(Cooking) My meat dilemma

JT helped me unload some random meat left in my freezer, "grass fed ground beef."  I haven't cooked or handled meat (haha) in like almost 15 years.  So my man hooks me up, and spreads cheer among my neighbors:

Here's the recipe, JT style:

ok, off the cuff,

take some diced onions and garlic, sauté them until translucent, take the unfrozen beef [healthy hamburger patty size] and add that in, breaking it up with spoon. take some tomato sauce (sauce would be better) or diced tomatoes and add them in. let it simmer. add a tiny bit of salt and pepper [i could not "season to taste, but you can and should] and maybe throw in some dried herbs.

meanwhile, cook up a proportionate amount of pasta, you don't want too much, one pound should be ok. it didn't seem like that much meat so...

also at the same time, take diced potatoes and boil them until soft, throw them into meat sauce. stir. add to your cooked pasta. throw in casserole dish, cover with shredded cheese, bake in oven at um, 350? for about 30 minutes, top should be a little brown and crusty.

feel free to throw in your other things you need to use up, casseroles are made to get rid of leftovers!

FYI, JT made up this recipe by simply looking around my house, to help me feed the guys next door. 

(Gardening) So Long Garden.....

So let this be a post really about winter preparation come spring.  Because I know my next garden, will surpass my first attempt.  My first garden, shown below, was an amazing experience and outlet.  After a major push from someone, JT (and Bryan) got my first real garden going.  Here's how it looked:  

It was a great first garden, which I talked to, spent time with, and found my "peace and joy."  Then fall came, and I had my first fall garden.  Both versions were learning experiences for me, and I can't wait for spring.  So in the spirit of wishing our beautiful gardens farewell (JT's FAR more beautiful than mine!!) I say, let's plan ahead, improve our soil and embrace, gulp, worms.....

So, gardeners, I'm curious about two things:

1.  Are you doing cover crops, and if so details please

2.  Composting during the winter.....should I stop adding compost, and just add soil and worms?

Comment away!

my nutty friends...

this is jt. you are all a bunch of lovable nuts.

i will happily provide a recipe for Jambalaya and also, the more vegetarian friendly étouffée. I will also do a post on how to make a roux, which is infinitely helpful when it comes to things like making the above and gravy.

you are all still nuts. but good nuts. like cashews or pistachios.

(Cooking) No Recipes!!

So JT sorta bullied me to try to stop using recipes all the time, and/or specific amounts of ingredients.  Like most things with him, I have fought him hard against it, but I alway relent, it's just a matter of time.  And he would want me to tell you that he is (almost) always right.  Recently, I've created a few good things, but tend to at least look stuff up for a general framework, and then wing it. Tonight, I made up my own pasta recipe.  It was not tremendously difficult, but it was tremendously yummy, and very helpful to my mental state of mind.  It was very nice to come home and actually force my mind to think about cooking, instead of focusing on the strain of the day.  You might find some of the items to be similar, but I literally threw this together from what was around, and a strained brain.

And all without any recipe, or ingredient list:

Marti's Salmon Pasta inspired by JT's rule of no-recipes:
Pasta (penne)
Salmon (1-serving size)
Onion, chopped
scallions, chopped (including part of the greens)
chives, chopped
capers
garlic
pistachios
red pepper flakes
salt
pepper
parmesan cheese
Olive oil

Cook pasta
Season fish with salt, pepper, chives
In saute pan, pour some olive oil and a little bit of garlic, cook fish until it begins to break apart.  Break into bite size/small pieces.  Add onions and saute.  Add the white part of the chopped scallions, and a little bit more garlic, and red pepper flakes.  Saute.  Add additional olive oil (enough to ensure pasta will be coated).  Add capers and more salt and pepper, to taste, if necessary.  Add some of the green part of the chopped scallions, and saute. Add pistachios.
Drain pasta when cooked, and then pour salmon mixture over top, and toss pasta
Shred some parmesan cheese, and drop a few green scallion pieces to garnish.
Serve!

This is one of those things I would have never whipped up or tried a year ago......and tonight it was super yum, and a very necessary distraction.  All thanks to my man, JT.  I'm open to any and all suggestions for the next time I make this one!

(Cooking) As Promised....Seafood Stock

So seafood stock is a pretty basic recipe, but like most things, I learned this skill from JT (with a lil' help from his man Bry, and our girl Velma).  This recipe was in high demand over the weekend, so I am putting it out there.  Plus, as mentioned, the chowdah always makes it to the next level if you have homemade stock.


For some reason this whole experience was originally sort of intimidating to me. But as JT told me, it's so simple.  It's actually absurdly simple because you don't need to peel, cut, or do anything with the vegetables.  It just all goes in the pot!  Then simmer for a long time.  Easy.  Probably not the right content for JT's advanced friends!!


Seafood Stock
Compile assorted seafood items such as: crab shells, lobster shells, shrimp tails/peels, etc. You want like a big full bag. 

Roasted assorted vegetables such as:
Celery-the whole thing
Onion-unpeeled, just halved or quartered
Carrot -several if you have them around
Garlic - a whole bulb
 
Simmer the shells, fish items until it starts to bubble, but not boil. After about an hour, you can add the remainder of the items, roasted vegetables/spices, wine, etc. Every once in awhile you might need to take some foam off the top. Once you add in all the rest, this should should simmer, not boil, for about 4 hours.  You might need to add in more water along the way....like 2-3 times. Then once you are all set, strain the items. Then use or freeze. And make Clam Chowdah!
 
If you have any questions, post them in comments, and perhaps JT will help you out!

(Cooking) Welcome Post-Clam Chowdah

It seems to make sense that my opening post for JT's blog, run by me, should be about his clam "chowdah" recipe.  There is a great history to this chowdah that he makes for us each year at the beach.  Somehow, I got roped into trying to replicate his amazing version for the past 3 years.  Well, I've always needed him nearby, and/or a detailed version of his recipe.  He will always be the master, but today I took a leap that would have made JT proud, and made a big ol' pot of yummy clam chowder to serve to family while watching football.  I must have done okay because the cousin remarked at least 3 times....and he's hard to impress.  I cut the potatoes all the same size, and I gauged all the ingredients with approximations, and I added in secret ingredients!  I also heated the cream, without scalding it, and I remembered to pour it in incrementally, to avoid the problem of excessive liquidity.  It was a success....and I owe it all to JT.  


Here is his recipe, which has a patent pending, so be sure to give credit where credit is due!


JT's Clam Chowdah a la OBX:
2 cups of diced onion
1 cup of diced celery (cut stalks in half then chop)
3 cups  diced potatoes - use assorted kinds, unpeeled
1 teaspoon dried thymne (some rosemary/whatever fresh)
1 teaspooon ground black pepper
8 cans of clams (can use 4 cups of fresh) - save the juice
1/2 cup of salted butter - 1 stick
1/2 cup of flour
1 1/2 cups quarts of cream / heavy cream/whole milk (can warm up)
garlic-"some"

chop the celery & onions into bowl
chops potatoes into bowl
chop garlic
open clams, set juice aside

melt butter over med high heat
when liquid  add garlic, stir up and be sure not to burn (5 mins)
add celery/onion, stir up - 2+ mins
add two large pinches of slat, stir up 1-2 mins
add herbs-2+mins
add cumin, 5+ mins
add flour, gets pasty
add 3 cups of veggie/seafood stock/clam juice (if no homemade stock get "better 
than boullion" -near stocks)
lower heat
add potatoes, as time goes by:  add more clam juice, wine
cook potatoes 10-15+mins
once potatoes are right texture, add 8 ozs of heavy cream + whole milk  (pour in 
via 1/3 at a time, stir incrementally
medium low heat
cover/stir/simmer as needed 5 + mins
taste.....when ready add clams
stir and remove from heat


TIP:  One of the definite keys to this is to have or make seafood stock.  Recipe for that will follow.  


If you have questions-contact JT!  You know how to find him!