General Rule #22: Not a Fan of Hamburger

I ate a lot of ground beef when I was growing up.  It seems like almost every meal we ate had a hamburger-base:  tacos, burritos, lasagna, enchiladas, meatloaf, goulash, sloppy joes, and of course... hamburgers.  I'm a beef fan, so I didn't really mind when I was younger, but I've found that in my adult life I just don't care that much for hamburger.  I'm not sure if that's because I got burned out, or if it's simply due to the poor quality of ground beef available.  Nothing grosses me out faster than biting down on a piece of gristle.  Ick.  The gristle issue doesn't exist in the home-grown beef I've tried, nor is it in ground sirloin.  Unfortunately, neither are very cheap or easy to find.

A while back, I read an article on Yahoo! Health with some startling facts about how hamburgers are processed for fast food restaurants.  Here's an excerpt (Warning!  It may turn your stomach!):

The Truth: Most fast-food hamburger patties begin their voyage to your buns in the hands of a company called Beef Products. The company specializes in taking slaughterhouse trimmings—heads and hooves and the like—that are traditionally used only in pet food and cooking oil, and turning them into patties. The challenge is getting this byproduct meat clean enough for human consumption, as both E. coli and salmonella like to concentrate themselves in the fatty deposits.

The company has developed a process for killing beef-based pathogens by forcing the ground meat through pipes and exposing it to ammonia gas—the same chemical you might use to clean your bathroom. Not only has the USDA approved the process, but it's also allowed those who sell the beef to keep it hidden from their customers.

Wow.  Perhaps this shouldn't have surprised me, but it did.  Those two paragraphs alone are enough to make me never eat a fast-food burger again.  Not that I ate very many in the first place.  The only places I eat hamburgers with any frequency are McDonald's and Culver's.  At McD's I would only get a single cheeseburger, which I figured wasn't too bad, but now with the latest "pink slime" headlines, I won't be eating those anymore.  For some reason this story has turned my stomach more than any other.  I may have been "happier" not knowing what was in their "beef," but I'm definitely healthier knowing.  *shudder*

Of course, then there also the recent news story about Taco Bell being sued for only using 35% real beef... although, they now contend they use 88% beef.  To which I ask, what's wrong with using 100%??  Why is it okay for these fast-food "restaurants" to serve us this crap, and more importantly why do we keep buying it??

Sorry.  Soap box.  Okay, back on track... 

I really do love beef.  REAL beef.  Especially steak.  Give me a filet mignon, strip steak, or ribeye and I'm a happy, happy girl.  Roast, brisket, ribs, tenderloin...  all are wonderful!  Hamburger?  Not so much.  Ground turkey is my go-to substitute for ground beef anymore, and I'm much happier with it (and my husband doesn't mind the substitution, so we're good there).  Plus it's healthier, so that can't be a bad thing.  :)

Besides..  Think of all the cows I'm saving.  The Chick-fil-A cows would be happy. 

Friday Five

1 - Hi.  Remember me?  It's been 90 days since my last blog post.  Wow.  I can't believe so much time has gone by...  Not like I've been doing anything else the past couple months, like getting a house ready to go on the market, almost having a nervous breakdown, moving to Florida, looking for a job...  ;)

2 - Speaking of jobs...  I was offered one on Monday!  Even though the past 6 weeks has felt like a LONG time, that's nothing compared to the 6 years it took for my husband to find one.  I will be the office coordinator/assistant for a small construction company.  There is only a handful of people in the office, so in that respect it will be similar to my last job.  I'm sure that's where the similarities will end, though. 

3 - When Scott moved down here in July, we rented a small, one-bedroom apartment.  Neither of us are crazy about it, for a number of reasons, so we can't wait until November gets here and our lease is up.  We've been doing a little rental-house hunting since I arrived, but now that I don't have to look for a job, I've kicked the house hunting into overdrive.  Both processes have been frustrating and overwhelming.

4 - And speaking of house-hunting...  I went on a tour of Jacksonville with my awesome friend Melanie today.  She's lived here for a number of years and knows which parts of town to avoid.  I was really discouraged with "the hunt" earlier this week, but now I feel SO much more enlightened and prepared.  Thanks for ALL your help, Melanie!  And thanks for lunch, too!  ♥

5 - I had the most amazing cinnamon ice cream from Cold Stone tonight.  No mix-ins.  Just ice cream in a waffle cone.  SO.  AMAZING. 

Project365: Photos 36-42

Oh great.  Now that we're into February, I have to actually think in order to figure out what "Day#" it is.  I don't like numbers, and I certainly don't like thinking about numbers. Fortunately, one of my friends who is also doing the 365 challenge had already posted her pictures when I started to work on this post, so thinking was not required (as long as she counted correctly... which she did!).  ;)

About halfway through this week I wondered if I should just make all my pictures food-themed, but then I ran out of creativity on Day 40.  It's still mostly food this week, but there's nothing wrong with that, right?

Scott was out of town on Sunday and most of Monday, and for some strange reason I had the urge to bake.  One attempt was a failure, but the other turned out okay.  I'm really not very good at baking, so I should either give it up or practice more.  I'm sure that would make my husband happy.  Well, if I got better at it, anyway.  :)

On to the pics...

Day 36: KC BBQ
(from Oklahoma Joe's - Mmmmmm!)
f 4.5 | 1/80 | iso 1600 (Av)

Day 37: Disaster cupcakes
(Seriously.  They were gross.)
f 5.6 | 1/13 | iso 1600 (Av)

Day 38: Awesome buttercream!
(The cupcakes were mediocre.)
f 4.5 | 1/100 | iso 400

Day 39: Last of the stocking stuffers :)
(We apparently ate the larger "bills" first.)
f 5.6 | 1/60 | iso 1600

Day 40: I'm tired of taking pills
(AM on the left; PM on the right)
f 5.6 | 1/50 | iso 400

Day 41: Super-fun Girls' Night Out!
(I'm not very good at the self-portrait -- sorry Jerri!)
taken with my i-non-Phone

 

Day 42: Leftover Jose Peppers
(And a side of yummy store-bought guac!)
f 5.6 | 1/50 | iso 1600

Taiwanese Tuesday

No, I'm not starting a new weekly series.  Trust me, if I started this one, you'd mostly hear the sound of crickets.  I know nothing about Taiwan.  And I know nothing about Asian cooking.

My friend Rachel, however, does.

Rachel shares a weekly feature on her blog called Taiwanese Tuesday, which frequently features Asian recipes (imagine that!).  I think they look fabulous, which is very high praise coming from me.  I am not a fan of Asian food, and I really don't care much for rice as a general rule (I have a lot of "general rules," don't I?). 

Although we would occasionally eat brown rice when I was growing up, we never had white rice.  And I can't remember ever being served an Asian dish.  My dad was stationed in Korea at the end of the Korean War, so he just doesn't like Asian food.  Especially rice.

Consequently, it wasn't until I was in high school that I discovered I love egg rolls.  Since then, I've branched out and tried different dishes over the years, but would still say that Asian food is at the bottom of my preferred foods list.  Which is sad for Scott, since it's one of his favorites!  On the rare occasion that I am in the mood for Asian food, he jumps at the chance to eat it.  He also frequently gets Chinese takeout whenever he's on his own for dinner.  :o)

Anyway, back to Rachel's blog...  :o)  Her recipes always sound so delicious (well, except for maybe that tofu one...), and I've been wanting to try some of them.  Of course, that hasn't been a priority since Asian food is not my preference.  In general.  ;o)  But last night when I got home from work, Scott had all the ingredients out and Rachel's Fried Rice recipe pulled up on his computer.  To be quite honest, I was disappointed!  I had my  heart set on the enchilada soup we were going to attempt to make from my disastrous crockpot enchilada experiment this weekend (don't ask).  But I gave in and started helping with the prep for fried rice.

In general, :o) I prefer noodle dishes when it comes to Asian food, but I would have to say that fried rice is pretty close to being my favorite entrée - specifically combination fried rice, but I enjoy it with a single meat in it, too.  As long as that meat is identifiable.  ;o)

I am happy to report that Rachel's fried rice recipe did NOT disappoint.  In fact, it was as good as any fried rice I've ever had, and Scott agrees.  We're both excited to have found a simple and delicious recipe, and we have great plans to use it over and over again.  So I wanted to share it with all of you. We made a few changes (noted in italics), simply because we didn't have the ingredients on hand, and it still turned out excellent.  I can't wait to make it again using all the correct ingredients!

So, here you go, without further ado...

Fried Rice

The key to making good fried rice is to use cold day-old rice. Freshly cooked rice turns into a sticky mess, because it is too moist for the rice grains to remain separate. Day-old rice from the fridge is easy to stir-fry and makes for yummy fried rice. You can add anything to this basic recipe, whatever leftover meats and/or veggies you have on hand.

Ingredients:
Peanut oil (we used vegetable oil)

2 eggs, beaten

3 slices bacon, chopped
1/2 pound shrimp, chopped (we used chicken)

1 onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

2 cups cabbage, thinly sliced (we used broccoli-slaw)

Cold rice (about 2-3 cups)

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

Soy sauce (to taste)

Directions:
1.  Heat wok (we used a regular skillet) over medium heat and swirl in 1 tablespoon peanut oil. Pour eggs in wok and quickly stir with spatula. Cook until done and transfer to plate. Chop into small pieces.

2.  Swirl in 1 tablespoon oil and add bacon. Cook until crisp. Add shrimp and cook until just pink. Add veggies. Stir-fry until tender, adding more oil as needed.

3.  Add rice and peas, breaking up rice with spatula until heated through. Pour soy sauce around edges of wok and stir. Add eggs to rice and serve.

This is Rachel's picture.  Doesn't it look yummy??

 The next thing I'd like to do is purchase a carbon-steel wok, season it according to Rachel's directions, and start cooking Asian dishes the RIGHT way!  She is inspiring me to change the way I feel about Asian food. Which makes for a very happy husband.  :o)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Since it's Thanksgiving weekend in Canada, I feel like I can say that.  :o)  Besides, I've been feeling a bit Thanksgiving-ish since yesterday, when I made pumpkin butter for the first time ever!  My friend Kim posted the recipe last week, and it sounded so great I just had to try it myself.  She found it on Gina's Skinny Recipes' blog, which has a bunch of other great-sounding recipes, too!  We actually tried her Pumpkin Spiced Crepes with our pumpkin butter, but honestly I preferred it on just plain toast.  The pumpkin butter turned out so nicely, I can't wait to try more of her recipes!

Without further ado, here is the fabulous pumpkin butter recipe:

Pumpkin Butter
Gina's Skinny Recipes
Servings: 14 • Serving Size: 1/4 cup • Points: 1.5 pts
Calories: 88.2 • Fat: 0.3 g • Protein: 1.0 g • Carb: 27.3 g • Fiber: 2.5 g  

• 3 1/2 cups pumpkin puree, or 1 (29 ounce) can (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup apple cider or juice
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2-3 cinnamon sticks (I substituted 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon)
• 1-2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (to taste)

Combine pureed pumpkin, vanilla, apple juice, spices, cinnamon sticks and sugar in a large saucepan; stir well. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 - 40 minutes or until thickened. Stir frequently. Adjust spices to your taste.

TIP:  It's good warm, but tastes MUCH better after it has chilled
and the flavors have had a chance to meld.  If I can make it, anyone can!
Give it a try!  :o)

Pickled Green Tomatoes

I grew up eating these amazing pickled green tomatoes that my mom used to make.  Which is kinda funny, because I have never been one for trying "different" or non-traditional foods.  Nor have I ever been a fan of sweet pickles, as a general rule.  (Although they've kinda grown on me in my adulthood...)  Anyway, I don't remember the first time my mom made them.  Perhaps I was so young, I just assumed pickled green tomatoes were a normal thing to have in one's refrigerator, so I never thought twice about eating them...?  At any rate, I liked them.  A lot.  Even at the age of 35, I can vividly remember their crisp crunch, and the sweet and tangy flavor with more than just a hint of cloves.  Yum!

When our 6 tomato plants went crazy at the beginning of the summer, I decided to get the recipe from my mom, and started thinking about attempting to make a batch of pickled green tomatoes.  But thinking was as far as I got.  And the tomatoes ripened.  I had another opportunity before too much longer, but again...  I delayed... and they ripened.   Then last week my mom emailed me asking if I wanted the crop of green tomatoes she had picked since frost was coming.  It was then that I realized this was my last chance of the year, so Scott and I went out to the garden and harvested the rest of our tomatoes.  And I began the 3-day process of pickling green tomatoes.

Freshly picked (and washed) green tomatoes.

Ingredients:
2 cups pickling lime
2 gallons of water
7 lbs. sliced firm green tomatoes
1 cup of raisins

Syrup:
2 qts. white vinegar
4 lbs. sugar
1 Tb. salt
1 Tb. cloves
1 tsp. pickling spice

1. Mix lime with 2 gallons of water in a very large pot.

Very Large Pot

 2. Thinly slice green tomatoes and add to lime water. 

Pretty, perfect slices, thanks to our friends at Pampered Chef!

 3. Soak tomatoes in lime water for 24 hours.

Looks gross, huh?

DAY TWO: 

4. Remove from lime water & rinse in cool water for 3 rinses.

You can't tell here, but the water was a minty green!

 If you want to be extra cautious, rinse the HECK out of them (I was a bit paranoid about using the lime, so I rinsed in the sink, then washed each slice individually, and then rinsed in the colander for good measure).

Action shot!  ;o)

5. Combine all ingredients for syrup in a large pot, add rinsed tomato slices, and soak for 12 hours.  (I actually soaked mine for closer to 24 hours, as I didn't plan well and should have done this project over a weekend!)

Mmmmmmmm!  Cloves!

DAY THREE:

6. Sterilize canning jars (I used 9 pints for this recipe). 


7. Bring syrup to a boil and cook for 35 minutes.  Add raisins and return to a boil.

Boiling vinegar is a horrible smell.  Our house reeked for days.

8. Remove from heat and carefully transfer hot pickles to sterilized jars.  Pour in syrup, leaving 1/2 inch head space at the top.

The raisins sank to the bottom of the pan, so they had to be added to the top of each jar.

9. Wipe away any spills or drips from mouth of each jar and seal tightly with standard dome lids and rings.

10. When the lids pop, they are vacuum-sealed and shelf-safe!  

Ta-dah!

It was actually kinda fun to sit in the other room listening for each jar to pop.  After we heard the first one and figured out what it was, we ended up doing a little countdown with the rest.  "There's number 5!"  What can I say?  We're easily amused.  :o)

If you live nearby and want to try some pickled green tomatoes, just let me know.  And if you don't live nearby, you should come for a visit and try them.  ;o)

They taste just as good as what I remember eating as a child.

-E

The (somewhat) Great (canned) Pumpkin (hunt)

As you may recall, last year there was a shortage of canned pumpkin due to damaged crops.  I don't do a lot of baking, but even I was on the lookout for the elusive cans every time I went to the store last fall, as I wanted to make sure we would have pumpkin pie come Thanksgiving.  Because after all, what is Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie?? 

Well, apparently the crops did not fare well this year, either.  When I heard that my friend on the east coast hasn't been able find canned pumpkin in any of her stores, I thought I'd better stock up now.  When we were at Wal-mart this weekend, I was pleasantly surprised to see they had a few cans left on the shelf.   We bought 4 and left the rest for others who might be on the hunt (no reason to get greedy!).  I'm not sure if this year's shortage hasn't reached the Midwest yet, or if we just got lucky.  Regardless, this post is to torture my friend Rachel (check out her awesome post on baking a fresh pumpkin, in case you can't find any cans where you live).  :D  This picture is for you, Rachel:

Anyway, back to my shopping trip...  A funny thing happened as soon as I placed the cans in our cart.  Someone (not me) started craving pie.  So, we bought the rest of the necessary ingredients and last night, for the second time in my life, I baked a pumpkin pie.  We still have 3 cans left for Thanksgiving, so I think we'll be okay.  Unless another craving hits our household before then.

It's amazing to me how easy it is to bake a pumpkin pie - especially if you're using refrigerated pie crust!  Yes, I know.  I cheat.  But it's not like I haven't tried making my own crust!  Every time I do, without fail, it flops.  So I'll take all the help I can get.  I just followed the recipe on the can, and it turned out fabulous.  Close-up of the end result:

Funny little side story...  A couple years ago when our cat Luna was trying to starve herself to death (a story for another post), we were trying everything to entice her to eat and had heard that cats like pumpkin puree.  Although she wouldn't touch the stuff, it was quickly evident that our pumpkin-colored dog LOVES it!  As soon as I cracked open the can, my typically non-begging dog was almost immediately at my feet.  I was so surprised by this behavior, I offered to let him lick some off the spatula - something he typically won't do - and he devoured every last remnant of orange goodness!  He was outside last night when I was baking, but tonight when I cut into the pie he perked up immediately.  Sorry, Quincy.  No people-food for you!

Yep, it tastes as good as it looks!

-E