Food.com

If you live in Knoxville or have ever visited and eaten at Calhoun's, you surely love Spinach Maria. It is WONDERFUL!! It is a great side dish but you

www.food.com

I love creamed spinach, and Morton’s Steakhouse had the best I have ever had. I found a recipe that claimed to be Morton’s probably ten years ago.

It is an easy recipe, but I wouldn’t recommend substituting frozen spinach for fresh.

Ingredients​

• 4 tbsp butter
• 1medium yellow onion, finely minced
• 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 4 tsp salt
• 1tsp fresh ground pepper
• ¼ cup flour
• 3½ cups half & half
• 2¼ lbs fresh spinach
• 1 cup mozzarella
• 4 oz cream cheese
• ½ cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil with two teaspoons of salt.
2. Add the spinach and cook just until wilted, for 1 minute.
3. Drain the spinach in a strainer or colander.
4. Rinse with cold water until cool and squeeze the water out.
5. Chop the spinach into a ¾ inch width.
6. In a large skillet melt the butter with the garlic and onions.
7. Cook on medium low for 8 to 10 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
8. Add in the remaining salt and fresh pepper
9. Add in the flour and mix with a wooden spoon over low and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
10. Stir in the half & half and cook until boiling.
11. Add in the mozarella cheese and cream cheese
12. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes or until the mixture has thickened.
13. Add in the spinach and the Parmesan cheese and stir to combine.

 

[IceIce9]

I've downloaded 3 recipes for Creamed Spinach like what Boston Market used to sell, before they closed. I bought heavy cream, 1/2 & 1/2, whole milk, cream cheese and grated Parmesan. I read that if the recipe doesn't have cream cheese in it, it's bogus. So we will see what I can come up with today.

Let us know how the recipes turn out! I used to love Boston Market but the locations in my area closed several years ago.

I used to order their 3 vegetable plate, with a serving of mashed potatoes and two servings of creamed spinach, and a corn bread.

 

[PayrollNerd]

I have enough spinach that’s for sure. 9 cartons! I’ve got it draining right now.

The sauce is next. I’m reading all the recipes to see which one sounds best.

 

[PayrollNerd]

400 hundred paper towels later, its done. I trashed the entire kitchen. I think it took as long to clean up as it did to make it.

I put things together in the wrong sequence but I’m sure it’s fine. It looks good. It smells good. I haven’t tasted it yet. I always thought once it was assembled, you baked it with white cheese on top. I may be thinking of spinach dip. I hope Kiddo wants some! I guess I could freeze one & bake it later.

I’ll have this with my Green Goddess Chicken & fried corn I made yesterday.

I also made hash brown casserole yesterday to go with my egg & bacon for breakfast.

 

[snooptroop88]

I've got some pork country spare ribs marinating right now for char siu. I play around with the char siu marinade a bit, this time I went with hoisin, oyster sauce, soy sauce (of course), brown sugar, honey, rice vinegar, mirin, some dried five lspice and dried ginger (s&p, too). Tiny bit sesame oil. I'm leaving that overnight, might add a little splash of lime and some garlic cloves.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

400 hundred paper towels later, its done. I trashed the entire kitchen. I think it took as long to clean up as it did to make it.

I've always wondered how you keep your sanity when you prep multiple dishes simultaneously. I'm sure I was able to multitask years ago, but I get very anxious if I try to perform more than one kitchen task at a time. I make an effort to stay calm and not get flustered, but more often than not, I have to take a break, leave the kitchen, and sit in the den for a while to regroup. Sometimes a small glass of wine helps in my recovery If I'm going to prepare more than one thing, I clean up the counters before starting on another dish. You did a lot of food prep yesterday and deserve a day of rest.

 

[PayrollNerd]

I've always wondered how you keep your sanity when you prep multiple dishes simultaneously. I'm sure I was able to multitask years ago, but I get very anxious if I try to perform more than one kitchen task at a time. I make an effort to stay calm and not get flustered, but more often than not, I have to take a break, leave the kitchen, and sit in the den for a while to regroup. Sometimes a small glass of wine helps in my recovery If I'm going to prepare more than one thing, I clean up the counters before starting on another dish. You did a lot of food prep yesterday and deserve a day of rest.

I typically do one food item at a time because of our food safety / food allergy requirements. I made the hash brown casserole first on Wednesday. I cleaned up the kitchen then took the corn out to the lanai and shucked it. I washed it and put it on paper towels to drain. Once the casserole was done I rested for a bit.

I fried up the corn and cleaned up again. I put the chicken in the oven and while it was baking, I cleaned up again.

Then yesterday, I didn't start the spinach until late in the afternoon after a nap. I was pretty tired when I finished last night. I slept late this morning and haven't done much today at all.

It is 91 deg, feels like 101 and humidity is 59%. It sucks the breath right out of you when you open the door. I am not even going out to check the last of the tomatoes, it's too dang hot!

 

[anneg]

I typically do one food item at a time because of our food safety / food allergy requirements. I made the hash brown casserole first on Wednesday. I cleaned up the kitchen then took the corn out to the lanai and shucked it. I washed it and put it on paper towels to drain. Once the casserole was done I rested for a bit.

I fried up the corn and cleaned up again. I put the chicken in the oven and while it was baking, I cleaned up again.

Then yesterday, I didn't start the spinach until late in the afternoon after a nap. I was pretty tired when I finished last night. I slept late this morning and haven't done much today at all.

It is 91 deg, feels like 101 and humidity is 59%. It sucks the breath right out of you when you open the door. I am not even going out to check the last of the tomatoes, it's too dang hot!

I dread the summer heat and humidity! Ick.

 

[Puzzles8]

I dread the summer heat and humidity! Ick.

I live in Northern Illinois. Some summers we have terrible periods of heat and humidity, others are quite enjoyable. You never know what you are in for with the weather here.
What I do dread are the 17 year Cicadas that will emerge here within days. I can even tolerate the big bugs, but the sound they make is the unbelievable, compare to the noise level of a lawn mower - going all day long. The sound is worse at night.

Cicadas

There are two species of cicadas commonly found in large numbers in Illinois. First, there are dog-day or annual cicadas that emerge every year. Second, there are

extension.illinois.edu

As an additional bonus, our area has become home to annual Cicadas (Dog Day). The 17 year are going to emerge this week and should be done by the end of July. The annual ones start in July and end with the cooler weather in early fall.
May be time to invest in noise cancelling headphones for this summer.

Technically, they are safe and edible.... However I will not be making or posting any recipes.

Enjoying my last several days of peace and quiet.

 

[IceIce9]

I live in Northern Illinois. Some summers we have terrible periods of heat and humidity, others are quite enjoyable. You never know what you are in for with the weather here.
What I do dread are the 17 year Cicadas that will emerge here within days. I can even tolerate the big bugs, but the sound they make is the unbelievable, compare to the noise level of a lawn mower - going all day long. The sound is worse at night.

View attachment 504299

Cicadas

There are two species of cicadas commonly found in large numbers in Illinois. First, there are dog-day or annual cicadas that emerge every year. Second, there are

extension.illinois.edu

As an additional bonus, our area has become home to annual Cicadas (Dog Day). The 17 year are going to emerge this week and should be done by the end of July. The annual ones start in July and end with the cooler weather in early fall.
May be time to invest in noise cancelling headphones for this summer.

Technically, they are safe and edible.... However I will not be making or posting any recipes.

Enjoying my last several days of peace and quiet.

We had a huge emergence of cicadas in 2021, the “Brood X” 17 year cicadas.

It was crazy how many cicadas there were, literally clouds of them. The roar from the cicadas was incredibly.

I had been following a naturalist who was the expert on Brood X, and it was actually quite fascinating.

 

[anneg]

We had a huge emergence of cicadas in 2021, the “Brood X” 17 year cicadas.

It was crazy how many cicadas there were, literally clouds of them. The roar from the cicadas was incredibly.

I had been following a naturalist who was the expert on Brood X, and it was actually quite fascinating.

We've been having Brood XIX cicadas around here (central NC) for a while. These are 13-year cicadas. They don't seem to be camped out on our property but we can hear them when we go outside or go elsewhere in the area.

 

[snooptroop88]

Yow, I finished the country pork spareribs turned char siu, and omg, they came out great!! Was just delighted b/c the last batch I made, I didn't like the sauce. No problems this time! Did add ketchup into a final small bit of sauce for the glaze. But I left those roasting at 300 for hours, and I didn't baste, although I did flip every now and then. It took all those hours, like four, to get the fat to fully melt, honest to goodness, there was sooo much fat on those ribs. I think they were like a quarter to third of their original size by the time they were done. Topped with sesame seeds and scallions, just big yum. Char siu's one of my favorite things to eat.

 

[PayrollNerd]

I bought these brownie mixes on BOGO at Publix. Well I realized after I mixed it up that the size is much smaller than before. It would normally be a 9 x 13 pan sized mix. I would bake it in a 7 x 11 pan instead. Well, it must be an 8 x 8 sized pan mix now. (16 oz)

So my brownies are very thin. I guess I’ll have to use 2 boxes in the future if I need to feed more people.

I guess I’ll go work on Elmer some more to get rid of my annoyance at the baking industry.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

I bought these brownie mixes on BOGO at Publix. Well I realized after I mixed it up that the size is much smaller than before. It would normally be a 9 x 13 pan sized mix. I would bake it in a 7 x 11 pan instead. Well, it must be an 8 x 8 sized pan mix now. (16 oz)

So my brownies are very thin. I guess I’ll have to use 2 boxes in the future if I need to feed more people.

I guess I’ll go work on Elmer some more to get rid of my annoyance at the baking industry.

Love the patchwork elephant! What will you do with it?

 

[PayrollNerd]

Love the patchwork elephant! What will you do with it?

It’s a gift set for a new baby & this is the second one I’ve made. I am working on the coordinating book bag now.

This creamed spinach is delicious!

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

I dread the summer heat and humidity! Ick.

Friends who lived in suburban Boston their whole lives bought a condo and moved to Fort Myers, FL in February. They were happy to dodge some major snowfalls in Boston and have, so far, loved the climate in their new digs. They have yet to experience a hot, humid Florida summer - the reason that snowbirds return to Michigan in April or May. They have a standing invitation to come here if the sunshine state becomes unbearably hot and humid

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Sour Patch Kids Oreos? Peeps Pepsi? What's behind the weird flavors popping up on store shelves

While it’s tempting to pass off these limited-time flavors as social media stunts, experts say there’s more to the story.

www.detroitnews.com

Van Leeuwen Ice Cream usually draws customers with gourmet takes on classics like vanilla and pistachio. But occasionally, the artisanal ice cream maker headquartered in New York slips in what it calls a “shock flavor,” like Hidden Valley Ranch or pizza.

Surprising flavor combinations — think gravy-flavored Jones Soda or Sour Patch Kids Oreos — are showing up more frequently in grocery stores and restaurant chains. Hershey recently introduced pink lemonade-flavored Kit Kats, while IHOP and Lay’s brought out Rooty Tooty Fresh n’ Fruity potato chips, designed to taste like strawberry-topped pancakes with a hint of bacon.

While it’s tempting to pass off these limited-time flavors as social media stunts, experts say there’s more to the story. Food companies are responding to the changing and expanding tastes of consumers while also trying to keep brands relevant and distinct to win space on crowded store shelves...