What's Cooking (Take Four)

In my slow cooker that can do everything, is filled with well-seasoned and browned skin-on, bone-in chicken pieces, thighs, legs, and wings. (I keep the breast halves for other things)fresh mushrooms, red and orange bell pepper chunks, celery chunks, red onion, garlic, fresh thyme, and oregano, red pepper flakes, crushed tomatoes, red wine, and salt and pepper. This will be served over Fusilli Lunghi, a product of Italy made with Durum wheat semolina pasta, fresh parsley will be the finish on top. Steamed broccoli that I love to eat with spicy brown mustard is the side. It already tastes good and smells great.

That sounds delicious, Karen. I've not thought of having broccoli with mustard, but I'll give that a try next time we eat it.

Mike, I used to eat it with Mayo, and of course, that is delicious. However, over the past two years, I have started eating a Mediterranean diet as I wanted to get my weight back down to the healthy size I used to be. I have succeeded in that and want to keept is down but still eat much of what I want. Sierra Nevada Spicy Brown mustard did the trick for me with the broccoli.

[Jenise]

I'm in throwback mood. This morning I bought a pkg of super thin pork chops which I'll pound a bit, coat in onion salt and pan fry the way my Grammy used to. I'll skip the mashed potatoes and the milk gravy in favor of a healthier pile of wilted pea tips, but I'll love it just the same. That is: if my cat will give me the space to make dinner for myself tonight. She's having dental surgery today.

Oh my! I hope the kitty surgery goes well.

[Jenise]

It did, Mike, thanks. I spoke to the vet who let me know that Jane only lost four teeth; was expected to be more. I pick her up in an hour.

Nice to hear your fur baby surgery went well, our pets are a very important part of our lives. Love them all!

To go along with some chicken thighs with leeks and mushrooms in a cream sauce, I made a small pot of succotash and an Italian sort of a potato galette.

I am not Southern so, presumably, I know nothing about making succotash. It's OK but I don't see what's special about this mix of vegetables; any ones would work fine given the same prep.

The galette was OK but did not hold together. Not sure if I underestimated the flour or didn't press it hard enough or what. Tasty anyway just not so nice to look at.

Breakfast this morning is a slice of jalapeño cheddar sourdough, smeared with Peruvian pepper jam, and a fried egg, with a broken yoke cooked fast in Smart Balance until nice and crispy, seasoned with Real Salt and white pepper. An ever-present mandarin orange at this time of year is my fruit.

As a thank you for including her in a trip we took, our daughter's roommate sent us a variety pack from Omaha Steaks. It included four each of filet mignon, pork chops, burger patties, and chicken breasts along with some hot dogs and apple tarts. So far, we've had a couple of the filets, the chicken breasts, and a couple of the pork chops. The quality of the meat is quite good, although I wouldn't order them myself just because we can get great meat just down the street. Still, it was extremely nice of her to send them out to us. Last night, I fried up the last two pork chops, just giving them a coating of berbere spice with some S&P. Served them with mashed potatoes and roasted broccoli that had browned pearl onions thrown in at the end of the roast. It was all very tasty.