DIY: Dry Erase Board

I love dry erase boards. I have lots around my home.

So, when I saw this DIY version, I scrambled to find the materials to make one.

 

 

DIY: Dry Erase Board

Credit: https://youtu.be/o909eJiN-ck

 

Really, all you need is a page-sized piece of cardboard and a plastic page sleeve.

 

Put the cardboard into the sleeve and write on the surface with dry erase markers.

 

To wipe the board, clean with a slightly damp cloth.

Microwave: Mug O'Frittata

Over time, I shifted from making a Mug dish and eating it straight from the mug to using the recipe as a Toast Topping. Now, I am using various recipes as a Quesadilla filling.

 

Also, over time, I have moved away from frying foods. Plus, I hardly every use salt in my recipes because often many of the ingredients already contain salt.

 

I do attempt to make my recipes GERD-friendly. This can not be labelled GERD-friendly primarily because it contains cheeses.

 

 

Mug O’Frittata 

(Adapted from: Recipe Tin Eats https://www.recipetineats.com/baked-vegetable-frittata/ and WikiCookBook https://en.m.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cookbook:Frittata)

Ingredients:

1 Slice Multigrain toast or “fried” Tortilla*

1 Dab of Olive oil

1 Egg

1 Dollop of Milk (lactose-free)

1-2 Drops Hot sauce

1 Tspn Parsley, dry

S/P to taste

1-2 TBspns Hard or mixed cheeses, grated

1 Slice of Turkey lunchmeat, torn into pieces

2 Heaping TBspns Canned mixed vegetable, drained & rinsed, or frozen mixed vegetables

Mayo (Optional)

Topping: 1 TBspn Canned Mushroom slices / bits, rinsed (Optional)

Garnish: parmesan cheese (Optional)

 

Process:

Add oil to mug, swirl to cover bottom and sides.

Add egg, milk, spices and S/P.

Stir and whip thoroughly.

Add cheese, vegetables and turkey pieces.

Stir and mix well.

Top with mushrooms.

Microwave on high 2 minutes.

Check to make sure all liquids have been cooked off, if not microwave 60secs or more.

Remove and garnish with Parmesan cheese.

Spread some mayo over toast or "fried" quesadilla.

Mash and spread the mixture over toast, or a tortilla and fold (It will be stuffed).

 

 

I did not use the mushrooms, Parmesan cheese, or put mayo on the "fried" quesadilla and it was fabulous and filling.

*Note: I microwaved the tortilla for about 60sec on high to "fry" it. A microwaved tortilla is not as good as a fried tortilla but I am just not frying much these days.

 

To fry a tortilla, put a bit of oil in a skillet and brown the tortilla on both sides and then while still in the skillet fill one side of the tortilla, fold over and cook a bit more. Then remove from skillet to plate.

 

Stovetop: Canned Mushrooms and Mixed Vegetable Soup

I love the Star Trek Cookbook by Ethan Phillips (Neelix from Star Trek Voyager) and William J. Birnes. I have bookmarked several recipes, this is one, Jeri Ryan's Wild Mushroom Soup. But, as you will see, my recipe does not resemble the original recipe.

 

Where I live, many powdered spices absorb moisture and harden. I decided to try and use up my hardened onion and garlic powders in this recipe. I used a bit too much. But, the end result was tasty, not a knock your socks off flavor, but tasty.

 

Most of the time, I never have all the ingredients recipes call for, so, I am usually in “Use What You Have” mode.

 

In this recipe, I did not have fresh mushrooms or potatoes, so I used canned mushrooms and canned mixed vegetables.

I did not add specific measurements, I just eye-balled it.

 

 

Canned Mushrooms and Mixed Vegetable Soup
(Inspired by: Star Trek Cookbook, Jeri Ryan’s Wild Mushroom Soup p30)

 

 

Ingredients:

 

Olive oil

Garlic powder

Onion powder

1-2 Drops Hot sauce

1 14oz Can of Sliced Mushrooms, drained & rinsed

Water

1 vegetable or chicken bouillon cube

1 14oz Can of mixed diced vegetables, drained & rinsed

Process:

 

Note: my skillet is small, a larger skillet would have been better or I could have cooked the mushrooms in the pot, first.

In a skillet, add olive oil, garlic and onion powders, and hot sauce.

Cook at medium heat, stir and cook until ingredients are thoroughly mixed and heated.

Add mushrooms.

Add oil as needed.

Stir and cook ingredients until thoroughly mixed and heated.

In a pot, add 2-6 cups of water.

Add bouillon cube.

Add vegetables.

Add mushroom mixture.

Stir well.

Bring to a boil.

Simmer 20 minutes.

Serve with crackers.

 

 

Microwave: Mug O'Mixed Fruit Bread Pudding (Non-Dairy)

I started out thinking I'd try making different Mug Recipe, then, I switched to thinking about my recipe Mug O'Diana's Bread Pudding which used raisins.

 

I thought, I have raisins. Hmmm, I have apples. I have blueberries. Let's see how this goes.

 

Then, I realized I didn't have any milk, at the moment. Then, I thought, hey, use the crema de coco (Cream of Coconut) which is cream-like. Then, I thought, try using the condensed Horchata. So, here is the result.

Microwave: Mug O'Mixed Fruit Bread Pudding

(Non-Dairy)

 

 

Ingredients:

 

A Dollop of Olive oil

A palmful of Raisins

A palmful of Dried blueberries

1/4 Apple, diced

A Tspn Crema de Coco

A Tspn Horchata

A Dollop Water

A Capful Vanilla flavoring

A Drop of hot sauce

A Grind of Black pepper

1 Slice of Multi-grain bread, torn into small bits

1 Egg

 

 

Process:

 

Add oil to bottom of mug.

Swirl oil around to coat bottom and sides of mug.

Add fruits.

Add Crema de Coco and Horchata.

Add a dollop of water.

Add Vanilla and spices.

Add bread.

Stir and mix ingredients thoroughly until bread has been mixed well with the liquids.

Add egg.

Stir and mix well.

Cover Mug with a saucer.

Microwave 2 minutes on high. Check, if mixture is still too liquidity, microwave another 30-60 seconds.

Note: saucer may pop off as mixture heats and rises.

 

I ate it straight from the mug. It was delightful and surprisingly substantial.

 

Simple Turkey RollUp

After Thanksgiving, I had plenty of store bought, sliced turkey lunchmeat in the freezer. I like turkey.

 

It took a day or two to figure out that making a Turkey RollUp would be a great way to use the slices of turkey lunchmeat. I had some basic ingredients: Italian lettuce, cream cheese, shredded mixed cheese and some salsa.

 

When I like something I eat a lot of it. So, for about 3 days, I ate several Turkey RollUps and I was happy. Plus, I had to use that lettuce, quickly.

As I started to write this post, I wondered what is the difference between a RollUp and a Wrap? A quick internet search did not answer the question. But, in my mind, the ingredients in a RollUp are less than a Wrap, a Wrap is bulkier than a RollUp. Plus, with some Rollups, once you've made a RollUp, you can slice it vertically and make Pinwheel appetizers.

 

 

Simple Turkey RollUp

 

Ingredients:

 

1 Flour Tortilla

1 TBspn Cream Cheese

Add Ground black pepper, to taste

1 TBspn Mixed cheese, grated

1 Slice of Lunchmeat

1 Palmful of Italian lettuce or other greenery, shredded

1 Tspn of Canned salsa

 

 

Process:

 

Place tortilla on a plate.

Spread the cream cheese over the whole tortilla.

Sprinkle with ground black pepper.

Sprinkle on grated cheese.

Add lunchmeat.

Add lettuce.

Sprinkle salsa over the lettuce.

Pick an edge of the tortilla and roll it tightly towards the other edge.

Resource:

In my internet search regarding RollUps and Wraps, I found this recipe on one of my favorite recipe websites, SpruceEats:

Low Calorie Ham and Turkey Wrap

https://www.thespruceeats.com/low-calorie-ham-and-turkey-wrap-2246291

Faux Cottage Cheese

The cottage cheese here is a bit different from what I am used to. It’s a bit watery and the cheese seems like bits of cheese rather than curds.

So, I thought, I could probably make a similar DIY cottage cheese.

 

I concocted a recipe and it worked.

Faux Cottage Cheese
(Inspired by: https://www.wikihow.com/Make-Cottage-Cheese)

 

Ingredients:

Queso panela or a soft, light cheese, diced
Milk, lactose-free

1/4 - 1/2 Tsp Salt

White Vinegar

 

 

Process: 

 

In a small covered frig container, add diced / sliced bits of the cheese.

Add a dollop of milk, enough so the cheese bits are swimming in the milk.

Next, add salt and and a dollop of white vinegar.
Stir mixture thoroughly and refrigerate,

 

Hotplate: Three and Four Bean / Pea Salads

I am on a bean kick!

 

I used to make a great three bean salad with canned and drained Kidney beans, Green beans and Garbanzo beans with a ready-made Italian dressing.

 

Look at me now, cooking dry beans!

 

While I can get fresh green beans here and maybe dry kidney beans, I wanted to use the “Use What I Have” method rather than run to the store during a pandemic in a hot zone to get these items.

 

I used the recipes under Resources below as guides.

Hotplate: Three and Four Bean / Pea Salads

The day before making these salads, I made about a cup of Pinto beans, one cup of Black-eyed peas and about two cups Black beans from dry beans. The peas and Garbanzo beans came from cans.

There are plenty of how-to cook dry beans tutorials available like:

How to Cook Black-eyed Peas
https://www.wikihow.com/Cook-Black-Eyed-Peas 

No amounts are noted because you can make any size bean salad you desire

I made three sample combinations as a test.

 

 

#1

Black beans, cooked and drained

Pinto beans, cooked and drained

Black-eyed peas, cooked and drained

With ready-made Italian dressing

 

 

#2

Black-eyed peas, cooked and drained

Green peas, canned, drained and rinsed

Garbanzo beans, cooked and drained

Black-eyed peas, cooked and drained

With DIY Vinaigrette per Wikipedia with lime juice and dry parsley.

 

 

Wikipedia Vinaigrette:

 

3 parts oil
1 part apple cider vinegar

Herbs / Spices

 

 

#3

Pinto beans, cooked and drained 

Garbanzo beans, canned, drained and rinsed

Black beans, cooked and drained
With DIY Vinaigrette 

 

 

I liked all three bean/pea salads but I liked #2 and #3 because of the DIY Vinaigrette. The DIY Vinaigrette had a surprisingly light and bright flavor. 

 

 

Resources: 

 

Goya

https://www.goya.com/en/recipes/three-bean-salad

 

Wikipedia

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

 

Spending with Pennies

https://www.spendwithpennies.com/old-fashioned-bean-salad/

 

Microwave: Mug O'Black Bean Chocolate Cake

In a search for black bean recipes, I was surprised to find recipes for Black Bean Chocolate Cake, including a mug version.

As usual, I adapted the mug recipe to what I had on hand. Also, the original recipe was for two mug cakes. I created a one cake mug version.

 

I actually used black beans I had just cooked. I used a different method than the one noted on SpruceEats (see Resources below).

 

I put about a half of cup of dry black beans (rinsed) into a container and filled the container with water and let the beans soak for several hours. Then, I transferred the beans to a pot and added about 1 1/2 cups of water. I brought the beans to a boil then lowered the temperature to a simmer and let the beans simmer for about an hour or more. When I checked the beans, they were soft. I turned off the beans but let the covered pot sit on the counter to cool down before I put the beans into a jar and then into the frig.

 

 

Microwave: Mug O’Black Bean Chocolate Cake

(Adapted from: https://www.myrecipemagic.com/black-bean-brownie-mug-cake-2501391899.html)

Ingredients:

1/4 Cup Black beans, cooked and drained

1 TBspn Flour

1 TBspn Cocoa powder

1 TBspn Honey

1 TBspn DIY milk (milk made with lactose-free dry milk)

1 Tspn Vanilla flavoring

1 Egg

1/4 Tspn Baking powder

Topping: Honey

Suggested extra toppings: almond slivers, chocolate syrup

 

 

Process:

Add beans to mug.

Use a fork to mash the beans. Stir and mash until all the beans are mashed.

Add flour and cocoa powder.

Stir and mix ingredients until thoroughly mixed.

Add honey, milk and vanilla.

Stir ingredients thoroughly.

Add egg and baking powder.

Whip and stir ingredients thoroughly.

Put mug in microwave, cover with a saucer.

Microwave on high for 2 minutes.

Tip mug over and use a fork to help the cake slide onto the plate.

Add topping(s).

 

I was surprised, this turned out well. It tastes like chocolate cake with a subtle flavor of the black beans.

 

Resources:

 

Spruce Eats

How to Cook Black Beans

https://www.thespruceeats.com/cooking-black-beans-1808034

DIY: Two-Tone Blouse Conversion and the Back Stitch

A simple blouse and a small success.

After retiring from desk jobs, and living in a “buy what you need culture”, it did not take long to realize I did not have many basic living / survival skills.

Besides continuing to learn how to cook, I need to Up My Game in various areas like food preservation, sewing, home repairs, saving $, understanding nutrition and health standards, and more.

So, many of the YouTube DIY Crafts videos are helpful in learning basic skills.

 

You have to admire YouTube creators, not only for demonstrating their area of expertise and creativity but also for their abilities to produce quality videos which require planning and organizing their script and tools.

To make a video also requires a wide range of skills including: writing, staging, filming, lightning, audio production, editing and more.

 

 

 DIY: Two-Tone Blouse Conversion

I got the idea for making a “Two-Tone” blouse conversion from BlueprintDIY:

https://youtu.be/h7iVt6LK_S4

 

Basically, you take two shirts or blouses and cut them in half and then sew together one piece from one shirt/blouse to the alternate half of the other shirt/blouse. But, take a look at the video for specific instructions.

 

I enjoy this shirt because I was not wearing either of the two blouses very much, so now I like wearing my two-tone blouse. I have not sewn the other halves together yet, to make another two-tone blouse.

Sewing: the Back Stitch

 

During this process, I learned a new sewing stitch, the Back Stitch. Now here is where I am going to complain a bit. While I like the DIY Craft videos, many of them make the process look simple but it's never as simple as it looks.

 

Back Stitch from Wikihow

https://www.wikihow.com/Backstitch

Also, often I can't follow the steps in many of the DIY Craft videos, so I go to the internet to look for articles on the same topic like the Back Stitch and even there many articles include moving videos which drive me crazy.

 

Moving videos make me physically ill. I have to cover the moving image with my hand in order to read the text. So, even though I have offered a link to an article on how to make a Back Stitch. I had a lot of trouble following the steps due to my issues with moving images.

While I can watch a DIY Craft video or a movie like a continuous story, I can not follow the video's steps in making a craft. It is a struggle.

 

Not sure but my problem may be related to:

https://www.besthealthmag.ca/best-you/wellness/cyber-sickness/

Microwave: Mug O'Salmon & Vegetables, Mushrooms, Rice and Egg as a Toast Topping & Salad

A two-fer.

Perusing the frig contents, I had mostly eggs, a cucumber, a carrot, potatoes, salsa, cooked rice, LO canned salmon with vegetables, Italian lettuce and LO canned mushrooms.

This is when the ingredients come before the recipe.

Hmmm, we could make a mug of “fried rice” with salsa and an egg, but can’t add lettuce. Ok, what else? Maybe a salmon salad. I’m warming up.

Ok, we’ve got salmon with vegetables, cooked rice, an egg, mushrooms. Let’s start with this combo.

This reminds me of Jack Monroe. While this recipe does not resemble her recipes, the salmon brings back memories of her creamy salmon pasta.

Microwave: Mug O’Salmon & Vegetables, Rice with Egg as a Toast Topping

 

Ingredients:

1 Slice Multi-grain bread, toasted
A dab Olive or vegetable oil
1-2 Drops Hot sauce
1-2 TBspns Cooked rice
1 TBspn Canned salmon with vegetables
2 TBspns Canned mushrooms, diced, drained, rinsed
A dollop DIY Milk
1 Tspn Mayo



Process:

In a mug, add a dab of vegetable oil.
Add hot sauce (a tip from Jack).
Add cooked rice.
Add canned salmon.
Add mushrooms.
Add egg.
Stir ingredients thoroughly.
Add milk.
Stir thoroughly, again.
Place in microwave.
Cover with a saucer.
Microwave on high for 2 minutes.
Remove.
Stir.

If the liquids have not cooked away, return to microwave and cook 1-2 more minutes.

When I removed the mug, I realized the mixture was heavy. So, I made some toast, spread it with mayo and spread about 1/3 of the mixture over the toast.

Delicious.

A leftover success!!

 

Salmon with Vegetables, Mushrooms, Cooked Rice and Egg Mixture Salad

Using some of the remaining mixture from the recipe above, I'll make a salmon mixture salad for lupper, using some of the Italian lettuce, chopped olives, shredded cheese, cucumber and carrot.

 

DIY Mayo, Apple Vinegar, Yogurt and Paprika Dressing

Starting with an almost empty jar of mayo, I added about a dollop of yogurt, apple vinegar, and paprika. Then, I shook the jar vigorously to mix the ingredients. I only used a dribble of this mixture on the salad.

I have fallen in love with Italian lettuce, it is crispy and textured and it has more flavor than iceberg lettuce.

 

Actually, that one mug of salmon with vegetables, mushrooms, rice & egg made 3 meals. The above salad was my second salad made with the mixture.

Chicken Tostados Using Leftovers

Tostados are a forgiving dish.

 

This recipe is not the classic beef and refried beans Tostado. See Resources below for traditional Tostado recipes.

 

I struggle to use up perishables and avoid waste.

 

As I surveyed the frig, I had LO carry-out chicken, lettuce, cream, black beans, corn tortillas, rice, cucumbers, cottage cheese, mixed vegs, and eggs, I knew I had to use these in a limited timeframe.

 

I planned on making pickles from the cucumbers but I was not sure about the rest.

 

Originally, I thought I’d make tortilla chips from the corn tortillas,  then the light bulb went off, no, I am going to make tostados and the rest of the ingredients fell into place.

 

 

 

Chicken Tostados Using Leftovers (LO)

 

Pre-Preparations:

 

You can buy pre-made Tostados and sour cream, but I choose to make DIY Tostados and DIY Sour Cream, see post below for instructions.

 

https://riastoneblog.blogspot.com/2020/09/microwave-mug-ochilaquiles.html

 

 

Ingredients:

 

Tostados

LO Canned Black beans

LO Carry-out chicken, diced

Canned Salsa

Perishable lettuce

Shredded cheese

DIY Sour cream

 

 

Process:

 

Place 1 or more Tostados on a plate.

Add a layer of black beans, drained.

Add a layer of diced chicken.

Top with 1-2 Tspns of salsa.

Add shredded or torn bits of lettuce.

Sprinkle shredded cheese over the lettuce.

Dribble DIY sour cream, to taste, over lettuce.

 

Yum, yum!

 

It's when I make something like this that uses sour cream do I remember how good sour cream is on many dishes.

 

Resources:

 

The Mexican Grocer

https://www.mexgrocer.com/mexcocina-may1.html

 

My Latina Table

https://www.mylatinatable.com/traditional-mexican-tostadas/

No Bake: Lime Cream Cake Freezer Dessert - Experiment #1

You are going to see several No Bake Lime Cream Cake Desserts here because I can't seem to make the same one twice. This has a lot to do with the ingredients I have on hand and my own "cooking" abilities.

This will be one of those desserts I won't be able to duplicate because I was also trying to use some leftover cream and yogurt, so I probably won't have this combination of ingredients on hand at the same time, again.

 

One of these days, I hope I can come up with a Universal No Bake Lime Cream Cake Refrigerator Dessert.

No Bake: Lime Cream Cake Freezer Dessert - Experiment 1

 

 

Ingredients:

 

1/2 Cup cream

1/2 Cup condensed milk

1/2 Cup evaporated milk

2-3 TBspns Yogurt

3 dollops lime juice concentrate

6-8 sugar cookies, crumbled

 

 

Process:

 

Add cream, milks and yogurt in a bowl.

Stir and whip with a spoon until smooth.

Add lime juice.

Mix liquids thoroughly.

Make thick layer of cookie crumbs on the bottom of small rectangle microwaveable glass loaf dish with a cover.

Add 1/2 of cream mixture, no need to use it all.

Top with 2 crumbled cookies.

Sprinkled top with lime zest.

Put in freezer.

Freeze overnight or 6-8 hours.

 

Personally, I like to let it defrost a bit before serving, it makes it easier to divide the portions.

 

This No Bake: Lime Cream Cake Freezer Dessert came out pretty good. It was very tasty, just the right about of lime. But, it could have used more crumbled cookies.

Using Pasta Water and Vegetable Water in Soups

While I do not have a large frig, I like my frig. But, I can’t save everything. Already, I have bottles and containers of stale beer, pickle juice, tea, coconut creme, sesame creme, lime juice concentrate, cranberry and other juices, so I am tight for space, so I do not often save my pasta water or vegetable water.

But, recently, I made a batch of pasta and saved the pasta water.

I had just cooked a whole patti pan squash in a pot of water and had saved the vegetable water.

After making the pasta, I decided to use the pasta water and squash water to make chicken broth.

 

I did not include quantities here because I just used what I had, about 1-3 cups of each.

Using Pasta Water and Vegetable Water in Soups

 

 

Ingredients:

 

Pasta water

Vegetable water

Onion flakes

Garlic powder

Ground black pepper

1 chicken bouillon cube

Extra water if needed

 

 

Process:

Add a dollop of vegetable water to a pot.

Add spices and bouillon cube.

Stir to mix well.

Heat on medium-high for a few minutes while stirring.

Add extra vegetable water, if needed.

Add pasta water.

Add remaining vegetable water.

Add extra water if needed.

Stir.

Bring to a boil.

Reduce to a simmer.

Simmer for about 5 minutes.

Remove.

Divide broth into individual serving freezer containers.

Hours later, I wanted to see how the broth tasted.

So, I emptied one serving into a large bowl and added about 2 TBspns of diced leftover chicken.

I covered the bowl and microwaved it for 4 minutes on high. (Microwave for 2-3 minutes if broth is not frozen.)

Be careful when removing bowl from microwave, the soup will be very hot.

I was pleasantly surprised, the soup had a smooth tasty flavor.