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"I cannot live without books: but fewer will suffice where amusement, and not use, is the only future object." -- Thomas Jefferson
Mexican Carry-Out: Tamales
I love these tamales. There's a vendor nearby and they offer chicken or carne tamales with red or green salsa sauces.
For $10pesos each, two tamales for $20 is a bargain.
I love opening the tamales because they are wrapped and cooked in huge banana leaves, so when you slowly and carefully unwrap the hot tamales the aroma fills the air.
As you can see, I am on a bit of a kick here, using a variety of combinations to make TWG mini-universal casseroles.
So far, this one is the best, though it could use more spices.
This is what Amy Dacyczyn, author of The Tightwad Gazette, is all about. She encourages people to be creative.
Hotplate: Another TWG Mini-Universal Casserole
I really like this combination of ingredients. The homemade cream sauce reduced the salt level because I did not use canned cream soup which contains a substantial amount of salt. I do not use salt in most of my recipes.
Pre-Preparation:
Make a batch of pasta per package instructions.
Make cream sauce if needed. (See Hotplate: White Cream Sauce (Medium) Recipe)
*Ingredients:
1/2 14.75oz Can of salmon, drained
1/2 Cup Canned mixed vegetables, drained and rinsed in can
1 Cup Pasta, cooked
3/4 Cup Cream sauce or use canned cream soup
1/8 Cup Almonds, sliced
2 TBspns Parsley, dry, crushed between palms
A few twists of Ground black pepper
Salt to taste (Optional)
Topping: 1/2 Cup or more Mozzarella cheese
Garnish: Parsley, dry, crushed
Process:
Add all ingredients to a small microwaveable casserole dish, except the topping and 1 TBspn of parsley.
Mix ingredients thoroughly.
Add topping by sprinkling cheese over the mixture.
Sprinkle 1 TBspn of parsley over cheese.
Cover with plastic wrap.
Microwave on high for 8 minutes.
Be careful when removing casserole from microwave. The plastic may release hot steam.
Be careful when removing plastic.
Sprinkle casserole with more parsley if desired.
*Note: This recipe is a great catchall recipe where you can use leftovers. I used a little leftover pasta and some leftover cream soup from a previous recipe.
#GERD-friendly
I can not tell you what a joy it is for me to be able to make my own cream sauce. I have tried many times, not sure why it worked this time.
Also, I appreciate cooking websites like The Spruce Eats, Simply Recipes and Cooking on a Bootstrap. The websites are user friendly, attractive and have almost everything I need to know when making "new" recipes.
Hotplate: White Cream Sauce (Medium)
(Adapted from: https://www.thespruceeats.com/easy-cream-sauce-3060554)
Pre-Preparation:
Make vegetable stock by add 1 vegetable bouillon cube to a cup of water.
Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes.
Remove and stir to dissolve the whole cube.
Ingredients:
2 TBspns Olive oil
2 TBspns Flour
1 Cup of deslactosada (lactose-free) milk and powdered milk mixture
1/3 Cup Cream
1/4 Cup Vegetable stock (Save remainder of stock for later use)
1/2 Capful Lime juice
S/P to taste
Process:
Add olive oil to pan.
Heat on medium heat.
Add flour, slowly.
Stir constantly to remove lumps.
This mixture will thicken quickly.
Add milk to pan.
Heat on medium heat.
Stir constantly.
Stir as mixture thickens.
Reduce heat.
Simmer mixture for several minutes.
Keep stirring.
Add cream and stock.
Add lime juice.
Add salt/pepper to taste.
Stir mixture thoroughly.
Refrigerator unused portion.
#GERD-friendly
TWG Universal Casserole -- Single Serving
(Adapted from The Complete Tightwad Gazette)
The Universal Casserole is one of my favorite TWG recipes but as a single person, I wanted to make a
smaller amount. So, I decided to half the recipe and give it a shot.
Categories of Ingredient Choices
Main ingredient: tuna, cubed chicken, turkey, ham, seafood
Second ingredient: sliced celery, mushrooms, peas, chopped hard-boiled eggs
Starchy ingredient: sliced potatoes, noodles (cooked), cooked rice
Binder: cream sauce, sour cream, can of soup
Goodie: pimineto, olives, almonds, water chestnuts
Topping: potato chips, cheese, bread crumbs
Spices or Herbs: Your choice
Ingredients:
Choose one item from each category above.
1/2 Cup main ingredient
1/2 Cup second ingredient
1 Cup starchy ingredient
3/4 Cup binder
1/8 Cup goodie
Spices or herbs
Topping
Oil to grease microwave dish
I choose canned chicken; canned mushroom pieces, rinsed in the can; canned potatoes, diced, rinsed in the can; crema Flor de Calabaza; olives, diced; and mozzarella cheese, grated as a topping.
Dry Parsley and ground black pepper were my choice of spices.
I had enough leftover ingredients to make this casserole again.
Process:
Stir and mix ingredients, except for topping, together thoroughly.
Add the spices or herbs of your choice.
Stir well.
If mixture is dry, add a bit of milk or stock.
Stir well.
Transfer mixture to buttered or greased microwave dish.
Add topping.
Sprinkle with spices or herbs. (Optional)
Cover with plastic wrap.
Microwave on high for 8 minutes.
Eight minutes was enough to heat the casserole all through but next time, I may try to microwave it for 10 minutes.
I also sprinkled more parsley, dry crushed over the individual serving.
I enjoyed this recipe even though it had strong olive flavor and was more salty than I would have liked.
#GERD-friendly if you use almond slivers or water chestnuts, diced, instead of olives.
An Empty Chair
He has a presence.
It leaves a shadow on the empty chair.
Shimmering.
A fleeting memory sees him sitting there.
Tall and broad, you see him stand, strong back above wide hips.
Sleek.
Two hundred pounds stretched smooth over six feet of bone.
Your eyes are drawn to his face.
Wavy grey hair, wild and tame, sculpts softly along scalp and brow.
His mouth curved in a smile foreshadows sensuality.
Rows of ivory teeth glimmer.
Electric.
The whites of his eyes circle dark, cold pupils.
His glance penetrates your core, knowing you want to dance with death.
Fascinated by my fascination, I flounder seeking the proper social graces.
Ethan
Phillips (Neelix) and William J. Birnes have created a delightful
cookbook. Ethan / Neelix uses his experiences as chef on Star Trek Voyager to
talk about various "recipes" he made during the show and recipes he gathered from crew members from all the Star Trek series.
It's
like an anthropological cookbook because Ethan / Neelix weaves in stories about
the history of the recipe and the ingredients. I must say I am glad that I
don't really need any bloodworms or bugs to make most of these recipes.
For Sweet Iced Neith, Ethan
/ Neelix talks of his family adventures exploring the countryside near
their home, discovering "The world is a book, and those who do not
travel read only a page."
I rarely have all the ingredients called for in a recipe and I often want to make a smaller amount.
In this recipe, I used ingredient ideas from two Star Trek Cookbook recipes, Sweet Iced Neth and Spiced Iced Neth.
Sweet Iced Neth with Spices (Faux Mango Lassi)
(Adapted from: the Star Trek Cookbook)
Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Yogurt, plain
1/2 Cup Milk
1/2 Tspn Ginger powder
1/2 Tspn Cardamon powder
1/4 Tspn Cumin powder
5 Full TBspns Canned Mango juice with pulp, crushed
1 TBspn Honey
In a large glass, add ingredients.
Use the spoon to smash the mango pulp.
Stir and mix ingredients well.
#GERD-friendly - this recipe is GERD-friendly for me, if I use lactose-free milk.
A Cinderella Moment
It was Thursday evening, I had worked late. I was tired and hungry, so I stopped at a local pub for dinner before I caught the subway home.
I got onto the subway car and did not realize for about three stops, I was headed in the wrong direction. As I got off at the next stop, I remembered fondly another evening where I had gotten on the wrong train.
A winter evening, years ago, I had come home very tired, so I went straight to bed. When I awoke, the clock read 6:00. I thought I had slept through the night and was late for work. I dressed quickly and ran to the bus stop. The sky was semi-light like sunrise.
When I exited the subway at my final stop, I looked at the sky again, something was wrong, it was too dark. I realized my mistake, it was evening not morning. I turned back to the subway to catch the next train in hopes of making the last bus connection home. That’s when I caught the wrong train.
A few stops later, I got off and sat on the stone bench to wait for the right train. If I was lucky, I could still catch the last bus and make it home before midnight.
A young man approached me and said “Hi.” When I looked up into his face, I saw the vision of a young version of my ex-husband. His face was open, friendly, and innocent. His dark curly hair fell across his forehead. His warm brown eyes were light and curious. I said, “Hi”, and lowered my eyes.
I stared at his shoes. They were two-tone canvas affairs. They spoke of honesty and warmth. His feet danced.
The train pulled into the station and the doors opened. I rushed to board the car. I wanted to stay and talk but I had to catch the last bus home.
A few days later, an art gallery announcement card crossed my desk. It pictured a modern Cinderella running to catch the last subway train before midnight.
I contacted the artist and bought a few cards. Later, I wrote to the subway’s general manager, using one of the cards, to make some suggestions regarding the service and I mentioned the significance of the card.
Now, a few years later, as I stood on the platform thinking about that evening long ago, the subway speaker system clicked on. An announcement opened with the sound of a grandfather clock and the announcer advised all Cinderellas that they didn’t have to rush to catch the last train at midnight because the evening hours had been extended.
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