lesmel - 2025 I’m a whisk taker

May the cooking games begin!

Yay! You got your new thread! I'm not as good a participant in piffling to the 150 mark anymore because my hands are often numb which discourages posting.

May you have a whisky year in the kitchen! ;)

>1 lesmel: >2 MrsLee: "a whisky year" With the real deal from Scotland, the kind without the E!

Maybe next year will be "Whiskey Business in the Kitchen." 😂

Mom has this bottle of liqueur. It's from Whidbey Island, Washington. It's so goooooood. The distillery stopped producing it for awhile. I noticed just a couple days ago that the liqueur is being produced again. There's several flavors. This one is loganberry.

Ha! Ha! I just found where the praline cookies came from.





The recipe is from Favorite Recipes of Home Economics Teachers - Desserts. I have wondered about this since I tried the cookie recipe.

Sooooo, question. What is "dough fat?" Is this lard or shortening or either? Recipe of interest...

Raisin Squares
2.5 c dough fat
4 c brown sugar
2 t vanilla
6 c flour
4 t soda
1.5 t salt
7 c rolled wheat (oatmeal, uncooked)

Cream the sugar and fat. Add vanilla. Sift soda, flour, and salt together. Add rolled wheat to flour mixture. Mix flour with sugar and fat. (This makes a crumbly mixture and not a dough.) Sprinkle half of mixture in the bottom of greased large pan. Cover with the filling, spread the other half of the mixture on top. Bake 400F for 10 minutes, 350F for 20 minutes. Cut in 2.5 squares. Serve as cookie or with whipped cream.

Filling
1 qt raisins
1 lemon
2 t cinnamon
2 c sugar
1/2 c flour
2 c water

Mix ingredients. Simmer until thick, stirring to prevent burning.

>6 lesmel: My mother had a pecan tree in her yard and made the best pralines. Cookies sound good.

>7 lesmel: My guess is “dough fat” is better known as “shortening” and reading the Wikipedia article explains the why and how of it:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shortening

>8 mnleona: The cookies are delicious but they are supposed to be bars. Of course, the recipe I had does not say that at all. In the Home Ec cookbook it DOES says it's a bar.

The last thing Mom and I made before I headed home was enchiladas.



I have no idea why I don't make them more often. They are super simple to make. It's easy to scale up or down. If you are like me, canned sauce is fine; but homemade sauce isn't that difficult either. We got a little crazy with the sauce. There are 16 enchiladas in two 15 oz cans of sauce. We used Oaxaca cheese for the inside and finely shredded cheddar for the layers and top.

>11 lesmel: Those look so good. My favorite Mexican dish. I will thaw some meat and make some. I see you are in Houston and I checked when I saw your cheese choice. I get a lot of Wisconsin cheese which is also good.

>11 lesmel: oooooh! Are they easy? I might have to try them!

>12 mnleona: Oooooh, Wisconsin cheeeeese. I am a fan of chocolate cheese fudge from Mars Cheese Castle.

>13 2wonderY: Really. Really. Reaaaally easy!

1-2 pkg tortillas of choice (I like the 50/50 corn/flour blend)
1-2 pkg cheese of choice (something melty like Oaxaca -- aka quesadilla cheese)
1-2 cans enchilada sauce (we used Old El Paso; but you can make your own or choose a brand you trust)
oil
Optional:
diced white onion
cilantro
fried egg

Heat oven to 350F.
Heat oil in a large skillet.
Heat sauce in another skillet.
Spoon some sauce into a baking dish -- enough to cover the bottom.
Place one tortilla into oil just long enough to soften the tortilla. It should be sizzling; but not getting puffy.
Pull from oil and drain.
Place in enchilada sauce. Flip.
Transfer to baking dish.
Add cheese to tortilla. Roll.
Repeat for all tortillas.
If you are going to make two layers, sprinkle some cheese between the enchiladas and pour some of the sauce onto the bottom layer.
Top enchiladas with sauce and cheese.
Bake for 30ish minutes (you want them bubbly).
Cool for a few minutes before serving.

Notes:
* Clearly, I didn't give exact measurements. Measure with your heart. Also, you are going to get messy. Go with it!
* You do not need to use oil. You can soften the tortillas in just the sauce. You can also soften them with a hot, damp towel.
* I don't add onions to my cheese enchiladas; but that's a classic topping.
* Fried eggs are also classic in my hometown.
* Cilantro and I have a contentious relationship; I have been known to flick it off my plate.
* For the dish in >11 lesmel:, we used 16 tortillas and 2 cans of sauce. We made two layers of enchiladas. I don't like making two layers. I would rather make two pans of enchiladas. I can tell you there was way too much sauce for 16 tortillas; but as leftovers, that extra sauce is really nice.
* I prefer to bake the enchiladas one day and eat them the next. They have a much better flavor in my opinion.

>15 lesmel: Thankee! I will attempt this at some near future date.

I'm making these tonight: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/buckwheat-cardamom-chocolate-chunk-cook...

The dough comes together very quickly. Even with the browned butter step which seems like a fussy trendy thing to do with baked goods. Like the new trend to toast your flour to deepen the flavor.

I've nearly reached the end of my leftovers. I need to grocery shop this weekend. Baking supplies and meal supplies. I have no idea what to buy for meals. In fact, I'm almost adverse to meal prepping. Maybe I will buy some ready to cook/ready to heat meals to ease myself back into feeding myself.

>17 lesmel: I'm with you on the meal preparation. All I can think of is clean food, but I'm not sure what that means to me. We had a lot of beef and bread stuff over the last two weeks, so it doesn't include those! I'm thinking maybe fish, rice and vegetables. My husband is not a fish fan, so I will have to cook some chicken.

I picked up some soup, some quiche, and ham steaks. We'll see how that goes! I probably need to add some veggies in at some point.

>15 lesmel: I planned to make enchiladas today. We have Kwik Trip, a convenience store, and they sell taco meat which is already cooked that I use for taco salads. I thought I would try it today for the enchiladas. I also use Old El Paso. I met my Minnesota husband in El Paso.
Your recipes are always great to read.

>19 lesmel: I want to make some soup this weekend. I haven't decided whether it will be vegetable beef or taco yet. I think I'll make it tomorrow. Of course, I may catch my death by pneumonia after I shovel the driveway today. I want to get as much done today before the melting and refreezing occurs. I've got enough of a sinus infection that I know I don't need to be outside at all, but it's got to be done--and there's no one else to do it.

I didn't make soup; but I did have some today -- baked potato. It made me want to eat the whole container.

I also had soup last night -- tomato with grilled cheese. It was Sunday night with the ladies.

>21 thornton37814: Are there any kids in the neighborhood that can help you?

>23 mnleona: Haha! I thought of that myself when I was nearly done shoveling my drive yesterday. Oh right! That’s why my back is complaining this morning.

>24 2wonderY: Give yourself credit for doing it.

>23 mnleona: I don't know of any who live near me any more. I think most have grown up and moved out. I'm hoping this weekend's round won't be bad. I hope to pre-treat the driveway so that less falls on it. Whatever we get is likely to stick around for a bit because of the cold temps.

>26 thornton37814: Yesterday it was in the 30s and melting. Now it will be below zero and what melted will freeze. Hardly any snow here in Minnesota and no one snowmobling as a sport. I live on a lake and people are ice fishing.

A few weeks ago, we made a giant "copycat" (not really) crunch wrap. It was good! I mean, who can say no to a tortilla wrapped taco salad? I love taco salad. I love tortillas.

I tried the Buldak Carbonara ramen today. I am underwhelmed. It's instant ramen, I get it; but I keep hearing how good this ramen is. I did some basic Googling and everyone is like "it's so gooood...with all these add ins." 🙄🙄🙄

Maybe Hunger Games stew over the weekend. I was feeling unwell (ear infection) and the weather was terrible. That's my excuse for a) not having the right spices for the rub, b) not remembering the rub until the meat was already in the pot, c) totally forgetting the salt until after the first round of pressure cooking. All that and the stew turned out pretty darn good. I used a spice mix I have for golden lattes -- it's close enough to the rub mix. I salted the stew before the second round of pressure cooking -- where I've added the prunes. This time, I also added a number of root veggies -- normally, it's just carrots and onions -- beets, turnips, carrots, and parsnips. I spent far too much time trying to decide if I want to add barley. I did not.

I need ideas for beef patties. I have a week's worth of frozen beef patties from Costco that I need to finally do something with. They are taking up too much space in my freezer. Ohhhh, individual hot dish. Hrmmm. That could be interesting. I have a week to figure it out. Next week will be hamburger week for me.

>31 lesmel: Cape Malay Frikkadel Curry; Cape Malay curries are aromatic, not hot.

The beef patties might not make it to anything other than patties. I put them in the fridge to thaw with the intention of making shepherd's pie out of them. That has not happened, yet.

Had my 6 month check up with my primary doc. My A1c was in the "pre-diabetic" range. That annoys me to no end. My doc is reasonable & willing to work with me. I have 3 months to prove to her I can drop the number with diet and exercise.

In a bid to be a "good" patient, I am using a new app called Daily Dozen. Basically a checklist heavy on beans, greens, & grains.

I am also trying to use up the things I have -- frozen mixed veggies, frozen okra, edamame, rice (lots and lots of rice, ye gods), oatmeal, canned beans.

I am sure my bariatric surgeon would be pleased with my plant-based direction.

>34 lesmel: Ugh. Well, sounds like you got this. Good ol' diet and exercise. :) Sometimes the challenge of finding really good things to eat on a limited diet can be fun though. I like to make a list of all the "good" foods and focus on those. Then I don't miss the other things so much.

>35 MrsLee: That's why I downloaded the app. While it isn't a comprehensive list, it's a nice checklist of categories.





I actually started working on a spreadsheet of the various greens, grains, & beans I like...and then realized I like nearly all the things. I am not a fan of mustard greens & collard greens unless I am at a restaurant.

And as I plot world dominion via beans, I am watching Prue Leith make boozy trifles. 🤣🤣🤣

>36 lesmel: I have worked on my diet over the years for several different health issues. In the end what it amounted to was lots of leafy and other vegetables, some fresh fruit, various grains and not much sugar or fat or processed foods.

Fortunately, like you, I love eating all those things. The only difficulty is that they can be a bit more work intensive to prepare.

Y'all. Whole flax seed is of the devil. I think I bought this bag for a granola I made and then never made the granola again because I lost the recipe. In a bid to use what I have; I've been adding it to my oatmeal. It gets EVERYWHERE. It sticks in my teeth. I will be so happy when the bag is used up and I switch to ground flax seed.

Prepped meals for April 1 - 7:

Oatmeal with nuts, flaxseed, and raspberries -- 1 berry, 1 flaxseed, 1 nuts/seeds, 1 turmeric, 1 grain
Beans & Greens soup -- 2 beans, 1 cruciferous, 1 greens, 1 other veg

Totals: 2 beans, 1 berry, 1 cruciferous, 1 greens, 1 other veg, 1 flaxseed, 1 nuts/seeds, 1 turmeric, 1 grain

Planned meals & snacks for April 1 - 7:

Hummus wrap with microgreens, avocado & bell pepper-- 1 bean, 1 fruit, 1 greens, 1 other veg, 1 grain
or
Rice bowl salad & avocado -- 1 bean, 1 fruit, 1 greens, 1 other veg, 1 grain
and
Watermelon -- 1 fruit
That's It Bars (2) Blueberries -- 1 fruit
and
Tortilla -- 1 grain

Totals: 1 beans, 3 fruit, 1 greens, 1 other veg, 2 grain

For a shoot from the hip, last minute decision to meal prep...I don't think I did too bad. I have no idea how I'm going to eat all this food. I had my oatmeal about an hour ago and feel like I'm good for the day.

>38 lesmel: I use mine in smoothies with my Vitamix. No whole seeds to give problems.

I think I might die from all the food I ate yesterday. Even now, 12 hours later, I feel stuffed. I also had wild dreams and a restless sleep. I'm pretty sure I need to cut the volume and calories by half. For now, I'm going to figure out how to reduce the volume of food. Smoothies will be my friend this week, I think.

Measured out my watermelon to turn it into juice with my raspberries and a little nugget ice. That will end up being 1 berry & 2 fruit.
Ate my oatmeal with nuts and flax. That will be 1 flaxseed, 1 turmeric, 1 grain

Spent my lunch hour re-arranging my freezer drawer, chopping up a bunch of banana mush and portioning it into 60 g cubes for freezing, making a bean smoothie, and cleaning up the chaos.

Bean smoothie

270 g beans (butter, navy, cannellini, chick peas, maybe pinto and a few black beans)
120 g banana
1-2 T unsweetened cocoa powder
water (or other liquid), to preference
sweetener of choice, to taste
ice, to preference

Add 4 to 8 oz liquid, beans, banana.
Blitz until smooth.
Add more liquid as needed.
Add sweetener and ice as needed.

I am making do with what I have. I needed to convert my meals for today into something I could eat without feeling like I was going to die. This smoothie makes one really large serving or two medium-ish servings. It also ticks 3 bean and 1 fruit. Funny thing, the flavor was pretty spectacular with just the chick peas, a splash of heavy cream, water, and cocoa powder. It wasn't until I dumped in the soup beans that everything went just a little sideways. The soup beans are just a little too far on the savory side. I'll be playing with bean smoothie recipes all week because this is the easiest way for me to eat the volume of food I planned.

Tonight will be soup without the beans; but with the rice and veggies from my rice bowl salad. I'll probably have to just snack on my romaine plain or maybe make a wrap with it since I will still need another grain.

The Beans and Greens Soup:

>44 lesmel: Yum!

I should have taken a picture of the bean soup turned into puree. Not that it looked like much. It had good flavor though!

It definitely made the soup easier to tolerate; but I've triggered a lack of satiety because of reduced chewing today. I don't know if anyone else has this happen; there's actual research done on the link between satiety and chewing of foods. It's an interesting coorelation.

I had my watermelon-berry juice (2 fruit, 1 berry) this morning after our walk.
At lunch, I had my beans and green soup (2 beans, 1 cruciferous, 1 greens, 1 other veg) that I pureed with a touch too much broth (but it wasn't totally awful).

I've spent the day with this low-grade urge to eat and/or gnaw on everything. I'm eating a quesadilla (2 grain) right now to see if I can quiet the gnawing urges.

Tonight, I still need 1 bean (chickpeas?), 1 fruit (avocado?), 1 greens (romaine?), 1 other veg (mixed veggies?).

I have realized I haven't really been eating my tomatoes, bell pepper, cukes, or hummus. All of that is fine, I can push it to next week. Cukes + hummus are a fantastic snack. Cukes + tomatoes + avocado make the most perfect summer dinner. Argh! My microgreens. That's definitely priority next week. They are great in hummus wraps.

Items I need to use up:

Microgreens (greens)
Bell pepper (other veg)
Cukes (other veg)
Tomatoes (other veg)
Avocados (fruit) -- fresh & frozen
Hummus (bean)
Tortillas (grain)
Raspberries (berry) -- I think I'm going to need to freeze these soon
Bananas (fruit) -- frozen
Blueberries (berry) -- frozen
Pineapple (fruit) -- frozen
Cranberry sauce (fruit) -- frozen (has sugar)
Fajita veggies (other veg) -- frozen
Corn (other veg) -- frozen
English peas (other veg) -- canned & frozen (I think)
Ground beef -- frozen
Lamb -- frozen (3 vacuum packs)
Bacon -- frozen (bits & slices)
Ahi tuna -- frozen (1 steak)
Halibut -- frozen (several filets)
Chorizo -- frozen

I know I have some other things in the freezer I'm not remembering.

Ideas for next week:

Hummus wraps (tortilla, hummus, microgreens, avocado?)
Cowboy caviar (BEP, bell pepper, black beans, tomatoes, corn, onion, avocado, jalapeno, vinaigrette)
Mushroom "fajitas" (mushrooms, fajita veggies, tortillas?)
Hoppin' John (rice, BEP/field peas, onion, bacon)

I probably need to re-inventory the pantry. I let it slide from the last time. Might be faster this time around. I've eaten out of there a lot in the last six months. I need to find some no sugar peanut butter and PB powder. I know I can buy the fresh ground PB at the store. It's the powder that is harder. I like it for smoothies.

We definitely like to chew things. That's why I like nuts in salad and pasta. I try to have crunchy raw vegetables clean and ready to eat too help with that, and instead of dessert at night, I munch a quarter cup of roasted unsalted peanuts one at a time. If you must know, I eat the halves first, and of those the ones without their nose, then the ones with the nose, then the whole ones. Makes it take longer, more chewing, totally satisfied.

Yesterday's meals were mostly on plan.

I had my prepped oatmeal for breakfast (1 grain, 1 flaxseed, 1 nuts, 1 turmeric).

I made a coffee smoothie (from ATK but adjusted some) I want to tweak (2 beans, 1/2 fruit, 1 nuts/seeds).

120 g banana
2 T tahini
1 T instant espresso
1/8 t salt
1 c milk
74 g chickpeas
2 pkt Splenda
3/4 c nugget ice

I only put half the banana it called for because I blanked on what size my frozen cubes were. The tahini leaves a weird bitter aftertaste. I'm wondering if using a date or two would make this sweet enough for me. Also, after I finish up my liquid milk, I may try my hand at making my own oatmilk and/or cashew milk.

I made a chicken salad with romaine, mixed veggies & rice; put that on tortillas (1 greens, 1 other veg, 3 grains).

For dinner, I had turmeric and pepper roasted chickpeas, watermelon, & V8 (3 beans, 1 fruit, 1 cruciferous, 1 greens, 1 other veg). That might not be exactly right for counts; but I am calling it good. The V8 can says there's 2.5 servings of vegetables per can.

I went to the library yesterday; 24 plant-based cookbooks followed me home. We'll see how it goes.

I made a Franken-smoothie today (1 berry, 2 fruit, 1 flaxseed, 1 nuts/seeds, 1 turmeric). Pretty sure this will never be repeated. It makes a ton; I never want that much smoothie; most smoothies are pretty terrible the following day.

120 g banana
2 dates
80ish g frozen avocado
60 g frozen raspberries
3 T flax seeds
3 T hemp seeds
1 t turmeric mix
1 c milk
1 c water
2 pkt True Lemon

I was flying by the seat of my pants on this one. The avocado offers a rather unpleasant taste. You'd think it would be pretty neutral. I need to remember to only use avocado in my chocolate smoothies. Chocolate does a fairly good job at masking the avocado funk.

Franken-smoothie was improved upon today with some unsweetened cocoa and a hit of sugar-free syrup. That smoothie will definitely not be repeated; but each smoothie is a change to improve my skills and find my perfect concoction(s).

Today, I make chocolate-raspberry milk. It's exactly what it sounds like. Milk (why does it seem like this gallon is multiplying in the night?!?!) + frozen raspberries + unsweetened cocoa + 1 pump of mocha SF syrup. This is definitely a flavor combo I like and can build upon.

>47 MrsLee: One at a time is mindful eating. It's also one of my favorite ways to eat nuts (or M&Ms, lol).

Made a smoothie that's a keeper.

Coffee Oatmeal
2 oz heavy cream (After this week, I'll switch to something else for a small hit of fat)
6 oz water
2 dates
1 banana
1/3 c dry rolled oats
1 scoop coffee
3 T flaxseed (this is whole while I finish the bag out)
3 T hemp seed
1 t turmeric mix

1 grains, 2 fruits, 1 flaxseed, 1 nuts/seeds, 1 turmeric

Last night, I meal prepped garlicky noodles with edamame (1 grains, 1 beans) for the next seven days. This will be my base for two of my meals.

I need to prep Cowboy Caviar. That will cover 1 beans (BEP & white beans -- I'm out of black beans), 2 other veg (corn & bell pepper), 1 fruit (avocado). I think I'll just add microgreens as a topper. To my lunch and dinner.

I need to cut the serving sizes recommended. I cannot keep eating the volume of food. I feel like this week is going to be kinda scattershot. I have no confidence in my meals this week.

Week Two April 8 - 14

Oatmeal Smoothie (1 berry, 2 fruits, 1 flaxseed, 1 nuts/seeds, 1 turmeric, 1 grains)
Garlicky Noodles & Edamame (1 grains, 1 beans) x2
Microgreens (1 cruciferous, 2 greens)
Texas Caviar (1 beans, 1 fruit, 2 other veg)

>54 lesmel: I don't know who it is that plans the serving sizes on these diets and expects people to lose weight. I try to focus on my hunger and my satisfaction, using healthy food to find the satisfaction level, and small portions using the smaller plates I have. I am usually satisfied. I also try not to get to the very hungry stage, but sometimes I forget to eat if my mind or body is occupied.

>55 MrsLee: The food intake recommendations from the USDA are insane for me. I could probably eat the volume pre-bariatric surgery; but I cannot eat 1/2 c of beans AND 1/2 c cooked grains AND 1/2 c cooked veggies AND 1/2 c chopped cruciferous veggies in one meal. Not to mention, I cannot eat a "normal" level of calories.

If you look at https://www.myplate.gov/myplate-plan, the USDA says for women 14+ (30-60 min moderate activity per day) should eat 2200 calories in the form of:

Fruit 2 cups
1 cup from the Fruit Group counts as:

1 cup raw, frozen, or cooked/canned fruit; or

½ cup dried fruit; or

1 cup 100% fruit juice.

Vegetables 3 cups
1 cup from the Vegetable Group counts as:

1 cup raw or cooked vegetables; or

2 cups raw or 1 cup cooked leafy greens; or

1 cup 100% vegetable juice.

Grains 7 ounces
1 ounce from the Grains Group counts as:

1 slice bread; or

1 ounce ready-to-eat cereal; or

½ cup cooked rice, pasta, or cereal.

Protein 6 ounces
1 ounce from the Protein Foods Group counts as:

1 ounce seafood, lean meat, or poultry; or

1 egg; or

1 Tbsp peanut butter; or

¼ cup cooked beans, peas, or lentils

½ ounce unsalted nuts or seeds.

Dairy 3 cups
1 cup from the Dairy Group counts as:

1 cup dairy milk or yogurt; or

1 cup lactose-free dairy milk or yogurt; or

1 cup fortified soy milk or yogurt; or

1 ½ ounces hard cheese.

This amount of food would probably kill me. Not to mention 2200 calories would make me gain every lb back.

It's interesting. This Daily Dozen thing isn't a "diet" in the standard sense. There's just a checklist to help people eat better with the recommended number of servings (and sizes). No calorie counting. No food restrictions (other than sugar and processed foods). Whole foods. Plant based. With exercise. I mean, that's been the jazzy trend for a number of years now; but it take effort to avoid the processed food trap.

Pretty sure I need some other veg to add to the Cowboy Caviar. Cukes & tomatoes. That will work.

>56 lesmel: I think finding the right food pattern for your own body is the only way to go. The only way to figure that out is to keep trying different things. You are doing great!

>51 lesmel: Too much milk? My fridge only has space for a half-gallon jug; so when the half-gallon size wasn't available recently, I had to break up a full gallon. I filled quart jars nearly full (to prevent expansion breaks) and froze the extras. Oddly, freezing milk allows the cream to be more present. I am enjoying milk more since adopting this tactic. And not having any waste issues at all.

>59 2wonderY: As a rule, I don't drink liquid milk. I haven't in years. I use it to make yogurt and/or ice cream; if there is a recipe that calls for milk, I'll buy just enough for the recipe. I keep a lot of dry milk on hand or evaporated milk. Both last a lot longer. I prefer dry milk in my coffee and/or tea. The only reason I have so much milk in the house is that my brother (who still drinks milk like we have a cow in the backyard -- reader, we never had a cow in the backyard just indulgent parents that didn't want to hear the milk fights in the kitchen) came to work on the fence and I bought him a gallon and he brought his own gallon. I'd planned on trying to make some boozy eggnog ice cream; but then I got my results of my A1c and that was the end of my plans for world domination by homemade ice cream and booze. Why don't I drink liquid milk you ask (you really didn't, but I'm tell you anyway): I have found that I have a hard time losing weight when I drink milk. 1-2 T of dry milk in my coffee doesn't seem to trigger the effect. Also, I love cheese. I would probably give up all other dairy to keep cheese because cheese is life.

I am skim reading How Not to Diet, Greger. It's a fascinating read; but I really hate this man. That's an extreme reaction to someone I don't know. I cannot put my finger on exactly why I hate this man. It's like a weird teeny, creaky noise in the house that is slowly driving me nuts. Or a water drip that I can't find. I can point to any number of paragraphs in this book that make me (mentally) scream AHA! That. That right there is why I hate you!! But then, trying to explain the visceral reaction make absolutely no sense and I feel like I'm insane for hating this man. Also, it's not just the book. His videos make me feel the same way.

>61 lesmel: I’ve encountered people like that, only rarely thank goodness. They surely have ugly secrets. It oozes out.

>61 lesmel: Now I kinda want to read that book to see if it has the same effect on me. lol

There have been a number of people, from movie stars to local folks who make me cringe and get an ugly feeling in my guts for no reason I could put my finger on. Enough of them were later found to have "ugly secrets" as >62 2wonderY: says, that I simply trust my gut feelings and distance myself from them. Several of the movie stars were my son's favorites. He knew my gut reaction to them. When their secrets came out he said, "How did you know?" I have no idea.

>62 2wonderY: I honestly think this is a me not him thing. It feels knee-jerk BEC.

>63 MrsLee: Yaaaas! Someone else read it and see if it's just me. I accept 100% it's probably me.

I'm still at it with this book. I am starting to get a feel for what irks me. He has a BUNCH of evidence and citations and he defends his pronouncements with all these citations; but then he'll make unfounded statements and/or not-evidence-based recommendations.

Right now, I'm reading his segment on melatonin*. Part of his segment talks about food sources of melatonin. Cranberries seem to be the most melatonin-rich fruit. Cherries are another source of melatonin; but one study states "Our analyses show that dried tart cherries and tart cherry concentrates do not contain melatonin. Our explanation for this observation is that melatonin is very unstable and may be degraded in these samples after processing and storage." So, Dr. Greger extrapolates dried cherries are not a source (because instability of melatonin); therefore, dried cranberries are not either. Then he moves on to pistachios as a source. There's some evidence discussed in which Greger mentions the results of the a study of melatonin in pistachios that wasn't reproduced in a second study...but hey, why not try them anyway?

Excuse me, SIR. Why are you recommending pistachios when the one study CANNOT BE REPLICATED!? There's even an "expression of concern" attached to the first study:

The editors of Spectrochimica Acta A have been informed that an independent analysis by the German Federal Institute for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) could not detect traces of melatonin in pistachia from the same region as reported in the above paper, and has claimed that the method described by the authors may be inadequate for detection of traces of melatonin. The authors of that paper state that the method they describe is valid and that the discrepancy in melatonin content may be explained by the high variability from year to year as well as on harvesting conditions.

THIS IS NOT HOW YOU MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS!! You do not just throw the evidence out the window and shrug your shoulders! Sure, have a few pistachio kernels. They are tasty and have (probably) other health benefits. Melatonin (I have spelled this stupid word melatonion EVERY SINGLE TIME) is not one of those benefits!

* Supplements in the US are not regulated. There is no federal organization that tests supplements or the statements made on those supplements. There's nothing protecting the consumer from manufacturers putting any junk they want (and none of the vitamin/mineral/hormone) in their product. This is all evidence-based. There are dozens of articles and law cases related to supplements. There is one organization that certifies supplements: NSF. There's another that verifies them: USP

Even knowing supplements are unregulated, I am currently taking a variety of supplements. I do only use USP verified supplements, though.

He also makes snarky transitions and snide quips. It's almost an affectation.

Today's smoothie:

6 fl oz milk
2 fl oz heavy cream
1 banana
60 g raspberries
1/3 c oats
1.5 T flaxseed
15 g almonds
1/2 t turmeric mix

This is pretty darn good.

>68 lesmel: That sounds pretty darn good. I have gotten away from smoothies. Maybe they are a summer thing for me. This winter I did more cooked cereal than I have ever done before. I used to hate it, but find it a comfort now.

Today's smoothie is same as yesterday's with an additional 1/2 t turmeric mix and swapping the almonds for hemp seeds. I nearly wolfed this down after this morning's 90 minute walk. I had to remember to slow down and pause.

I'm finally through the book that would not end (How Not to Diet, Greger). Overall, I give it 5/5 stars. It's PACKED with information and references. The caveat to that 5 stars is to read each segment with your skeptic goggles on. Greger makes some fuck around and find out recommendations that run counter to his evidence-based approach. He sort of recovers from that attitude in his very last bit called "21 tweaks."

Week Three planning:

Fresh -- need to use
Mushrooms (other veg)
Brussel sprouts (cruciferous)
Tomatoes (other veg)
Cukes (other veg)
Avocados (fruit)
Bell peppers (other veg)
Tortillas (grains)
Tofu (beans)

Need to purchase:
Leafy greens

Kitchen items I need to use up:

Onions (other veg) -- fresh
Raspberries (berry) -- frozen
Bananas (fruit) -- frozen
Blueberries (berry) -- frozen
Pineapple (fruit) -- frozen
Cranberry sauce (fruit) -- frozen (has sugar)
Fajita veggies (other veg) -- frozen
Corn (other veg) -- frozen
English peas (other veg) -- canned & frozen (I think)
Green beans (other veg) -- canned
Ground beef -- frozen
Lamb -- frozen (3 vacuum packs)
Bacon -- frozen (bits & slices)
Ahi tuna -- frozen (1 steak)
Halibut -- frozen (several filets)
Chorizo -- frozen

Ideas:

Mushroom fajitas stuffed bell peppers. This is the second week I've tried to make mushroom fajitas part of my meal prep. That just isn't appealing; but I want to use up the fajita veggies from the freezer. Maybe I can make a soup or stir fry! and include the fajita veggies (onion and pepper strips). Actually, I like this idea a lot more. That means I could make stuffed peppers with the mushrooms and bell peppers. I can add some beans and grains to the stuffing mix. Add a leafy salad of some sort? (2 other veg, 1 grain, 1 greens)

Roasted Brussel sprouts. Pretty simple. Super delicious. (1 cruciferous)

Tomato, cuke, avocado salad. Also pretty simple. Super delicious. I won't prep this since the avocado oxidizes and then tends to turn to slime. (2 other veg, 1 fruit)

Sesame Orange Ginger Chickpea Stir fry. This looks really good. It's really easy to omit the oil. I can't figure out why there is oil in the sauce.

More later. The Distinguished American Gentleman is staring me down demanding we go to sleep. lol

The Distinguished American Gentleman and I went for our 90 minute walk this morning. I'd planned to go to the gym and do my 20:45 minute treadmill routine (20 minutes moderate walking; 45 minutes lots of incline that makes me question my life choices).

I'm still trying to plan my prep. I mostly have it figured out. I guess, really, I am trying to figure out my grocery list.

Breakfast was oatmeal: oats, tumeric mix, walnuts, GROUND flaxseed, raspberries. Maybe it's really lunch.

Week Three April 15 - 21
Breakfast: Oatmeal or oat smoothie

Lunch/Dinner:
Orange ginger chickpea stir fry or stuffed peppers
Brussel sprouts or cauliflower rice
Zucchini ribbons or Smashed potatoes
Avocado, cukes, & tomato salad

I tried one of my new grains: fonio. It is a West African relative of millet. You cook it similarly to quinoa -- water + grain + boil + remove from heat + fluff. You can add water and make it more like porridge. I can tell you I prefer the porridge style fonio more than the cooked & fluffed style. I added my usual complement of add-ins: turmeric mix, sweetener (I'm on to the last of my molasses), raspberries. I forgot the walnuts until after I'd finished and ate them on the side.

The grain is filling. I find it very neutral in flavor. It lends itself to sweet or savory. It's probably a good alternative for anyone that can't eat quinoa and/or is gluten free. I would eat this grain again -- I mean, beyond the 12ish servings left in the bag; but I'm not sure I would buy this again. I question the ethics of eating this grain. Quinoa commercialization has some questionable ethics and effects for traditional growers and consumers. I worry fonio might have the same wins/losses as commercialization grows.

I'm batch cooking. Or trying to. I'm overly tired and food disgusts me at the moment. I planned to make at least the mix and the mushroom-walnut crumble for the stuffed peppers. Instead, I'm leaning into my craving for yellow lentil soup.

The soup is smokin' hot right now. I'm hoping once I eat, I might be willing to make the crumble and the stuffing. If not, I'll make it during the day. There are benefits to WFH!

Yesterday, I made the orange ginger chickpeas. That was a hot mess. The end result was good; but it was not easy getting there.

First, the sauce calls for 2 T oil. Why? You don't emulsify the sauce. You are using a neutral oil, so it isn't adding flavor. Then, the stir fry part calls for 2 MORE T of oil. I get it is a stir fry. I also get that the post is basically and ad for "Pompeian Smooth Extra Virgin Olive Oil." 4 T of their olive oil is 480 calories. That's basically my 90 minute walk or my 45 minute treadmill workout. No thanks.

Second, I used soy sauce forgetting that aminos and soy sauce have different levels of saltiness. I ruined the first batch of sauce and had to start over. Once I finish off my soy sauces, I'll probably switch back to aminos.

Third, the sauce did not coat the chickpeas (like the picture). The chickpeas absorbed every drop of sauce by the end of dinner. This is not a terrible thing; but that's not how the dish is photographed.

Fourth, my choice of fajita veggies was a terrible idea. They were almost instantly an overcooked mush. Still, that's one less bag in my freezer.

Things I would change (both the recipe and my hot mess attempt):

No pulp juice (even though I love lots of pulp) OR whiz the heck out of the juice before making the sauce. I wasn't bothered by the pulp; but it tends to make the sauce lumpy not smooth.

Reduce the orange juice before adding any of the other ingredients. I feel like this would make the orange flavor pop more. It would also lead to a more unctuous sauce that coats instead of absorbs. This could also mean I wouldn't need to use cornstarch to thicken the sauce. It could also mean I could leave out the honey...maybe.

Remember soy sauce and aminos do not have the same saltiness and cook accordingly.

Add the orange zest as the recipe calls for. I have no idea if this will give the sauce the level of orange pop I really want.

Use fresh veggies. I knew going in that the frozen veg was going to go to mush; but it mushed a lot faster/worse than I'd expected. Not inedible; but unpleasant mouth-feel for me.

Today was the "easy" day in the gym -- 45 mins on the treadmill. No major inclines. No major fast walking.

Breakfast was throwing my fonio and leftover cup of lentil soup together with ground flax seed and hemp seeds and turmeric mix. I ended up adding the very last bit of molasses. It was oddly appealing. Neither savory nor sweet.

The very nice lady that cleans my house is here. While she was working on the front of the house and the primary suite, I worked on the mushroom-walnut crumble recipe. I am not impressed with this recipe. There's zero salt. The whole mix just tastes like the ground the mushrooms were grown in. Possibly, Worcestershire Sauce or soy sauce would give the right level of umami. I had to stop and pack everything into the fridge so that O could work on the kitchen.

This afternoon, I'll try to get the stuffing mixture made. There's also Brussel Sprouts, zucchini ribbons, and smashed crispy potatoes.

Ohhhhhhhh, now I know why I'm getting (some) odd vibes from the How Not to Diet book. Dr. Greger is a Seventh-day Adventist. For SDAs, there is an emphasis on vegetarian diet and restrictions based on Leviticus and Deuteronomy. This isn't to say there is any religion in the book, I just get this ping in the back of my brain on occasion...like Dr. Greger has more than just science as his guiding star.

Stuffed peppers done...overdone, really. I made 6 peppers. 2/3 of them are a touch mushy. The filling is good.

Still need to get the Brussel Sprouts & zucchini done. I may have to wait on the Brussel Sprouts. My fridge is crammed.

I have 5 servings of red beans. Those will be breakfast with some grains. Maybe that will be where I add my Brussel Sprouts?

Meal prep has not gone well this week. It has taken forever to get any meals together.

To recap:

4 cups lentil soup (1 beans)
6 bell peppers & stuffing (1 beans, 1 cruciferous, 1 greens, 2 other veg, 1 nuts/seeds)
1 stuffing only (1 beans, 1 cruciferous, 1 other veg, 1 greens, 1 nuts/seeds)
5 servings red beans (1 beans)

Veg I really need to use this week:
Mushrooms
Cukes
Avocado
Zucchini

Breakfast was oatmeal with ground flaxseed, walnuts, and blueberries.

Lunch was my most overdone pepper.

How Not to Diet Cookbook, Greger : Stuffed Bell Peppers : B
The recipe itself isn't too terribly fussy. You do need to prep another recipe (Mushroom-Walnut Crumbles) before you work on this recipe. I don't know that the crumble adds anything to the stuffing. If I were to make this again, I would swap for a chewy grain or maybe lentils.

How Not to Diet Cookbook, Greger : Mushroom-walnut crumbles : C
It's plant-based not-meat crumbles. Without salt, it tastes like the ground the mushrooms grew in. I can't say that this recipe adds much of anything to my plant-based adventure. If I were to make this again (I am not), I would add tomato paste and/or miso paste.

Dr. Greger does not believe in salt, methinks. That's just not going to work for me. There is only so much that miso paste, tomato paste, and similar condiments can do for a dish.

Breakfast: oatmeal with flaxseed, turmeric mix, walnuts and blueberries.

Lunch: orange ginger chickpeas with rice

Dinner: Maybe mushroom barley soup (1 beans, 1 grains, 2 other veg, 1 greens)

Used up the last of the mushrooms, one bag of frozen spinach, one bag of peas and carrots; finished off my old stash of pearled barley (and some of the new stash). I need to freeze some stuff or I will never get through it all. I am sort of early prepping for Week Four. Bought some Souper Cubes. They should be here tomorrow.

ETA...

How Not to Diet Cookbook, Greger : Mushroom barley soup : A as written; S with salt.
The recipe calls for celery, cabbage, and carrots. I swapped out for garlic, celery seed, spinach, and carrots & peas because that is what I had. I almost doubled the mushrooms and doubled the barley without changing the other ratios. Granted this wasn't the recipe exactly; but it was in the spirit of the recipe. It made 12 cups of soup. I left the soup in my instant pot to cook the spinach and carrots and just heat the peas through. The barley took the opportunity to absorb most of the liquid (which does not bother me in the least). I may try making some miso broth when I try my next cup of soup. Other ways to bulk this up: add cabbage or kale, add microgreens, add beans

If you are wondering about the grading system, I'm 100% stealing it from the interwebs: Tier List

S = Superb! I'm so glad I have leftovers. I'll be making this again soon!
A = Yum! I've got a new recipe to share and make!
B = It's fine. I'll probably make it again in the next 12 months.
C = Meh. I'll finish it, grudgingly. Not going to make it again unless someone asks for it.
F = Fail! Not gonna eat this. Maybe the librarians will like it??

Something interesting is starting to happen as I focus on plant-based meals:

I am looking at non-plant-based recipes with an eye toward how to change them to plant-based.

I'm focusing more on making a recipe with what I have instead of putting the recipe aside until I have the "correct" ingredients.

I'm looking at how much oil or butter is in a recipe with an eye toward eliminating it entirely. I'd rather use a small amount of fat for flavor or unctuousness.

I'm finding myself willing to try different combinations of beans, grains, and vegetables for each meal.

I'm back to eating three meals a day -- which is really weird -- or maybe more like 2.5? My last meal is usually pretty slim. I'm not sure I really like eating three meals. I always feel full eating like this. I don't like the feeling. I'm going to make more of a effort to trim back to two meals with better combinations in those meals.

I splurged on Souper Cubes. I meal prep enough that it's worth investing in something that will make prepping and freezing easier. I have my first round freezing...the mushroom-barley soup.

Made another recipe from How Not to Diet Cookbook, Greger : Black Forest Chia Pudding : A. I tasted it before it set. It's delicious. I'll have to see about the texture. I think I may have made the pudding a little thicker than planned. The recipe says it makes 2 servings; but I split it into 3 1-cup-ish servings.

Overall, I like this cookbook. I'm not sure there is a recipe I haven't been tempted by. Do I want to own this cookbook? Probably not. Do I want to try a few more recipes? Yes.

Disappointed in my chia pudding. It didn't set. Not even "sort of" set. Pretty sure I could have added 2x the chia and it might have set. There doesn't seem to be any consistent ratio of chia to liquid..especially for ground chia. Clearly, 4 T to 3ish cups is not enough to create anything close to set.

Anyone have any luck with getting chia pudding to set? Preferably ground because the thought of eat frog eggs makes me gag. You know what I'm talking about...lol

>86 lesmel: I have only tried, halfheartedly, to make chia pudding about twice. No, mine hasn't set either, even when I followed a recipe. I actually like frogs egg pudding, tapioca, but not frog's egg thickened milk!

I'm currently beyond annoyed with myself. I just threw out at least a week's worth of meals that were molded. I had family in town and they weren't interested in my food. Honestly, I wasn't interested in my food either. I hate food waste. :(

Flipside to this is I get to make some new meals; or, maybe, just thaw the ones I have. I have mushroom barley soup and shepherd's pie. This right here is why I love meal prep where the meals can be frozen. There's less chance of food waste when I can just thaw a single item out for a meal.

>88 lesmel: I had to throw out a few items last month just because I couldn't use them quickly enough. I do usually freeze what I won't get to right away, but I misjudged on a couple of things. At least it wasn't much, but I can relate. I'm allergic to mushrooms, but shepherd's pie (sans mushrooms) sounds good on this rainy day.

I have no idea what I was thinking. I made gnocchi & butternut squash, beans and cheese (like mac and cheese), and roasted veggie "Reuben" bowls. I cannot eat all of that in a day to day basis; plus I have all the stuff I've already frozen. I'm going to need to freeze the beans and cheese. Maybe the gnocchi and butternut squash. It all tastes great; it's just A LOT. I know better. I just can't seem to help myself when I'm trying new recipes.

The Weekday Vegetarians Get Simple : Roasted gnocchi & butternut squash : A. I over-seasoned the dish with my SP&G mix. It's a little too peppery for me. Also, the cookbook mentions this is a great reheat dish; but I'm not finding that to be the case. The gnocchi gets very chewy with reheating instead of crispy when I first roasted it.

The Weekday Vegetarians Get Simple : Abby's Brilliant Beans 'n' Cheese : B. I want to love this. I like it...mostly. The whole thing is like a gluey brick unless I add about 1/3 c of bean juice to it when I reheat it. It was exceptional straight out of the oven. Also, I can't figure out why this has 6 ounces of cheese for 4 servings. Granted, it's probably my "fair share" brain; but is 2 more ounces really that different?

The Weekday Vegetarians Get Simple : Roasted Vegetable Reubens : A. I didn't put this on bread. I wish I'd made double the dressing. I also wish I'd roasted the Brussel Sprouts a little longer.

The Weekend Vegetarians Get Simple -- totally worth borrowing from the library. Maybe worth buying if you want ideas without using the internet. There are a lot of recipes that are easy to adapt for other vegetables or turning into bowls/salads.

I needed to use up some root veggies & mushrooms. Made a stew from 5-ingredient vegan cooking : Savory Root Vegetable Stew : S. I didn't have tomato paste; but I did have tomato sauce. I didn't want to break out my maple syrup; but did have molasses. I was able to cook down the sauce & I love molasses. Even with veggies that were a little questionable, the stew turned out great. My version & the cookbook picture are so similar, I am stunned.

It will be frozen so I can have it in a few weeks. I will be freezing a number of things so I can have meals ready.

I am wondering if I can find smaller food saver bags. Maybe single serve size. The food saver I have doesn't have the roll that can be used to make any size bag needed.

I'm struggling to eat all my frozen stuff. Turns out, I'm not a fan of make, freeze, eat. Prepping, yes. Freeze-and-eat...not so much. I did give some meals to a friend. I'll make myself use up the frozen meals; but it's annoying. I'm not sure if it's just bad timing or the practice.

Still working my way through the frozen meals. Also still working my way through the pile of cookbooks. I actually had to take everything back to the library, get it checked in, and checked back out. I'd run out of renewals.

I still have another recipe from 5-Ingredient Vegan Cooking to try. It may have to wait until we get back to cooler weather...like November.

In the meantime, I have 21 recipes from The Plantiful Plate to try. A lot of them are actually mix-and-match variations -- like porridge, smoothies, brownies, muffins, etc.

Cookbooks I've looked over:

Life changing salads, Brown
Pretty pictures. Lots of variety. The dressings are very appealing. The salads span the seasonal spectrum, which I appreciate.

Alternative Vegan, Reginato
*eye roll* This book is trying to catch the "not a vegan" crowd. It's a stupid marketing ploy for a cookbook with animal protein or animal-based ingredient in nearly every recipe. Stripped of it's poorly thought-out marketing ploy, it's an average cookbook with some decent food styling.

A beautiful mess weekday weekend, Chapman
Meh. It's fine. Again, marketing ploy: veggie life. that is code for "mostly plants." I don't appreciate their challenge or their rules. Eating sugar on the weekends is still going to affect your blood sugar and A1c. The weekend is not magic. I get their idea; but I don't really care for it...and I'm not reducing my rating based on that attitude.

Vegan cooking for two, America's Test Kitchen
I really like this. It's packed with recipes i'd love to try. I appreciate the "for two" aspect of the cookbook. Even with the recipes being aimed at feeding two people, I could probably get three meals out of every recipes.

Dinner for everyone, Bittman
Hmm. I appreciate this book for what it does. Bittman takes a meal and breaks it into "easy," "vegan," and "all out" (almost always meaning there's an animal protein). I cannot even imagine trying to cook out of this thing.

I'm finally making a dent in my frozen meals! I probably have one more week of frozen meals before I get to start all over with prepping. I'll be working my way through my "to try" category. I need to catch up (again) on the cookbooks I've looked through.

I had my three month follow up with my GP. I'm annoyed my A1C only went down .1; but my GP is happy. The biggest change was my lipid panel.

LDL -31mg/dl
HDL -3mg/dl
Triglycerides -43mg/dl

My GP was thrilled with my test results. She also loved my weight loss. We discussed that my changes are as much about delaying disease processes as my general wellbeing. Genetically, I'm probably fighting a losing battle with diabetes. Based on the ADA risk assessment, I have a normal risk of developing diabetes. I think that's how the assessment works. So long as my GP is happy, I'll try not to fixate on "passing" my A1C "test"; instead, I'll focus on consistency and maintaining a lifestyle that works for me.

Ultimately, that means I will continue to eat "plant forward," with minimal sugar and fat/oil. I plan on adding some seafood to my meals. I love(d?) peel & eat shrimp -- it's such a great summer meal. I should probably inventory the freezer; figure out what I can make versus what to give away.

Meet Chip!



He was 5 months old on Saturday. He's a Boston Terrier mix. I'm waiting for his DNA swab to find out what exactly his mix is. I adopted him from a central Texas rescue that focuses on transport out of high kill shelters and/or high kill/low resource areas. He originally came from Eagle Pass. More pictures!

Congrats on your lovely young dog. Regarding flaxseed, though, be aware that whole flaxseed is not digestible in the human gut. If you have a home coffee grinder, grind your remaining supply of whole flaxseed and store it in the refrigerator. I buy Barlean's organic ground flaxseed at my local co-op store, but be sure to check very carefully on the country of origin for any product before you buy: One flaxseed product at my co-op listed its country of origin as Kazakhstan, but in the old Soviet Union days, that was where the Soviets tested the H-bomb. Tsar Bomba, I think they called it. Buy *nothing* from Kazakhstan.

I use 1/4 cup of ground flaxseed when I make a batch of blueberry pancakes for 2 people ... I add it to the wet ingredients so it has a chance to soften and become undetectable... that works well.

I've been cooking (and blending?) up a storm.

smoothies:
cantaloupe carrot -- 3*
carrot apple -- 5*
chocolate cherry -- 4*
"fat burner" greenie -- 4*
ginger greenie -- 4*
ginger pear -- 3* -- the pear is gritty even in smoothie form, blech
mango banana -- 4*
mango pineapple -- 4*
watermelon ginger - 2* -- splits & is foamy, blech

lunches/dinners:
cashew & coconut citrus bars -- Very Good -- no bake
tofu stir fry & grains -- Very Good -- second attempt, first attempt was awful & i ended up dumping nearly all of the leftovers
vegetarian chili -- Very Good -- second attempt; first attempt made mush of the beans
patlıcan soslu (or soslu patlıcan) -- Very Good -- Turkish eggplant in tomato sauce
apple, fennel, & potato salad -- Good
carrot "lox" -- Meh; if I were to try this again I would make the ribbons thicker
dog food -- 2 paws up (x4); not sure I will do this again; is the labor worth it??

I have indulged in small amounts of sugary things. Small slice of pound cake for Mom's birthday. Some tonic water once a week starting in August. A bite of sherbet; a bite of ice cream. It's not a lot; but I'm hesitant to add anything sugary to my regular rotation. I'm going to drink more tonic water this month because I have an open bottle I want to finish; but I'm being very reserved in how much I'm drinking. I'll have an idea of what this does to my A1c since my next follow up is in late Sept.

I have a lot more recipes in my "to try" category. I don't even have all my "to try" recipes in Paprika yet.

Other than tonic water, I'm rolling back my decision about adding sugary things. I seem to feel compelled to finish whatever it is. So, ok, I can have an occasional treat; but not something I keep in the house for more than a day or two. I had a feeling this might be the case; it is nice to have it confirmed.

>99 lesmel: This would be why I rarely make pie anymore even though I love it. I don't love to eat the whole pie and my husband is not a fan.

Made Hunger Games stew with lamb and then made something similar with chickpeas. I need to work on my chickpea stew game. Nothing about this dish screams stew. Maybe lentils? Maybe mashing some of the chickpeas? Maybe crushed tomatoes?

I did find a recipe for Butter Chickpeas. I loooooooove Butter Chicken, I am hoping this is a reasonable substitute.

Still need to do something with two bricks of tofu. I may make a Tofu French Silk pie with one brick. I honestly think Tofu French Silk is better than traditional French Silk. It's definitely far easier to make.

Made some buckwheat flour-oat muffins. They are meh. I'm fairly sure it's the buckwheat flour. Anyone bake with buckwheat? I love the flavor; but I've never found the texture to be pleasant.

lesmel, re your tofu recipe options above, to me it depends on the type of tofu you have. Silken tofu is often used for desserts. We mostly buy medium tofu (red box at Trader Joe's), the consistency of a softened brick, which I use to make tofu mayo, pan-fried or wok-fried dishes, or baked tofu. Unless you have access to a bulk source of tofu, the commercial products are sold in plastic tubs. With the newer science findings on microplastics in food, I started shaving about 1/8 inch of tofu off each of the edges of each brick of medium or firm tofu. We then discard those trimmed-off tiny pieces of tofu.

I have been killing it with tofu lately. I found a method for seasoning/cooking that I like. It lends itself well to any dish that calls for firm or super firm tofu.
Now if I could just get my sauce game up to speed.

In other news, I made the fussy 2024 Recipe of the Year cookies from King Arthur...and they are worth every minute of fussiness. The recipe makes me willing to retry the highly annoying (and fussy) Chocolate Chip Toffee Cookies.

I threw together some farro, diced tomatoes, dried garlic slices, and dried minced onion. I was basically trying to make a cheaters tomato and "rice" soup. Instead, I made something I'd make again in a heartbeat that wasn't soup, stoup, or stew but more like a rice casserole.

Mostly, I was lazy and hungry and I've been browsing vegetarian/vegan cookbooks for a couple weeks. If I really wanted soup, I would have added a can of pureed tomatoes to my mix and probably would have hit the right consistency.

This morning, I made millet porridge. Pretty standard flavor profile for me. Honey, butter (I have just a little more dairy-based butter to use up), MrsLee's golden milk powder. Too much honey. I got it just a little too sweet for my palate now.

I made buckwheat porridge (but it wasn't my plan) last week. Surprisingly tasty, if a little mushy. My fault. I was distracted & didn't remember the ratio or timing.

I am a bit behind in posts. I'll probably post some cookbook reviews.

Has anyone read/used a new cookbook recently? What about an old favorite?

I'm home for the US Tday holiday. There has been quite a bit of kitchen time.

Cornbread -- I made my first SUCCESSFUL BATCH EVER!!! Woooohooooo!! And it was a triple batch. I feel like I won the lottery. I can now make rice AND cornbread. It's a turkey miracle.

Biscuits -- I suck at biscuits. It's probably a good thing b/c I lurv biscuits. LUUUUUURV them.

Fussy KAB cookies -- totally worth the fussiness.

Patlıcan soslu -- always a hit

Dill pickle salad

Bing cherry salad -- This might be a giant fail. I added too much liquid to Jell-O. I corrected with some unflavored gelatin; but I may need a second packet of unflavored. Very Annoyed.

Cranberry sauce

King Oyster Mushroom "scallops" -- These aren't for Tday.

Muahahahaha! The bing cherry salad congealed later yesterday evening. VINDICATION!

Making Buttermilk Rolls! I kinda love this dough. This is a first for me. I'll post photos later.

Took awhile, but behold the rolls! These are 1/2 baked.

>110 lesmel: They're so regular they look professional!

It's the holidays! We survived Xmas.

I made the buttermilk rolls again. This time it was a near disaster. The dough was very sticky because I didn't beat it long enough in the stand mixer.

I had to add more than 1/4 cup but less than 1/2 cup of flour to get them shaped. They still baked well.

My brother declared he was going to take all the rolls home with him. To which I told him he was not; but he could have the 12 half baked rolls in the freezer. FYI, the rolls are still in the freezer. He's never come back for leftovers.

Before coming home for the holidays, I baked four kinds of cookies:

Spiced Rye Ginger (KAB) - I have mentioned these numerous times. They are ridiculously good.

Chocolate Crinkles (ATK) - super fudgey, super chocolatey.

Butterscotch cookie (Reddit) - I effed up the baking. I pressed the cookie with a glass when I was supposed to lightly press the top with a fork. Super greasy. Good butterscotch flavor.

Peanut butter with self-rising flour (KAB) - dense, greasy, packed with peanut butter flavor.

I used egg substitute in each recipe that called for eggs since I didn't want to buy a carton I wasn't going to use up. Plus, eggs are ridiculously pricey.

Oh. I also made fudge brownies; my favorite style. Also KAB. I made them with water-packed silken tofu. Again, no eggs & I needed to use up the tofu.

They are the most perfect brownie for me. Super dense. Super rich. Very fudgey.