Down Home Kitchen

Well, as you can tell ………there was plenty of food…..  ….front and center was my dressing……..right next to it on the right sliced turkey and then just to the right of the turkey, Mom’s sliced ham……..above the dressing…….is green onions…..the creamed potatoes and to the right of them is the sweet potatoes, topped with melted, marshmallows……….over on the left is some dishes that my sister left covered that she brought, they kept getting cold for some reason………..Above the potatoes were her deviled eggs and banana pudding, which you can’t see, because they are covered…….too………. she was supposed to bring a fruit salad, which she forgot……..

Oh I kept my giblet gravy on the stove……..since there wasn’t enough room for it on the table and was able to re-heat it ever so often and keep it warm…… 

Hope all of you had a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving…….

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.

1 med. chuck roast

2 ribs celery cut up

3 carrots cut up

1/2 green bell pepper cut up

1 med. onion cut up
3 med. potatoes cut in quarters

1 c. water

salt, pepper, oregano, basil, garlic powder for seasoning

Place all ingredients in slow cooker except potatoes.  Set temp. on high and cook for three hours.  Put in potatoes and cook another hour.  Remover to serving dish, reserve stock for making gravy.

   Sliders are a great grab and go high protein snack.  These can be made the night before and heated in the microwave in the mornings.

The roll is important.  A small soft roll works best and can be used in any combination.  Considered to be a mini hmburger, they have evolved into all sort of combination’s.  Use sliced deli meats, cheeses, and cooked eggs. When no one has time for breakfast these are the best fast snack.

I put some pork country ribs on the grill yesterday evening, and let them smoke for a while.  It sure smelled great, when I would go in and out to turn the meat.  I threw a few pieces of onion on the grill with them to flavor the meat.

I’ve been trying to cut back on  eating fried foods and putting seasonings on my meat that’s going to just add calories.  So I put some garlic powder, black pepper, oregano, parsley & basil in a shaker to season with.  The smell was outstanding and so was the taste.  I had a few ribs, with a sliced tomato, drizzled with salad dressing……..and that was the extent of my meal.  NO bread or anything fattening, like I normally do………Now, if I can just get me to walking and exercising, to get rid of this unwanted FAT!

These salads as quick and easy to assemble, on a hot day, cutting time in the kitchen.  Entree Salads are a good choice for warm evenings and make a good meal.  This is a great way to use left over meat and is very filling. 
I like to use tuna or salmon, with these salads, when I want something cool and not heavy.  Your choice of salad dressing can compliment and enhance the flavors.

1  head iceberg lettuce, chopped

1/2 head romaine lettuce, chopped

1/2 c. shredded carrots

1 1/2 c. grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 c. corn kernels, fresh or frozen.

2 T. fresh snipped chives or scallions

1/2 c. barbecue sauce

1/4 to 1/3 c. beef broth

3 c. med. rare steak or pork tenderloin, cut in bite size pieces

3 ozs. blue cheese, crumbled

Ranch dressing or preferred dressing

In lg. bowl, toss lettuce, carrots & tomatoes.  Add corn, chives and toss, this can be made in advance.  Heat BBQ sauce, over med. heat, with beef broth to thin it.  Add steak/pork pieces and toss to season, warm meat for 2 min.  Divide lettuce mix, on 4 serving plates or bowls.  Sprinkle with blue cheese, place steak/pork in center of each salad.  Serve with dressing.

Makes 4 servings.

With the heat being so horrible these days, I find myself using the slow cooker, many times in one week. Today, I put 2 New York Strips in the cooker with a can of mushroom soup and later it will be nice and tender, and the gravy will have been used to season it.  I’ll probably make a salad to go with it, and there you’ll have a nice dinner, on a hot day.

I cooked a roast in the slow cooker yesterday, while doing other domestic chores and when I got ready to go to my part-time job last evening I took enough with me to make some sandwiches. I put the meat in the microwave and heated it before I made the sandwiches. I took enough to share with my spouse who came along with me. They were very tasty and hit the spot when it came time to have my evening meal.
We also enjoyed some honey dew melon that I had in the fridge, this week.