Improvisational cooking

My chickens never turn down leftovers, in this case raw carrots,
which I hate but were included in a bag of packaged salad,
which I rarely buy but was in stock when I ordered groceries last week. 

The grocery supply chain here is still way out of whack,
and the stuff I usually buy isn't available. 

So like everyone else, I'm improvising. 

I'm also pampering the girls at every opportunity because eggs are the new gold.

Mini pizza shells are a staple in my pantry,
and nothing says dinner like breakfast with a face.

I call this one "Emoji, it's what's for dinner."

Since there wasn't a carb in sight at Walmart last week,
I had no choice but to bake bread.

Remember back in the old days when we did that together?

I'm still using the same recipe. 

It may be time to print out another copy. 

I made eight sandwich rolls and two baguettes,
which are safely tucked away in the freezer for now.

The "Home Cooking" sticker is there to:
a) hide the ugly electrical outlet which detracted from the pretty bread
and, more importantly, b) remind me to tell you about the "Home Cooking" podcast. 

The co-hosts are Samin Nosrat (whose Netflix series "Salt Fat Acid Heat" is terrific)
and Hrishikesh Hirway (who co-hosted The West Wing Weekly podcast).
(Have I mentioned that I'm a Wingnut and have binged the entire series three times?) 

Anyway, the "Home Cooking" podcast is meant to help you figure out what to cook
while we're all staying safe at home. It's funny, filled with practical advice,
and Samin has the most infectious laugh.
Alex and I listened to the first episode while out walking,
and I was inspired to run all the way home and start cooking.

This picture was taken before Walmart ran out of bread.
I'm showing it to you because of the wooden stovetop cover I found on Etsy.
I hate this stove with a passion because: a) the surface is impossible to keep clean. Not anymore!
and b) the stinkin' light is so darned bright it keeps me up at night,

but that is what electrical tape is for.

Hill's Science Diet K/D, Plan B

Smooch was recently diagnosed with chronic kidney disease, 

a common condition in senior dogs. Our vet explained that the most important thing 

I can do to help manage the disease is to put Smooch on a special diet,

specifically Hill's Science Diet K/D. She sent us home with some samples.

Smooch loved it. I looked up the price. I didn't love it.

I wondered if I could cook something similar that would be 

as good for Smooch's kidneys and not as harmful to my bank account.

I googled around for "homemade dog food for kidney disease" 

and shared a recipe I found with our vet. She supported the idea

and encouraged me to give it a try.

The recipe is called "Simple and Quick Homemade Dog Food for Kidney Disease"

and here are the ingredients:

Simple? Yes. Quick? Hell no.

I'm a messy, disorganized cook, so it took the better part of Saturday morning

 to make this double batch, which I'm hoping will last two weeks.

 

As I was slaving over the stove cooking the rice and the sweet potatoes

and the green beans and the egg whites and the ground beef,

and every stinkin' pot I owned needed to be washed,

that Hill's Science Diet stuff was starting to seem like a bargain...

...until I fed my homemade version to Smooch at dinnertime.

She licked her bowl clear across the kitchen and into the next room

trying to get every morsel. Never has anyone appreciated my cooking as much.

I'm committed to making this recipe for Smooch at least until the fall,

when we'll re-test her blood and see how her kidneys are doing.

Meanwhile, I'm going to look into those instant pot things

and see if there's a way to speed up the cooking,

or at least make less of a mess.

Ghee wiz

During my last trip to Trader Joe's, I noticed something bright yellow in a jar next to the spices.

The label said "buffalo ghee," but I had no idea what it was, so I passed it by and

merrily tossed a half dozen jars of "Everything but the bagel" seasoning into my cart.

Heaven forbid I should run out.

A few days later, I received a package in the mail (thanks again, Anne!) and lo and behold,

one of the treats I found inside was a jar of bright yellow Trader Joe's Seasoned Buffalo Ghee.

I still had no idea what it was, but google suggested I could use it in place of butter or oil.

What the heck...might as well try it on my next grilled cheese sandwich, I thought.

Three weeks and probably 12 grilled cheese sandwiches later, I'm here to respectfully suggest that

you cast aside all methods of making grilled cheese sandwiches in favor of this one:

1. Spread Trader Joe's Seasoned Buffalo Ghee on the outsides of two pieces of good bread.

2. Put your favorite cheese in the middle

3. Grill sandwich over medium-low heat, turning over every couple of minutes.

The bread becomes beautifully golden brown at about the same time that the cheese melts,

unlike butter or olive oil which, in my experience, burns long before the cheese melts

and sets off the smoke detectors. I've tried the mayonnaise method, which doesn't burn,

but what's the point of a grilled sandwich if it doesn't taste buttery?

 

Fearing that I might run out of my stash of seasoned buffalo ghee 

before my next trip to Trader Joe's, I picked up a jar of plain cow ghee 

at the Walmart. It produced similar golden, crispy, delicious results,

but the "turmeric and other spices" in the TJ's brand is to die for.

And if I keep eating grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner every night, I probably will.

But who can resist eating sandwiches for dinner when there's bread fresh out of the oven?

Retirement is definitely bringing out my domestic side. 

Saturday encore ~ It's all about the pie

This encore post is from September 12, 2016.

The 2017 Pie Town Festival is today. I won't be attending because 

this year, it's all about George and Lucy, not the pie. 

Lucy showed some tiny signs of improvement yesterday.

I'll try to post an update tomorrow.

***

This is the pie I baked to take to the Pie Town festival on Saturday. 

It was a peach/raspberry. I rarely bake pies, and for good reason.

They're a lot of work! Perhaps it is my inexperience, but by the time

I researched a recipe, made the crust, peeled the peaches, wove the lattice,

then baked the darned thing, cleared the smoke out of the house

and cleaned the oven, we're talking six hours that I would never get back.

 I thought about entering it in the contest, 

then I thought about all the work that went into it,

then I thought about it being just another nameless, faceless pie
that the judgmental judges wouldn't appreciate

nearly as much as some other people I know,

  so instead of competing with it,
 I took my pie to Pie Town and served it to my friends...

 

...some of whom I was meeting in person for the first time.

 Hi, Janet! Janet has been a regular reader and commenter on this blog since forever

and came to Pie Town all the way from Arizona.

 Hi, Aunt Jean! Another regular reader and commenter since forever, 

Jean and her husband drove all the way to Pie Town from Denver.

Never underestimate the lengths people will go to for a piece of pie.

Before we leave this picture, let us not overlook the bearded man in the corner

who appears to making an offering to the pie gods.

 Hi, Tom and Kathy and their well-behaved dogs, at the finish line of the PiK.

It was 3.14159 miles. 

Tom and Kathy were my neighbors before I moved to the 7MSN,

and they introduced me to the whole Pie Town festival experience in 2010.

Tom and Kathy both placed in their divisions in the PiK race. 

Their dogs, having pulled them up the last hill, felt they deserved 

their piece of the pie, but Tom wasn't buying it.

 I would not have been able to resist this face.

 Thorin is a Rhodesian Ridgeback with very large paws.

 I had as much fun taking dog pictures at the festival

as I did eating pie.

It's all about the pie

This is the pie I baked to take to the Pie Town festival on Saturday. 

It was a peach/raspberry. I rarely bake pies, and for good reason.

They're a lot of work! Perhaps it is my inexperience, but by the time

I researched a recipe, made the crust, peeled the peaches, wove the lattice,

then baked the darned thing, cleared the smoke out of the house,

and cleaned the oven, we're talking six hours that I would never get back.

 I thought about entering it in the contest, 

then I thought about all the work that went into it,

then I thought about it being just another nameless, faceless pie
that the judgmental judges wouldn't appreciate

nearly as much as some other people I know,

  so instead of competing with it,
 I took my pie to Pie Town and served it to my friends...

 

...some of whom I was meeting in person for the first time.

 Hi, Janet! Janet has been a regular reader and commenter on this blog since forever

and came to Pie Town all the way from Arizona.

 Hi, Aunt Jean! Another regular reader and commenter since forever, 

Jean and her husband drove all the way to Pie Town from Denver.

Never underestimate the lengths people will go to for a piece of pie.

Before we leave this picture, let us not overlook the bearded man in the corner

who appears to making an offering to the pie gods.

 Hi, Tom and Kathy and their well-behaved dogs, at the finish line of the PiK.

It was 3.14159 miles. 

Tom and Kathy were my neighbors before I moved to the 7MSN,

and they introduced me to the whole Pie Town festival experience in 2010.

Tom and Kathy both placed in their divisions in the PiK race. 

Their dogs, having pulled them up the last hill, felt they deserved 

their piece of the pie, but Tom wasn't buying it.

 I would not have been able to resist this face.

 Thorin is a Rhodesian Ridgeback with very large paws.

 I had as much fun taking dog pictures at the festival

as I did eating pie.

Saturday encore ~ Life of Pie

Today's encore post is from September 16, 2014, and guess what I'm doing today...
going back to Pie Town for the pie festival! I've got a peach-raspberry pie in the oven
as I type this Friday night. The house is very smoky. This may not end well.
I am meeting longtime blog readers and friends Janet and Aunt Jean 
at the festival. If you're in the neighborhood, stop by!
There will be pie.


***


We rejoin our pie story early Saturday morning.

(Click here if you have no idea what I'm talking about.) 

Pie transportation can be tricky, particularly when the transport vehicle is full of dog hair and 

the destination is 145 miles away. We placed one pie in a hat box and the other in a cooler 

and roped them in. The security measures protected the pies from contaminants and the bumpy road

and also ensured there would be no snacking along the way.

Our precious cargo arrived safely. We completed our entry forms, received ribbons that identified us

as official pie bakers, then our pies were placed on tables with their competition. 

My orange chocolate pecan pie would be judged against others in the Nut category...

...and Danni and Paul's dutch caramel apple pie would be judged in the Fruit category.

We staked out the competition closely as more pies continued to arrive.

I think there were about 70 pies entered in the contest, and they all looked and smelled delicious.

The judges were instructed to rate each pie's appearance, crust and taste based on this criteria:

 Top crust should be golden brown, flaky and crisp eating.

Both crusts should cut easily with fork, hold shape when served, and have a pleasant flavor.

Bottom crust should not be soggy.

For fruit fillings, size of pieces should be suited to fruit used; texture should be tender; pieces should 

hold shape; flavor should be characteristic of fruit used; no starchy taste and not a really runny filling.

Nut fillings should hold shape and not be runny.

The pie-parazzi watched closely as the official pie cutter sliced Danni and Paul's pie for judging.

I would have rated it a 10 in every category, but nobody asked me.

My pie held its shape and wasn't runny...so far, so good. But how would it taste? 

Here is Danni wearing her pie baker ribbon while we stood around waiting for the judges to do their thing.

Here is a judge studying the appearance of Danni and Paul's pie. 

Her poker face did not give us any clues.

Here is a judge tasting my pie. I wonder if he noticed the obnoxious photographer? 

I took alot of pictures that morning.

One of the nice volunteers asked me, "Are you with the paper?" 

I said, "No, I'm with the pie."

She said, "Which one?"

I said, "The one with the braided crust."

She remarked about how pretty it was. Too bad she wasn't one of the judges.

Neither of our pies were winners, but we were cool with that. We knew our pies were very good,

so the winners must have been great.

Anyway, once the contest was over, the pies were taken to the concession stand, where pieces could be purchased.

We headed over there to buy slices of our own pies so we could finally find out how they tasted.

Here are Danni and Paul standing in line, waiting to buy pie. Then the weirdest thing happened.

Just as we got to the front of the line, my pie was brought over from the contest area.

A lady put it on the shelf with all the other pies, then a few seconds later, picked it up and took it away.

"Wait! Wait! That's my pie!" I exclaimed. "I want to buy a piece!"

The lady said it was disqualified and they couldn't sell it. Huh?

Then a man came over and said he was the health inspector and gave us some song and dance about

there being chocolate on the pie and he couldn't tell what kind of chocolate it was...blah blah blah...

and bottom line they couldn't sell it. So they gave the whole pie back to me. Score!

Now I could have as much of my orange chocolate pecan pie as my heart desired, and 

were it not for the fact that it contained 625 calories per serving, I would have eaten the whole thing.

(Here's a link to the recipe.)

Then our table filled up with other pie eaters, including the guy in the pony tail at the end 

who had come from Utah and was a contestent in the pie-eating contest. 

He brought along a raspberry pie ... and a knife ... so I borrowed it and cut pieces of my pie for everybody 

and he cut pieces of his pie for everybody and we all sat around eating pie in Pie Town. 

What a great day.