shopping

02/19/2012

Gold Medal Flour 10 lbs  $4.89

Broccoli Florets 3 lbs. $5.99

Cut Corn , Frozen  6 lbs $ 6.49

Honey Dew Melon $3.49, 1 ea.

Plums, 3lbs. $5.99

popping corn

Now that making popcorn is supposed to be more convenient by using a microwave, popping popcorn on the stove top returns. It may be more convenient by using the microwave because there’s no pan to clean up, but for flavor nothing beats the pan popping method. It may be cheaper, though I didn’t actually calculate the cost of labor, gas, and popcorn vs.  the microwave method.

For popcorn I used Lehman’s Blue, 2 lbs bag is $4.95 (plus shipping). A bit pricey but delicious.  They have less expensive popcorn also.

    

Heat up a large (8 quart) pan (stock pot) add enough oil (canola or whatever) to cover the bottom.  Now add enough popcorn make a single layer.

Once it stars popping, cover the pan.

 

 

Shake and agitate the pan over heat. Ease off the flame when the popping slows down.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inside the pan

All Done!

To a large bowl

Just a bit of salt, I’m skipping the butter.

Or add whatever, garlic granules, herbs, cheese etc for a

gourmet blended popcorn.

It’s a good snack

 

A pretty good pop, a few un-popped kernels left.

Multi Grain Tortilla

Bread wise today something for breakfast that’s light and fast, no rising times involved. Like a flour tortilla.

Gathered up the grains for a flour tortilla, on hand, some white all purpose flour, corn masa, wheat flour and corn meal.

So about 1 and 1/4 cups white flour in the bowl, with what’s left in the bag of masa probably about 1/8 cup, now you see where this is going.

Add about a handful or less whole wheat pastry flour and a slight amount of corm meal for crunch. Mix together in the kitchen aid with the whip.

Drop in some shortening less than a tablespoon, just enough to give it some fat content. Incorporate it in with the whip like your making a pie crust.

Pour small amounts of water, oh, switch to the paddle on the mixer, and water the multi grain crumble till it clings together, I like mine a bit on the moist side.

Divide into 8 balls. Prepare the rolling surface with corn meal and with the marble roller, roll the balls out into thin into circular shapes. 

These came out to

be roughly 8 inches or so.   

At this point they came be refrigerated, frozen, or in this case I grilled 2 slightly for stuffing.

By the way my tortilla press is out of service, the wooden hinge broke when applying pressure to make a tortilla, so It’s back to the basement hacker lab for revision 2.01

See Multi Grain Cheese and Veggie Tortilla

Multi Grain Cheese and Veggie Tortilla

You don’t really need a recipe for this but I wanted to post something and take some pictures using a mini tripod on the camera.

Use some Multi Grain Tortillas, I cooked some slightly in a large skillet, both sides. Now raid the fridge for some ingredients, this morning just veggies, I decided to skip the meat.

( I didn’t have the camera set for close ups)

It ends up chopped, red and green bell peppers, tomatoes, onion, garlic, American cheese. Since this is kind of bland for my taste, and I’m skipping the hot pepper by the way, garnish with herbs and seeds I utilized fresh sage, since I have an abundance, fresh oregano, some cumin seed and dried dill and celery seed.

Like I said zip it up as you wish with the ingredients. Salt and pepper is a given. roll it up !   (just an excuse to get my fat paws into the picture! must be the camera lens that make them look like that! :-))

 

 

Heat up the skillet to medium high and back off on the flame. In goes the tortillas and use another skillet to cover making sort of a stove top oven to bake the roll ups. About 10 minutes or so. (roll them over about 1/2 way through).

Go back to the fridge for some garnish, They really need some dipping sauce or other, I was fortunate to have some sour cream, just a dollop and a sprig of fresh parsley clipped from the countertop garden.

Coffee is the selected beverage pairing today, Since I roasted some Mexican organic last night and made some simple sugar syrup to sweeten the cup along with a spot of milk , that was the inspiration to go for something light after I drank the first cup.

Now that I’ve blogged them and eaten two, it feels like an appetizer, but unfortunately I have other things to do to keep my mind off of food, but then i have other meals to prepare later so I won’t have too cook during the week nights. 

Crumpets

When is an English Muffin NOT an English muffin? Properly call it a Crumpet !

Today’s cooking assignment: Crumpets, I’ll leave the tea selection up to you but the theme here is Afternoon Tea and Crumpets. (I wonder why ? )

Me, I had morning coffee and wanted something fresh in the line of bread dough etc. After the caffeine kicked in it was griddle cakes  inspired by Betty Crocker International Cookbook recipe “Crumpets” (page 280,1980 General Mills) referred to also as “Pikelets”.

Get out the griddle, or cast iron fry pan.

Dissolve yeast with warm water in a large bowl,

let sit a couple of minutes till bubbly.

Add sugar, salt, flour, scalded milk, then cooled, and  butter.

  also 2 eggs,mix all to make a yeasty batter.

Let the batter sit till it doubles and is frothy. 

now, fire up the griddle with a ring, use can use the old tuna can trick, I have a hamburger ring that I use.

Spoon in the batter to the ring (buttered) over medium heat.

once they set, remove ring, cook and flip till done

you can gently pull them apart, if you like, and eat them with jam or jelly or plain butter, cream etc.. I had some Blackberry Chipotle Jam  for a bit of a POP!

Now I’ll leave the Tea selection up to you (and your additive from the Royal Flask). Don’t forget to raise your pinky when you hoist your teacup.

Tweet and/or Like some of your British friends. Wish them well.

And that’s bloody well good!

tea, courtesy of JLM