Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. This week's Hodgepodge is Volume 123. What's something you've done recently that was as easy as 1-2-3? 

I made 2 gallons of fresh brewed ice tea. So yummy, so easy, so worth it!

 

2. The Wednesday Hodgepodge also happens to fall on the first day of May...what is something you may do this month?

Start my garden. Plan on planting tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, and cucumbers.

3. The Englishman Horace Walpole is credited as saying, "The world is a tragedy to those who feel, but a comedy to those who think."  How do you see it?

I'm definitely both. I feel way more than I should at times. Then there are times where I laugh off things and let them roll off my back.

4. May is National Hamburger Month...how often do you eat a burger?  What are your must-haves when it comes to burgers?  I assume you vegetarians won't be celebrating so tell us what you'd like instead?

I eat them twice a month. I love mine with lots of cheese (blue, cheddar or american), LOTS and I meant LOTS of pickles, ketchup, mayo, and mustard. I like it with bacon on occasion but we like to make ours with pork roll (taylor ham to my non-jersey friends...and if you don't know what taylor ham or pork roll is you are living a sad sad existence) 

5. Pansies, petunias, geraniums, impatiens...of the four mentioned which is your favorite in a patio pot? Will there be pots on your patio this spring? (Or whenever spring comes to your part of the globe?)  Who does the gardening at your house?

I don't really do pots. My mother always did and well she did them all. We had  a big yard growing up so it was always full of flowers and veggies. I'm thinking of doing some herbs on my balcony though.

6. When did you last (literally or figuratively) shout "Mayday, Mayday!"

I'm pretty sure I've never shouted it. Maybe years ago in school reading a play or story or some such.

7. Say farewell to your April in ten words or less.

Thank God the A-Z challenge is over with. It kicked my behind. I was great during the week but Saturday's were too hard for me to post. 

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Ok not so random but if you see above my comment about pork roll and you've never tried seriously go out and try it. That is if you eat pork. While it is primarily a Jersey thing you can find it places like Pennsylvania. Most other states that carry it will call it Taylor Ham (which is a brand name). Taylor is the best Pork Roll in my opinion BTW. There are also websites that will sell and ship it to you. Anyway to make it is super easy. If it is not already sliced you slice it then gently make 2-3 cuts on the edge to keep if from curling up. Place in pan and fry. The typical way it is consumed in Jersey is on a hard roll with fried egg, cheese, salt pepper and ketchup. YUM YUM YUM!

Z is for Zucchini

IT is finally here the last day of the blogging challenge. So what better Z food than zucchini...ok to be honest it is the only one I can think of. But that is ok because I love zucchini! This recipe is quick and easy and oh so yummy.



Fried Zucchini:
4 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
 2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
Zucchini sliced with peel on
Flour
Panko Bread Crumbs
grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Mix together first 8 ingredients until it is the consistency of a pancake batter.Adding more buttermilk or flour as needed

Dredge sliced zucchini in dry flour. Dip flour coated slices in batter then coat with panko bread crumbs.

Deep-fry in 360-F cooking oil till golden brown.
When both sides are golden brown, remove slices from oil and set on paper towels or grid to drain.
Sprinkle the tops with cheese. Serve hot with favorite marinara sauce to dip in to.

Y is for Yam

Ok I admit I'm not a yam fan. It has some sort of aftertaste that I quite frankly don't care for. However yams are fairly healthy so I know I should be eating them more than plain old potatoes. I have not tried this recipe so I can't give my honest opinion on it but it seems to be really yummy. This is a recipe my sister gave me. I imagine she got it from cooking light or the like as it seems to be a rather healthy recipe.





Split Pea and Yam Soup
6 cups water
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 cups dry split peas
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 medium yam, peeled and diced
1 medium white potato, peeled and diced
4 ribs celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground celery seed
1/2 -1 bunch fresh greens chopped


 1. Fill a large pot with stock and split peas and bring to a boil. Turn down medium-low. Heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add the onion, yams, potatoes, celery and dried herbs/spices, and continue to cook at a medium boil for about 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are soft, stirring occasionally.

3.Use immersion blender to smooth and thicken soup. (if it is too thick you may add more water/broth). Add in the greens and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Serve hot.

X is for Xtreme

OK I'm in a rush again. I work Saturday's so posting on this day is killer for me. Today's letter was x which as I'm sure you know limited me in what I could do for food. So I decided to go xtreme today....What's more decadant and xtreme than chocolate?

The following recipe is for the chocoholic. This chocolate milkshake is perfect for the hot weather we are about to have



Xtremely Chocolately Milk Shake
6 tablespoons cocoa powder
Chocolate Ice Cream (belgium chocolate or dark chocolate works great)
Milk
Chocolate syrup
Mini chocolate chips/sprinkles.
Whipped cream


In blender place ice cream, cocoa powder, a generous amount of chocolate syrup, and milk. Blend till smooth. Start off with small amounts of milk and add till you get your favorite consistency. In a tall clear glass swirl chocolate syrup along the walls of the glass. Pour in milk shake and top with whip cream and a sprinkling of mini chocolate chips or chocolate sprinkles.

W is for walnuts

 Oh my gosh I can't believe there are just a few days left in the challenge. How has everyone else done so far?

For today's food I'm going with walnuts. I know for most people it is a love them or hate them kind of thing. I personally adore them.


The following recipe is one I personally use in my own kitchen.







Melissa's Granola
5 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup dried blueberries
1 cup either raisens or dried cranberries
1 cup coconut
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350.  In large mixing bowl mix all the ingredients together till well mixed. Spread mixture evenly onto two large baking sheets. Bake 10-15 minutes. Stir or flip granola. Bake another 5-10 minutes until is golden brown and crisp.

V is for Vinegar

OK so I have a soft spot for vinegar. Partly because it is a tradition to go down the shore and get boardwalk fries. Boardwalk fries are salty thick fries lightly sprinkled with vinegar. I don't know if it is just a Jersey thing or if other states do it. But here in Jersey its just a thing we do kinda like pork roll (aka Taylor Ham for those not from Joisey)

Anyway the following recipe is like salt and vinegar chips only healthier. Why? Cause there is no frying and you use zucchini instead of potatoes. So that means those watching their carbs can enjoy them. Warning you will need a food dehydrator for this recipe. I got this recipe back in my days of being a vegetarian on Weight Watchers. Wish I could tell you where exactly I got it from but it again is one of those mystery sources.


Salt and Vinegar Zucchini Chips    

Photo Courtesy of WordRidden on flickr

3-4 Zucchninis thinly sliced
4 cups white vinegar
2 cups water
salt
Olive Oil


combine water and vinegar and soak zucchini in mixture for at least 12 hours (overnight is better). Drain but do not rinse the slices. Using a mister gently lightly mist with olive oil and sprinkle with salt (obviously you can pick your level of saltiness). Place in dehydrator and heat at 135 for 6-7 hours. They should be nice and crispy. Serve and enjoy!

U is for....Um, Uh, Ugh

Ok so um hmmm...I have not a single clue as to any foods that begin with U. I mean there are the cheat ones like Upside Down Cake. But actual ingredient....yup I'm stumped. So looks like today is another cheat day. Today's theme will be Ugly.

We've all done it before. Experimented and made a dish that was so ugly you were afraid to touch but when you took a bite it was surprisingly delicious. The following recipe is heart burn inducing but so yummy. I don't remember where I first saw this recipe so I'm so sorry that I cannot give credit to where I found it since it was a number of years ago. I can guarantee this is not pretty to look at but it is so yummy.

Photo Courtesy of stevendepolo

Chili Cheese Dog Casserole
6 hot dogs sliced
6 hot dog buns torn into pieces
1 large can of chili
1 large onion chopped (can be omitted)
Mustard
Relish
Bacon, cooked and drained
2 cups shredded cheese
hot sauce


Preheat oven 350. Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish. Arrange torn up bun on the bottom of the dish evenly. Layer hot dog pieces over bun. Spread chili on top of hot dogs. lightly cover with mustard and relish and sprinkle onions over the top. Lightly splash hot sauce across top. Top with cheese and bacon. bake for 30 minutes.


Alterations: you can make this healthier but using whole wheat hot dog buns, turkey hot dogs, turkey bacon, vegetarian chili, low fat cheese, add more veggies etc.

T is for Tuna

Ok I admit it I've never had tuna casserole Its not that I don't intend to ever try it...I just haven't had the chance to try it.

I found this recipe written down on a very old and very yellowed index card kept inside an industrial metal green recipe box that was my grandmother's. I'm sure she copied it from a magazine. Perhaps it was from a cookbook complete with housewife in a frilly apron on the cover. Either way here is a fun throw back recipe.








Tuna Noodle Casserole

 1 can Cream Of Mushroom Soup 
 1/3 c  Milk 
 6 oz Tuna, Drained 

 6 oz Egg noodles cooked and drained

 2 Eggs Hard Boiled, Sliced 
 1 c  Peas Cooked

  1 c  Potato Chips

 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Blend soup and milk in 1-quart casserole.
Stir in tuna, noodles,eggs, and peas.  Bake 20 minutes.  Top with crumbled potato chips;

bake 10  minutes longer.

S is for Sesame

I have a confession to make. I LOVE sesame! Sesame oil, sesame seeds, tahini....I could go on and on!


This is a recipe I've seen many places online and have not personally tried yet but really want to. I adore deviled eggs and this take gives it a spicy punch with wasabi.







Wasabi Sesame Deviled Eggs
6 large eggs
1/3 cup mayo
1 1/2 teaspoon wasabi paste
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 teaspoon dijon mustard
2 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
salt and fresh ground pepper

Hard boil your eggs. Run under cold water to cool them completely down. Peel and cut them in half lengthwise. Gently remove and place yolks in medium sized mixing bowl. Add mayo, wasabi paste, lemon juice, mustard and pinch of salt and ground pepper. Mix till smooth and creamy. Either spoon or use pastry bag to fill egg whites with mixture. Sprinkle the top with sesame seeds and serve.

R is for Raspberries

Well I totally forgot about Saturday's post. Was so crazy busy that I flat out forgot. SO I'll post it today but I know that I've failed this year's challenge. STill gonna keep posting though :)


So I was planning on doing Raspberries for my R day. I have a wonderful Raspberry lemon sauce that is great on cakes, ice cream, crepes, pancakes, muffins or any other sweets.

Raspberry Lemon Sauce


1 package frozen raspberries
1/4 cup sugar
1 lemon
pinch of salt


Place raspberries in pot. Add juice of the lemon and some lemon peel. Add sugar and pinch of salt. Heat over medium high heat till raspberries break down and sauce begins to thicken. Pour into a fine mesh strainer with a bowl underneath to catch the sauce. The strainer will remove the seeds and lemon peel. Using a funnel pour sauce into a squeeze bottle. Can be stored in fridge for up to a week.

Q is for Quick

Ok so I hadn't prepared for today's post. Like many other American's I've been spending the day paying attention to what is happening in boston. So I didn't pick a food today. EEK! So instead of a food that starts with Q I'm going to give you a Quick and easy recipe.




Quick Cheesy Hamburger Pasta

1 box elbow macaroni cooked aldente and drained
2 lbs ground beef browned and drained
1 large onion finely chopped
1 garlic clove chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cups favorite melty cheese
salt and pepper to taste


Light saute the onion for a few minutes then add garlic. Cook for one more minute. In a large oven safe baking dish combine pasta, hamburger, onion,garlic, tomatoes. Top with cheese and place in oven for about 15 minutes. Cheese should be melty and starting to brown.


alternatives: you can jalepeno to make it spicy, crispy bacon, or favorite veggies to make healthier

P is for Pears

Today is about Pears. Sweet and yummy! (will be back to edit post just want to get it up.)



Pear, Walnut and Blue Cheese Salad
1 bag mixed greens
2 large pears peeled and thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups crumbled blue cheese
1 cup toast walnuts coarsely chopped

Mix all ingredients together and drizzle with cider vinaigrette dressing.

O is for Oranges

This morning is another rush rush rush morning for me.  Today's food is oranges! I just love them suckers. I could eat them all day and night.

Today's recipe is one out of about a million takes on the classic Orange Julius. I'll never forget the first time I tried an orange julius. I was at the mall with my mom and we were having a day for just the two of us. She took me to a cafe in the mall who served their own version of Orange Julius. Ever since then I was hooked. So yummy and so perfect during the hot weather! This one is one of my favorites. I got it years ago from a vegetarian magazine. I've adapted it by adding half and half to make it extra rich and creamy.






Orange Smoothie
1 6oz can frozen orange juice concentrate, frozen
1/2 cup half and half
1/2 cup vanilla soy milk
1 cup water
1 cup ice cubes


Place orange juice, half and half, soy milk, and water in blender and blend till smooth. Adding a couple of ice cube at a time blend till smooth. Serve and enjoy!

N is for Nectarines

Ok sorry so super late today with my post. IN rush rush rush today. So just going to post super quick. Will stop back later to polish it up a bit including pictures of course.




Grilled Nectarines

3 ripe nectarines sliced in half with pit removed
butter
honey
vanilla yogurt


On medium high heat heat up grill pan. Melt butter in pan and lightly grill nectarine cut side down till it has lightly browned grill marks. Serve with scoop of vanilla yogurt and lightly drape some honey over top.

M is for Marjoram

I was going to do a milk recipe today but just wasn't feeling it. So I decided to do a dish today that my mom used to make when I was kid. Today's food is marjoram. Marjoram is in the mint family but tastes like oregano.

It has been about 20 years since the last time I've had this dish. It's tasty and super easy to make



Roasty Potatoes and Onions

6 potatoes sliced (a little thicker than you would for scallop potatoes)
3 large onions  sliced
1 tablespoon fresh marjoram finely chopped
Salt and Pepper
Butter
Paprika

photo courtesy of franksteiner on flickr

Preheat oven to 350. In a large buttered oven proof dish layer the potatoes and onions evenly in a circular fashion. Dot with butter between layers  Gently sprinkle on marjoram, paprika, salt and pepper. Dot more butter on top. Place in oven for 35-45 minutes. Potatoes should be golden brown on top and cooked through. Let sit for 3-5 minutes before serving.

L is for Lemons

Ok so I'm writing this up super quick as I have to get ready for work (the pain and torture of working retail). Last night klutzy old me managed to knock good corningware off a counter. It smashed and one of the shrapnel pieces cut my foot. It looked like a crime scene. As I ran...well sort of hopped/dragged my foot to the bathroom. It was a tiny cut but it was a bleeder. Thankfully the bleeding has stopped but foot is still sore. I'm a bit worried because I'm diabetic and we have to watch out for cuts on our feet.


Anyway today's food is lemons. What made me think of today's recipe is because the piece of corningware I broke is usually the one I use to make this recipe. Darn darn darn. I decided to go for the classic Lemon Chicken recipe.

Courtesy of tombotheteminator on flickr

Baked Lemon Chicken

1/4 cup Oil
10 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup dry white wine
Grated Lemon zest from 2 lemons
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon fresh thyme minced
Salt and pepper
4 boneless skin on chicken breast
1 lemon

Preheat oven to 400. Warm oil on medium high heat and cook garlic for about minute/minute and half. Do not burn or let it turn brown!  Add the white wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, basil, thyme, and 2 teaspoons of salt.  Pour mixture into a large baking dish.

Pat the chicken with paper towels to make sure they are nice and dry and place on top of sauce skin side up. Lightly brush some oil onto the skins of the chicken breast and season them with some salt and fresh ground pepper. Slice up lemon into circles and place the circles among the chicken.

Bake 35-45 minutes till chicken is done and the skin will be a bit brown. You can place it under the broiler for a quick minute or two if you want to brown up the skin even more. Serve chicken over rice with sauce from the pan.

K is for Kiwi

                                                                               Today's food is Kiwi. Did you know that the kiwi fruit has the highest levels of vitamin C than any other fruit? Even more than oranges. It has over 250% the daily recommended allowance. It is also high in Vitamin E and Folic acid. And 1 cup is just a little over 100 calories. Making it a sweet healthy snack that's sure to help keep colds at bay.

When I was younger I never really cared for Kiwis. I enjoyed the taste but was not a fan of the seeds. Now as an adult I'm a bit better about them but still not completely sold on the texture of those seeds.

 The following recipe is great in the summertime for a healthy desert. Kids will love them as they are fun to eat.

Fruit Kabobs
Berries (ie strawberry, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries etc)
Kiwi
Pineapple
Melon (ie watermelon, cantaloup, honeydew, casaba etc)
Bananas
Grapes
Any other of your favorite fruits (ie apples, pears, oranges,grapefruit).


Be sure to peel and remove all stems. Wash berries/grapes. Slice larger fruit into bite size chunks. Using long wooden kabob sticks begin to layer fruits on the sticks.. Place a grape or berry at the sharp end. Can serve plain, use chocolate fountain, or serve with your favorite fruit dip.

J is for Jalapeno

I hope everyone is having a good day this Thursday. Last night we had lots of the thunderstorms which was oh so nice to fall asleep to. Today's food is jalapenos. I know not everyone is a fan of the spicy pepper but it is actually not that spicy compared to some other peppers.


I decided for today's recipe to give a take on the restaurant favorite. Jalapeno poppers. Generally you see them done with either cheese or cream cheese. I personally prefer the cream cheese variety.


This version uses wontons to make for a unique and yummy experience.It also has both cheese and cream cheese.

Courtesy of Faul on Flickr

Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Wontons
1 package wonton wrappers (can be found in refrigerated section or asian market)
1 8oz package cream cheese (remove from fridge early to let it soften)
1/2 cup shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese (can substitute  favorite melting cheese)
3 regular sized jalapenos chopped (be sure to remove seeds and rib)
Oil to fry
Salt to taste


In a bowl combine cream cheese, cheese, and jalapenos till evenly mixed. Place about a teaspoon full of the mixture into the middle of wonton wrapper (do not overfill it will explode out). Using either finger or brush lightly rim all four edges with water. Fold over the wrapper (forming a triangle). Pinch the edges to seal in the mixture and remove air bubbles. 

Heat oil in a large skillet. Gently drop wontons into the oil without over crowding the pan. That means you'll have to do it in batches. Fry for a few minutes on each side till golden brown and crispy. Place on draining rack or paper towels. Season with salt. Serve while still warm.

servings-about 30 wontons

I is for ???? Hmmmm....

 So how is everyone today? Have we all made it so far in the blogging challenge? Well today is a super duper stumper for me. The reason my post is so late this morning is because I is not really an easy food letter. Sure you have Iceburg Lettuce but isn't that really just lettuce so should be L. Then you have Ice Cream but eh not quite in the spirit of what I've done so far. So today will have to be a cheat day.

I'm going to talk today about making homemade ice-tea. A few months back in an effort to save money I began to make ice tea at home. After some trial and error I have perfected making it to satisfy everyone in my family's tastes.  The best part is that for the less than the price of one small bottle of brand name iced tea I can make nearly 2 gallons.

courtesy of theculinarygeek on flickr

There are a few methods of making ice tea. There is the sun-brewing method. But I highly recommend you do not do that as it is known to often time become a breeding ground of bacteria and people have been known to become violently ill.  You can boil water in pot add tea leaves and let cool down before serving. Then there is my all time favorite method. You boil water add tea bags then pour over ice. So much faster and still tastes yummy. Oh and there are other methods but these are the most common ones.

In my experience black tea works the best for home brewed iced tea. Although my family love when I brew it using an english breakfast blend. As far as adding flavor to the tea you can have fun and get creative. I like to add a packet of lemonade mix to my brewed tea. It gives it a nice lemon flavor and a bit of sweetness without overwhelming the tea itself. It is not quite an Arnold Palmer (equal amounts of lemonade and ice tea). You can also do things like brew mint leaves with the tea bags. Add berries, lemons, or other fruit.

courtesy of desegura89 on flickr

Level of sweetness in tea is often very subjective. When making tea for a crowd I find it best to let them pick how sweet they want to make it. Sugar substitutes will dissolve well in the tea however pure sugar does not. The solution to that is to make a simple syrup using sugar and water boiled in a pot. Let the syrup mixture cool then add to your tea to make Sweet Tea.

If you have leftover tea you can freeze it in ice cube trays and use next time so that way you don't water down your tea. You can also freeze lemonade so that way as it melts it flavors your tea. Lastly to be super fancy you can freeze berries/lemons in water to make pretty ice cubes. 

How do you like your iced tea? Do you even like home brewed tea?

H is for Ham

Today's food and recipe is purely one for my son. My 5 year old loves ham! He could eat it all day long.

I'm so not posting the nutrition facts on ham because lets face it...not the healthiest of foods. But part of a well balanced diet it is a good choice for a protein.



The following recipe is one I make often for my son. I omit the pickles from the sandwich for the rest of the family members and sometimes will add olives for both son and them.

Courtesy of goodiesfirst from flickr

Ham and Cheese Paninis

1/3 lb of thinly sliced deli ham (favorite flavor will do)
1/4 lb of either sliced american or sliced cheddar cheese
4-6 mini pretzel rolls (can substitute with other type of roll)
Bread and Butter Pickles
Pickled Peppers
Butter


Lightly butter surface of panini press (can also use forman grill). Place meat and cheese along with a couple of slices of the pickles/peppers. Place inside of press and close press down tight. Cook for 3-5 minutes till cheese is gooey and bun is slightly toasty. Serve with a few pickles on the side.