Clara's Bell Peppers and Eggs

Clara's Bell Peppers and Eggs
(adapted from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4IjNV3lZkQ)
 

Clara Cannucciari became a YouTube star with the help of her grandson, years ago.

This is my second recipe of Clara's to try.

My Bell peppers and eggs came out great. Very tasty and surprisingly filling.

I followed Clara's recipe except I used frozen Bell pepper strips that equaled about 2 peppers. Also, I used 2 eggs.

In addition, I added a bit of Rock Salt and Macha when the dish was done.

I love this dish for another reason, it's a great way to use frozen Bell pepper strips.

 This is one recipe I will use often!

Ingredients:

Olive oil
Frozen Bell pepper strips (equal to about 2 Bell peppers)
2 eggs
Rock salt and Macha
or s/p to taste


Process:

In a medium skillet, add a dollop of olive oil.
Add the frozen Bell pepper strips and cook on medium.
Stir to separate and spread the strips in the skillet.
Stir occasionally.
Cook until they begin to brown.

Once they begin to brown, lower the temperature to simmer. Stir some more, then cover and cook until the peppers are softer.

Crack the eggs into a bowl and whip with a fork to break the yolks and add a bit air to the mix.

Add the eggs to the peppers. Stir to mix thoroughly.

Cook mixture on medium.
Stir as eggs cook.
Cook until eggs are done, generally until the eggs are firm and not runny.












Remove and serve on a plate or in a bowl

Add extra s/p to taste. I added a bit of rock salt and Macha*.

*I am still chafing at spending about 20 dollars on a small packet of Macha for 1 recipe. But, on Clara's Bell peppers and eggs, it made the dish even tastier.

+++

Dear Blog Visitors: I am sorry this post looks like crap.

But, Blogger.com's ability to format text and to place pictures in text has deteriorated over time. Most of their text formatting options do not work.  It is a horrible blog platform. I actually think Blogger.com wants its users to go to other blog services and is trying to drive them away with awful software. Their feedback function is useless, they have little to no staff actually working to fix blogger.com issues. There have been no upgrades in a long time. I would love to go to another blog platform but my blog is so data intensive, it will be a big headache and will take a lot of time.

Ria's Basic Skillet Dish

Ria's Basic Skillet Dish

I wish I knew the history of this recipe. It is one recipe I use more than any other.

This is a catchall dish. I never seem to have the same ingredients when I start to make this dish. So, this dish can have a variety of combinations.

Note: when I first adapted this recipe, I used a propane stovetop. Now, I have an electric hot plate, so the temperatures are different. The hot plate burns hotter at lower settings, so I had to decrease the cooking time.


Ingredients:

2 TBspns olive oil
1 clove garlic, diced*
1 onion, chopped*
3-5 potatoes, sliced
1 squash, cut into chuncks
1 8 oz can mushrooms, drained
1 cup bullion (use chicken or vegetable cube
Oregano
Sea salt or s/p to taste

*To make this recipe GERD-friendly, I do not use onions and garlic anymore, I use a bit of onion powder and garlic powder.
 
Process:

Add oil to skillet. Heat to medium.
Add garlic. Add onions.
Cook garlic and onions until onions are clear.
Add potatoes.
Add bullion and seasonings. Reduce heat. Simmer 15 minutes.
Next, add squash and mushrooms.
Simmer an additional 20 minutes.
Check to see if potatoes are done. If not, cook for about 10 more minutes.

Additions: add 1/2 of kielbasa sausage, sliced; or diced cooked chicken, spam, or ham. Cook meat first, then add vegetables.

Options: add one 8 oz can salsa and reduce bullion; add olives or diced bell pepper, or cabbage shredded or cut in wedges.

Substitutions: one jar of artichoke or heart of palm in place of mushrooms.

Quasi-DIY Lipstick

Quasi-DIY Lipstick

Over the years, many of my various lipsticks had been used down to the nub.

So, following a Tightwad Gazette tip, I scooped out the remains of about five used tubes into a small glass jar. Then, I microwaved the contents for about 1 minute on high to melt the contents.

After the jar cooled, I used a cosmetic lip brush to spread the mixture as lipstick.

The used lipsticks were of a variety of colors and brands, from light cream to deep mauve, including lip glosses and lip balm. I was pleasantly surprised that I liked the color and texture of the mixture.

Toast Toppings - New Food Craze

 Note: Look for updates below.

Instead of posting each new Toast Topping combination separately, I will just add them here.

I am into a new food craze, Toast Toppings. I eat them mainly for breakfast and/or late evening meal.
 

Like Crazy Salads, you can get inventive with the various toppings.

Toast Toppings are like a mini-meal or half a sandwich. What I like is I feel I can get essential vitamins, minerals and healthy herbs and spices without having to eat full portions or three-course meals.

Toast Toppings
(Adapted from: https://www.positivehealthwellness.com/diet-nutrition/14-fillings-toast-toppings-100-calories/ , https://www.rd.com/food/recipes-cooking/toast-topping-snack-recipes/ , https://www.buzzfeed.com/tashweenali/energy-boosting-breakfast-toasts?utm_term=.jujMxRb9n4#.rx1ZPvO0KE, https://mykidslickthebowl.com/healthy-toast-toppings/, https://spoonuniversity.com/recipe/10-unique-toast-toast-toppings-that-aren-t-avocado)

Basically, toast a slice of bread, any kind, and top with a variety of topping choices.
 
I don't have a toaster. I use a skillet. I add a bit of oil and then toast slices of wheat or integral bread on both sides.

Then, I spread 1-2 Tablespoons of the following items or mixtures or other items:

Peanut Butter
-with banana slices with cinnamon
-with blueberries or other fruit slices

Beans on Toast

Black Beans and Salsa
 
Refried Beans with salsa, topped with poached egg
 
Cream Cheese with
-cucumber slices with basil
-blueberries or other fruit
-banana slices with cinnamon
 
Mozzarella Cheese slivers placed on bread slice while toasting the bottom to soften and warm, then remove and top with 1-2 tspns of canned salsa and a sprinkle of dry crushed basil
 
Scrambled eggs
 
Poached Egg with or without salt and Matcha mixture

Avocado mash with lime, garnish parsley

Avocado mash, topped with poached egg and Garam Masala

Avocado Mixture
Pseudo Pesto Mixture
Hummus Mixture
Eggplant Mixture
Mushroom Mixture
Mashed Baked Potato Mixture
 
Pictured: Toast Toppings - Mozzarella Cheese with salsa; Poached Egg with Matcha; Scrambled Egg with salsa and Matcha; and Hummus.
 
See blog for recipes for above mixtures.


Toast Toppings Updates:

12/15/18

Cream cheese with a layer of canned salmon, topped with some leftover slaw from carryout, a sprinkle of onion powder, and a few capers.
(Adapted from: https://bestfriendsforfrosting.com/smoked-salmon-and-cream-cheese-toast/)


1/23/19

Small, thin wedges of cheddar cheese, spinach, bacon bits, ground black pepper, strips of slice of jamon lunchmeat, Chile Chipotle Mayonesa, paprika...Add cheddar cheese wedges on top of one side of toasted bread while toasting other side in skillet, cover, cook less than a minute to avoid burning toast. Add cooked spinach, sprinkle with bacon bits and ground black pepper. Top with jamon strips. Add a bit of Chipotle mayonesa, sprinkle with paprika.

 Types of "Toast":

Bread, various types
Tostada
Fried tortilla, flour or maize
Pre-toasted pan/bread

1/23/19

Toast Topping: Cottage cheese, cucumber slices, onion powder, black pepper, paprika, parmesan cheese

Great Depression Cooking With Clara - Pasta and Peas

I had heard of Clara's cooking show on YouTube years ago but during a recent random search on YouTube, I found her videos. Also, found Clara on @food52.

"In 2007, her grandson Christopher Cannucciari began filming Clara preparing her mother's Depression meals and assembled the footage into the YouTube series Great Depression Cooking with Clara. She retired shortly after her 96th birthday and her last video was posted on November 10, 2013 (Twice Baked Potato)"  (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clara_Cannucciari)

You can find Clara's recipes and more in her book, Clara's Kitchen, Wisdom, Memories and Recipes from the Great Depression (https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/claras-kitchen-clara-cannucciari/1101904999#/).

I watched several of Clara's videos. I was particularly impressed with her dandelion salad. But, her Pasta and Peas Recipe caught my attention because it was a perfect recipe to use for my leftover cooked potatoes, peas, and pasta.

Clara's Pasta and Peas Recipe
(Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuMkW35BwK8)


Ingredients:

1 Potato, diced
1 Onion, diced
Olive oil
1 Can of peas, drained
1 Bag of pasta macaroni
s/p


Process:

Put potatoes and onion in a pan.
Add a dash or two of olive oil.
Cook until soft.
Add peas
Stir.
Add enough water to cook pasta.
Simmer until pasta is cooked.
Season to taste.
 
Variation: add some tomato sauce.

Serve a portion on a plate, top with Parmesan cheese.


Leftover Potatoes, Peas and Pasta
(Adapted from Great Depression Cooking with Clara, Pasta and Peas, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuMkW35BwK8)

I made Clara's recipe backwards in order to use my leftovers.


Ingredients:

1/2 Bag package pasta
Water
LO Cooked potatoes
LO Canned peas
1 tsp Onion powder
2 TB Olive oil
s/p to taste
Hot sauce to taste
Topping: Parmesan cheese


Process:

Make pasta first. When ready, drain most of water.

Note: I call the pasta I used in this recipe "Octopus Pasta" because I have never seen pasta in such an unusual shape.

Add leftover potatoes and peas.
Add onion powder and olive oil.
Season to taste with s/p and hot sauce.
Stir well, cook on medium-low for a few minutes to make mixture warm.

Serve warm, top with a few shakes of Parmesan cheese

Thank you Clara.

The Great Little Cookbook

In one of my random searches for recipes and free cookbooks, I found this little gem, The Great Little Cookbook, written by Sally Mackay, produced by New Zealand's Ministry of Social Development.
 
Ms. Mackay has created a cookbook jam-packed with information regarding shopping and creating healthy meals and snacks for adults, children and babies.
 
Her creative layouts pack a plethora of tips on each page using lists, boxes, shaded callouts, and a few graphics.

Some of the topics she covers are:

• serving sizes, types of vegetables, grains and milk 
• good fat vs bad fats 
• sugar and salt  
• eating sweets and dental health 
• menu planning and menu plan tips 
• shopping and pantry lists and tips 
• substitutes 
• food poisoning and food safety tips 
• food label analysis

Every page features multiple variations.

Mackay offers a wide range of recipes from Breakfast, to various meals with meat and fish, salads, soups, and birthday parties, and healthy baby tips.

I found the School lunches pages interesting.

The sandwich page is an example of how Mackay puts densely packed information on one page.




I laughed when I read her note on the Beans and Lentils pages, she said, "Lentil patties are not just for hippies."

I choose to try the Pasta Salad and Curry dressing on page 72. 





Pasta Salad
from: The Great Little Cookbook, pg 72 

Mix cooked pasta (not noodles), cooked mixed vegetables, chopped cucumber and sunflower seeds
 
Curry dressing
Add 1 teaspoon curry powder to yoghurt or mayonnaise
 
As usual, I adapted the recipe to work with what I have. I made two different types servings.

For one, I used cold spaghetti noodles and leftover frozen mixed vegetables. For the other, I used cold spaghetti noodles and some canned mixed vegetables. Plus, I made my own Curry Dressing.

Ria's Curry Dressing

Ingredients:

3 heaping tspns mayo
a small pour of plain yogurt
1 level tspn cumin


Process:

Add ingredients to empty glass jar and stir.
Add any number of spoonfuls to the spaghetti and vegetable mixture. Stir and mix well to coat the mixture.