Lamb shoulder chop

Easy preparation for a lamb shoulder chop. 

Fry up the chop over high heat in a thick skillet preferably in bacon fat. 

Add some chopped white onion. 

Serve the chop over greens with a baked potato side, microwave a single potatoe about 8 minutes, remove from microwave, wrap in foil and let stand several minutes.

One of the advantages of growing you own greens is that you can plan and harvest a portion of the planting, (either soil or hydro based) leaving some behind and not worry about storage and refrigeration, the rest of the plant is actively growing. 

  
Harvested greens

  
The meal plated up.

eggplant casserole

Similar to eggplant Parmesan, just added gnocchi to it and baked it as one.

Prepare the eggplant as usual, here with a bit of oil, baked in a hot oven in a cast iron skillet.

Layer some sauce (tomato), then the eggplant in an appropriate baking dish.

 

Add the gnocchi, (you made your own I hope, or use store bought).

Top with cheese, dabs of sauce.

 

Bake and serve.

This was a fairly quick meal considering everything was from scratch more or less. (with a cheese making kit received at Christmas time, when time permits I’ll try my hand at cheese making.) An alternative to a lasagna.

under cabinet lighting

It’s been a constant effort to upgrade lighting, step by step, to change lighting to LEDs. Since 2 years ago can lights (recessed lights ) were converted to LEDs in the kitchen/dining area, now that LEDs are now available on adhesive strips by the reel, some are now installed under the cabinets/over the counter tops.

The main advantage is that the reel of LED’s can be cut and configured to about any length, soldered, and a switch added. Buy a plug in transformer (wall wort) and installation is done.  The usual voltage is 12 volts DC so your not running 120 vac wiring. Follow the manufacturing directions on how many strips can run on the 12 DC adapter you selected.

In this application, the strips were cut and wired in triple parallel rows for brightness  into  an L shape to go to the right of the sink where the counter goes out to a 90 degree corner. The configuration was first mounted to thin wood strips to ease in soldering and then mounted under the wall cabinets. Some manufacturers   also offer channeling and lenses to give the product a more finished look.

The prices have dropped on LED’s over the years and if you factor the expected life span and  wattage/lumens output they make sense.

A quick search on any popular on-line retailer will give you ample choice of LED styles and colors for strip lights. If you choose not to solder, connectors, adapters etc. are available.

The lighting I utilized :

LED Strip light, Waterproof LED Flexible Light Strip 12V with 300 SMD LED, 3258 Pure White. 16.4 Foot / 5 Meter (Pure White)

Most components I bought, come direct mail from China.

The LED strip lighting does more than light a shadowed area below your cabinets and above your counter top, but adds a general accent  and brightness especially if you have a white or light colored back splash and can be used as a nightlight in the kitchen area given the low wattage these use.

I’ll post a better picture when the dishes are done! 😎

 

 

a real light breakfast

The bacon was frozen, so chicken breast was available along with some previously chopped greens. Good Morning !

Fried egg.

Medium roast blend of Mexican Organic Chiapas Altura and Colombian Reserva del Patron coffee.

A pasta dish

Having and keeping track of how much pasta is on the shelve is a thing of the past. When making small 1 or 2 serving sizes, it’s easier to make it on demand, sure you probably won’t have all the fancy shapes that prepared pasta has if you make it quickly. By the time the water boils, it’s possible to to have the pasta cut and ready.  

 

Earlier a sauce was prepared and simmered,  in the microwave.

Served with bread.

Quick bread

Really quick:

Flour, water salt.

Tortilla press

Oiled skillet

  

White and Black Rice with Veggies, Bacon and Squid.

The bottom of a one cup measure,  a grain thickness of black rice, the remainder,  common white rice, prepared. Rendered fat from diced bacon bits, sautéed  green onion, garlic and celery. Fried squid.