Down Home Kitchen

This is a story about a new bride, who wanted to impress the new husband.  All of 18 yrs. old, I headed out into a new life with a husband by my side.  It was necessary to learn all the things that it took to make life feasible for a new couple.  I had done of the basics, of going to Homemaking classes, in high school and earning great grades.  I hadn’t thought of mastering making cream/white gravy.  It was just something I would do, when the time came.

Here it was!  I made chicken fried steak, creamed potatoes, some other veggie (that I don’t remember) and it was time to make the gravy.  I took some of the grease left over from frying the meat and proceeded to put white flour in to it.  I started stiring it and suddenly it started getting thick………I rushed to get some water to thin it and came back.  Pouring it in and stirring frantically I managed to get it somewhat thinner, which allowed me to go get the milk out of the fridge to thin it even more and make it creamy.  Well, the gravy was so lumpy and thick, I was ashamed of it and threw it in the trash.

Starting over I tried to convince myself that I’d do a better job this time.  Yeah, right!  I finally threw up my hands and told my husband, that if was there if he wanted to eat it, but I was sure it wouldn’t be worth his while.  Being the sweet heart that he was he told me to put some on his meat and potatoes.  He made every effort to eat it, with the extra seasoning it took to make it edible.  A few minutes later, after dinner was over, I went in to clean the kitchen.  The gravy in the pan, was now thick enough that I was able to stand a knife up in it, without it falling……….!

Learning to cook a good gravy, is not easy……….neither is making biscuits from scratch.

While turkey rests, prepare gravy.

2 c, pan juices or broth

4 T. butter

4 T. flour

1/2 t. dried thyme

Melt butter in saucepan over med. heat. whisk flour and continue till it browns.  Slowly pour in broth and continue whisking till it thickens.  Season with thyme, salt & pepper and serve with turkey and dressing/stuffing.

Most people you talk to, can’t stand the sight of liver & onions, much less the smell. Once they take a taste, for some it’s even worse.
Then you have the die-hard liver & onions…….lovers, who will pick it every time it’s on a menu at a restaurant.  I am one of them and it’s quite a highlight of my day to find it offered. I also cook it very often, when I can catch a good looking grade of beef/calves’s liver at a store.  I love to baste my liver in flour, and brown in in oil, along with sliced up onions.  I fix the brown gravy the easy way, by using the package mix adding water and heating until it thickens.

I usually serve the liver & onions, with an assortment of veggies, and if I in a cooking mood, hot rolls or biscuits.  Nothing gets better than that on a cool evening………

I’ve started thinking about my grocery list for Thanksgiving.  How about you all?  I already have the turkey and just need to get the rest of the fixings.  Guess I’ll make my homemade pecan pies again this year, my spouse said he wants one.  I was seriously thinking of being lazy this year, but it looks like I’ve started something that I can’t change, unless some one else can do it better………either way, I’ve got to do the cooking again and will be plenty exhausted when it’s over.

Have you ever had a disaster happen to your cooking on a holiday?  If so, tell me about it and I will be glad to print it, with your link.

Every time I get into a relationship, I get fat. It never fails, that I start cooking and eat and eat, until I fill so miserable, I can’t breathe. Why do we do this? We seem to want to try to satisfy the other partner at first with our expertise, in cooking. So, we try everything out on them. Before we know it, a few pounds pop up in the wrong places. There goes the waistline and a few other place I don’t like to mention. It’s just a mess, cooking, eating and gaining weight. I hate it, but I love to eat…….lol Is that what they call, being happy and content? Yuck!

I found this article on Glycemic levels, and thought it was a good idea to note it for my readers.  I believe that many are obese, because they eat the wrong carbs and done watch their intake.
Keep an eye on G.I. levels. Glycemic Index were the buzzwords of the last year. The Glycemic Index chart ranks carbohydrates based on their effect on blood sugar levels. Carbs that break down fast and lead to blood sugar spikes are given a high value while carbs that move through the body slow are assigned a low value. The more low G.I. foods you consume the better for your blood sugar. For example, a doughnut has a G.I. of 76. Yogurt, on the other hand, has a G.I. value of 14.

There are two types of carbohydrates – simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates are usually sweet and can include cakes, candies and other sugary foods. Some foods such as peaches, melons and apples are simple carbs. Complex carbs include whole grain pasta, brown rice, oats, vegetables and whole grain cereals. For the most part, try to stick with complex carbs which take longer to digest and are rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals. Make your food complex. as in carbohydrates. White bread, cookies, pasta and other highly-processed foods give carbs a bad name.

I’m sure your asking me what I’m doing writing this type of post. Just imagine, how much more fun your baby can have eating the food your eating.

If you can eat it, your baby can. At least the babies, that are already eating “baby food” will be able to. Rather than pay all those expensive prices for baby food, just pop some of the meat or veggies in the blender, with a couple of teaspoons milk and puree. They can enjoy the same food your eating and develop a better sense of taste.

Sure you can have the jar baby food to take with you when you aren’t at home, but use that as a substitute. Cooking at home for the family, gives the special pleasures of smelling the aroma’s. If your baby associates the smells with eating, then it will be all too ready, when the food is offered.

Pureeing the food, gives it the smooth texture of regular baby food. So, why not let your baby enjoy a meal right along with the rest of the family? It’s a good way to interact and give your baby the same pleasures, you get from sitting down to a good meal.