Category Archives: Food

Garlic, Broccoli, Mushrooms, and Chicken, Oh My!

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Garlic, Broccoli, Mushrooms and Chicken Stir Fry

What’s not to love? A Stir Fry meal is quick, easy and loaded with veggies. 

 

May be an image of food and text that says 'GARLIC CHICKEN STIR FRY vegetable oil 1 cup broccoli florets 1 cup mushrooms 1 yellow bell pepper 1 Ib chicken breasts salt and pepper 4 cloves of garlic 3/4 cup chicken broth 1 tbsp brown sugar 2 tbsp soy sauce 2 tsp sesame oil 2 tsp cornstarch Cে'

From the recipe critic

Don’t You just Love Stir Fry?

One of my favorite meals is Stir Fry. I started out trying to duplicate the Chinese chicken and broccoli from my local Chinese Take out restaurant. Even after years of trying I just can’t get it right BUT…I have developed some great alternatives. My sister even gave me a WOK for a Christmas present one year. 

Some of my favorite veggies for stir fry are broccoli, asparagus, and/ or mushrooms. 

My new Chicken and Broccoli recipe

Last night I tried a new stir fry recipe. The differences are in the way the sauce is made. This one was real easy and thickened up nice. I hope you like garlic! 

I didn’t use the WOK this time because the recipe called for a large skillet but after making this once I’ll use the Wok from now on. 

One tip- Prep is everything. Have all your ingredients  prepared before you start cooking because it’s going to move fast, especially if you are using a WOK.

Garlic  Chicken Stir Fry

Recipe from The Recipe Critic

5 minute prep time   15 minute cook time

Stirring the chicken, broccoli and mushrooms all together.

Photo from the Recipe Critic

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon vegetable oil (Divided use)
  • 1 Cup broccoli Florets
  • 1 Cup mushrooms (sliced)
  • 1 Yellow bell pepper (cored, seeded and thinly sliced)
  • 1 pound boneless chicken breast (cut into 1 inch pieces)
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
  • 4 Cloves of Garlic (minced)
  • 3/4 Cup Chicken Broth
  • 1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 Teaspoons sesame oil
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch

Instructions

  1. Heat 1 Teaspoon of oil in a large pan over medium heat
  2. Add Broccoli, mushrooms and bell pepper to pan. Cook 5-6 minutes or until vegetables are tender- DO NOT OVER COOK
  3. Remove Vegetables from pan and cover with foil to keep warm
  4. Wipe pan clean with paper towel. (I think this is unnecessary step but it’s in the recipe so up to you) Heat remaining tablespoon of oil over high heat.
  5. Add Chicken to pan in a single layer, season with Salt & Pepper
  6. Cook 3-4 minutes per side or until chicken is browned and cooked through.
  7. Lower heat to medium and add garlic. Cook for 30 seconds
  8. Add Vegetables back to pan
  9. In a Small bowl whisk together the chicken broth , sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil and cornstarch
  10. Pour over chicken and veggies and bring to a simmer.
  11. Simmer 1-2 minutes or until sauce has just thickened
  12. Serve immediately over rice

Photo credit- Deb Neumann

Notes

I left out the bell pepper as I am not a fan but as with most stir fry recipes you can add or subtract veggies to suit your tastes.

I didn’t measure the veggies – just put all the broccoli and mushrooms in- Way more than the 1 C each the recipe called for. Again, your preference.  The veggies are great when they have a well flavored sauce

I’m still looking for a good fried rice recipe if anyone out there has one

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why Does Everyone Hate Meatloaf?

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Tender Juicy Meatloaf

 As part of my project to improve my cooking skills I decided to try to find the reason that everyone seems to hate meatloaf. And I don’t mean the Musician known as Meatloaf.  

Meat Loaf' life in photos

Photo credit- Internet

 

 

I made a meatloaf Sunday. I was in the mood for meatloaf sandwiches so made a small one just so I’d have the left overs. (Like a good hamburger, meatloaf is there – you know you sang it) Anyway, while it was in the oven I was perusing Facebook and saw one of their many “Lists”.  It was foods  Boomers should get rid of or something like that and there was the lowly meatloaf. The Comments were eye opening.

Meatloaf should Never be Dry

Best Meatloaf Recipe [VIDEO] - Sweet and Savory Meals

Photo credit- Flickr

Everyone talked about their mother’s meatloaf. How it was this dry lump of ground meat.  And you know what? They were right! After I thought about it I remembered I didn’t like meatloaf when I was growing up either. One of the first things I did when I was on my own and realized it was learn to cook or starve was to learn to make a juicy, tender meatloaf. 

I am a purist in that I use hamburger meat. I don’t mix it with pork or veal or any other kind of ground meat. You can if you want but I don’t. Next I hate slicing into a meatloaf and seeing lumps of bread. You get that when you just shred up some bread and soak it in milk. No I liked to use the bread to add a bit of flavor. My choice for breadcrumbs? A package of stove top chicken stuffing. But the real trick is the sautéed onion and green pepper. 

To keep the meatloaf from falling apart the onions and green pepper need to be chopped very fine then softened by sautéing for about 4-5 minutes so they will not be crunchy bits. 

If I have chicken broth I use that for the liquid instead of water for a fuller flavor. 

Here’s my Easy, Peasy Meatloaf Recipe

What you need

  • 2 lb ground beef
  • 1 package of Stove top Stuffing mix  (16 oz) for chicken
  • 1 Cup water or chicken broth
  • 2 eggs (beaten)
  • 1/2 C Barbecue Sauce or catsup (divided)
  • 1 small yellow onion
  • 1 small green pepper

Instructions

Heat oven to 375 F

  1. Chop onion and pepper into small pieces and sauté in a little oil at low heat for about 5 minutes. Don’t let them burn. Set aside
  2. Place meat, stuffing mix, water (broth) and 1/4 cup Barbecue sauce/catsup in a bowl.
  3. Gently mix with your hands until just blended.
  4.  Add the Sautéed veggies and blend 
  5.  Line a sheet pan with foil or parchment paper
  6. Shape into a loaf
  7.  Top with remaining sauce/catsup
  8.  Bake 1 hour or until done

 

Meatloaf Sandwich | Leftover meatloaf in a sandwich. Mmm... … | Flickr

Photo Credit- Flickr

I like to try different things with my meatloaf- maybe a dash of Worcestershire Sauce or maybe A1 Sauce for a little extra flavor. I always use onion but sometimes I skip the green pepper if I don’t have one handy. Maybe add some cheese in the center of my loaf. If your bread crumbs aren’t seasoned don’t forget the salt and pepper. When using the Stove top as bread crumbs I skip the salt and pepper. There’s enough in the stuffing mix.

I hope you never have a dry meatloaf again!

Whipping Cream Biscuits

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Whipping Cream Biscuits and More

Have you ever heard of Whipping Cream Biscuits? I had not. I’ve heard of Baking Power biscuits, Buttermilk Biscuits, Flaky layer biscuits (from a tube) but never Whipping Cream Biscuits. I guess they are also called just Cream Biscuits if you want to shorten the name.

Blackberry jam on a cream biscuit

Photo from Julia’s Simply Southern

 

Where did I hear about them you ask. Well as a retired person I have time to indulge in one of my favorite pass times- reading.  Currently I’m reading Robert B. Parker’s Spenser series.

You may remember a 1980’s TV show called Spenser for Hire. Robert Urich played Spenser, a Boston based gum shoe who played fast & loose with the law in order to catch the bad guys. Spenser is an enlightened thug who enjoys cooking and quoting poetry. He is consider a wise guy even though his comments are kind of lame at times. 

Spenser works with Hawk, played by Avery Brooks. I always loved the Hawk character. But I digress, I heard about Whipping Cream Biscuits in one of the early Spenser novels. Spenser mentions making them for his breakfast and it made me curious. I needed to try them. 

Whipping Cream Biscuits the Recipe

Light, airy and slightly sweet. Very Tender and delicate

Ingredients

  • 2 C All purpose flour
  • 1 Tbs. plus 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
  • 1/4 tsp. Salt
  • 1 Tbs. granulated sugar
  •  4 Tbs. Butter, Chilled and cut in cubes
  •  1 C plus 1 tablespoon Heavy Whipping Cream

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 F
  2. In mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder , salt and sugar together
  3.  Next, cut  the butter into the flour mixture until crumbly
  4.  Add Heavy Whipping Cream to flour mixture stirring just until combined.
  5.  Lightly flour your work surface and turn dough out
  6.  Use your hands to press out dough to about 1/2 inch thickness. Fold into thirds then press out again. Repeat fold once more  then press dough for cutting.
  7. Using a Biscuit Cutter, press straight down (do not twist) to cut each biscuit. Place  the biscuits on a parchment lined baking sheet
  8.  Bake 12-15 minutes until light golden brown on top
  9.  Brush top with melted butter if desired.

My Results

Photo credit- Deb Neumann

 

I made extra large biscuits because I planned to use them to make bacon, egg and cheese breakfast sandwiches and wanted the eggs to fit without falling over the sides of the biscuits. I don’t think these biscuits were the best choice for that. They came out super soft and and light as advertised with a very nice rise.  The sugar gave them just a hint of sweetness but they just didn’t hold up to the task of the sandwich. They crumbled too easily. Tasted great but kind of messy.  However they are absolutely the best with butter and jam or honey or for strawberry shortcake.

Photo Credit Deb Neumann

Sorry for the fuzzy photos. I used my call phone and those pics are always a little out of focus.

So Much Food

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We Didn’t Go Hungry

We sure weren’t hungry on this vacation! Seems like every meal was suitable for Paul Bunyan. So much food! We’d start our day with something quick but not necessarily light in the camper or at McDonald’s. Although McDonald’s usually makes me cringe I do like their breakfasts. Marvelous Marvin often joined us for breakfast. He was with us in “Spirit” but in his summer attire. Moose don’t like hot weather.

But back to the food. I already told you about Tail o the Pup. So let’s see where else we ate.

The Swiss Kitchen

The Swiss Kitchen in Tupper Lake is described as “Comfort food for a quick bite”. Located at 92 Park St, Tupper Lake, NY 12986 it’s a step up from fast food but doesn’t make it to the level of fine dining. Like they say, comfort food and plenty of it.  As we came in we saw a local member of law enforcement seated at a table next to the door.  If the local police eat here I’m sure it will be good.  I had shrimp and onion rings. Yes, those are really onion rings on my plate. Huge aren’t they. Jim settled for a hamburger (or was it a cheeseburger?) and onion rings. Very reasonable prices and very tasty.

A & W Root Beer

Another time we were just deciding we should find someplace to eat and there was an old fashioned A&W Root Beer Restaurant.  This was just a blast from the past. So many of these restaurants have gone out of business but I remember them from when I was a kid. The folks would take us out for root beer floats. The car hops would bring our meals and sodas on trays that set on the car window. The portion sizes here were more reasonable and typical fast food but it was just enough.

A & W Bear

Cooper’s Cave

We went to Cooper’s Cave a couple of time. Cooper’s Cave is a restaurant and craft beer brewery in Glens Falls NY. It’s located at 2 Sagamore St, Glens Falls, NY 12801. The restaurant is named for the site of the fictional hiding place of Hawkeye and his companions made famous in the James Fenimore Cooper novel The Last of the Mohicans.  The food is good and there is a wide variety to choose from. If you are still hungry after the ample portions, they also serve that summer staple-ice cream.

Ambrosia Diner

Located at 518 Aviation Rd, Queensbury, NY 12804 Ambrosia Diner is typical diner food. Now diner food is real comfort food. I’ve never met a diner I didn’t like. But beware. We went to Ambrosia for a “Lite Lunch”. Kind of silly really. Anyone who likes diners knows there is no such thing as “Lite” anything. I had my old faithful diner choice- open faced hot turkey sandwich. Half of which came back to the campground with me for later. Delicious but way more than I could manage at one sitting

George Henry’s

I tried again for something “Light” at George Henry’s in Warrensburg. George Henry’s is right in the heart of Warrensburg, located at 3735 Main St, Warrensburg, NY 12885. I ordered a grilled cheese with tomato sandwich expecting a little thin sandwich that would be gone in 2 bites. Wrong again. When the waitress brought my plate I almost told her there was a mistake. Thick Texas toast sized slices of bread oozed cheese. It looked yummy but OH MY! So much food! I think I had the French onion soup too. It was a soup and sandwich combo. Great food but bring your appetite.

Martha’s Dandee Creme

Martha’s is a fixture of Lake George life. My family has been coming here since I was a little kid. It’s always a treat to stop for soft serve. It just wouldn’t be a visit home without a stop here. It’s grown and expanded and I hope will still be around long after I’m gone. For the Best! Soft Ice Cream around you have to try Martha’s (and I do love DQ but Martha has them beat). 1133 U.S. 9, Queensbury, NY 12804.  TIP: A small cone is plenty large enough!

Like I said in the beginning- So much food!

 

 

Return to Whiteface Mountain

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Whiteface Mountain Revisited

We returned to Whiteface Mountain 3 times while I was visiting. We are stubborn folk and no mountain was going to defeat us. Especially not one we could drive up. But Whiteface and fate had other plans. With a mountain this big it can make it’s own weather. After our first zero visibility try we returned on another sunny day. As we approached the bottom of the mountain we could see that the summit was hidden by clouds. No point in wasting another $30.00 toll. We headed off to find lunch.

Tail o the Pup

Located in Ray Brook NY, the Tail O the Pup is a BBQ restaurant with lots of outdoor seating. It was chilly when we were there but we wanted to give it a try so we decided being a little cold was acceptable. Note to self- next time toss a jacket in the car. I had a bit of trouble with the name of the restaurant. What do puppies have to do with BBQ? If the name was Tail o the Pig I’d imagine cute little curly pig tails but a Pup? We gave our order. My brother ordered the fried scallops I went with the BBQ ribs. The scallops were the winner. They were so juicy and they were huge! For a BBQ place my ribs were a disappointment. They didn’t come close to being “Fall off the bone”. They had a nice flavor but I’m not a fan of having to fight with my food to eat it. Next time we go there I know what I’m going to order.

Third Time’s the Charm

Or so they say. So we gave Whiteface one more shot. This was an absolutely beautiful day. Sun shining and only fluffy clouds in the sky. No fog banks, no storm clouds. How could we miss? This time is wasn’t the weather that stopped us. No it was fate or New York’s road construction crews. When we got to the entrance to the toll road a line of cars was turning around. A sign said- “Road Closed for Maintenance”. Ok we’re done. Three strikes you’re out! and all those cliches. We’ll save Whiteface for another trip. 

Whiteface Gondola

But all was not lost. As we drove away we spotted the Gondolas running up the side of the mountain. We might not make it to the summit on one but we’ll make it close to the top. So that was how we salvaged the Whiteface adventure. Enjoy the views from 3/4 of the way up. Imagine what you’d see from the top.

Puzzle update

I continue to make slow but steady progress