kengr

Had a silly idea while munching on a dried papaya spear.

Making a fruitcake with dried tropical fruits. Papaya, pineapple, maybe mango?

What other fruits would go well? and would changes be needed to the recipe otherwise?

This would *definitely be the sort of fruitcake you soak in rum, not brandy. :-)

Here are a couple pics. (Remember I've cut about an inch off the top)

Various interesting things involving food in the last week or so.

To start with, I had trouble with a large jar of green olives with pimentos I got cheap off the clearance Rack. Even with rubber gloves I couldn't the lid to move. I sat there glaring at it and decided to try something weird.

I took a small screwdriver ( about 4.5"/11 cm) and stabbed it through the middle of the lid. Jar opened with no problem after that. This is now on my list of ways to deal with stubborn jar lids. :-)

Oh yeah, I slapped a hunk of duct tape over the hole. If that sounds icky to you, you can always transfer the contents to another container.

I've also been clearing out the freezer some. I've been getting frozen meats from the food boxes faster than I've been using them up. I'm working on thinning the herd.
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Came across a link to an interesting article while re-reading some old posts in other folks LJs (I'm cleaning up the old comment notifications, and read the original posts to get context)

Seems banana slugs are edible.

http://rickshawunschooling.blogspot.com/2007/10/wild-food-killing-our-own-meat.html

Another comment after the one with the link notes that you should keep them for several days and feed them on "safe" stuff to make sure they are purged of any toxins from eating things they can eat but humans can't.

even with that caution, it is tempting to go out to Forest Park to harvest some.. :-)

Oh yeah, several sorts of garden snails are edible as well. Though you have to isolate them for even longer because they may have picked up pestocides from other peoples gardens.

I am once again reminded of something I've had to teach a number of bachelors and bachelorettes over the years.

"Squeaky clean" isn't just some odd phrase. It describes an actual condition. One that you *really* need to achieve to avoid various sorts of ick.

When you hand wash anything with a relatively smooth surface, try running you finger(s) over the surface. If it squeaks, it's clean. If it does, that's because there's still a thin layer of grease or oil coating that part of the surface.

All sorts of nasties can live and breed in that grease. Yeah, *most* of the time there isn't that much grease and nothing will happen. But all it takes is *once* to make you sick as a dog.

Even if it "merely" gives your food an "off" taste, that's a waste of the money (and time) you spent on that food.

Even if you have a dishwasher, you might want to try running a wet (with water, not spit, you slob :-) finger over a few surfaces, just to make sure the dishwasher is getting things properly clean.

Another suggestion for folks who are on their own for the first time is look into the food safety classes most local health departments give. Even if they charge for it, the food handler's card you get at the end is useful if you are looking for a job at a restaurant or even a fast food place. And (as I understand you can do in some places) if you can take it for free and just not get the card, it's worth it to learn a lot of stuff about food storage and handling that most folks don't know.

Sure, you'll probably skip a lot of the stuff they teach you. But *knowing* that you are taking a shortcut is ok because you have some idea of the risks.

Not like doing stuff because you don't *know* it's unsafe.

Okay, I haven't been able to use up some of the marked down produce I've gotten quite as fast as I'd planned.

And then a couple days ago, I was presented with a "must grab" item there, two *huge* red bell peppers, a big orange one, a medium sized green one and about a pound of fair sized white mushrooms. All for 99 cents.

Yes, I could see a bad spot on one of the peppers and knew there were like other hidden one. It was still too good to pass up.

Since I already had more green peppers and some mushrooms and 3 cucumbers at home my course was clear.

I bought bag of romaine hearts and a big bottle of ranch dressing.

A bit ago, it became clear that my apartment wasn't one of the ones chosen for random inspections by the housing authority team that hit the building today.

So I whipped up a huge bowl of salad. Peppers of several colors, cucumbers, mushrooms, shredded romaine lettuce, onions, and shredded cheese (pepper jack and cheddar).

I am currently taking a break from pigging out on produce. :-)

Q: Doctor, I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is this true?
A: Heart only good for so many beats, and that it... Don't waste on exercise. Everything wear out eventually. Speed up heart not make live longer; that like say you can extend life of car by driving faster. Want live longer? Take nap.


Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does cow eat? Hay and corn. What are these? Vegetables. So, steak nothing more than efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef also good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And pork chop can give 100% recommended daily allowance of vegetable products..

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Not exactly a recipe, but just in case anybody else is either even more lacking in imagination than me:

Ok, the "recipe" for lentils was:

3 cups water
1 cup rinsed and drained lentils

Simmer for 20-60 minutes, until tender, then drain excess fluid

Since I'd scored a 3 pound package of bacon ends and pieces for only $4.20 or so, I immediately decided to cut up some and toss them in. I also added garlic and minced dried onions.

still playing around with proportions. and, alas, I don't think I've got much else in the way of spices to throw in. Not bad though.


Oh yeah, I bring it to a boil before starting the timer, then I turn down the heat.

Looking at what I've got on hand, I've decided to try making a pasta salad using some spaghetti and fresh tomatoes.

I'm thinking olive oil, & balsamic vinegar for "dressing". (I have white vinegar too, if that'd work better).

I'm wondering about spices and stuff to add.

Spices and spice like stuff I have on hand:

salt
pepper
sugar(splenda)
garlic powder
curry powder
dry mustard
rosemary leaves
rubbed sage
marjoram
cinnamon (powder)
cinnamon (sticks)
basil leaves
oregano
mace
whole cloves
whole allspice
powdered ginger
lemon juice
soy sauce

I also have a 3.5 lb pork roast (currently frozen) that I plan to do in the crock pot one of these days. Any suggestions on what (and how much!) to put in with it.

Oh yeah, I also have:
chicken soup base
corn meal
corn flour
flour
spaghetti
noodles
dried lentils
oatmeal
breadcrumbs
dried pinto beans
rice
raisins
frozen pitted cherries
frozen persimmons
canned green beans
several sorts of tea

If it ain't on the list, I don't have it and currently can't afford it.